The First 6 Days of July

July 1st

I can’t believe my time here is halfway over! The month of June has literally flown by. I can’t believe that in less than a month my time here will be over. This has without a doubt been the fastest month of my life.

In other news, this morning we got to sleep in! We weren’t leaving for Luwero until 3, so Benon moved devotions back to 10. It felt so good to stay in bed until 9:55! During devotions, we broke up into small groups and shared our struggles and prayer requests and then we prayed together. My group was me, Emily, and Colin. It was really nice just to talk with each other and pray together and I really enjoyed it.

The rest of the day the electricity was out so we just hung out at the house waiting for 3 to arrive. Brett, the Emilys, Katie, and I played a bunch of different card games. We also went to the market. We went to a different market then we usually go to, called Good Price. At this market, if you get caught stealing, you have to take off your clothes (leaving on your underwear) and take a picture of yourself holding the things you tried to steal. They then post it on the doorway for everyone to see. It was funny and sad at the same time.

At 2 we packed and loaded up the vans and headed out for Luwero at around 3. The drive was pretty short. We arrived in Luwero at around 5:30, after stopping under a covered gas station for a while because it was raining on all of our stuff. My stuff got a little wet in the rain, but it was alright.

Once we arrived at the primary school we were staying at, we unpacked our stuff, set up our tents and hung out with the kids. We got there after the children had gotten out of school, but all of them stayed around the school so that they could greet us. Some of the kids had gotten out at lunch time and waited at the school for almost 6 hours! They also did a little performance and sang some songs for us, it was so cute!

After setting everything up, we ate some dinner and played with the kids. We also had another dance party around the campfire. The kids danced with us this time, and it was a blast. I hung out with two boys for most of the night. One of them was named Sirius. Actually, his name was Silus, but when he first told me his name I thought he said Sirius, like Sirius Black from the Harry Potter series. Since I am obsessed with Harry Potter, I refused to call him anything but Sirius for the rest of the week. Sirius thought it was hilarious, thought I was hilarious, and followed me around like a shadow for the rest of the week. So much so that most of the other people in our group called him Shadow instead of Silus or Sirius. He was one of the cutest four year olds I’ve ever seen.

The other boy I hung out was a boy named Martin, who looked to be about 10. Martin was deaf. I have taken 2 sign language classes, so I know a teeny, tiny bit of American Sign Language. Once Martin figured this out he tried to talk to me a lot in sign language. Unfortunately, American Sign Language is a bit different from Luganda sign language, so I was really only able to tell him everyone’s name and we also made up sign names for everyone. Despite my inability to communicate effectively with him, he seemed to really enjoy it.

Emily and I opted to sleep in the tents again on this trip. There is something about sleeping outdoors that I actually kind of enjoy. This time, we were the only girls sleeping in tents, so we volunteered to take the smallest one. It was a really small two person tent and when I laid all the away out, my head touched one end and my feet touched the other. I have no idea how the boys slept in there during Gulu.

July 2nd

Last night it rained a little. Our tent is a bit less waterproof than it was in Gulu, so our feet got a little wet, but we survived. The school also has lights that turn on automatically at night. The lights we so bright that I woke up several times in the middle of the night and thought it was morning, so needless to say, the sleep I got wasn’t great.

After a quick breakfast we spilt up into 4 groups and went and built goat sheds for four Empower a Child sponsor children’s families. My group’s house was literally right behind the school we were staying at, so it was a quick walk.

Today we cleared out the garden where we were building the shed and dug 6 2 foot deep holes for the main poles We then had to carry the poles and the bamboo sticks for the walls about ½ mile from another building site. After carrying everything, we realized that we didn’t have enough poles or bamboo so we had to go into the jungle and cut down more poles.

I cut some down whole tree branches in the jungle with a machete. I’m pretty sure that makes me ready for some kind of gang battle or mafia showdown.

That last statement probably could not have been further from the truth, but I am pretty sure that my dad would have been pretty proud of how tough I looked.

After our trek though the jungle, we came back and put up the poles and then filled in the holes with rocks and dirt and packed them. After finishing the main frame for the goat shed, we called it a day and headed back to the school.

Tonight when we played with the kids we taught them the hookie pokie and the chicken dance and they loved it. I also gave Sirius my old keep away mosquito bracelet when I changed into a new one. We then had matching bracelets. I’m pretty sure he thought it was the coolest thing ever. He has started following me around so much that he now has a plate prepared for him at every meal because everyone knows he is coming.

I would take him home in a second if I could.

We had another dance party tonight around the campfire and after Sirius had to go home for the night and cleared out my lap another kid fell asleep in my arms. It was the cutest thing ever. I love how trusting and open all the kids here are.

July 3rd

I had another night of restless sleep which wasn’t helped by the 6:30 wake up to go work on the goat sheds again. We first had to put the reeds (which made up the wall) and tie them to the main poles with banana fibers. We then had to fill the reed walls with rocks. Afterwards, we made mud which was a ton of fun.

Making mud consists of digging a hold, getting the dirt wet (from water carried in jerry cans from about ½ mile away) and mixing the dirt with our feet until it turns into pasty mud. Its similar to making wine from grapes, only more dirty and less sticky I imagine.

Afterwards, we mad mud balls and threw them against the wall so that it would stick. It was outrageously messy but outrageously fun. While we were making the walls, Douglas hammered on the roof, and at around 4, our goat shed was finished.

After all the groups had finished their sheds, we went to a local college (high school) to play sports and present the Gospel. As it turns out, the college was a Muslim one, so we got some pretty dirty looks during the presentation, but Kevin did a great job and at least some seeds were planted.

After our songs and presentation we played an actual game of 11 vs 11 soccer against the school’s soccer team. It was my first time to play a real game here versus the usual street soccer. As usual, I was the only girl and as usual everyone was stunned by the fact that a girl was playing football.

For a while, the boys wouldn’t pass to me, which I automatically assumed was because I am a girl. As it turns out, I am retarded because I was wearing the other’s team’s jersey color and never put a penny on. Once that problem was solved the game went pretty well, we lost by 2 to 1. We also had a good time playing volleyball and American football afterwards. I also talked to a boy named Robert for a while about America and school and his plans for the future. He was the same age as me and going to school to be an accountant.

I think before I came to Africa I thought Africans were going to be a lot different from me. More and more I am discovering that we really aren’t that different.

After dinner Emily and I did the dishes, which turned out to be a lot harder without the comforts of a water container and the sink in Kampala.

Or a dishwasher for that matter, but I’m starting to think those don’t exist in Uganda.

After dishes Amanda, Brett, and Emily and I talked about where we are on our walk with God and things we are struggling with. It was a really great talk despite the fact that I almost froze. It was the first time I have been legitimately cold to Africa. We finished our talk by the campfire before heading to bed.

July 4th

This morning we were woken up early by a woman screaming, crying and moaning which I complained about until I discovered that it was because her 14 year old daughter had died in the middle of the night from malaria.

Then I felt outrageously guilty.

I was also heartbroken for the family. While simple malaria medication could have helped her, the family couldn’t afford it, so they went to a witch doctor instead. I’m not saying that it was his fault that he died, but he definitely didn’t help her any.

I know that people die in Africa (and around the world) every night, but it’s the first time that the poverty in Africa causing deaths has been real to me. It was really very sad.

After a quick breakfast we went to each of the goat sheds we had built and prayed for the families and the sheds and the goats. Then we spilt up into small groups and went around the city to go door to door and share the Gospel with people. My group was really a partnership consisting of me and Benon.

The first house we went to was a family of five. The dad spoke a little English and told me and Benon that he was a Christian, but still also practiced some witchcraft. We talked with him and prayed for him and his family.

The second house we went to there was only two young girls around 12 and 14 home. We talked with them for a while and presented the Gospel and then we prayed with them to accept Christ. Part of me thinks that they were only accepting Christ to make the white girl happy, but it was still pretty cool and regardless of whether or not they truly accepted, at least a seed was planted.

The third house we went to was a mom and her 3 children. She had a 5 month old baby that was smaller than any newborn I’ve ever held in America. The mom told us that the baby has been sick since she was born. The mom was a Christian, so we spent some time talking with her and praying for her and her children.

The final house we went to was an old Ja-Ja with a lot of her grandchildren. After talking to her we discovered that 4 of her 5 children had died over the past 6 years. Her only remaining daughter had moved into her house with her. This left her and her daughter to take care of her daughter’s 3 children and her 18 orphaned grandchildren. In case you’re doing the math, that’s 21 kids. The woman cried while she told us her story. We offered her some words of encouragement, talked with her and prayed with her. I really wish there was more we could have done for her.

After that house we headed back to the camp, ate lunch and then went and prayed for the family who had lost their daughter, packed up the vans and headed home. Once we got home we did some research on the party at the US Embassy and discovered that it was for US citizens only. We didn’t really want to celebrate the 4th without our British and Ugandan friends, so we decided to throw our own celebration at the house.

The boys and I went and got firewood and marshmellows and we made s’mores and had a bonfire. Tara also made homemade apple crumble and we got ice cream at the super market. Even though it wasn’t the celebration we expected, it was still a good time.

July 5th

This morning we woke up and went to church at the Watoto church in Kampala. I’m going to be honest and say that I wasn’t a fan at all.

Part of it was because the service was completely commercialized. Every time they played a video I literally felt like I was watching a TV commercial.

Part of it was also because I felt really sick. I had to leave the service twice because I thought I was going to throw up. It case you’re curious, both times I just dry heaved, but I still felt pretty miserable.

When we got home I ate some crackers and rice and drank some Sprite and I felt a lot better so I decided to go to Garden City and watch Transformers 2 with everyone. I thought it was good, but I also thought the first one was better, and the romantic scenes were super cheesy.

The best part of the movie was that we got to bring Jovan along. Jovan is a neighbor boy that lives behind our house. Yesterday I had talked up fireworks to him and got him really excited about going and than we had to tell him that he couldn’t go. I felt really bad about disappointing him, so I paid him for to go see Transformers and got him some popcorn. He loved it.

When we got home around 8:30 my nausea was back. I also felt really light headed and had a headache at the same time if that’s possible. In short, I felt miserable. So I went to bed. I don’t think I have gone to bed that early since the age of 7. I woke up around 10 to say good bye to Louise and then went straight back to bed.

July 6th

This morning I felt much better when I woke up. I think I got so tired from the village trip and not sleeping well that my body just started to shut down. The sleep made me feel so much better.

This morning we went and spent the morning at Sanyu baby’s home. I did treatments on the usual kids. Susan, the German therapist, was there for the last time, but I feel pretty good about doing treatments on my own. Being here has definitely given me more confidence in my therapy skills.

After Sanyu we got went home and ate some lunch and had our planning meeting for the week. We then hung out at the house for a little while before going to Kampago College. Instead of going to Kampago, I went with Emily, Vanessa, Amy, Jan, and Katie to a nearby squatter’s house and played with the children there. We also sang song and made bracelets with them. They loved us and sang us songs and walked us back to Kampago. It was a really great time and I can’t wait to go back.

After we got back, I went to Tommy to the local clinic, which is literally right across the street. Tommy got hit in the eyebrow with Kevin’s head when they hit a giant speed bump while driving and he had a really deep (but small) cut from it. Since I’ve become the house medical expert for some reason, I looked at him and told him that it was probably deep enough to need stitches and that I would go over there with him to make sure that they cleaned it up right.

It was definitely an interesting experience. They ripped off the band aid that was on there so it gushed blood. They then refused to give him any sort of anesthetic because “he is a man and wouldn’t need it”. After finishing the stitch, they cleaned the wound with hand sanitizer. I felt bad because I kept on asking the doctor questions and making him justify his actions, but I wanted to make sure Tommy was taken of. I think I made him feel really self-conscious, because after he completed the stitch and cleaned the wound he had me come and inspect his work.

He accidently sewed part of the gauze into the stitch and had to pull it out, so I wasn’t very impressed.

After we got home we played some cards and ate some dinner and then things got really interesting.

There is a girl named Katie who got here right before we felt for Luwero. She is allergic to soy, which we already knew, but I don’t think we realized how allergic she was.

I causally walked back into our room to take out my contacts to find Katie sitting on the bed and Brett and Jen trying to get her attention. Right as I walked in, she passed out onto the floor and started shaking. Brett and I picked her up and put on laid her on the floor and covered her with blankets (at this point, we didn’t really know what was going on with her). We also went and got Jessie who is a nursing student. I tried to call 211 (the emergency number here) but the server was busy, This Is Africa. Around that time, Katie stopped shaking and breathing, Jessie started doing CPR and I sprinted across the street to get the doctor on duty.

The doctor across the street really pissed me off at this point. I ran into the clinic and said, “Hi there is a girl across the street who isn’t breathing and we can’t get a hold the emergency number to work, can you please come?”

To which he responded, “Well I don’t really know if I’ll be able to do anything.”

To which I said, “You’re a freaking doctor so you are the best we’ve got.”

He and the nurses then had a pretty in depth discussion about which nurse should go with him, so I yelled, “It doesn’t really matter someone just needs to come now!”

The doctor then took the hand of one of his nurses and the two of them literally walked like they were having a date along a boardwalk to our house.

At multiple times during their romantic walk I turned around and yelled, “She wasn’t breathing when I left could you please hurry?” I’ll also be honest and admit that I cursed a few time under my breath. The sense of urgency that needed to be there was definitely not!

When we got back to the house the “doctor” asked us to move Katie outside and I found Katie’s phone and called her mom. I talked to her mom just long enough to confirm that Katie was having an allergic reaction and to figure out what medicines we needed to give her before the phone I was on ran out of minutes.

It took me about 5 minutes to find another phone with minutes, so I’m sure I gave her mom some sort of heart attack/hernia.

By the time I was able to call her mom back, Katie was coming to, so I was able to give her mom some good news.

A little while later, Katie felt good enough get up and move from outside into her bed. We all felt so relieved. I’ll be honest and say that even though I think I did a pretty good job of keeping my cool, it was the most scared I’ve been in a while.

About 10 minutes after we got Katie into bed, the newest volunteers, a married couple (Nathan and Shawna) and another girl named Rachel came. We were all so grateful that they didn’t come any sooner. Can you imagine how nuts that would have been and how badly we would have scared them?

Needless to say, tonight was a crazy night. I can, however, happily say that Katie is currently watching Aladdin with me, Brett, Emily, Diane, and Andrew, so I’m pretty sure she’s made a full recovery.

Hopefully tomorrow won’t be so eventful!

Busy saving lives,
Jenna