Diary - Thursday, November 20, 2003

Good morning everyone. :-) It's an unusually calm and somewhat humid day here in Jambiani. Dr Stan is holding down the fort up at the clinic today, Pat is doing a variety of jobs and I'm taking care of our ever increasing correspondence demands, something I really enjoy doing. We had quite a long day in town yesterday and I'm hoping our latest update finally made it to Kent at Emotion Media Group. The computers in town seemed to have Gremlins in them for a couple of weeks so we are trusting that all is back to relative normal. It's also hard to believe that we are almost through the month of November now and that Christmas is just around the corner. I have to say that both Pat and I do not miss the commercial hype associated with this time of the year. We do, however, miss the connections with our friends and family back home that are also an important part of the "festive season." Of course we do have many friends here now, but they have not been with us for nearly as long as our "family" in other parts of the world. We miss you!!!!!

I might take a few minutes here to introduce you to our next volunteer. Dr Sheel Tangri is a Specialized Kinesiologist and Chiropractor who presently makes his home in Victoria, BC, Canada. Sheel is scheduled to arrive here on December 1. He and Stan will overlap for a few days to give Sheel a bit of time to acclimatize and to familiarize him with the swing of things here. Sheel has had quite a bit of experience traveling in developing countries, so I'm certain he will settle in quickly. We are very fortunate to have Sheel as a volunteer. He is an excellent practitioner and the people here will benefit immensely from his expertise. As usual, we will ask him to add some of his impressions to another update after his arrival. We are expecting that after Ramadan, which is now in about 4 or 5 days, the pace at the clinic will increase significantly as people get back into their regular routines and terminate the daily fasting. We're ready for them. :-) As it is, we are still treating quite a few patients every day, making changes in people's lives. This is good. I have to say it has been great having Stan with us. He has a very dry sense of humor, quite witty and he is an exceptional Chiropractor. I've been the lucky recipient of several wonder-full :-) adjustments from Stan after not being adjusted for several months. Feeling much better now. It's actually really nice being the recipient of a Chiropractic treatment for a change versus being the deliverer of one. As practitioners, we sometimes forget just how impactful our adjustments can be until we have a good one ourselves. It's a great reminder.

Anyhow, even though Stan has only been with us for a short time, he has touched a lot of patients and I'm certain he will have a different perspective on life when he returns to Victoria early in December. Thank you so much Stan for your heart, your hands and your friendship. We are all most grateful.

Back in awhile. :-)
Ali Baba and Mama Patima

Monday, November 24, 2003

It's now late Monday morning. Today is the last day of Ramadan so everyone is very excited, as tomorrow is the start of two days of celebrations called Sikuku. They generally eat and carry on much as we do at Christmas time and everyone gets dressed up for the occasion. This morning just outside our northern wall, they sent a cow to the happy hunting grounds or should we say grazing grounds. :-) Several families contribute the equivalent of $7 to $8 each for the privilege of having some beef to eat during the Sikuku festival. One cow costs about $150 US. They use just about every part of the animal and it is done quickly and with great respect for the life that is given. Although I would have trouble slashing the beasts' throat, I do appreciate the relationship the people have with this process. They say a small prayer beforehand and they insist that the cow should die quickly and as painlessly as possible. This has to beat the assembly line slaughterhouses that are so common in our part of the world.

One item of news that I neglected to include in our last update was the arrival of our new table from Thuli Corp. in the U.S.A. This table and its shipping was a donation from the Rotary Club of Chase, British Columbia and all I can say is that we and all the people of Zanzibar are most grateful for this wonderful act of kindness. It has already been put to good use and you can be assured that literally thousands of people will lay their bodies down on this table over the next few years. In particular, we would like to thank Dr. Wayne Quinn and his wife Mona for bringing this project to the attention of the Club in the first place. Our first table was a portable table that was donated by the South Vancouver Island Chiropractors Association and although it served us well, it wasn't quite strong enough to handle the number of patients we were seeing. It will now get used when we do house or emergency calls or when we go to Stonetown to work in the hospital.

Shalla

At this time, I would like to introduce you to Shalla. You may have recalled from earlier updates, that we have been working with this young girl since 1999. She had sustained a very serious head injury as an infant, which essentially left her paralyzed, and with significant cognizant deficiencies. When we first met her, she was very unresponsive and inanimate. Since 1999 we have been adjusting her, Pat has been massaging her and her parents have been doing patterning exercises with her daily. We are thrilled with her progress, and for someone who was given no hope for improvement she has surpassed all expectations. If we were only able to help this one person then our time here would have been well spent. They say a picture is worth a thousand words, so I'm enclosing a picture of Shalla that we took a few days ago. I think you'll all agree, that this child is very special. We sure think so. :-)

Ali Baba and Mama Patima

Thursday, November 27, 2003

It's just after 8 in the morning and everyone has been up and about for a couple of hours now. The tea, coffee, fruit and Pat's homemade bread has energized our systems and we are ready for whatever the day might bring. I'm not certain if Pandu, our secretary, is back from town yet so Stan and I may be doing what we call "tag team" Chiropractic today. Actually I'll be interpreting for Stan and he'll be doing most of the treatments. I have to say I'm quite pleased with the fact that I can now "get by" with the language especially in the clinical environment where I have had most of my practice.

We are expecting to go into town tomorrow, as yesterday, which is our usual "town" day, was a holiday. "Town" is always a full on experience and as much as we try to keep our schedule down to a minimum, it seems we are always running for several hours taking care of this and that. One day I'm convinced we'll just go in and be tourists for the day. :-) Speaking of being tourists, Stan and a couple of friends went up to the northern part of Zanzibar last weekend. They went to an area called Nungwi, which is the main tourist destination on the island as well as the base for some of the best diving in the archipelago. From all reports, they had a great time and according to Stan, the diving was quite fine with excellent visibility. Pat and I have still not done this trip even though we have been coming here since 1997! We have vowed to get there sometime before we leave this time.

Anyhow, all continues to flow smoothly here. We are delighted with the way things are working out and we can only hope that this trend continues. We are all very grateful for this opportunity we have fallen into. Here's Stan with some final thoughts on his visit to Zanzibar and the Jambiani Wellness Centre. :-)

Ali Baba and Mama Patima

Friday, Nov 28, 2003

Well, it's hard to believe that 4 weeks have gone by since I arrived here in Jambiani. 4 fascinating weeks! Working with my friend and colleague, Dr "Ali Baba" has not only been an experience of Swahilian magnitude, (and that's a great amount!) but it's also been a lot of fun. The number of unique cases I have seen and adjusted in the clinic, in such a short period of time, has been substantial. A truly educational and uplifting opportunity for me. And after 20 years in busy Chiropractic offices, I thought I'd seen it all!!!

And as for the rest of my time here, well, it's been quite the dream. Being able to live in a great little home on a phenomenal tropical beach, eat incredible food cooked up by "Mama Pat", snorkeling and diving, laughing with all the wonderful local people, and practicing my Swahili (guess that's why they were always laughing - at me, not with me!!). What a totally, amazing opportunity to help others and spread the "Word" of Chiropractic. All you Dr.'s and Healthcare Professionals that want to experience this, make an effort to come. You won't be disappointed.

If you have questions, concerns or comments, I would be happy to help you out. Please do not hesitate to contact me at:
Dr Stan Marcus DC
sdmarcus@shaw.ca
(250) 655-1419

I just hope that my final 10 days here are as wonderful as my first 28.
Stay Well and Stay Happy.
Kweheri, salaama, Tutaonana badai
Love
Stan