Olivia in Tanzania
Hi, my name is Olivia Lien and last month I visited not only Tanzania, but Africa for the first time! I traveled with my father, Scott Lien, who can’t even remember how many times he’s been to Tanzania. While I believed I could rely on his years of experience to guide me through this new experience, he instead decided to push me into the deep end head first, by having me spend three days at Selian Lutheran Hospital by myself. Dr. Amon Marti picked me up at 7 am, and we headed to Selian which was about 20 min away from Mwangaza. We attended chapel with the rest of the hospital staff, as was their daily morning routine. The service was prominently in Swahili, with occasional English throughout. Bible verses were recited, a choir sang beautifully, and to conclude Dr. Amon introduced me to the small congregation. Following the service they had what I assessed to be a weekly recap of the patient deaths from the week before. This meeting was incredibly fascinating as doctors, nurses, and specialists described their observations and the events prior to the patients passing. They traded information and insight into each other’s patients as they shared countless theories and ideas into identifying the illnesses and ailments that had plagued these patients. For someone with no medical background, it was surprisingly interesting to hear and learn about.
After the meeting concluded Dr. Amon introduced me to Gloria, a 24 year old Nutritionist who is adamant about going back to school and earning her Masters. I stayed with Gloria the entire first day at Selian, along the way learning much about her and the hospital she volunteered at. Gloria had been volunteering at Selian for a year, because despite the fact she wasn’t being paid she loved the work and the mission. Gloria is exceptionally bright, speaking fluent English despite it not being her first language, putting my three years of high school German to shame. Since Gloria is the only Nutritionist at Selian, she was constantly moving around to different departments who needed her expertise. While this was a regular day for Gloria, measuring baby formula and charting children’s weight to determine whether they were malnourished or overweight, this was all completely new and fascinating to me.
Dr. Amon and I left Selian at around 3:30 in the afternoon. While I stared out the window thinking about my day I started to feel nauseous out of nowhere. I thought at first it was simply motion sickness. I was quickly proven wrong when I realized this was in fact way worse than that, and the fact that I usually only get motion sickness when my dad drives. Unfortunately before I could tell Dr. Amon to pull over I found myself throwing up all over myself and his car. I sat in my vomit for the rest of the car ride, completely embarrassed that I had just thrown up in the director of the hospital’s car. I spent the next several hours on the couch shaking as I felt like I was dying.
My dad returned to Mwangaza a couple hours later, only to tell me we were going to a friend's house for dinner which I was rightfully not excited about. My father, always committed to the plan, reassured me it would be fine as we waited for the Tuk-Tuk, a three-wheel taxi originating from India, to arrive to take us to dinner. While we waited I proceeded to throw up two more times in the nearby bushes as I told myself it would eventually have to stop. The sky darkened quickly as we made our way to the outskirts of Arusha where the Swansons lived. While I still felt awful, I felt relief from the cool winter night breeze and delightful conversation that accompanied my dinner of crackers and lemon ginger ale. I returned home that night, although not necessarily feeling better physically, but emotionally as I was reminded that it was better to be sick in Tanzania, than to not be in Tanzania at all.
The next day I stayed at Mwangaza instead of going to Selian, as my body was simply too weak to go. Throughout the day I was successfully able to keep down a little food and got to know the staff at Mwangaza as well. I also made friends with a stray dog, which the staff at Mwangaza feed and have affectionately named Carlos. While I sipped my morning cup of Kilimanjaro lemon tea, Carlos laid at my feet, occasionally receiving pets as I read my book. By the end of the day I started to feel like myself again, and that I would have enough strength to return to Selian.
I returned the next day to Selian, although still not feeling amazing, just okay enough to be there. Luckily though, Dr. Amon filled a prescription for some nausea medicine for me and I almost immediately started to feel better. Our day at Selian started the same with early morning chapel, but was different this time as instead of being by myself, I had my dad and Dr. Simon Megiroo with me this time. Dr. Amon introduced us, and while I simply waved and said hello, my dad went to the front of the chapel to give a speech. I was honestly very impressed by his speech, and no he’s not telling me to write this. He spoke about GHM’s relationship with Selian and their commitment to fulfill their mission to help provide healthcare and aid despite the many obstacles and challenges. Sometimes I forget how crazy my dad’s job is. Hearing his speech reminded me that my dad, the history major, helps organize thousands of random donated medical supplies, while then figuring out which of those supplies doctors thousands of miles away need, and finally navigating the international shipping and delivery of massive containers filled with those medical supplies. After Chapel we all went into Dr. Amons’s office and he gave us a general overview of equipment that needed updating, supplies they were running low on, and finally telling us of the improvements they had made to their facilities recently, namely their current building of a three-story building consisting of space for a laboratory, eye, and dental treatment spaces.
Something I found interesting about Selian Lutheran Hospital is that it wasn’t one or two big buildings, and was instead a collection of smaller buildings connected by cement pathways. Growing up in America where hospitals are usually big, cold, sterile white buildings devoid of color or personality, Selian, instead, felt more like a village with its collection of buildings each having a different purpose and its occasional use of brighter blues and greens to add some personality. I didn’t know a hospital could look like that.
The workday flew by quickly and it was already time to go home. However, we didn’t just go back to Mwangaza as we joined the staff on their new weekly 10 km after work walk. As Tanzania continues to develop, more and more people are at risk for lifestyle-based diseases such as Hypertension or Type 2 diabetes. The staff at Mwangaza decided that since they spend all day taking care of other people's health, they should also take care of their own. I spent the walk talking and chatting with a nurse who also happened to be named Gloria, and held hands, a sign of friendship and connection in Tanzania. We competed with her friends, each of us trying to get to the finish line first, stopping along the way at water and fruit tables for the staff. Which by the way, Tanzania bananas are actually insane. They taste so much sweeter and fresher than any banana I’ve ever had in America. Getting to harvest bananas from actual banana trees and eat them right there and then is an incredible experience.
Reaching the end and celebrating with the rest of the Selian staff as they cheered on their friends and colleagues was amazing. Dancing and singing with people who even though I had only recently just met, felt no discomfort or awkwardness around as their hospitality and kindness was like no other. “Minnesota nice” quite literally pales in comparison to true Tanzanian hospitality.
Note: Olivia is about to begin her senior year of high school in Minnesota. Her father, Scott, is Global Health Ministries’ Director of Operations and we were delighted she was able to accompany him on his recent partner visit trip to Tanzania!