The Journey, Part I

I feel as if I have lived a lifetime these past 25 hours. My flights were all seamless—Sarasota to Atlanta, Atlanta to Amsterdam, then finally on to Dar es Salaam. I met so many interesting people along the way—a Baptist youth group from Atlanta heading to Nairobi to help build orphanages, a group of seniors from Harvard University going to Arusha to run a conference for teenage girls. It seemed everyone had been to Africa before, and for some, this was their third or fourth trip. When asked where I was headed one woman’s eyes lit up when I said “Tanzania.” “Oh!” she exclaimed, “you are SO lucky to have Tanzania as your introduction to Africa…it’s magical.”

“Magic” to me was FINALLY being able to take a break from flying, collect my bags (which all made it, amen) and find my smiling Tanzanian friend Allen and his sister Janet waiting for me outside of customs. We whizzed over some very bumpy roads to my home for the night, the Blue Pearl Hotel.

At around midnight I dragged my weary bones to my room, brushed my teeth and fell into a deep and much-needed sleep

You know you are close when you see the baboons...

Today is my last day to pull things together before my departure tomorrow. Anyone who travels for extended periods of time knows the drill...go through that dog-eared check list one more time, shop in a frenzy for the last-minute items that seem to always escape you, and last but not least, PACK. I managed to fit two weeks worth of clothing, video camera with accessories and a various assortment of first aid items into a respectable-sized wheelie bag. Respectable in size, but totally unrealistic in weight. I am sure that the airline representatives will give me one of those -are you kidding me?- looks. My other accessory is one of those plastic footlockers that bring back memories of summer sleep-away camp. Mine is chock-full of gifts for the children in Iringa--t-shirts, colored pencils and art paper, as well as a hefty supply of granola bars and chocolate. After all, chocolate is the international symbol of friendship.

Over the past week Stan has been sending me daily e-mails with updates on what is going on in Iringa, how the weather is, etc. His message this morning completely cracked me up, though. He explained that one of his Global Outreach colleagues would meet me at the airport in Dar es Salaam, transport me to the hotel, and make sure that I get on the bus the next morning for the eight-hour journey to Iringa. Stan went into great detail about things to look for along the way...landscapes, trees, towns, etc. His final words to me where that once I see the baboons in the mountains I will know that I am very close to my final destination...what a landmark!

I am aiming to be back on line when I land in Iringa June 1. Speak with you all then!

Just one more week to go!

Hello to all!
My name is Paula Heap and I work as the Director of Communications for Saint Stephen's Episcopal School in Bradenton, Florida. Since 2004 my school has partnered with an organization called Global Outreach whose mission is to bring computer literacy to the students of Tanzania. This past year our school has enjoyed weekly Webcam transmissions with the Lugalo Secondary School in the town of Iringa, discussing books and current events, sharing stories of culture and home life, down to the "likes and dislikes" common amongst all teenagers.

But now, the time has come to cross the "digital divide" (and a few time zones) and meet our Tanzanian friends in person. On May 29 I will set out from Sarasota on a two-week journey to the town of Iringa where I will be able to greet the students and teachers of Lugalo with a hearty "jambo," Swahili for hello, and start a series of talks to see what the future holds for our partnership.

Global Outreach's founder, Stan Muessle, has been in-country for the past month and is ready to "put me to work" when I arrive. I will be joined on June 5 by my colleague and friend Barbara O'Neil who will be working with the Lugalo teachers to incorporate technology into their lessons.

For months it seemed as if my departure would never arrive, and now, it's just one week away. Stay tuned!

You can find out more information about Global Outreach here.