A Day in My Shoes

So I decided to show you all what a day in my life looks like. I hope it sheds a little more light on my life here, or at least on my Tuesday :)

6:45 am: Wake Up

6:45-7:15 am: Catch up on life in America

Remember how you all are going about a large chunk of your day while I sleep. So I usually wake up to lots of updates on facebook, during Blackhawks season I woke up to the results of the game, and some times even major news

7:15-8:15: Get ready, eat breakfast, have some time with God, and somethings that only go with life in Africa (by the way I also realizing that not getting ready til 7:15 in the morning is a perk of life here... and living where you work!)

Almost every morning I have to get up and check how my water filtering is going

Breakfast (my bagels are yummy and homemade in Mbarara- breakfast Tuesday was a special treat!)

A few mornings a week I coat my house in insect killer... this brand was only effective on the baby cockroaches :(

By the way... please keep praying about the cockroach problem.... my neighbors moved out and I guess they did not realize how "Bad" their problem was until they moved out.... well as they moved many cockroaches moved to my house :(

8:30 am: I officially start working

The rule is all teachers are suppose to be signed in my 8:30am to not be considered late

8:30-9:30ish am: First student of the day - Sumaya

Sumaya is doing amazingly well!!! She can now walk with her walker (and an adult) around the school compound two times. This is a huge accomplishment for a girl whose whole life she has only walked with assistance from her wheelchair to the bathroom and back. Ignore the bandage on her head... she had an accident in her wheelchair earlier that morning.

9:30 - 10:00 am: Daglous

Daglous comes to therapy to work on writing... we have not quite mastered any letters (largely due to lack of repeition between sessions) but he can at least now consistently name a few letters! The new OT could not get here soon enough - handwriting does not fall under PT.

10:00 - 10:30 am: Clare - Seeing Clare at this time happens everyday

Clare walking to the dining hall- Everyday I put Clare's leg braces on at this time and we head to the dining hall. Praise the Lord she is also finally improving.... At the beginning of the term it was taking us 30 to 40 minutes to get from class to the dining hall. Now we are down to about 15 minutes!!! 

Taking a rest halfway to the dining hall (no it is not that far... but for Clare it is)

10:30-11:00(ish) am: Tea Time

The large kettles for just the teachers... Africans LOVE their tea

11:00 - 12:00 pm: Hope

This day Hope was working on a fine motor art project and her sitting balance

12:00 - 1:00 pm: Kato

Kato stretching out his back on the ball... he absolutely LOVES this!

1:00 - 2:30 pm: Lunch time

Sorry I failed to get any lunch pictures.... so what do I do with an hour and half for lunch (I rest!) I have come to find that most days I need a little down time by then so i enjoy it. I may take a short nap, catch up on paperwork, work on my blog, do the dishes, do some work in the office, but I always eat with the teachers when lunch is ready. Lunch is always posho or rice with beans.

Showing you my day would not be complete without including the window peepers...... which happens C.O.N.S.T.A.N.T.L.Y!!!

Cyrus at the door to the sick bay where I work

Ethero looking into my house

2:30-3:00 pm: Nakku

Sorry I also failed to take pictures of her

3:30: School day (and my "official" schedule) ends

My weekly schedule... While this is very hard to follow in this context, it really helps me be accountable to try to make sure I see all the students I need to each week.

3:30 - 6:00 pm: Relationship time

What happens after school varies each day. Sometimes I am super behind on paperwork, while other days I play games or color with the students and teachers kids. Sometimes I make a trip to the market with one of the teachers and some days and go sit at the local stores and visit with the owners who have become my friends. On Tuesday, I went to town to have coffee with a friend from AIM and then went grocery shopping on my way home.

Sitting at the coffee shop with Bobbie Howley 

Riding home on the boda with my bag of groceries. I am so thankful Katie Hogerty gave me this bag a few Christmases ago. I do not know how I would easily get my groceries on a boda without it!!! My friends can actually recognize me on a boda when they see my pink bag go by!

First thing that has to be done here when returning from the grocery store or market... all produce gets washed

6:00 - 10:30 pm: Everything Else

I usually try to be home by 6 or shortly after every day otherwise there would never be any separation from working and being at home. That being said, many nights (including Tuesday) that doesn't happen. During this time I usually make dinner, clean up from dinner (far more difficult when your kitchen is outside.. and you are fighting bugs), shower, skype, catch up on life in America, and anything else that needs to be done. 

Tuesday night I got sidetracked talking with Esther and her mom when I got home. This is a horrible picture, but I love that is shows Esther using my boda helmet as a chair. (and her new shoes)

Just to show you what bathing involves here..... if I want hot water I have to heat it up first. Since my bathroom is true to the name "water closet" my toilet paper is contained in the tupperware and the "squeezer" in the back is necessary to getting the water off my bathroom floor.

Last cockroach defense of the night which I just discovered this week: chalk... I now put it generously under my door every night. (Too bad my neighbors moved before I found it :( )

And other News:

The other day Esther decided she wanted to be at my house first thing in the morning... she joined me for breakfast - and yes it was actually cold here!

Lucky has been struggling with wanting to do therapy to strengthen her hands... so lately I have been getting more creative. Last Friday we mixed ingredients so I could make pumpkin donuts while I was away. (I dont have an oven at my house)

I am really sad that my neighbors and wonderful friends moved :( Thankfully Christine is not living too far, but Berinah went back to school in Arua and I will not see her again before I leave :(

Please be praying for us. The chicken pox has officially come to Kireka. By God's hand there have only been 3 kids with it since one boy came home from school with it. Please just pray that no more get it.

Questions ?????

 Let me know if you or your kids have any questions that I can answer next week! (Angie this might be all o you, so have the girls get really creative!)

Thats all for this week. As always thank you so much for your prayers, love, and support!!