Thanksgiving marathon

This Thanksgiving was one of the best. Definitley the most exhausting, but rediculously awesome. It started for me wednesday night when my site-mates (closest peace corps neighbors...10k away) came over to my house so that we could start our walk to the road (read: motorized transport) bright and early. Catherine came over in the afternoon and we felt very peace corps as we sat on my nicaraguan blanket reading about chakra realignment and meditating.... we felt that way for about ten seconds until my dog started to try to eat catherines hair while she was attempting a sun salutation. We then headed over to visit some of my best neighbors. about this time Mary and Mussa showed up and we all went over to Baba Desmondi's house. We visted a bit and got up to leave. "Oh no you can't leave we just started some tea and eggs for you all." hmmm... ok its 8:30 thats our usual bedtime, but of course you can't pass up tea and eggs, thats just rude. so we stay. we finish our eggs. Its time for us to go now, we have to be up bright and early for our 3 hour walk, so we better head out. "Oh no you can't go, we started rice, beans, and goat for you" well no one ever walks out on goat. even if you don't eat it (me) you don't leave once someone prepared you goat. goat is expensive and probably just killed for you. so we stayed. fast forward 3 hours. its midnight and we're stuffed and walking back to my house in the dark.

at 5:30 my alarm goes off and we get up to start our walk. but wait, my neighbors come over with tea and eggs for us to take on our journey (tea and eggs is evidently some sort of magical combination) so 6 o'clock we leave. we're quite a vision. three white girls rediculously tall kenyan/tanzanian and one little dog on a chain leash. we're off. after three hours of sweating and sining as many 90's songs as we can think of. Mussa our tanzanian can join in when we do country songs - turns out he's a big dolly parton fan- go figure. we arrive in Igowole and meet up with the other half of our travel crew. Ashleigh, Brianna, Cristina, and Laura are waiting for us. In honor of giving thanks they started the festivities with sampling some of Brianna's home made pineapple wine. so we are greated with some unexpectedly glazed over eyes. Apparently Brianna and her village let the fermentation process go on a little long... oops. we get some tea and bread. give walter a little water and 9 adult sized people and one dog pile into a taxi to get to Jenny and Jeff's house. Our thanksgiving day destination. please note that none of us have every been there and we have absolutley no idea where we are going. either does the taxi driver as we will soon find out. about two hours in, walter has been so good, oh wait... says laura, me and ashleigh turn to see walter through up his breakfast, completley undigested on ashleigh's sweater and my arm. and as we get the taxi to pull over to deal with the mess and ashleigh stands up we realize that walter did not only puke on ashleigh he also pooped. four round little turds rolls off ashleighs skirt as she stands up outside the cab. this is when we're all glad for the overfermented early morning pineapple wine....so now its just funny.

so we pile back in. 4 hours, 10 wrong turns, and 3 calls to jenny and jeff later, we get there. this is honestly one of the most beautiful places i've ever been. we're in the hills covered with tea fields and forest. its some kind of mix between the sound of music and gorillas in the mist. amazing. and when we get there we are greated by 15 beautiful african children and about 20 tired but happy Peace corps volunteer faces. we made it. we all spend the day exchanging stories, cooking, doing sing alongs with jeff on the piano or bango and jenny on the viola, and playing cards. it also seems everyone has brought a sampling of their village made wine. i've now tried pineapple, mango, papaya, and cherry wine. all great however strong. walter is in heaven as he plays with their two dogs and monkey. jenny is a peace corps volunteer who has finished her service and she and her fiance jeff now work with this non-profit. they have ana amzing house that includes, hardwood floors, gas, electricity, hot showers, and running toilets. bliss.

the next morning after dirinking strabucks coffee courtesy of jenny's american family and eating pie for breakfast we all procure rides out of the mountains to a town so that we can start the next leg of the journey. on this ride walter only pees on mary's lap. i think this is good progress. next stop kitelawasi village, alee's village. she couldn't come up with the money to make it to jenny's because she spent all her money funding a pottery wheel in her village as an income generating project. so we're coming to her. she's also a trained chef. she's been cooking all day and nine of us are greeted by alee, sam (who's been down visiting) and alee's fiance teso. we have a fantasic meal of chicken soup, tortillas, and salsa. and the night is capped off by a freestyle rap battle provided by our own justin of boston mass and a Maasi secondary school teacher from the village. it goes on for hours and is actually really impressive. they end the night agreeing to record together. so stay tuned. i'll let you know when their first album titled ebony and ivory drops.

the next morning is potato soup for breakfast. alee's been sick all night and the rest of us had been planning on going to iringa, a good sized town with a hospital, to finish up a report for peace corps. we all agree alee needs to be checked out since she has a fever of 102 so half of us get geared up to go to iringa while the other half is heading back to their villages. due to walter's track record of travel i leave him with catherine to take back to her village.

we arrive in iringa to a whole other group of white faces from peace corps we didn't expect to see. so that day is spent at the restuarants that cater to white tourists so they serve milkshakes, burgers, buritos, panini's, and pizza. the afternoon is snack time, they sell pringles here, and so we watch the Bourne Ultimatum on someone's computer and forget for a while that we are in africa and work with people dieing of aids everyday. that night is disco night. we all cheers each other and dance into the morning. not a bad thanksgiving if you ask me. i hope y'all had a good one too.

Cornuts, african markets, and domesticated animals

starting from the top picture: Carla sent me a package with corn nuts!!!! i of course did not savour them but inhaled them as a topping for the usual rice and beans. thanks carla, i love you!. next pic: catherine dancing in the market in makambako. this is what we do to entertain ourselves. next: there was a kitty sleeping on one of the charcol stoves they sell in the market. it was so cute. i tried to pet it but then it hissed at me and ran away... i sure have a way with cats. next: this is calista, she runs the internet cafe in makambako. its a thankless job.... mostly because the internet is usually down and so then noone says thank you... next: me and walter and a gift from my neighbors. i am super lucky that i have neighbors that take care of me. this was from their farm. i got onions, potatoes, spinach, tomatoes, and bannanas. pretty sweet little care package. next: walter assuming his usual position. next: some of my best friends, iniki and aniti. iniki won't smile because she says her mouth is too big. which really means she has a big beautiful smile. last: a gift for my tutoring some kids in english

soooo life is pretty good. i've come to the end of my "settling in period." i finally have furniture. but there are no cushions yet. that comes after the next peace corps stipend.... still waiting. i do not yet have glass on my windows. i hope that will come soon because the rains are. i've been working a lot at the health center and really love it there. yesterday broke my heart though because a 10 year old AIDS patient came in to get his month worth of drugs. alone. he walked 25K just to get there. he's a sweet kid named Green with good T-cell counts so far. i'll be starting a garden in the next two weeks at the primary school. i'm very excited about that. so if anyone feels compelled to send me seeds.... don't fight it, send them!! i'll take whatever you've got. the food in the garden will go home with the kids as i teach them about nutrition and better health practices. also those of you who have said that you'd be interested in sponsoring a girl for secondary school: we will know who is eligible in december and so you'll all be getting letters in the mail soon.

walter is good. he has successfully destroyed two pairs of shoes and one set of portable speakers. thanks. but he's getting his big doggy teeth now so thats his excuse. next month he will be neutered...sorry walter but i feel it neccessary. it costs a whole 3 dollars...

we volunteers are getting ready for the holiday season. we're entertaining ourselves by meeting on thursday for a big shindig with a bunch of volunteers coming from all over then friday will be a small deal with a few who were short on bucks and couldn't travel. it seems no matter where you go you always have the holiday marathon. its ok though. i like it. christmas should be abou the same and new years will be spent camping in a national forest. i'm pretty excited about that. so thats it for me. i'll update soon. thats for the letters and packages (dad, thanks for the books, newspaper, and york pepermint patty :) carla: the bingo will be a hit i know it and the US weekly was read immediatly!) much love!

OBAMA PARTY!!

thats what brings me back into town so soon. since i don't have a radio that will get BBC and could listen to the election results come in i had to give myself two benadryl to fall asleep. maybe not the best move for a health volunteer but necessary cause there was no way sleep was going to come on its own given that in the morning we would have a new president. it's been really bizarre being in africa as the first african american president is elected in the U.S. some people are excited but most don't really understand why we would want a "non-american" (read: not white) to be president. this brings up a really interesting convo about what makes an american. american and what america really looks like. it blows people's minds when i show them pictures of my asian, black, persian, etc. friends....who are all american! these conversations also highlight the residual effect of colonialism in east africa. there is still a sense in these africans that white is better, smarter, and more able. i will have 90 year old men and women bowing and kissing my hands when i great them because to them i deserve respect for being white. it feels very backward and a little hard to swallow growing up in an america that at the very least preaches that respect is based on one's wisdom and accomplishments and has tried for the last 50 years to reject the idea that race inherently gives you status.

but my friends and i met here in the nearest town to hear the speeches and toast tanzanian made chocolate cake and frosting to our new president that i hope will bring something new and good into the world and not break our hearts. (the cynic in me is just waiting for the other shoe to drop.....)

i am still waiting for furniture to arrive. i ordered it over two months ago. but i guess this is africa time.everything else is good. i am having some frustration with my village and district government but the people here are mostly motivated, especially the kids. i've been tutoring four everyday in english. they wrote me letters requesting help... very cute. and its hard since education here is seriously not up to par. but little by little right?

today i also got some letters and a package!! thanks jessica, uncle brad, mom and dad, amy, grandma, jenna, and lauren for my letters and packages. it makes me feel not forgotten. i love you guys

i should start by apologizing for my last post. slightly dramatic one might say. but the computer was the only thing i had to entertain myself with for five days. it made me a little crazy. i'm better now. for the most part. still some headaches and dizziness but i'm told thats just post malaria stuff.

so here are some new pictures of my life. the first is of my brand new ginormous bed. but its my firt piece of furniture. the bed i was sleeping on before was borrowed from another villager. i was able to return that and now i have my own! then there is a picuture of walter. he's getting really big. but as he gets older he becomes a better cuddler. this works for me. especially in my new huge bed. the picture also includes my hoe. that i actually use to garden and tend my compost pile. be impressed. then there is a picture of me and walter before we set off on a biking adventure to take him to the vet two hours away to get a rabies shot. he lasted in the basket for about 2 minutes. the next pic is of Iniki, my best tanzanian friend (yes she's 13... so what?) and walter. her smile is really that big. the next picture is of a drawing i made on my court yard walls. if you can't tell its a turtle with the words "pole pole, kidogo kidogo, ndio mwendo." this roughly translates into slow and stead wins the race. i put this up to remind the villagers that my work with them will be slow but we will get there. they forget sometimes that i am only one person and can't do everything today. then there is a pic of me actually working with my hoe and turning my compost pile. yes i have a compost pile that is actually turning into workable compost. its a miracle. the next picture is my very first (however handwritten) public health poster to put up in the health center that promotes good nutrition and speaks of its benefits. it took a long time and i'm proud of it regardless of juveline it may look. people like colors right?

anyhow i'm in the city for two days for a water saftey and sanitation training. as you can imagine it enthralling. but its good and absolutley necessary. everything else is good. getting healthier so don't worry. i'll make it just fine. i miss everyone and i love hearing from you in posts or letters. keep sending them. it does get lonely here and i'm always interested in knowing whats going on in everyone's life.

Lalalalala. i'm sick.

so i'm on the floor of my courtyard tears washing clean canyons of dust on my face, writhing in the fetal position with pain, one hand holding walter for comfort the other holding the phone to my ear as a plead with peace corps to send a car to my site to pick me up. i don't feel good. i really don't feel good. this isn't like in third grade when i "wouldn't feel good" every tuesday when dad was off work and we had to do multiplication tables.

i was finally able to succesfully communicate this and within an hour a white land cruiser appears in front of my house with Salome, our saftey and security officer, floating out drapped in white like angel. seriously, i'm not making this up. she scooped me up and took me to Iringa, the nearest biggish city with a peace corps approved hospital. turns out i have malaria. that sucks. two days later i go back, malaria is gone but i have giardia which is an intestinal parasite that gives you diarreah and REALLY bad gas pains. two days later i still don't feel better. Peace corps says come to Dar es Salaam, the capital where their medical staff is. we're gonna figure this out. an eight hour bus ride later i arrive in Dar. Tired and sick. oh, peace corps medical staff says, we're not at the office we can't see you until tomorrow. Siiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiggggggggggggggggghhhhhhhhh. the next morning: probably a kidney infection, i've been peeing brown (i know you want all these details). fine. but kim, you'll have to come back on monday so we can do the blood tests to make sure its not something else. monday? what i am supposed to do here for the next two and half days. nothing. which is exactly what i've been doing. watching movies, sleeping, thats pretty much it. this morning i came back, monday, thank God. i get blood tests, medication for a kidney infection and told to wait two more days here until all the tests come back. what the eff am i supposed to do here for yet another two more days. Dar can be a really fun city if you're with friends and feel good. but it sucks when you're alone and feel like crap. i'm in the second category. so this post is me whinning. i wanna feel better but i want to go back to my village. i've got stuff to do there and i miss my friends there. and mostly i miss walter. he needs me.

one more thing

if anyone is wondering how they can help. the schools and health center desperatley need:
1. condoms
2. toothbrushes
3. toothpaste
4. books in swahili.....this has been a certain challenge for myself and past volunteers.
5. disposable cameras. we are working on a project for children living with parents with HIV/AIDS to make memory books since many of their parents will soon be gone and along with them any understanding of their past.
6. crayons, paper, and other coloring supplies (they have no creative outlet)
i'm working on all of these things also but if you have any connections let me know. i would be eternally greatful.


thanks everyone!!

just a little update

well i'm back in town again because of possible strep throat or misc. virus. just a heads up, if anyone has the compulsion to send me or my village mail or anything else it is best, if at all possible to put in a padded envelope. it come about twice as fast.
KIMBERLY HELLER PCV
S.L.P. 469
MAKAMBAKO, IRINGA
TANZANIA

just in case someone doesn't have it :) also i got a new phone number the last one was stolen...cool. here's the new number :+255787404897. just a funny little story: i have my own number saved in my phone as "me" because i can never remember it. i met a tanzanian from and NGO who asked for my number, i found it in my phone and handed it over. he took it and put my number in his phone. he now calls me "me". obviously something was lost in translation.

everything else is good. walter chewed through my sandal and my speaker wires this week but i fixed the sandals with duck tape. and my 15 year old neighbor repaired my speakers with matches and duck tape. very McGyver.

also some of my old mail that was sent to my previous address is slowly being forwarded to me. so if i still haven't replied its because i haven't gotten it yet.