by Heather Plett | Feb 24, 2005 | Uncategorized
We got up early this morning and left USA River by 6:00. It was a little cool this morning, but quite pleasant for driving.
The bus is an interesting social environment (I can’t think of the word I’m looking for – something like biosphere or ecosystem where people have to coexist in a confined space.) The front and the back of the bus are the quiet spaces. You can usually tell if someone heads for these spaces they’re looking for some quiet time. This morning, Rachel and Tim were sick, so they sat near the front to avoid the bumps as much as possible.
Those who gravitate toward the middle are usually looking for some social interaction. Some people are quite unaware of the signs people send when they want to be alone or want to be exclusively with one other person. I’ve managed to find a fair bit of alone time, but sometimes it’s at the risk of being a little rude.
We stopped at the border into Kenya. Border crossings around here are interesting and confusing. It seems you have to stop at three places – the exit point, the entry point, and some kind of vehicle toll in between. None of these places are well marked, nor do their placement or appearance make a lot of logical sense. To top off the confusion, there are always a lot of people milling around and it’s virtually impossible to discern the officials from the loiterers. Almost anyone could walk up and demand a toll and it would be almost impossible to know if it were valid or not.
There were a lot of people trying to sell handicrafts at the border. They swarmed our bus, reaching in all the open windows with their wares. When I walked back from the washroom several women insisted I buy their bracelets and necklaces. They were willing to trade almost anything – pens, t-shirts, rings, etc. I ended up with 4 bracelets and a ring in exchange for a few pens and a cheap silver ring. I also got a tall wooden giraffe for $10 U.S. In retrospect, I feel a little ashamed for getting so much for so little, but I guess it’s better than nothing for them.
There was a visit planned at a CRWRC project on the way – a cattle and farm project. Peter, our dutch farmer, really wanted to stop. In the end, only a few people (Peter, Dan, Ed, Solomon, and Brenda) stayed there and the rest of us carried on to Nairobi.
We stopped for lunch at the Java House – a trendy little chain that seems to be popular with ex-pats. They have a fairly extensive western menu. I ordered a veggie burger and fries. It was delicious, but WAY too much food.
For the next three nights, we’re staying a the Hampton House guest house (a Baptist guest house). It’s quite nice. The rooms are fairly big – set up like small apartments. We have 4 people in our room – Rachel, Joyce, Corrie Lynn and me.
Shortly after we got here, some of us went to the Sarit Centre for some shopping and a visit to the internet café. I sent another group e-mail and a few others. Mom told me some of the details of her date with Paul, the dutchman from Alberta. It sounds like she quite enjoyed herself. Yikes! I also found out from Jayne that I’ve been nominated to be an elder. I think I’m probably headed in that direction, but I have to process it a bit more first.
I walked back to the guest house alone. It was quite nice to be alone for awhile. I’m enjoying this group quite a bit, but I still value my alone time.
When I got back, I had a warm bath (yay!) and shaved my legs (double yay!). Now I’m sitting in the patio/sitting room close to our room. It is very comfy. The air has cooled enough to be comfortable and there are no bugs. Aaahhh! A very nice moment!
by Heather Plett | Feb 23, 2005 | Uncategorized
We’re staying at the White House Hotel in USA River. I think it only costs $8 U.S. a night. It’s quite pleasant with an open courtyard in the centre. The mosquito nets are crappy though – they don’t drape over the edges of the bed well.
I slept in my own room last night. Dan ended up in some meeting room with Solomon.
This morning, Corrie Lynn and I walked to the ADRA complex while the rest of the group took the bus. It was good to get a little alone time with her.
The ADRA compound is a little confusing. We’ve seen such different approaches to mission work around here. This compound is lavish and large, with beautiful grounds and buildings. They’ve put a lot of money into it. And they run a furniture manufacturing plant on the grounds. The whole thing kinda smacks of colonialism – the rich missionaries with all the servants, the beautiful grounds, etc. I know I shouldn’t judge, but it just doesn’t quite make sense to me.
This morning Bongo, who works for ADRA, took us to visit the International Health Food Association. It’s a big factory owned by ADRA which processes and fortifies flour and cookies with the intent of making them available to the general public in an effort to improve nutrition. It seems a little strange that they would beat all the nutrients out of the maize, and then add them back in artificially. They’re trying to make a product available to the public that is comparable to what they use. It seems more logical to me to educate people about what nutrients they need and how they can find them in natural sources, but what do I know?
After visiting the factory, we went to the market for our food-buying experience. We teamed up and Dan gave each team 5000 shillings (approx. $5 U.S.) which is approximately what a family has to survive on for a week. With that money, we had to try to buy enough food to feed a family of 6 for a week.
I was teamed up with Brenda and Micheline. The experience was quite good. At first, it was rather intimidating to walk into such a foreign environment and not know who was trying to help us and who would take advantage of us. One fellow helped us quite a bit and we gave him a tip.
We ended up with about 2 kilo of maize, 1 kilo of rice, 1 kilo of beans, about 700 g of fish, half a tub of oil, some bananas and a couple of onions.
I think I could enjoy living in an area where markets like that are common. It didn’t take long to get caught up in the energy of the place. It was crowded and noisy, and dirty, but people were friendly and helpful. Bartering can really get my adrenalin pumping. I rather enjoy playing the game.
After that market experience, we went to buy our lunch at a large sanitary supermarket. Although it was clean and well organized, it didn’t seem as interesting or energizing. It felt quite cold and sterile and lifeless.
We had some ice cream on the bus and headed back to ADRA to compare our purchases and our market experiences. Every team had a slightly different approach. Mos of us had too much protein and none of us had enough starch. We gave all of our purchase to Max and Nevartus (the mechanic travelling with us).
When we’d finished comparing notes, some of us went for a ride to see Mount Kilimanjaro while others stayed at the compound. It was hot and dusty and the mountain was clouded in mist or dust. We didn’t get a very clear view, but at least we can say we saw it.
When we got back, I helped with the orphan babies for awhile – gave one of them a bottle. I find myself enjoying holding the babies, and I certainly feel SOME compassion for them, but the whole thing doesn’t tear at my heartstrings as much as it does some other people.
We had supper at the Danish Centre again, and then walked back to the hotel. Some people are hanging out around the tables, but I’m beat, so I’m going to bed.
by Heather Plett | Feb 22, 2005 | Uncategorized
My dear Nicole
Today is your birthday. I can’t believe you’re nine already. What a grown-up girl you are!
Somewhere in Africa, I’m missing you like crazy right now. Judging by the schedule I looked at before I left, I should be in Tanzania by now – somewhere near Arusha. You can look it up on the map on the wall, put your finger on the spot, and say a little prayer for Mommy.
Nine years ago today you made me a Mommy. It wasn’t easy bringing you into this world. You were a little stubborn coming out – you were flipped over the wrong way inside me and, after I tried for hours to get you out, the doctor had to get in there and yank you out. But all that effort was worth it in the end.
Your daddy was SO excited when you came out. I’ll never forget the look on his face when he first saw you (you probably know the look I’m talking about – when he gets really happy about something, and it makes him a little silly). You made us both feel very proud and very lucky. Not everyone gets to be mommy or daddy to such a beautiful girl. When you were born, you had quite a bit of hair on your head, and for the first couple of months, it stood straight up! (Grandma told me mine did the same thing when I was little.) A lot of people commented on your hair because not only did it stand up, it had a couple of shades in it – like you’d streaked it.
From a really young age, you were kind to your Mommy and Daddy. You started sleeping through the night really early, so we could get enough sleep. That helped make us a little less grumpy. When you were really little, I called you Squeaker, because you made little squeaky sounds when you wanted attention.
You weren’t very old yet when I realized there was something very special about you. There was something about the way you looked at things and tried to figure them out that always made you seem older than your age. You still have that. You’ve always tried to figure out everything around you. When we’d go for walks when you were little, you wouldn’t stop asking questions. “Who’s that man? Where’s he going? Why is he going there? Does he have a Mommy? Why isn’t he at home? Is that his dog?” “Why” was one of your favourite words. I think it still is.
I remember when Daddy’s Mémère died and we’d told you she’d gone to heaven. You were only about 3 or 4 years old. We were driving home from Ile des Chênes and you were looking up at the moon. “Mommy,” you asked, “who moves the moon?” “God does,” I said. “Well then, what does Mémère do while God is moving the moon?” I think you were concerned that Mémère might be lonely if God wasn’t in heaven with her. You’re often concerned about other people and I like that about you. You want to know that people are safe and happy and comfortable. I still see it in the way you watch over Maddie. The other day you grabbed her when she was about to walk out into a parking lot. I know I can trust you to make sure she is safe.
Another thing I’ve always loved about you is how much you sing. No matter what you’re doing, it seems like you almost always have a song on your lips. I love that! I remember when you were pretty little – probably only 2 or 3 – I took you on a bike ride on the bike seat at the back of my bike. As we rode, you were singing at the top of your lungs “How do I live without you?” People walking by were smiling – it made them happy to see a little girl like you who loved to sing. When you were a little older – probably about 4 – you used to sing “Man, I feel like a woman.” It was very cute.
You still make people happy when you sing. I watched you sing a Hillary Duff song the other day and I smiled all the way through it. You knew EVERY word. Your voice is so beautiful. I hope you always sing. I hope you always dance, too. You’ve got great rhythm and music really seems to move you in a special way. Hang onto that.
You’re a smart girl. It blows me away sometimes how much you know and understand. Your brain never seems to stop working. You notice a lot of things that other people miss, and when you see or hear something you don’t understand, you almost always ask me or Daddy a question about it. It’s important to you that you figure it out. Sometimes the questions don’t come for a few hours or even a few days, but they always come. That’s a really good way to live. Keep trying to figure out the world. Stay interested. Keep noticing things that other people don’t always notice. Don’t let it worry you, just let it keep you interested.
There are a lot of other things I love about you. Here are a few more:
1. You have a great sense of style. I love to see you dressed in funky clothes. Sometimes, when we’re in a big room full of people, I look across the room at you, notice how good you look, and think “Wow! She looks good! I’m glad she’s my daughter!”
2. I like to laugh with you. When we get silly together, it makes me think I’ll always want to hang around with you. Sometimes you and your sister like to tickle me so much I laugh myself silly. It’s kinda fun.
3. You have an artistic streak in you. You gave me a picture recently that I hung on my office wall and I LOVE it! It’s fun and colourful and whimsical. I like the swirls and the splashes of colour. It’s very creative and what I really like about it is that it’s from your imagination. You didn’t just draw a flower that’s supposed to look like a flower – you drew one that’s fun and funky. I hope you always draw and paint me fun pictures. They could hang in an art gallery some day!
4. You sure know a lot about celebrities and movies and TV shows and stuff like that. When we were at Daddy’s family Christmas a few months ago, I was proud to play Scattagories with you. You knew lots of answers that other people in our group didn’t know and they were quite impressed with your knowledge.
5. I can trust you. You’ve always been very trustworthy. You tell me the truth, even when it’s hard to do sometimes. You try really hard to keep your promises and when you make a mistake, I can tell how badly it makes you feel. When I tell you not to do something, I’m pretty sure you’ll do your best not to do it. Like when I tell you how far you can go on your bicycle – you never go further than I ask you to, and that makes me happy because I know I don’t have to worry about you.
6. You have a great memory. Often, when I’m afraid I’ll forget something (like when we’re going shopping and Daddy wants us to pick up something) I ask you to help me remember because I’m pretty sure you will.
I love you, my dear Nicole. You make me a very happy Mom. You brought a special light into our lives and we’ve never been the same since then. I miss you and I can’t wait to be with you again.
by Heather Plett | Feb 22, 2005 | Uncategorized
This morning we had breakfast at the hotel and then rode the ADRA land cruisers to their compound. At the compound, we visited the Church’s home where they care for 12 AIDS orphans.
Max’s wife Davona is quite passionate about the babies. She’s taken in quite a few AIDS babies so far, and they’re building a beautiful centre on their complex to host the project (I think it’s called “Cradle of Hope”.)
In the morning, after our briefing with ADRA staff, some of us went to visit a vegetable research centre, while the others stayed and helped with the babies.
The research centre was interesting, but didn’t hold a lot of appeal. It’s not something we fund or have anything to do with, but the local hosts thought it might be nice to visit a place that works with indigenous plants. It was a little difficult to figure out what their goal is, but it seems they want to promote good farming practices and help support the use of indigenous plants.
After visiting the research station, we went back to the ADRA compound. Those who had stayed to help with the orphans had taken 4 of them to get tested for HIV. All of them had come out negative.
The Churches have a pool in their backyard, so Corrie Lynn, Brenda, and I went for a dip before lunch. Dan went to the supermarket to pick up lunch. We ate buns and peanut butter and honey and plantain chips, cassava chips, potato chips, etc. I’m getting quite hooked on plantain chips and cassava chips.
After lunch, some of the group visited an ADRA funded banana plantation. I stayed at the house and we took some of the orphans swimming. I played with a little girl named Shelly. She was quite delightful. She reminded me a lot of Maddie. She had a bold effervescent personality. She loved everyone and assumed everyone would love her. She kept saying “too-too” which apparently means bug.
Since the Churches have internet connection, I went online and sent a birthday e-mail to Nikki.
When the group got back from the banana plantation, we got together for a debriefing. We started out comparing notes about the trip so far – where we’d been, what we remembered.
After the briefing session, we walked to a nearby Danish training centre where we had supper. They served a nice buffet. I’m feeling better, but I still have that strange discomfort shortly after I swallow – like there’s an obstruction in my esophagus.
It’s Nikki’s birthday today. Happy birthday my beautiful girl.
by Heather Plett | Feb 21, 2005 | Uncategorized
We had breakfast at 7:30 – fruit and eggs and sausage and bacon. Everything was quite delicious and the service is amazing. They even lay the cloth napkins on your lap for you! After breakfast, Dan and Corrie Lynn and Rachel and I went for a walk to Bytes, a local internet café. I sent another group e-mail and a couple of other ones. I found out Mom is going on a blind date! AAaaahhh!!! I also wrote a list for Cynthia – defining all the people on the tour.
On the way back to the resort, Corrie Lynn and I stopped for a little shopping. She bought some Maasai blankets and I bought a wooden bowl – I’ll probably give it to Mom.
We had our church service this morning. Dan had asked Tim to organize it. He got everyone involved in the service – some reading scripture, some singing, even an offering. He really took it to heart – got into the planning in a big way.
After church, we had lunch at the Octagon. Another delicious meal. Then I went to the office to pay for my gifts at the gift shop (necklaces and paintings) and my phone call. I was rather horrified to find out that the phone call cost $36 – for SIX minutes! Yikes!
We didn’t have far to drive today. It was nice to get going a little later and not feel like we had to rush. We had to stop to change a tire. Where we stopped, I bought a couple of necklaces for $6. It’s interesting how different the bartering can be, based, I suspect, on the local community. In some towns, like Mwanza or Karatu, it seems relaxed and friendly. The bartering feels more like friendly banter. In other places, like Kisii or where we stopped today, people warm the bus the minute it stops. They reach in the windows to try to sell stuff. They follow you down the street. There is a desperation in their eyes – like you are their only hope today of bringing home a meal for their children. The man who sold me the necklaces was like the second group. He wouldn’t give up. I offered him WAY less than he asked for, and because I really didn’t care if I got it or not, I walked away and he finally came down to almost as low as my offer.
I’m starting to remember the thrill I got from bartering in Mexico. On the other hand, I do feel a little guilty when I pay way less than I think something is worth.
We drove through Arusha and ended up at the ADRA compound in USA River. They have quite an impressive compound, with beautiful office buildings, meeting space, lush grounds, and a pretty fancy house for the country director.
Max Church is the country director for ADRA in Tanzania. He met us at the compound, and then escorted us to our hotel so that we could freshen up before supper.
The hotel is not bad. It’s fairly new – I think it was refurbished recently – the beds are comfy and it’s clean. My standards have come down on this trip. While we were driving here, down roads with potholes as big as a small car, I thought we’d end up in a real dive. The bus actually got stuck on the road just a little ways down from the hotel.
We went for supper at some fancy restaurant in Arusha. They had 3 or 4 menus – Indian, Italian, Chines, and perhaps one other one. And each menu had tonnes of selection. I had the butter chicken and it was quite yummy.
When we got back to the hotel, I ended up giving up my room for Dan so that he wouldn’t have to sleep in the hallway. I slept with Corrie Lynn. Neither of us slept very well because the mosquito netting was too close to us and the mosquitoes bit through the screen.
by Heather Plett | Feb 20, 2005 | Uncategorized
We woke up early this morning. 5:30 a.m. We had breakfast and were on the road by about 6:45. The Serengetti Stop Over was only a short distance from the gate into the Serengetti. While we waited for Dan to pay the entrance fee, we saw a bunch of baboons.
Not far into the park, there were a bunch of wildebeests. There were also lots of gazelles, antelopes, and other deer-like creatures.
Throughout the day, we saw thousands of zebras. There were a few giraffes, some water buffalo. Twice we stopped at ponds to watch hippos cooling themselves. Close to one pond there was a herd of elephants – we must have seen 30 of them. There were also a couple of other solitary elephants. And we saw lions twice. We climbed up on the roof of the bus to get a closer look at the lions.
What else did we see? Water buffalo, storks, ostriches, monkeys, all kinds of birds, hyenas, warthogs, etc.
We stopped for lunch at a lodge in the middle of the Serengetti. It was quite amazing – the place was gorgeous. It was built into the rocks, and there were big rock faces incorporated into the architecture. The buffet lunch was pretty amazing too.
When we left the Serengetti, we were told we had to pay a fine because we’d gotten out of the vehicle and climbed on the roof. I guess someone spotted us and reported us. The fine was $50 U.S.
After we left the Serengetti, we had to cross another park – Ngorongoro Crater. We drove through some more Maasai territory, and then drove up a mountain to the edge of an old volcanic crater. It was quite spectacular up there. The crater was about 30 miles wide and quite deep. We couldn’t drive into it without a 4 wheel drive but we drove along the edge of it for quite awhile.
We didn’t have much time, because we had to get to the exit gate by 7:00 p.m. Max, our driver, was a little stressed by how late it was getting so we really rushed, missing a lot of photo ops. It was amazingly green and lush up in the mountains – a real tropical jungle.
Not long after we exited the second park, we got to our accommodation in Karatu. It’s a place called the Octagon and it’s AMAZING! It’s brand new (just opened in September). It has a bunch of sleeping huts, and then separate buildings for the restaurant, bar, and office. The guy who owns it, Rorie, is from Ireland and his wife is Tanzanian. His wife is the chef at the restaurant.
They treat us like royalty here. The best thing was when we arrived, all dusty and tired and hot – they greeted us with warm moist towels (REAL towels, not just paper towels) and glasses of fruit juice. It was one of the special touches that makes a place stand out.
I’m sharing a room with Corrie Lynn again tonight. We’ve developed quite a solid bond. We’re both quite dreading the church service tomorrow morning.
I phoned Marcel today to wish him a happy birthday. It was good to talk to him and the girls. They all sounded quite content, which was nice. I was afraid they might be weepy or whiny, and I’d come away from the conversation feeling guilty, but it didn’t happen that way, so I’m happy. They were watching the video for “Vertigo”, the U2 song on the cd/dvd I gave Marcel for his birthday.
