Working on the project

After a few days of getting our systems back to normal and playing a little bit we put in a solid day of work today. We were able to meet with the 4 local women that worked on the CARE Community Based Reproductive Health Project (the project we are collecting data on and evaluating now). They were so knowledgeable about the project, the local community, and hospitals and were really able to help us understand the various layers that a project like this consists of. They also happened to be very warm and sweet people! We also brought some data and graphs along with us to talk to the women about the importance of having reliable data (some of the data collected from the project is inconsistent).

After our meeting at CARE Mwanza we went to dinner at the Domo Domo(?) Restaurant which sits on the edge of Lake Victoria. The tilapia was as good as advertised, especially in conjunction with a locally brewed beverage!

Sweet Mwanza

We made it to Mwanza safe and sound, as if there were any doubts. It is much cooler here than in Dar, but we have no AC in our rooms (so I will continue to walk around with my wonderful scent of B.O.). However, the place we are staying is very nice, sort of like a bed and breakfast type of set up (its called the Tree House). Mwanza is supposed to be the second largest city in the country but on first impression it feels very small. The airport was tiny, the roads that are paved are not very large or wide, and the dirt roads are very bumpy. On the drive from the airport into town there were many fields of various crops (rice, mango etc..) and also lots of farm animals. Of course there are also many farm animals in the city as well. Needless to say, there doesn't seem to be nearly as much going on here as in Dar.
A short time after arriving in Mwanza a few of us decided to go out to buy dinner and a few groceries. It turned out to be a bit of an adventure between us and the driver that was taking us around. He speaks very little English and we speak even less Swahili. We had one communication mix up after another and were unable to get him to understand that there was a restaurant in particular that we wanted to go to. After visiting the third one we decided to just buy food there. None the less it was amusing and funny and luckily the driver was very patient with us. Mwanza seems like it is going to be very entertaining...

As promised...

The pictures of the latrines and wash closets are now up on flickr as promised just click http://www.flickr.com/photos/adamstanzaniatrip/

Just so everyone understands, I don't have an obsession with toilets. However, one of my biggest concerns about the trip was having to use a pit latrine under the smoldering African sun. So I've decided to conquer my fear head on by taking a picture of every (well almost) latrine/toilet that I use on the trip. Enjoy!

Another Day in Dar

We spent a great day today in Dar es Salaam! It started out in the morning with the CARE meeting that included Dr. Helene Gayle (President and CEO of CARE) as well as many board members. It continued in the afternoon with a trip to a small island (uninhabited by humans, protected marine park) that is just off the shore. The island was beautiful, with crystal clear water, and the snorkeling was amazing (colorful fish, urchins, coral etc.). Another cool part about the island is that locals will catch you fresh fish and fry it up for you. We ate fried barracuda and believe it or not, it was very good. After returning from an exhausting time on the island we did a little shopping and ate dinner at a local shopping/restaurant complex called The Slipway. The great thing about The Slipway is that it has lots of shops where locals are selling their crafts and the prices are good.
Tomorrow we will be off to Mwanza, which everyone says is cooler than Dar (did I mention that Dar is like 100 degrees with humidity?). Can't wait!

Adam

Finally....

We made it! It took us a day and a half to get to Dar es Salaam and another day for me to get a good internet connection but who's complaining? So far the people have been very pleasant and the city is beautiful. Eventhough most people here speak English, communicating can be a bit amusing at times. They are certainly not accustomed to my accent.

I have decided to create a picture theme for my trip which I will post on Flickr when I get a better internet connection (if that ever happens). The theme has something to do with latrines and wash closets.


Adam

Almost ready....

Less than 20 hours to go before we take off...it is starting to sink in, after all of the preparations it is really going to happen! I'm not looking forward to the day long travel (I thought driving to Orlando was bad) but I'm sure it will pay off. I'm excited!

We will be arriving in the capital of Tanzania, Dar es Salaam, on Saturday 02/24. After spending a few days there checking out the place/attending a meeting etc. we will continue on to the city of Mwanza. It is there where we will be working and visiting some of the clinics/hospitals. Of course it won't be all work as Lake Victoria and the Serengeti are very close by!

talk to you soon,
Adam

I hope the following links work.
basic info on Tanzania: https://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/print/tz.html
my photos from the trip: http://www.flickr.com/photos/adamstanzaniatrip/