Fw: Mvumi

----- Original Message -----
From: "John Cockcroft" <jhjcockcroft@hotmail.com>
To: <cacockcroft@hotmail.com>
Cc: <ccockcroft@skyflame.co.uk>
Sent: Friday, August 11, 2006 1:28 PM
Subject: Mvumi

> We spent yesterday morning looking around the hospital at Mvumi. I was a
> bit surprised at how useless this made me feel. I am not good at visiting
> hospitals without the ability to engage with patients. Not only is my
> Swahili limited to a few words, but I have no tropical medicine and no
> registration here, so I was merely a bloated western visitor looking at
> poor sick people that I couldn't help. The clothes here are wonderfully
> colourful and this contrasts very picturesquely with the drab blues, greys
> and browns of the hospital architecture. People walk and ride many miles
> to come here, often in preference to their own government hospitals. The
> hospital is in the middle of a major rebuilding programme, with many older
> wards being knocked down and rebuilt. There is a beautiful new dining hall
> with a lovely wooden ceiling, which is spacious and airy, and serves as a
> hall for public ceremonies (awarding certificates to graduates of the
> courses run by the hospital, including Peter's own department)
> After lunch we visited the village. The village is dusty, but has a
> thriving market selling tomatoes, onions, charcoal and cast-iron stoves.
> Other stalls sell second hand clothing and discounted new garments. Jack
> bought a new hat for 85p (TSh 2000). On the way back, Molly felt faint,
> perhaps to do with the Malarone and the heat, and we stopped for a drink
> at the local soda bar. Jack admired a large grasshopper/cricket/locust
> which was walking about. We returned to the house then visited a lovely
> lady called Rahele who gave us tea and doughnuts, after which I did some
> violin practice, then had dinner cooked by Simon Walton's cook Nyemo
> (chapatis and beans)
> This morning we visited a local nursery school where we did some craft
> with the children and taught them some songs and played the violin. I
> learned something of the crops that they grow here, (maize and three types
> of millet), and about the government of the country. Jack is quite well
> and seems to be getting the most from the visit. He has read a fantastic
> amount during our quiet moments.
>
> John
>
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