As Though I Never Left

Jambo Everyone!

THURSDAY, JANUARY 7
I arrived safely via an uneventful, although long (22 hours) flight. I flew Ethiopian Airlines so we stopped in Addis Ababa, the capitol of Ethiopia. Getting off the plane and walking towards the airport, my senses awakened to the sounds, sights, and smells that could only mean I was in Africa. It was the kind of familiarity you sense when you walk into your grandparent’s house. One deep breath and I was flooded with the knowing that all is well.

While waiting for our connecting flight, I met a very nice couple from Naperville, Illinois. They were on vacation to Safari and climb Kili. They mentioned the tour company (Zara) and I remembered it as being in Pasua about a 10 minute walk from TAFCOM.  We had lots of time to chat since our flight to Tanzania was an hour late, another reminder that I was on Africa time!

Nie was waiting and she looked wonderful. Finding words to describe the feelings of a reunion is not easy - so many wonderful emotions plus the reality that I am really here again!

I am spending my first 2 nights at Umoja Hostel in Moshi. (I stayed there in 2010.) I will then move to a room that was recently built for volunteers located on the grounds of TAFCOM. We dropped all my suitcases at the Hostel and I showered and rested before dinner.

Note to those who are new to my blog: A wonderful woman, Lynn, from Minnesota has been instrumental in raising the funds to build the Minnesota Academy, TAFCOM’s primary school. She brings a group each year to safari, climb Kili and raise funds for TAFCOM. They arrive Sunday. One member of the group, Steve, came a few days early so he is staying in the TAFCOM volunteer room.

I got to see Jonas for a quick minute when he dropped Steve off at Deli Chez to join Nie and me for dinner. Deli Chez is a favorite spot among both locals and tourists with roof top seating. The food in Tanzania has a strong Indian influence and I love it. Good people, pleasant weather and a view of Moshi was a great accompaniment to a delicious dinner and a wonderful way to end my first day.

FRIDAY, JANUARY 8

I arrived at TAFCOM in the morning with one 50 pound suitcase of donations (Thanks to many of you!). I was astounded at all the changes. Nie and Jonas moved from the house they were renting in Pasua and now live in what was the Children’s Center. I learned that this building had originally been designed as their potential home. This was now possible since preschool classrooms had been built in 2013 and a new building added in 2015. The newest building houses admin and the tailoring center. Attached to it is the volunteer room.

Elizabeth, a new volunteer from Illinois, arrived today. She is staying in one of the volunteer houses in Moshi. With a background in business and a proficiency in Excel, she is going to be a great asset for the month that she is here. Steve joined us and Nie and I provided an orientation to TAFCOM, its history, vision and programs. Later in the morning we all drove out to Minnesota Academy to see the progress on the 2^nd building. While walking the grounds, Jonas gave an overview of future plans. The first building is complete with 2 classrooms. We observed a health lesson being taught to the Standard 1 class (equivalent to our 1^st grade).

The afternoon was spent in town getting my phone and internet set up plus making a trip to the bank. There are many banks in Moshi. Barclays is right in the middle of town and very convenient. However they now charge a transaction fee which they had never done before. It turned out to be $6 on a $200 withdrawal. I won’t be going there again! I returned to Umoja Hostel and ate dinner there, ready for an early night to catch up on sleep and rewind my body’s clock to Tanzania time. We are 8 hours later than EST.

SATURDAY, JANUARY 9, 2014

Home visits are a special part of my experience with TAFCOM. Nie has always said this is her favorite program because it is what has laid the foundation for all the other TAFCOM programs. Since Steve only had two days with TAFCOM, 4 home visits were arranged for today. I have known all these families since 2012 and was especially looking forward to seeing everyone. All the families greeted me with big smiles and hugs, warming my heart as usual.

 

Note: I have written about these families in past blogs but will provide a brief summary for the new folks.

Our first visit to Jasmine was by far the most emotional and heartbreaking. Jasmine is HIV+. Her husband and 4 year old son died of AIDS some years ago. Her husband’s parents blamed Jasmine and ostracized from the family and her property. Jasmine settled in Pasua with her teenage daughter and they have struggled since. Jasmine and her daughter live in one room with a dirt floor, one small window, no electricity and no plumbing. She was visibly depressed and shared that her sister died two days ago. Jasmine was also recently in the hospital 3 months for leg issues. Steve & I gave her the bus fare so she could go to her sister’s funeral.

I found myself choking up as we left Jasmine’s. It is reassuring to me that I can still feel the same emotions as if it were the first time. I never want to lose that. All the families we visited live in similar poverty. However, their lives are improving because of the services of TAFCOM.

Fatuma and her daughter have a vegetable stand and her grandson lives with them. She is concerned about school fees. TAFCOM helped the family with a Micro Loan and budgeting so they could save and send Fatuma’s other daughter to Hotel Management School. She is now working in Dar es Salaam in her field and is married with one child. Success stories like this one are the tangible ropes that pull one through this difficult work towards that goal of alleviating poverty.

Rehema has 4 school-aged children, 2 who are HIV+. School fees are always a concern. Education of children is very important to all these families and even though public school is “free”, there are school fees, supplies and uniforms that are costly.

Our last visit brought us to Mwamini who holds a special place in my heart. Mwamini tested positive for AIDS while pregnant with her last child. Sadly, Rose was also born HIV+. I met this family in 2012 when Rose was 6 months old. She was a sickly child, in and out of the hospital. Rose died during the time I was here and TAFCOM helped with hospital and funeral expenses. Mwamini now has her own business selling socks and underwear, traveling to different markets each week. Her two children are doing well in school.

Steve is meeting up with Lynn and the rest of their group and they will be coming to TAFCOM on Monday. So we dropped him at his hotel in Moshi and Nie and I returned to TAFCOM where I was excited to see my new housing.

OMG I thought I was spoiled in 2014 but this is amazing! Being a new build everything is fresh and immaculately clean. I have a double bed, desk and chair, armoire AND a refrigerator. The bathroom has a real toilet, a shower And a mirror! I spent the afternoon moving in and I am totally convinced that simple and minimal is the only way to live. I have everything I need; each item in its special place. I also have a dada (sister in Swahili) named Ellie. She will cook and clean for me.

SUNDAY, JANUARY 10

Today was a restful day visiting with Nie and the family.  Jovin, their 10 year old son, and I went for a walk down the railroad track (Relini). This was a favorite walking path of mine in 2014.

The electric power goes out almost daily and for extended periods of time (4-8 hours many times). Plus there is only one electric company and the rates are very expensive. This is not something that is easy to get used to, even for Tanzanians who experience outages all the time. Today Jonas installed solar power. This along with their moving to TAFCOM will provide much needed cost savings. And the icing on the cake is that a solar TV came with the installation! I watch very little TV but occasionally flip thru the channels. There are 2 news stations, BBC and Al Jazeera, which know how to report the news and do not focus on the sensationalism that has become so prevalent in the US.

I am now completely settled in. Just like seeing an old friend after a long time and feeling like it was yesterday, I feel as though I never left. Life is Good!