I arrived in Dar Es Salaam about a week ago after 2 long, but uneventful, flights. They picked me up at the airport and drove me to the project house in the Upanga district of Dar. Several of the housemates came out of their rooms to give me a nice welcome. I was a bit tired, so i unpacked briefly and set up my computer. They have a wireless network connection at the house, so i was able to send off the 30+ emails i wrote during my long plane rides. Then off to bed, since i had meetings schedule for the next morning at 9.

I caught a ride to work, which is only about 2 blocks away, with Paul, a housemate. Paul is from Long Island and has been working with the project for about two years and speaks Swahili very well. Paul appears to run the behind the scenes operations and i've taken to calling him the Godfather. He has a wonderful sense of humor and gets along with everyone well.

The weekend was spent buying some groceries and essentials and getting to know my new work/housemates. Sunday, Priya, Rachel, and I went up north along the coast to a small town called Bogamoyo. Bogamoyo was the capital of the region in the late 19th century until the Germans felt that Dar Es Salaam would have a better port location for their ships. Before that time, Bogamoyo served as a major religious missionary post and was a central locations for sending off the slaves collected from the interior. About half would be used in Africa and most of the rest would go to India and the Arabian peninsula. It is now a pleasant small town that makes dhows (traditional African boats) for fishing.

This week has been a series of small accomplishments. I've acquired a cell phone and have been able to feel a little more grounded with my living situation and life. I'm currently living in a large house with two separate floors. On the ground floor is myself and 2 colleagues, Rachel and Priya. We have individual bedrooms coming off a shared living space (with TV), a dining room and kitchen. Feels a bit like college really. Paul 'the Godfather' and Roland live upstairs with a separate entrance and a similar setup. There is a large wall around the perimeter with a barbed wire fence on top, which has now become the standard for any nice house with 'muzungus' (white people) in the developed world. Sometimes i wonder if they are protecting us from them or them from us.

This week i have been able to learn about the various research projects. I have also been able to get some clinical time with Dr. Mugusi when he runs the ward rounds on the Medicine floor at Muhimbili Hospital (Tanzania's largest hospital). It was been very interesting and education thus far. I'll try to share some more interesting hospital cases and stories in the near future.

Tomorrow, i'm going out to one of the local villages with Mushin, one of the Tanzanian doctors i've befriended, and some others. He sets up a mobile clinic in small, distant villages every Sunday and takes a team of people out to treat the locals. We will take some medications, our stethoscope, and some other basic provisions. It should be great fun to see some patients out in the bush under a tree for a few hours! Should be nice to see some of the countryside as well.

Missing you all tremendously. All for now, paul