I've been asked by many, what's next for me? Will I go back? The best answer I have, is there are many more adventures in my life that I am looking forward to. I don't know that my heart will lead me back to Africa, in particular, but I know I have in my heart to do many trips similar to the one I just finished. Maybe I will find a group (of nurses, doctors, volunteers) that is already established in traveling to help those in great need. Maybe I will stay closer to home. Either way, I think that my career path is just beginning...I think I will have the chance to make a difference every day, no matter what I do or where I go.
For now, I am enjoying adjusting to my "normal" life in the US. In the next two weeks I will be packing up my life into many boxes and moving south to the big city of MKE to start the next phase of my career as a Nurse Intern. I have mixed emotions with this move. Nervous. Excited. I am looking forward to the transition into a role as a professional nurse; graduation is just around the corner in December. The best part of nursing (in my opinion!) is the amount of flexibility within the profession. I know that eventually I will go back for an advanced degree, but right now, I am looking forward to starting my career, getting a lot of experience, building my skills and of course, learning something new every day.
My first day as a NI is July 5th. I am tentatively moving July 7th. As always, life happens quickly, and I'm doing my best to keep up with where I'm going next! Thanks for being a part of my adventure :)
Stay tuned...
Thursday, June 24, 2010
Tuesday, June 15, 2010
Home, At Last
Hello everyone! I am back in the US, safe and sound. After a 37 hour trip from Africa, I arrived at my mom's house. Awaiting me was the best shower in a month, followed by a lovely salad and a glass of milk. I have missed dairy products and fresh vegetables so much; pasteurization is not really integrated in the production of dairy in Uganda and it was not recommended to eat fresh fruit or vegetables unless they had a peel or some sort of protective covering that could be removed. My salad last night included lettuce, tomatoes, peppers, mushrooms.....oh it was so delicious. I think between the my two flights (Entebbe to Amsterdam and then Amsterdam to Chicago) plus upon my arrival, I might have drank an entire gallon of milk.
I slept on a nice soft bed with a pillow that had no lumps and was equally as soft. I don't think I ever commented on the pillows in Uganda. They were as hard as wooden boards, but somehow extremely lumpy, as though they were filled with stones. I used a makeshift pillow that I crafted from my own clothes that I had packed, which was more comfortable than the pillows provided, but left me with awful pains in my neck. Needless to say, I got the best night's sleep in a long time. I feel refreshed, and overjoyed to be home.
On our flight from Amsterdam to Chicago, I was so excited to look out the window in the very back of the plane, to see US waters and land. 2 of my fellow student nurses sat with me in the very last row of the plane (row 45) and as soon as we spotted the Chicago skyline and the airport during our descent, we were overjoyed. We began cheering as the wheels of our plane touched down, and I have never been so thankful to be in the Midwest. I wanted to push open the window of our plane and both inhale the smog and dreariness that we arrived to and roll around on the ground of the Chicago streets. I think if our bus hadn't been waiting, I might have dropped to the ground outside of the airport and kissed the street. Gross, I know, but I was just thrilled to *finally* be home.
I have taken over 1,000 pictures, which I will try to post as soon as I can. I can't wait to see everyone again! I did keep a written journal as well, so I will try to fill you in on the last several days of travel now.
I haven't been able to update since we left Mum Resort last Wednesday morning. We traveled across Uganda on Wednesday to Lake Mburo National Park which is in the very southeastern part of Uganda; near Rwanda and the Congo. It was a 9 hour drive by bus; through Jinja, Kampala and across the Equator. We drove into the park grounds around 1700 and saw a herd of Zebra, several groups of Warthogs and one very large Rhinoceros hiding behind trees prior to entering the park. Despite warnings to not travel anywhere past dark, we entered the park grounds and proceeded to Lake Mburo. We watched the sunset over the Lake, saw little streams of water being shot in the air by Hippopotamus in the distance and got very close to a group of Warthogs grazing by the lake. We then traveled almost 2 hours in the dark to Mbarara to stay at MUST (a University) to stay overnight there. We arrived to the screeches of birds; or so I thought, as it was pitch dark. In the morning, it looked like it had rained outside of our room (which was totally a creepy little place....) and as it turned out, the screeches that kept me awake overnight were actually bats. Thousands of them. They were gigantic. One of the beds in our room had mouse poop on the rug like comforter blanket and then sprinkles of poop on the sheets, so AP and I had bunked together under the mosquito net that was crawling with geckos, spiders and more. She seemed to get a very nice night of sleep with her earplugs in. I "slept" in a fit; tossing and turning with every shriek outside, every time something scurried about in our room, and every time the mosquito net touched my skin. There was also a mangy cat living on the University grounds, which stalked us while we ate breakfast (I told my travel doctor that I thought I should be safe and get the Rabies vaccine; he said it was unnecessary) so I was again, jumpy over breakfast. We departed only 2 1/2 hours late for Queen Elizabeth National Park (once again, the lateness was never the students fault, but the fault of our fellow travelers from the University in Iganga who insisted they join us on our trip).
We arrived near the park around mid-day on Thursday, later than we wanted to, as the best time to see the animals is mid-morning when they gather at the watering holes. As we were speeding into the park region, we passed a herd of Elephants in the distance. Despite our rather loud pleas to stop the bus so we could watch the Elephants and take pictures, we were ignored and then rudely scolded. We were informed that we needed to reach the park gates to pay our entrance fees, and then pay for a Safari Guide who would assuredly take us to see all of the animals before we could take any pictures at all. This was dictated to us by two of the men who accompanied us; and once again, the culture is of male superiority, and as females and students, our wishes were constantly ignored and put down. So, the pictures I have of Elephants are from quite a distance and were taken out of the window of our bus, traveling close to 60 mph. When we reached the park Lodge, we were informed that we would have to wait until 1530 for a Park Guide. We had a few hours to look around the Lodge, gift shop and explore in the immediate areas surrounding the Lodge. A small group of students came across the most beautiful Restaurant, attached to the Lodge accommodations. Each private hotel room opened out to a private Veranda overlooking the two lakes in the park; the students were all unanimous with our desire for one night at this paradise. We were not surprised later, however, to find that our accommodations for the evening were far less luxurious than the one's at the Park. The BU people in charge did not want us to have lunch until after our Safari trip (which would have been around 1900) so we pled with our US instructors who said we should most definitely have lunch there. At last! Real food! I enjoyed a hamburger (a real one!) with real french fries and real ketchup. The cost was less than $10 for the meal, including my Coke Light, which as the restaurant ran out of chilled glasses to serve our beverages out of, the waiter insisted I drink from a Wine Glass. Fine by me! Over lunch we saw many birds, who flitted around us as we ate, plus a group of Hippopotamus drinking and eating by the edge of the Lake. Our tour of Queen Elizabeth Nat'l Park began around 1530; we saw African Kob (similar to the Wisconsin Deer), Water Buffalo, Wild Cows and Warthogs. After two hours, our tour guide hopped off our bus, and we were off to our accommodations for the night, which were disappointingly not at the QENP Lodge. There was almost a riot in the back of the bus, as we were promised to see Elephants from close up, Giraffes, Zebras, Lions and more. We saw none of them. Several of the students were near hysterical at this point. I was just disgusted.
We arrived at the Rwenzori Hotel just before 1930. The hotel appeared rather sketchy from the get-go; our meager expectations were smashed upon entrance. I believe I will borrow a phrase from one of my friends to describe the hotel: a "shady sh*t-hole". The dimly lit staircase with two flights of narrow stairs led to tiny rooms with two shared bathrooms for the entire floor (over 1 dozen people in our group, plus additional travelers). Our room (shared again with pal AP) featured two tiny beds separated by a tiny area to walk between the two; one bed again had visible mouse poop. AP and I did more than our share of bunking, as neither of us were going to sleep with the mouse poop. We didn't see any poop on the other bed, so we set up to get cozy again. I was so disgusted with our "vacation" I gathered a small group to head straight to the bar. My thoughts were "skip the dinner; hold the goat and chips, please, just get me a damn drink..." so our group enjoyed several drinks at the sketchy bar attached to the restaurant where several men were already slightly intoxicated, and still drinking. We (the students) each took a shot of Bond 7, which is a Kenyan Whiskey. That was a very pleasant burn going down, followed by an almost immediate hot flash lasting the remainder of the evening. Holy Cow. We did eat dinner at the attached restaurant; the choices included chicken, goat or fish. I selected the chicken, as I was sure the fish would be served whole, complete with eyes and brains (I was correct in my assumption, as another student ordered the fish). I ate a little, and then turned in for the evening. During the night, there was an awful pounding on several of the students' doors; the men spotted earlier in the evening were also staying at the hotel, and they were in search of prostitutes for the night. Noooooot kidding. Bright and early in the morning, we were getting our suitcases down the stairs to wait for the bus and I dropped my heaviest suitcase on my foot. Beautiful music then flowed from my mouth, but in reasonably quiet tones. One of the men began pounding on the wall and yelling "Shut the f*ck up" and then I heard a loud *bang*. I froze and whispered to AP "was that a gunshot????" Turns out, it was just a door slamming, but still. The sketchiness of the hotel was so extreme, and the lack of gun control laws did not leave me any confidence to believe that it could be anything else.
Once again, we waited for the BU crew to show. They did not stay at the same accommodations as we did, ever. After numerous lectures from them about how we all must leave on time so we don't delay (mind you, our student group has never been late) we were still hopeful that they would be on time. After an hour of waiting, again, several of us headed straight to the bar for a little something to add to the instant coffee served for breakfast. I felt much better then. The entire point of leaving early was to return to QENP in hopes of seeing Mr. El E Phant and family, or even a giraffe or a lion. Once we were back in the park, we did spot several glimpses of elephants, but they were hiding behind large trees, so I only caught a few looks of mainly the backside of the large creature. We then departed for another day of bus travel back to Entebbe, where we stayed for the next two nights. We arrived in Kampala as it was getting dark, and waited in Friday night traffic in the city. We finally arrived in Entebbe close to bedtime. We again were at Sophie's Motel, where we had spent the first night. AP and I shared a room; this time we were in "South Africa". We had two beds, running water and a working toilet. It was glorious. There was still squeaking in our room, so we kept our luggage sealed so that our food stash would not be found.
We slept in on Saturday, and had planned to leave our hotel around 0900 for shopping in Kampala. Apparently the male companion that was traveling with us from the University in Oshkosh (who really had been absent for most of our trip, and was from Uganda originally) told the BU hosts to arrive at 0800 to pick us up. They arrived at 0830, as there were now only two of them who had not returned to Iganga. I enjoyed eating my breakfast leisurely; after waiting every single day for them to pick us up, sometimes late by up to three hours, I was in absolutely no hurry to board the bus simply because they had arrived. When we did get on the bus, the two women were furious with us. My heart was so happy that they had to wait for us; even though it was a measly 30 minutes that they waited, it was still some of the best revenge that we were able to achieve for them dictating our entire trip and smashing our hopes every time we began to enjoy something. We shopped in Kampala for the entire day, which was so much fun. Nothing like a little "retail therapy" to lift our spirits. We watched the World Cup (USA vs. England) over dinner...even though it was a draw, it was still really cool to watch, as this year it is being held in South Africa. Sunday morning was going to be great; we were to check out around noon, and then spend several hours at Lake Victoria.
The bus arrived early, and we loaded our suitcases on. Once we were boarded, we were informed that we would be unable to go to the Lake because the bus had to be serviced on Tuesday. Yes, it was only Sunday. There was no reasoning with these two horrible women from BU, so it was off to the airport, where we were dropped off ten hours early. One final swift kick in the pants to keep our spirits down. I should not have been surprised by this behavior, after how they had treated us during our entire stay. It did make for a very long trip home, though.
Needless to say, despite the many obstacles that were in our way, I believe that we did a really good job of managing our difficulties. Our student group was a lot of fun to travel with, and I know that we each will take away so much in our future practice. I have not only learned to be much more flexible, but also more about what I value. I know I could never live with the oppression that we not only witnessed, but also were subjected to. I have never in my 25 years felt the extreme disrespect and daily oppression that was a constant throughout the trip. I cannot even imagine how the women live day to day, but perhaps why they still smile is because they don't know differently. Although our country is far from perfect on many issues surrounding equality and human rights, it is a far cry from what is lived around the world. I am glad that as a woman, I live in a country that I have a voice in politics. I am glad that I live in a country which values respect, which is earned not based on socioeconomic status but through morality and decency as a human being. I have the right to refuse sexual advances that are unwanted. I am glad I have the right to practice as a professional, and to be respected in my field through my actions and the care that I give to those I care for. I am glad that I have religious freedom, and that religion is separate from the laws that govern our country. I am glad to be home. At last.
Thank you to all who have been with me in spirit during my journey halfway around the world. Love, Rose
I slept on a nice soft bed with a pillow that had no lumps and was equally as soft. I don't think I ever commented on the pillows in Uganda. They were as hard as wooden boards, but somehow extremely lumpy, as though they were filled with stones. I used a makeshift pillow that I crafted from my own clothes that I had packed, which was more comfortable than the pillows provided, but left me with awful pains in my neck. Needless to say, I got the best night's sleep in a long time. I feel refreshed, and overjoyed to be home.
On our flight from Amsterdam to Chicago, I was so excited to look out the window in the very back of the plane, to see US waters and land. 2 of my fellow student nurses sat with me in the very last row of the plane (row 45) and as soon as we spotted the Chicago skyline and the airport during our descent, we were overjoyed. We began cheering as the wheels of our plane touched down, and I have never been so thankful to be in the Midwest. I wanted to push open the window of our plane and both inhale the smog and dreariness that we arrived to and roll around on the ground of the Chicago streets. I think if our bus hadn't been waiting, I might have dropped to the ground outside of the airport and kissed the street. Gross, I know, but I was just thrilled to *finally* be home.
I have taken over 1,000 pictures, which I will try to post as soon as I can. I can't wait to see everyone again! I did keep a written journal as well, so I will try to fill you in on the last several days of travel now.
I haven't been able to update since we left Mum Resort last Wednesday morning. We traveled across Uganda on Wednesday to Lake Mburo National Park which is in the very southeastern part of Uganda; near Rwanda and the Congo. It was a 9 hour drive by bus; through Jinja, Kampala and across the Equator. We drove into the park grounds around 1700 and saw a herd of Zebra, several groups of Warthogs and one very large Rhinoceros hiding behind trees prior to entering the park. Despite warnings to not travel anywhere past dark, we entered the park grounds and proceeded to Lake Mburo. We watched the sunset over the Lake, saw little streams of water being shot in the air by Hippopotamus in the distance and got very close to a group of Warthogs grazing by the lake. We then traveled almost 2 hours in the dark to Mbarara to stay at MUST (a University) to stay overnight there. We arrived to the screeches of birds; or so I thought, as it was pitch dark. In the morning, it looked like it had rained outside of our room (which was totally a creepy little place....) and as it turned out, the screeches that kept me awake overnight were actually bats. Thousands of them. They were gigantic. One of the beds in our room had mouse poop on the rug like comforter blanket and then sprinkles of poop on the sheets, so AP and I had bunked together under the mosquito net that was crawling with geckos, spiders and more. She seemed to get a very nice night of sleep with her earplugs in. I "slept" in a fit; tossing and turning with every shriek outside, every time something scurried about in our room, and every time the mosquito net touched my skin. There was also a mangy cat living on the University grounds, which stalked us while we ate breakfast (I told my travel doctor that I thought I should be safe and get the Rabies vaccine; he said it was unnecessary) so I was again, jumpy over breakfast. We departed only 2 1/2 hours late for Queen Elizabeth National Park (once again, the lateness was never the students fault, but the fault of our fellow travelers from the University in Iganga who insisted they join us on our trip).
We arrived near the park around mid-day on Thursday, later than we wanted to, as the best time to see the animals is mid-morning when they gather at the watering holes. As we were speeding into the park region, we passed a herd of Elephants in the distance. Despite our rather loud pleas to stop the bus so we could watch the Elephants and take pictures, we were ignored and then rudely scolded. We were informed that we needed to reach the park gates to pay our entrance fees, and then pay for a Safari Guide who would assuredly take us to see all of the animals before we could take any pictures at all. This was dictated to us by two of the men who accompanied us; and once again, the culture is of male superiority, and as females and students, our wishes were constantly ignored and put down. So, the pictures I have of Elephants are from quite a distance and were taken out of the window of our bus, traveling close to 60 mph. When we reached the park Lodge, we were informed that we would have to wait until 1530 for a Park Guide. We had a few hours to look around the Lodge, gift shop and explore in the immediate areas surrounding the Lodge. A small group of students came across the most beautiful Restaurant, attached to the Lodge accommodations. Each private hotel room opened out to a private Veranda overlooking the two lakes in the park; the students were all unanimous with our desire for one night at this paradise. We were not surprised later, however, to find that our accommodations for the evening were far less luxurious than the one's at the Park. The BU people in charge did not want us to have lunch until after our Safari trip (which would have been around 1900) so we pled with our US instructors who said we should most definitely have lunch there. At last! Real food! I enjoyed a hamburger (a real one!) with real french fries and real ketchup. The cost was less than $10 for the meal, including my Coke Light, which as the restaurant ran out of chilled glasses to serve our beverages out of, the waiter insisted I drink from a Wine Glass. Fine by me! Over lunch we saw many birds, who flitted around us as we ate, plus a group of Hippopotamus drinking and eating by the edge of the Lake. Our tour of Queen Elizabeth Nat'l Park began around 1530; we saw African Kob (similar to the Wisconsin Deer), Water Buffalo, Wild Cows and Warthogs. After two hours, our tour guide hopped off our bus, and we were off to our accommodations for the night, which were disappointingly not at the QENP Lodge. There was almost a riot in the back of the bus, as we were promised to see Elephants from close up, Giraffes, Zebras, Lions and more. We saw none of them. Several of the students were near hysterical at this point. I was just disgusted.
We arrived at the Rwenzori Hotel just before 1930. The hotel appeared rather sketchy from the get-go; our meager expectations were smashed upon entrance. I believe I will borrow a phrase from one of my friends to describe the hotel: a "shady sh*t-hole". The dimly lit staircase with two flights of narrow stairs led to tiny rooms with two shared bathrooms for the entire floor (over 1 dozen people in our group, plus additional travelers). Our room (shared again with pal AP) featured two tiny beds separated by a tiny area to walk between the two; one bed again had visible mouse poop. AP and I did more than our share of bunking, as neither of us were going to sleep with the mouse poop. We didn't see any poop on the other bed, so we set up to get cozy again. I was so disgusted with our "vacation" I gathered a small group to head straight to the bar. My thoughts were "skip the dinner; hold the goat and chips, please, just get me a damn drink..." so our group enjoyed several drinks at the sketchy bar attached to the restaurant where several men were already slightly intoxicated, and still drinking. We (the students) each took a shot of Bond 7, which is a Kenyan Whiskey. That was a very pleasant burn going down, followed by an almost immediate hot flash lasting the remainder of the evening. Holy Cow. We did eat dinner at the attached restaurant; the choices included chicken, goat or fish. I selected the chicken, as I was sure the fish would be served whole, complete with eyes and brains (I was correct in my assumption, as another student ordered the fish). I ate a little, and then turned in for the evening. During the night, there was an awful pounding on several of the students' doors; the men spotted earlier in the evening were also staying at the hotel, and they were in search of prostitutes for the night. Noooooot kidding. Bright and early in the morning, we were getting our suitcases down the stairs to wait for the bus and I dropped my heaviest suitcase on my foot. Beautiful music then flowed from my mouth, but in reasonably quiet tones. One of the men began pounding on the wall and yelling "Shut the f*ck up" and then I heard a loud *bang*. I froze and whispered to AP "was that a gunshot????" Turns out, it was just a door slamming, but still. The sketchiness of the hotel was so extreme, and the lack of gun control laws did not leave me any confidence to believe that it could be anything else.
Once again, we waited for the BU crew to show. They did not stay at the same accommodations as we did, ever. After numerous lectures from them about how we all must leave on time so we don't delay (mind you, our student group has never been late) we were still hopeful that they would be on time. After an hour of waiting, again, several of us headed straight to the bar for a little something to add to the instant coffee served for breakfast. I felt much better then. The entire point of leaving early was to return to QENP in hopes of seeing Mr. El E Phant and family, or even a giraffe or a lion. Once we were back in the park, we did spot several glimpses of elephants, but they were hiding behind large trees, so I only caught a few looks of mainly the backside of the large creature. We then departed for another day of bus travel back to Entebbe, where we stayed for the next two nights. We arrived in Kampala as it was getting dark, and waited in Friday night traffic in the city. We finally arrived in Entebbe close to bedtime. We again were at Sophie's Motel, where we had spent the first night. AP and I shared a room; this time we were in "South Africa". We had two beds, running water and a working toilet. It was glorious. There was still squeaking in our room, so we kept our luggage sealed so that our food stash would not be found.
We slept in on Saturday, and had planned to leave our hotel around 0900 for shopping in Kampala. Apparently the male companion that was traveling with us from the University in Oshkosh (who really had been absent for most of our trip, and was from Uganda originally) told the BU hosts to arrive at 0800 to pick us up. They arrived at 0830, as there were now only two of them who had not returned to Iganga. I enjoyed eating my breakfast leisurely; after waiting every single day for them to pick us up, sometimes late by up to three hours, I was in absolutely no hurry to board the bus simply because they had arrived. When we did get on the bus, the two women were furious with us. My heart was so happy that they had to wait for us; even though it was a measly 30 minutes that they waited, it was still some of the best revenge that we were able to achieve for them dictating our entire trip and smashing our hopes every time we began to enjoy something. We shopped in Kampala for the entire day, which was so much fun. Nothing like a little "retail therapy" to lift our spirits. We watched the World Cup (USA vs. England) over dinner...even though it was a draw, it was still really cool to watch, as this year it is being held in South Africa. Sunday morning was going to be great; we were to check out around noon, and then spend several hours at Lake Victoria.
The bus arrived early, and we loaded our suitcases on. Once we were boarded, we were informed that we would be unable to go to the Lake because the bus had to be serviced on Tuesday. Yes, it was only Sunday. There was no reasoning with these two horrible women from BU, so it was off to the airport, where we were dropped off ten hours early. One final swift kick in the pants to keep our spirits down. I should not have been surprised by this behavior, after how they had treated us during our entire stay. It did make for a very long trip home, though.
Needless to say, despite the many obstacles that were in our way, I believe that we did a really good job of managing our difficulties. Our student group was a lot of fun to travel with, and I know that we each will take away so much in our future practice. I have not only learned to be much more flexible, but also more about what I value. I know I could never live with the oppression that we not only witnessed, but also were subjected to. I have never in my 25 years felt the extreme disrespect and daily oppression that was a constant throughout the trip. I cannot even imagine how the women live day to day, but perhaps why they still smile is because they don't know differently. Although our country is far from perfect on many issues surrounding equality and human rights, it is a far cry from what is lived around the world. I am glad that as a woman, I live in a country that I have a voice in politics. I am glad that I live in a country which values respect, which is earned not based on socioeconomic status but through morality and decency as a human being. I have the right to refuse sexual advances that are unwanted. I am glad I have the right to practice as a professional, and to be respected in my field through my actions and the care that I give to those I care for. I am glad that I have religious freedom, and that religion is separate from the laws that govern our country. I am glad to be home. At last.
Thank you to all who have been with me in spirit during my journey halfway around the world. Love, Rose
Tuesday, June 8, 2010
Packing
Tonight I am packing up everything into my suitcases for our adventure across the country here. We have a nearly 6 hour drive tomorrow, followed by a visit to Mbara National Park (maybe we'll see Zebras, Hippos, and other African wildlife) and then we are staying at MUST. I am expecting dormitory like arrangements for sleeping; I am thinking probably a hole for squatting and no running water. Thursday we will be at Queen Elizabeth National Park for an entire day of wildlife seeing. We are staying overnight nearby, and then traveling about 7 hours on Friday to get to Entebbe. We will be staying at Sophie's Motel again (where we stayed the first night we were here) for Friday and Saturday nights. I think Saturday we will be shopping in Kampala, the capitol city. Who knows about if we will have electricity or internet access at any of the places coming up. If there are requests for special gifts....please let me know!
Love you all...6 days until I am back in the US!
Love you all...6 days until I am back in the US!
Sugar and spice and not everything that is nice.
Hello friends!
Yesterday, Monday 7 June, we traveled to Kakira Hospital on the grounds of the Kakira Sugar Factory. This was a NGO (non-governmental organization) which means that the government does not pay for the services provided at the hospital like they do at the district hospitals, such as Iganga Hospital where we have spent much of our time. There were 3 different security gates that we had to pass through before we were allowed on the hospital grounds. Inside the factory gates, there were paved roads, sidewalks (!) and people cleaning the sidewalks everywhere. A huge change from the dirt roads with no sidewalks. The hospital grounds were beautiful; flowers and plantings everywhere. We toured the hospital, the different wards and then each spent time in a different ward. I was in the Maternity Ward; Labor/Delivery and Postpartum area. The actual delivery area was separate from the postpartum beds, in a very private area. The beds were more primitive versions of the delivery beds in the US. They even had a metal pan underneath to catch all of the extra "stuff" during a delivery. Each labor/delivery bed was separated; very different than the three cots which were lined up in the L/D area in Iganga Hospital with no privacy or separation between them. There were two babies born the previous evening, including a little boy born to a mother who was diagnosed with Breast Cancer two years earlier. She has been undergoing chemotherapy in the nearby city of Jinja (paid for by the Kakira Sugar Factory) and was not expected to be able to conceive. She also had a mastectomy in Jinja as well. The father of the little infant was telling us that the boy would be named along the likes of a gift, since he was such a precious gift for their family. The naming ceremonies take place one week after birth. The Kakira Hospital provides services at a very affordable/minimal or even zero charge for the factory employees, spouses and up to 4 children under the age of 18. It was a very touching story; miracles really do happen here. I enjoyed seeing the differences in the hospitals...Sugar is one of the largest crops here. Other crops include coffee, bananas, tea and maize. The corn is not like ours in the US; it is not sweet at all. I will try to find some sugar to take home with me. If anyone has special requests for gifts, please let me know! I have two shopping days coming up!!!
After our experience at Kakira Hospital, off we went to return to Mum's for a farewell dinner of sorts. Joseph, our wonderful chef, prepared a special feast for us in the VIP upstairs area of the hotel. The staff had arranged for a DJ to provide tunes during dinner, and then naturally for a huge party following. Wine all around and dancing till the late hours of the evening. I cannot say enough good things about the entire staff here and our stay. I think without Joseph's cooking, we would have been a very crabby bunch indeed. The entire staff came upstairs to dance with us; traditional dancing and African music as well as some American tunes. Joseph's fiancee, Samantha even came!
On Sunday, Joseph invited us to his house, and then for a walk with his fiancee and her best friend, Sophie. Sophie comes from Kenya and had a very difficult childhood. She is a journalist and attends school here in Iganga. She was telling one of the students here more about child sacrifice and the practices here, especially in Uganda. Apparently some witch doctors are also sought for help in making families wealthy; and in order to send messages to the spirits, he will need an organ of some sort from one of the children-apparently the youngest is often selected. There are many accidents here that result in deaths in childhood, and Sophie speculated that many of these are due to this practice. She told the story of a recent death along the railroad tracks which run nearby our hotel. A young boy was apparently sliced in half by a train and she heard the screams. I am not sure the exact details of the situation, but I doubt that a child would just lay on train tracks on purpose; and even if they did, likely they would move, crawl or scramble out of the way so perhaps only they suffered an amputation.....a horrible story regardless, and one that makes my stomach just lurch. I have no words to express my horror with this practice. I do not understand it at all and it angers me to tell you about this practice here. The topic of child sacrifice was brought up last week in one of our school presentations; we were interacting with the students about violence and asking them for examples. I was shocked to hear about it and was even more horrified to hear Sophie's story.
This morning our group gave our final presentations at BU. I am pleased to report that all of my assignments have been completed and I am looking forward to relaxing for the remaining time here. Tomorrow morning we are leaving to travel to Queen Elizabeth National Park. We will travel through Jinja on our way, and likely stop for a little shopping. Thursday is the actual day we will be visiting the park and then we are traveling back to Entebbe on Friday. Saturday we will be shopping in the nearby capitol city, Kampala and we will depart for the US on Sunday from Entebbe (I believe our plane leaves around 7PM local time/11AM CST). I will be back in Chicago on Monday, around 1240PM. I can't wait to be home.
A few words about what I am looking forward to...such as driving on Hwy 41, which is incredibly safe in comparison to the traffic here. Passing here can happen at any time, anywhere, and as many vehicles can be passed at a time as you can pass. Often this results in a crazy game of "chicken" or even a third lane on the shoulder of the dirt road. I am looking forward to all of the rules and regulations back in the US.
I hope everyone is well. Love you!
Yesterday, Monday 7 June, we traveled to Kakira Hospital on the grounds of the Kakira Sugar Factory. This was a NGO (non-governmental organization) which means that the government does not pay for the services provided at the hospital like they do at the district hospitals, such as Iganga Hospital where we have spent much of our time. There were 3 different security gates that we had to pass through before we were allowed on the hospital grounds. Inside the factory gates, there were paved roads, sidewalks (!) and people cleaning the sidewalks everywhere. A huge change from the dirt roads with no sidewalks. The hospital grounds were beautiful; flowers and plantings everywhere. We toured the hospital, the different wards and then each spent time in a different ward. I was in the Maternity Ward; Labor/Delivery and Postpartum area. The actual delivery area was separate from the postpartum beds, in a very private area. The beds were more primitive versions of the delivery beds in the US. They even had a metal pan underneath to catch all of the extra "stuff" during a delivery. Each labor/delivery bed was separated; very different than the three cots which were lined up in the L/D area in Iganga Hospital with no privacy or separation between them. There were two babies born the previous evening, including a little boy born to a mother who was diagnosed with Breast Cancer two years earlier. She has been undergoing chemotherapy in the nearby city of Jinja (paid for by the Kakira Sugar Factory) and was not expected to be able to conceive. She also had a mastectomy in Jinja as well. The father of the little infant was telling us that the boy would be named along the likes of a gift, since he was such a precious gift for their family. The naming ceremonies take place one week after birth. The Kakira Hospital provides services at a very affordable/minimal or even zero charge for the factory employees, spouses and up to 4 children under the age of 18. It was a very touching story; miracles really do happen here. I enjoyed seeing the differences in the hospitals...Sugar is one of the largest crops here. Other crops include coffee, bananas, tea and maize. The corn is not like ours in the US; it is not sweet at all. I will try to find some sugar to take home with me. If anyone has special requests for gifts, please let me know! I have two shopping days coming up!!!
After our experience at Kakira Hospital, off we went to return to Mum's for a farewell dinner of sorts. Joseph, our wonderful chef, prepared a special feast for us in the VIP upstairs area of the hotel. The staff had arranged for a DJ to provide tunes during dinner, and then naturally for a huge party following. Wine all around and dancing till the late hours of the evening. I cannot say enough good things about the entire staff here and our stay. I think without Joseph's cooking, we would have been a very crabby bunch indeed. The entire staff came upstairs to dance with us; traditional dancing and African music as well as some American tunes. Joseph's fiancee, Samantha even came!
On Sunday, Joseph invited us to his house, and then for a walk with his fiancee and her best friend, Sophie. Sophie comes from Kenya and had a very difficult childhood. She is a journalist and attends school here in Iganga. She was telling one of the students here more about child sacrifice and the practices here, especially in Uganda. Apparently some witch doctors are also sought for help in making families wealthy; and in order to send messages to the spirits, he will need an organ of some sort from one of the children-apparently the youngest is often selected. There are many accidents here that result in deaths in childhood, and Sophie speculated that many of these are due to this practice. She told the story of a recent death along the railroad tracks which run nearby our hotel. A young boy was apparently sliced in half by a train and she heard the screams. I am not sure the exact details of the situation, but I doubt that a child would just lay on train tracks on purpose; and even if they did, likely they would move, crawl or scramble out of the way so perhaps only they suffered an amputation.....a horrible story regardless, and one that makes my stomach just lurch. I have no words to express my horror with this practice. I do not understand it at all and it angers me to tell you about this practice here. The topic of child sacrifice was brought up last week in one of our school presentations; we were interacting with the students about violence and asking them for examples. I was shocked to hear about it and was even more horrified to hear Sophie's story.
This morning our group gave our final presentations at BU. I am pleased to report that all of my assignments have been completed and I am looking forward to relaxing for the remaining time here. Tomorrow morning we are leaving to travel to Queen Elizabeth National Park. We will travel through Jinja on our way, and likely stop for a little shopping. Thursday is the actual day we will be visiting the park and then we are traveling back to Entebbe on Friday. Saturday we will be shopping in the nearby capitol city, Kampala and we will depart for the US on Sunday from Entebbe (I believe our plane leaves around 7PM local time/11AM CST). I will be back in Chicago on Monday, around 1240PM. I can't wait to be home.
A few words about what I am looking forward to...such as driving on Hwy 41, which is incredibly safe in comparison to the traffic here. Passing here can happen at any time, anywhere, and as many vehicles can be passed at a time as you can pass. Often this results in a crazy game of "chicken" or even a third lane on the shoulder of the dirt road. I am looking forward to all of the rules and regulations back in the US.
I hope everyone is well. Love you!
Sunday, June 6, 2010
Lazy Sunday
There was talk yesterday that we might be taking a day trip to Jinja, as one of our students here has fallen quite ill. She has improved though, and is feeling much better today, so we are not going to be traveling today. Instead, we have a day of rest and relaxation here in Iganga. I have been finishing up some homework this morning, and I will be doing laundry shortly. I think a group of us might sit outside as well, until supper or maybe go for a brief walk to our chef, Joseph's house nearby. He has invited us to stop over to meet his fiancee and to show us where he lives. Anyway, I will be in touch again soon. We are leaving our home here at Mum Resort on Wednesday morning. I am not certain of how the power/internet/running water situation will be at our future accomodations.
Thank You!
To everyone who has donated to our trip; glasses, textbooks, childrens books, toys and games...I would like to send out personal thank you notes when I am back in the states. But for now, a thank you from Africa for helping to make our trip successful and rewarding is in order.
The textbooks have been donated to the Busoga University library. As many of you know, the students here are not fortunate enough to have their own textbooks. They must share the books within the library that is next to the nursing classroom; they are not allowed even to check them out for a weekend. The books that we have donated will help their education immensely. It seems that their curriculum includes significantly more learning from lecture format and clinical experience than our primarily lecture and outside reading format in the US. I know that they will learn so much from the resources that have been donated to their library.
The curriculum also incorporates dance and song into all of the programs. Yesterday, the nursing students presented for us a poem written about the meaning of the White Dress that the nursing students here wear (it wasn't all that long ago that nurses in the US wore the white dresses), a skit about the "sexual network" and the spread of HIV, a song that they wrote as a thank you, and then some traditional African dancing and singing. The dancing here is just part of their culture; they dance beginning at a very young age when they still are little children in the villages. Each area has a specific traditional dance, so the students that are from further away from the University, even Kenya, know additional traditional dances according to the tribal culture of each region. I did get to join in the dancing, and one of the students put the special wrap around my waist. Although I cannot shake my hips like they can (I don't think my pelvis is supposed to move in those ways!) it was so much fun to try, and the students just loved my effort.
The 500 pairs of glasses that were donated were given out during the Vision Screening and Outreach day on Thursday of this past week. Out of all of the students that we screened, we referred 14 of them to the optometrist for additional follow up. The optometrist was also in attendance that day, so she did follow up screening the very same day. Although none of the children needed glasses, there were several adults that did receive glasses. I do have pictures of some of them trying them on for fit and to verify that their sight was indeed improved. The remaining glasses were left with the optometrist. She is the only one in the entire region, serving 500,000 people. The glasses will be given to those that are in great need. What better gift to leave behind, than the gift of sight?!
We also gave suitcases filled with medical supplies to Iganga Hospital, and the clinics that we visited. The supplies that we brought included some medications, Kerlix gauze, many bulb syringes, gloves (which are hugely scarce here), baby blankets, stethoscopes, blood pressure cuffs, syringes and some clothes for the newborn babies and the pediatric unit.
The students at the schools received school supplies; crayons, paper, pencils, and various games to play. The blind children had their own pile of supplies including braille games, toys that made sound and books that were braille.
We also donated a laptop computer to the Busoga University Nursing Lab, which did not have a computer before we arrived; thank you to LW for her own personal donation of this laptop. We have also given out countless pairs of sandals and clothes, such as little girl dresses to various children here, including the orphans at the Babies Home.
Each donation is so greatly appreciated, and I feel very lucky to have been a part of something that will leave a lasting impact. Although some of the gifts are more temporary and will break or be used until they no longer can be used, I think that by being here, we will leave more permanent gifts of friendship and ambassadorship. The biggest "thing" that we are leaving behind is our representation of the United States, as students, nurses and caring individuals. I hope that we have left behind a very positive image of our country and our profession. Thank you to all who have helped us give such a lasting and important gift.
To my colleagues at work; I am so looking forward to and also very honored to be joining a profession that is so highly respected. It is because of people like you, that our profession is so highly esteemed. I can't wait to be a Nurse.
Love you all. Have a blessed Sunday. xo
The textbooks have been donated to the Busoga University library. As many of you know, the students here are not fortunate enough to have their own textbooks. They must share the books within the library that is next to the nursing classroom; they are not allowed even to check them out for a weekend. The books that we have donated will help their education immensely. It seems that their curriculum includes significantly more learning from lecture format and clinical experience than our primarily lecture and outside reading format in the US. I know that they will learn so much from the resources that have been donated to their library.
The curriculum also incorporates dance and song into all of the programs. Yesterday, the nursing students presented for us a poem written about the meaning of the White Dress that the nursing students here wear (it wasn't all that long ago that nurses in the US wore the white dresses), a skit about the "sexual network" and the spread of HIV, a song that they wrote as a thank you, and then some traditional African dancing and singing. The dancing here is just part of their culture; they dance beginning at a very young age when they still are little children in the villages. Each area has a specific traditional dance, so the students that are from further away from the University, even Kenya, know additional traditional dances according to the tribal culture of each region. I did get to join in the dancing, and one of the students put the special wrap around my waist. Although I cannot shake my hips like they can (I don't think my pelvis is supposed to move in those ways!) it was so much fun to try, and the students just loved my effort.
The 500 pairs of glasses that were donated were given out during the Vision Screening and Outreach day on Thursday of this past week. Out of all of the students that we screened, we referred 14 of them to the optometrist for additional follow up. The optometrist was also in attendance that day, so she did follow up screening the very same day. Although none of the children needed glasses, there were several adults that did receive glasses. I do have pictures of some of them trying them on for fit and to verify that their sight was indeed improved. The remaining glasses were left with the optometrist. She is the only one in the entire region, serving 500,000 people. The glasses will be given to those that are in great need. What better gift to leave behind, than the gift of sight?!
We also gave suitcases filled with medical supplies to Iganga Hospital, and the clinics that we visited. The supplies that we brought included some medications, Kerlix gauze, many bulb syringes, gloves (which are hugely scarce here), baby blankets, stethoscopes, blood pressure cuffs, syringes and some clothes for the newborn babies and the pediatric unit.
The students at the schools received school supplies; crayons, paper, pencils, and various games to play. The blind children had their own pile of supplies including braille games, toys that made sound and books that were braille.
We also donated a laptop computer to the Busoga University Nursing Lab, which did not have a computer before we arrived; thank you to LW for her own personal donation of this laptop. We have also given out countless pairs of sandals and clothes, such as little girl dresses to various children here, including the orphans at the Babies Home.
Each donation is so greatly appreciated, and I feel very lucky to have been a part of something that will leave a lasting impact. Although some of the gifts are more temporary and will break or be used until they no longer can be used, I think that by being here, we will leave more permanent gifts of friendship and ambassadorship. The biggest "thing" that we are leaving behind is our representation of the United States, as students, nurses and caring individuals. I hope that we have left behind a very positive image of our country and our profession. Thank you to all who have helped us give such a lasting and important gift.
To my colleagues at work; I am so looking forward to and also very honored to be joining a profession that is so highly respected. It is because of people like you, that our profession is so highly esteemed. I can't wait to be a Nurse.
Love you all. Have a blessed Sunday. xo
Saturday, June 5, 2010
NRP
Today another student and the two US instructors traveled to the University for our NRP education for the midwives and the nursing students. Although they arrived an hour late, we had quite a turn out; I counted 33 students and 6 instructors. Our presentation was very successful. Our BU counterparts were actually really interested in how we in the US do newborn resuscitation. I got to assist with the demonstrations in the front of the classroom-a very rewarding experience. I will certainly write more later; we have a bit of homework to do tonight and then some relaxation as it is Saturday!
Friday, June 4, 2010
Beer and Cards
So to my friends and family,
I have had a very relaxing evening at our lovely Mum's Resort Hotel, sampling Ugandan beer and playing card games. For VN, I have tried two beers that are brewed in Uganda; one is called the Bell Lager and the other is the Tusker Malt Lager. The Tusker was similar to a Corona, and the Bell...I'm not so sure. The drinks were cheap; both cost me 5,000 schillings, which is about $2.50 USD. I have a few pictures of the beers, plus some of our group at the bar with our beers. It has been a night that is well deserved.
A small group of the US students sat and chatted at one of the tables after supper and relaxed with our beer...and now that everyone has gone to bed for the most part, there are a few of us left playing cards with the hotel staff. We bought some of our usual staff a round of drinks tonight as a thank you for their generous hospitality; they have been so accomodating and it has been so wonderful as we showed up on such short notice (literally, checked in for a 2 week stay without any warning) and they have provided us all with private rooms, and have just been very warm and welcoming.
About the letters from the Buckley students; apparently there was a whole envelope filled with handwritten letters, so I received many more in addition to Faith's letter. Other students also received letters. It was very sweet of them to write to us, and I find it so touching that they remember us by name. :) Big smiles here today. Some students are going to the orphanage early tomorrow morning, but as I am helping with the NRP education, I will go later in the day, so I get to sleep in....I'll wake up around 0745 tomorrow, which will be very nice. I think I will probably go early on Sunday morning to help with the kids morning routines, and of course to get some more play time in. I will have to be careful though; one of the US students got conjunctivitis, likely from playing at the orphanage. I still have a partial bottle of hand sanitizer plus a package of anti-bacterial wet wipes.
Well, I will get back to my card playing tonight. I only have a few more assignments that are due in the next few days, and then the last few days we are in Africa, I will be able to relax and enjoy the adventure before returning to the states. I've heard it has been very hot in WI, so I hope it stays that way when I return. I have some pretty funny tan lines from the hot sun here, so I'll have to try to even some of that out when I am back in the US.
xoxo. Hope everyone is healthy and happy.
I have had a very relaxing evening at our lovely Mum's Resort Hotel, sampling Ugandan beer and playing card games. For VN, I have tried two beers that are brewed in Uganda; one is called the Bell Lager and the other is the Tusker Malt Lager. The Tusker was similar to a Corona, and the Bell...I'm not so sure. The drinks were cheap; both cost me 5,000 schillings, which is about $2.50 USD. I have a few pictures of the beers, plus some of our group at the bar with our beers. It has been a night that is well deserved.
A small group of the US students sat and chatted at one of the tables after supper and relaxed with our beer...and now that everyone has gone to bed for the most part, there are a few of us left playing cards with the hotel staff. We bought some of our usual staff a round of drinks tonight as a thank you for their generous hospitality; they have been so accomodating and it has been so wonderful as we showed up on such short notice (literally, checked in for a 2 week stay without any warning) and they have provided us all with private rooms, and have just been very warm and welcoming.
About the letters from the Buckley students; apparently there was a whole envelope filled with handwritten letters, so I received many more in addition to Faith's letter. Other students also received letters. It was very sweet of them to write to us, and I find it so touching that they remember us by name. :) Big smiles here today. Some students are going to the orphanage early tomorrow morning, but as I am helping with the NRP education, I will go later in the day, so I get to sleep in....I'll wake up around 0745 tomorrow, which will be very nice. I think I will probably go early on Sunday morning to help with the kids morning routines, and of course to get some more play time in. I will have to be careful though; one of the US students got conjunctivitis, likely from playing at the orphanage. I still have a partial bottle of hand sanitizer plus a package of anti-bacterial wet wipes.
Well, I will get back to my card playing tonight. I only have a few more assignments that are due in the next few days, and then the last few days we are in Africa, I will be able to relax and enjoy the adventure before returning to the states. I've heard it has been very hot in WI, so I hope it stays that way when I return. I have some pretty funny tan lines from the hot sun here, so I'll have to try to even some of that out when I am back in the US.
xoxo. Hope everyone is healthy and happy.
Have a little Faith
Today was another rewarding day. We traveled to N. Memorial Secondary School for our educational teaching. I think there was approximately 1600 students in attendance; ages 14-18. We decided to do our vision teaching, as we didn't get to really implement the teaching, just screening the other day. They seemed to enjoy our presentation, and swarmed us afterward. Boys will be teenage boys...if you catch my drift. We did end up exiting to our bus sooner than our 20 minute "fellowship" time.
Afterward, we traveled back to Buckley High School in Iganga. The girls were the ones who greeted us early last week, and they have been waiting for us to return! They remembered our names, and couldn't wait to hear our presentations. Our hand washing group did our presentation again, and all of the students just loved it! Afterward, we passed out these scarves that we collected, and they were so excited! We got lots of pictures with all of the scarves tied to their heads. They also sang to us, which is a huge sign of love and appreciation in the culture here. We got to talk to the children, and a few of the ones from last week came right up to me; Sarah and Faith. We exchanged contact information, got a few pictures and then we had to go to lunch prepared by the Headmistress Florence, who is just one of the nicest people that we have met. We also got to see some of the classrooms, including the P1 (similar to our grade 1), deaf classroom and then the classroom for the deaf and blind. The deaf and blind children make wonderful beaded necklaces, purses from banana leaves and baskets, too. I bought a beaded necklace, that is really pretty.
When we boarded the bus, my professor handed me a little envelope which said "From Faith To Emily". Enclosed is a touching letter, which really made my day. It reads:
Dear
Emily hopes you are fine the main aim of writing this letter is to thank u in what you have done to us and this is my life. Me my names are Faith-oranga and I stay in Kenya but I came to school in Uganda and I was born in 1998 and I have 12 yrs. My happy birthday is always on 25th April. I wish you nice days in US where you stay. I wish you take me to be your friend. but I am know your best friend. Bye bye.
Yours faithfuly
Faith-oranga
I am in primary seven.
I will have to write her when I am back in the US, and send her a picture of me as well. Maybe we will be pen pals for a lifetime. I was the only one to get a thank you note, out of all of the students from the US and from BU. I really feel a connection to the children here...All of my experience with the children here has been the highlight of my trip.
Tomorrow I will be assisting the NRP teaching at the hospital with my two instructors; I am excited and hopeful that this education will really stick with the midwives and nurses here.
Well, I miss you all....and will see you in just over one week!
PS: to EB, I took your book Change of Heart to Africa, and one of the girls here borrowed it. There was a slight accident today, so she will just give me money to replace it. I hope that it is okay......
Afterward, we traveled back to Buckley High School in Iganga. The girls were the ones who greeted us early last week, and they have been waiting for us to return! They remembered our names, and couldn't wait to hear our presentations. Our hand washing group did our presentation again, and all of the students just loved it! Afterward, we passed out these scarves that we collected, and they were so excited! We got lots of pictures with all of the scarves tied to their heads. They also sang to us, which is a huge sign of love and appreciation in the culture here. We got to talk to the children, and a few of the ones from last week came right up to me; Sarah and Faith. We exchanged contact information, got a few pictures and then we had to go to lunch prepared by the Headmistress Florence, who is just one of the nicest people that we have met. We also got to see some of the classrooms, including the P1 (similar to our grade 1), deaf classroom and then the classroom for the deaf and blind. The deaf and blind children make wonderful beaded necklaces, purses from banana leaves and baskets, too. I bought a beaded necklace, that is really pretty.
When we boarded the bus, my professor handed me a little envelope which said "From Faith To Emily". Enclosed is a touching letter, which really made my day. It reads:
Dear
Emily hopes you are fine the main aim of writing this letter is to thank u in what you have done to us and this is my life. Me my names are Faith-oranga and I stay in Kenya but I came to school in Uganda and I was born in 1998 and I have 12 yrs. My happy birthday is always on 25th April. I wish you nice days in US where you stay. I wish you take me to be your friend. but I am know your best friend. Bye bye.
Yours faithfuly
Faith-oranga
I am in primary seven.
I will have to write her when I am back in the US, and send her a picture of me as well. Maybe we will be pen pals for a lifetime. I was the only one to get a thank you note, out of all of the students from the US and from BU. I really feel a connection to the children here...All of my experience with the children here has been the highlight of my trip.
Tomorrow I will be assisting the NRP teaching at the hospital with my two instructors; I am excited and hopeful that this education will really stick with the midwives and nurses here.
Well, I miss you all....and will see you in just over one week!
PS: to EB, I took your book Change of Heart to Africa, and one of the girls here borrowed it. There was a slight accident today, so she will just give me money to replace it. I hope that it is okay......
Thursday, June 3, 2010
Another Addendum
So I just wanted to elaborate a little on the events of the past two days. My heart has finally found it's purpose here, and I'm finally feeling like I've been able to do exactly what I came to do. I think that my future holds many more adventures, and whether or not I return to this area, is still to be determined. I would love to continue working with children, so I am feeling very good about my current career choice. I think it has only been in recent years that I've found a home with children, but there is just something that is so universal about the way that they play, laugh and interact with their surroundings; they can make anyone feel comfortable, even with a cultural barrier.
It is amazing to see the difference between the children in the orphanage (the Babies Home) and the children in the village. The kids that stay in the orphanage are not afraid of visitors-they run right up and just jump up until you scoop them off the ground. Some of the village children are fearful of our skin color, so it has been a very strange experience to be the extreme minority here. I am not sure that many of the village children have even seen a white person (that sounds so weird to say out loud) before...so we all look very strange and scary to them.
I am really excited to return home to all that is familiar. I am looking forward to everything that is such a luxury in this world: a washing machine, stove, air conditioning, my very own car for transportation and also just being in control of my life! I am not sure that I will remember how to drive my car...and it will be very strange to go for a drive and not be pointed at, waved to or yelled "mzungu" to! And, I can't wait to drive on hwy 41 again. It is amazingly safe in comparison to the crazy traffic patterns here.
I also can't wait to start working again. I am very much looking forward to seeing all of my coworkers again; I really miss you guys. Thank you to everyone for thinking of me often, sending positive thoughts my way and encouraging me when I have been so discouraged. And to all of my other friends and family, I can't wait to see you all too! It has been wonderful to talk to all of you....I also can't wait to have my Blackberry in my hands again. It has been such an adjustment to not have the technology to rely on 24/7. Although, I must admit, the power has been fairly reliable as of late. I will miss our stay here at Mum's. The staff has been wonderful to us; our chef, Joseph has been such a positive part of every day. His dinners are simply wonderful. After Tuesday of next week, our clinical experience will be over, and we will be off for Queen Elizabeth National Park, Kampala and then leaving from Entebbe. I will be back in the US on Monday 14 June. I can't wait to see everyone again, but first, I will drag my suitcases into the laundry room, hop in the shower and then after about an hour, I will be ready to get out and tell my stories. I love you all! xoxo, R
It is amazing to see the difference between the children in the orphanage (the Babies Home) and the children in the village. The kids that stay in the orphanage are not afraid of visitors-they run right up and just jump up until you scoop them off the ground. Some of the village children are fearful of our skin color, so it has been a very strange experience to be the extreme minority here. I am not sure that many of the village children have even seen a white person (that sounds so weird to say out loud) before...so we all look very strange and scary to them.
I am really excited to return home to all that is familiar. I am looking forward to everything that is such a luxury in this world: a washing machine, stove, air conditioning, my very own car for transportation and also just being in control of my life! I am not sure that I will remember how to drive my car...and it will be very strange to go for a drive and not be pointed at, waved to or yelled "mzungu" to! And, I can't wait to drive on hwy 41 again. It is amazingly safe in comparison to the crazy traffic patterns here.
I also can't wait to start working again. I am very much looking forward to seeing all of my coworkers again; I really miss you guys. Thank you to everyone for thinking of me often, sending positive thoughts my way and encouraging me when I have been so discouraged. And to all of my other friends and family, I can't wait to see you all too! It has been wonderful to talk to all of you....I also can't wait to have my Blackberry in my hands again. It has been such an adjustment to not have the technology to rely on 24/7. Although, I must admit, the power has been fairly reliable as of late. I will miss our stay here at Mum's. The staff has been wonderful to us; our chef, Joseph has been such a positive part of every day. His dinners are simply wonderful. After Tuesday of next week, our clinical experience will be over, and we will be off for Queen Elizabeth National Park, Kampala and then leaving from Entebbe. I will be back in the US on Monday 14 June. I can't wait to see everyone again, but first, I will drag my suitcases into the laundry room, hop in the shower and then after about an hour, I will be ready to get out and tell my stories. I love you all! xoxo, R
Martyr's Day
Today is a national holiday here in Uganda-it is Martyr's Day, so all of the children that normally are in school are off today! A small group of us walked to the orphanage very early in the morning to help with their morning cares, baths, and breakfast. It was a wonderful start to the day. None of the children had to get ready for school, so they just got to play in the yard. We were greeted when we arrived at the Iganga Babies Home with a hole pile of naked children running dripping wet from the shower area to greet us with hugs. They were piling on top of us with excitement, and wanted us to help them get dried off and showered. I had I believe 4 little children hanging off of me-one on my right hip, two hanging to my left fingers, and another on my right side leading the way with dragging my pants to get back to their little rooms and help them get ready. They all shared one towel, and the giggles and smiles as I was helping them get dried and dressed was just awesome. My little girl from yesterday (I still don't know her name) found me again today, wandered up to me after I had helped bigger kids get dressed, held out her arms like she wanted me to pick her up and said "mama". I couldn't believe that she recognized me from yesterday, and it broke my heart to hear those words. I wonder what happened to her parents that she is at the orphanage. It is hard for me to estimate her age; she is quite small but she is walking and even starting to be more coordinated to move faster. I had more children than I even knew what to do with-I simply did not have enough arms. The kids just loved being tickled on their tummies and thought it was hilarious if we danced together. Breakfast was served outside in the pavillion that is covered by a straw roof. They each got a mug of porridge. Of course my little girl would only eat it if she was sitting in my lap, so we sat together and I helped her sip the hot mug. A very rambunctious little boy decided to climb up onto my legs to eat his porridge, but when another young boy also wanted to sit on my legs, the first boy pushed him and also dumped his mug of porridge onto my legs (I was wearing scrub pants) and down the back of the other boy. He was very naughty, so I shouldn't be surprised...but it was a huge mess to clean up, and then after I arrived back at our hotel for breakfast, I soaked my pants to try to get the porridge out and changed clothes. Leaving the orphanage was a lot harder this morning. The children just did not want us to leave; chasing after us all the way to the gates.
After breakfast, we traveled to the lower level district clinics (more rural than the hospital we spent time in last week, but they still have inpatient wards) for comparison to the larger hospital that we worked in last week. It was interesting to see the facilities, and of course a crowd gathered around us, so we all got to present our teaching projects again. We left a backpack filled with supplies at the first clinic-kerlix gauze, tape, blankets, bulb syringes.
We went back to the hospital grounds for our lunch again, and when we were waiting in our room, we saw a cart that had someone that was on it, with a sheet draped over it; obviously someone who had passed. We found out that it was a woman who had bled out after she delivered her baby; she delivered in her village and somehow came to the hospital...there were some of her family members around her cart, and her baby was nowhere to be found. I still had a little red sleeper in my pack, so I went off to the postpartum area to find the little baby, who no longer had a mom. The nurse pointed me in the direction of a bundled baby (a little baby boy) next to the window, all alone and the nurse told me that the mother was the "one from the theater" so I am guessing that they tried to take her to surgery to remove her uterus, and ultimately she just lost too much blood. If only they had the second line medications here-hemabate, cytotec, methergine...but they don't. Who knows if they would have helped, if she had been bleeding out for a period of time....A big dose of the reality here; I suppose that this situation is not all that uncommon here.
Anyway, this Saturday, my two instructors and I will be traveling to the hospital to teach NRP-Neonatal Resuscitation Program. One of my instructors is a certified NRP instructor, and I am certified as well. I am really excited to implement this program; to give the nurses here the option and knowledge to use at every delivery. I really hope that this makes a difference and saves some babies lives!!!
Well, a small group of us are off to play with the kids at the orphanage again. Stay tuned.
After breakfast, we traveled to the lower level district clinics (more rural than the hospital we spent time in last week, but they still have inpatient wards) for comparison to the larger hospital that we worked in last week. It was interesting to see the facilities, and of course a crowd gathered around us, so we all got to present our teaching projects again. We left a backpack filled with supplies at the first clinic-kerlix gauze, tape, blankets, bulb syringes.
We went back to the hospital grounds for our lunch again, and when we were waiting in our room, we saw a cart that had someone that was on it, with a sheet draped over it; obviously someone who had passed. We found out that it was a woman who had bled out after she delivered her baby; she delivered in her village and somehow came to the hospital...there were some of her family members around her cart, and her baby was nowhere to be found. I still had a little red sleeper in my pack, so I went off to the postpartum area to find the little baby, who no longer had a mom. The nurse pointed me in the direction of a bundled baby (a little baby boy) next to the window, all alone and the nurse told me that the mother was the "one from the theater" so I am guessing that they tried to take her to surgery to remove her uterus, and ultimately she just lost too much blood. If only they had the second line medications here-hemabate, cytotec, methergine...but they don't. Who knows if they would have helped, if she had been bleeding out for a period of time....A big dose of the reality here; I suppose that this situation is not all that uncommon here.
Anyway, this Saturday, my two instructors and I will be traveling to the hospital to teach NRP-Neonatal Resuscitation Program. One of my instructors is a certified NRP instructor, and I am certified as well. I am really excited to implement this program; to give the nurses here the option and knowledge to use at every delivery. I really hope that this makes a difference and saves some babies lives!!!
Well, a small group of us are off to play with the kids at the orphanage again. Stay tuned.
Wednesday, June 2, 2010
The children
Today was a GREAT day, and it could not have come at a better time. We got to start our day off on the right foot by walking to the orphanage. It is a short 10 minute walk, and I literally have been waiting for the two hours we spent there for the past 8 months. The children just ran right up to us and were so excited to see us-they had new playmates! I totally bonded with a little boy named Richard and another very shy girl. They just were content to play under the shade for a while, totally amused with my sunglasses and nametag. When I pulled out my camera, Richard was just thrilled!!! Another play toy! My little girl really took to the sunglasses; I am pleased to say that my TJ Maxx shades were the toy of choice for her. They were headphones, a necklace and then cool shades for her eyes....plus, how much fun to play with! I got to play with Richard and one of his friends on the swingset, and then he wanted to head over to the merry-go-round. When we left, my little girl just clung to my skirt and legs...and I must admit, I could easily have carried her right back onto the bus! Richard gave me a kiss on the cheek and a big hug and lots of smiles. Those moments were exactly what I needed to get the positive stuff flowing again.
We also traveled to the village for a huge outreach day-screening for HIV, vision screening, teaching projects, handwashing teaching galore, plus an immunization station. I would guess there were over 400 students in attendance, plus adults from the community. The kids just loved us-we even got sang to after one of our presentations. We got caught in a crazy downpour (like hail almost!) and had an adventure seeking shelter. Overall, the best day since we've been here, I'd say. I might be turning a corner here. I am off to bed now, as I get to go back to the orphanage bright and early in the morning for extra work with 5 of my colleagues. We cannot wait! I'd be content to wipe snotty noses and play with the orphans all day long :)
Love you all!
We also traveled to the village for a huge outreach day-screening for HIV, vision screening, teaching projects, handwashing teaching galore, plus an immunization station. I would guess there were over 400 students in attendance, plus adults from the community. The kids just loved us-we even got sang to after one of our presentations. We got caught in a crazy downpour (like hail almost!) and had an adventure seeking shelter. Overall, the best day since we've been here, I'd say. I might be turning a corner here. I am off to bed now, as I get to go back to the orphanage bright and early in the morning for extra work with 5 of my colleagues. We cannot wait! I'd be content to wipe snotty noses and play with the orphans all day long :)
Love you all!
Tuesday, June 1, 2010
The frustration here...
For all who have expressed their concern, thank you. We are managing to deal with the many issues here. It seems to me that there is a lot of things that have happened that have been cultural differences, but I feel like since we are paying, it is most frustrating for the students. However, our instructors continue to voice our concerns in trying to negotiate with these two ridiculous women in "charge" and apparently they have "offended" them too much that the BU women will not even talk to them anymore, about the water, the budget, the meals....everything. They did bring us three cases of water, which amounts to about 4 bottles each. Our instructors have also told us to order additional bottles at dinner, which they are putting on our "extra" emergency credit card, which is of course, at an additional charge to us. I am of course, not happy about this. If the OIE thinks that they will get another dime out of me, they are sorely mistaken. They can ask for the two BU women to pay out of their pockets for the extra charge.
It would be a VERY bad idea to contact anyone at the OIE about the problems, as they have not been able to do anything to help us to date. They do not have the power to negotiate anything, and although our instructors have been trying, they have had little success either. Plus, in the culture here, there are only certain people who are allowed to do the negotiating....and your efforts would be highly offensive. The OIE would only forward your messages to our instructors, who are just as frustrated as we are. We (the UWO students) have resorted to kidnapping the bottled water that is supplied for everyone for lunch, as well....we are paying for it so we're taking it. We need all the water we can get. Another infuriating detail...one of the women in charge from BU today, brought containers to pack the leftover food in to take home with her. I am NOT kidding. I did get pictures of that, so if the OIE wants to bill me an additional charge, I will certainly show them those pictures. Also on my to do list, is to get pictures of all of their ridiculous things (ie washing their hands with our bottled water, taking moped rides instead of walking...). We (the UWO) students wanted to take matters into our own hands; unfortunately our instructors have nixed our fabulous plan as they think we will offend our BU counterparts.
As of right now, I can honestly say that I regret coming on this experience. I feel as though I have been taken advantage of financially. And to have to listen to those two women lecture us on how we need to give to the poor....I honestly cannot take it much longer. I am so discouraged. The highlight of my day was giving a toddler-age girl by the side of the road a pair of flip flops. She had nothing on her bare feet, and there was glass all around. The smile on her face was the only saving grace for the day.
So, the bottom line is that I am out $5200. I can't wait to return to the US to start digging my way out of the gigantic financial hole that I have dug for myself, and I feel as though I have nothing to show for it. I miss you all; more than you can even imagine. I guess the costly lesson is to make sure you know where your money is going before you make the kind of investment I did.
It would be a VERY bad idea to contact anyone at the OIE about the problems, as they have not been able to do anything to help us to date. They do not have the power to negotiate anything, and although our instructors have been trying, they have had little success either. Plus, in the culture here, there are only certain people who are allowed to do the negotiating....and your efforts would be highly offensive. The OIE would only forward your messages to our instructors, who are just as frustrated as we are. We (the UWO students) have resorted to kidnapping the bottled water that is supplied for everyone for lunch, as well....we are paying for it so we're taking it. We need all the water we can get. Another infuriating detail...one of the women in charge from BU today, brought containers to pack the leftover food in to take home with her. I am NOT kidding. I did get pictures of that, so if the OIE wants to bill me an additional charge, I will certainly show them those pictures. Also on my to do list, is to get pictures of all of their ridiculous things (ie washing their hands with our bottled water, taking moped rides instead of walking...). We (the UWO) students wanted to take matters into our own hands; unfortunately our instructors have nixed our fabulous plan as they think we will offend our BU counterparts.
As of right now, I can honestly say that I regret coming on this experience. I feel as though I have been taken advantage of financially. And to have to listen to those two women lecture us on how we need to give to the poor....I honestly cannot take it much longer. I am so discouraged. The highlight of my day was giving a toddler-age girl by the side of the road a pair of flip flops. She had nothing on her bare feet, and there was glass all around. The smile on her face was the only saving grace for the day.
So, the bottom line is that I am out $5200. I can't wait to return to the US to start digging my way out of the gigantic financial hole that I have dug for myself, and I feel as though I have nothing to show for it. I miss you all; more than you can even imagine. I guess the costly lesson is to make sure you know where your money is going before you make the kind of investment I did.
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