Clarification

So it looks like my antibiotic medicine was mixed with something that will kill amoebas so that is good. I am feeling much better and will finish with my medicine today. Hope you all are doing well.

Lions and amoebas and malaria oh my

Hi all,
The first of my bad news this trip. The doctor says I have amoebic dysentery and malaria. But, not to worry I have medication and am already feeling better. I only had a small malaria count anyway, 3 out of 500 units (I forget what the blood test units are) so it really hasn't been noticeable other than about 3-4 days of feeling as tired as I did when I had mono back in college. Not sure about the dysentery...The doctor didn't prescribe anything for amoebas, rather he gave me an antibiotic (which perhaps goes with the malaria medication, that is what I've heard at least). But he did use the word amoebas, but then also said there were eggs in my stool and amoebas don't lay eggs.... So really I have no idea other than since I've been on the medication all my sickness symptoms have been improving so I'm content provided I don't start to feel sick again. I will of course follow up when I return to the states and make sure I am not still harboring little fugitive bugs/parasites/whatever. If I don't sound as worried as you think I should it is because 1) I'm not worried and 2)Malaria here is like the flu. Not that it isn't really bad and kills a lot of people, but if catch it in time and treat it, it is more like the flu, hamna shida (no worries). Now if you want to worry, worry about the 4 month old nephew of my host family who has malaria. He is getting treatment, but it is scary for the little kids and babies to get malaria. Okay I hope everyone's health is doing well :)

Traditional Cake

Hello everyone! I spent the weekend in Karatu, a town about 2.5 hours from Arusha, near the Ngorongoro Conservation Area. Allen owns a bed and breakfast there. We went to a wedding on Saturday night with seating for 1000 people! Seriously, 1000! It was outside with all the seating under tents. We arrived at 4:30 because one of Esther’s friends that we were traveling with had made the wedding cake and needed to be there early to set up (it was cake like we have in the states, not the “traditional cake”, which I’ll get to in a moment). The reception lasted until 1 am, making for a very long evening. The ceremony was in a church (most others and we didn’t go to the church) and then the bride and groom came via horse drawn carriage to the reception site. Some things were very similar to US weddings including the coordinated colors, many flowers and decorations, and a maid of honor and best man. However, they also had a few dozen “brides maids” of three age groups each with their own similar style, but same color dresses. They served everyone dinner and there was free beer and wine the entire night, I don’t want to even know the total cost for alcohol. There was the cutting of the wedding cake and then the bride and groom fed a piece not only to each other, but to members of their family and really close friends. Then came the “traditional wedding cake” that, as you can see from the picture, was a full-bodied goat, cooked with head/horns/legs intact and then garnished with tomatoes and cucumbers. The bride and groom cut pieces for each other and again fed family and close friends. Then the goat was cut up and each person at the wedding was given a small piece of the “cake” (I politely declined, I had already eaten some meat for dinner and was at my limit). Afterwards there was the presentation of gifts, which took at least 2 hours. At first, it was just individual people who formed a dancing line and presented the couple with their gift and then received a keepsake handkerchief. Then groups of people would dance up to the bride and groom to present their collective gifts. All the while by the way, everyone dancing caused a dust storm of fine red silt to shower down on us coating our glasses, faces, drinks, and food (all I could think of was the bride’s beautiful white wedding gown and how dirty it was getting). Then after all the gifts there were some speeches (not by the families, but other people, I’m not sure who and why). Overall, despite how exhausted I was, it was a fun night and very interesting to experience a Tanzanian wedding.

We spent most Sunday just lounging around the B&B and then went to a very nice hotel (think many outdoor bungalows, not a Hilton type structure). Allen helped build the hotel and is good friends with the owners so we went to say hello and I had the BEST mango juice, I could live off the stuff! On Monday we relaxed in the morning and returned home in the afternoon.

Back in Arusha

Hi everyone,

Long time without an update, sorry. I am back in Arusha. I returned from Dar on Saturday in an air-conditioned bus, which made the trip 100% better. While I was in Dar I spent two days getting my Costech permit (a requirement for doing research in TZ) and two days at immigration getting my residence permit. The entire thing was a frustrating endeavor in that customer service doesn’t really exist in this country and you have to vigilantly follow your paperwork through the process to get anything done. Things like “oh the lady who types the permit isn’t here today” and “I forgot to tell you yesterday, buy you also need…” are common. Immigration was the most frustrating and I almost had to stay in Dar over the weekend just to get my residence permit, but luckily things worked out okay. Originally, when I turned in the paper work for the residence permit they told me to return on the 16^th. I pleaded with the guy and he said come back on the 13^th. Well, that was last Thursday and I didn’t want to be stuck in Dar over the weekend (with no one around and not a whole lot to do) so I went back Friday morning under the pretense that I had forgotten to pay (when really I didn’t need to pay until Monday). Because I was back and the guy was in a good mood (and I like to think, because I was dressed as a Tanzanian and trying to speak Swahili) I got my permit at 4pm on Friday. There were actually two things that needed to be finished with the residence paperwork, but they said I could do it in Arusha, and sure enough, immigration in Arusha finished the permit in 30 minutes (I was shocked, things went so much smoother here than in Dar). Anyway, I’m still working on paperwork stuff but without the headache I had last week in Dar and Craig (one of my professors) and I have been meeting with hunting companies and paving the way for my research and the work of Savannas Forever. With all the crazy running around I have been doing, it was great to be back with my host family this weekend and be able to spend Sunday washing cloths and playing with the kids. Hope you all are well!

Mozambique

Yes, Mozambique. Just yesterday I returned from a trip to Pemba, Moz. Craig and I flew down to Pemba on Friday and flew back yesterday making it a very short trip during which we talked with some researchers in Niassa who have been working with the hunting companies much like Savannas Forever plans to do. Overall it was a good trip. We stayed just across the street from the beach and while we spent most of the time talking to these other researchers and one of the hunting guys, it was neat to go to Moz. Pemba is one of Moz's larger tourist hub so the cost of hotels is expensive, but the town is tiny, there is really nothing to do. About half the people have shoes a good representation of how Mozambique is really one of the poorest countries in the world. The flight took about an hour from Dar on a larger Boeing, but then the return flight was an hour and a half on a 28 seat plane. This of course is not my preferred choice of plane, but tis the price to see the world. I didn't want to travel around with my camera so unfortunately I don't have pictures to show, but the proof is in my passport :)

Dar es Salaam

Hi all,
Just a quick note. I'm now in Dar after a 10 hour bus ride yesterday in mostly 93-97 degree weather. It is my first time here, but I'm working on getting myself acquainted with the city. I'll be here for probably a week working on my research permit and immigration paperwork and will check back in with you all when I have more exciting things to report. :)