Colin's Blog

From learning how to dissect a Mosquito’s abdomen to running through the coffee plantations of Mt. Kilimanjaro, these past three weeks have been my most interesting yet. They have been busy and filled with lots of work, but also with lots of fun and new experiences. I have traveled 27 hours by car, half a day biking, 3 hours by plane, 2 hours 38 minutes on foot (running), and countless more hours walking since my last post. Besides all my traveling, I have made good progress in both the projects I am contributing to and integrating into Tanzanian society. I finally feel like I am starting to be a resident of Tanzania, rather than a tourist or guest of IHI. Some of these new experiences took me out of my comfort zone, however without them I wouldn’t be considering the last three weeks a success.

What I mean by finally being a resident of Tanzania is that in the weeks before this post I had been considered a guest of IHI and was catered to in many ways. This means people put forth much effort in making sure I had everything I needed and that I was comfortable. This was nice, but after two or three weeks I was anxious to become a little more independent and wanted to see what it was like to live here on my own. I could also tell that people here are very busy with projects of their own and having to run into town to get me food every few days or so wasn’t built into their schedule.

What finally allowed me to gain this self-dependence was the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation representatives visiting IHI. I believe I mentioned their visit in a previous post, and the anticipation and preparation for their arrival at IHI was quite an ordeal. I distinctly remember my boss saying this was the most important visit all year. The IHI compound was spotless during the visit and everyone presented their projects to the visitors. I was helping with the mid-infrared reflectance spectrometer project at the time; however, I left the majority of the project presentation to the experts. I did learn how to dissect a mosquito through this process, which I found was a much harder task I originally thought it would be. It was exciting to see all the preparations, and with everyone so busy I found myself learning how to do daily chores and errands on my own. This had its pros and cons, but overall it was very helpful in making me more self-sufficient. I now know:

How to hail a bajaji and ride it to several stores and other locations in town on my own
Where to find the best foods other than fruits
How to purchase more internet air time
How to purchase more cell phone minutes
How to cook several new dishes
How much I should really be paying for things (this one took me a few times, and more than a few shillings)

Below is a bajaji, one of the main forms on transportation here.

Besides providing the opportunity of being more self-sufficient, the Gates Foundation visit was incredible. I learned about the leading projects they are working on and how they are planning on achieving their goal of eliminating malaria from the world. I found the Gene Drive project the most interesting, but similar projects such as gender control also holds lots of promise. It was cool to see the amount of energy in the room as both leaders from IHI and the Gates Foundation discussed the future of the malaria-elimination movement.

I traveled with the Gates Foundation representatives back to Dar es Salaam once they had finished in Ifakara. During that trip I learned that National Malaria Day is coming up, and there is a large forum taking place in Dar on April 24th. I was assigned to work with the planning committee to create a website and registration system for the forum and that meant being relocated to Dar es Salaam for a few weeks. This change of scenery was nice, and also opened up several other opportunities I took advantage of.

Even in Ifakara, I heard a lot about people preparing for the Kili Marathon and how much fun it was. I really wasn’t planning on running it at all until arriving in Dar and found many of my peers were going to run the half marathon. Even then, after I looked up the race details I assumed I would be running the 5km “fun run.” I ended up being signed up for the less-fun-run, but the experience of running my first half marathon was incredible. I got a time of 2:38.9 which didn’t quite stack up to the Kenyan runners who lapped me doing the full marathon, but I still had a good time. The race course wound up and down Mt. Kilimanjaro and in between the coffee plantations tucked away on the side of the mountain. It was a beautiful day and I was amazed how many people participated. I achieved my goal of simply finishing the half marathon, but I learned that there is a reason many people prepare their bodies for months in advance before running one, as I was almost not able to get out of bed the morning after from soreness.

Above: My friend Dickson who ran a new personal best of 2:09.3. I told him the next time I run with him I'll be able to keep up...I hope he won't remember me saying that

The marathon ended here in the Kilimanjaro futball staduim. The place was packed and there was already a huge BBQ starting on the pitch when I crossed the finish line.

One thing I was told to go to if given the chance in Tanzania was a Tanzanian wedding. While traveling back from Kilimanjaro, I had a chance to attend a huge one. One of my traveling companions had a friend who was getting married and I was able to stop by the ceremony with him. The wedding was held in the middle of a field with colorful tents, large amounts of food, and about 300 people. We arrived late, which my friend informed me could be offensive at a Tanzanian wedding so he ensured me we would only stay for a little while. Even being late, we arrived just in time for the gift ceremony. In a gift ceremony, its tradition to dance your gift up to the bride in front of everyone and congratulate her. Being the only Caucasian guy there it was easy to notice I had shown up late, and the fact that I was underdressed didn’t help my confidence either. I got the feeling that my dance solo was going to make or break my first Tanzanian wedding experience. I do not think they were impressed with my style, but the bride must have seen the effort behind my dance and she accepted my gift. The wedding was much more fun after the gift ceremony and many people approached me afterwards to introduced themselves and to take a picture. Overall a unique and good time.

Below: a low quality picture of the wedding

I am still in Dar working with the malaria forum planning committee, but think I will be back in Ifakara by Wednesday. It is nice to be in the city but it is much more hectic and loud (and no IHI pool). I hope to travel to Zanzibar soon, but we will see if my projects allow me the time to do so.

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