went to KCMC

We all went to KCMC for a few hours today to check things out. We began our tour in a meeting with the provost of the facility. We got alot of back round on the hospital and many schools they offer on the property. It is trully a wonderful facility. It is bigger than most of our hospitals back in the states. It does host a medical school, phisiotherapy school, and a regular university. So, that all accounts for the tremendous size of the facility. The new wing of the university is trully spectacular. We got to pop our heads into one lecture hall for a few seconds. All students are doing exams, so we were not able to check out the whole school. I was interested to find that their lecture halls are much like the lecture halls back home. With stadium style seating that ascends down towards the professor in the front. Even noticed a few students with their laptops.

We left the hospital to head to lunch in town. Moshi is such a wonderful town. It is the cleanest town I have been to in Africa. They employ people to collect the garbage that is thrown on the streets. I even noticed woman last year walking the streets with brooms. It is amazing to see a country that cares about its cities. Most people in Africa, including tanzania have to put their trash in a pile and burn it. It is trully an awful smell. It is mostly due to the burning of plastic. It is so toxic, but the people have to do whatever it takes to get the trash away from their surroundings. It makes me wonder if there is something I can do in the future to controll the trash issues. Cities would be so beautiful if more people and the government would take pride in their surroundings. Here in Tanzania the cities tend to be clean. You still see trash, but it is not a big problem like you see in Kenya.

The trash issue is something that was addressed between the Browns and Patrick at the school. The students and faculty keep the school clean, as well as, the surroundings. There is one issue thou. Behind the kitchen and the new building for the pre school kids is a small creek. It is littered with the trash of the surrounding communities. There is a little cliff that holds many make shift homes just above the school. You will see the locals throwing their trash off the side of the cliff. All this trash ends up in the creek and all over the banks which run behind the school. So you will go from a nice manacured area to a smelly trash dump. The Browns will be paying for the trash to be removed, so we can keep the diseases that it creates away from the children. It has been cleaned before in the past, but it only takes a short matter of time before it becomes a problem again. I hear the older students might be employed to clean the area up. Maybe it can become a part time job for some of the students in great need. We just need to make sure that they are wearing gloves, as well as, have the proper education to avoid the bacteria. It is so awful to drive around many of the cities here and see the people living with the trash all around them. The people have become so desensitized by the sight of trash. Most Americans would be repulsed, but our country has created such a great environment for us to survive in. That is what makes Africans true survivors. They have no choice but to live with these conditions. It makes you wonder, if they were complainers like we Americans. Would things get done? Or would it just create more stress in their lives worrying about everything that goes on around them. That is why I keep telling people that there is so much we can learn from Africans. I know the United States would be a better place if we could send everyone to Africa for a few weeks. Than they will begin to realize how much of a bubble we live in. How we are protected from so many things. I will admit, it makes me begin to resent many of my fellow americans. But I do realize, that many Americans have never had the opportunities to see parts of our world. Also, that they never will see parts of our world. Education and travel is such a vital part of our world. Education is power. I wish I would of realized some of these things as a young man. I was just trying to have a good time. But what American is not.

I don't have alot to report on today. We hit the internet cafe really early today. So our day has hardly begun. I did want to say for any of those who went to Heritage with me. Or to those who are awesome at grammar. I know my blogs are a night mare for you to read on the grammar and spelling. Sorry!!!! I can not afford to bring an editor with me to look over my work. Laurie Pinkert, I need you!!! I really want to put up some photos for everyone to see, but if I did that I would have to pay for another hour of internet time just to post a couple. I trully hope that I can get some up when I get back to Kenya. The internet situation last year was alot better than this year. It took a while, but at least everywhere I stayed had internet.

Anni! You can use whatever you need from the blogs. Also sorry about the grammar and such. If you use any of these writings for valley of hope, say Wayne Brown proof checked it. I got to keep up my image. Tell Kate that the mount kiliminjaro was so amazing yesterday just before the sun set. We got a chance to see a little bit of it last year, but the whole mountain was exposed for an hour or more yesterday. I wanted to take a picture, but it was a little too dark outside to really get anything to come out.

till tomorrow, wazoongu out!