We finally have internet.. for now!

Tuesday 3/26/13 Jambo Jambo! Another beautiful day in paradise and we are all excited for the adventures that have yet to unfold. You never know what is going to happen… or when you are going to get there T.I.A. (This Is Africa). Today started out by picking up Lance and Jeremiah at the airport, because they were in African mode and missed their flight yesterday from Kenya. T.F.T. "Tanzanian Flexible Time" doesn't work for the airport I guess! We then proceeded to the Nkoaranga Lutheran Hospital where we were greeted by an orthopedic surgeon. We toured the hospital including a tour of the “theater” (operating room). It was interesting to see how they separated each ward. There was a male ward side (Wadi Ya Wanaume)and female Ward Side (Wadi Ya Wanawake). The medical staff consisted of three doctors, five PA's, and twenty-five nurses to manage the 100 bed hospital. I guess we shouldn’t complain about staffing at home. After our short tour we visited the Nkoaranga Orphanage. The orthopedic surgeon remarked, “If we fell in love with one of the orphans we could take them home for free”. I think a few of us fell in love with the precious children… The next stop was a primary school for 650+ students. We were greeted by 350-400 children who were all singing, playing drums, and running around in excitement. We all joined right in! There may have been a conga line. Somehow the teachers managed to round them all up to sit orderly in their classrooms so we could give them some books, stickers, candy, and toys. I think that a few of the children were gently reminded by a swat on the shoulder by a thin stick to get then to calm down. We are not in America anymore… parents at home it is amazing how effective one stick can be . After a few more songs, games of soccer, and many pictures we headed to Mount Meru to assess the landscape for a future medical clinic. Our quick visit ended up turning into an urgent care. We ended up pulling out the medical bags and treating the local adults and children. In fear of missing another flight we rushed off to drop Dr. Laura off at the airport and managed to make our way back to the lodge. The ride home and dinner were both very quiet… think the kids wore us out. Kwaheri (bye bye), P.S. We are all getting better at our Swahili and veeery familiar with the exchange rate due to our frequent stops at local markets. Lisa and Laura N. P.P.S. We lost internet again… hope this finds you.