Friday March 20

Came into the Peace Corps office today to use the computer and hopefully get some help with my Small Project grant for the vocational school. Kind of nice to have fast accesss to the internet!!!

Came to Kampala last Saturday to shop - haven't been to "town" since Corky was here and didn't do any shopping then so I had quite a bit to get. Also, Maria had bought a bunch of material for the tailoring students and I wanted to pick it up and bring it back - really nice patterns....very cute ABC print for children's dresses. We are hoping the students can make some things to sell.

Once back I went to the little shop where I make copies and get school suplies. Caro (the cook for the sisters) was there making copies for Sr. Goretti and I mentioned Sr. Goretti's name and Beatrice (the owner) said she had some other things for Sister and would give them to Caro to take back to PH if I would vouch for her!!! Thought it was strange having the muzungu do that - but I am a GOOD customer!!!

Read Snow Flower and the Secret Fan by Lisa See - good book (from book club) - read it in a day (and it wasn't even a slow day!).

On Sunday we had visiting day - not many parents came, but it's our first time. Sister had a meeting to explain our "new" rules....parents actually added some!!! The parents of one of the new residents came with birthday treats for all the girls - biscuits (cookies) and juice - just a really generous treat!! The girl (18) had a brain tumor removed some years ago and is slow and think they are just happy she has a place to be where she appears to be happy!

Classes seem to be going well - I know I'm going too fast for some, but most of the newer students are pretty sharp and want to keep them interested. Still gear down one Math worksheet for the slower ones - don't want them to feel bad about not getting it. Kids were upset about Monday's lunch - the cook (or whoever - it's tough to get down to the bottom for accountability here) forgot to have corn ground so there was no way to make posho (power was out) and they had beans cooked w. whole kernel corn - guess it's the staple in Kenyan schools - but many refused to eat it because "we don't eat that in Uganda" - guess they aren't really hungry!

Tuesday CBR went well - we're working on a "Workplan" for 2009 (well, we're a little late). Went down in the late afternoon after Math and Sister J invited me to go with the kids to dig sweet potatoes from the field plowed 3 months ago - we dug by hand to get one big one from each hill and left the plants intact! Another group was weeding around the banana trees and the less mobile ones were peeling cassava for lunch the next day - all seemed to be having fun and feeling pretty productive (maybe the corn/beans lunch motivated them!!!).

Wednesday was one of the down days - lots of frustrations. The plan was to go w. Fred to a professional farm outside Nkokonjeru to check their piggery but the truck had a flat tire; it got fixed but then they needed firewood to make lunch (lack of long - short? - range planning) and the boys who were to help needed to take porridge first; went up to RASD to e-mail while I waited and it wasn't working; back to PH - took 2 girls to town to show them where we buy brown paper to make patterns - got some mandazi (fried donut balls) for the class - they were SO excited! Finally got ready to go to the farm and called Fred and he was on his way to Kampala - ugh! Went to the farm anyway w. the driver (Sula) and saw their pigs - they are SO nice. They also said they do a "class" for piggery workers and want our new worker to take it when he arrives! (good things happened in the day, too). Came back and went up to RASD again (had called and they said the internet was one) - not working still! Stopped on the way back to see the house being built by an older gentleman from Portland OR who came here as a volunteer teacher and is staying - really nice, big house!! Went back to my apt. to take in my laundry and realized that someone had stolen my good black ECCO sandals from my veranda!! I was mad!!! I think it was some school kids taking a shortcut through the convent. Went back to PH to take one of the girls to town to buy hair vaseline (her dad had given her some $)....ended at Mass. Holly stopped by and brought mail - YEA! Then went to make supper and my propane tank was empty - and the power is out!!! (power is still out - Sunday to ????). Big bummer!!! Had to have cold coffee Thursday a.m. So, the day was full of ups and downs....somedays are like that - makes me crazy, but that's life in Nkokonjeru (and probably everywhere else - just seems magnified here because you have no baseline - e.g. predictable spots).

Thursday was much better - English class went well. We wrote a progressive story about how to tell a muzungu to make matoke (steamed green bananas) and then changed it to past tense - kids enjoyed the story! And the E-mail worked! Holly and I met and worked on a grant for training village health workers -we took my empty gas tank to PH and had lunch (Sister J was going in the truck to Kampala Friday and said she'd get it filled). Holly made me supper (since I can't cook) and gave me a thermos of boiling water so I could have hot coffee this a.m. - really sweet!!!

So, the plus side is winning!! (today). Hope Spring is coming to you all - our rain is still sporadic so we haven't planted our garden - maybe in a week. Next week Sister J and I are going to the grand opening of the new Italian orthopedic hospital in Kampala....I'm excited to see it.

Tomorrow is Riley's 4th birthday - can't believe it. Or that there are now NINE grandchildren four and under!!! Hope you are all well and life is good. Sorry if I complain too much - life is good here, too. Love the kids at Providence Home and feel useful and busy there - it's just that the pace of life and culture is so different! What did I expect???