Map
November 21, 2007
August 19, 2007
Inspiration
As I was walking to work today to post my final blog entry I paid particular attention to what has become normal around me. The cows were coming home from the fields – they walk down the road and behind my house to my neighbor’s yard every evening. I passed the little kids who always run out of their houses, waving their hands frantically and yelling, “Allo!” and “Goodbye!” Their moms sit next to the houses made of mud and sticks while braiding each other’s hair, telling stories, and offering me a friendly smile and a wave. I then continued down the dirt road and came upon an elderly man walking with a youth. I greeted him with respect by saying “Shikamoo”, bringing a huge smile to his face. The three of us first exchanged extended greetings in Swahili and then English – each participant practicing their non-native language. After saying goodbye I walked the final leg to work – with the rim of the Ngorongoro Crater in the background. I am so fortunate to be able to watch the sun set over one of the seven natural wonders of the world every evening!
I’ve been trying to think about what to say in my final entry. I could answer the typical questions… How have I changed? How have my surroundings changed since I arrived in Tanzania three months ago? What are my thoughts about the future of Tanzania and Africa in general? How do I see my role as a public health professional? Do you want answers? Well, I don’t have all the answers. But, here’s what I do know…
1. If home is where the heart is, then I have two homes. I find this ironic because – honestly - life can get very challenging and frustrating here sometimes. On the other hand, I have missed Tanzania ever since I left the first time in 2003. Last week during our farewell party the project administrator asked me to consider Karatu my second home. “You always have a place here and we wait for the time when we can welcome you home again,” he said. Needless to say, tears came to my eyes! I still believe that anyone who comes to Africa leaves part of their heart here… including me.
2. Public health is what I want to do. After 3 semesters of academics, lectures and writing numerous papers for class (all about Tanzania, of course), I finally saw how my training works in the field. And good news mom and dad – I found what I want to do! I don’t know where or in what capacity – the field has endless possibilities – but I know I’m on the right track. This is comforting as I look at the pile of loans I will soon be paying back :)
3. Be inspired! I know we can eliminate poverty. I know we can eradicate malaria from Karatu District here in Tanzania. I know we can address malnutrition, AIDS, tuberculosis, chronic diseases, racism, sexism, inequality, human rights, and more throughout the world. Too idealistic? All we simply need is the collective will and inspiration. Simple, right? Albert Schweitzer, an icon of international public health and a doctor who – among many things – built a hospital in Gabon in the early 1900s, made his life his argument. He once said, “Judging by what I have learned about men and women, I am convinced that far more idealistic aspiration exists than is ever evident. Just as the rivers we see are much less numerous than the underground streams, so the idealism that is visible is minor compared to what men and women carry in their hearts, unreleased or scarcely released. Mankind is waiting and longing for those who can accomplish the task of untying what is knotted and bringing the underground waters to the surface.” I challenge all of us, including myself, to pursue the idealism and inspiration hidden within ourselves to make the world a safe, healthy, equitable place for all human beings.
And on that note I will leave you for now. I want to thank you for reading our SPH summer blog entries and joining me on my travels to Tanzania! In case you are looking to support a worthy cause, Minnesota International Health Volunteers (MIHV), the organization I worked for this summer, will be selling bricks to help support the new Healthy Mother, Healthy Baby Center (HMHBC) here in Karatu Town. You can purchase a brick for $50 and your name, or the name of your choosing, will be written on the brick. The bricks will form a patio and walkway outside the center. This is extremely beneficial during the rainy season when the mud is unbearable and will provide a cleaner place for children to play on. All donations will go towards the daily operation of the center. The HMHBC will provide one-on-one counseling to pregnant, high-risk women in a confidential manner. Women will also have access to a resource library, receive education on pregnancy and reproductive health, and a garden behind the center will be cultivated to teach women about nutrition. Stay tuned to MIHV’s website (www.mihv.org) for photos and a link to purchase a brick. I also have pictures of sample bricks and the future HMHBC building if you’d like to see them! Asante sana (Thank you very much)!
August 16, 2007
Mother Nature’s massage… driving on unpaved roads
On Wednesday I traveled 2 hours off the tarmac road with three work colleagues to visit villages in Mang’ola - a neighboring ward (a ward is composed of a couple villages). We were planning logistics for a five-day training for traditional birth attendants in that area. Mang’ola is along the edge of Lake Eyasi; a beautiful lake surrounded by hills, palm trees, and semi-desert terrain. Whereas Karatu is known for its red dust/mud, Mang’ola has light brown sand everywhere. Most of the houses and buildings are built out of mud and sticks with thatch roofs. No one has electricity, except for a few select cement buildings. Everyone uses kerosene lamps – including the restaurant and guesthouse we stayed at. The stars are spectacular to say the least! Besides its beauty, Mang’ola alone supplies 1/3 of East Africa’s onions. In the rainy season the road is inaccessible and in the dry season about 1/2 of the bridges are rerouted for repair.
On our way to Mang’ola we stopped to meet with the Hadzabe – a local tribe and one of the only hunter/gatherer tribes left in this part of the continent. There are only 1,200 Hadzabe left in Tanzania. Almost all Hadzabe are located within a 2,500 km2 area. They speak a language that combines spoken words with click sounds. Their houses have no walls or ceilings – just knee-high brush in a square with an opening for the entrance. They use traditional medicine and what they find around them to treat illness. For example, when one man was having problems with his eyes the traditional healer tied a piece of string around the man’s head with two small sticks above his eyes.
The men still make and use bows and arrows. The bows are made out of wood from a willow tree and animal tendons. The arrows have a poison near the tip – and of course they have the antidote nearby in case there is an accident while making the arrow! We started talking with the women; one woman knew Swahili and translated for us. I pointed out that there was only one baby in the group. In a country where the average woman has 6 kids and you see kids EVERYWHERE you go, I was shocked to not find any. The women responded that the babies usually die before they turn five years of age. To them this is life.
Thinking aloud for a second, why are the Hadzabe insistent on using traditional medicine when it is not working and the very existence of their tribe is at stake? If I am sick and go to my doctor I expect to get better. And if I don’t get better I would ask for different treatment or go to a new doctor. If babies are dying at an alarming rate and people are getting sick without batting an eye how can they be motivated to seek proper treatment? They live in the moment and accept life as it comes. The government built the Hadzabe a school and dispensary, but the tribe does not want to use them. They don’t need to completely dispose of traditional practices, especially if they are beneficial. In addition, I don’t think the Hadzabe know that a multinational corporation is trying to displace them and use their land for game hunting. This will impact their very existence. Some people even told me, “You’ve seen something amazing and might never see them again.” On a positive note, Minnesota International Health Volunteers is working closely with their leaders to identify their greatest needs and to help bridge the gap between the government and the local community.
One thing that has been confirmed for me this summer is that even when we don’t understand health practices we need to listen to the story behind the practice. Reserve all judgment and treat everyone with dignity – because they may think we’re crazy!
August 14, 2007
Amazing
There is only one word that can adequately describe my experience in Brazil-
AMAZING! I had a fantastic time learning the culture, the language and the
landscape all while having a great scientific experience. Even though I was
only able to see a small portion of the astoundingly diverse country- I saw
just enough for me to know that I have to return- I feel grateful for the
opportunity I was given.
In 10 weeks I traveled from the Northeastern city of Salvador, with its
strong African roots, to the Southern state of Parana, which is home to
large German, Argentine, and Paraguayan populations. I was also able to
travel to one of the most beautiful cities in the world Rio de Janiero and
escaped unscathed from a place that rivals Tel Aviv as one of the most
dangerous places in the world. In between I spent most of my time in the
state of Sao Paulo, know primarily as the home of the world's 3rd largest
city, but a state that is so much more!
Even in my home-base, Jaboticabal, a city of 77,000, I was able to see that
much like the United States, Brazil is a country of immigrants. In the case
of my town and much of the state of Sao Paulo many of those immigrants were
Italian and Japanese, which meant some amazing cuisine and some pretty
excellent home cooking.
I did so many things in Brazil that I would or could have never done here at
home:
I went to a rodeo
I vaccinated cows
I went to a slaughterhouse
I took blood from deer
and I learned a new language.
Living with a Brazilian and working in a lab, also helped me make many friends which only made
leaving that much harder! There were tears all around.
Of course I went down there to work and after 6 weeks of decent effort my
presentation on the potential spread of ehrlichiosis was well received. One
day I hope to return and finished the work that I started and of course
reunite with the many friends I was so lucky to meet.
August 09, 2007
Pledge For Peace
After attending the Nagasaki peace ceremony in commemoration of the atomic bomb explosion- I thought it would be more appropriate to have the words of a survivor as opposed to describing the ceremony in my own words.
Pledge for Peace
August 9, 11:02 am
Spoken by Katsuki Masabayashi: Atomic Bomb Survivor Representative at the 62nd Nagasaki Peace Ceremony
August 9 at 11:02 a.m. 1945-this was the day the atomic bomb exploded in this very sky here above us. At that time I was 6 years old and was out catching cicada on a small hill with a friend, not far from my house in Ieno-machi, 1.3km from the hypocenter. There was an old hut, some bushes and a cluster of green trees where the cicadas were singing in unison.
I handed over the insect cage to my three year old sister and then reached out with my net to catch a cicada on a tree trunk. That’s when it all started. Suddenly, I could hear the roar of a plane overhead. Shocked, scared and panicked, my mother’s warning came to mind. My friend hastily ran down the hill.
My sister was rooted to the spot, so I dragged her into the old hut, where we took refuge. At that instant there was a right white flash and an explosion followed by intense heat rays and blast wind which caused horrific damage.
The hut was completely destroyed by the blast and my sister had been flung into one of the corners. I rushed to dig my sister, who was unconscious, out from under a pile of ruble.
I looked toward home and it seemed as if the town and sky were dyed red. From there, I could see people struggling in their burnt clothes, screaming in excruciating pain and also people covered in blood who had their flesh gouged out by flying objects. They came running along the slope one after another, away from the city, out of sight.
I put my sister on my back and wandered aimlessly but soon grew extremely weary. I stood rooted on the spot. It looked like someone was going to come and help me but on seeing my body they just left me.
The lower left hand side of my stomach had been pierced by bamboo and the flesh was gaping open. I continued to carry my sister on my back whilst I bled. My sister’s clothes were burnt and she was bleeding too. She continued to call out for our mother in a faint voice whilst shaking. For the first time, I screamed out for my father who I longed to see, but he had died in action and would never return home.
At the hypocenter and in the surrounding areas, over 70,000 people perished and more than 70,000 people were seriously injured on that day, including me.
The single atomic bomb was the devil himself. In just the blink of an eye it caused unprecedented destruction, exposing people to nuclear radiation, killing thousands of people.
No mater how much time lapses, the misery continues. Even now, the survivors are still suffering from the after affects of the bombing, which was a completely unreasonable act.
All those affected on that day in Nagasaki were the children of humanity. Destroying Hiroshima and Nagasaki was therefore like destroying mankind. It cannot be justified, denied or passed off as fiction.
The true essence of humanity can be found in happiness and prosperity based on peace and it is our duty to pass this fact on to future generations.
Currently, in economic and social settings, regardless of one’s stature, one asks for help and helps others. However, it is my belief that whatever progress we make and whatever help we receive, the final outcome should be beneficial to mankind without destroying the earth. I believe that the way forward for humans is peace base on happiness and fulfillment at the center of our lives.
I strongly believe that to achieve this, we need to be brave and to have faith to work together to create a stable environment where happiness can flourish.
As a pledge for peace, I will continue to strive for the elimination of nuclear arms and the realization of lasting world peace to the best of my power.
Ground Zero-Nagasaki
August 07, 2007
A Tanzanian Wedding
Last weekend I traveled to Moshi for a wedding with my friend Mercy. Moshi is located 3 hours east of Karatu at the base of Mt. Kilimanjaro. The bride and groom are originally from Tanzania, but now they live in Minnesota - what a small world! Most weddings in Tanzania are led by a brass band during the ceremony procession, the vehicle send-off, the caravan from the church to the reception, entering the reception, and so on. How can you not celebrate and dance when they play a joyful “When the Saints Go Marching In” as everyone enters the church? People flew in from all over the world to attend this wedding – the U.S., Switzerland, Germany, Botswana, Ghana, South Africa, Kenya, and so on. Everyone in attendance (about 700 people) were dressed to the nines in their finest dresses and suits. Unlike weddings in America, the bride and groom do not kiss at anytime during the ceremony or reception.
The ceremony was similar to what I’ve experienced in the States, but the reception incorporated a couple traditions specific to Tanzania. One tradition is eating goat cake. A goat (in this case there were two) is roasted completely whole and the head is protected from the fire to preserve the hair and facial features. The goats were rolled in on a cart - with their feet and legs tucked underneath their bodies – with leaves coming out of their mouths. The goat is cut, like a cake, and the bride and groom feed each other a piece of goat. Then the bride and groom give a piece of goat to their parents and honored guests. Traditionally, a goat is used as a symbol of the ultimate thank you, a sign of peace, and also as a dowry. When a man chooses a wife he sends the woman’s family a goat and then they know that their daughter is “gone.” The food, including the goat cake, was excellent! They had the usual Tanzanian food – white rice, spiced rice, fried chicken, fried cabbage, banana stew, meat stew, cucumber salad, and fruit. There was also a three-tiered western-style wedding cake, but everyone wanted the goat cake. We all sat in rows of chairs inside the reception hall and outside under a tent with plates in our laps because there were too many people to bring in tables.
A second tradition is the giving of presents. The wedding party lines up at the front of the reception hall to shake hands and give hugs. First, everyone associated with the groom’s side lines up to drop off presents, cards or money in the basket. The guests then shake the wedding party’s hands and the hands of the groom’s family. Then the bride’s side lines up to drop off gifts and shake hands with the wedding party and the bride’s family. This is of course all videotaped under a fluorescent light with loud DJ music in the background!
Besides experiencing all the Tanzanian wedding traditions I also got a glimpse of Mt. Kilimanjaro from the reception hall. The “roof” of Africa! Until last weekend it was too cloudy to see Kili, so I was pumped to catch a view of the mountain that consumes 1/3 of the horizon. One of these times I will climb it, hopefully before global warming melts all the snow on the summit!
August 05, 2007
Got injured on my forehead
By Jooyeon Hwang
On the way from HCMC to Ha Noi in the airplane, I took a rest and read a magazine at my seat. All of sudden, a woman lost hold of her heavy stuff like a rock from the storage box which was located exactly above my head. Big stuff hit my forehead and nose so that I went to the ER as soon as arrived in the airport at Ha Noi.
The physician just checked my temperature and blood pressure, and then he said, “It will be just swollen with bruise! You will be okay. Don’t worry.”
Well, it was good to hear, but there was much missing in first aid treatment. By the way, I had to come out because another patient came into the ER and occupied my bed after THAT treatment. Except for unfortunate plane accident, this trip was very fulfilling.
I have been thinking more about the “Environmental Issues” with broad concept through this International field experience. My research was educational and I got to know Vietnamese culture. Thank you.
August 04, 2007
Interesting Vietnamese Cultures
By Jooyeon Hwang
I’ve seen many women, who cover their skin with big hat, long gloves, dark sunglasses even a mask. They covered all parts of their body as much as they could. I thought they wanted to protect against the air particles.
But it was my wrong assumption. People in Vietnam judge the beauty of women as a light skin color. More white skin women, more beautiful women. Namely, they only take care of the UV light. It was interesting culture.
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Rural area in HCMC- Vietnamese grandpa was glad to meet foreigner. | Me Kong Delta- this boat is the public transportation for residents. |
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These elementary students came out from school to take a picture in rural area in HCMC. | Me Kong Delta- I also took this boat with traditional Vietnamese hat. |
My experience is more than field experience!!!
By Jooyeon Hwang
I went to the fast food restaurant called Lotteria to be cool with ice coffee in HCMC. S. Korea established this restaurant so Mr. Phong, the manager was interested in getting to know more about my country. So, he and his friend showed me around the HCMC. It was good relaxing time to hang out with Vietnamese friends.
After lunch, we went to the singing room called Karaoke which is a popular place to have fun among Vietnamese culture. Surprisingly, they’ve got Korean song, too. Also, Friend of mine, Ms. Becca Piper introduced me to meet her Vietnamese friends, Thom and Kim in HCMC. They invited me to have dinner with their family and friend. It was the nicest dinner I had the whole time I was in Vietnam. We enjoyed the popular singer’s concert in the music club after dinner.
As you can guess, Vietnamese love music and dance just like Koreans. It was really nice to get to know friendly Vietnamese.
August 03, 2007
Baraka (Blessings)
Here in Africa I believe people embrace the little blessings of life with more passion and appreciation than in other places. There are three blessings from the past two weeks that I especially want to share with you.
Baraka ya Kwanza: Mvua (First Blessing: Rain)
Last Saturday Minnesota International Health Volunteers (MIHV) inaugurated their project with a huge community celebration. Our guests of honor included the District Commissioner, District Medical Officer, Council Chairman, our Member of Parliament, and local officials. The building was decorated with balloons, draped cloth, streamers, flowers and an inauguration plaque. There was a DJ who played music before and after the 2 ½ hour ceremony – he especially liked playing Marc Anthony’s song “You Sang to Me.” The celebration began with a brass band entering with a large group from the Arusha Tourism College singing and dancing. Shortly after the beginning of the ceremony it began to rain – and we’re in the middle of the dry season! When it rains in Africa you either get a light sprinkle or an incredible downpour – thank goodness this was somewhere in between! Even though we were soaked through and our feet were caked with mud everyone believed the rain meant the project was blessed.
After the rain and some remarks from our Master of Ceremonies we were entertained with drama, musical and acrobatic performances by the ngoma drama troupe. They created drama and songs based on MIHV’s health programs, including a song about our mass media health campaign Afya Moja-Mbili-Tatu (Health 1-2-3). The drama was about a pregnant woman who needed to go to the hospital, but her husband didn’t believe in going to the clinics. Their friends tell them about the importance of seeking care and tips on childhood diseases such as malaria, diarrheal disease and pneumonia. After she collapses on the ground while going into labor, our friend Daniel jumped up from the audience, ran to the scene, and explained he is a MAISHA driver and can take her to the hospital. MAISHA is one of MIHV’s innovative programs to engage taxi drivers in the health of their communities. Taxi drivers will be trained on the three childhood diseases, antenatal care, and maternal and newborn care. Since emergency transportation is scarce, we hope that training taxi drivers in a training-of-trainers model will increase the involvement of men in family and community health. After the drama troupe a group of children from the orphanage sang a couple songs. Contrary to popular belief of orphans in Africa, most of these children have not been orphaned by AIDS. Rather, most of them have been abandoned by their parents who come to Karatu looking for work. Karatu is the major city in the district and includes the only paved road which goes to the national parks. Prostitution is prominent with such a transient population and a plethora of guesthouses.
Baraka ya Pili: Afya (Second Blessing: Health)
Sometimes life here feels like you are living from one crisis to another. From the optimist point-of-view we live from one blessing to another. Our friend Margaret’s nine year old daughter fell while climbing in a tree this past Monday. We took her to the hospital in town, which is the only one in the district. What does someone do when they are hours or days away from Karatu? The x-ray department was closed for the night so the staff admitted her and gave her some pain medication. The next morning the young girl had her arm x-rayed, received a referral to the regional hospital 3 hours away and was discharged without a sling, pain medication, or transportation assistance. We arranged for the local ambulance to take her to the regional hospital and they said they would be right there. Hours later we found out the ambulance never left because no one fueled it up. So, a couple of our staff drove her down to Arusha for care. Good news is that after 36 hours of pain and swelling she received another x-ray and proper treatment. She was hospitalized for 3-4 days and will be alright… a blessing.
Baraka ya Tatu: Mradi Hii (Third Blessing: This Project)
I heard really interesting stories last week during our Traditional Birth Attendant (TBA) training. Some women pull their baby’s baby teeth out to cure diarrhea and fever because they believe that the teeth are false / plastic / poisonous. Another woman from a neighboring town cut her baby’s uvula (the hanging ball thing in the back of your throat) because she thought the mass was making her baby cough. Unfortunately the baby died almost instantly from excessive bleeding. Next, women are starting to compare their sexual experiences and those who have undergone female genital mutilation (FGM) wonder why they don’t feel sexual pleasure like other women. This has led many women who have undergone FGM to move from one man to another in search of sexual pleasure. Other women believe their lack of sexual pleasure must be because their husband is old, so they seek out young men. Although FGM is illegal in Tanzania, people avoid the 30 year prison sentence by practicing FGM on baby girls, which is harder to regulate. FGM is also sometimes believed to be a solution when a baby is itching – but in reality it’s hygienic! These are only a few of the cultural beliefs we have encountered so far. This project will build upon beneficial traditional practices and try to address practices that are harmful to health. By training TBAs, this project hopes to provide the knowledge necessary to make healthy decisions and collaborate with an important group of leaders for mothers and children. Change takes time, but we are looking forward and know that change is possible.
It’s easy to get caught up in the struggles and complexity of life here, as we do with life everywhere. Yes, sometimes we just want to throw our hands up and exclaim our frustration, anger, impatience and exhaustion. That is when we need to count the blessings, even the smallest ones. There is a famous quote on a plaque at the rim of the Ngorongoro Crater that says “It is better to light a candle than to curse the darkness.” Very true - here and everywhere.
Environmental Issue 7- Contaminated Water
By Jooyeon Hwang
HCMC is the largest city with a population of 6.5 million, about 7.4% of the total population of Vietnam. Also, it is the most modernized city including many large enterprises involved in electronic products, in construction, building materials and agricultural products.
These industrial areas are the other main air pollution sources. I could see neither fish nor clean water in the ocean and river at all. People who live in the river house on the stilts in Sai Gon River use this water for washing, cooking, cleaning, and swimming. Contaminants are more likely to cause chronic health effects, for example, cancer, liver and kidney damage, disorders of the nervous system, damage to the immune system, and birth defects.
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Sai Gon river- Children were having fun River house in the Sai Gon River, with diving and swimming. |
River house in the Sai Gon River, HCMC family use this water for washing, cooking, cleaning, and swimming. |
August 02, 2007
Environmental Issue 6- Agent Orange
By Jooyeon Hwang
I visited the Vietnam War Remnants Museum in HCMC. During the Vietnam War, most southern Vietnamese were exposed to defoliant mixtures, including Agent Orange. As you see the picture, many children were born with congenital deformity.
Mentally handicapped Vietnamese children and teenagers were still suffering from the harmful effect of Agent Orange after the Vietnam War. In the environmental toxicology class in 2006, I presented the “Agent Orange: during War and present in Vietnam” with members in the group. The situation was worse than my presentation. Very small Agent Orange concentrations can cause negative effects on the environment and on human health.
Evidence suggested some lasting health effects from these exposures, including impairment of the immune system, nervous system, and certain cancers.
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Vietnam War Remnants Museum- Agent Orange section |
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August 01, 2007
Environmental Issue 5- Excessive Noise
By Jooyeon Hwang
According to the Korean Business Investment magazine, Vietnamese have the largest number of motorcycles per capita in the world. I believe that I saw as many motorcycles in Vietnam in 10 days as I have seen in my life.
The noise of the many motorcycles made me wake up before 5:00am. For a moment, I was wondering where all the motorcycles were coming from. Vehicles were packed in every narrow road like a parking lot in motion. I couldn’t think seriously in the middle of the street.
Furthermore, when I took a bus to go to rural areas around Ha Noi city, bus driver kept honking his horn every 10 seconds. It was not only his driving problem but also most of driver’s habit. Honking horns were used constantly, often for no apparent reason. The Vietnamese government couldn’t make the regulation to control these levels by law. The answer could be very simple, disallow horns.
July 31, 2007
Westerners may have watches, but Africans have time……
You could be sitting along a dirty, muddy, smelly roadside, scooters whizzing by emitting choking fumes, and the women will be dressed to kill. Vibrant blue silk dress, emerald green head scarf wrapped high, chin up, poised with grace. There is a pride in this country that goes beyond riches, class, education, politics. It is embedded in the culture—the food, the music, the life. In one of the world’s poorest countries, there is hardly any crime. The people are decidedly content. Striving. But content.
And then there is this paradoxical collision of two worlds: the ancient and the modern. On one side of the street, you could see a BMW—air condition full blast with the base shaking the ground. On the other, a man carrying beams of sheet rock on the street, sweat dripping from his forehead—his main means of transportation: his own bare feet. A young shepherd boy can be bobbing his head to some Ali Fakir on his iPod, tapping his brand new Nike tennis shoes in a wagon pulled by a mule, SUVs whizzing past him on a dirt road, lined with huts made from clay and cell phone towers. A friend of mine once noted, “there will be internet in the villages, before even the roads are yet constructed!” Thank you, mon petit chou chou, for pointing out these things.
I have been threatening to leave Bamako for the country, to visit Timbuk2, just to say I visited. Maybe even ride a camel in the blistering desert. Unfortunately, as time would only permit, I decided to visit a mosque made entirely of mud in 1902 ish. A trip that may have taken a 7 hour straight shot, ended up taking 3 days. Well, something about the rain, flat tires, drivers not driving in the dark, and some sluggish starts produced such a result. It is interesting, how much we, in the US, are so attached to time…time….time….And we like to be in control of our destinies. When things fail, we look to blame ourselves or someone else. But here, the ticking of a clock is irrelevant. The unfolding of life’s events are not dictated by a man made object. Here, one may make a plan, and if it rains, then it is God’s will, and the plan halts, changes, disappears. No one strategizes on how to conquer the rain, how to conquer the fate of a flat tire. It is accepted in stride, and the time can be spent enjoying a moment—a moment that can change a life.
We were all just sitting in the Toyota—counting the minutes that were lost, as the tire mechanic searched for the break in rubber that let our air out. Slightly frustrated, slightly hungry and tired. Then, creativity struck. I had brought candy. All I did was stand outside, with the bulging bag, offering it to the nearest kid—and boom, they all came out of the woodwork! Soon, Fanny (the French physician), Angie, and I were swing dancing with the lil munchkins—dancing to Elton John blaring from the car’s stereo. I assure you, we caused quite a spectacle. And for half an hour, we cherished a moment of communicating in the universal language of music and laughter. That moment was the best yet. For weeks, I’ve been working long hours in the lab and computer rooms… training, evaluating, calculating….but this moment reminded me of who it is I work for….. it is for the children.
I am thankful for African time to remind me.
