Continuation of the Boda Crisis

Lyndsay here

Tuesday morning we went to spend time at Bushika clinic, about a 20 minute walk from our guesthouse, which has a maternity ward, in hopes of seeing a baby be born, no such luck :( We then spent the afternoon at the FIMRC clinic where we were going to do a teaching session for the Community Health Educators (CHE's). We had a patient, 2 week old male, with an infected umbilicus stump and an abscess on his back. He had been hospitalized at Bududa Hospital (the local hospital) for a few days, had been receiving a cocktail of 3 different IV antibiotics, and was not improving. This was due to the fact that there had been no cleaning or drainage done of the abscess whatsoever since he was hospitalized. With my extreme love for pus, (a well known fact amidst my Cardinal Glennon co-workers) we were on top of it! There was an incision made in the babies back already, that was draining copious amounts of pus with every cry. The dressing in place from the hospital was filthy, and the parents told us it had not been changed the entire time they were at the hospital. The baby was fussy, difficult to console, had cellulitis and staph scalded skin in addition the abscess. This poor baby was mere moments away from going septic, and so lucky to have concerned parents who took him from the hospital and brought him to our clinic. After some sweet ease and a very thorough washout, we referred the family to Mbale Regional Hospital for further care, a much more capable facility. It broke my heart to see a baby so sick, despite the parent's attempts to care for him. So many people here put health care off until the last minute, it is sad to see that even when an effort is made, proper health care is still not given. This is one of the reasons why education is SO CRUCIAL here.

During the rest of the afternoon, we spent our time preparing supplies for our teaching session to the CHE's. We taught them about RUMPS, Re-useable Menstrual Pads. We cut supplies from old socks, towels, and sheets, and instructed the CHE's on how to construct re-useable menstrual pads. We gave each CHE supplies to make two menstrual pads so they could take the supplies into their communities and teach girls and women how to make the pads. If you show a few small pieces of fabric together, and insert an absorbent fabric such as pieces of an old towel, or old sock, it becomes a pad that you can easily wash and re-use everyday. Tie short string to each side, and you can easily tie and attach it to a pair of underwear. We emphasized the important points during teaching that RUMPS are less expensive than pads or tampons (they call them tampoons here), they are more hygienic than using toilet paper or a dirty rag, they allow women more flexibility to carry on with everyday activities, and they cut down on waste. There is a mixed number of men and women in the CHE group, and the men were anything but comfortable during this teaching, however Richard's animated translating made it quite the fun experience. There are no boundaries in Uganda when discussing such topics, far different from how a similar situation would be in the US. 

Today, we spent the day at Bupoto clinic, run by the Arlington School, where Doug and Lisa will be taking over and reworking starting in October. It was quite the trip, due to the even more remote and more mountainous location than where we are now. I have been carrying a black cloud of boda karma since we got here, boda running out of gas, boda breaking down, boda running out of gas, boda getting lost from the group, boda with a flat tire, boda emitting smoke from the engine, boa running out of gas, boda getting stuck in the mud, did I mention boda running out of gas? It has been the running joke who gets stuck on a boda with me now every time we leave. Douglas rode with me this morning, and big surprise, our boda ran out of gas. After walking about 30 minutes trying to catch up with the others, Michelle called and sent a boda to find us, 2 muzungus, walking throughout the villages of Uganda, a walk that would have otherwise taken over an hour, there we were boda-less..story of my life. 

We had been awaiting a call from James or Moses, two employees at Bushika clinic, who were under strict instructions to call us the moment any laboring mothers presented so we could witness a birth Uganda style. Go figure they call us today while we were in Bupoto, 2 hours away, by the time we made it to the clinic tonight, the baby had been born literally 2 minutes before we arrived. People were looking at us like we were crazy, 5 muzungus on boda bodas in the middle of the night, pitch black, no street lights, then sprinting uphill to the clinic to see this baby. We rush into the room, the mother laying legs apart, blood and fluids everywhere, covered in a mere scarf, her newborn baby on her chest. She is laying on a metal bed, the only thing between her and the cold surface is a black garbage bag. No pain medications, no IV fluids given. Moses, the nurse, who also birthed the baby, gave her a shot of pain medication in her butt before delivering her placenta, that was it. The women did not as much as shed a tear. The baby was quickly wrapped in scarves and blankets, the mother cleansed merely with another scarf and some water into a metal bowl that caught the placenta, blood, and dirty water. Moses used her old dress to clean the bed off. Another scarf was placed between the new mother's legs as a "pad", she stood up to put underwear on (literally minutes after birth), put on her dress, and was to be moved to a bed for the night to be monitored for 24 hours, then to be sent home. Kristen was the first person to hold the baby after being born, and we joked with Moses and the mother that the baby was lucky to see 5 muzungoes right after birth, though Kristen was worried about imprinting by holding the baby first, didn't want him to get the wrong idea, though I think the blonde hair and blue eyes may have given it away already. We eagerly anticipate the next phone call and hope to witness more of the birthing process before we head home.

Oh the things you will do when you have to be resourceful. Re-useable menstrual pads made from bed sheets, old towels, and socks.

Kristen & Ashraaf, the son of our housekeeper, and soon to be son of Kristen's.

Michelle and Musa, the HIV counselor at the clinic. Hands down sweetest guy in the world.

Derek, one of the kids I'm obsessed with that lives by the clinic

After our RUMPS teaching, Musa, Leenisha, Richard, Michelle, Wilson, Kristen and I

Girl's Retreat Weekend

Girl's Retreat

June 26

Lyndsay here, 

We were down one Kristen Fischer this weekend thanks to the gastrointestinal ups and downs, ins and outs (literally) of Uganda. 

We were in Mbale Saturday morning through Sunday afternoon (the big city about 1.5 hours away from our village) for the weekend running a Girl's Empowerment Retreat for the P7 level girls at Arlington Academy! With the way the school system is organized here, these girls can range anywhere from 11 to 16 years old. We have been planning this retreat since our arrival and could not believe how quickly it came upon us. Carolyn, the volunteer who works at Arlington Academy (the school in partnership with the FIMRC clinic), had done the same retreat last year and wanted us to help her plan/lead the retreat this year. We couldn't have been more excited! We have been working over the last few weeks planning a schedule, talking to the girls and teachers, making 35 workbooks/journals by hand with pens and crayons for the girls (made us really appreciate being able to create a document on WORD and print it off x 35 back at home). In the workbooks we included inspirational quotes, pages for them to take notes, topic pages with questions for the girls to answer in regards to each topic, for example: Delaying Sex & Marriage, Menstruation, and Careers & Goals. The girls were divided into small groups for some games and discussions, led by myself, Michelle, Katie, Leenisha, Carolyn and two of the teachers from the school, Teacher Grace and Teacher Miriam. 

We stayed at St. Andrew's Cathedral, which supplied us with a great mixture of African Gospel music in the backround all weekend. The girls were given the choice of single, double, or triple rooms with community bathrooms.. needless to say as a group of teenage girls, they were all over the double and triple rooms. It was like summer camp. Mind you these girls live in Bududa aka the midst of nowhere up in the mountains, use pit latrines, do not have running water, and their only guaranteed meals are at the school during the day. So this weekend meant "catered" rice, beans, greens, metoque, and various forms of meat; one big sleepover with meant laughing and screaming until the wee hours of the night and running water meant it was time to bathe ALL the time. We limited the girls to a bath a day, and when it all went down, it was a wet, bubbly mess of crazy screaming Ugandan girls, butt naked. No modesty whatsoever, running up and down the halls. Again, like camp. We decided to step back and simply let the girls have fun. These are the moments that made the weekend for them.

We organized activities, games, and speakers for the girls. Teacher Jessica came Saturday morning and spoke with the girls about being a women in Uganda and the importance of education. Teacher Justine came Saturday evening and spoke with the girls about menstruation, sex, the importance of abstinence until marriage, and hygiene. We played so many games from our childhood that were such a hit, again, summer camp. Picture 31 young Ugandan girls in skirts trying to play the human knot, 3 legged race which just ended in a puddle of girls, red rover (so pretty much we taught young ugandian girls how to clothesline each other when running full speed….more stories to come), wheelbarrow races, water balloon toss, and move your butt. It was great! The girls loved working together as a team, competing, learning new games, and simply enjoyed being kids. 

At the beginning of the retreat the girls were quiet, would look out a window, or out a door when they spoke, and upon speaking, it wasn't any louder than a whisper. Eye contact was non existent. By the time we left, they would look at you when they spoke, voice their opinions in groups, ask questions, lead songs. It was amazing to watch the growth that occurred over a mere 48 hours. We wish so much that they did not have summer term and that it would have been feasible to make the retreat a week long. 

We really wanted the focus of the weekend to be empowerment amongst all the girls. We wanted them to focus on their self esteem, their intelligence, their abilities, the fact that they are capable of achieving whatever goals they set as long as they work hard. We never missed an opportunity to tell them that they were "able to succeed", that they are "equal to men", that they "deserve a good education", and most importantly, "no goal you set for yourself is too high." It was so wonderful to simply wrap our arms around these girls who require so much support and so much love that they do not get in their homes or in their communities, tis the nature of being a woman in Uganda. There were enough hugs, high fives, smiles, and laughs to last a lifetime in these past two days. 

We did a closing activity where each small group had a poster on which they had to outline the body of one of their group members. They each then had to help fill in the picture with words that pertained to "The Ugandan Girl". After completing their posters, all of the groups were given a chance to share the words they wrote. Determined. Kind. Compassionate. Caring. Giving. Helpful. Dedicated. Persistent. Resilient. Hardworking. Beautiful. Sweet. Intelligent. All these words that these girls came up with on their own, after a mere two days of discussions and activities. I stood there with tears in my eyes, taking in how much these girls had grown during the retreat. Taking in that THIS is the reason why where are here in Uganda, and trying to figure out how I will find it within myself to leave in two weeks. 

These girls wear no makeup. Many of them don't even wear a bra, not because they don't need one, simply because they cannot afford one. They all have their heads shaved to prevent lice. Few to none have their ears pierced. They do not wax their eyebrows. They own one to two skirts, maybe three if lucky. They wear shoes two times too big because it is all that's available, and they are lucky if they are even girl's shoes. They brush their teeth with sticks or their fingers. They do not own perfume, or fragrant lotions from Victoria's Secret or Bath and Body works… All of this combined, and they are single handedly the most beautiful girls I have ever laid eyes upon. They are the future of Uganda. If we have touched even one life, one girl, this weekend, even if just for a brief moment, then we will have succeeded.

Wheelbarrow races Uganda style

Water balloon toss

Kristen and Leenisha during one of our "Girl Empowerment" activities

Michelle and I with our beautiful group of girls during the retreat :)

Nakumatt and Bunabumali

Michelle here

Tuesday afternoon, we arrived back to the Red Chili camp site in Kampala and hopped on some bodas to go check out Nakumatt Oasis (what Lisa refers to as a third world Walmart). What we did not realize was that it was rush hour, in a city that we did not know,  and still with a slight language barrier trying to get 5 girls on 3 different bodas with 2 phones to the same Nakumatt… We were in for a ride of our life. Kristen and I have decided that Lyndsay has bad boda karma because Lyndsay's boda always has some sort of problem like stopping for gas, somehow getting turned around, getting a flat tire, getting stuck in a ditch, or having other mechanical difficulties. Kampala rush hour traffic is nothing like I have ever seen before and I have been to New York city a time or two. How a city can direct traffic with only one stop light, no sort of street signals or right of way for a matter of fact, and a ton of round-a-bouts, I do not know? I would like to see my dad (mr city boy himself) maneuver his way around this city in one piece. After weaving in and out of traffic, swerving around cows in the middle of the road, and ducking under truck doors to avoid getting knocked off the back of our bodas, all 5 of us arrived safely to Nakumatt. Lisa wasn't kidding when she compared it to Walmart. We were able to buy cheese, ice cream, cookies, and some basic ingredients for Douglas to make BLOODY MARYS. It was amazing. We made it back to camp where we meet up with some of our safari friends to have a couple of drinks and play some cards. Grandpa will be soo proud… I am teaching people all over the world how to play Liver Pool Rummy.  

Wednesday morning, we woke up relatively early so we could start our trek back to Bududa from Kampala. We started with a "express" bus to Mbale where we would then catch a matatu back to our stomping grounds of Bududa. In Bududa, we have become so used to rural poverty that is spread out along mountain sides and in between minze (corn) and bean fields connected by scenic dirt paths lined with palm trees, mountain streams, and mud huts. But in Kampala, like most city living, it is filled to the max with lots of people, cars and bodas, market places full of fresh produce, streets that were lined with public wasteland, junk yards full of rusty old cars and car parts, a couple of "skyscrapers," and every tinket corner shop imaginable. It is just people living on top of more people, stores on top of more stores, and trash on top tons and tons of trash. We started driving through town and after being here for almost a month and a half, I still can't get over the level of poverty that these people live in on a day to day basis and with a smile on their faces. AND THE COLORS, the colors here are so vibrant and beautiful. I think that it is because we see so many different shades of greens and browns of the landscape that when we see all the different colors of the tropical flowers, the women's gomazs (sunday best dresses), the wraps that they swaddle their babies to their backs with, the children's school uniforms, the laundry hanging on clothes lines, and the trim of the window shutters and door frames that they stand out like a diamond in a box of dress up jewelry. I never thought poverty could look so beautiful. 

We made it to Mbale where we had our first "black market" experience, walking in and out of dark and dingy alleys lined with hats, dresses, shoes, purses, and more. Then we hopped into yet another matatu back to Bududa. Nothing too exciting to mention on our matatu ride besides fitting 24 people in it (most people we have crammed into a matatu yet) and made it back to base in Bududa. 

Thursday morning, we went up to Emma's school again to teach. This time we taught the nursery children and P1-P3 basic health and hygiene of brushing teeth, proper sneezing tactics, and washing hands. The little ones enjoyed coming up to the front of the class to demonstrate washing their hands to the abc song and making bubbles with the soap. Then we talked to P4-P7 about their dreams, goals, career choices, and the importance of standing in school. We brought in candy for the older children for an incentive to get up and share their dream jobs in front of the class. Then the younger children did another song and dance for us and we had another photo shoot with all of them. They are adorable and need so much love and attention that we were more than welcome to shower them with. We had a meeting with the teachers that turned into a discussion about salaries and the lack of school funds that then turned into a working lunch meeting. Everywhere we go, people are showering us with hospitality and cornering us in a room until we eat. It is a huge slam in the face not to eat their food but feeling bad that they barely have a roof over their head and food on their plate, we ate in great company with the teachers. Then we headed home after a big rain, down the slippery hills for another adventurous ride on the back of bodas.  Intermingling some walking, we made it down alive.

Quick cuddle session before we boda-boda back to the clinic.

Contemplating how we can bring each and every one of these children back to the US with us.

Safari Shoutout

Kristen here

We organized our safari with Red Chili which provided us with a place to sleep upon arriving to Kampala. We awoke early Sunday morning and departed on our 3 day adventure with our guide Sam in his matatu with a "Safari type" convertible roof. We drove most of the morning Sunday and arrived at the Ugandan Rhino Sanctuary. There are 12 Rhinos in Uganda total, 10 of which are at this sanctuary. Shout out to Walt Disney's Animal Kingdom who donated one rhino that mated with a rhino donated from Kenya. The offspring was named Baby Obama! (President Obama's father is from Kenya, his mother from the USA. Hahaha…). The Obama obsession in this country continues. We thought the Obama t-shirts, flip flops, and belts were bad… the baby Obama rhino takes the cake. 

Our safari group consisted of the 3 of us, Katie and Leenisha (the other 2 FIMRC volunteers) Eric and Annalee (veterinary students from Canada) and Vicky (a british girl traveling for her work with an NGO). We became close new friends. As we continued on our way until we reached Murchison Falls National Park. We immediately started seeing our first glimpse of the wild life…a TON of baboons. They would sit in the middle of the road until we nearly hit them. The babies would sit on the side of the road and just look at the "mzungus" driving past. Once we got to our campsite, there were multiple warthogs just hanging out. We called them all "Pumba". I'm pretty sure the 8 of us sang songs from the Lion King multiple times over the next few days…

We settled into our tents, had some dinner and taught our new friends the card game "liverpool" (shoutout to Michelle's grandpa). The next day was going to be an early start!

Our 6:00am alarm went off far too soon! But we headed out in our convertible matatu none the less. We crossed the Nile and entered into the grasslands. I'm not sure how to word how cool it was to see this "zoo in the wild" (shoutout to Dad!). We have all agreed that photos will not do it justice….so I think I'll leave most of this blog up to your imagination! ;-) The deer, giraffes, elephants, monkeys, birds, hippos were all so beautiful in person. And it was surreal to see them in their natural habitat. Our convertible matatu went chasing after "the Lions" but we never ended up seeing them. :-( So very cool though. We were glad to have our vet friends on the trip with us to give us a little education too! We loved Eric's "fun fact of the day" too.

We returned to camp and had lunch before heading out on the afternoon's activities. Our safari continued on a boat down the Nile! We saw many crocodiles, hippos and other animals from the water. Our final destination was the bottom of Murchison Falls….which is a beautiful waterfall (and the park's namesake!). We took a rather sweaty but BEAUTIFUL hike through the foliage with the sun setting. The hike itself was incredible, but the destination was even better. At the top of the falls, we could get as close to the rushing water as we dared. We took some time to sit and admire the beauty. Eventually, we had to leave and head back to camp; seeing many animals along the way.

Tuesday morning of our safari was when we went chimp tracking. Our guides were incredibly enthusiastic about the animals and I thought for sure one of them was going to stick his finger in some poop to see how "fresh" it was. His tactic seemed to work though since we ended up seeing many chimps. They are just as playful in the wild as they are in the zoo. Our safari group was sad to leave the chimp habitat but it was time to head back to Kampala.

Jijna

Thursday morning we (along with Leenisha and Katie) got into yet another Matatu... after circling the Bududa Loop more than once, we headed to Mbale. After insanely complicated bank stops (who knew bank service was on "Africa Time" too??) we got into another Matatu to head back to Jinja. We are safari-ing on Sunday leaving from Kampala so we decided to use the rest of our long weekend (yet another public holiday) to go back to Jinja for some more fun and western food! So nice to get away from the rice, posha and beans that we eat every day!

We found some shops and bought some cool African crafts and then settled down for a nice dinner. We all had appetizers, a main course, drinks, and split a dessert. We havent spent 30,000 ugx on ANYTHING while we've been here so it felt like a lot....but it's actually less than 15 US dollars. Wow. Lots of food for pretty cheap. Most everything has been very inexpensive....which has been nice for us to do some traveling and not feel as guilty about the dent it's putting in our bank accounts.

We went to a campsite through Nile River Explorers which sits on a cliff overlooking the Nile. It was gorgeous!!! We had a few more drinks while sitting on the deck before heading to bed....we knew we had another early morning adventure in store!

Friday morning we woke, had a delicious breakfast of either pancakes, fruit with yogurt, eggs and toast or an omelette (yes, we are fixating on food since we have come to appreciate the variety and availability of it in the states. And yes, we have food cravings comparable to pregnant women). Then we met up at the kayak school.
David was going to be our trusty guide for the day and we set out in 3 tandem kayak. Lynds and I were together, Mich and the guide, and Leenisha and Katie. For a few minutes, we laughed as the inexperienced duo (Katie and Leenisha) made circles in their kayaks as they tried out their paddling skills. Michelle ended up swapping with Katie to test out her rapid-guiding abilities.

We had a great time...we floated along, had a few little rapids, and floated with the current. We got to kayak up to a group of monkeys playing in trees and on vines. It was surreal. A moment I wished I could have had my camera but knew I would just have to store them on my mind's memory card instead. There's been so many instances that I think, "wow, I hope I remember this forever." We paddled up to an island that had these huge mountain lizards sitting in the sun.

At one rapid it was a little big more intense...and Lynds and I flip and end up swimming through it instead (I may not have the kayaking skills I was thought...Dad, we need to practice!). We got out at an island, walked around the rapid and tried it again. Lyndsay and I were successful that time! During our celebration and while we go to watch Leenisha and Michelle navigate over the waves, Lynds and I TIP OUR BOAT!! So we ended up swimming again!

We are convinced our kayak had rocks in it catching up off balance because we tipped at least one other time and had a few near misses. But our guide and Katie flipped too, so I don't feel as bad! Michelle managed to guide her kayak very well, so I think she's ready to move to Colorado and start her next career as raft guide!

That afternoon we took exotic showers! our campsite has showers that open up to overlook the Nile. It was so enjoyable to shave your legs to a beautiful view! We have gotten use to showers that we cut short to conserve water (not to mention the fact that they are freezing cold!) that it was really nice to linger in the shower and enjoy.

We all sat around and had some drinks and got ready for our sunset river cruise! The 5 of us met up with another touring group and got on this boat.We bonded quickly with the African staff and enjoyed drinking and eating while watching the sun come down. It was beautiful. I took many pictures and even my DSLR won't do the real thing justice. Photos just can't capture moments.

The group we were with was having a sing off...so we helped the back of the bus compete with the front. It was such fun! Back at camp, the bar had turned into a dance floor and we danced the night away with our new friends. We had needed a night "out" and it felt great to be dancing. You would think we would have stayed up late and out all night but I think we were all still in bed by 11pm... us night shifters may have developed a circadian rhythm again!?

Saturday now... sitting in an internet cafe in Jinja before we catch a shuttle to Kampala. I think we are planning on picking up a few supplies from "the big city" for our life in Bududa and relaxing before we head out on our safari!

Hope we don't get eaten by any cheetahs! And look forward to the tales of our next African Adventure!

Sunset Cruise :)

Leenisha, Katie, David, Michelle, Kristen and I after our "Kayak the Nile" experience

Clinic Life

Lyndsay here,
So we decided, we have done a really good job at painting a picture of Uganda in terms of culture, housing, food, people, and all the crazy stories/things that seem to go wrong when the three of us our together, things that have made us laugh, cry, and touched us in a deeper way than we had ever thought possible.. The one thing we haven't really done a good job at is describing more of the clinic, the people there who work with us on a daily basis, and more updates of the work we have been doing everyday.

Oh the people, who have grown to be family in a matter of a few short weeks, we are already dreading the moments we have to say goodbye. Every morning, after leaving the guesthouse around 9 am for our blistering hot walk through jungles of trees (resembling my father's yard in many respects, including the abundant men/women/children carrying machetes) on the uneven red dirt roads up the side of a very steep mountain, we arrive, always covered in sweat, greeted with smiles, hugs, and already "thanks yous" for the work we will do for the day, before we have even started. We are thanked for walking into a clinic, walking into a store, we have even had people thank us when we are out on a run... The Ugandan people here are simply that, so grateful. Which has taken us all by such surprise given I usually make it through several 12 hour shifts at work without ever hearing a thank you.

The usuals at work, Dr. Lisa and Douglas of course. Richard, Kristen's Ugandan brother, who works as the Outreach Coordinator and pretty much does everything and anything ANYONE needs. He is always smiling, laughing, and is so animated! He manages to make talking to grown men and women about sexually transmitted diseases a fun thing.. He also works one day a week at an orphanage where we have been going every Monday to do teaching. This past week we taught them about setting goals and how to achieve them. We had each child draw what they wanted to be when they grew up (easier said than done when you don't even have enough pencils or crayons for your class), they then could present to the class if they so chose to. The majority wanted to be airplane drivers, nurses, teachers, and one child who wanted to be a doctor! We spent time encouraging them that things will not be easy, but they can do anything they put their minds to (a lil piece of advie handed down from our parents during 4 grueling years of nursing school, we love you all for it)!

Back to the clinic staff, sorry for my tangent there, we are slightly obsessed with the orphanage, the teachers there, and obvisouly all the children (of which we each want to bring back 5 or 10) and I could talk about them forever...  Along with Richard is Wilson, a 53 year old Ugandan man, who looks like he is in his 60's (the people physically age here so quickly due to the stressful lifestyle) yet has the spirit of a young man. He often teases us for the singing and dancing we do in the clinic, and likes to say we are not "spirited" enough... Please, I don't honestly think 3 women can get any louder than Kristen, Michelle, and I when you put us together. I would also like to put Wilson in a bag, along with my Ugandan children and bring him back to the US.  Needless to say I hug him as much as possible.

Irene is 25, works as a nurse, she is sweet, beautiful, soft spoken, and has a heart of gold. She is always so happy to see us, and looks drop dead gorgeous. She is married to James who works as one of the 2 Clinical Officers (an equivalent to a PA in the states). Along with James as a C.O. is Viola, more quite, and keeps to herself more than the others, but we love her all the same. She is always dressed in a gorgeous dress with her hair well done.

Rogers... oh Rogers. Rogers working at Station 4, which is where all IV's are done, wound care, debridement of burns, abscess drainage, oral medications given, IV medications given, and medications dispensed for patients to take home. Needless to say, we have bonded with Rogers over countless IV's, tons of wound care, several painful and heartbreaking burns, boda injuries, etc. Rogers told Michelle and I we "sympathize too much" when we were taking our time cleaning the boda injury of a grown man. He got in there and started clipping off pieces of skin, usuing sutures to make mini touniquest to leave to stop bleeding, scrubbing hard, cutting this, pulling that... Michelle and I were wincing the entire time. At this point I turn to him and say, "Rogers, I am a pediatric nurse. I like to hold my patients and sing to them when they are in pain." And he tells me I should sing to him... and I did. Didn't help, cause he still looked like he wanted to hit me in face and take a swing at Rogers too. We have really learned from him what practicing 3rd world medicine is like, and that pain is not the emergent need to be addressed, there simply are not the resources. You get in, get out, and pray they will come back the following day for follow up.

Emma works in the lab, he is still on a volunteer basis, will start to be paid staff in a few months. He is smart and such a great teacher. We have really enojyed his company. Musa is the HIV testing/couselor/resource. He is tall, think, dark as night, and speaks every so softly, you can barely hear him. He is one of those people whom you need only talk to for a moment, and you can tell he is the sweetest person in the world who would do anything for anyone. We love Musa, and given that he is nearing 31 and unmarried, Wilson has told us it is our mission to find him a wife before we leave. Given that the life expectancy here is between 40 and 50, apparently 31 with no children is considered "old."

Julius and Grace work as counselors for discharge teaching, why you take medications, how to take them, treatment plans, symptoms to watch for. Michelle cant manage to look at Julius with a straight face because he talks, laughs, looks like Rafiki from the Lion King. And last, but certaintly not least, Ida. Ida is the housekeeper for the clinic, does grounds work, helps to cook meals, cleans the latrines, she does it all. She is one of the first ones there and one of the last to leave, and always with a kind word and smile on her face.

Each and every one of them embodies the Ugandan spirit and what it truly means to serve people around you. Despite the fact that many of them have may tangibly have close to nothing (you see some of them rotating the same 2 or 3 outfits because it is all they have) they have everything that truly matters to give. Love. Compassion. Support. Kindness. That is what life is all about. This trip has served us with the perfect reminder of just that.

The Crossing has nothing on Uganda...

Sunday we went to church. All 3 of us are church-goin' girls so we have been missing our usual weekend routine. Lyndsay, Michelle, Leenisha, Katie (the other 2 volunteers that are here now) and I decided to go to my Ugandan brother's church since he had been very nice to invite us and it would be one of our only weekends staying in Bududa. I start off by saying we arrived at 9:40am (this is an important detail!)

Please note: I will be throwing in a lot of comparisons to and shameless plugs for my church because I LOVE it. For those of you readers who may be looking for a church, The Crossing could be the place for you. It's non-denominational, thrives on modern art and music, and is always worth the drive. Check out wcrossing.org for more info.

The building itself couldn't be further from any church we have entered. No beautiful vaulted ceilings of a cathedral, no wooden pews or stained glass of a presbyterian church, no modern technology and bold colors like the Crossing. It had 4 mud walls, and a dirt floor. A few rows of benches made from planks of wood were separated by an aisle. The alter was a wooden table.

.

We started off being lead in song by Richard's wife which really reminded me of Robin Holder, who wails on the mic at my church (How I miss your voice…and you). There was much singing in Lugesu in which we awkwardly swayed and clapped along hoping that it wasn't really pagan worship music. We all were missing our David Crowder and Charlie Hall covers.

Eventually everyone stopped singing and started praying out loud. And not quietly, many were shouting and walking around. I can't imagine the chaos that would ensue if all 500 people at my church did that. After  that, Richard began translating for us and would even tell us what the songs were about so it was easier to follow along. (There is intermittent singing throughout the service)

Next was a message by one of the pastors. Like my church, they have one pastor for every 10 members… about 4 total. I think I counted 34 heads… adults and babies all included. After that I'm assuming we are about to wrap things up. Its about 11:00 and Richard says it's "testimony" time. The other pastors speak and some other members do… all having very insightful and inspiring things to say. All were very thankful for visitors and thanked us for the work we are doing in Uganda. Many prayers were said for us. I was completely humbled. Of course, Richard tells us they want a testimony from us in which I am nominated. Oh goodness if Greg Holder ever put me on stage without warning… 

After the testimony part, another pastor speaks. So I'm thinking, Ok… this must be the sermon then?? But then another pastor gives a "sermon". Not long after my watch hand hit 12:40, the pastor currently speaking says he is wrapping things up but then says they are going to let the last pastor speak. At this point my butt is killing me with the wooden bench under neath and I'm way beyond my 1.5 hour movie/speaker/anything attention span. ADD has set in. People get uneasy if my church goes 15 minutes over an hour. The last pastor to speak is the one that gave a long winded "testimony" and his sermon proved to be nothing short of the same. Everyone was at their top performance with a bunch of "Mzungos" in the building.

There was more singing. There was some weird praying for people that resembled something more like an exorcism. There were babies being swapped around (which actually happened a lot throughout the whole thing. One would exit one woman's arms and then latch on to someone's boob and would eventually end up in some man's arms. We were all playing "Whose baby is it, anyway?" in our heads.) There was more singing. It probably went on all afternoon but eventually Richard pulled us away saying his mom and wife were preparing tea for us. Normally, we turn down unnecessary hospitality but we were so relieved to be out of there (time is 1:30pm) that we agreed.

We spend some lovely time having milk tea (I think the first milk I've had the whole trip) and playing with Richard's kids, Simon and Agift (because she is a gift… get it??), and the foster kids that were around. They offered to make us lunch? dinner? what meal is at 3:00pm?? But we didn't want to impose and were ready to be back to our "home" after a long weekend away. People are so generous here… even the ones that we know have very little. I feel guilty accepting tea or coffee (which is essentially dirty water). 

So the service wasn't what I am used to, and it's probably not something I would choose to do if America offered 4 hour long church services (but alas, we aren't on "African Time"), but it reminded me that the body of Christ is world wide. People are generous of heart and soul when material goods are lacking. I thought I would come to Uganda to be the hands and feet of Jesus, but feel like my feet are the ones being washed by others.

The Infamous Richard and Kristen, can't you tell their brother and sister?

Zaale's

This weekend we stayed with a host family, David and Elizabeth Zaale, close friend's of Lisa's who had housed her for her multiple visits to Uganda prior to her moving into the guesthouse in which we now live. Elizabeth is the local chairman in the Ugandan government, and her husband David also works in the government, after having been an English/American Literature professor for over 30 years. They so graciously opened their home to Michelle, Kristen and I, in addition to Katie and Leenisha the other two volunteers who will be here the remainder of our time here. We arrived at their home Friday night, after a crazy busy day in Mbale and a matutu ride to go down in history, to a feast of wonderful Ugandan food! We had a few various forms of meat (unidentifiable but of course… it may be organ meat or intestines most likely since that is mostly what is served here), rice, matoke (mashed plantains), beans, cooked cabbage, bamboo shoot sauce, chapati (a sort of tortilla, MY FAVORITE UGANDAN FOOD, more details to come) & Pilsner beer which David was trying to force down our throats! Every beverage here is served at room temperature due to the fact that there are no refrigerators, which makes beer everything but appealing on a warm/hot day. We ate, and ate well, and I think at this point we have all officially eaten our own weight in rice and beans (my Panamanian side is not complaining, Michelle and Fisch, ehhh not so much). 

We went to bed early that night (reminder with no electricity, bedtime for us is usually between 9 and 10pm, far from usual for 3 night shift nurses) to wake up early Saturday morning for our hike. By early Saturday morning I mean of course, we awoke around 4:30 am to the choir of roosters cock-a-doodle-doodling, men praying, children screaming and crying, and somewhere music bumping loudly in the distance. The Zaale's son Julius was our guide as we hiked to Nametzi, the site of a horrible mudslide that occurred last March. It is sad to see such a tragedy that affected so many people and took many lives, and it barely made news. Not comparable to the Haiti earthquake in terms of death toll, but still tragic and seriously impacted and affected so many lives here. With the heavy rains that happen here during the rainy season, in combination with the terrace farming people do high on the mountainsides (there are literally fields reaching up to the peaks of mountains), a large landslide occurred, wiping out an entire town, including a health clinic and school. Over 300 men, women, and children were killed in an instant, and only 90 something bodies were recovered. The clinic was a level 3, meaning it had a maternity ward and a few inpatients, all of whom died, in addition to a nurse and clinical officer working the night shift. The landslide occurred at 9pm, with heavy rains persisting, no electricity, and t is a little over an hour hike back to the site from the road. If you can only imagine the sight to be seen at sunrise, a time which is serene and beautiful, was instead morbid and heartbreaking. Lisa showed us pictures one of the men at the clinic had taken that morning, and all you see is bodies, livestock, boulders, and trees strewn about in the midst of a muddy, chaotic mess. A boulder landed on top of the health clinic 3 (meaning an inpatient clinic), crushing everything and everyone inside. There are photos of sons and daughters walking around aimlessly atop the soil, in desperate attempts to find some indicator that one of the dead bodies may belong to their parents, and that they may at least give them a proper burial. It was surreal to trace their steps a year later, as the rain began to fall yet again, it took everything not to cry, and strength from the Lord to simply pray for peace for the victims and their families of this horrible disaster.

We returned to the Zaale's late morning after a roller coaster boda ride down a muddy mountain, covered from head to toe, greeted by Elizabeth with WARM water for BUCKET baths (no running showers at their house), oh the small things you cherish when living in Africa… We ate lunch with David and laid down for a quick nap during the afternoon. After a recharge, we spent the afternoon playing Bananagrams with David, which he claims we were simply "Too fast" for him! Bananagrams has been the chosen game of this trip, we may be at Olympic qualifying level by the time we get back to the states.

Now comes the best part of the weekend (at least in my opinion)… Katie and I are obsessed with chapati (Michelle and Kristen tolerate it) and were set on learning how to make chapati the next time Elizabeth made it. So we sat down with her, two of her grandchildren, out on the porch, in the rain, to make chapati (pictures and videos to come). Michelle was poking at me incessantly as I was struggling with the fact that Elizabeth never used as much as a tablespoon or measuring cup when instructing me to mix all the ingredients together. I used to say I simply could not cook without following a recipe to a tee, however after living in Africa for a month, I'm thinking there may be no time like the present to change my ways… After few bags of flour, some salt, water, and oil, Oil, OIL, did I mention oil, I was kneading dough for what felt like 4 hours before it was time to move into one of the vacant rooms to make room for all of us to watch as we cooked. I will do my best to describe the scene at hand, though I feel no combination of words will do it justice…

Michelle, Kristen, Katie, Leenisha, and I joined Elizabeth and her two grandchildren in a half built room, all exposed brick, cement leaking between the bricks, "windows" with iron bars, one boda with a chicken perched on top of it, several pieces of tin roof yet to be applied, random wooden beams strewn about, the only light from two kerosene lamps, while cooking over a circular stone heated by coals. First we coat the stone in…oil, big surprise, then methodically roll the dough, cover it in more oil, and throw it onto the stone only to watch it cook and crisp right in front of our eyes (Katie and I were drooling at this point). Elizabeth was kind enough to allow us to eat the first two chapati made, they were warm, flaky, pieces of goodness, made by yours truly :) Will do my best to recreate once back home for those interested.

We spent 3-4 hours cooking chapati and simply talking with Elizabeth about life in Uganda, the role of women in the society here, and childbirth. Elizabeth is a mother of 7 and was telling us vivid stories of birthing babies at home, on her own, not as much as a neighbor or her husband to support her, with a sheet over a latrine, her only pain control deep breathing. The women here are strong in a way I have never seen before. Their hands are wrinkly, cracked, and worn from washing laundry by hand, the muscles in their arms and legs match those of a 20 year old man in his physical prime from all of their work in the fields, miles upon miles of walking everyday, and cooking everything by hand (no Kitchen Aids here). The women here are still so oppressed, abused, degraded, yet their strength is resilient. We could really learn a thing or two from them. 

We ate dinner around 10pm, that's Africa baby, followed by a dance party with David, Elizabeth, their son Jospeh, neighbors, friends, random people who showed up at the front door (that's Africa baby) etc. African music can only be played at full volume (much like Hispanic music), and we danced the night away, with the generator on it gave us enough power for light & music! We rocked out like party animals and actually stayed awake until midnight, which simply does not happen here… Awoke early the next morning to have milk tea and toast with David and Elizabeth prior to our departure for Richard's church. Little did we know the adventure that would await us….

Our friends we made during our hike up to the landslide.

Michelle and "Dowdy" David and Elizabeth's grandson, took him a day to warm up, but once he did, he quickly became the most photographed child in Uganda.

Chapati Making 101 with Elizabeth and her grandchildren Ida and Dowdy

Kristen cooking like a true Ugandan. Wine bottle as a rolling pin? Absolutely!

Modified umbrella as rainfall stikes yet again by the site of the landslide.

Mbale Regional

Michelle here:

Today we woke up as usual, ate the staple breakfast of hardboiled eggs and oatmeal or peanut butter and toast, and headed off to Mbale for the day. We have become accustom to regular transportation by matatu and now I have set a personal legend of trying to fit 29 people, 2 goats, chickens, a mattress, and as many other random materials into a matatu at one time…we have only gotten up to 22 people plus random supplies but nothing worth mentioning…yet but will keep you posted. We went into Mbale to visit Mbale Regional Hospital and CURE Children's Neurological Hospital with our trusty guides Richard and Peter. After arriving in Mbale, we made our way first to Mbale Regional where we met the Director of Nursing (yes, they are still in the 1920s and wearing full white dresses and caps…pictures will be posted) and then able to walk around the facility. It is amazing what equipment and specialities they actually have for being a third world country. We walked through the Xray Unit, where they were able to do full body scans, swallow studies, ultrasound, barium edemas for bowel obstruction studies, and fluoroscopy. Then we walked through the ENT department, adult male and female wards, and the operation theatre. We were all very impressed with the use of space until we hit the pediatric and casualty wards (no not the morgue but the trauma/ortho unit). As we started towards the pediatricic ward, kids and parents were lining the outside on the walkway and I mean completely filling the walkway, where it was difficult to even walk through. Most to almost all of the children had IVs hooked up to fluid hanging from the fence posts, sitting on blankets breastfeeding, or shoved into the corner waiting in line for treatment… and I am nurse but not a pediatric nurse and I was slightly uncomfortable with the amounts of scalp vein IVs that were just walking around the compound. We must have been there in prime time for rounding and were able to see residents checking up on patients and charting or whatever you want to call it (and yes wearing white lab coats) and nurses passing meds. Then we walked into the casualty ward, where we were truly slapped in the face of being a third world country and the limitation to resources. It takes a very imaginative person to be a trauma attending here in Uganda… they makeshift traction setup from cloth and some sort of pulley system, chest tubes out of plastic tubes draining into water bottles, and casting materials that very much so looks like a clumpy plaster but it all works!! Their trauma center is very busy with all the boda accidents, tree climbing accidents, and burn victims. Bed after bed, there was another sad story of the patient falling off something, breaking something else, and needing more or better resources to care for their injuries. BUT there is a special request for Brittany Richardson to fly to Uganda to do some very needed pin care… I know how much you love your pin care. There is so much work to be done and they definitely do the best that they can with what they have. 

We met Douglas for a Western lunch at our new favorite cafe called Chat 'n' Chinos where we listened to Western music such as Justin Beiber, Gavin DeGraw, Jack Johnson, Rihanna, David Crowder Band, and many more favorites. They had the cleanest bathroom that we have seen yet in the whole country of Uganda not to mention a sitting, flushing toilet, amazing food, gorgeous painting and jewelry for sale (all proceeds go towards a orphanage close to Mbale), and slow service but that is typical in Africa (T.A.B. = Thats Africa Baby).    

Then we went to CURE Children's Hospital… it was quite a change of scenery. Just by walking onto CURE's property, you could tell that it was a USA supported hospital with its pedicured lawn treatment, different colorful arrangements of shrubbery, and beautiful brick buildings. There are several American Pediatric Neurosurgeons and one local doctor performing various surgeries such as shunt placement for hydrocepholus, meningocele tumor removal, spinal bifida, brain tumor removals, and more on a daily basis . They also have other services such as physiotherapy (as they call it), social workers, food services for patient and family members, and a housing center (aka a bunch of bunk beds like grade school camp all over again). They do so much good work and reach out to the surrounding communities of Uganda and Kenya and also all they way to Rwanda. Culture states that these babies are dead to the world, are born dirty, are not welcomed back into the community, and don't even deserve a birth name or they are named dirty or morbid names.  CURE is working with the patients and families on changing their views on these myths and cultural misperceptions, naming or renaming the babies, reuniting them back into the community, and restoring their hope. 

After the long day of touring, our adventures were nowhere near done… Douglas' mission of the day was to buy and transport a filing cabinet back to Bududa BY MATATU. 3 Ugandan men and Douglas strapped the filing cabinet to a bicycle, rolled the filing cabinet from the street side shop to the matatu taxi park, loaded it into the front seat of the matatu, and had to pay for 4 seats for transport of just the filing cabinet while Lyndsay stood by watching/videotaping the whole thing. Needless to say, the Mzungos chartered our own matatu and were riddin' dirty back to Bududa. But I am nowhere near my personal legend because we only fit 17 people, one filing cabinet, 2 wash basins, 2 fifths of vodka, one liter of Fanta, random amounts of produce, boxes of printing paper, and all our overnight bags for the weekend. Shout out to Christi Mecca for the best playlist ever and thank you for providing a soundtrack for all our enjoyable matatu rides. "Call me Conductor, I can make your matatu rock from the windows to the walls feeling anything but untouched cause we're not riding solo going along one bump at a time."

Through the Eyes of a Child

Today is another public holiday in Uganda, Hero's Day, so the clinic is closed. It's kinda funny, Uganda seems to have some sort of holiday every week here. We had Martyr's Day last week, and National African Child Day next week. We are spending the day recharging our batteries, just spending quality time together around the guesthouse. We have all come to be a form of family, Lisa, Doug, Kristen, Michelle, Katie, Leenisha (the latest volunteer from Lexington, KY who will be here till the end of July), Carolyn (a volunteer from the school associated with the clinic) and myself. We had a wonderful night last night, Doug spoiled us and made "pizza" with real mozzarella cheese! Our first time to have cheese since leaving the US, it is crazy the small things you will miss.

This week has been emotionally trying for all of us. Kristen wrote about our Monday spent at the orphanage with some of the most precious children I have ever seen. These children need everything, toothbrushes, soap, clothing, even money so they can pay for lunch at school, yet these children ask for nothing. Tuesday and Wednesday we spent in the clinic working on visual aids we will be using to do Alcohol Awareness Education. There is a huge issue with people drinking in excess here and the topic hasn't really been addressed in the community. It was so sad and disheartening to see on Monday as we are standing outside the school with all of these children that adults were beligerent and drunk, eyes red, walking crooked, and it was just past 10am. These children aren't even safe in their own school. Richard (Kristen's Ugandan brother) told us they had an issue with a drunk who stumbled into the classroom while the teacher had stepped out and he started beating the children. It breaks my heart to even type this, but this is their life, their reality, each and everyday.

We have been doing a lot of IV's on children to administer Quinine, a malaria medication they give IV upon diagnosis before sending the child home on oral medications. It is crazy to see the true prevalence of the disease amongst the people here. We also had a 2 year old boy come in Tuesday morning who had fallen into a pot of boiling soup and badly burnt his bottom. We had to drain the blisters, remove the dead skin, clean the area, and apply dressings, all without pain medication. He was so strong and actually slept through the first part of process, however once he awoke, it was miserable to listen to him scream, and cry, and beg us to stop. Knowing in the US that he would have ample pain control, and here we could give him nothing. We sent the father home instructing him to try and keep the dressing as clean as possible and bring the child back first thing in the morning for a dressing change. He came back Wednesday morning and despite our attempts at a wet to dry dressing with the supplies we had, it dried completely, adhering the the fresh layer of skin that had started to form, thus the dressing change was grueling and painful, yet again, no pain medication. This child is one of the strongest I have met yet. His eyes are so big and brown, upon one glance they melt your heart, and it kills me that we couldn't explain to him we were just trying to help him. It is times like this, through the eyes of a small child, in which we see God working here. We hugged him, kissed him, and simply loved on him the ways we best knew how to and pray to God that he feels that. Michelle had a patient again yesterday 12 years old, with a burn on her leg from one of the bodas, which has become quite infected, and again, no pain medications given, and the girl did not shed a tear during her treatment.

These people of Uganda are some of the most strong, resilient, admirable people I have ever met. Their spirits are strong, smiles wide, hearts so giving- I can only pray that I will one day encompass half of these qualities that they all seem to possess.

White As Milk

So today, I'm feeling as white as milk (thanks Momma Webb for the terminology). And it's not because it's a week into June and I'm still more pasty pale than my other friends. Or that I'm sitting on the equator and haven't managed to get toasty brown. In fact, the only dark spots I have are the ones still remaining on my arm from the oil spill of 2011 (reference yesterday's blog). Judging from that you should know that it is Kristen typing. 

Let me start at the beginning as to why I'm feeling so white…

Today, my Ugandan brother, Richard (pastor, orphanage school principal and Community Health Outreach coordinator at FIMRC's clinic), invited us to his school for orphans to do some health education with them. We met Richard in the village near our guesthouse (Kikholo) which has a market every Monday. Lyndsay took a photo of me sitting in a town of very dark Africans (one of these things if not like the other) running around with matoke bundles and live chickens. The market is very busy and there are a TON of people everywhere. Richard was able to locate us by skin color alone. We took a Matatu to the village Richard's school is in.

At the school, we meet the other teachers and then meet the nursery school kids. They were like bees to the hive. I felt like I was being swarmed. Or that I was Kate Middleton. The kids kept coming up and stroking my skin as if it would somehow feel different than their own. They wanted to hold hands; our fingers intertwined gave off the design of zebra print. In drastic contrast to their darkest black skin, mine shone vibrant white. Just like kids everywhere, they wanted to be noticed, to be acknowledged, and to be recognized. The 3 of us didn't have enough hugs, high fives or tickles to go around.

We did actually get down to business and do some work. Our presentation to the primary school kids was very receptive. We talked about basic hygiene and made them demonstrate how to wash their hands (while singing the ABC song, of course!). One of the kids asked what to do if they didn't have a toothbrush or soap. Wow. I don't know a child in America that doesn't have at least a bar of soap. The kids sang for us, they smiled wide grins. 

We sat in the teacher's office and over a couple bottles of Mountain Dew, I had a serious "this is why you are here" moment. Richard explained how these orphans have nothing. Most of their parents just drink all day long (something we witness in Bushika), so he provides them with other families to live with (like a foster family). Except that those families don't always treat the orphan in the right way- letting all the other kids eat first, spending money on clothing for everyone else, etc. Richard provides an education and escape for these children but he often can't give them a lunch during the day. You don't understand relying entirely on God's provision until you are literally praying for rice for lunches, chalkboard slates for the students, or a small salary for your one licensed school teacher. We prayed just that with Richard. He is starting to build a new building- but the funds run dry. Again, more prayers for provision. It takes faith that moves mountains. 

Richard is an amazing man of God- one that I'm already honored to call a friend and "brother". He is changing lives. He has big dreams but inspires the kids to have bigger. There is no money, there is little government support, there aren't opportunities here. Hope is the only thing Africa has. Richard is a beacon of hope in a country that has so little.

The 3 of us aren't here to save or heal the world. We alone can not manage that. We cant even reach an entire district of Uganda. If I do nothing else with my time here, I want it to be making a preschooler smile, recognizing a kid on the street or inspiring a little bit of hope to a middle school girl. We change the world one person at a time. That's being uncommon

Grand Theft Auto, Mt. Olympus, and 101 Dalmations

June 4- Saturday 

Where do I even begin to tell you about the adventures that await three American women traveling in Uganda? There are no words, no sarcastic tones, no jokes that will do our experiences yesterday justice. The video that I shot in the matatu full of 22 people (more on this to follow) may be the only true glimpse you will ever have at Ugandan transportation. It is entertaining enough in itself that it is almost worth the trip here alone to simply say you have ridden in these crazy vehicles. 

Friday was Ugandan Martyr's Day, a National holiday, so the clinic was closed for the day. We decided to use the day off to take a weekend trip to Sipi Falls which is about 4 hours away from where we are living, to see the 3 famous waterfalls in Uganda. We enjoyed a relaxing morning, went for a run, Douglas spoiled us and made scrambled eggs with green peppers and pancakes for brunch. We drank coffee, read, and headed out around noon. We walked to the local village Kikholo to wait for a matatu to take us to Mbale where we would get on another matatu to Sipi. Now mind you, Africa has no time tables, no schedules, no one is where they're supposed to be after telling you they would be there (Michelle keeps saying "and you think I'm bad?", so we literally were standing in the midst of this hustling, bustling village, in broad daylight, Ugandan people everywhere, and we couldn't have stuck out anymore: Kristen and her pasty white skin with radiant blond hair, Michelle and I with our afros waving in the wind, which is quite the site to them considering the women here usually have shaved heads. So we are standing in the middle of this village literally just waiting, not knowing if it will be 10 minutes or 3 hours until a matatu shows up, luckily, we only ended up waiting about 30 minutes or so. And then we were off, and the chaos ensued. 

We climb in the back row of the 15 passenger van, little do we know that by the end of this trip we will have managed to squeeze 22 fully grown adults into this van that should only technically and safely speaking seat maybe 12-15 people. There is no such thing as a personable bubble in Uganda (good thing for Michelle and I) as grown men were sitting on top of each other's laps, piling at time 3 or 4 men on top of each other, anything to make a buck around here. At this point, I pulled out the camera and took video thinking it was the only way to truly depict the chaos that we were in the middle of. At this point I turn to Kristen and Michelle and state, "Oh the things you will do in Africa," which has come to be our motto for this trip. In addition to the sardine can we were driving in, there were the usual stop and go's to let people on and off, simply holler at other taxi drivers for a fist pump outside the window, or barter for some grilled corn or other local delicacy being sold on the side of the street. When I think it cannot possibly get any worse, or should I say entertaining for lack of a better word, we hear this horrible sound as if a chicken or goat has been run over as our matatu is moving backwards in reverse, don't mind it, its simply the warning sound the taxi makes while in reverse, screaming chickens? Really? Only in Uganda. Needless to say, I was upset I didn't have the videocamera out for that one. 

We arrive in Mbale and make our trek to the taxi park to find a matatu to take us to Sipi. Travel is Uganda is sometimes difficult and this was not exactly an easy feat. We finally find one and we are on our way. After a 2 hour matatu ride, lots of confusion, and a bumpy boda ride up the side of a mountain, we arrived to Sipi Falls and our hostel, the Crows Nest. There is no electricity, no running water, there is a latrine in our room that you can actually sit on, mind you it is still simply a hole in the ground, and there is a KING sized bed in the room, fully equipped with a KING sized mosquito net. That is literally it in the room, bed, net, and latrine. We have nicknamed the latriene "Mt. Olympus" due to the fact that you have to climb up into the the room 4 stairts and the latrine is simply a mound in the midst of nothingness.

The view here is truly breathtaking and out of this world. As I sit here typing this, I am looking at the largest of the 3 waterfalls, water falling 100 meters, and cannot believe my eyes. We hiked to this waterfall early this morning (you always have to start early here due to the rain that comes everyday) and took umpteen pictures for you guys back in the states. We are looking forward to a "warm" shower, when they actually turn on the warm water, from 5-7 pm :) We will stay here for the night and head back home tomorrow for another week at the clinic. 

Hope all is well in the U.S. 

P.S. Food craving of the weekend has been bloody marys and Iggy's fajita burritos with queso :) 

June 5- Sunday

Oh the traveling tales we had today.. traveling back to the guesthouse was not nearly as chaotic today as travel had been on friday. We left Sipi early this morning, and I was convinced we were in a Grand Theft Auto video game with our driver going 80 mph, twisting and turning to avoid a person! boda! person person! pothole! matatu! boda boda! More points the more you hit and faster you drive? I promised the girls I will never get frustrated in St. Louis rush hour ever again! We then arrived in Mbale, ate lunch, did some grocery shopping, tried to find a bank that was compatible with Visa and Mastercard, slightly difficult in a developing country. We also found one of the infamous internet cafe where we were able to upload the picture you see now. Needless to say, the adventure was coming to the end and we were getting ready to head back to the guesthouse. So we had to find a matatu that is going to Bududa. Well this also proves to be slightly difficult, for some reason no one will give us a ride. They instruct us to wait for another vehicle that will come. So we wait, and a man approaches us asking us if the two green wheelbarrows strategically placed in front of us are ours? We all look at each other in total and utter confusion thinking, "What? Only white people use wheelbarrows?" Turns out no one would let us in their matatus because they thought we had this access baggage with us. So they finally let us in a matatu and we are on our way. It's flaming hot outside, were squished like 20 people in this 15 passenger van, sweating our butts off. As the ride progresses, Kristen and Michelle both turn to me and say I have some random black spots on my face.. thinking nothing of it, we simply continue on our way, then start noticing black spots on their faces, our arms, necks, and black spots are now covering the back of our t-shirts. Turns out the oil they had stopped to get on our way out from Mbale was in the trunk with no lid on it.. needless to say a van filled with 20 Ugandans plus 3 white girls traveling on a bumpy dirt road traveling around 60-70 mph will spill and splash oil EVERYWHERE! At this point Michelle turns to Kristen and I and says, "It's just like 101 Dalmations, we're white with black spots". The Ugandan boy squished in the back with us says something to the conductor so we may stop and analyze the situation. At this point we are joking with the other passengers in the matatu and I tell them, "Now you can't call us mzungos anymore. We're covered in black." Needless to say, we have a quick guide for how to become African in 2 weeks or less :) 

Food craving for today...ice. 

Happy due to our "spagetti" dinner at Sipi Falls. Let me tell you, Ugandan garlic bread...AMAZING!

This is our latriene we dubbed Mt. Olympus due to the 4 stairs you had to walk up to get to it.

The largest of the 3 waterfalls.

Our morning hike to the falls!