Birthing Babies! - Leah

I was very lucky and able to spend a day at the Karen Maternity Ward.  This is the clinic that women in labor go to spend labor and birth their children.  This is a free clinic that the moms go to to deliver their babies if no complications are expected.

When women go into labor they usually start their journey to the clinic.  Some women live many miles from the clinic and need to walk to get there.  The clinic is one big room. On one side of a curtain there are beds for laboring. Men are not allowed to be with their wives since there is no privacy.  Outside sometimes the Dads just hang out and wait - many never even come.

 Women labor and deliver in silence.  When they are ready to deliver there is a small room with 2 beds in it. There is no bedding.  Each women has to bring in their own Kangas and they lay one of them out on the plastic (that is sometimes cleaned between women).  The other one is for the baby to be wrapped into when it is born.  The women also have to bring their own cotton for cleaning and discharge and their own sutures in case they need them post delivery.  The clinic provides no supplies for labor, no blankets, no food, no water.  Within minutes after the delivery the women stand up and clean up the bed.  Put their belongings in a bag and walk out to the 'recovery' side of the room.

 Once they deliver the babies they are allowed to stay 12 hours, then get discharged. The Mom's and Babies are supposed to come back at one week to check them both.

Moms waiting

Families getting ready to go home - this is the only time men are allowed in the clinic.  Often only sisters and mothers come out and help the new mom home.  This is almost always a very joyful time.  So many smiles and the new families are often very happy to show off the new additions!

There were 4 women in labor when I was got there.  The night before there had been so many births that they were overflowing into the labor beds.  The four women were sharing 2 beds.

I was there that day with a NICU nurse and a Nurse Midwife.  They were both assisting the women in labor.  Usually women labor alone and in silence.  The nurses that work there were on a bed watching a World Cup rerun from the night before.  The nurses check all women that show up at the door, and then only get involved for the actual delivery.  Our nurses were rubbing backs, holding hands, talking to them about breathing and assisting in moving them to different labor positions.  This is something that is very unusual.  

We had 2 women that were farther along in their labor than the other two.  They both got very close at the same time.  As they went into the labor room they used their Kangas to cover the beds.  They climbed up on the table.  The nurses are not very nice when the women are delivering.  They push the belly and yell at the moms.  It was very surreal to be seeing it knowing how in the US the nurses are so patient and kind to moms.  Both women delivered withing a few minutes of each other. Both babies were healthy and beautiful!  

Visit to the Orphanage - Leah

This week we got the opportunity to visit an orphanage outside Arusha. I had really mixed feelings about going but knew I wanted to go and to take Elizabeth, but was worried about how I would feel.  Elizabeth was really apprehensive.  She thought it would be awful but I made her come.  I am glad I did.  She got a lot out of it.  She learned that people can thrive in adverse situations, she learned that Orphans are just like her, and I hope she learned how lucky we are to have each other.  And she had fun with the kids on top of it all!

As we pulled in there was a sign that said:

The kids were all still in their school uniforms.

We didn't know what to expect as we started seeing kids but they were full of smiles and very healthy looking. They were a little nervous as 12 strangers came along.

Our group with the kids. There were 21 kids there the day we were there.  They have 22 total there right now which is the most they have ever had.  

 This is Zachariah, he is the man that is in charge.  He started the orphanage and has continually grown it as finances allow. He has done some amazing things with the little he has.

We took a lot of balls with us to the orphanage.  They were very excited.  If you look close at all these pictures you will see many, many orbs.  I am one of those that believe that when you see orbs in pictures it is an angel. When I took this and looked at it in the display I started crying. These kids have a lot of angels looking out for them.

Elizabeth was entertaining some of the kids with her gymnastic skills.  The kids giggled a lot.  I don't think they had ever seen a cartwheel!  Again, look at all those orbs.

This young man was demonstrating his soccer skills.  He was pretty good!

This is Helen.  She is the Matron of the orphanage.  She is amazing!!!  You can tell by talking her her that she loves these kids.  She does all the cooking, cleaning, laundry, and general care.

Water Tanks outside the dorms.

The kids had a nice play structure and a lot of land.  Just to the right in this picture behind the structure is an area with goats, cows and chickens.  Zachariah was recently able to purchase a large piece of land behind the current land.  He likes the space to grow and for the kids to play.

Bathrooms

Sinks for handwashing and teeth brushing.

Cooking with coal.

A small 2 burner gas stove, the shelves are the pantry.

Outside sink for dish washing.

'Extra' shoes as kids grow they will hopefully have a pair that work

One of the girls Dorm rooms.

The 'living' room in the Girls Dorm.  I was talking to them and asked if the older ones helped the younger ones with studies and they said yes they did.  These students routinely score very high on testing and the top student in the school is one of these kids.

Before we left we said a prayer for Zachariah and all the kids.  Amazing how much he can do for so little.  God and the Angels are definitely looking after these kids.

The food in Arusha - Leah

Food here is interesting.
At my first host every evening meal is almost the same.  Some sort of starch - rice, noodles, or potatoes - and a mixture of tomatoes, carrots, and peas with a seasoning I can't place.  There is usually some sort of meat in this mix but very little.  For example they have small chickens here and they will take one half of a chicken to feed 7 of us.  Dinner isn't until almost 8pm most nights so I try to keep this my small meal of the day.
My new hosts, dinner is very similar also.  A starch, but then they have a couple of topping choices.  They have an amazing green bean and carrot dish that I LOVE!!!  I am going to learn how to make it with the girls.  They also make an amazing cabbage dish.  Most of their meat is beef so I don't eat much of it.

Breakfast here is usually toast and sometimes some eggs, or one day was a really thin pancake.  I bought Elizabeth some cereal that she sometimes eats.  I tend to eat a yogurt and a banana, and some days an egg.

We pack our lunch every day to take to the school.  I buy eggs and we hard boil a dozen at a time.  We take 2 each every day then add popcorn or some fruit.  Lunch is our main protein every day.  We also carry peanut butter with us for snacks and lunch. Since the team has gotten here we have been going out to eat lunch a lot of days.
At the school they eat breakfast about 10am and it consists of bread and tea.  They actually tear the bread and dip it into the tea.  The little boy that we were staying with loves this and eats it as a snack in the afternoon.  Lunch is usually a huge pile of rice with some beans on it.  I think dinner is the same, but I have never been there for dinner to see.  

The fruit here is amazing.  The oranges, pineapple and bananas are the sweetest things you can imagine.  Avocados are huge and so creamy!  I have started eating them as snacks on a regular basis. All the fruit is grown nearby and is very cheap.  I try to keep a lot of it around.  Even Elizabeth is liking it.
You can find fruit and vegetable stands everywhere and there are women carrying it around in buckets on their heads to sell it.  Sometimes you will go to an area and there will be 6-7 women all selling the same thing.
Last week I got 2 big piles of Tomatoes(about 6 pounds), 2 big piles of potatoes (probably 10 pounds), 6 green peppers, 2 piles of red onions  (maybe 5 pounds), 2 big cabbages, 2 big avocados, 2 piles of carrots (about 6 pounds) and it all cost less than $10 US.  I will miss the costs of veges when I come home!
One really cool things is that often the vegetables and fruits are all displayed so pretty.  They really try hard to make it look nice.

Beans at the Masai Market

Beautiful stacks of vegetables

A flower from a banana tree before bananas grow

Bananas!

Tomatoes

Avocado Tree

Women carrying produce on their heads to sell.

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This entire bunch of bananas cost a little over a dollar.  

Elizabeth trying fresh sugar cane at Masai Market.

Amazing coffee plants!!!

People in Arusha - Leah

In general the people I have met have all been very nice.  They always say hello and ask how are you.  Many of them love to practice some English with us (I guess it is pretty obvious that we are not local) and they want to test our Swahili (Elizabeth's is much better than mine).  Lots of kids look at us strangely.  Since we are not hanging out in the usual tourist places some of them are not use to seeing a lot of Mzungus (white people). They will do a double take, usually have a funny look on their faces, then most of the time little kids are full of smiles and waves (sometimes some laughter because we are so different).

One day last week while waiting for our ride one of the security guys outside the New Life Band Office started tossing the ball with Elizabeth.  It was hilarious.  Most people are always game for a little laughter and fun.

I went up the road a couple of weeks ago (about 50 yards) and wanted to buy an avocado.  The guy selling says 5000 schillings.  5000 schillings is about the equivalent of $3.00 US.  I looked at him and said "noooo?"  He said "very good avocado".  I said "not that good" and he laughed and said 500 schillings...(about 30 cents)...we both had a laugh and I got my avocado.  A similar thing happened when I bought oranges recently.  If they think they can they will take advantage of you.  I try to let them know that I am not a normal tourist and I know how much things should cost.  Can't fault people for trying to make a living.  

Litter and Garbage - Leah

One thing I find very disturbing in Arusha is that there is garbage all over the place.  People finish something and just drop it.  There is plastic and broken glass everywhere.  In areas where the population is less and most of the garbage is biodegradable I am sure it isn't as much of a problem but here in Arusha there are so many people and it is modern enough to have a lot of plastic bottles and bags, the problem is bad.

Elizabeth wanted a garbage bag to go clean up in front of the last host families home a few weeks ago and I had to explain to her that some of the garbage could be dangerous.  We were at school last week and we had a can of Pringles to share.  When it was empty one of the girls just took the can and threw it.  Elizabeth was very upset and I told her that she should get it and that even though it is part of what they are all use to that we wouldn't participate.

We talked to James about it and he is upset by it too.  He said it is just so ingrained in the culture that it continues to happen.  Ondo and Judy are working on a program.  If they can start at New Life School and teach the kids to have pride in what they have, they are hoping in generations to come it will become more and more normal to not just toss everything. I hope that they can because it is a beautiful country and worry that if they let this go on too long there won't be any turning back.

Garbage in the gutters.  The gutters here are these concrete ditches.  Some have bars on them and some have small pieces of cement to allow you to go over them.  Everything lands in these. To be fair, there are some people whose job is to sweep these out and they burn all the debris.

This is next to a store that sells furniture.  All packing material just gets tossed in the alley.

Side of the road - Garbage is everywhere.

Some students decided after hours to open up the needles and see how they were made and left the garbage just on the ground.  I am really hoping that they were clean needles.

New Host Family - Leah

Since school didn't work for Elizabeth it was discussed for us to spend part of our 7 weeks in Arusha with a second host family in order to experience life with a different family. We moved to our second families home last Monday.  It is very different.  Judy and Ondo are the parents (he is a member of the New Life Band also and she works in the office there.)  There are 6 kids who live here in there late teens to early 20's.  One is a biological kid and the others are all kids that were taken in my Judy and Ondo.  They feel that God has given them a lot and this is how they are giving back.  They are all in some form of school or working toward it (as I said, the system here is a bit different).  Not only are there their 6 kids, there are always different kids coming and going.  I think we have had at least one extra guest almost every night I have been here.

They also host a lot of people.  Before we got here they had a family of 4 from Wisconsin for 2 weeks.  They know people from all over the world and are always open to guests.  Right now there is one other here with us and there will be one other coming at the end of the week and one who is climbing the mountain that will be back Monday.  This place is so hopping right now that some of the kids are in tents outside (including mine by choice).

Tent over the other tents outside.  This is where Elizabeth has been sleeping with one of the girls.

Their house is much bigger.  The start of the house was a gift from someone that had stayed with them years ago (when they only had one child).  The gift covered the foundation and about 3 feet of construction. It took 9 years until it was ready to move into.  When they got a little money, they added to it. When they did finally move in there weren't any flooring or ceilings. Actually, it still isn't really even finished yet.  There is a room upstairs that is suppose to become a bathroom someday and there are some other projects that are needing to be done, but it is beautiful all the same. One thing about here, people don't tend to get loans.  They do things as they can.  There are some loans to be had but they are a very high interest rate.

Outside of the House

Kitchen is much bigger.  Yes, that is a clothes washing machine (another gift from guests) however the girls are still to do laundry by hand since they need to know how because they may not marry someone that can afford one.

The kids are all amazing!  They are the most loving group of young people.  Elizabeth is loving her time with them.  I am not sure how she will function at home without her sisters!  The girls are in charge of household chores including making dinner, cleaning dishes and doing laundry.  When they are making dinner at night there is so much giggling going on.  They all truly love each other.  Just goes to show that family isn't always about the blood!

Every night the family does a Devotion.  Each night a different "pastor" is selected.  Elizabeth got to do one on one of the first nights we were here.  The pastor can decide what is going to happen.  It can include dancing and music, a reading, a discussion, and of course some praying.  I love this time of night.  It is a great way to end the day.

Ondo singing one of his songs.

It is not unusual to move furniture around and dance.

Elizabeth loves the dancing.