Today we are feeling good about our projects and feel pretty confident that we will be able to complete on time. The locals have been really helpful to our team, mixing batches and batches of concrete. Doug, Dave and I worked on a project at the Secondary School today. We had the opportunity to have lunch with the kids and were amazed at how polite the children were. What was most shocking though, was to see the massive 3’ pots that they cook their meals in. That was a definite culture shock for all of us. We think we might have found next year’s project though, which would be to provide a covered eating area and a better kitchen for the secondary school.
On the way to and back from Matipwilli we saw baboons as usual but we were very surprised by lion tracks on the road. We think that a hungry lion might consider our Ricks (Kurzac & Heney) a snack while they are on their morning run. Since they are training for a marathon, let’s hope that they can run fast enough!
Jennifer McKinney
DWC Participant
Tanzania, November 2011
Monday, November 14, 2011
Matipwilli, Tanzania: Completion of a water reservoir and more concrete mixing!
It was a very amazing day in Matipwilli today. The roof parging is all done so we are now working on pouring the floor. A team of 4 went over to finalize last year’s project of putting the top on the water reservoir. Which, of course, means more concrete mixing! One of main goals today was to get the school water reservoir lid formed and rebar laid by noon. We ran a little behind but successfully completed our goal just after lunch, around 1:30pm. The other half of the team, our “chain gang” had a heavy duty day of concrete to finish the floor. The slabs that we are mixing are nothing like the locals have ever seen, some of them are 7” at their thickest point, something that is totally unheard of here! It has been warm and muggy and we have had rain every night, which makes it quite humid in the morning.
Jennifer McKinney
DWC Participant
Tanzania November 2011
Jennifer McKinney
DWC Participant
Tanzania November 2011
Matipwilli, Tanzania: Zanzibar
We are back on the job today after a lovely weekend on the island of Zanzibar! It has been a while since we have sent a message and a lot has happened over the last few days. We continued with the Masai celebration, and the experience that I had was one of the most authentic things that I have ever been a part of. Our fearless leader Rick Kurzac and his partner in crime Doug Wittal dressed up in traditional Masai dresses for the celebration. As part of the celebration, the Masai sacrificed a goat and drink cows blood. We ate goat and danced with the Masai, who said that white men can’t jump?!
Our weekend in Zanzibar was very cool. We were picked up via private charter on the Kisampa airstrip and the flight took about twenty minutes. The sun was out and we immediately took advantage of the amazing infinity pool to rest our tired muscles. Needless to say, there were big smiles from every participant on the DWC Tanzania team. We reflected on our time at Kisampa so far, it has been quite a different experience from normal life in Canada. Ann and I are covered in so many mosquito bites, it looks like we have the measles.
On the Sunday that we left Zanzibar, the rain poured, but it didn’t stop us ladies from shopping. Ann, Karen and I paid a local to take us to the best shopping in Zanzibar. It was a great weekend and we are all ready to get back to work to Kisampa for our last week working on the project.
Jennifer McKinney
DWC Participant
Tanzania November 2011
Our weekend in Zanzibar was very cool. We were picked up via private charter on the Kisampa airstrip and the flight took about twenty minutes. The sun was out and we immediately took advantage of the amazing infinity pool to rest our tired muscles. Needless to say, there were big smiles from every participant on the DWC Tanzania team. We reflected on our time at Kisampa so far, it has been quite a different experience from normal life in Canada. Ann and I are covered in so many mosquito bites, it looks like we have the measles.
On the Sunday that we left Zanzibar, the rain poured, but it didn’t stop us ladies from shopping. Ann, Karen and I paid a local to take us to the best shopping in Zanzibar. It was a great weekend and we are all ready to get back to work to Kisampa for our last week working on the project.
Jennifer McKinney
DWC Participant
Tanzania November 2011
Friday, November 4, 2011
Matipwilli, Tanzania: Working and taking part in Masi celebrations
Today was a full day on the job site, we got the trussed erected first thing this morning. We decided last night it would be funny if we got all the trusses lined up and placed upside down ready to be erected but Doug wanted to play a joke so he had all the workers gather around and truss plan while Doug scratched his head, he even had the chairman walk under the pointed part of the truss that was facing down to make sure he could walk under it. We all had good laugh and got back to work.
We got a large portion of the building cemented and it looks so much better, we are getting pretty good at flicking the concrete off the cement trowels. Ann and I are considering starting our own parging company.
We got a large portion of the building cemented and it looks so much better, we are getting pretty good at flicking the concrete off the cement trowels. Ann and I are considering starting our own parging company.
Oh yeah, on the way to the village by the airport we saw Warthogs and some blue balled monkey’s Hehehehe. Another few cool things we have learned is that elephant dung is great to keep the mosquitoes away if you put it in the fire as well as the new fashion rage here is to wear a razor blade on a chain around your neck because of the RAMBO movies. We are all going to chip in and buy Doug one so we can make him cool!
Our day ended with Raymond our very special friend arranging an authentic Masi celebration for us, we feel very honored to be his guests. Our ride home commence the first part of the celebration, we were to take part in the ritual of sacrificing the goats that we would be having for our meal. This of course is something we are not used to, but felt it would be a cultural experience and would mean a lot to Ray. Some of the ladies were not comfortable with the ritual so they stopped by one of the homes on the way and visited with a young handicapped girl and her family instead. Sandy, Karen and Christine read a book with her and shared the ipad. As you can well imagine an ipad is not something you see every day here. Masi celebrations continue.
This weekend we are heading to Zanzibar and are really looking forward to it!
Jennifer McKinney
DWC Participant
Tanzania November 2011
Our day ended with Raymond our very special friend arranging an authentic Masi celebration for us, we feel very honored to be his guests. Our ride home commence the first part of the celebration, we were to take part in the ritual of sacrificing the goats that we would be having for our meal. This of course is something we are not used to, but felt it would be a cultural experience and would mean a lot to Ray. Some of the ladies were not comfortable with the ritual so they stopped by one of the homes on the way and visited with a young handicapped girl and her family instead. Sandy, Karen and Christine read a book with her and shared the ipad. As you can well imagine an ipad is not something you see every day here. Masi celebrations continue.
This weekend we are heading to Zanzibar and are really looking forward to it!
Jennifer McKinney
DWC Participant
Tanzania November 2011
Tuesday, November 1, 2011
Matipwilli, Tanzania: Work begins with excitement and many familiar faces
We all arrived in Dar Salaam as scheduled on Friday October 28th, no problems getting here, just a long trip for the crew. We were all really excited about the trip into the Kisampa Bush Retreat where we will be staying for the next 2 weeks. A key member of our team from last year’s Kisampa trip Rick Heney was especially excited about getting up early to get on our way there.
We arrived at Kisampa around 5pm and familiarized our self quickly in the camp before it got dark. The team got a chance to go on an amazing educational walk of Kisampa and drive into Matipwilli to assess the project we will be working on Monday morning.
The community of Matipwilli was happy to see the familiar faces of the Developing World Connections team. It was overwhelming to see the children greeting the familiar faces of the last year’s team. We checked out the previous project of the building of a Doctor’s home and were pleasantly surprised with how the home was well kept and the medical facility across the way had been finished and cleaned up by local government. We inspected this year’s project site and it was all prepped and cleaned for us to start building.
The amazing experience of having the village follow you around while you inspect their community was overwhelming for a rookie of DWC (me).
Our first work day in Matipwilli was tremendously productive. We are building a community market for the locals to sell their commodities. The structure took form very quickly with the team working together building form posts for the market structure. We are very happy to report that 8 concrete forms were poured today. We have another 8 to do tomorrow. We also were very pleased that locals joined the project building which made it a real team effort today. The team is excited to get back to work tomorrow!
Jennifer McKinney
DWC Participant
Tanzania November 2011
We arrived at Kisampa around 5pm and familiarized our self quickly in the camp before it got dark. The team got a chance to go on an amazing educational walk of Kisampa and drive into Matipwilli to assess the project we will be working on Monday morning.
The community of Matipwilli was happy to see the familiar faces of the Developing World Connections team. It was overwhelming to see the children greeting the familiar faces of the last year’s team. We checked out the previous project of the building of a Doctor’s home and were pleasantly surprised with how the home was well kept and the medical facility across the way had been finished and cleaned up by local government. We inspected this year’s project site and it was all prepped and cleaned for us to start building.
The amazing experience of having the village follow you around while you inspect their community was overwhelming for a rookie of DWC (me).
Our first work day in Matipwilli was tremendously productive. We are building a community market for the locals to sell their commodities. The structure took form very quickly with the team working together building form posts for the market structure. We are very happy to report that 8 concrete forms were poured today. We have another 8 to do tomorrow. We also were very pleased that locals joined the project building which made it a real team effort today. The team is excited to get back to work tomorrow!
Jennifer McKinney
DWC Participant
Tanzania November 2011
Tuesday, February 8, 2011
February 2011: Next Team headed out
The next Team to headed to Metapwili are starting to pack their bags as they leave February 19th, 2011. Our Host Partner has been very busy establishing a suitable project for the small team of 6. The Team was much larger but a number of people had to back out due to medical reasons. So in light of a smaller team to project had to be changed.
Below is the email from our Hosts:
Below is the email from our Hosts:
"Richard has been very busy doing costings, measurements, enquiries etc and he eventually decided that the project
most suitable for you and the village is the building of an under ground water tank at the secondary school.
This also includes the purchase and fixing of 60 metres of plastic guttering to one of the school buildings to catch the water.
He has purchased some of the necessary items, ordered others, and is setting about starting to get the hole dug. This is quite a big task, so will involve village labour. He is hoping (and I suppose you are too) that the hole will be ready when you arrive to start work!!
The Secondary School is a little out of the village and the students at present cart water to school every day...this project will certainly be of great value... not only to the students but to the whole village... looking forward to having you here at Kisampa.
best wishes
Jeanann"
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