Monday, June 29th (internet was out)

This morning we woke up really early and said good bye to some of my fellow Texans. Brian, Rawles, Laura, and Jared all left this morning at 5:30. They were some of my favorite people here and it was really sad see them go. The house is going to be a lot more quiet without them.

Afterwards, I spent some time on the internet. It is so much faster in the morning! I’m going to have to start getting up early to work on my paper for school. Waking up at 5:30 in the morning to do school work. What an awesome way to start the day.

After everyone else was ready to start their day, we left to go to Sanyu babies home. Amanda was already there and had gotten Francis dressed up for his trip to the hospital. We fed him and then Barbara (the director) drove us over to Katawalma to get him fitted for his chair. We didn’t have to wait long because instead of waiting in the waiting area, I walked back to the orthopedic area and started talking to Fred, the man I met with last week. Normally, people wait 2 to 3 hours.

Fred and I talked about the chair design with Amanda translating and then he talked about when it would be done. Fred tried to tell me last week that it wouldn’t be done until the end of July. Amanda and Rachel (Francis case worker who also came with us) weren’t having it. I don’t know what they said to Fred because they were talking in Luganda, but the chair should be done by next Wednesday.

We waited for the driver from the Sanyu Babies home to come get us for a long time. Close to an hour actually. Francis was crying and hungry and upset from all the noise and I had to hold him the whole hour. It was awesome. And by awesome I mean I kind of wanted to shoot myself.

When we got back to Sanyu, Amanda needed to pick some stuff up from her house, so we took a short walk to her apartment. Amanda is an absolutely amazing person and I loved getting to spend some time with her. Amanda lost both of her parents when she was younger, and since then has been living off money given to her and her sister by guardians, family members, and friends. Her apartment is an 8 x 8 room. It has a mattress on the floor, her closet, her kitchen, and her dressing area all in one area. Amanda told me that some nights she goes to bed without food because she has to use it to pay rent instead.

Amanda also told me that she is incredibly blessed and that she thanks the Lord everyday for all that He has given her. It was amazing. If I were in her situation I would have such a bad attitude, but she still has such a joy for the Lord. It blew me away.

After stopping by her house, Amanda and I went to a nearby restaurant and had cassava and French fries. It was so good. We had two plates full of French fries, two plates of cassava, and two cokes for 6700 shillings. That’s 3.25 American dollars if you can’t do the math. I love how cheap everything is in Uganda.

After lunch we went to a craft market. Amanda got me 60 small paintings to give to all the people who donated money. If I had paid full price, I would have paid 60,000 shillings, Amanda got it bargained down to 30,000 shillings for me. I am taking her shopping with me from now on.

After the craft market we came home and I tried on a traditional African outfit. Sarah, the administrator of Empower A Child, is having a traditional introduction ceremony (kind of like an engagement party) while I am here so I have to buy a traditional outfit.

After that Tommy and I did a pile of dishes and then we went and played some soccer at Kampago College. After dinner, Tommy and I did even more dishes. Then, four new people came, Amy, Katie, Andrew, and Brett, so we spent the rest of the evening meeting and greeting them.

Overall, it was a great day. Tomorrow is schools and preparing for our next village trip.

Enjoying The Day,
Jenna