First of all, let me explain the internet situation. There are a few small internet cafes here in Lugazi. They each have about 4-8 computers and the slowest connection I've ever experienced. For instance, it took me 10 minutes just to log onto this blog. That is why we haven't published any pictures on here. We will have to wait until we are visiting a bigger city with better internet or we are the only ones using the internet. So, sorry about that. I'll see what we can do.
The food here is interesting. For breakfast, Tay and I bought some powdered milk from the store that we eat with this strange wheaty cereal called Wheatabix. Maybe you can google it to see it. The powdered milk tastes like the buffalo milk we drank in India. Don't ask me why.
For lunch, there are tons of delicious chapatis, just like in India. (I think this is due to the Indian influence here.) Often, we buy what they call a rolex to eat for lunch. I think it is very similar to the egg rolls our neighbor Mom in India made us. They are just chapatis with eggs and some vegetables inside. They are very good. They also have random balls of cooked dough that they call scones. They are...fine. The one thing I haven't seen anywhere is cheese. Strange, eh? The best thing is the fruit. They have great mangos and pineapple. Oh, and the avacados are huge and amazing.
For dinner, we have an amazing cook named Mary. Wait, maybe I should clarify that. She is amazing. Her food is pretty good. The problem is that they don't use many spices here. Every night she makes us huge pots of potatoes, beans, eggplant, pineapple, and cabbage. She mixes things up by occasionally adding passionfruit juice, avacados, or chapatis. I don't mind the food at all. I always help Mary cook. I love spending time with her and hearing her stories.
More about Mary: she is from Sudan. She escaped during the war and now lives here with her two daughters. Her husband is working up in Sudan. She is about six feet tall, and she loves Jesus. She is pentacostal, and she always tells us how Jesus saved her. She really is the sweetest, best person ever. We all love her.
I hope that we are doing some good here. Yesterday we delivered newborn kits to the hospital. We also took an adventurous drive out to a few obscure villages (one of them literally in the jungle) to visit a few new mothers who really need things. Today we opened a hand washing station (just an outside sink) in the market place. It quickly became a mob of people wanting to wash their hands, get a free soap, and become hand-washing certified. I hope they will wash their hands now. Who knows?
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Town Center
This is the center of Lugazi. The top left office is the "Youth Outreach Program" It consists of about 15 ugandan college students. They were born in Lugazi, and were able to earn enough money to go to college in Kampala. They have decided to return to Lugazi and build up the community by starting a non-profit group that focuses on orphans, street children, and widows. They are an amazing group of people. I want to be more like them. I am currently working closely with them to write a business plan, and letters to governmental agencies and NGO's to help them raise enough funds for their projects. It's amazing how a little money can do so much good. We are hoping to raise $5,000 to build a carpentry shop and bakery to teach the children viable skills. I hope I can help them succeed.
Village Hut
Mandy went into the rural jungle villages to deliver baby kits to new mothers. Entire families live in this small huts. Sometimes 10+ people per hut.
Our Room
After sewing several mosquito nets together we managed to cocoon our bed in the safety of mesh. We sleep comfortably and the geckos, spiders and roaches thankfully stay on the floor and the walls.
Not Exactly the Marriott but it's Home Sweet Home
This is our room in the back of the main house. We are the middle door. The left door is the charcoal room, the right door is Sam's room, our day time guard
The Well
This is where we get our water. (Drinking water comes from a bottling company) We use this water to clean, shower, laundry and dishes. We add bleach and soap to kill the algae
My Best Invention So Far
I managed to rig a spout to a jerry can and attach a tube to the end. There were a few bricks lying around which makes for a perfect stand and "tiled floor". Now we can stand up, shower, and rinse. Who needs indoor plumbing?
Our walk home
We walk this street everyday to get home. The children run out of their houses, yelling and laughing.; They grab your arms and hug your legs. They have nothing, but are so happy. I want to take them all home.
Boda Driver Wanna Be
These are the "Boda Boda" Taxis. We pile on 1, 2, 3, maybe 4 people. I have seen 4 people and 2 chairs strapped to the back going down the highway. Classic
This is a typical store front.
Businesses here are extremely small. Most of them sell the same things and have way too much inventory. I am teaching a series of business classes to various groups to help them with book keeping and inventory management.
Mandy Sleeping in the Airport Next to Her Friend Ronald
Fortunately we were able to catch some shut eye in the Amsterdam airport. Mandy was able to fall asleep knowing that she was being watched by the family guardian
Mandy In Amsterdam
On our flight over here we were able to spend a day in Amsterdam. Neither of us had ever been there so it was fun to figure things out. Here we are in the subway station heading out into the city. I love subways
What an incredible experience you are having. I am glad that you are not having Mary for dinner. I worry about some strange eating habits you may pick up in Africa. Thanks for adding to your blog. I love to read about all your adventures!
ReplyDeleteI love the all the pictures but especially the one of you sleeping and Ronald in the background. I was just telling Perry's family the other day about you and how awesome Kansas was because we could eat at McDonalds whenever we wanted. haha. Does Tay appreciate McDonalds as much as I did, he better :). We need to do a McDonalds run sometime, Perry doesn't like it much...sad. You guys look like your having such a wonderful adventure and doing much good, keep it up!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the update. Sounds like you are not starving. The photos are great! The hand washing station idea is awesome! Once the novelty wears off, will they continue to use it? Love you much.
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