Pre-Departure Preparations

I can't believe that I am actually leaving for Tanzania tomorrow! I have been looking forward to this trip for months and it is finally here. In case you aren't familiar with what I will be doing for the next 2 months, here is a brief overview of the program.

I will be working with a group of about 25 people called Engineering World Health through Duke University (http://ewh.org/). For the first month, we will undergo intensive Swahili language training and technical training on how to fix and use medical equipment in developing countries. Then we will travel to our host hospital and spend a month working to install donated equipment, fix any broken equipment that the hospital has and to making sure that the staff has the knowledge necessary to both use the equipment and prevent future problems with it.

I will be staying with a host family during the entire trip, which I am really looking forward to. Hopefully I will be able to pick up enough Swahili to carry on a half-decent conversation! I am planning on updating this blog (my first one!) with details of all the adventures that I have and all of the people that I meet while I am in Tanzania. I will be checking my email fairly regularly so feel free to email me at hjillian@email.unc.edu.

Kwaheri (goodbye in Kiswahili)!!