Eyes of Tanzania

I am in Kenya,  I am a little closer and have a early morning tommorow. The traffic here is nuts.  So, I think it is time for me to retire. I had a long day. Bad eating day… London here I come!

This image I took yesterday, when saying goodbye to the kids at the orphanage here at the hospital. I think it does a good job of illustrating how I feel right now. i crashed somewhere yesterday i have just been processing a lot. the computer is acting crazy, so this might a good time to say see you soon and start the next part of my trip. Thanks everyone.

Hi Everyone, Happy thanksgiving. I had dinner with Dr. Sam and his family last night. It was really nice to be with his family and have a early thanksgiving meal.

Yesterday, I took the dala dala into Arusha market. What a crazy place. I did not take my camera with me, as for the most part it was a camera free day. Tried to soak in the process of life here.

The village at the base of the hill (where I picked up my second dala dala) is called Killala. Very funny to anyone that knows where some of my cousins lives in Ireland.

I leave tomorrow.  I hope to post a few more times and maybe when I get to the London.

Till then, enjoy your thanksgiving with your family’s.

I will be thinking of you all.

I taught my class at Shepard Jr. yesterday. This is one of the photos the kids took of me.

Today, I hope to be a down day. I have photographed 16 orphanages or schools in the last week and a half (my tour work is complete). I still want to photograph some of the local people (if they will let me), but for the most part I want to inhale a little.

Tomorrow is thanksgiving. Some of the volunteers have gone off to safari, but I think we might cook a meal in the big house  (the house that I am staying in).

My mind has been trying to process all that I have seen and all the people I have meet.

I need to take care of some laundry. I am all out of socks and shirts.

Thanks everyone for the support, it is great to have the connection to you all when I am here. I look foward everyday to reading them.

To help out with the power, I left behind the solar panel at Shepard’s, my feeling they would get a better use out of it than me.

The image I am showing them how to use the charger and batteries.

Here is the kids praticing there photo skills. I beleave the boy in this photo was able to take the camera home for the night. I can only imagine what that was like. His mom and dad seeing this camera.

There are shops selling everything all along the roads. It is really hard photographing them because people start yelling for money. So, I have ended up shooting from my car window. Which sometimes works, but the hope is that I can give you a look and feel to the area.

Here is a photo of one of the students.

The class rooms are so small at St John’s that often the kids take to the fire escape.

It seems that there was a lot of political and other mistrust going on here at BCB. So, I tried to go in with a open mind, here there story and understand what was happening to these people. I think it really comes down to trust. It was a very painful meeting.

This is a photo of one of the men I meet. He has 2 twin daughters age 3. The other child was unable to come for the photograph because she was sick.

There are many mud hut around. I am staying in a very westernized place, but I am always amazed by these houses.

Elimu is a project to teach students in the local neighborhood and to garentee that the children get at least one good meal a day. I was able to see the porge time and it was amazing.

There was a little girl behind me (not in photo) when I was photograph her classmate that had her meal spilt all over her because kids behind her wanted to see the photo. I felt so sorry for her.

I visited Elimu childerns center today and often as the case the kids start looking for me. I often meet with the school of orphanage directer before photographing the kids. Getting the right to photograph and the story of the establishment etc.

Today, I found these eyes looking for me.

Well, today was safrai day… and kids I found monkees, and lot of other neat anamials.

Here is one that I shot today. So many today 500 images. Hard to pick one.

Crunch time feels like it is happening, Friday seems to be coming real soon.

More tomorrow.

The reality is that I would not be able to do this without the help of these three.

Joesph, James (does most of the driving) and Geoffry (translator Esq). After a hard day we stop for a beer, they had soda…

The theme that keep on hitting me is kids being left behind because of AIDS. This is the vocational training that Good hope does for there older kids. Sewing and farming (chickens) The real pain here is 54 kids 6-16 on 1/4 acher of land.

I am here with another Cape Ann Gail, for the Rockporters out there Heidi Wakemans aunt.

Today was a crazy day at the orphange, the toilet fell off the wall and water went everywhere. Two inches on the hole floor.

This is Gail at the morning feeding that got delayed till 10:30.

One of the more positive process going on if Tanzania right now is the understanding of making money by creating businesses. Mr Shija (a guitar maker by trade)  has started the Educare group which consists of 5 villages and has 111 orphans living with extended family.

As a part of the process he has  created different type of group and these woman are learning bannana leaf weaving. They just got a order for 100 baskets. They are doing some great work.