Dear Family and Friends,
It has been a while since my last installment. Here are some of the reasons: (1) Since May 9, I have had two
sets of friends/visitors for a total of seven consecutive weeks. With each group we tried to program a year’s
worth of activity into 3-4 weeks. (2) At the end of the first group’s visit I learned that the book that Curt
Thompson and I have been working on has been accepted for publication. This meant 6 weeks of mad
gathering of additional references (cajoling perfect strangers into ferreting books to me from the US), proofreading, and other late-night/early morning activity. The deadline for final submission was July 15. (3) When
the second group of friends left I developed bronchitis for the second time this year. I usually develop it once a
year, so this second round was quite a surprise. Then I realized that about 50% of the people get infections of
some sort when they return from mobile, so I probably should be glad I didn’t get bronchitis 10 times this year
rather than just twice. I think it is a combination of the dust from the drive, the close quarters in lab and exam
rooms, and the other things that sometimes share the living quarters, like bats, roosters, hens, and mice. (4)
Then we went to Tarangire to do staff physicals and Susan, Frank, and I worked out a transition plan to move
from a lab with Joyce to one without (apparently they think it will involve more than getting rid of the empty
chair). This past week was stage I of the transition implementation. I hope stage II fares better. Unlike
Organic Chemistry, you don’t have to pass stage I to move right on to Stage II. So, although I have enough
experiences to report to fill several more letters, this will probably be the final episode of Karatu Tales.
I basically did the same things with both groups of volunteers, so will combine the events of the last couple of
months in broad categories.
1. Jifundishe
Judy, Phyllis, and Lindy arrived on May 9. Deb met them at
the airport while I lolled around at the Ngurdoto Lodge. Past
visitors have had some challenges getting through customs
with their donated goods, and Deb is a master of cunning
innocence that gets them through every time. This time was
no exception. The group came at the end of the long rains
and the forces conspired to show them exactly what that
means. Loaded down with two large bins of donations (and
their clothes) each, plus their carry-ons, they met Deb,
navigated customs with her help and without paying any
bribes, and emerged from the airport to confront the nightly
deluge. There wasn’t enough room for me in the vehicle, so I
waited at the Lodge, dry and nursing a pot of hot tea. I
certainly know how to take care of myself if not my guests.
Eight bins of donated items -- pretty impressive –
and the bins have been invaluable on mobile clinic.
During the first week we worked with a group of about 25
students who are preparing for their Form 4 exams to be
taken in the fall. In Tanzania, there are two approaches
to education, formal schooling and individual or
independent education. Many cannot afford to attend
school because of the numerous fees that are required as
well as the cost of uniforms that all school children wear,
whether public or private school. Those who do not
attend school can still take the exams that certify their
level of achievement. Those who do well enough on the
Form 4 students with two of their teachers -- former
Form 6 students who passed their exams and are
Form 6 exam are eligible to attend university. Deb has
headed to university in the fall. Bill, Ann and I
developed a program at the Jifundishe Free Library in
worked with the Form 6 students in December.
which students preparing for Form 2, Form 4, and Form 6
exams study together. Copies of the government
designated school texts are also available, as are four computers with free access to the internet for research
purposes. Deb has engaged the services of a few dedicated teachers who come to the library periodically and
answer questions students have about their subject matter or help them to work through difficult concepts.
Recently Deb has equipped a ‘lab in a cabinet’ for the science teacher so he can work with the students in
conducting experiments in physics, chemistry, and biology. As a testament to the success of her program,
pass rates of the students at the library far exceeded the rates of students in area government schools. The
Form 4 rate was 100% and the Form 6 rate was over 70% (national rate is below 50%).
In elementary school, students study English as one of their subjects, but when they get to secondary school
all instruction is in English. Imagine the challenge this presents for students who are basically teaching
themselves in the informal or independent approach. Bill and Ann and I worked with the Form 6 students in
December, and their English was quite impressive. Phyllis, Lindy, Judy and I worked with the Form 4 students.
Their English was not quite as good, but was still impressive considering it is largely self-taught. We worked
with the students in analyzing a play, a short novel, and two lengthy poems. For the exam, students will be
expected to write essays on themes or characters in each of the genres. They have a reading list of works
with which they must be familiar (to the point of actually quoting the works in support of their positions or
assertions). We had 3.5 days of lively discussion. The students performed an abbreviated version of the play
on the first day and that really set the tone for the week. It has been a rare experience for me over my 35+
years of teaching to find a group of students so engaged, so eager to learn, so appreciative of your time and
effort, and so supportive of one another’s efforts. The students really seemed to realize the value of interacting
with native English speakers and did all they could to capitalize on the experience.
When Janet and Emily were here we managed to fit in a short visit to Jifundishe. We got to see Dick and
Dolores Novak (they were the owners of Ngurdoto Lodge whom we got to know on our 2008 visit since we
stayed in the lodge and they joined us every morning for coffee on the veranda with its view of Mt. Kilimanjaro
and Mt. Meru). Dolores has recently returned from India where she had her pacemaker replaced. She was in
fine form and Dick looked great, too. On our way to the library we bumped into Pete O’Neill (of Black Panther
fame) who was planning a memorial service for Geronimo (also a Black Panther who was wrongfully
imprisoned for many years) who had also moved to Imbeseni and who had recently died. At the library Janet
and Emily got to play with a group of kids from the nearby orphanage who had come down to the library for
their weekly enrichment visit. Meanwhile there was a small group of students from the ones we had worked
with in May. They immediately invited me over and started asking me all sorts of questions about what they
had been studying. We got into science, politics, economics, and even strategies for test taking – just about
anything they could think of to keep me engaged and speaking English to them. It was just such a neat
experience.
During the week, we all ate lunch together. Lunch was prepared by
Mama Mbayo, who is one of the first recipients of a no-interest
microloan from UKUWAJI (acronym for a phrase meaning Jifundishe
Women Developing Together) a program receiving its start-up funding
from UP. Her microloan has been used to start up a little catering
business, and judging from her lunches, this investment has been a
wise one indeed. When Janet and Emily were at Jifundishe, we had
the opportunity to talk with Ellie, a Jifundishe librarian and one of the
women who worked out the logistics of the microloan project. To hear
her talk was incredibly moving. She said there were over 300 women
Mama Mbayo -- the food is as good who applied for the initial loans. The committee whittled that down to
as it looks. We went to her home
a smaller number and then the whole committee interviewed each of
one day and the whole family sang
the 25 finalists, assessing both her needs and her ability to pay, and
for us in multipart harmony
tailoring each loan to the individual case. All of the finalist women
received a loan, and the first round of payments was due last month –
every woman showed up and paid the assigned amount. One of the many insightful things that the committee
did was to take advantage of the social structure that exists in Tanzania. Neighborhoods are organized into
groups of ten families, with a leader/spokesperson chosen to represent that group. The small group discusses
matters that are important to them and then their leader goes to meetings with other leaders to represent them.
It’s sort of a more extensive town meeting where everyone has a voice. UKUWAJI is using this group of ten
organization to provide support for the women, both moral and, if need be, financial.
2. Safaris
Each group went on 2-3 safaris and visited Arusha National Park, Lake Manyara, and the Ngorongoro Crater.
I’ve noticed that the more contact I have with wildlife the more I see them engaged in decidedly human
behavior. Here are some examples.
Wildebeest dance class
Hippos sharing another corny joke
Waterbuck target practice
Giraffe yoga class
Baboon figuring out how many angels
fit on the head of a pin
Warthog doing Sysiphus imitation
Impala antler wrestling -- arm
wrestling didn't work out
Baboon reading the label on a plastic
bottle
3. FAME
Both groups worked in the new lab, entering medical records. Judy’s nursing background was particularly
helpful; she was able to decipher a lot of the medical codes and matched up illnesses with appropriate
treatments so non-medical people can enter data more easily in the future. The rest entered data, either from
the lab results at Karatu or the medical records from mobile. When all had left, they had completed entering all
of the mobile clinic files and they had started on the Karatu files. Janet and Emily spent more time at FAME
than the other group, and they were able to keep all of the Karatu lab data updated. Emily was getting college
credit, so we made sure she spent time in the lab learning a little lab technology. Janet had the enviable task
of studying under Paulina so that Janet could keep the log book on mobile clinic and also do all of the prep for
the lab work.
Both groups got to go on mobile, something the December group did
not get to do, unfortunately. In May, we had a skeleton crew
everywhere except in the lab. Lindy and Judy did lab intake and set up
materials that would be needed for each patient. In June, Janet was
given this task. Phyllis and Emily must have drawn the short straws
because they ended up doing urine dipsticks and urine pregnancy
tests all week in May and June respectively. Of course I got the
shortest stick of all, which was unfortunate because I needed
something else for all the stool samples I ran. Emily did get to shadow
two American doctors a couple of mornings, which was a great
experience for her. These weeks were actually the easiest mobiles yet
Lindy entertaining the Hadzabe.
for me because of all of the help. Lindy had brought balloons and
entertained the Hadzabe kids by blowing them up (balloons, not kids),
making them squeak (balloons and kids), and releasing the inflated balloons so that they would fly away. I had
explained to everyone that I always stay in the house with the Tanzanian staff and the rest stay in the other
house which has fewer rooms. Phyllis quipped, “I’m sure the Tanzanians don’t mind having you there; they
probably use you as a nightlight.”
As always on mobile there were light moments and there were deeply
moving moments. In June there was a young child (about 5 yrs old)
from whom we had to take blood in order to do tests. His slightly older
sister tried to console him and looked very worried. She was to be next
in lab, but we only needed to get a little blood from her fingertip to
check for malaria. When we told her she was next, she took off like a
shot. We got to see the innate talent of East African runners first hand.
It took the extended family 45 minutes to track her down. These are
Patient waiting to see a doctor.
hunter-gatherers, but they could collect enough for a 7-course meal in
less time than it took to recapture the young girl. She got through the procedure in one piece. The picture
enclosed here is one of the more moving moments of May’s mobile. A woman, exhausted by her trek to the
clinic and by her illness, just rolled herself up in her outer wrap and slept under a tree until it was time to see
the doctor. At first glance, it didn’t even look like a person; it just looked like a bag of some sort was placed on
the ground. To witness the extremes to which people will go to seek help and to witness their unqualified trust
in your ability to make them better is both humbling and inspiring. .
4. Enkipata.
The most exceptional part of both visits, I believe, was the
opportunity to witness aspects of Enkipata. This is the Maasai
celebration surrounding the circumcision of their young warriors. It
only occurs once every 7-10 years and involves thousands of young
men gathering in the Ngorongoro area to learn from their elders how
to be warrriors and to dance and celebrate their rite of passage. The
actual circumcisions occur in each boma (group of huts). One of our
receptionists, Jacob, and one of the askaris, Babu, arranged for us to
participate in two of the aspects of the celebration. Phyllis, Judy,
Lindy and I attended the gathering of the warriors. Here the young
men gather at one boma and then move on to a second, and finally
Young warriors approaching the
gather outside a third where a feast of nyama choma (roasted meat)
boma; elders are in the middle.
has been prepared. At each of the bomas, the warriors gather in the
center, dance and chant, working themselves into a fairly excited state. By the time everyone has arrived,
there are several thousand young men. We witnessed several groups of young warriors arriving and got to try
the nyama choma. They even offered Lindy some of the fresh blood from the
cow, but he called their bluff and they decided it might not be safe for him to
indulge. The preparation of the meat is done by the men. This is something
that even Maasai women can’t participate in, but we were assured that since
we were not Maasai, the taboos did not extend to us. That was fortunate
since, if a Maasai woman even looks at the meat, the men are not allowed to
eat it. After my first big chunk of meat I asked Babu’s brother if that meant
nobody else could eat. He assured me I hadn’t ruined it for everyone. What
was striking was the warmth and grace with which we were welcomed into the
bomas and into the festivities. Babu and others kept repeating that we are all
family and it was clear that they very much wanted to share their tradition with
us.
In a book, “The World of a Maasai Warrior” by Tepilit Ole Saitoti, the author
Young warrior leader with
speaks of what it means to be a warrior and what circumcision means. He is
head bowed; leaders are
recounting his father’s words to him:
elected by their peers.
The pain you will feel is symbolic. There is a deeper meaning in all
this. Circumcision means a break between childhood and adulthood.
For the first time in your life, you are regarded as a grown-up, a complete man or woman. You will be
expected to give and not just to receive. To protect the family always, not just to be protected yourself.
And your wise judgment will for the first time be taken into consideration. .. Coming into manhood is not
just a matter of growth and maturity. It is a heavy load on your shoulders and especially a burden on
the mind. P 66-67
Every group engaged in
these exhibitions of
vertical leaping
Each small group elects a leader who wears a black drape decorated with white
beads. This distinguishes him from the rest. We noticed several older men
wearing them. Once you are elected as a leader, you serve in that capacity
among your age-group for the rest of your life. Emily and Janet and I had the
opportunity to return a couple of weeks later. This time it was on the day of
circumcision for a couple of boys in two different bomas. The circumcision
occurs around 4am and is performed by one of the elders of the village. The
young man is not supposed to show any sign of pain because that would
disgrace him and his whole family. After the circumcision the boy is returned to
his hut for recuperation (2-3 weeks). The rest of the village engages in another
celebration. They place a branch of a tree outside the hut where the young
warrior is. People come from great distances bringing gifts to the boma. Cows
are killed and nyama choma is served. Babu’s father, who is a senior member
of the village cut off a piece of his meat to give me. I was really surprised. There
is a ritual in which some of the meat is skewered on a stick and the men and women act like they are fighting
over it. First one group conducts a raid to get the stick and the others defend it. They escape with the meat
and the scene is reenacted with the roles reversed.
The most important part of the day is the blessing of the father
and mother and paternal grandmother of the young warrior. One
of the slaughtered cows is laid out on its side. The three people
sit down on the side of the dead cow and each is given a branch
of a tree. The cow of course is the most valued possession of a
Maasai and the tree represents life and strength. Everyone
gathers around and one of the elders chants and everyone
responds with a deep sound and this continues for a while like a
litany. People were pushing me to the front row so that I could
take pictures. Having a son become a warrior is very important,
particularly for the father who at that point becomes an elder of
the village. After the ceremony everyone dances back to the
Blessing of the parents and
boma and the rest of the day is spent dancing and feasting
grandmother.
(except for the young warrior who is not having quite as much fun).
Closing Remarks As my year here comes to an end, East Africa is experiencing its worst drought in 60
years. Some crops have failed, the world is dry, fields are yellow or brown. Power outages are frequent –
often for several days at a time. Everyone is gearing up for a hard time. Frank and Susan are providing their
staff members with basic food supplements – beans, maize, cooking oil – as food prices have escalated.
Obviously droughts don’t contribute to good health, so FAME has greater challenges ahead, trying to meet the
needs of the population.
As I think back on my year here, I know that some things have changed. Samweli has gone from clueless
cook to chef extraordinaire. After waiting for almost a year and trying every imaginable approach to mouse
control, a kitten showed up at the volunteer bungalows two days ago. It was just there in the morning when the
volunteers woke up. We think it got in through the open window. Yesterday it killed a large
grasshopper/locust. This morning it killed a mouse. For dinner it killed a bird. I wouldn’t be surprised if it takes
down an elephant tonight. The lab has been finished and is equipped with some fairly sophisticated
machinery. The techs have made a lot of progress. In my last weeks here we are trying to systematize
everything and assign specific responsibilities, so that things will continue to run smoothly. We have
computerized the inventory, and thanks to UP volunteers have computerized the lab data for the past year, and
the mobile clinic data for the past three years. We have established a system for monitoring inventory and
ordering reasonable quantities at regular intervals. There are lots of things not yet done, but it has been a
productive year.
I am also aware of the fact that there are many things that I will miss when I return to the states. I will certainly
miss the people – Frank and Susan who set the tone for joyful caring for one another, my lab guys who love to
banter with me and have a good time but who do good work a good part of the time, the other volunteers who
have all been interesting and each of whom has been unique, and all of the staff members who are so
competent and who also find joy in one another and in their work. I will miss the work itself. I will miss the
immediacy, the ever present awareness that what you are doing is important and you need to do it right. I will
miss
the challenge of trying to get the most out of what you have, both in terms
of
equipment and personnel. I will miss the opportunity to realistically
envision what is possible under severe constraints and to see the vision
develop into reality. There is much I will miss here, but much to look
forward
to upon my return to the states.
Love,
"Home is where the heart is."
Fortunately we carry our hearts with us wherever we go.