Diary - Sunday, June 4, 2006 

Chris and I have just two sleeps left here in the "Jam"...it's hard to believe that a month has passed by already! In some ways it feels as though we've just arrived, and in others, like another lifetime since we left Victoria. The days here are so beautifully rich and full – it feels like so much has happened in four weeks and yet we also feel so incredibly rested. A perfect balance!

It has been an absolute pleasure to work with the patients who come to see us in clinic and also to have the opportunity to work alongside my husband, Chris. Most of what we treat in the clinic is musculo-skeletal pain (many shoulder, neck and back complaints from all the hard labor they do here) and we 'piggy-back' our treatments. Happily, there has not been any issue with Chris massaging female patients (the vast majority of the population is Muslim) and people have been very receptive to acupuncture. Aside from pain relief, I have also treated several patients presenting with asthma and digestive problems. Word has also recently spread through the community that I specialize in pregnancy and fertility so I have been treating more gynecological issues as well.

Not only have we had a rewarding experience living and working in Jambiani, we've also thoroughly enjoyed playing here too! We've gone snorkeling, scuba diving, cave exploring, taken a shamba (farm) tour, wandered the alleys of Stonetown, gone on a spice tour, visited the famous caves where slaves were held and imprisoned during the late 1800's, visited a park with the only remaining population of Colobus monkeys on earth and have gone for many, many fabulous walks along the beach. Zanzibar is truly a tropical paradise with so much to see and do!

We have enjoyed our stay in the "Jam" with Mama Pat and Ali Baba enormously... amazing food, fabulous guitar (and inspiration for me to start playing again too!) and truly wonderful company. Thanks for being such gracious hosts, we appreciate how much you have made us feel welcome and at home. We warmly look forward to seeing you both at our home this summer during your visit to Victoria!

Kwahari na asante sana!
Steph and Chris

Sunday, June 04, 2006

It seems like "forever" since Steph and Chris left us but it's only been a bit over a week!!

Once again, we and our community have been literally blessed with the presence of these two outstanding practitioners and human beings. Thank you so much for your company, your selfless commitment to help others in need and your dedication to making sure our chocolate supply is in good shape!!! :-) We too are really looking forward to seeing you again when we return to Victoria in late July.

All is well here in Jambiani as we continue on with the "program". Our latest guest, Martin te Loo arrived safe and sound last Tuesday from Holland and has settled into our routine here with no difficulty although he seems to have developed a very premature and particularly severe case of Terminal Relaxation. We hope he is OK.

Martin and I worked together for a couple of days last week and today he was on his own. He is a very competent therapist and brings with him a wealth of knowledge and experience. Our next update hopefully will include some words from Martin regarding his particular slant on the "Jambiani Project".

Now it was brought to my attention that the vast majority of our volunteers have said nothing but good things about their experience here both clinically and socially. All I can say is it's amazing what people will do for a couple of bucks and a cold beer, especially when they're working for free. Keep up the good work folks!!!

I talked briefly about little "Mussa" on our last update. He has been to Dar es Salaam for his evaluation and it has been confirmed that he will need surgery in India. He has been put on a wait list organized by the Lions Club of Dar es Salaam and today, Pat will be meeting with officials at the Indian High Commission to see if Air India will contribute some space on a flight over the next few weeks. They have been very generous in the past helping with situations such as this so we are hoping the ball will roll in this young child's direction. We'll keep you posted.

We have finalized our plans for the Juice Bar/Restaurant and have decided to begin the construction in the last week of August. We are doing this for a couple of reasons. One, the rains are still with us making construction difficult and also we want to be on site when this project starts. Pat and I will be away from Zanzibar for July and August and so after lengthy discussions with our builders/architects we felt it would be prudent to wait just a few more weeks before we dive in head first. By then the weather will be drier and we will be here to ensure that everything flows as smoothly as possible.

Otherwise, there really isn't too much new to report at this time since our last update. I might say, we have quite a team lined up for next month. Dr Bruce Walton and family will be taking over from Martin in the Center. Bruce is a Canadian Chiropractor and he and his wife and two daughters will be in Jambiani for the month of July. As usual, we are really looking forward to meeting them and welcoming them to the "Jam".

We hope you are all well and keeping with the flow and until our next report, we wish you all good and may your trails be full of love and light.

Ali Baba, Mama Pat and the entire crew at the Jambiani Wellness Centre :-)