Tag Archives: pre-departure

Down to the wire and the pound

I am down the less than 24 hours until I leave. Given my normal anxiety around travel and just making sure I have everything, I am fairly calm. I love to travel, but I always worry I will forget something that is critical. My bags are packed and I am enjoying a relaxing evening with my kitty and my husband.

I am very happy that I managed to get all my stuff into two bags and my carry-ons and that at the moment, they are just underweight or on target, but the airlines view will depend on the calibration of the their scales. I am thrilled that I got all the answer sheets, training manuals, and materials for the assessment in the bags and they are still within weight limits.

I am thrilled that the all copies, training manuals, and materials for the assessment are in the bags. We are ready and able to get started next week on the work. I am excited to finally get there and get going after talking with Sarah and planning so much over the last several months.

I have to thank Deo Tungaraza and Dr. Alwiya Omar (my KiSwahili teacher) at Indiana University and the IU Swahili Flagship program for the wonderful work on the translation of the assessment. They did a wonderful job and were able to do it so quickly so that we could start working this summer. Asante sana kwa kazi nyingi!

 

In 72 hours……I am leaving for Moshi, Tanzania.

In 72 hours I will be in the air and on my way to Tanzania to work start my work with the Toa Nafasi project. So much to do…

Where am I going? I am going to Moshi, Tanzania, to work in a village called Msaranga. it is nearby Moshi and accessible by daladala (small buses) and cars. Here is a map.

Map of Northern Tanzania

Moshi is located on the right side of the map in the center. It is right next to Mt. Kilimanjaro.

I will be working with the Toa Nafasi Project, who have their own blog. Sarah Rosenbloom, the founder and director, is awesome and has graciously invited me to work with them. This is the first time I am going back to Tanzania since completing my dissertation research in 2009. I can’t wait to get there, but grading must get done before I can leave. Off to that. Here is a view from Moshi of Mt. Kilimanjaro.

A rooftop view of Mt. Kilimanjaro in Moshi.