Happy THanksgiving!! November 26,2008

Wishing everyone a happy Thanksgiving. Holly's friends are here from the U.S. and we're planning to have dinner w. the Sisters tomorrow on the day, then I'm hoping to go up to Sorotti (northeast) to have dinner Saturday w. some other Peace Corps Volunteers....I'm not looking forward to the matatu ride, but am looking forward to the dinner and seeing friends and a different part of the country!

It's been really hot and dry - they say it will rain in a month or so......very dusty and the sun is just brutal! But at least there's no humidity!!! You just drink lots of water and sweat!

Finished reading The Shack by Wm. Pyning....very interesting. It's a different way of looking at God...Julie sent it, but I'd read about it in Newsweek. Some pats were a bit of a stretch, but I really got something out of it. Simple parts, like talking about God as pure love and the power of relationships vs. trying to go it alone and not being judemental were inspiriting. I was reading it on the matatu (I usually don't read on there because it's so bumpy) and was crying!!

Last week I spent a lot of time on shoes....up and down the hills taking the shoe flyers around and trying to close some sales at PH (no luck, but we tried). A guy came to my door at 7 a.m. one day for shoes, tried to get him some, but no one could find the key to the shoe classroom....the teacher gave it to a little boy the afternoon before to return to the convent and the boy just threw it in a basket in the cook's room and didn't tell anyone!! Finally found it and opened up but we didn't have his size and he needed them now!!!

Friday a.m. the kids were all worried because there was absolutely NO food at Providence. I had the "profit" from the baskets and decided to give it to the Sisters (Holly was O.K. w. that; no immediate plans for the Savings and Loan and this was immediate). So I gave Sr. Sara the money I had, 500,000 sh ($280) and she actually cried!! I told them it was from my church - they love you guys. Good thing I'd checked my e-mail on Weds. and got to Mukono on Thursday (I was only going to wait one hour and if it didn't leave by then I was off - it was less than an hour and there were 5 sisters on board which is always a good omen). Thanks to all who bought baskets.

Trying to get exams typed, copied (tough w/o power).....and get them all done this week. I still have to write my Math one....and then get report cards done next week.....will be glad when the term is over, but then I have a lot more free time which isn't always good.

Saturday I cleaned, and went down to PH to take Doreen for a short shopping trip to town - soap,sugar, and some pens....she really enjoys getting out and she's fun to take. Went to the wedding at 1:00 (time printed on the invitation)....the bride didn't come till 3:00!!! She walked in to the PH brass band playing "Here Comes the Bride".....really unusual. I left shortly after since I wanted to get to Kampala before dark.....Marathon weekend.

Met with the runners and "support staff" in Kampala and we had a nice dinner at an Italian restaurant Saturday nite. There were 11,000 runners tho' only about 300 in the Marathon (there was a 10K and 1/2). It got started on time and was very well done - a sea of yellow shirts. Shari and I took off up the first hill to cheer and then got on a matatu to get farther down to a place where we could get coffee and gelato!! We did lots of cheering till our PC group (5) went by....we all met again near City Square when it was just the Marathoners left....they looped a lot so we got a lot of cheering in. It was really hot - and we were standing in the shade as much as possible.

The first PC finisher came in at 3:58 and was the 9th woman!! Holly finished in a little under 6 hours...looked good at the end!!! I was glad to leave town and get home and clean up and get the dust off me!

Monday after class I was going to move tables and chairs around for the Tuesday clinic, but it was too hot! It's still O.K. at night at least.... For those of you freezing in the north I know that's not much to complain about - I wouldn't trade!

While I was gone there was a fire at the primary school across the road from my apt....it's the school where a lot of the PH kids go. Arson fire in the office that destroyed all their records - nasty move by someone.

The Clinic was yesterday and I thought it went well....we had about 50 clients. I went down about 7 a.m. and we got things organized quickly. The hospital people came about 8:45 (not bad)...had two physiotherapists and two techinicians (who fixed wheelchairs and measured people for appliances)....Moses,Kinene and Kasule took registrations and did a great job! Nelson (the OT) sat with the PT people and kept track of that end. Sr. Juliet talked to people and made the big decisions. I was the gopher - good spot for me to burn off nervous energy. There was a long wait for some but people were really patient.....now to work on the follow up. The clients were mostly children with Cerebral Palsy....cripped and many mentally impaired. One little 5 year old girl couldn't sit, but they determined it was just malnutrition....and Moses had met w. the mom last year and talked to her about nutrition! Very sad. The villages are just full of disabled and mentally impaired children - there is no end and these all need exercises, appliances, follow up - hope the parents will do it all. It's hard when you have little money and BIG families and lots of work to do. We finished about 5 p.m. and I was exhausted!!

Sister had hoped to have the kids clean chickens last nite, but at the last minute she called her buyer in Katelemwa and he couldn't take them today, so they stay alive and get fatter for awhile longer!!!

So, life continues in the slow lane....Thanksgiving isn't celebrated here. It's funny to see the Christmas Decorations at the malls in Kampala....it's really not a big holiday for Ugandans either.

Again, hope you all have a great holiday and can get where you want to go and get enough to eat!!! (usually not a problem). I'll be thinking of you!!!