Right now (Sunday at 7:00) we are all at the Jinja Nile Resort and I'm trying to get my blog done before dinner - have an unbroken streak and don't want to break it now! This is our 3 day Close of Service (COS) Conference. The resort is fabulous and after the trip to and from Lira and the time there it feels like heaven (people at the wedding were great - but more about that later).
Cannot believe I've only been back from Egypt 10 days - great trip, but I did come back w. bed bug bites from the "really nice" hotel - oh, well, could happen anywhere and they didn't come back w. me! I got back to Nkokonjeru around 1 pm on Friday the lst and bathed, organized and went down to PH. Sr. Goretti is back from the hospital (after hysterectomy and appendectomy) and is moving slow, but has her smile back!
I cannot believe how busy this holiday has been - 'course I've taken a few days off, too!!! We are still having rain every day, but afternoons are HOT! (sorry, all of you in U.S. and Europe). While I was gone Mulondo (the boy who always steals food) must have been out of PH stealing and got his hand whacked and his wrist is broken. Becky (the retired nurse from theUK) has been taking really good care of him, and they took him to Lugazi Hospital to get it set (compound fracture) and casted. Nkokonjeru Hospital had no doctor for the holiday and no plaster - Lugazi had no plaster but it's a bigger town and Sister could go buy some; Becky is amazed at health care here. They said that while they were at the hospital there were victims of a car accident brought in; it was decided to send one man to Kampala, but they couldn't locate the ambulance driver - located him finally, but the ambulance was out of fuel; his friends chipped in for fuel and then had to push the ambulance to the petrol station!!!! (the man died)
Saturday, the chickens produced their first egg! Jamil, the disabled boy who has been their primary caretaker, was SO excited...I'll see if I can send pictures from here tomorrow - it's almost time for supper now. I was helping him tie up greens for the chickens and saw it in a corner!! I cut greens for the pigs too - Sister gave a worker 2 piglets in lieu of salary, and we are trying to sell the big male and one female pig so Deb, Liz and Shirley can have their own rooms and then we'll breed them. The cow is doing well - the boy talking care of her is getting used to the job and she seems happier (and more productive).
Jamil w. his omlette
Finished the book, Say You're One of Us - sad stories about African children (but pretty believable); now am reading Dan Brown's The Lost Symbol - fun and makes me want to go back to D.C. and see all the symbols!!
Sunday after Mass I met Becky at the hospital were she was trying to bathe one of our elderly residents (male) who's there w. pneumonia....he has no family and had a stroke in Sept. so he came to PH - can't talk or walk and is generally in bad shape. Later in the day, Sister and a truckload of kids went to the funeral for the mother of one of the residents - died of complications of HIV - dad died several years ago. The kids are young and it's really sad. They will be parceled out to relatives.
When we got back we learned that the old man in the hospital, Philip, had died. In the evening, Holly went running, and I went for a walk w. the visiting Australian Doctor (Nylanthe - 32). We talked about health care in Uganda - she feels the doctors are competent, but there seems to be no urgency of care and poor supply of medicines and equipment....makes it hard. She was upset about 2 children who came in recently after an awful house fire - one died and the other was struggling. The one surviving had lots of facial burns and they didn't put a tube down her throat - now she's having trouble breathing because of swelling.
Monday a.m. I typed reports and then we all went to Mass and Phillip's funeral - they buried him at the "potter's field" behind the church. Some people came from the school where he used to work and at lot of the kids came - it really was a lovely service and a beautiful spot. We all feel that he's finally at peace. Becky has been really sick but came to the burial....very simple w. a wood coffin lowered w. ropes.
Tuesday we had quite a few people for CBR; Moses and Kinene are really worried about the program after I leave - I think four years of having a PCV has made them dependent - I think they will be fine. Thanks to you all, I have been able to give some money to the program, but now we're trying to get some money from the local government agencies! Hope it works!
In the afternoon, Becky, Moses and I went out to see Serafina - she's been at her grandmothers for about 2 weeks for a holiday (for everyone). Moses made her set of parallel bars from "locally available materials"(small tree trunks) and we took some pictures....she seemed happy to see us! Just before we left for that trip, one of the other elderly men (John) at PH, fell and bumped his head - left quite a pool of blood. Nice to have Becky around to take care of him! Got him up and he demanded lunch so we figured he was O.K.
Fred (the business manager) has enrolled his oldest, Mark (4), who is one month younger than Riley, in boarding school for the coming term - he's so little, but people here think it's the way to get ahead!!!
Wednesday, we went to the Sister's Profession. It was in Jinja this year because the chapel at Nkokonjeru isn't complete (re-roofing project that started in June). Really a beautiful ceremony. The Sisters have so much fun together. There were 9 professing for the lst time; 7 doing final, perpetual profession, 12 at 25 years and 4 at 50 years! Becky and Holly went, too. It actually started on time, the sermon and speeches were short! It lasted 4 hours, but it was all about the Sisters and was very nice!
Thursday was Epilepsy day and we had 60 people - the usual, but it's busy!! Spent the evening tring to organize the milk money and plan for animal food purchases; don't know how I'd get it done w/o Fred who also had to get chicken medicines today. He went to Kamapla w. Becky and Sula, who were taking Mulonodo to CoRSU, the orthopedic hospital, to re-set his arm since he ripped off his previous cast. He is now scheduled for surgery at CoRSU on Monday.....
On Friday, Holly and I left at 6 a.m. and boarded a matatu to Kampala and took a bus to Lira which is in northern Uganda. Holly, Shari and Michelle are attendants there at n Introduction Ceremony (engagement) of a couple who live in Nkokonjeru but are from that area. They have 6 children (oldest 12) but finally have the money for the Ceremony!!! We got on a bus in Kampala that was supposed to leave for Lira at 9 a.m. but they discovered tire problems at 9 so we left at 11!!! I'm really learning to expect that sort of delay and not let it bother me (much). But, the trip was interesting - very full bus. There was a young man giving us all a gospel message a good share of the way (in the local language and others); a lady got on about an hour out of Lira and sat down right next to me and Holly and she kept moaning and shifting her position...very strange. Later I noticed she was pregnant but it looked small and high (so much for what I know). Just before Lira she squatted on the floor next to her seat and delivered!!! Quite the commotion. There was a nun just ahead of her who took charge (I was worthless)....actually, the baby just dropped out on the bus floor! They then took her to a local hospital....she walked off the bus and into the hospital w. the Sister and another passenger and holding the baby! They are tough up there!!!!
When we got to Lira we met Shari and Michelle - had to stay in town while the bride got her hair done and got to the family compound about 10 miles out at 10:00 - I bathed and went to bed! We were staying in a little mud hut w. a grass roof and sleeping two to a mattress on the floor. Bathing was rinsing w. water from a gerry can!
our hut in Lira
The next morning we met everyone and tried to help where we could.....the Introduction Ceremony was supposed to start at 2:00 but didn't start till 4:00 (to be expected)...the girls had to dress up and walk in w. the bride and her relatives and "search" the crowd for the groom!
Dinner didn't get served till 8 p.m. and they didn't have lights so it was interesting!! People had lots of fun tho' and danced till morning!
Holly, Michelle, and Shari in wedding costume
The Lira area was devestated by the fighting between the government and the Lord's Resistance Army for many years (stopped in 2006 and Kony, the leader of the LRA is now in the Congo), but the area is really poor....people were dressed up much less than in our area of Uganda. It's also VERY hot and dry.... The family seems to be one of the more prominent ones in the area based on the important guests who came, but it still was not as nice as one in central Uganda.
Cannot believe I've only been back from Egypt 10 days - great trip, but I did come back w. bed bug bites from the "really nice" hotel - oh, well, could happen anywhere and they didn't come back w. me! I got back to Nkokonjeru around 1 pm on Friday the lst and bathed, organized and went down to PH. Sr. Goretti is back from the hospital (after hysterectomy and appendectomy) and is moving slow, but has her smile back!
I cannot believe how busy this holiday has been - 'course I've taken a few days off, too!!! We are still having rain every day, but afternoons are HOT! (sorry, all of you in U.S. and Europe). While I was gone Mulondo (the boy who always steals food) must have been out of PH stealing and got his hand whacked and his wrist is broken. Becky (the retired nurse from theUK) has been taking really good care of him, and they took him to Lugazi Hospital to get it set (compound fracture) and casted. Nkokonjeru Hospital had no doctor for the holiday and no plaster - Lugazi had no plaster but it's a bigger town and Sister could go buy some; Becky is amazed at health care here. They said that while they were at the hospital there were victims of a car accident brought in; it was decided to send one man to Kampala, but they couldn't locate the ambulance driver - located him finally, but the ambulance was out of fuel; his friends chipped in for fuel and then had to push the ambulance to the petrol station!!!! (the man died)
Saturday, the chickens produced their first egg! Jamil, the disabled boy who has been their primary caretaker, was SO excited...I'll see if I can send pictures from here tomorrow - it's almost time for supper now. I was helping him tie up greens for the chickens and saw it in a corner!! I cut greens for the pigs too - Sister gave a worker 2 piglets in lieu of salary, and we are trying to sell the big male and one female pig so Deb, Liz and Shirley can have their own rooms and then we'll breed them. The cow is doing well - the boy talking care of her is getting used to the job and she seems happier (and more productive).
Jamil w. his omletteFinished the book, Say You're One of Us - sad stories about African children (but pretty believable); now am reading Dan Brown's The Lost Symbol - fun and makes me want to go back to D.C. and see all the symbols!!
Sunday after Mass I met Becky at the hospital were she was trying to bathe one of our elderly residents (male) who's there w. pneumonia....he has no family and had a stroke in Sept. so he came to PH - can't talk or walk and is generally in bad shape. Later in the day, Sister and a truckload of kids went to the funeral for the mother of one of the residents - died of complications of HIV - dad died several years ago. The kids are young and it's really sad. They will be parceled out to relatives.
When we got back we learned that the old man in the hospital, Philip, had died. In the evening, Holly went running, and I went for a walk w. the visiting Australian Doctor (Nylanthe - 32). We talked about health care in Uganda - she feels the doctors are competent, but there seems to be no urgency of care and poor supply of medicines and equipment....makes it hard. She was upset about 2 children who came in recently after an awful house fire - one died and the other was struggling. The one surviving had lots of facial burns and they didn't put a tube down her throat - now she's having trouble breathing because of swelling.
Monday a.m. I typed reports and then we all went to Mass and Phillip's funeral - they buried him at the "potter's field" behind the church. Some people came from the school where he used to work and at lot of the kids came - it really was a lovely service and a beautiful spot. We all feel that he's finally at peace. Becky has been really sick but came to the burial....very simple w. a wood coffin lowered w. ropes.
Tuesday we had quite a few people for CBR; Moses and Kinene are really worried about the program after I leave - I think four years of having a PCV has made them dependent - I think they will be fine. Thanks to you all, I have been able to give some money to the program, but now we're trying to get some money from the local government agencies! Hope it works!
In the afternoon, Becky, Moses and I went out to see Serafina - she's been at her grandmothers for about 2 weeks for a holiday (for everyone). Moses made her set of parallel bars from "locally available materials"(small tree trunks) and we took some pictures....she seemed happy to see us! Just before we left for that trip, one of the other elderly men (John) at PH, fell and bumped his head - left quite a pool of blood. Nice to have Becky around to take care of him! Got him up and he demanded lunch so we figured he was O.K.
Fred (the business manager) has enrolled his oldest, Mark (4), who is one month younger than Riley, in boarding school for the coming term - he's so little, but people here think it's the way to get ahead!!!
Wednesday, we went to the Sister's Profession. It was in Jinja this year because the chapel at Nkokonjeru isn't complete (re-roofing project that started in June). Really a beautiful ceremony. The Sisters have so much fun together. There were 9 professing for the lst time; 7 doing final, perpetual profession, 12 at 25 years and 4 at 50 years! Becky and Holly went, too. It actually started on time, the sermon and speeches were short! It lasted 4 hours, but it was all about the Sisters and was very nice!
Thursday was Epilepsy day and we had 60 people - the usual, but it's busy!! Spent the evening tring to organize the milk money and plan for animal food purchases; don't know how I'd get it done w/o Fred who also had to get chicken medicines today. He went to Kamapla w. Becky and Sula, who were taking Mulonodo to CoRSU, the orthopedic hospital, to re-set his arm since he ripped off his previous cast. He is now scheduled for surgery at CoRSU on Monday.....
On Friday, Holly and I left at 6 a.m. and boarded a matatu to Kampala and took a bus to Lira which is in northern Uganda. Holly, Shari and Michelle are attendants there at n Introduction Ceremony (engagement) of a couple who live in Nkokonjeru but are from that area. They have 6 children (oldest 12) but finally have the money for the Ceremony!!! We got on a bus in Kampala that was supposed to leave for Lira at 9 a.m. but they discovered tire problems at 9 so we left at 11!!! I'm really learning to expect that sort of delay and not let it bother me (much). But, the trip was interesting - very full bus. There was a young man giving us all a gospel message a good share of the way (in the local language and others); a lady got on about an hour out of Lira and sat down right next to me and Holly and she kept moaning and shifting her position...very strange. Later I noticed she was pregnant but it looked small and high (so much for what I know). Just before Lira she squatted on the floor next to her seat and delivered!!! Quite the commotion. There was a nun just ahead of her who took charge (I was worthless)....actually, the baby just dropped out on the bus floor! They then took her to a local hospital....she walked off the bus and into the hospital w. the Sister and another passenger and holding the baby! They are tough up there!!!!
When we got to Lira we met Shari and Michelle - had to stay in town while the bride got her hair done and got to the family compound about 10 miles out at 10:00 - I bathed and went to bed! We were staying in a little mud hut w. a grass roof and sleeping two to a mattress on the floor. Bathing was rinsing w. water from a gerry can!
our hut in LiraThe next morning we met everyone and tried to help where we could.....the Introduction Ceremony was supposed to start at 2:00 but didn't start till 4:00 (to be expected)...the girls had to dress up and walk in w. the bride and her relatives and "search" the crowd for the groom!
Dinner didn't get served till 8 p.m. and they didn't have lights so it was interesting!! People had lots of fun tho' and danced till morning!
Holly, Michelle, and Shari in wedding costumeThe Lira area was devestated by the fighting between the government and the Lord's Resistance Army for many years (stopped in 2006 and Kony, the leader of the LRA is now in the Congo), but the area is really poor....people were dressed up much less than in our area of Uganda. It's also VERY hot and dry.... The family seems to be one of the more prominent ones in the area based on the important guests who came, but it still was not as nice as one in central Uganda.
It was a late nite and we got up at 5:30, walked to the road, got a ride from a really nice man into town and got on the bus at 7:30 - got to Jinja around 2:30 and had lunch and waited for the shuttle from PC to take us to the hotel. Waited till 5 and then one of the girls commandered a matatu and we all paid to ride it out to the hotel. Hotel is lovely and after two nites in the grass hut w/o bathing I love it. Washed my traveling clothes in the shower by stomping on them - you really get creative!!!
Hope you are all well and enjoying the new year. I'm looking forward to visiting w. everyone for the next three days.....plus all the pampering!!! Not interested in resumes or job search or graduate school....we'll see what they have for us old folks! Really miss having Maria here but am rooming w. another older PCV, Sandy, who's lots of fun, too.
It's rapidly coming to a close - I can't thank all of you enough for your support, your prayers and your concern. It's been great but I'm definitely ready to come home!!!
1 comment:
whoooo! the first egg!!! very good! are all the young chickens still alive??
Greets!
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