The Bat Who Buzzed My Bum Bum

Lisa and Form 2 student Anna at the Arusha 1/2 Marathon

Seth, Isdori, Rose and Ester with skeletons from biology class. These skeletons were actually being used in a drama at the time!
We hiked to this waterfall near Moshi a few weeks ago.

Board Chair Jim Keller comes to visit

I think very few non-profit board chairs would leave the comforts of home, fly for many hours, fight the dust and bumps in the road and spend an entire week learning about the culture of the project they are chairing. But, Jim did. I didn't know what I would think of Jim. Would he be stuffy? Would he be pushy? Would he not like the long winded stories I like to tell? (Just to clarify, everyone likes the long winded stories I like to tell...so if you don't, please don't tell me!) Yet, Jim was none of these. I found him to be a successful businessperson who, for some reason, has taken a serious interest in shaping the future of Orkeeswa, and consequently these students we work with. He was right there in the mix of things this past week. He went to meetings in the village, meetings at the school, meetings before and after school. Yet, he was very open all along the way.

I've often heard non-profits complain their board "just doesn't get it." They are a detached group who doesn't appreciate the realities of day to day operations. But, it seems to me, that Jim is a chairperson who gets it. So to Jim, a very sincere thanks is extended your way. You could very easily have been anywhere else in the world and you chose to be with us.

Return of the Greg

Also joining us at the time of Jim's visit is Greg Flett - my singing buddy and associate director for IEFT. He lives in the US in Boston. He's a good dude. We seem to eat well and have a boat load of fun whenever he's around! Unfortunately he too is leaving on Thursday.

Dr. Challenges

I have had to learn about African agriculture. Many would say that I am a terrible agriculture teacher here because I don't know much about the way things work. Sure, the general principles are the same - put a seed in the ground, provide water, keep the bugs and disease away and harvest when it's ready. But virtually everything is different - the types of crops, the availability of water, the soil type, the heat, the day length, the markets, etc...

So, I shouldn't be so critical when others come to do medical work and are unfamiliar with the myriad of diseases they are presented. But, I am.

I serve as the medical person for our school and ultimately have to make the decision as to whether a student can be treated at school, or needs additional help at a local clinic. Usually, I depend on the clinic for everything from upper respiratory issues to parasites to helping remove a thorn from a students hand. That kind of stuff. The general rule of thumb is that in Tanzania many pills will be prescribed. I think in general this is a good idea. If you aren't 100% sure what the problem is, just treat for a few different things with a few different meds and hopefully one works. What I've seen is, for the most part, that works. But, I'm not a doctor.

I think there's probably issues with giving out lots of meds. Disease resistant strains are always a threat. There's the chance that complications could happen if a student has a reaction to the meds. So, I'm guessing there's some logic in not over-prescribing medicine too.

Recently, we have seen a lot of upper respiratory issues; colds if you will. I've found that students just need some medicine in order to get over these colds. But, we went through some time of one doctor who would refuse to give the meds to our students!

Anyway, to make a long story even longer, I think he was doing what he thought was right. I don't think he knew the diseases and certainly didn't understand the living situations of many of our students. It was a bit of a disaster.

I think we've finally reached some resolution and he's doling out the appropriate meds again. Our students are fortunate to have that clinic so close and receive that level of care - probably no other school in East Africa does that. But, it's a good reminder of the challenges that happen with the transient population we have here doing short term professional work.

Preparing for Exams

We have the Form 2 National Exam and the Form 3 district mock exam coming up in the next two weeks. Yikes! As you may know, the Form 2 National Exam is the high stakes test which determines whether the student goes on to Form 3. If they fail, they will be forced to repeat Form 2 again. So, we've been busy setting up rooms, creating seating arrangements, etc... Once the tests actually begin, it's not so bad. Anyway, good luck to us all over the next two weeks!

Ah, that darn bat

Ok, here's the story. We have a pit latrine behind our house. I like to use it. We always have issues with running water, in that we don't have any right now...just bring in buckets. So, a pit latrine is more, um, convenient.

It was a dark and stormy night. I went to the latrine to do what I had to do. It was peaceful, almost serene inside. All of a sudden the light from my headlamp fell on the fluttering of wings. "Could it be?", I asked myself. I thought perhaps some gasses were affecting my judgement and went on my way; albeit a little more cautious. Then, again, the fluttering of wings just inches from my tucus. There was not doubt! A bat had set up residency in our toilet!

This presents a dilemma. I can't spend the next year not going to the bathroom. It's not healthy. However, I can also not live my life gripped with fear. If you have suggestions, please let Lisa know. I'm sure she will be MORE THAN HAPPY to receive an email entitled "Your Bat Bum Bum Problem." Thanks so much for your contributions.

Got our flights booked to come home - woo hoo

We are coming home! We'll be home for part of December and January. Don't have a schedule made yet. The only real item I know if is to GET FAT!