In light of the darkness of losing Vicent, I have several breakthroughs that I would like to report....

I haven't been able to teach class in two days because I have either been swamped in the clinic or visiting student homes that have been sponsored. But I forgot to tell you about what happened the last day that I taught....

1) I decided it was in order for P6 to have a social studies lesson. So we did a quick review of continents, oceans, globes, etc so I could access what they know...spent a good bit of time on that. Then I wrote the words war and peace on the board with a line down the middle. I asked them to give me a word that describes war. Silence. I expected this because the teaching protocol here is strict memorization and repetition. The kids are never asked to answer a question out loud in class. They are told the answer and then asked to repeat it. Over and over. So to ask such a question pretty much means that there will be no response. So, I put the word "fighting" under war because it's an easy word and I asked if it describes war. "Yes, Madame". Very good. So then I asked for another word that describes war. Silence. Ok, then I put the word "love" under fighting and asked if he describes war. "NO!"...YES!!!! That's right. What does it describe? "PEACE!" Excellent. Progress. At least I know they get the point now. So for a third time I asked for a word that describes war...and out of the back came a shy voice that said "poverty..." I think that I would have cried if I would have known that it wouldn't scare them. Finally...we are thinking for ourselves and we are thinking deeply. ...


2) The cook at the school doesn't like me. Or at least didn't like me. I was pretty sure. Probably she gets tired of seeing mzungus come and go because it never helps her because she has no interaction with us. And when she does it's us asking her for things. I can understand her feelings. But on Thursday, Doreen (our program director's wife) was at school with me helping to translate in the clinic. Several people from the village had heard that there was an omusawu (a general term for a medical person) at the school and I had been treating local construction workers and parents of students. In the afternoon, Doreen came to me and said that the cook had also heard that people had been helped there and she wanted treatment too. So I went out to see her and Doreen translated for me that she was having severe heart problems, stomach ulcers and fainting spells....well there's not much I can do about that seeing as I am not really a medical person and I'm just trying to do the best I can mending wounds. But I told her some possible causes and gave her some advice to make it better. That night I went to the pharmacy that night to buy her some prescription stomach ulcer medication that I knew she wouldn't be able to afford and it only cost me 1 US dollar. I brought it to her the next day with directions and Doreen to translate. And I wish I could describe the look on her face because she was so grateful. One point for the mzungus!

3) a funny one...I survived my first boda boda right. barely. we had a small accident and I almost fell off but luckily I stayed on...I stayed on because my leg got caught under the bike. Now, I have beautiful blue bruises, a swolen foot, and a limp as a sign of my fight with the boda. But I still won. I won't be taking bodas anymore unless I had to (which I had to to get down to the Nile from the main road). Stop worrying Gammommie. I'm fine. It'll be better soon. It goes well with the large bruise on my hip from where the matatu (taxi) bit me the other day when I was getting off. Take that Ugandan transport.

So, I camped on the Nile and did not get burned or sleep with a roach in my bed. This morning all the girls went out to wash our hair in the Nile...sadly I think it's the cleanest I've been since I got here. My soap suds are now floating up to Egypt. Yeah, I'm pretty cool. I know. I'm also pretty sure the Garden of Eden was similar to where we were.

I'm going to speak at a fellow volunteers school tomorrow instead of my own placement. He wants me to come give a health talk to his Senior High students. You wouldn't believe the things we have to teach here and the myths we have to expel with the students. I'll report more on that tomorrow. It should be interesting.

Tomorrow will be a very exciting day for this blog....get ready...I have surprises in store...

love,
me