Sunday August 19, 2007

Ah...home sweet home. I love The Guest Paradise Lodge in Victoria Falls. I'm in the Leopard Room.

Here are 2 of the members of the staff, Rosemary and Benele

Here's the dining area

"Nancy?" It's Bibiano, my little friend from February. What a sweetie. We have arrived in the village of Chikadakubi once again.

There aren't many children in the village today; school is not in session, but those that are here came to see us, and to get some food. Those that are here are SO happy to see us. I realize how much I missed this village and these wonderful people.

We went to 4 churches to pay our respects and deliver small gifts of incense and candles

Then we went to the men's workshop - they're doing some marvelous work. Here's a picture of several of their pieces.

Lots of the guys in the village were working on one of the wells near the school.

Met with the home health nurses and taught them how to do BPs.

Met with Trynos, the only teacher here.

Oh no!! Giant spider in the corner of my room! Gotta get the guys to remove it. HUGE! I'm back. In the process of arachnid removal, Jack decided to capture a chameleon that was climbing up the wall. He's a crackup - Jack, not the chameleon.

Great day today. Took lots of pictures.

Mokai and Herbert

Crispo - little boy who rode in truck and held my hand as we looked at his grandmother's garden. I gave him the rest of my water and he drank the entire thing.

Dinner tonight was macaroni, vegetables and a delicious pudding the name of which means "scrumptious in the mouth". And it was.

Saturday August 18, 2007

Well the flight from London to Johannesburg turned out to be quite fun. I was seated next to a guy who is originally from South Africa so we drank wine and chatted for hours -the perfect seatmate for a loonnngg plane ride. Time to get some much need sleep for the big day tomorrow...

Friday August 17, 2007

Tiring night. Slept a bit on the plane and now we're in London! It's 8:30AM and we don't have to be back here until 6 or so this evening for our 8:30PM departure.

Stowed the carry on bags and we're off! Decided to take the London Underground Piccadilly Circus line to Piccadilly Circus then catch the double decker bus. Adam, our Canadian tour guide was terrific. Learned a lot about the city and saw lots of the sites that Denise and I saw in 1999. I love this city!

There's Big Ben!

There's the Tower of London!

Look! It's the London Eye!

Visited The Minories Pub

near the Tower of London for fish and chips and a frosty beer. We're

all a bit tipsy since we haven't really slept.

A lovely boat ride on the Thames River, then it's back on the tube for our trip back to Heathrow.

Thursday August 16, 2007

Today's the day! Took the cats to mom's, had lunch with her, then headed to Cindy's for our 3:30 departure. We met Mark, Denise and John at Crossgates, then shot down the highway to pick up Jack along the way. Uh oh. Major traffic jam. We're now standing outside the car in the middle of the thruway chatting with other motorists. This is weird standing in the middle of the road. It appears that there's a rollover up ahead. Here comes the medi-vac helicopter. Mark says that that's a good sign that they're getting ready to let the traffic through again. A quick stop at the rest stop and we're on our way.

Yippee! We're at JFK. Goodbye Denise and John! See you in a couple of weeks! Jack and Mark are manning the luggage while Cindy and I head to long term parking - located on the other side of the universe, it appears. Is this the largest airport?? RR-I-N-G. "Hello?" Uh oh. The car John and Denise were driving (Mark's) was towed! Seems they were parked in a loading zone, and even though the guard told them it was okay to cross over to help us unload the luggage, they towed it anyway. I think we'll wait to tell Mark. Poor John and Denise. What time will they make it home tonight?

"That will be $369 please." Yikes. That's what happens when you have over the limit of baggage. Still better than shipping stuff in and hoping it arrives safely without disappearing.

More later. Fingers crossed for a safe flight.

Thursday August 16, 2007

Things in Zim are pretty dire, from what we hear. This is a picture of the store shelves in one of the nearby major cities. Fingers are crossed that we'll be able to find food for distribution. Don't forget to listen to SARFM Radio from 11-12AM Eastern time on Thursday August 23. We'll be broadcasting LIVE from Zimbabwe.

See you in September!

Wednesday August 15, 2007

Ahhhh!!! It's only a matter of hours and we'll be leaving for the airport. The itinerary includes a 7 hour layover in London, so that should be exciting. I haven't been to London since 1999 with my dear friend Denise when we traveled there to do a lab inspection. Perhaps I'll try to find that pub where we had fish and chips and frosty beverages!

Monday, August 6, 2007

Well, in 10 days I'll be leaving for Zimbabwe for my 2nd mission. I'm very excited to be seeing the people in the village. Word has gotten to us that the people are suffering in a way they haven't before. There has been no food delivery since September. The inflation rate is 4000%. There is a new currency since July, and people heard that the inflation rate was going to skyrocket, so they bought as much as they could from the limited supplies in the stores, so now the shelves are bare. I wonder how we will find bread to distribute to the children at lunchtime. I don't know quite what to expect. More to follow...I've got to get packing!

Saturday, February 24, 2007

Boo hoo. Last day in Zimbabwe. I'm so sad to be leaving. This has been the most amazing experience. After a short drive to the airport, we flew from Vic Falls to Johannesburg. Five hour layover in Jo-Burg, then on to JFK. Hilary's mom and sister picked us up at JFK, then it was a 3 hour or so drive to Albany. Mom met us and drove me home. It's wild to be back in Saratoga. I can't wait to go back. I have made some amazing friends on this trip and I'm planning on making this an annual trip.

Some of my favorite memories...the children...

...Pumping water from the well...

...Carrying water on our heads (and realizing there was no WAY we could remove our hands from that bucket, let alone carry a baby on our backs like the women of the village do!)

Riding on the back of the truck to the village....

John and Cindy with the children....

The women dancing....

The children singing....

Friday, February 23, 2007

It was wild sleeping in an open room, listening to the sounds of insects and other animals, and hearing the drum beats in the distance. Simon's family kept an all night vigil in his honor. There was singing throughout the night.

Woke up early to get ready for the day. The children were arriving at school at around 8. Spoke to a young boy, Levis, who was one of the first to arrive. Cute kid.

At about 8:30 we started off toward Simon's homestead for the ceremony. How impressive. We were invited to enter Simon's hut, where he was lying, to show respect to the elders in the hut. The women were singing, and we joined in their dances, both inside and outside the hut. There were several prayers, then the ceremony moved toward the burial area behind the homestead. There was a lot of symbolism that we're still researching. Some people put sticks in the grave, there were 4 tree branches placed at each corner of the grave, we each threw a handful of dirt on the grave. I felt so honored to be a part of this.

The rest of the day was spent preparing food for the feast. We shredded about 12 heads of cabbage. Soup, cabbage, biscuits were all prepared by the women in the village. A cow was sacrificed for the villagers to have some meat. They hadn't had meat in quite some time.

We gathered for the final celebration luau, each of us reporting on the projects we had worked on. I really enjoyed the celebration. At around 5, we started serving the food. Grade zero children (similar to kindergarten) went first, followed by the other grades, then the elders and people of the village followed. All went smoothly. The children were so hungry by that time that they were looking exhausted. I wish we could have fed them earlier.

Thursday, February 22, 2007

Well, I woke up before the alarm. I had a few pesky mosquitos that kept me awake. There's nothing like that buzzing in your ear! It was such a neat view as the sun was coming up. What a great place.

Had a nice hot shower in my plush bathroom, then wandered along the boardwalk through the trees to a light breakfast of toast and tea.

Started out on the first drive at 6:30. Saw tons of animals: giraffes, zebras, buffalo, wildebeasts, elephants, several species of antelope, lots of birds. We came back to the camp for breakfast, then got ready to head out for our final drive back to main camp, about 3 hours. Took tons of pictures and some video. What a great day. I will definitely come back here.

Got back to the Guest Paradise Lodge in Vic Falls at about 4. There had been some sad news. Simon, the village chief, had passed away at 4AM. Some of the team was out shopping with the family to gather food, blankets for burial, and a casket. There will be a funeral ceremony tomorrow.

Had a quick dinner, then packed for our overnight in the village. This is going to be an experience. We'll be sleeping on cots in the library:

Here are the bathrooms. The one on the right is for staff.

We prepared some food for the teachers, then joined them around the campfire for jokes and stories. It was nice getting a chance to talk to Spaeeway, the grade one teacher, and several others.

Wednesday, February 21, 2007

Oh my GOD! Just checked in to Makalolo Lodge for my safari. This place is unbelievable. I can't describe this. The safety talk was an eye opener. We must be escorted back to our tents by an armed guide, because of the animals, of course! And...only blow the airhorn in an emergency - like if there's an animal scratching on the tent - yikes! I'll write more about the trek in here and all we saw....I'm off now to trek #2 with Raymond, the guide. Ooohh! Thunder. I love it!

10PM

Oh my. This bed is the MOST comfortable bed that I have ever been in. I feel like Ernest Hemingway here. Just finished dinner and drinks with Mary Ann, the hostess, and Raymond, our guide. Dinner: rice, veggies, rolls, blue cheese on puffed pastry, and salad. Dessert was tasty, too, and a nice white wine. The insects are INSANE right now. Went over to the campfire to finish our wine. *Funny story of the day: a GIANT clicker beetle landed in my wine. Huge. Immense. At least 3 inches long. A baby praying mantis fell in my tea earlier, but that's another story. I rescued both the mantis and the clicker.

Holy crap. Something just snorted outside my tent. I turned off my light and I can't believe how dark it is.

So the day started with a 9:30 pickup. It was 2/12 hours to the main camp, where we met our handsome guide, Sasha. Really good guide. The drive in to the Makalolo camp was 3 hours. I spotted the first animals, 3 sable antelopes. Quite beautiful. Saw a 17-year-old or so elephant zebras, birds, warthogs, baboons, wildebeasts, hippos, impalas, Jesus (no I didn't see Jesus) I think I just heard a lion roar. Ohmigod. I'm thinking I should turn off the light. It's attracting bugs. Getting up to see what the roar is. Yikes. back in bed. I almost landed out on the boardwalk out there with the beasts. I leaned against the tent and thought I was going to fall out! More later. Roooarr.

So it turned out that the roarer was a rather large elephant who was having a late night snack next to my tent. It was very cool. He(?) drank some water from the swimming pool, then walked toward my tent to snack. He chomped around the tent, then moved along. Mark mentioned that he heard him lurking around his tent and he looked around for his emergency horn, "just in case". What a fantastic day. Alarm is set for 5 AM

Tuesday, February 20, 2007

Worked in the clinic all day. What a great day. Saw many patients who were suffering from headaches, probably caused by dehydration. All of the people were so happy to have someone there to treat them. It was a very rewarding day.

Distributed peanut butter, bread, and juice to the children. Was able to take a picture of Admire, the child that my students are sponsoring.

Left the village at 5 to head back to the lodge.

Went to The Boma for dinner. It was quite fun! We had the face painter come around and paint everyone's faces. Quite funny. The drummers were amazing. After a wonderful dinner, we all received drums and were taught how to play. What a riot. Later, Mary, Hilary, Nana, Miranda, and I got up to dance, which was a hoot. Had my 'fortune' read by the bone guy. He tossed around some broken nut shells and told me I would find love in Zimbabwe. Quite the story.

Monday, February 19, 2007

First full day in the village! Up at 6:15 for breakfast, and then loaded up the trucks with supplies.

Set up the clinic and figured out who was going to do what. Miranda and I set up our little station in the back room of the clinic, and we saw 35 patients. Busy! No time for water! The children were all so good. They're so dehydrated and sick that they don't even complain. One little 6th grade cutie was so polite and well-spoken. She gave me a big hug. Her name is Bibiana. Here she is:

Hilary kept the children busy while they were waiting their turn, singing the frog song and the duck family song. I think I'll have those songs in my head forever! She did such a great job, I think I see preschool teacher in her future!

Mark, Nana, and Cindy2 kept the patients flowing through the clinic and saw many interesting cases.

Tonight we went on the Mighty Zambezi for a lovely sunset cruise. We were able to watch some hippos "manufacturing" - a new term.

Sunday, February 18, 2007

11PM

What a day! The day started off with breakfast at the lodge at 7 - eggs, tomatoes, juice, toast, oat bran (I'm actually eating cereal!) Headed to the village at 8:15. Our first stop was at Simon's house, the village chief. He is very ill, but was able to sit up and greet each one of us. What an honor it was to meet the village chief and shake his hand! After we each greeted him, we stood outside his hut and sang our "We are marching" song.

Next, we headed off to 5 or 6 churches (no, the roofs did not crumble), all different denominations. What an experience. At each one, we were impressed by their voices. SO beautiful. We sang our song at each church (either "We are Marching" or "You are mighty"). Nana talked me into breaking from the group on "Mighty" (which was really quite fun) and I really got into it at the last church with "Marching". While this was NOT a religious mission, the people in the village have a very strong faith, and they were honored that we took the time to go to each of their services.

We took some pictures with some of the children, then headed into Victoria Falls for a tour and shopping. The falls were AMAZING. Saw many rainbows! Baboons were out. VERY cool. Wandered over to the Zambian side to watch a couple guys bungee jump, then headed to do some shopping in the open market. CRAZY! It was way too overwhelming. Way too many people selling their stuff.

Tonight we went to the Safari Lodge down the road to have dinner. We watched some water buffalo grazing. NEAT.

I'm tired! Early morning tomorrow for the first full day at the village!

Saturday, February 17, 2007

11 PM

I am overwhelmed. I need to talk about our arrival at the village. Godfrey and Barbara picked us up at the airport. Godfrey is our resident Victoria Falls guy who takes care of the village when we're not there. Barbara owns the lodge where we are staying. There were hugs all around. They're so warm and friendly. These guys greeted all the passengers as they disembarked.

After a 20 minute ride in the truck, we arrived at the village. I can't even describe the reception we got. We exited the trucks, and were immediately surrounded by women. They were singing, dancing, hugging us. I've never felt anything like it. We walked past the school, and there we ALL the beautiful school children sitting patiently waiting for us - they were going to have food. We arrived at 2; they had been waiting since 8:30. It was heartbreaking. Every child sat with a bowl and a cup or plastic bottle. They looked so hungry. Several smiled at me and a few were being silly, which was so cool.

The girls' choir sang us some songs, which were terrific. Beautiful voices.

There was one little boy, about 3-years-old, who looked SO sick. He could barely focus. He looked hungry and tired. Three girls were trying to get my attention, because Hilary was wearing a cowboy hat. They thought that was so funny. We sat in front of them, facing them, went through introductions, then started with the speeches. After all that, at about 4:00, we started to serve them food: rice, soup, cabbage, biscuits, and "juice". The grade zeros, 3 and 4-year-olds, went first, then on up to grade 7. There were some kids that aren't in school, so they couldn't eat until all the children and adults had had their food. Another heartbreaker. I swear they never got any food.

After food distribution, it was time to go, but I grabbed a couple of photos and let the kids see them. They loved that. It was nice to see the smiles and hear the giggles. So cute.

Tomorrow we're supposed to visit Simon, the village chief, who is not doing too well. They think he might be in renal failure. Then we'll do some tasks in the village. This is the most rewarding experience I have ever had and I'm so glad to be here.

Friday, February 16, 2007

Are we actually leaving for J-burg this morning? Wake up call at 5 for a 6 AM shuttle to the airport. Not a bad flight, about 8 hours. Watched part of "The Departed" and fell asleep. Woke up to lunch, then watched "Little Miss Sunshine". Loved it! Very funny.

Heading to the hotel, again, on South African Airlines, due to all the delays. John and Mark were able to get us each our own rooms. This place, D'Oreale Grande at Emperor's Palace, is quite extravagant. What a huge place. Here's the view out of my room:

Here are Nana, Miranda, and Mark in the lobby waiting for the rest of us for dinner. Dinner turned out to be fantastic - Gorgonzola gnocci and three mushroom risotto. Yum. We invited two single travelers we met at the airport who were stuck at JFK too: Tuti, a teacher from Brookly who's doing her Master's at NYU in international studies, and Stefan, from South Africa, a student at Cape Town, who was in the US selling children's books. It's so refreshing to meet people with a sense of direction and a sense of adventure. Here's Stefan with John and Mary.

After dinner, we went to the casino for a couple of hours (no betting for me!) Now it's 1 AM and I'm off to bed. I can't WAIT to be in the village tomorrow...

Thursday, February 15, 2007

What day is it? We've just landed in Africa - Dakar, Senegal - to pick up some passengers and change crews. One hour layover. Uh oh. There's a problem with the plane...A chunk of ice went into the engine and broke a propeller blade. It looks like we're spending the night in Senegal.

12:15 PM: My feet just hit African soil! It's 80 degress : )

Whew, after a bit of a wait, we deplaned and went through customs.
Our 25 suitcases are staying on the plane. Yay!

The hotel is old, but just fine, right on the beach.

2:00 PM: Lunch buffet in the hotel - rice, potatoes, cumumber salad.

3:00 PM: Hilary, Mary, and I are relaxing by the pool drinking a Special. The others eventually joined us. Here some of us are...

8:00 PM: Dinner buffet at the hotel. Pretty much the same as lunch, but there was the addition of fresh fish. Quite tasty.

After a walk out to the ocean, it was an early evening, due to the 6 AM ride to the airport. Johannesburg tomorow! Yippee!

Wednesday, February 14, 2007

We're on the road! Had an interesting morning. Called to schedule a taxi, but due to the snow piling up in massive quantities, they couldn't guarantee they could pick me up in time. Called Capitaland Taxi and they were here in ten minutes! Got to Tim's house (Cindy's husband) and headed to the airport - with 25 pieces of luggage!! We're now on a shuttle bus with all 7 of us: Nana and Miranda, med students at Albany Medical College; Mark and John, Albany Med OR employees; Hilary, a PR person from Sawchuck Brown; and Mary, an OT/Special Ed teacher. The snow is insane! Our driver, Wally, is zipping past 18-wheelers like a madman. The old lady in the front of the bus is looking like she's about to pee her pants, poor dear. Go Wally, Go! We need to catch our flight! There he goes again....he's stopping to "broom" the windshield. This is crazy out here.

Oh, Wally. Why oh why are we in Paramus? Does this look like the most straightforward approach to JFK? We think not. It is now 3:16 PM.
We're on the plane! 5:30 PM.
We're still on the plane...
Waiting for deicing....
We're still on the plane...
Problem with the conveyor belt...
We're still on the plane...
Fourth in line for deicing...
Take off!!! It's 10 PM.
Finally ate at 11:30 PM

One day until Zim!

Well, I have been neglectful in posting here, but since I have a free moment before the 2 feet of snow buries us, I'll jot down some thoughts.

We're supposed to be leaving tomorrow morning for JFK, but there's a major snow storm on the horizon. In fact, my friend, whom I'll call Bob, tells me that, "HEAVY SNOW WILL RETURN DURING THE AFTERNOON AS MESO-SCALE BLINDING SNOW BANDS COULD PRODUCE INCREDIBLE LOCALIZED SNOWFALL RATES UP TO 6 INCHES PER HOUR ALONG WITH THUNDER SNOW." Sounds deligtful, no? Now I have to google "meso-scale blinding snow bands!"

The students did a remarkable job finising their projects last week. All told, we have 225 friendship bracelets; some wonderful gifts for our adopted boy, Admire, including a fabulous photo album; and a fantastic book about holistic therapies - the students also created 4 sets of index cards on rings that the home care nurses can take with them to patients' homes to practice holistic medicine on them. These students are phenomenal. I assume they're reading this :- ) They also raised over $400 on their bake sale. So proud, I am.

So that's it for now. I'll try to log on from the other hemisphere, if I can, and give you all updates. For now, I'm keeping my fingers crossed that we make it out of here on time. I know who wants a snow day, but please!
Cheers!