More of life!

The kitchen - the rest you can see below- I couldn't get the pics together. You can see the white bag of charcoal in the corner. The sodas in the cupboard are pretty much in constant supply at the guesthouse unfortunately!

Hospital staff sports day.

They did more than play tug of war with the rope
Had musical chairs dancing game, football and a
cycling race! Quite amusing.

The guesthouse kitchen sink with the bat, alive, I discovered one night. A few days later there was a rather large gecko stuck in the sink as it was too slippery for it to get out. It was rescued by the gardener eventually.

The kitchen

Bonus eggs and chicken in the same pot! I guess they hadn't been laid yet.

The traditional dress for women- gormas. The ladies that keep the guesthouse going:)

This baby goat had just been born!

The son of one of my colleagues being baptized.

Lots of cows

Boys off with their bikes to get water from the bohr hole.

I loved this picture of this little girl helping her mom wash the laundry.

The protestant (Anglican) church

A typical meal. Well except now that it is just me there is no longer a meat dish. Cooked cabbage I would say we have about 3-4 times a week! Thankfully I like cabbage. The flat bread thing is jipati (? spelling) and then boiled irish potatoes.

Town. The van is a taxi. There are a couple of streets that actually have more shops. This is where you can easily get a boda boda (the motorcycles) to go to the hospital. The post office is in that yellow building.

More pics of life!

Well, I still don't quite have the blogging down yet! I can't seem to format the pictures and writing how I would like at this point. However, I'll do my best to give some type of description that you can follow hopefully. Most of these pictures are of patients. The one at the bottom is one of our patients from the cerebral palsy (CP) clinics. We are working on strengthening some of his neck and back muscles so the toy's purpose is to get him to try to keep his head up.

The next picture is a man that was carrying a bed frame on his bicycle! The picture above is taken from the porch of the guesthouse and if you enlarge it you will see a cow in the field.

The picture with the guy in the red shirt...that's one of the physios that was working when I arrived but unfortunately will no longer be at the hospital in the new year. We were working with a kid who had an AFO (ankle/foot orthosis). We see so many kids that need these largely due to the effects of vaccinations for malaria that leave them with some paralysis. It is really sad to see.

The picture with the two women sitting on the ground was taken when one of the English ladies that was out at Kumi followed up with these two sisters to provide them with a goat. They are incredible. I don't know what condition they have but they are very short but manage well with the tricycle in the background. One of the sisters is the one who propels it and the other lady sits on the back and they go quite a long ways into town to sell things they bake at a school. They live independently and have a hut to sleep in and modified stools and chairs with the legs cut off --you can see in the pictures. They are so self sufficient and have so much pride it was inspiring to see!

I filled up a water bottle at one of the bohr holes. There are a lot of these in Uganda.

The pic with the kid in the orange shirt is one of the days that gave me hope that it is possible to make some difference. I had tried to work with him a fair bit to try to stretch his legs that are becoming very contracted...but he only cried and screamed. I had hardly ever seen him when he wasn't just lying down and crying. He was in the nutrition unit as he was very malnourished and had pressure/bed sores as well. The day this picture was taken the physio and I had taken him to the physio department and managed to get him sitting up and tried to get some reaction from him using toys. He finally smiled and it was amazing to see:) I think his grandmother was surprised as well as from her communication it sounded like he seldom showed positive emotion. Further up you'll see a few more pics of him when we found a wheelchair to position him in and again his demeanor changed dramatically and he was smiling and looking around at what was happening in the room. His grandma later reported that that day after returning to the nutrition unit with the wheelchair he kept on saying his cousin's name over and over as if he wanted to tell her about it. He apparently had not spoken anything for a long time except to communicate wanting food. Again seeing changes like this make some of the struggles seem worth it:) Unfortunately, in his case his grandma who is the main provider for him and I think 2 other children was going home to no crops (due to the drought) and no food. I try not to feel hopeless in situations like this where it seems like the only likely end result is that he will be back in the nutrition unit within months again due to malnutrition. His grandma was very grateful though for the wheelchair as she says now she can take him with her to church instead of leaving him lying on the floor of the hut. We also encouraged her to take him in the wheelchair out to the fields etc so he can interact with people during the day instead of being left alone in the hut. I hope to do a home visit in the New Year to follow up with their situation.

The next two pics are of kids we worked with in the CP clinic also. The one kid was so excited to see his reflection it was priceless. The other kid has POP (plaster of paris) on his legs to help straighten them and will then likely have braces for walking. He was also such a happy kid--and also enjoyed seeing himself in the mirror.

The kid at the top I have already posted some pics of. He again is one of the kids I had quite a bit of involvment with and was always amazed at his smile. He could be sitting half naked with flies constantly on him and he would still give a huge white smile when given any attention. Unfortunately, he won't be independent with his wheelchair as he has a contracture which prevents full use of his left arm. However, hopefully other kids in the village will push him around so he will be a bit more mobile than before. He comes from a pretty sad home situation with only his 20 year old brother and his brothers wife to care for him. His brother has his own kid as well. The OT gave him his cell phone to listen to music while we tried to fix his wheelchair and he loved it. A picture of his brother and sister-in-law who look after him.

Will try to post some pics of other aspects of life outside of work too!

Pictures

Above is one of my patients that I have talked about on my blog before. Thankfully this wheelchair became available and we were able to modify it for him so he does not have to be carried everywhere (it wasn't yet modified in this picture). Unfortunately, because of his contractures in his left arm/hand he is not able to independently move the wheelchair but hopefully his family and friends in the village will push him around in it. Before he would just be left sitting outside in the compound alone while everyone else was off on the farm or elsewhere. I pray that having this mobility will mean he will be included in more of the community activities. He is such a bright boy and even when he is left sitting on the ground being bothered by numerous flies he is still quick to give you a huge grin if you acknowledge him!

The picture above with the crowd of people is one of our village outreach clinics where we screen individuals with various disabilities and refer them to come to Kumi Hospital or to go to other places for treatment. We also have a community outreach worker who is trained to assess individuals with eye problems. He sees mainly adults while the rest of the team prioritizes children first and then if there is time we assess adults as well.

The gorgeous pool setting is a place I discovered with some friends while we were in Jinja. It is right by the Nile river--beyond the white wall you can see the Nile river. The setting is gorgeous and while the price to stay here is out of my budget, the cost of a day at the pool is only about $3, which is well worth the chance to relax and get some exercise in the pool. Unfortunately, Jinja is about a 3 hr drive from Kumi so this isn't a treat I get to enjoy often!

Pictures!

Wow! Uploading this picture took about 30 minutes:( I don't think I'll be uploading too many but maybe one a day. This is typical Ugandan food. Really not very unusual and quite easy for the palate.

Oops I hit something accidentally and it deleted my one picture! That's discouraging. Sorry I will have to wait till I have another 30 minutes to wait for an upload.

By the way this is being done on my new laptop. I finally succeeded with this purchase in Kampala though not without stress. I also purchased a modem so I have internet access without having to borrow one all the time. It feels strange to be part of the cyber world again.

more later...

Good-byes

This will likely be a short blog again---although I said that last time and failed to keep it short. Tonight is somewhat sad as it's the last night with the 2 ladies from the UK that have been sharing living space with me over the past while. They are leaving tomorrow morning and the guesthouse will be feeling the quietest it has felt since I arrived. It will be an adjustment but I'm sure there will be positive aspects of not sharing space with as many people.

My last post was when I was in Jinja and unfortunately I succombed to food poisoning or something that Saturday night so my Sunday was spent in bed instead of exploring Jinja. Thankfully I think I have mostly recuperated although for the last month or so I haven't had many days of feeling fully myself physically. I am not sure what the cause but I'm hoping I soon will regain my usual energy and sense of wellness.

As far as prayer praises and requests....

-One of my young patients thankfully is currently having a paediatric wheelchair modified for him and hopefully it will be finished on Monday. I found out last week that he is being discharged so didn't have much time to sort out a wheelchair. I was pleased that one I thought was not available became available to use for him. However the family cannot take it to his house by transport so I am hoping that we can find a way to deliver it to his home in the village soon. I wish I could post pics more easily as I'd love to share a picture with you all of his beaming smile as he sat in the wheelchair. I'm disappointed that he is leaving already as I was just becoming more involved with him and excited to do more work with him. I just pray that his family will take better care of him then they have in the past. I am planning on liaising with the community based rehab worker to follow up with him and I hope to go out myself to check on how he is doing at home. Please pray for protection for him and for patience and love from his brother and family who care for him.

Meeting- this Wednesday we have a big meeting with the rehab staff, a few Dr's and the community workers to review how the past year has gone and discuss what changes can be made for next year. Please pray for good communication and for wisdom and creative ideas for this coming year with regards to the rehab work. Please also pray for us all to have open minds regarding possible changes etc.

Computer- I have reluctantly decided to try to purchase a computer in Kampala. I have an opportunity to catch a ride with one of the Dr's to Kampala this week so will plan to purchase a computer. Please pray for wisdom and clarity as I try to make a wise decision on what computer would be best with little time to shop.

Well the power (electricity) just cut, so I better sign off so I don't drain the computer battery as it is not my computer!

Will try to catch up more later

New Scenery in Jinja

I just wanted to post a quick update. I am in a wonderful internet cafe in Jinja at the moment and have enjoyed some good coffee and food. This weekend I have been blessed to be able to get a ride with the hospital admnistrator down to Jinja for the weekend. Another volunteer and I caught a lift to get away and enjoy some new scenery for a couple of days. We are staying in a guesthouse here and exploring the town a bit. It's refreshing to be able to have the luxury of a hot shower and some change in food variety. I am shocked at how many westerners are in this city. Apparently Jinja is the second largest city in Uganda and seems to have a very high percentage of expats. It's quite strange really.



Anyhow, I'll just give a brief update on life. Work continues to pose challenges, but along with these are blessings and some rewarding moments as well. The Ugandan OT returned last week after being away for a month so it was good to meet him and discuss some ideas around the OT program here at the hospital. The hospital just hired another physio as well so that's good. One of the positives about this last week was being able to re-organize ward rounds slightly so that one of the wards has a rehab person present. This ward is where the kids who've had plastic surgery for burn contracture releases etc go, and previously they were falling through the cracks as far as having consistent therapy post surgery. Although, things weren't seamless in following up with them this past week, it was definitely an improvement so I pray it continues. I also am currently looking into trying to get a wheelchair for one of my patients who has CP (cerebral palsy) and who at the moment is having to be carried everywhere by his elderly grandmother. This child is not particularly light and it is a big burden on his grandmother to carry him around. Another boy here has really captured my attention as he also has CP and is very bright mentally but will never be able to walk due to fixed contractures in his legs and he only has one arm that he can use well. He has been abandoned by his parents and is being cared for by his brother and his brother's wife. Currently he is in the nutrition unit as he had become malnourished. I am hoping to be able to facilitate getting a pediatric tricycle fixed up for him (there is one that is stashed but is in need of repair). Hopefully he will have the strength to be able to manage with one arm to use it. It would be so amazing for him to be able to get around independently, even if only for short distances, as currently he just sits where he is put and is not mobile. I am not certain on his age but I think he is around 12 but looks more like 5. There are also questions around the support he has from family as far as how he is cared for. I think he has great potential to learn and become educated if he is given the opportunity--but in his current situation this is highly unlikely. Please pray for wisdom as we work with these kids and for discernment and clarity especially around the social issues with each of them. I think often times the families do really care for the children, but the burden of managing kids with disabilities within village settings where they have to farm and be away from home is incredibly challenging.



On the technological front I am still having frustrating times with my computer. It continues to be fickle and unpredictable and it is the exception if it actually works apart from in "safe mode". I feel rather lost without my laptop and yet am hesitant to risk trying to have it fixed again. I may have to opt to purchase another one:( Hopefully, someone will be coming out soon that would be able to bring one out for me. I've priced them out here and the price is rather steep. Anyhow, thankfully there are friends here who have computers I can use if need be in the interim. Please pray for wisdom to know what to do. It's amazing how dependent we become on technology eh?



On the accommodation front I may have an opportunity to share a house with one of the Dr's here. She is currently looking for a place in Kumi town and has expressed being interested in having me share a place with her. I will be thinking and praying about this possibility as I think the guesthouse situation, while manageable, may be a little difficult to live with for a whole year.



I also would appreciate prayer as I look into the situation here with the leprosy work and the status of the patients with leprosy currently staying at the hospital. The social worker who is involved with the patients with leprosy at the hospital has been working here for 25 or 30 years I believe, and really seems to have a genuine heart for seeing them cared for and the work with the leprosy population thrive. Her and I are currently trying to get a script together to air on the hospital radio (just broadcasted in the hospital grounds) to help educate the hospital patients and their families on leprosy. There are other issues to be researched and addressed as well regarding the leprosy work at the hospital as well as how it ties in with what is happening in town with leprosy. Please pray for wisdom and direction as we look into this. It's difficult to really grasp what the big picture is.

I am grateful that I have been feeling better this past week. I'm not sure what I had but I wasn't feeling myself for almost 2 weeks which was rather discouraging. Whatever it was seems to be resolving and I feel more like my usual self again:)

I am also so thankful for a volunteer that has been here for a couple of weeks. She has been working on getting an energy saving oven in place so that the hospital can have a bakery to help bring in some income for the hospital and hopefully more nutritious baked goods. She has been such a blessing as we have gotten along really well and have had so many meaningful serious talks as well as many many laughs! Laughter truly is such good medicine. I will really miss her when she leaves in about a week... She is the one I am in Jinja with this weekend and we may try to come down next weekend as well before she takes off.

Well, I am in a cafe and should probably sign off for now. Thanks so much for your prayers and your interest in the work out here. Please pray for wisdom especially with the dynamics between me and the rest of the rehab staff that God would give me sensitivity as well as courage and discernment in the situation here. I have received emails letting me know that individuals have been upholding me in prayer and it is such an encouragement to know this. I still feel like every day is a rollercoaster of emotions, but I am praying for grace and joy no matter what each day brings. I really do want God to be glorified in my time here and don't want to become so caught up with the daily challenges that I forget that I am really here to serve Him. I need to also remind myself that what my plans and ideas are may not always be what His plans and ideas are for me and I want to be open to His leading.

This hasn't ended up being that short but I hope you were able to get through it. Please also send me updates on your lives. It's refreshing to hear news from friends and family and feel more connected to other's lives as well. Keep me posted please:)

My snail mail address by the way is:

Angela Goerz
Kumi Hospital
P.O. Box 9
Kumi
Uganda

I love getting openable mail as well, and I think it is fairly reliable.

Will write more later.... God Bless.

Pics of Life at Kumi Hospital

Well, it takes a very very very long time apparently to upload pics onto this blog site with the speed of the internet here. I think I will have to wait until I got to Kampala again or somewhere where there is faster internet to do more pics! sorry. This is the guesthouse though and Jennifer is one of the ladies who works at the guesthouse and makes great food with few ingredients:)

I will upload more as I can but unfortunately it might be awhile. My current room is the window furthest from the front on the end of the house that you can see--if that makes sense.

Another week!

I'm trying to think what I should write as an update in the short amount of time that I have to use the internet this morning. I'm borrowing someone's modem but the connection is really slow right now.

This past week has been a fairly good week for me. It's had its ups and downs but I have been feeling a little more settled as far as work and am starting to sense a bit more clarity concerning some potential areas I can focus on while I am here. I am thinking of spending more time in the nutrition unit where there are obviously children who are developmentally lagging and also kids with C.P. etc. I need to observe and find out more information related to needs around dysphagia and management of feeding. I think there is potential to have some useful input in this area. Tuesdays are almost totally consumed, at least the last couple weeks, with the C.P. clinic. It is rather exhausting, but good to have a lot of patients turning up. I may try to reserve Thursdays for going out in the field to assist with clinics.

We run clinics in surrounding villages/subcounties to assess the patients and refer either to Kumi hospital or other health clinics and hospitals for their various conditions. We typically end up bringing a Landcruiser full of patients back to the hospital with us. These clinics can be really interesting and useful as we are able to connect people to health services they need. However, often they are very long and draining days as well. This last Thursday we left around 9:00 and after we had dropped patients off and made a couple other stops it had been close to 3 hrs on the road---much of which are dirt roads with potholes. The clinic was only about 2 hrs itself but then we had to wait about 2 more hours for the eye Dr. to get through his patients before we could leave. We ended up getting home around 7:00pm. This past clinic though was a sad ending as we brought back a 12 year old girl who had been severely burned 3 yrs ago. I had never seen anything like what she had as her one arm had virtually 'grown'(you couldn't really even see much of her arm anymore) into the side of her body and she really only had function of her hand. Because of how the contractures were attaching her arm to her body her hand was restricted to about her chest level for use. Her other hand was also burned and basically just a stump. Her neck and ear were also burned. We were so hopeful that the plastic surgeon team currently working at the hospital (for a few more days) would be able to do something for her. We stopped by to see the surgeons that evening and unfortunately they said they wouldn't even attempt operating on her as it could likely make her have less functional use of her arm. She is such a lively and beautiful girl it was rather devestating to think she would have to continue life with this disfigurement. I don't think the Dr's had ever seen anything like this situation before. So... this girl and her father were sent back to their village the next morning, obviously very disappointed. Thankfully the other 3 plastics patients were good candidates for surgery.

Anyhow, I overall am feeling more settled and was also invited to the German nurse's home this past week and had a good visit with her and the 2 other German girls who are volunteering at the hospital for another 9 months or so. I have also been warmly welcomed by a couple of the younger local Dr's who also live here at the hospital, so its nice to have some friends already:) Speaking of which, one of the Dr's connected me with his IT friend on Thursday night (he came up from Kampala) to check out my computer. Unfortunately, it was not a straightforward process and he was up almost all night working on it...and still was not able to sort out the problem. He took it back to Kampala and I will try to go to Kampala early this week to pick it up. Apparently though it sounds like he has found the problem and fixed it so I'm praying that what he has done has resolved the issues. I'm hoping to buy a modem in Kampala when I pick up the computer and will then be able to access internet from home:) This has been an answer to prayer so thanks for praying!

I better sign off for now as someone else is wanting to take advantage of the internet before I have to give back the modem.

Will try to update again in a week or so!

Survived 7 Days!!

Today marks the completion of one week in Kumi Hospital. It feels like it has been closer to 2 weeks! I will try to summarize some of the highlights or at least my activities this past week, although, I am rather exhausted so I hope it is coherent. I finally got access to internet tonight around 10:00pm so figured I should take advantage of it and at least give a brief update. I'll start with technology or lack thereof.

The guesthouse where I am living does not have internet, so we mainly rely on borrowing a modem from one of the Dr's when we are able to, which so far seems to be for one evening a week. My computer has been acting up since England and also is not accepting the modem, so I have to wait until my housemate is done with her internet tasks so I can borrow her computer. On top of that we only have electricity from about 8;00 pm till 8;00 am, so the window of access for internet is rather brief.

Living- I am staying at a guesthouse on the hospital property (although it is about a 7 min walk to the hospital compound itself)--the grounds are quite large with a significant number of staff houses on it. I likely will stay at the guesthouse for the year. Food-One of the benefits is that we have our meals made for us--at least our dinners and on weekends lunch if we request it. The down side is that we don't have a stove so it's a bit difficult for me to cook for myself if I wanted to! The food has been good so far. I was especially relieved to discover that one of my current housemates is a vegetarian so we are enjoying a no meat, fish, or chicken diet. The ladies who cook are happy as it is less work for them. The first few days I was here we had a rather consistent diet of french fries, jipaties (?sp),rice, cooked cabbage, and some type of beans. For breakfast it's white bread and margarine/P.B. and maybe a boiled egg. I've managed to break my coffee addiction and now usually drink tea with sugar and milk in the mornings:) We recently requested more of an African diet and so yesterday we were pleased to find a local greens dish with rice on the menu. I am daily faced with the temptation to drink sodas as they are in constant supply in the guesthouse fridge for us to drink as well as very accessible and cheap at the little stores on the hospital site itself! Transportation- I am already missing have my independence with a set of wheels. For trips into Kumi town (about 15 min) depending how fast the driver is, we just take 'boda boda's' which are small motorbikes. We are picky with the drivers we go with though:) The dirt road is rather tretcherous (due to the number of pedestrians, cyclists, cars/trucks, and motorcycles all having to share space) and I hope I don't have to take the boda boda's in the dark too often. Showers- I'm getting used to cold showers again, often in candlelight. It's not too bad with the weather fairly warm out here but I still would rather have hot water if there was an option! Sleeping- I actually don't mind using a mosquito net as it does provide some sense of protection from whatever critters are sharing my room at night. Weather- so far it has been fairly mild in my opinion compared to what I'm used to in Ghana and the humidity is way less. However, apparently the hot season is still to come so I'll see how that is. We've had one really good rain storm which provided the best shower I've had since I arrived--great water pressure coming off the roof! Laundry- I have washed a few of my clothes but have a large laundry load to wash by hand and hang on the line this weekend. The ladies who work at the guesthouse will probably laugh at my weak attempt at scrubbing clothes if they see me!

Work- my hope of fitting in better with the culture here as far as my difficulty with punctuality was quickly dashed as the morning devotions at the hospital had already started when I arrived on Monday and it was not yet 8;00! However, I think other aspects of life here still are condusive to time challenged people like me;) I recieved a warm greeting.

Monday I spent a good part of the day with the physio from Holland who was just here for a few more days. He toured me around the hospital and we worked with some kids with CP, particpated in part of ward rounds-I had to excuse myself as I almost passed out for some reason!, we saw two patients who had had strokes, and did exercises with kids who have gluteal fibrosis. Gluteal fibrosis is very common here in children and is so sad. It is caused by quinine injections given for malaria that then affect the gluteal muscles. It is easily identified by asking a kid to squat and if they squat with their knees turned outward instead of the typical knees forward when squatting you know they have it. They end up having to do surgery on their bottoms to cut the muscle and it is really painful for the kids during recovery.

Tuesday I spent a good bit of the day with the local physio here working in the CP clinic. Saw some interesting patients and I realize I have to become more tough. I found it so hard to see the physios working on a girl's contractures while she cried in pain that I had to step out. So many kids' contractures are so severe because they haven't been managed properly for so long that it is incredibly painful for them at this stage to have therapy.

Wednesday I went out into the field with a CBR worker (community based rehabilitation worker) and a former physio from England (she is here till end of Nov but is not really doing physio work anymore) to follow up with some people in different villages. We picked up a goat to deliver to 2 sisters who are physically disabled (however, they are incredibly able!), and also assessed some more patients for coming to the hospital. We had a full truck of patients on the way back. This made for a rather long trip back as we had to stop to pick up food for them to take to the hospital etc. It was a long day with a lot of driving. I think we left around 10:00 am and got back after 7:00! We probably spent at least a good 4 hrs or more of that time driving.

Thursday we went to another town that again was a long way away -about 3 hrs to get there but that was with dropping off patients at various locations enroute. We were overwhelmed when we arrived in the village to see the number of people waiting outside.There were probably around 500 people gathered. We weren't sure how many were there for our clinic. Thankfully not all of them were there to see us but we did manage to screen 100 people who had various disabilities or health issues (mostly children) and referred a good number of them to health clinics or hospitals and then others were referred to come to Kumi hospital and some we took back with us to the hospital. It is quite the system. I had joined the outreach trip at the last minute and they were glad I had as we were able to form 3 separate stations to see the patients more efficiently. I was impressed with how well i.e. the physio and physio assistant can diagnose and identify various conditions. It was a good learning experience but I didn't feel too useful except for my writing ability! It was exciting though to be able to take some people back, especially those who require plastic surgery since there is a team of plastic surgeons coming on Friday. It was another long day as we got back after 6:00.

Friday I spent some time working with kids at the nutrition clinic trying to see where they were at as far as developmental milestones and trying to facilitate standing, rolling, more typical movements etc. I then joined the team that had arrived (15 people) in total from the UK to do plastic surgeries. There are 3 plastic surgeons as well as other medical professionals and a BBC photographer,journalist etc. It was interesting but sad to see all the horrific injuries, deformities, and various conditions that people have been living and suffering with. It was rather heartbreaking to see so many children in such challenging situations. The team will be here for 2 weeks doing surgeries and I am getting nervous about what this might mean for me as far as following these patients after skin grafts etc.

Anyhow, I know this is longwinded but seeing as I can't use internet too frequently you shouldn't get post every day at least:) I hope this gives those of you interested a bit more of an idea of life here. I still am trying to figure out how to structure my time and what my priorities are going to be as far as patient caseloads. There is a local OT who will be returning from vacation but I am unsure of how much teamwork there is going to be?

Prayer: please pray....

- for wisdom as I try to discern where my focus should be and plan how to use my time most effectively.
- development of good relationships with the other staff especially the rehab staff. It would be so beneficial if we could function as a cohesive team.
-for emotional and physical strength as I see a lot of suffering and pain in a very different context than I am used to
- for an ability to expand my knowledge and the skill base necessary to provide the needed interventions, and for confidence during this steep learning curve
-for people I can share with spiritually to encourage, challenge and support each other
-safety especially on the roads as apparently about 50% of patients seen are due to road related accidents!
-for someone who can help me with learning Ateso (one of the main local languages here)
-for direction in where to take my computer to get fixed! Likely will have to go to Kampala which is a 4 hr drive

Thank you for your support and I really value your prayers especially during this time of adjustment. I would love to post pics but have to wait until my computer problems are sorted out. The pictures will explain more than the above words can:)

More to follow....

Getting over Jetlag!

I have started my journey towards Uganda. I arrived in England on Sunday and despite a rather challenging trip (trying to manage my 3 large suitcases) from Heathrow airport to my friend's place in Croydon, I did eventually arrive. I have been able to lay low and relax for a few days and am trying to get over jetlag. Thankfully, there is only a 2 hr time difference btw London and Uganda so I shouldn't have too much jetlag to fight!

I will be boarding my flight to Entebbe Uganda on Thursday evening and will arrive at 7:45 am in Entebbe. I have confirmation now that there will be someone to meet me at the airport:)

I will update you all when I am able to, but don't know how soon that will be...