Hope you all had a Happy Mother's Day. I came to Kampala to have dinner w. my friend Maria and some other PCVs and now am at the PC office (again) hoping to complete the Small Project Assistance Grant forms and submit today (it's for some equipment for the vocational school). The committee meets on Thursday and I'll probably have to re-write (again),but am willing to do one more round. Lots of work (or at least a lot of thinking about working on it) for a small grant.
We have now been at site for 13 months - on the down side. Lots of COSers (Close of Service) people here today - fun to listen to them.
I was glad to get back to Nkokonjeru on Wednesday last week - hot, tired and dirty, but got a great bunch of mail - almost like Christmas!!! Did my laundry and went down to PH to check in!
Thursday was the Epilepsy Clinic - the nurses were having problems getting the meds. and didn't get there till 1:00 - lots of people waiting! But we were done by 4:00 - 60 people seen!
I wasn't at the last two - March was the eye clinic and April was Dr. Antonio's clinic so I felt a bit disorganized but it went well. Butabika Hospital has some piglets to give to clients so we took names and will go next Weds. w. four people to pick piglets up for them (and one for the kids at PH). We are requiring them to have 7,000 sh. to help defray the cost of transportation which limited the number who could go by this week, but also makes them have some investment in the process! Hopefully, we can get more another time! It was a project funded by people in the UK, but the original site they were supposed to go to isn't working out and the pigs are eating and multiplying!
The Holland Girls are having problems w. the driveway project - after the builder saying the estimate was complete (and he had letterhead!), and Sister J putting in 600,000 sh. for the increased price of stones, he said he's out of money about 1/2 way through! It's really sad, tho' it made me feel a little better w. my piggery issues! They are taking the kids (and me) to the zoo in Entebbe on Satuday for their parting gift....it's a long trip but should be fun. They are renting a bus! I'll miss them - they are really hard workers and great people!
Friday was a busy day and lots of learning....I started grumpy knowing it was a day to take peole to Kampala, assuming they'd be late and not feeling the best (I ate a whole small pineapple the night before - bad idea). One girl didn't show, but the other was on time!!! We dropped her off at CoRSU Hospital in Entebbe (she has a hunchback which requires surgery). On the way in I got a call from a Social Worker at CoRSU saying Justine (the girl w. leg surgery and osteomyletis) had been transferred to Mulago Hospital in Kampala because she was retaining fluids.....we were hoping to take her home that day!
On to Katelemwa Rehab center to pick up a wheel chair we took in weeks ago for repairs - it was ready (amazing) after many phone calls. Got a call from Sr. J - the mom or the two girls at Mulago called her and said they were discharged Thursday.
Sula (driver) and I stopped at Mulago then to see if they had left (they had) and to see Justine...what an experience! They had dropped her at the "Casualty Dept"...our ER...on Thursday afternoon and she was still there on Friday afternoon - the nurse thought she'd been moved to a ward....they just lost track of her! The ER ward was really amazing - big city stuff. A little boy died while we were there, and a man came in who'd been hit by a car dripping blood....a staff member was slopping some water on the blood on the floor and pushing it around w. a squeezie!!! Just big, busy and understaffed! Justine and her mom had no money, no phone (and no numbers) and hadn't eaten since Thursday! (you have to buy food there). They had given her Lasix and the swelling was down, but they wanted to do some liver and kidney tests - not sure what the outcome will be. I'll stop today and see how they are. We gave her some money to pay for the tests and food and left them there w. assurances they would be moved to a ward! After my grumpiness about the trip it was an eye opener that if we hadn't come that day they would have been very hungry!!! I felt so sorry for the mom - been at the hospital w. Justine for over 2 months! She looked haggard.
Sula said that we got quicker answers at the ER since I'm a muzungu and asked if he'd get better treatment if he went to America - had to admit, not unless he was wearing a suit and tie!!!
Long day - lots of other side trips - saw a lot of very sick people. Again, a lesson in gratefulness for all our good health.
Saturday Holly and I went to the 25th wedding anniversary celebration for Kinene (CBR volunteer)...Mass was supposed to be at 10 - started at 12 - lasted 3 hours - and then 2 1/2 hours of speeches - we ate at 5:30!!! TOO LONG!!!! Plus when we got back a shirt had been stolen from the clothes line on my veranda.....bummer. I think it's a couple of really dirty, skinny boys I see sometime in the compound. They took the blue t-shirt, but not the skirt - maybe they think they can wear it! Now I'm worrying about hanging out my laundry - darn!!!
Sunday a.m. got some calls - was up and started to review my grant stuff and realized I'd made an arithmetic error - good think I caught it!!! Got all the paperwork filled out I can - by hand, which I know will upset PC but it's impossible to do it by e-mail ( no internet at the bakery)....was getting upset again, but went to 8 a.m. Mass at the Chapel....I was spending most of the service "fussing in my head" about stuff, when at Communion time, one of our new residents, Edward (18) came crawling down the aisle to Communion. (the church has no ramps so they can't bring wheelchairs in). He's paralyzed below the waist, has damage to his optic nerve and has very poor vision and has never been to school. He didn't get picked up for the Holiday either. He was having a hard time w. his pants coming down as he crawled, but he was determined and smiled when he saw me! How can I complain? Every time I get down or bitter, I look at the kids at PH and their determination and cheerfullness and I feel pretty small!
So, life goes on - today in Kampala, tomorrow is CBR and I want to go out w. Moses to see the home of the two little girls who just got back from Mulago (Sr. Mulgawai from the hospital went Saturday and said there was no food at the home) - we will bring them in in 3 weeks to the hospial and weigh them - Barbara (the 2 year old) was 4.8 kg. when they were discharged (went in at 2.6), but I'm concerned about what will happen now!
Again, hope you all had a good Mother's Day. I'm excited that next year I'll be home for Mother's Day - still enjoying my time here, but I'm getting homesick!
Thanks again for all the thoughts, letters, prayers - they mean a lot!!!
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