Suppertime Photoshoot

I love this picture of Noreen and me. Isn't she beautiful? Her little smile is so cute!

Maria just looked so cute in this little hat! I made her stop eating so I could snap a picture! She loved the attention.

Yasini loves kissing! I told him to "busu" Salima, thinking he would kiss her cheek, but no! He went straight for the lips!

Another Roommate

My newest apartment mate arrived this evening. We now have 7 of us living here, which is full! All the rooms have 2 beds except mine, since I'm the long-termer. Four of my apartment mates came together and are here until around Thanksgiving. The newest one is here until December. The other one is a Tanzanian who was only here for a week and a half, and will leave on Wednesday.

I really enjoy living with these ladies. We are all here to help these babies, and we act as an encouragement to each other.

Neema was so excited to hold baby Rebecca!

Solo Market Trip & the Game Lodge

It's a quarter to one in the morning and I can't sleep, so I'm blogging! :)

I went to the Tengeru market for fresh produce. I had to ride the dala-dala, which is a mini bus. I would describe it as a mini-van sized automobile with about 16 seats but at least 20 passengers! People just cram into these things. It costs $200 TSH, which is about 15 or 20 cents. The dala-dalas are the easiest place to get pickpocketed, because you're crammed into a tight space with a bunch of people. I was very careful in placing my money inside my clothing and did not have anything stolen.

The locals are very helpful. People constantly pointed me in the right direction, especially if I asked, and sometimes even if I didn't! Everyone I came in contact with was eager to help me learn Swahili, and I enjoyed practicing. I think my progress isn't very fast, but two separate people complimented me on learning it so quickly, so maybe I'm not doing half bad!

I like the market very much. The locals sit on blankets with their produce in little piles (they sell by the pile). As I walked by each person would call out, "Mzungu! Karibu! Njoo!" which means, "White person! Welcome! Come see what I have! Come!" After buying my produce for the week, I purchased a few meters of a pretty fabric. I'm going to have it made into a dress. I can't wait!

On Sabbath Davona and I took 4 of the toddlers to the nearby game reserve. The kids hadn't been in a car since at least before they came to Cradle of Love, and they were terrified! It was so sad, and so hard to explain to them that they would be just fine! I sat in the back and had all 4 clinging to me, tears rolling down their cheeks. Once we got to the game reserve (it's only a 5 or 7 minute drive), the kids happily watched monkeys, porcupines (they are HUGE!), tortoises, a hawk, crested cranes, a crocodile, zebras (we got within 10 ft. of them!), a beautiful stork, an ibis, peacocks, and two different species of wildebeast-looking things (they weren't wildebeasts, but I don't know what they were). I really enjoyed the game reserve, and I know the kids did, too! Salima and Neema kept saying, "Zebra!"

A Sad Day

Today I had my first glimpse of the sorrow that is connected with the babies at Cradle of Love. Davona and I drove into Usa River to review the results of 3 babies' HIV tests. All 3 tested positive. I asked Davona what this meant for the children, and this is what I learned:
-Even with medication, they will probably not live to see age 15
-There is little to no chance of their adoption with a positive test result. Most Tanzanians don't want HIV positive babies, and the few foreigners who would accept them regardless cannot get around all the red tape required to get the children into the U.S.
We drove back to Cradle of Love in silence, after Davona called one baby's prospective adoptive mother (an American) and told her the sad news. The woman burst into tears.
These babies have their future decided for them. It's not fair, and it's so painful to watch.

On a brighter note, the kids at Cradle of Love are happy. For now, they do not know what HIV is or if they have it. Today was the first time I had a sad thought since arriving. Downstairs in the baby home it is all joy. The children are well-adjusted and happy, and they know that they are loved.

A Sick Day

Unfortunately I contracted a very sore throat yesterday afternoon which worsened throughout the evening. I had a rough time sleeping last night, and woke up feeling a bit sickly. I went downstairs to feed the babies breakfast but came back upstairs to rest for most of the morning, expecting to return to feed them lunch at noon. Instead I slept until 2pm! I likely would have slept longer, except that one of my roommates woke me up to ask if I needed any soup made, concerned that she had not seen me all day. She is a very sweet Tanzanian lady (in her late twenties I suspect) who is here for a couple weeks on vacation from work.

I rested all day, venturing from my room once to make myself some soup. I read and slept and ate throat lozenges by the dozen. I finished my book, Pride & Prejudice by Jane Austen, just now and realized that my sore throat is nearly gone! My achiness is also much improved. I am feeling so much better, and excited to return to my precious babies tomorrow!

Thank you to all of you for your prayers!

First Round of Pictures

This first picture is Agatha, with Neema in the background. Her teeth look like little rabbit teeth--it's so cute!

The second picture is Hope, who is just a constant bundle of joy! She absolutely loves it when I lay on my back and lift her in the air above me, airplane style.

It's Raining!

I woke up this morning to rain. It's drizzling much like it does in Oregon, and it's pretty cool (maybe in the 50s?). I feel very much at home, and I'm happy!

Links to Pictures

I can't upload any of my own pictures yet, but here are some neat links that might interest you:

A pic of what the people/scenery look like:

http://developmentalidealism.org/img/africa/4f.jpg



Pics of the kind of monkeys we have in our backyard--the ones that came in my apartment!

http://www.enkosiniecoexperience.com/images/Vervet%20Monkey%20Sanctuary/vervet4-small.jpg

http://www.hickerphoto.com/data/media/40/vervet-monkey-pictures_572.jpg

Children in Africa

First, I must comment on the fact that I just had to shoo 2 monkeys out of my apartment! They climbed up the stairs and walked right in! I glanced up from what I was reading and saw them, but it took me a second to process that there were monkeys in my apartment!

All the children here seem to want attention. Not in a bratty or needy way, just in an innocent, simple way. It's so endearing. As we drive along the road (the one paved road in Usa River), children stare and wave. Reciprocating a wave or a smile just makes their little faces light up! Yesterday when we arrived at church we plopped down on the grass and this little girl, maybe about 3, came over and pressed herself right up against my side. She didn't move the whole service, or say anything. She just wanted to be as close to me as possible! When her mom took her away at the end of church, the poor girl screamed and cried. The children here at the orphanage are similar. Each of the babies/toddlers has its own personality, naturally, but many of them just want to be held. One girl sat on my lap for nearly an hour today. If I put her down she would cry, and if I walked away she would just bawl (even if it was just to help another child who had fallen, or take rocks out of a kid's mouth...the kids are constantly sticking rocks in their mouths. I don't get it). She had to be the center of my attention every second. If I picked up another child, she would cry. I happen to know that this girl was abandoned by her mother, and it was so sad to see her so clingy.

It is nice to know that I'm making a difference simply by loving these children. I have plenty of love to give!

Market!

I love the market! Max and Davona took me there today. For approximately $3 USD, I bought a small watermelon, 3 lg. tomatoes, green beans, nearly a dozen small oranges, 4 small peppers, a kilo (about 2.2 lb) of brown beans, about 8 small potatoes, half a dozen good-sized carrots, and 4 small onions. Fresh food is cheap! The first thing I bought was tomatoes. Max asked how much a pile of 3 was, and the lady responded $200 TSH, which is 15 cents! I was taken aback, and very excited that I'll be able to eat inexpensively! Packaged goods really rack up the bill, though.

I'm very excited about cooking from scratch! I have all those veggies, rice, and flour, plus a bunch of spices my mom sent over with me. This will be an adventure!

I Have Arrived!

I am finally here in Tanzania! I had a wonderful trip with even a few surprising blessings! Due to an overnight layover, I was supposed to sleep alone in a hotel room in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Naturally I was nervous about this, especially since I don't know the language and have no way of contacting anyone should I need assistance. Well, the plane I was on from Washington, D.C. to Addis Ababa stops in Rome to refuel (it is a looooong flight!). When we landed in Rome, I noticed that a young man about 5 seats away looked an awful lot like a student at Walla Walla University. I approached him and he recognized me. How amazing to coincidentally have a flight with another WWU student! And he informed me that 2 more WWU students were sitting farther forward in the plane! The 3 were headed to Ethiopia as student missionaries, and invited me to spend the night with them instead of alone. I am so glad they did! I felt much safer, and much happier with companionship.

I have been at Cradle of Love for almost 24 hours. I like it very much! The babies are absolutely adorable, and the staff are very friendly and welcoming. We even have monkeys in our yard! I saw 2 of them just now as I walked back to the orphanage from the director's home.

I went to church this morning (it's Sabbath for me, since I'm 10 hours ahead of the West Coast) and had the pleasure of meeting some other foreigners. I have heard that there are 2 student missionaries from Andrews University working in the area. I would very much like to meet them soon!

Tomorrow Max & Davona Church (Max=ADRA Tanzania Director; Davona=Cradle of Love Director) are going to take me to Usa River (walking distance) to the market so I can buy fresh vegetables. Yesterday I bought bread, peanut butter, and eggs at the local shop, which is really just a hut with a few necessities.

How to Contact Me!

Ways to contact me:
-Post comments on this blog (I believe you have to have an account to do this)
-E-mail me! kathryn.currier@wallawalla.edu
-Write me letters! I absolutely love receiving letters, though I admit that I am not the best at returning the correspondence promptly (though I do enjoy writing!). Maybe this year I'll focus on being more consistent and prompt in returning letters! I must warn, though, not to send packages. I will be charged to receive them, and they often will be rifled through. Large envelopes should be ok, and of course a letter will get to me just fine! I sent myself a test letter nearly a month ago, and it has not arrived yet, so expect long delays in delivery!
Katie Currier
c/o Cradle of Love Baby Home
P.O. Box 360
Usa River, Tanzania AFRICA
-Call me! How? you ask. Let me explain! I purchased an internet phone number for only $7/month (thanks to my dad for paying for this!!). My phone number is
(503) 616-4582
This is a Beaverton, Oregon, number, so it is local to Portland residents. If you call me on this number, you pay no extra charge than you would to call anyone else in Beaverton, Oregon. The number rings to my laptop. If I have internet and am not working, I can answer the call and talk to you! Otherwise, you can leave me a voicemail that I can retrieve later.

All my love!

Only a Week Left . . . .

I have received approximately $2700 in donations. How amazing that is! I am truly blessed to have so many loving friends and family pitching in to help with my mission trip. Honestly in all my life I have never been so sure of a decision as I am of my choice to spend this year in Africa. I know that God will use me and mold me this coming year more than ever. I am absolutely thrilled to leave a week from today! In fact, exactly a week from this moment I will be in Washington, D.C., I believe, waiting to fly to Ethiopia!

I still need approximately $2500 more. This is how it breaks down: $400 for insurance, $1200 for food and necessities while I am gone, and $900 to reimburse me for what I've spent on supplies & vaccines. I have raised enough to get myself over to Africa, but I need money for food while I'm gone! I would also like to be reimbursed for what I've personally spent, because that money should be going on my school bill when I return.

Donations can be sent to the student missions office throughout the year to help support me. Remember not to write my name on any checks (rather on a post-it note attached), and to include your name and address with the donation. Send financial support to:

Walla Walla University
Office of Student Missions
204 S. College Ave.
College Place, WA 99324

Keep me in your prayers, as well as my two friends who leave for Tanzania the day after I do, Neil and Justin. They'll be working in a hospital near Kigoma. Also, please pray for the families of a few missionaries who were tragically killed in an accident in Chad.