jess in africa

I am back

2007-05-14T12:50:00.000+03:00

Well I am back in a very wet England. Its great to be back even though it was so hard leaving Uganda, lots of tears but I know it was the right thing to do. Just need to work out what the right thing to do next is! Small task ahead!
I have had a great time since I have been back, I had only been back a day and my Ugandan friend Martin, who was visiting people in the UK came to stay for the weekend. So I still had a piece of Uganda with me, we had a great time together and I was sad to see him go.
Since then I have been spending lots of time with my family, seeing mates and catching up on sleep!
I went away this weekend with some really good mates in north Devon, I had such a nice time catch up with them all and got to do one of my most favourite things, surfing! I have not been in the sea for 2 years, and even though it was freezing i loved it! They all came surfing as well and they are now all hooked, which is great for me! Even though I have some sea related injuries, i have mega blisters on my hands and my left ear is completely blocked so cant hear that well! But it was so worth it!
I am off surfing again this weekend with my sisters in the same place, Croyde in north Devon. I think it one of the most beautiful places in the world! Cant wait!
So today I am off to London to have a medical and to check I have not gone mad over the last 2 years! I hope to be in London for a few days so if your in London give me a call.

Glastonbury!

2007-04-03T10:45:00.000+03:00

My parents are the best!
They have got me a ticket to Glastonbury festival this summer!
How cool!

Sexy!!

2007-04-02T10:46:00.000+03:00

Gomez's are not flattering!

Mary and me, looking lovely!

Sexy ladies-Flora, Gill, Mary and me!

Gomez's are not made to make me look attractive as the pictures show!

This is the tradation dress for women in Uganda. I went to my friends, Martina and Jasinta's Introduction on saturday which is like the traditional wedding, even though its more like the equlivent of an engagement in the uk

All my Ugandan friends were very impressed with me wearing a Gomez and commented on how smart I looked but in my eyes I thought I looked like a big glittery sack of poatoes!

It was a great day, very long, it was meant to start at 1pm, i think it started about 3.30pm so only 2 and half hours late!

Gomezs have so much material and layers, to make you look bigger ( big is beautiful here!) that I was soooo hot, a very sweaty betty!

Even though I looked huge, shinny and was very sweaty it was a great day and was so pleased I was able to attend the Introduction

Jasinta, Martin and me!

My not so exciting life!!

2007-03-25T20:13:00.000+03:00

So last week we made what was mean to be a day trip to Kampala for meetings but the truck I was driving ended up breaking down so I had to spend a night in Kampala, which was good in that I got to see friends but as I was not prepared to stay the night I ended up being quite minging by the time i eventually reached Mbale. Its the most horrible thing putting really dusty, dirty clothes that have already been worn for a day back on after a shower! You need to do the journey from Mbale to Kampala to understand how dirty you really get!

I had such a slow journey home as the truck would keep on overheating, I needed to get it back as it was not mine!! The shower I had when I got back home was one of the best I have ever had!! I felt like I needed to use bleach to get my skin free of the dust and grime I had accumulated in the last 2 days!

So the weekend was quite chilled as most of my good friends are away so I turned to the wonder of dvd's to keep me entertained. I watched far too much 24 on Saturday, so spent all Saturday and Sunday night dreaming I was a secret agent working with Jack Bower, not sure I am up for working for the US government but would be up for doing something with Jack Bower though!

As you can probably tell I am missing my friends and I can wait for them to come back in a weeks time so I will have people to talk to! Even at work I am by myself as I am trying to get all my office work done so I can spend more time at the project in my last weeks.
I did have my lovely friend Martin over last night but was more of a technical night of setting him up with blog site and a skype lesson and talking lots about his introduction that is happening on Saturday. An introduction is like the local engagement party which has more weight that the wedding really. I am so looking forward to it even though I do have to wear a gomez, the traditional dress, so next week expect to see some very funny pictures of me in a shinny dress with far to big shoulders!! You will see what I mean!!

As I type this I have just had an invite for dinner tonight, hooray!! Getting a social life back, the best type as I dont have to cook!!!

plasters

2007-03-12T11:51:00.001+03:00

I only have 7 weeks left until I leave Mbale. So things are getting quite strange here now and I guess they will be like this until I go, my main topic of conversation with people is about me leaving, ‘Why I am?’ ‘Why I can’t stay?’ and the dreaded question of ‘What I am going to do next?’ Which for most of these questions I am either bored of answering the same thing or I just quite simply don’t know the answer yet!

Don’t get me wrong am still loving it here and enjoying my time but feel I should explain how I feel about life at the moment with the use of the ‘plaster metaphor’, stick with me, it makes sense to me!!!

At the moment it feels like when you have a plaster on, you have had on for a very long time and its really stuck on and you have got quite used to it being there. It has become very comfortable but you know its time to pull it off, now what I would do if this was really just a plaster not at metaphor, is to pull it off quickly, have the pain in a short and intense way.
It feels like my life is like the plaster pulling off situation, now I have a plaster to pull off, I know its going to hurt lots (leaving that is!) and in way as much I don’t want to go yet but I wish it would just happen now like ripping that plaster off quickly but instead I have to peel it off slowly knowing that the pain is going to go on for a long time and will especially hurt at the end when it is stuck on all the hairs of you arm!!

Hope that makes sense!!!

plasters

2007-03-12T11:51:00.000+03:00

Mount elgon- we made it!

2007-03-05T12:20:00.000+03:00

We had an amazing time, the mountain was HUGE. It was a crazy amount of walking and the altitude affect kicking in so that was my excuse for being slow!!!
so here our trip in pictures

at the start, feeling great!!!

already taking a break!!

another break but look we are higher up!

in the tent, I have never been so cold at night so we took to snugging lots to keep warm!

Day 2, feeling and defiantly looking rough! nearing the peak

getting to the peak and the clouds were amazing

at the top, we left the peak and found shelter so we could have a cup of tea!

going down, they called this part the wall of death, I loved this part!!!

finishing at the lovely lodge and with a very well deserved beer!

off to the mountain we go

2007-02-12T16:14:00.000+03:00

Mum and dad have arrived well, got here on Friday and as I type should be having a relaxing day at the pool whilst I am working.

Tomorrow we head off to start the Mount Elgon climb, well we actually start walking on Wednesday morning, early i think!!

Here is a small picture of it so you can picture what it is like, just imagine me, mum, dad and my 2 mates from Kampala, Flora and Helen struggling up the mountain!!

By the way the mountain is the big thing in the background, I don't think this picture does it justice!!!!

Being in the paper

2007-01-30T15:50:00.000+03:00

I got a lovely letter from my aunt yesterday and in it had an article from the local newspaper from Dorset. The article was about me! was so strange to read it, It is a nice article and my lovely friend Andrea got it done for me, thanks very much.
it talks about the work that I am doing out here and the project but it makes it sound like I am saving Africa single handedly! I find it very strange to read myself and even quotes me, when i have never spoken to a journalist! I think they got the quote from my blog, random! Then they have said if you want any more information about what i do to check out my blog. This scared me as i normal blog about the random things in my life not really my working life. I want to say if you are checking out the blog because of the article, thanks but this is more about me than the project, if you want to know about the project then leave your email on the comment sections and i will send you my newsletter.

So update on whats going on here, I am now by myself in the compound as my neighbours have left, so its very quiet. It is also meant to be the dry/hot season at the mo which when it is dry it is very hot indeed but we keep on getting random bursts of rain when we are meant to be getting no rain at all. The season are so messed up! Global warming is to blame I say!

Dogs have gone

2007-01-26T15:21:00.000+03:00

We took our dogs to their new home today where they are becoming monks!
Brother Gin and Brother Tonic!!
They are living at a monastery where the hospital is, where Katarina used to work. It was quite a traumatic ride in the car for them, i was meant to be in the back comforting them but as you may know I am not a big fan of dogs and they kept freaking out and drooling on me so I got to drive Katarinas lush car and she managed the dogs.
I have no control over them and had to go to work afterwards, not good to turn up smelling of dogs!!

So from monday it will just be me in the compound, will be very quiet!

Am going away this weekend to sipi falls with my lovely friend Flora from Kampala to catch up and chill out which will be great.

Going to work on my CV this week as am going to start applying for jobs now. Scary!!!

I can stay!

2007-01-23T13:11:00.000+03:00

horray!! I can stay in my house, it got confirmed yesterday which is great, so no manic moving needs to happen this week.

I am so pleased as I love my little house and feel very settled here so I am well pleased that I can stay.

Hitting the ground running!!!

2007-01-15T09:27:00.000+03:00

OK, so I am back in Uganda after having a lovely Christmas and new year with the family.
the journey back to Mbale was quite eventful as the main road to Mbale has been washed away in the rain so was not passable, so the we have a slight detour on the bus. a journey that should have taken 3 and half hours took 6 and half hours, needless to say when i go back i was shattered, 30 hours of traveling in total!! So i was very pleased to get home to a shower and a bed, so my first weekend back was just spent sleeping, the journey and all the festive activities had caught up with me!!

So on my first day back to work we opened the project again with 40 new girls turning up, so last week was pretty busy and seems like its not slowing down.
I am now constantly being asked about me leaving, why do i have to go? what am i going to do next? when will i come back here next? all questions i have no answer for, feels like my time is ticking by here very quickly, am meant to start wrapping up my work in the next month or so. I only have 14 weeks left, crazy!!

Things are all changing here again friends wise, seems to be a constant theme here, one of my neighbours, Jonathan left on Saturday for good and my other one Katarina goes in two weeks, it is still uncertain what will happen to me, whether i can stay in my house, i should find out in the next week or so. I really hope i can stay as i really can be bothered to pack up all my stuff and move this late in the day.

I normally don't make new year resolutions but it seems this year i have, when i was back i was looking at some photos of myself and it made me realise how much weight i have put on since i have been here, mad really that you move to an African country and put weight on! well the main problem is the main content of the diet is carbs and everything is fried. So I am now on a serious diet, I take my salad with me for lunch, (lettuce that i have grown in my garden!) and am not eating anything Ugandan, doing my new yogalates DVD and cycling the longer, uphill route to work, so I await the results, a skinny Jess hopefully!!!

Also i think i have a Bermuda triangle following me as, i have lost my radio, there are not my hiding places in my small house. I have my suspicions that one of the night guards at the house may have taken it as i leave in my kitchen which is separate to the main house and i often leave it unlocked when i am in the main house and yesterday i have lost my bible in church, was in my bag and now its not! spooky!

in england!

2007-01-01T15:28:00.000+03:00

I came back on christmas eve as a surprise for the family which was great, the looks on their faces when I got out the car were priceless!!
I am having a lovely time, very cold though and everytime I seem to go out for a walk the rain
and wind does its bussiness! We nearly got blown off the cliff yesterday!
I am loving the countryside and the costal walks and just hanging out and doing some normal things. But I am looking forward to getting back and getting stuck into work again, only 4 months left and then who knows!!
I hope everyone has had a great chirstmas and a quality new year

not enough hours!!

2006-12-07T19:38:00.000+03:00

busy, manic, and crazy sum up how i feel now, i have such a massive list of things and not enough hours in the day with power and access to a computer!!!! arrrrh!
any way good things are happening, the girls finish the course tomorrow so we are having a graduating cermony, expecting about 300 people, will be a mad day and i am hoping i dont get too emotional, I will always have my sunglasses to hide behind!!!

Race pictures

2006-11-22T20:51:00.000+03:00

Before the race, limbering up!!

After the race with my running partner Aurda, wearing our MTN visors! Don't they look good on us!?!!

running the race!

2006-11-22T15:41:00.000+03:00

I managed to do the run on Sunday, only made the decision on Saturday morning when I tested to see if my trainer would fit on my foot. Most of the swelling had gone down so I strapped it up well and ran.
The race was great, very weird really running a organised race in Africa. It was such a tough race as most of it was on a gradual hill which took its toll after a while and then the hot sun came out at 8am so the last 45 mins of the race where hot.
My aim was the finish the race which I did and only walked for about 3 mins throughout the race, normally at the top of the hills! I completed it in 1 hour 24 min, not record beating, well maybe one of the slowest times but I did it and enjoyed it which is the main thing. Afterward we watched the marathon winner cross the line. After he pasted the crowd got excited and came on the the road and true Ugandan style the police went at them all the batons and sticks, smacking them over the head! Nice!

My foot is doing well now, back to normal size, no pain just a good scab to pick at!!
This week has not gone that well as my laptop screen has broken so it needs to go back to the UK to get fixed, it doesn't look like I will get it back until after Christmas which is so frustrating as I have big deadlines before Christmas. So I am now relying on the desk top at the office which is dependent on power, not great here! So I am making my new home at the internet cafe! Oh well!!

Going to try some yoga tonight with a friend, not sure I will be able to move tomorrow!!

manky foot

2006-11-16T15:03:00.000+03:00

I currently have a very manky foot due to an ant!

I was in a forest here with my friend Andrea who was visiting, trying to find monkeys, we didnt do to well by ourselves and a local guy helped us and took us to the right spot to find them. When we founf the monkeys they were great but we treaked through a very dense forest. I was not expecting to do this so had my open toe shoes on. As our guide was chatting away I start to feel lots of things crawling up my legs. I am covered with safari ants which are massive and flesh eatting!! Not nice

So after some panic and pain we get them all off. Two days later the bites have all gone down apart from one which over the weekend managed to get bigger and more painful and make me feel quite ill. I have started antibotics at the beginning of the week and they taking affect. But it is still quite painful and is making me walk very slowly so i have been unable to run this week and even wear my normal sandels, i am being very culturally inappropriate and wearing my flipflops which are the equivalente of slippers in england!

my next door neighbour is a doctor, so she pierced it last night but not much puss came out then, but have had a steady flow today and it is feeling some what better.
the main problem is that i am meant to be running the kampala 10 km race on sunday, i am still hoping that it will heal up quickly and i can do it or i may do it anyway! and just have to suffer afterwards!
I would love to put up a picture but i feel that may be too gross!!!

kampala

2006-10-31T12:05:00.000+03:00

I arrived in Kampala well, had a fun weekend. Did the whole wedding dressing thing and we found a few dresses that werent a lasy and fluff overload!
I am here until tomorrow as am having a lovely friend come to visit from the UK, so I have luxury of staying with my great Kampala friend flora until then and working in her nice office which has wireless internet and playing tennis after work!! I feel very posh!! Soon though I am back to Mbale to the normal life again! Until then I shall make the most of Kampala life!!

wedding dresses

2006-10-25T09:56:00.000+03:00

So the last few weeks have been good and bad, there have been quite a few problems with our girls which have upset me but things are getting better now. Just makes me question a lot of things, the main question I am trying to answer now is what should I do next when I finish here? Am trying to be chilled out about it, stressing will not help. I am going to apply for lots of different things and see what they will let me do!
so this weekend I am off to Kampala with a group of friends. My two friends that live in the next door are getting married next summer so we are going to look at some wedding dresses so she can get some ideas. We are hoping to find some nice ones but most of the wedding dresses here are just full of lace and puffy sleeves, I think it will be a laugh!

independance day

2006-10-09T18:27:00.000+03:00

Today has been a public holiday to celebrate Ugandas independence from the British. I appreciated this day off very much.
Has been a nice pottering type day and we have kind of had power when we shouldn't have, except that we have some big problems on our line so the power just keep flicking on and off for most of the day. Feels like your in a disco, but not too great for the light bulbs and electrical appliances. It has now stabilized for a while, lets hope it stays that way.
Mouse update- I have put a trap down and since I have done that the mouse has made no appearance not even to steal the soap. May be the soap it stole last week has killed it!

running and rats!

2006-10-02T11:01:00.000+03:00

So what's been happening

The mole has gone from the land, left of his own accord which was nice
I have a mouse or rat living in my kitchen, I am not happy about this, he has nibbled his way through a banana and my bar of soap, and to top it all my bar of soap is missing and the only suspect is the mouse/rat!! I am trying to work out a way getting rid of it which isn't too cruel!
We nearly have a completed training room and goat house at the project, very exciting!
I am training for the Kampala 10 km run which is in mid November which now seems very near!

lions and trees

2006-09-08T10:07:00.000+03:00

It has been a busy last few weeks

My auntie lis came for visit, we went to the massi mara for a safari which she was here, it was great, here are some of the animals we saw

Now Hannah and Jake have come which is great, am having a lovely time with them, we are going white water rafting on Monday, Jakes already going pale at the thought of it!! Its going to be great!

Project is going well, the new training room is being built and we have started building the goats house.

The other day across from my house, I saw a man up a tree cutting down the branches which landed on the electric lines! Don't think it would pass health and safety in the UK some how!!!

Green fingers

2006-07-26T16:58:00.000+03:00

This is my little garden, I planted the seeds myself, I will transfer them to the main garden when they are strong enough. We have 3 different types of lettuce, tomato, broccoli, butternut squash and more that I cant remember and the writing on the useful signs that I have made have been washed away!

Moles and plants

2006-07-18T15:46:00.000+03:00

I spent the weekend pottering, not really doing much, still resting. The main thing that I did was plant my seeds in a large pot. I am now watering them lots and willing them to grow strong so I can replant them in the garden.

The latest on the mole on our project land, is that he is still there, eating out bushes! I have had a few suggestions on how to get rid of him so I hope to try them out by the end of the week and then the mole can peacefully leave our land! If he does not leave peacfully I am willing to use any force necessary !!!!

poorly

2006-07-14T15:22:00.000+03:00

I have had a very quiet week as last saturday night i was struck by illness. I thought i might have died!! I spent most of the night on the toliet with a big bucket as i did not know which end it was coming out of next! sorry probably too much detail!
I have recovered slowly this week, i tried to go back to work on tuesday but spent most of it in the office feeling even worse so was forced to take wednesday off as well.
Was back to work on Thursday as I was taking our project caretaker, James to learn how to take care of goats well, as we are now getting 3 goats for the project. so we learnt how to make the best house, how to feed them well, cut the nails and even taking their temperature. i will leave that up to you imgaination how we took that!!!
so its all go with the goats, will put up pictures of our goats when we get them
Looking forward to just resting lots this weekend

buses and moles

2006-06-30T10:35:00.000+03:00

What a random morning, as I was cycling to the office I went pass a london transport single decker bus on the side of the road. It was quite a new one like the 72 bus that runs in Roehampton.Quite similar to the one above. How on earth did that get here and why? This place is so random.

I have discovered this week that we have a mole or a ground rat as they are known here, digging its way across our project land, our caretaker is devising a way of getting rid of it! It sounds quite a painful way for the mole but has to be done as he is eating our bushes! Sorry Mr mole!

the last month

2006-06-20T11:03:00.000+03:00

Since I have come back it has just been soooo busy, but it has been so good.
I will give you a brief summary of what has happened

I have been working flat out since I have come back as I have now started the programme in the IDP camps i dont get many weekends off now. The programme in the camp is going well, lots of challenges!!

About 2 weeks ago we had a public hoilday on a Friday so I went away to a place near by called sipi falls with a group of mates. It was so nice to get away, relax, do nothing for a while, take in the amazing views and enjoy the good walks. Heres me and a waterfall!

Then we had a team here from the UK, they came down to the project and worked with our girls. They were a performing arts team so they taught a dance to the girls. We had a community open day where about 200 people came from the local area including the girls family. I felt like such a proud parent, the girls performed some songs we had prepared and there dance and then they each introduced themsleves and said what they have learnt since the have been at the project. Lots of tear jerking moments!!!

Here is a picture of my new house! Am loving my new pad.

i am back to my ugandan home

2006-05-19T17:30:00.000+03:00

My visit to the uk just flew by, it went so quickly. It was so great to see everyone and catch up and do lots of fun things. I am now a snowboarder! I had one lesson and practised once when Iwas home but I loved doing it even though I was very bad at it. I spent more time on bum than standing up and looking cool!
Thankyou to everyone who looked after me so well when I was back home, it was so great to see you all.

I am now back at my african home, it is nice to be back, feels as if I have not been away. I was busy straight away with the project and moving house. While I was back in the uk I decided to move into my own place in my friends compound. Her house is next door to mine so I still have company but just have my own space which is great.
I have not done so well with the unpacking though as since I have moved in we have had no power at all and there is only so much you can do by candles and torches. The power situation here has not improved since I have been away, if anything got alot worse.
I am off to start my work in the IDP camps tomorrow, I am looking forward to it but it is going to be a long day so best go and get an early night!

coming home!!

2006-04-06T15:40:00.000+03:00

i am coming home!!! i land in the uk on sunday morning, i am getting very excited although i think i might collapse in a heap when i get to heathrow as this week has been so manic, trying to get everything sorted and not having a great deal of sleep. Even so I can wait to see everyone and have a nice cold pint!!!

Things i miss

2006-03-13T21:04:00.000+03:00

Things are going on along here well, project is good, I feel like I am aging rapidly at the moment. I just ache all over after everyday at work!
I am now getting very excited about coming home, I am looking forward to being cold, drinking a nice cold glass of milk that does not taste minging, sleeping on a mattress that does not mould to your body shape! And having a big duvet wrapped around me!
strange the things you miss!

still here, celebrating being a woman!

2006-03-08T17:59:00.000+03:00

I am all safe and well here as you may have guessed, we were not whisked off to Kenya as the elections where peaceful and no major trouble. Had a very busy last two weeks at work, it has been so good at the project, the girls are really enjoying it and learning so quickly and our new programme co ordinator is doing really well, she does most of the teaching now. Just long but good days!
This is the girls doing one of the team building sessions, they did so well, they managed to get their team through the electric (wasn't really electric!) wire by using team work and communication, good hey!
We are now in the season of public holidays as there are still local elections happening, they have declared two days off for that this week for that but we worked one and may work on Friday as well but today was off as it was women's day here! So the theme of the day so hooray for women, we are great!! So you can celebrate as well!!

So far so good

2006-02-24T18:49:00.000+03:00

It is all going well with the election so far, the results are coming in slowly but the test will be when they announce the final results which probably wont be until tomorrow.
I have had a walk around the garden today, pick some leaves to do leaf printing with as examples for the art and craft I will be doing with the girls and we have been watching far too much 24, we are getting quite paranoid about everything, we cant even trust our dogs now, we can trust no one!!! The lads really think they are undercover agents!!
I have discovered I am not very good at being in a confined space for any amount of time, just want to get out of the house soon!!

we are on lock down!

2006-02-23T11:37:00.000+03:00

Today is election day so for the next few days I am shut in the house as it may get a bit dodgy out and about. It is only 11.30am and I am bored, I would normally be very grateful for an extra day off as the last few weeks have been so busy but because as I have not chosen to take time off, I am reacting badly to it! I want to go out!!

one of the other fun things that has been going on for the last few weeks is we have 24 hours of power on and the next 24 hours of power off, which makes doing work very hard. The power has just come back so we are all manically typing on our laptops now!! Well the lads I live with are glued to the laptop watching 24. Robbie brought it back from the UK and we have gone a head of them, so because we did not wait for them we are being punished and have to wait for them to catch up with us, a whole 4 hours so we can all carry on together!

one thing I must do today is back my evacuation bag, we have to just in case things get bad here, we are thinking/hoping thing wont go bad and that it is a peaceful election and we don't have to run to Kenya!

all fun stuff! But the most amazing thing about this week is that I have managed to stay on my bike, I haven't fallen off at all!!! Big achievement!

Bikes are dangerous

2006-02-18T18:06:00.000+03:00

This week has been fantastic, I have had a great week at the project with the girls but I have had two problems or may be better described as accidents. The first one was on Monday I was about half was to the project and at this point I have to go up on to the railway line, I have to get off and push the bike up there as it is too steep to ride up. As I swing my leg over to get off the bike it gets caught on the saddle and I spectularly fall flat on my arse and the bike land on top of me. To make things worse the time I cycle it is 'rush hour' Ugandan style, in that all the kids are going to school so I soon had a massive group of kids just standing and staring, amazed that a white person can fall off their bike. They have this mad idea here that we never have problems at all, let lone embarrassing accidents!
that was number one, the second accident was slightly more serious and definalty more dramatic. As I cycle to the project, I have to cycle long the edge of a railway line, this is a very narrow path, under a meter wide and bikes go both directions on this, here is a picture of the cycle path by the railway line, to help you imagine it!

I was cycling along it near the edge, before I knew it, I had crashed handle bars with the guy cycling in the oppitsite direction and flew off my bike, off the railway track on to the mud below it, losing my shoes in the process. I actually really hurt myself, I had to try so hard to to cry as the crowd of people gathered to tell me it is too dangerous for me to cycle here. All I wanted to do was to find my shoes and hide some where! I managed to find my shoes, get back on my bike after fixing it and cycled off, trying to look cool but actually thinking I hurt all over. I manage to bash my elbow, got more bruises my legs to add to the massive one I gained from Mondays accident and am currently very stiff all over. My neck especially, I cant quite get it all the way around at the moment as my muscles hurt too much! But I am fine, and very lucky or protected by God as when I walked back that day along the track where I fell off, there was as massive tree stump and loads of broken glass I managed to miss, thanks God!
I think the answer is I need stabilisers!!

the last month and all the exciting things

2006-02-16T14:38:00.000+03:00

I am sorry it been so long since I blogged, the last month has been CRAZY!!! Good crazy though, many exciting things have happened, I will briefly take you through them.
At the end of Jan mum and dad came for 12 days which was great, we had a really busy time. They got to see and do lots in Mbale and with the project and then we had a good time on safari and saw lots of animals, especially loads of hippos which I think are very cool creatures.

The next very exciting thing is that we actually started the project!!! We had our open day when mum and dad were here. We invited all the identified girls and their families and key people in the local commmuniy. It was held on the land , under the tree! We had speeches from all the key people and them served everyone lunch and a soda. Then all the grown ups left and we did our first session with the girls which was great.

I did one more session with the girls and then I was away with mum and dad on safari, so when I got back I noticed a huge difference in the girls and have just done a full week with them now which has been such fun. They are responding really well to the programme. They are defiantly the right girls as they all come from such troubled back grounds, most can not read and write and some can not speak English and have very basic knowledge of the local language.
I am now very inspired to try loads harder with my luganda and become fluent, very soon!!! I am getting very good at the international sign language in the mean time though!!!

HARDCORE!!!!

2006-01-18T19:42:00.000+03:00

just a very quick post to show you that i am HARDCORE!!!
we got the rafting pictures yesterday, if you look closly we will see me at the front of the boat on the left hand side with the red helment on.
this was the moment when the intructor took the waterfall rapid very wrong in that we went down it backwards, i think you can see the fear and excitment on my face just before we fall out of the raft and flip over, it was so cool!!! loved it too much i think!!

rallies and wind!

2006-01-16T17:47:00.000+03:00

Currently as I type, Besiyge the main opposition to the present government in the up coming elections is holding a very large rally in town, I got caught up in him arriving yesterday on my way out of town, they were welcoming him in. Boy did he get a welcome! It is amazing how many people gather so quickly here and get so excited. I am sure the labour conference crowd is not this loud and excitable. All interseting stuff, am looking forward to see how the elections turn out, they are at the end of feb so we have more build up and rallies until then!

In the mean time at the house I have a serious problem with our cat gizmo as he has the worst wind ever, he is silent but yet extremely deadly. It is so bad you have to move into another room when he drops one!!! Suggestions welcome on how to stop the cats bad wind! at least for once its not me!!!

new year and zanaibar

2006-01-10T16:02:00.000+03:00

After Christmas myself and Claire had quite a manic week looking after goats on my friends farm while there were away, we didn't do a great job as one died but Claire did a great post mortem, smelt bad though!!
we then headed down to jinja to go white water rafting on new years eve day. It was sooooo cool, I loved it so much and want to do it all the time now. We were doing grade 5 rapids which are the most you are allowed to do in a raft. They were big, I don't have any photos as the camera would have got slightly wet but will have a DVD coming shortly so when I come back to England I can bore you all with how cool rafting is and how hard core I am!!!!
myself and Claire then headed to Tanzania, well Zanzibar to be exact, for those that don't know it is a very beautiful island off the coast of Dar es Salem, we had a mammoth 36 hour journey just to get to Dar and then next day went across the island on the boat, a very bumpy ride.
the reason we went was because Claire knew someone there who ran a posh hotel where are could stay for free, so off we went.
we had a great time, the lady we stayed with was quite mad, possible unstable, lots of comedy moments!
have put some photos up to make you very envious!!
I came back to Uganda on Sunday and Claire headed back to Kenya before she goes back to cold England!! It was so great to have Claire here for Christmas and New Year, so I am now back to work and trying to get through all the chocolate I have been sent for Christmas, thankyou everyone!!!

Christmas day

2005-12-30T09:51:00.000+03:00

This is our christmas breakfast at the house

Then we went on the church were the sunday school performed an amazing nativity helped by the GAT team, they are being sheep and a shepard going to see Jesus!

Then it was off to the resort hotel for lunch, just before this though I had a phone call from home to say that Nat, my sister has got engaged to Mike, great news! So we went to the hotel for lunch, there was about 20 of us and had a swim.

This is me, in my african outfit and claire.
It was a very different day but i really enjoyed it and even felt abit christmassy!

christmas eve

2005-12-30T09:30:00.000+03:00

This was the party I went to on christmas eve in a village near where I live. It was at Grace and Vincents, they decided they were going to try and feed as many people in their village as possible, they fed over 100 people that afternoon. Very cool!!

Grace and Vincent (amazing people)

Christmas and all that

2005-12-19T23:06:00.000+03:00

It has been along time, it you want the finer details of my life then I think most people that read this should have got my newsletter, it is long but bear with it and you might find something interesting in it.
this is me by our Christmas tree in the house, I am finding it very hard to feel Christmassy when it is so hot, even all the carol singing isn't doing it, I guess it doesn't help that all the carols are about winter cold things and I am melting due to extreme heat! Thinking about it though the very first Christmas must have been in the blazing heat, I think it is hot in Bethlehem! (please correct me if I am wrong!) the thought that it is was hot when Jesus turned up on earth makes being here seem abit more christmassy and the real thing not the commercial one!
lots has happen since I last blogged so will do a very brief run down
- I had a good time in Kampala, loved Harry potter and still would like to be a witch not quiet sure how that would go down at church though!!
- went to an IDP (internally displaced persons) camp and am planning to help organise some work in this camp monthly
- project going well, should be started by middle of Jan, interviewed for the programme co ordinator post yesterday, had some good interviews with people, working out today who we will short list for the next interview, good stuff
- going to lots of parties obviously related to Christmas, went to a great party by a lovely couple from India, so the real Indian food, and am now suffering with very bad wind!!
-I think I may have a wart on my thumb, nice!!
-best news is a very good friend of mine is coming here for Christmas and new year and we are going on holiday afterwards, more about that another time. I am looking forward to Clare coming on Friday, hooray
-in just over a months time my mum and dad will be here!! Am very excited!!!
well I best get one with some work, will update soon on how my Christmas feeling is going!

chaos theory!

2005-12-05T16:11:00.000+03:00

I left Mbale at 6am this morning on the very speedy bus and arrived in the smog that is Kampala. I am down here for meetings which so far have gone very well and the most exciting thing is that I am going to see Harry Potter tonight at the cinema!! What a treat!
this picture sums up what Kampala is like, this is the bus park where I came into, chaotic, busy and full to the brim, but one kind of exciting thing has just happened in all this chaos, we have had an earthquake here!! It cant of been a big one at all as me and my friend didn't even notice, we just thought loads of workers where being let home early, random hey! No damage to the city but a little bit more drama, the way I like it!

i feel wide awake!

2005-12-02T08:59:00.000+03:00

after about 3 hours sleep, i feel great!! i have that husty voice thing going on and just quite a rough look about me, have got loads of work to do so just have to plod on!
i had an interesting but quite stupid conversation last night while i was out, the question was, do you think a chicken and a duck could reproduce? would it be able to swim? would it cheep or quack or somewhere inbetween, we decided that if it was possible then it should be called a chuk! would be interesting to see what it would look like? anyone good at drawing then send me a picture! i think the lack of sleep is going to my head!

It 3.42 am and I am wide awake!!

2005-12-02T03:36:00.000+03:00

Hello everyone, well as you may see by the title I am wide awake and it is very early in the morning, not what I really want to be doing. We went out for a leaving dinner for some Canadian girls last night, this restaurant does very good coffee and I stupidly drunk 2 and bit cups last night thinking I don't ever have trouble sleeping!!! I stupid I was, I am now wide awake and about a million thoughts going around my head and everyone else is sound asleep in the house. Good job I have a blog hey!
am not sure what to do not sure what to do now, need to think of ways of making myself very sleepy, might read a work related book, I have written a big list with the aim of trying to clear my head which has helped, might walk lots round the living area to tire myself out, might be abit too noisy, what else can I do? umm, maybe thinking of ideas might make me sleepy! I don't think I am at my most decisive in the middle of the night!!
any way sweet dreams to all, maybe I can count sheep or chickens to be more African!!!
good night!

colds, sunsets and buster

2005-11-29T18:48:00.000+03:00

I thought I should put a few more pictures up, I have got another bad cold again which just seems so strange that I keep on getting cold in such a hot country, which at the moment is getting even hotter every day, we are now entering into the dry season which is living up to it name currently with only about 15 mins of rain in the last week. So I thought you would all like to experience my cold with me and see how I am getting through the loo roll very quickly!!
the next photo is of a beautiful sunset that we had here tonight, thought you might like it!
lastly here a picture of our new puppy, I cant remember if I posted that about a month ago one of our dogs, buster, a German shepherd died very suddenly of tick fever which was not very nice, so Robbie has got another dog to replace him and has very originally called this one buster as well, slightly weird I think, but he is a very cute dog, I think you will all agree.
well the power has just gone off, so am cooking dinner by candle light, who know what I may create!

riots and fun stuff like that

2005-11-17T18:09:00.000+03:00

well you may or may not have heard but things are kicking off here in the country, mainly in the captial, kampala. They have arrested Besigye, who is the potential oppostion leader who could threaten Museveni, the prime minster. They have arrested him on old charges of treason and rape, so they have been loads of riots in the centre of town, things have calmed down today, but i think he is meant to be in court at the moment, to find out if he will be let out on bail which will determine what happens in relation to riots and things kicking off around the country.
But dont worry i am safe and well.

safely back in Mbale

2005-11-17T18:07:00.000+03:00

After all the drama of Friday, I headed back home which I was looking forward to getting to as I had been way so long, things are really moving forward with the project now, we have put the advert out for the teachers post and we will be interviewing for it at the beginning of December, we are just waiting for the green light to start building now, which we are praying will come soon, so I am trying to sort out the final bits and pieces and need to start writing the carers training programme, but I need to do lots of networking next week, as we want other services in the area to play more of a role in this part of the course. Exciting stuff!

Training and excitment!

2005-11-17T17:57:00.000+03:00

I went to kampala after my relaxing weekend at hairy lemon to go for a course on how to do children’s work, it was really good, most people on the course were Ugandans so it was great to get an insight into how they see youth work, discipline seemed to be the key word they used! Lets put it this way, I really enjoyed myself but my patience defiantly grew that week!
An exciting but kind of scary thing happened on my last day of the course, I was travelling into town and got off near the centre where I changed transport, as I did this I thought oh something’s going on here, one of the main streets was deserted and a police truck came whizzing past me and one of the police officers had a gas mask on which not know what was going on, I found very amusing, thinking this is a completely random country! But it all becomes clear as I jump on the back of the motorbike that took me to my course, we went passed the university and there were loads of armed police and debris on the road, just as we have gone passed that we got diverted to another road, as we turn I see why, there are loads of people running towards us and covering their faces, the bodha man tells me it is tear gas. When I get to my course, I discussed the event with two guys from my course and they tell me that the students are rioting and they usually do this at least once a year, but they have genuine reason as their fees have nearly tripled in price but they lose a lot of their credibility as they get really violent and looted shops, burned cars, so not a good situation, as they explain this to me we hear gun shots in the distant. One person got killed that day.

Hairy Lemon

2005-11-17T17:17:00.000+03:00

I am sorry that I have not blogged for ages but I have been away lots and the internet has been really bad but I am going to try to make up for it now. Two weekends ago I went to Hairy lemon which was the most beautiful and chilled out place. I went there with a great group of friend and had a very chilled weekend, ate good food, had loads of time to basically do nothing but read, chat and swim which was just what was needed.
I hope you like this lovely picture of me on the island!!

busy old week

2005-10-28T17:02:00.000+03:00

Sorry, it has been along time, well on Sunday we celebrated our pastors 10th anniversary at the church which is quite an achievement here so we had a 4 hour service in stead of 3! We had a really nice do in the evening until it rained and everyone had to run for cover in the house, it was still very nice, very cosey. He is such a quality man and he really has caught the vision of the project.

I had to have Monday off work as it was a bank holiday as on ex-president died and was being buried that day, but he had been in exile for 20 years so mixed feeling sabout him coming back. Things are heating up here politically as well as we have elections next March and the current president Museveni has been in power as long as he can but has got the rule changed so he can stand again. It was though it would be a dead cert that he would stay in power, but an opponent of his who has been in exile has come back to Uganda and is going to challenge him. So could be some interesting stuff kicking off in the next 6 months.

things are really beginning to happen with the project, the bushes and trees are growing nicely and we are looking to get the first training room built by Dec so we can start in Jan, yeah!! I cant wait, get very excited about it all really starting.

I haven't forgotten about the photos, I realize there is a lack of them but still haven't worked out how to transfer them from my new camera, will keep on trying, and in the mean time you have frodo to remind you all of me!!!

Do I look like frodo?

2005-10-21T16:13:00.000+03:00

I went out for dinner last night with friends, I was having a lovely evening, lots of laughs and fun.
my friend Pete was sitting at the other end of the table and at a very quiet moment told me 'jess you really look like frodo baggins sister', now I think he meant this as a complement, (he is from Belgium and they have very strange sense of humour) but do I look like a hobbit? I am now having to try and hide my big hairy feet and wear my hair down all the time hide my big pointy ears!

More excitement!

2005-10-18T14:26:00.000+03:00

The last week was just manic and as a result a spent the weekend in bed being ill, but am fully recovered now and am fighting fit apart for a very over active snot gland!!!
We had Ben who is from Oasis UK office here visiting Mbale from Thursday till Saturday, it was really great to see him and he brought chocolate and masrhmellows so will always be a friend of mine now!
Robbie is back from England and has brought Andy who will be here for a year, it is so good to have the house full again and he also brought a bag of stuff from my parents, lots of exciting stuff and a digital camera that I bought, which is really good, it has lots of buttons that I am not sure what to do with yet! So expect lots more photos soon and I promise some more of me, just need to get it set up this afternoon.

ground force here i come!!

2005-10-10T10:58:00.000+03:00

The GAD team have been packed up and I brought them back to Mbale on Friday, they seem a really nice team, very keen to get stuck in which is great.
As soon as I got back I headed off to pick up 1000 bushes and about 70 trees that we were going to plant on our land the next day.
It was a very early start on Saturday, we left the house at 6.20 am and drove to musoto which is completely off road and over a very built up railway track at one point which was slightly scary. As you drive over you have to go at it at very sharp angles and I only just missed someone's mudhut!!
we had such an amazing day, the church turned up in force to help plant and the local kids gathered and became my little helpers which was so cute! See the picture above
I had some training on the art of planting bushes before so I tried to direct the work which at time was quite challenging as people were so keen they wanted to plant before the ground was ready and even after myself and Dave telling them to stop and Pastor Nelson in the local language they still carried on planting!!!! It was good that they were so eager though and they stopped in the end!
we got everything planted and watered by 2pm that day which was great and just as we finished it rained which I think was a sign from God that he was pleased! Just need more rain now!
we are off to Kampala again today as we have meetings that we need to be at and we will be coming back up to Mbale with Ben, who organizes all of our placements from the UK end, he will be up here until Saturday which will be good.
So am heading off to the big city, looking forward to meetings and hoping to get some good pizza while I am there!!!!

A successful training day

2005-10-05T10:03:00.000+03:00

It started off very slow yesterday, everyone working by African time and turning up about an hour later than when it was going to start! In the end we had 40 people which was great, the training was brilliant, the doctors and nurses did a very good job and communicated really well. It was really encouraging for us how knowledgeable people are already about medical issues and how willing they were to learn. People were so honest and open, talking very frankly about personal issues such as HIV/AIDS and how it has affected them.
We have had such a good response with the volunteers forms as well, people seem very willing to give their time and skills which is great!
I am off to Kampala this morning, I am traveling down with the doc team and then going to meet our new Mbale GAT team which will be very exciting. Tomorrow I tell them about Mbale and what their programme will be and then travel back up with them on Friday. All exciting stuff!

chocolate and insects!

2005-10-03T16:13:00.000+03:00

Well at the moment I am currently munching on a dairy milk bar which a lovely friend has sent over to me, it tastes soooo good!!
Last week was quite manic, trying to get the health section of the course finished and checked over, it also involved a lot of bug fighting as I was invaded throughout the week a very large family of ants decided they wanted to live in my bedroom, they are now all dead outside my bedroom window thanks to doom! The strongest bug spray in the world, then I ended up with a lizard in my sink, it could not get out and would not let me help it so the only thing for it was the cat, gizzy grabbed it very well and took it outside but the unfortunate part of the tail(!) was it did leave its tail behind in the sink still moving about!!! yuk! The final stay was that the cockroaches came out to play this week, they are very big and quite ugly, I know they are meant to be the creatures that survive an atomic bomb but my good old faithful doom is getting rid of them! I guess I should worry what is in doom really! All fun stuff though!
this week is going to be a busy one as we have a meeting tonight with a team of docs and nurses that have come over from the UK, to plan the training session they are doing for us tomorrow, the morning session will people for people who could be potential volunteers for the project and the afternoon will be for the potential families we will be working with in the future.
I gave a talking in church yesterday about how people could volunteer for the project and the role they can have, so I guess we will see how effective my speech was by how many people are there tomorrow! I hope it is not just me and Dave!

The land

2005-09-26T09:07:00.000+03:00

Well it was a great day yesterday, we had a shorter than normal service in church (that's not the great bit!!) and then everyone walked down to our land and we had a service on it. We explained to people what the project was about and how they can be involved, we hope that a lot of the church will volunteer in many ways. It was so encouraging to see everyone there on our newly cleared land praying for the project and getting excited about it. It was possibly one of the hottest days here I have experienced so was thoroughly worn out afterwards and needed to drink buckets of water to feel a bit more human again.
It is amazing though everything I go down to the land it just seems to get bigger and bigger each time. The volunteers from the church did such a good job of clearing it so it is weed free and nearly flat, I am going to try to find out this week what trees and grass we can plant on it, very exciting!!!

If u don't like blood look away

2005-09-23T12:35:00.000+03:00

I had a very exciting morning on Tuesday, I assisted our local vet with the operation on my friend breignas cat, phoebe. They don't want hundreds of kittens all over the place so the solution is for her to have the snip. It was so interesting, a bit gory at times. The most random thing about it was that we were doing the operation at my house and outside on the front porch!! Would never happen in England. It was a great experience and have put the picture up here just to prove I helped, see the very white arm in it, that's me! By the way phoebe is making a full recover and should be having no more kittens

worms and lugandan

2005-09-21T17:58:00.000+03:00

Well I have de-wormed myself today, I am not saying I have worms but they are so common here that it has been suggested that you should do it every 3 months and as I have nearly been here that long I thought I should, and was also having some strange feeling in the tummy, think it could be in my head though! Or if it isn't it should be dead now!!
I have had a great lugandan lesson today and have been tested on everything I know and did quite well, I am top of the class! We have now moved on the counting which was great fun, we keep trying to get Vincent our teacher to be testing us, as we learn better we have found if there is a competition in it, there are only three of us in the lessons but it can get very competitive and personal!
I had an exciting day yesterday but I will tell you about that tomorrow when I have the photo to show what I did, so keep checking!

The rainy season

2005-09-14T13:49:00.000+03:00

At the moment here people are debating if we have entered into the rainy season or not. I have definite proof that it is the rain season.
last week I am about to leave the house to go and play squash, the friend I am meeting texts me and says its raining where I am heading too, ok I think will take the mac even though the sky is clear here. By the time I had cycled all of two minutes the heavens had opened and soaked me right though to my pants!! I thought there is not point going back as I am wet as I can possibly get so carried on, visibility became so poor that I could only see 50 meters a head of me and was cycling in at least 3cm of water, which made it very difficult to see where the potholes where. I also had the heaviest pineapple in the world in my bag (my offering for dinner) which slowed me down even more. By memory I managed to avoid the deadly potholes and made it to the sports centre to be met by a very dry friend! The storm carried on for the next hour and a half so we had no option but to play squash, even if I had to play in wet clothes and bare feet because my trainers soaked up most of the rain that fell! It was all a fun and very wet experience, I was very pleased to get back to my friends who cooked me dinner and gave me some very dry clothes. This is my argument that we have defiantly entered the rainy season and may it finish quickly!!!

Bob has changed!!

2005-09-02T15:46:00.000+03:00

This last week has been so good, work is still going well, it has been a week of fun times, I have realized that I have some really good friends here that I have such a good laugh with. It is very strange in away as people come and go very regularly, mirella who I have lived with since I got here is going back to Holland next week which will be sad so I have helped organize a surprise party for her tonight which should be such good fun. Also the guy Robbie who I live with has gone back to England for 6 weeks so from next week I will be on my own, which now doesn't really bother me because everyone is so good at coming around here or inviting me round to theirs. My technique will be to try to get as many dinner invites as possible!!
Just in case you were wondering my bike is still going very well, it goes very fast indeed and I even tried to be a bodha man last night by giving one of my friends a lift home on the back of my bike, I only managed it when it was down hill! I was quite dangerous though I didn't have a great deal of control and it was pitch black so couldn't see the potholes! People could hear us coming though so they could get out of the way!! The main thing was we made it home in one piece.
also thought I should inform the latest up date that I have heard about bob the chicken, the want-a-be church goer, he layed an egg in church that Sunday and from now on should be known as Bobbie!!

I have my very own bike!!

2005-08-24T10:08:00.000+03:00

Just a quick one to say I am now a proud owner of my own bicycle, which makes getting about so much easier, the other bike our house had got taken back about a week ago so I have been slowly walking places or on the back of the bodhas, bicycle taxis, which is great but now I can go where I want and when I want for free! Bargain!
my bike is red and very shiny, I am sure it will get very dusty soon as everything does here!
it has bonus features of a red waterbottle and holder, a bike stand and a bell that rings constantly when ever I am moving, so everyone knows I am coming!
so now I am getting every where at great speed!!

The church and the chicken

2005-08-22T21:02:00.000+03:00

well we had an eventful church service on Sunday, a chicken was determined to stay in the service. At the beginning the chicken, lets call him bob, ran through the church, coming in from the side, trying not to get noticed, he was very quickly scared out of the building, only to return at again at the window, (the window has no glass just bars on it) firmly pushing his head through the bars and squarking loudly. Bob got push back out of the church again, he left it a little while for his final attempt to infiltrate the church. He entered the church from the back while it the pastor was introducing the guest speaker, as he entered he made very loud chicken noises and he ran through the congregation around the church and then up to the front of the church around the pastor and then was caught and has never been seen again, I am not sure of bobs fate, he may have become someone's Sunday lunch!!!
I have put a picture of my church up so that you can picture this event better and also have put up a pic of the pick up truck I now drive, I have not run anyone over yet or got stuck in any pot holes! Success all round !

kenya, driving and lack of sleep!

2005-08-19T17:30:00.000+03:00

I went to Kenya last Friday till this Tuesday to see a group of guys from my church in Roehampton. It was so good to see them all, I had a really relaxing weekend, getting there and back was quite knackering, I thought it would take 5 hours it actually took me 9 hours squashed in very small mautatus (mini buses) but I got there and back in one piece which is what matters.
I went to see them in Nakuru in Kenya which was where I went last year, we did some of the sight seeing things around the town and did a day on safari where we saw a lion which was very exciting!!
It was great to spend time with people from home and to be looked after so well, a massive thankyou to you all guys. I was back to work on Wednesday which is great, unfortunately the guy that I work with, Dave has got malaria for the 3rd time in the last 3 months or so, so that is not nice for him.
I went to pastor Nelson and Agness' house for dinner last night (the leaders of my church) I was really nice to spend some time with them and get to know them better, they are desperate to get me preaching in church!!! Scary, I am trying to put it off for at least a month so I can work out the best way to leave the country!! Only joking, no so I can prepare really well!
the most exciting thing that has happened since I got back has been that I am now able to drive the house car, Robbie took me out for a lesson yesterday around town, teaching me the best way to avoid pot holes and the bicycles! Then he let me have the car for the night! Very trusting, but I got everyone home safely and I don't think I scared them too much!! I think his main motivation in getting me to drive was so I could be up at 5.45 am this morning!!! I know, very early, so I could take him to catch the bus in town, the gutting thing was when I got back I couldn't go back to sleep! Oh well it will make me sleep well tonight.

oli otya?

2005-08-10T20:01:00.000+03:00

Well as you may be able to tell i have started lugandan lessons out here. The question i asked you was how are you? and your answer is 'bulungi' which is fine, every one is always fine here, even if you are not you have to say i am fine first. There is a lot of emphasis on greeting people well, even in shops or on the street before you can ask anyone anything you have to say nice to see you? How are you? How is the day? How is home? and then can you ask where the toliets are!
One the girls that I live with Nina, she is in the picture of the mountain walk, that hands on our hips photo! She is leaving on saturday which will be sad as she has become a good friend and she is the one that has forced me to start running again. We having a big leaving party for her tomorrow with truly the best ugandan food round being cooked here at the house, I may even get a ugandan cooking lesson tomorow morning hopefully!

Thank so much

2005-08-06T08:11:00.000+03:00

I just wanted to say thankyou so much for all the support that you have all given in. The way that so many of you have kept in touch with me has really helped me settle here, as I still feel so connected with home. It has been so exciting getting letters and parcels, keep them coming and I promise to reply to everything. The emails are great, keep me up to date with all the gossip. I have had some great phone calls, lots from my family with has been great, makes me feel that I am so close to you all still, also it was such surprise to get a call from Nina and Clare, thankyou guys for call, your calls really got me excited.
Just thought I should let you know I am registered on msn messenger so log on to that and we can chat. Just so you can keep them coming, my postal address is po box 2059, Mbale, Uganda, Eastern Africa. My mobile is +25678981769, if you did want to phone one of the best phone cards is 'go bananas' cards.
also am just going to put picture of the lovely cats that I share the house with (manny is the white on and gizmo is the black one), mainly for the appreciation of croucher! Enjoy!

2005-08-04T20:03:00.000+03:00

This week I have been mainly been bitten!! My feet are just covered in bites all over, there look lovely!
the week so far has gone well, am busy trying to get the first section of the life skills program finished which should hopefully be done by tomorrow. We have summer team here in mbale from oasis for this week which has been really great. They have been running a kids club in the area where our project will be set up, so I have gone along for the last 2 days. I has been so encouraging to see, they are such a great team, have run a great program and giving us lots of ideas that we will pinch!! It has been really good for me to get to know the area better and to meet some of the kids and see the situations that they are living in. As we walk to where the kids club is felt you walk through on of the local breweries which I am told is a small one, (it don't seem it) they produce the local brew which is so strong, and the kids of the families that run these places are involved in the brewing process normally and the girls in the serving which means they can be exposed to sexual abuse from the local drunks that they are serving. This is one of the main issues that the girls that we will be working with will be facing. It has motivated me more to work hard to get a really good life skills program that will hopefully help them understand their own self worth and value. Will try to get some pictures of the area where we will be working and our piece of land that we own which is very exciting still!!

all my photos

2005-07-28T21:25:00.000+03:00

well this is my lovely Mbale, on the right, this is one of the main streets which as you can see has a beautiful view of the mountain which i would like to remind you that i climbed as the pictures prove. the one on the left is near the top, me going up a type of ladder which was really cool and the one in the middle is me looking very pleased to be at the top, nina is next to me, my flat mate, peter is behind me, he is just here for 6 weeks staying with relatives here who i know and vincent is the guy that helps run the project that everyone in my house works with, he also does the mountain trips. he is so cool and he thought i was very funny, he could of sold me at the bottom of the mountain for 30 cows, which is very good, but half way up my value decrease to just one cow! because of my lack of fitness!! i would not be useful. he thought my husband could take a second wife to climb the mountain everyday and i could just have the children!! don't think i am up for that!!
things are going well here, am slightly sweaty at the moment as i have just been playing squash in a random court which was great but i am not very good though, well i have two years to improve!!
work is going well, i am really getting into, i am planning all the life skills sessions that either myself or the teacher will be doing with the girls.
let me know what you are all up to
xxx

my house

2005-07-25T18:25:00.000+03:00

This is my house which i think you can see is very nice! I live here with a British guy called Robbie and two Dutch girls called Nina and mirella. They are lovely and I get on really well with them all. all the houses around here are in compounds so they are really safe and secure.
today I am off to TASO which ia a huge charity that works with people with HIV/AIDS,they do testing, treatment, counseling and also run education program's. So we are going to see what input they can with our project. This afternoon I am going to the village with the girls that I live with, they work for another charity called jenga and they are running educational women's group and today they are doing the session on HIV/AIDS awareness, so i am going to see how it is done and pinch some ideas. Will try and get some more pictures up soon. Jx

2005-07-21T17:51:00.000+03:00

Hello everyone
Just want to say sorry for not blogging for ages, the internet access has been down at the house most of this week.
Well since I have got back from Kampala I have been up to a few things, our house has been lent a bike which was great so I could cycle to church on Sunday which I discovered is technically quite difficult in a skirt, I think I managed it without the whole of mbale seeing up the skirt!! You get a lot of attention for being a muzungu (what white people are called) here anyway but being one on a bike seems very funny to people I pasted by.
I have been doing resources for the project this week as the guy that I am working with is away on a training for this week, so I am just planning part of the life skills programme that we will teach once the programme is up and running.
The most exciting thing that I have done this week was yesterday climb a mountain, mount wanle! It was an amazing day saw the most amazing country side, spectacular view, waterfalls and even a few monkeys in the distance. Physically it was a really hard climb, we were out walking for 7 hours and I am felling it today in. I am walking around like an old lady! which everyone else I finding very funny. we live at the bottom of this mountain and I have a view of it out of my bedroom window and you can see it from where ever you are in Mbale. When we got back to Vincent (the guy that yook us up the mountain) and Graces’, grace had prepared us a traditional Ugandan dish which tasted amazing and was well appreciated by us all. I was in bed by 9.30 that evening!
I feel I should tell you a bit about where I am staying. I am living in a really nice part of the town in the outskirts, the prime minister has one of his houses a couple up from us! I have been very blessed with the house, it has got a nice garden for the three dogs that I live with to run around. I am getting used to them but I still find them a bit scary, they are essentially guard dogs so are meant to be scary! We have running water and electricity, that does regularly cut out though, normally in the evenings, a couple of times a week. We don’t have TV which is really nice so am really lots, I may come back really intelligent!! I am here for 6 months defiantly and will see what happens after that. I am living which really nice people who I have a good laugh with and keep me entertained.

I am going to Saturday to see the kids club that the year out team run which is in the area where I will be working and where we have bought the land for the project. So I will get some photo for you so you can picture it a bit better and will fill you in more on the project then
Jx

I am in Kampala

2005-07-15T11:26:00.002+03:00

I got here on Tuesday after a long, hot 4 hour bus journey, in that time though you just have amazing view of the country going from very extreme possible and at a crazy speed, I tried to work how fast we were going and gave up, it was defiantly more than 100mph most of the way on these bumpy tiny roads!
have been visiting the projects in Kampala of Oasis and have had a few meetings, aren't I posh! The projects are great and my best time has to be when we spent the evening at the half way home with the girls, we had dinner with them, they taught me lugandan and then did an hour long performance, which involved lots of singing and dancing and they made me dance! I looked so bad compared to them! They were such lovely girls and have faced so much already in their short lives.
the other exiting thing that happen was we had avery small car crash last night! dont panic, i am fine, was a very slow speed, a taxi, like a minibus was going past and another on tried to over take that one when there was blantly no room and went in to the side of us and the other taxi, the driver then ran off and left the taxi and we went down the the police station with the drunk police officer! it all got sorted and the owner of the taxi will pay for the damage as it was a project car, and by the way i wasn't driving! it was an exciting evening.
am heading back to mbale tomorrow which will be nice to get back to a less hetic way of life

I am in Kampala

2005-07-15T11:26:00.001+03:00

my first sunday here

2005-07-11T15:38:00.000+03:00

well i went to my new church which was great, it is really basic, its near the edge of the slum area where we will be setting up the project. i got introduced at the front and was welcomed into the church. the worship was amazing, it is so good to be around people that are so happy and joyful and can sing really well! the one thing i learnt is that church is very long and it is that way for a reason,when the perosn preaches or even gives a notice they have to repeat it about 3 or 4 time to get the message home, i left a little early as martin one of the pastors from the church who is working with us on the project took me back to town and i had my first boda boda experince, which a bicyle taxi, sitting sideways on the back of it, which was slightly scary but fun. i then got caught in town in a massive rain storm and could not go any where for over half an hour!
i went to a bible study last night which is held mainly for ex pats which was good, and was great to meet so many people. had a power cut at the end of it so came home and went to bed and i am still so exhausted at the moment. i travel down to Kampala tomorrow to see the projects there and meet the staff, that is if i get on the right bus tomorrow morning!!

i have been bitten!

2005-07-09T19:47:00.000+03:00

as you may be able to tell i am not up to much at the mo. just doing the settling in thing which involves alot of sleep, i have got my house confirmed for the next 6 months which is great.
am off to church tomorrow for the first time which should be good but long!
i am off to Kampala next tuesday to look at the projects there and meet the rest of the staff.
i went to the best hotel in Mbale today for lunch and the meal only cost £2!! crazy!
after being very pleased with myself that i have not been bitten at all, i am now covered in bites which is great! just waiting for malaria to set in now!

i am here

2005-07-08T13:09:00.000+03:00

hello everyone,
i have made it Uganda, i got here last sunday and came to Mbale, where i am living on the monday. it is such a great place, its a small town so i shouldn't get to lost. i had a great tour around the town yesterday and saw all the essential places. i am living in the most amazing house with a guy called robbie and two girls who i havn't meet yet. i think i will be here for a few months until i decide what i am going to do.
the guy dave i am working on the project with is great, really funny guy and has such vision for the project. this week has been spent reading loads for info, all the research and project propsal. exciting things that have happened so far, i have seen the land where the project is going to be, am making friends, i have been out every night so far, hard life hey!! we had a power cut, these are quite regular and then had a bat in the house in the dark, very scary!
am really settling in well, miss all of you lots
KEEP IN TOUCH!!!