I'm at the Peace Corps office for a wrap up meeting on the All Volunteer Conference and am on the computer for a bit - it's free and fast - so will do a short blog in case I don't get to it over the weekend. Friday and Saturday is Holly's first First Aid Class at Providence Home (15 of Moses' volunteer village health workers), Sunday Didas and I were going to try to go to visiting day at Stella Maris school and sell shoes (it's an expensive boarding school in Nkokonjeru), but he's been gone for a few days - his son is sick in Kbale and he's in Kampala asking relatives for money to send for the hospital....so we'll see when he's back - I'm not ready to go on my own - need to talk, measure feet, etc.!
THANKS so much to those who donated to the 5K - Holly has really been working hard on it! I am anxious to see what the chat is in Nkokonjeru after the run/push - a really new concept. If you'd still like to sponsor kids at Providence Home (we are rounding up "pushers") you can send a check to Don Westerman at 103 Inner Dr., Montgomery, MN 56069 - he puts in in savings and I take it out at the ATM in Ugandan shillings - the wonders of modern technology.
O.K. Ad done - on to the latest "news". Last Saturday I went with the two visiting Brothers (Servites) to visiting day at a nearby Secondary School - St. Balikudembe's (he's one of the Ugandan Martyrs). They were great traveling companions - lots of fun! One is from So. Africa so has a different perspective on things. When I get ready to go to visit at the school I wish I could stay home, but when I get there Josephine and Sissy (her caretaker) are SO excited it's very much worth it. We even got ourselves in the "guest" lunch line - I was the only muzungu there and it's easy!!! (ugly American?)
Sunday after Mass Gloria (from Duke) and I met w. Sister J. about the website Gloria hopes to establish when she returns to the U.S. to help get donations for PH. Then we all (the three PC people and the 4 Duke students) went to a goat roast given as a farewell for the Duke kids....fortunately, we were late enough to miss the slaughter which I guess is the big event!!!
They cut it up in little pieces, speared it on green sticks and roasted it over an open fire - pretty good actually!
In English we are still writing letters - by Tuesday I had them do a letter to a "Pen Pal" in the U.S. I'll bring them home w. me and try to find respondents. The kids are 16 - 26 but some of them really have poor skills (and it is a 2nd or 3rd language for all)....but it would be fun for them to get responses. I'll also enclose pictures of each!
We got a new resident Monday- he's 47 and went blind 6 years ago (unknown cause) - his wife left him w. their children and their money while he was in the hospital. His brother housed him for some time, but recently ran him off - he was dropped at the Town Council Office of a nearby town and they brought him to PH - poor guy! No one wants to have any responsibility for him. Sr. Juliet says it's sad - when she was little (20 years ago) someone in the community would have cared for him - now it's everyone for themselves!
I continually marvel at the diversity of my days at PH - and how much I don't understand yet (and never will) about Ugandan life and culture. Maybe you have to experience a culture as a child to really get the nuances.
CBR was busier than usual - mainly just advising people but good to have more traffic. The sewing machine repair man came at 4:00! (but he came)....still has one more trip w. parts - it's hard when you have to bring everything from Kampala. Also, I asked him to give a lecture to the students on care of the machines Saturday. Then around 5 a mom w. a severely malnourished 1 year old came - the parents, esp. the dad, really don't want to do much(anything?) to help the child - I think the mom cares some, but Sister Juliet said she feels like she only wants the child to die so they can have another and the lady didn't disagree - harsh words but probably true.... I worry someimes that I've become hardened to suffering and death, but it's such an "in you face" thing here - usually nothing you can do if people don't want to help themselves...and often nothing you can do even if they do.
Sr. called a meeting (late) w. the prefects (elected student leaders) and Nelson and I attended - the kids are angry about others who refuse to work ....and say that there is not enough food for the evening meal. We'd talked a little about it in English class and I encouraged them to come with "solutions not problems" and they had pretty good ideas. Few families donate any money toward their children/wards' upkeep - and when I said that "those who pay should be the ones to eat" they were horrified, but it did make them think. Only 4% of the PH budget is parent contributions! 77% is donations - scary! P.S. None of them look malnourished....it's not that bad and better than at home for most.
Wednesday was a nice quiet day - even took time to read for a bit. I may be sorry in the next two weeks as things pile up, but it was fun at the time!!! Great "party" at nite for the Duke kids (one has already left)....dancing an singing and dinner at the convent. The kids have really enjoyed having the Duke students stop by to visit and did an especially energetic job of entertaining!!! Late nite playing "spoons" with everyone - the Sisters and Brothers are really competitive!!!
So, now in Kampala, trying to postphone doing my quarterly report - we have to do it electronically now - I enjoyed the hand written version of the "old days".
Hope everyone has a good week and weekend. Things here are going well. We are starting to do some things w. the grant money - machine repair, ordered two more low tables - it's fun! but I was just reminded by a volunteer who just completed his grant, how scrupulous my records need to be (oops!). Need receipts for everything - this is going to be work! I usually let the sisters pay because I don't want to look like a "rich muzungu" but they aren't always so careful....will have to remind them that we need receipts for everything!
Take care - thanks again for everything......I really appreciate your support and prayers!!!
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