Thank you all the Veterans who have served and currently serving and HAPPY BIRTHDAY JOSHUA MACAULAY!
Peace Corp wants all volunteers to take 3 months to get to know the community and there job before plunging in to “work” so that you will understand what the real work is that is the people want and need help with and not what you think needs to be done. There is a lot of wisdom in that and I have been at it 3 weeks but it seems the school wants me to start sooner. So, I am teaching computer, supervising students on the nutrition, pediatrics and ENT Eyes wards. I have arraigned guest lectures and special teaching times. I won't go back to the maternity ward as I haven't liked what I saw and don't know how to make it different yet. The area we live in is one of the most malnourished in the country. I will explain in another post what I am thinking about to help with that issue since I explained why malnourishment is prevalent in the last post but, I want to tell you about after work. After laundry I went down to the secondary project I work with. It is a place mat and napkin making organization that mothers with HIV/AIDES run. Tomorrow is a celebration of 10 years of programs being in place so they can obtain ARV”S so there children don't get the disease at birth and so that they can live longer and healthier. As I went to see how they are doing making there Christmas orders they broke into song and practiced the music they will sing for the celebration tomorrow. All acapella with the harmony’s blended and lilts to the voices and just plain music of angles! I stood in awe and soaked it in.I wonder why our quilting circles don't break into song like that and carry the tunes to Heaven?
I want to tell you of the people I have met and the friends I have made. Being a Christian sure has it's rewards right here on earth. The BIBLE study womens group that meets on Wednesday is doing Beth Moore “Jesus the one and only” …. it is a daily study and very good for discussion. The ladies have been here for 1-20 years and are great resources for everything. We have gone to a few of there homes for dinner and seen a few couples mission organizations and what that looks like here on the ground and lived out. It is interesting and makes me wonder if I would ever have taken the opportunity’s to know this much about other org and people as I am here. Sunday is my 56 life on earth and since the cancer I want to take every opportunity to celebrate. Since we have limited power, 2 plates and 3 bowls & no oven, how do you have a party with no food. It's not like the grocery store has ready made cakes because they don't nor does the bakery (they have white bread only) so what to do. Tom was going to try and make a cake by the double boiler method with sand in the bottom of a pan you place the cake pan on. The cake would be too small to share. Since this is a priority to me to celebrate I had to ask for help. This is hard, it is always easy to do for others but to ask for something that feels selfish is hard. Heidi is a German woman who does have an oven and had us over for strudel 2 weeks ago. She agreed to make a cake for 14 and host a party. Geesja and my new family of grandchildren (they are the same age as Jake’s) may bring ice cream if they can get it made, an area agronomist who is from the UK and been in Africa 30years is bringing the pop and tomorrow is the party at DIGUNA a German Christian radio station that is working on radio towers across the equator to send signal to the N and S. Heidi is assistant manager and Kristoff, her husband is the handy man and around here that means “can create something out of nothing or knows how to use bailing twine to make things work.” He repairs brass horns on the side so if anyone want to donate there old instruments let me know. The Ugandans are hot for horns especially the police as they have parades often. Today was Saturday and we rode out to Toms work and looked at the garden we planted 2 weeks ago. The only thing not showing its leaves yet are the peppers. The beans and peas are 8 inches high as is the non GMO non Monsanto organic corn. I just wish I had planted more then 10 plants. It is an experiment to see what will grow and how well in will do so I am saving seed for the next wet season as this one is almost over and then we get the heat and no rain until Easter again. By the way, when is Easter. With everyday sunny and warm I just can't believe it will be Thanksgiving in 2 weeks. Did I mention that there is a woman here from Indiana who runs the Catholic radio station at the other end of town and she has invited us for Thanksgiving with some other American families. She even has US turkey brought in. I am bringing potatoes and squash and making gravy. Wish I could make buns but Tom is not on board with the oven idea yet. By Christmas I think I will find another resource to build me one in the back of our house out the door from the kitchen. Other volunteers have them. They are called rocket stoves. The solar oven that you can build take 10 hours to maybe get our food baked if the sun stays out. Tom is getting better at making chapatis so that is the bread source for now. Chapatis are water, flour, salt, and small amount of onion. You fry them in a small amount of oil.
