July 2006

Eugene: Interview with a reporter

I met with a reporter from a well-respected news agency today to discuss the politics involving North Korea. The reporter, who wishes to remain anonymous, was previously a columnist for unification politics in Korea and is now a reporter for international affairs. Having interviewed top-ranking officials in China, North Korea, and South Korea, the reporter has an informed perspective on the politics of North Korea.

The following are some of the topics we discussed:

CHINESE POLICY TOWARDS NORTH KOREA

The Koreans often describe the relationship between China and North Korea using the expression “Soon Mang Chi Han.� The expression is an image that represents North Korea as the lip protecting China’s teeth. In other words, North Korea is often portrayed as a buffer zone between South Korea (and its American presence) and mainland China. This benefit may, in part, explain the continued support by China of the military regime in North Korea.

This support of the North Korean regime accounts for the harsh Chinese policy towards North Korean defectors who escape to China. In fact, Chinese officials have historically refused to consider the North Korea escapees as refugees and instead have referred to them as economic migrants. North Koreans who cross the border into China have thus been ineligible for protected under international refugee laws and have been repatriated back to the North.

Just recently, however, Chinese policy towards North Korea and its migrants has started to shift. Following the test launch of several missiles by North Korea a few weeks ago, a Chinese official publicly admitted that some captured North Korea escapees were wrongfully labeled economic migrants.

In addition to this, the Chinese government agreed to sign a UN treaty in response to the actions of North Korea. These recent occurrences stand in sharp contrast to previous Chinese policies, and have thus led some analysts to attribute the change in Chinese policy to the missile launching.

However, the shift in policy may have started much earlier. Back in April 2004, the Chinese suspended provision of oil and food to North Korea. At the time, 60-70% of such supplies came from mainland China, so the decision had a dramatic effect on the North. Regardless of the timing of this shift, the important point is that the Chinese government is providing less support for the regime in North Korea. Since China has such a crucial role in the economic stability of North Korea, the notable shift in support will have important consequences for stability in Pyongyang.

STABILITY OF NORTH KOREA

Officials in South Korea are concerned about the stability of North Korea. Over the last few years, the South Korean government has encouraged North Korea to build up its economy. By providing some financial support and by placing a few economic investments in the North, the South Koreans hoped to strengthen the economy of the North.

Some South Korean officials believe that North Korea, as a whole, is in a volatile state both economically and politically. The question to ask is then, “Does the South want the regime in North Korea to fail?� One would think so, but many South Korean officials are afraid of the prospect.

In the case of a complete collapse of the North Korean government, analysts project that millions of refugees would flood the North-South border into South Korea. Officials are thus concerned that the South is not prepared for the immediate unification of the North and South.

PREPARATION FOR UNIFICATION

The prospect of imminent reunification has contributed to the formation of the Ministry of Unification of the South Korean government. The purpose of the ministry is to help North and South Korean to improve its relationship through a series of dialogues regarding economy, culture, and politics. The goal is to enhance the homogeneity of the two divergent groups in preparation for future reunification.

Despite the efforts of the government, officials believe that the peninsula is not prepared for immediate reunification. To explain why the Korean peninsula is not prepared, the situation has often been compared to that of Germany before its unification. Compared to that situation, the present situation suggests that Korea is not prepared for unification on several fronts:

1) Economy- In Germany, both sides were in good shape prior to reunification. However, in the present situation, the North is lacking in stability and even the South is not prepared for the increased burden following unification.

2) Swing system- In Germany, the West helped the East through a Swing system in which payments were composed of 1/3 cash and 2/3 credit. Although South Korea has begun efforts for a financial support system, the system is far too underdeveloped to support a full union.

3) Homogeneity- East and West Germany were relatively similar in terms of culture, philosophy, and systems. In contrast, North and South Korea have strikingly different qualities on many axes: cultural, political, economic, educational, health, etc.

Although unification is a desired goal, it is apparent that the peninsula is not presently prepared for it. The goal of unification has helped build a collaborative relationship between sides that will hopefully benefit all parties involved.

Lena: My Friend, Cory, from the Orphanage

I finally decided to go back to the orphanage. I had just finished two out of my three Swahili reports and I decided that I had earned a break. One of the other girls on the program invited me to go and compared to all the work I had been doing, I decided that it would be a welcome mental break to play with babies.

When we first got there, I really didn't know what to do with myself. Immediately, someone handed me a bowl filled with uji (porridge) and sent me to work. I was amazed at the speed with which these babies eat. Before I was even able to fill the next spoonful, their mouths were open and ready for the next bite.

After I finished feeding the first baby, I began to play with one of the others. I told him to 'nipe tano' or give me five. He got really into and began repeatedly slapping both my hands. After dinner, one of the workers took him to change him into his pajamas. She brought him back out and said that he had been asking for me. She told me that his name was Cory.

We played for the next hour and he seemed to be completely normal, happy child. He's very good at repeating, so we talked about all sorts of things, with me saying things and him repeating them. Playing with Cory really did brighten my day and take my mind off all the work I still had to do.

I later discovered his story. Cory was referred to the orphanage by another baby home. He was one week old and tested positive for HIV.

They do not have the staff to care for special needs babies. When Cory came, he had pustules all over his body, caused by a staph infection. He was put on an antibiotic, which soon cleared up the sores. He got thrush while on the antibiotic.

These days Cory looks a lot healthier:

Lena: To Zanzibar By Motor Car

My favorite picture from my trip to the Coast:

As part of our language practice, we visited a seaweed farm in Zanzibar. After 'touring' their one room facility, where they store a huge pile of seaweed to dry, we went out to the beach to see how and where they harvest the seaweed. As he showed us how they attach the seaweed to something resembling a very low clothesline, a crowd of children began to gather around. I am not sure whether they were interested in learning more about seaweed farming or were just fascinated by a group of white students listening to a lecture in Swahili. I opted to stay onshore while some of my classmates ventured out into the water to see the seaweed growing firsthand.

I quickly befriended this little girl (pictured above), or perhaps she befriended me and promptly attached herself to me. She never left my side and pretty much refused to give up my hand. Whenever I wasn't paying attention to her, or my hands weren't free, she would bury her head in my skirt. For those of you who know me well, you probably know that this was neither expected nor warranted. I never was able to figure out her name, in part because she had the habit of repeating everything I said: "unaitwa nani?"; "unaitwa nani?" she echoed back, instead of answering with her name.

As the crowd of children increased in size, they became more and more difficult to manage, so I began trying to teach them some of the simple Swahili songs and games I had recently learned. As I became more overwhelmed with all the children literally hanging on me, I reverted back to my familiar roots and began to teach them how to play some American games. We started with Ring around the Rosy and Follow the Leader, which went over relatively well.

When I tried to teach them how to play Duck, Duck, Goose however, I failed miserably. I'm still not sure if this was related to the age group or my poor Swahili abilities. I got them all to sit in a circle and then with another student demonstrated: "bata, bata, bata, bata" - I tapped each one of them on the head. All eyes were focused on me as they tried to figure out what I could possibly be doing. When I came to my fellow student, I called out GOOSE! and then began to run. When I turned around, not only was my American friend chasing me, but so were all my little Tanzania friends. I think my professors were all very amused.

After all the other students finally returned from the excursion out into the ocean, we headed back to regroup at the bus. Most of the children were disappointed to see us go, but my little friend seemed more adamant than most and kept hugging my legs. I finally allowed her to escort me to the bus; as we walked by people's homes, I wondered whether she belonged to one of them. I began to worry that perhaps the people we greeted as we passed would think I was trying to kidnap this sweet young girl.

Would she be able to find her way home if I led her too far from where I had found her?
Was someone worried about her right now?
Had she been accompanied to the beach by a sibling perhaps?
I began to wonder what her home life was like: was she so attention-starved that she attached herself to me of all people? When I said goodbye and gave her a hug, she made me it very difficult for me to put her down. She promptly proceeded to stand outside my bus window and wave. I told the other kids around to get her to move because I was actually afraid that when the bus started to move, she might get hurt. I almost took her home. Don't worry, all I actually took was the above picture.

Small town near the seaweed farm we visited:

Along the way we passed many sisal plantations:

Also part of the view on our 9 hour drive:

Beach by the fish market:

View from the rooftop cafe of our hotel in Zanzibar:

Eugene: The first four months of resettlement for North Koreans

Daesung Gongsa and Hanawon

I had the rare opportunity to travel to the satellite Hanawon site today. After driving a couple hours away from the city of Seoul, I finally arrived at the heavily-fortified site. Access to the complex is highly restricted, but the NGO I work for was able to arrange a visit for me.

The satellite clinic has two patient exam rooms, one for a Western approach and one for a Eastern approach to care. Every day except on Wednesdays, there is a doctor on staff at the clinic. As can be seen, the rooms (and the facility as a whole) are clean and new. The problem seems to be with a lack of staffing for the 500 North Koreans in the two sites.

While visiting the clinic, I also spoke with Chae Byung Soon, the head nurse of the satellite site. She showed me the medical facilities and spoke to me more about the health system for the North Koreans.

Since the onsite facility has limited capabilities, most specialized cases are referred out to hospitals in the region. The care of the North Koreans is fully covered by the government, but the referral process is an arduous one. The nurse is responsible for taking all the patients to their referrals.

Each trip out of the complex requires supervision of several patients that require care at different hospitals and different specialists within the hospitals. The nurse thus commented at the system is quite generous in its access to care, but the staff at Hanawon could use some more manpower.

Shown above is the head nurse of the satellite clinic speaking with the vice president of the NGO. She has been overwhelmed by the amount of work required to manage the cases at the clinic and suggests that increasing staffing would help the clinic most at this point. On a positive note, access to care and the quality of facilities is quite high.

When North Koreans first enter South Korea, they spend their first month with Daesung Gongsa, a government agency responsible for national security in South Korea. During that first month, North Koreans are interviewed by the agency to find out more about their motivation for seeking residency in the South.

In addition, the North Koreans are offered a complete physical exam that covers the following: vitals, urinalysis, CBC, blood typing, hepatitis titers, venereal disease, malaria, biochemical assays, kidney function, X-ray, EKG, and cervical cancer. Following this screening and also in the case of medical emergencies, the north Koreans are given free medical care covered fully by the government.

After passing through the screening by Daesung Gongsa, North Koreans are taken to Hanawon, a resettlement facility sponsored by the government. For three months, the migrants are given intensive training aimed at easing resettlement in South Korean society, a new environment that is starkly different from their home in the North.

To facilitate this transition, training at Hanawon incorporate a wide range of educational courses, ranging from the most mundane of topics to more abstract concepts. The facility and its programs thus help the North Korean migrants navigate and better understand a foreign environment and mindset.

The comprehensive medical coverage provided at Daesung Gongsa is extended through the three months the North Koreans spend at Hanawon. Hanawon houses two medical clinics, one at their headquarters and one at a satellite site designated for single males.

Between these two clinics, the staff includes five physicians and two nurses. One nurse is responsible for each clinic, and the physicians travel between the two sites during the week. Since the on-site clinics have limited technological capabilities, the clinics mainly provide first-aid and referrals to outside hospitals.

JoAnn: Playa y Selva

On Sunday, I went on a little excursion to see some of the sights outside of Malabo. We headed for Luba, a city about a tenth of the size of Malabo, about an hour south of here. People with houses next to the highway sell bananas, caracoles (snails) and carne de bosque (forest food=monkeys, antelope, porcupine, squirrels).

We ventured into the jungle to pick some fruit from the cacao trees...

After a forty-five minute journey through the jungle, we arrived at the Playa de Arena Blanca, the white sand beach. Some people paddled out in these boats made of hollowed-out trees.

The beach was a very international place to be. I met a Chinese family, a pair of Brits, and swam with an Egyptian guy for a couple minutes.

There were lots of Guineanos, too, although, I was surprised there weren't more locals there on such a nice Sunday afternoon.

We left the beach, and continued another fifteen minutes south to Luba. The Spanish colonial buildings are much better preserved in Luba than in Malabo, and it's quite a bit cleaner, too. There is a canal that runs parallel to main road, so it feels a little bit like a Spanish Venice. In Africa.

Sunday was a day of celebration in Luba--these women were dancing in the street:

Malabo has its charms, but getting outside of the city showed me just how beautiful Bioko Island is. Unfortunately, the new highway will certainly mean more people at the beach and in Luba. I hope both stay clean and lovely.

Eugene: North Koreans in the South Korean Healthcare system

From a conversation this morning with one of the vice presidents of the NGO, I gained some insight into the healthcare of North Koreans in South Korea.

Fortunately, South Korean policies regarding national healthcare extend to all people in the peninsula, including all North Koreans. North Koreans entering South Korea are thus eligible for coverage by the national health system.

Analogous to the Medicaid/Medicare system in the United States, the healthcare system in South Korea provides fiduciary support for the healthcare of the elderly and the poor. Virtually all the arriving North Koreans are thus eligible for this program, which covers the cost of most basic medical services and part of the cost of more advanced services.

The system works well for routine care but is often insufficient for more advanced needs. For example, the cost of an MRI in South Korea is about 500 US dollars. Since the MRI is considered an advanced service, the national health insurance program is only able to cover half the cost. This leaves about 250 US dollars to be paid out-of-pocket.

The South Korean government is generous enough to provide a 400 dollar/month allowance to support the North Korean migrants, but after elective use of advanced care, such an allowance is quickly depleted. As a result, many North Koreans opt out of advanced care even when it is medically necessary.

Having identified this issue, the NGO I am working for has begun efforts to address this concern. In May of 2006, the NGO opened up the Clinic for North Koreans, located at the National Medical Center in Seoul.

To learn more, I spoke with Dr. Jong Heung Kim, who is the chief of the department of surgery at the National Medical Center and is one of the medical directors of the free clinic. According to Dr. Kim, the clinic has two main goals:

1) to defray the cost of medical services not covered by the national health care system,
2) to help North Koreans navigate the South Korean healthcare system.

The North Korean clinic provides free medical consultation and basic medical treatment. In addition, the clinic provides more advanced services at a lower cost than outside hospitals. The medical center receives subsidies from the Ministry of Health and Welfare, and a portion of these funds are earmarked to support the care of the North Koreans. As a result, MRIs, X-rays, and endoscopic examinations are more affordable for the refugees and become a realistic option when the procedures are medically necessary.

The clinic is open every Tuesday afternoon and has already helped nearly one hundred patients since it opened a couple months ago. Patients schedule appointments at the clinic by calling into the NGO office. Dr. Lee, a former North Korean, takes an initial history over the phone and schedules the patients for appointments on the next clinic day.

Upon arriving to the clinic, the physician on duty meets briefly with the patient to record a more detailed history. The patients are then referred to appropriate specialists within the larger medical center for appropriate physical exams and treatment.

Although I came on an off-day at the clinic, there were three North Koreans who came in with urgent needs. Dr. Kim, who was technically off-duty, was happy to see the patients and address their needs. After seeing these patients, I reflected with Dr. Kim on the care of the North Koreans. I was concerned about how such a system would hold up as an increasing number of North Koreans enter South Korea.

Dr. Kim gracefully acknowledged my concerns and reminded me that the efforts of the NGO and the clinic are just a beginning.

The free clinic is located within the National Medical Center in Seoul

JoAnn: A Typical Day in Malabo

Qui qui ri qui! Buenos dias Malabo!

Views from my balcony:

Bye bye Bryan and Bethel!

Car parts in the front yard.

Through the alley leading to the road.

Across the Plaza Central.

Past the port.

Mornings at the hospital.

Afternoons in the office.

Home again to Rosa and my guys:

Buenas noches Malabo!

JoAnn: Church with the Family

I went to church on Sunday. My host father Lucius (whom I now call Pastor Lucius) leads the local parish of the Redeemed Church of Christ. The service began at 9am with an hour of bible study. They divided the group into Spanish and English sections, and because I actually have more trouble understanding Nigerian English than Spanish, I challenged myself and joined the English group.

The subject at hand was the role of each member of the family. Uh oh, I thought, I'm going to have to lie. We started with the Father. People took turns reading a bible passages that referred the role of the father in the Old and New Testaments, and we discussed each one.

Directing the development of the family's values, providing for the family. Okay, nothing too objectionable. Then we moved on to the role of the Mother. We read about submission and obedience. One woman talked about the evil of this thing called Women's Liberation that started in the 80's.

Up until now, the leader of the group had kindly avoided calling on the obvious visitor to the bible study. But after a passage about how women should not ornament themselves with worldly things, I was on the spot. What do you think about that, sister? I was asked. Luckily, this passage had room for a pseudo-feminist interpretation. Well, I think it means that women shouldn't worry about looking beautiful for men, but should focus on living a good life. Correct, said the leader. Whew! Said I.

Bumper stickers on all the bedroom doors. Translation: "Your blood was spilled for me, Jesus Christ."

All dressed up and ready for church!

After bible study the service began. I had expected to sit passively with my host family, but when your host family leads the church, they sit in front, so I stayed in the middle, where I had been during bible study.

My normally quiet and subdued host-mom Elizabeth took the mike and welcomed the congregation: The Lord has done it again! He's made another beautiful day! Alleluia! Then she broke into a song leading the whole place in praise. And by praise, I don't mean mumbling along to the words in a hymnal. No. The house of God was rockin'!

In fact we spent the next hour singing and dancing in those pews. Elizabeth led a few songs, and then another women led a few more. We're talking 90 degrees, tropical heat, no air, a couple fans, about two hundred sweaty Nigerian and Guinean believers, and the sweatiest of them all, yours truly. It was more exercise than I've gotten during my whole time here, including the run I was able to go on up at the plant.

After the big opening song and dance, the service moved onto the skits. The youth in the community had put together some short dramas to teach the congregation moral messages and ways to avoid sin, false gods and most of all, how to fight the devil in your life. Now, in my Catholic upbringing, I had always viewed the devil no so much as a being, but as a concept: the general cause of evil in the world, the force pushing me not to act according to the best moral principles.

Here in Guinea, however, the devil is a monster: a sentient being sitting with a pitchfork in hell cursing people, possessing people. It's a much more literal notion of Satan. And Jesus isn't someone you strive to be like, the model of a perfect life, as in the Catholic Church.

No, here Jesus is like your bodyguard against Satan, and we praise him because we love him and we want him on our side in the battle against the monster. By dying for us, he has shown us that he's willing to fight in the battle. It would be interesting to consider the cultural psychology involved in the interpretation of Judeo-Christian tradition, but I'll save that for another day.

After the skits came the youth choir (five songs), and after the youth choir came the children's choir (another five songs), and after that, the money collection. The money collection here is also a bigger deal then in the US. In our Catholic church, they pass around baskets and people discretely place sealed envelopes inside. No so here.

First they have the tithers, that is, those contributing 10% of their income, come up and be recognized and blessed as they put their money in the box. And then they have a sermon that makes the non-tithers feel guilty about not tithing, and then they have everybody take out their money and say their prayers out loud with their money in hand.

It's like the Pentecost, people shouting in tongues. When people have reached the climax of their fervent prayers, the adult choir breaks into another loud song of praise, and people literally dance in lines up to the collection box and drop in their envelope.

Clearly, this church knows how to get people to contribute. In quiet protest, I stayed back and didn't contribute to the box. I like all the fun of this service, but I like my Catholic Jesus and Satan better than this protestant Jesus and Satan, and I wanted it to be evident that I wasn't a convert.

After four hours, of sweating, singing, dancing, my host mom Elizabeth came up behind me, and asked me if I wanted to go home and rest. I had to restrain myself from shouting a grateful "Alleluia!"

JoAnn: Maternity Ward, At Last!

Friday, I went to the maternity ward and for the first time saw where I'll be spending my mornings for the next four weeks. The building is very old-in fact, they're building a new labor and delivery ward right behind it and the contrast accentuates the sorry state of the current one. I walked up a rock path, past about a dozen women at various stages of pregnancy, and went into the building.

Sitting in the corridor, waiting to be seen were another two-dozen pregnant ladies. Now, I've been dealing with a good deal of bullshit for the past two weeks: paperwork, revisions, and meetings-meetings-meetings. But seeing all these pregnant women, all needing care, reminded me why I'm here, and re-infused me with energy for the project at hand.

The first person I met was Dr. Carmelo, a Cuban obstetrician who is chief of the ward. He responded to the explanation of my project with an affirmative and enthusiastic winks and clicking sounds. Cute.

Then I met the other OBs: Josephine (just like me), a local and Iliana, a Cuban. Each OB had their own room that functioned both as their office (big desks, lots of paperwork) and their exam room (bed with stirrups). I'm not exaggerating when I say that these three people were among the warmest I've met here. It should be a pleasure to work with them. Or rather, around them, so I don't get in their way.

My schedule will be based around their schedule. The docs come in to do their rounds at 9am. At that time they spend between five and twenty minutes with each patient who gave birth the night before, checking on her and baby, and making sure they're okay to go.

Once they've seen the doctor, mommy and baby typically clear out ASAP. Judging from they set up of the post-partum room (twelve beds, each with a little crib at it's foot) that is understandable. So, in order for me to interview all the women who gave birth the day and night before, I need to be there early.

I'm going to start coming at 7am, and see how much time that gives me. I'll work my way around the twelve beds, consenting, poking fingers, doing rapid diagnostic tests for malaria and anemia, and then asking the mom some questions about her use of malaria-preventing drugs during pregnancy.

I have no idea what proportion of women will consent to participate. I mean, I'm not sure I'd want to be poked yet again after having given birth the day before. I think they'll want to know if they have malaria though, so maybe when I come to that part of the consent script, I'll be especially emphatic.

I'm hoping to spend some time shadowing docs both in the OB ward and throughout the hospital, nothing set up yet, though. I think I'll give it a couple of days. Stay tuned.

Lena: Cross cultural exchange

Today, in the name of cross cultural understanding and in preparation for going to stay with our host families, we had 'a very important session.' We were all taken a bit off guard when they said that the 3 guys in a group would be having a separate discussion. I reasoned that maybe they would tell us about various sex differences in terms of household expectations. What happened next was much more amusing...

They got out a piece of paper that had a pit toliet drawn on it and proceeded to show us how to use it.

JoAnn: Independence Day at the US Embassy

This past Saturday evening, I went to an Independence Day party at the American embassy. We showed our passports and were ushered through a metal detector into the embassy's front yard. Everything was decorated with red, white and blue: little flags and candles and miniature Statues of Liberty.

There were burgers and dogs on the grill, and a buffet with chips, kebabs, and potato salad. Louis Armstrong played in the background. We sang the national anthem, and the ambassador (who covers both EG and Cameroon) made a speech announcing the appointment of an ambassador specific to EG. Then they handed out sparklers.

It wasn't quite like the Fourth of July cookouts I know and love so much, but I found the cooler full of ice cold Bud, and made the best of it.

There was something a little uncanny about it, though. I mean, for one, it was a really formal event-everyone in suits and dresses. It was weird to have us picnicking in our fancy clothes. Also, it wasn't just Americans who were invited, but all the diplomats. And to be honest, diplomats aren't your typical barbecue crowd. They answer their cell phones in dozens of different languages, influence international policy, and drink wine, not beer. Perhaps the ten foot high cement wall surrounding the embassy also contributed to the eerie feeling I had at the party.

It wasn't all weird, though. I met two very interesting ladies from Pennsylvania who are working with an organization devoted to saving the primates (specifically mandrills) on the island. They've been pretty successful, too: this past year, over 40% of the land in EG was designated protected territory. On the way out of the party, they gave us a little gift: a baseball cap embroidered with the American and Guinean flag. Cool.

Lena: Teaching nutrition

The classroom:

50 students per class:

One of my students hard at work:

Lena: Homestay

Before coming here, I had expected to be living with a family for the majority of my time here. Then when I spoke to the course director on the phone a few weeks before leaving, I found out that we would be spending most of our time in dorms.

Now we have just been informed that in less than a week, we will be moving in with our host family for the next 3 weeks. The center is overcrowded and they no longer have space for us. My initial instinct is of course to throw a fit... how can they simply kick us out? How can an organization make arrangments and then simply change them without any notice or compensation?

Then I took a deep breath and a step back and reminded myself that I in fact hadn't made any arrangements with TCDC, nor had I paid for anything. I took another step back and reminded myself that I had initially been disappointed to discover that we wouldn't be staying with our host families for longer.

For me I think it's all about expectations. I try to go into my international experiences with as few expectations as is possible. I think I was relatively successful in that regard and I was pleasantly surprised when I discovered that our accomodations closely resembled a hotel or a summer camp.

I would have been perfectly fine without any of our numerous amenities, but now the thought of not having constant internet access, hot running water, a choice of food at every meal, and the security to go running in the early morning is a bit daunting.

Right now, I am just struggling with all the unknown... I have no idea what to expect.

Lena: Safari

And now, the moment you've all been waiting for: pictures for the animal parks. We went to Lake Manyara and the Ngorongoro Conservation Area. Conservation areas allow human habitation while providing protection status for wildlife.

Here you can see a Masai herdsman running along his cattle inside the crater:

Ngorongoro Crater, which is the world's largest unbroken caldera, was formed by the collapse of a volcano into itself. The crater is 610m deep and there are an estimated 25,000 animals within the crater (see below). In addition, it has the densest known population of lions numbering 62 in 2001.
We must of seen at least 12 of the 62:

Lake Magadi in the centre of the crater is a soda lake supporting flocks of flamingo:

We also visited Olduvai Gorge (Oldupaai as it's called by the Masai, after the sisal plants that abound there). For those, who like me aren't anthropology buffs, this is where the Leakey's did the majority of their work: here they found Australopithecus boisei, Homo habilis, and Homo erectus. Also nearby they found a famous set of hominid footprints, the discussion of which I found fascinating because of the role anatomy can play in anthropology. The arch as well as the position of the big toe distinguished these footprints from those of apes and suggested that hominids walked upright habitually.
I wonder how they picked this spot to make all these important discoveries:

Tembo:

Twiga:

Kiboko:

Baboon:

Swala:

Punda milia (striped donkey):

Bloody lion among the cars:

JoAnn: Power Out

Today my friend Blas at the office asked me if my parents were still alive. Sign number one that you're either getting old (did he see my grays?), or you're in a developing country.

I think the average life expectancy here in Equatorial Guinea is in the fifties. This is result of many factors, including a tragic number of accidental electrocutions (poor wiring + torrential, puddle-forming rain). Yikes. Other cues given that this is indeed the developing world:

1.)The water that is supposed to run from 7 to 9 each morning has come for only two of the past six days. But I don't smell. Nope.
2.)Power outages. Last night I returned home from the office around 6:30 to find my family in a dark living room...

I located my trusty purple Mag-lite and sat out on my balcony reading by twi- then flash- light. The power goes out frequently, so everyone was ready with candles and old-fashioned Ebenezer Scrooge-style candleholders.

Candle in hand, I took little Bryan out onto my balcony and did what my family always did when the power went out: told stories. Starting these stories and hoping I could remember how they went, I told him about Goldilocks and the Three Bears (I didn't feel like explaining porridge so I called it soup instead), Little Red Riding Hood, Jack and the Bean Stock.

After exhausting my memory of those secular tales, I moved on to the ones I remembered from the "Jesus, Friend of Children," book my dad used to read to me. I told him "From dark to light" where Jesus helps the blind man see by smearing mud in his eyes. I told him about the miracle of the loaves and the fishes. When I started on David and Goliath, he stopped and shouted that he knew this one. Of course he does. Son of a preacher man! And boy could this little guy preach.

Emphatically describing David's bravery, pounding his teeny fist on the ground yelling "Fear God!" Even Jesus himself made an appearance in Bryan's version of this Old Testament story. Then we sang church songs. I taught him "Halle-halle-halle. Lu-u-yah!" Remember that one? He taught me one about Simeo, the man who helped Jesus carry his cross.

In addition to facilitating some intense host-brother bonding, power outages have another upside: candlelight is beautiful. I have an intricate wrought iron gate between my room and my balcony, and the balcony has its own stonework design. The soft candlelight cast the most exquisite shadows out onto the balcony. There was a quiet peace, no Reggeton concert on the radio below, no Nigerian movies blaring in the next room. Just gentle candlelight, sparkling in the evening.

I am fully aware of the fact that I am here only five weeks more, and so I classify these inconveniences as challenges contributing to my adventure. Knowing my host family will deal with intermittent light and water for the indefinite future prevents me from feeling annoyed that I can't wash my hair.

Oh, finally, here's something interesting about Malabo: the phonebook lists people alphabetically by first name! When I found my friend Aurelio, and threatened to call him on Saturday night, he collapsed in a chair laughing. The people here are enchanting.

Jamie: The Dengue Diaries

For updates on Jamie's experiences in Nicaragua, see:
http://denguediaries.blogspot.com/

See excerpt from his blog below.

Managua

Two days in Nicaragua. Where do I begin? I’ve lived in Mexico. I’ve traveled in Peru, and Ecuador. Compared with Nicaragua, these countries are rich. According to Wikipedia: Nicaragua has a GDP per capita of $867, placing it in 127th place amongst all the countries in the world, and placing it just behind Bolivia and Honduras as the poorest country in Latin America. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_GDP_(nominal)_per_capita

They ration the water here in Managua. In the neighborhood where I’m staying, the city water only comes out of the faucet between 7pm and 7am. To cope, people fill up large basins with water at night so that they'll have water to wash with during the day.

This morning I woke at 7:20am, after the water had been turned off, so I had to use a bowl and pour water over myself from a water basin that they leave in the bathtub. Same goes for using the toilet - you get one free flush once the water has been turned off - but after that flush there won't be any water to replace the water in the tank, so after that you need to dump a bucket of water in the toilet to make it flush.

There really are no street names in Managua. I read this in the guidebook but didn't believe it until I got here and saw for myself. Instead, people give directions based on landmarks that are found in each neighborhood. People don't use the four cardinal directions, either. Instead, they say: Al Lago (North), Arriba (East), Abajo (West), y al Sur (South).

For example, here’s the address of the house where I’m staying: “Barrio Campo Bruce, del Bar Los Rastros, una cuadra al sur y una cuadra arriba, frente a la casa de dos pesos. (The Campo Bruce Neighborhood, One block south of the bar “Los Rostros� and one block up, across from the house with two stories)."

Seriously, those are the directions that you would give a taxi driver and would also write on a letter if you wanted the mailman to deliver it correctly.

The house in which I'm staying is simple but they have the essentials: a refrigerator, stove, oven, microwave, TV (with cable) and a stereo covered in plastic. There’s no air conditioning. My room has a window, a double bed with a very soft mattress, a wooden dresser, a TV (with cable including HBO), and on the wall: a picture of Jesus.

Maribel lives in this one-story house with her sister Flor and her two sons: Alan (9) and William (14). Flor works at the National Laboratory at the Ministry of Health, and that is how she knows Eva Harris, the scientist at Berkeley who runs the Dengue program here in Managua.

Last night the power went out just as I was going to bed. This was problematic because the fan stopped blowing, and without fan it was HOT in my room. Then because I had trouble sleeping I woke up after 7am and had to pour myself a shower.

So far I've split my time between three different sites: The laboratory at the Ministry of Health, the Hospital Infantil Manuel de Jesus Rivera, and the Health Center Socrates Flores. In two days I've gotten a chance to meet the various doctors working on the multiple dengue projects that are all affiliated with Eva Harris at Berkeley. These include:

1) A Cohort Study of over 1000 healthy children who live in Managua. They are followed long term and are evaluated by medical staff anually to see who develop dengue and to try to better understand risk factors and dengue transmission.

2) A Clinical Study of all children referred to the Hospital Manuel de Jesus Rivera with suspected dengue. These children are treated and their information is all recorded electronically in a database. There is also a Lab Component in which the viral genomes and host antibodies are analyzed by PCR and serology and are also sent to Berkeley for further analysis.

3) A Community Health Project that sends health promoters out into the community to work on mosquito control and educate the population about how to avoid Dengue.

My involvement in this project is to help analyze data that was collected during the past year from the clinical study. Specifically, we're interested in learning how Ultrasound could better be utilized in children with Dengue.