Travelling to Tanzania

Dear friends – I have been rather slow in getting going on this trip to Tanzania. When I left Boston on February 3 I had a sore throat which degenerated into a full fledged cold, leaving me out of commission for about a week. At this point I am pretty over it, though effects seem to linger.
I have had the opportunity to meet with the six second-year students in Moshi, at Kilimanjaro Christian Medical Center (KCMC). I met with them and Edith Macha (our student co-ordinator in Moshi) late one afternoon this past week at the KCMC Campus Canteen over a soda. The students expressed their appreciation for their sponsorship and we gave each of them an Oxford English Dictionary. One of the students asked what she could do to improve her English language skills. I really did not have a good response to this question. Good English language skills is a significant issue for students, particularly those who come from the rural areas, because the teaching and examinations are all in English.

Below is a picture of our soda sipping time:

The following evening I took the second year students to dinner at a small local restaurant located next to the KCMC campus. Two of the instructors and Edith also attended the event. Chicken and chips (french fries) was the popular choice for dinner.

While we were waiting for dinner asked the students to tell me why they had chosen nursing for their profession. It was interesting to listen to the students. I also received a well deserved lesson. I offered to one of the students with particular difficulty with English to tell us her reason in Swahili to which she responded that she wanted to tell me in English. I realized that I should not have made an exception for her and told her that I was very proud of her for telling me her story in English.Following dinner we had a grab bag of small gifts. Thanks to daughter Heather and others, I brought a collection of small items such as shawls, ear rings, nice soaps, nail polish etc. I laid these items on the table and each of the students selected a number. Starting with number 1, the students were able to select the item of their choice. A couple of pictures follow.

Jema with her new ear rings:          Damiles chose a package of soaps:
    Rosemary selected a shawl:

Starting February 18 all the second year students will be living in the villages for one month. I expect to visit the students in the villages following my return to Moshi from Tukuyu.Over the past weekend I had the opportunity to revisit the village of Kibosho. Located here is a beautiful stone church that was built around 1900 while Tanganyika was under German rule. Following also are a few pictures of the wall painting of the primary school – all of which are educational.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
And my favorite photo of my visit to Kibosho: