Experiences in the real Africa!

After working at the health center for a few weeks and training my boxing club, I needed a break from monastery life...I decided to go to Namanyere for a week to work at a large hospital. Namanyere is a 'town' in the middle of the bush, more like a village for us. It has a special charm, with very friendly people who have hardly ever seen Wazungus (white people) in their lives, brown orange dust roads, many small stores with products that are currently available, small restaurants with Kuku & Chipsy (chicken with fries), and of course, the African market in the middle!

Here I live with the 2 Italians whom I know from the weekends, together in our 'villa'! A very very (!!!) simple hut, where there was water for only 1 and a half days out of 5...it's similar with electricity! Unfortunately, the front door can no longer be locked. We provided for ourselves here, which means daily visits to the market, as well as doing laundry and cleaning the house were part of our everyday life. All of this is not so easy without water, so as soon as we had water, we filled all available plastic bottles and used them to shower, wash, rinse, and of course, for the toilet! A very African way of life. We cook in the kitchen on a gas stove, which mostly works...mostly vegetables with potatoes or when we're doing really well, fresh fish from the market!

Working in the hospital was incredibly interesting and eventful! I observed surgeries and assisted in cesarean sections after two days, passing instruments and caring for patients... I changed dressings on really bad wounds... The worst part is, knowing that this person will die in 2 weeks, but in Germany, they wouldn't have to! Like dying at the age of 20 from an infection....that's Africa! I also saw death...a 40-year-old man died in my friend's arms and I held his hand during that time, also a 'simple' infection disease and suddenly you're holding a lifeless hand in your hand!

But the next day I also brought a beautiful girl into the world! I helped with a birth and made the baby breathe/cry. An indescribably beautiful feeling. In that moment, you realize how insignificant everything else is, because in that moment, only this incredible miracle matters! In that week at the hospital, I had invaluable and beautiful, but also very serious experiences! A week I will never forget.

After that, the three of us set off and traveled across the country by bus, from west to east...a 4-day journey! 22 hours on the bus, additional hours in taxis or daladalas (the local 'bus'). It's tiring and long to travel this way, but you get to see the real Africa! You can get to know the people on your journey, see the landscape, the animals, and the entire country! You don't ride in air-conditioned taxis, but experience the real Tanzania! It's breathtaking! You buy food and drinks from the window and hope that the bus won't leave without you at every stop!

After our journey, we spent a week together in Zanzibar! White sandy beaches, sun, snorkeling....paradise!!! We are recovering from our simple life here and enjoying our short vacation, then the Italians will go back to Rome and I'll return to the bush! I plan to teach at a school for the next few weeks.

For now, I'm enjoying the water, electricity, and especially the food in Zanzibar...because in the bush, I'll have daily rice and beans waiting for me...but still, I'm very excited to go back to the real Africa.

On weekends, we went to poor villages and distributed Pipi (candy), soda, bread, and clothes... I will never forget the smile of a child receiving bread with jam from someone...indescribable how happy the children were!