Hello Africa!

I have arrived in Machame (considered a suburb of Moshi...if you can use the word suburb here)! I can whole-heartedly say this is why I came to Africa. I'm in paradise. Literally. On my walk home yesterday, the clouds parted and I saw the snow-kissed mountain top of Kilimanjaro (not visible from Arusha). I live in the jungle amongst plantations of banana trees (ndizi) and avocado trees (parachichi). I live with the Sabhot family 1 mama, 1 baba, 4 girls ranging from the equivalent of a senior in high school to about a 7th grader, and 1 cousin who had moved to Cape Town South Africa, but is visiting the family for a month. Baba says "I had 4 of the best kind, and now I have 6!" meaning, Tamara and I are now his daughters. I feel so completely welcomed. The house we live in is an heirloom, tradition runs here that once the father dies, his home is given to the youngest son (my baba). So once my baba inherited the home, he built on to it. So half of the house is new- about 20 years old, and the other half of the house is from what his father built. The grandpa's and grandma's tombs are also right next to the house. Last night after we came home from the hospital we made chapati with the girls (a traditional flour based tortilla type of thing that is absolutely delicious!) which is about a 3 hour process. The family owns a farm with 6 milk cows and endless chickens and roosters, and also a family of cats that had a new litter 4 days ago. The kittens have yet to open their eyes. Mama works as a teacher, but is on winter holiday right now-as are the girls. And baba runs the family business, there is a sawmill off our front porch, and a crafting building next door where the neighbors of Machame come buy wood, and then have it shaped into the furniture they need or the patches they need to fix their homes. I think our family is pretty important to the community. The family business means there are always 15-20 men wandering around the yard, in between the sawmill and the crafting shed. Its a little strange, but everyone is so friendly. When we arrived home yesterday from work, we were greeted with a glass of chilled of juice and a comfy seat in sun. Heaven.

We work in Machame Hospitali. We work with the doctors and nurses and staff to teach them an internet based computer program called Telemedicine. However, we have gracefully realized most of the staff has never touched a computer before. So we start from square one: how to use a mouse. What clicking means, and the most challenging: how to click and drag! Some of the staff are quicker learners and we've already set them to the typing programs we have. We are teaching them through lessons and games how to memorize where the keys are and how to sight-type. The agreement is that we will receive shadowing opportunities by the staff as well, however we were told to not ask for shadowing in the fist week because we need to establish our presence as the computer geeks. Word has it that a plastic surgeon is coming from the U.S. next week to work on a patient with a cleft lip and some burn victims. We've already decided we'll speak up next week Wednesday if we haven't been asked to observe any procedures yet.

The major difference between Machame and Arusha for me is the attitude of the townspeople. In Arusha, I couldn't walk more than 5 steps without hearing someone scream out their window, or straight into my face "Muzungu!" You're constantly bombarded by "fly-catchers"- men who have "original" artwork they try to sell to foreigners for outrageous prices. Traffic zooms by at frightening speeds, honking the whole way. Its hard to trust dalla drivers who may or may not rip you off, or not stop when you want to get off. But in Machame, as I walk down the calm quite roads, and I'm greeted by "shikamoo" (I give you my respect) to which you say "Marahaba" (I accept). Its so pleasant. And the village is small and secluded- nestled 3 km off one of the routes to climb Kilimanjaro everyone says hi to each other. Walking the half an hour trek up the never-ending hill to the Hospitali we saw a total of 10 cars. There is only one main road, speckled with small convenience shops and homes. Most people walk here, or ride on carts pulled by cows and donkeys.

Its going to be a nice 5 weeks I think. Worst case scenario, I situate my chair to face the mountain and grab a book to read in the sun while men scurry about around me logging this and that. We leave in about 2 hours to head into Moshi and then travel to Arusha where we will be picked up to go on Safari until Sunday. I'll be back here on Monday or Tuesday and will write then.