URT win papaya on day 2

Today we started as we mean to go on with a regimental start at 0630, team breakfast and matching safari gear. We picked up our hosts at the lab before heading to the south of the island. I was riding in the cheap seats in the boot. The farmers were very welcoming and in stitches at Caz's temperature attempts, although they consoled her with gifts of papaya - friends for life. The phones came in very useful for recording the core physical examination and even stood up to rain (which we defitely didn't sign up for). The drive home was even more spicy than usual as we over took dala dalas into oncoming traffic while Andrew had an anaphylactic rection to the suncream on his face and one working eye. Never the less we made it home without incident. A super efficient sorting session in the lab crushing ticks and spinning PCVs meant we were home by 1600. The cars were sorted for the morning and we grabbed a few minutes R&R in the fading sun. Grabbing an early night ready for another busy day in paradise. OUT.
Caz & Andy
X

Cleaning shopping eating

Following frannys birthday (complete with an orange posing as a cake) we went on a weekend mission to the beach. lack of directions and signposts meant we ended up offroading it... but the beach made the chaotic trip worth the while. this morning was spent scrubbing floors etc and half the group got busy buying supplies.the afternoon was spent preparing kit and lab equipment for the early start tomorrow morning.over and out

First mobile blog

We got our mobile android devices up and running so now we can keep better in touch with you all!  The staff at the dept of livestock and development don't work Saturday or Sunday so were spending the weekend making our house a home/habitable, getting reorganized for Monday, and exploring the parts of Zanzi that are not cow related.   We are adjusting to life here well I think.  Tomorrow expect some blogs from the rest of the team.  
-Andrew

Day one of sampling

As kerry said on my behalf, we all safe and sound in zanzibar but are having issues with our mobile internet, but in the meantime I am using the computer at the Department of Livestock and Development in Zanzibar.

The staff here are all wonderful, Drs Waridi and Ramadan met us at the ferry and organized so much on our behalf. We also met with the director of livestock development and discussed how valuable our work would be to him in terms of deciding which vaccine cocktail to be used.
We collected 60 samples today and learned alot of lessons about how we need to be organiozed for our next day of sampling on Monday, when I am sure we will work like a finely tuned machine.

The farmers here are very willing to have us take samples and examine their cows, perhaps too willing! If we samples all the farms that Dr Waridi could arrange for us we would be doing PCR until we are old and grey.

Back to work, hope to get mobile internet up asap so we can give more updates, but in the meantime call the below number if you need to speak with one of us.

Arrived in Zanzibar all safe and sound...

They have arrived, had a nice meal, and are getting settled in their accomodation.

The team is having trouble with getting their internet sorted but the phone works in case of emergency. The number is +255766080848.

They hope to have the internet working soon and will post on the blog as soon as they get the internet working on their phones.

- Kerry (Andrew's wife) from London.

Stopover in Dubai

The flights worked as such so that the team has a long layover in Dubai, so some of the team who have never been here are exlporing a bit while those of us who have been here before are resting, and blogging obviously. All systems are a go with our plans to pick up the sim cards in dar es salaam and catch the ferry on thursday morning. The last ferry of the day leaves a few minutes after we land tomorrow in Dar es, so we will be staying the night in Tanzania's big city tomorrow night.

Leaving Tuesday!

It's been 17 months since 9 vet students came together to plan the latest chapter in the RVC Undergraduate Research Team's long history. Raising the funds through the generosity of RVC alumni, grant applications, college fundraisers and marathon sponsorship has been an adventure in itself, however here we are just a few days before our early morning flight to Dar es Salaam and it's clear that the adventure is only just beginning. The past few weeks have been challenging as we juggle rotations at the Queen Mother Hospital at college with making final logistical arrangements and last minute tweaks to the research plan. Our recent involvement with Google has developed enormously and we will now be collecting farm information and physical examination data on five smart phones. This will not only reduce the amount of paper we need to take and assimilate on the island, but the feedback we provide will valuable in developing the systems which are being put in place to help pastoral farmers and veterinarians in East Africa. We will be updating this blog regularly over the next four weeks, allowing you to follow the trials and tribulations of collecting ticks, bleeding cows and conducting interviews through the local lingo five thousand miles away on Zanzibar. We would like to say a huge thank you to all of those who have so generously supported the team in enabling us to reach this stage.