Written on May 24, 2008 in Dodoma, Tanzania
By Anne Olson
My travel arrangements have been made. I will take the bus to Dar es Salaam on Monday; taking the bus will give me a chance to see some of the country and I haven't had much chance to do that before. It will take all day to get there but at least the roads are good. I will stay in Dar Monday night and leave early Tuesday morning (a 5:25am flight!) to go to Kigali Rwanda via Nairobi. I arrive in Kigali about 10:30am so will have the afternoon there as well as a couple more days. I will be seeing Ritah, a woman I met at a conference in California last summer. She is working on a project to educate young girls so I will visit her project as well as do some touristy things. I will leave for Entebbe, Uganda on Friday afternoon and then on to Soroti, my Ugandan home, on Saturday. I am excited to visit another East African country and then to see my Ugandan friends. I'll be in Soroti for about 3 weeks.
Showing posts with label Anne. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Anne. Show all posts
Training Adventures...
Written on May 23, 2008 from Dodoma, Tanzania
By Anne Olson
Training has gone well. We did learn that we cannot do QuickBooks on a computer at an internet café due to the need to install ActiveX (additional software) for QuickBooks to run. Luckily we had my laptop and so they worked together entering expenses using it. Since we didn't get to the internet café until 3pm and could only use one computer it took us longer than I had planned. So it was after 5:30 when we got back to the office and we still had a couple more things to do. It wasn't hard to convince them that we should start at 10am the next day so we could get everything done! We did that for 2 days and got everything done with some time to review documentation in the afternoon one day and time for them to look at reports the next day. I feel pretty good about what they know and their ability to carry on when I leave. The hardest thing to get across is "no signature no money"; you have to sign in order to receive any money from the petty cash box. So much money goes out the door in cash, often times just small amounts, that keeping track of it requires paperwork. We'll see how they do.
By Anne Olson
Training has gone well. We did learn that we cannot do QuickBooks on a computer at an internet café due to the need to install ActiveX (additional software) for QuickBooks to run. Luckily we had my laptop and so they worked together entering expenses using it. Since we didn't get to the internet café until 3pm and could only use one computer it took us longer than I had planned. So it was after 5:30 when we got back to the office and we still had a couple more things to do. It wasn't hard to convince them that we should start at 10am the next day so we could get everything done! We did that for 2 days and got everything done with some time to review documentation in the afternoon one day and time for them to look at reports the next day. I feel pretty good about what they know and their ability to carry on when I leave. The hardest thing to get across is "no signature no money"; you have to sign in order to receive any money from the petty cash box. So much money goes out the door in cash, often times just small amounts, that keeping track of it requires paperwork. We'll see how they do.
Still No Internet!
Written on May 13, 2008 from Dodoma, Tanzania
By Anne Olson
Last night Richard was working with his two oldest sons to copy and assemble a booklet for use at church. It was so fun watching them work together. The younger of the two boys is technically oriented and I could tell that by the way he arranged the piles of paper and assembled the booklet. His mind just works in a logical, process-oriented way. They were fun to watch and the final product looked great (though I could not read it as it was in Swahili!). Baraka was here too and his swollen face is almost back to normal.
Phone line works today but the internet doesn't! This is getting so frustrating for me as there is much to do and we need to be connected to do it. Sigh! Patience has never been my strong point but to live and work here I MUST have patience! The internet is up in town but we are not able to connect from the office. The techs are here trying to get things figured out but they are struggling too. I'll have Noel take me to town today to send/receive mail and do a couple of other things. It doesn't solve the problem of QuickBooks training unless we decide to do that in town also. Technology!!!
By Anne Olson
Last night Richard was working with his two oldest sons to copy and assemble a booklet for use at church. It was so fun watching them work together. The younger of the two boys is technically oriented and I could tell that by the way he arranged the piles of paper and assembled the booklet. His mind just works in a logical, process-oriented way. They were fun to watch and the final product looked great (though I could not read it as it was in Swahili!). Baraka was here too and his swollen face is almost back to normal.
Phone line works today but the internet doesn't! This is getting so frustrating for me as there is much to do and we need to be connected to do it. Sigh! Patience has never been my strong point but to live and work here I MUST have patience! The internet is up in town but we are not able to connect from the office. The techs are here trying to get things figured out but they are struggling too. I'll have Noel take me to town today to send/receive mail and do a couple of other things. It doesn't solve the problem of QuickBooks training unless we decide to do that in town also. Technology!!!
Church and "Habari"
Written on May 12, 2008 from Dodoma, Tanzania
By Anne Olson
Yesterday I attended services at Richard's church. It is a big beautiful church that has been 6-7 years in the making. All of the labor has been supplied by volunteers from the congregation. It isn't finished yet but is far enough along to be used. They moved in since I was here in April 2007. The service is long with lots of singing; I do love the music, especially the children's choir. Richard's daughter Naomi has such a nice voice and is one of the lead singers. She's about 12-13 years old. Margreth, the VEF Office Manager, is also active in the choirs. She was my "host" at services, so I sat with her and she'd tell me what was going on (especially when it was time for me to introduce myself and she translated to Swahili). When she was up front singing, her first-born son who is about 7 came to sit with me. It was so cute. He is in the children's choir and his dad is the bass player in the band. A musical family! The baby who is not yet 2, would also get with the rhythm of the music.
The rest of the day was relaxing. I sat out on the porch and read for much of the afternoon. Thank God for good books and the time to read them.
On Saturday, Richard's children were playing outside, chasing each other and hiding behind a bush. As they ran down the side of the house, I heard Baraka scream (Baraka is Richard's last-born and is about 7-8 years old; his name means blessings in Swahili). Richard told me later that he'd been stung near his left eye. When I saw him yesterday, the whole left side of his face was swollen and his eye was just a slit. Poor kid! I hadn't given the children the book or other things I'd brought for them so I took the opportunity to give them to him. I haven't seen him today so don't know if the swelling has gone down yet.
The phone line has not been fixed yet so still no internet. Richard is going to "do battle" today to get things going. He's got an email backlog in everything that he does since it has been almost 3 weeks without connection. Just a reminder for me as an American – I take so many things for granted when I should be grateful.
The drugs are working and my throat is much better. Still a bit red and glands still a bit swollen but getting better. I am very grateful to be able to swallow without pain! A few more days to finish the meds that I have. Health – another thing to be grateful for.
I continue to walk most mornings. I've learned to greet people with "habari" which means "how are you?. Most people reply "nzuri" or "salama" which means "good" or "fine". However, some reply with more and if they are asking me anything, I have no idea what they are saying! People are very friendly and greet me with smiles especially if I smile first. In Kenya, I learned that the morning greeting was habari because no matter what I said to people (good morning, hello), the response was always "fine" or "nzuri".
Today there were a couple of VBMs in the office to fill out grant forms. I'd been reviewing forms from the last grant cycle and identified some data that was missing so I took the opportunity to review their forms and give some feedback. Then we got into income and expenses for some of the businesses. We worked through it with me asking questions but I am not sure that they really got it. Lyndsay and I had been working on a worksheet that would help a VFC work through that with the beneficiaries and I think we need to get back to that. Then we'll need to do some training, especially here in Tanzania. Could that mean another trip to Africa for me in the future?????
By Anne Olson
Yesterday I attended services at Richard's church. It is a big beautiful church that has been 6-7 years in the making. All of the labor has been supplied by volunteers from the congregation. It isn't finished yet but is far enough along to be used. They moved in since I was here in April 2007. The service is long with lots of singing; I do love the music, especially the children's choir. Richard's daughter Naomi has such a nice voice and is one of the lead singers. She's about 12-13 years old. Margreth, the VEF Office Manager, is also active in the choirs. She was my "host" at services, so I sat with her and she'd tell me what was going on (especially when it was time for me to introduce myself and she translated to Swahili). When she was up front singing, her first-born son who is about 7 came to sit with me. It was so cute. He is in the children's choir and his dad is the bass player in the band. A musical family! The baby who is not yet 2, would also get with the rhythm of the music.
The rest of the day was relaxing. I sat out on the porch and read for much of the afternoon. Thank God for good books and the time to read them.
On Saturday, Richard's children were playing outside, chasing each other and hiding behind a bush. As they ran down the side of the house, I heard Baraka scream (Baraka is Richard's last-born and is about 7-8 years old; his name means blessings in Swahili). Richard told me later that he'd been stung near his left eye. When I saw him yesterday, the whole left side of his face was swollen and his eye was just a slit. Poor kid! I hadn't given the children the book or other things I'd brought for them so I took the opportunity to give them to him. I haven't seen him today so don't know if the swelling has gone down yet.
The phone line has not been fixed yet so still no internet. Richard is going to "do battle" today to get things going. He's got an email backlog in everything that he does since it has been almost 3 weeks without connection. Just a reminder for me as an American – I take so many things for granted when I should be grateful.
The drugs are working and my throat is much better. Still a bit red and glands still a bit swollen but getting better. I am very grateful to be able to swallow without pain! A few more days to finish the meds that I have. Health – another thing to be grateful for.
I continue to walk most mornings. I've learned to greet people with "habari" which means "how are you?. Most people reply "nzuri" or "salama" which means "good" or "fine". However, some reply with more and if they are asking me anything, I have no idea what they are saying! People are very friendly and greet me with smiles especially if I smile first. In Kenya, I learned that the morning greeting was habari because no matter what I said to people (good morning, hello), the response was always "fine" or "nzuri".
Today there were a couple of VBMs in the office to fill out grant forms. I'd been reviewing forms from the last grant cycle and identified some data that was missing so I took the opportunity to review their forms and give some feedback. Then we got into income and expenses for some of the businesses. We worked through it with me asking questions but I am not sure that they really got it. Lyndsay and I had been working on a worksheet that would help a VFC work through that with the beneficiaries and I think we need to get back to that. Then we'll need to do some training, especially here in Tanzania. Could that mean another trip to Africa for me in the future?????
A Trip to the Pharmacy on Swahili Time
Written on May 10, 2008 from Dodoma, Tanzania
By Anne Olson
Today the phone line is down! You have to laugh so you don't scream in frustration. Richard, the Tanzania Country Director for VEF, says this is unusual for it to be down for so long (about a week and a half). He's planning to look into another connection method – wireless. Rowland, the training director who lives in Kenya, uses it all the time and he's pretty happy with it. Technology – so great when it works, so frustrating when it doesn't!
Noel stopped by in the morning to tell me what time he'd come to take me to town for shopping. He said he'd be back at 5:30 which I thought was a little late; but when I asked him if the shops would still be open, he said yes. So that was fine with me. About noon he was back and apologizing because he meant 5:30 Swahili time which is 11:30 British/American time. 6am British/American time is 12am Swahili time; therefore noon B/A time is 6am Swahili time. AM hours are daylight hours (dawn to dusk, 6am-6pm B/A time); PM hours are dark hours (6pm-6am B/A time). I remember reading about this the last time I was here but it had completely slipped my mind. Now I'll remember to ask "Swahili time or American time?" It was pretty funny.
Our first shopping stop was the pharmacy. I described my symptoms (with the help of Noel) and got antibiotics (no prescription needed!); the only question he asked me was "Tonsils?" (Yes). Zuclox (Ampicillin and Cloxacillin Capsules) 500mg, 3 times a day, 5 days, 1500 Tanzanian shillings (less than $1.50). Hope this works so I don't have to go to the doctor. I have never had a sore throat like this in my life! I don't like taking antibiotics but had to do something.
Every morning water is pumped from the main water source (town water system) into a large black holding tank that is up high on a platform. Water for the house comes from the holding tank and the height gives it water pressure. When the tank is full, water starts running out of the overflow pipe. It reminds me of Costa Rica. Every day we took turns pumping water (by hand) to fill the holding tank so we'd have water for showers, cooking and washing dishes. The pump was a small distance away from the holding tank with lots of banana trees and other jungle growth in between. So the "pumper" had to be told when the tank started to overflow; STOP was the usual message. Pumping wasn't too bad as there were usually monkeys in the trees to entertain you while you were pumping; if not, I would read a book or magazine. The holding tank in Costa Rica was a fraction of the size of this one – thank goodness!
By Anne Olson
Today the phone line is down! You have to laugh so you don't scream in frustration. Richard, the Tanzania Country Director for VEF, says this is unusual for it to be down for so long (about a week and a half). He's planning to look into another connection method – wireless. Rowland, the training director who lives in Kenya, uses it all the time and he's pretty happy with it. Technology – so great when it works, so frustrating when it doesn't!
Noel stopped by in the morning to tell me what time he'd come to take me to town for shopping. He said he'd be back at 5:30 which I thought was a little late; but when I asked him if the shops would still be open, he said yes. So that was fine with me. About noon he was back and apologizing because he meant 5:30 Swahili time which is 11:30 British/American time. 6am British/American time is 12am Swahili time; therefore noon B/A time is 6am Swahili time. AM hours are daylight hours (dawn to dusk, 6am-6pm B/A time); PM hours are dark hours (6pm-6am B/A time). I remember reading about this the last time I was here but it had completely slipped my mind. Now I'll remember to ask "Swahili time or American time?" It was pretty funny.
Our first shopping stop was the pharmacy. I described my symptoms (with the help of Noel) and got antibiotics (no prescription needed!); the only question he asked me was "Tonsils?" (Yes). Zuclox (Ampicillin and Cloxacillin Capsules) 500mg, 3 times a day, 5 days, 1500 Tanzanian shillings (less than $1.50). Hope this works so I don't have to go to the doctor. I have never had a sore throat like this in my life! I don't like taking antibiotics but had to do something.
Every morning water is pumped from the main water source (town water system) into a large black holding tank that is up high on a platform. Water for the house comes from the holding tank and the height gives it water pressure. When the tank is full, water starts running out of the overflow pipe. It reminds me of Costa Rica. Every day we took turns pumping water (by hand) to fill the holding tank so we'd have water for showers, cooking and washing dishes. The pump was a small distance away from the holding tank with lots of banana trees and other jungle growth in between. So the "pumper" had to be told when the tank started to overflow; STOP was the usual message. Pumping wasn't too bad as there were usually monkeys in the trees to entertain you while you were pumping; if not, I would read a book or magazine. The holding tank in Costa Rica was a fraction of the size of this one – thank goodness!
A Reoccuring Cold
Written on May 9, 2008 from Dodoma, Tanzania
By Anne Olson
We got the authorization and voucher books so are ready to go with them. However, we still don't have internet connection so they have never seen QuickBooks. I've been doing what I can without the connection – reviewing the chart of accounts, looking at the April expenses that we have and asking them to identify which account they would charge it to, looking at the grant records that they have, etc. AND reading a lot of books!!! It's a good thing I brought lots of reading material. It is amazing how little I can do in the office here without an internet connection. We had it one day long enough to set up the local network and I was able to connect my computer through the desktop here. Got part of my email downloaded but not all of it. Pole pole (slowly slowly in Swahili – pronounced poe-lay with long o and long a).
I still have a sore throat (very red) and swollen glands. As long as I keep drinking liquids, I do okay. By morning it is pretty sore and I start over again. Not sure what my next steps should be. Pharmacy, doctor, …??? Will start with the pharmacy on Saturday.
I've been going out for a walk the last couple of mornings. Feels good to get out and move before the sun gets too hot. When I was in Kakamega, I walked to the office and back each day. Now I just come out of my bedroom and I am in the office (just like in Uganda). So I have to make an effort to get some exercise. I know the locals think I am a bit weird (you know how those mzungus – white people – are) as they walk to get from one place to another. I walk a certain distance and turn around and come back. Such strange behavior!
Tanzania is cooler than either Kenya or Uganda. There are screens on the windows so less worry about bugs but I still close the window at night so I don't get cold. Daytime temperatures are very pleasant.
I gave books, toys and treats to the staff today for their children. This weekend I will give the same to the children here. I haven't felt like going out to play with them but plan to make it happen this weekend no matter what my energy level is.
By Anne Olson
We got the authorization and voucher books so are ready to go with them. However, we still don't have internet connection so they have never seen QuickBooks. I've been doing what I can without the connection – reviewing the chart of accounts, looking at the April expenses that we have and asking them to identify which account they would charge it to, looking at the grant records that they have, etc. AND reading a lot of books!!! It's a good thing I brought lots of reading material. It is amazing how little I can do in the office here without an internet connection. We had it one day long enough to set up the local network and I was able to connect my computer through the desktop here. Got part of my email downloaded but not all of it. Pole pole (slowly slowly in Swahili – pronounced poe-lay with long o and long a).
I still have a sore throat (very red) and swollen glands. As long as I keep drinking liquids, I do okay. By morning it is pretty sore and I start over again. Not sure what my next steps should be. Pharmacy, doctor, …??? Will start with the pharmacy on Saturday.
I've been going out for a walk the last couple of mornings. Feels good to get out and move before the sun gets too hot. When I was in Kakamega, I walked to the office and back each day. Now I just come out of my bedroom and I am in the office (just like in Uganda). So I have to make an effort to get some exercise. I know the locals think I am a bit weird (you know how those mzungus – white people – are) as they walk to get from one place to another. I walk a certain distance and turn around and come back. Such strange behavior!
Tanzania is cooler than either Kenya or Uganda. There are screens on the windows so less worry about bugs but I still close the window at night so I don't get cold. Daytime temperatures are very pleasant.
I gave books, toys and treats to the staff today for their children. This weekend I will give the same to the children here. I haven't felt like going out to play with them but plan to make it happen this weekend no matter what my energy level is.
Kenya to Tanzania
Written on May 6, 2008 from Dodoma, Tanzania
By Anne Olson
On Saturday I met with Louise Sewe of Wege Women Group Support Organization (WWGSO) – Beyond Biological Parenthood. Wege means parenthood in Luo – the local language and the language of Barack Obama's father. She's the woman I met at a conference in California. She is doing some good work in western Kenya, building a community in the villages to support the orphans and vulnerable children. Part of WWGSO's strategy is to improve the economic status of community members through sustainable income generating activities. This is where I think that VEF and WWGSO may be able to work together. So I connected Louise with Wilson, VEF Country Director. The next steps are theirs. I will certainly follow up when I return to Kenya at the end of June.
Saturday afternoon, Jackie came to my hotel and we went out for hot chocolate. It was so good to see her and catch up with what she has been doing. She invited Linnet and I to lunch on Sunday and cooked the things that she knows I like – chapatti, green grams (lentils), fish. I was so full when I left there! We made plans to get together at the end of June when I come back to Nairobi before flying home.
The flight to Dodoma Tanzania was uneventful. Only 3 passengers from Nairobi to Kilimanjaro and 5 from Kili to Dodoma. We go through immigration and customs in Kili. It is so strange to go through with the pilot! I was happy to arrive in my Tanzanian home, knowing that I was going to be here for the rest of the month and wouldn't have to pack up and go for quite a while.
I woke up yesterday with a sore throat. It went away during the day but came back last night. Now I have a cold and a sore throat. Have asked for some hot water and lemon as that will help my throat feel better. I'm not really sick, just inconvenienced.
No internet connection today. So really cannot start on much of anything until I can get connected to QuickBooks Online and show people around a bit. Got some of the receipts so that I can see what we are dealing with. Reviewed authorization form and payment voucher form from Uganda and decided to use something very similar here. Made the changes and took it to the printer today and should have the duplicate copy books tomorrow. Hopefully we will have internet connection too so we can get started. I'm trying to set up a local network so that I can connect to the computer that has dialup and then we'll have two computers on the internet. If that works for my laptop, it should work for the other desktop in the office. We'll see how far my network knowledge gets me!
By Anne Olson
On Saturday I met with Louise Sewe of Wege Women Group Support Organization (WWGSO) – Beyond Biological Parenthood. Wege means parenthood in Luo – the local language and the language of Barack Obama's father. She's the woman I met at a conference in California. She is doing some good work in western Kenya, building a community in the villages to support the orphans and vulnerable children. Part of WWGSO's strategy is to improve the economic status of community members through sustainable income generating activities. This is where I think that VEF and WWGSO may be able to work together. So I connected Louise with Wilson, VEF Country Director. The next steps are theirs. I will certainly follow up when I return to Kenya at the end of June.
Saturday afternoon, Jackie came to my hotel and we went out for hot chocolate. It was so good to see her and catch up with what she has been doing. She invited Linnet and I to lunch on Sunday and cooked the things that she knows I like – chapatti, green grams (lentils), fish. I was so full when I left there! We made plans to get together at the end of June when I come back to Nairobi before flying home.
The flight to Dodoma Tanzania was uneventful. Only 3 passengers from Nairobi to Kilimanjaro and 5 from Kili to Dodoma. We go through immigration and customs in Kili. It is so strange to go through with the pilot! I was happy to arrive in my Tanzanian home, knowing that I was going to be here for the rest of the month and wouldn't have to pack up and go for quite a while.
I woke up yesterday with a sore throat. It went away during the day but came back last night. Now I have a cold and a sore throat. Have asked for some hot water and lemon as that will help my throat feel better. I'm not really sick, just inconvenienced.
No internet connection today. So really cannot start on much of anything until I can get connected to QuickBooks Online and show people around a bit. Got some of the receipts so that I can see what we are dealing with. Reviewed authorization form and payment voucher form from Uganda and decided to use something very similar here. Made the changes and took it to the printer today and should have the duplicate copy books tomorrow. Hopefully we will have internet connection too so we can get started. I'm trying to set up a local network so that I can connect to the computer that has dialup and then we'll have two computers on the internet. If that works for my laptop, it should work for the other desktop in the office. We'll see how far my network knowledge gets me!
A Nice Visit to the Field
Written on May 1, 2008 from Kakamega, Kenya
By Anne Olson
These last few days in the office went by very fast. I feel good about what we were able to accomplish and how much Linnet has learned. I also got some documentation done so that I can more easily set up for the other two countries. They won't be so "trial and error" like Kenya was. We have reconciled checking and savings accounts for the first quarter of 2008, petty cash has been reconciled with an adjustment (I knew that would be the case) and some receipt tracking processes have been put in place. A lot of money goes out the door as cash so receipts are very important. When I come back to Kenya in June I will do some spot checks to see if receipts are in place.
Today I went to the field with Catherine, one of the Village Business Mentors (VBMs), and Wilson the country director. We visited some of Catherine's businesses. I love to do that. Some were selling vegetables and cereals (maize, beans, etc), one was selling paraffin and kerosene, one was selling cooked beans and chapatti for lunch. Beautiful strong Kenyan women who are making a difference in the lives of their families and the community at large. I love going to the field and seeing the people that are being helped by VEF. They all ask me to take greetings and thanks back to the US office and the donors. They are very grateful for the chance they were given to move out of poverty and want others to have the same chance. Very inspiring.
Tomorrow Linnet and I will take the bus to Nairobi where I will spend the weekend. I will meet with a woman that I met at a conference in California. She runs an NGO (non-governmental organization) and I want to talk with her about her organization and how she tracks expenses. Should be interesting. I will also get to spend some time with Jackie who used to be the VEF Country Director; she and I became friends when I have visited Kenya in the past. When she lived in Kakamega, I would stay at her house when I was there. I am excited to see her. Her husband helped me deal with the hotel in Nairobi when my computer was stolen. And NO, I am not staying at the same place and NO I will not be leaving my computer in my room when I go out!
On Monday, May 5, I fly to Dodoma Tanzania to work in the VEF office there. I can't believe I have already been here for a month. The time is going by very fast.
By Anne Olson
These last few days in the office went by very fast. I feel good about what we were able to accomplish and how much Linnet has learned. I also got some documentation done so that I can more easily set up for the other two countries. They won't be so "trial and error" like Kenya was. We have reconciled checking and savings accounts for the first quarter of 2008, petty cash has been reconciled with an adjustment (I knew that would be the case) and some receipt tracking processes have been put in place. A lot of money goes out the door as cash so receipts are very important. When I come back to Kenya in June I will do some spot checks to see if receipts are in place.
Today I went to the field with Catherine, one of the Village Business Mentors (VBMs), and Wilson the country director. We visited some of Catherine's businesses. I love to do that. Some were selling vegetables and cereals (maize, beans, etc), one was selling paraffin and kerosene, one was selling cooked beans and chapatti for lunch. Beautiful strong Kenyan women who are making a difference in the lives of their families and the community at large. I love going to the field and seeing the people that are being helped by VEF. They all ask me to take greetings and thanks back to the US office and the donors. They are very grateful for the chance they were given to move out of poverty and want others to have the same chance. Very inspiring.
Tomorrow Linnet and I will take the bus to Nairobi where I will spend the weekend. I will meet with a woman that I met at a conference in California. She runs an NGO (non-governmental organization) and I want to talk with her about her organization and how she tracks expenses. Should be interesting. I will also get to spend some time with Jackie who used to be the VEF Country Director; she and I became friends when I have visited Kenya in the past. When she lived in Kakamega, I would stay at her house when I was there. I am excited to see her. Her husband helped me deal with the hotel in Nairobi when my computer was stolen. And NO, I am not staying at the same place and NO I will not be leaving my computer in my room when I go out!
On Monday, May 5, I fly to Dodoma Tanzania to work in the VEF office there. I can't believe I have already been here for a month. The time is going by very fast.
Sunburn and Cocoa Butter, Fruit and Yogurt
Written on April 26, 2008 from Kakamega, Kenya
By Anne Olson
My sunburned arms are now peeling! The locals find it interesting; guess they don't experience this. Bought some lotion with cocoa butter and that is helping to keep my skin moist. Haven't been sunburned like this for years and years but guess it is to be expected when spending a day on the water at the equator. I DID use 30 weight sunscreen and applied it a number of times during the day. Now I wear a long-sleeved shirt when I go out to protect that tender new skin that is being exposed.
I went in to the office today to get some quiet time for working on QuickBooks, the accounting program that I am training someone to use. The fact is that I am figuring it out as I go and had a few more things to figure out. Now I need to train on the new things and document what I know. I also got my bills paid for May. The good news was that the internet was working and there was electricity (neither can be taken for granted here!). I will probably go back tomorrow for a few hours again.
After my time in the office, I went to town to the market to buy some fruit to have in my room – little sweet bananas (I call them baby bananas because they are about the size of my thumb) and mangos. We usually have a late lunch (2 or 3pm) so I'm not hungry for dinner. So I just have some fruit and some yogurt in the evening. It works well for me. I also found someone selling roasted ground nuts (like peanuts) on my walk home from the market so I got some of them for a snack this afternoon.
By Anne Olson
My sunburned arms are now peeling! The locals find it interesting; guess they don't experience this. Bought some lotion with cocoa butter and that is helping to keep my skin moist. Haven't been sunburned like this for years and years but guess it is to be expected when spending a day on the water at the equator. I DID use 30 weight sunscreen and applied it a number of times during the day. Now I wear a long-sleeved shirt when I go out to protect that tender new skin that is being exposed.
I went in to the office today to get some quiet time for working on QuickBooks, the accounting program that I am training someone to use. The fact is that I am figuring it out as I go and had a few more things to figure out. Now I need to train on the new things and document what I know. I also got my bills paid for May. The good news was that the internet was working and there was electricity (neither can be taken for granted here!). I will probably go back tomorrow for a few hours again.
After my time in the office, I went to town to the market to buy some fruit to have in my room – little sweet bananas (I call them baby bananas because they are about the size of my thumb) and mangos. We usually have a late lunch (2 or 3pm) so I'm not hungry for dinner. So I just have some fruit and some yogurt in the evening. It works well for me. I also found someone selling roasted ground nuts (like peanuts) on my walk home from the market so I got some of them for a snack this afternoon.
Laundry and Office Work
Written on April 24, 2008 from Kakamega, Kenya
By Anne Olson
I discovered that almost all of my clothes were dirty so I had a pile of laundry to be done today. Luckily the sun was shining so my clothes would dry. Everything is washed by hand and hung on the line. They charged me 320 Kenya Shillings (about $5) to wash 16 articles of clothing! Now I have lots of clean clothes.
Back to the office today. So good to see everyone again. Linnet, the office manager, got all of the expenses entered into QuickBooks so today we could start looking at reporting. We need to review the data to make sure we've coded things right but that won't take very long. I was so excited to be able to produce a sample quarterly income/expense report that I could send to Lyndsay in the US Office to get her opinion on the format. Tomorrow we will get the savings account data in for Jan-Mar 2008. Progress is being made!!!
By Anne Olson
I discovered that almost all of my clothes were dirty so I had a pile of laundry to be done today. Luckily the sun was shining so my clothes would dry. Everything is washed by hand and hung on the line. They charged me 320 Kenya Shillings (about $5) to wash 16 articles of clothing! Now I have lots of clean clothes.
Back to the office today. So good to see everyone again. Linnet, the office manager, got all of the expenses entered into QuickBooks so today we could start looking at reporting. We need to review the data to make sure we've coded things right but that won't take very long. I was so excited to be able to produce a sample quarterly income/expense report that I could send to Lyndsay in the US Office to get her opinion on the format. Tomorrow we will get the savings account data in for Jan-Mar 2008. Progress is being made!!!
Long Day of Travel
Written on April 23, 2008 from Kakamega, Kenya
By Anne Olson
Another travel day – Soroti Uganda to Kakamega Kenya. It took 2 buses, 3 matatus (vans that locals use and travel when the van is full), 2 bodabodas (bicycle taxis; actually needed 2 each time – one for me and one for my suitcase). I left Soroti at about 9:45am and got to Kakamega at about 6pm. I was tired, hungry and dirty – so shower and dinner were high on the list of priorities.
By Anne Olson
Another travel day – Soroti Uganda to Kakamega Kenya. It took 2 buses, 3 matatus (vans that locals use and travel when the van is full), 2 bodabodas (bicycle taxis; actually needed 2 each time – one for me and one for my suitcase). I left Soroti at about 9:45am and got to Kakamega at about 6pm. I was tired, hungry and dirty – so shower and dinner were high on the list of priorities.
Friends and Interviews in Soroti
Written on April 21-22, 2008 from Soroti, Uganda
By Anne Olson
Soroti – so good to see my Ugandan friends. Things are very different around here as Michael's guest house is open and there are staff members around. The children next door came to see me Sunday night and had songs to sing for me. I video tapped them on my camera and then we played them back and laugh. So fun!
I worked with Michael on Monday to write a job description for a new staff member they are going to hire. I interviewed 3 people; Michael will do a further interview and make a decision. I am involved with the interviewing as this is the person that I will be training on QuickBooks accounting when I return to Uganda in June.
By Anne Olson
Soroti – so good to see my Ugandan friends. Things are very different around here as Michael's guest house is open and there are staff members around. The children next door came to see me Sunday night and had songs to sing for me. I video tapped them on my camera and then we played them back and laugh. So fun!
I worked with Michael on Monday to write a job description for a new staff member they are going to hire. I interviewed 3 people; Michael will do a further interview and make a decision. I am involved with the interviewing as this is the person that I will be training on QuickBooks accounting when I return to Uganda in June.
Jinja to Soroti
Written on Sunday, April 20, 2008 from Soroti, Uganda
By Anne Olson
Travel from Jinja to Soroti by bus – about 3.5 hours. The road was pretty good most of the way so that helped the time go by fast. People again were very helpful when I had questions.
By Anne Olson
Travel from Jinja to Soroti by bus – about 3.5 hours. The road was pretty good most of the way so that helped the time go by fast. People again were very helpful when I had questions.
The River Nile
Written on April 17-19, 2008 from Jinja, Uganda
By Anne Olson
The first day after our long drive back from Bwindi was spent doing as little as possible. We sat by the pool and read books and relaxed. The next day we were rafting on the Nile!
There were 6 people for rafting the day we went. We had one guide and 6 safety people – 2 in a big raft and 4 in small kayaks. Our guide had us practice a bunch of things before we hit the first rapid (which was a small one) – forward paddle, backward paddle, "hang on", "get down", getting back in after the raft flips, feet up when in the water. It was so good that we practiced as we needed to know all of those things and it prevented me from being scared when we flipped the raft a couple of times going through the rapids. I went out once by myself (I don't think I followed the "hang on" command fast enough). The water was kind of shallow there so before I got my feet up, I "bonded" with a Nile River rock and left a layer of skin there (not a deep cut, just skin). My compatriots pulled me back in the raft in short time. We joked that my blood was going all the way to Egypt. Got a few other scrapes and bruises but nothing serious. The sunburn on my thighs, knees and arms hurt worse than the scrape on my knee. All in all, a very fun day!
On Saturday, Sharae and I went on a community walk with our guide Augustine. We visited his mother's house where 2 of her grandchildren were applying new mud to the sides. Her house girl was cooking matooke (mah toe key) bananas. They are peeled, wrapped in banana leaves and steamed for about 45 minutes over an open camp fire. Then they are mashed and served. I've eaten matooke (and like it) but had never seen it cooked. We saw many things growing as we walked the paths through the fields (they call them gardens). Fruit – bananas of many kinds, passion fruit, papaya, mango, avocado. Other things – maize/corn, millet, sorghum, cassava, beans of many kinds, potatoes (sweet and Irish/white), ground nuts, okra, eggplant, and more. We saw a woman grinding cassava into flour with stones. We saw many darling children and took pictures of most of them.
Augustine also took us to his home where we met his wife and daughters. His wife fixed a delicious dish of beans and cassava that we both enjoyed very much. His oldest daughter had just returned from nursing school where she had graduated at the top of her class. She and her parents were very proud. It was a great walk and very informative.
Nile Porch – our place of lodging.
Lyndsay, my friend from VEF US office, recommended this wonderful place to stay. We stayed in a tent cabin with wonderful views of the Nile from all parts including the bathroom and shower. The sound of the Nile put us to sleep each night. The staff was fun and efficient, the food was great, and the atmosphere was wonderful. Thanks Lyndsay!
By Anne Olson
The first day after our long drive back from Bwindi was spent doing as little as possible. We sat by the pool and read books and relaxed. The next day we were rafting on the Nile!
There were 6 people for rafting the day we went. We had one guide and 6 safety people – 2 in a big raft and 4 in small kayaks. Our guide had us practice a bunch of things before we hit the first rapid (which was a small one) – forward paddle, backward paddle, "hang on", "get down", getting back in after the raft flips, feet up when in the water. It was so good that we practiced as we needed to know all of those things and it prevented me from being scared when we flipped the raft a couple of times going through the rapids. I went out once by myself (I don't think I followed the "hang on" command fast enough). The water was kind of shallow there so before I got my feet up, I "bonded" with a Nile River rock and left a layer of skin there (not a deep cut, just skin). My compatriots pulled me back in the raft in short time. We joked that my blood was going all the way to Egypt. Got a few other scrapes and bruises but nothing serious. The sunburn on my thighs, knees and arms hurt worse than the scrape on my knee. All in all, a very fun day!
On Saturday, Sharae and I went on a community walk with our guide Augustine. We visited his mother's house where 2 of her grandchildren were applying new mud to the sides. Her house girl was cooking matooke (mah toe key) bananas. They are peeled, wrapped in banana leaves and steamed for about 45 minutes over an open camp fire. Then they are mashed and served. I've eaten matooke (and like it) but had never seen it cooked. We saw many things growing as we walked the paths through the fields (they call them gardens). Fruit – bananas of many kinds, passion fruit, papaya, mango, avocado. Other things – maize/corn, millet, sorghum, cassava, beans of many kinds, potatoes (sweet and Irish/white), ground nuts, okra, eggplant, and more. We saw a woman grinding cassava into flour with stones. We saw many darling children and took pictures of most of them.
Augustine also took us to his home where we met his wife and daughters. His wife fixed a delicious dish of beans and cassava that we both enjoyed very much. His oldest daughter had just returned from nursing school where she had graduated at the top of her class. She and her parents were very proud. It was a great walk and very informative.
Nile Porch – our place of lodging.
Lyndsay, my friend from VEF US office, recommended this wonderful place to stay. We stayed in a tent cabin with wonderful views of the Nile from all parts including the bathroom and shower. The sound of the Nile put us to sleep each night. The staff was fun and efficient, the food was great, and the atmosphere was wonderful. Thanks Lyndsay!
Gorillas!
Written on Wednesday, April 14-16, 2008 from Jinja, Uganda
By Anne Olson
Another travel day – about 10 hours with 2 hours on REALLY bad roads. Our driver was very tired when we got there just before dark. Sharae and I were the only ones in the camp so we got great service. We had a great little tent cabin with bathroom and shower (hot water brought to fill up the "bucket" when we were ready to shower). They served very delicious (western) food and brought tea to our porch in the morning with our wakeup call. But the VERY best was the hot water bottle we found at the bottom of our cots when we got back from dinner! It was quite chilly there (especially for Uganda) so the hot water bottle was much appreciated.
Tuesday, American tax day, was our gorilla trekking day. We were in Bwindi Impenetrable Forest in western Uganda where half of the mountain gorilla population in the world live. There are 4 or 5 habituated gorilla families; habituated means they are used to having people come to see them as long as there is a guide in his uniform to bring us. Maximum group size is 8 and maximum time with the family is one hour. Early in the morning the trackers go out to find the gorillas who may be close to the park headquarters or far away. You then hike to wherever the trackers have found the gorilla family you are going to see. We went to see the Rusbegura family ("R" group) which has 15 members.
We met at the park headquarters and after orientation started off to find the gorillas. We hiked about 15 minutes and there they were. Further instructions were given and the cameras started snapping. At first they were high up in the trees eating. You could hear them making "ummm" sounds that indicated they were enjoying their food. The silverback, the lead male of the family, weighs about 500-600 lbs and he was the highest in the tree. It was amazing how the small branches would hold him; the guide said that he could also just grab the same size branch and snap it off if he wanted to.
An "old mama" came down first and sat down to look at us and eat some leaves from a branch that she had. She was maybe 10-15 feet away. She looked like a fat Buddha sitting there with such a peaceful look on her face. She is about 35 years old with a life expectancy of about 50 years. She was pretty funny – once she posed with her hand on her hip like a bathing beauty, then she got tired so just laid down on her back and crossed her arms like she was hugging herself. Sometimes she had her eyes closed and sometimes they were open but she was definitely relaxed. And not one bit afraid of us nor trying to frighten us.
The silverback came down next and that started the descent of the others. He was so big and his hands are HUGE! He "posed" for us for a while in all his majesty and then went over to lay down and sleep. As the younger gorillas came down, they would go over to sleep with him. At one time there were 5 youngsters and an adolescent gathered around him.
When the adults came down, they used the tree trunks. When the youngsters came down, they used the vines that were hanging from the lower branches – sometimes just sliding down like it was a fireman's pole. One of them was hanging on the vines and practicing his chest thumping with one hand.
A mother and her 16 month old baby came down and he was riding on her back. He sat up as mom was walking away and did a two-handed chest thumping practice. That had us all laughing. Small babies ride on the mother's chest, much like monkeys.
All at once the silverback decided that his nap was over and it was time to move on so he got up and started off. Most of the others followed him right away. After he crossed the path into the jungle, he stood up, made a loud noise, and beat his chest – a show of domination (I was convinced!). He continued on a bit further and then sat down to rest again. One of the youngsters and the adolescent male were close behind him; when they stopped the young one put his arm around the other one. Brotherly love??? When we were getting ready to leave at the end of our time, the young one walked over to a member of our group and touched his leg and his hand. He had his back turned and didn't know the gorilla was approaching him until it touched him! Then the young one walked in front of us – about 3 feet away. What amazing creatures they are! I like them as much as I like elephants!
The gorillas stayed in and by the tree we found them in for most of the time we had to view them. They were not afraid of us at all and were not threatening to us. Our guide was very good, telling us stories about some of their personalities and laughing at their antics. He truly loves those gorillas, is passionate about his work with them, and likes spending time with them.
The gorillas know the guides by their green uniform shirts. Our guide, Obed, once went to the forest in a tshirt without his green shirt and one of the gorilla charged him. Just a reminder that they are wild animals and not pets.
I found a book on Amazon.com called The Impenetrable Forest by Thor Hansen. Thor was a Peace Corp volunteer in the mid-1990s who was sent to Uganda to habituate the first group of gorillas for visitors. (One was already habituated for research.) The book is about the people and the gorillas during his stay in Bwindi. Fascinating! So while we were there (after trekking which ended about 11am due to our short hike), we started looking for some of the people in the book. We found 4 of them. One saw Sharae holding the book as we were turning the car around and said "I'm in that book!" So that was the start of our autograph hunting. Two of them still work for the park (our guide is the younger brother of one of them) and there are many who are retired and still in the area. It was so fun to talk with them and hear additional stories that were not in the book. One of them told us the story about walking sticks. Because the terrain is very steep, most trekkers, guides and trackers use walking sticks. So one day they found the gorillas in a meadow with some reeds growing there and the next thing they knew, the gorillas had broken off the reeds and were using them for walking sticks. Can you imagine that scene? He said they were all laughing so hard that day.
In the afternoon, we went to the Gorilla Clinic. It is a lab where the health of the gorillas is monitored with fecal samples that the guides and trackers bring in. The lab technician is working for an organization call Conservation Through Public Health (http://www.ctph.org/ ). This organization monitors the health of the local people and livestock as well as the wildlife. They have found that if the people and the livestock are healthy, the wildlife has a better chance of being healthy. In 1996 and again in 2000, a baby gorilla was found with scabies. As they did research, some of the local people had scabies and the gorillas had gotten it from them. TB and dysentery are also hazardous to the gorillas. So their goal is to educate the local people and treat them and their animals in order to conserve the wildlife in the area. Thomas, the lab technician, was interesting, knowledgeable and working with all three (people, livestock, and wildlife) in a unique job opportunity. What a great cause.
Wednesday was a long drive back to Jinja. At least the 2 hours of bad roads were at the beginning and not at the end. The countryside is beautiful – thousands of acres of matooke banana trees and trucks and bicycles loaded with matooke bananas. Lots of tea fields too. Mountains, valleys, greens of every shade. Beautiful!
Travel day to Uganda
Written on Sunday, April 13, 2008 from Uganda
By Anne Olson
Travel day – public transportation from Kenya to Uganda by myself. It was relatively easy as I had done it with Charles before so knew some of the ropes. A Ugandan friend picked me up at the border and took me to a place to catch a bus to Jinja for the start of my vacation. He took the big box of "stuff" that I had brought for my Ugandan friends. I was happy to have it off my hands. I left my computer in Kenya so I didn't have to deal with it either. So I was traveling light (remember "light" is a relative term! J). My friend from home, Sharae Gunn, met me in Jinja Sunday night.
By Anne Olson
Travel day – public transportation from Kenya to Uganda by myself. It was relatively easy as I had done it with Charles before so knew some of the ropes. A Ugandan friend picked me up at the border and took me to a place to catch a bus to Jinja for the start of my vacation. He took the big box of "stuff" that I had brought for my Ugandan friends. I was happy to have it off my hands. I left my computer in Kenya so I didn't have to deal with it either. So I was traveling light (remember "light" is a relative term! J). My friend from home, Sharae Gunn, met me in Jinja Sunday night.
Electricity Problems, Rain and Vacation Time
Written on April 10, 2008 in Kakamega, Kenya
By Anne Olson
We were without internet on Tuesday and without electricity and internet yesterday. Electricity came back on about 5:30pm. All of Kakamega was affected. Also, there is a shortage of water in all of Kakamega. The good news is that the land line phone and 2 internet connections were installed in the office yesterday (not Monday as expected). We are so happy to have internet connection here in the office. It was okay to walk over to another office on the site but much better to be able to work here. It was interesting to watch the internet installation – trenches were dug from the main building to our building, coax cable was pulled through a plastic pipe, all was laid in the trench and covered. Then the cable was brought into the office through the various cracks and holes that are found in the construction. Things here do not always “match up” leaving lots of small openings for cables.
Two days without internet left a lot of time on my hands. I helped Linnet by writing all of the checks to the VBMs with their grant money. Now they can do the training and disburse the grants in the next couple of weeks. I also helped sort paperwork so that it would be ready for the part-time help (casual worker as they say in
It’s evening now and it is raining very hard again. I like the sound of the rain and am VERY happy not to be out in it. The rain this morning was good to settle the dust. This rain will make mud again.
Tomorrow I will leave my computer at the office as I am going on vacation in
A New Office
Written on April 10, 2008 from Kakamega, Kenya
By Anne Olson
We were without internet on Tuesday and without electricity and internet yesterday. Electricity came back on about 5:30pm. All of Kakamega was affected. Also, there is a shortage of water in all of Kakamega. The good news is that the landline phone and 2 internet connections were installed in the office yesterday (not Monday as expected). We are so happy to have internet connection here in the office. It was okay to walk over to another office on the site but much better to be able to work here. It was interesting to watch the internet installation – trenches were dug from the main building to our building, coax cable was pulled through a plastic pipe, all was laid in the trench and covered. Then the cable was brought into the office through the various cracks and holes that are found in the construction. Things here do not always “match up” leaving lots of small openings for cables.
Two days without internet left a lot of time on my hands. I helped Linnet by writing all of the checks to the VFCs with their grant money. Now they can do the training and disburse the grants in the next couple of weeks. I also helped sort paperwork so that it would be ready for the part-time help (casual worker as they say in
It’s evening now and it is raining very hard again. I like the sound of the rain and am VERY happy not to be out in it. The rain this morning was good to settle the dust. This rain will make mud again.
Tomorrow I will leave my computer at the office as I am going on vacation in
A Kenyan Wedding...and Payday
Written on April 6, 2008 from Kakamega, Kenya
By Anne Olson
Yesterday I attended a wedding where Linnet was a bride’s maid. Her friend, Elizabeth, came to pick me (that’s Kenyan talk) and then went to the wedding with me. That is so Kenyan – to give up an entire weekend day to help a friend and accompany a guest. It was a very nice wedding – quite western with an African flare. Great music, many attendants (6 women and 9 men), 4 flower girls, 2 page boys. The attendant’s dresses were very beautiful – a deep wine/maroon color. Linnet looked so beautiful. I got a couple of great pictures of her. The ceremony lasted about 3 hours! It included the presentation of gifts where everyone personally handed their gift to the couple. Afterwards there was much food and then
I asked
We also received the wire transfer from the
Linnet is great to work with and she is catching on fast. I am doing some of the work because we are making it up as we go along. She will then have samples about how to do it next time. I have to get all of this documented so that it can be used in
Two internet connections are to be installed in the office tomorrow – with LONG cables so we can work from different places in the office. The cable in the office that we have been using is so short that you can barely connect to the laptop on the table. Not sure what they were thinking when they installed it; maybe just about a desktop where the CPU would be sitting on the floor right by the cable. Whatever! That wouldn’t work for us. Can’t wait to have internet in the new spacious office.
Minister of QuickBooks
Written on April 4, 2008 from Kakamega, Kenya
By Anne Olson
The other day at lunch, we were talking about the cabinet members for the Kenyan government that is being discussed at this time. Then someone suggested a new cabinet position – Ministry of QuickBooks – and that I should be appointed. Now they call me the Minister of QuickBooks! The people here have such a good sense of humor; no wonder I love working with them.
While I was waiting with Linnet to catch the matatu yesterday morning, I got to meet her Father. He teaches science and Kiswahili in a primary school. Then I got to meet Linnet’s fiancé, Absolom (not sure of the spelling) – yes Linnet is engaged! – and he joined us for the day. He’s a very nice young man and I enjoyed meeting him. Hopefully I will see him again while I am here.
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