Pictures

I have my pictures up. Click on the link in this title "Pictures" and it will take you to them...

If that doesn't work try this link....

http://picasaweb.google.com/kmshannahan/Africa

My trip to Placement part 3

My trip to Placement part 2

My trip to Placement

This is video of my trip I took to placement every morning. It is a good way for you to see the town and people. Notice, there are a few paved roads in the main town but turn into dirt roads soon after. It is a very bumpy ride so the video is not steady.

elephant

elephants

elephant

Lions

Sorry for the shakiness and language! These lions were going after zebras but eventually slowed down. The zebras had sensed them and ran away.

Masai Tribe

Shaky Shaky Night

Shaky Shaky Night

Sorry, it is dark but at least you can hear the music

This is the end....

I am have so many mixed emotions. I cannot believe this is the end of my time here. I am so sad but excited at the same time. I made great friends here and have family in Africa. They will always be in my heart...forever. I know that the friendships that have formed here will carry back to the States. I am so grateful for this opportunity. I came here to help but I am walking away from here with a new outlook on many things, new lifelong friends, and learned about people, including myself.

I need to update you on Matilda. We took her to the hospital Thursday morning. She had some tests done and given the appropriate medication. Thank you for giving me the opportunity and support to help her.

Today, Friday, was my last day at placement. So emotional! The English class group sang to me and wrapped me in fabric, which is beautiful. They lifted me up and carried me around. They also said some amazing and sweet things to me. That's where I lost it. I held it together until then. Then the women's group came later and did the same thing for me. I am now coming home with some beautiful fabric to show off. I need to think of something great to make with the fabric.

Well, I am really short with words today. I have a lot going through my head and probably will for awhile, even after I return. So some things you need to know about me:

I am so slow now! It is so different here and I have acclimated to the lifestyle. Please excuse me when I walk very slowly in front of you!
I miss my friends and family.
I miss pedicures and manicures. Wait til you see the condition of my feet. It is very dirty here and my feet reflect it!
I need a steak, pizza, very cold beer, a nice glass of wine (or bottle for that matter), fast Internet, hot shower, and a facial.

See you soon. I leave tomorrow night and will be home Sunday afternoon. I am not sure how tired I will be from traveling but hopefully I can catch up with you all soon. I will put up pix once I am home. Love you all....K

Yesterday Was A GREAT Day!!!

We had our fundraiser at the women's group today. We needed to raise the remainder of the money for their fee for the NGO. We made it! What a great feeling. The women made things to sell (bracelets, African plaques, shirts, hats, necklaces, etc.). We also sold pop, candy, beer, and banana wine. You do not want to try banana wine! I have had it before and it is clearly the worst drink ever! hahaha....

Then we had some shaky shaky (that's code for dancing). It is now my favorite thing to say and you definitely will hear me say it!
Then we had a raffle and one of our volunteers from CCS won. It was fun for the volunteers to see and meet our women of the group and vice verse. Great day!

Now for the best news....I took Calvin and Margaret to get them back in school. Thanks to all of you...they are now enrolled in school for the remainder of the year and for all of 2009 and 2010. How awesome!!!!! I am now Mama Kelli to them. You all warned me not to bring home any children so instead I have children in Africa! I have them in my heart forever.

JFish Foundation

I get to know the other placements through my new friends here in Africa. One girl, whom I have gotten close to, is at an orphanage. It is a very sad condition. We are all touched by these conditions and you can't really comprehend until you see it yourself. I can tell you that Lauren is an amazing person with a huge heart and decided to start a foundation for these children. Check out what has transpired since we have been here: http://jfishfoundation.weebly.com/

truly amazing! I want you all to know that you made this possible through your donations and emotional support. Thank you soooo much. Love you all....K

Today was a hard day....

After some teaching at placement, we had more home visits. We went to Matilda's home today. She is 41 and is HIV positive. She is not feeling well and hasn't felt well for weeks. She has not visited the doctor due to her financial situation. She lives alone and has a 19 year old son. He is an apprentice for a mechanic and therefore doesn't have an income. There is literally no one who can help her. I am completely devastated. She has been feeling sick for weeks. Can you imagine being sick and not able to see a doctor? She has severe stomach and chest pains. We asked her what we can do for her and she said nothing. We offered to clean up for her, do dishes, laundry, anything. She politely said no. They are very prideful and will manage to do things on their own or not do it at all. I can't leave here without helping her. I haven't felt this badly before because the other home visits are more positive in one way or another. They may not have money but they have someone taking care of them or they are in a decent healthy state. Not Matilda.

Then we went back to placement. There were 2 kids there, Calvin and Margaret. They are usually in school. We have seen them on occasion but not often due to school scheduling. Today, they stayed for the English lesson. They are so smart. After class and talking with them, I found out they are not in school because they cannot afford it. Well, of course my curious mind went crazy. I asked the locals at the group how much is school and so on. The students were on a payment plan but couldn't make the final payments. Calvin owes $4.00 and Margaret owes $9. Are you kidding me? I fell over. I can't believe these smart children are not in school because of money. I shouldn't be surprised---I see it all the time here. But this hit home. I know these kids and they are the sweetest, kindest, and very respectful kids. I can't let this go. I told them that they should be and will be in school. I told them to meet me at the group kesho (tomorrow) and we would walk to school and get them back in. I can't even tell you the smiles I received from them. They were the happiest smiles I have ever seen in my entire life. It is all worth it. All 5000 plus dollars....right then and there!

As for Matilda, I spoke with the women's group about arranging to get her to the hospital. It has been arranged for Thursday morning. I am getting her there and making sure she gets taken care of. She is a special case and I am more than happy to do this for her. She is alone and I can't imagine what that is like. US dollars go so far here and I know this is so big for them and so little for me.

Keep Matilda, Calvin, and Margaret in your thoughts.

Zanzibar!

This weekend, I took a trip to Zanzibar with my new friends. There was a total of 6 of us and we had such a great time. We took Friday off from placement, we are allowed to take one day off, and of course I took advantage! We flew out of Kili Friday morning and arrived in Zanzibar an hour later. We drove to Stone Town. It was so incredible. It completely reminds me of an European city. Small streets, crowded, and unique buildings. We explored all day and saw some very interesting things and places. It used to be a port for slave trading. We grabbed lunch and explored some more. Then after walking and shopping for souvenirs, we headed to dinner. We found a place on the beach and then of course, headed to the bars. We had a great time!

Saturday morning, we went snorkeling. We headed out to one of the reefs and I jumped into the Indian Ocean for the first time in my life. It was awesome! Saw lots and lots of coral. It was beautiful. We stopped at some of the islands in the area. One of the islands had Galapagos Tortoises. There necks were a long and big as my arms. Crazy!

Once we returned to the main land, we headed to a new area and new hotel. We had planned to only stay in Stone Town one night and be closer to the beach the 2nd night. We rented a place on the beach. It was very cute and it had lots of restaurants and bars to explore with! We found the best spots by the water and had happy hour and moved to another restaurant for dinner. I was literally sitting in the sand, my feet were in the sand while I ate dinner. That is paradise!

Sunday, we relaxed on the beach until it was time to catch our plane back to Kili. It was a great weekend! Wish you could have been there too!

Kilasiya Waterfalls

Last Wednesday, CCS gave us a day off from placement and took us to Kilasiya Waterfalls. I was pretty excited until I saw what I had to walk down to get to the waterfalls. It had been raining ALL day. By the time we had gotten there, the trail was a slippery, muddy mess. I literally slid all the way down and it as so scary! I really thought I was going to die! But I didn't, and the view was so worth it. The falls were beautiful. It was a long day but well worth the trip. If you could only have been there to witness my whining behavior! HA HA!

Week 2 in Tanzania

Hello! It has been a busy week....let's catch up...

We are still gearing up for the fundraiser at my women's group. It is going to be great. We are going to have a raffle and a local artist offered to donate a painting to be sold at the raffle. The people here are so generous. They don't have a lot or sometimes anything, but give and give. It all comes from the heart. They are so respectful of one another. It is amazing to see and experience.

We have also been doing our home visits, 2x a week. We visited a young boy, about 8 years old. He is living with an aunt because both of his parents died of AIDS. He is HIV positive as well. He is the sweetest boy I have met. So respectful and happy. I can't get over the conditions the people here live with but how they find a way to live happily. We should all try to overcome like they do!

We also visited, twice now, a baby girl who is 2 months old. Her mother is HIV positive. So far the baby is negative. Here in Tanzania, all babies born to mothers with HIV/AIDS are tested on a regular basis up to 18 months. She is an adorable and cute little girl---keep her in your prayers that she remains negative!

Safari!

I am sorry that it has been so long since I have written. Time has flown by and I have been very, very busy. So to catch you up...

Last weekend, I went on safari. It was so incredibly amazing! I know I will not be able to capture the moments for you by writing. I will definitely have great pix to share with you all. My group left for safari Friday afternoon and headed towards Arusha. We stopped outside of Arusha to visit a Massai tribe. It was truly incredible. They make their huts out of wood and cow dung. There are flies EVERYWHERE!! There would be 15-20 flies on a child's face and head and that child wouldn't even flinch at them. The women of the tribe sang and danced welcoming songs for us. In the center of the village was a closed in area for their goats. There was probably 100 or so baby goats just running around. We were given a tour of inside of the huts. Well, tour is a stretch.....we could walk in and have just enough room to sit down. The man that was with us told us, through translation, that he has 7 wives and 15 children. He did not know his age but guessed around 50ish. He offered me 10 cows for marriage...don't worry...I politely declined!



We then headed to our campground and had dinner. The next morning we woke up early and headed to Ngorongoro Crater. It was so incredible. We saw everything! It was truly what I have always wanted to do and every animal I have ever wanted to see. We literally could touch them if we wanted to but of course didn't for our safety! I can only tell you what I saw but cannot describe it all to you. I saw zebras, elephants, wildebeests, rhinos, hippos, flamingos, lions, cheetas, etc.... Truly amazing!

The next day, Sunday, we went to Lake Manyara. There, we explored again and even saw some predator/prey action! Very cool! I saw lions sneaking up on a warthog and going after some zebras. It was thrilling!!!!

Well, I will keep you posted. Hope you are all well.....love and miss you all!

My first days in Tanzania...

Hamjambo! I am here, safe and sound! It is amazing and fabulous. The flights here weren't bad as I expected but I did lose 2 days of my life. I left Friday at noon and arrived in Kili late night. But it was all worth it! The other volunteers and staff are so incredible. I have bonded so quickly with them. I will try to add pix at a later time. So let me update you to what I have been up to...

Sunday:
My first real day here and my free time. So a group of 14 of us went on a hot springs tour. We had to travel about an hour to get there. Let me point out now that the roads are dirt and very rocky, so travel is bouncing all around. The best part was that we went rural so I saw some very interesting things. I saw women in beautiful clothing, unusual trees and flowers, termite hills (they are soooo tall here!), homes made of anything and everything. The people are so resourceful and waste nothing! We arrived at the hot springs and it was this area that you would never know was there if you were walking by. It was so beautiful and so secluded. We all jumped in and enjoyed the warm water! After lunch, the tour guides asked us if we wanted to walk around. We all just kind of looked at each other like "where are we going to walk to?". There is nothing around!!! But we agreed and it was the best decision. We walked and walked and walked. You have to remember that it is very open and you can see for miles around. It was a very relaxing walk and occasionally saw a local ride by on his bike. We walked up to this area that a couple of women and children were at doing some work. The women were cutting down branches and the children were playing. It was a great scene! They were so nice, even though we can't communicate with each other. They smiled and we pointed to our cameras. You must get permission to take a picture of an adult here. They nodded. As I am getting the best picture ever, we all hear rustling in the trees. A few feet away are monkeys!!! Oh my goodness! It was amazing. They were jumping from tree to tree. Some of them were huge! I tried to get a picture and video but they were hard to get on camera.

We made it back to our home base later that evening and I hear that there is a bar. The beer gods have found me in Tanzania. No need to worry...Kelli will be having beer! I walked, literally across the dirt path in front of our house to this little shack. That is my "neighborhood" bar. Basically, it's us volunteers there! I have now tried Tanzanian Beer, Kilimanjaro and Tusker. I went to bed that night, with my mosquito net in place, and was woken up at 4:40 in the morning to roosters and dogs. Then at 5:00, the Muslim prayer. It is played over a loud speaker and lasts for approximately 7 minutes. It was amazing to hear. I don't have a clue what was being said but it sounded so beautiful. It was a man singing and chanting. Wow!

Monday:
I had orientation all day. Just learned about schedules, placements, etc. That night, made it back to the "bar" for a few more beers! I had to...we had birthdays to celebrate!

Tuesday:
My first day of placement! I met the women's group who meet on the front porch of Mama Bruno's house. The women were very nice to me and welcomed me into the group. The first hour, Dan, another volunteer, taught them reading in English. The second hour, the three of us volunteers, Dan, Sara, and myself, took a couple of women each and had group time. The women had to have conversation in English. They asked me questions and vice verse. They did so well! There were definitely times that we didn't understand what was being said of each other but they want to learn so badly. They would write new words down and try to learn what it meant. They were awesome. The final hour was business meeting. They are trying to become NGO. They have done all the paperwork but still need to get $300 to pay for the NGO. $300! I know, it is nothing to us but they make under a $1/day here, and $300 is incomprehensible to them. But they had a fundraiser with the last group of volunteers and made $276. We are going to have another fundraiser next week. All of the volunteers from CCS come to it and it is going to be a great time. This group is definitely going to something that I can continue to support for a long time and watch the growth and success of it and the women.

After lunch, we had Swahili lesson and a class on cultural differences. It was interesting to learn things from the locals. As for Swahili, I am getting there! It is a hard language but I've got some basics down! The rest of the afternoon was free time. A group of us walked to Moshi town. It is all dirt roads with a couple of roads that are paved. There is the market and then town. We went to the market first. It is an open area with people selling fruits and vegetables and shoes and tools. Basically, anything you can think of. We then found a part of the market that is indoors. It is the butcher. Yep, we walked in. I can't even tell you how awful it was! There was raw meet from every kind of animal they have here hanging or just sitting, cut up on wooden counters. The smell is nothing I have ever smelled before. It was enough to make us gag. We had a line of us walking through and we couldn't walk fast enough! I kept looking down to avoid seeing the meat but there was blood splattered all over. It was quite the experience and one that I will never forget! We then walked to the town and found a fabric store. I bought some fabric and will have some skirts made for here. They are so beautiful! We found a coffee shop and sat outside in the back garden area. We walked around a little while longer to see the other stores and restaurants. We aren't allowed to take pictures of the town or market. But I can tell you that it is very cramped and people are everywhere and they are so nice to us.

I have been up writing since 4 am, couldn't sleep cuz I went to bed early. Hopefully this all makes sense and I have painted a good picture for you.
Well, I will keep you updated as often as I can. I hope you are all well!

My Placement!!!!!

My Volunteer Placement
Jipe Moyo Women’s Group
Organization for Women’s Empowerment

General Information
Mission and Needs of the Partner Program
Jipe Moyo is a group of women who are living with HIV/AIDS. They used to be part of a larger organization, WOFATA, but decided to focus on their own activities in the fall of 2007. Its aim is to help the women to fight against stigma, to support each other in managing many responsibilities of daily life, .
There are youth in the community who are not able to attend secondary school, and this group helps provide them with English instruction.

Volunteer Activities / Duties
Support women in their pursuit for healthy and sustainable livelihoods.
Engage in discussion and exchange ideas on issues such as family health, women’s rights, access to resources, income generation, etc.
Collaborate and support the women on ongoing projects.
Teach conversational English and pronounciation.
Be a positive role model.
Advertising their group making/designing brochures, website, business cards
Sharing fundraising skills and participating in fundraising
Teaching kids (nursery school and secondary school)
Participate in outreach activities (Home visits to the sick)
Participate in counseling

Goals for the Volunteer from the Partner Program
Long-Term
With the support of volunteers, Jipe Moyo hopes to continue engaging all members of the group through home visits and developing skills in time management. They also hope to explore opportunities with income-generating projects.
Short-Term Volunteers are expected to be flexible and help out with a variety of activities, often changing from day to day. Teaching English, accompanying the women on home-visits and exchanging ideas about fundraising and income-generating projects will be primary responsibilities of volunteers. Helping women with time-management skills to encourage them to attend regular meetings is also important.

One Month To Go!!!!

I can't believe I will be there in one month! The time has flown and I am sooo excited and a little nervous. I am trying to buy everything in sight to bring with me. I really don't know what to expect but here is a little video to prepare us all!!!! (Click on this title to see video)

WooHoo!!!!

I have some great news! Thanks to all of you....I have raised 100% of my goal! It couldn't have been done without you and I appreciate all of your support! I am so happy and now I can concentrate on any additional money that is raised will help support the other expenses incurred for my cause. I will be able to take supplies to Africa for my activities while there. Please know that your money contributed is going to a great cause and will forever change someone's life.

Also, I have completed getting my immunizations. It wasn't that bad at all except for the Yellow Fever. Oh my did that hurt! I still have a huge lump and mark on my arm. It looks awful and very sensitive.

Well, I am ready to go! I can't wait to jetset to Africa and keep you all updated on my journey!

Plane Ticket

Well, I have my ticket to Africa. After a very expensive expenditure, there is no turning back now! hahaha....

So, I will be traveling for a total of 25 hours each way! Crazy! I will leave Chicago to Boston. Then to Amsterdam, have a few hours to stretch and then off to Kilimanjaro. Same route on the way back. See you August 10th when I return!

Immunizations

Good morning! I am feeling just a little sore in my arms. I went to the doctor yesterday to get started on my shots. Oh the fun! I got my tetanus and Hep A shots yesterday. Not a huge deal but more are to come! ugh!! I also wanted everyone to know that I am now at 70% of my goal! How great is that? Thank you all for everything! Well, have a great day--have to start work now.....