Away We Go!

Our group at BWI checked in and ready to head through security.  We are sending this from the Amsterdam airport- one more 8 hour leg of the trip left!

Travel Eve

'Twas the night before travel to Tanzania and swirling through my mind,,

Are thoughts of what in the next 2 weeks we will find.

The bags are all packed full and tucked safely away,

But my brain won't settle and just wants to stray.

What does one think about the night before traveling to Tanzania?  Bags packed-check.  Passport packed-check. Did I spray those clothes like Don suggested? Check.  Did I copy my passport like Debbie did? Check. Did I pack my camera? Well, Karen is in charge of that so, Check.

What I really want to focus on is Cultural Curiosity.  Dictionary.com defines curiosity as "the desire to learn or know about anything."  At Gilchrist we talk about Cultural Curiosity and how we want to learn from our patients and families we serve so that we can better understand their needs/goals/hopes and how to meet them.  As I anticipate this journey to Tanzania, I want to be curious.  These new friends we will come to know in the next 2 weeks have the privilege to work with the sick and dying as we do at Gilchrist.  What are their patients' and families' greatest needs?  And how do they work to meet those needs?  What are the resources that are most helpful to them in this "life" work that we do?  In the midst of it all, how do they take care of themselves as caregivers?

In addition to being curious about the work they do, I want to know about their families, their friends, their joys and hopes.  What are their favorite foods/clothes/sports?  What do they love most about their country? I want to hear their music, to hear them sing, to pray with them and to hug them.  I love them already.

Join us through this blog, if you too are curious.
We will make new friends together and share a life changing two weeks.  Marilyn

kuja pamoja kwa ajili ya safari
"Come along for the ride"

Shrunken Dolls

Many Gilchrist Hospice Care volunteers and staff have been very busy knitting dolls to be given to children in Tanzania.  Here is a picture of what 50 of these dolls look like in a "shrink bag."  We are each taking a similar bag, along with other items(small soaps, lotions, pencils,knitted caps, etc.) that we have gathered that might be helpful to our new friends.
As I look at these "shrunken dolls" I think of how they will "come to life" when we open the bags once we arrive and the dolls are filled with air.  But I think they will truly "come to life" when they are in the hands of a child that will treasure this handmade gift for many years to come.
Many thanks to all our GHC knitters! Marilyn

Varmit Spray

As the time to go to Tanzania comes closer, I had to get serious this weekend about packing.  It was recommended to us to spray our clothes with Permethrin spray (AKA Varmit Spray).  This product can be found at your local REI store- where my travel buddy Debbie and I entered for the first time in our lives last week (for purchase of said spray).  While there we also examined other products that might be helpful to use on this trip, like a "Go-Girl" which will have to be the topic for another blog.
Back to the spray, per the directions, you must spray all your clothes in an open air area.  My chosen area was my backyard clothes line.  The only challenge was Baltimore'e ice/snow storm Friday night/Saturday morning.  Not to be outdone, I decided to go ahead and hang out my long skirts and short sleeved t-shirts on our line on Saturday.  As I was breaking the frozen clothes pins and clothes lines apart so I could hang out my soon-to-be-sprayed clothes, I couldn't help but wonder what my neighbors were thinking- "She has really lost it now," "Really, she has to have short sleeved t-shirts in this weather."  Determined in my task, I pushed on and sprayed with gusto, imagining all the Tanzanian varmits that would be deterred in my future.  After "airing" for the recommended 4 hours, I returned to my frozen back yard to release my now varmit-repellant clothes.  Now I had to break the frozen clothes from the line and again imagined what my neighbors were now saying, "What a cuck-koo bird- frozen clothes, really?"  or maybe they were thinking Do-Do Bird-isn't that an animal in Tanzania?
Needless to say, I still have plenty to prepare for and study up on before my trip.  So stay tuned and thanks for joining us on the journey! Marilyn

First Trial Post

This is my first attempt at posting on a blog.  I will be traveling to Tanzania in a few weeks and want to be able to post my travel experiences on this, so HERE GOES.......