We've Arrived

We arrived in Moshi, Tanzania after 24 hours of international travel (that means meals on the plane). Travelling here was smooth and we checked into 'Micheal's B & B' for a good nights sleep. We spent our first day at the Pamoja Tunaweza Women's Center organizing medical supplies and getting ready for what will be at least 250 women and children (yes Erika we have been asked to do blood work - you thought she was kidding, she wasn't) will be lined up at the gate at 5 a.m. waiting for us to open at 9 a.m., we arrive at 8 a.m. We will have stations set up of eye doctors, pediatric centers, gynecology room (the busiest place), HIV testing and pre and post HIV counselling, logistics people will float from job to job and do crowd control (during the last clinic over 1000 people were lined up one day and they cannot all be seen - the need is great). Agnes manages the Women's Center. She is a Tanzanian woman who is HIV positive and doing well on medication. She is working to dispell the myth that HIV is a death sentence after proving to herself first, that it is not and she will be climbing Kilimanjaro with us as well as 6 other Tanzanian women. We worked hard today in the heat and so did a number of young Tanzanian women who were cooking for us over open fire and one small gas burner for >40 people. We had an incredibly delicious meal of banana stew, greens, a beef curry, chappatis, rice and vegetables - we are being well-cared for so we can care for others in the coming days. Most people are so poor in the town of Moshi that they do not even have enough money to buy rice which would cost the equivalent of one American penny. We walked to the clinic this morning and got our first sight of the glorious mountain in the distance. Hopefully we will be a little more rested before we climb, but that may not be the case. We can rest when we get home. Moshi reminds me of towns in Mexico that Marie has been to and to Sandy it reminds her of Portugal with colonial architecture and dirt roads, sand floors and waking up to the sound of roosters crowing and dirt floors being swept. The vegetation reminds me of south Florida with poinsettia trees and banana trees.

Again, we would like to say thank you so much for supporting us so that we are able to be here. We have so much gratitude for the privileges in our life and the support we continually receive from all of those that love us.

Accessing this internet cafe has not been easy, we would love to do this often, but work begins tomorrow and the climb after that so there may not be another opportunity, but we will try, if you don't hear from us you'll know why.
(from Sandy and Marie) xoxoxoxo