Vacay with Mom & Dad

So...I posted new pictures from vacation with Mom & Dad in southern Africa. We spent a quality 3 weeks together and it was fantastic. I'm hoping the pictures will speak for themselves, as I stink at blog writing. It's just too much technology at once!!
<3 Am

I don't think I'll ever be a professional blogger...

I know I'm horrible at updating this silly thing, but I do make sure to update my pictures. I just never feel like using precious computer time to type up thoughts about my Peace Corps emotional roller coaster when I'm in Maseru... Just talk to me when I come home. In 6 months.

Anyway, LOOK AT MY PICASA PICTURES> I made a new album especially for pictures of Ryan & Krista's trip to visit me here in Lesotho and South AFrica!

Khotso,
<3 Am

BBC Story: In Lesotho

BBC AIDS diary, following the lives of seven Basotho affected by HIV for the next six months:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/7697831.stm

A blog that's actually updated would be nice, hey?

The latest and greatest:

After I set my alarm clock for 530am, then 630am and STILL NO ELECTION RESULTS on the BBC, I set it once more for 8am and that's when I officially found out that Mr. Obama will be our next president starting in January 2009!!! I was so excited that people in my village probably thought I was crazy. (As if they don't already...) Anyway, I had no idea how close the race was actually going to be, seeing as I don't have live 24-hour TV coverage and only very in-and-out BBC stations. All in all, I was proud to hear the results and proud of young, American voters. Well, proud of ALL voters actually. And thank goodness for BBC. (Just ask my Mom how much I refer to comments or book reviews or World HAve your Say talk shows that are featured on BBC. Yes, it's my only REGULAR source of news.)

On another note, the playground has begun. I bought half of the materials and decided to take on Miss Carpenter Professional role. So, I've rolled up my sleeves: cut a tire in half with both a handsaw and a hacksaw, cut mapalanka (2x4's) and hammered a few nails. So, check out what we came up with as our first playground piece. Balance boards. A bunch of new pics are posted my Picasa Web Album page, which I think there is a link for on this blog...somewhere. Anyhow, check them out and tell me what you think so far...

Also, does anyone have any information or suggestions for A) treating wood, B) covering logs with tar? before burying them underground (think swingset poles), C) using a hand drill, and D) what material besides Sand, Woodchips or Rubber that I could use as a shock absorber fior protection purposes underneath the equipment.

THANK YOU to ALL the DONORS!!! This wouldn't have been possible without you!

Stay in touch in whatever way possible (I still love snailmail the best). Or email, phone call, skype text, or FB.

Stay well "sala hantle"

<3>

Looking more like spring time every day...

So, I must say that I have read Casey's blog and she goes into much more detail than I do about our Moz trip. She does history and background and personal reflection. I didn't do that. I was (and maybe still am) on a vacation high and felt the need to recap every single moment of every single day while on vacay. But I tried to break it up with random pictures....???



Anyway, I am doing well. I am finished training trainees. Wow, they swear in next week already. Time really does fly here. I just finished another training workshop for myself. PSN = Peer Support Network. Which means I'm a good listener for others who need it. I've never had formal active listening training -- there's much more to it than I every thought. I could never be a psychologist or psychiatrist. Sometimes I can't seem to filter the sarcastic comments. ?? Don't know where that comes from.



So I'm headed back to site tomorrow. Hopefully the kids will all be back again. It's so weird and quiet without them. Oh so I FINALLY turned in the grant application for the playground. Hopefully things will move quicker versus slower. I already got two swings from my dad. He and mom mailed them with a bunch of Blowpops. Loved it all!! I realized i'm just not much of a grant-applying person. It's sort of an internal struggle, when considering the foundation and ideals of PEACE CORPS as a whole. So I kept putting it off and off and off...Anyhow, go to this website and search "Lesotho" or my name to see if anything's posted yet (I just assume my country director and D.C. will approve it...?):

https://www.peacecorps.gov/index.cfm?shell=resources.donors.contribute.donatenow&#


I'm also excited that Abigail has returned too. My partner in crime in Ha Makhata. If that's even possible in a village. Really though, I always feel more motivated when she's around.



It's official. The length of daylight is getting longer every day now in Lesotho. We have made it past the long day of darkness/middle of winter hump. Thank goodness. Don't get me wrong. Late at night and early in the morning the temperature is still NOT acceptable. But, the fact that springtime is coming means rainshowers and greener Lesotho. And wife beaters and sunscreen and my Keens sans wool socks. CAN YOU BELIEVE IT WILL OFFICIALLY BE ONE YEAR that I am a PCV in 2 weeks??!!!?? I can't. I can but I can't. It's the weirdest thing in the world. Well, the whole concept of time is different and that's what makes it so weird. Makes me scared to think about home and what I'll do when I return. Had a few people COS (finish) the same time I was in Moz. People I actually worked with and got kinda close to. There's no reality like saying goodbye to someone you may never see again in your life, but always have this bond that nobody else understands. Ahhhhh, I can tell already I'll be a sappy RPCV.



Okay, congratulations to everyone who has gotten engaged that I know. I feel like it's....mmm...ohh....50% of EVERYONE i'm friends with... Changes. 25-30 must be the ideal 'changes in your life' time. Ahhh you really wouldn't understand what I'm referring to unless you've ridden in a Lesotho taxi with that particular song blaring...Anyway, i'm happy for you all!



Love the fam and close friends! I think of you often.

Ryan&Krista&Mom&Dad: In 4-6 months, I'll be seeing you all.
John and Yoli and Blake - In March/April??? We'll talk and figure it out, John.

<3 Am

Mozambique Vacay

Maybe-not-so-brief synopsis of Lesotho 2007 Permaculture crew’s vacation to Mozambique:

July 16: Maseru Bridge Border crossing Detainment! Thank goodness for Ted, Rich and Lereko. Pam is, wait WAS, an illegal foreigner in South Africa. R1500 charge. Rich was TOO NICE and drove us to Bloem. Drove (well i RODE) all the way to Nelspruit, amid all the construction stops on the back way, when Casey freaked out KJ with children of the corn scares every time. OH and by the way, ROCKS are equivalent to orange construction cones in Africa. Just BTW. 2 twin beds in a small room with an open shower + 6'0 girl with 5'1" girl spooning in same bed + hotel man calling at 1am (me being unable to produce a LIE) and saying he'd "carry this burden" = very laughable situation!

July 17: From Nelspruit, we drove to the Mozambique border. On the way, Pam spotted a giraffe, so we got out and took pictures for FREE!!! We met Jose, who helped us across the border, although when he used the word 'baby', we were highly skeptical. We got to Maputo after a few wrong turns, found NO working Standard Banks and then made our way on the long drive to Tofo. Viv (the name of our rental car) found a great parking spot deep in the sand just inside the back entrance at Fatima's Nest (which by the way was the only reservation we actually kept -- well 75% -- the entire trip) in the middle of the camping area. She stayed there for the night. After that, we had dinner and much-needed wine.

July 18: Tofo Beach, swimming in the Indian Ocean, walked into town to check out the food and craft market, Dinner at Fatima's, wine by Fire, no s'mores =( So, what exactly is the difference between "now now", "right now" and "now"?

July 19: Tofo Walked to Tofinho (break point) beach early in morning. Saw weird blue sea creature washed up on shore with transparent wing/fin -- some kind of jellyfish?; Amazed by the blowholes on the reef. Had 5 guard dogs on beach all day long. "Chunky TrampStamp" We saw a Ring of Fire and then Pam, KJ and I tried to push Viv up the main entrance (deep sand) to Turtle Cove along with small children and a woman with baby on back, but no cigar! We had to find the back way. Dinner - the OH SO GOOD King Mackerel! Within 5 minutes, we all started wondering how we could switch backpacker places that VERY NIGHT!! (And of course we could have made that happen because as American we are * EFFICIENT!) These are all the things that wooed us: Party Size Family Room, Mint Chocolate Dessert, Pancakes as dessert, little (maybe deaf) weiner dog and old dog on dog bed, hammocks and chill feel to the place. Later: Missing Tooth Construction Guy who was adamant that "Darby" ? is a U.S. state and his big WhiSTLE WHISTLE drunk old man friend that fell off the bench and then kept calling me Santa Maria. (?) Can't forget the piece of door lock on our little bungalow that ended up causing me and KJ to head butt just once.

July 20: Tofo Relocated to the Family Room in Turtle Cove; Drove to Inhambane town for Chelete (money in Sesotho) there are pin numbers for VISA cards???!!! Real coffee at the Surf Rental place; the four of us plus KJ's surfboard inside Viv (VW CitiGolf) = interesting sight; Chilled on beach; Yellowy toxic-looking foam at high tide, but I wasn't too alarmed because I've been exposed to brown toxicity my whole life on Sagnasty River; yummy pasta dinner with wine; WE NEEDED marshmallows but could find them NOWHERE!!

July 21: Tofo OBRIGADA = female Thank you in Portuguese by the way. Long walk (9 miles?) to a really cheap lighthouse in Barra. Yummy schwarmas for lunch at Dino's. Quick swim/bath(?) at high tide; Bartered for custom-made wooden fish at craft market; Barracuda kabobs + Drostdy-Hof wine == Mmmmmmmmm

July 22: TofoàVilankulo Driving/Riding + potholes galore + 2 flat tires + speeding ticket (flats & ticket happened in same sixty minutes) + man named Usted taking us to town to fix tires (tube and patch) to not get ripped off; Bought Much needed man cans of Beer in Bulk; Dolphin Dhow; Bedbugs?; Euchre; Lecture from Junior to Casey about NO FLUSH T.P.!

July 23: Vilankulo Snorkel trip to Magaruque Island in the Bazaruto Archipelago with three South African men, MeTu and other Mozambiquan. (Bartrem, MeTu is jailbait!) Wonderful lunch of grilled Barracuda, crabs, fresh fruit, salad. Saw a mini octopus(?), eel, pretty angelfish; Started out battling the current, then completely calm on Round #2. One Really low HAHAHA laugh started us all on a laughing spiff, which caused Pam to choke on snorkel and saltwater and just the sight of me smiling in my mask (pushing my cheeks and lips funny) caused Casey to nonstop laugh and almost choke!!! Checked out seine-fishing and put up sail and shut off engine on way home; had braai dinner with RSA men. Malawi snake eyes talk.

July 24: VilankuloàTofo Long, bumpy drive, but Viv handled better (Pam drove). Wheel started to shake A LOT after 90 kmh though. ?? Crossed the Tropic of Capricorn. Took dirt road shortcut. Nick let us Move into three person room at TC for VERY CHEAP RATE. Two lunches = Dino’s + bunny chow + donut + samoas. Manica ManCans and being buttholes playing Euchre. Good reminiscing with Bartrem. HAHA

July 25: Tofo Last day in Tofo. Watched blowholes, surfers, dolphins, KJ fall in hole in reef; Nick apology (ManCans); Last delectable dinner at TurtleCove; dancing at Bamboozi after live Spanish singer music (Turtle Cove took over!); Accidentally encouraged boy to talk to me while making faces at Casey when she was being hit on by ganja/dread man; Pierre doesn’t discriminate, except with women’s smells; Pam forgot to put in gear, so pushing car with other helpers completely unnecessary!; hitching in back of truck because dogs had front seats for ride home – barely avoided tree trunk collisions; Tipo Tinto too much??!!

July 26: TofoàMaputo First thing in morning: Almost ran over Pam’s foot & broke car door off, Casey oblivious to it all!!; my puking on side of road; all four of us peeing on roadside; waiting 2 hours to check in at Maputo backpackers; Ugly Fatima dogs; Floating buttcrack & BobMarley paintings while eating fresh Stonefish dinner!!; Hot Mosa man; Paying 100 Mtc to fake? cop for doing illegal U-turn; showering under strobe lights in flooded WaterCloset; Viv’s endless car alarm sounds.

July 27: MaputoàNelspruitàJoburg Being blocked in front of driveway for one hour, waking everyone up at 6am, hating orange Kia owners, moving under Chach’s bad English/Portuguese macho directions; “We are all strong. We just pick up the car and move it over. Maximum!” Took five minutes to do Entire Border crossing (May have failed to notice the MoAgric sign though); Flat tire #3; Pam & Casey should be employed by Nascar and have overalls and earmuffs they move so fast! Got lost with all the “robot” directions. Blinker stopped bwinking. Rental Car #2 (Sylvester) at airport from really nice agency lady. Made American “efficient” timing while shopping at Nelspruit mall. Took scenic route (near “Vaterfall”) because horrific accident. Got lost outside Joburg looking for Gladiator street near ABSA?? Wonderful dorms, but OH SO COLD compared to Moz!! Casey did amazing driving IN Joburg because of backpacker owner’s amazing highway directions; Smog near Soweto! McDonald’s lunch and breaking car key before returning Sylvester and being undercharged?; One Hitch all the way to Lesotho border – all four of us got picked up within 20 minutes!

I must have gotten half of a dozen concussions throughout the whole trip – I hit my head on things THAT much!! Coming soon: “12 days of Moz” song


……And we’re all still laughing about everything...and like each other!! HA I love Peace Corps!!!

<3>

Hmmm...10 Facts to Ponder...

The World Health Organization recently issued a list of 10 facts about the global health workforce, tocoincide with the First Global Forum on Human Resources for Health, held this month, 2-7 March, inKampala, Uganda.

What do you think of these facts? What would you change or add to these facts?

Here are the 10 Facts:

Fact 1 - Health workers work
Health workers are people whose main activities enhance health. They include health care providers and people who manage and support delivery systems. Worldwide, there are 59.8 million health workers. Without them, prevention and treatment of disease and advances in health care would not reach those in need.

Fact 2 - Shortage of health workers
In 2006, WHO stated that a country with less than 2.3 doctors, nurses and midwives per 100 000 people is undergoing a critical health worker shortage. This is the case in 57 countries (36 of which are in sub-Saharan Africa).

Fact 3 - One million health workers missing in Africa
The global health worker shortfall is over 4.2 million, with 1 million health workers needed for Africa alone.

Fact 4 - Sub-Saharan Africa has 25% of the global disease burden
Sub-Saharan Africa faces the greatest challenges. It has 11% of the world's population and carries 25% of the global disease burden. Yet the region has only 3% of the global health workforce and accounts for less than 1% of health expenditures worldwide.

Fact 5 - Americas have 10% of the global disease burden
In comparison, North America and South America, which together have 14% of the world's population but only 10% of the global disease burden, employ 37% of the global health workforce and are responsible for over 50% of the global health expenditure.

Fact 6 - Pandemics
Many factors have led to the health workforce crisis, including growing economic disparities between countries and upsurges in new and old pandemics. Such pandemics pose special challenges to workers; for example, HIV/AIDS is a 'triple threat' to health workers, causing far bigger workloads, psychological stress, and the daily risk of HIV infection.

Fact 7 - Innovative trainings
Training a nurse takes at least three years; training a doctor can take more than six. If action to expand the health workforce is taken now, effects will only begin to be felt years later. Innovative methods (distance learning, task shifting or community health worker programmes) can shorten this delay effect, but there is no "quick fix" to this problem.

Fact 8 - Migration
Health worker migration is increasing due to disparities in working conditions, wages and career opportunities. One in four doctors and one in 20 nurses trained in Africa later migrate to work in more developed countries. In Africa and some Asian countries, a public sector physician's monthly wage can be less than US$ 100; in higher resource countries, monthly salaries can exceed US$ 14 000.

Fact 9 - Funding
WHO estimates that a rapid health workforce scale-up by 2015 would cost US$ 447 million on average per country per year. WHO advocates for 25% of the US$ 12 billion (2004 figure) devoted to international health aid to be spent on the health workforce.

Fact 10 - Global Health Workforce Alliance
The health workforce issue crosses many sectors – no single entity can successfully address it on its own. The Global Health Workforce Alliance has brought together a coalition of health leaders, civil society and workers to explore solutions to this crisis at the first Global Forum on Human Resources for Health in Kampala, Uganda in March 2008.