Wednesday March 16th
This morning there was still no water but with what we had saved in buckets and plastic containers we were able to get clean and be presentable for another day.
The locals tell us that when the rains start the water goes off!! Incomprehensible! But now we know we are getting more prepared and filling spare vessels with water whenever it is on. Tonight we are in the dark!! Hysteria is setting in as we don’t know what else can happen. We are experts at getting a bath in a bucket by torch light. Please send chocolate!!
At least at work today we got through a lot of stuff. Lorraine suggested after a couple of hours that they had a move round and get some exercise to keep themselves awake. Suddenly we were given a demonstration of different types of African dances with great enthusiasm. We are managing to get some good feedback from them so that we can respond to their learning needs as working with special needs children is a new concept as they are not seen in school or the wider society.
Tom, Dick and Harry our 3 Marabou storks fly in at about 6.45 each night and keep us company standing to sleep on the top of the tree just outside the kitchen window. They disappear at day break when the sun comes up. We wonder if they join the huge group of storks at Mulago hospital.
Time for a cuppa! At least the calor gas still works. Goodnight all.
Friday, 18 March 2011
Tuesday, 15 March 2011
March 12th
Saturday
The weather is beginning to change and there are signs that the rains are coming. Today we had some massive rumbles of thunder and finally at about 2 o’clock a big down pour. It comes down in buckets and you begin to understand why everyone disappears and makes for cover. It would be impossible to keep dry in any way. The rain brought the temperature down for a while and put the power off!
We had a very quiet day at first as we were both very tired after a long week and a very long Friday. In the afternoon Rose from VSO came and took us out and we went to Garden City shopping centre which was something that was familiar to us. It was built in 2004 and is quite small and the parking is a bit frenetic on a Saturday afternoon. Rose took us to get our WiFi connection sorted out—at last! She lent us an Orange Dongle and we took the laptop to the Orange shop to find a suitable computer geek. I was beginning to suspect that it was our hardware that was at fault. We spoke to a very pleasant young man who took the laptop and started his magic. He was very serious until when he made it work we said he was an “absolute star” and then he laughed his head off!
Sunday 13th
Sunday is washing day………. and preparation for the week of ahead.
After a clear-up in the morning we settled down to email family and get going with the WiFi. What a relief to be back in touch with everyone! Hope you are all reading our emails and blogs. Responses would be nice so we know you are still out there!
More rain and thunder this afternoon followed by much cooler temperatures. Helen (Course Coordinator) and husband Steve called later that evening as they had been away for the weekend in Jinja to see how we were and how we have settled in. They brought chocolate which we haven’t had since we left home for some reason. It was very welcome when we settled down to watch Mr Darcy and his smouldering looks while courting Miss Bennett!!
Monday 14th
This is another public holiday due to mayoral elections. They didn’t get the result they wanted last time so they are doing them again. We had a day checking working on lectures for this week, cleaning the flat and Lorraine’s favourite occupation –ironing. It seems that every time I look round she has the iron in her hand. Its bug killing really to make sure we don’t get attacked by the Mango fly larvae- yuck.
Big heavy rain today and the temperatures are almost English and we are beginning to realise that the power goes off for a while every time it rains We are beginning to see the grass become greener- more like Lorraine remembers from her childhood. The children around the flats are out playing making mud pies.
Our address is “The Brown Flats” and they are brown. They look very unprepossessing but the grassy play areas, paths and roads and pot holes are swept and cared for by staff on a daily basis. There are a group of men washing the residents’ cars nearly every day from as early as 6 in the morning. It is all very neat and tidy and there is always washing hanging out, on the balconies and strung out between the trees. The children are out playing sometimes on bikes. It appears to be quite a nice area with professional and employed people.
Across the main road are the white flats which are identical in every way and yes, they are white.
We have noticed huge contrasts between more modern and cared for buildings next to shacks/ homes made of wood, corrugated iron and anything else that will do to give shelter. On our trip to Masaka we did see traditional dwellings made of mud and thatched roofs. They make their own bricks with clay from the local marshland in the same area and leave them to dry in piles in the sun. The infra-structure is frail to non-existent and people make a living in any way they can.
Tuesday March 15th
It rained very heavily last night and you do hear it on the tin roof. At about 6.30am the bed shook for about 30 seconds? I wonder if it was a shock wave following the earthquake in Japan. Lorraine thought it was a dream and had only half registered it.
This morning is very grey and overcast and there is heavy rain and then heavier rain! We have seen a man go out for work and then come straight back in again. It’s no wonder you would be soaked in seconds. The students are in this morning doing some computer research training so we are not teaching until this afternoon; we are going to treat ourselves to a taxi. The plus side for us is that the temperatures have some right down and we are so relieved not to be feeling sweaty and exhausted with the heat.
A frustrating day as the students did not appear in the afternoon I think they thought they had done enough after their research training and it was raining ……………. We will just have to fit in twice as much tomorrow. There was respite from the rain in the evening and the cool temperatures persisted. This evening at about 7.30pm the water went off! We feel that just as we manage one hurdle this country throws up another one, every simple thing demands effort. There was a short period when it came back on and we quickly filled buckets and used drinking water containers in case in hadn’t come on again by the morning. The lady across the way from us asked if we had a jerry can and could we manage. It does explain why there are a pile of cans underneath the stair well on the ground floor. You live and learn! A cuppa and some chocolate were needed to recover.
Saturday
The weather is beginning to change and there are signs that the rains are coming. Today we had some massive rumbles of thunder and finally at about 2 o’clock a big down pour. It comes down in buckets and you begin to understand why everyone disappears and makes for cover. It would be impossible to keep dry in any way. The rain brought the temperature down for a while and put the power off!
We had a very quiet day at first as we were both very tired after a long week and a very long Friday. In the afternoon Rose from VSO came and took us out and we went to Garden City shopping centre which was something that was familiar to us. It was built in 2004 and is quite small and the parking is a bit frenetic on a Saturday afternoon. Rose took us to get our WiFi connection sorted out—at last! She lent us an Orange Dongle and we took the laptop to the Orange shop to find a suitable computer geek. I was beginning to suspect that it was our hardware that was at fault. We spoke to a very pleasant young man who took the laptop and started his magic. He was very serious until when he made it work we said he was an “absolute star” and then he laughed his head off!
Sunday 13th
Sunday is washing day………. and preparation for the week of ahead.
After a clear-up in the morning we settled down to email family and get going with the WiFi. What a relief to be back in touch with everyone! Hope you are all reading our emails and blogs. Responses would be nice so we know you are still out there!
More rain and thunder this afternoon followed by much cooler temperatures. Helen (Course Coordinator) and husband Steve called later that evening as they had been away for the weekend in Jinja to see how we were and how we have settled in. They brought chocolate which we haven’t had since we left home for some reason. It was very welcome when we settled down to watch Mr Darcy and his smouldering looks while courting Miss Bennett!!
Monday 14th
This is another public holiday due to mayoral elections. They didn’t get the result they wanted last time so they are doing them again. We had a day checking working on lectures for this week, cleaning the flat and Lorraine’s favourite occupation –ironing. It seems that every time I look round she has the iron in her hand. Its bug killing really to make sure we don’t get attacked by the Mango fly larvae- yuck.
Big heavy rain today and the temperatures are almost English and we are beginning to realise that the power goes off for a while every time it rains We are beginning to see the grass become greener- more like Lorraine remembers from her childhood. The children around the flats are out playing making mud pies.
Our address is “The Brown Flats” and they are brown. They look very unprepossessing but the grassy play areas, paths and roads and pot holes are swept and cared for by staff on a daily basis. There are a group of men washing the residents’ cars nearly every day from as early as 6 in the morning. It is all very neat and tidy and there is always washing hanging out, on the balconies and strung out between the trees. The children are out playing sometimes on bikes. It appears to be quite a nice area with professional and employed people.
Across the main road are the white flats which are identical in every way and yes, they are white.
We have noticed huge contrasts between more modern and cared for buildings next to shacks/ homes made of wood, corrugated iron and anything else that will do to give shelter. On our trip to Masaka we did see traditional dwellings made of mud and thatched roofs. They make their own bricks with clay from the local marshland in the same area and leave them to dry in piles in the sun. The infra-structure is frail to non-existent and people make a living in any way they can.
Tuesday March 15th
It rained very heavily last night and you do hear it on the tin roof. At about 6.30am the bed shook for about 30 seconds? I wonder if it was a shock wave following the earthquake in Japan. Lorraine thought it was a dream and had only half registered it.
This morning is very grey and overcast and there is heavy rain and then heavier rain! We have seen a man go out for work and then come straight back in again. It’s no wonder you would be soaked in seconds. The students are in this morning doing some computer research training so we are not teaching until this afternoon; we are going to treat ourselves to a taxi. The plus side for us is that the temperatures have some right down and we are so relieved not to be feeling sweaty and exhausted with the heat.
A frustrating day as the students did not appear in the afternoon I think they thought they had done enough after their research training and it was raining ……………. We will just have to fit in twice as much tomorrow. There was respite from the rain in the evening and the cool temperatures persisted. This evening at about 7.30pm the water went off! We feel that just as we manage one hurdle this country throws up another one, every simple thing demands effort. There was a short period when it came back on and we quickly filled buckets and used drinking water containers in case in hadn’t come on again by the morning. The lady across the way from us asked if we had a jerry can and could we manage. It does explain why there are a pile of cans underneath the stair well on the ground floor. You live and learn! A cuppa and some chocolate were needed to recover.
Monday, 14 March 2011
March 14th Public holiday
March 7th
Our teaching sessions start at 10 am In our group there are 4 men and 2 women. ( Frederick, Tonni, Rukiya. Aidah, Joseph, Godfrey). Two of the students are from other African countries: Rwanda and Tanzania. We are a very multi-cultural group as they speak many different languages. We had some sharing of introductions and we played our staff DVD to send good wishes from SLT in Middlesbrough. This was our first day with the students on our own and we discussed disability and an introduction to the definitions of cerebral palsy. We are all getting used to each other’s accents and pronunciations which can cause some hilarity.
We are getting used to the numbers of people around the hospital. Many relatives stay and sleep in the balconies and corridors around the grounds as they have to help care for their families.
At lunch time there is a cooked food and snacks to buy. The Ugandan diet consists of a lot of starch; potatoes, rice, and matoke (which is a dish made from bananas) are around at every meal. We are now into the routine of taking our own lunch boxes.
At the end of the day about 4 we had our first experience of the local transport system. There are boda bodas which are motor bikes and we are all advised not to get on one of them. They are the cause of many accidents and injuries and the traffic is a site to behold. I think there are some rules of the road but they are hard to fathom! The next type of transport that buzzes about the city are the matatas. They are a Toyota Hiace with seating. They take 14 usually but we are having a competition to see how many people they can get in. Our last ride we had 16 and a baby, a large wash basket and a cardboard box!
March 8th Tuesday
After one day at work we had a day off! It was Women’s International Day and this government is making great effort to give more recognition to gender
issues. This gave us some time to review our previous day and do some more planning in the light of this first experience.
We had a walk to the supermarket and tried to get our internet connection set up with the help of a lovely young woman called Evelyn. We are making more friends with the staff and being greeted by the locals.
Wednesday March 9th.
On Wednesdays and Thursdays we get a morning lift with Marisse. She is an SLT trained in the UK which she does voluntarily. She is developing services for Adults (acquired) and works 2 days a week. She is a petite Indian lady with loads of energy and drive and is a great support to visiting SLTs and the present long term placement coordinator Helen.
Today we continued with cerebral palsy and the areas effected in the brain. We were pleased that we had taken videos and photos to demonstrate and explain signs and symptoms.
Every day is a new learning experience for us; from the major issues to the minutiae. There are many challenges of resources and access to an SLT service for the local people. The government has still to decide if it is going to fund some posts so that some of the first graduates are doing teaching jobs and similar posts. We met Clemence (she is the lady speaking on the U-tube clip) who is employed as an SLT and another graduate David who is working voluntarily whilst trying to get a job in Kenya. They are both a credit to the course.
March Thursday 10th
Our lift from Marisse is always very welcome as it is very hot here at the moment. The locals say it is unusual and too hot for them too. We are still waiting for the rains although there have been some showers in the late evening. The change between day and night is quite dramatic and over in half an hour. Outside our kitchen window across the estate road is a large tree which is the roosting home for 3/4 storks. They absolutely fascinate us. They are very large birds and when flying overhead they look positively prehistoric! They come into land about 6.30 and perch on the very top of the branches and sleep standing up with their wings around them like a large black cloak. They are a distinctive silhouette in the evening darkness. They are a very common sight and a great number of them gather and forage around the hospital grounds.
Today at work we did introduction to assessment and a first discussion about PMLD.
As far as we can make out there are no special schools and the students were somewhat puzzled by the extent of the disability of the children that we see. The students felt they perhaps didn’t have very disabled children in their community but it is more likely that they are not seen but kept hidden away in back rooms Today at work we did introduction to assessment and a first discussion about. This was certainly a challenging afternoon but we wanted to do some preparation work about early stages of pre-linguistic assessment as the next day Helen had arranged a trip to a school in Masaka which is supported by SENSE. (The charity for multi-sensory impaired children).
March 11th
A very early start today! We had to be at the hospital for 7pm to get the bus for our 2 ½ hour ride to Masaka. Oh the roads!! We might complain about ours but at least they are there. There would be some stretches of roads without too many potholes and then some which were not much more than mud tracks. There are workmen about doing some stretches as there is still a fair amount of traffic. This is also the main road into Rwanda so it will keep improving. We stopped at about a 1/3rd of the way to take photos of the line of the equator that passes through Uganda(pics to follow eventually). Some bone rattled time later we arrived at the school. The school is for Deaf and hearing impaired children with 16 places for Deaf-Blind children and is run by a Catholic sister and her staff and some trained teachers. This is a very innovative and new venture for Uganda and they have outreach workers who are going door to door to find these children. The head of the SENSE project in Uganda was there to greet us and explained that nearly all of the children were damaged as a result of mum’s contracting Rubella during pregnancy. He confirmed that there are probably a lot more children like this across the country but they are not seen in public. They have no idea of the numbers of disabled children generally in Uganda and this school is doing pioneering work helping families and children be more integrated into their society.
They were very gracious in the welcome and Sister is hoping that there will be a valuable link between the school and the SLT course and students in helping develop services for the children.
We spent some time visiting the class rooms and as you would expect Lorraine and I enjoyed the younger more disabled children. Their classrooms were sparsely furnished and equipped by our standards but there was a commitment and desire to improve learning and development for the children which was very evident.
It was a long bumpy ride home and we were very tired, but we are hopeful that some of this experience will help our students begin to understand about disability particularly PMLD.
Our teaching sessions start at 10 am In our group there are 4 men and 2 women. ( Frederick, Tonni, Rukiya. Aidah, Joseph, Godfrey). Two of the students are from other African countries: Rwanda and Tanzania. We are a very multi-cultural group as they speak many different languages. We had some sharing of introductions and we played our staff DVD to send good wishes from SLT in Middlesbrough. This was our first day with the students on our own and we discussed disability and an introduction to the definitions of cerebral palsy. We are all getting used to each other’s accents and pronunciations which can cause some hilarity.
We are getting used to the numbers of people around the hospital. Many relatives stay and sleep in the balconies and corridors around the grounds as they have to help care for their families.
At lunch time there is a cooked food and snacks to buy. The Ugandan diet consists of a lot of starch; potatoes, rice, and matoke (which is a dish made from bananas) are around at every meal. We are now into the routine of taking our own lunch boxes.
At the end of the day about 4 we had our first experience of the local transport system. There are boda bodas which are motor bikes and we are all advised not to get on one of them. They are the cause of many accidents and injuries and the traffic is a site to behold. I think there are some rules of the road but they are hard to fathom! The next type of transport that buzzes about the city are the matatas. They are a Toyota Hiace with seating. They take 14 usually but we are having a competition to see how many people they can get in. Our last ride we had 16 and a baby, a large wash basket and a cardboard box!
March 8th Tuesday
After one day at work we had a day off! It was Women’s International Day and this government is making great effort to give more recognition to gender
issues. This gave us some time to review our previous day and do some more planning in the light of this first experience.
We had a walk to the supermarket and tried to get our internet connection set up with the help of a lovely young woman called Evelyn. We are making more friends with the staff and being greeted by the locals.
Wednesday March 9th.
On Wednesdays and Thursdays we get a morning lift with Marisse. She is an SLT trained in the UK which she does voluntarily. She is developing services for Adults (acquired) and works 2 days a week. She is a petite Indian lady with loads of energy and drive and is a great support to visiting SLTs and the present long term placement coordinator Helen.
Today we continued with cerebral palsy and the areas effected in the brain. We were pleased that we had taken videos and photos to demonstrate and explain signs and symptoms.
Every day is a new learning experience for us; from the major issues to the minutiae. There are many challenges of resources and access to an SLT service for the local people. The government has still to decide if it is going to fund some posts so that some of the first graduates are doing teaching jobs and similar posts. We met Clemence (she is the lady speaking on the U-tube clip) who is employed as an SLT and another graduate David who is working voluntarily whilst trying to get a job in Kenya. They are both a credit to the course.
March Thursday 10th
Our lift from Marisse is always very welcome as it is very hot here at the moment. The locals say it is unusual and too hot for them too. We are still waiting for the rains although there have been some showers in the late evening. The change between day and night is quite dramatic and over in half an hour. Outside our kitchen window across the estate road is a large tree which is the roosting home for 3/4 storks. They absolutely fascinate us. They are very large birds and when flying overhead they look positively prehistoric! They come into land about 6.30 and perch on the very top of the branches and sleep standing up with their wings around them like a large black cloak. They are a distinctive silhouette in the evening darkness. They are a very common sight and a great number of them gather and forage around the hospital grounds.
Today at work we did introduction to assessment and a first discussion about PMLD.
As far as we can make out there are no special schools and the students were somewhat puzzled by the extent of the disability of the children that we see. The students felt they perhaps didn’t have very disabled children in their community but it is more likely that they are not seen but kept hidden away in back rooms Today at work we did introduction to assessment and a first discussion about. This was certainly a challenging afternoon but we wanted to do some preparation work about early stages of pre-linguistic assessment as the next day Helen had arranged a trip to a school in Masaka which is supported by SENSE. (The charity for multi-sensory impaired children).
March 11th
A very early start today! We had to be at the hospital for 7pm to get the bus for our 2 ½ hour ride to Masaka. Oh the roads!! We might complain about ours but at least they are there. There would be some stretches of roads without too many potholes and then some which were not much more than mud tracks. There are workmen about doing some stretches as there is still a fair amount of traffic. This is also the main road into Rwanda so it will keep improving. We stopped at about a 1/3rd of the way to take photos of the line of the equator that passes through Uganda(pics to follow eventually). Some bone rattled time later we arrived at the school. The school is for Deaf and hearing impaired children with 16 places for Deaf-Blind children and is run by a Catholic sister and her staff and some trained teachers. This is a very innovative and new venture for Uganda and they have outreach workers who are going door to door to find these children. The head of the SENSE project in Uganda was there to greet us and explained that nearly all of the children were damaged as a result of mum’s contracting Rubella during pregnancy. He confirmed that there are probably a lot more children like this across the country but they are not seen in public. They have no idea of the numbers of disabled children generally in Uganda and this school is doing pioneering work helping families and children be more integrated into their society.
They were very gracious in the welcome and Sister is hoping that there will be a valuable link between the school and the SLT course and students in helping develop services for the children.
We spent some time visiting the class rooms and as you would expect Lorraine and I enjoyed the younger more disabled children. Their classrooms were sparsely furnished and equipped by our standards but there was a commitment and desire to improve learning and development for the children which was very evident.
It was a long bumpy ride home and we were very tired, but we are hopeful that some of this experience will help our students begin to understand about disability particularly PMLD.
Sunday, 13 March 2011
First two weeks in Uganda
Uganda Journal
March 1st
Setting off from the airport at 4pm from our houses we went in Lorraine and Derek motor home so that we could carry the luggage. We had 3 bags each with a max capacity of 23 kilos. Thanks to all the generous donations we had books, toys equipment as well as 5 weeks worth of lecture notes handouts worksheets and information for the students. We were relieved to get all our bags through the check in. We had some breakfast with our husbands before going through to security.
Lorraine had an interesting time through security! She set the alarm off and was caught lying to the personnel! Lorraine went through and she beeped and was body searched and scanned. Then as she went to the desk he asked her did she have anything electrical and she had forgotten to declare the laptop projector. So after the bag was unpacked and scrutinised we eventually made it into the departure lounge to await our flight and the first step in our big adventure.
Departure was on time and we were at terminal 5 BA by 9.30. Our flight to Kampala was at 10.45. Fortunately the flight was not full and we had 3 seats between us which made it quite comfortable. We passed the time watching videos and eating airline meals.
Arriving in Entebbe we were met by a taxi driver sent be VSO and were taken to a small Guest house just near the VSO offices. The 20 kilometre drive from Entebbe to Kampala was our first glimpse of Uganda. There were lots of small shacks and wayside businesses and the two settlements are now joined along this stretch of road.
We arrived at the Guest house which was inside a compound with a guard on the gate. This we discovered is very typical of the security arrangements of many households. We were very grateful to find two rooms with showers after a long journey. We were also beginning to appreciate that it was going to be hot.
Wed March 2nd
We spent the day in the VSO compound getting information about security and other procedures.
Later in the afternoon we were taken to our accomodation across the city with two of the VSo staff.
We arrived at the “Brown Flats” and climbed to the 3rd floor Sam and Fred helped us with our cases. We did have sheets, a blanket, mosquito nets, pots and pans as promised. Sam showed us how to use the 2 ring gas hob.
All seemed well and so we went to our local supermarket to get provisions. It wasn't until we returned that we discovered that we had no water. We were just debating how we were going to manage without water when there was a power cut so we had to admit defeat and call for help.Because the SLTS from the programme had already phoned us to welcome us we rang one of the staff.
Marisse arrived 2 hours later and looked at the situation and agreed we couldn’t stay there. She very kindly offered to put us up for the night. We were glad of a meal, shower and a bed. We met her 2 girls, husband and 2 black Labradors much to Lorraine’s delight. Marisse offered to contact VSO in the morning detailing all the problems. As a seasoned VSO volunteer she knew how things would work.
Marisse took us into Mulago Hospital the following morning to show us round and we met Helen the SLT in charge of the BSc course. We met our 6 students and sat in on one of her lectures.
Finally speaking to VSO at the end of the day we were told that we still did not have water and so Helen kindly offered to put us up in her flat. That evening again grateful for a bed and shower we offered to take Helen out for a meal and we went to a lovely Italian restaurant and had a very nice meal.
Friday 4th
At Mulago Hospital
The hospital was built by the British and handed over when Uganda became independent in 1960s.It is very old, basic and everything has been mended over and over again. There are no facilities for cooking food for patients who are admitted so their families have to live in the grounds, cook food for them and wash their clothes.
The SLT s both Ugandan and visiting staff are working under very difficult circumstances. We had adopted a phrase “that everything works in a fashion” or actually sometimes not at all! We have had discovered that the rooms have no electricity and we have no lights in the teaching room. On Thursday all our efforts to get connections to other electrical sources failed to get us any power and we were back to talking and pen and paper.
Saturday 5th
We spent the day cleaning out the flat and making it home. The red dust of Africa gets into every corner and every surface.
Cooking is done by calor gas on two ring and we are getting quite inventive. Washing is done in buckets: that includes us and our clothes. We have to heat hot water in a large pan in place of a daily shower or bath! This is probably the same for many families around here. On the plus side we have nice neighbours a young couple and their baby son Nathanial. He is mesmerised by our white faces!
Our local supermarket is only 10 minutes’ walk away and is well stocked. The locals tell us that it is quite new but is much appreciated by us. We are getting to know the staff quite well and are making the Ugandan greeting of “ Hello how are you” a question to which no one expects an answer.
Sunday March 6th
This was wash day and the buckets are in action as well as a big plastic wash bowl donated by Marisse. Also now on loan are two fans which are such a help in the heat. The rains are late this year and the temperatures are high even for Ugandans. Lorraine has volunteered to do the wash action and she trampled the clothes with her feet and we have the photographs to prove it. They dry well in the sun and we have been told to iron everything as there is the mango fly that lays its eggs into the clothes and when you wear them can bury its way into your skin: charming!
Later we prepared for our first day for the students introducing disability and then definitions of cerebral palsy. We have brought some DVDs with us and we watched “Rainman”. Lorraine commenting that it was a bit like homework.
Monday March 7th.
The walk to work.
The sun comes up and down in Uganda in half an hour. It is like pulling back the curtains. So we set off about 8 and by the time we got there at 8.40 we sweating nicely. You have to learn to walk like the locals which is much slower otherwise you won’t survive.
March 1st
Setting off from the airport at 4pm from our houses we went in Lorraine and Derek motor home so that we could carry the luggage. We had 3 bags each with a max capacity of 23 kilos. Thanks to all the generous donations we had books, toys equipment as well as 5 weeks worth of lecture notes handouts worksheets and information for the students. We were relieved to get all our bags through the check in. We had some breakfast with our husbands before going through to security.
Lorraine had an interesting time through security! She set the alarm off and was caught lying to the personnel! Lorraine went through and she beeped and was body searched and scanned. Then as she went to the desk he asked her did she have anything electrical and she had forgotten to declare the laptop projector. So after the bag was unpacked and scrutinised we eventually made it into the departure lounge to await our flight and the first step in our big adventure.
Departure was on time and we were at terminal 5 BA by 9.30. Our flight to Kampala was at 10.45. Fortunately the flight was not full and we had 3 seats between us which made it quite comfortable. We passed the time watching videos and eating airline meals.
Arriving in Entebbe we were met by a taxi driver sent be VSO and were taken to a small Guest house just near the VSO offices. The 20 kilometre drive from Entebbe to Kampala was our first glimpse of Uganda. There were lots of small shacks and wayside businesses and the two settlements are now joined along this stretch of road.
We arrived at the Guest house which was inside a compound with a guard on the gate. This we discovered is very typical of the security arrangements of many households. We were very grateful to find two rooms with showers after a long journey. We were also beginning to appreciate that it was going to be hot.
Wed March 2nd
We spent the day in the VSO compound getting information about security and other procedures.
Later in the afternoon we were taken to our accomodation across the city with two of the VSo staff.
We arrived at the “Brown Flats” and climbed to the 3rd floor Sam and Fred helped us with our cases. We did have sheets, a blanket, mosquito nets, pots and pans as promised. Sam showed us how to use the 2 ring gas hob.
All seemed well and so we went to our local supermarket to get provisions. It wasn't until we returned that we discovered that we had no water. We were just debating how we were going to manage without water when there was a power cut so we had to admit defeat and call for help.Because the SLTS from the programme had already phoned us to welcome us we rang one of the staff.
Marisse arrived 2 hours later and looked at the situation and agreed we couldn’t stay there. She very kindly offered to put us up for the night. We were glad of a meal, shower and a bed. We met her 2 girls, husband and 2 black Labradors much to Lorraine’s delight. Marisse offered to contact VSO in the morning detailing all the problems. As a seasoned VSO volunteer she knew how things would work.
Marisse took us into Mulago Hospital the following morning to show us round and we met Helen the SLT in charge of the BSc course. We met our 6 students and sat in on one of her lectures.
Finally speaking to VSO at the end of the day we were told that we still did not have water and so Helen kindly offered to put us up in her flat. That evening again grateful for a bed and shower we offered to take Helen out for a meal and we went to a lovely Italian restaurant and had a very nice meal.
Friday 4th
At Mulago Hospital
The hospital was built by the British and handed over when Uganda became independent in 1960s.It is very old, basic and everything has been mended over and over again. There are no facilities for cooking food for patients who are admitted so their families have to live in the grounds, cook food for them and wash their clothes.
The SLT s both Ugandan and visiting staff are working under very difficult circumstances. We had adopted a phrase “that everything works in a fashion” or actually sometimes not at all! We have had discovered that the rooms have no electricity and we have no lights in the teaching room. On Thursday all our efforts to get connections to other electrical sources failed to get us any power and we were back to talking and pen and paper.
Saturday 5th
We spent the day cleaning out the flat and making it home. The red dust of Africa gets into every corner and every surface.
Cooking is done by calor gas on two ring and we are getting quite inventive. Washing is done in buckets: that includes us and our clothes. We have to heat hot water in a large pan in place of a daily shower or bath! This is probably the same for many families around here. On the plus side we have nice neighbours a young couple and their baby son Nathanial. He is mesmerised by our white faces!
Our local supermarket is only 10 minutes’ walk away and is well stocked. The locals tell us that it is quite new but is much appreciated by us. We are getting to know the staff quite well and are making the Ugandan greeting of “ Hello how are you” a question to which no one expects an answer.
Sunday March 6th
This was wash day and the buckets are in action as well as a big plastic wash bowl donated by Marisse. Also now on loan are two fans which are such a help in the heat. The rains are late this year and the temperatures are high even for Ugandans. Lorraine has volunteered to do the wash action and she trampled the clothes with her feet and we have the photographs to prove it. They dry well in the sun and we have been told to iron everything as there is the mango fly that lays its eggs into the clothes and when you wear them can bury its way into your skin: charming!
Later we prepared for our first day for the students introducing disability and then definitions of cerebral palsy. We have brought some DVDs with us and we watched “Rainman”. Lorraine commenting that it was a bit like homework.
Monday March 7th.
The walk to work.
The sun comes up and down in Uganda in half an hour. It is like pulling back the curtains. So we set off about 8 and by the time we got there at 8.40 we sweating nicely. You have to learn to walk like the locals which is much slower otherwise you won’t survive.
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