FATUMA HITS NEW YORK!

From the foot of Lady Liberty to the heights of the Empire State Building, from Central Park to Chinatown, from the Bronx's Grandparents Apartments to the World Trade Center Memorial Site -- Fatuma Gwao of Mbagala, Tanzania has "done" New York City!

Her reason for taking a bit from the Big Apple of course, was to present on a panel at Global Forum 2010 on our GRANDMA-2-GRANDMA program. But we also had time to sightsee.

We were even treated to a fine meal at an African restaurant and to front and center seats of "Lion King" by Bibi Jann supports Louise Root-Robbins and husband Ken. What a thrill that was!

Plus, Fatuma sampled different kinds of foods, including Italian and Chinese After visiting the Tenement Museum on the Lower Eastside, she noted that America's past (outside toilets and water taps, crowded housing, etc.) is very much Tanzania's present.

Enjoy the photos!

ADVENTURE OVER, REPORTS CONTINUE

After three amazing weeks in America, Fatuma is safely back in Mbagala and Jann is in Portland for two weeks before returning to Stockholm.

So now we play catch-up, posting the pictures you"ll want to share with friends: our Tanzanian "Mother Theresa of Mbagala" trick-or-treating as Raggedy Ann and frolicking in her first snow at Mt. Hood with daughter Renee's family.

Yes, we were the oldest costumed kids on the streets, but I explained the candy would all be carried back to the delighted children of the village, where such goodies are called pee-pee. And bundling up to the snow, Fatuma claimed she could hardly walk, but she managed to sled and build a snowman with grandchildren Alexa, Eva, Chloe and Japanese exchange student Miho. The best part may have been warming up with cocoa in the majestic Timberline Lodge, a WPA project.

Enjoy! And stay tuned for reports and pix from our East Coast trip...

A TASTE OF TANZANIA

Part of the fun in exploring a different culture is sampling the food. Fatuma (who is used to hot food only) has done that here.

But then we turned the tables. She prepared a typical Tanzanian dinner for my family - masala rice with potatoes, lightly cooked cabbage with carrots and green pepper, a beef-tomatoe stew, chipati (thin bread), and more.

Not only was the food different for the Americans, but they were introduced to the muslim custom of having their hands washed at the table with a pitcher of water and bowl to catch it - plus they got to eat with their fingers (which the kids - including two Japanese exchange students - delighted in).

And Fatuma was able to cook it all on a 6-burner gas stove in a beautful huge kitchen instead of on the floor on a tiny charcoal stove! Though habit dies hard, and she did bend over to transfer one pot into another on the floor.

The next evening, we were treated to an eat-with-your-hands North African meal at Horn of Africa restaurant in NE Portland (local friends - if you haven't already, try this wonderful restaurant!). Friends Jeanne Kemp-Ware and Suzanne Graham, who visited Tanzania with us last year, joined us for a wonderful evening,sharing delicious food and the photos they took on our trip.

Fatuma and I also enjoyed a day trip to the Oregon Coast. Photos below!

COLUMBIA GORGE "DISCOVERED" BY TANZANIAN

The scenic gorge that took millions of years for the Columbia River to carve was explored in just a few hours Wednesday by Fatuma.

A break in the bad weather enabled her to savor vistas of both Mt. Hood and Mount St. Helens as we drove east along the Oregon/Washington border. Neither is Mt. Kilimanjaro -- climbed by hundreds of tourists annually in her native Tanzania -- but my favorite East African enjoyed it al in her typical, silent fashion.

Accompanied by 18-year-old granddaughter Ashley, we made the usual stop at Bridge of the Gods for the Charburger burgers amid Indian artifacts before moving on to Bonneville Dam, where we caught a barge going through the locks (making the concept of this water elevator easier to understand. We glimpsed the turbines which create the electricity sold all over the Northwest, and peered out over and into the fish ladder which enables the salmon to return from the sea to spawn in their native creeks. At the fish hatchery nearby, we marveled at the nearly 9-foot sturgeon and leaping salmon, then marveled in the mists of mighty Multnomah Falls.

Sure, we Oregonians make this a part of our usual houseguest route, but seeing it -- and explaining it -- to someone with no concept of the technologies involved nor experience of the vistas and history of the gorge make it all new to me again.

A few photos below...

A FANCY FOOTWASH

The woman walks miles through the pot-holed, dusty paths of her village, solving people's problems. So it somehow seemed fitting that Fatuma deserved a - well, pedicure.

At least that was the reasoning of my oldest daughter, Renee, who insisted on treating our Tanzanian guest to this little American luxury. I equivocated for myself - a waste of money, yet another example of American indulgence, ya da ya da. She insisted, I relented, and all three of us now have the fanciest toes in town. Fatuma found the experience so delightful, I treated her to a manicure, too. After all, when you've been invited to the NYC mayor's Gracie Mansion, one must look nice!

Before having the dust of Mbagala scrubbed from her feet, Fatuma spoke at my youngest granddaughters' school and soon had the 3rd and 5th graders counting in Kiswahili. She got a school tour, enjoyed a school lunch and shivered on the playground while the kids showed off their athletic prowess.

Enjoy the pictures below.

INTERPRETING AMERICAN CULTURE

Acclimating my friend Fatuma to American culture here in Portland before hitting the East Coast is touching, hilarious and...well, ridiculous!

Explaining things (such as trash compactors, hotel doormen dressed absurdly, robotic dogs, massager chairs, fog machines, etc.) makes one realize how much life in the United States is grounded in unreality, excess and waste.

My daughter's Renee's "appliance tour" - dishwasher, clothes washer and dryer, compactor, microwave, garbage disposal - had Fatuma agape yet appreciative, but things got crazier when son-in-law Tom introduced the fog machine (well, it IS Halloween!) and disco lazer light tosser (dancing dots all over the room!). Then the kids got the robotic dog, to the delight of the two real dogs dressed in Halloween costumes.

Renee and Tom treated us to a kids concert, where pirates were the theme. The massager chair at Brookstone was a highlight at Washington Square Mall, where it can be hard to discover to just how to turn on the bathroom taps and toilets flush magically...

Just like when the house held teen-agers, my phone rings constantly - for Fatuma. Seems the whole village of Mbagala has checked in to make sure she's OK - with little regard for the 9-hour time difference (or is it 10?). The computer stays busy too, with emails home to chronicle each day's wonders, along with a report of two new pairs of shoes!

And then there are the small gaffes - like serving one's Muslim guest a Hawaiian pizza - pineapple and you-know (think about it). And Americans not knowing that the proper way to greet is with book-end embraces on BOTH cheeks. But everyone's heart is in the right place, and I'm proud of the friendliness of fellow Americans as I explain she's a visitor and they welcome her so heartily and allow more than three garments in the fitting room.

Back in Mbagala village, where Fatuma is a respected leader, her home is filled with people and demands for food, money, solutions to assorted problems.

Here in Multnomah Village, she's got her feet up in front of the fireplace with a cup of tea, trying to stay warm. We watch the video "Bambi" one evening, and the next she falls asleep over "your book about the magic wind" - (THE WIZARD OF OZ).

Life is sweet.

(enjoy photos below)

OREGON PREMIERE A SUCCESS!

How wonderful it was to look out at the audience Oct. 23 and see so many dear faces of people I who have built Bibi Jann School with their donations over the years!

The Oregon premiere of the documentary about us and craft sales brought in $1,600 for the bibis and their AIDS orphans in GRANDMA-2-GRANDMA. Most of the those present had not yet seen the film, and emphathetic sobs were audible. (Copies can be ordered at www.olddogdocumentaries.org).

Thanks to family members and friends who helped make this event possible. Nine people indicated interest in an upcoming safari to Tanzania. There's nothing more fun and satisfying than introducing friends to a place and people I care so much about, and seeing how the travel opens their eyes. The 10-dayTanzanian trip includes time in the village at our project, a guided tour of Dar es Salaam, two nights in Mikumi National Park seeing the animals, and a visit to exotic Zanzibar -- all for about $2,000, not including roundtrip airfare to Africa. Time is not yet set, but in summer or fall 2011.

COMING TO AMERICA!

She's always dreamed about coming to America.

But then, dreams are nothing new to former school teacher Fatuma Gwao. When we met in 2000, she had a foundation of bricks in the dusty front yard of her home in the village of Mbagala, south of Dar es Salaam. Her dream was to build a real school, and with the help of people like you, Bibi Jann Day Care Center became BJ School up to 5th grade with nearly 200 students. Now, plans are underway (see http://www.salamatanzania.org/) to build another campus for expansion to upper grades.

Fatuma couldn't have dreamed that a documentary would be made about the gramma project which ensued. But the Old Dog Documentaries film, "Grandmother to Grandmother:New York to Tanzania", resulted in us both being invited to present on a panel at The International Forum for Child Welfare's WorldForum 2010 in New York.

It would be impossible to drop out of the sky into the Big Apple - especially when you've never flown. So I'm bringing her first to Portland, Oregon, where the first Bibi Jann donors live. She'll acclimate to our culture here among family and friends, before headingNov. 2 for the East Coast and numerous engagements.

To follow Fatuma's schedule and track her impressions, we'll include a calendar of events as a regular feature on this page, and add posts regularly with photos.

Meanwhile, join us for the Oregon premiere of the film Sat., Oct. 23 at Multnomah Arts Center in Multnomah Village in SW Portland 3-5 p.m. And it's free, with wonderful door prizes from generous village merchants, Tanzanian crafts for sale, information on joining us for a safari, professional Tanzanian photo exhibit, a raffle, refreshments and much inspiration!

Fatuma may be a bit overwhelmed, but we promise to inspire you with how much two determined women and people like you can make a big difference in this world!

Gothenberg Turns Out for Bibi Jann!

You just can't beat the good people of Götenborg (Sweden's largest town after Stockholm)! Whether they are Swedes, Americans or ex-pats from other countries,they are enthusiastic about supporting our work with AIDS orphans in Tanzania.

We've enjoyed past support from the American Women's Club, International Women's Club, International School Gothenburg Region, and others there in the past. This west coast city is pronounced "Goteeborry" in Swedish and in English is spelled and said "Gothenberg."

And mid-May brings more enthusiasm from AWC!

On Friday, May 21 at 7 p.m., attend the club-sponsored cocktail party with entertainment by the Yale Alley Cats, the top-notch a capella group from Yale University (they've sung for every U.S. president since their 1943 founding!). The gala will be held at the elegant Överås Mansion at Danska Vägen 20 in the Örgryte area of the city.Jane's Place is catering, and there'll be some goodies from Tanzania for sale! Tickets are 3000 SEK, payable Plusgiro 50 55 17-3 but tickets are limited, so act fast! Follow it all at http://aidscharityconcert.blogspot.com.

Saturday, May 22 at at 5 p.m., AWC again sponsors the Yale Alley Cats in a free concert at Oscar Fredrik's Kyrkan - the perfect place for runners and fun-seekers to head after the big half-marathon ends. A club cake sale and donations will also support our orphans. The singers will provide a whole different program from that at the cocktail party.

Be there for some delightful entertainment, yummy food, and a great cause!