Of course I couldn’t help but offer my assistance and I spent the next hour and a half helping them understand what the spreadsheet is doing with the information they input. This form we created can then be printed off and taken to the bank where payroll can be done “automatically.” I’m sure I will go into more detail about the banking system in Tanzania and Mwanza as the summer continues but for now let’s just say it’s pretty inefficient and the largest bill is a 10,000TSH which equates to around $6.25.
After helping to prepare the payroll I went to help at the clinic and watched as the med students did lab work to learn how that part of the process worked. I learned a lot about the common illnesses here (malaria, typhoid, HIV/AIDS, etc.) and how they diagnose them. The children are pretty tough and barely flinch when they have to get blood drawn but if they do cry they usually get a Beanie Baby to cheer them up. There was a team down here a while ago that brought 1,600 donated Beanie Babies with them to give to the children at the clinic.
After lunch it was time for one of the med students to head home which means driving through Mwanza and out to the airport. Of course I wanted to go when they asked me and a carload of us went to go run errands in town. As we passed through town we dropped off Sele and Miriam to run some personal errands. Miriam is Kenyan and has to fill out a ridiculous amount of paperwork to remain in Tanzania as a worker.
Upon dropping off the med student we went to a local grocery store. It reminded me of the general store in Iconium, Missouri by Bartle but with foreign brands. Outside of the store I was able to get a newspaper from a street vendor to read later in the evening.
Our next stop was to the RMO. When we went to see him the other day he mentioned to Paula that when they have specialty teams come she can contact him and he can get them some free air time on the radio. She just needed to provide a schedule ahead of time and that’s what we dropped off.
On the way back home we picked up Sele and Miriam and stopped by a market to get sugar, eggs, and Coca-Cola. The sugar comes in large 50kg bags (about 110 pounds) and these small boys load it into the car for you. After a four hour trip to town we were on our way back home. Just in time for the afternoon rush of patients.
I spent the rest of the day at the clinic waiting for Dr. Bon to get the price lists of the different procedures they perform at the clinic but it was a pretty busy day so I just helped out where I could. Finally after the day was over we had a chance to look at the current pricing scheme. We sat down at his desk, opened up the computer, pressed the power button, and nothing happened… Apparently the clinic did not get power at all the night before so the computer was completely out of battery! We laughed hysterically at the irony of the day since that’s about all you can do in a situation like that. Here in Mwanza you get about 12 hours of power and then 12 hours of darkness. It’s anything but convenient and puts a large strain on the economy. Businesses that need to operate when power is offline must run generators and diesel gasoline is about $8 a gallon. This cost is of course absorbed by the consumers and is making the cost of commodities in the area, especially food, a lot more expensive.
After a long day at the clinic I came home and played cards with a few of the volunteers. We had a quick dinner and relaxed in the candlelit living room while reviewing some of the more popular Swahili phrases. Although I didn’t get to accomplish much today I still learned a lot and tried to make the most out of it. I’m learning quickly not to go anywhere without a book or something to do in the downtime since they seem to get a lot of that here.
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