Recently, end of March Uncle Jan came back from Tanzania after 2.5 months, ill, very ill. 2.5 weeks later, on 16 april, he died from a very aggressive cancer. Until the end he was very aware of his situation. Despite his fighting spirit and optimism he has lost de battle. We will miss him, here and in Tanzania.

I am very grateful for all he has given me, wisdom, points of view, warmth, everybody was welcome at his home ....  Not least because thanks to him I could fulfill my dream last year in Tanzania: volunteering in an orphanage. He fully supported and followed up this project, for which, on his last day in Arusha, he has visited the orphanage. Also thanks to him I felt so  welcome by many locals. Uncle Jan has spent a lot of time during 16 years in Arusha and other places in Tanzania. What once began as a volunteer project to revive a museum in Arusha has evolved into setting up hotels and a private house. It was not only the decoration, restauration & building of the premises he took care of, he also learned to cook the local people for tourists, with respect for de local cuisine, to create and maintain a garden and cultivate herbs, vegetables and flowers in an appropriate way, he taught them to run a hotel and restaurant, .... And all this on a voluntary basis.

Uncle Jan has made a lot of friends over there, and I had the benefits of it during my stay. On the night of June 24, a "tribute" for Jan will be organized in Arusha by some local friends at ViaVia. We also take this opportunity to burn candles for him; he loved it. Maybe that way, he will feel our warmth. If you like to show him your affection you can follow this example.

 He will continue to live through the traces that he left, small ones, big ones. 

Thanks a lot, uncle Jan!

Els

Bijlagen:
Jan 2009 d.jpg (80.6 KB)