Excitement on the horizon..

It's another beautiful summer morning in Makarere (just on the outskirts of Kampala, Uganda). I awoke just before sunrise, and have been contemplative as I've quietly started my day, to the sounds of birds singing and the city awakening slowly in the distance. It's hard to believe that I left Tulsa almost two weeks ago already, and that this part of the adventure is nearly halfway through.

Perhaps I should provide a bit of background before I continue with this entry. As you can see, I'm back in Uganda now, just 2 years after having been here the first time. I came to support Jenny in her efforts to rebuild/revamp a community-based initiative that she's headed and been working on for the last 2 years (since she left Uganda after our East African adventures of 2009). For a number of reasons, that project is on hold of the moment as she assesses which actions to take now, as circumstances have changed for her in the district she's been working in, so she's laying low for the time being but still involved in supporting that community. In the interim, we've had the pleasure of meeting some incredible people from the UK and the US who have a tremendous heart for resettling kiddies back with living biological families. The unfortunate state of affairs is that, for many, "orphanages" have evolved into terrific business models in this country. Often times (not always), this consists of children being institutionalized for the financial gain of the director/administrator of these said "orphanages". The sad reality is that most of the children in Uganda's "orphanages" aren't actually orphans at all, but have living relatives (yes, sometimes even their mothers and fathers) who love them , but for whatever reason had given their children up during a time of crisis. Tragically, some children are trafficked into "orphanages" without their families' knowledge, and even sometimes adopted to other countries from there. Imagine the loss these families must experience, never seeing their child again!!

All is not lost, however!! As we now know (research provided by the UN and others) that institutional care results in developmental delays and inadequate coping abilities in children, the answer seems clear - supporting and encouraging families and reuniting them with their children! The people I'd briefly mentioned above are keenly committed to this work, and a few of them have already been involved with resettling several children out of an orphanage and back with their biological families. This small group of committed individuals will sit down later this month, and ultimately create a non-profit whose aim is to reunite children with their families, or into foster families when appropriate. What an exciting prospect it is, to think that orphanages in this country (perhaps even the world over! I know, I'm getting ahead of myself) might be closed down because there is no longer a need for them! What an honour to think I might play some small part along this incredible journey!

A few closing thoughts...

I've been back home for just under two weeks, which is hard to believe. I jumped back into the shift-work scene all too quickly, which I soon learned to regret. Don't get me wrong, I do love my job, but it was a bit of a shock to the system to face the music only 3 and a half days after getting back to London (I only have myself to blame, I'm afraid). I can't honestly say there haven't been a few 'meltdown' moments, and I basically feel very much like the Grinch most of the time, but besides that I suppose I'm learning to adjust a little more each day. I thought it would be really wonderful to be back in good ol' Canada, but as it happens I just really miss what my life looked like for the past four months. I'd like to think my priorities (and certainly my view of the world) have shifted significantly over the past couple of months.

Stepping out of one's comfortable, safe little existence and into something strange and new (and, might I add, risky) is an invaluable experience. Walking a mile or two in the shoes of another teaches you not only about what life is like for others, but it also teaches you a great deal about yourself; your character, namely. But what matters most is not what you saw or what you did there, but rather what you DO with such an experience. If it holds no lasting bearing, no true meaning that lives on, then what will have been the point? And so this is the question that I am faced with every moment of every day. I only hope that it won't wear off, and that I'll make all of this matter somehow, someday....

Here comes goodbye...

I can't believe we're leaving Nairobi tonight, and boarding some jumbo jet to fly in the sky across countless miles of land and vast oceans. It's all a little (ok, A LOT) surreal. Jenny and I have had an eventful couple of days getting back to Nairobi (long story, but no worries - we arrived in one piece if not slightly less sane than when we left Kampala. hehe). We've both said our goodbyes to our respective projects, and are trying to adjust to the fact that we'll be back in the land of snow, organization and responsibility (oh, and did I mention safety? :D) in just over a day. Insane. There are a lot of thoughts running through our minds, the predominant one being disbelief that this trip is coming to a close. We've certainly learned a lot over these past few months. I'll probably sit down with paper and pen and write some reflective thoughts in the next few hours, but for now this is it, I'm afraid. Until later!

Tick...tick....tick....

"Time flies when you're having fun"... or something like that. Haha. I can't believe I've been on this continent for 3 months now. Craziness! In just a couple of weeks I'll be back to the land of schedules and snow, which is a little bittersweet. I can't honestly say that this experience has been enjoyable every step of the way, but has it been worth it? Absolutely.

It would seem that my camera has picked up a virus on one of the computers I've used somewhere along the way, so it looks as though I won't be able to upload photos after all. Let's hope my memory card hasn't been affected. Hmm.

The main project I've been focusing on this week has been trying to connect power at the small clinic I've been working at (it's not exactly in the patient's best interest to receive an injection while the nurse is trying to work by flashlight or candlelight). This, like everything else, seems to be a bit of a process. Well, a lot, actually. Yesterday the electrician and surveyor came by to assess the situation and start wiring a few things, which looked promising. Today, however, we spent all day waiting for a guy from the electrical company to bring us the agreement that we then have to sign and then take to the office in town for processing, before they proceed further. He ended up never showing up, as the man he was supposed to consult prior to coming to us was away from the office, in the field (all too typical, I'm afraid). And so, the plan is to meet with him tomorrow morning....but, of course, this could all change. In my mind it's not a very complex issue to resolve - you pay for a service, the responsible individual carries out whatever necessary task, and the job is done. But such is not the case here. It's a process, always. Negotiate, talk some more, renegociate... Time is certainly not held is such high esteem as I'm used to, and for an impatient individual like myself it can be a bit...umm..challenging :-) Ah well. I'm hoping to see the lights come on before I leave, but time will tell.

I don't think I've written much about the food on this blog, so perhaps it's about time I did. The typical Ugandan diet is basically entirely comprised of starches; filling, but not exactly a balanced diet. The kids eat a lot of beans and posho (which looks like mashed potatoes, but is made of maize flour and is very bland in flavour), mainly because they're the cheapest foods to prepare in large quantities. Most people survive off either matoke (a certain variety of green bananas that are boiled and served in a similar manner to pototoes), posho, beans, rice, sweet potatoes, or(occasionally) Irish potatoes, and sometimes accompanied by a bit of kale/cabbage or meat of some variety or another (which, if you've ever visited a butchery around here, you may choose to pass on. Haha).

Not too much other news, I suppose. I keep myself pretty busy most days, which is sometimes challenging as I can't seem to get a solid night's sleep (partly due to the antimalarials I'm taking, partly due to the fact that I'm a pathetically light sleeper at the best of times). Meh. I'll try to update again with a bit more interesting news in the coming days...

Back to the southern hemisphere...just for a couple of days, though

I'm currently in Nyendo, which is just outside of Masaka, visiting Jenny and seeing what she's been up to these past few weeks. It was nice to get away for a few days and just catch up (while doing nothing related to volunteering, which was a necessary break for us both). That said, it's been great to be surrounded by laughing children again, even though the ones at this children's home speak VERY little english, so that always poses a bit of a challenge :-)

I was hoping to post a few pictures, but it looks as though that will have to wait another couple of days, probably when I'm heading back through Kampala to Jinja...but who knows. The whole uploading situation has been pretty unpredictable, so...no promises!

I can hardly believe that there are now less than three weeks before flying home. A couple of days ago I would have said that was forever, but now it seems too short. This trip has had its share of challenges, to be sure. But I wouldn't change it for the world.

Ugh...so many thoughts bouncing around in my head tonight. But I'll have to save them for another time, probably in a couple of days....(to be continued :-) ...... )

Entebbe...green, traquil...Brilliant!

After spending a couple of days in a very noisy part of Kampala (the perks of budget travel), we made our way to Entebbe, which is a quiet little city just off Lake Victoria. It used to be the capital years ago, so is clean and organized, but doesn't have the chaotic, crowded feel that Kampala does, so escaping there for a couple of days has been really nice. It being rainy season, the vegetation is particularly green and beautiful. We even got to camp outside in a tent for a couple of nights - what a treat! :) (and remarkably, we stayed dry despite the torrential downpours!!)

Sadly, we're now back in noisy Kampala, where we'll stay the night, and from here head out to Masaka tomorrow. The plan is to spend a couple of days with Jenny at her project, before heading back to STAO until the end of November. These past few days have been a wonderful escape from the sometimes chaotic pace of volunteering, but I do miss the kids and am looking forward to spending a couple more weeks with them.

Anywho, I hope to post a few photos in the next couple of days, if at all possible. Here's hoping! Until next time...

Ahhhh, Kampala

We (Jenny and I have found each other once again, which has been really nice) are spending the week in the Kampala area, and a few days with a friend we met in Tanzania. Before making our way here, Jenny came to STAO to see what it was all about, for 3 days. It has been really nice to spend time together again, and share our experiences and frustrations. There's a lot we seem to share....even ringworm. Haha (strangely, we've discovered we both have it, but must've acquired it independently, at our respective projects. Odd. But not really that odd. The odd thing will be if we walk away only having picked up a little ringworm). Haha.

After our time in the Kampala area, I'll be joining Jenny for a couple of days near Masaka, after which time I'll be heading back to STAO until the end of November. I'll update again within the next week, I hope, if I think of anything exciting to report :-) Thanks again to everyone who has sent emails - so good to hear news from home. Strange to think that there's snow in some parts of the world right now. Hmm.