Kwahari (Goodbye) Dar!!

Sorry about the delay in getting this blog entry up. Robyn said that I had better do it soon, as I was creating a “blog-jam”. She thought she was pretty witty coming up with this play on words…ahhhh, the delusions of grandeur. Anyway, we finally moved out of Dar is a Slum. Hallelujah! We packed our bags a couple of weeks ago and moved 70 kilometers north to a sleepy town called Bagamoyo.

Bagamoyo, TZ is a small town located right along the coast. It is an old town that the Germans colonized in the late 19th century. Before that, it was a bustling port town where East African slaves where shipped to Zanzibar and then onto the Arabian Peninsula. However, over the past century, most of the buildings have decayed into ruins about town. The TZ government doesn’t allow them to be torn down; so many these beautiful buildings are derelict and falling apart. Though, this decay makes for an incredibly picturesque walk between home and work. Bagamoyo has money from tourism and the fishing industry, and I guess that a European company is building a pilot sugercane/biofuel plant just north of town, so the people here are relatively well off. In town, there are a couple of small art schools, a larger performing arts college, and the national TZ dance company. Because of this, the town has a very artsy feel to it. The other night, as I was strolling home around dusk, after stopping to watch some league soccer game (both teams had jerseys), I walked by the performing arts college's small auditorium and heard singing. They were putting on a free show—TZ rap, traditional music, free-form brass band jazz, etc. It was pretty incredible. I guess Africa isn’t so bad now!!!

So we have moved to a little paradise up the coast, but why? Well, I finally found a great volunteer opportunity with IHRDC (the same research group that we visited out in Ifakara). Traditionally, their focus is on all things malaria--epidemiology, surveillance, treatment options, control strategies, etc. However, they are currently planning on expanding into the other major public health diseases that are a huge problem in Africa, HIV/AIDS and tuberculosis (TB). So, at the IHRDC’s Bagamoyo site, they are planning to construct a high containment laboratory (a BioSafety Level 3 lab, or BSL3 lab) to begin clinical trials of TB-related drugs and vaccines. They also want to expand into basic epidemiological research of TB and set up Masters and PhD level programs for TZ students. My role is to consult on setting up the lab, help in developing the research program, train new workers, and write grants. In the US, this would be a challenge, but here in Africa, it will be an adventure (to say the least). In exchange for my services, they've rented us a nice, clean, safe, furnished 2 bedroom cottage with a fridge, hot water and even air con. Just what we needed! So whereas we are gone from the source of pain, suffering, and humor than was Dar, I am sure that some of that void will be filled with stories from my work.



I think I should describe the working conditions for a bit, so you all have a mental framework for all future happenings. My “office” is directly looking out at the Indian Ocean (maybe 75 meters away). I feel the cool ocean breeze coming off the water, watch the smaller dhows (a traditional fishing boat from this region) come in late afternoon from fishing all morning. I believe that this is pretty much the nicest office one can have (Yes, even better than the lab back at UCSB). However, I say “office” because it is actually just a plastic chair, a rickety wooden table, and my lab-top. I move these items about the first floor of the building depending on sun placement, whether it is raining, and whether I need a power outlet. I often set up on a corner of the patio in the back. Luckily they have wireless. They are fixing up the second floor for offices, but they have been doing this for the past year. So even though they look like they are almost done, it may be a couple more months of my wall less office existence.

The research building in which we are going to set up the BSL3 lab is on the grounds of the Bagamoyo District Hospital. But, this hospital is nothing close to what we think of as a hospital in the US, or even in Dar. It is a set of 10 to 12 long, one-story, block-buildings set on about a 10 acre plot. There is one ambulance for the whole district (90,000 people). If you are sick and are staying in the ward, you have to have people bring you food, since the hospital does not provide it. So often a whole family sets up around the hospital grounds for the duration of the stay. It feels more like a camp for sick people. But instead of wood campfires, they burn medical waste—right by the road in an open fire pit. I recently saw the trash men picking up the remains using rubber gloves, masks, shovels and small plastic garbage bins. They were dumping it into the back of an open bed truck. Nice. Regardless of the above, it is not a dreary place, and people seem relatively calm and content.
So hopefully, the blog-jam has been cleared out and more blogs will come. So until next time, “safari salaama”.