at long last

I'm so sorry for the long delay in updating my blog. I realize it must be boring and frustrating to check for any new updates and find nothing, time after time. Thanks for sticking with me. So here's the news, some of which may explain the dry spell in writing my blog.

Tony and I got our grants approved, which is great news. Our grants were written to get funds to sponsor two different HIV education days, one for Kibakwe's teachers, and the other for Kibakwe's HIV/AIDS support group members. Our head doctor will be the main teacher, along with our next-door neighbor, a nurse midwife (and my most favorite Tanzanian friend). There is a serious lack of information about HIV in our area, so we are doing our best to fill that need. The scheduled dates for our workshops are May 17 and May 24, so we are up to our ears in preparations right now. Like I've said before, Tony and I are excellent planners and organizers, so I expect everything to run smoothly, and for participants to be really, really happy with the workshops. We have already purchases all the supplies, gotten a ton of books (in Kiswahili) about HIV from the Peace Corps, hired some mamas to cook everyone breakfast and lunch, and are showing a short video, also in Kiswahili. More than anything else, Tony and I view our roles as Peace Corps Volunteers in two ways: first, as positive role models in our community, particularly for the high school students, and second as event coordinators for activities that relate to health and well being. We have access to resources that our villagers don't know about, so we try to funnel those resources (books, educational opportunities, and interesting videos, to name a few) into Kibakwe with the hopes that the recipients will pass their new knowledge onto others. This is what sustainability means. We'll take lots of pictures and will post them after we finish.

After the HIV workshops are completed, we have a whole new situation to throw ourselves into: the recent confirmed discovery of prostitution within the high school. Here's the bottom line: Kibakwe is very, very far away from just about everything, and the opportunity to find work just doesn't exist. There are virtually no means of earning extra money, and high school students, like everyone else, like to drink sodas every once in a while. Unfortunately, prostitution seemed like the obvious answer. I can't stop anyone from doing anything, but the least I can do is make sure they understand about protecting themselves from HIV. There are also problems with alcohol and marijuana abuse (I imagine this is a similar challenge facing high school students all over the world, actually), and, as always, I link everything to HIV infection. I wish I could offer these kids the opportunity to continue on to higher education after they finish high school (IF they finish high school, which isn't very common), but there really aren't scholarships and grants for Tanzanian colleges and technical schools like there are in the US. How do I offer a glimmer of hope?? Still trying to figure that out.

Tony was sick for a couple of weeks, but has now completely recovered. We thought it was malaria, but it turned out to be a staph infection from scratching his bug bites. One quick trip (ha ha, nothing is quick!!) to Dar es Salaam to meet with the medical office confirmed this diagnosis, and after the course of antibiotics, he's fine. I've had the blues--life is hard everywhere, I know, but it seems that sometimes the bad stuff about being here piles up on my shoulders and kicks my butt from time to time. Best solution is to bake a cake and eat it, while curling up with a book. No one said this would be easy.

Pipi the kitten was just in heat, so I might be a grandmother ("bibi" in Kiswahili) in the near future. I've never had a pet that wasn't spayed or neutered before, so this was a first for me. Not fun. She's fine now, back to her sweet, affectionate and loving self.

We are entering the winter months, and the temperature at night has gotten chilly--it's been dipping into the 50s, which has Tanzanians getting out their hats and coats. Don't laugh, those of you in Wisconsin--remember that we live in the desert in Sub-Saharan Africa, and it's HOT here. Feels good to use a blanket at night.

I just celebrated my 36th birthday in Kibakwe! It was a quiet, relaxing day; Tony made torillas and guacamole, and I baked a cake. No fan fare, just mellow. A fine day.

Enjoy spring in the US. I wish we could see the daffodils and tulips and smell the lilacs, my most favorite signal of spring. We miss you.