May 30
The last few days have been heavy. We spent Tuesday at the genocide museum in Kigali and at another memorial at a church outside of the city where thousands were slaughtered. I can't even write about the stories we heard. It's hard to believe this tragedy happened during my lifetime. We did have some time to process individually and corporately, but it's a difficult reality to wrap my head around.
Wednesday we said goodbye to the CMC team I have grown to love and crossed the border into Uganda. Today we drove home to the guest house, strangely it feels more like home to me now than when I left. A new crew from CCU in Denver arrived while I was gone and they seem amazing. Looking forward to making new friends, but also desperately needing some alone time. I am hoping to sneak away for some hermit time tomorrow to take care of me. While its been great, it feels a bit like I just did 3 mission trips each with different people and all back to back with no breaks. Here comes #4. And #5 will be with my family, I can't wait for them to get here! The count down is at 2 weeks.
Thursday, May 30, 2013
Kigali
May 27
We packed up our things and headed for Kigali, the capital of Rwanda (for the second time).
When we arrived in Kigali we realized the hostel had deleted our reservation (TIA, right...). Luckily we found another place to stay. St. Paul's is this peaceful place in the city, I later learned was a place of refuge and protection for more than 2,000 during the genocide. It's been a place of refuge for us as well as we process all of the terrible things that have happened in this beautiful country. Plus the nuns and staff here are cooking amazing meals for us. A huge plus as going out for a meal here seems to take at least 3 hours, sometimes 4. Everyone is on Africa time...
We packed up our things and headed for Kigali, the capital of Rwanda (for the second time).
When we arrived in Kigali we realized the hostel had deleted our reservation (TIA, right...). Luckily we found another place to stay. St. Paul's is this peaceful place in the city, I later learned was a place of refuge and protection for more than 2,000 during the genocide. It's been a place of refuge for us as well as we process all of the terrible things that have happened in this beautiful country. Plus the nuns and staff here are cooking amazing meals for us. A huge plus as going out for a meal here seems to take at least 3 hours, sometimes 4. Everyone is on Africa time...
Birthday in Rwanda
May 26
I spent my birthday in Musanze, Rwanda. It's a sweet mountain town in the middle of a bunch of beautiful volcanic mountains near where Jane Goodall did her work with Gorilla's. My heart just feels at home in the mountains and I was happy to be there, but was a little homesick for my mountains and my family and friends. I definitely feel like a foreigner here. Communicating is much harder as most speak a tribal language and French. I guess a few years back the government made English the official language of Rwanda, but they did that with no plan of how to implement it so most still speak French.
I had a sweet birthday. We visited 3 girls that are supported by an organization in Steamboat at their sewing school. Visited an eclectic garden, the gardener even cut down some fresh guava for us. We had a nice dinner at a hotel with Internet, so I got to chat with my family. We have been staying in hostels that are in the $7/ night range, though they are places I would never stay in if I was in America, it's much nicer than most peoples homes here. I'm just thinking of it as luxury camping that actually has running water, a bed and walls outside of my mosquito net.
So thankful for my amazing new friends from CMC. I am growing to love them more and more! It's going to be so sad to see them head back to CO soon.
I spent my birthday in Musanze, Rwanda. It's a sweet mountain town in the middle of a bunch of beautiful volcanic mountains near where Jane Goodall did her work with Gorilla's. My heart just feels at home in the mountains and I was happy to be there, but was a little homesick for my mountains and my family and friends. I definitely feel like a foreigner here. Communicating is much harder as most speak a tribal language and French. I guess a few years back the government made English the official language of Rwanda, but they did that with no plan of how to implement it so most still speak French.
I had a sweet birthday. We visited 3 girls that are supported by an organization in Steamboat at their sewing school. Visited an eclectic garden, the gardener even cut down some fresh guava for us. We had a nice dinner at a hotel with Internet, so I got to chat with my family. We have been staying in hostels that are in the $7/ night range, though they are places I would never stay in if I was in America, it's much nicer than most peoples homes here. I'm just thinking of it as luxury camping that actually has running water, a bed and walls outside of my mosquito net.
So thankful for my amazing new friends from CMC. I am growing to love them more and more! It's going to be so sad to see them head back to CO soon.
Sunday, May 26, 2013
Crossing Borders-TIA (This is Africa)
Thursday, I met up with the CMC team and we traveled about 9 + hours through some Ugandan countryside. I can see why they call Uganda the pearl of Africa. I woke up in one of the most beautiful places I have ever been. We stayed in tents up on platforms, It felt a little like Swiss family Robinson.
It was nice to have a chill day to process all that we have encountered. Then we took a boat out to this incredible island that an organization out of Denver is building a retreat/community center on. The idea is that it will be a place for people to come and discuss difficult problems in Africa.
Then we had dinner at a hotel overlooking the lake to celebrate one of our team members birthday. The full moon boat ride back to our tents felt a bit like a dream.
But, then the next day it was back to reality... The idea was that we would cross the border into Rwanda and within 2 hours be in this town that the CMC advisor, Leslie, had spent a month in and works with a program sponsoring some girls that could not continue at school to learn a trade at a sewing school. That was the idea, but TIA...We got held up at the border for 2 hours because we didn't have a letter from Ben the Head of CLD Uganda saying it was ok to take the taxi van over the border. So we waited and waited... Eventually we crossed into Rwanda and at some point realized we had crossed the wrong border and ended up going to the capital way south of where we needed to be largely because of miscommunication and the fact the no one ever thought to look at a map... So our less than 2 hr drive turned into an over 9 hr drive...
At first though I'm pretty sure It was known early on that we were on the wrong road, it wasn't communicated to us. Most things take longer than you think they should here, so we didn't think much of it taking longer. We didn't even realize we were on the wrong road till we got to Kigali, the capital. Leslie turned to me and said, 'Where do you think we are?' And I said, 'That looks like Kigali' as we approached a huge city on a hill. I knew we were in trouble when she said, 'That's REALY far from where we are supposed to be.' It was 4 and no one had had lunch so we all were a little cranky to realize we had gone the wrong way and rather than asking directions gone 4hours south only to turn around and go north another 3 hours on a different road. TIA... You really just need to let go of plans and roll with it here. It's like therapy for type A people. Luckily the CMC crowd is pretty chill, everyone was fine until the last hour or so.
Though long, the drive was so beautiful! Kind of like driving through the pages of a national geographic magazine. Miles of tea fields in valleys surrounded by mountains with terraced gardens that look like patchwork quilts spotted with small mud houses. They farm every available inch of land and it's so fertile. I wish my little garden could be like that! The sweet smell of eucalyptus in the air was soothing. Women walked on the side if the road with babies tied on their backs. Most people have a heavy load on top of their head and seem to carry it effortlessly.
We are now in Musanze, Rwanda. A sweet little town. I've been impressed by Rwanda so far. The infrastructure is better and it's so much cleaner and less chaotic than Kampala. They actually have trash bins around the city and once a month everyone has to not work and clean up the cities. You can really tell a difference from Kampala where there is trash everywhere.
While we were stuck at the border yesterday, a woman came up to me begging for money. She didn't speak English so communication was difficult. But she kept pointing to the stump of her left leg which was amputated above the knee and her right foot which was swollen from elephantiasis. As a rule we don't give to people begging as I discussed in a previous post, since it reinforces the cycle of poverty and dependence. But, it tugs at your heart and man it would be a lot easier to throw some money at her and at least feel like I'm doing something. During the long car ride I was thinking about her and how she was pointing at her wounds... The first thing she did when meeting a stranger was show them the result of the wounds she has suffered in this life... I don't know why her leg was amputated, maybe from the war or the genocide or maybe she got an infection in a leg damaged by elephantiasis. I don't know what caused her wounds, I only see the result of it. And, the worst part is she is living a life defined by her wounds... The first thing she shows a stranger... We all have wounds, as westerners they tend to be on our hearts...that we can't change... But, do we live our lives defined by our wounds and is that what we are showing the people around us?
It was nice to have a chill day to process all that we have encountered. Then we took a boat out to this incredible island that an organization out of Denver is building a retreat/community center on. The idea is that it will be a place for people to come and discuss difficult problems in Africa.
Then we had dinner at a hotel overlooking the lake to celebrate one of our team members birthday. The full moon boat ride back to our tents felt a bit like a dream.
But, then the next day it was back to reality... The idea was that we would cross the border into Rwanda and within 2 hours be in this town that the CMC advisor, Leslie, had spent a month in and works with a program sponsoring some girls that could not continue at school to learn a trade at a sewing school. That was the idea, but TIA...We got held up at the border for 2 hours because we didn't have a letter from Ben the Head of CLD Uganda saying it was ok to take the taxi van over the border. So we waited and waited... Eventually we crossed into Rwanda and at some point realized we had crossed the wrong border and ended up going to the capital way south of where we needed to be largely because of miscommunication and the fact the no one ever thought to look at a map... So our less than 2 hr drive turned into an over 9 hr drive...
At first though I'm pretty sure It was known early on that we were on the wrong road, it wasn't communicated to us. Most things take longer than you think they should here, so we didn't think much of it taking longer. We didn't even realize we were on the wrong road till we got to Kigali, the capital. Leslie turned to me and said, 'Where do you think we are?' And I said, 'That looks like Kigali' as we approached a huge city on a hill. I knew we were in trouble when she said, 'That's REALY far from where we are supposed to be.' It was 4 and no one had had lunch so we all were a little cranky to realize we had gone the wrong way and rather than asking directions gone 4hours south only to turn around and go north another 3 hours on a different road. TIA... You really just need to let go of plans and roll with it here. It's like therapy for type A people. Luckily the CMC crowd is pretty chill, everyone was fine until the last hour or so.
Though long, the drive was so beautiful! Kind of like driving through the pages of a national geographic magazine. Miles of tea fields in valleys surrounded by mountains with terraced gardens that look like patchwork quilts spotted with small mud houses. They farm every available inch of land and it's so fertile. I wish my little garden could be like that! The sweet smell of eucalyptus in the air was soothing. Women walked on the side if the road with babies tied on their backs. Most people have a heavy load on top of their head and seem to carry it effortlessly.
We are now in Musanze, Rwanda. A sweet little town. I've been impressed by Rwanda so far. The infrastructure is better and it's so much cleaner and less chaotic than Kampala. They actually have trash bins around the city and once a month everyone has to not work and clean up the cities. You can really tell a difference from Kampala where there is trash everywhere.
While we were stuck at the border yesterday, a woman came up to me begging for money. She didn't speak English so communication was difficult. But she kept pointing to the stump of her left leg which was amputated above the knee and her right foot which was swollen from elephantiasis. As a rule we don't give to people begging as I discussed in a previous post, since it reinforces the cycle of poverty and dependence. But, it tugs at your heart and man it would be a lot easier to throw some money at her and at least feel like I'm doing something. During the long car ride I was thinking about her and how she was pointing at her wounds... The first thing she did when meeting a stranger was show them the result of the wounds she has suffered in this life... I don't know why her leg was amputated, maybe from the war or the genocide or maybe she got an infection in a leg damaged by elephantiasis. I don't know what caused her wounds, I only see the result of it. And, the worst part is she is living a life defined by her wounds... The first thing she shows a stranger... We all have wounds, as westerners they tend to be on our hearts...that we can't change... But, do we live our lives defined by our wounds and is that what we are showing the people around us?
Wednesday, May 22, 2013
Muzungu
Muzungu, in luganda means 'white wanderer', one who does not sit still.
This word was originally used for the Europeans during the colonization of Africa. Everywhere I go I am greeted by children or sometimes adults I've never met yelling and pointing... Usually with smiling faces and waves...
Muzungu, Muzungu
Bye Muzungu
Hi Muzungu
Muzungu, how are you? (Which sounds a little more like 'ha wa you?'
Sometimes it's fun and makes me feel like a celebrity. Sometimes it's a little annoying... Can you imagine if the roles were reversed in Steamboat and I saw a black person walking down the street and started yelling 'black person, black person' and pointing?... I haven't tried it yet, but I'm pretty sure it wouldn't go over well.
I'm leaving the CLD guest house early tomorrow morning to spend a week with the CMC anthropology class in western Uganda and Rwanda before they fly back to the US. I can't help but think, maybe Muzungu is an appropriate term for me. By the end of my two months here I will have traveled more than many Ugandans will in their lifetime. Ugandans have no problem just sitting and hanging out, they are really good at it actually, maybe too good. Trying to get anything done here on schedule can be incredibly frustrating. So, I'm trying to chill out and go with the flow. I read a quote before I came that said: 'Patience is slowing to someone else's pace'. That has been my goal.
Why is it that we as westerners have such a hard time staying still? Why are we always on the go and trying to get things done? I am learning that it is ok to just be... It's ok to hang out without an agenda and just sit with someone without saying a word. Our presence can speak to someone's value as much as our words can and maybe even more.
This word was originally used for the Europeans during the colonization of Africa. Everywhere I go I am greeted by children or sometimes adults I've never met yelling and pointing... Usually with smiling faces and waves...
Muzungu, Muzungu
Bye Muzungu
Hi Muzungu
Muzungu, how are you? (Which sounds a little more like 'ha wa you?'
Sometimes it's fun and makes me feel like a celebrity. Sometimes it's a little annoying... Can you imagine if the roles were reversed in Steamboat and I saw a black person walking down the street and started yelling 'black person, black person' and pointing?... I haven't tried it yet, but I'm pretty sure it wouldn't go over well.
I'm leaving the CLD guest house early tomorrow morning to spend a week with the CMC anthropology class in western Uganda and Rwanda before they fly back to the US. I can't help but think, maybe Muzungu is an appropriate term for me. By the end of my two months here I will have traveled more than many Ugandans will in their lifetime. Ugandans have no problem just sitting and hanging out, they are really good at it actually, maybe too good. Trying to get anything done here on schedule can be incredibly frustrating. So, I'm trying to chill out and go with the flow. I read a quote before I came that said: 'Patience is slowing to someone else's pace'. That has been my goal.
Why is it that we as westerners have such a hard time staying still? Why are we always on the go and trying to get things done? I am learning that it is ok to just be... It's ok to hang out without an agenda and just sit with someone without saying a word. Our presence can speak to someone's value as much as our words can and maybe even more.
Monday, May 20, 2013
Back to school
1st day of the 2nd term @ Wakiso Christian International Academy. So cool to see what was a dream, now is a reality.
We did health check ups and vision screening on the kids. I included some pictures of the clinic and the road to the school/clinic. Also, our favorite chapati stand nearby where we have lunch.
We did health check ups and vision screening on the kids. I included some pictures of the clinic and the road to the school/clinic. Also, our favorite chapati stand nearby where we have lunch.
Sunday, May 19, 2013
Cool kids!
On a lighter note, here's a sweet story. This family from Denver has been living and working with CLD in Uganda since September. They are gearing up to head back to the US next month and warping things up here. Their kids got rid of a bunch of stuff and had a big yard sale before leaving Denver with the idea that money could be used for a project of their own in Uganda. They decided to let the kids at the school decide what to do with the money. The student council kids met and chose to buy drums so they can have dance parties and have a playground.... Other options on the list included buying an airplane, but the garage sale budget couldn't quite support that. They did buy some really sweet stuff and our kids now will have an amazing playground when they return to school tomorrow. I can't wait to see their faces!
I'll be at the school helping with health checks and vision screening for all the kids as they return for a new term. The CMC Steamboat anthropology class I have been hanging out with (they are amazing, loving them!) just went to the rural village of Kaliro for a few days and then rafting the Nile. I will meet up with them Thursday to travel to western Uganda and Rwanda for a week.
I'll be at the school helping with health checks and vision screening for all the kids as they return for a new term. The CMC Steamboat anthropology class I have been hanging out with (they are amazing, loving them!) just went to the rural village of Kaliro for a few days and then rafting the Nile. I will meet up with them Thursday to travel to western Uganda and Rwanda for a week.
2 weeks in
I'm two weeks into my time in Uganda. It feels like it has been so much longer. There is some kind of weird time warp going on where the pace seems slower than I am used to, but at the same time so much is happening. I find myself talking slower and simpler so my words will be understood. I've been with CLD since Sunday and have been hanging with a bunch of CMC students from Steamboat. They are a blast and we have been working hard cleaning up the school classrooms and grounds to be ready for students returning Monday, doing some yard work and an after school program at 'thread of life', working on the farm and much more. We slept outside at the farm last night and I did not sleep well, partly because I was worried about the wild things and partly because I was uncomfortable on a thin foam pad on concrete and partly because I'm pretty sure there were fleas crawling all over me.
I find myself longing for my comfortable life in America. Life is hard here and chaos is everywhere. Just getting around is difficult. Getting in bed is difficult as tucking in the mosquito net all the way around is a step to not be neglected. The other day as I was taking a shower, there was a moment when the cold water took my breath away for a few seconds before I got used to it, and I thought 'this is horrible'. Then I remembered that I am one of the lucky ones because I have a shower. Most here shower with a bucket and a cloth and most are facing much tougher problems related to their poverty.
Ben, our Ugandan friend and the leader of CLD Uganda spoke the other day about helping and how handouts do more harm than good. When we who have so much come and see so many needs, our knee jerk reaction is to give and fix it with our money. But giving money to someone begging only reinforces that they are a begger and that is all they will ever be. It reinforces the cycle of poverty and dependence. He talked about the bigger problem and how everyone wants to look out the window and blame others but we need to look in the mirror. Real change involves relationship and investing ourselves, our time and our hearts into people to show them that they are valuable. Ben gave the analogy of giving a man a fish or teaching him to fish... Or giving someone a meal vs. giving them the recipe so that they can continue to make that meal and maybe even make it better. Education is key. In the end it's not our money that changes things, it is the investment of our time and our lives that does. It's cool to see this concept play out in the projects here.
I've heard a few peoples stories that would break anyone's heart and they put my light and momentary troubles into perspective. I realize that there are bigger problems here than I have the ability to fix. I also know that though I am uncomfortable I am right where I am supposed to be. I'm confident that God will use my sacrifice to bring some peace to the chaos. Still I'm counting the days till my family comes and till I'm in Steamboat again. 4 weeks for my family and 5 wks, 3 days till Steamboat... Taking one day at a time, it's not quite as overwhelming.
I find myself longing for my comfortable life in America. Life is hard here and chaos is everywhere. Just getting around is difficult. Getting in bed is difficult as tucking in the mosquito net all the way around is a step to not be neglected. The other day as I was taking a shower, there was a moment when the cold water took my breath away for a few seconds before I got used to it, and I thought 'this is horrible'. Then I remembered that I am one of the lucky ones because I have a shower. Most here shower with a bucket and a cloth and most are facing much tougher problems related to their poverty.
Ben, our Ugandan friend and the leader of CLD Uganda spoke the other day about helping and how handouts do more harm than good. When we who have so much come and see so many needs, our knee jerk reaction is to give and fix it with our money. But giving money to someone begging only reinforces that they are a begger and that is all they will ever be. It reinforces the cycle of poverty and dependence. He talked about the bigger problem and how everyone wants to look out the window and blame others but we need to look in the mirror. Real change involves relationship and investing ourselves, our time and our hearts into people to show them that they are valuable. Ben gave the analogy of giving a man a fish or teaching him to fish... Or giving someone a meal vs. giving them the recipe so that they can continue to make that meal and maybe even make it better. Education is key. In the end it's not our money that changes things, it is the investment of our time and our lives that does. It's cool to see this concept play out in the projects here.
I've heard a few peoples stories that would break anyone's heart and they put my light and momentary troubles into perspective. I realize that there are bigger problems here than I have the ability to fix. I also know that though I am uncomfortable I am right where I am supposed to be. I'm confident that God will use my sacrifice to bring some peace to the chaos. Still I'm counting the days till my family comes and till I'm in Steamboat again. 4 weeks for my family and 5 wks, 3 days till Steamboat... Taking one day at a time, it's not quite as overwhelming.
Safari!!!- (this was a week ago, just sending it now)
We made it though a crazy week. The week started with seeing diseases I had never seen before and ended with seeing animals I had never seen before. This place feel like the Pridelands in the Lion King after Simba returns home and it was restored to its original glory. Thousands of animals call this national park home and it is incredible to see them living in the freedom they were designed for.
The male lion in the photo is missing a leg. Apparently poachers set a trap for him that damaged his leg to the point where it needed to be amputated by a vet.
With what I have experienced this week, I can't help but think this is a picture of the greater story we are living in. Glimpses of paradise coupled with the reality of a broken world.
The male lion in the photo is missing a leg. Apparently poachers set a trap for him that damaged his leg to the point where it needed to be amputated by a vet.
With what I have experienced this week, I can't help but think this is a picture of the greater story we are living in. Glimpses of paradise coupled with the reality of a broken world.
Thursday, May 9, 2013
Clinic day 4
Hundreds of people have been lining up for our medical clinics. We have been seeing roughly 250 a day and unfortunately have had to turn hundreds away. The patients receive vitamins and deworming medicines, have vitals taken, see a medical provider and get much needed medicines from our top notch traveling pharmacy. Those who need it get to see a family planning nurse or get reading glasses or sunglasses. Reading glasses are like a miracle for a 60 yr old who hasn't been able to read for decades. We have an enthusiastic team of PT's and OT's who are doing incredible things with much creativity using what we have to help disabled people. I have been blown away with their creativity in making braces, wheel chairs, walkers and special shoes. Today one of them even made a spacer for a little girl I saw who needed an inhaler. Another one made a pessary. They fit leg braces on a little girl and her mom was able to watch her walk for the first time.
In the provider world we have been seeing things I had only read about in text books. Leprosy, schistosomiasis. elephantiasis, malaria, typhoid... The list goes on. It's kind of fun to be around medical people who geek out about this stuff. It makes me feel like I'm not a weirdo.
We moved around to different towns the first two days. Its funny how we have seen different things in the different regions. In the middle of the sugar cane fields tons of kids had huge cavities, their teeth looked like hollowed out eggshells. And by the lake, lots of schistosomiasis. Today I felt 3 of the biggest spleens, I have ever felt. (I know, geeking out)
The last two days were spent in this beautiful village near the game park. We fed monkeys bananas from the vans on the way. This country is beautiful and I am falling more in love with it. The people are incredible! So happy to see us. They are welcoming and loving and sassy.
Yes, mom, that is a guard with an AK-47. Don't worry we have 6 of them and they are keeping us very safe.
In the provider world we have been seeing things I had only read about in text books. Leprosy, schistosomiasis. elephantiasis, malaria, typhoid... The list goes on. It's kind of fun to be around medical people who geek out about this stuff. It makes me feel like I'm not a weirdo.
We moved around to different towns the first two days. Its funny how we have seen different things in the different regions. In the middle of the sugar cane fields tons of kids had huge cavities, their teeth looked like hollowed out eggshells. And by the lake, lots of schistosomiasis. Today I felt 3 of the biggest spleens, I have ever felt. (I know, geeking out)
The last two days were spent in this beautiful village near the game park. We fed monkeys bananas from the vans on the way. This country is beautiful and I am falling more in love with it. The people are incredible! So happy to see us. They are welcoming and loving and sassy.
Yes, mom, that is a guard with an AK-47. Don't worry we have 6 of them and they are keeping us very safe.
Friday, May 3, 2013
Ready or not...
I just started reading this great book by a girl who moved to Uganda right after high school. Her account reminds me of my own love story with this country and its people, that I had forgot while living my comfortable American life.
As I took my hot shower in my comfortable hotel this morning and used a hair dryer for the last time in 2 months I realized I am laying some sacrifices on the altar... Comfort/ convenience/ luxury/ control... But I am trading them in for something better that I just have yet to experience. But I can't get there unless I loosen my grip and let go of the familiar. Fixing my eyes not on what I see... But on what is yet unseen.
I may not have Internet access for the next week or two, but you can follow my team on the PMI blog, it should be updated daily.
http://www.palmettomedical.org/blog/
As I took my hot shower in my comfortable hotel this morning and used a hair dryer for the last time in 2 months I realized I am laying some sacrifices on the altar... Comfort/ convenience/ luxury/ control... But I am trading them in for something better that I just have yet to experience. But I can't get there unless I loosen my grip and let go of the familiar. Fixing my eyes not on what I see... But on what is yet unseen.
I may not have Internet access for the next week or two, but you can follow my team on the PMI blog, it should be updated daily.
http://www.palmettomedical.org/blog/
Thursday, May 2, 2013
@ DIA
Heading out...
2 mo in Uganda... What was I thinking?
Feeling super anxious, but getting on my way. Guess it's not supposed to be easy or comfortable...
2 mo in Uganda... What was I thinking?
Feeling super anxious, but getting on my way. Guess it's not supposed to be easy or comfortable...
Wednesday, May 1, 2013
Preparing to leave Steamboat
Happy May Day! This is what I woke up to before going to work my last day in Steamboat. I've been kinda stressed, but this is enough to make me want to leave. Only 3 days of travel and I will be in Uganda...
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