/Friday Afternoon - Sept. 27

First, Happy Anniversary Greg and Jessica, Happy Birthday this week to Jamie and Naomi....and hope you all that can attend enjoy the family reunion. It's been a busy and interesting week here with school starting - I still miss everyone, but at least I'm busier!!!

Last Saturday a.m. Holly ran 14 miles! I started out on my bike 1/2 hour later than her and met her at the half way point w. water. I'm impressed!!! After the ride we met Moses, the CBR volunteer, and went to his home and then to a local school where Holly gave a baking class for 20+ women from a local women's group. She made banana bread and cake in pans over an open fire - the ladies were SO impressed they gave her a standing ovation (they stood to clap for her). A very fun and apprecitive group. Got back home @ 7 p.m. - we were both tired!

Sunday I went to Mass and got some time with Sr. Juliet to discuss things....a real treat. Set out on my bike for the village where the CBR guys were having a community meeting - it was supposed to be at 2:00, but they didn't show up by 2:20 and no one spoke much English and my Lugandan in poor so I went back home(about 3 miles). They called at 3:45 and said the people had said I was there and was I coming back? - NO WAY - it was too hot! (neither Moses' or Kinene's phone was working when I tried to call them at 2:00). Got my math prep done and copied. Frustrating, but I got my exercise for the day and the scenery was beautiful. They stoppped by PH later (7:00) when they got back - sort of apologized for being so late - Ugandan time!

Interesting evening at PH - Mom brought back her severely handicapped daughter and was trying to find a caretaker for her in Nkokonjeru. Last term she'd brought a young girl and paid her school fees in exchange for taking care of her daughter, but it didn't work out....too hard for the girl and the two of them did not get along. While the mom was waiting the girl from last term showed up with a letter from her uncle asking the sisters to take her in and pay her fees!! Got lots of conflicting stories from the two parties about what happened last term. (On Monday the lady decided to pay two other older girls at PH to help and Sister was trying to get a hold of the young girl's mom to see what was up!). People expect the Sisters to solve all their problems! I'm impressed w. how hard they try.

At the same time one of the boys came and said an elderly man from PH who'd been drinking in town had fallen and was brought back and was bleeding from his head. By then it was 8 and I went home (the Sisters even sent supper home w. me). When I got home found out that someone (I think a child) had dumped out one of my basins of herbs - be they were surprised when they got it home and discovered the bottom was full of holes!!

Monday school finally started - nearly everyone was here and they seemed happy to be back and busy. I continue to be concerned about tailoring - machines were not working, bobbins lost - and the room had been locked so must have been left that way after 2nd term! We are really trying to get a committment from those that should graduate - making a list of what skills they really need to know. It's tough to make it and most are pretty apprehensive.

Busy afternoon for the Sisters (they all seem to be). One of the older boys who has epilepsy kept falling and injuring himself, and one of the elderly men (different than above) had to go to the hospital w. convulsions - in the back of the truck!

I really earned my salary Tuesday (oops,I don't get a salary)! Got the bookkeeping teacher started then we had CBR. We are out of $ again for transport which is O.K. for now - I don't want us to be a "give away" program tho' I think the volunteers, esp. Moses, feel good doing that and I feel we need to stop outreach for awhile tilll we re-group and define our purpose and focus. They want to write a grant (the answer to everything?) and Kassuli (the Makare Univ. grad) will do it but I'm insisting we define our program beore he starts writing. Made for an interesting discussion. At 2:00 I left for Math class - I'd decided to make it more "fun" and we had play money and they got to "shop" for school supplies and make change. Have two groups for assignments and it seems to be working O.K.

After class I saw some people at the Sisters' house and there were 3 groups waiting to register for the term. Most of the Sisters were in Kampala and Sr. Goretti was resting - she's been down w. malaaria all week. So, with Kassuli's help we got that done (even collected some school fees!). Felt really useful today.

Reading "All Things Must Fight to Live" by Bryan Mealer - another Congo book by a journalist who was there 2003-6 - very interesting but stories of gruesome slaughter and total chaos!

Weds. Sr. J and I had some time to talk about grant ideas for the vocational (see, it is always the first idea). May not be successful but will try some. Nelson (the OT) came back and had broken his collarbone in a boda accident in Kampala over the weekend and will be out for 3 weeks, minimum! Holly and I took over his class of profoundly handicapped children this a.m. and Holly,Shari,Sr. J and I are going to try to keep it going while he's gone. He also works w. the elderly and they will really miss him.

Fun dinner with Holly and Shari - got to see some video clips of Riley and Emma on Shari's laptop and she did my picture CD for me so hope to get that mailed this weekend so might have some pictures in a few weeks! Shari had picked up some great packages at the PO....early Christmas! Lots of goodies and school supplies. Love it!!!

We talked a lot about our Western thought process (our bias) and how we like to question what's the norm, anaylyze, summarize and get to the point and move on...not the preferred process in Nkokonjeru! Much more tradition bound and talk about issues for a long time, but little gets changed!

Thursday English went well....I'm not getting better ...the kids are just getting used to me! And I'm adapting - having more stuff on the board that they can copy - would like them to converse more, but they are reluctant (except for 2 or 3)....'course that's my problem w. Lugandan - I know quite a bit, but I don't like to say it and sound bad.

Had a visit from the Administrator of the Katelemwa Hospital and another officer who came for a visit - they are starting a new program and hope to come out to the community and want to use PH as an site - YEA! Their ideas are what we were talking about in CBR - developing community leaders who can help families w. disabled children IN their communities...not always looking outside for help. They will bring out social workers and nurses and hopefully start parent support groups - sounds wonderful! Hope it actually happens! Also went over what we owe them - 5.2 million shillings ($3200). Seems small when you say it in dollary, but for PH it might as well be $5 million. But,they aren't pushing it so we're O.K.! Will still accept our referrals!

Had a nice chat before lunch (I always seem to be hanging around the house when the Sisters have lunch and they invite me in) with a Sister from Kenya about the craziness there in January and February. She lost family members and others had homes burned. She said gangs of young men destroyed and killed w/o reason!

Friday a.m. Holly did another long run (16 miles). We left at 6:30 and were back by 9:30 before it got too hot. Got home and showered and did some wash. Went down to PH and played w. Nelson's kids - teaching them "The Wheels on the Bus" - he said they should speak English! Did some painting and coloring and sang the ABC song about 20 times. Fun time for all.

Stopped by the house to return the key to the room and (surprise) it was just time for lunch! After that I checked out the tailoring (he was 1 1/2 hours late).....the 2nd year students are actually going to start making some clothes! They will start w. trousers out of the material left over from the girls' uniform skirts (Sr. Goretti made them) and we'll use them for uniforms for some of the boys! Should be interesting!

Which brings me to the present. Hope you all have a good weekend....thanks for your letters, packages, thoughts and prayers. We'll have our first Craft class Saturday afternoon - everyone is starting w. making themselves a mat (we have a teacher). I'm anxious to learn!

Take care - it's going well. Weather is getting hotter but nites are still O.K. GO MINNESOTA TWINS!! (had to add that). I'm sort of glad to be missing the election hype - will get an absentee ballot here and send it back - possibly via the Embassy which is quicker.