174 speed bumps on the road to Kampala

This is going ot be a short blog, but we're basically killing some time in Kampala right now, so I thought i'd let you know how our day is going.

So far we left Masindi at 9 this morning on a tax, which managed to fit our luggage-thank goodness. We travelled to Kampala and reached our final destination around 1:30. Its the moving around in Kampala that is the hard part, but getting here wasn't so bad. We both took some wonderful showers-although mine was cold :(- and also took a nap. We've been trying to meet up with our friend Oscar, but we're having some trouble communicating with ihim so we decided to go explore for some food and found italian pizza and gelato...yum...chocolate and coffee flavored...yeah...food is much more exciting when you haven't had anything wonderfully tasty in a long time...

oh yeah..and the title-there were 174 speed bumps from the time we left masindi to the time we reached Kampala...i counted...i needed something to do for 4.5 hours...haha....lets just say i don't really recommend the journey

thats all for now...
ttyl
Tash

Anyone want to buy a cow?

This is the very last blog I will be writing in Masindi....and today is our very last day here.

The last few days have been filled with goodbyes, and lots of food. Yesterday we ate dinner twice and today we have already had breakfast twice, but its been really nice to close off the trip being able to say goodbye to everyone.

Saturday was a day for relaxing and recovering from our very busy week. Then on Sunday we went for prayers at the Baptist church in town-they have an english service there- and then we went to our mom's house for some juice and chipatees, then we got Julius- a driver we've come to know and love- to drive us to our house to pick up some items for donation and then to the fund raiser at the school. The fund raiser that was supposed to start at 2 started around 4 or 430 (after speeches, naturally) and went until 630 and was very successful. The guest of honor was a local politician with a great sense of humor and he ran the show- it was set up like an auction. We had a lot of fun and were able to also support the cause, even walking away with some baskets and jewelery...and a pineapple haha. We also bought all the sugar cane there and gave it to the children and proceeded to get some wonderful snaps with them. Someone was generous enough to donate a cow to be bought, and they were trying to convince Jessica and I to be the ones to buy it-however we managed to convince them that we can not eat an entire cow in the two days we had left here.

We got home with some confusion on the program for the evening-we were told about 2 dinners and thought we had the dates wrong, so we arrived home having told Lillian our cook that we did not need dinner, and decided to make our own. Nothing too outrageous, but french toast is a lot harder to make on a charcoal stove. However, we managed and it was wonderful. Then our phone rang and the Director from the school informed us him and headmistress were coming to have dinner with us at Amote's house- the woman who's lives across from us and also where Robin stayed when she was here. So dinner number two came, and it was wonderful. The food was good and the company was great-also many more great snaps there.

Monday we met some of our kids at the school in the morning to play football with them until lunch. As much as we both love to play, I think we need to admit that they dodge us very well. Dodging is what they call it when the can basically outplay you. However, we still have a lot of fun with them. We spent the afternoon packing and then dressed up for our dinner at the school with the teachers. At the dinner was also Reverend Mike-the man who helped organize this trip for us- and many of the influential women from UMOJA women's group, many of whom helped us a lot in our visits to the field. After speeches, goodbyes, and snaps, we left with Rev. Mike and went to the Kopling Hotel-where we came to eat our first night in Masindi- and met with mom there as well as the Treasurer of UMOJA, who's daughter's introduction we went to way back. We had a debrief meeting with them about the trip and talked about future plans and our recommendations for the school and field work. The meeting went late into the night, so we crashed when we got home.

This morning we met our friend Alex at the Masindi Hotel in town-what a beautiful place!! It's like this oasis in Masindi where you actually forget that you are even near the town. We had breakfast there, which included a yellow banana- very exciting. Now we are at Traveller's and in town for a few hours before our next football match at 3. Then we finish packing and spend our last night in Masindi.

We leave for Kampala in the morning very early and have much to do while we are there. We are going to stay at the Marantha house again, which is very exciting -the people there are wonderful- and many of our friends from Masindi have already arrived in Kampala earlier this week so we are going to visit them as well as the owner of the house where we've been staying. We are also going to spend some time visiting and infant's orphanage. So the next few days are going to be both very exciting and very sad. As our friend Vickie says- "leaving hurts, but memories heal"

I don't know if i'll get another chance to blog while in Uganda, but I'd just like to thank everyone for supporting us on this journey and for keeping in touch, too-it has really meant a lot to us. We are looking forward to coming home, changed by this experience and excited to share all of our stories.

see you soon!
Tash

Most Ugandans don't know how to swim...

The last week in Masindi….

This week I spent a day in the field by myself while Jessica stayed at the school because she wasn’t really feeling that well and walking around in the scorching heat for sure can take a lot out of you. We started the day on Thursday by having about 14 families come and meet us at the school first because we didn’t have enough time to go to all of their houses and interview them there. Its harder to get an idea of what their situations really are like, though, when they come in a large group and we interview them. Firstly, we can’t see their living conditions-house, fields, etc., and secondly they are much less likely to answer any questions you have for them when there are 13 other families sitting there listening. It is already very difficult to persuade the families to be open and honest-not the culture here- about what their situations are really like. For example, the hardest question for them to answer is “how many meals a day are you able to provide these children with?”, however if we don’t know how many times a day and how much the children are eating, its hard to assess their needs and their health.

Then I left with the director from the school and went and visited about 17 homes from 11 to 5. This particular day I saw some of the most needy homes and families I have seen yet. Another one of the questions I ask is what their orphan status is- 1 or 0 parents- and the amount of times I heard either 0 parents or abandoned by one or both parents was heartbreaking. These children’s eyes just loose their joy when their guardians answer that question. There were several families that stood out to me that day as well, including one boy who’s father left when his mother was pregnant, and then his mother ‘got tired’ and dropped him off at his aunt’s house and left. Another family was a man who had 4 children and his wife abandoned them, but he’s partially blind and has no job, so he’s struggling to feed the children and pay for their school fees.

After the field, ending with lunch at someone’s house, naturally, I went back to the school to collect Jessica and go to town. We were supposed to be meeting another friend there- Vickie- and she was going to show us around some other parts of Masindi. This, however did not end up happening. Unfortunately, Vickie was in an accident on her motorcycle and was hurt fairly badly. Thankfully both her and her colleague are doing better now, but the injuries are pretty bad. Jessica and I ended up spending the evening in town running some errands, having dinner and visiting momma Christine.

On Friday we got to spend the day at school with our kids. J They are officially done classes and spent the day at the school playing with us and waiting for their reports. Jessica and I were able to bring 2 soccer balls to school with us that were sent to us from my parents, and the kids burst out into celebration. We got a massive game going and played for hours, until the rain made us stop and then picked it up again after the rain had stopped. They were so excited to finally have some ‘footballs’ to play with, and they are so good at it. Jessica and I played, but we were defiantly not the stars of the game.

Friday was also our goodbye/thank you celebration dinner with the people who have been very influential in making our stay here wonderful. We had some trouble getting the tax that we had rented to come on time, but we’re getting very used to that. After we finally got everyone picked up and were on our way, we went to Kinyara Compound-where Vickie lives- and where we had reservations for our party. There we enjoyed spending some time together, playing pool, swimming (well; the boys attempting to swim, like i said, most Ugandans don't know how to swim), dancing and eating and taking ‘snaps’ of course. It was so nice to be able to spend some time altogether and to be able to thank our friends for all they have done for us in the last 2 months.

Today- Saturday- has been our down day; the first one in a very long time, and it was very much needed. We got home very late last night and crashed, but were awake at 7 in the morning to say goodbye to Brian, who left for Kampala today to start school on Monday.

The many animals of Africa....

This week has been a week full of animals....

allow me to elaborate....
Everyday there are bugs in our house....big nasty huge bugs that look like they could sting you but really just make a lot of noise and never actually sting....mosquitoes show up once in a while and some moths here and there....

When we first came we had a bird fly into our house...yes....and into our room...so Jessica and I handled it like pros...we ran and screamed and followed it until it flew out :) problem solved.

Then on Monday we had our first snake sighting..in the house....I was in the room...Jessica in the hall and she goes
"Uh Tash, there's a snake in our house"
I freak out and go "What?!?!? WHAT?!?!?"
Then the snake comes under the door in our room
I proceed to curl up in a ball on our bed and scream my head off...which scared the snake away.
We now have a big stick in our room for such creaturely visits
Oh..and the snake was found later that day by one of the guys living with us. :)

Today (Wednesday) we went to Murchison falls and the game park there...we saw many many animals...like elephants and lions and giraffes...those you'll have to see pictures of later

Not too much else except crazy busy, but wonderful...we've had a few more days in the field already and have some great stuff planned for the rest of the week...so looking forward to seeing you all and talking to you and sharing stories because i have many many to tell!!!!
Thats all for now...
Tash

12 days left :(

Time here has been flying...and we've been sooo busy. Everyone has wonderful plans for us, but 12 days just isn't enough time to do it all-especially when your 10 o'clock meetings start at 12:30 haha

Yesterday we had another field visit day and this time we took with us donations from Feed the Children out to about 15 homes-homes of orphans and their guardians-homes of children who sleep on a mat made out of papyrus. Even though the day was tiring- the sun was beaming its heat down on us, and we walked from house to house because not even bodas can make it through to the house-it was wonderful to know that our carrying the boxes of toothbrushes, clothes, school supplies and seeds could help these families, even just a little.

This coming week is also looking to be very busy, which could inhibit the chance to blog, but we'll have to see how the week plays out. So far we are in the field again today (Sunday), at school Monday and Tuesday, but Tuesday afternoon we're going to the field. We have our 1/2 day on Wednesday and are probably spending the afternoon out with a friend, Thursday we are trying for Murchison Falls, Friday we have our goodbye dinner, Sunday is the fund raiser--exciting side note is that they've started digging the foundation for the building!!!-- and Monday is our goodbye party and Tuesday we leave for Kampala.

Thats really about it for now...hope all is going well in Canada (and where ever else you are reading this)
Tash

Still singing in the rain....

This week was such an awesome week, its hard to put it into words. On Monday I taught school in the morning by myself-Jess wasn't feeling the best- and I'm very very proud of myself :) We also had a meeting this week-on Sunday- with the board of directors from UMOJA and got to hear about their plans for the new building they are constructing, including a fund raiser on the 17th of August. We were also informed/shown a bunch of donations that came in from Feed the Children of exercise books, seeds to plant, pens, pencils, clothes, and text and children's books. It is sooo amazing; such a blessing.

So Jessica and I have spent the week going back and forth from school and the office sorting all the donations and have already given out the exercise books to the children at the school- a big help to their parents who can't afford to buy them new books.

This week we also met another member of our new extended family-Oscar...who is probably one of the funniest people I've ever met. He stayed with us in our house for 2 days only, but we had a great time with him.

This week at school we've also had 2 days off-Wednesday and Thursday- so the P7 classes could write their district mock exams, and well, the rest of the school isn't very good at being quiet for them to do this-and most of that noise can probably be contributed to Jessica and my presence...haha. So we've spent the last two days doing some grocery shopping in town-yes its an adventure every time, but we have wonderful friends here who help us accomplish what we need to- doing more sorting of the donations and having some of the students over at our house. We are getting all the donations organized for Saturday and Sunday when we will be visiting about 60 homes in the villages of the poorest people-thus we are bringing clothes and seeds- and even some of the homes of our students. Many of our students are partial or total orphans, and they are living with relatives that have taken them in on top of their own children. While I have loved working at the school-especially getting to know the kids- I am really looking forward to this opportunity to move deep into the village- places where the bodas can't even reach- and meet and try to help some of these people.

This week has been a week of pouring rain here in Kyema, Masindi. Sunday we had a downpour like no other, during which our friends who live with us; their little sister locked the key in their house. All the windows here have bars on them to keep out robbers, so you can't climb through a window and get the key back, so in the pouring rain we stood trying to help them get the key-which was on a massive table- and i thought, ah yes- this is where in Canada we would use a hockey stick...haha....however they had a passive hook that they used to pull the furniture and we got the key.

Then on Tuesday it down poured at school-while i was in the office down the road from the school. I tried to wait it out, but ended up having to try to run down a washed out clay road-fairly unsucessfully towards the school, getting drenched.

Then today (Thursday) it poured rain while we were attempted to meet someone to visit a cemetery, stranding us for 2 hours, looking at someone's pictures who we had never met before...oh life here is interesting...haha

Our time here is starting to wind up-though there are still many many things to do- and its very sad to think about returning in only 2 weeks; however we are also very happy to come home and have our food and friends from Canada around us again...however there are some moments here where i almost think i'm in Canada-like last week I left Traveller's corner (the internet cafe) and heard Garth Brooks playing on a radio from a shop...very surreal.
please continue to keep us in your prayers as we will be very busy in the next two weeks and must begin saying goodbye to friends of ours who are going to university next week
Thats all for now,
Tash

From the Respiratory system to Chicken caniballism in 10 minutes...??

We are officially back home in Masindi, and very glad to be back here. Kampala was wonderful and we had a great time, but its always nice to come back to friends and familiarity.

This time on the way back from Kampala we took a bus-what we call tour buses, they call buses- and sat-surprise surprise, more people than seats, but Jess and I both got our own seats, which was nice. There was about 7 people who sat on makeshift seats made out of boxes of shoe polish boxes stacked in twos in the middle isle...this is much harder to do when you are driving on roads full of pot wholes and speed bumps. Then there was a surreal moment...we stopped for gas in Kampala and 1/2 the bus got off for washroom breaks and such, and I looked up and felt like i was suddenly back home...a gas station right out of Brampton...so while Jess watched our seats and bags, I went in and found myself wondering if I was still in Uganda or not...after choosing a few snacks for the next 5 hours of our lives, I went to pay for them, and the cashier actually had to scan in the items and a price came up on the till....and then a receipt was handed to me...i almost forgot what a real-non hand written receipt looked like...i am still in wonder as I think back to that moment...

This week has been full of going to school and teaching and playing with the kids....but yesterday (friday) was definatly the highlight of the week. We had 2 classes of P.E and got to end the day with P6 class sitting in on their science homework lessons...which started with the respiratory system and went into chicken rearing...where we ended up learning about chicken caniballism...Jess and I both agree that we learned enough about chickens during that 1/2 hour that we could run our own chicken farms now.

Today we are in town for a short time to 'surf' and to grab some things at market..including our chicken which we are scheduled to kill ourselves in a few hours :) haha...and bread, nutella and eggs. We have officially set some crazy record for the cusumption of those 3 items...it hasn't even been a week and we've eaten 2 loaves of bread, 3 dozen eggs and a jar of nutella...and about 3 liters of oil...yes everything we eat is cooked in oil and most of what we are eating now are eggs, chips (fries made from irish) eggs, french toast, and our breakfast every morning is bread, tea and nutella. We also just finished our last african chicken....they have african chickens and 'europeanized' chickens...we went with the african..which was good-tougher than what we are used to, but still very tasty and easier to eat than the beef or pork that they boil for us.

Other than that, we are gearing up for our last week at school-their terms ends August 10th and then we have 9 days to enjoy Uganda...we are planning a trip to Murchison Falls and I am hoping to join our 'momma' in the field one day...she works counselling HIV/AIDS victims and visits their homes.

Thats all for now...hope all is well in Canada, and we'll be seeing a lot of you in about 20 days.

Orala Kurungi (good night!..because its night time for yuo at least!)

Amoti (Tash)

A luxury weekend in Kampala...

When Jessica and I arrived in Kampala yesterday (Friday), we looked at each other and said- this is a vacation weekend...and that it has been.

We are staying at a guest house that is in association with Music for Life/African Children's Choir and it is gorgeous. There is even a standup shower with hot water...we both took very long showers this morning..haha....There is a group of Americans from Mississippi staying at the same house that we met yesterday, and they have been our saving grace a number of times already. First, we were at the wrong place when we came to Kampala and were pretty much on our own to figure out how to get to the right place, so we left the compound of the first place and outside was their van and they let us come into their van and even got their driver to drive us to the right place. Then, after a wonderful dinner out, Jessica and I were a little lost trying to find back our home for the weekend, and didn't they come walking down the road so we could follow them.

We had breakfast with them this morning....mmm i have to take a minute and mention that breakfast was french toast and Frosted Flakes...who would've thought that 2 things i love so much would be here...anyways...and had a chance to talk to them a bit more about what they are doing and such...they are really very nice people.

While we're on the topic of food, i need to give a quick mention of Jessica and mine dinner date last night-we went to Cafe Roma down the road...well up the road, turn take a sharp left and hike up a rocky hill, then walk down the road again...haha....and there we spoiled ourselves with pizza and pasta and dessert..and we both ate more than we ever should have, but it just tasted soooo good.

Today we spent the morning at the home of the older children who are part of African Children's Choir and got to talk and sing with some of them, which was just wonderful. I met another girl named Natasha who was wonderful and we had a great time being able to ask them about their dreams for their futures and such.

Right now we are at the CRWRC office in Kampala doing some logistical things and checking up on some e-mails and such. This past week in Masindi was wonderful; we had another pig killing- this pig was not as loud, however this time Jessica and i tried some of its' liver..not really a favourite...haha...and we plan on buying a chicken next week and....drum roll....Jessica and I and our 2 friends Brian and Nick are going to help us kill the chicken...don't worry i'll try to take pictures for all those who don't believe i'd actually have my hands on a dead chicken.

It was very hard to leave Masindi, even for a few days, which is not really a good sign of whats to come in about a month, but its also nice to know we get to go back for a whole other month. The rainy season has definatly started, making it very hard to have P.E. class with the kids, but we are making due...however if you have any suggestions of some good sitting and inside games for young children, we'd appreciate them....we've exhausted our brains thinking of them...and we have a lot believe me..haha...a favourite of the kids right now are the dances- Chicken Dance (to which we made up 2 more verses...don't worry we'll teach all of you when we get home) and the Macarena as well as heads up 7 up for the older kids because the younger ones only have benches, not desks. Recently we've started up sherades with some of the older kids as well, and they definatly like that.

There is so much i could tell you and can't wait to tell all of you when we meet face to face again and i have my stack of pictures, but for now, i must get going. Thanks for the comments and e-mails and prayers, they are much appreciated.

Thats all from Uganda for now

Orola Kurungi (Good evening)
tash (a.k.a Amoti- a pet name given to me, which everyone here in Uganda has one of)

Singing in the rain....

Singing in the rain is definatly something that happens....singing all the time happens....especially since we teach music class, but mostly because it rains a lot now here, seeming we are now in the rainy season.



Life in Masindi has continued to be wonderful, last week we brought the gifts donated from where I work during the summer and gave them to the kids-pencils, pens and rulers. The kids were so excited to recieve these gifts, and it has been awesome to know that they are helping them do their school work; it also makes teaching music easier when they have rulers to help make the staffs :)



We also had our first day of field visits in which we visited 16 homes of orphans to ask questions, take pictures and notes and get to know those who are living in the villages; many of these women are taking care of our students.



Other than that, life has been pretty routine for the last while; which made me think, thats what i'm going to tell you this time on my blog: a regular day in the life of me



My day usually starts at 630, and we're out the door by 730 for our hike to school. When we walk by ourselves, it takes between 10 and 15 minutes, when we meet some our students on the way, it takes 20-25 minutes, but we always get there :)



Depending on the day, Jess and I teach our classes at school-music, religion, and p.e- and get to play and laugh with the kids...we often find ourselves saying how much we love it here and how much we laugh...these kids are just the most amazing children you will ever meet.



The day at school ends at 530 and we walk home with an entarage of children, usually singing one of the songs we taught them that day, and chill at home for a while until evening tea-around 6 or 630. After that we go 'down'-thats our techincal term for the house 30 second walk behind us where our good friends live, and where we spend most of our time. We then spend time with Brian and Nick and their families who live both in the compound with us and 'down' until 830-9 when dinner is ready. Then-if we have power we attempt a bath-like cleansing- and then go back down to chill with our friends again and learn about how to cook on coal and fire and we share stories comparing Canada and Uganda...lets just say there are many many differences.



around 10-1030 we hit the day...or we attempt to, but our friends try their best to convince us we want to stay up till 1 in the morning, dancing with them and talking with them.



NOw, as i've said, this is a typical day, but most days are not typical and involve visiting other friends in the area, even going swimming this past weekend, and school children visiting us to play some more. I'm not even exactly sure its accurate to say 'typical day', but i hope it helps give youa bit more of an idea of what life is like here.



Thats all from Kyema for now-hope all is well in with you!!! I'd love to hear from you, so feel free to send an e-mail or leave a comment and let me know whats going on with you!!!

Tash



Oh..and i'd also like to answer some questions i've gotten on this post:

1-Yes it can get very very hot here, in fact the temperature changes in 2 minutes from sweater weather to swimming weather

2-Yes we eat all the time, but believe me the amount of walking and running an dhiking we do, its not a problem

3-No there is no air conditioning at the school...there aren't any doors or windows, either, and air conditioning isn't needed at all, inside the school building is actually very comfortable; its the outside that is hot



..hope that answers some of your questions!!!

where power is a luxury and pig killing is a good time...

Hello again everyone,

so life in uganda just gets better and better all the time. its been a while since i've written, and i'm not going to lie, i can't remember it all, however i'm going to do my best to fill you in on some details.

first of all, the title is no exaggeration. Power here is a luxury, one that is often taken away at the most inconvenient of times.....like when its dark at night...and dark in the morning....basically during all times of darkness. So our 'torches' as they call them here in Uganda, are often put to good use. And the pig killing....pigs can be cute....pigs are delicious....pigs are loud when you cut off their heads....now to clarify..i was not the one cutting the head off, merely and observer, however it was very cool to watch...as I so often find myself saying 'we don't do that in Canada'

Life at school is good...we are officially in routine now, we teach all but P1-and that is a blessing I will explain at a later time...and we teach P.E.d, religion, music, and English. The children especially love P.E-and Jess and I are definatly building up some muscles...haha...unfortunately to add to that, we are both sick at the moment. Because the weather here changes so much from hot to cold....in about 10 minutes you get from freezing with a sweater on to boiling and wishing for a pool to jump into....but we are still going...so far nothings kept us down yet.

This past weekend we went to an introduction...a ceremony where the woman introduces a man to her family and tons of people come and eat tons of food...not like we don't eat enough anyways...and they basically pay the dowry. This is a very important ceremony because it results -usually-in the parents giving permission to wed....then the wedding can happen whenever they want ,but the wedding is much smaller than the introduction...its all about the introduction. Apparently its also quite the honour to have a white person at this occasion as we were given seats beside the 'bride-to-be''s father and have about a million pictures taken of us...luckily we knew the father, he had helped us when we first came, so it was nice to be near him. we took about a million pictures of this event so we can show you all when we get back.

To get to this event we rode in true african style...the way there there was about 15 people in our 7 person jeep...and they way back we road in the back of a pickup....which hurts more with the bumps...haha....

we also got to meet with a few women's groups in the area on sunday, which was pretty awesome. they are looking forward to the possibility of being able to partner with you at home...these women are amazing and have some really great stories to tell..

however, i've run out of time and must go...but i hope you are all well and not roasting in Canada with all the heat :)
love you all
Tash

while you are sleeping....

Hello everyone,
mullymota? (how are you??)
well, while you are sleeping, i am sitting in Masindi writing you to tell you what i have been up to. Sleeping is definatly not one of those things. However, we have been having a lot of fun in the mean time.

Today-Saturday- we are taking the day to do what we want which has included this:
-sleep in until 8
-walk to town (1 hour)
-stopped on the way to have casava with some of the Ugandan Defense army personal
-Jess sent some postcards (let's hope they make it...haha)
-get an cold fanta
-get some more air time for our phone....yes calling Canada from here is not cheap
-stop at Traveller's corner-where we are now
-then we are doing some exploring in town and going to Christine's house for lunch.
-hopefully get to bed before 1 o'clock in the morning.....

I am very glad that i brought along a deck of cards and got a deck of uno cars-Thanks mom!!!- because card playing is the new favourite past time here. All of our neighbours have been teaching us games, and us them. 2 of the older boys- Brian and Nicolas have really enjoyed joining us after dinner (so around 9 or 10) and we play and talk for a long time. This is wonderful, but we will have to work out something different for when we start going to the school all the time

yesterday we went to school for the morning and each of us got to sit in with different classes and watch....and be watched...haha. The older students don't have trouble understanding us as much, but the younger ones do. after sitting in 4 classes, it was lunch time and we went home-with about 10 kids going with us...they ended up staying because they wanted to see our house and they sang for us and we taught them stella-ella-olla (a clapping game) and thumb wars which they loved. We also taught them the macarana (sp?) and then played outside for a bit. They had to leave then because they were already late, and made us promise to come back on Monday.

we spent the rest of the day resting, going for walk, watching and learning how to cook with a coal stove and trying maize corn cooked on the stove-which was very good. :) We also had millit for dinner-jessica's request- with peas, carrotts and maize corn. I can not say that I enjoyed the milit all that much, but jess really likes it. It is a purple, gummy like substance with no flavor, but you eat it with your hands and shape it- it shapes like playdo- and use it to eat the other things on your plate, and then you start to chew, and chew for a very long time...haha.

even though talking early into the morning has been tiring, it has also been a lot of fun. It is nice to be able to ask questions and learn more about Uganda and the culture here, and they all enjoy asking us questions as well about Canada and love looking at our pictures of snow and can not believe it is-as Jess describes it- as cold as if you were living in the freezer. Many of those we have met have expressed an interest in coming to Canada, but do not think they can survive the winter, nor do they understand why we go outside when it snows and we do not just stay in.

well thats about all for now; we're off to do some shopping/exploring....i hope i can hear from you all; i would love to know how you are doing and what is new with you/new in canada.
miss you all!!
bye

Masindi, Uganda

Well we finally made it to Masindi,
it took a long time...a lot of it spent in a 14 passenger bus that didn't really have room for your legs to sit forwards and very very very bumpy roads; but that it not really a surprise.

We got here and were settled into our home, with our new mother Christine. it is actually her brother's house who is an engineer staying in Kampala now. it is a very very nice house, we are very fortunate.

I feel like there is so much to say, and so little time for me to type it, as the power has already gone off twice and i'm afraid i will loose this post. For the last few days, you can look on Jessica's blog (the link is on the right hand side), and that will allow me to start from our arrival in Masindi.

We got here a day earlier than we thought we were going to, as there was a small mix up with Rev. Mike, however, we just quickly packed up our things and got onto that bus...getting through Kampala city took the longest...i thought from spending so much time in Toronto the traffic would not really surprise me, but i was very very wrong...it was crazy...it took us almost an hour to get out of the bus lot that our bus was in alone, never mind the 3 1/hjourney...that took 4 1/2 hours that was still to come. However, we made it. We met Christine and had something to eat and then went to our new home. By 11 that night we were set up and definately ready for sleep.

the next morning we spent at the house getting to know the people living in the same compound and showing them pictures of canada, our families and our friends. From then we went to the district officials and introduced ourselves so that they knew who we were and why we are here, in case someone has concerns about us being here.

then we did some shopping for food in the market in masindi, which was such a neat experience. it reminds me a lot of the brampton farmer's market.

then we went to the children's home and they all stood along the pathway singing a welcome song and followed us as we went. but the time we were 1/2 way it was hard to move and i couldn't even take a picture of how beautiful it looked because both my hands had about 10 children on them. we were then led to a special table for the 3 hour ceremony of speeches, songs and performances and welcoming. It is very important in Africa to welcome and introduce. they have all already asked that we remember you when we return and try to help them anyway we can

we finished the ceremony with the children doing a traditional african dance and then a huge meal...which was good, but sooooo much to eat, we could not finish it. then we returned home and settled in for the night.

today CHristine instructed us to rest, so we are in town, trying to use the internet, but Alex-one of Robyn's friends from when she was here and who works at the internet cafe is telling me the power will go out again....so once again...look at Jessica's blog as well, because her computer has not had problems and she has had more time to update for everyone.

i'm very sorry and i hope that soon I can have a working computer and have time to write all of you more about what is going on...but i have been taking a lot of pictures and have a ton of stories to tell when i get back!!
love you all and miss you!!
Tash

Hey everyone,

so just 3 days until the big trip, and things are starting to come together. A lot of last minute things to get done and people to see, but so far so good! Thanks for all your support and i look forward to hearing from all of you while i'm away, too. I'll do my best to keep this updated and i'll even try to put up a picture or two when i can!!

thats all for now,
Tash