If you research any country in the developing world, you'll see statistics for "Infant Mortality". That basically refers to how many children die. The lower the "infant mortality rate", the more likely a child is to live to adulthood. It's a sad number, but has always seemed a little remote to me...hypothetical, I guess.
Last night, as we sat with 11 of the people we'll be training from around Tanzania, we each shared a little bit our life story. Of the 11 Tanzanians, 5 told us that they had lost a child. Five out of 11...!
As I looked into their eyes, "infant mortality" didn't sound so remote anymore...
Two of the children died of malaria. After the evening was done, I went back to my hotel room. Took my malaria medication, and made sure my mosquito netting completely surrounded my bed....
Tuesday, September 6, 2011
Getting there...
...can be a big part of the adventure. We pulled away from the gate at O'Hare, and ended up sitting in the plane, on the tarmac, for about 2 hours. It was getting hotter...and hotter...and hotter...
Fortunately, I had a few things going for me- first, I had just received an unexpected free upgrade to business class (which feels a lot like renting a Yugo and finding out that they're giving you a Porsche instead). Secondly, I knew i had a 14 hour layover in London, so I wasn't in danger of missing my connection. Did you know that they have air circulation options in Business Class that aren't in economy? (Translation: it was about 90 in economy, and 75 in Business....)
I got to London (having enjoyed my fully reclining seat....did I mention that I was in Business class...?) I ate breakfast and lunch in Heathrow Airport. I think I have figured out why England has less of an obesity problem than the United States- no one would WANT to overeat on that "food".
Our flight from London to Dar es Salaam loaded on time. We pulled away from the gate, and stopped. The pilot informed us that an "oil indicator light was on". He thought it was a malfunction, but didn't know for sure. We pulled back up to the gate, and they replaced both the oil filter and the indicator light. Two hours late again...but I'd rather wait than assume, "I bet it's just a malfunctioning light" Assumptions like that are a little dangerous when you're going to be cruising at 36,000 ft, with the Sahara Desert as the only emergency landing option.
After arriving in Dar es Salaam, we stayed overnight in the Blue Pearl Hotel (very nice, really), and then drove to Morogoro- 3 hours on daredevil African driving, with our driver doing 160 kph most of the way. That's about 100 miles per hour. We arrived...alive....
Fortunately, I had a few things going for me- first, I had just received an unexpected free upgrade to business class (which feels a lot like renting a Yugo and finding out that they're giving you a Porsche instead). Secondly, I knew i had a 14 hour layover in London, so I wasn't in danger of missing my connection. Did you know that they have air circulation options in Business Class that aren't in economy? (Translation: it was about 90 in economy, and 75 in Business....)
I got to London (having enjoyed my fully reclining seat....did I mention that I was in Business class...?) I ate breakfast and lunch in Heathrow Airport. I think I have figured out why England has less of an obesity problem than the United States- no one would WANT to overeat on that "food".
Our flight from London to Dar es Salaam loaded on time. We pulled away from the gate, and stopped. The pilot informed us that an "oil indicator light was on". He thought it was a malfunction, but didn't know for sure. We pulled back up to the gate, and they replaced both the oil filter and the indicator light. Two hours late again...but I'd rather wait than assume, "I bet it's just a malfunctioning light" Assumptions like that are a little dangerous when you're going to be cruising at 36,000 ft, with the Sahara Desert as the only emergency landing option.
After arriving in Dar es Salaam, we stayed overnight in the Blue Pearl Hotel (very nice, really), and then drove to Morogoro- 3 hours on daredevil African driving, with our driver doing 160 kph most of the way. That's about 100 miles per hour. We arrived...alive....
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