P6 Exhibition 2010

As part of the promotion of the P6 (primary sixth grade) students to middle school, ISM requires them to complete an exhibition project. Essentially, the students research a social issue they feel passionate about and apply the tenets of the primary curriculum. Since Anders’s class is a combined P5 and P6, his role as a fifth grader was that of “worker bee”, or research assistant to his classmate Ike’s project on “Alternative Medicine Can Offer a Better Quality of Life”.

Worker bees Issac and Anders assist Ike (middle)

 

 In addition to the Ike, Issac, and  Anders exhibition, other students presented on human trafficking, children with special needs, poverty, conflict and war, women’s rights, protecting the environment, genocide, pollution and global warming. I was impressed not only with the seriousness of the chosen topics, but the students’ passionate enthusiasm. A dramatic performance by the entire class and group chorus of Michael Jackson’s “Heal the World” capped off the informative evening. 

Well done P5 and P6’s !

Sarah uses the power of persuasion while talking about genocide

 

Sending red hands to the UN to stop child soldiers and human trafficking

 

Heal the world, make it a better place...

Maasai Guy

Uncommon Sightings in the Serengeti

My friend Monica and I just returned from a four day safari in the Serengeti. Instead of the usual animal photos, I thought I would share a couple of the more unusual things we saw.

While parked in a line of about twenty jeeps to watch a pride of lions feast on a fresh wildebeest, I turned to look behind me for a brief second. Imagine my surprise when I saw my Uncle Knud and Aunt Lea from Denmark driving behind us. (Full disclosure: I knew they were on safari the same week as us, but still, the Serengeti is a very big place) They looked a little surprised too.

I can honestly say, when I left for the trip, I did not expect to see the President of Tanzania either.

President Kikwete, center in dark suit

Our driver nonchalantly asked if we wanted to see the President of Tanzania at the Serengeti airstrip. Mr. Kikwete was there to officially welcome a gift of twenty-one rhinos from South Africa and support the efforts of conservation. We parked our jeep alongside the many other safari vehicles that were carrying tourists and joined the party. When I asked our driver if he’d ever seen the President before he said, “Of course, many times. He’s my President!” The  event was very festive with a marching band, dancers, and a lot of speeches praising the President’s pro-conservation-anti-poaching position. The complete lack of security and celebratory vibe made me feel like I was attending the Grand Opening of a supermarket, instead of a presidential event. Pinch me again.

Birthday Tanzanian Style

The majority of the world may celebrate Norwegian Independence Day on May 17, but in our family, we celebrate David’s birthday. 

This year we celebrated with a guest of honor, our friend Monica from Seattle. The power was on all day so I managed to bake a cake and make a spaghetti dinner without difficulty. The Duke contingent from the doctor’s compound joined us for cake, and an impromptu dance party by the four kids in the group capped off the celebration. 

Happy Birthday David! May your adventurous spirit and compassion for others bring you many more amazing experiences. Thanks for, among other things,  including me in the journey!

Camping at Lake Chala

Welcome Guest Speaker

I imagine many of you have already heard Bono’s infamous speech on AIDS given at the National Prayer Breakfast in 2006. Four years later, as we live and work in Tanzania, the  relevance of his words are irrefutable.

Pull up a chair; it’s long, but so worth it.

 

Wanted: A Change of Heart

It’s been interesting to follow the issue of  funding the war against HIV in the American media from this side of the world. The most recent article I read in the New York Times (click here) left me feeling discouraged. 

For about ten minutes. Then, I felt outrage.

 I thought about this war on a micro-level. How David has said numerous times throughout this year how much he loves his job because he truly feels like he’s making a difference in a child’s life by offering and managing antiretroviral (ARV) medications; regimens that literally keep kids alive. 

At the micro-level, the successes are great, the gains obvious. And, while after reading this article the overall issue of funding the crusade  sounds hopeless, I’m here to tell you, hope is happening all around us. It’s happening in the start-up NGO by Tanzanians who recognize the stresses of HIV go far beyond the clinic exam room and that patients need help with food, transportation to and from medical appointments, and school fees. It’s happening in a widower who recognizes his son, who had been living with grandparents and stopped his ARVs  for one year, now needs to re-enter the system to stay alive. It’s happening in the HIV positive pregnant woman who got treated during pregnancy so as not to pass on the virus to her unborn child. It’s happening in a First Lady who travels the country expounding the benefits of HIV testing. And I may be biased on this last one, but it’s happening in the placement of doctors like David from all over the world, who give of their expertise, time, and compassion to serve this population. 

What about the fear and pessimism the NYTimes article describes?  ”Without a change of heart among donors, the whole hope I’ve had for the past 10 years will disappear,” says Michel Sidibe’, executive director of Unaids. His colleague concurs. “Now I’m afraid we’re at a tipping point in the wrong direction,” says Dr. Peter Pinot, previous director of Unaids.

Are we really at a point where donors are triaging which disease is the cheapest to fight? HIV is among us and not going away soon. People here are not giving up. If the world outside Africa needs a change of heart, spend a day in the clinic waiting room with the orphaned and widowed. Or go on a home visit to see the woman who is raising her dead sister’s six children. Maybe that will help.

When A Stranger is a Friend You Haven’t Met Yet

This past week had me pinching myself harder than usual.

Back in October, we visited Zanzibar. (See previous post “Vamos a la Playa”) While waiting in a beachfront restaurant for our dinner, we struck up a conversation with a lovely German couple, Benedict and Dorothee. During the course of the next few days, we shared more wine and good conversation. We hoped to meet again someday, presumably in Seattle or Munich.

 A couple of months ago, I received an email from Benedict. He mentioned he was planning to shoot a film in Tanzania (he’s a documentary film director) and could I possibly help with the casting of “an eleven to fourteen year-old Tanzanian, Swahili- speaking male for the role of a shepherd boy”. The story is about a German-Tanzanian girl who is raised in Germany but returns to Tanzania after her mother dies. She develops a relationship with the father and grandmother she never knew, in addition to befriending the goat-herding shepherd.

 Since neither of my children met Benedict’s casting requirements, (“Mom, doesn’t he need a twelve year-old American girl?”) I went to my next source: International School Moshi. The Superstar drama teacher (see previous post “Kilikatz”) rounded up a group of potential shepherds, and together with Benedict held auditions for the role. He was very pleased with the selection of Papias, a fifteen year-old boarding student from Mwanza near Lake Victoria. In addition, he awarded the lead role to an eleven year-old Tanzanian-German girl Simone from Arusha who speaks fluent German, Swahili, and English. (!) Neither has acting experience.

 And in a poignant case of when art imitates life, Simone’s Tanzanian father died two years ago, soon after the family left Germany to live in Tanzania. As her German mother told me during filming, “It’s like life is a puzzle and sometimes the pieces don’t make sense. How could I predict that Simone would be acting in a film that is so much her own experience?”

 I had the privilege of acting as Papias’s official chaperone, production assistant, costume designer, script editor, photographer, concierge, and local travel guide. The week I spent with the crew was fun, slow, unpredictable, educational, exhausting and incredibly rewarding. I have a great respect for the art and in particular, Benedict and his team. They were always smiling (except when the costumes were left behind in the Emergency Room of KCMC) and incredibly kind to the actors. Their professionalism was superb; their individual personalities wunderbar!

Action!

 

 The crew went home with footage for a “teaser”; something to convince funding sources in Germany to jump aboard the project. And if all goes according to plan, they should be back in Tanzania in December to officially make the movie. Sadly, I won’t be here to help.

International crew

 

But, who knows what the next “stranger” will bring?

Read more (in German) about Benedict and his film company  here.

Going Bananas

How To (Legally) Drive Across the Border From Tanzania to Kenya

 

 1.   Disregard any previous experience crossing international borders by car (i.e. Canada, Mexico); nothing will apply. 

2.   Remain flexible at all times.

3.    If possible, cross the first time with an experienced party who knows the drill and has a sense of humor. Avoid a “blind leading the blind” scenario.

4.   In addition to the originals, bring copies of car registration, insurance, and passports. See #1

5.   Bring U.S. dollars and Kenyan shillings.

6.   Ensure 4WD is working properly before embarking on road trip.

7.   Pack snacks and water.

8.   When the tarmac road ends abruptly and there is a metal cattle gate that prevents you from driving further, pull over and park. This marks the border between Tanzania and Kenya. Seek out anything that looks official. Don’t give up. See #3.

9.   Make arrangements ahead of time to avoid the public restroom.

10. Maintain your sense of humor. See #3.

11.  Watch your step; the mud can be deep, the potholes many.

12.  Split into two parties; one processes the car, the other processes the people. In theory, this strategy should save time.

13.  Enter dank room decorated solely with a calendar and a color 8×10 of President Kikwete, and request blue immigration cards for each person in your party. Speak loudly enough to wake the sleepy, uniformed officer who is reading a newspaper.

14.   Maintain a sense of humor. See #3.

15.    Be grateful you entered dank room before the packed bus unloaded passengers.

16.    Don’t even think about not  B.Y.O.P. (Bring Your Own Pen)

17.    Fill out cards matching information to the individual passport. Place the completed card in the corresponding passport and hand back to the officer who is sitting with his eyes closed.

18.   Recognize that even though all processing and stamping is lovingly done by hand, this avoids dependence on electricity, of which there is none at the moment.

19.    Stop wondering where all these blue cards eventually end up. 

20.   Obtain stamped passport discharging you from Tanzania and shove your way out the door, which is now crowded with unhappy people who have disembarked from the very large bus emblazoned with “Happy Nation”. See #14.

21.    Find your second party who completed separate paperwork for the vehicle and gave up the car’s registration which will be held by immigration authorities and retrieved again on the way back into Tanzania. See #2 and #4.

22.     Drive a quarter of a mile to the brand new, clearly identified, Kenyan immigration office, careful not to get vehicle stuck in the mud. See #5.

23.     Leave your camera in the car. Tell plainclothes officer you were just taking pictures of the mud, not the building.

24.     Stand patiently in line beneath the moth-infested ceiling. Stop trying to figure out why or how many there are. See #10.

25.     Pay a $25 per adult, (cash) visa fee to the cheerful, English-speaking officer behind the slatted glass. Recognize a bargain when you see one: Kids get in free!

26.     Drag kids from the car to come in for their official Kenyan immigration photo. 

27.     Obtain stamped passports and marvel at your Kenyan visa. Welcome to Kenya!

28.     Politely decline the gentleman who approaches your car asking, “Do you need Kenyan shillings? Good rate.” See #5.

29.      Begin to wonder how the car will fare in the deep mud that appears to go on down the road as far as the eye can see. Try not to focus on the fact that your destination is two hours away. Feed kids snacks. See #5 and #6.

30.      Gently release your white-knuckle grip of the dashboard as the car slides horizontally across the width of the road, potentially knocking over stranded bicyclists and motorcycles.

31.       Re-locate your sense of humor.

32.       Breathe.

33.       “Drive” around the stranded bus that long looks abandoned, praying your car doesn’t end up in the ditch.

34.        Park car after successfully traversing the worst stretch of the “road” (so far) to assist experienced party who is behind you officially stuck in the mud. See #5.

35.        Push their 4WD through the mud, along with several roadside “volunteers”. Ignore splatters in your eyes.

36.        Expect “volunteers” to ask for money or chocolate. See #7.

37.        Continue on and drive through raging river. Travel approximately two kilometers to final Kenyan immigration post.

38.        Park car. Send one party to clear vehicles, while other party seeks out restroom facilities, of which there are none.

39.         Receive Kenyan clearance for cars; note road looks better up ahead.

40.         Enjoy your stay!