Just a typical Morogoro day...

So, a typical day for me varies from the day of the week, however I can give you guys what the typical day consists of (weekday that is!).

Wake up in the morning and get ready.  When we go for breaky(called Chai here) there is usually some type of chapati/pudding/omelette-ish/porridge waiting for us on the table.  Zabi is running around getting Mwendy ready for school and Mama Mwendy could be sleeping, cooking, cleaning, etc.  

After chai we head into town!  It takes us about half an hour to get to Faraja.  On the way we may stop at the internet cafe to send some emails, but usually it is to print off handouts for one of our programs.  We spend the day flitting from program to program - planning here and there, grabbing lunch at Mona's at some point, and running around.  

The end of the day depends on the day - sometimes it is 4, sometimes 6, sometimes 5.  When we get home Zabi, Mama Mwendy, and Tabu are usually outback with the charcoal stoves starting dinner and chatting while Mwendy runs around like the little monkey he is.  Sometimes we chat for a bit then shower, other times we shower and then chat and help with dinner - whether it's cutting up food, stirring, setting the table, or not being allowed to do anything.  Dinner preparation usually takes awhile, I'm not sure why, but we always end up eating somewhere around 8pm. 

After dinner we try and hang out for a bit but sometimes we need to get some more planning for the next day done and retreat to our room - other times we go and pass out.  But sometimes we watch movies with everyone.  This could be cartoons (elephante is Ice Age for Mwendy, while donkey is Shrek 3), some other sort of North American film, or (the best!) Tanzanian movies.  These are the best because while they speak in Swahili they have english subtitles which are hilarious!  The translation is pretty bad sometimes and it makes them worth watching - they are kind of like soap operas back at home.  

Overall we try to spend as much time with our family as possible when we are home because they are amazing!  Plus they want to spend time with us as well ;)

So, there you have it: a typical day. 

Today Jennifer and I had a big STI presentation for a rural PLWA group.  We presented for two hours, with a delicious chai of tea, chapati, and a boiled egg in between.  The presentation went really well - everyone was taking notes and asking questions!  Keep in mind that everyone in the group is older than us.  We covered eight STI's, organized into viral, bacterial and parasitic, which included: gonorrhea, chlamydia, syphilis, chancroid, HPV, HepB, Herpes, and Trichomoniasis.  After the presentation we headed out to complete some programming and meet up with the boys for a bit. We returned for the evaluation of the entire program (the Mamas from Faraja presented on HIV, AIDS, differences, problems, etc) after and got amazing responses.

Although Jenn and I did not feel as though we had done a lot with our little presentation on STI, the people were so thankful of us.  One woman said that she thought her life was never going to be the same, there was no hope left, but after attended a number of different seminars and presentations she was feeling more hopeful - and the fact that two young ladies would come all the way from Canada to share their skills and knowledge with Tanzanians, to help them develop their own and apply them in their own life, she was very thankful.  She also said that it was a bit different because Jenn and I could be her daughter we are so young, but that we have all these things to share and we are doing a good thing.

Wow. I mean sometimes it is hard to see the impact, or the effect, you have on people because the frustrations of language barriers and the "western person" mentality (western way is the right way, blah blah.  I don't believe that and try to keep an open mind in everything I do, which is why we are working with the people to do what THEY want and what THEY need - defined by THEM), but I am so thankful for these people and the fact that they have the courage and the heart to recognize that they are not their disease.

I guess I will leave you with that for the time being!

.....Jenn and I are running out of clean clothes and seriously need to do some laundry; hopefully that will get done sooner rather than later! Eiiik.  (hahaha)

baadaye kidogo !    (which is see ya a little later)

J