Supersize Me

June 2012: Mtui's first time in the US was surreal for both of us.

This was the first time Mtui was able to experience my reality after 2 years of dating. I asked him "what was your first impression of the US?" and he stated simply "everything here is bigger--bigger roads, bigger trees, houses, cars, etc." During this visit, he stayed for the summer visiting family and taking a trip out West.

Christmas in Tanzania and a trip to Uganda

December 2011/January 2012: As a nursing student, I had 6 weeks to travel to Tanzania and Uganda with Mtui. We spent the Christmas holiday with friends on the coast of Tanzania in a deserted village called Ushongo. It took us a 10-hour bus ride and 3 motorbike rides to reach this place. We camped on the beach and celebrated the holiday. During our time in Tanzania, Mtui purchased land to begin constructing his current house in Ngulelo and I was one of the land purchasing witnesses :)  

In Uganda, I volunteered as a nursing student at a pediatric HIV/AIDS clinic. We stayed with our friend William who is a doctor at the clinic. We were staying in Jinja, which is a beautiful village located off the coast of the Nile River. 

                                                                 Camping in Ushongo

                                                                           Fresh coconut 

                                                                  Christmas feast

Ushongo, Tanzania 

Land purchase (notice the man holding the cash in hand) 

                                                             Pediatric HIV/AIDS Clinic

Dr. William learning how to use a temporal thermometer