First off: If you want to see pictures, check out facebook. For some reason it takes a thousand years to download to blogspot, but not on facebook. Also I apologize again for the length, I just cant minimize my week into a paragraph. Also i have been able to access my gmail for 2 weeks. aka im not ignoring you i am just practicing being amish apparently! Anyways, Enjoy!
Center Day: Center day.. it’s a family day! On Saturday COTN puts on an all day event for the COTN and VPP kids and the entire community. It starts at 8am and doesnt end until around 5. Needless to say, its exhausting. Throughout the day there is a welcome ceremony, different workshops for the kids, workshops for the family, HIV testing, games, a snack and a meal, and eventually a closing ceremony. We had a team here from Real Life Church in Valencia and they did the planning for all the workshops, we were just obligated to help out. Workshops included teachings about brushing your teeth, telling your testimony, a bible story, and even STD information (for the older kids). The community member got a seminar based on the importance of physical tough to their kids ie: hugs, back rubs, etc. This is definitely something all Ugandans can learn about. I am pretty sure I am just going to be shaking hands for a solid month when I get back without even realizing it. The kicker for this center day, was we were all taught the “traditional dance,” and asked to perform for the closing ceremony. HILARIOUS. Lets just say these little 8 year-olds know some provocative dance moves. I took advantage of the situation and did all 3 dances. I painted my face with mud and wore a skirt that enhanced my dancing skills. Enjoy the pics on facebook! I even have a video to share when I get home!
Prison: We went back to the prison this Sunday. It was way better this time. I was not as nervous and the men claimed to have remembered me. I feel like they appreciated us coming back. I was with 5 other girls and we each spoke about something on our heart. I spoke on Romans Chapter 7, trying to emphasize the point in finding satisfaction of where you are and to surrender gods plans for your life, even if for the time being, it is jail. I found that some men are in prison simply because they couldn’t pay taxes. It made me much more relaxed. At the end, 11 men came forward to recognize Christ as their savior. Hallelujah.
Rest and Solitude: What we see and do here can be pretty intense. We are given one day a week to sleep in, read, walk, discuss, and just be girls. I have realized the importance of rest. Last semester I worked or went to school 7 days a week. Having a day to process has done wonders for me and is something that I am determined to implement into my life when I get back home. Adios 7 days a week. Hello weekend!
The Brisk Walking Team: Because we don’t have a gym, we have found alternate ways to get our blood pumping. Chelsey, Savannah and I are what we call, “The Brisk Walking Team.” We get up at 6:45 am and walk for about 45 minutes. We do push ups, sit-ups, and squats. Unfortunately for my brisk walking team members, Megan realized she brought a pair of tennis shoes that are just my size. I may not be with the walking team every morning and run instead, running is a pretty important part of my life at home so its nice to have a piece of that here in Uganda.
Money Management: Things are moving right along! We got a list of items and prices that have been approved. Alyie finished designing the money and they loved it. The design is being sent to Kampala (capital city) this week to get printed and laminated. We are hoping to have an all staff presentation next Monday to discuss the implementation process. SO FUN!
Babies home: Ugh. The babies home isn’t what you think. The babies constantly are sitting in their pee or poo and have flies all over them. They are not fed enough nor frequent enough. A lot of the babies were sick this week and it didn’t seem to bother anyone but us. I held baby Rodger the whole time. He came in having malnutrition and I don’t think he has made a whole lot of progress. He has the tiniest legs and arms I ever touched and I making the slightest facial expression is tough work. They gave me corn on the cob to feed him and I about laughed in their face. I gave it a valiant effort but he couldn’t even hold the piece of corn, how was he supposed to eat it? Shouldn’t they know he is incapable of this? Then they gave me this chalky drink substance to feed him, again I gave it a valiant effort and he tried, but just screamed and screamed and screamed. This is the fourth time I have seen Rodger and that was the most noise I have ever heard him make and he was so exhausted after. I sang to him underneath a tree and he eventually fell asleep. On our way out I tried to tell the nun he would not eat and that I thought he was sick. They simply said they were out of milk and gave him a piece of bread. I was fuming by this point. I know it is not the nuns fault, they just don’t have the resources to provide to all these babies.
Farwell Dinner: The team that was here has been here before so they decided in their fundraising to earn enough to provide a meal that would treat the kids like royalty. In Uganda that means, a piece of meat, potatoes, yogurt, and a soda. We all were assigned jobs to help out. Alyie and I got put on cooking duty. Again, HILARIOUS. We helped fry potatoes, praying to dodge the hot oil every time we threw in the raw potatoes. The told us e to do it slowly, or technique was to throw it in and run. When pulling out the potatoes, smoke filled our eyes. Next we helped prepare chicken. It was cooked already but not like America cooked. I had to pull out a stomach on one and several had premature eggs still attached. We dipped it in sauce and then fried it too. It was a dirty job, but Alyie and I received respect from the elders because of that. Holla!
VPP: I hoed a garden and fetched water. Just another day in the life living in Uganda.
Ugandan Friends: Jeffery and I continue to bound. I played a pratcial joke on him this week and he found it hilarious. I took his seat cushion and hid it and took the stuffed animals on his dashboard and put them in the steering wheel, which led me to accidently making the car alarm go off. He found it very funny. He introduced me to his wife, Mary, and one of his daughters, Pasqueen (best name ever). Mary called me her daughter and Pasqueen called me her sister. They are slowly becoming my African family. Jeffery called his daughter Rebecca and we talked on the phone. She told me she had heard a lot about me and exclaimed, “Rebecca, it is you! I am your namesake!”
Janet (a COTN kid) continues to play mind games with me. One day she asks for me, the next she runs away. This week she was sick. While I was teaching her to make a keychain, she felt very dizzy and cold. She went to her room to rest. I went to check on her and she needed more blankets. I sat next to her and asked her if she wanted me to pray for her, she said yes. When I was sick she told the girls to tell me she was praying for me, so I felt like it was my duty to return the favor. I sat with her for a while and eventually told her goodnight with a kiss on the forehead. These are the moments that are irreplaceable and moments you can only get by living in such close proximity to these kids. I am able to see the kids on their good days and bad days and it only makes me love them more.
Computer training: I helped Hardson with typing skills. I taght he about “home row.” I even gave him homework and told him if he doesn’t finish it by next Friday, he will get double next time. ( he is a grown man, married with 4 kids) I love being the teacher!
Movie Night: The team left which means movie night for the interns! Our favorite cook, Sam, made us an amazing dinner that was basically rib fajitas! AYE, AYE! We watched Indiana Jones. and made me appreciate the ride at Disneyland much more! We went by the supermarket, bought sketchy chocolate and enjoyed a glimpse of the US of A.
In other news: Safari this week! I am sad I didn’t get to watch Harry Potter at midnight. Some of the girls talked in british accents to commerate the day.
Until next time… amare metek
Becks
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