This morning at the Entebbe airport I met a teacher from Wales who was traveling to London as well and we were trying to buy some breakfast and tea but neither of us had enough shillings left to buy our own.  So, we put our money together and shared an egg sandwich and each had tea.  We swapped stories of our adventures in Uganda (she has been in Uganda for 5 weeks, too) and before I knew it, it was time to board the plane.

 I’m not sure what schedule I was looking at but I arrive in Austin at 11:45 am on Tuesday, not at 1:30pm.  So, I’ll be home even sooner than planned!  See you all soon!!!

Josephine Mpakibi (the "k" sounds like "ch"

Josephine Mpakibi was born in Jinja, Uganda and has 4 brothers and 1 sister. She is 19 years old and she attends Light College in Mukono. Her favorite subject in school is Christian Religious Education and she hopes to become a teacher or missionary in the future. She likes listening to music and she has lived at Chain for 4 years.

Racheal Namakula

Racheal Namakula ws born in Rwanda (where there has been and still is much violence). She was one of three children but her brothers and sisters have passes away, along with her parents. She is 14 years old and is in P4 (Primary 4, equivalent to 3rd grade) and she attends the Martin Nkyoyo Inclusive School here at Chain. Her favorite subject is mathematics and she hopes to be a social worker in the future. She likes music and dancing and helping Auntie Christine prepare food. (It took me many tries to get a picture that shows the “sweet” Racheal because she has a pretty tough exterior. Attitude is what we’d call it. But she is truly a sweet and helpful girl and I have enjoyed spending time with her.)

Daphine Namuleme

Daphine Namuleme was born in Entebbe, Uganda and is 15 years old. She has 3 brothers who live in the village with family. (Many times children are sent to an orphanage when the family cannot pay their school fees.) She is in S3 (equivalent to 9th grade) at Mukono High School and her favorite subject is Biology. She loves singing and wants to be a singer/musician when she grows up. She has lived at Chain for 4 years.

Natasha Jannet

Natasha Jannet is 12 years old and was born in Kisoro District (in Western Uganda). She has 2 brothers and 4 sisters who live with her mom and whom she sees on holidays (the vacation month between the 3-month terms of schools). She was sent here because her mom couldn’t pay her school fees. Natasha is in P5 at the Mukono Boarding School and her favorite subject in school is math. She hopes to become a nurse one day and in her spare time she enjoys praying and singing.

Carloline Namuddu

Caroline Namuddu is 14 years old and ws bon in the Luwero District in Uganda. She has 1 brother and 1 sister who live in Mukono with her mom. Her father was a soldier and died while fighting in war. She has been at Chain for 1 year and she is in P5 at the Mukono Boarding School. Her favorite subject is English and she plans to become a pilot one day. She enjoys singing in her free time.

Doreen Nyaketeko is 14 years old and was born in the Tororo District. She has 3 brothers and 1 sister who live in Tororo with her grandmother and mom. She is in P5 at the Mukono Boarding School and her favorite subject is English. She plans to become a teacher when she grows up and she enjoys singing and dancing in her free time. She’s been at Chain for 4 years.

Doreen Nyaketeko

Allen Uwunva

Allen Uwunva was born in Kisoro and is 12 years old. She has 2 brothers and 1 sister who live with her mom in Kisoro. She is in P4 at the Martin Nkyoyo Inclusive School and she likes math. She plans to become a nurse in the future and she likes playing netball in her free time. She has been at Chain for one year.

One boy, Peter, prayed for me to be better and was thankful that Auntie Bridget helped me get better enough to come back to the Chain Home. Susan prayed for me to recover all the way and have a safe journey home. I was surprised that these young children (9 and 10 yr olds) would think of that on their own. But see, that’s the culture here. People are concerned about your well-being and truly care about you. Even if you’ve only been visiting for the short time that I have. Needless to say, it was a special evening with these kids.

Then, I visited with them after the devotion and Bridget, Josephine and I passed out pineapple to everyone. I’m so glad I was able to get it yesterday because if I hadn’t, I wouldn’t have had a chance to get it today. They were very happy to have it and I was glad that there was enough for seconds and sometimes thirds! Josephine took some pictures while I was passing it out and she walked with me back to my room up the hill. I feel really tired now from getting up but I’m glad I got up and I ate, too so I should be feeling better tomorrow.

Just as an update, I leave here around 1pm Sunday to head back to Kampala because I have to leave for Entebbe at 6am Monday morning in order to catch my flight. I’ll fly to London and then to Chicago, where I’ll spend the night with Elizabeth, my best friend from college and her husband, Colin. I leave Chicago bright and early Tuesday morning and I arrive in Austin at 1:30.

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As I previously said, I felt very sick Wed night. I ended up vomiting all night long, twice an hour, and until the next day. I didn’t sleep at all and I had some fever and a headache but mostly stomach pain. At 8am Sula, an employee and driver at Chain, took me to a local Mukono health clinic and Juliet, Chain’s nurse, went along with me. She had to help me walk in because I had no energy to hold myself up. They checked me in rather quickly and then I waited for the lab to draw blood to run tests. They thought I might have Malaria and/or E-coli or some other bacteria. (It’s not Malaria, it ended up being some type of bacteria from something I ate.)

Juliet, nurse at Chain

The waiting area for the lab was an uneven, wooden bench outside. I say outside and I mean just that–out on the dirt ground with the grass and trees in front of me. Unfortunately, the bathroom was a latrine (hole in the ground) located up a pretty steep hill out in back. Not the best news for someone in my particular condition! Juliet had to walk me up the hill so I could use the bathroom and after that one experience, I pretty much crossed my fingers that I wouldn’t have to go again.

I waited on a wooden bench inside a narrow hallway with Juliet until the lab results came back. Then I was given a room with a bed. There was no pillow, no lights, no running water to wash anything, and no trashcan or receptacle. I had to give Juliet money to go buy a bucket for me to throw up in. I know this is gross. Sorry. But can you imagine going to the hospital in the states and having to go buy your own trashcan for your room? No, you can’t imagine that because it would NEVER happen!

They finally hooked me up to an IV and gave me 2 bags of fluids. I was pretty dehydrated so it was challenging for them to get a vein going for the IV but they did. Then, they gave me pills for my nausea. All I could think was, “Why would they think that would help?” Of course I threw them up minutes after taking them. I threw everything up that I drank and tried to eat there. They also gave me a shot for fever or something and more pills. At one point, they gave me 5 pills to take and I remember just looking at the nurse and thinking, “are you serious?” They were very positive thinkers though because they would say, “you’re going to be okay, it’s going to be okay” over and over. I felt like I had to take the pills and be sick so they would see that giving me pills wasn’t actually working.

As the sun began to go down, a new doctor came in and ordered a light bulb for my room. Shortly after the bulb was installed, it was dark outside and the lights went out. It was pitch black and I didn’t have my flashlight with me. I had nothing with me, actually. Bridget had brought me a pillow and a mosquito net and she stayed with me all day. (She is a wonderful person and was so sweet to me. At one point, I told Bridget I was sorry she was missing work and she said, “No! You are more important than work.” Of course, that just made me cry.) Anyway, the lights are out, they get the generator working and then the lights strobe for about 2 ½ minutes and go out again. They do not come back on for a while.

Sula, Stone, Dorothy & Bridget at a Mukono Clinic

Stone comes up with others from Chain and realizes that the attendees seem to have left and no one is caring for me at this point. It’s about 9pm and I’m still vomiting, although there’s no food left in my stomach. We get to the hospital and they give me 2 more bags of fluids, an antibiotic and anti-nausea medicine through the IV and I finally sleep a bit. Trudy was so kind to come up and stay with me so Stone and Bridget and the rest could go home and sleep. The treatment was over at 2am so Trudy checked me out and we got 2 small rooms at a place nearby. I slept finally and stopped vomiting.

In the hospital with my Doctor in Kampala

We got up at 9am and I managed to eat breakfast and keep it down. I bought some food at a store and got a ride back to Mukono. I have been in this bed at the orphanage ever since and it’s been disappointing to me to end my visit like this. I know I can’t help it and it’s just life but still. I wish it hadn’t happened. I did manage to have my driver stop and buy pineapple for all the kids here at the orphanage so, this afternoon, some older girl students came to check on me and we went to cut it all up. We’ll serve it at supper and it will be a real treat for the kids.

Josephine and others preparing pineapple

I also sat with these girls for awhile and took short bios of about 6 students that live here so I’ll post those soon. They all wanted their picture taken and were happy to talk about themselves. Thanks to Joseph for burning me some movies before I left on this trip because I’ve watched them while stuck in this room. I am eating but only a little and I get so tired when I walk. Mostly, I just need to get better so traveling home won’t be too bad. I hope to feel much better in the morning so I can spend time with the kids before I leave for Kampala in the afternoon.

Daphine helping cut pineapple

Today is the first day I felt sick.  I had a bad headache and no energy and felt like I would faint all day.  I think it was due to hunger.  I have been eating portia and beans for the past few meals and its nothing.  It’s a filler and like, 15 beans.  I had a pbj for breakfast but I don’t really have any other food here.  They said they’d feed me but they meant, portia and beans.  That’s what the kids eat for every meal.  Except they have porridge for breakfast which is portia with water and a little milk in it.  Terrible, actually, but if I added sugar I could stand it.  However, I can’t drink milk.

We had another class in the library today for check-out and it was more challenging than yesterday because they were older and less attentive.  We successfully checked out books to everyone and I saw students reading their books during break time and lunch so, I know they are happy to have them.  I made a few posters after that and then had to take some Tylenol and a short nap because I felt so bad.

I woke up all sweaty and realized I had to eat something more substantive so, I went to town with Christine, a German volunteer here, and we had chicken and chips (fries) and I drank 2 Cokes, just for the energy boost!   I felt immediately better but as I sit here huddled in my mosquito-netted bed, I feel sick again; just really tired, achy, hot and sick to my stomach.  I’ve been fine this entire trip and I’m sure I don’t have anything bad.  I think perhaps fatigue is setting in and I’m not eating enough protein, etc.  I’m sure I’ll feel better in the morning.

It’s amazing at this orphanage.  You would cry if you were here because it’s joyful and it’s also extremely sad at the same time.  Just the food part is enough to make you feel depressed for these kids.  Throw in that they have very little free time, sit in a hot class with 50 other kids and a teacher that’s allowed to cane them if they’re bad or if they don’t learn quick enough, and they either don’t have a family or they are away from their family for one reason or another.  Some kids here are from the slums and some from the streets.  It’s great that they have a place to live and get fed, however little, but it’s still not something that’s easy to witness each day.  It’s one thing to visit for an hour or so and leave feeling sad because then you become busy with something else.  It’s another to wake up and go to sleep here and see all aspects of life here.

I don’t know how I’ll go back to Austin and care about some of the things I normally care about.  Like, for one, how I look.  No one here cares how you look, what your size is, what you’re wearing, etc.  It’s been a wonderful, relaxing time just existing in a natural state.  Also, I don’t feel stressed out here like I get sometimes at home.  Even though everything is super slow and sometimes not working or not possible, it’s still okay here.  People don’t get bent out of shape over things.  (Now, the drawback is very little progress is made here because of that.  Improvements to systems and organization are not a high priority.)

At home, every little thing seems to matter.  I mean, not everything but you know.  You have to be on time everywhere and you have to be ready for anything & everything, all the time. Just think if the electricity went out for half a day, 3-4 days a week. People would have a real problem with that back home. Here, it’s way laid back.  And, honestly, you’re thinking about your next meal lots of the times (even me, lately!) or the work that needs to be done.  You’re not even considering world issues or even discussing them.  Everyone else seems so far away that you forget that anything exists but Uganda.

I’ve enjoyed everything about being here though and I’m especially glad that I have the chance to stay at this orphanage/school for the last week.  It’s giving me a completely different experience and it’s allowing me to gain a better understanding of life in Uganda and “ways” of the Ugandan people.

Nathan, an older VIP, is one of the most talented musicians I’ve ever met (and I have lots of friends who are musicians). He has some vision but not much. He plays guitar, sings, and plays a drum like no one I’ve ever seen! His hands moved so fast on the drum it was like lightening. It was incredible. He’s a leader of the VIPs along with Brenda, who sings and leads the songs. She’ll sing out the line and everyone will repeat it or respond with a different line. I have never seen anything like this group of about 22 students, leading themselves in song and dance. Oh, and we were all in the front room of this house, totally crowded and hot but having the time of our lives.

They call me Auntie Jenny here and when I arrived at Margaret’s, the kids started singing even louder and jumping up and down. Monday night they had asked me to come again and I guess perhaps they were waiting on me. I sat and watched them and felt so much joy I can’t tell you. I felt that combination of joy and sadness. But these kids only have joy. They are competent and confident and have no use for pity.

A couple songs later, I joined them in dancing and jumping around and it was the best night I’ve had in Uganda yet! It was kind of what I had hoped I would experience while here-the celebration of just being alive and being together. It was beautiful. A little while later, Auntie Margaret came in and led the students in some poems she had taught them. One student would say, “I am glad that God made me blind because I…” and they would give a reason why they were glad. As soon as that student would finish, another would begin saying the same thing and giving their reason.

They spoke with such conviction that I couldn’t help but feel inspired. These children were grateful for being alive, having the Chain Foundation to support them, and for having the ability to do things themselves. Now, I’m grateful for many things. But rarely am I grateful for something that has made my life more difficult (like being blind would). However these children don’t think of it like that and that reminds me to change my thinking about difficulties I may have.

By the time our night was over, we were all sweaty and tired from dancing and singing. I said goodnight and sweet dreams to everyone, probably twice!, and then headed to my room up the hill. Again, it was the best night I’ve had here. I took a cold shower (the only kind here!) and ended up falling asleep with this computer on my lap. I was totally exhausted but it had been a wonderful day!

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Ken giving me a tour of his home

Ken's Bed

They have a huge garden here, cows, chickens, roosters, dogs, and a small kitten. I can’t remember the exact number of children that live here but it’s probably around 150. About 30 students are blind or partially blind and they have a teacher, Auntie Margaret, who is also blind and able to teach students how to read with Braille. They have Braille machines that students use to write their lessons. The school is inclusive so these students are in their proper grade and take a Braille machine to class and share it.

Today I dictated to a young girl named Susan and it was quite an experience. I just sat there, in awe of Susan as she felt for the correct keys to push down and then checked to feel if she had typed the word correctly. She was so patient, with me and with the process overall. Remember, we were in a room with 50 students so it was loud and distracting; yet Susan was focused as if no one else was present.

Dictating to Susan

Working on Evening Preps (homework)

I’m moving up in my boda-riding skills because this morning I rode a boda-boda with Christine and carried groceries back. I worked with Bridget in the library as soon as I returned and we made a schedule, a chart explaining how to fill out the library card, and we went over the process of checking out books. There’s so much involved when you’re teaching someone how to borrow a book, especially when it is a brand new concept. The teachers are usually hesitant about letting students take the books out of the library but that’s the whole point of a library. They fear that the books will get messed up or stolen. So, persuading these adults to give it a chance, encourage kids to bring the books back, and let’s see what happens is sometimes difficult.

Bridget and I had our first class of students at 2:00 and things went pretty smoothly considering it was their first time in a library. One challenge was the fact that there were 50 students in the room. Period. We gave out 10 placeholders at a time to keep the shelves from being too crowded but still, getting 50 students checked out with books takes some time.

I explained the library set-up like I had watched Trudy do and I pointed out all the particulars regarding book-handling and book selection. Bridget translated to Luganda for me because this was a P2 class and they’re still learning English. Once students were at the shelves, it became clear that they would need reminding about how to put the books back into the shelves. Within 10 minutes, books were upside-down and backwards and at first I felt like, “What are these kids doing?” And then I reminded myself that they’re learning and it’s okay, we can fix the books. I did redirect every time I saw a student put the book back incorrectly and Bridget did, too. So, I’m sure they’ll have it down pat in a couple weeks.

I also showed students how to sit in a line by the door (like we do with Ms. Cobb in our library) once they had chosen a book. They did it and it was the longest library line I’ve ever seen! As they were leaving, I reminded students how to take care of the book like it’s a baby and to hold it against their chest with both hands. They all did it and walked back to class. I felt a little proud of myself that I was able to get 50 kids to do something I asked! I’m pretty sure that’s a 1st for me!

Bridget and I then checked the library cards to make any necessary corrections and then we filed them. Part of Bridget’s procedures will have to include reviewing the shelves and fixing misplaced books. We did that together and it only took 5 minutes but I explained it’s important for the next class to see the books neat so they’ll know how they should look. Bridget is a smart woman and she’s going to do an excellent job as their librarian.

After the library lesson, I helped a teacher grade notebooks and tally final grades. I then walked the grounds and visited with some staff members that were peeling sugar cane. They offered me some and I gladly accepted explaining that I love sugar and that sugar cane was delicious! My excitement about having something sweet made them giggle but let me tell you, there are no sweets here. Hot Tea is one of the few things that may be sweet. There aren’t pies, muffins, donuts, candies, cakes, etc, everywhere. You can get those at some stores but they’re not a common item for most people. I guess I’m over my coffee and sugar addiction now because it’s been 4 weeks with neither!

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So, I caught a boda-boda and asked to be taken to a shop that sells bags. As we were driving, I realized we were going to and through downtown Kampala, which has a reputation of having the worst traffic and of being the most dangerous place to ride a boda-boda in Uganda. I kinda forgot that part but whatever, I needed to get the bag. So, I held on tight and oohed and aahed relief every couple of minutes as we managed to avoid contact with other drivers.

Then I had to go to Buganda Road Artists Market to get something I was looking for. I finished my shopping and this time chose a boda-boda driver who wore a helmet, thinking this was a sign that he may drive a bit on the safe side and obey laws and such. His name was John and he was an excellent driver. I even took a picture with him so I could show you all!

John, a boda-driver in Kampala

After lunch, Stone (the head administrator for The Chain Foundation picked me for Mukono and I arrived at 3pm, just in time for a staff meeting. This meeting was similar to a teacher faculty meeting however the main differences were: it was stifling hot in the room, the electricity was out so the agenda couldn’t be printed, no one seemed to willing to speak up about anything, and it lasted 2 hours. Man, just sitting there, I could see how discussing anything important under these conditions and hoping for feedback was impossible! At our faculty meetings, we usually have snacks, air conditioning, a comfortable setting, and plenty of input from others. ☺ Note to self: I’ll never moan or groan about having a faculty meeting again!

At any rate, I am staying at the Chain Foundation in Mukono and they have provided me a room in their office building. I have a bed and restroom and shower in the next room. It was very nice for them to offer me accommodations and I appreciate it.

My bed here with mosquito netting

This Chain Foundation and Home was founded by the former Archbishop, Livingston and was supported by his son, Martin Nkyoyo. Martin passed away from cancer while in the United States and the school here has been named after him.  There are about 30 blind or mostly blind students here and they are taught to learn how to do everything sighted students can do.  They do not use canes or seeing eye dogs but they are taught to memorize the compound and how to get around.  The fact that they’re so skilled at navigating has led me to not always know who is blind and who is not.  Yesterday a blind boy was washing out a huge pot for the kitchen and he had to walk back and forth with it to throw the water out and I wouldn’t have known he was blind if someone hadn’t told me.

After the meeting, I toured the area a bit more and visited with children. A volunteer from Germany, Christine, invited me to eat dinner with her and 3 other secondary students that she cooks with once a week. We had spaghetti and the young men helped cook and clean up afterwards. Christine is here for a year so she is sharing a guesthouse with the librarian, Bridget.

Christine's kitchen

Looking "smart" in Rebecca's Dress

“You’re looking smart today!” “Looking smart” is how they say you look nice or you look good. I must admit, that made my day!

We at breakfast and then went to the Watoto church in Kampala. The 1st team went to church here 2 weeks before and I liked it because there was lively singing and even dancing (especially by the choir). They had a full band and lead singers backed by a huge choir. There were close to 100 people on stage in all. The free-spiritedness of everyone made me feel happy and welcome.

The last time we attended, we heard a visiting pastor who was an Australian that lived in New Jersey or New York or something like that. It wasn’t what I was expecting but he was engaging and relayed a strong message. This Sunday the pastor was recapping what they have discussed all year long so, it felt a bit more like being in class or being in a meeting at work. The singing was great but there wasn’t a specific topic explored.

Afterwards, we went to eat at Nando’s which is an eatery much like a food court in a mall. You can order chicken, pizza, hamburgers, pitas, etc from different vendors there. Then we took a quick trip to a market to shop and we were home. I reorganized my things in preparation for packing up again and then chilled out and sent the M Falls pics to Joseph. The 2nd team were leaving super early the next day so I said my goodbyes and wished them a safe trip home.

2nd Team at Watoto Church