Cradle of Love

For some reason Amanda and I spent two and a half months in Arusha before ever making our way to Cradle. I think it was that we did not want to miss a day of our own placements and we kept planning to go on a weekend and then things would always come up or we would have a weekend trip. But, I am so happy to say that we finally made it!!

Cradle of Love is an orphanage in Arusha, Tanzania. It is one of the only orphanages in Tanzania that accepts HIV positive babies. 

For anyone reading this who is not aware, Cradle of Love is an orphanage that I have been waiting to visit since January. Some classmates and I chose to sponsor Cradle of Love for our senior project in nursing school and with the amazing help of our families, friends and communities, we raised over $1,700. We decided to dedicate this money to the completion of a “sick bay” where babies would be able to go when they were ill so that the other babies who were already immunocompromised would not catch what was going around. 

Unfortunately, Davona, the founder of the orphanage and my contact during the fundraising process, is back in the U.S. right now for six months. We knew this in advance and not going to lie, I was a little bummed out about it. 

Cradle of Love is located in a very gorgeous part of Arusha. It is out in Usa River, a little ways past our hospital, where all around you the scenery is jungle. Having never been there before we weren’t quite sure where it was located but we were given the name of the stop that we were to give the dala conductor and everything worked out fine. When we got off the dala we started walking down a pretty secluded road that was lined with different organizations. In less than a ten minute walk we were standing outside of the gate. 

We opened the gate and walked in. We stopped right inside of the gate to talk with the security and they showed us into the orphanage and introduced us to a worker. She had us sign our names in the volunteer log and then we were free to play with the children for as long as we wished. They were absolutely ADORABLE. 

I would say, and every volunteer in TVE would agree, that Cradle of Love is the most fortunate and well off orphanage in Arusha. The building is very nice, the interior was properly tiled and well furnished, the walls were painted with art work, the babies were clean and you could tell they were fed enough. This is not the case of most other orphanages and schools in Arusha. This was like walking in to an orphanage back in the States. Which makes sense considering Davona is from the U.S. 

We stayed in the main house for about an hour and then were given a tour. When we first got there I had given the worker my Cradle of Love shirt to give to Davona and tried to explain a little about what we had done for the orphanage but it wasn’t until later when some of the other house mamas were looking at the shirts Amanda and I were wearing (of course we were matching in our Cradle of Love shirts!) that I think they understood who we were. The woman we initially met was found and she came up to us and offered to give us a tour. She took us around the orphanage and then we were taken to the infant building. The day we were there there was about six babies with two more being at the hospital. We were given yellow gowns and free reign to play with and hold the babies. We sat outside in the grass, under the trees, with six babies around us and it was perfect. 

I am glad that I was able to see the place that my classmates and I had worked hard for all semester and that I was able to take photos and be able to report back. The “sick bay” building is built, there are cribs inside of the room, it is equipped with bathing sinks and other necessities. The only things they are waiting for is the mattresses for the beds, bed sheets, curtains, etc. I would have loved to talk to Davona while there and asked her about when the money we raised will finish equipping the building and it will be opened. I will email her as soon as I get home and find these things out. 

The orphanage was amazing and the babies well cared for. Before I left to come to Arusha, I had thought about making my placement Cradle of Love and I will admit that I am glad that I chose my special needs school instead. Cradle gets many people coming through that want to volunteer among the adorable babies, and I do not blame them. They are adorable. But, Cradle of Love does not need as much help from volunteers as other places I have seen. I loved visiting and loving on the babies but I would not have traded my children for the world; concrete building, dirt floors, and all. 

Third Massai burn, Yes I am crazy.

About a month ago is when I got the two Massai burns on my left foot. They are healing now but have had many, MANY, relapses. My foot is not longer swollen and I now feel confident that it will not fall off/have to be amputated... so why not get a third one? 

A week ago Amanda and I suddenly realized that it would be a great idea to get matching burns. The place we both could agree on was right behind our ear. When I agreed to this I didn’t really think we would go through with it, but then when the time came, I figured “Why not?” So. I now have three Massai burns and I love each of them. The one on my neck hurt surprisingly much less than the ones on my foot and is already almost completely healed. 

Enjoy these pictures.... :)

Weekend trip to Moshi, Massai Wedding, Njiro, Birthday

Three weekends ago we were invited with some friends to come to Moshi which is about an 1.5 hours away from Arusha on the bus, and also the home of Kilimanjaro. The bus ride is only 2,500 Tsh, which is a less than $1.50. I am really going to miss Africa prices once I come home. It was the same type of bus that I had taken on my previous trip to Moshi and apparently I hadn’t learned my lesson because I sat in the back row of the bus AGAIN. It was the only three seats left by one another but lucky my shoes did not melt to the floor this time. YAY for that. It was cloudy out and once again we were not able to see Kili. 

We finally got there and took a dala dala from the bus stand out the the university. Moshi has a very large university for African stanards (2,500 students) and it is where Kelvin attends college for Wildlife and Tourism. Moshi is a lot prettier/cleaner/and safer than Arusha and if I were to even come back I would love to stay here. Plus... it has Mt. Kilimanjaro! 

The college was having a back to school even that night and it was a good time. Except for when I ran my foot in to a short cement stair that I did not see in the dark and slit my toe open. I then washed it out in a tap coming from the ground. If I haven’t caught a disease in Africa yet... it surely isn’t going to happen.

The next day we caught an early bus back to Arusha so we could attend a traditional Massai wedding for the cousin of Kelvin. By the time we finally got to the wedding the “ceremony” had already taken place and the bride had left to go to her husband’s tribe, but the party was still going. At these events the women stay on one side of the village and the men on the other. We were not aware of this and followed Kelvin once we had gotten there to the men’s side. We got A LOT of attention. We were brought stools to sit on and given soda. We were getting plenty of stares and contemplated going over to the women’s side by ourselves but Kelvin assured us that it was okay. One older man came up to me and proposed in Swahili. Of course I said yes. 

Even though we had just eaten lunch at the TVE house we could not say no when they offered us food or “Chokula.” We ate this maize (corn) mized with banana and then rice with “meat.” We were given water to rinse our hands and then Amanda and I looked at each other and started digging in with our fingers. This is the common way of eating in Africa and we have done it many times before so we were fine with getting messy. In less than two minutes we were supplied with spoons. Apparently, Mzungus cannot eat with their fingers :) 

We were then given a delicacy to the Massai tribe and most of Tanzania that is a mixture of maize, banana and milk. It is boiled and then poured into a bucket. Before it is poured, the bucket is stirred up. It was a soupy/chunky mixture and you drank it. I had a little... I would not like to have a little ever again. Plus I was worried about what the milk was doing to my body, we never get dairy in Africa and I didn’t want it to upset my stomach while I was out in the middle of no where. 

We took some photos with Kelvin’s family and then we got into the car and drove through the dust dessert to a small village where Kelvin’s father was born and where he went and lived with his aunt for a year when he was younger. It was a cluster of five Massai houses and lots of land around that the family owned. We were warmly welcomed and it was a truly amazing experience. The people were lovely. the children were happy, and the scenery was to die for. I really don’t think I will ever see another continent as beautiful as Africa. Not from the lack of travel but because I honestly think nothing can beat it. 

The next day four of us went to Njiro complex for dinner and a movie. It was a much needed distraction from Arusha and the dust and the chaos. It was nice to sit down and have steak fajitas, and see a movie. We ended up seeing Transformers 2 which was the only movie other than Cars 2 and something Indian. 

Kelvin and Mark picked us up from Njiro and we thought they were taking us home but once the car turned away from home we asked where we were going. They told us that they didn’t know and were very secretive for the whole drive. We pulled into a drive way with a bunch of cars and once we got out they told us that it was their nephew’s (Mark’s sister’s son’s) third birthday and that we were at the birthday party. We walked in and there were about 60 adults and children all hanging around who immediately turned to stare at the four Mzungu girls who were walking in. The children immediately ran up to us and we scooped them up. We were given great Tanzanian food and had a great time. It seems that we always get to do really cool things when we are with Kelvin and Mark. A taste of real hands on culture. Love Africa. <3

Zaki's Massai Village

This is an extremely overdue blog post and I regret putting it off until now because I feel I have forgotten some of the details! I am going back to look at my photos from the day to try and jump start my memory, so no worries. :)  

Eight of us volunteers went with Zaki to his Massai tribe that is about a three hour drive away. We hadn’t even left Arusha when we saw this guy driving down the road. You never know what kind of crazy things you will see while in Africa!

A huge bull head tied to the back of this bike

Before we left at 8am we walked down to the little store by our house to buy some gifts for the village. We brought beans, sugar, rice, flour, butter, etc. It is customary in Africa to bring a gift any time you are invited to someones home. 

Once we arrived we were greeted outside of the village by a line of Massai men and women who were singing and dancing a traditional Massai “Welcome”. 

Zaki on the far left with his tribe

Once they had finished, our hands were grabbed up by the Massai as they invited/showed us into the gate of their village. Right inside of the gate they lined up again with more Massai and sang and danced again. Massai dancing is not what we would typically call dancing. I have a video of this dance and will upload it to my youtube page once I am home and have faster internet. It is very interesting. Massai men are also known for jumping extremely high and it was during this dance where the men all took turns jumping and called some of us up to jump with them. Obviously, I was too shy. 

Next they showed us the inside of one of their Massai huts. Massai huts are made of mud and sticks. Usually the huts are two roomed, one room for the women and children and one for the man. In some tribes the men will sleep on the floor in front of the door to protect his family from any intruders or wild animals. They use the women’s room for the kitchen and livestock will even sometimes live inside of the hut with the family during the night. 

Zaki and I inside of the hut

Next we were shown to an outdoor table and given sodas. These sodas were opened with a stick by Zaki. Most people here just use their teeth, I cringe every time I see this done. I have had enough practice that if I have two soda bottles or one soda bottle and a water bottle... I can use one to open the other. Cool stuff, I know ;) I am a human bottle opener. 

Massai people generally eat goat and we were given the option of having a goat slaughtered and cooked. Some of our group wanted to and some didn’t. I was among the “Yes” crowd. I figured that if I was in Africa... among an African tribe... who this is their culture... why not experience how they live. It would be a sham not to get a full cultural experience and even though I had my eyes closed through most of it.. I can still say I witnessed it. It was a very interesting process and is very respectful because no part of the sacrificed goat is left unused. They use each and every part of it for one thing or another. 

We were given the choice of how to kill the goat and we went with the more “humane” option of cutting the throat opposed to strangling it. It is a tradition to drink the goats blood anytime one is slaughtered and to do this you have to cut the throat. They hold a bowl underneath the cut and collect most of the blood. Then they stir it until ready to drink so that it will not clot... it still clotted, I saw. Two people from our group were brave enough to drink the blood. NO THANKYOU. Not for me. I had my nursing cap on and all I could think about was all the diseases that could be living in that goat. It didn’t help that it was disgusting either.  

I will not go into details on the carving of the goat, but if you would actually like to know this I can tell you at a later time ;) But they started by skinning the goat and then moved on to taking out the organs and carving the meat. I saw the men cut the kidney’s out of their sacks and pop them in their mouths like candy. INSANE. Very cool. I may have almost gagged. The horns are used as well for making goods. 

They cook the meat by sticking it onto a stick and placing it around a fire. We ate the normal meat you would eat and then also the liver. They cooked more of the organs, like the lungs, but we left those for the Massai to enjoy. 

When it was time to eat we all lined up on a bench and they brought a bottle of water and bucket for us to rinse our hands. Then they proceeded to take once pice of meat at a time in their hands and crave meat off of it with a knife. I’m sure it was the same knife that was used to slaughter the goat and hadn’t been cleaned.. but “While in Africa...” The meat was good but kind of tough. I have had goat many times now in Africa and also in Haiti and it actually is very good. Sometimes. This was on the “Good” side of the spectrum. Especially when you covered it in salt. I could have used some Country Bobs though, not gonna lie. 

We gave them our gifts that we had brought and we paid them some money for letting us visit and were then on our way. Until 10 minutes later when we got stuck in the dirt for 30 minutes. Zaki’s tribe is so far out in the middle of nowhere that for the last 45 minutes of the drive there are no roads... not even dirt roads, and I am not exaggerating. Zaki was sitting up front with Michael, our driver, and would point his hand left or right to show him which way to drive. 

Once we were stuck it wasn’t five minutes before locals were coming from 5 different directions to help us out. We ended up plucking some large plant leaves and placing them under the tires to get us out. 

It was a great day. The only thing that would have made it better were if the sky had been clear and we could see Kilimanjaro... and Country Bobs :)

Massai burns!

Two Wednesday’s ago I finally gave in, got brave, and got my Massai burns. I had to decide whether I wanted them or not and if so, I had to get them ASAP. We are going to Zanzibar in two weeks and I knew if I waited until the last minute to get the burns that the salt water would KILL them. So, two Wednesday’s ago it was. 

I have seen at least 60 people get burns since I have been here and it still had not prepared me for it. If anything, it made me more scared of them. When I first got here and saw everyone getting them I had no desire to get one. Then after being here for two months it started to make sense to me why people got them, or at least why I wanted to get some. 

Being here in Africa is something I cannot explain to anyone. It has to be experienced. I know I will never forget it and I know it has changed my life and my heart, just like Haiti did four summers ago. It has become a part of the person I am and I want to leave with something that represents my time here. So... what better a way than to get branded? :) 

I have talked about the Massai in many previous posts and also about people getting their Massai burns. Massai is the largest traditional African tribe in Eastern Africa and not a day goes by that I do not see many, many Massai people. They are everywhere and you can always pick them out of a crowd by the way they look and dress. They almost stick out as much as Mzungus! 

Many things are common in the Massai world. Wearing red, orange and purple congas and Massai blankets. The stretched out ear lobes. The jingling jewelry. The tire soled shoes. And Massai burns. 

Zaki is the name of one of the two house guards we have here. He is amazing and we love him very much. We see him every day and almost all day. One of the main reasons  I gave in to the burns, other that it being a bonding experience with all the previous TVE volunteers and to symbolize my time in Africa, is that Zaki took us to his Massai tribe three hours away. We got to see him way of life and the people shared with us so freely. Tanzania is a beautiful country and they are beautiful people. The Massai in my mind, are very much a staple of Eastern Africa. 

Usually the Massai have two burns on each cheek and they receive them as a rite of passage into adulthood. This usually occurs before the children are 10 years of age. Zaki has one on each cheek. I didn’t think that would be a good look for me so I got two of them on my left foot, side by side, on the same spot as I have my “Haiti” tattoo on my right foot. 

It wasn’t even a day before they were infected, my foot was swollen, and I was limping. But it was worth it. They are healing now and I have not regretted it for a second. <3

Getting prepared. 

The first one hurt SO BAD. 

First one finished.

Second one hurt worse.

At the Massai village this weekend. My burns are officially dried out. HEALING! 

Arusha National Park

Two Saturday’s ago Kelvin invited us to go to Arusha National Park with him. It sits right on the outskirts of Arusha in the Usa area. It was amazing and all we had to do was pay $35 to spend the day in the park. We drove our own car through with Kelvin as our guide. He works for Tanzanian National Parks as a guide and I swear he knows everything about everything. The park is very large and has multiple lakes, a crater, and sits in between Mt. Meru and Mt. Kilimanjaro. Driving through the park we could look out our windows and see both mountains at the same time. Some of the park was lush jungle and the other part was desert. There are also no lions in the park so you are able to do a walking safari but we did not have time and my infected Massai burns on my foot were a tad bit hindering. There are waterfalls in the park. Also, to start the climb for Mt. Meru, you start in this park. It was a great day and Amanda even drove the car for about 10 minutes! Scary, I know. :)

Two twiga laying down in the grass!

Kilimanjaro in the background of the crater. It was very clear when we saw it but pictures never do justice!

Mt. Meru in the background behind the clouds!

Joeli’s Second Appointment

We were told this past Thursday that since there had been no power during the day, that there would for sure be power at the school on Thursday. I should have know better than that. 

I woke up, got ready, and went to school. By 10 AM Joeli was still not at school so I asked Mary if there was someone she could call to get ahold of his mother. When trying to contact her we usually call the neighbor’s phone but the neighbor was not answering. Finally, I asked Mary if I could pay Hussan, the school driver, to take me to Joeli’s house to pick him up. He said yes and we got in the car and headed down to the main road. 

Before we got there we met Joeli and his mother who were walking up to the school. They hopped into the car and I had Hussan head towards the TVE volunteer house. I had worked it out with Michael, our TVE driver, to take us to the testing earlier that morning. 

We showed up at the school and walked up to the office. Michael talked to the principal in Swahili and I knew before I even asked that the power was NOT on. We were there for no more than ten minutes. 

On the way back Michael was talking to Joeli’s mother and translating for me. She said thank you very much and she was sorry and felt bad that it kept not working out. I told her “Hamna Shida,” no worries. If anything I was frustrated for Joeli and his mother for giving them the hope that he could get a hearing test.. and it keep failing.  

As Michael and I were driving them to their house, which is far away from the school, about an hour walk.... she was telling him that they had walked to the school that morning and that was why they had been late. He was so shocked that they had walked all the way to the school from their home and told her this. He asked her why they had walked. She said that she did it because she loves her son, and if there is anyway that I can help him, she will do everything in her power to get him that help. She also said that she did not have the money to pay the dala driver, so they had started walking to anywhere they needed to go. Michael translated all of this to me and it took all I had not to start crying in front of his Joeli’s mom. 

I asked Michael if he thought Joeli’s mother would be insulted if I were to give her some money for the dala rides to and from school. He said no, that she would be thankful. We stopped the car outside of their house and I asked him to translate for me that we would try and go again next week as soon as we heard there was power and that I wanted to give her some money for the dala fares so that they would not have to walk. I only gave her what I had on me which was 10,000 Tsh, about 6$, but if used for the dala’s it would be enough fare money for a month. She started talking in Swahili and told me, “Thank you, thank you, thank you, God bless you, God bless you, Thank you.” All the while I was still trying my hardest not to cry. 

We said goodbye and started to drive away. I rolled down my window because when I turned my head to look out of it there were at least twenty children standing in a group touching my window and staring at me. The area is remote enough that I bet they rarely see “Mzungu’s.” As we were driving away Michael started talking about what a great boy Joeli is and that he hopes we can get everything worked out. 

The tears finally came then and I told him how much I love Joeli and wish I could do anything for him that would be helpful, but that I feel completely helpless. I feel like nothing I do and no effort I make will make his and his mother’s situation change. I have two weeks left and I feel like the time is sand rushing between my fingers. I feel hopeless and I feel useless. I just want it to work out, I want him to have the opportunities that he should be entitled to in life. More than anything I want him to succeed. He is a happy and smart boy and he deserves the world, I just can’t give it to him. I want to be able to give it to him. 

Michael tried to explain to me that even the attention and effort I was giving them is more than they would have hoped for. I am pretty sure that Joeli and his mother live alone, many of my children at the school have only one parent or no parents due to their disabilities and being left behind. Michael was saying that so many people here feel alone and hopeless and that there is no one that cares about them. That by me caring, even if nothing came from my efforts, I was letting them know that they were not alone. I understood what he was saying... but it is hard. And it breaks my heart. 

This was Friday, today is Monday... the power is still not on. Please pray for Joeli and this situation. <3