I’m not sure why it always happens… but another coincidental meeting on my flight from Amsterdam to Kilimanjaro magically involved me sitting next to a pediatrician at the largest hospital in Dar es Salaam. I have her phone number and e-mail and am going to tour around the pediatric part of the hospital when I take a trip down to Dar :D  We were talking the whole time about the lack of equipment and everything and it was good to connect.  Travelling went real smoothly, no lost bags, no delayed flights, and my ride, Mic and Daniel, arrived at the airport about 10 minutes after I got my visa and bags! Thus my journey begins as I try to remember everyone involved in GCS and Twende. We arrived at the house around 9:30 and it's really nice :) I have my own room with a bathroom and shower attached and I have a big bed (with a mosquito net of course!). I am living with Daniel and Mohammed who both work for Global Cycle Solutions and Jodie will soon be in the house as well when she gets back from a conference in the U.S. 

When I woke up this morning I realized there are ndizi (bananas) growing in my back yard! It's like a mini jungle looking out my window which is nice. Today was pretty uneventful, just got a tour of the workshop, the current projects everyone is working on, and the new workshop GCS and Twende built together which still doesn't have electricity. I am excited to start working on their projects :) I also went into town with Daniel to get my own internet and phone set up! It is quite nice when someone knows Swahili and can have any type of conversation. I can at least get by ordering food, making gestures, doing greetings, and doing some bargaining, but I have a pretty limited vocabulary, that's for sure. I am getting much better at picking up what's going on in conversations and am going to try my best to improve it as much as possible. I forgot about the dogs on the street until arriving and having a dog in our house! At least they are all either friendly or don't approach you. I think Mandazi (doughnut) is cuter than most :) but they all kind of tend to look the same. When we got back from town, I was still super tired so I ended up taking a nap... which lasted almost 4 hours! I woke up to find that dinner was ready- Daniel made rice, a chic pea Indian dish, and a "yogurt" cucumber dressing. Unfortunately, yogurt is liquidy here, so I think I'll be missing my Greek yogurt soon. Instead, I'll be enjoying daily chapati and the amazing peanut butter they have! I'm hoping to get over to Faraja soon, once I find its exact location, and visit my host mama and Mt. Meru Hospital! I am excited to get settled in and working on everything :D :D
Here are some pictures I took today- it was kind of rainy so I didn't take too many! I had to get a limited internet package because they don't offer unlimited anymore, so I probably won't post too many pictures

Well, it's been packing madness and I'm glad I can pack no longer. My flight is out of JFK tomorrow, which is convenient and much cheaper than flying out of Buffalo since I can stay at Webb! I am beyond excited to get going, but definitely a little nervous! I know the people I'm working with are going to be awesome -- there's just a certain mystery with heading over not knowing what the house I'm staying in will be like, or how I'm going to organize my time!

I loved being at home and wish I had a little bit longer to spend more time with everyone, but at least  I'll be back for a bit in August! I am always so glad when I get to meet up with people I haven't seen in forever and turns out, since I'm never home, that's a lot! Squeezing everyone into my tight schedule never completely works, but I managed to get quite a few visits in. 
Walks in the park, eating at my favorite restaurants, bowling, and visiting the botanical gardens in Buffalo were all a lot of fun.
 












I always forget how nice it is driving with my windows down and the smell of fresh cut grass in the air-- something that doesn't occur too often in New Orleans. It is always so comfortable coming back home, knowing everything will be the same. Along with visiting and hanging out, I was able to do some crafting. Making use of my mom's sewing machine, I made a few headbands to wear in Tanzania and a quillow (quilt and a pillow in one!) to bring to the family I stayed with last year. My 13 year old host brother loves soccer and I found a bunch of silly printed fleece material so I figured why not :). I used the one I made in 5th grade as a rough guide and just went for it. It turned out pretty well! I think I'll have to make some more for friends when I get back. I was really surprised with a few last minute donations for my trip before I left! Especially a group of Pioneer students who decided to dedicate the proceeds to their government service project to my Faraja efforts- thank you guys!!!   

Right now I am picking out some photos to take over to Tanzania to be able to show what my life back in the U.S. is like. I'm also printing some of my favorites from last year's trip to give to my host mama when I go visit her! I am extremely excited that I actually know people this time, and it's going to be crazy visiting Mt. Meru Hospital again. The bili lights Soren and I built last year should hopefully (fingers crossed) be there still and it'd be so nice if they were still using it! Soren and I might have gone wrong with making it look "too good" due to the fact one of the nurses said can we make another to have a lighted bench in her house!

Not sure when I'll get my phone and internet figured out, but I will be sure to check back as soon as I can and post about my first few days in Tanzania! :)

and I couldn't be more excited!! All of my preparations for this trip are finally coming to a close and getting to the point where there's just one thing left to do -- Go! It is hard to believe that 7 months ago I had the idea to e-mail Twende and inquire if they'd have any need or room for me in the summer. Here I am now, with my plans set and two more organizations to work with! I am so lucky that Tulane and Newcomb were able to sponsor my trip and that all of my non-stop grant and scholarship writing this semester came through.

My fundraising extra for Faraja went a little less smooth than planned, but it only makes me more determined to make all my goals when I get back! Thanks to family and friends, I've got a good start with a little less than $600, and it will only continue to grow! The biomedical engineering department has made a separate account for me to fundraise in to make sure I keep track of all of my donations dedicated to the cookbook project for Faraja. I think it will be even better fundraising upon my return because I'll have seen everything and know exactly what's happening and what's needed. It is so hard in today's economy to fundraise, but with the right ideas and motivation, it definitely still works! I think the cookbook is going to be a great hit and am excited to see what I can come up with and the things I'll learn.  

 After taking it all in, I am really excited and nervous to see what it will be like going over by myself, with no coordinator or student group making sure I'm settled in and have my assigned tasks. I hope I can make a video while I'm there to really show everything and what it is like being there.I'm hoping my camera holds out! There's nothing I hate more with my little point and shoots than the "lens error" sign of death in a camera, and mine has done that a few times... so just hoping it can last at least until the end of the summer!

What I'm most excited about is being able to meet and work with the amazing people I've been e-mailing back and forth this entire time. I cannot wait to see how their organizations are run and what all I can do to help. This will be the longest time I've been away from the U.S. and I think it's going to be one of the best experiences I'll have, learning new things throughout the entire trip. 

For right now, I've been enduring a seemingly never-ending packing process. I ordered a few things on amazon prior to leaving school including flashlights, a filter water bottle, adapters, binders, and books. I made sure I'd make it into my doctor's office right when I got home to get my anti-malarial meds and it has been proven difficult yet again to beat the tricky insurance policies of only allowing a month supply to be covered at a time. For some reason they don't have any exceptions for "extended vacations" past two months. I am going shopping tomorrow in hopes to find a nice, lightweight sleeping bag and a set of tools to bring over. You never know when a soldering iron, screw driver, or hammer will come in handy in Tanzania (and don't forget epoxy, duct tape, and chocolate!). I'm sure I'll be going crazy with last minute details as this week comes to a close. I couldn

The end of school was... the end of school: hectic, filled with packing and wrapping everything up for the semester. A's and Aces was a little rough  because the school I work at was always having breaks. Their schedule also changed so I didn't get them until 4:30 which involves getting home around 6:30-7:00 p.m. if you stay for after school programming. Obviously, this made attendance  an issue. Regardless, I had my ups and downs with my class. They never cease to surprise me with new slang terms and bad behavior, but I know how much they appreciate that I'm there so I can't help but love being one of their teachers. 

Because of A's and Aces, I've seen what it's really like in New Orleans public schools, and how forgotten these kids are in our society. Detentions non-stop, parents that don't care, thinking lil' Wayne lyrics are okay to sing as a 10 year old, it all adds up to make kids who are somehow fearless of consequences and an inability to see how important it is to get an education. 

I have learned so much about myself and teaching through my work with A's and Aces and it has made me realize how under appreciated teachers are. With the hour and a half I'm there, I am completely drained by the end and can only hold on to the small hope that they might've learned something that day. I think the most redeeming part is when they write in their journals about the things they like about A's and Aces and their coaches. They all complain if they don't get picked to go outside first, but they secretly love the activities I do with them inside so after the first 2 minutes of complaining, they're usually happy as can be.  I have been working to consolidate all of the fun activities and projects I've come up with so that when I have to leave, someone else can use my ideas and make them even better. With only one year left at Tulane, I want to help out as much as possible. My bosses are incredible and work  so hard to make A's and Aces succeed and grow, I am excited to see where it will be in a few years!

Packing was terrible (as usual) and thank goodness I have awesome friends to help me! It is crazy how much stuff accumulates throughout the year and packing took a solid two days to finish. It was such a relief when I was finally heading out of NOLA. 

Next year, I'm finally moving off campus! Aubrey and I got pretty lucky finding a place after looking at, what seemed like, a hundred downers. It's not too close, but not too far from campus with a washer and dryer, and a free parking space --  no complaints here! Even with buying furniture, electricity and paying rent for a year, it will be cheaper than living on campus. I am really excited to have a nice little place to relax at! 

I was able to go garage sale shopping twice before leaving to get some things for the apartment next year, thanks Megan! I look forward to continue my bargain streak when I return in the Fall :) It was super convenient that the girls we're taking the apartment over for wanted to leave the majority of their stuff and sell it to us. That certainly took the pressure off when I knew I'd be leaving school way before we could move in! I am really lucky that Aubs can help move us in before she heads over for an internship in Oregon and then I can finish it before she gets back from Alaska in August! 

My drive back to NY was thankfully problem free and I love that I get to visit my sister (and hopefully brother on the way back) when I road trip home. We did our typical things - eating out, watching tv, sleeping in and playing with the kids and her new kittens!  It was a much needed break/down time after the hectic move out. I decided to take a detour on my second leg of the trip to see Ash-girl once more and was glad that Jenna could make it too :) I love that throughout college, I have met so many wonderful people! Hopefully after graduation, I can visit Ash in Zimbabwe and see her in her real element! I've heard way too many stories to not go and see what it's like. I'm guessing a future project will be heading to Zimbabwe  ;). 

I know that this week at home is going to be gone in the blink of an eye, but I'm excited to see friends and family <3

 

After booking my flight early (in January!) to visit Colin for his 21st birthday and Easter, I was glad to finally make it over to Webb for a little break from school. The weather was perfect and we spent a lot of time outside on the Long Island Sound, in Welwyn Nature Preserve and playing croquet during Easter dinner (thank you Zangle family for hosting such a wonderful dinner!)  Of course, I've been trying to practice taking pictures of food, but it's not really hard to make the meals we had look appetizing. I am so excited to start cooking in Tanzania! 

On April 16th I received a surprise e-mail from Hannah Brencher in response to the love letter bundle my friends and I sent out (check out my last post to see them)! It is really rewarding receiving such a great  reaction from Mark, and I know I will definitely be sending out more love letters soon! Thank you again to my letter writing helpers: Kelly, Anne, Yoni, and Aubrey :) If you have spare time and want to spread some love, check out www.moreloveletters.com . I'm definitely going to send some while I'm in Tanzania!

Angela-
Just received the following testimony from Nina, the young woman who requested the love letters for Mark! Please send on! He sent the following to her:
"I got a package today from The World Needs More Love Letters from Nina toMark. They were amazing!!! I read every letter and card twice and they truly brought tears to my eyes. I was sitting reading and crying all choked up and could not believe you and others took the time to think of me this way. I always knew you were truly special since the first time I met you and Danielle and I believe you are truly an angel sent from heaven. I cannot begin to tell you how much this meant to me and I was truly touched. I cannot thank you enough, I will see you very soon and look forward to it!
My eternal thanks, Mark" 

Due to such a chaotic semester with school, homework, regular work, and research, I didn't have too much time for volunteering.  Writing the letters was a nice, relaxing way to spend  time spreading some cheer! Luckily, at the very end of the semester, I could finally go to Project Grandpeople one last time for an afternoon with the residence in Audubon park! Since I coach 8 and under tennis on Saturdays, I haven't been able to play bingo at the nursing home, so it was awesome to be able to enjoy a sunny day outside. The residence had such a great time since they barely ever get to leave the facility. Michelle and Mai did a great job planning the event, hats, flowers and all :)!

Then there's classes. A little rough this semester, but for different reasons. I'm not the biggest  fan of vague classes where I never really understand the point. Unfortunately, I had a few of those this semester which makes for an unmotivated Angela. Of course, I had to just get them done and over with and that's exactly what happened. I at least got to make my own version of etch-a-sketch via labview, an accelerometer, a plastic plate, and a mydaq. I wish I would've taken a picture of the whole contraption. It seemed like a suitable final project for my last class with Dr. Walker. I learned a lot about doing research in Dr. Shevkoplyas' lab this semester and am so glad one of his graduate students, Omid, has been helping me get everything together. I don't think many people realize the time and thought that has to be put into science, or at least I think so. I think it's great that I'm involved with a project that actually involves complex equations and problem solving rather than growing cells, but it definitely makes it more frustrating. It has just been really hard not getting too overwhelmed reading theoretical calculations and trying to weed out the right papers to work off of. I think I am ready to really start making big progress on it when I get back though, because I feel like I know what I'm doing a lot more now. 

It is crazy that this is already my 6th semester almost over at Tulane, and the real world is approaching at a rapid pace!