Just checking in!

Hello readers!!
We had a couple minutes with an Internet provider, so we wanted to be sure and let you know we are still alive and well.

Living on the Island has been great! We have an amazing house with an even more amazing house keeper, Pascalina, who has been cooking us amazing food and helping us to translate at the school.Near the house is also, Inno and Vero who's late Uncle lived in the home. They have 3 beautiful children, Veronica, Ian, and Ivan, who are too much fun to play with! We took them to the beach the first afternoon and they had so much fun jumping and playing in the water. Inno, their father, shared with us that they come to the beach near their home all of the time, but the kids have never once gotten in the water that far! I think it's safe to say we wore them out because Veronica slept through dinner that evening.

Outside of our home is a small "pub" that serves beer, wine, soda, and our favorite Fanta and Serengeti. We have made friends with many of the locals and learned last night while drinking with them that they were so shocked to see such warm and welcoming "Wazungu" (white people) around their place. We taught them a little English and they shared some familiar kiSwahili terms with us. Among our language tutoring, Amber became the bartender for the evening. Amani and her sat behind the bar and fulfilled orders given by Ziada. It was a great way to relax and unwind after many long days at the school.

Today we met with the Ministry, which is basically the department of education in the Tanzanian Government. We were joined by Christopher, Pascalina, and Mama Ella. All of which we have yet to introduce you too. We shared with the Ministry our ideas for future visits and discussed with them what they thought about our proposals. They agreed to talk to the government about some possible support in housing and transportation next year. All together the meeting was very successful and it is safe to say we have assembled a wonder team that we have decided to call K.A.T.S (Kansans and Tanzanians Support.... AUTISM). We plan to establish ourselves as a non-profit organization to help set up a more productive Autism Unit in Dar es Salaam that is equipped with a comprehensive curriculum and some form of a Vocational Training Workshop for students who are too old to attend school.

Our experiences thus far have been superb. We have ridden on the "Dala Dala" a form of public transportation, visited Wonder Workshop (a working place for disabled individuals to make a living by producing and selling awesome sculptures, jewelry, and other souvenirs out of recycled material), visited Tinga Tinga (classic African artwork shop), taken the ferry back and forth from Kigomboni and Dar, tried Ogali and shared many many laughs together! Among the attractions we have seen we have also met so many great people that are so willing to help us explore what Dar has to offer.

We are heading to Zanzibar on Saturday morning and then off to Arusha for our Safari on the Terengari.

Though we are missing all of our family we are excited for our adventures to come. Hopefully we will have Internet at our hotel in Zanzibar so that we can check in again.

Nakupenda! (Love you)

Heart Ache

We were "pole' pole'" (slow) this morning. Due to lack of sleep for some and an overwhelming first week we managed to make it through breakfast and out to Cypriam by 8:15... 30 minutes later than expected! Traffic was minimal on this lazy Saturday morning but parents greeted us with eager faces upon our arrival.

We formed a circle of desks and began by telling the parents how excited we were to be here and how much we wanted them to know we appreciated their time. Ella then suggested that we move to our office and meet with parents individually to answer any questions or address any concerns. What seemed like such a simple task turned out to be quite the challenge. We had originally planned to leave the school by noon in order to make it back to the Peacock for an afternoon of shopping at local art exhibits, however, parents kept pouring into the unit. There ended up being over 18 parents that wanted to converse with us. Within the first couple of meetings, most of us were in tears and it was apparent that most had the same general concerns. They were worried about what was going to happen to their children once they turned 16 and could no longer attend school. Many were having troubles getting their children to pee on the toilet and feed themselves. It was eye opening to hear that these parents half way around the world have some of the same concerns as parents in America. We were showered with blessings, thank you's (Sante' Sana's), and smiles of parents that were so elated to hear that their was hope for their children. It was hard for our group to keep the present in mind as we were so anxious to get started obtaining materials and planning for future endeavors to Tanzania. It was clearly evident that a second trip was in the eyes of each one of us... this time, however, a longer stay was in order.

Feeling terrible for having to leave, Cypriam was waiting for us, as we hurried out of the Unit through horrible traffic to meet Kairm (our JM Tours Driver) who took us to find the Tinga Tinga Art Shop. The 5 of us had so much fun viewing the art work and even more fun bargaining with the artists for their work. Each of us managed to walk away with something including some colorful personalized name plates, large canvas painting for ourselves and relatives, and some fun platters and pencils.

Not having eaten but a "bite" since breakfast we talked Kairm into finding us a place to eat dinner early. We drove around for a bit but eventually stopped at a local authentic Tanzanian Restaurant. None of us knew what to order so we took a look at what others had and ordered based on what we could see. We enjoyed yummy Chapata (Africa flat bread), white sticky rice, prawns, peppered steak, chicken, and Mel even ventured out and tried some Goat meat. After dinner, Melanie headed for a nap, Tonya for the computer to Skype her family, and Amber, Nicole, and Marilyn decided to head over to the next door market for some extra beans to stuff our "weighted bear". They came back with adventurous stories of hundreds of chickens in cages. rows of newly picked veggies, and baskets of fresh fruit!

Our plans are to move to the island home tomorrow where we will spend the next week while still taking the Ferry across to visit the school. There, we will have an in home cook and access to the beach, which we are told is only a walk away. We will likely not have access to Internet, therefore we may not be able to update the Blog daily. I know that is disappointing to you buuuut hopefully we can make plans to visit an Internet cafe and keep the tales coming! If not, be prepared to read a novel come Friday :) Melanie and Marilyn are already in bed, so Amber, Tonya, and I are off to get our things packed for tomorrows move to the Island.

Kwa-Heri
Mada
Lots of Love!

Walimu Training

Up and Adam at 6:30 am today, the group headed down for breakfast at the Peacock. Thankfully, Amber was feeling much better and was able to join us. A rather large group of Scottish students arrived yesterday evening, so the dining area was quite crowded. We managed to get down some “fish bites” and fried sweet potatoes before heading out to find Cypriam who has been driving us to and from the Autism Unit at Msimbosi. Amber and Melanie were extremely excited to see the school and meet the children. The children for a second time greeted us as we drove down the sanded road. Smiles covered their face from ear to ear as our “Munzugu’s” group past.

The children in the Unit were already playing in the yard and the teachers were waiting around patiently for us to arrive. Many of the students ran to greet us, showering us with hugs and Jambo’s. Nicole was quickly addressed by the smallest in the yard, Mushobozi. He grabbed her around the waist and then turned around to stand on her feet. It was evident that he wanted to stand on her feet while she walked. He appeared very affectionate and did not hesitate to visit with strangers. After walking around for a bit he moved on to grab the others and greet them with the same affectionate hugs.

After visiting in the yard, we headed into the playroom for “Jambo Time” singing the familiar “If You’re Happy and You Know It” song. Several of the students were off lying around and had no interest in holding hands in our circle. From there we decided to separate. Each one of us in the group followed a teacher and at least one student to a small classroom to observe and record some of their behaviors based on the C.A.R.S rating scale. The 5 of us departed to our “office” to discuss our experiences. It was clear that we all had different experiences yet it was safe to say that all of the children fall under the severe category of the Autism Spectrum. Before the children headed home we popped open some Tootsie Rolls and Smarties for them to enjoy. Turns out the teachers were just as excited as the children were to try the Peremende (candy).

Once the children were gone, we set up the tea, teacakes, jam, and water. Luckily, Christopher a former friend of Marilyn’s that she had met in her previous trips to Dar showed up to help us translate to the teachers. We began in the “Tea Room” with introductions that included the exchange of names, number of children you had, and for Amber and Nicole, if we were “single” or not J. From there, we moved to the classroom and formed a big circle to begin our discussion on the C.A.R.S (Childhood Autism Rating Scale). Our hopes were to give them an idea of what to look for in children to determine whether her not they displayed characteristics of Autism. It was an intriguing conversation, with Christopher acting as our liaison, we were able to communicate clearly with the Mwalimu (teachers). Deciding to pass on our sample video, we split into groups to discuss individual students. It was so neat to hear what the teachers had to say and discuss some of their concerns for the students. Though the school is lacking materials it was evident that it was not lacking dedicated and compassionate Walimu.

Mama Ella (the head teacher) managed to arrange for the student’s parents to come into tomorrow. Our group is anxious to meet with them and expand the awareness of Autism. Ella had also already mentioned us coming back for a longer stay next summer and has planned of us to meet with the Ministry (Government department in charge of education).

We are headed to the Slipway for pizza and beer again!

Kwa-heri (Bye)!!!

Munzungu's set out to enjoy a Blue Day!

Our day once again started off with breakfast at the Peacock, only this time it was pouring outside. According to the locals, this meant HOT weather in the afternoon. Nicole decided to try some yogurt and some funny looking cereal cake which turned out to be quite tasty! Everyone enjoyed croissants, fresh fruit, chi tea, and our favorite... coffee with "a little bit of milk." This request seems to confused the waiter every time. We learned that people in Tanzania usually drink their coffee "white" meaning they put enough milk in to basically turn the coffee white.

After breakfast, Amber and Marilyn felt ill, so we layed around a bit before Amber began to feel much worse. With Melanie's homework on her mind, she decided to stay back with Amber while the rest of us visited the school for the first time. Tonya, Marilyn, and Nicole grabbed a taxi and headed for the Autism Unit. As the three of us drove up the gravel road, elementary age children lined the street in their navy shorts/skirts and white polo uniforms. The look on their faces was quite a sight to see. It was as if we were aliens from another planet. The driver found his way to the gated unit and we set out to find Ella, the head teacher. Ella was waiting for us and greeted us at the lock gate. It was already evident how happy she was to see us. Jumbo's were exchanged and we were given a tour of the unit. Introducing ourselves to the teachers was easy, however, it was much more difficult to catch their names, as they were very unique to Tanzania.

The students displayed signs of class autism and it was noticeably evident that they had little materials to support both the learning and play of the children. A few desks, sensory items, a computer that is usless because their electricity does not work, are all they have to claim as theirs. Ella took us to her office to discuss the plan of attack for the week ahead. They are so anxious to have us help them, just as anxious as we are to get started. Lastly, we visited with the children one last time while they sipped on their tea and bites before heading home. Tonya's favorite part was modeling for one of the children how to give a high five!

Worried about the girls at home and anxious to get our supplies gathered from the hotel, we headed back to the Peacock to check up on Amber. Marilyn and Nicole were restless, so grabbed Mel who needed a break from homework and headed out to a "supermarket" to buy some tea and bites for our teacher training tomorrow. This journey proved to be quite the interesting one. Our driver, Gregory, with the intent to avoid traffic, drove us through a local neighborhood. The earlier rain, created extreme pot holes that made our drive a bumpy one. Again, we got stink eyes from the locals busy selling along the street sides. Silly Munzugu's (white people), is what we are evidently known as.

Somehow, Gregory managed to get us to the SuperMarket in the Tanzanian mall. This was no American supermarket! It's hard enough shopping in an unfamiliar grocery store in the US, let alone an alien market in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. Mel, Marilyn, Nicole, and Gregory made a team effort out of it and found African Tea, Tea Bites, Raspberry Jam, Shortbread Tea Bites, Water, and Juice. Getting a little hungry, we decided to stop outside the coffee shop at the mall to enjoy some chi, coffee, and bites. So tasty!

The three of us plus Gregory headed back to the Peacock for some R&R. Along the ride home it was decided that we wanted to try Ethiopian food for dinner. Marilyn suggested the perfect place for this was Addis in Dar. We clearned that with the ladies back at the hotel and sat around catching up with email and facebook before cleaning up. We also worked on our "weighted animals" for the school. Amber proved to be a great sewer, while Tonya and Nicole ripped and stuffed with beans.

Gregory was waiting for us out front around 6:30 so we hopped in and headed for Addis in Dar. With hungry stomachs, the traffic was a bit stresfull this evening. Four loaded in the back of a hot taxi during rush hour is a bit stuffy. Before long we landed ourselves in the parking lot of Addis in Dar. Our breath was taken away before we even stepped in the door. The upside down hanging umbrellas along the huge upstairs ourdoor pateo were fascinating. We were seated around the communal bowl and orded the usual Fanta, Serengeti, and an added "Ethiopian Honey Wine." Mel and Marilyn being the only ones to have tried Ethiopian food before helped to order one chicken, one beef, and one vegetiarian dish to go with our injera (spongy bread). Tonya, Amber, and Nicole quickly became accustom and fell in love with the ethnic food. We ate it all up while also managing to enjoy some ice cream and tea after the meal.

Another long day gone, we headed back to the Peacock to shower and get ready for the day ahead. We are all so anxious to get started in the school. It will be especially nice to have Mel and Amber with us! We are starting off with an assessment piece to help the teachers identify some common characteristics of Autism.

Wish us luck!

Asante! (Thanks)

From Taliban to Tanzania!

We began our day well rested at the Peacock breakfast buffet. We enjoyed our first cups of Tanzanian Chi Tea, coffee, and fresh passion fruit juice. With full stomachs, Ephreum, our fabulous and fun tour guide, picked us up in a Land Cruiser and we headed out for some site seeing.

Our first stop was the National Museum where we got to learn about the history of Tanzania. It was neat to see the historic tools, pictures, skulls, and our favorite the prehistoric fossil preservation that displayed footprints of homo sapiens over 3.6 million years ago which were preserved by a series Volcanic eruption. From there, we headed to exchange money and search for a Sim card. The money situation proved to be difficult for Marilyn because they would not accept travelers checks. Once we got the money situation under control it was off to get the Sim Card. This too was a difficult task due to the fact that the Blackberry we brought along would not accept the Sim card purchased off the street. Luckily, Ephreum stepped up and explained that locals would no doubt rip us off if we tried to actually purchase a pre-paid minute phone, so he took off in search of a phone for 55,000 shillings while the rest of us met some young locals looking to sell us some dyed canvas paintings. We soon learned that their names were “Fantastic” and “Spock”, I think it’s safe to say they were playing us a little bit, but Amber found a painting she liked so she purchased and Epheum returned with a Nokia phone equipped with 15,000 minutes.

We had already experiences so much and the day was hardly half over! After all of our adventures on the street we decided to get some grub at “City Garden” a lovely outside restaurant where we relaxed with some local food including beef curry, buttered nan, and freshly squeezed passion fruit and pineapple juice. Oh aaaand some of ours new favorite… ORANGE FANTA! With happy stomachs we were off to the “living history museum” which featured replicas of tribal homes from various Tanzanian tribes. It was extremely interesting to see how these homes were built and was even neater that we could walk inside each one to see precisely how they were built and designed. Without hesitation, we also purchased “dance tickets” to see some local women perform traditional Tanzanian dances. Figuring this would only get us excited for this evenings festivities, we began sitting on the benches to watch the women. In no time at all, Tonya, Amber, and Melanie were pulled up to dance with the women while Marilyn, Ephreum, and Nicole stayed back to take pictures and films.

After the rump shaking and feet stomping was over we set out in the Land Cruiser to purchase some “conga” dresses to wear at this evenings “Tanzania Night” back at the Peacock. This was no easy task due to the crazy traffic on the streets of Dar. We were, however, entertained by the street vendors who did not hesitate to shove stacks of plastic storage bins into the front window of our SUV. Guess it is our fault for appearing as though we were interested in purchasing them for the school we are visiting tomorrow. Our car crept along in traffic and so too did the man selling the bins. Thank goodness for Ephreum, who explained to the gentleman that we were only interested in the one stack of bins and would pay precisely 25,000 shillings. It again, was quite the cultural experience.

Next on the agenda was “Tanzania Night” at the Peacock Hotel. It was an exciting night to say the least. We were handed coconuts with fresh coconut juice as we entered and escorted to our table near the front of the live musicians. We quickly order drinks; Nicole and Marilyn stuck with Serengeti while Amber went with the Kilimanjaro, Tonya and Mel the African White Wine. With drinks ordered we reviewed the adventures throughout our day and headed for the buffet of exquisite authentic Tanzanian food. Some of the items included cold yogurt soup with Maize (corn), beef/chicken kabobs, roasted sweet potatoes, and a variety of spinach/vegetable dishes, oh and we cannot forget the Goat Meat! All new tastes to us, we were adventuresome and tried most of it. A few drinks later, the Tanzanian dancers dressed in traditional get up began dancing. Our favorite was the extra flexible men. (Pictures below) It was not long before we were all up on the dance floor ending our night with a little cardio and napkin waving!

Culture SHOCK!

The alarm sounded early, as we scurried to eat breakfast and board the crowded bus around 6:30 am. Though the seats were crowded we were thankful to be sitting amongst such a unique family. The parents of which were born and raised in Africa before moving to the states. They were now embarking on the task of taking their 5 young children, 4 girls, and 1 boy (Timmy) back home to meet their extended family for the first time. It was so neat to see how excited the children were, it is safe to say we were all smiling from ear to ear and their joy.

We hung out in a cafe for a few hours, enjoyed some Fanta and differently tasting Pepsi, before boarding our flight at 9:35 am. This boarding process was the first of our cultural diverse experiences. Unlike most flights in the US, people were crowded in masses to board. Though you were called up by color, it was hard for most to understand and or follow the specific directions. Also unique to the boarding experience, was the fact that we had to go down from the terminal to hop on a large bus that took us to the steps up to the airplane. We made our way to our seats, much closer to one another this time. After getting settled, most, like Tonya were busy already occupying their time with books or some shut eye and obliviously to that fact that a harem of Aribic men and women were boarding the flight in fenzy. The men were shouting back and forth between one another wearing torbans while the women stood silent sporting full on face covered drapery. It was evident that they were confused and unable to find where their seats were. After nearly 20 minutes of back and forth full on shouting across the opposite ends of the plane they took their seats. Meanwhile, all but Melanie who was familiar with the cultural psychology aspect of the situation, were shaking with fear at what was really going on, mainly due to the fact that we could not understand the language nor decipher what the hubbub was all about!

Throughout the flight the younger of the gentlemen continuously visited to the seats in which the women were seated in. It was as if he was checking up on them to see that they were "doing the correct thing." We were served a meal on this flight which brought on some even more interesting experiences with the Arabian folks. The oldest of the men was seated next to Marilyn. Anything and everything that he did not desire to eat on his tray he, without asking, put on either one of his neighbors, including Marilyn's tray. Eating was no small task for the women with the face drapery. They had to, with their black gloves on, pick up food, lift their veil, place their food in their mouth, and begin chewing once their veil was down. What was so interesting about this was that upon one of the visits from the gentlemen up front, he slapped one of the women's hands because she had taken her glove off to eat. The last of the manic experinces came when the plane arrived. It was as if someone had screamed fire and everyone decided they need to shove and get off at once. All of us were taken aback, but quickly made our way through customs, found our luggage and the JM Tour guide Ephreum without trouble. Ephreum drove us to the Peacock hotel down the overly crowded and noisy streets of Dar es Salaam. We stored our luggage, met up and headed out for a walk through the city. The sites and sounds proved to be much different but altogether eye opening!

With rumbling tummies, we caught a taxi back at the Peacock and headed to the Slipway. At the slipway we enjoyed beer and pizza on the dock overlooking the Indian Ocean with the sunset in view. It was such a relaxing ending to our long 2 day journey of travel!

We look forward to our tour of Dar tomorrow.
All for now! <3 you all!

Flight 501

This is our first actual location to have connection to the internet. It is so nice to get to check in with family and friends! Though it has been almost 24 hours since our long flight from D.C. to Ethiopia we have a lot to share!

Boarding the flight was no small task. People were everywhere jockeying for seat positions and luggage storage. There were languages from all over busseling among the 40 plus rows of seats. Marilyn was seated ahead of most, Tonya and Amber close together, Mel and Nicole across the plane from on another in the same row. Nicole heard a man state that he did not want to sit in the assigned "exit isle" seat so she quickly volunteered to switch him, consentrating on the thought of more leg room aaaand an isle seat for the 15+ hr. flight. It must have been fate because she ended up seated next to a man who grew up in Ethiopia until he was 20 or so years old. After moving to California, he became and minister and was now returning to see family that he had no seen in over 10 years. It will quite the unique experience for her to get to hear his vast experiences and knowledge of both places. Seated behind Nicole were two adorable girls, Eden (4) and Marron (6) heading to Ethiopia to visit their extended family for the first time ever. They were very outgowing and asked Nicole to read them a story from their Children's Bible. They turned to the chapter titled Adam and Eve so Nicole began reading. Like most small children they began to ask billions of questions, most of which were loaded. She quickly turned the answering over to the mother. Tonya and Mel eventually headed back to speak with the girls and we shared our Silly Band shapes with the girls.

Tonya was seated next to a couple who was on their way to adopt a 2 and 4 year old Ethiopia orphans. Having three kids of their own, they shared with her the story of the several miscarriaged that, through faith alone, lead them to consider and be blessed with the adoption. Among these interested fliers were several other groups of missionaries. Some of which included a Medical Missionary heading over to Kilimonjaro to held build a medical facility, a couple from Maryland heading over for their un-teeth time to volunteer their time in an orphange, a church group gathered from Adam Lamberts church in Alabama to deliver thousands of Tom's shoes to children in need. It is without a doubt one of the most unforgetable flight we have ever experienced. It was neat for all of us to see the difficult cultural backgrounds come together for 15 hours and share why and where they were going in Africa.

Having little to deep rest, we were anxious to get through the caotic airport and to our hotel. The airlines changed our reservation so that we had to stay the evening in Ethiopia so they set us up with a complementary hotel which included transportation to and from the hotel, along with dinner and breakfast. Can't beat that! The African hospitality was proving to be much better than expected!

Hurry up and wait! We are sitting in the D.C. Airport, typing on the iPad... Our only source of Internet. Won't type in the body. More to come. Mada!

Night Before

Jamb0-
We are all anxiously awaiting our 4:30 am wake up call to be at the airport a meer 2 and half hours before our international flight. Our first stop in D.C. Dulles where we will endure a 9 hour layover, then we are spreading our jet wings for a total of 15 and half hours to Ethiopia with a 45 minute stop in Rome for a quick re-fuel. Once in Ethiopia we will spend the night in Addis Ababa at the Harmony Hotel. We will finally arrive in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania at 12:55 pm on July 13th. Nothing like a 2 day travel experience to get the adventure started!


Mada!, that's Swahili for Stay tuned!