Wednesday Post

I'm having a bad computer day - very slow. Holly and I were in Kampala for some school shopping (she teaches public health at PH and also Life Skills) and it was too slow to try to blog at the computer cafe in Kampala - now I'm in Mukono and spent 28 minutes waiting to post!!! Good thing I'm stubborn. W/o internet in Nkokonjeru I wanted to get this done today so I wouldn't have to obsess about getting it done over the weekend - lots going on this weekend! Saturday Holly is having a "baking clinic" - She's demonstrating how to make cakes and cookies in pots over siguris (charcoal stoves) for Moses wife and about 20 of her friends; Sunday the CBR volunteers are having an outreach in a nearby village - 5 k away and I'm getting there on my new bike.

Successful day today - our goal was to get to Mango Tree. It's an NGO that makes educational and health related wall hangings (posters) from plastic flour sacks....got some neat stuff for Public Health and the CBR office! Took us awhile to get to the place and had to use a regular taxi cab, but it was worth it.

Guess I didn't even tell about my bike - got it in Mukono last Friday on my way home. It's a used road bike - made in China - but I really like it. Quite a project getting it back on the matatu - they tied it on top but I could hear it screeching all the way to Nkokonjeru!

Saturday a.m. Holly went for a 12 mile run and I met her at the halfway point (on my "new" bike) with water and gel stuff. It was fun to ride a bike again! It had rained all nite, but the roads weren't too wet - all gravel, but pretty compacted. Just have to be on the lookout for potholes!!! On the return trip the side of the road was full of kids cheering us - felt like I should have streamers and be throwing candy!!

Went down to PH after I changed and caught up on the happenings. Think I've mentioned Josephine before - she's in S-5 (Junior) at St. Balikudembe's in Kisoga and is in a wheelchair (no use of her legs), but is a great girl, good student and always upbeat. She also has a beautiful singing voice. Anyway, she was in the dorm crying - going back to school on Sunday but short school supplies. However, the real reason she was so upset was because her family visit over the holidays was such a bust. She went to her brother's in Mukono and his wife was really mean to her - accused her of coming only to get money. So, she left and went to some other relatives, but they said the same thing, so she came back to PH early. She also got the news that her mom (who is diabetic) had a stroke and was partially paralyzed - lives too far away for her to visit. Really a depressing break. I talked to her awhile and she talked to the Sisters and think she felt better and then I took her into town to get some school supplies and snacks for school - small expenditure on my part but seemed to cheer her up. Can't help everyone but Josephine is really special - she's always been so upbeat despite all her problems - guess it was just too much this time.

Got the class schedule for the vocational school done in Excel all by myself - yea me!!! Am reading Heart of Darkness - pretty depressing but seems accurate after reading King Leopold's Ghost. Got some lesson planning done for English - not sure what to expect for Monday.

Sunday was a long day - went to Sr. Veronica's and Sr. Juliet's graduation - gone from 8 to 8!!! It was really good to see them again - Sr. Juliet is as scattered as ever - always running off to do some good work! I was so worried when Sr. J left but I've really enjoyed Sr. Goretti. Living in America with the scarcity of nuns, it's probably hard to imagine these nuns...they are vibrant young women w. a great support system and very responsible positions - and they are a smart, fun group! Lots of nuns doing traditional African dances during the Mass - also sang "Take it to the Lord in Prayer" and "Bringing in the Sheeves"!!! After the lunch tho' we had to go to Kampala (had the truck) to pick up Veronica - the young lady who was going to college - she'd gotten sick. Terrible traffic jams with all the parents returning kids to boarding schools! UGH!.

Also, Sunday was Olivia's baptism (Greg and Jessica's new little girl)...thought a lot about everyone that day - really missed you all. Some days are harder than others, and that one was harder than I thought. Heard it was great and Jessica sang beautifully. And that the dinner in Hampton was great....Jean and Kody even made it - just missing me, Ben and Curt!

Monday, we didn't have class (actually haven't started yet and it's Wednesday). Kids are arriving very slowly - I was actually prepared for English class at 8:30 but guess I'll have an extra lesson plan now. A bunch of the little kids skipped school Monday - no one got them bathed and ready Sunday because the sisters were all at the graduation....and they weren't very interested in going back to school either. Sr. G was angry and made them work weeding the shrubs -I helped for about an hour and a half. Once the Sisters move on the kids have a tendency to slink off....poor work ethic (course they are little). It's hard in a home like this - everything just comes in one fashion or another and you aren't as involved as you would be in your own home e.g. where if you don't work, you don't eat! Too many for the Sisters and matrons to supervise closely. But I think it will make life even harder for them when they leave. I got so hot hoeing I had to come home and bathe and change....but it's fun to do physical work. The older girls tried to tell me that some visitors were looking at me strangely because muzungus don't dig!! - that kept me going!!! Later went to market day with the lady who's going to teach crafts to get some palm leaves to make mats...I had no idea what to get but she sure did - neat lady. I'm excited to learn.

Started reading Chief of Station Congo by Larry Devlin (from Theresa). He was CIA station chief in the Congo from 1960 - 1967 - pretty amazing time - through Lumumba, Mobutu. Very interesting - the US really thought (thinks) they can decide who runs every country!!!

Tuesday CBR went well - the guys outreach is bringing people in - we refer some to Katelemwa, some to epilepsy clinic, some to Dr. Antonio's ortho clinic - we need a date from him desperately, but I'm afraid to call him again! Hopefully, it will get set for October. I'm going to join Moses and Kinene for a community program on Sunday - they call them "sensitizations" - they talk and answer questions and try to get villagers to understand disabilities better and be more tolerant.

After CBR Moses took me to the hospital to see his brother's 6 year old daughter whose clothes caught fire while she was sitting by the cooking fire. She's been in the hospital 3 weeks with deep burns over 50-60% of her body - torso down. Her legs are constricted and Holly said they don't do PT at this hospital. Moses wanted to know if I thought she should be transferred to Katelemwa. I said they should talk to the doctor, but I think you'd need an ambulance to transport her - I'd be afraid of infection. Her mom was there with her full time with a baby on her back and another small child - and two more at home - you just wonder how it will all turn out.

Had lunch with ALL the Sisters - Sr. Benna, Veronica, Melody, Juliet, Goretti and Sara - they are such a fun bunch - lots of laughing and telling stories. I wish they could all stay - 2 1/2 mos. w. Sr. J and then 2 1/2 mos. with Sr. G - I've been SO lucky to have them to work with. Amazing women.

Tried the internet cafe at RASD - Shari has worked so hard to get it back up - very slow and really couldn't even do e-mails. Bummer!

Well that's it till Wednesday night - probably it for the week. Will see if we can have English class tomorrow - depends on how many have arrived. Holly and I left early this a.m. (6) on the first matatu and were joined by Sr. Felicitas (my landlady and head of the convent), Sarah (our favorite seller at the market) and Didas (the shoe making teacher)! Didas was going to Kampala to get some leather for the lst year students and some goat leather for Doreen - she can't cut the cow leather because of her palsy but he's hoping she can make some purses out of goat leather - thought that was very nice of him to think of that.

Just ran out of time - panic!! But got it all back on w. more time purchased.

Welcome again to baby Tucker, congratulations to Olivia on her Baptism. Thanks to all for attending and helping Gail and Jesse! Corky said it was quite a site when Greg and Jessica pulled up at the lumber yard with Olivia and Emma in the middle and Dylan and Riley in the back of the Envoy going to visit at the hospital!!! Wish I had been there! Naomi and Jamie, you are in the last month....such an exciting time. I think of you all A LOT! I'll be glad when school starts and I'll hopefully be too busy to feel sorry for myself. It really helps that I like my site, I feel somewhat useful, the Sisters are great and I have Holly and Shari to talk to.

Take care everyone....just got a pkg. from Corky and Gail - thanks. I would thank you in an e-mail, but it's too slow to go back to hotmail. It's 5:30 and I'm ready to go back to Nkokonjeru and take a bath, put on my jamies and sit and read. Travel here is exhausting (and dirty)....but it was a good day and pretty productive so guess it was worth it.