Girl Power

I had a meaningful conversation with these lovely 14 to 17 year olds a few weeks back. I was in Same, outside the HIV clinic, waiting for transport that never came. This gaggle of school girls approached me, sat down, introduced themselves, and began a memorable chat.

They had come to the outpatient clinic (not the HIV clinic) because one of them needed treatment for her acne, and all of her friends accompanied her (the importance of peers is global!). They were very interested in my work and why I was in Tanzania, how long I would stay, etc. Their English was impeccable, which told me that they had probably been educated in private schools, because English is not the language of instruction in government schools--kiswahili is. In fact, they attended a boarding school in Same, specifically for girls who want to study science. Four of the 6 girls wanted to be doctors. They were quite interested in why I didn't become a doctor instead of a nurse practitioner. I shared with them that although I love being a nurse practitioner, if I had been 10 years younger, I probably would have gone to medical school. I told them how at the time I was going to college, girls had a rough go of it just getting into medical school, and I didn't think it was possible. I told them that now more than half of medical students in the US are women--how times do change! And how lucky they were that their parents were sending them to a girls' school to study sciences. Anyway, they were quite interested in the medical work I am doing, and fascinated that I spend so much time here. 

Then came the zinger question that I was pretty sure was coming: "How do your children like it that you are in Tanzania so much of the time?" I am asked this question a lot, because it is a given here that if you are a woman, you will have children. And usually I am asked with the assumption that I do have children. They may say "How many children do you have?" or "Who takes care of your children while you are here?" When I tell them I don't have any children, they think there must be a communication barrier. They ask again, "No, I mean children--mtoto--how many?" When they finally realize that I am indeed saying "No, I don't have children." They say "Pole sana (I'm so sorry)". Sometimes, I choose to go further and tell them that it is a personal choice to not have children. That women in the US have a choice to have children or not. Other times, I just get a sad look on my face and look away, so they will drop it.

With these bright young women, however, I decided to have a conversation about it. And they were all ears. When they asked why I don't have children, I told them I made a mindful decision not to. That I have had a passion for my work my entire adult life, and I chose to put my energy into the life work I have chosen rather than raising children. Plus, I have many wonderful children in my life--nieces, nephews, friends' children. One asked "But don't you think it is natural to have children?" I said, "Of course, it is natural! I believe it is also natural for women to choose to not have children." Usually, when I share with people that I don't have children, there is a look of horror and/or sadness on their faces. These girls' faces, however, reflected wonderment and admiration. When I noticed that, I asked them, "Do all of you want to have children?" They looked at each other first, then at me. Three of them smiled and slowly shook their heads no. One of them said "I want only one!" and another said " I want many children!" What a delight to see these intelligent young women truly think about what they want in their lives, and then say it!

I consider myself very lucky to have grown up at a time in the US when women were beginning to take charge of their reproductive health and decisions. Tanzanian women are just now beginning to do this. It is so clear to me that if women can't be in charge of their reproductive and sexual lives, they really can't be truly in charge of the other realms of their lives. I have no idea what impact, if any, our conversation will have on these girls' life choices, but it sure felt hopeful to have it. 

BTW, these girls would love to have pen pals (or pen friends, as they say here). If you know of any teenage girls who would like to communicate with these delightful young women, let me know, and I can make the connection. Katie? Courtney? Finley? Claire? Maddy Fitzgerald? Maddy Barr?

Ooh! Aah! Jacarandas!

You know how it takes your breath away to see swaths of yellow of the Aspens changing color in the Rocky Mountains? Or how the vibrant reds and golds of the autumn leaves changing in the midwest or New England stimulates that same feeling? Or the cherry blossoms in the spring in DC? Well, I have had that very same feeling witnessing the beginning of Jacaranda tree blooming season. I was in Arusha region all week, doing some work in Monduli district, and wao. Jacarandas blooming EVERYWHERE. Hard to describe the flowers' color. Too dark to be lavender, too light to be purple. Its amazing what color in nature can do to the psyche. My photos here are all from Arusha town (I happened to be staying at the Jacaranda Hotel!), and as always, my photos don't fully capture the beauty. But at least you can get a glimpse. I'm told they will continue to bloom until Christmas! What a delight to have one's breath taken away for three months! 

Happy to be Alive!!!

Hello my blog readers! Today, for the first time in 3+ months, I did something recreational. I am in this stunning land, and I haven't gotten out into the beauty of it all until today. I hiked at the waterfalls at Marangu, which is the other place, aside from Moshi, from where one can climb Mt. Kilimanjaro. I really needed the recreation and the exercise for sure. Sharing photo of yours truly, loving life. My sweet and fun 20-something-year-old companions (Maurice on the far left is the taxi driver who so kindly and safely drives me around when EGPAF vehicle not available--the other 2 young men are his pals). And some gorgeous, dense greenness. BEAUTIFUL and just what the nurse practitioner ordered!

Obama Mania in Kenya

As most of you know, I was in Kisumu, Kenya last week. I was lucky enough to see an amazing HIV Clinic in action where my colleague Catherine is working. I got lots of ideas for my work here, and it helped me to know what is possible. This clinic is a definitely a model for HIV treatment in resource limited places. 

I must say, however, that my favorite part of the week in Kenya was seeing dear friends from the states at the end of the week. Darcie and Paul, who are working in rural Kenya for a year arrived on Thursday, and then Becky and Judi from Denver arrived on Friday. We all stayed at the same very nice hotel on Lake Victoria and had a grand time. Sitting and chatting with close friends, catching each other up on our lives, and exploring Kisumu together was just a delight. It was a quick and whirlwind visit, but rich and of high quality!

(I realize some of you reading my blog are not Obama fans. Believe me, I respect your political choices. And I hope you can appreciate the Obama phenomenon that is happening worldwide, especially in Africa, and that you can also appreciate this part of my blog! If not, feel free to skip this one! I love all of you, Obama supporters and not!) Now one of the things about Kenya, particularly this region, is how absolutely thrilled Kenyans are about Barak Obama's candidacy. See the fun poster above for a concert that is dedicated to him. I thought people in Tanzania were crazy for him. But, wao, nothing like Kenya. Because his father has roots in the Kisumu region, and he has relatives there, they truly see him as a son-cousin-brother. They are so proud of him. When Becky and Judi arrived, Becky was wearing an Obama shirt, and they brought us Obama campaign bracelets. My colleague, Catherine, had commissioned one of the local artists to make beaded Obama bracelets, so I had already been wearing one of those all week. Becky's t-shirt and our obvious support for Obama generated many comments from , and many conversations with, Kenyans. So many Kenyans were also wearing Obama shirts, and there were bumper stickers, posters, buttons galore. When we went back to the artist stalls where Catherine had commissioned the bracelets, we learned that these bracelets had taken off! At least 2 other artists had made their version of the bracelet. Some with American flags and Kenyan flags on them! 

My take on the Obama Mania here in Africa (besides the recent roots that he has here), is that Africans know that US politics and who is in power in the US affects the whole globe (PEPFAR and George W. is one example!). And they hope that having someone like Barak Obama in power will affect their lives in a positive way. I also have yet to meet a Tanzanian who supports how the US is managing things in Iraq and Afghanistan. The war almost always comes up when talking about Obama (and I'm not the one who brings it up). I am continually amazed at how knowledgeable many people here are about US politics. One thing that I hear repeatedly is that they would be really surprised if white people would vote for a black man, which makes me very sad. I tell them that many white people support, and will vote for, Mr. Obama. It is difficult for me to be so far away from such a big election season, but when I am here in Moshi, I do have TV that has CNN, BBC, and (gasp!) Al Jazeera, so I am catching a lot of the madness of it all (pigs and pit bulls wearing lipstick????). Go Obama Go!!!!!