Our house got stoned last night! We think it was just kids out having fun and causing a little trouble, nothing serious, but thank goodness we have an armed guard. Apparently I slept like a rock last night and did not wake up to it, but lots of the volunteers heard a loud bang in the middle of the night followed by the sound of our guard caulking his gun. Yikes! The other night I was out on the front porch after dark looking at the stars and writing in my journal. I was loving the small moment of peace and quiet, when Morris walked up to me and asked that I not sit there when he wasn't around. Someone might throw rocks at you. Haha, serious Morris? No one's going to throw rocks at me... well, I'll take him seriously now! Don't get freaked out or anything, I promise I'm safe. Public transportation and walking along the highway is probably my biggest threat because the drivers are reckless here and don't stop for pedestrians, but I still wouldn't mind your prayers!
Public Transportation:
Alex and I had a wonderful experience riding on the public taxis to Kiyunga yesterday, haha. We were very grateful to have Immanuel or his brother escorting us, so we felt safe the whole time, but we weren't necessarily comfortable. They pack those vans so stinking full! The max capacity says 14 persons, but one of ours definitely had 21+2 babies+1 chicken. We were packed like sardines in a can! haha, oh Africa! We got really close to some Ugandans that hour!
Gotta Love It!
Tuesday, May 25, 2010
Project Update:
On Friday, Alex and I volunteered with Grace at the Physical Therapy unit again. She let us do some hands on things with her patients and it was really fun. I felt like I was actually learning something and accomplishing something. I wish I had worked as a PT Tech before coming to Africa so I'd have more skills to contribute, but surprisingly, a lot of what I learned over the years in dance is helping a lot, and what I learned in Anatomy of course, and the things that I don't know I'm picking up from Grace and Alex.
Yesterday was probably my favorite project day so far. Alex and I went out to a village called Kiyunga with our clinical medicine doctor friend Immanuel. He and his brothers own a health clinic out there and invited us to go do physical therapy there. We saw 12 women and 1 man, mostly elderly people with back pain. We had to kind of improvise as we went, but we'd prepared some general exercises before hand and did basic massages and exercises with all of them. The only set back was that none of them spoke English, but Immanuel and his brother Kyobe translated for us and we became experts at using sign language. When we tried to assess the patients' pain scale, the doctors told us that they all came in with severe pain and felt significant relief after treatment. I don't know if that was all true, but they seemed much happier when they left. I hope we helped! Hopefully they will continue doing the exercises that we taught them and maybe we will see some improvement in their conditions when we return next week.
The village of Kiyunga where the health clinic is isn't too far away, but because public transportation is so slow it took us nearly three hours to get home. We definitely missed our seven o'clock curfew... opps! I felt terrible. We told Immanuel we needed to be back by then, but Africans just don't understand the concept of being on time. We made it back safe and sound though and we learned our lesson. Won't happen again.
This afternoon we're going to go help with HIV/AIDs testing again and tomorrow we're doing an outreach with the Chairman to neighboring villages. I'll write more about the details after I see how it goes! Everyday just keeps getting better!
Yesterday was probably my favorite project day so far. Alex and I went out to a village called Kiyunga with our clinical medicine doctor friend Immanuel. He and his brothers own a health clinic out there and invited us to go do physical therapy there. We saw 12 women and 1 man, mostly elderly people with back pain. We had to kind of improvise as we went, but we'd prepared some general exercises before hand and did basic massages and exercises with all of them. The only set back was that none of them spoke English, but Immanuel and his brother Kyobe translated for us and we became experts at using sign language. When we tried to assess the patients' pain scale, the doctors told us that they all came in with severe pain and felt significant relief after treatment. I don't know if that was all true, but they seemed much happier when they left. I hope we helped! Hopefully they will continue doing the exercises that we taught them and maybe we will see some improvement in their conditions when we return next week.
The village of Kiyunga where the health clinic is isn't too far away, but because public transportation is so slow it took us nearly three hours to get home. We definitely missed our seven o'clock curfew... opps! I felt terrible. We told Immanuel we needed to be back by then, but Africans just don't understand the concept of being on time. We made it back safe and sound though and we learned our lesson. Won't happen again.
This afternoon we're going to go help with HIV/AIDs testing again and tomorrow we're doing an outreach with the Chairman to neighboring villages. I'll write more about the details after I see how it goes! Everyday just keeps getting better!
matoke...matoke...matoke...matoke...PIZZA
After many meals consisting of matoke and rice and beans if we were lucky, it was an excellent treat to find a Dominoes in Kampala this weekend. Cheese has never tasted so good! Don't get me wrong, I like the food here, especially the pineapple and mangoes, but there is no variety. Two weeks of eating matoke for dinner gets a little old, haha, and it's just going to keep going. There are hardly any foods with dairy products here; there's no cheese, and milk, yogurt, and ice cream are either weird/unpasteurized, or hard to come by. I love dairy! Let's just say I was overjoyed to have pizza and ice cream in one night.
So after our little feast, the day got even better. We went to Mandela Stadium in Kampala to watch a soccer game--Uganda vs Kenya. It was a sweet game, and Uganda won! We got seats on the front row, center field (and we only paid $10 for the tickets)! That definitely beats the nose-bleeds in the Delta Center. I even ran into my cousin Scott there who is a volunteer in Mukono. It was fun to see him and compare our experiences so far.
Stellar weekend!
So after our little feast, the day got even better. We went to Mandela Stadium in Kampala to watch a soccer game--Uganda vs Kenya. It was a sweet game, and Uganda won! We got seats on the front row, center field (and we only paid $10 for the tickets)! That definitely beats the nose-bleeds in the Delta Center. I even ran into my cousin Scott there who is a volunteer in Mukono. It was fun to see him and compare our experiences so far.
Stellar weekend!
Thursday, May 20, 2010
MUSCLES... I'M THE ONE WHO NEEDS THE MASSAGE!
I finally went running through the sugar cane fields! I can't even begin to explain how beautiful it is here! It is so green and lush. We went on a little run this morning through the village past a beautiful catholic church, some humble African homes, and a huge sugar cane field. I felt kind of silly running for recreation when all the people we passed were carrying huge loads on their heads or pushing rusty bicycles up steep hills with huge jugs of water on the back of the bike. They all laugh at us when we run by because no one exercises here for recreation since their daily routines are all so physically demanding. The run was great though, and it felt so good to be out running again, I missed it.
I have never felt like this before, not even after I ran the half marathon, but every single muscle in my legs cramped up after we finished our run. Shouldn't the heat and humidity make them looser?
This morning, Alex and I observed the physical therapist, Grace, at the hospital again. We watched her work on two patients, one with leg pain in her femoral nerve from an improper injection for malaria (the untrained nurse hit her nerve with the shot instead of her muscle... ouch!) and the other, a nurse with back pain. I was so envious of the massages she was giving them and wanted so badly to get one myself! We are going to go back tomorrow morning if all goes well, and she told us that she wants us to start assisting her with her patients! I'm so excited!
Projects have been coming along pretty well, we are still trying to organize everything, communicate with partners, and work out the logistics of things, but I think that we're going to have some great projects this summer. We just heard from the chairman and he wants us to go out to a few villages this coming Tuesday-Friday to do physical therapy and public health trainings. I think we will be spending the night there if we get plans approved. Cool! I'm excited to see more of Uganda. I feel a little unqualified to be going out to schools and such to do these trainings, but Immanuel taught us all about HIV/AIDs this morning and I learned so much! With a little more training and studying myself, I think that I will have something valuable to offer to these students and people.
I think that's all for now! Hope my legs loosen up soon!
PS: my new staple food is an avacado sandwich... basically mashed avacado on bread with salt and lime if you are lucky. It is actually quite delicious! The avacadoes here are at least three times the size of avacadoes back home--the pit of these avacadoes alone is probably the same size as the ones you find in the states. It's hard to come up with anything creative to eat here since there are no microwaves or stoves. I never realize what a convenience those are. We did get a fridge last week though! I miss having an easy bowl of cereal. Can you believe, no cereal here? I found one box of corn flakes, but who likes corn flakes? Plus, I heard that the milk is not pasturized so I haven't risked drinking any just yet...
When life hands you lemons... make avacado bread!
I have never felt like this before, not even after I ran the half marathon, but every single muscle in my legs cramped up after we finished our run. Shouldn't the heat and humidity make them looser?
This morning, Alex and I observed the physical therapist, Grace, at the hospital again. We watched her work on two patients, one with leg pain in her femoral nerve from an improper injection for malaria (the untrained nurse hit her nerve with the shot instead of her muscle... ouch!) and the other, a nurse with back pain. I was so envious of the massages she was giving them and wanted so badly to get one myself! We are going to go back tomorrow morning if all goes well, and she told us that she wants us to start assisting her with her patients! I'm so excited!
Projects have been coming along pretty well, we are still trying to organize everything, communicate with partners, and work out the logistics of things, but I think that we're going to have some great projects this summer. We just heard from the chairman and he wants us to go out to a few villages this coming Tuesday-Friday to do physical therapy and public health trainings. I think we will be spending the night there if we get plans approved. Cool! I'm excited to see more of Uganda. I feel a little unqualified to be going out to schools and such to do these trainings, but Immanuel taught us all about HIV/AIDs this morning and I learned so much! With a little more training and studying myself, I think that I will have something valuable to offer to these students and people.
I think that's all for now! Hope my legs loosen up soon!
PS: my new staple food is an avacado sandwich... basically mashed avacado on bread with salt and lime if you are lucky. It is actually quite delicious! The avacadoes here are at least three times the size of avacadoes back home--the pit of these avacadoes alone is probably the same size as the ones you find in the states. It's hard to come up with anything creative to eat here since there are no microwaves or stoves. I never realize what a convenience those are. We did get a fridge last week though! I miss having an easy bowl of cereal. Can you believe, no cereal here? I found one box of corn flakes, but who likes corn flakes? Plus, I heard that the milk is not pasturized so I haven't risked drinking any just yet...
When life hands you lemons... make avacado bread!
BODA BODA
Tuesday was an awesome day! We had a meeting in the morning with the Chairman of Buikwe district, the district that Lugazi is in. Ahh, big deal, that's like meeting with our congress men and senators! He was an amazing man, very kind and down to earth, and he has some great ideas to help the people of Uganda. That afternoon was amazing though!
I had my first experience riding a boda boda (motorcyle taxi), which I was a little leery of after watching one get knocked off the road and into the ditch last week. Traffic is crazy here! If anything scares me about Africa it is the cars. They do NOT stop for pedestrians. So I mustered up my courage and got on the boda to take us a couple miles down the road to Lugazi University. I wasn't brave enough yet to sit side-saddle like the women here so I straddled the bike like a man... My dress had no stretch to it though, haha, so it was extremely awkward, and I'm afraid I showed my knees and an inch of my thigh... scandalous! Opps! Nicole and I shared one boda so it was a little squishy, but I felt nice and safe. We made sure to tell the driver EMPOLA EMPOLA (slowly slowly!), and we made it there safe and sound! Whew! It was actually quite fun!
I have finally made it to the best part of the day though. We were going to the university to meet with Immanuel to do HIV/AIDs testing. I thought we were just meeting with him to learn about it, but we were actually going to do the testing! Ahh, I don't know how to do this. It was a little uncomfortable at first, but it ended up being the coolest experience. We weren't allowed to do any of the actual poking with the needles, but we did a lot to help with the process of testing. We cleaned fingers with alcohol pads, registered patients, visited with them while they waitied for their results, and helped deliver the results. I had a great time visiting with two women while they waitied for their results and learned a lot about Ugandan history and culture from them. Delivering the results was so amazing though. Thankfully all of the 50 students that we tested came up negative, they did not have the virus, but many of them were very nervous and knew that they were at risk for the disease. We counseled with each one of them individually before giving them their results, asked them if they knew what put them at risk for contracting the virus, if they had done anything risky, and if so, committed them to stop doing those risky things. We told them how wonderful life is and all that they have to accomplish in life. That it is not worth taking those risks. Nicole, my country director, and I tag teamed on some of the consultations. I felt like a sister missionary as we taught these people, testified that what the other said was true, and committed them to changing their lifestyle. I hope that we made a difference in the lives of some people that day. There was one man in particular that was very nervous to be tested. Nicole talked with him for quite some time, comforting him and expressing to him the importance of being tested. He eventually decided to be tested and when he received his results that he was HIV free he declared that he was never going to put himself at risk again and that he was going to go back to his village and tell everyone to be tested and to abstain from those risky behaviors. It is a terrible thing that this virus is attacking the lives of so many wonderful people and children, and I hope that we will be successful this summer at saving the lives of many Ugandans from its destructive forces. I hope that I was able to touch someone's life today, but whether or not I did, I was touched by the experience I had and expanded my love for teaching and counseling others.
I had my first experience riding a boda boda (motorcyle taxi), which I was a little leery of after watching one get knocked off the road and into the ditch last week. Traffic is crazy here! If anything scares me about Africa it is the cars. They do NOT stop for pedestrians. So I mustered up my courage and got on the boda to take us a couple miles down the road to Lugazi University. I wasn't brave enough yet to sit side-saddle like the women here so I straddled the bike like a man... My dress had no stretch to it though, haha, so it was extremely awkward, and I'm afraid I showed my knees and an inch of my thigh... scandalous! Opps! Nicole and I shared one boda so it was a little squishy, but I felt nice and safe. We made sure to tell the driver EMPOLA EMPOLA (slowly slowly!), and we made it there safe and sound! Whew! It was actually quite fun!
I have finally made it to the best part of the day though. We were going to the university to meet with Immanuel to do HIV/AIDs testing. I thought we were just meeting with him to learn about it, but we were actually going to do the testing! Ahh, I don't know how to do this. It was a little uncomfortable at first, but it ended up being the coolest experience. We weren't allowed to do any of the actual poking with the needles, but we did a lot to help with the process of testing. We cleaned fingers with alcohol pads, registered patients, visited with them while they waitied for their results, and helped deliver the results. I had a great time visiting with two women while they waitied for their results and learned a lot about Ugandan history and culture from them. Delivering the results was so amazing though. Thankfully all of the 50 students that we tested came up negative, they did not have the virus, but many of them were very nervous and knew that they were at risk for the disease. We counseled with each one of them individually before giving them their results, asked them if they knew what put them at risk for contracting the virus, if they had done anything risky, and if so, committed them to stop doing those risky things. We told them how wonderful life is and all that they have to accomplish in life. That it is not worth taking those risks. Nicole, my country director, and I tag teamed on some of the consultations. I felt like a sister missionary as we taught these people, testified that what the other said was true, and committed them to changing their lifestyle. I hope that we made a difference in the lives of some people that day. There was one man in particular that was very nervous to be tested. Nicole talked with him for quite some time, comforting him and expressing to him the importance of being tested. He eventually decided to be tested and when he received his results that he was HIV free he declared that he was never going to put himself at risk again and that he was going to go back to his village and tell everyone to be tested and to abstain from those risky behaviors. It is a terrible thing that this virus is attacking the lives of so many wonderful people and children, and I hope that we will be successful this summer at saving the lives of many Ugandans from its destructive forces. I hope that I was able to touch someone's life today, but whether or not I did, I was touched by the experience I had and expanded my love for teaching and counseling others.
Tuesday, May 18, 2010
WHEN LIFE HANDS YOU LEMONS...
MAKE LEMONADE!
Living in Africa is not the same luxourious lifestyle that we have back home. In order to keep a positive attitude, I've decided that each time I come across a lemon, I'll just try to turn it into lemonade, haha.
Lemon 1:
The water shut off for 3 days...
At least we have running water. Apparently the team last year didn't and they used buckets the whole summer! Baby wipes were the greatest invention ever! It finally came back on and I got a wonderful shower!
Lemon 2:
Hand washing clothes is so much harder than it looks!
But I will no longer complain about Liberty Square's crappy/expensive washers again. They're a blessing from heaven! And my arms are getting ripped!
Lemon 3:
Nicole and I put mud on our faces like war paint the other day when we were building the adobe stove... all the Ugandans started snickering at us... apparently they only do that in their culture before a boy is going to be circumsized! OPPS!
HAHA, we got some great laughs out of that one!
Lemon 4:
Someone fed us Ensanene today (literally insane!)... aka grasshoppers!
Turns out they aren't too bad!
haha, well there's just a few of the funny ones... but advice for all... when life hands you lemons, make lemonade!
Living in Africa is not the same luxourious lifestyle that we have back home. In order to keep a positive attitude, I've decided that each time I come across a lemon, I'll just try to turn it into lemonade, haha.
Lemon 1:
The water shut off for 3 days...
At least we have running water. Apparently the team last year didn't and they used buckets the whole summer! Baby wipes were the greatest invention ever! It finally came back on and I got a wonderful shower!
Lemon 2:
Hand washing clothes is so much harder than it looks!
But I will no longer complain about Liberty Square's crappy/expensive washers again. They're a blessing from heaven! And my arms are getting ripped!
Lemon 3:
Nicole and I put mud on our faces like war paint the other day when we were building the adobe stove... all the Ugandans started snickering at us... apparently they only do that in their culture before a boy is going to be circumsized! OPPS!
HAHA, we got some great laughs out of that one!
Lemon 4:
Someone fed us Ensanene today (literally insane!)... aka grasshoppers!
Turns out they aren't too bad!
haha, well there's just a few of the funny ones... but advice for all... when life hands you lemons, make lemonade!
CHI KATI! HI!
update from Uganda...
Last week we continued to be introduced to partner organizations and projects that we will have the ability to work on. We met with a women's group that the HELP volunteers last year set up a savings and loans program with them. They are basically a group of neighbors from young mothers to grandmothers who meet together once a week to visit and support one another. The volunteers last year helped them to establish a savings system where each week they are required to save a minimum amount (1000 shillings; $.50). They put this amount into their group safe and then they can take loans out from this amount to pay for their businesses, children's school fees, medical costs, etc. They must pay the loans back in full with intrest. At the end of the 6 month period, their savings are returned plus intrest earned and then they start over again. It is an awesome mini version of micro-finance loans that is of great assistance to the women's ability to provide for their families and also teach them the basics of how to track and save money.
FRIDAY:
On Friday we met with a man named Wilson. He was such an inspiring man. He is a native Ugandan and student, and only 22 years old. He has started his own organization in Uganda called The Youth Outreach Mission to educate children about HIV/AIDS, and to help teach street children and bring them hope and purpose in life. He started up a soccer league with the street kids and paired it with educational lessons, and has created a great program to go around to schools to fight agains AIDS and teen pregnancy. It is amazing to see how someone with so little is doing so much to give back to their community. What have I done with my life? Have I done anything great for my fellow men? Will I ever be able to do something great like this man?
I began to feel very overwhelmed that even though I'm here in Uganda this summer to serve the people, I don't know how to make a difference or make a meaningful change in anyone's life. Just then the scripture Alma 37:6 came to my mind, "By small and simple means are great things brought to pass." I may not be able to accomplish anything as great as this man, but if I can create a meaningful change in the life of one person, that is enough. I can make one person smile every day. I will do all I can to forget myself and get to work; to give all that I have to bless the lives of those around me.
SATURDAY:
Party in Jinja!
On Saturday we were tourists. We went to Jinja, a larger city about an hour East of us that is the Source of the Nile. We went shopping through the souvenier markets, ate a CHEESEBURGER, and even went swimming at one of the hotels in the area. It was a nice break after a long week of work, and I've never tasted a better cheeseburger!
SUNDAY:
Back to Jinja for church. Church in Uganda is awesome! The members there are fantastic! I went to Young Women's this week and the girls in there are incredible. There are at least 10 of them in the branch. They were so smart and willing to participate... well half of them that is... the others are super shy. But needless to say, I was very impressed! I'm sure that many of them are new converts or the only members in their families, and still they had such strong testimonies. I have much to learn from their examples.
Going to church here, or in any foreign country, makes me think a lot about serving a mission. I still have a year to go, so it's hard to know if that's really what the Lord has in store for me, but I'm definitely considering it. I want everyone to have the joy and peace of the restored gospel in their lives that I am so blessed to have. As a team, we keep talking about development and what projects we can do this summer that will be most beneficial to the people of Uganda. Everytime we talk about it, I just think about how the gospel is what they need. I'm not here to serve a mission, but I'll do all that I can to share the light of Christ with the people I meet. As for the next year, I'll prepare like I'm going to serve a mission, because whether or not I end up serving, I will in turn be prepared for whatever the Lord throws at me.
MONDAY:
Cut the reigns and set us free. Our country directors set us loose today. We're on our own now to create our projects and start getting into the community and serving. For my primary project, I'm planning on doing some type of physical therapy/rehabilitation with my friend Alex. We started off by going to the hospital and talking to the Public Health director Josephine. I was a little discouraged at first wondering how we were going to fit our plans to the needs of the community, but I think we found some great leads. Josephine introduced us to the Physical Therapist at the Hospital, Nakakawa Grace. We talked to Grace for some time about her practice and the needs of the community, and then she let us observe her working with one of her patients. She is very qualified and runs a great practice, but it is shocking how old and limited her equipment is. She does a great job with what she has though. I hope to be able to shadow her once a week and maybe be her assistant so that I can get a better feel for Physical therapy and see if it is really what I would like to do as a career. Then Josephine introduced us to a young man named Emanuel. He is a health officer who does outreaches in the surrounding villages for those who cannot travel to the hospital in Lugazi. His main focus is HIV screenings and therapy and work with the elderly. The elderly! Of course! Our partners have all expressed a lot of concern about the elderly in Uganda. There is no Social Services program here to care for the elderly and there is a great need for care here. Our team was stumped as to what we could do for the elderly, but I think this is a great start. We could provide physical therapy for them and build friendships with them along side that. I'm excited to meet with Emanuel today to get more ideas from him and see if my plans will work.
Last week we continued to be introduced to partner organizations and projects that we will have the ability to work on. We met with a women's group that the HELP volunteers last year set up a savings and loans program with them. They are basically a group of neighbors from young mothers to grandmothers who meet together once a week to visit and support one another. The volunteers last year helped them to establish a savings system where each week they are required to save a minimum amount (1000 shillings; $.50). They put this amount into their group safe and then they can take loans out from this amount to pay for their businesses, children's school fees, medical costs, etc. They must pay the loans back in full with intrest. At the end of the 6 month period, their savings are returned plus intrest earned and then they start over again. It is an awesome mini version of micro-finance loans that is of great assistance to the women's ability to provide for their families and also teach them the basics of how to track and save money.
FRIDAY:
On Friday we met with a man named Wilson. He was such an inspiring man. He is a native Ugandan and student, and only 22 years old. He has started his own organization in Uganda called The Youth Outreach Mission to educate children about HIV/AIDS, and to help teach street children and bring them hope and purpose in life. He started up a soccer league with the street kids and paired it with educational lessons, and has created a great program to go around to schools to fight agains AIDS and teen pregnancy. It is amazing to see how someone with so little is doing so much to give back to their community. What have I done with my life? Have I done anything great for my fellow men? Will I ever be able to do something great like this man?
I began to feel very overwhelmed that even though I'm here in Uganda this summer to serve the people, I don't know how to make a difference or make a meaningful change in anyone's life. Just then the scripture Alma 37:6 came to my mind, "By small and simple means are great things brought to pass." I may not be able to accomplish anything as great as this man, but if I can create a meaningful change in the life of one person, that is enough. I can make one person smile every day. I will do all I can to forget myself and get to work; to give all that I have to bless the lives of those around me.
SATURDAY:
Party in Jinja!
On Saturday we were tourists. We went to Jinja, a larger city about an hour East of us that is the Source of the Nile. We went shopping through the souvenier markets, ate a CHEESEBURGER, and even went swimming at one of the hotels in the area. It was a nice break after a long week of work, and I've never tasted a better cheeseburger!
SUNDAY:
Back to Jinja for church. Church in Uganda is awesome! The members there are fantastic! I went to Young Women's this week and the girls in there are incredible. There are at least 10 of them in the branch. They were so smart and willing to participate... well half of them that is... the others are super shy. But needless to say, I was very impressed! I'm sure that many of them are new converts or the only members in their families, and still they had such strong testimonies. I have much to learn from their examples.
Going to church here, or in any foreign country, makes me think a lot about serving a mission. I still have a year to go, so it's hard to know if that's really what the Lord has in store for me, but I'm definitely considering it. I want everyone to have the joy and peace of the restored gospel in their lives that I am so blessed to have. As a team, we keep talking about development and what projects we can do this summer that will be most beneficial to the people of Uganda. Everytime we talk about it, I just think about how the gospel is what they need. I'm not here to serve a mission, but I'll do all that I can to share the light of Christ with the people I meet. As for the next year, I'll prepare like I'm going to serve a mission, because whether or not I end up serving, I will in turn be prepared for whatever the Lord throws at me.
MONDAY:
Cut the reigns and set us free. Our country directors set us loose today. We're on our own now to create our projects and start getting into the community and serving. For my primary project, I'm planning on doing some type of physical therapy/rehabilitation with my friend Alex. We started off by going to the hospital and talking to the Public Health director Josephine. I was a little discouraged at first wondering how we were going to fit our plans to the needs of the community, but I think we found some great leads. Josephine introduced us to the Physical Therapist at the Hospital, Nakakawa Grace. We talked to Grace for some time about her practice and the needs of the community, and then she let us observe her working with one of her patients. She is very qualified and runs a great practice, but it is shocking how old and limited her equipment is. She does a great job with what she has though. I hope to be able to shadow her once a week and maybe be her assistant so that I can get a better feel for Physical therapy and see if it is really what I would like to do as a career. Then Josephine introduced us to a young man named Emanuel. He is a health officer who does outreaches in the surrounding villages for those who cannot travel to the hospital in Lugazi. His main focus is HIV screenings and therapy and work with the elderly. The elderly! Of course! Our partners have all expressed a lot of concern about the elderly in Uganda. There is no Social Services program here to care for the elderly and there is a great need for care here. Our team was stumped as to what we could do for the elderly, but I think this is a great start. We could provide physical therapy for them and build friendships with them along side that. I'm excited to meet with Emanuel today to get more ideas from him and see if my plans will work.
Thursday, May 13, 2010
The Work Begins
We started working on projects this week, mostly receiving training on them and being introduced to all the options that are available to us to work on this summer. We constructed two adobe stoves, visited a mushroom house, toured the Kawolo Hospital, met with a women's group, and visited a school that HELP has volunteered at in the past. The adobe stoves were a really neat project! They require getting dirty and working hard, but they are so valuable to the people. They save so much time in cooking and firewood that they help the mothers out a lot. They are also a healthier way to cook than an open fire because they produce a lot less smoke. We made them using all local materials--bricks, cement, clay, and banana tree trunks. I can't really explain them, but maybe I can get a picture up. They are an awesome project though, and I'm excited to contintue building them and teaching the people how to build them.
Touring the hospital was really neat. It was actually a really big hospital and was well organized, but it was not nearly as clean or developed as our hospitals. It made me very appreciative of health care in America, even if Obama is messing things up it will still be 100 times better than anything in Africa. I'm planning on volunteering at least one day a week in the hospital, hopefully with women and babies, the disabled, and pediatrics.
I think that's all for now...
Oh wait... I ate a grasshopper!
Touring the hospital was really neat. It was actually a really big hospital and was well organized, but it was not nearly as clean or developed as our hospitals. It made me very appreciative of health care in America, even if Obama is messing things up it will still be 100 times better than anything in Africa. I'm planning on volunteering at least one day a week in the hospital, hopefully with women and babies, the disabled, and pediatrics.
I think that's all for now...
Oh wait... I ate a grasshopper!
Shabbat Shalom... African style that is...
Sunday in Uganda was amazing! We got up early to travel to church in Jinja--about an hour drive away through a beautiful jungle forest. Jinja is a more touristy city in Uganda. It is located at the head of the Nile, "The Source," and we got to cross over the Nile on our way to church. It brought back many memories of being in Egypt last fall. The branch in Jinja was surprisingly big and had a lot of new members. The lessons all focused on basic gospel principles, but they were fantastic, and it was neat to hear the members' testimonies. The ward building was actually really nice and it had an oven! (We are definitely going to have to make cookies sometime!) There were so many missionaries in that branch, four elders, and 6 sisters. Most of them were from various African countries, but one of the elders was from St. George--he was the second Mzungu (white person) I've seen since being in Uganda. It's crazy to be such a minority!
Rose, our cook, made a Ugandan feast for us tonight. We had pretty much every Ugandan dish that we will be eating for the next 3 months. It was all really good, but there's not much variety. Rice and beans, matoke (mashed plantains), sweet potatoes, potatoes, and cassava, green beans, chick peas, chipati (fried thick tortillas), watermellon and pineapple... I think we'll be mixing and matching that for the rest of our time here. Haha, good thing I liked all of it.
I've decided to take on the challenge of reading the entire Book of Mormon while I'm over here. I've calculated that I should be able to get it done if I read 7 pages a day. So far it is going great, and I'm loving reading it. Feel free to join me in reading it this summer if you'd like too! I felt like I could really connect to Lehi and his family when they talked about leaving their home in Jerusalem and all their possessions to go to a foreign land. This is another little journey of mine to a promissed land and I hope to be able to come closer to my Savior and myself through this experience.
Rose, our cook, made a Ugandan feast for us tonight. We had pretty much every Ugandan dish that we will be eating for the next 3 months. It was all really good, but there's not much variety. Rice and beans, matoke (mashed plantains), sweet potatoes, potatoes, and cassava, green beans, chick peas, chipati (fried thick tortillas), watermellon and pineapple... I think we'll be mixing and matching that for the rest of our time here. Haha, good thing I liked all of it.
I've decided to take on the challenge of reading the entire Book of Mormon while I'm over here. I've calculated that I should be able to get it done if I read 7 pages a day. So far it is going great, and I'm loving reading it. Feel free to join me in reading it this summer if you'd like too! I felt like I could really connect to Lehi and his family when they talked about leaving their home in Jerusalem and all their possessions to go to a foreign land. This is another little journey of mine to a promissed land and I hope to be able to come closer to my Savior and myself through this experience.
Home Sweet Home...
On Saturday we moved into our house in Lugazi. It is brand new! But by American standards that isn't saying much, haha. The toilet has already broken at least three times, on one occasion spraying a fountain of water up into my face that soaked my from head to toe! (We do have real toilets--minus the seats, apparently that is an unnecessary luxary in Africa-- and showers with running water... that is when the water is turned on. The water has been shut off for the past three days and we didn't have a reserve tank yet since the house is brand new, so no showers or flushing toilets... problematic! As a consequence, Ashley and I had a brave adventure pooping in buckets... what a treat! The water did finally turn back on this morning though and I was finally able to take a shower! Haleluia! Mom, thanks so much for those shower wipes! I've already used half the pack since we get so muddy doing our projects.) Back to the house... Dad, you would have a fit if you saw the work the construction men are doing. They work fast and get the job done, but it is not high quality by any means. The kitchen cabinets are all crooked and half of their glass paneled doors are already cracked. The curtain rod fell out of the wall on the first day when we tried to hang the curtains up. The sink leaks... but the humbling thing is that this house is luxurious compared to most of the houses in Lugazi. I have to keep reminding myself how blessed I am to have all that I do.
We spent the day on Saturday cleaning the house out, stacking the bunk beds and getting everything moved in. The house has three small rooms, a kitchen, bathroom, and dining room, and a garage. My room is the garage, haha. Besides the metal garage doors and lack of windows it is identical to the other rooms. Other than the tile floors in the kitchen, the whole house is made of concrete, and it's a good thing too, because it gets dirty quick with all the dirt roads and rain. I share the garage with six other girls and we are all like princesses sleeping under our canopy beds (aka mosquito nets). I have gotten quite used to them now though and don't even notice it. The circus outside is another story though... The house has no insulation so you can hear EVERYTHING that is going on inside and outside. The grasshoppers have a little concert from 11:00pm-4:00am, then Morris, our gaurd, has a dance party with his radio on the front porch, next comes the roosters at 5:00am making sure everyone knows the sun's about to come up, and the cows and goats like to join in with the roosters too... Oh the sounds of Uganda.
Our house is in a perfect location though. It is only a five minute walk into "down-town" Lugazi and our surrounding neighbors seem very friendly--their kids do at least. I feel like the Mzungu parade everytime we walk down the street. The run after us, grab our hands, and yell "Bye Mzungu! Bye Mzungu!" They are so cute! But I'm going to have to find a way to make them keep their distance just a tiny bit.
We spent the day on Saturday cleaning the house out, stacking the bunk beds and getting everything moved in. The house has three small rooms, a kitchen, bathroom, and dining room, and a garage. My room is the garage, haha. Besides the metal garage doors and lack of windows it is identical to the other rooms. Other than the tile floors in the kitchen, the whole house is made of concrete, and it's a good thing too, because it gets dirty quick with all the dirt roads and rain. I share the garage with six other girls and we are all like princesses sleeping under our canopy beds (aka mosquito nets). I have gotten quite used to them now though and don't even notice it. The circus outside is another story though... The house has no insulation so you can hear EVERYTHING that is going on inside and outside. The grasshoppers have a little concert from 11:00pm-4:00am, then Morris, our gaurd, has a dance party with his radio on the front porch, next comes the roosters at 5:00am making sure everyone knows the sun's about to come up, and the cows and goats like to join in with the roosters too... Oh the sounds of Uganda.
Our house is in a perfect location though. It is only a five minute walk into "down-town" Lugazi and our surrounding neighbors seem very friendly--their kids do at least. I feel like the Mzungu parade everytime we walk down the street. The run after us, grab our hands, and yell "Bye Mzungu! Bye Mzungu!" They are so cute! But I'm going to have to find a way to make them keep their distance just a tiny bit.
Saturday, May 8, 2010
Day 2 in Uganda:
I think there's a curse that using the internet brings on the rain, haha, because it's pouring again! We got soaked on our way home last night, but it felt good. I took a bucket shower last night (their house has a real shower, but they made us take a bucket shower as an initiation, haha). It was cold but refreshing! Dinner was pretty good. The cook made posho (it was like cooked cereal but really thick--it was alright, but nearly flavorless), eggplant (strange... not my favorite), rice and beans (these were my favorite--I have a feeling I'll be eating a lot of them in the next few months), and cooked greens (eww... they were weird). Luckily after our water scare yesterday and our introduction to some new foods we are all feeling well and have not gotten sick yet. Keep your fingers crossed!
Sleeping under a mosquito net is kind of tricky! We didn't have enough string yet to tie them all up so we tried to get creative with duck tape. Well the tape only held for a few hours and then collapsed on us during the night. I felt like I was sleeping under a weird suffocating blanket, but I was so tired that it didn't even matter. I fell right back to bed.
The kids here are so cute! They chase us down the street yelling "Hi Muzungo!" That is Lugandan for white person. Haha, some of them act like they've never seen anyone with fair skin before. One even ran up to me and held my hand and walked for nearly five minutes with me up the street. He couldn't have been more than four years old. It was so funny. I didn't know how far I should let him go with me, but I didn't want to be rude and shake him off, haha. Eventually he turned around and left. Well, I think that's all for now, but I'm loving Uganda and all the adventures it's bringing me!
Sleeping under a mosquito net is kind of tricky! We didn't have enough string yet to tie them all up so we tried to get creative with duck tape. Well the tape only held for a few hours and then collapsed on us during the night. I felt like I was sleeping under a weird suffocating blanket, but I was so tired that it didn't even matter. I fell right back to bed.
The kids here are so cute! They chase us down the street yelling "Hi Muzungo!" That is Lugandan for white person. Haha, some of them act like they've never seen anyone with fair skin before. One even ran up to me and held my hand and walked for nearly five minutes with me up the street. He couldn't have been more than four years old. It was so funny. I didn't know how far I should let him go with me, but I didn't want to be rude and shake him off, haha. Eventually he turned around and left. Well, I think that's all for now, but I'm loving Uganda and all the adventures it's bringing me!
Friday, May 7, 2010
So the Journey Begins...
After three days of traveling and an amazing day trip to London, I have arrived safe and sound in Uganda! It is currently pouring outside the tiny internet cafe... I'm going to get soaked on our walk home, but I don't really care because I haven't showered in 3 days so it will feel great!
Uganda is beautiful! It is so green and jungly compared to Utah. The people here are so nice. Florence, Edward, and their children met me at the airport. It was so fun to see them again. We talked for probably about a half hour while we got our bags loaded into the taxi. I can't wait to visit Edward's school. We are all jet lagged, exhausted, and going a bit delusional, haha, but I know I'm going to love it here!
Our directors found a house for us in Lugazi. It is brand new and will not be ready until tomorrow, so we are spending the night at the Mukono team's house. It is nice and big, with running (hot) water, but no furnishings or carpet, just the beds that they purchased this week. Apparently our house will have running water too! What a great surprise!
It is now pouring outside and the street is flooding with puddles of red water a few inches deep. Man our feet are going to get soaked! haha... and the adventures begin!
Lesson #1: Just because you buy bottled water with a sealed lid doesn't mean it's safe. There is a black market on bottled water and they drill a small hole in the bottom of the bottle, steal the pure water, refill it with impure water, and seal it back up! Opps! We got five bottles to share and three out of the five were bad. Luckily we only took a few sips before we found out. Hope we don't get sick!
Uganda is beautiful! It is so green and jungly compared to Utah. The people here are so nice. Florence, Edward, and their children met me at the airport. It was so fun to see them again. We talked for probably about a half hour while we got our bags loaded into the taxi. I can't wait to visit Edward's school. We are all jet lagged, exhausted, and going a bit delusional, haha, but I know I'm going to love it here!
Our directors found a house for us in Lugazi. It is brand new and will not be ready until tomorrow, so we are spending the night at the Mukono team's house. It is nice and big, with running (hot) water, but no furnishings or carpet, just the beds that they purchased this week. Apparently our house will have running water too! What a great surprise!
It is now pouring outside and the street is flooding with puddles of red water a few inches deep. Man our feet are going to get soaked! haha... and the adventures begin!
Lesson #1: Just because you buy bottled water with a sealed lid doesn't mean it's safe. There is a black market on bottled water and they drill a small hole in the bottom of the bottle, steal the pure water, refill it with impure water, and seal it back up! Opps! We got five bottles to share and three out of the five were bad. Luckily we only took a few sips before we found out. Hope we don't get sick!
Tuesday, May 4, 2010
Who...What...When...Where...
Just thought I'd give a little background about the program I'm going with and what I will be doing. I'm going with a group called HELP International in Provo. They have a really neat program because you can design and decide what projects you want to work on. Our group will be doing every kind of service you can think of from volunteering in orphanages and schools to business training, Public Health projects, construction projects, gardening, working with women's groups, setting up an eye clinic to do eye screenings and cataract surgeries, teaching about nutrition, physical therapy, recreational therapy... etc. I'm most excited to help in the orphanages and schools, do physical therapy with disabled children, and build adobe stoves. I hope to be able to do a little bit of everything though! There are about 25 volunteers in my group, the Lugazi group, and another 25 volunteers in the Mukono group. Lugazi and Mukono are two villages about 30 min away from each other so I'm sure we will be getting together occasionally. I will be in Uganda May 5-July 26, with a little stop through Paris and London on the way home! I think that about sums it up!
VOLCANO!
If nature cooperates, 24 hours from now I will already be on my way to Uganda... but as we've all heard on the news, there is a volcano erupting in Iceland!!! One of my country directors was delayed in getting to Uganda last week because her flight through London was cancelled and had to be rerouted due to the volcano. It sounded like the airports in Europe were all open again, but I just heard on the news that the volcano is stirring up again and there is trouble with some of the airports. If it erupts tonight I guess I won't be leaving yet. Pray that the volcano will keep quiet for a bit!
Saturday, May 1, 2010
5...4...3...2...1...GO!
It's almost time to jump on the plane. I'm so excited, anxious, nervous, excited, excited, excited, EXCITED, I can hardly wait. I started packing today... emphasis on started... I still have so much left to do before I leave. Can I get it all done? We'll see!
Last night Suz and Rob had me over for African food! We looked at all their pictures of Uganda from Rob's mission and the trip they took there together. Then we called Edward and Florence on skype! They are an amazing couple from Uganda that Rob became good friends with on his mission and then they came to Utah a few years ago to be sealed in the temple. I got to meet them when they came and I can't wait to see them again! I have dreamed of going to Africa ever since I met them and that dream is finally about to come true! Thanks Suz and Rob for getting me all prepped and pumped to go!
5 days from now I'll be on the plane and headed to Uganda!
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