A Girl Called Problem Kindle Edition
by Katie Quirk (Author)  Format: Kindle Edition
4.8 4.8 out of 5 stars    33 ratings
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Thirteen-year-old Shida, whose name means "problem" in Swahili, certainly has a lot of problems in her life -- her father is dead, her depressed mother is rumored to be a witch, and everyone in her rural Tanzanian village expects her to marry rather than pursue her dream of becoming a healer. So when the village's elders make a controversial decision to move their people to a nearby village, Shida welcomes the change. Surely the opportunity to go to school and learn from a nurse can only mean good things.

However, after a series of puzzling misfortunes plague the new village, Shida must prove to her people that moving was the right decision, and that they can have a better life in their new home.

For author pictures of Tanzania, a video depicting the life of a modern Tanzanian girl, discussion questions for each chapter of the book, and suggestions for further reading, please go to katie-quirk.com and follow the links for A Girl Called Problem.

​Click HERE for photos.

To summarize my comments from our orientation, there are many fun things to bring back from Africa. I love their wooden carvings of animals and people. These come in all sizes and a variety of woods. They can be very expensive and are found in craft stores as well as along the road side. 

Wherever you shop, be prepared to barter. The first price offered should never be the price you pay.  Except maybe in the hotel gift shop and even there, you might get them talked down.

There are natives everywhere hawking their goods but be careful, because when you start bartering, its hard to stop them and soon a crowd will follow and they can get aggressive. Be prepared to walk away from the deal if you want a good price.  

There are also very nice jewelry stores with Tanzanite. These I'm not so sure of the bartering. Our drivers may be able to counsel you on this.  But be cautious.

We brought back a number of cloths that were packaged by the natives that they wear as their everyday clothing and we use them for table cloths. These should be bartered for and the price should be around $5 if I recall correctly. Julie of Lion Safari can tell us better.  We will be taken to several of these stores for shopping and you can use your credit cards there.
 
Bracelets and necklaces are good souvenirs to bring home for friends too and are priced well. Of course they will be highest at the hotel gift shop, but sometimes the prices are good there too.  The native village we visit probably will be over priced, but the novelty may be worth the price tag if you want to take something home with you from there.  

Some tour members last year took home sandals made from tire treads. Spears are another favorite thing that men often take home with them.  Just try not to take home any foreign bugs.  My advice is have plenty of low dollar bills for bartering in roadside shops and use credit cards in the established shops.  

One of the favorite things we do in Africa is our stop at the Shalom Orphanage. This orphanage is a school and a home for children whose parents are unable to care for them or are dead. Some of the children are disabled but most are normal, healthy and intelligent. They are happy and eager to meet us and very grateful for our attention and of course for gifts as any children would be.  

This year we have asked for names and ages so we can make sure each child receives at least one gift meant for them specifically. If you need to make a change let me (liz) know by calling or texting and we can trade around some.  Scroll down to see the chart of our assignments. I've emailed it, but in case you need to check it again, I'll post it here with any updates.

Julie is our contact with Leo Tours and she has gotten me the info. She reported the following: "We have talked to the Shalom Orphanage Manager and he suggested the following for the gifts. 
School bags, 
Pens & pencils
Crayons
Reading books
Toothbrushes
Underwear
Socks, T-shirts.
Candy"
Toothbrushes would be great for every child and reading books are good in English. Sticker books and coloring books I would add too. You might also consider soft stuffed animals for the younger children and teen girls love jewelry and hand lotion.  You might consider giving a card with your name and address so they can write you a letter.  But don't be surprised if they ask you for money, so be prepared.

In addition to the Shalom Orphanage, we also can leave gifts with the ward leaders for members in Arusha. They can distribute them to those who need them most.  The Primary can use them for the children as well.  
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I had to size my head shot and passport photo so they weren't too large before they were accepted by the program. If you need me to do this for you, you can send them to me and I will size them for you.

We just did a print screen of our tickets and I put my name on the print. If you would like to send me your tickets, I'll make a print screen with your name on it for you to submit. It has to be 72 dpi so it's not too large.  It really just needed to have the departure flight, so this is probably more than what was needed, but we did more to be overly careful.