Ilula-Friends-2023

It is Saturday here in Tanzania and we are currently waiting at the airport for our flight out to Iringa and then onto Ilula! This will be my first experience in such a small plane. We have spent the last few days in Moshi observing oncology doctors, nurses and clinical officers working with a variety of patients fighting cancer. It is interesting to hear our oncology experts, Randy and Arek speak about the differences and similarities that they have noticed between the United States and Tanzania as far as the presentation and treatment of various cancers. I am looking forward to learning more when we arrive in Ilula! Maggie

 Hello all, This is my first time blogging despite being well travelled. Anyways, excited to visit anew country. Eager to see and to learn. Happy to be travelling with so many good people. See you all in 48 hours. Joy Ngobi

Hello from Moshi!  We have been very busy the last two days visiting the cancer center. The facility is impressive with their inpatient ward completely finished and and new construction starting for a radiation center. We were fortunate to connect with Dr. Furaha and observe the practice of medicine at the center. I was able to observe the treatment of patients with breast, esophageal, and ovarian cancer which was extremely interesting. Today we visited a local tribe at the base of Mt Kilimanjaro and got to observe the full process of making coffee from crushing the outer shell to roasting the beans. It was very exciting and definitely the freshest cup of coffee I've had! -Rachel

After two ~8 hour flights and a 4 hour layover, we finally touched down an hour or so ago. We (Randy, Arek, Maggie, Rachel, and I) made it through customs and exchanged money before getting a ride to Moshi from our driver, Dennis. The first thing that I noticed when we stepped outside tonight was how dark it was. And the  fresh smell of the foliage surrounding us as we exited Kilimanjaro International Airport. Standing outside were over 2 dozen Tanzanian drivers waiting to pick up the other arrivals.  On the way to Moshi, I noticed that people were still out and about waiting at street corners or gathered around the entryway of shops and homes. Some were sitting comfortably in the dark while others had a light or two on. There were a variety of vehicles on the road including motorcycles, vans, cars, semis, delivery trucks, and more. I was surprised to see so much traffic at night.  Another observation is that along the highway that we were on, there were many speed bumps ...

i managed to get to MSP and back but for the last 50 yards or so, to see my first five colleagues minus one off to the international departure area. See below. Arek was already checked in (we hope!) Maybe I'll PhotoShop him in. safari njema rafiki!

Typing this out as we wait for the plane to depart. My name is Leah and I’m a PA student coming along for the ride to Tanzania. It seems like just yesterday that Maggie, Rachel, and I decided to commit to this experience. We’ve completed all of our prep work and we’re as ready as we can be for this trip. Last night, we had a little Zoom meeting to calm some nerves and compare what each of us are bringing. We were worried that our flight might be delayed given all of the snow this morning. But we are currently sitting in our assigned seats with our airline pillows and blankets in our laps, compression stockings on, and malarone in our bellies. Will update once we make it there! Leah

My name is Maggie and I am one of the PA students participating in this year’s trip to Ilula. While I have some experience traveling abroad this will be my first time traveling to Africa. As I look forward to the journey ahead, I feel a mix of emotions including excitement and some anxiety. However, I know that this experience will expand both my medical and cultural knowledge. I have enjoyed participating in all our group meetings up until this point and I am looking forward to working with the traveling team as well as the medical team at Ilula. Last night, I just finished reading the novel Africans and Americans: Embracing Cultural Differences by Joseph L. Mbele, a Tanzanian who is now a professor at St. Olaf College here in Minnesota. I found that it was quick read and provided good insight into cultural differences regarding topics such as eye contact, money, and safety. I am curious to see what else I will learn during our travels! Hopefully the snow here in Minnesota will not d...