Am actually on the bakery computer...was going to send out my first grant application to a guy from the U.K. who was here, but found I don't know how to send from the Excel stuff. Called Shari but she's in the midst of laundry which is a project so I ran up the street and got my blog script...I actually write it out ahead. Not sure if I'll keep up every week but I have SO much to say (there's a shocker). Hope you enjoyed the pictures - thanks Gail. I might go to Mukono tomorrow anyway because my little electric tea kettle died - very sad. I can heat water on the gas burner, but I loved my little pot....think the power going on and off is hard on things. May wait till another time when I can get to the P.O. tho'...might spend the day down here just playing with the kids....lots of them are gone all day to school now and I miss them. The ride is so bad....very bumpy and crowded and there is always at least one chicken! Got a ton of wash done this a.m. (sheet weekend - ugh)....and cleaned my apt. We had another visitor at 11:00 so that took up most of the day. They come, walk around, talk awhile, the kids dance and sing (which they love to do) and thevisitors eat and go home. Sister Juliet is more patient than I am. We did actually have a meeting today but not much done. For the story: Monday was a long day - some days I don't do much but some I really do work hard...really! Sr. J was gone and I had to greet parents bringing kids back....Sr. J has instituted a new "get tough" policy....people come and leave their kids and don't bring anything - they are supposed to supply school stuff, soap, TP, etc. They are really poor, but they can bring something...all boarding schools require it. But PH has been just covering it in the past.....Sr. said that next term they have to bring something..."I don't care if it's a bag of beans"! She's right! But the parents argue about how poor they are....sometimes it's a relative....but they can do something. Had to run a meeting w. the vocational teachers (only 3). Money for supplies/salaries is a problem, but their answer to everthing is for me to contact my "friends" in America or write a grant. Don't want to look at ways to help themselves...they have no idea how hard it is to write and even get a grant! People here think someone will take care of them....families take care of others, kids take care of old parents (that's why they say they have so many!)....needs to change. Some are getting it, but some are not yet. Grant money has been spent in Africa for years w/o any change....now most donors are looking at projects that are sustainable after paying start up costs...makes sense to me! Frustrating - I need to get more assertive - hard when you don't know what you're doing. Tuesday I got the CBR budget and workplans done in the early a.m. with Holly's help! Ready for the meeting at 9:30 - now it has to be re-vised, but I feel a little more confident. Got a bid for electrical for the vocational building - guy actually had a bid form from a contractor!! I about hugged him. Lots of meeting time and computer time today...sitting. Had a great supper....Kevina buns w. cheese grilled and fresh green beans! We do eat well. I am really enjoying "Don't Lets Go To The Dogs Tonite" by Alexandra Fuller - lots of great quotes. I meant to have it with me when I wrote, but oh, well. One about nothing in Africa being "normal" (and she lived here most of her life); another about her wanting to help some people and her mother telling her it would be just endless. I get a lot of requests for school fees, etc. from people on the street - probably one a day. I really would like to help, but there is NO END! I do occasionally do stuff, like Friday I bought a pair of shoes (from our shop) for a boy who was leaving PH and going to a deaf school (our only deaf child at present) - he was so scared....PH may not be heaven, but the unknown is scary! Kids here just move around - never get really talked to about it....just go and make the best of it. It's really good that he's going to a school for the deaf.....but Sr. J didn't have any shoes for him to take. Got him socks and shoe polish too - another (very inexpensive) Bill Gates moment. Anyway, the book is good....finished it. Weds. Sr. Juliet had a meeting in Kampala so I filled in for her at another meeting at an orphanage in Mukono run by a guy from Holland - Noah's Ark. A VERY nice place - European standards.....wonder if the kids are in for a shock when they leave and get into the real world! Some of the area homes are trying to form a collaborative to work toward better standards for homes for children - good idea. Feel that if they can police themselves they can do better than the government. Interesting meeting trying to hammer out a Vision, Mission, and Objectives when I don't know anything! But I add my ideas.....not a shock to anyone who knows me! The place had two industrial sized washing machines - w. hot water! I just stood there and watched the wash go around...haven't seen a washing machine for 4 months! He's got a very ambitious program and seems to get lots of donors. Thursday I started English class...Holly agreed to do a Public Health class for Sr. J on Wednesdays....have class rules (like be on time)...Sister gave them a huge lecture in Lugandan then said the class would be in English! Really going to enforce the "on time" thing - even the teachers are rarely on time. The bookkeeping teacher for Mother Kevin Vocational (they use our classrooms) came at 9:15 for an 8 a.m. class and left after 15 minutes....and no one knows! Not sure why the computer is making double spacing.....sorry. The kids in the class are really good (so far)....one w. Downs, one hydrocephalic, two in wheelchairs, all variety of disabilities and abilities, but they paid attention...I am determined to bring order to the staff if it kills me. Requiring a syllabus too....most just copied one from somewhere, but it's a start! Biggest challenge, besides the teachers, for me, is the range of abilities in the class - there are about 20 students - any suggestions you Special Ed folks? Have two English days and one Math day (2 hrs. each) and Holly is teaching Public Health - lots of muzungu teachers! The kids seem to like that - maybe because we prepare something! I don't mean to be down on all teachers....PH can't pay much (and often doesn't pay at all) so they can't attract the best.....there are lots of good teachers out there, too, but being on time and organized isn't high on the list of things they do well! Holly had a newspaper and heard about the tornadoes in MN....scary! Also about some troops massing on the Rwandan border - nothing about it on BBC Africa tho', so think it was one of those articles written to sell newspapers. Ate well on Thursday - old chipati w. Peanut butter and bannana, lunch was a fresh chipati w. avacado and chopped onion and tomato....we eat well and lots. Supper I took a bunch of vegetables and cooked them up w. salt and pepper and oregano and added some cheese - really good! You can get a fresh pineapple for $.67 and an avacado for .06! Food is cheap by American standards - but still very expensive for Ugandans. My latest reading is in preparation for some grant writing....just finished a Univ. tract - 114 pages titled Commercial Chicken Production Manual for Uganda - a best seller I bet. Now am into Pig Keeping in the Tropics and The Tropical Agriculturist - Pigs! Charles Richter eat your heart out! Friday was a nice slow day - lots of reading time. Sr. J was gone again, but no parents came.....usually the OT translates for me, but he's such a nice guy he can't yell at them very effectively. We've had a problem w. the little kids - boys especially - not going to school. I've been making them do chores around here during the day like washing the kids' food bowls which are gross. Even had the big boys put the swings up so they couldn't use them if they were skipping...Friday I made one that was here get dressed and marched him to school (very close)...don't know if the teacher was glad to see him....about 65 kids in P-1 in a small, very crowded, noisy room...she's probably wishing more stayed home! Been having a lot of power outages....Sister Veronica called and they said people are stealing wire all over - they run through some pretty deserted places. It really stalls things at the bakery...yesterday the power was off all day and came back about 8 p.m. so they baked all night. I have candles, flashlites, a battery operated reading lamp and my PC kerosene lantern so I do O.K. - stove is gas, but I do appreciate the electricity when we have it! Things go well....at least I'm busy which I enjoy. Days go fast and usually get to enjoy a walk in the evenings .....the scenery is gorgeous....twilight makes it even more so! Holly often goes, too and sometimes Shari. I really miss the little people....and Jessica is due in June. Hard to believe that when I get back Riley will be 5, Dylan almost 4, Henry and Emma 3 and Ben almost 3! I do miss them a lot. I'm really lucky to have a site where I can do a lot and seem to be really helping out.....Sister may have another idea but she keeps giving me stuff to do! Some volunteers really don't have much to do they say.....would make it harder to be here. Anybody have a good book about the World Bank? We're trying to figure out how $$ get spent here.....there are SO many NGOs and lots of money but it doesn't seem to get much done - does provide some livelihood for the NGO people, but not much seems to change otherwise. At least you know the Sisters are getting the max out of any money they get! Hope all are well...thanks again for thinking of me. It's a crazy place, but I'm really learning to love it. I'm sure I'll hate it at times, too (already have). But the people are great.....kids have the most wonderful smiles despite their problems. One of the older boys gave a speech to the visitor today (they LOVE speeches) - main point was "did I fill out an application to be disabled?...I don't remember doing that, but I am and I have to make the most of it"! I almost cried! Enough for now.....hope you all have a good week.
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Saturday, May 31, 2008
Saturday Afternoon at the Bakery - 5-31-08
Wednesday, May 28, 2008
Saturday, May 24, 2008
Saturday at Mukono
My Saturday trip.....spent the morning at a Life Skills Training Holly was doing for Secondary Teachers - moral support and to learn how it's done! We both decided that we feel totally incompetent for our jobs! Seriously, not sure how you'd train for this, but I've never felt so unprepared before!
Did get moved last Sunday and I really like the apartment - it's one L shaped room - about 12 feet on the longest sides, but it looks good. New paint job is great - soft white the top and the bottom 3 feet is saffron - very bright! It was a hassly getting it done, but worth it now. I was almost overwhelmed byt eh volume of stuff I have - some I brought, some has been sent (THANKS), some from Christine, some from China and Paul, some I bought here - it was intimidating getting it all put away, but except for the suitcases, it's done. Home for two years! I have my radio too and listen mostly to BBC Africa - mostly bad news about Ethiopia, Somalia, and So Africa and soccer games but it's fun!
Monday we had a visit from the International Head of Cheshire Homes from the U.K. He's retiring and on a last grand tour. PH was sponsored by Cheshire for some years and it's still in the name and things were pretty good then, but about 2-3 years ago they stopped sponsoring individual homes and have gone into advocacy and that was the start of PH's problems keeping up w. food, supplies, etc. Not sure why Cheshire still stays involved - the name is still on the stationery but they provide no support. They've gone into advocacy programs, like the school inclusion program, and then they want the "cheshire homes" to participate!!! Anyway, Sister Juliet had everyone cleaning and fixing for the visit....happens every time. It's hard to keep the kids motivated to work....you can see them sneaking away when they see her coming! But they are kids! He was late on Monday and the kids had no breakfast waiting - seemed like he should have waited. They usually have porridge (corn meal cooked w. water and runny) at 10 (no sugar) and at 2 and 7 they have posho - corn meal cooked till it's solid - and beans. Pretty spartan menu but typical for schools here. During the vacation (all of May) the older kids have been cooking and sometimes it's porridge at 12 and beans at 4 - and that's it!
The Cheshire guy did say he might have some contacts in the UK who could fund some water harvesting equipment (gutters around the boys dorm and tanks) and possilbly Community Based Rehab so I'm starting to put the information together. Unfortunately, I never learned how to do Excel! Gail always did everything for me and I played w. the kids! Had a crash course Weds. a.m. w. Shari on her organization's computer but power was out Weds., computer down Thursday so I didn't get to try it. Did last nite (Friday) and got some done, but need her help to finish....doing a budget and work plan and want to get them done.
Holly has been sick all week....thinks she ate something that gave her a bacterial bug....really down on Monday and just weak and in the bathroom a lot all week....it's a bummer and not much you can do about it.
I have actually been "cooking"....like eggs and very simple things, but I like it. Wash my dishes in a basin in the shower stall and have them dry on the top rack of a 4 tier plastic thing in the bathroom...it works! Shower stall is just a raised edge with a drain in the corner of the bathroom. Have a small hand sink in the main room. Cook on a two burner gas cook top - it's farily primitive but as I get a system it will be O.K. Went to the Mukono market today and got some carrots and green beans!!!
Wanted to chronicle my a.m. sounds.....birds start very early, at 5:30 the Mulims start broadcasting their call to prayer; at 5:45 is the first bell for the sisters to wake - have another one about 6:15 which is when the matatus start on the road and the truck come soon after (I'm about 50 feet from a dirt road - there's a tall hedge, but think it will be dusty in the dry season.), at 6:15 I get up, have my coffee and read the Bible...it's a pretty good schedule to start the day. I need to resume my lanuage work, but I'm stalling. Since Janet, my tutor, went back to college, I haven't looked at it. Have to re-test at 3 mos. and try to pass, plus it would help a lot - the little kids and the older people don't all speak much English and also, I could understand what they are saying!!!
Tuesday Sister asked me to go to a hospital in Lugazi to check on a girl from PH who went there for treatment of diabetes...I was really nervous about doing that but got ahold of a great nurse who spoke English and gave me lots of good information. Her blood sugar was way high and they were keeping her for a few days - her father was there w. her (but not very happy about it)....meals are 1500 sh./person/meal which is a lot for most people....why many have someone come and stay and cook for them if they will be there a long time.
Weather has been cool and rainy - actually gloomy some days. Lots of power outs - apparently some group is stealing cable somewhere around here! I've started heating water for my evening "shower"....pour hot water over, scrub and rinse...the hot water is heavenly when it's cool!
Wednesday the girls from Holland left after 3 1/2 mos. here.....they said it went amazingly fast! Had a nice party w. songs, speeches and sodas!!! I'll miss them....they were great girls and did a lot for PH and the kids.
I continue to be frustrated by what I'm not getting done - e.g, getting information, making a list of residents, writing proposals (slow due to lack of information). It takes forever to get it all together. Theresa Tulloch (she and her husband had a coffee business in Africa for 5 years) said that she was amazed when they got back to the U.S. and you could make a phone call, it went through and things actually got done!!!! There's always a language thing, too....not just Lugandan, but a lack of understanding. Not sure if that's why they talk so long when they explain something - if I say something and someone translates, it goes on forever. I'm thinking "I said that?". We expect that if we say something clearly and precisely, they will get it and it will be done - silly Americans!
Don't know what I'd do w/o Holly and Shari....they keep me grounded and make me laugh. Shari is teaching me Excel and Holly slows me down when I get racing! Many volunteers don't have that kind of support - or running water and electricity! I feel very fortunate....also, my site provides lots of opportunities for things to do!!!
Thursday was Corpus Christi and they had Mass at 8 and a big procession w. the host....lots of sisters and others joining in. The PH band marched w. them for awhile - quite a sight! Very serious and really nicely done..
Thursday I got my table - YEA. I've really been harrassing the carpenter - I thought it was pretty crude but Holly thinks it's cute and "rustic". At least I now have a table to use and he got the drop leaf right - have extensions on both sides so I can spread out. On Tuesday when we were in the PH truck I got another book case so the room is coming. Still need to get the wardrobe so I can put my clothes away and get over the suitcases.....he said this coming week (I've heard that before). The table took almost a month so I can go w. that - anything earlier is a bonus. Then I'm pretty done - am looking for a small reading chair, but that can come anytime.
Friday Sister asked me to take a girl (11) to the Cheshire Orthopedic Hospital outside Kampala.....again, way over my head, but she was pretty good at finding things. We had to switch vans in the taxi park to go out of Kampala....long journey and then we waited for 2hours to see the Dr. Actually, tho', it sort of reminded me of when I was a Guardian and would take a young girl to Mayo for orthopedic visits....except then I could drive and the roads were good. But now I know where it is and how it operates.....everyone just waits outdoors on benches....there is no privacy at all! Some pretty awful plastic surgery cases and lots of hydrocephalic babies...not sure why there are so many here. It was a tiring trip, but successful and she was a real trooper - led me through the taxi park!!! She said she'd go w. me again!
The computer was working when we got back so I worked till 7:30 trying to master Excel...got a start but Shari will have to help me clean it up on Monday.
Shoemaker has sold 3 pairs of shoes! YEA! He's still w/o electricity and so makes them w. a machine that he turns the wheel by hand. They are really nicely done tho'. Some return on our investment (actually a donation from China and Paul).
Dick, I'd love more books about Africa....we have lots of good discussion about aid and how it's been so ineffective in Africa - trillions of $$ - and now people are just dependent on it.....seems to be their solution to every need. They say that the people at the top are skimming off lots of the aid $$ - it sure doesn't seem like much has been done. They really need to focus on roads!! C.J. Criag (West Wing) was right!...transportation is awful here which affects the economy greatly.
I really don't know how they can "fix" things.....it seems hopeless, but it will just take a lot of time....and $$. Think they need to consolidate the funding agencies an get some direction and control. Jean, do you still have Economic Hit Man - Holly wants to read it. Also, would like to read White Man's Burden...anyone read that?
Time to go....have used up an hour. Have TONS of packages at the P.O. and need to rescue them by 4:00 when it closes and still have shopping to do. Left Holly's meeting at 11 but the matatu didn't fill till 12:30 so got a late start.....looks like it might rain again, too. Hope not till I get home.
Thanks again for your thoughts and prayers....things so well. I have down moments, but come back up again. I need to stop focusing on my "to do" list and be happy for the things that do get done! It will either get done in the next two years or not - I'll do my best, but some things will just be undone....and it's O.K. Love you all.
Saw in Kampala that the dollar has dropped to 1633 shillings!!! It was 1690 when we arrived in February! Can'[t believe gas is $3.80....good thing I'm not driving!
Did get moved last Sunday and I really like the apartment - it's one L shaped room - about 12 feet on the longest sides, but it looks good. New paint job is great - soft white the top and the bottom 3 feet is saffron - very bright! It was a hassly getting it done, but worth it now. I was almost overwhelmed byt eh volume of stuff I have - some I brought, some has been sent (THANKS), some from Christine, some from China and Paul, some I bought here - it was intimidating getting it all put away, but except for the suitcases, it's done. Home for two years! I have my radio too and listen mostly to BBC Africa - mostly bad news about Ethiopia, Somalia, and So Africa and soccer games but it's fun!
Monday we had a visit from the International Head of Cheshire Homes from the U.K. He's retiring and on a last grand tour. PH was sponsored by Cheshire for some years and it's still in the name and things were pretty good then, but about 2-3 years ago they stopped sponsoring individual homes and have gone into advocacy and that was the start of PH's problems keeping up w. food, supplies, etc. Not sure why Cheshire still stays involved - the name is still on the stationery but they provide no support. They've gone into advocacy programs, like the school inclusion program, and then they want the "cheshire homes" to participate!!! Anyway, Sister Juliet had everyone cleaning and fixing for the visit....happens every time. It's hard to keep the kids motivated to work....you can see them sneaking away when they see her coming! But they are kids! He was late on Monday and the kids had no breakfast waiting - seemed like he should have waited. They usually have porridge (corn meal cooked w. water and runny) at 10 (no sugar) and at 2 and 7 they have posho - corn meal cooked till it's solid - and beans. Pretty spartan menu but typical for schools here. During the vacation (all of May) the older kids have been cooking and sometimes it's porridge at 12 and beans at 4 - and that's it!
The Cheshire guy did say he might have some contacts in the UK who could fund some water harvesting equipment (gutters around the boys dorm and tanks) and possilbly Community Based Rehab so I'm starting to put the information together. Unfortunately, I never learned how to do Excel! Gail always did everything for me and I played w. the kids! Had a crash course Weds. a.m. w. Shari on her organization's computer but power was out Weds., computer down Thursday so I didn't get to try it. Did last nite (Friday) and got some done, but need her help to finish....doing a budget and work plan and want to get them done.
Holly has been sick all week....thinks she ate something that gave her a bacterial bug....really down on Monday and just weak and in the bathroom a lot all week....it's a bummer and not much you can do about it.
I have actually been "cooking"....like eggs and very simple things, but I like it. Wash my dishes in a basin in the shower stall and have them dry on the top rack of a 4 tier plastic thing in the bathroom...it works! Shower stall is just a raised edge with a drain in the corner of the bathroom. Have a small hand sink in the main room. Cook on a two burner gas cook top - it's farily primitive but as I get a system it will be O.K. Went to the Mukono market today and got some carrots and green beans!!!
Wanted to chronicle my a.m. sounds.....birds start very early, at 5:30 the Mulims start broadcasting their call to prayer; at 5:45 is the first bell for the sisters to wake - have another one about 6:15 which is when the matatus start on the road and the truck come soon after (I'm about 50 feet from a dirt road - there's a tall hedge, but think it will be dusty in the dry season.), at 6:15 I get up, have my coffee and read the Bible...it's a pretty good schedule to start the day. I need to resume my lanuage work, but I'm stalling. Since Janet, my tutor, went back to college, I haven't looked at it. Have to re-test at 3 mos. and try to pass, plus it would help a lot - the little kids and the older people don't all speak much English and also, I could understand what they are saying!!!
Tuesday Sister asked me to go to a hospital in Lugazi to check on a girl from PH who went there for treatment of diabetes...I was really nervous about doing that but got ahold of a great nurse who spoke English and gave me lots of good information. Her blood sugar was way high and they were keeping her for a few days - her father was there w. her (but not very happy about it)....meals are 1500 sh./person/meal which is a lot for most people....why many have someone come and stay and cook for them if they will be there a long time.
Weather has been cool and rainy - actually gloomy some days. Lots of power outs - apparently some group is stealing cable somewhere around here! I've started heating water for my evening "shower"....pour hot water over, scrub and rinse...the hot water is heavenly when it's cool!
Wednesday the girls from Holland left after 3 1/2 mos. here.....they said it went amazingly fast! Had a nice party w. songs, speeches and sodas!!! I'll miss them....they were great girls and did a lot for PH and the kids.
I continue to be frustrated by what I'm not getting done - e.g, getting information, making a list of residents, writing proposals (slow due to lack of information). It takes forever to get it all together. Theresa Tulloch (she and her husband had a coffee business in Africa for 5 years) said that she was amazed when they got back to the U.S. and you could make a phone call, it went through and things actually got done!!!! There's always a language thing, too....not just Lugandan, but a lack of understanding. Not sure if that's why they talk so long when they explain something - if I say something and someone translates, it goes on forever. I'm thinking "I said that?". We expect that if we say something clearly and precisely, they will get it and it will be done - silly Americans!
Don't know what I'd do w/o Holly and Shari....they keep me grounded and make me laugh. Shari is teaching me Excel and Holly slows me down when I get racing! Many volunteers don't have that kind of support - or running water and electricity! I feel very fortunate....also, my site provides lots of opportunities for things to do!!!
Thursday was Corpus Christi and they had Mass at 8 and a big procession w. the host....lots of sisters and others joining in. The PH band marched w. them for awhile - quite a sight! Very serious and really nicely done..
Thursday I got my table - YEA. I've really been harrassing the carpenter - I thought it was pretty crude but Holly thinks it's cute and "rustic". At least I now have a table to use and he got the drop leaf right - have extensions on both sides so I can spread out. On Tuesday when we were in the PH truck I got another book case so the room is coming. Still need to get the wardrobe so I can put my clothes away and get over the suitcases.....he said this coming week (I've heard that before). The table took almost a month so I can go w. that - anything earlier is a bonus. Then I'm pretty done - am looking for a small reading chair, but that can come anytime.
Friday Sister asked me to take a girl (11) to the Cheshire Orthopedic Hospital outside Kampala.....again, way over my head, but she was pretty good at finding things. We had to switch vans in the taxi park to go out of Kampala....long journey and then we waited for 2hours to see the Dr. Actually, tho', it sort of reminded me of when I was a Guardian and would take a young girl to Mayo for orthopedic visits....except then I could drive and the roads were good. But now I know where it is and how it operates.....everyone just waits outdoors on benches....there is no privacy at all! Some pretty awful plastic surgery cases and lots of hydrocephalic babies...not sure why there are so many here. It was a tiring trip, but successful and she was a real trooper - led me through the taxi park!!! She said she'd go w. me again!
The computer was working when we got back so I worked till 7:30 trying to master Excel...got a start but Shari will have to help me clean it up on Monday.
Shoemaker has sold 3 pairs of shoes! YEA! He's still w/o electricity and so makes them w. a machine that he turns the wheel by hand. They are really nicely done tho'. Some return on our investment (actually a donation from China and Paul).
Dick, I'd love more books about Africa....we have lots of good discussion about aid and how it's been so ineffective in Africa - trillions of $$ - and now people are just dependent on it.....seems to be their solution to every need. They say that the people at the top are skimming off lots of the aid $$ - it sure doesn't seem like much has been done. They really need to focus on roads!! C.J. Criag (West Wing) was right!...transportation is awful here which affects the economy greatly.
I really don't know how they can "fix" things.....it seems hopeless, but it will just take a lot of time....and $$. Think they need to consolidate the funding agencies an get some direction and control. Jean, do you still have Economic Hit Man - Holly wants to read it. Also, would like to read White Man's Burden...anyone read that?
Time to go....have used up an hour. Have TONS of packages at the P.O. and need to rescue them by 4:00 when it closes and still have shopping to do. Left Holly's meeting at 11 but the matatu didn't fill till 12:30 so got a late start.....looks like it might rain again, too. Hope not till I get home.
Thanks again for your thoughts and prayers....things so well. I have down moments, but come back up again. I need to stop focusing on my "to do" list and be happy for the things that do get done! It will either get done in the next two years or not - I'll do my best, but some things will just be undone....and it's O.K. Love you all.
Saw in Kampala that the dollar has dropped to 1633 shillings!!! It was 1690 when we arrived in February! Can'[t believe gas is $3.80....good thing I'm not driving!
Saturday, May 17, 2008
Saturday Afternoon at Mukono - 5-17-08
Came to Mukono this afternoon to do some shopping - can't get essentials like Peanut Butter, cheese, coffee, a broom....in Nkoko. Also stopped at the P.O. and got packages for me and Shari - filled my backpack w/o even shopping! Thought about stopping at the craft area to get a wicker bookshelf, in my desperate attempt to be organized, but already have enough stuff to haul on the matatu. Will save for another day.
Sometimes I use the bakery computer, but it has a lot of demands on it's time - the convent sister, priests, actual work, etc. so thought for the BIG things I'd come here. Have been and gone once - first time the power went out twice and the internet went off once....This Is Africa (TIA).
My move into the apt. tomorrow.....the painters finished. Not a great job but it's O.K. Top is soft white and the bottom is saffron (two colors is big here)....it's really bright. Got some material at the market and one of the gals at PH (Providence House) hemmed it for me and sewed on the rings and got them up - really getting there. Unfortunately, the guy making my wardrobe and table is REALLY stalling....made the mistake of giving him all the $ upfront so he could buy timber and he's in no rush. I talk to him frequently and he's always just ready to start! Sometimes I wish I hadn't decided to re-do the apt., but it's been a good experience in dealing w. Ugandans. They are 90% honest and great people but time is relative. Also, you do get the "muzungo factor" (we're white therefore rich).
Will try to chronicle the week....it's been busy and lots of variety! Life here is never dull....I've actually only read one book since I've come to PH (Dick, the one you sent Petals of Blood - I'm actually re-reading it - better the 2nd time!).
Last Thursday the nurse came from Kampala for the Epilepsy Clinic. She sees patients we choose (up to 25) and dispenses free meds. courtest of Katelemwa Hospital. About 10 were PH kids and we have to select the most deperate from the rest of the community...it's HARD! There is a lot of epilepsy here...she said it's because of the many high fevers caused in children by malaria, typhoid, etc. People actually were about 2 hours early for the clinic.....they are desperate.
Friday afternoon I took off for Masaka to see Maria - great trip despite having to go to Kampala and through the old taxi park (where Mukono taxis come) to the new taxi park through the maze of streets and out to Masaka. I'd never been west and the roads are great....trip went very well and had a great time. Had lots of great food....ate at a bakery there w. meat pies and mini pizzas (lots of cheese and veggies) heated in a microwave!!! Had hot showers and TV (one channel but who's complaining...saw Temples of Doom!). On Sat. we walked around town and went to a really nice hotel and went swimming (5000 sh). Met some other Americans who work there for Foundation for Sustainable Development and ate dinner w. them at a restaurant run by a Danish aid organization....cheeseburger and Danish meatballs! So good to see Maria -her experience is much different from mine. HOPE International has $ and distributes it to people who have organized Income Generating Activities (IGA - a big word here)...like beekeepers, passion fruit growers, crafters, etc. She travels quite a lot. Also, it's COLD out in the west - they wear coats!
Trip back was a breeze - sometimes in Uganda things work and when they do it's SO much fun! Was the last person on a bus out of Masaka so no wait, got a matatu to the mall quickly and got my painting supplies, got a quick ride to Mukono and then the taxi to Nkoko - it all worked like a charm!
Sunday nite Holly and Shari made me a special Mother's Day dinner....it was great! Vegetable curry and for dessert a chocolate layer cake w. orange icing!! You can actually cook cakes on the gas burner by using two lg. pans and putting the cake pan inside (well, they can). Very thoughtful of them to do that for me.
Monday was a crazy day - the painters started. They were actualy there at 8:15 (said 8:00 but for Uganda that is WAY early). I was short one can of paint so gave the young man money to go to Mukono to get another.....supplies are short in Nkoko. I bought 2 litres of thinner and wiped out the town's supply! I was supposed to stay w. them (since it's at the convent) but Sisters Juliet and Veronica were gone so I worked at PH....Sister J always has things lined up for me to do. Taking lots of paint to cover the dark green/blue but it really lightens up the room.
Shari went to Mukono on Tuesday and I got the package from Gail she mailed in March (boxes take 6-8 weeks; envelopes 2 weeks or less). Got my black ECCO sandals....I only had the brown pair and lived in fear that they would break! Only sandals I've worn for years.....and I am a creature of habit! Also got another pair of pants - yea. We wear them on weekends and to Kampala/Mukono.....seeing more and more of them, especially on the younger girls.
Thanks again for all my "treat" bags....love them and share them. I have to admit I've given some to the kids.....started a "random treat for work" program....if I catch them doing something w/o being asked - like doing the food bowls, getting water, etc. I sometimes give them a treat.....seems to be catching on! But it's very random....makes them try harder.
We had ABC class Monday and Tuesday since Shari couldn't come Monday and the kids were so disappointed. They are really getting it and trying hard - problem is the range of abilities is enormous. But, even the really impaired ones sit down now and try to write letters....we drew pictures on Tuesday - a fun change.
Tuesday Sr. J asked me to skip CBR (Moses and Kinene can run it) and attend a meeting w. her at PH - Cheshire Homes is offering some assistance to try an Inclusive Education project - having disabled kids in the regular classroom. Since the Sisters already do that, they are working with them in Nkoko and up north in Budaka. There were about 7 nuns there and they are powerhouses! I'm SO impressed w. those women. Sister J appointed me Secretary so I get to do minutes, etc. Hope they like American minutes (actually, she went over my rough draft and corrected a few things...not bad tho').
Weds. the painters finished up (there was a funeral at the convent Tuesday so they couldn't be there...lots of sisters all over). The convent is across the street and up the hill from PH - there's a large building for sisters, a noviate building and a building for older, retired nuns, plus a school for girls. That's where the guest house is and the Sister's chapel. The hospital is across the street at the top of the hill....we're down the hill on the hospital side.
Didn't do much on Weds....kept checking on the painters. Had lunch w. Holly - chipatis w. avacado, tomato and cabbage - very good. (we do eat well). We talked about these slow days and how we feel so guilty. We both have that mid-western work ethic....at a job you should be working all the time. Forget that walking down the street saying "Hi", or talking to people is PC "work" too. We both were sort of down that day - bad weather day - hot and sticky - one of those "23 months to go?" days. But, when I got back to PH Sister Melody was taking a bunch of kids to go pull beans at the garden so I went along (Shari had loaned me her gum boots - black rubber pull on boots). It was a blast - hot and dirty, but really fun to do physical work and the kids are so glad to leave PH they work hard! We pulled two pick up loads full and brought them back.
Thursday a.m. I painted part of my floor - piled the furniture that's there - bed, bookcases, chairs, in the middle and scrubbed and painted. In the afternoon we had a huge "bean shelling"....all the beans we'd collected Weds. had to be shelled. Bet there were 30 people working....the elderly love it, the kids join in and the disabled can sit and do it too. They are always so grateful when I help - little do they know it's fun for me!
Friday I talked to the carpenter and had to run down the painter since he didn't return my brushes and rollers.....got some back, but still have to have him return some other stuff (another instance of paying in full too soon). Now he's gone for 5 days to a funeral....people are always going to take care of sick relatives or going to funerals...think it's a way of life here (or a great excuse). Fortunately the guy that recommended him to me helps around PH and is on his case, too.
We had some Cheshire Foundation visitors and Sr. J always puts me on the welcoming committee...she'd rather be working! On Monday the International Director will be at PH for a few hours and they were the advance team. After they left I finished the floor - takes a good two days to dry - oil paint. Hope it's all dry by Sunday so I can move in. Course I'll still be in suitcases - he promised the wardrobe would be done Monday (also, promised it May 10 and 15)...no one here is in a hurry. Time just stretches on and on...."what's the rush?". " BECAUSE I'M AN AMERICAN" doesn't really work....wonder if in time I'll get used to it. Did sit for an hour and a half on the matatu before it left Nkoko today and was O.K. (reading). Maybe I am coming around!
This a.m. was a riot. Last nite Sister J got 150 chickens (she bought them but was having them fed somewhere else because we had diseased ones last time). She went w. the truck and brought them back and this a.m. we had a chicken butchering!! She went out at 5 a.m. but I waited till 6 hoping they'd at least be dead by then and they were. My mother must be laughing because when she killed chickens I hid! (Julie, you're laughing, too) Did participate in the feather pulling...they had quite a system - again about 30 people helping. Sister J dipped them in boiling water and we all pulled....I washed chickens rather than do guts tho'. Never thought I'd do it, but it's all part of PH. They were actually pretty nice for Ugandan chickens...she wanted them over a kilo (2.2 lbs) and they were - some were bigger. Remember when Sue and I raised chickens and dressed weight was 6-7 lbs. I can't remember the last time I even bought a whole chicken!! The kids again worked hard and the elderly and disabled did too! The sad thing was they couldn't even have porridge this a.m. (no ground meal). Hopefully, with the chicken money Sister can bring some home.....they took the cleaned chickens to a buyer in Kampala....along w. another nun who needed a ride, a resident who needed to go to the orthopedic hospital in Kampala and the shoemaker who went along to bargain w. the chicken people since Sister J and the driver were going on to the airport to take Evenlyn (Holland)'s parents to catch a flight! Oh, yes, the swing set got in the ground and cemented this week, too.
I know the place sounds crazy and it is, but somehow it works. Food is always the biggest problem. People donate, but they like to do projects that are tangible....makes PH look wealthy, but day to day operation is really tight. Food for a month for everyone is about $600 if anyone is interested. China and Paul are hoping when they get back to the US to work on some funding for that but it's hard. I feel really guilty painting and buying furniture, but have to remember that I have to live here for two years and I can't help everyone. I'm getting some info together for a grant for a piggery when PC give the O.K. and we have some other projects in the works but it's all SLOW! Trying to get sustainable projects (IGAs) that can make PH self sustaining....I think it's doable over time. Also working to get some money out of the World Food Program...they pulled out prematurely last winter to work in the north, but apparently they still have a signed agreement w. PH if PH keeps a PCV! Going through the PC office on that one. Lots of things to think about.
One more week of school break and then everyone comes back....and school starts. This week I need to set the shoemaking and tailoring teachers down and work out a class syllabus and schedule....and one for me for the remedial English and Math. Got some good books at a bookstore in Masaka to start with.....have to copy pages which is a little expensive, but it will be O.K. for once a week.
I know I'm missing lots of stuff to say.....but the computer has stayed on for an hour and I can't hope for more. Left for a bit and got my groceries so now I have a full backpack (envelopes from Gail and Anne), a box (thanks Murrays), a big bag of groceries and a broom! Should be quite the event on the matatu...actually, not, no chicken!
It's really going well. If I didn't miss the little ones so much it would be great, but it's working. I really like my site and that helps. There is lots to do and lots of variety which I need considering my ADD. I'm tired at night and sleep well....except when a mosquito gets into my net - and they do when I go to the bathroom. Spray inside the net with Doom (their spray) - probably not healthy but I hate buzzing mosquitoes. I can hear them outside the net! At 5:30 a.m. the Muslims broadcast (and I mean w. loudspeakers) their call to prayer...the one good thing about no electricity is that they can't broadcast! I get up about 6-6:30, have coffee in my room and read the Bible and then go out to meet the day. I usually bathe at night now - pretty dirty from the day's activities.....and it's actually cool in the a.m....a shocker to pour on a pitcher of cold water!
Thanks Gail for putting on the pictures - I didn't look, but assume that's swearing in, etc. So now you know what Holly, Shari and Maria look like at long last. I sent another batch that should arrive soon but few pictures of me - I am the least interesting thing here.
GUY ACCIDENTLY DISCONNECTED ME...thank God this saves a draft. I'm posting now before something else happens. Thanks again for all your kind thoughts an prayers. Seriously, any of you could do this.....well, maybe not the chickens.
Sometimes I use the bakery computer, but it has a lot of demands on it's time - the convent sister, priests, actual work, etc. so thought for the BIG things I'd come here. Have been and gone once - first time the power went out twice and the internet went off once....This Is Africa (TIA).
My move into the apt. tomorrow.....the painters finished. Not a great job but it's O.K. Top is soft white and the bottom is saffron (two colors is big here)....it's really bright. Got some material at the market and one of the gals at PH (Providence House) hemmed it for me and sewed on the rings and got them up - really getting there. Unfortunately, the guy making my wardrobe and table is REALLY stalling....made the mistake of giving him all the $ upfront so he could buy timber and he's in no rush. I talk to him frequently and he's always just ready to start! Sometimes I wish I hadn't decided to re-do the apt., but it's been a good experience in dealing w. Ugandans. They are 90% honest and great people but time is relative. Also, you do get the "muzungo factor" (we're white therefore rich).
Will try to chronicle the week....it's been busy and lots of variety! Life here is never dull....I've actually only read one book since I've come to PH (Dick, the one you sent Petals of Blood - I'm actually re-reading it - better the 2nd time!).
Last Thursday the nurse came from Kampala for the Epilepsy Clinic. She sees patients we choose (up to 25) and dispenses free meds. courtest of Katelemwa Hospital. About 10 were PH kids and we have to select the most deperate from the rest of the community...it's HARD! There is a lot of epilepsy here...she said it's because of the many high fevers caused in children by malaria, typhoid, etc. People actually were about 2 hours early for the clinic.....they are desperate.
Friday afternoon I took off for Masaka to see Maria - great trip despite having to go to Kampala and through the old taxi park (where Mukono taxis come) to the new taxi park through the maze of streets and out to Masaka. I'd never been west and the roads are great....trip went very well and had a great time. Had lots of great food....ate at a bakery there w. meat pies and mini pizzas (lots of cheese and veggies) heated in a microwave!!! Had hot showers and TV (one channel but who's complaining...saw Temples of Doom!). On Sat. we walked around town and went to a really nice hotel and went swimming (5000 sh). Met some other Americans who work there for Foundation for Sustainable Development and ate dinner w. them at a restaurant run by a Danish aid organization....cheeseburger and Danish meatballs! So good to see Maria -her experience is much different from mine. HOPE International has $ and distributes it to people who have organized Income Generating Activities (IGA - a big word here)...like beekeepers, passion fruit growers, crafters, etc. She travels quite a lot. Also, it's COLD out in the west - they wear coats!
Trip back was a breeze - sometimes in Uganda things work and when they do it's SO much fun! Was the last person on a bus out of Masaka so no wait, got a matatu to the mall quickly and got my painting supplies, got a quick ride to Mukono and then the taxi to Nkoko - it all worked like a charm!
Sunday nite Holly and Shari made me a special Mother's Day dinner....it was great! Vegetable curry and for dessert a chocolate layer cake w. orange icing!! You can actually cook cakes on the gas burner by using two lg. pans and putting the cake pan inside (well, they can). Very thoughtful of them to do that for me.
Monday was a crazy day - the painters started. They were actualy there at 8:15 (said 8:00 but for Uganda that is WAY early). I was short one can of paint so gave the young man money to go to Mukono to get another.....supplies are short in Nkoko. I bought 2 litres of thinner and wiped out the town's supply! I was supposed to stay w. them (since it's at the convent) but Sisters Juliet and Veronica were gone so I worked at PH....Sister J always has things lined up for me to do. Taking lots of paint to cover the dark green/blue but it really lightens up the room.
Shari went to Mukono on Tuesday and I got the package from Gail she mailed in March (boxes take 6-8 weeks; envelopes 2 weeks or less). Got my black ECCO sandals....I only had the brown pair and lived in fear that they would break! Only sandals I've worn for years.....and I am a creature of habit! Also got another pair of pants - yea. We wear them on weekends and to Kampala/Mukono.....seeing more and more of them, especially on the younger girls.
Thanks again for all my "treat" bags....love them and share them. I have to admit I've given some to the kids.....started a "random treat for work" program....if I catch them doing something w/o being asked - like doing the food bowls, getting water, etc. I sometimes give them a treat.....seems to be catching on! But it's very random....makes them try harder.
We had ABC class Monday and Tuesday since Shari couldn't come Monday and the kids were so disappointed. They are really getting it and trying hard - problem is the range of abilities is enormous. But, even the really impaired ones sit down now and try to write letters....we drew pictures on Tuesday - a fun change.
Tuesday Sr. J asked me to skip CBR (Moses and Kinene can run it) and attend a meeting w. her at PH - Cheshire Homes is offering some assistance to try an Inclusive Education project - having disabled kids in the regular classroom. Since the Sisters already do that, they are working with them in Nkoko and up north in Budaka. There were about 7 nuns there and they are powerhouses! I'm SO impressed w. those women. Sister J appointed me Secretary so I get to do minutes, etc. Hope they like American minutes (actually, she went over my rough draft and corrected a few things...not bad tho').
Weds. the painters finished up (there was a funeral at the convent Tuesday so they couldn't be there...lots of sisters all over). The convent is across the street and up the hill from PH - there's a large building for sisters, a noviate building and a building for older, retired nuns, plus a school for girls. That's where the guest house is and the Sister's chapel. The hospital is across the street at the top of the hill....we're down the hill on the hospital side.
Didn't do much on Weds....kept checking on the painters. Had lunch w. Holly - chipatis w. avacado, tomato and cabbage - very good. (we do eat well). We talked about these slow days and how we feel so guilty. We both have that mid-western work ethic....at a job you should be working all the time. Forget that walking down the street saying "Hi", or talking to people is PC "work" too. We both were sort of down that day - bad weather day - hot and sticky - one of those "23 months to go?" days. But, when I got back to PH Sister Melody was taking a bunch of kids to go pull beans at the garden so I went along (Shari had loaned me her gum boots - black rubber pull on boots). It was a blast - hot and dirty, but really fun to do physical work and the kids are so glad to leave PH they work hard! We pulled two pick up loads full and brought them back.
Thursday a.m. I painted part of my floor - piled the furniture that's there - bed, bookcases, chairs, in the middle and scrubbed and painted. In the afternoon we had a huge "bean shelling"....all the beans we'd collected Weds. had to be shelled. Bet there were 30 people working....the elderly love it, the kids join in and the disabled can sit and do it too. They are always so grateful when I help - little do they know it's fun for me!
Friday I talked to the carpenter and had to run down the painter since he didn't return my brushes and rollers.....got some back, but still have to have him return some other stuff (another instance of paying in full too soon). Now he's gone for 5 days to a funeral....people are always going to take care of sick relatives or going to funerals...think it's a way of life here (or a great excuse). Fortunately the guy that recommended him to me helps around PH and is on his case, too.
We had some Cheshire Foundation visitors and Sr. J always puts me on the welcoming committee...she'd rather be working! On Monday the International Director will be at PH for a few hours and they were the advance team. After they left I finished the floor - takes a good two days to dry - oil paint. Hope it's all dry by Sunday so I can move in. Course I'll still be in suitcases - he promised the wardrobe would be done Monday (also, promised it May 10 and 15)...no one here is in a hurry. Time just stretches on and on...."what's the rush?". " BECAUSE I'M AN AMERICAN" doesn't really work....wonder if in time I'll get used to it. Did sit for an hour and a half on the matatu before it left Nkoko today and was O.K. (reading). Maybe I am coming around!
This a.m. was a riot. Last nite Sister J got 150 chickens (she bought them but was having them fed somewhere else because we had diseased ones last time). She went w. the truck and brought them back and this a.m. we had a chicken butchering!! She went out at 5 a.m. but I waited till 6 hoping they'd at least be dead by then and they were. My mother must be laughing because when she killed chickens I hid! (Julie, you're laughing, too) Did participate in the feather pulling...they had quite a system - again about 30 people helping. Sister J dipped them in boiling water and we all pulled....I washed chickens rather than do guts tho'. Never thought I'd do it, but it's all part of PH. They were actually pretty nice for Ugandan chickens...she wanted them over a kilo (2.2 lbs) and they were - some were bigger. Remember when Sue and I raised chickens and dressed weight was 6-7 lbs. I can't remember the last time I even bought a whole chicken!! The kids again worked hard and the elderly and disabled did too! The sad thing was they couldn't even have porridge this a.m. (no ground meal). Hopefully, with the chicken money Sister can bring some home.....they took the cleaned chickens to a buyer in Kampala....along w. another nun who needed a ride, a resident who needed to go to the orthopedic hospital in Kampala and the shoemaker who went along to bargain w. the chicken people since Sister J and the driver were going on to the airport to take Evenlyn (Holland)'s parents to catch a flight! Oh, yes, the swing set got in the ground and cemented this week, too.
I know the place sounds crazy and it is, but somehow it works. Food is always the biggest problem. People donate, but they like to do projects that are tangible....makes PH look wealthy, but day to day operation is really tight. Food for a month for everyone is about $600 if anyone is interested. China and Paul are hoping when they get back to the US to work on some funding for that but it's hard. I feel really guilty painting and buying furniture, but have to remember that I have to live here for two years and I can't help everyone. I'm getting some info together for a grant for a piggery when PC give the O.K. and we have some other projects in the works but it's all SLOW! Trying to get sustainable projects (IGAs) that can make PH self sustaining....I think it's doable over time. Also working to get some money out of the World Food Program...they pulled out prematurely last winter to work in the north, but apparently they still have a signed agreement w. PH if PH keeps a PCV! Going through the PC office on that one. Lots of things to think about.
One more week of school break and then everyone comes back....and school starts. This week I need to set the shoemaking and tailoring teachers down and work out a class syllabus and schedule....and one for me for the remedial English and Math. Got some good books at a bookstore in Masaka to start with.....have to copy pages which is a little expensive, but it will be O.K. for once a week.
I know I'm missing lots of stuff to say.....but the computer has stayed on for an hour and I can't hope for more. Left for a bit and got my groceries so now I have a full backpack (envelopes from Gail and Anne), a box (thanks Murrays), a big bag of groceries and a broom! Should be quite the event on the matatu...actually, not, no chicken!
It's really going well. If I didn't miss the little ones so much it would be great, but it's working. I really like my site and that helps. There is lots to do and lots of variety which I need considering my ADD. I'm tired at night and sleep well....except when a mosquito gets into my net - and they do when I go to the bathroom. Spray inside the net with Doom (their spray) - probably not healthy but I hate buzzing mosquitoes. I can hear them outside the net! At 5:30 a.m. the Muslims broadcast (and I mean w. loudspeakers) their call to prayer...the one good thing about no electricity is that they can't broadcast! I get up about 6-6:30, have coffee in my room and read the Bible and then go out to meet the day. I usually bathe at night now - pretty dirty from the day's activities.....and it's actually cool in the a.m....a shocker to pour on a pitcher of cold water!
Thanks Gail for putting on the pictures - I didn't look, but assume that's swearing in, etc. So now you know what Holly, Shari and Maria look like at long last. I sent another batch that should arrive soon but few pictures of me - I am the least interesting thing here.
GUY ACCIDENTLY DISCONNECTED ME...thank God this saves a draft. I'm posting now before something else happens. Thanks again for all your kind thoughts an prayers. Seriously, any of you could do this.....well, maybe not the chickens.
Thursday, May 15, 2008
Wednesday, May 7, 2008
Lazy Wednesday Afternoon
| Am having a lazy afternoon - after yesteday it feels pretty good....spent the a.m. today washing the walls in my new place in preparation for painting. I'm SO glad I'm having someone paint it....standing on the top step of the bakery ladder reaching for the top of the walls was pretty scary!! Took the curtains home and washed them a couple of times but they disintegrated......will have to try to find some new ones. Went to town,but no enough of any one kind of fabric at any of the tailors....will have to try elsewhere. My trip to Kampala last Friday was pretty successful....we can't write any grant applications till we've been at site for 6 months (which makes sense) but I got some info on raising chickens in Uganda and raising pigs in the tropics and got some grant forms....so I'll be ready!!! Did some shopping for painting supplies and had a great lunch. Trip home was wild....there is a "conductor" on the matatu who opens the sliding door and collects money and he mashed so many people on some actually protested and got off w/o paying!!! When Ugandans argue they get VERY animated!!! Stopped at the P.O. in Mukono and got some great packages - thanks all!! Holly got one that got here in 8 days from Michigan - not bad!! Saturday I washed all my dirty, dusty clothes and sheets - quite a project. Have three buckets...one wash, two rinse. Reminds me of the old days when we did them w. the wringer washer and the tubs....minus the washer and the wringer! In the afternoon there was a going away party for Theresa (the hospital volunteer)....great food and lots of speeches! I left before it was over because the swing set (Holland gift) was coming - that was quite the event! It's HUGE. Truck driver was very nervous about police, wires, and unloading! Sunday after church I helped the kids "sweep" the grass. A guy mowed on Saturday - the whole place w. a weed whip - took 9 hours!! They use twig brooms to "rake" up all the cut grass..a project. Sisters Veronica and Juliete were gone and Sister Betty was alone running the bakery and PH all weekend - she was running at super speed. I tried to help, but it's hard.... The power went out before they sliced the bread and the generator wouldn't work.....fortunately, the power went back on before night! Monday, Shari and I had our ABC class - the kids are getting used to it and it's really fun. Will just have one more and then school break will be over. I think they like anything to do and if they do well they get a hard candy (maybe that's the draw). Tuesday was so hectic. The shoe making teacher had gotten the leather Monday in Kampala and we went over his bills....took awhile. Then it was CBR day and we had several difficult clients - one very severe hydrocephaic baby with a young mom and no resources....did get a referral for her - hope she keeps it. Met with the new tailoring teacher and the guy who's going to paint my apartment. Then the Holland visitors came (Evenlyn's parents and two teen age siblings). They are really nice people and lots of fun.....I hosted them at "tea"....sisters were all running around after being gone all day....their impressions of Kampala and the matatu ride out to Nkoko were hilarious. It all seems sort of "normal" to us.....fun to see it from new eyes! Sister Juliet went to Kampala Tuesday to attend a meeting and to see off Christine and Theresa....wonder how I'll feel after two years. They were both sad and excited! They both put a lot into their experiences and it's hard to let go I think.....hope it helps that Holly and I are taking over tho' it will be different. The driver was able to get my cans of paint and get a new gas tank for my stove for which I am eternally grateful....two things you don't want to lug on a matatu....he's a peach!!! Sisters Veronica and Juliete took the Holland group to Sippe Falls today, but things appear to be going O.K. Actually, I haven't spent much time in the compound today....had a real run in with some kids yesterday about washing their lunch bowls.....they were just sitting around and I told them to get busy....everyone pointed fingers at someone else. Took their soccer ball away and wouldn't give it back till they got the dishes done. This morning I saw three little girls wasing the supper dishes and I gave them some Rice Krispie treats (got in a package - thanks!) as a random reward for doing some work. They opened them and looked at them and took a tiny bite...but they liked them!! Really funny expressions! Days are going fast - most feel like a roller coaster ride....up and down. But as long as they end up it's O.K. It's hard getting used to the Ugandan way of life.....very unstructured, work is slow, "whenever" must have been invented here. Had a neat discussion w. the shoemaking instructor this a.m. about it...he laughs at my lists, my breakdown of cost/item, setting a price....but he understands. He said "that's how you run a business"..... The painter wanted me to find him a "friend in America" so he could go there and make lots of $$. I told him he wouldn't like America....it's rushed, time is money, it's expensive, he'd miss family AND, there's no matoke! I also said that in places in America they aren't nice to black people. He said "Why?"....no answer! "Because they are differenet???" So life goes on.....am going Friday afternoon to Masaka...have to change taxis in Kampala at the dreaded taxi park....meeting Maria and celebrating Mother's Day together. I'm glad she suggested it.....probably should be getting my apt. settled, but that will come. She's making reservations at a hotel with HOT SHOWERS! Hope they work. Thanks again for your thoughts and prayers...continue to do well despite some downward moments....then an upper comes. It works. Holly and Shari are a great help - a quick power walk w. Holly does me a world of good. Can't wait till we all get bikes....a project I'm postponing till the room is completed - can only handle so much. |
Thursday, May 1, 2008
Thursday, May 1 - Happy BD Bert
I'm actually at Providence House on the bakery computer - got fixed last week....it works pretty well, tho' you never know when it's operative and the mouse is shot....but who cares!!! Not as much news this week. Want to go to Kampala tomorrow to the PC office to check on some grant ideas - first, is a piggery - and I need information on pig raising in Uganda. Should be interesting!!! Monday, I went with the Dutch girls, Evelyn and Tessa to Kampala to get the beds they'd ordered from the money their parents raised. As usual, it was a circus!!! The beds had been sold...they didn't leave a deposit, but they were able to put together 15 painted and 15 unpainted and Sister Juliet showed up with the hired truck just in time! They are metal, three high bunks. Then we went to another place to get the foam mattresses...but they close from 1-2 for lunch and the bakery truck which was supposed to pick them up on it's way back from their morning run was impatient becasue they had some meat for the convent and they took off. Sister J got them to come back with some loud conversation. She rode back with the big truck because the driver said they'd get stopped because they were overloaded - and they did - but she talked her way out of a ticket!!! She said the officer was smiling! I went along that day to see how it works....and to loan the girls some money from the ATM since they were having problems w. their cards. Then we went downtown to order a special swing for disabled kids to go w. the swing set they donated...it's supposed to come Saturday - BIG EVENT. We were way down into Kampala and I had to stay w. the truck to guard it!!! Got paint for the beds and then had to wait for a sister who was at a meeting - got home about 9, dirty and exhausted. The girls are so much fun tho' - if you can't laugh at the circus every project becomes you'd go crazy! Tuesday was "to work". Christine's final Community Based Rehab day....I'm really getting nervous. I don't know what to refer, our funding source has stopped for the present and there were a lot of people. One was a lady w. a 4 mo. old w. a cleft palate....found out they do the surgery free in Kampala, but she has to get there which is a real hardship for most people. I am back to the word "overwhelmed"....but everyone had to start somewhere I suppose. Wish I was more up on services and contacts....but I'll have to find out. Tuedsay afternoon we had class (since I was gone Monday). The big kids didn't get the message (Shari was going to teach them American), so she helped w. the little kids - thankfully! We did ABCs and it was really fun but they were WILD at first. There were a few P-4 girls who really helped out with our few Lugandan phrased (they do some English in the early primary, but don't teach in English until P-4). And their ABC song is different than ours...they stopped at M and we thought they didn't know any more, but we were singing it wrong!!! At my next language class w. Janet on Weds. I learned how to say "stand in line", "no hitting/pinching", and some other useful phrases in Lugandan. Wednesday I met with Christine, the retiring PCV, to go over the computer files she had saved and review the job.....made me feel even more overwhelmed. Wish I was better on the computer, but it doesn't work all the time either, so I can make lots of excuses!!! I'll have to learn Excel now. Don't think Gail wants to come and do all my projects for me! Kids got the beds painted and we got them into the new dorm...very nice. They were so excited about the new mattresses. Today (Thurs.) they are spraying the girls' dorm for bed bugs....they big boys were doing it and they were really enjoying watching the bugs run!!! It's funny how lax I'm getting on my personal care routine - I still brush my teeth, but am wearing my clothes several days, haven't shaved since I got here, haven't gotten my hair cut (it's curly)...said I'd do better when I move into my own home, but I don't know! But, I'm staying healthy and sleeping well, so it's working!! I do bathe every day, too, so it's not SO bad. This a.m. Sister had the kids out "digging"....clearning the grass from the area for the swing set. The ground is so hard and the grass is really hard to get out. Ugandan hoes are big and heavy and they use them w. a motion almost like you'd use an ax!! I really enjoyed the a.m. tho and the kids helped. The ones who couldn't walk sat on the ground and piled up the grass we'd hoed up!! Think it makes them feel good to be useful. There's one boy (think w. CP) who has very little muscle control, but he's so cheerful. At the ABC class he wrote out the letters a-e (that's as far as we got w. writing)...he knows them all...very bright, but in a body that's betrayed him. I'm starting to recognize personalities (and remember names) and it's getting to be a lot more fun to be around. Am still working on my painting project - I now have a plan (and maybe a painter)....am working on getting paint, etc. Won't start till May 12 - Christine moves out the 6th and I want to scrub first and Maria called the other nite and invited me to get together w. her (and others) for Mother's Day...I'm excited about that! Holly and Shari may come, too. Don't see them a lot, but it's good knowing they are there and we do keep in touch. Holly had a scare with her sister going to the hospital last week, but she's fine now.....you just feel so helpless so far away! I'm going to see if I can get some paint in town...apparently there's a "hardware store".....I do like to shop in town (you know how I feel about small town businesses)....plus hauling the stuff on the matatu is really not sounding like fun! Evelyn's parents (from Holland) are coming to Uganda Sunday and out to Nkoko on Tuesday....she's making them ride the matatu out (they agreed) so they can really experience life here! I'm looking forward to meeting them. The girls are here till May 26, but there parents are here for a week or so...they are doing all the parks out west....I'm anxious to hear how they are. Hear the animal life is good - lions and elephants and giraffes, oh my! Will close now. Thanks again for your interest. Did make it shorter this time, but a short week too.
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