Tuesday, June 19th: Post-departure-pre-arrival Nerves

Right now I am sitting in the Atlanta, Georgia airport. My flight to Amsterdam doesn’t board for a while. This weekend ruled! I danced with a terrible Elvis impersonator, enjoyed lots of family time on Father’s Day, and said many, many goodbyes to friends and family. Saying goodbye for a long time is always difficult.

However, nothing can take away my excitement to be in Tanzania! Especially now that my foot has healed nearly 85% after the “Great Foot Gash of April 2012.” I can’t wait to take in the country’s beauty. I just keep praying that I pick up Swahili quickly and am able to make a difference in Nkoaranga Hospital. It would mean a lot. J

That’s all for now! See you soon, Afrika!

Karibu!

Welcome to my blog! Yes, I’ve become a “blog person.” I hate me, too. I just needed a way for friends and family to keep tabs on me during my stay in Tanzania this summer for DukeEngage! I haven’t had Internet on my laptop for a while, so my posts are a bit behind, but I’ll catch up! ;)

DukeEngage is a civic engagement facilitator, which completely sponsors programs domestically and internationally. I am volunteering for an organization called Engineering World Health (EWH). I will be taking Kiswahili lessons and medical equipment training for four weeks at a learning facility in Usa River, Tanzania. The following four weeks, I am assigned to work as a biomedical engineer with my partner, Raelyn, at Nkoaranga Hospital in Arusha. There, we will put unused or broken medical equipment back into working order. 80% of equipment in the developing world has been donated from foreign countries/corporations. Some of this equipment doesn’t work upon arrival, and most equipment falls into disrepair within five years. For more information, visit dukeengage.duke.edu and ewh.org.

Thanks for stopping by! Enjoy!