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!!

Life in Uganda: My Neighborhood

One of the questions I get asked most often about life here is what does my neighborhood look like. So.... I feel like I have finally built enough relationships with my friends that own little adukas (shops) that I felt comfortable to take photos. Teddy and I went on a walk the other day to take some photos for you. Teddy has lived at Kireka Home for over 20 year and literally knows everyone around.

The view of my street. The school is after the 4th building on the left

The building just to the right of the school. Where my friends Prossey and Margret have stores

Prossey's store - There are lots of little shops like this one all over. This is where I buy most of my vegetables and some fruit. Most Ugandans only shop at stores like this and the produce market

A closer view of Prossey's store

My friend Margret has the "Library" next to Prossey's store. She makes copies, you can pay to use the computer, and you can rent/buy movies. In order to make ends meet, Margret also sells a variety of other things including airtime (you buy minutes on your phone as you go), night dresses, and shoes.

You cannot bring your camera around and not take any pictures of the kids :) Angel, Matthew, (i dont know the next one) and Daniel - This might be one of my absolute favorite pictures!

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There are roads around, but most people choose to walk on these "short cuts" that are everywhere between houses

Not the best picture..... but this is the road behind the school. It is also lined with a school, houses, and many small stores similar to Prossey's

This little produce stand is on the main road, so just a short walk. I just met Harriet recently, and now buy all of my avocados and bananas from her. She is very sweet. The main roads in Uganda are lined with little wood shops like this one. 

Harriet again, her neighbor was laughing at her while we were taking pictures!

This little boy in front is Ethero. He is one of the students at our school, so we call it Father Ethero's store. You can see behind Ethero all of those bags. They each hold rice, posho, beans, dried peas, and etc. They will then weigh out how much you order.

Another question I get asked frequently, is the neighborhood/school wheelchair friendly? The answer is absolutely not. You saw the paths between houses and they are very rough terrain. Plus with how much rain we receive there are large ditches on the side of every road (otherwise the road washes away). So it is very difficult to manever a wheelchair outside. However, I am thankful because all of the kids that I work with that use wheelchairs brought a chair home for the break! That NEVER happens, and most kids sit or lie on the floor for the whole break! Even if the area is not wheelchair friendly, it at least allows the child to more easily interact with those around them!

I hope that gives you a little bit better of an idea about where I live and what is around me! I still would love to show you all the busy roadside, the market, and the school grounds, but that will have to wait for a future post!


Other News
Peeps: My Grandma Kloet sent me Peeps for Easter.... the only way I like them is roasted like a normal marshmellow (Thanks to Michelle). So, I had some friends over and we roasted them over my gas stove :) On medical cotton swabs.... that is what I had.... Dont worry they were unused!! :)

Roasting the Peeps

Benitah and Desire very happy to enjoy their Peeps

Julie: I am very sad that my dear friend Julie went back to the States this week. Julie was an answer to pray.  I met her at orientation and we ended up both being called to Uganda. Julie was here for 6 months working at an orphanage, and now is back in Texas. I was very thankful to be able to enjoy the day with her on Tuesday before she headed home. I have mentioned Julie several times, you can read her blog here.

With julie at Matoke Inn

Pop Up: I was able to visit a new restaurant this week called Pop Up. It was very cute, AND it only employs people with disabilities. Please pray that we can partner with them to help get our students some more vocational training and potentially jobs!!!

Christine: One large prayer request when I came was that God would provide me with a good friend. Christine and Margret have very much become that. I just love them dearly and love when I get to spend time with them. We have been doing a Bible Study together which has been very encouraging! One of my favorite things with Christine has been watching the show Project Runway with her. It is so much fun because she is studying fashion and design so she understands all of the fashion things.

Walking home from Father Ethero's store with Christine

Last bit of news, my dad arrives on Sunday!!! I am so excited to show him around Uganda! So next week look to see how his visit is going!

Thanks as always for your love, support, and prayers. Each of you mean so much to me!

What do Polygamy, Homosexuality, and Shorts all have in common?

What do Polygamy, Homosexuality, and Short Shorts all have in common? They are all major cultural differences between life in America and life in Uganda.

So why start with Polygamy and Homosexuality?
Every time I hear someone talk about his "wives" or "your other wife", I get completely caught off guard. This has probably been the most shocking cultural thing to me! Me being naive in my own little bubble I thought polygamy was illegal world wide. NOPE! One of the teachers at the school even told me that since the population of women is so much higher than the population of men (due to war) it is good that Uganda allows polygamy. I have no idea if that is true.. but still I am completely shocked! One of the workers at the school even has a second wife in the village... he has his "city wife" that also works at the school and he has his "village wife". So why do I write about all of this????? My shock at the open discussion about polygamy is how Ugandan's feel about how we openly discuss homosexuality. In Uganda, it is absolutely illegal in any way, shape or form to be gay. Most Ugandan's are equally shocked about our openness to discuss homosexuality in America.

Short Shorts????
In America, everyone wears their shorts and allows their thighs to show when it is hot outside. In Uganda, it is no problem if your bra or even a women's full chest shows.. but you MUST NEVER allow someone to see your thighs! I had Teddy & Phoebe (two older girls in their 30's that are orphans and still stay at the school) over to watch High School Musical 3. The second the movie started I thought... oh no there are lots of thighs showing in this movie..... And sure enough about half way through Teddy commented about how short the girls shorts were and that it was really bad!

Blowing on Hot Food
I think I have mentioned this one before... but blowing on your hot food is considered extremely rude! It basically is looked at as rushing and therefore rude. I never realized how often I do it, until I found out it was culturally unacceptable!

Last one for now... Freedom of Speech
One thing I am thankful for is our freedom of speech in America. Even though Uganda is a democracy, people are not free to discuss whatever the please, ESPECIALLY about the president. It is illegal for any news stations to say anything negative about the president, and it is illegal for government workers to speak negatively about the president. I asked someone what they thought about Musevani, and they basically just declined to answer out of fear of potentially losing their job.

So why am I sharing all of these cultural differences on my blog?
My blog is not only my way of keeping in touch with all of you, but it is also my way of journaling about my time here. All of these cultural differences are things I have had to wrestle with while being here. Lately, the discussions on polygamy and homosexuality have become a regular conversation with my neighbor and she was the one who enlightened me about how Ugandan's are also shocked by culture in the Western World.

On to the Week
This week has been really great. There was finally a break in the heat and I was able to wear a sweater for part of the day today! SO THANKFUL! I think it is easier to describe the week in pictures, so you can read the captions below :)

My friend Ingrid use to work as an occupational therapist back in the US. She knows far more about molding plastics than I do, and agreed to come last Friday to help me adjust the ankle-foot orthotics donated to us from Midwest Orthotics in Chicago. She was so helpful!

I was so excited... do you recognize this hoodie! Its from Illinois!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I was so excited! (This is the same student with a Team USA jersey) For the record, no I did not bring extra clothes for the kids with me. Most of the clothes that you find here are second hand from other countries.

3 of my favorite little boys! - Cole, Graham, and Owen! I was blessed to be able to babysit for them Friday night so their parents could have a night out!

On Tuesday, I was able to skype with my Sister-in-law's class! It was so much fun to meet each of Collyn's kids and answer all of their questions? My favorite question they asked - "Do you have candy in Uganda?"

Matthew - This is my dear friend Margret's son. Margret runs the first store right outside of the school gate. She has been coming faithfully to my Wednesday morning Bible study, and I have been absolutely loving our discussions as we work through the book of James. She did not own a Bible when she came the first week, and thankfully someone had just given me an extra one so I passed it on. I love when I walk by her store and I see her sitting there reading it!

The most exciting part of my week! On Wednesday, I got to take these two (Sumaya and Kato) along with Clare to Katalemwa. Katalemwa is a government organization that works specifically with kids with physical disabilities, and they make their own equipment. So the 4 of us squished into the backseat of a truck...... thankfully it was not a long ride and they had good attitudes. Both Sumaya and Kato have spastic tight muscles.... so as we bumped along the pot holes I was trying to protect the rest of us from their stiff elbows. Clare has very low muscle tone... and just sort of flopped every where, so I was trying to hold onto her and keep her in her seat. It was quite fun as you can see above! I just love these 3 kids!

Clare smooshed with me as we went!

At the workshop at Katalemwa - Kato need his wheelchair repaired, and we were able to order 2 walkers, one for Clare and one for Sumaya. Praise the Lord!!!

The kids had filled up most of their charts, so I just moved on to making new charts for the rest of my time here. According to the sticker chart we had about 250 physical therapy sessions since we started.. but I think that is an underestimate since I am some times forgetful about giving a sticker at the end of each session and many stickers have been ripped off.

My funny moment of the week - a coffee press is called a coffee plunger here :) I asked a teacher if she knew what a plunger was, and she asked if it was a type of fruit :) Toilets are definitely different here since there is no need for plungers!!!

Thank you all so much for your prayers and support as always. I really could not have survived my first 6 months here without all of your prayers. I am so thankful for each and everyone of you!