Bunk Beds and Mosquito Nets

I think our sleeping arrangements are a good representation of our comfort level living here in Tanzania.  When we first arrived, we all slept together in the same bed huddled under one mosquito net.  We slept those first few nights (maybe even weeks) exhausted from traveling and jet lag, terrified of mosquitoes and generally every sound we heard.  We would watch movies in the middle of the night under the net sometimes because one or all of us couldn't sleep.

But as time has gone by, sleeping arrangements have changed.  We have two bedrooms.  In the main bedroom, there are two beds put together under a large net.  In the other room, there was a small bed with a small mosquito net.  Slowly, our sleeping changed to me and boys sleeping in the big bed and Trevor sleeping in the other room.  Then at some point, Nino started to sleep a little better and Trevor and I started trading off having solo nights in the small bed.

But a couple of weeks ago, I asked someone to make us a bunk bed for the small room.  This was because I'm finally comfortable with the boys sleeping in the other room and ready to really settle into the house (almost 9 months after arriving).

Here is their new bed fitted with mosquito nets....

Side note, wives often get excited when their husbands bring them flowers or jewelry.  I can't even express how excited I was when Trevor brought home a new mosquito net for the big bed a couple of days ago.  We have had a net that was a little too small and impossible to keep tucked under the mattress.  I've fought with that net every night for 9 months.  The new net if fabulous, fits perfectly and is the perfect gift!  Thanks Baba. 

Feeling Yucky!

This was a rough week for the Mercado/Kearneys in Bukoba.  Nino got a terrible rash on his face.  We are pretty sure that it is impetigo but it sure did look terrible.  We are lucky to have a doctor and nurse (Les and Kristine) in the family that are only a Skype call or email away to help us diagnose and treat illnesses.  Going to the doctor here is really tough for us.  They don't seem to be able to give us much by way of specific information.  And I can't tell you how may times we've been told that drinking cold beverages is what is causing our illnesses.  (Doctors here seem confident enough on that one that maybe I should do some research)  But it seems that with antibiotics and ointment, he is on the mend.

I've also been sick this week.  It feels like I had strep throat although all the doctors were able to say was that I had swollen tonsils.  But regardless, I was totally knocked out for 2.5 days.  When Trevor and I first started dating, I was pretty amazed that he was willing to chaperone for more than one field trip for my sometimes tough to manage students in NYC.  But this week, he went above and beyond by actually teaching all of my classes for three days.  He is a rock star! 

We've hopefully rounded the corner and we'll be feeling fine very soon!

A Morning on the Beach

My running club has been working hard the last few months preparing for a 5k distance.  As a special treat, we decided to head into town this morning to run on the beach.  Walking into town isn't as easy as it seems.  It takes about 45 minutes and it a steep downhill.  You also have to worry about cars and motorcycles and bicycles along the way.  It had been raining all night but the storm seemed to pass so we headed out. 

This is the view of Lake Victoria from the top of the hill as we set out.

 After getting to town, we headed to the beach to run.  I wanted the girls to experience the challenge of running on sand.  They didn't do much running but it completely wiped them out.  In this picture, you can see the top of the hill that we walk down to get there.

 These three are pretty consistently the top three runners.  The one in front is especially fast....

 After the beach, we walked to the Walkgard hotel for some snacks and drinks.  We had samosas and chips.  The girls even got to watch some cartoons while we waited for food.

 It started raining while we ate so we tried to wait it out.  But it didn't look like it was going to stop anytime soon.  So eventually, we had to head up the hill in the rain.  We were soaked by the time we got to the top but everyone had fun regardless.  I convinced them that walking in the rain was better than walking up the hill in the hot sun.  Some of the girls picked giant leaves and used them as rain hats. 

After leaving at 8am, we got back just in time for lunch at 1pm.  It was a great morning!

Arusha

We had a meeting in Arusha so we decided to extend our trip and spend the Easter holiday there.  It was a fantastic trip.  We went on a safari with our colleague, Elizabeth, who lives in Nairobi. 

We also got to eat some amazing food, rest, relax and do some touristy things.  One of the highlights was a trip to an art village called, Shanga.  It is an artist community that is dedicated to providing employment and other opportunities to the disabled community in Tanzania.  We were able to see the artists at work making all kinds of crafts and we ate a delicious meal.

Some other highlights:

A restaurant with mushroom risotto and a bonfire:

On the way back to Bukoba, we spent a couple of nights in Dar and got to visit our favorite shopping center with a playground for the boys.