These are a few pictures from Safari this weekend. Our group of 5 went with Kessi Brothers which was a great tour operator. Our guides, Keffa and Kevin, were great! Both of these photos are of Ngorogoro Crater, northwest of Moshi. It is truly like seeing a view of Eden; untouched raw nature at its best. Highlights were seeing a standoff between 2 black rhinos and witnessing an equally violent coupling of 2 lions. These pictures are of the hippo pool, (The white birds are not resting on rocks) and a herd of wildebeest.
We also toured Tarangire national Park and had a walking tour of Lake Manyara. The dry season has really taken it's toll on the landscape. It finally rained a little this weekend. Selfishly, I hope to be home before the rain really starts, but rain is really needed here.

This is a picture of the second and third year nursing students at KCMC. They are all gathered for the presentation of a "beamer" LCD projector that I brought from the U.S. Now they no longer have to share one 'beamer' with the medical school. The students have all been Registered Nurses in Tanzania and have a few years of experience before being accepted into the Bachelor's program. Many of the students are already acting leaders in their facilities as Managers or Matrons.
They are all very conscientious and mature students who take an active interest in their learning. For some, English is their 3rd or 4th language, prompting me to work hard on my Swahili. I am amazed by the challenges they overcome everyday to be here, and I am enjoying getting to know them.

One of the best parts of being here is seeing Kilimanjaro on the way to work. I love this particular picture because of the way it is framed by local vegetation. This shot was taken in the early evening, just before sundown. The view is approx. a quarter mile from the house and still in the compound. The best time to view Kili is in the morning when I walk to work, so an evening view such as this is rare. The locals are anxious because the rain has not started yet, and there is not as much snow as usual on the peak. The air still feels very dry and hot (36 degrees celsius) on Thursday, although it does get quite pleasant in the evening.
Tomorrow, I will get closer, as we are taking a day trip to Banana Lodge in Marangu, at the base of the mountain. We will hike to a waterfalls and hopefully get wet. So far there are 2 taxis going, full of people. Great fun!

This is A23, my home away from home, in KCMC compound. It is a very unique, international community. Our house is quiet during the day, but dinner is a very special time. We all take turns shopping, cooking and cleaning up. My diet here is amazingly healthy. Lots of tomatoes, cucumbers, avocados, fresh pineapples and bananas. The bananas are very small, but sweet and delicious. Alot of our meals are vegetarian. I do allow myself cornflakes for breakfast with my coffee. At the moment I have my own room.
I have discovered that I cannot sleep in mosquito netting without feeling like I will suffocate! We also have a very loud rooster who seems to be nocturnal and may soon end up in a pot with some mashed potatoes. He is only saved by the fact that he provides a livlihood for a Tanzanian family next door. Freda is our housekeeper and laundress. She is very nice and offers to help you in any way possible. She even walked me to work the first day.

Hello all!
Finally a chance to catch you up on an amazing week. You will notice the "Mount Kilimanjaro' on the side of this plane. After spending an unexpected night in NY. I was very excited to board for Kili in Amsterdam. The flight was wonderful. My row was shared by a Dutch opthamologist who had been to KCMC before and had great information and tips for survival.
I arrived safely, but my luggage did not arrive until Tuesday morning. Oh well, as they say, this is Africa!
My ride in to Moshi was very interesting. I was picked up by a KCMC driver who did not speak English. We proceeded to speed through the night on a bumpy highway in an open jeep.The stars were incredible, and for the rainy season, no rain! An amazing number of people walking the highway and night.
In the morning, after a restless attempt at sleep, I awoke to a beautiful sunny day, and took some pictures of the garden around the house.
I have a fantastic group of housemates. Tara and Alec were the first people I met. They are medical students from the U.K. Tatyana is a physical therapist from Germany. Lilly is a med student from Cornell University and Fritz is a retired Dutch Ob/gyn. Everyone is very compatible and helpful, looking out for one another. To me it's like being at a wonderful summer camp, with extras like someone to do my laundry.

Preparation

Preparing myself and my family for my upcoming adventure is an adventure in itself. Essentially I am packing for 2 trips in one while trying to anticipate the needs of my husband and 2 daughters while I am away.
Most importantly, I am preparing to function as a nurse educator in a foreign country, without knowing my resources or the School of Nursing faculty expectations. Hopefully, the expectations will be clarified soon, so that I can prepare some lectures and materials ahead of time and fill my computer with information that will be valuable to my students. My teaching experience is limited, but I have a solid nursing background and clinical expertise, that will hopefully carry me a long way. Fortunately, English is the academic language in Tanzania, but I am also trying to learn some Swahili to be able to communicate with patients and local people that I hope to meet.
Duke School of Nursing has been very supportive in helping me to prepare. Susan Henk is an amazing organizer and is able to juggle the needs of several students' travel needs at once. She has provided information about what is needed before traveling including:
Travel documents - passport, green card etc.
Visa information
Embassy information ( I registered with the Canadian embassy - as long as someone comes looking for me)
Booking flights.
Accomodation arrangements.
Contact information and a primary contact person in Tanzania.
An amazing book called the "Duke University Guide to Moshi, Tanzania" published by a previous student in 2001.
Vaccination information.

I am also blessed as my professor, Dr. Powell, will be traveling to Moshi in February and I can compose a list of questions for her to ask on my behalf.
As the preparation list gets longer I am actually grateful that I am not leaving until March!