Last day in Canada...

Well, after 8 months of preparations and anticipation, I finally have my bags packed and have crossed off the last calendar day leading up to my journey to. I am so thrilled to be able to contribute to this amazing project, and I really look forward to sharing the experience with you.
Before I depart, I want to say a great big thank you to everyone who has inspired me to participate and for the kind words of support over the past few months. A special thank you goes out to the whole Western Heads East team, from the past interns who shared their journey and offered advice, to the compassionate steering committee and the hard working faculty members and researchers who have made this project a success. To my supervising professor, Dr. Hekmat, and all of the other professors at Brescia who have shared their expertise and helped to prepare me for the adventure that lies ahead. To my entire extended family and my amazing support network of friends, I love you all and I can not thank you enough for all the good times! I truly want to thank you for being the amazing people you are.

A few members of the WHE team.
Past intern Jackie, Jaimie, Meaghan, Cynthia and Jonathan (1,3,5,6,7 from left to right)
Future intern Tara (second from left)
Present intern, Me (Middle)

Time and time again I have been asked the question, “What are you going to be doing while you are in Africa”. For the sake of clarity, I have put together a list of objectives that I hope to achieve, but I have promised to remain open and keep in mind the infamous “AWA” mantra of Meaghan and Alison (Fall Intern, August-December 2007). Ah yes, Africa Wins Again. A quotation used in reference to the pace of life in Africa. Although the cell phone revolution has taken over, the high speed wireless internet, blackberry, deadline driven mind set is yet to be wide spread (In fact, AWA represents a beautiful sense of culture and community). This is a change that I will need to become familiar with, respect and truly embrace. I have always measured my productivity in the number of items that I cross off my To Do: list in a day, and now I will be on the agenda of others….

A brief description of my plans:
-To continue to pursue efforts of the past interns in terms of project growth as we work toward sustainability (ie// complete TASAF (Tanzania Social Action Fund) transactions so that the Mama’s may gain access to a new plot of land and cows, SIDO, SACCO etc)
-Assist the Yogurt Mama’s to further develop their business as they become a registered NGO
-Continue to teach the Mama’s English-To work with and learn from local NGO’s
-Explore opportunities with other local groups both in Mwanza and its surroundings and in the city of Dar es Salaam to continue the forward movement of WHE
-Volunteer with other local organizations (ie// Forever Angels orphanage, Starehe Nursery School etc.)
-Personal research for course credit (continue studies spear headed by past interns Jaimie and Alison, that is, to evaluate the nutritional content of the local diet and compare the macro/micronutrient composition of yogurt consumers and non-consumers in hopes to confer the health benefits of probiotic yogurt, and to compare the diet and health status of HIV/AIDS probiotic yogurt consumers and non-consumers, as well as a sensory evaluation of probiotic yogurt in several variations)
-To experience what it means to be a minority and experience what it is like to be immersed in a foreign language
-To experience as much of Tanzania as possible in five months!

I hope you that you are able to enjoy the journey as well!