Hakuna Matata Tanzania 2014

So, the Internet has been a problem again. I can't seem to stay on long enough to post anything whenever I have a chance. But today I think I will try again. The pictures are in no particular order and are just random tidbits about our lives.

My favorite "pizza" PARACHICHI (avocado!)

Alex enjoying his Passion Fruit Flavor Fanta. There are also pine nut and black current flavors, too.

Big herd of goats and cattle

This goat decided to give birth while we were standing there. She must have known I am an obstetrician.

I live running into beautiful flowers!

The floor was carpeted with these little purple flowers that fell from the tree.

These are some of the wheelchair bikes that are used by people with physical challenges. Alex has been helping people find jobs building them.

Stroopwaffels...our new addiction thanks to the Netherlands students.

Mr. Mihayo, Alex's counterpart, and a very talkative little girl.

This is the way the grass is cut. A bunch of people with big knives.

Um...well...What do I say...?

I am teaching a couple of students how to do c-sections.

This week we had 3 sets of twins and a set of triplets! WOW!

The corn is different here. Hard, dry and you have to pick off the kernels.

Alex's favorite ferry trip. He dreams of bananas and plantains!

An OB/GYN colleage of mine who I passed at the airport. I think he looks like 50 cent (the rapper.)

Having fun on the children's ward!

This is what we use every day to take a warm "shower" (bucket bath.)

This is Mama Faida making ugali! She takes care of us and our house! Love her!

She even makes us fresh juice...mango, passion fruit, pineapple, avocado, tamarind...yum!

This is the new labor and delivery extension and new operating room. We deliver at least 30 patients a day!

This is our humble abode! One of the houses that the TOUCH foundation built.

Alex's work crew.

The SOO course, where we teach emergency ob skills & c-section technique to the students.

A cow heart is surprisingly like the uterus!

The SOO course.

Alex surprised me for my birthday by having a bunch of friends over!

He's such a sweetie!

Some friends from church and a group of students from the Netherlands. We call them our "kids." They rotate here during the end of their medical school for a tropical medicine rotation. They only stay 3 months.

We were all learning "head, shoulders, knees and toes" in English, Swahili, & Dutch!

Awesome cake!

Awesome tradition. I had to feed everyone that came to the party! This is Master Ngalula!

This is Master Dave. Our first Tanzanian friend who we found on Facebook 6 months before we arrived.

This is Mrs Ngalula. She basically has adopted us and feeds us every Saturday after church along with her 7 other children.

Some of the Ngalula crew enjoying soda for the first time in a long time.

She is as sweet as pie and teaches us songs in Swahili.

Hello to everyone! We are still alive and well in Tanzania. Work is going well. The Tanzanian students I will be working with just arrived this week so it has gotten a lot more fun! Everyday is a new adventure and nothing surprises us anymore. This collection of pictures is mostly from our recent trip to Rubando Island National Park. We went for a long weekend along with some students that are here from the Netherlands.

This is Kennedy. He is a nice young man that we met in church. I think he looks like my grandfather and so I call him, BABU (grandfather). He calls me his MJUKUU (grandchild) even though he is seven years younger than I.

These are my paternal grandparents...What do YOU think?

This is one of my favorite things to eat. It is a big ball of carbohydrates called UGALI. It is usually a mixture of corn and/or cassava and tastes like nothing at all on its own. When you dip it into the sauce of whatever you are eating it becomes a whole lot of delicious!

Below is a butcher's knife. Above is Alex's new best friend whenever we find ourselves walking at dark.

We found Nemo and he was delicious! Even better with ugali!

If you think THIS is too cute...

Wait until you see THESE cutie patooties who are here with their parents from Germany. They have lived here for several years so this is the normal way they carry around their dolls. The older one even strapped the doll on herself.

Look mom, no hands! I knew I would eventually get it. Practice makes perfect but genetics, makes one a super star (see video)...

Here I am with gramps again! And a couple members of his family.

Waiting for the Kamaga Ferry to take us back to town.

These lizards are crazy beautiful and don't look real at all. Who would have ever thought there would be hot pink and purple lizards in Africa?

With one of the school children Alex works with.

Lesson for making palm oil anyone?

The fact that these bugs actually exist is all sorts of wrong!!! Exhibit A.

Exibit B

Exhibit C-Swarms of bugs just before a rainstorm.

On our way to Rubando Island National Park.

Some local children who came to see us depart. The Wazungus (Europeans, but basically any white/foreign people) are always something of a wonder.

It started out such a peaceful day...

Um, this is an actual tornado (waterspout) over the water that we looked up and saw while we were on a boat tour of the island. Needless to say, we high tailed it back to land and a safe location. It dissipated before hitting the shore.

The next day was sunny and perfect! Even the hippos couldn't resist coming out and soaking up some sun.

This flower is usually only found in rainy season, one of which is starting.

These are some of the students from the Netherlands that are also in Tanzania. Super hard workers! They are teaching us Dutch.

And away we go on an island safari ride.

Note the car is "backwards" and people drive on the left side of the street.

This is a strange sweet and sour fruit called "saba" that I found during the drive. It had a hard shell and a sticky jelly slime around the seeds inside. Saba senegalensis