Saturday Afternoon at the Bakery - 5-31-08

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.