Diary - Wednesday, March 3, 2010

It's late in the afternoon here in Jambiani, very sunny and warm after yesterdays thunderstorms and it seems time to start another update from our little corner of the world. We are entering our 83rd day without power from the grid and based on what we have heard, we are not that optimistic that things are about to improve in the near future. There have been some rumors that we could possibly be back on by the 10th but we have already gone through two previous restoration dates without success so we will, as the locals have been saying, believe it when we see it. Of course we have fallen into well established routines that see us starting and stopping our generator three times a day, switching on and off appliances, refueling, cleaning air filters, changing oil and spark plugs, buying surplus fuel and using our three hour energy windows to get things done that require electricity such as using this computer, pumping water into our tanks when it is available, cooling our produce and prepping food in the kitchen. Most nights we shut down at about 9pm and then we use either kerosene lamps for general lighting or headlamps for more specific tasks such as reading or writing. The recent full moon has been nice as it makes outside navigation a tad easier. Of course we are all imagining how great it will be when we eventually get back to our version of normal and for sure this has been a very unique experience for most of us “Wazungu” who get our knickers in a knot if we lose power for more than a few hours. We’re hanging in there!!!

Despite the power loss, things are still very busy around the compound and the school and wellness centre continue to buzz with activity. I have been running solo in the clinic for the past several weeks as we have had a few cancellations from practitioners because of the power outage and the general global economic environment but we are expecting some new arrivals in a few more weeks. We’ll keep you posted.

On the school front we have quite a number of volunteers participating in the short courses as part of their African Impact experience and in addition Nareena will be with us for another few weeks before her time ends at the end of March. Maylin, our volunteer from Norway left us a couple of weeks ago and on behalf of all of us we would like to thank her for her great effort and contribution to the project. Asante sana Maylin, tuna shukuru sana kwa msaada yako!! Of course Nareena has also been another one of those proactive and energetic volunteers who has put her entire being into contributing as much as possible to the JTTI. She has regularly put in long hours not only in the classroom but also in Alibi's Well both during our afternoon sessions and our very busy Sunday night specials. So thank you Nareena for your spirit and compassion and for all that you do to keep these fires of help and hope burning brightly.

Time has flown and it is now two weeks later but we have some tremendous news in that we have had our power finally restored! 88 days in total, 100’s of liters of fuel for the generator, thousands of liters of water purchased, hundreds of hours of kerosene lamp usage, bucket baths and no hot water but we have endured and I think we are all a bit more tolerant and perhaps wiser for this experience. I also believe that this event has motivated the Zanzibar Government to move forward its date to replace the existing submarine cable not only with new material but with a greater capacity. This should ultimately bring a much more stable and reliable energy supply to all of us who make our home on Zanzibar. Asante sana!!

The school term is coming to an end today and the teachers and students will all get a one week well deserved rest although I know Pat will still have lots on her plate including interviews of prospective students for the two year diploma program. Of course we will be graduating our second two year diploma program students in June so the ball continues to roll.

We recently conducted a field trip with our students to Chumbe Island, a marine sanctuary situated off the west coast of Zanzibar. The island itself is an ecological reserve which caters to tourists wanting a completely natural experience. Photos are on the right.

So that's about all from us for now. Life is good and we continue to enjoy the challenges and the opportunities that come our way here. Trusting that you are all well and hoping that the transition into springtime has been wonderful for you wherever you may be in this moment.

All good from the entire HABS team in the "Jam"