Friday, October 24, 2008
PICTURES
If any of you wanted to view some of my pictures you can find them on the Blacks photo website. To sign in you need to use my user name which is my email address - Matthew.J.Mont@gmail.com - the password is Uganda. Enjoy!!!
October 17th – Happy Birthday Dad! – October 20th
Happy Birthday I hope you have a great relaxing day, don’t work too hard. I wish I could have been there I can only imagine the meal mom will cook up for you.
I have been teaching the new Finance Director small and easy ways to keep finance records for Beacon of Hope his name is Warren, another member of Beacon of Hope wanted to tag along to learn as well so I welcomed him and thought it would be a good idea to train two. Warren is a young boy who has done a semester of university learning economics he cannot afford the tuition anymore and is looking for new ways to earn some cash so he can go back to school. I thought teaching him how to keep books and look after financial matters would be a great asset for him that he could take to small businesses or other organizations in hopes to get a job and earn some money, he is very eager to learn. Ronnie was the other individual who tagged along, he is in his mid thirties I believe and had been working for several NGO’s before working with Beacon of Hope. I never really liked finance but it’s nice to know the basics as it is often needed in my field. I was surprised how quick Warren picked it up, I gave them a short exercise and he completed it quickly and had few errors. Ronnie on the other hand struggled; I felt really bad for him and was patient with him throughout the process – Never discourage anyone who makes progress, no matter how slow – he eventually caught on however still needed aid to fill out the balance sheet. At the end of the lesson I gave them some work to try out at home on their own, I figured it would be good for them to practice. They didn’t disappoint both of them brought it back the next day everything perfectly done. Thursday morning I went the carpenter and order three news desks for the school donated by the money from Bec’s funeral. I will send an update with photos later this week of them. These desks are more than just seats for the children at the school, the money used to pay the carpenter is used for his family, to feed his children and pay for their school fees. He is a very hard working young man and deserves the paying work. His shop small and tools few he saws everything by hand and truly helps define the word quality craftsmanship, I couldn’t think of anyone better to build these desks than him.
So as I have talked about before, I am looking for some work. It turns out m sponsor that was supposed to pay for my living expenses while I’m here fell through and Beacon of Hope currently does not have the capacity to sustain me. I am not abandoning them in any way I am looking to work for them part time and on the weekends for free which I think will be much more beneficial for them. I think it will also be good for them to operate on their own with all these new developments I have created within their organization. As a community group they need to learn how to function and sustain themselves, hopefully I have helped them and given them the tools or means to do so. I love what they do and am willing to stick by them for much longer but am unfortunately forced to look for paid work to sustain my stay here. I have had a few nibbles so far with a organizations like CPAR ( Canadian physicians for aid and relief and world vision, I am planning on moving to Kampala for about two weeks soon and do a full out job hunt.
Well a war is being waged against the good ol’ Montgomery Immune system, I went into Kampala Thursday night hoping to relax after a low four days in Mukono. My friend Kevin and I share a passion for Korean food, it’s amazing that’s all I have to say, we found a Korean restaurant her e called Arirang and decided to invade for dinner Thursday night with a few other friends. The restaurant was beautiful, quite large and well maintained. As soon as we got there though I started feeling a little ill however I wanted to eat Korean so much I stayed and thought it might pass. By the time we had got our food on the table I had been and was in the bathroom throwing up, and unfortunately could not eat any of the food that evening. I think I ate some bad coleslaw or water melon in the afternoon. The family I live with turn off their fridge at night to save energy…bad idea? The next few days were uncomfortable I had a really bad fever and had to lay in bed for most of it. Saturday I started feeling a little better and decided to go to the hotel to use the internet. I started to gain my appetite back and not eating for two days I was suddenly extremely hungry. Near the hotel is this amazing place called New York Kitchen, all their meals are extremely salty but resemble everything delicious that comes from North America. Kevin joined me and we halfed a huge lasagna (yes I usually don’t like lasagna, I’m a changed man, it’s actually delicious and I was starving) plus a slice of pizza. After we gorged ourselves we slowly sauntered back home for a much needed nap.
On weds October 23rd I am moving in with Tyler for two weeks!!! His roommate has moved out and the new roommate who is coming from the states is not arriving until November 5th So I get her room until she arrives. That means showers with hot water, toilets, stoves, heaven. During this time I plan to attack the market full time and look for a job I am pretty confident that I will find something while I am down here. I am going today to get my hair cut and possibly shave, I’ve let myself go the last two weeks and am now sporting a handle bar moustache and greasy hair that will not stay down, it’s all over the place. Oddly I am loving it, my stench peculiar but oddly comforting, I have just come to accept that I am pretty much homeless on the weekends while I am in Kampala visiting my friends walking the streets with my bag and guitar. If only I could sit on the street corner and get paid to play, but it would be more like sit on the street corner and get your guitar stolen.
Moving down from Mukono I am starting to realize how much I will miss the kids in the area, they have been so much fun to play with. Jacob greets me every day with a huge hug, he latterly throws whatever he has in his hands down and runs to see me.
Side note – I was at Tyler’s Sunday October 19th we were planning to watch a movie, I had bought this great dvd collection of Harrison ford/Bruce Willis movies for like 3 dollars, Tyler got some mob movie collection and my friend Laura bought the sex and the city movie…guess what we watched. There were three girls to two boys, democracy does not always work out for the best. This had to seem like the longest movie I had ever watched, I swore that Frodo climbed mount doom and destroyed the ring faster.
Being in the city more often you get adjusted to the hoards of people everywhere, you never get adjusted to the hundreds/thousands of children on the streets begging for change. I’m not joking when I say there are children that look no older than three sitting a foot away from the curb with their cupped waiting for someone to drop change into them. Tyler and I were riding boda boda’s down through the city and got stuck in a traffic jam, as soon as these kids see white people they flock to you. Begging, over and over, they will say please sir please sir 100 times if they have too. It’s so hard not to give them everything you have but you must restrain yourself as it is not a good idea to take out money in front of them. Tyler and I were stuck there for several minutes, it was agonizing to hear these children crying for help, we couldn’t take it anymore and had to get off the boda boda and walk past the traffic. These children are mostly Ugandan, from the north, some are from Sudan seeking refuge from the conflict. It’s devastating to see them, their clothes are filthy and often torn and they are visibly malnourished.
Well I think that’s it for now…I will send an email out later this week hopefully with some pictures for you all too see. Have a great week everyone!
I have been teaching the new Finance Director small and easy ways to keep finance records for Beacon of Hope his name is Warren, another member of Beacon of Hope wanted to tag along to learn as well so I welcomed him and thought it would be a good idea to train two. Warren is a young boy who has done a semester of university learning economics he cannot afford the tuition anymore and is looking for new ways to earn some cash so he can go back to school. I thought teaching him how to keep books and look after financial matters would be a great asset for him that he could take to small businesses or other organizations in hopes to get a job and earn some money, he is very eager to learn. Ronnie was the other individual who tagged along, he is in his mid thirties I believe and had been working for several NGO’s before working with Beacon of Hope. I never really liked finance but it’s nice to know the basics as it is often needed in my field. I was surprised how quick Warren picked it up, I gave them a short exercise and he completed it quickly and had few errors. Ronnie on the other hand struggled; I felt really bad for him and was patient with him throughout the process – Never discourage anyone who makes progress, no matter how slow – he eventually caught on however still needed aid to fill out the balance sheet. At the end of the lesson I gave them some work to try out at home on their own, I figured it would be good for them to practice. They didn’t disappoint both of them brought it back the next day everything perfectly done. Thursday morning I went the carpenter and order three news desks for the school donated by the money from Bec’s funeral. I will send an update with photos later this week of them. These desks are more than just seats for the children at the school, the money used to pay the carpenter is used for his family, to feed his children and pay for their school fees. He is a very hard working young man and deserves the paying work. His shop small and tools few he saws everything by hand and truly helps define the word quality craftsmanship, I couldn’t think of anyone better to build these desks than him.
So as I have talked about before, I am looking for some work. It turns out m sponsor that was supposed to pay for my living expenses while I’m here fell through and Beacon of Hope currently does not have the capacity to sustain me. I am not abandoning them in any way I am looking to work for them part time and on the weekends for free which I think will be much more beneficial for them. I think it will also be good for them to operate on their own with all these new developments I have created within their organization. As a community group they need to learn how to function and sustain themselves, hopefully I have helped them and given them the tools or means to do so. I love what they do and am willing to stick by them for much longer but am unfortunately forced to look for paid work to sustain my stay here. I have had a few nibbles so far with a organizations like CPAR ( Canadian physicians for aid and relief and world vision, I am planning on moving to Kampala for about two weeks soon and do a full out job hunt.
Well a war is being waged against the good ol’ Montgomery Immune system, I went into Kampala Thursday night hoping to relax after a low four days in Mukono. My friend Kevin and I share a passion for Korean food, it’s amazing that’s all I have to say, we found a Korean restaurant her e called Arirang and decided to invade for dinner Thursday night with a few other friends. The restaurant was beautiful, quite large and well maintained. As soon as we got there though I started feeling a little ill however I wanted to eat Korean so much I stayed and thought it might pass. By the time we had got our food on the table I had been and was in the bathroom throwing up, and unfortunately could not eat any of the food that evening. I think I ate some bad coleslaw or water melon in the afternoon. The family I live with turn off their fridge at night to save energy…bad idea? The next few days were uncomfortable I had a really bad fever and had to lay in bed for most of it. Saturday I started feeling a little better and decided to go to the hotel to use the internet. I started to gain my appetite back and not eating for two days I was suddenly extremely hungry. Near the hotel is this amazing place called New York Kitchen, all their meals are extremely salty but resemble everything delicious that comes from North America. Kevin joined me and we halfed a huge lasagna (yes I usually don’t like lasagna, I’m a changed man, it’s actually delicious and I was starving) plus a slice of pizza. After we gorged ourselves we slowly sauntered back home for a much needed nap.
On weds October 23rd I am moving in with Tyler for two weeks!!! His roommate has moved out and the new roommate who is coming from the states is not arriving until November 5th So I get her room until she arrives. That means showers with hot water, toilets, stoves, heaven. During this time I plan to attack the market full time and look for a job I am pretty confident that I will find something while I am down here. I am going today to get my hair cut and possibly shave, I’ve let myself go the last two weeks and am now sporting a handle bar moustache and greasy hair that will not stay down, it’s all over the place. Oddly I am loving it, my stench peculiar but oddly comforting, I have just come to accept that I am pretty much homeless on the weekends while I am in Kampala visiting my friends walking the streets with my bag and guitar. If only I could sit on the street corner and get paid to play, but it would be more like sit on the street corner and get your guitar stolen.
Moving down from Mukono I am starting to realize how much I will miss the kids in the area, they have been so much fun to play with. Jacob greets me every day with a huge hug, he latterly throws whatever he has in his hands down and runs to see me.
Side note – I was at Tyler’s Sunday October 19th we were planning to watch a movie, I had bought this great dvd collection of Harrison ford/Bruce Willis movies for like 3 dollars, Tyler got some mob movie collection and my friend Laura bought the sex and the city movie…guess what we watched. There were three girls to two boys, democracy does not always work out for the best. This had to seem like the longest movie I had ever watched, I swore that Frodo climbed mount doom and destroyed the ring faster.
Being in the city more often you get adjusted to the hoards of people everywhere, you never get adjusted to the hundreds/thousands of children on the streets begging for change. I’m not joking when I say there are children that look no older than three sitting a foot away from the curb with their cupped waiting for someone to drop change into them. Tyler and I were riding boda boda’s down through the city and got stuck in a traffic jam, as soon as these kids see white people they flock to you. Begging, over and over, they will say please sir please sir 100 times if they have too. It’s so hard not to give them everything you have but you must restrain yourself as it is not a good idea to take out money in front of them. Tyler and I were stuck there for several minutes, it was agonizing to hear these children crying for help, we couldn’t take it anymore and had to get off the boda boda and walk past the traffic. These children are mostly Ugandan, from the north, some are from Sudan seeking refuge from the conflict. It’s devastating to see them, their clothes are filthy and often torn and they are visibly malnourished.
Well I think that’s it for now…I will send an email out later this week hopefully with some pictures for you all too see. Have a great week everyone!
Thanksgiving – jazz festival
First off I was blown away after receiving a call from my family on Sunday evening, it was great to hear them all together. This past week has been great! I have been in Kampala camping out at my friend Tyler’s and enjoying such amenities like showers, toilets, and a stove! On Saturday I made a cake and Sunday I made brownies. So the food this week has been great, I also made Tyler and his roommate Aafke a great pasta dinner on Friday. On Thursday Ugandans celebrated their national independence day, a bunch of friends and I went to the beach to throw a Frisbee around and soak up the sun. Swimming was not an option as the water was unsafe. Friday and Saturday was the first ever Ugandan Jazz festival which was at a beautiful resort on a beach just outside Kampala. The vibe there was infectious and penetrated the muscles in your legs as they moved in ways no one could ever believe they could. It was a good release, and we danced for hours to a large variety of talented African musicians... well worth the money. Saturday and Sunday were amazing I did absolutely nothing, woke up walked to a Rolex stand – I don’t think I have ever introduced you all to rolex, the new found greatest snack here in Uganda. Essentially it’s a breakfast burrito, made of chapatti (a crepe/pancake type thing) with egg wrapped in it mixed with onion, cabbage, and peppers in it. It tastes like nothing I have ever eaten before in my life, personally I think it is the dirty little fry pan they use that gives the rolex its tasty kick. So I eat those now as much as I can and they only cost 1000 shillings which is less than a dollar...anyways... my weekend was spent eating rolex, and relaxing, I brought my guitar down and played for a while, sat around some more, watched some movies and baked some great treats!
Work this week is going well I really feel Beacon of Hope is running in a positive and progressive direction, however I think I need to start looking for a new job. Beacon of hope does not have the capacity to continue to pay me and I don’t have the capacity to stay here if I don’t receive some sort of compensation for my living expenses. I have sent out several resumes to various ngo’s in Kampala and am hoping to hear back from one of them, keep your fingers crossed. I will still work for beacon of hope but on a consultancy basis only. I think it will be better for them this way as they can take what I have set them up with and operate on their own and develop further. I am hoping that I can get a job with the Canadian cooperatives Association apparently they are hiring a new gender officer - I would be working with womens groups in rural areas and helping them to establish sustainable businesses of sorts.
I have had good news from the Bolton Enterprise, they are going to publish an article about me in the paper, I am hoping that it will bring greater awareness towards Beacon of Hope and the good work they are doing for disadvantaged youths. I will let you all know when it’s published so you can get a copy.
Other things to note…
I have bought a wicked awesome bathing suit for a couple of dollars, its pink and black and says Bermuda bill on the side, if only my name was bill. I wore them pretty much all weekend, they have become my lounging/swim shorts. I have also bought a authentic African shirt sort of like the one I have at home the embroidery is beautiful and the shirt is light weight and extremely comfortable.
Tyler and I bought some steak on Saturday to fry up, before the butcher handed it over to use he beat it first with this stapler looking thing in order to make it tender, hmm, how attractive for the customer.
For those of you interested I have posted the article I submitted to the paper on the beacon of hope website – www.freewebs.com/beaconofhopeuganda/ and its under the title – the beacon blog
Lots of love to you all,
Matt
Work this week is going well I really feel Beacon of Hope is running in a positive and progressive direction, however I think I need to start looking for a new job. Beacon of hope does not have the capacity to continue to pay me and I don’t have the capacity to stay here if I don’t receive some sort of compensation for my living expenses. I have sent out several resumes to various ngo’s in Kampala and am hoping to hear back from one of them, keep your fingers crossed. I will still work for beacon of hope but on a consultancy basis only. I think it will be better for them this way as they can take what I have set them up with and operate on their own and develop further. I am hoping that I can get a job with the Canadian cooperatives Association apparently they are hiring a new gender officer - I would be working with womens groups in rural areas and helping them to establish sustainable businesses of sorts.
I have had good news from the Bolton Enterprise, they are going to publish an article about me in the paper, I am hoping that it will bring greater awareness towards Beacon of Hope and the good work they are doing for disadvantaged youths. I will let you all know when it’s published so you can get a copy.
Other things to note…
I have bought a wicked awesome bathing suit for a couple of dollars, its pink and black and says Bermuda bill on the side, if only my name was bill. I wore them pretty much all weekend, they have become my lounging/swim shorts. I have also bought a authentic African shirt sort of like the one I have at home the embroidery is beautiful and the shirt is light weight and extremely comfortable.
Tyler and I bought some steak on Saturday to fry up, before the butcher handed it over to use he beat it first with this stapler looking thing in order to make it tender, hmm, how attractive for the customer.
For those of you interested I have posted the article I submitted to the paper on the beacon of hope website – www.freewebs.com/beaconofhopeuganda/ and its under the title – the beacon blog
Lots of love to you all,
Matt
Sunday, October 5, 2008
Boda Boda accident
In Kampala for the weekend and feeling really good after some hearty meals. Tyler and I went to Protea Hotel, a paradise establishment that gave us free access to the internet. There we enjoyed hours of fast internet an amazing chicken and chips meal. Around 3pm we decided to leave and head home for a rest. We hopped on a boda boda and took off towards Tyler’s crib. For those of you who don’t know what a boda boda is it’s a scooter or motorcycle taxi driver. On our way home a car had pulled out in front of us in a intersection. We had to stop quickly. The boda driver then without hesitation gave the motorcycle too much gas tipping the bike right over as Tyler and I slipped off the back end and fell on our butts, smack bottom on the pavement. Tyler a calm and collected guy got up right away and walked over to the shoulder. I was stunned however oddly felt that i needed to soak in the exsperience a little more than tyler did and sat there with a look of astonishment, then broke out laughing while I got to me feet and chased dowen Tyler. Still I believe this was the most hilarious experience yet in Uganda. No one was hurt thankfully but the boda driver insisted we still pay, after explaining to him about his reckless driving he drove off in a huff with no payment at all. The best part of this entire thing was that Tyler for the first time in all our rides asked me, pleaded with me to sit on the back, thankfully I agreed and when we fell off he broke my fall. Thanks Tyler.
Saturday, October 4, 2008
Lot's on my plate
October 1st 2008
I have been here for three weeks now, things are getting a bit easier. I can only imagine it will get better from here on in. The fact that I am walking everywhere still is a little strenuous, I am hoping to save for a scooter somehow in order to help make my daily trips into Mukono or Kampala more productive and efficient. I noticed during my first two weeks here I had a hard time focusing as there was a lot to do and a lot of pressure to get it done. I resorted back to some mental health activities I often did at home to alleviate stress like playing my guitar and exercising. I now set aside at least an hour to play guitar each day, and wake up to do a short workout before breakfast every morning. I seem to have my head on a little better since I have started doing this and as already said things are moving along. Since visiting Kampala on the weekends I had started buying eggs to make at my friends house for breakfast. When I came home last weekend I figured I Would buy some here and see if Mrs. Lukwago would make them once and a while. The plan turned out and she has made me a really good fried egg sandwich every day this week with my evening tea. Another good thing to note is that the constant potato meals are becoming less and less, then again I was thinking that this morning while walking to the table for breakfast only to find a bowl full or potatoes, so I guess I shouldn’t say anything yet. These days rice, posha (which is ground/mashed maize – maize is corn) and beans once and a while the meals really have no flavor but I am getting used to them nonetheless.
I had organized a group meeting for members of Beacon of Hope Uganda. It was Tuesday at 2pm, but that’s irrelevant to you. What occurred at this meeting was important, I noticed the organization had no financial department or even a proper constitution that could be used as guidelines to organizational procedures. I set up both and attempted to show them, I think they really liked it and welcomed the new ideas. The main problem was that nobody wanted the role as finance director, well guess who wound up with that, I did. I am now acting Program director and finance director, yes there could be some conflict of interest but I have set some decent checks and balances in the constitution in case I decide to be rebellious and fund only things I want to do. I did however get two members to agree to try and learn the finance stuff, it’s really easy and I know that they need to keep doing it once I leave. I think the part that scared them most as that they have to hand over all financial records to a auditor once a year, first off it may be too expensive for them, secondly they have no idea what auditing is, and why they even have to do it. I am going to arrange a few tutorial sessions to try and teach them the basics. Here’s hoping it will work.
Since I have been here I think I have seen Jacob, the youngest boy wear the exact same thing every day. He waltzed into my room yesterday, with a new shirt on and the largest grin any child could have, “new shirt,” he yelled, I just laughed, he is quite the ham, much like Mark is but is really shy when you first meet him, it took about two weeks for him to come out of his shell. Apparently his sisters had bought him a few ne shirts and he tried every single one of them on and waltzed into my room like he was in some sort of New York City Fashion show. It was a good day for Jacob.
I have been going for walks before it gets dark, it’s a nice break from my work as I am often still typing away on my computer until 7 or 8. Yesterday I decided to bring my camera with me and take some pictures of some of the scenery around the area. While taking a picture a middle aged man came out of nowhere and walked right in front of my camera as the flash went off. He turned to me and started rambling on and on about something, I had no idea what he was saying but his friend rushed over and translated. Apparently he was mad that I had taken his picture, meanwhile I Was thinking in my head, you gotta be kidding me buddy, you ruined my shot, I didn’t even want you in the picture. However, as I am the foreigner I felt I had to respect the man/s wishes and delete the photo, originally he wanted my camera but told his friend that it was digital and that the photo had been erased. The whole scenario really didn’t faze me that much, I just laughed about it when I was walking back home. When I arrived back at the house I was greeted by a hoard of children begging me to take a picture of them, so I did. When I showed them the digital photos after on the camera display they would all literally fall over laughing. Mom you know how you have to try so hard to get our photos, come here, you will have the entire country of kids willing to stand still for a snap.
Isaac took me to see my new pad. I am apparently moving sometime soon to an apartment right downtown Mukono. It will be much easier for me as I will not have to walk a far distance for the internet anymore and I am hoping that the power will be more stable there…highly unlikely. The new place is in a compound which makes it appear safe. It is a small redbrick building that has two rooms, no sink, or running water. There is a section of one room that has a water drain and they are supposedly putting in a shower and toilet there! I can’t even imagine having the luxury of having a shower or toilet in my own place, I guess I know what I will be using as my new office chair. I plan to buy a hot plate to cook some meals and a few pots so not having an actually kitchen will not be that bad, nothing I can’t handle. I was thinking of getting a small fridge however the power goes out so often most things I keep in their would spoil quickly, I figure I will just buy powdered milk instead, and plan to keep things like peanut butter in safe secure places away from any ants. There is only one strict rule: NO potatoes.
I have been given more vegetables as of late, carrots mainly. The first time they gave me a carrot it had a substantial amount of dirt on it, my exact response was, “uhhh, can I wash this?” All they did was laugh and said, “Don’t worry Rose already washed it.” So there I was with a huge carrot seasoned with the finest African soil. I ate, the whole thing, it was pretty good actually and the dirt was not as discernable as I would have thought. My dad always told me I would eat a peck of dirt by the time I die, so I figured I might as well get a taste for different kinds.
Other things that I have eaten with dirt on them…
- Random berries they have picked to give me while on walks.
- My rice, since it is cooked on a dirt floor some dust is accidently sprinkled on the rice, ash as well from the fire
Like Popa Herb always used to say, “It’ll put hair on your chest.”
I could never refuse any of these things they give me dirt or not dirt. If I did it would alienate me from them making them believe that I think I am better than them and deserve different foods. They keep telling me about these white ants they catch from the hills outside the house, I promised them I would try a small amount to see if I like them first. The two best things I have done since coming here is one, attempt to learn the language, and two, try all the local foods and be thankful for what I receive. So far they love me for doing that and I am making some great friends in the process.
On October 1st I experienced my first earthquake, after a long day of walking I came home and decided I would go for a short nap. Just as I put my head on the pillow the whole house starting shaking, it wasn’t a very big, probably a 2-3 on the Richter scale. Earthquakes are common around here and they have never had ones that are destructive. I never ended up having a nap, the earthquake gave me a little jolt of energy and I decided to go outside to enjoy the rest of the day.
I am working in the website this weekend for Beacon of Hope we will have new stuff, pictures etc. so check it out at…
www.freewebs.com/beaconofhopeuganda/
I have been here for three weeks now, things are getting a bit easier. I can only imagine it will get better from here on in. The fact that I am walking everywhere still is a little strenuous, I am hoping to save for a scooter somehow in order to help make my daily trips into Mukono or Kampala more productive and efficient. I noticed during my first two weeks here I had a hard time focusing as there was a lot to do and a lot of pressure to get it done. I resorted back to some mental health activities I often did at home to alleviate stress like playing my guitar and exercising. I now set aside at least an hour to play guitar each day, and wake up to do a short workout before breakfast every morning. I seem to have my head on a little better since I have started doing this and as already said things are moving along. Since visiting Kampala on the weekends I had started buying eggs to make at my friends house for breakfast. When I came home last weekend I figured I Would buy some here and see if Mrs. Lukwago would make them once and a while. The plan turned out and she has made me a really good fried egg sandwich every day this week with my evening tea. Another good thing to note is that the constant potato meals are becoming less and less, then again I was thinking that this morning while walking to the table for breakfast only to find a bowl full or potatoes, so I guess I shouldn’t say anything yet. These days rice, posha (which is ground/mashed maize – maize is corn) and beans once and a while the meals really have no flavor but I am getting used to them nonetheless.
I had organized a group meeting for members of Beacon of Hope Uganda. It was Tuesday at 2pm, but that’s irrelevant to you. What occurred at this meeting was important, I noticed the organization had no financial department or even a proper constitution that could be used as guidelines to organizational procedures. I set up both and attempted to show them, I think they really liked it and welcomed the new ideas. The main problem was that nobody wanted the role as finance director, well guess who wound up with that, I did. I am now acting Program director and finance director, yes there could be some conflict of interest but I have set some decent checks and balances in the constitution in case I decide to be rebellious and fund only things I want to do. I did however get two members to agree to try and learn the finance stuff, it’s really easy and I know that they need to keep doing it once I leave. I think the part that scared them most as that they have to hand over all financial records to a auditor once a year, first off it may be too expensive for them, secondly they have no idea what auditing is, and why they even have to do it. I am going to arrange a few tutorial sessions to try and teach them the basics. Here’s hoping it will work.
Since I have been here I think I have seen Jacob, the youngest boy wear the exact same thing every day. He waltzed into my room yesterday, with a new shirt on and the largest grin any child could have, “new shirt,” he yelled, I just laughed, he is quite the ham, much like Mark is but is really shy when you first meet him, it took about two weeks for him to come out of his shell. Apparently his sisters had bought him a few ne shirts and he tried every single one of them on and waltzed into my room like he was in some sort of New York City Fashion show. It was a good day for Jacob.
I have been going for walks before it gets dark, it’s a nice break from my work as I am often still typing away on my computer until 7 or 8. Yesterday I decided to bring my camera with me and take some pictures of some of the scenery around the area. While taking a picture a middle aged man came out of nowhere and walked right in front of my camera as the flash went off. He turned to me and started rambling on and on about something, I had no idea what he was saying but his friend rushed over and translated. Apparently he was mad that I had taken his picture, meanwhile I Was thinking in my head, you gotta be kidding me buddy, you ruined my shot, I didn’t even want you in the picture. However, as I am the foreigner I felt I had to respect the man/s wishes and delete the photo, originally he wanted my camera but told his friend that it was digital and that the photo had been erased. The whole scenario really didn’t faze me that much, I just laughed about it when I was walking back home. When I arrived back at the house I was greeted by a hoard of children begging me to take a picture of them, so I did. When I showed them the digital photos after on the camera display they would all literally fall over laughing. Mom you know how you have to try so hard to get our photos, come here, you will have the entire country of kids willing to stand still for a snap.
Isaac took me to see my new pad. I am apparently moving sometime soon to an apartment right downtown Mukono. It will be much easier for me as I will not have to walk a far distance for the internet anymore and I am hoping that the power will be more stable there…highly unlikely. The new place is in a compound which makes it appear safe. It is a small redbrick building that has two rooms, no sink, or running water. There is a section of one room that has a water drain and they are supposedly putting in a shower and toilet there! I can’t even imagine having the luxury of having a shower or toilet in my own place, I guess I know what I will be using as my new office chair. I plan to buy a hot plate to cook some meals and a few pots so not having an actually kitchen will not be that bad, nothing I can’t handle. I was thinking of getting a small fridge however the power goes out so often most things I keep in their would spoil quickly, I figure I will just buy powdered milk instead, and plan to keep things like peanut butter in safe secure places away from any ants. There is only one strict rule: NO potatoes.
I have been given more vegetables as of late, carrots mainly. The first time they gave me a carrot it had a substantial amount of dirt on it, my exact response was, “uhhh, can I wash this?” All they did was laugh and said, “Don’t worry Rose already washed it.” So there I was with a huge carrot seasoned with the finest African soil. I ate, the whole thing, it was pretty good actually and the dirt was not as discernable as I would have thought. My dad always told me I would eat a peck of dirt by the time I die, so I figured I might as well get a taste for different kinds.
Other things that I have eaten with dirt on them…
- Random berries they have picked to give me while on walks.
- My rice, since it is cooked on a dirt floor some dust is accidently sprinkled on the rice, ash as well from the fire
Like Popa Herb always used to say, “It’ll put hair on your chest.”
I could never refuse any of these things they give me dirt or not dirt. If I did it would alienate me from them making them believe that I think I am better than them and deserve different foods. They keep telling me about these white ants they catch from the hills outside the house, I promised them I would try a small amount to see if I like them first. The two best things I have done since coming here is one, attempt to learn the language, and two, try all the local foods and be thankful for what I receive. So far they love me for doing that and I am making some great friends in the process.
On October 1st I experienced my first earthquake, after a long day of walking I came home and decided I would go for a short nap. Just as I put my head on the pillow the whole house starting shaking, it wasn’t a very big, probably a 2-3 on the Richter scale. Earthquakes are common around here and they have never had ones that are destructive. I never ended up having a nap, the earthquake gave me a little jolt of energy and I decided to go outside to enjoy the rest of the day.
I am working in the website this weekend for Beacon of Hope we will have new stuff, pictures etc. so check it out at…
www.freewebs.com/beaconofhopeuganda/
Happy Anniversary Mom and Dad!
September 25th Happy Anniversary Mom and Dad!
It’s Friday tomorrow and I am looking forward to another weekend away in Kampala with my friends. I am heading into the city early this week as I have a very important meeting with youth government minister. I am going to present my case and will see what kind of funding he will be able to provide us. Who knows what we will get, maybe nothing, but having the interview is a good sign nonetheless. This week has gone by much better. I feel a little more at peace now however I am still trying to fit into family life here. There are nine youths including me, it’s a small house much smaller than I am used to at home…I though 5 was a lot. Sunday I took some time to reflect on my first week and figured out a few things, one I ate barely any protein besides the meat I consumed in Kampala on the weekend. I could see how this affected my physical strength as I found it very difficult to go on strenuous walks during the week. Two, I need to learn how to say no. Three I need to learn how to bargain with people, they are damn bent on charging me three times what things usually cost…and a few more things that I will mention along the way. So despite cost I have decided I am going to skip lunch at the house a few times a week and treat myself to some chicken or fish at the local restaurants. I actually have been going to the Hotel Colline which has great food for a somewhat fair price. I have yet to go there and leave dissatisfied with how much I paid and how much I got to eat, their fish is delicious! I noticed they have a pool and accept a small fee to use it, I am excited as next week I plan to go at least twice for a short dip.
On Wednesday Henry, the father took me out for a day in Kampala. He had desperately wanted to take me to the Tombs where the Kings of Uganda have been buried. Henry is a very funny, small man, 59 soon to be sixty and able to walk like a 20 year old, even I had a hard time keeping up with him. I was not sure whether he is totally fit or just crazy. I was told one time he had walked home from Kampala which is the equivalent to walking from Toronto to Bolton...haha, it must have taken him a long time. I assured him before we left that I would not be doing that. After a very mundane transition into the city Henry jumped out of the taxi (public transport) pointing in the direction we need to walk in to get there, he seemed so excited that I was interested in learning of his country’s history. On a side note, these public taxis are small mini vans that they cram full, 14 people can fit inside uncomfortably. They are hot, full of sweaty people and have zero seat belts or working windows to pull down. I feel like I am on the bandwagon to hell sometimes while riding in them, screaming silently in my mind,” Let me outta here!” all a while smiling and keeping conversation with the Ugandans in the van, they love hearing me speak…or shall I say attempt to speak their language, each person likes to teach me a new word or phrase, it’s hard to remember them all but I find it incredibly useful sometimes.
Back to the trip to the tombs. They were placed high upon a hill and as you could have guessed it Henry strolled valiantly to the top, say with much admiration, “these are the tombs.” As we reach the top. The tombs were located in a Kings house. It is apparently currently the world’s largest thatch roofed house, and I don’t see any reason to doubt that claim, it was massive. Surrounding this massive hut were several smaller ones which housed the kings wives, there were 84 of them. During the British intimidation campaign that stretched Africa in the 1800’s otherwise known as Colonialism the king had these 84 wives and more than 120 children whom all lived in the small huts around the Kings. Could you imagine if families were like that today? I wonder what kind of board games they played – it would be very hectic – who’s turn is it, 99, 102’s or 103, do we have to start over again!? Anyways the tombs seemed very simple, no glam. Inside the king’s hut were several interesting antiques. When the queen first met the King she sent him a very nice desk and two chairs, one for him and one for his wife, little did she know she needed to send 83 more. They also had the Kings pet stuffed and on display, it was a leopard which surprisingly for being 15 years old was in remarkable condition. I sat down and look around the hut was incredible, the last known reno job it had was 70 years ago. The roof was supported by these huge spiral rings each one represented a different tribe in Uganda, there are 58 different tribes here. The guide then proceeded to tell me all about the history of Uganda…here’s what I remember, some of it fitting for my current believes…First off all the tombs were hidden behind a huge curtain made from the skin of a fig tree, which is the traditional cloth Africans used before the British came. No one is allowed to go back to see them except the relatives, some of which still lived in the small village. The guide kept telling me that these kings disappeared, and then explained that when Kings don’t die in Uganda, they disappear, they walk into the forest never to return but always to be remembered their spirit always present in society, their bones remain but that fact appears irrelevant. While he described this to me, all I could think about was my sister, like these kings she too has disappeared, but will always be remembered, always in our soul. I found it to be a very moving and an incredible explanation of Ugandan History to say the least. The guide talked about many different kings, how they dealt with the colonialism of their country, some going to England to study, others resenting Christians and attempting to retain their own culture.
We left the tombs after about a hour and a half and proceeded to downtown Kampala where Henry was going to show me around to several different markets that he liked to go to. We stopped off at a place to eat and sat down, the waitress approached and handed out menus I feverishly glanced over it for any signs of meat, I am pretty sure my jaw dropped and I salivated all over myself when I saw Hamburger on the menu. I closed the menu and was overjoyed in thinking that in 10-20 minutes I could be eating a hamburger, Henry interrupted by thought process and said, “we must go, it’s too expensive here.” Uggh it was a little pricy and I felt bad making him stay and pay for an expensive meal, so we left and went to a place that served traditional foods…I ate rice and beans. I remember where that other restaurant is though and will return very soon. Henry and I also went down the local fruit market, he said he was going to buy me some fruit which sounded like a good deal to me. We left the market with watermelon, oranges and some carrots…it was a good day. Oranges, lemons and limes all have green skin here, and on top of that they call lemons oranges which is really confusing, the first time I sucked on a orange I was very surprised to find out I was actually eating a lemon, it sucked, literally. The actual real oranges taste amazing but I am still not sure what they call them, it’s weird.
It’s around 930 right now on the 25th of September. I was just called for dinner, they eat very late here, the reasoning is because the Mother has to come home from work, work some more, then work some more to make dinner. Incredible. This week the food has been mainly rice and beans, they have no flavor and it takes a liter of water to wash it all down. Although I am sick of potatoes I started to become full of beans too. I was debating telling them I was too tired and would skip dinner, I was just thinking that I would never actually refuse dinner that they had slaved to cook for me, never.…as I slowly meandered to the table the mom said they had a treat and hoped I liked it, hmm, maybe it was those white ants they keep telling me that are just smack your lips delicious. To my surprise it was fish, Talapia to be precise, fresh from lake Victoria caught just this morning by a local fisherman. The fish and the sauce on the rice was incredible. In my head I pictured myself rejoicing, I felt like Rocky Balboa after he climbed those steps in Philadelphia, raising his hands celebrating like a champion, however I was celebrating the food and the flavor it had. This one particular meal was probably the best meal I have had here yet, the fish was absolutely succulent. I glanced over and looked at Jacob, my huge slice of fish on my plate, his slice was small, in fact roundish…I looked closer to realize it was the fish head, gross. The youngest kid gets the fish head, that’s not fair, I would love to know what Mark would say if we handed him a plate with a fish head on it while everyone else had a nice fillet. I asked the mom if I could give him a slice of mine and she said that he liked the head. In fact a few minutes later Jacob had the whole thing in his mouth sucking on it like a giant gumball. When he spit it out all that remained was the skull, zero meat…the eyes were already out in case you were wondering.
…around 10pm…September 25th
I have just come home from a meeting with a women’s community group. They gather every Thursday to talk about different ways they can generate a small income. Each women must contribute a few hundred shillings towards the group in order to pay for small costs. Like feed for their pigs, cows and chickens. When I walked into the room they all pushed me over to this big arm chair and told me to sit, then proceeded to say something in Lugandan all I heard from it was Clinton. Then one of the women who spoke English told me that Bill Clinton had visited them years back and had sit in the same chair I was sitting in. He left quite the groove…Clinton bought the women’s group a cow and a few pigs which they were now making a good amount of money off of.
I feel like I am adapting a little better and plan to rent a dirt bike soon to investigate some roads nearby, it would be nice to get off my feet and enjoy the country via bike.
I think that is enough for now, I have just recently bought season one of 24 and season one of Rome the HBO series for about 2 dollars each, I plan to watch them and relax in the evenings, it is pretty crazy how cheap they are.
It’s Friday tomorrow and I am looking forward to another weekend away in Kampala with my friends. I am heading into the city early this week as I have a very important meeting with youth government minister. I am going to present my case and will see what kind of funding he will be able to provide us. Who knows what we will get, maybe nothing, but having the interview is a good sign nonetheless. This week has gone by much better. I feel a little more at peace now however I am still trying to fit into family life here. There are nine youths including me, it’s a small house much smaller than I am used to at home…I though 5 was a lot. Sunday I took some time to reflect on my first week and figured out a few things, one I ate barely any protein besides the meat I consumed in Kampala on the weekend. I could see how this affected my physical strength as I found it very difficult to go on strenuous walks during the week. Two, I need to learn how to say no. Three I need to learn how to bargain with people, they are damn bent on charging me three times what things usually cost…and a few more things that I will mention along the way. So despite cost I have decided I am going to skip lunch at the house a few times a week and treat myself to some chicken or fish at the local restaurants. I actually have been going to the Hotel Colline which has great food for a somewhat fair price. I have yet to go there and leave dissatisfied with how much I paid and how much I got to eat, their fish is delicious! I noticed they have a pool and accept a small fee to use it, I am excited as next week I plan to go at least twice for a short dip.
On Wednesday Henry, the father took me out for a day in Kampala. He had desperately wanted to take me to the Tombs where the Kings of Uganda have been buried. Henry is a very funny, small man, 59 soon to be sixty and able to walk like a 20 year old, even I had a hard time keeping up with him. I was not sure whether he is totally fit or just crazy. I was told one time he had walked home from Kampala which is the equivalent to walking from Toronto to Bolton...haha, it must have taken him a long time. I assured him before we left that I would not be doing that. After a very mundane transition into the city Henry jumped out of the taxi (public transport) pointing in the direction we need to walk in to get there, he seemed so excited that I was interested in learning of his country’s history. On a side note, these public taxis are small mini vans that they cram full, 14 people can fit inside uncomfortably. They are hot, full of sweaty people and have zero seat belts or working windows to pull down. I feel like I am on the bandwagon to hell sometimes while riding in them, screaming silently in my mind,” Let me outta here!” all a while smiling and keeping conversation with the Ugandans in the van, they love hearing me speak…or shall I say attempt to speak their language, each person likes to teach me a new word or phrase, it’s hard to remember them all but I find it incredibly useful sometimes.
Back to the trip to the tombs. They were placed high upon a hill and as you could have guessed it Henry strolled valiantly to the top, say with much admiration, “these are the tombs.” As we reach the top. The tombs were located in a Kings house. It is apparently currently the world’s largest thatch roofed house, and I don’t see any reason to doubt that claim, it was massive. Surrounding this massive hut were several smaller ones which housed the kings wives, there were 84 of them. During the British intimidation campaign that stretched Africa in the 1800’s otherwise known as Colonialism the king had these 84 wives and more than 120 children whom all lived in the small huts around the Kings. Could you imagine if families were like that today? I wonder what kind of board games they played – it would be very hectic – who’s turn is it, 99, 102’s or 103, do we have to start over again!? Anyways the tombs seemed very simple, no glam. Inside the king’s hut were several interesting antiques. When the queen first met the King she sent him a very nice desk and two chairs, one for him and one for his wife, little did she know she needed to send 83 more. They also had the Kings pet stuffed and on display, it was a leopard which surprisingly for being 15 years old was in remarkable condition. I sat down and look around the hut was incredible, the last known reno job it had was 70 years ago. The roof was supported by these huge spiral rings each one represented a different tribe in Uganda, there are 58 different tribes here. The guide then proceeded to tell me all about the history of Uganda…here’s what I remember, some of it fitting for my current believes…First off all the tombs were hidden behind a huge curtain made from the skin of a fig tree, which is the traditional cloth Africans used before the British came. No one is allowed to go back to see them except the relatives, some of which still lived in the small village. The guide kept telling me that these kings disappeared, and then explained that when Kings don’t die in Uganda, they disappear, they walk into the forest never to return but always to be remembered their spirit always present in society, their bones remain but that fact appears irrelevant. While he described this to me, all I could think about was my sister, like these kings she too has disappeared, but will always be remembered, always in our soul. I found it to be a very moving and an incredible explanation of Ugandan History to say the least. The guide talked about many different kings, how they dealt with the colonialism of their country, some going to England to study, others resenting Christians and attempting to retain their own culture.
We left the tombs after about a hour and a half and proceeded to downtown Kampala where Henry was going to show me around to several different markets that he liked to go to. We stopped off at a place to eat and sat down, the waitress approached and handed out menus I feverishly glanced over it for any signs of meat, I am pretty sure my jaw dropped and I salivated all over myself when I saw Hamburger on the menu. I closed the menu and was overjoyed in thinking that in 10-20 minutes I could be eating a hamburger, Henry interrupted by thought process and said, “we must go, it’s too expensive here.” Uggh it was a little pricy and I felt bad making him stay and pay for an expensive meal, so we left and went to a place that served traditional foods…I ate rice and beans. I remember where that other restaurant is though and will return very soon. Henry and I also went down the local fruit market, he said he was going to buy me some fruit which sounded like a good deal to me. We left the market with watermelon, oranges and some carrots…it was a good day. Oranges, lemons and limes all have green skin here, and on top of that they call lemons oranges which is really confusing, the first time I sucked on a orange I was very surprised to find out I was actually eating a lemon, it sucked, literally. The actual real oranges taste amazing but I am still not sure what they call them, it’s weird.
It’s around 930 right now on the 25th of September. I was just called for dinner, they eat very late here, the reasoning is because the Mother has to come home from work, work some more, then work some more to make dinner. Incredible. This week the food has been mainly rice and beans, they have no flavor and it takes a liter of water to wash it all down. Although I am sick of potatoes I started to become full of beans too. I was debating telling them I was too tired and would skip dinner, I was just thinking that I would never actually refuse dinner that they had slaved to cook for me, never.…as I slowly meandered to the table the mom said they had a treat and hoped I liked it, hmm, maybe it was those white ants they keep telling me that are just smack your lips delicious. To my surprise it was fish, Talapia to be precise, fresh from lake Victoria caught just this morning by a local fisherman. The fish and the sauce on the rice was incredible. In my head I pictured myself rejoicing, I felt like Rocky Balboa after he climbed those steps in Philadelphia, raising his hands celebrating like a champion, however I was celebrating the food and the flavor it had. This one particular meal was probably the best meal I have had here yet, the fish was absolutely succulent. I glanced over and looked at Jacob, my huge slice of fish on my plate, his slice was small, in fact roundish…I looked closer to realize it was the fish head, gross. The youngest kid gets the fish head, that’s not fair, I would love to know what Mark would say if we handed him a plate with a fish head on it while everyone else had a nice fillet. I asked the mom if I could give him a slice of mine and she said that he liked the head. In fact a few minutes later Jacob had the whole thing in his mouth sucking on it like a giant gumball. When he spit it out all that remained was the skull, zero meat…the eyes were already out in case you were wondering.
…around 10pm…September 25th
I have just come home from a meeting with a women’s community group. They gather every Thursday to talk about different ways they can generate a small income. Each women must contribute a few hundred shillings towards the group in order to pay for small costs. Like feed for their pigs, cows and chickens. When I walked into the room they all pushed me over to this big arm chair and told me to sit, then proceeded to say something in Lugandan all I heard from it was Clinton. Then one of the women who spoke English told me that Bill Clinton had visited them years back and had sit in the same chair I was sitting in. He left quite the groove…Clinton bought the women’s group a cow and a few pigs which they were now making a good amount of money off of.
I feel like I am adapting a little better and plan to rent a dirt bike soon to investigate some roads nearby, it would be nice to get off my feet and enjoy the country via bike.
I think that is enough for now, I have just recently bought season one of 24 and season one of Rome the HBO series for about 2 dollars each, I plan to watch them and relax in the evenings, it is pretty crazy how cheap they are.
Roller Coaster of Emotion
September 21st – the weekend is over, back to business
I will have been in Uganda for two weeks as of this Wednesday, I would be lying if I told you if things have been easy so far. The pit latrines, and baths from a bucket are merely fun and games compared to what I have experienced this past week. I have been given the title of Program Director & organizational consultant for the organization, sounds good doesn’t it. However with this great title came a lot of responsibility and a immense amount of pressure. Towards the end of last week I found myself angry and frustrated with the way people perceived my job title and why I was here. First of all the mentality here and in many developing countries is that white men have money, sadly this is true as most of us know it, as poor as I actually am I do have networks and I do have people willing to donate towards development work. Therefor everyone and their uncle in this town have come to see me, and ask for money or things they need. I cannot solve their problems instantly or may be even to help them, it has really worn on me this past week as it is very difficult to turn people away. That is the frustrating part, which got me a little angry towards the end of the week as I had almost 20 people daily coming to see me and asking for donations. I am only one man and need to stay focused on my organization objectives in order to get something positive accomplished.
Now for those of you wondering what I have started planning I will give you a small taste… Beacon of Hope Uganda has since 2006 established itself in Mukono as a aggressive organization that finds money through several privately financed projects to pay for children’s school fees. So far it has helped hundreds of kids each year attain education. This has been a great thing for Mukono however unfortunately sometimes donators run dry or move on to other projects. My Project here will help establish a full sustainable educational resource center, this center will initially require grants or donations however after established will be able to sustain itself indefinitely for years to come. How will this happen? The land purchased to build this center on will be several acres, and on this acreage they will have pigs, cows, goats, chickens which will all be grown, reproduced and sold for a rather large profit. Piglets for example can be bought here for 25,000 shillings, which is approximately 17dollars when fully grown they can be sold for 300,000 shillings (200 dollars around every 6-8 months). Wealthy people in the area have like 5 and reproduce them and make a really good living off of it. 300,000 shillings could put more than 20 orphans in school for a year. Among pig rearing I am looking to establish, candle making, crafts, selling of dried fruit & honey, aquaculture and various other small entrepreneurial activities that will benefit the center. From the goats and cows milk can be produced, eggs from the chicken and fish as well if a fish pond is constructed. Large Scale farmers have also mentioned that they are willing to help out by donating maize, potatoes and other various local fruits. Good Idea? Not sure, but these activities have worked in several other development situations and some have been gaining a lot of headway for local communities. This Educational center will have housing for some orphans as well as a primary and secondary school. Later once established and running we will be looking to initiate a small clinic on the land and progress in our promotion on HIV/Aids education. I am hoping to finish my concept paper in about a week or so and will email it out for you all to see if you are interested.
The hard part about all this is that my organization has few resources, however I do have a lot of faith in Isaac the chairman. Watching him speak at local community meetings I have noticed that he has a talent for captivating the audience. He speaks with passion and ignites it in many whom listen to him. After most meetings most community members come to us telling us that they will lend their services. Many are either willing to help make crafts to sell to fundraise, or donate some small quantities of food, water, or labour to build the schools. So far we have had a great response! So although we don’t have many resources to help us we do have great manpower and are pushing forward utilizing every small thing along the way.
Working on all that this past week had been extremely trying, Friday came around and I needed a break! I desperately wanted to go see my friends in Kampala however I was out at a community meeting until very late (630) it gets dark here around 730 and the family I am staying with does not let me go out during the night time. I ended up paying around 20,000 shillings for a boda boda (bike taxi) which is a lot of money for me just to get home pack a few things and run to Kampala. I got there just as it was getting dark. Kevin met me close to his place, I got off the boda boda paid the man and gave Kev a huge hug, I was so extremely happy to see him. We went directly to a local pub for a frosty brew and rambled on for a good few hours. It takes time to get accustomed to different areas, you often feel like you are riding a roller coaster of emotion, hating it one moment loving it the next, we both exchanged experience and he told me that he felt the same way the first week he got here too.
I was supposed to go to a wedding in Mukono on Saturday however decided to stay in Kampala. I thought it would be better for my mental health to be around friends for another day and it turned out to be a great idea. My friend Laura whom lives with Kevin returned home from her field work and we ended up celebrating by going dancing with some other foreign aid workers. It was truly a great weekend. I feel much refreshed after my weekend away and enjoyed the different food available in Kampala. I hadn’t touched a potato the whole weekend. I went out for Ethiopian coffee several times and I have to say it was the best coffee I have ever tasted, put through a French press the fresh coffee grinds created an amazing experience, very euphoric!
Sunday morning Kevin and I walked around the markets downtown. There were a zillion things there, everything to nike shoes, designer pants, watches, bracelets, peanut butter…the list could go on and on…anyways I quickly noticed that I spent my entire time in the market avoiding eye contact with the merchants. Even if I didn’t look at them they would grab my hand and say, Mazoongu try this on. It got really annoying but Kevin and I quickly devised a great plan to get them off our back. As they grab us or harass us we simply pointed in another direct behind them, they seemed to turn around and look every time as we quickly whisked by, haha suckers!
So now I am back in Mukono eager to start my new work week. I am hoping to get a lot accomplished this week however still need to realize that I need to work on African time, meaning this get doen here very slow. Nobody rushes or stresses out about getting things done, they all assume or know it will get don’t eventually. It’s kind of nice having it that way however annoying when you are working hard and actually need to accomplish something for your own mental health.
I will have been in Uganda for two weeks as of this Wednesday, I would be lying if I told you if things have been easy so far. The pit latrines, and baths from a bucket are merely fun and games compared to what I have experienced this past week. I have been given the title of Program Director & organizational consultant for the organization, sounds good doesn’t it. However with this great title came a lot of responsibility and a immense amount of pressure. Towards the end of last week I found myself angry and frustrated with the way people perceived my job title and why I was here. First of all the mentality here and in many developing countries is that white men have money, sadly this is true as most of us know it, as poor as I actually am I do have networks and I do have people willing to donate towards development work. Therefor everyone and their uncle in this town have come to see me, and ask for money or things they need. I cannot solve their problems instantly or may be even to help them, it has really worn on me this past week as it is very difficult to turn people away. That is the frustrating part, which got me a little angry towards the end of the week as I had almost 20 people daily coming to see me and asking for donations. I am only one man and need to stay focused on my organization objectives in order to get something positive accomplished.
Now for those of you wondering what I have started planning I will give you a small taste… Beacon of Hope Uganda has since 2006 established itself in Mukono as a aggressive organization that finds money through several privately financed projects to pay for children’s school fees. So far it has helped hundreds of kids each year attain education. This has been a great thing for Mukono however unfortunately sometimes donators run dry or move on to other projects. My Project here will help establish a full sustainable educational resource center, this center will initially require grants or donations however after established will be able to sustain itself indefinitely for years to come. How will this happen? The land purchased to build this center on will be several acres, and on this acreage they will have pigs, cows, goats, chickens which will all be grown, reproduced and sold for a rather large profit. Piglets for example can be bought here for 25,000 shillings, which is approximately 17dollars when fully grown they can be sold for 300,000 shillings (200 dollars around every 6-8 months). Wealthy people in the area have like 5 and reproduce them and make a really good living off of it. 300,000 shillings could put more than 20 orphans in school for a year. Among pig rearing I am looking to establish, candle making, crafts, selling of dried fruit & honey, aquaculture and various other small entrepreneurial activities that will benefit the center. From the goats and cows milk can be produced, eggs from the chicken and fish as well if a fish pond is constructed. Large Scale farmers have also mentioned that they are willing to help out by donating maize, potatoes and other various local fruits. Good Idea? Not sure, but these activities have worked in several other development situations and some have been gaining a lot of headway for local communities. This Educational center will have housing for some orphans as well as a primary and secondary school. Later once established and running we will be looking to initiate a small clinic on the land and progress in our promotion on HIV/Aids education. I am hoping to finish my concept paper in about a week or so and will email it out for you all to see if you are interested.
The hard part about all this is that my organization has few resources, however I do have a lot of faith in Isaac the chairman. Watching him speak at local community meetings I have noticed that he has a talent for captivating the audience. He speaks with passion and ignites it in many whom listen to him. After most meetings most community members come to us telling us that they will lend their services. Many are either willing to help make crafts to sell to fundraise, or donate some small quantities of food, water, or labour to build the schools. So far we have had a great response! So although we don’t have many resources to help us we do have great manpower and are pushing forward utilizing every small thing along the way.
Working on all that this past week had been extremely trying, Friday came around and I needed a break! I desperately wanted to go see my friends in Kampala however I was out at a community meeting until very late (630) it gets dark here around 730 and the family I am staying with does not let me go out during the night time. I ended up paying around 20,000 shillings for a boda boda (bike taxi) which is a lot of money for me just to get home pack a few things and run to Kampala. I got there just as it was getting dark. Kevin met me close to his place, I got off the boda boda paid the man and gave Kev a huge hug, I was so extremely happy to see him. We went directly to a local pub for a frosty brew and rambled on for a good few hours. It takes time to get accustomed to different areas, you often feel like you are riding a roller coaster of emotion, hating it one moment loving it the next, we both exchanged experience and he told me that he felt the same way the first week he got here too.
I was supposed to go to a wedding in Mukono on Saturday however decided to stay in Kampala. I thought it would be better for my mental health to be around friends for another day and it turned out to be a great idea. My friend Laura whom lives with Kevin returned home from her field work and we ended up celebrating by going dancing with some other foreign aid workers. It was truly a great weekend. I feel much refreshed after my weekend away and enjoyed the different food available in Kampala. I hadn’t touched a potato the whole weekend. I went out for Ethiopian coffee several times and I have to say it was the best coffee I have ever tasted, put through a French press the fresh coffee grinds created an amazing experience, very euphoric!
Sunday morning Kevin and I walked around the markets downtown. There were a zillion things there, everything to nike shoes, designer pants, watches, bracelets, peanut butter…the list could go on and on…anyways I quickly noticed that I spent my entire time in the market avoiding eye contact with the merchants. Even if I didn’t look at them they would grab my hand and say, Mazoongu try this on. It got really annoying but Kevin and I quickly devised a great plan to get them off our back. As they grab us or harass us we simply pointed in another direct behind them, they seemed to turn around and look every time as we quickly whisked by, haha suckers!
So now I am back in Mukono eager to start my new work week. I am hoping to get a lot accomplished this week however still need to realize that I need to work on African time, meaning this get doen here very slow. Nobody rushes or stresses out about getting things done, they all assume or know it will get don’t eventually. It’s kind of nice having it that way however annoying when you are working hard and actually need to accomplish something for your own mental health.
Spaghetti Night!
September 15 - 16th
Sunday was a relaxing day, I came back from Kampala around noon and
decided to explore a bit.
I went into town to look around at the local markets and to check my
emails. Around 4 pm I escorted Susan back to her boarding school, it
was about 10 km east of here. The school grounds seemed to be very
well maintained. I did not get to see much of it though as it was an
all girls school and they were very strict about men walking around
inside of the gates. Susan checked in and quickly ran off to meet her
friends and find her dorm room. On my way back I stopped off at a
hotel (Hotel Jobia). I had met the manager (Darryl) the other day and
we seemed to hit it off chatting about our different cultures. It was
nice to sit down and have beer and discuss the past events I had
experienced. Darryl keeps telling me of all these really cool places
that I need to go,
like the Mountains in the east (which have snow caps), the falls,
sesse island and the Entebbe zoo. The reckless Idi Amin (former
dictator) unfortunately killed off many of the wild animals around the
big cities so finding them in their natural habitat is a bit
difficult. If I can afford it I will soon go farther north to
experience a Safari tour.
I am slowly starting to adjust to the family life here, my Lugandan is
getting a bit better and several people around the village have
greatly appreciated my eagerness to learn their language.
I went to buy a desk on Monday as well as do some more shopping around
the village. Isaac has told me that it is important to bargain
especially if I am a mazoongu (white man). There is a different price
here for Mazoongu's and its usually more than triple the normal cost.
I could not find the Ikea, but did however find a carpenter who would
be able to build a small desk for me. At first he asked for 35,000
shillings which is around 20 dollars, I remembered Isaac telling me
that a desk should cost only 20,000 shillings so I insisted it was too
much. I find it much easier to bargain now that I know some lugandan,
ninge, ninge I said – too much, too much, the carpenter laughed at my
lugandan accent and said ok, 20,000. After I realized that the desk I
would be getting in Canada would be much more that 20 dollars, the
carpenter probably deserved 100,000 shillings for his work. It is
important though not to overpay even if you have the extra money
because they will become dependent on that and insist the higher
prices upon other mazoongu's as well as some locals.
Later on I had walked over to the market place to buy some fresh
avocado and an orange. It was incredible to see all the farmers out
with their beautiful ripe produce for sale. There was so much I wanted
to buy. Many farmers were selling meat, some of which looked horrible
smothered with flies and dirt. All the meat was displayed from hooks
hanging from a wooden beam, flies swarming around it as the butchers
took their knives to the sides to cut off small portions for
customers. Oh yes, this reminds me of something…the other night I was
given some red meat for dinner, it was a very small portion, no one
else had any except for me, I was excited to taste it but felt
horrible that I was the only one to have some. They treat me very well
here, always giving me lots of food and clean water to drink. I cut
off a piece of meat and put it in my mouth, my gag reflex kicked in
very fast. I cannot describe the taste of it even though it still
lingers in my mouth days after. I politely told them that I was not
used to such flavours back home and that maybe it will take some
getting used to, they chuckled and said, ok. That was my first
experience here where I was unable to eat something. I am pretty sure
that it was not an ordinary cut from a cow, Henry the father told me
that they eat every part of the cow, he did not however tell me which
part that was…probably for the best.
The youngest and only boy has grown fond of me, while I am around at
home he rarely leaves my side, often bringing his entourage of friends
along with him. Monday morning he burst into my room at about 5am to
show me his school uniform, "Matthew, Matthew, my uniform", he said
over and over. I was extremely tired and groggy but got up to see. I
have also taught him how to high five – he's become addicted and now
requires one every five minutes, he puts his hand as high as he can
reach high fives then walks out of my room, "School now, I see you
later."
I would have to admit although Isaac is around a lot and I am able to
go see Darryl when I have time off I am getting a little lonely. It
was nice on the weekend to converse as I like with Canadians, I plan
to visit Kampala every weekend.
On Saturday I was asked if I would like to attend a traditional
wedding, I agreed of course and am looking forward to experiencing
this.
I have also informed that family I am staying with that I wanted to
cook dinner for them, Henry, the father responded – "You can do these
things?" I said, "of course, I love to cook for people." The mother
seemed a little puzzled that I would want to cook dinner, however
enjoyed my enthusiasm about it. I figured I would make them spaghetti,
mainly because I have seen some boxes of pasta at the super market.
The big challenge will be making it over a fire, they don't have a
stove.
Lots of love to you all,
Matt
Wednesday September 17th
Spaghetti night!
Today had been a long day, Isaac and I have walked for about 8 hours
throught rural villages talking with community members and local
households to find out more information about the areas surrounding
Mukono. I came back home extremely tired barely able to lift my arm
after waving all day to children scream hello Mazoongu! (hello white
man). I did however promise to make dinner that night and was still
very eager to do so as it would be a great change from potatoes which
I am slowly starting to loath. I love spaghetti and figured I would
try it out to see if they liked it. The family I am staying with does
not have a stove, everything was made over a open fire which obviously
made things seem a little more difficult. I went around to the local
market and bought some fresh tomatoes, onion, garlic and peppers to
add to my sauce. Then I proceeded to the supermarket where I bought a
noodles and some ground meat from the butcher. The butcher was a man
standing outside of the supermarket with slabs of meat hanging up, he
would cut some off and grind it up for me I winced hoping that none of
the flies surrounding the meat were ground up as well. I brought all
the food home and showed it to the family. They could not believe that
I wanted to cook, they kept telling me that young men never want to
cook in Uganda. I persisted in telling them that I loved to do it
would enjoy making them more food in the weeks to come. While I was
gone that day, the daughters had washed all my clothes by hand as well
as hand washed my floor. I was shocked and a bit disappointed that
they did not allow me to help. Back to the dinner…as I prepared the
food over the fire several mothers in the area were invited to come
over and watch me, they all laughed and could not believe that a white
man wanted to cook. While I was mixing the ingredients for my sauce
one of the young sisters kept asking me if I had put salt in it yet, I
kept replying no, not yet thinking that maybe I will add a little in
after it has been cooking for a bit. When I turned my back she had
dumped probably about half to three quarters of a cup of salt and
about a ridiculous amount of garlic into me sauce. I was mad for about
2 seconds thinking she had ruined my dinner however just shrugged my
shoulders and went along with it like I have with everything else new
to me here. I assume since most of their food does not taste like
anything they use a lot of salt as flavoring. Cooking the noodles over
a open fire was kind of hard, I had accidently let them boil too long,
they were ruined though some were just softer than others. I had
invited my friend Darryl from the hotel and Isaac over for dinner they
came a bit early to watch me cook and we chatted about odds and sods
before we sat down. Now I hope this may not alarm you but the father,
Henry often goes into town to visit friends and have a gin or two,
twice now he has come home a little more bubbling than usual (trust me
he is harmless and extremely friendly). He sat down to eat and would
not stop describing how delicious the meal was, he kept insisting that
it was the best thing he had ever eaten and that I was truly a
blessing to him and his family. He went on, "Matthew, Matthew, you are
my Canadian son, you know? And I, I am your African Father, I worry
for your safety, so please I will protect you when you want to move."
His wife and children as well as Isaac and I just laughed. Everyone
really enjoyed the meal and was thankful that I had made it, why do I
know that, each person told me that about ten times. That evening
while we sat down for prayer I noticed that the young boy Jacob did
not seem well, I asked what was wrong and his mother had said that he
has malaria. It is a treatable virus however it was sad to see such a
young energetic young boy so weak and tired from fighting off his
sickness.
After reflecting on the nights events several things came to mind.
First off, I had bought a large amount of noodles so that everyone
could have a equal share. However I noticed when they served me that
my share was larger, larger than most portions I would even eat in
Canada. I urged them to take some and give more to Jacob and his
sisters but they seemed reluctant to do so. They treat me to well here
and I am always sure to tell them, (Weebele Kuba Maroonge gindee -
thank you for being so good to me). The second thing that came to mind
was my appreciation for the women of Uganda, their hard honest work
lies as the backbone for this country. Widowers whom have lost their
husband to HIV/AIDS work the fields, make the meals, as well as do
part time work in order to find extra money to send their kids to
school. I applaud their work ethic, integrity and love they have for
their children. They are selfless and compassionate working hard for
their children and their neighbors children and often take on orphans
from nearby villages. I am slowly seeing the payoff for all the labor
that they do, it's the smiles in a young child's face on his walk to
school, or laughter between kids as the run around a backyard playing
games. It's what every child deserves and what every person should
strive to provide.
Other things to mention…
I have been trying to communicate with the local government here in
Mukono, it is very hard, each department has some sort of rule that
you have to somehow slither around, and all I want it a few pages of
information about the area…I do seem to be getting somewhere though as
today finally I was given a book displaying multiple statistics about
education, water and sanitation, health and agriculture. It's a start
but I still require more.
I have become addicted to sugar cane, I have been buying it and eating
it mostly in the mornings so that I can have a piece between each
potato I eat, it breaks things up, makes breakfast a little easier to
digest. I will bring some home for Mark and Luke, I know they will
enjoy it.
Lots of Love to you all,
Matt
Sunday was a relaxing day, I came back from Kampala around noon and
decided to explore a bit.
I went into town to look around at the local markets and to check my
emails. Around 4 pm I escorted Susan back to her boarding school, it
was about 10 km east of here. The school grounds seemed to be very
well maintained. I did not get to see much of it though as it was an
all girls school and they were very strict about men walking around
inside of the gates. Susan checked in and quickly ran off to meet her
friends and find her dorm room. On my way back I stopped off at a
hotel (Hotel Jobia). I had met the manager (Darryl) the other day and
we seemed to hit it off chatting about our different cultures. It was
nice to sit down and have beer and discuss the past events I had
experienced. Darryl keeps telling me of all these really cool places
that I need to go,
like the Mountains in the east (which have snow caps), the falls,
sesse island and the Entebbe zoo. The reckless Idi Amin (former
dictator) unfortunately killed off many of the wild animals around the
big cities so finding them in their natural habitat is a bit
difficult. If I can afford it I will soon go farther north to
experience a Safari tour.
I am slowly starting to adjust to the family life here, my Lugandan is
getting a bit better and several people around the village have
greatly appreciated my eagerness to learn their language.
I went to buy a desk on Monday as well as do some more shopping around
the village. Isaac has told me that it is important to bargain
especially if I am a mazoongu (white man). There is a different price
here for Mazoongu's and its usually more than triple the normal cost.
I could not find the Ikea, but did however find a carpenter who would
be able to build a small desk for me. At first he asked for 35,000
shillings which is around 20 dollars, I remembered Isaac telling me
that a desk should cost only 20,000 shillings so I insisted it was too
much. I find it much easier to bargain now that I know some lugandan,
ninge, ninge I said – too much, too much, the carpenter laughed at my
lugandan accent and said ok, 20,000. After I realized that the desk I
would be getting in Canada would be much more that 20 dollars, the
carpenter probably deserved 100,000 shillings for his work. It is
important though not to overpay even if you have the extra money
because they will become dependent on that and insist the higher
prices upon other mazoongu's as well as some locals.
Later on I had walked over to the market place to buy some fresh
avocado and an orange. It was incredible to see all the farmers out
with their beautiful ripe produce for sale. There was so much I wanted
to buy. Many farmers were selling meat, some of which looked horrible
smothered with flies and dirt. All the meat was displayed from hooks
hanging from a wooden beam, flies swarming around it as the butchers
took their knives to the sides to cut off small portions for
customers. Oh yes, this reminds me of something…the other night I was
given some red meat for dinner, it was a very small portion, no one
else had any except for me, I was excited to taste it but felt
horrible that I was the only one to have some. They treat me very well
here, always giving me lots of food and clean water to drink. I cut
off a piece of meat and put it in my mouth, my gag reflex kicked in
very fast. I cannot describe the taste of it even though it still
lingers in my mouth days after. I politely told them that I was not
used to such flavours back home and that maybe it will take some
getting used to, they chuckled and said, ok. That was my first
experience here where I was unable to eat something. I am pretty sure
that it was not an ordinary cut from a cow, Henry the father told me
that they eat every part of the cow, he did not however tell me which
part that was…probably for the best.
The youngest and only boy has grown fond of me, while I am around at
home he rarely leaves my side, often bringing his entourage of friends
along with him. Monday morning he burst into my room at about 5am to
show me his school uniform, "Matthew, Matthew, my uniform", he said
over and over. I was extremely tired and groggy but got up to see. I
have also taught him how to high five – he's become addicted and now
requires one every five minutes, he puts his hand as high as he can
reach high fives then walks out of my room, "School now, I see you
later."
I would have to admit although Isaac is around a lot and I am able to
go see Darryl when I have time off I am getting a little lonely. It
was nice on the weekend to converse as I like with Canadians, I plan
to visit Kampala every weekend.
On Saturday I was asked if I would like to attend a traditional
wedding, I agreed of course and am looking forward to experiencing
this.
I have also informed that family I am staying with that I wanted to
cook dinner for them, Henry, the father responded – "You can do these
things?" I said, "of course, I love to cook for people." The mother
seemed a little puzzled that I would want to cook dinner, however
enjoyed my enthusiasm about it. I figured I would make them spaghetti,
mainly because I have seen some boxes of pasta at the super market.
The big challenge will be making it over a fire, they don't have a
stove.
Lots of love to you all,
Matt
Wednesday September 17th
Spaghetti night!
Today had been a long day, Isaac and I have walked for about 8 hours
throught rural villages talking with community members and local
households to find out more information about the areas surrounding
Mukono. I came back home extremely tired barely able to lift my arm
after waving all day to children scream hello Mazoongu! (hello white
man). I did however promise to make dinner that night and was still
very eager to do so as it would be a great change from potatoes which
I am slowly starting to loath. I love spaghetti and figured I would
try it out to see if they liked it. The family I am staying with does
not have a stove, everything was made over a open fire which obviously
made things seem a little more difficult. I went around to the local
market and bought some fresh tomatoes, onion, garlic and peppers to
add to my sauce. Then I proceeded to the supermarket where I bought a
noodles and some ground meat from the butcher. The butcher was a man
standing outside of the supermarket with slabs of meat hanging up, he
would cut some off and grind it up for me I winced hoping that none of
the flies surrounding the meat were ground up as well. I brought all
the food home and showed it to the family. They could not believe that
I wanted to cook, they kept telling me that young men never want to
cook in Uganda. I persisted in telling them that I loved to do it
would enjoy making them more food in the weeks to come. While I was
gone that day, the daughters had washed all my clothes by hand as well
as hand washed my floor. I was shocked and a bit disappointed that
they did not allow me to help. Back to the dinner…as I prepared the
food over the fire several mothers in the area were invited to come
over and watch me, they all laughed and could not believe that a white
man wanted to cook. While I was mixing the ingredients for my sauce
one of the young sisters kept asking me if I had put salt in it yet, I
kept replying no, not yet thinking that maybe I will add a little in
after it has been cooking for a bit. When I turned my back she had
dumped probably about half to three quarters of a cup of salt and
about a ridiculous amount of garlic into me sauce. I was mad for about
2 seconds thinking she had ruined my dinner however just shrugged my
shoulders and went along with it like I have with everything else new
to me here. I assume since most of their food does not taste like
anything they use a lot of salt as flavoring. Cooking the noodles over
a open fire was kind of hard, I had accidently let them boil too long,
they were ruined though some were just softer than others. I had
invited my friend Darryl from the hotel and Isaac over for dinner they
came a bit early to watch me cook and we chatted about odds and sods
before we sat down. Now I hope this may not alarm you but the father,
Henry often goes into town to visit friends and have a gin or two,
twice now he has come home a little more bubbling than usual (trust me
he is harmless and extremely friendly). He sat down to eat and would
not stop describing how delicious the meal was, he kept insisting that
it was the best thing he had ever eaten and that I was truly a
blessing to him and his family. He went on, "Matthew, Matthew, you are
my Canadian son, you know? And I, I am your African Father, I worry
for your safety, so please I will protect you when you want to move."
His wife and children as well as Isaac and I just laughed. Everyone
really enjoyed the meal and was thankful that I had made it, why do I
know that, each person told me that about ten times. That evening
while we sat down for prayer I noticed that the young boy Jacob did
not seem well, I asked what was wrong and his mother had said that he
has malaria. It is a treatable virus however it was sad to see such a
young energetic young boy so weak and tired from fighting off his
sickness.
After reflecting on the nights events several things came to mind.
First off, I had bought a large amount of noodles so that everyone
could have a equal share. However I noticed when they served me that
my share was larger, larger than most portions I would even eat in
Canada. I urged them to take some and give more to Jacob and his
sisters but they seemed reluctant to do so. They treat me to well here
and I am always sure to tell them, (Weebele Kuba Maroonge gindee -
thank you for being so good to me). The second thing that came to mind
was my appreciation for the women of Uganda, their hard honest work
lies as the backbone for this country. Widowers whom have lost their
husband to HIV/AIDS work the fields, make the meals, as well as do
part time work in order to find extra money to send their kids to
school. I applaud their work ethic, integrity and love they have for
their children. They are selfless and compassionate working hard for
their children and their neighbors children and often take on orphans
from nearby villages. I am slowly seeing the payoff for all the labor
that they do, it's the smiles in a young child's face on his walk to
school, or laughter between kids as the run around a backyard playing
games. It's what every child deserves and what every person should
strive to provide.
Other things to mention…
I have been trying to communicate with the local government here in
Mukono, it is very hard, each department has some sort of rule that
you have to somehow slither around, and all I want it a few pages of
information about the area…I do seem to be getting somewhere though as
today finally I was given a book displaying multiple statistics about
education, water and sanitation, health and agriculture. It's a start
but I still require more.
I have become addicted to sugar cane, I have been buying it and eating
it mostly in the mornings so that I can have a piece between each
potato I eat, it breaks things up, makes breakfast a little easier to
digest. I will bring some home for Mark and Luke, I know they will
enjoy it.
Lots of Love to you all,
Matt
Part duex
September 12-13th
The last day and a half or so has been a whirl wind, I'm on sensory
overload here! Isaac has taken me to a orphanage downtown Kampala that
we are trying to work with, we would like at some point to build a
house for the children as currently they have no place to sleep but
the cement floor in a small room in the school. I think there were
about 80 kids there, some had gone away during the day to work, the
total number of children residing there is unknown, dozens come and go
everyday. I was fortunate to meet the lady whom has been taking care
of them. She has organized with local farmers so that she receives
food at low cost or for free, with that she feeds these children once
a day. I brought with me a few bags of sweats for the children, they
went ballistic, I felt like I was drowning in a sea of children,
crowding around me they all yelled, white man, white man! Although
then enjoyed the candy they all wanted to touch me, children so small
they could fit in my shoe sauntered up to pinch my leg. Isaac took me
around to look over the land and meet with others who have been
helping out at this orphanage. I met with a local student who had just
graduated from university with a child psychology degree and applauded
her for investing her time into a much needed profession. Before I
left Isaac pulled me aside and introduced me to two very young brave
individuals. The first a girl, age approximately 16 and a boy who was
around 18-20 years old. Both had been captured by Joseph Koni, a
notorious rebel leader that makes Hitler and Stalin appear like mere
school girls. The atrocities this man has committed are horrendous and
I speak with much fervor when I wish for his demise. Koni and is army
is known as the LRA the lord's resistance army, I have known about him
for a few years now but have finally come across his path of
destruction. Knoi is most famous for his night attacks on villages,
his hoards of children whom her manipulates and drugs are set to seek
out and kidnap more children. Oprah, and I believe George Clooney as
well as several young American college grads have been the most famous
to bring this to the world's attention. In order to avoid being
kidnapped the children walk miles before dusk to safe houses – churchs
schools to sleep in order to avoid the rebel groups, because of this
the Gulu walk was created, a charity walk now done around the world to
raise support for this cause. There is an exceptional movie called War
Dance, it's a documentary about children captured and forced to fight
in his army whom have escaped and turned to the arts (dancing) as a
way of rejuvenating their lives. Watch it, it's good, I have seen a
number of times before. Back to the Two brave ones I had just met (
they were brother and sister); they had managed to escape Koni somehow
and seek refuge in a local school where they soon were taken to
kampala to stay in the orphanage. The young girl told me her story.
Koni had come into their town and had killed their parents right in
front of them as well as their other older siblings. They were taken,
the young girl to be one of Koni's many mistresses and the young boy
to be a soldier in Koni's army. As she told me this she did not look
up, her face grim and her eyes like glass it appeared she was very
close to crying when she spoke of her parents. I can't even imagine
what they have both witnessed, my throat choking as I spoke to them
applauding them for their bravery and consoled them over their losses.
Walking away from that orphanage was hard, literally several children
still clinging to my arms. I had felt like I got kicked in the face,
my stomach felt winded and my eyes want to fill with tears. I tried to
stay strong for them though, they looked to me for strength and help.
When we were back on the street Isaac put his arm on my shoulder and
said how was that? I told him exactly how I felt, he's said he's been
there and seen that many times and always leaves feeling horrible.
It was Saturday and I desperately wanted to see my friends who had
recently graduated and moved to kampala to do the same kind of work I
am doing. I left the orphanage and took a bota, a motorcycle taxi to
meet with them. These Bota drivers are insane, driving 80km on the
yellow line, cars passing by at either side, I have never felt so
alive...Luke called numerous times while I was on the bike, I felt bad
having to keep telling him to call back as I did not want to talk
while riding on this taxi. Although fun these boa's are very
dangerous, there are few traffic laws and cars often drive carelessly.
I will not ride them often, only when necessary. It is great to be
able to talk to my family from over here, the phones are really really
cheap and great to use. It was really great to finally see a friendly
face, Kevin and I exchanged a big hug and a laugh when we met and ran
off to the local but for a frosty brew! He took me back to his place I
was eager to see where he was living. Compared to me he lives in club
med, he lives inside a compound, and has a made who comes around to do
his laundry and cleans his place for about 10,000 shillings which is
less or around 6 dollars, good deal! Most of all he has two of the
most prized possession I can think of right now, a shower (only with
cold water, and a beautiful porcelain toilet. I have never been so
happy to see that beautiful porcelain goddess before, I did not have
to go to the bathroom but felt like I just wanted to sit on it for a
while for good times.
On the way to another friends place Kevin and I went out for dinner,
he asked me what I wanted I just told him anything but potatoes! We
ended up going to a beautiful restaurant owned by a Canadian and had a
huge steak dinner – for only 9,900 shillings which is around 6-7
dollars, good deal! Kevin said it seemed like I was a little hungry
and glad to see meat as I wolfed down the entire plate not leaving a
crumb behind!
I was planning on staying at another friend tylers place that evening,
he had more room and an extra bed, on the way over Kevin broke me the
news, he told me that I could shower there and that tyler had hot
water coming from his taps, kev says, you think my place is nice, wait
till you see Tyler's. Tyler lives in a place that is mainly foreign
aid workers, they have huge mansions, front lawns, full plumbing and
wireless internet!!! It felt sooooooooooooo good to have a warm shower
I also ended up using his porcelain goddess a few times as well, it
was wonderful! He had a bunch of friends over that night all foreign
aid workers, some from England but most were from Canada, it was great
to talk to them all and network. After a good long meet and great we
went out to a bar for some drinks and to do a little dancing. I had
such a great time laughing and conversing with other Canadians, tyler
and Kevin both said to me that I am more than welcome to come stay
with them for days or weeks if I ever desire to. For now I think I
will visit – every chance I get. I was a little jealous of Tyler and
Kevin at first but came to realize that the situation I am in in
Mukono with my family is unique and a much better experience for me, I
am enjoying every moment and wake up every day with much anticipation
to go explore!
Although what I have seen the past day and a half had been devastating
my mind tells me to stay focused, I am here to complete several
objectives and I will take them on one at a time with baby steps if I
have to. Do not worry about me.
This next week school starts again, the children here have three terms
with a month off at the end of each term. Monday we will be at the
school and greeting the children as they arrive. I also be starting me
research on the community, I have a lot of work ahead of me. I need to
make visits to homes and talk to many people, record information and
collect accurate data for my proposals. I will fill you all in with
what I am doing as I go along.
More things to mention…
- I went on a four hour walk to see a 3 acre plot of land that we plan
to develop into a student resource center/health clinic and home for
orphanes around the area. On the way there I noticed a hole in the
ground approximately a foot in diameter. Isaac says, "Matthew do you
fear snakes," I replied, ones that big, yes." Isaac told me that often
they stretch across the road and young Jacob who is only six much jump
over them on his way to school – yikes! They saw that the snakes are
afraid of humans and go away when they see you, but then again, they
say a lot of things.
- I will be trying new foods this next week, they consist of White
ants!!! Cow brains! And a few other disgusting sounding things that I
am dreading to find in my bowl. I plan to try them all to the point
where I cannot stomach them, I would like to make a honest effort in
this as they seem pleased that I have been eating all the local food
so far.
- They don't take the skin off the cows, the beef they eat still has
the old black and white shag on them, they say its healthy for you, I
haven't had a piece of beef yet with it on it and again am dreading to
see it.
- I am about to escort young susan back to boarding school where she
stays for an entire term. The other girls, Deborah, ruth and Rebecca
will be looking after me while she is gone.
- Since I am living with a family I am starting to pick up the local
language more than my friends whom all live with Canadians in the
city. They think its hysterical when I say things in lugandan. I
learned how to saw thank you for being so good – which I use
frequently for the kids at the orphanage.
The last day and a half or so has been a whirl wind, I'm on sensory
overload here! Isaac has taken me to a orphanage downtown Kampala that
we are trying to work with, we would like at some point to build a
house for the children as currently they have no place to sleep but
the cement floor in a small room in the school. I think there were
about 80 kids there, some had gone away during the day to work, the
total number of children residing there is unknown, dozens come and go
everyday. I was fortunate to meet the lady whom has been taking care
of them. She has organized with local farmers so that she receives
food at low cost or for free, with that she feeds these children once
a day. I brought with me a few bags of sweats for the children, they
went ballistic, I felt like I was drowning in a sea of children,
crowding around me they all yelled, white man, white man! Although
then enjoyed the candy they all wanted to touch me, children so small
they could fit in my shoe sauntered up to pinch my leg. Isaac took me
around to look over the land and meet with others who have been
helping out at this orphanage. I met with a local student who had just
graduated from university with a child psychology degree and applauded
her for investing her time into a much needed profession. Before I
left Isaac pulled me aside and introduced me to two very young brave
individuals. The first a girl, age approximately 16 and a boy who was
around 18-20 years old. Both had been captured by Joseph Koni, a
notorious rebel leader that makes Hitler and Stalin appear like mere
school girls. The atrocities this man has committed are horrendous and
I speak with much fervor when I wish for his demise. Koni and is army
is known as the LRA the lord's resistance army, I have known about him
for a few years now but have finally come across his path of
destruction. Knoi is most famous for his night attacks on villages,
his hoards of children whom her manipulates and drugs are set to seek
out and kidnap more children. Oprah, and I believe George Clooney as
well as several young American college grads have been the most famous
to bring this to the world's attention. In order to avoid being
kidnapped the children walk miles before dusk to safe houses – churchs
schools to sleep in order to avoid the rebel groups, because of this
the Gulu walk was created, a charity walk now done around the world to
raise support for this cause. There is an exceptional movie called War
Dance, it's a documentary about children captured and forced to fight
in his army whom have escaped and turned to the arts (dancing) as a
way of rejuvenating their lives. Watch it, it's good, I have seen a
number of times before. Back to the Two brave ones I had just met (
they were brother and sister); they had managed to escape Koni somehow
and seek refuge in a local school where they soon were taken to
kampala to stay in the orphanage. The young girl told me her story.
Koni had come into their town and had killed their parents right in
front of them as well as their other older siblings. They were taken,
the young girl to be one of Koni's many mistresses and the young boy
to be a soldier in Koni's army. As she told me this she did not look
up, her face grim and her eyes like glass it appeared she was very
close to crying when she spoke of her parents. I can't even imagine
what they have both witnessed, my throat choking as I spoke to them
applauding them for their bravery and consoled them over their losses.
Walking away from that orphanage was hard, literally several children
still clinging to my arms. I had felt like I got kicked in the face,
my stomach felt winded and my eyes want to fill with tears. I tried to
stay strong for them though, they looked to me for strength and help.
When we were back on the street Isaac put his arm on my shoulder and
said how was that? I told him exactly how I felt, he's said he's been
there and seen that many times and always leaves feeling horrible.
It was Saturday and I desperately wanted to see my friends who had
recently graduated and moved to kampala to do the same kind of work I
am doing. I left the orphanage and took a bota, a motorcycle taxi to
meet with them. These Bota drivers are insane, driving 80km on the
yellow line, cars passing by at either side, I have never felt so
alive...Luke called numerous times while I was on the bike, I felt bad
having to keep telling him to call back as I did not want to talk
while riding on this taxi. Although fun these boa's are very
dangerous, there are few traffic laws and cars often drive carelessly.
I will not ride them often, only when necessary. It is great to be
able to talk to my family from over here, the phones are really really
cheap and great to use. It was really great to finally see a friendly
face, Kevin and I exchanged a big hug and a laugh when we met and ran
off to the local but for a frosty brew! He took me back to his place I
was eager to see where he was living. Compared to me he lives in club
med, he lives inside a compound, and has a made who comes around to do
his laundry and cleans his place for about 10,000 shillings which is
less or around 6 dollars, good deal! Most of all he has two of the
most prized possession I can think of right now, a shower (only with
cold water, and a beautiful porcelain toilet. I have never been so
happy to see that beautiful porcelain goddess before, I did not have
to go to the bathroom but felt like I just wanted to sit on it for a
while for good times.
On the way to another friends place Kevin and I went out for dinner,
he asked me what I wanted I just told him anything but potatoes! We
ended up going to a beautiful restaurant owned by a Canadian and had a
huge steak dinner – for only 9,900 shillings which is around 6-7
dollars, good deal! Kevin said it seemed like I was a little hungry
and glad to see meat as I wolfed down the entire plate not leaving a
crumb behind!
I was planning on staying at another friend tylers place that evening,
he had more room and an extra bed, on the way over Kevin broke me the
news, he told me that I could shower there and that tyler had hot
water coming from his taps, kev says, you think my place is nice, wait
till you see Tyler's. Tyler lives in a place that is mainly foreign
aid workers, they have huge mansions, front lawns, full plumbing and
wireless internet!!! It felt sooooooooooooo good to have a warm shower
I also ended up using his porcelain goddess a few times as well, it
was wonderful! He had a bunch of friends over that night all foreign
aid workers, some from England but most were from Canada, it was great
to talk to them all and network. After a good long meet and great we
went out to a bar for some drinks and to do a little dancing. I had
such a great time laughing and conversing with other Canadians, tyler
and Kevin both said to me that I am more than welcome to come stay
with them for days or weeks if I ever desire to. For now I think I
will visit – every chance I get. I was a little jealous of Tyler and
Kevin at first but came to realize that the situation I am in in
Mukono with my family is unique and a much better experience for me, I
am enjoying every moment and wake up every day with much anticipation
to go explore!
Although what I have seen the past day and a half had been devastating
my mind tells me to stay focused, I am here to complete several
objectives and I will take them on one at a time with baby steps if I
have to. Do not worry about me.
This next week school starts again, the children here have three terms
with a month off at the end of each term. Monday we will be at the
school and greeting the children as they arrive. I also be starting me
research on the community, I have a lot of work ahead of me. I need to
make visits to homes and talk to many people, record information and
collect accurate data for my proposals. I will fill you all in with
what I am doing as I go along.
More things to mention…
- I went on a four hour walk to see a 3 acre plot of land that we plan
to develop into a student resource center/health clinic and home for
orphanes around the area. On the way there I noticed a hole in the
ground approximately a foot in diameter. Isaac says, "Matthew do you
fear snakes," I replied, ones that big, yes." Isaac told me that often
they stretch across the road and young Jacob who is only six much jump
over them on his way to school – yikes! They saw that the snakes are
afraid of humans and go away when they see you, but then again, they
say a lot of things.
- I will be trying new foods this next week, they consist of White
ants!!! Cow brains! And a few other disgusting sounding things that I
am dreading to find in my bowl. I plan to try them all to the point
where I cannot stomach them, I would like to make a honest effort in
this as they seem pleased that I have been eating all the local food
so far.
- They don't take the skin off the cows, the beef they eat still has
the old black and white shag on them, they say its healthy for you, I
haven't had a piece of beef yet with it on it and again am dreading to
see it.
- I am about to escort young susan back to boarding school where she
stays for an entire term. The other girls, Deborah, ruth and Rebecca
will be looking after me while she is gone.
- Since I am living with a family I am starting to pick up the local
language more than my friends whom all live with Canadians in the
city. They think its hysterical when I say things in lugandan. I
learned how to saw thank you for being so good – which I use
frequently for the kids at the orphanage.
The first few days...
September: 10th – 12th
I arrived in Entebbe around 940 am. Isaac, my boss, the director of
Beacon of Hope was running a bit late and scared me, thinking that I
was forgotten about. He came about a half hour late and picked up a
rather ragged, tired Canadian (me). We took a taxi back to Mukono the
town where Beacon of Hope Uganda is located. It was about a 45 minute
ride, we went through the capital city Kampala which was busting full
of people and cars. There are no traffic lights so I noticed that the
traffic situation was extremely hectic, rather insane. On the ride to
Mukono our cab driver frequently drove in the middle of the road to
pass other cars, we were flying by oncoming traffic coming within
inchs of the other cars. Normally I would have been flooded with panic
however the calm presence of Isaac and the cab driver made me feel
that it was a regular thing.
(Side note) while typing this I have seem to got the attention of
several children, they don't seem to care what is on my computer
screen but seem fascinated by the bring lights. It's quite funny, it
now seems that about six children have crammed into the room and are
sitting around me as I right, I can hear them attempting to sound out
the words I am typing.
On the way to Mukono Isaac informed me that I will be staying at his
aunt and uncles place until I get used to my surroundings. His Aunt
and Uncle are parents to 8 children 7 girls and 1 boy. The boy being
the youngest and currently sitting right beside me seems to grow fond
of me. He enjoys hi-fives and laughs hysterically when I say hello how
are you in Lugandan the local language.
The family I am staying with is very hospitable; they have provided me
with the largest room in the house as well as one of their own beds.
There is no running water here so my first shower consisted of me and
a bucket of cold water. The bathroom consists of a hole in the ground
which you have to squat over and yes, there is toilet paper, I have
been using my Purel after each time because I am terrified of the
germs and bacteria in and around the bathroom area.
The first meal I ate here was very interesting, Isaac and I were in
town and I asked if we could stop for a meal, we went to a rather
clean shop, I walked in and saw someone eating something that I
thought I might like, I asked Isaac what it was and he told me it was
goats liver, I figured why not might as well try it so I found my self
approaching the counter and telling the server, "Yes, I will have the
goats liver and fires please." You know that smell you smell when you
around a cow pasture, that was what the liver smelt like while it
approached my mouth, the taste was not bad though and I ate the entire
thing on account that I was starving and very hungry from all my
travelling. The family I am staying with have been providing me with
food since then, a young girl by the name of Susan ( she is only 17)
has been looking after me, I have been trying to see if I can wash my
plates or help prepare the food but they want to do it all for me,
they told me that they treat me so well here because they are just
happy to have me at their house. The meals consist of mainly potato,
for breakfast I will have about 4-6 potatoes, lunch I will have a few
potatoes and some sweat potatoes, and dinner…I had larger portions of
potatoes and more sweat potatoes. Almost every meal is accompanied by
two bananas. The bananas are incredible here they are extremely fresh,
I have never tasted one with some much flavor before. Everything they
eat here is from a garden locally grown, the pineapple is also one of
my favorites so far as it is bursting with flavor. I have also been
introduced to sugar cane, its rather sweat, you chew on it and suck
all the juice out and spit out the remains.
I have been touring the local rural areas, it is pretty devastating to
see the living conditions these young children are living in. As I
walk by them they yell and follow along side the road saying hello mr
white man hello! When I wave back to them they sometimes fall over
laughing at me. Their smiles are infectious was I end up wanting to
wave to every child I see in order to provide them with something to
laugh at.
It is fairly hard to get around this area without a translator, most
people speak only Lugandan or know very little English. Every time I
try to speak Luganda most people laugh really hard and saw, you try to
speak my language? Isaac said they enjoy it and find it funny as I
pronounce things correctly however have a strange accent with them.
On the morning of September 12th I had the youngest boy Jacob come
wake me up, he came to my door early in the morning and said with a
curious tone Matthew, Matthew, you come play football now. I jumped
out of bed and said ok! So bunch of kids from the area came over and
we kicked a ball around. The kids laughed and laughed so hard when
they saw me playing with them, they were all yelling my name Matthew,
Matthew, as if indicating they wanted me to pass to them.
I ended up caving in and have given a bunch of treats and things out
to the family I have been staying with. The younger kids had found a
few whistles that they wanted, I regret getting them as they are all I
hear around the house. I have so many young boys come to me every day
saying, you have a car? For me? And then the next day they come back
with a friend saying, you have a car for him? And him? And him? Don't
worry though I still have a huge sack full of goodies for the kids at
the orphanage.
I had informed Isaac about me family and my beloved sister Rebecca, I
had told him that we have gathered a small amount of funds and wanted
to donate it in her name. He came to me today and said that he wanted
to buy desks with them for the kids at the school. I agreed that it
would be a great idea. Isaac told me when I first arrived that he
wanted to leave a legacy behind, he wanted to have children say thank
you Isaac Ssamba you were a good man, and he said that on the desk we
will write, donated by Rebecca Montgomery, so that those kids will
know and thank Rebecca as she was a kind and compassionate young
women. He had me almost in tears at that point, I think this is a
really special thing to do in memory of her. The money donated by the
Palgrave rotary will also go to good use, however we are still waiting
for a bit so we can properly allocate it.
Other small things to mention…
I see small lizards of some kind crawling on the walls during dinner time…
There is no ceiling to my room, my bed is really small, but I am
grateful for what they have given me…
With my salary of 167 dollars a month I will earn well over I million
shillings a year, you all now know a millionaire…haha!
I walked here to the internet café by myself, it was my first time
alone here, it will be getting dark soon and it is not safe out a
night, especially to be alone. I am a bit nervous but think that I
have given myself enough time to get back.
…I was just informed that my evening tea is ready, they really do
treat me well here, I Must go! (this was before I left to come to the
internet café).
...the father of the family I am staying with just informed me that he
is my African Father..haha
I will be informing you about all my activities, Monday school starts,
I have a community council meeting at another near by school and have
been asked to visit a few other schools in the area, my guitar and a
soccer ball are required at all visits, I am a bit nervous to play in
front of so many kids but am sure the most simple song will please
them.
Tuesday I start my research, I will be investigating and interviewing
households throughout the rural areas and starting an assessment from
the information I gather from it. I am currently writing
questionnaires, etc for all this and am reading on other local issues.
Lots of love to you all,
Matt
I arrived in Entebbe around 940 am. Isaac, my boss, the director of
Beacon of Hope was running a bit late and scared me, thinking that I
was forgotten about. He came about a half hour late and picked up a
rather ragged, tired Canadian (me). We took a taxi back to Mukono the
town where Beacon of Hope Uganda is located. It was about a 45 minute
ride, we went through the capital city Kampala which was busting full
of people and cars. There are no traffic lights so I noticed that the
traffic situation was extremely hectic, rather insane. On the ride to
Mukono our cab driver frequently drove in the middle of the road to
pass other cars, we were flying by oncoming traffic coming within
inchs of the other cars. Normally I would have been flooded with panic
however the calm presence of Isaac and the cab driver made me feel
that it was a regular thing.
(Side note) while typing this I have seem to got the attention of
several children, they don't seem to care what is on my computer
screen but seem fascinated by the bring lights. It's quite funny, it
now seems that about six children have crammed into the room and are
sitting around me as I right, I can hear them attempting to sound out
the words I am typing.
On the way to Mukono Isaac informed me that I will be staying at his
aunt and uncles place until I get used to my surroundings. His Aunt
and Uncle are parents to 8 children 7 girls and 1 boy. The boy being
the youngest and currently sitting right beside me seems to grow fond
of me. He enjoys hi-fives and laughs hysterically when I say hello how
are you in Lugandan the local language.
The family I am staying with is very hospitable; they have provided me
with the largest room in the house as well as one of their own beds.
There is no running water here so my first shower consisted of me and
a bucket of cold water. The bathroom consists of a hole in the ground
which you have to squat over and yes, there is toilet paper, I have
been using my Purel after each time because I am terrified of the
germs and bacteria in and around the bathroom area.
The first meal I ate here was very interesting, Isaac and I were in
town and I asked if we could stop for a meal, we went to a rather
clean shop, I walked in and saw someone eating something that I
thought I might like, I asked Isaac what it was and he told me it was
goats liver, I figured why not might as well try it so I found my self
approaching the counter and telling the server, "Yes, I will have the
goats liver and fires please." You know that smell you smell when you
around a cow pasture, that was what the liver smelt like while it
approached my mouth, the taste was not bad though and I ate the entire
thing on account that I was starving and very hungry from all my
travelling. The family I am staying with have been providing me with
food since then, a young girl by the name of Susan ( she is only 17)
has been looking after me, I have been trying to see if I can wash my
plates or help prepare the food but they want to do it all for me,
they told me that they treat me so well here because they are just
happy to have me at their house. The meals consist of mainly potato,
for breakfast I will have about 4-6 potatoes, lunch I will have a few
potatoes and some sweat potatoes, and dinner…I had larger portions of
potatoes and more sweat potatoes. Almost every meal is accompanied by
two bananas. The bananas are incredible here they are extremely fresh,
I have never tasted one with some much flavor before. Everything they
eat here is from a garden locally grown, the pineapple is also one of
my favorites so far as it is bursting with flavor. I have also been
introduced to sugar cane, its rather sweat, you chew on it and suck
all the juice out and spit out the remains.
I have been touring the local rural areas, it is pretty devastating to
see the living conditions these young children are living in. As I
walk by them they yell and follow along side the road saying hello mr
white man hello! When I wave back to them they sometimes fall over
laughing at me. Their smiles are infectious was I end up wanting to
wave to every child I see in order to provide them with something to
laugh at.
It is fairly hard to get around this area without a translator, most
people speak only Lugandan or know very little English. Every time I
try to speak Luganda most people laugh really hard and saw, you try to
speak my language? Isaac said they enjoy it and find it funny as I
pronounce things correctly however have a strange accent with them.
On the morning of September 12th I had the youngest boy Jacob come
wake me up, he came to my door early in the morning and said with a
curious tone Matthew, Matthew, you come play football now. I jumped
out of bed and said ok! So bunch of kids from the area came over and
we kicked a ball around. The kids laughed and laughed so hard when
they saw me playing with them, they were all yelling my name Matthew,
Matthew, as if indicating they wanted me to pass to them.
I ended up caving in and have given a bunch of treats and things out
to the family I have been staying with. The younger kids had found a
few whistles that they wanted, I regret getting them as they are all I
hear around the house. I have so many young boys come to me every day
saying, you have a car? For me? And then the next day they come back
with a friend saying, you have a car for him? And him? And him? Don't
worry though I still have a huge sack full of goodies for the kids at
the orphanage.
I had informed Isaac about me family and my beloved sister Rebecca, I
had told him that we have gathered a small amount of funds and wanted
to donate it in her name. He came to me today and said that he wanted
to buy desks with them for the kids at the school. I agreed that it
would be a great idea. Isaac told me when I first arrived that he
wanted to leave a legacy behind, he wanted to have children say thank
you Isaac Ssamba you were a good man, and he said that on the desk we
will write, donated by Rebecca Montgomery, so that those kids will
know and thank Rebecca as she was a kind and compassionate young
women. He had me almost in tears at that point, I think this is a
really special thing to do in memory of her. The money donated by the
Palgrave rotary will also go to good use, however we are still waiting
for a bit so we can properly allocate it.
Other small things to mention…
I see small lizards of some kind crawling on the walls during dinner time…
There is no ceiling to my room, my bed is really small, but I am
grateful for what they have given me…
With my salary of 167 dollars a month I will earn well over I million
shillings a year, you all now know a millionaire…haha!
I walked here to the internet café by myself, it was my first time
alone here, it will be getting dark soon and it is not safe out a
night, especially to be alone. I am a bit nervous but think that I
have given myself enough time to get back.
…I was just informed that my evening tea is ready, they really do
treat me well here, I Must go! (this was before I left to come to the
internet café).
...the father of the family I am staying with just informed me that he
is my African Father..haha
I will be informing you about all my activities, Monday school starts,
I have a community council meeting at another near by school and have
been asked to visit a few other schools in the area, my guitar and a
soccer ball are required at all visits, I am a bit nervous to play in
front of so many kids but am sure the most simple song will please
them.
Tuesday I start my research, I will be investigating and interviewing
households throughout the rural areas and starting an assessment from
the information I gather from it. I am currently writing
questionnaires, etc for all this and am reading on other local issues.
Lots of love to you all,
Matt
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