January 24, 2006

The GSE team from D5340 going to D9200 (Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Ethiopia, Eritrea) held its seventh get-together on Jan. 24. Ali Hersi, Ambassadorial Scholar from D9200, joined the team for dinner at the Red Sea restaurant. He provided helpful insight about his homeland of Kenya.

February 23, 2006

D9200 District Governor Elect Tusubira and his wife Dorcas shared information at an International Assembly Host event with GSE team leader Luene Corwin.

The entire GSE team going to D9200 prepared to present at the Rotary Clubs in the district.

April 1, 2006

The GSE Team Leader, Luene Corwin, was in line early Sat. morning with her Team going to District 9200. Their first country to visit is Tanzania.

April 4, 2006

After over twenty-four hours of almost non-stop flying, we finally landed in Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania, at around 9:30 PM local time. Soon after touching down, our separate hosts swept us away to our separate locations, where we all experienced the exact same thing: a kind of hospitality and friendliness that had us all by morning coffee feeling the beginnings of a great love for the Tanzanian people. I don't know that any of us has ever been better treated by people into whose homes we have been taken--such a wonderful way to enter a country where the beauty of the abundant and sometimes untamed landscape is tempered by the heartbreak that is too often the lot of the school children we have come to visit. You would never know it, though, that their lives seem balanced on the brink of desperation, given the endless number of smiles and the palpable warmth of heart that were ours to be nourished by no mattered where we turned.

Whether it was the Shabaan Robert School--a private school with a beautiful quadrangle for a courtyard and a relatively new auditorium inaugurated by the president of Tanzania--or Minazi Mirefu Primary School--a government school where there is no running water for 1800 students, where the bathrooms are no more than holes in the ground, and where classrooms we were told often consisted of fifty or sixty students (sometimes ninety)--there were smiles and excitement everywhere. Such excitement from the children--an excitement that I must admit I have never felt in my own students in San Diego (and I love my students). Perhaps the desperate quality of life here, where we were told by Grant--a wonderful Rotarian whose list of projects done and in the planning for the Tanzanian people makes me wonder why he isn't considered a saint--women sometimes prostitute themselves so that their children can have safe, clean water to drink, makes the students appreciate the wonders that it brings so much more.

My wife told me before I left that she knew that this trip to Africa would change me; what she wasn't sure about was how. I'll reserve my judgment on that issue--on how--until the end, until we have visited what we have been told will be even more desperate situations in even more desperate lands. But I do know this: one cannot come to Africa without the wounds of his selfish heart becoming healed by the good spirit and the want to help that exists all around him. The generosity of spirit of all of the Rotarians we have met here is just the beginning of that...

April 4, 2006

Today was an overwhelmingly wonderful day. After meeting at a cafe with our hosts for a coffee we set off with our Rotarian guide for the day, Tony. We first visited a government school where we met with the entire staff of teachers and shared perspectives. We were moved by the fact that despite the dilapidated conditions and lack of any sort of supplies, the teachers and students made the best of their situations. We then visited to a well-funded private International school, where we experienced a multi-national population of students and teachers. The guard and the swimming pool at the entrance foretold of a much different experience than the first school.

Tony, our knowledgeable and entertaining guide, took us to an area where local artists paint and sell their art. The artists were warm and happy to share their inspirations. Tony then treated us to a Swahili lunch; we ate fried whole fish with our fingers and conversed about the political situation in Tanzania. After lunch we had an enlightening conversation with a woman professor of Gender Studies at the University of Dar Es Salaam. We quickly stopped by a fish market to watch locals bargain for fish and buy some shells. We went from there to the Rotary meeting of Dar Es Salaam North. After we shared a bit about our lives and San Diego, we fielded questions. The Rotarians were quite interested in the projects of our local clubs. Then Robert's host treated us to an amazing experience and Italian dinner at his seaside hotel restaurant. A perfect evening was topped off with swimming in Margit's hostess' pool.

April 5, 2006

This morning started with our routine coffee warm-up. Today was a much lighter day. We visited a local market and fine-tuned our bartering skills -we're still quite sure that the Africans are much better than we are at it! Then we walked through an outdoor living museum of many different types of Tanzanian traditional homes and huts, many styles of which are still lived in today. From there, we went to the Royal Palm for a combined lunch with the clubs of Dar es Salaam and Bahari Dar Es Salaam. We were struck by the ethnic diversity within the clubs. Sitting just near us were people whose heritage included India, Belgium, the U.S., and Finland. We again presented and fielded questions.

We were then off to the city Juvenile delinquent home, a newer project for the Bahari club. We saw directly the positive effects Rotary's efforts had on the living conditions of these kids. Our subsequent afternoon included some rare and much needed rest. As this email is being composed during our afternoon rest, we look forward to a wonderful dinner at Barbeque Village hosted by the Bahari club.

April 17, 2006

We are now in Uganda where the Easter holidays are 4 days long. Most of the team was able to attend church on Easter Sunday. We visited a school and planted trees. In Tanzania we also went to Arusha and Zanzibar. Everywhere our Rotarian hosts have been most gracious. We have seen very poor schools and well as those with more funding. It has been difficult to have opportunities to get on the internet.

April 18, 2006

The team spent a wonderful couple of days in Arusha, Tanzania at the base of Mt. Kilimanjaro. We really enjoyed the company and generous hospitality of local Rotarians. From there, we flew to the island of Zanzibar on April 9. We were hosted for lunch at the Zanzibar Serena Inn by Rtn. Charles Muia, toured the historic Stone Town and the Stone Town Preservation Society. Finally, we were treated spectacular views of the Indian Ocean during a sunset cruise accompanied by our Rotarian hosts. On April 10 we visited the Klembesamaki Secondary School (where the president of Zanzibar himself was a student!). The team really enjoyed a lengthy interaction with teachers and students. From there we were able to log a bit of beach time at the Blue Bay Resort; some of us even got to see a performance by Masai dancers. Our last day in Zanzibar included a tour of a spice plantation, and visit to the old slave market. We were kindly escorted to the port by Rotarians Pat and Claes, without whose help we would still be trying to get to our ferry back to Dar. Though, if you have to be stuck somewhere, Zanzibar is a great place for it!

April 18, 2006

After dancing the day away in Kampala on Monday, we reluctantly left our wonderful hosts for Jinja on Tuesday morning.  Jinja is a much quieter city in the west, and home to the source of the Nile.  We certainly fear less for our lives while driving around Jinja than we did in Kampala!  Right away, we visited Lords Meade Secondary School, which provides both academic and vocational education to its students.  The domestic sciences students prepared us a wonderful local lunch after touring the campus and visiting with students.  After lunch, the GSE team split up and visited three different secondary schools; two of us went to an all boys school, two to an all girls, and two to a mixed school.  This proved to be one of our favorite school visits, as we got to spend some concentrated time talking openly and honestly with students.  All of us were impressed with the frankness and maturity of the kids.  In the evening, after meeting our hosts, we went to our first Rotaract Meeting, followed by a delicious meal at a local Chinese Restaurant (that's right, a DELICIOUS Chinese meal in Uganda - who knew?!).  Everyone was happy to return to bed early to catch up on some much needed sleep.

April 19, 2006

On today's agenda are visits to Namasagali University and a primary school.  We are then looking forward to a boat ride on the Nile and a visit to its source!!!!  Tonight, we'll have some much-enjoyed fellowship and an evening with Rotarians.  Our time in Jinja speeds by too quickly!  Our hosts have already expressed that they wish they had more time with us.  We also learned last night that Jinja has been deemed the number one club in the district this year - what an honor to be hosted by them!!

April 23, 2006

The GSE team, after visiting several schools and rotary projects in Jinja was taken by Rotarian John Kirkwood of the Jinja club to see the source of the Nile by boat. Everyone was in extreme awe of both the beauty of the lake and the river.

Our time was so short there that everyone was sad to leave. We left on a sunny morning and got to see our hosts from Kampala one more night in the city of Entebbe. We flew off from Entebbe the morning of the 21st and arrived in Nairobi, Kenya.

We were immediately greeted by a crowd of warm Rotarians, especially by Gheeta, Kaushik, and Shero who spent a lunch updating us and then shipped us off with no complaints from us to the town of Naivasha in the Rift Valley.

We were transported to schools and projects by day by our driver Simon, who successfully navigated us through a flash flood. By night we were entertained by the incoming president of Naivasha, Mamud, whose hospitality is beyond measure. We sat in the early mornings on his deck and watched zebra, antelope and giraffes graze and play.

It was again time for us to reluctantly leave, and on he 23rd we said goodbye to Naivasha and came to the beautiful city of Nairobi.

April 27, 2006

Our six member team is nearing an end of our fantastic visit to Tanzania, Uganda, and Kenya. It will take us a while to process all that we have seen and experienced. We are all convinced that Rotarians in this part of the world are hard at work helping schools become better places to learn and stay healthy. They have been incredible hosts! Those of us who had to make clinic and hospital visits for diagnosis and medication are especially grateful for their assistance in time of need.

The last couple of days we have been "on safari" (at our own expense) so we have a wonderful feel for the efforts being spent to maintain national parks. The vastness of the serengeti is really impressive.

This evening we will talk at one more Rotary Club. Tomorrow we head back to the US. We will be anxious to tell all Rotarians in D5340 about our experiences. To hear the teachers, as well as myself, plan on a summer presentation while they are on vacation.