Ilula-Friends-2023

The countdown begins as we prepare for our travels abroad. We are officially one week away until our first group heads over to Tanzania. The 2023 travel group has been very active preparing for the medical trip. We have been busy making travel arrangements, developing clinical presentations for the medical conference, and meeting monthly since September. Each month, we've had the opportunity to learn about the following topics together. September - Cultural Considerations by Dr. Randy Hurley October - Tanzanian Health System Structure, Ebola and other Virus Diseases by Dr. Ken Olson November - Global Health Ethics by Dr. John Kvasnicka December - Safety at Ilula by Dr. Gary Moody Whether a first time traveler or seasoned with experience, we had robust conversations with each topic with everyone bringing their unique perspective. I've enjoyed getting to know the 2023 travel group thus far and looking forward to our travels together in the next couple of weeks.

We are experiencing many new things post pandemic. This is a random list. 1) BKB has justifiably asked for a "COVID 19 RISK MITIGATION & CONTINGENCY PLAN." To quote Randy Hurley, "HIV used to be the virus we were concerned with and had a mitigation strategy for. Something I never wanted to become an expert on, but may need to! 2) A new, more flexible transportation contractor: Makuta Travel and Tours. Excellent to talk to and work with! 3) New as of this trip, electronic visa application. (Although John Kvasnicka got to try it out last trip.) 4) Hopefully, updated living quarters at Ilula, thanks to a generous grant from our friends at the Peter King foundation. 5) Using Google Meet instead of Zoom. Always good to learn new things! 6) Using Google Forms and Sheets for data instead of Excel so colleagues have more ready access. Oh, there must be more!

It has been a two-year hiatus for us to visit our friends in Tanzania.We are happy to return! Of course things have changed a bit. We are excited to find out what they are! I think we have our commitments and sadly, a few hopefuls have had to decline. Some have already committed to 2024. I have two colleagues helping me with the planning, Shana and Cole, so it doesn't feel as lonely at the top. Ha! It isn't quite Kilimanjaro. And hoping Carl Sherman will make his way to Ilula as well. I know the new travelers are in fro a treat and I expect the wizened are just as excited as I am.