TANZANIAN TIME(S)

Furaha Kwa Siku Ya Kuzaliwa Tracey! Translation 'Happy Birthday Tracey' (my sister)!

Believe it or not they say Swahili is actually one of the easier languages to learn. Pronunciation & spelling are easier than English as there are no silent letters and every letter is pronounced the same way every time, unlike the English language.

However, even though this is my 2nd visit to Tanzania my vocabulary is still VERY limited which helps to qualify me as a 'Mzungu'. It's a term used in Tanzania & most of E. Africa to describe white people wandering lost & confused through Africa, but I think 'we' have good reason to be confused 'at times', for example... the clock in Tanzania is centred around sunrise & sunset. So 6 a.m. (sunrise) is actually 12 a.m. & 6 p.m. is 12 p.m. Tanzanian time.

So our day usually starts with a 12 a.m. (6 a.m.) walk up the mountain known as Mlima Ngangu to watch an amazing sunrise followed by work on our various projects around the Kilema Hospital Compound. Today, I was in charge of the painting crew at the Kilema Vocational School, in Roger's absence. The crew consisted of two men & one woman from the Kilema area. They were known as PLHA's (People Living with HIV/AIDS). They have voluntarily been tested for HIV/AIDS & have tested positive, however, in doing so they in turn are being provided with medical treatment from the CTC (Care & Treatment Centre) at the Kilema Hospital. This treatment is vital in allowing them to lead as normal & healthy a life as possible, but unfortunately they must also endure the stigma attached to living with HIV/AIDS in Tanzania. So we have employed them to work along with us on various projects in order to help provide them with work & they are GREAT workers.

Roger or 'Mr. Roger' as the painting crew has named him spent part of the morning on the job site but then he left with Dave on a trip into Moshi to meet with the Rotary Club of Moshi. The Rotary Club of Alliston & the Moshi club along with CIDA (Canadian International Development Agency) are partnering together to provide mosquito nets to 100,000 needy children. This is in an attempt to protect them from contracting Malaria, which is one of the main causes of death among children & 2nd only to diarrhea. I too have been sleeping under a mosquito net & even though it can be a challenge at times it's hard to believe that it's considered a luxury in Tanzania.

Speaking of mosquito nets, I guess it's about that 'time' now, time to say good night or alamsiki!

Kelly from Kilema