If this week is any indication as to my time here in Uganda... it is going to fly. It hit me as I was going to bed last night that I really had not posted an update since last weekend. I probably should of just stayed up and typed this up last night as I didn't sleep all that well. My sleepless night was caused by a couple things... it was really still so the air inside my apartment was rather warm and felt very suffocating... and my stomach was sore from having popcorn after dinner. Nothing too alarming but enough to not be able to rest comfortably!
Anyway my week started off on Sunday evening really missing home and having people to talk with that understand ... spent a long time praying that God would send peace and comfort. Monday I woke to a peaceful heart and some answers to prayer. Then walked down to Mamma Vecencia's to dump food rubbish and there was a small kitten who needed some TLC, Asked if I could take her and clean her up and she hasn't left my side. Someone dropped her off and I really think she is a gift from God to provide comfort. So her name is Sheba and she is currently asleep on my stomach as I am laying down typing this!
Otherwise I spent Monday morning meeting with the teachers and introducing new supplies and outside equipment like jump ropes and frisbees. Had to model how each was used and I think the teachers enjoyed them as much as the children. I keep the soccer ball in my apartment for after school fun. This is a big hit with the older boys and guys to play football until dark in front of the clinic. Their games are quite competitive and very loud! Finished what was to be my last day of research with the children... still plan on reading at lunch to them daily just realized I had collected a LOT of evidence for my project. Only needed 10 pieces of evidence and I had more than 30! Spent the next couple of days compiling and analyzing what I had found... if you are curious about the research... visit ugandastorytelling.blogspot.com I have found it very interesting.
Tuesday and Wednesday was spent mostly working on putting together my research and cleaning...ie washing sheets...towels and clothes out by hand takes awhile. We haven't had enough sun to run the washer on solar and I didn't know how to start the generator. Did learn to do that this week as well as change out the gas cylinder for the cook stove. I also learned how to turn on the water pump so that I have water coming in the apartment and I learned how to check the levels of the battery as well as the water tank! I may be a pioneer woman yet! LOL! Also finished knitting a throw for those cold Ugandan evenings!
Thursday brought with it an all day trip to Kampala to go grocery shopping. Had to run a couple of other errands as well as stop at Cafe Java's for lunch but it literally took all day due to the 2 hour drive each way. Security was definitely heightened compared to even 2 weeks ago due to the Nairobi attack. You forget how blessed we are in America to not have to go through a car search everytime you go to a new place... bank... phone store... grocery store... mall. I really am not sure how many times I had to get out of the car and patted down. Think TSA security at every stop when running errands! TIA! Once I got home all the fresh stuff has to be sanitized and rinsed before it is put away. Living here knowing that most people don't follow basic hygiene like hand washing it makes you very careful in what is eaten if you value your stomach.
Friday brought with it meeting with Nurse Josephine to start brushing teeth with the children as well as to see when immunizations and deworming were to take place. Also started Luganda language lessons with teacher Allen... this is going to be an arduous journey of learning it well enough to understand it as quickly as they speak. The evening brought with it chances to use my new found words while playing soccer and bubbles with the children. I thought I lived in a glass house on Molokai but here with my apartment being part of the clinic ... we share a porch and I am always having little brown faces peering in the windows and waiting at the door. So if I need a few minutes I have to slide lock my door and draw all the curtains. It feels like I am hiding but I am really just trying to have a few minutes of privacy!
Today was a fairly rainy afternoon so the morning was spent cleaning the kitchen and Allen mopped/squeegeed the entire apartment after the discussion the other night of my feet always being dirty. Even after all that I took my bath walked across the apartment to grab my house shoes and my feet were already dirty. Oh well... I should just give up on having clean feet. Spent the afternoon getting the stuff ready for brushing teeth on Monday... had to make a toothbrush holder for 60 toothbrushes. Also read, made nutella crepes, and rested after not sleeping well last night.
Well that is the brief version of my week. Feel free to message with any questions as I am sure it would make a great blog post!
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