One of the great albums

Today I listened to Strangefolk's 'Lore,' and was reminded how great an album it is. It is truly one of my all time favorites of any genre. Released in 1997 by the Vermont jamband, it's not just the catchy songwriting, great vocals, slick guitar riffs and precision drumming that make it so smooth. On headphones, the bass sounds amazing, bouncy and full of creativity, and I realized that the mix on this album is just perfect for my taste. The whole album is imbued with the joy and happiness of playing music and living life simply, close to nature; things I love best about places like Vermont, New England, Alaska, Africa and Norway. The refrain of the last song might as well be my mantra:

"...I may grow old that's what I'm told but I ain't never gonna die,
cuz we live in and of each other we will remain,
and we give and so discover we will remain."

Vitali Maembe's music

Our good friend Vitali Maembe is teaching this year at the University of Agder in Kristiansand, Norway, after winning a competition in Zanzibar last February. He is a gifted musician and artist whose work is dedicated to social justice, and his voice needs to be heard. Here are links to two of his videos, Asalaam Aleykhum and Afrika Shilingi Tano (filmed by Anette!). Enjoy, and please pass them on:

http://www.soundclick.com/bands/default.cfm?bandID=630408&content=videos&vidID=7557

http://www.youtube.com/user/adklose#play/all/uploads-all/0/yz_vh08qnlQ

Tragic Fire at Idodi Secondary School

We were shocked and deeply saddened at the news of a fire that killed 12 high school students in a village where we spent so much of our time with FORS and made so many good friends. Kate has written a very moving piece on the FORS blog, so please read it and give a donation if possible.

http://friendsofruaha.wildlifedirect.org/2009/08/27/fire-in-boarding-house-ends-in-tragedy-idodi-secondary-school-on-the-road-to-ruaha-national-park/

I also posted about the school on this blog last year: http://mfst.blogspot.com/2008/03/public-high-school-in-rural-tanzania.html

Our New Home

After an incredible summer and unforgettable wedding celebration with family and friends from all over, we moved to London on August 14 to begin the next AK adventure, our first as husband and wife! Thanks to a couple of Ikea runs, we've now settled into our cozy, tiny flat here in Finsbury Park, and can't believe how easy life seems here compared to living in Africa. I'm adjusting to being a commuter on the Tube, with my iPod and free London newspapers every morning and evening to distract me from the fact that I'm hurtling underground at great speed with a bunch of strangers, and Anette is taking care of all the practical stuff at home, like setting up our wireless internet last Friday.

Highlights of our neighborhood so far are: Finsbury Park itself, a beautiful expanse of green and trees where tons of people picnic, play sports, drum in the still-warm late summer weather, the Larrik pub around the corner that shows all Premier League matches, the melange of shops and restaurants on Stroud Green Rd, and everywhere you go, the amazing diversity of people, languages, clothing and hairstyles from every continent.

A Taste of Scandinavia and Spain in NYC

We concluded our US vacation with an unforgettable weekend in New York to celebrate Anette's 27th birthday. Mom, Dad and Granny drove up from DC, and Anette, Olivia and I took the metro from Brooklyn to the city, where we met up at The Scandinavia House for a traditional Norwegian dinner. Afterwards, we took a cab to the Winter Garden theatre, where the huge marquee for Mamma Mia (music of Sweden's ABBA) stood out against the black skyscrapers and bright neon lights.

The show was phenomenal, with a great storyline and some hysterical acting, and a wonderful time was had by all. After the show we walked through Times Square, our eyes as wide as the horizon, trying to comprehend the enormity of light, sound and speed, amused by the people lounging in beach chairs in the newly created pedestrian section. I was so happy to walk with my grandmother, 91, at my side, and watch her enjoy the spectacle.

We said goodbye to the "old folks" at their hotel and continued on to W 38th and 8th, where we spotted a dimly lit marquee for the Roy Arias Theater on the side of a nondescript office building. We had come to see our flamenco dance teacher, Jorge Navarro, a native of Granada who's been in NY for 25 years, perform with some of his friends. We took the elevator to the 6th floor, and walked out into a haze of smoke, sweat, loud conversation and guitars strumming. We entered the small, darkened room to find a lively audience of about 100 and a small stage with two guitarists, a singer, and three dancers.

What ensued was the most intimate, intense flamenco show I've ever seen. It is beyond me to describe every footfall, every touch of the guitar, every modulation of the singer's mournful voice, or the passion and emotion of the performers. Olivia, Anette and I were enthralled, in awe, sharing a delicious feeling of having stumbled upon this most underground and most authentic of Andalucian experiences, right in the middle of NYC. Viva la Gran Manzana, y viva el flamenco jondo!

Hospitals North and South

When I returned from Tanzania I found out I had finally gotten malaria (probably in Malawi) and as luck would have it, I got the potentially fatal kind, falciparum. Fortunately, the regional hospital here in Haugesund is totally modern and well-equipped, and one of the doctors is a tropical disease specialist. Thanks to her, the malaria was properly diagnosed, and after four days straight of IV treatment in both hands (and 10 blood tests over those 4 days - I'm no longer afraid of needles:-) I began to get better.

Contrast my experience with that of the average Tanzanian who gets sick or has to go the hospital for any other reason. The NYTimes is beginning a series of 3 articles on childbirth and maternal death in Tanzania, and I highly recommend it. The pictures are particularly gripping, but I can't copy the best ones to put on the blog, so here's the link to the article.

Out of Africa

Well, I never got around to posting again from Tanzania; internet was just too hard to come by. Anyway, we're back now, but here's a clip of our last night in Iringa.

FORS Video

Happy New Year! I can't begin to express how much I'm enjoying being home, having been in Brooklyn with Olivia, then at the farm with a foot of snow and cross-country skiing every day, and now in Washington with Mom, Dad and Granny. There are so many impressions that I can't even begin to write about it all, so instead, I'm uploading this video about FORS that Anette filmed and we edited together. Enjoy, and I'll start posting again from East Africa in a bit.