there will be no proper update today

because the internet doesnt want to play fair. see you all on monday morning!

To our team members back home

Please feel free to post an update! We’d love to hear from you!!

Another four day update!

Sorry about dropping off the radar folks, we were out of Kampala for a bit, in Gulu in fact But I’ll start at the beginning of where I last left off.

So Sunday was once again off to church, this time we went to Watoto North. The songs that the choir performs just get better each time! Pastor Joshua (aka PJ) gave us a sermon about how Jesus wants to build his church with people. It was very interesting. After church we went to Garden City for lunch, then came back to the guest house for an afternoon of rest, as we had an early start on Monday.

Monday began at 5, brekky was at 5.30 and we were on the bus to the airport by 6. We checked in and were taken out to the tarmac to see our plane. We walked past a few normal size planes, then a few really small planes (that made me nervous!) and finally reached our plane, which was pretty small, but not too bad. The plane could seat about 16 passengers, plus our two pilots, and was small enough to have the wings above the seats (ie. you look out the window and see underneath the wings, instead of over the top!) We survived the trip, making a short stop at Pader to drop off some passengers. Gulu airport was about the same size as the plane! We were then reunited with Moses (who had driven up separately with our luggage) and taken to the Gulu Churchill Community Hotel for a second breakfast and a rest before traveling out to have lunch. After lunch we went to visit the Living Hope centre where Dorothy showed us around. We were introduced to a group of women who were in a trauma counseling class, and were given the privilege of listening to one lady’s brave story of how she had confronted and forgiven one of her “enemies”. Then we were shown around the rest of the complex, from the classrooms where English and mathematics takes place, to the workroom where the ladies are taught skills that will enable them to provide an income for themselves and their families, to the room where bulk bags of food were being divvied up into food packages for the women. Living hope Ministries is currently looking after over 900 ladies, and has actually had to turn some away as they cannot take on any more. It’s only a two year course though, so as one group graduates, another will be brought in to fill their place. We gave out some sweets to the kids and mothers that were there, which they were so happy to receive, it was a very rewarding, yet emotional, experience overall.

on Monday night, back at the hotel, we ran into Pastor Allan and his wife Matise and their son Israel, who was immediately swept into Nanny Nette’s arms. We met Pastor Allan the next day also at Watoto Church. And Matise is the director of the Living Hope program. Truly dedicated people.

Tuesday was a late start, we didn’t have to crawl out of bed until breakfast at 9.30am then we were taken out to Watoto Church Gulu and had another engaging session with Pastor Allan. We then went out to Grace College, where Watoto pays the school fees for 200 children to attend. Watoto really does some wonderful things within the community. Our next stop was at the building site for the next Watoto Babies Home, a site that also has plans for a church and guest house. It was a lot busier than our little building site, with people everywhere working to get this structure up and running!

After lunch we headed out to the Watoto village, Labora, which is about an hour out of Gulu, if only because most of the road is a narrow and eroded dirt track! We were greeted by Mama Betty who showed us around the occupied circle of homes. Most of the kids were at school though, so we walked up and disrupted class to say hi! We saw the kindy kids, an older class studying religion and another class learning to sew, boys included! Those kids had such great smiles, which only got bigger when we handed out some sweets. All the teachers had said that their classes had been very well behaved that day, with the exception of Tony who got sent to the naughty corner, where he met Dennis who was already there!

On the way back into Gulu, as we still had some sweets, we handed them out to the school kids walking home. Some were very frightened and ran away, but once word had spread that we were just handing out sweets, they came nervously back.

Today we got up and packed, ready for the drive home to Kampala. Jeanette and I were rather “excited” at the prospect of spending hours in the car with the “three wise men” fortunately, we had Bonny and Moses to keep them under control! The roads were mostly ok, except for the 5km stretch of road that had a speed bump every ten metres! And no, I’m not exagerating, it’s the only way to slow Ugandan drivers down, Unless of course, they are driving buses… yep, bus drivers don’t like to slow down, or stay on their side of the road for that matter!

It wasn’t long after our very bumpy stint that we noticed the car was a bit wobbly. Turns out one of the rear tyres had stuffed up (the boys are trying to use all these technical words on me, but stuffed up will do fine) we had the right spanner to take off the dodgy tyre, but not one to get the spare tyre out of it’s hiding spot. So we tentatively drove down the road in search of a servo or similar repair place. Unfortunately, the tyre didn’t want to cooperate, and popped. Fortunately, we were in an area with a few people, and a very helpful boda boda driver, who drove up the next hill in search of a mechanics toolbox for us. Jeanette and I went and stood under a shady tree and watched five African men and three Muzungu men all change a tyre. So if anyone asks you how many men does it take to change a tyre? You know the answer!

We got to Kampala ok after that, and headed straight to Javas for lunch again. A very late lunch mind you, so dinner won’t be too big tonight! Then we came here, all of us except Ian, who offered to take the luggage out at the guesthouse.

I haven’t had a gelati in a week or so, so we will have to pop in, just so they don’t forget our faces! Not because we want one… I swear!

Expect another update tomorrow!

–
Zoe Maclean
Editors;
Tony Long and
Peter Mack

Last day, for some…

This morning, there was an air of sadness about the breakfast table with six of our team members set to fly out today.

We headed out to Lake Victoria Hotel for our debrief and lunch, but before all that we were graced with Bonny’s testimonial. It was such a moving story, one that I am in no way going to try to sum up here.

The first item on the debrief agenda was the surprise I had planned for the team. I’d spent ages yesterday afternoon, after I’d finished the blog, on the computer at the internet cafe trying to get the colour printing to work. And it all worked out eventually, I came away with 13 Auscanuga Awards to present to the team members, our host (Bonny) and our driver (Moses).

Lunch was buffet style, so we filled up, especially those who would be spending the next 24-or-so hours surviving on airline food! We surprised Pete with a cake, as it’s his birthday on the 6th. We even sang Happy Birthday!

Then we headed to the airport to farewell David, Ken, Madonna, Julie, Terry and Julie-Ann. There were hugs, tears and pats on the back. We hope they arrive safely back in Brisbane, without too much hassle from customs.

The remaining team members (Jeanette, Rob, myself and the Three “Wise” Men) headed to Garden City to change money, and in search of SD cards, local music CDs and milk coffee.

Now Pete and I are at the internet cafe, and the others have gone back to the guest house. We’ve been given the mission of bringing back BBQ pringles, so wish us luck!

I’m going to give a shout-out to my Gran, I know she’s been reading this, and if I don’t say hi I might get a kick up the bum! So hi Gran and Grandad

And a big hi to everyone, from everyone. We are all getting a bit homesick I think, but I’m glad we still have another week here.

Stay tuned for an update tomorrow!

Shopping and Sight-seeing day

We were given the welcome opportunity to sleep in this morning, pick-up was at ten! Our first stop was Watoto church, where we were given a private performance by three of the Watoto Children’s Choirs. I’ve never heard them before (missed opportunities in Aus) and it was a fantastic performance. Afterwards we met the kids and got to have a chat to them. The choirs are going to the Uk, USA and Canada. The next choir destined for Australia begins practice in a month, and are due to fly out in March 2010.

Afterwards, we walked down to the Ladie’s markets, where we spent an hour and a half, shopping till we dropped. Quite a few of us actually ran out of money!

Lunch was at a cafe called Javas, where we were treated to some fantastic food, and the background noise of a very busy intersection, where a car tire popped and scared us out of our seats!

Our next destination was St. Paul’s Cathedral Namirembe Hill. It’s the largest cathedral I’ve ever seen, and has some gorgeous stained-glass windows. The currently standing one was built in 1911, as the previous ones had fallen victim to various natural disasters.

All in all, a fantastic day. And I’m sure I’m not the only one who can’t wait to show off today’s purchases!

Dave wants to give a shout-out to his niece Tabetha

–
Zoe MacLean and Tony Long

A Four Day Update!

Sorry about the delay folks. We had a dinner to get to Monday night, and were on Safari for the past three days. Tony reckons we’re doing it pretty tough

Ok, so Monday was our dedication day for the classroom that we built. Seeing the building, still standing, as we came down the hill in the bus really hit home for me. We had built a classroom. A classroom that will be put to good use, on the condition that it continues to stay standing! Bonny was our Pastor for the ceremony, and we welcomed Moses (our foreman) back to join in as well. We danced, prayed, sang, spoke and celebrated together. It was a very moving experience. Our modified version of Home Among The Gum Trees went down very well, despite our mix-up with the last chorus! After the ceremony, we headed up to the verandah of the kindy that was built by last year’s team for lunch. The sandwiches were being demolished as fast as they were being made! But everything was enjoyed very much, more so by the great company! After lunch was the much anticipated soccer game; Australia vs Uganda! Unfortunately the Aussie team was looking a little sick, with sunburnt and ill members having to keep the bench warm! Despite the odds stacked against us, the Aussies came out on top, with a final score of 4:1 followed by a chant of “Aussie Aussie Aussie Oi Oi Oi!!!!” Pete did get to play the part of the Pommy footballer running round with his shirt over his head after a goal. Yeah.

We headed back to the guest house to get ready for our Appreciation dinner that night at Le Petite Village, the Le Chateau restaurant. Along the way, we tried to get Moses to spill the beans on who our Hosts were for the evening. He knew, but he didn’t say a word! We tried squeezing it out of Bonny as well, but to no avail. We were seated and waiting patiently for our hosts, fortunately with an understanding of Ugandan traffic jams and the time they take up. But when they arrived, we were pleasantly surprised to find ourselves meeting Bonny’s in-laws, Olivia and Jenner. Olivia is the lady given the great responsibility of looking after all the house mothers. Jenner works in the finance department of Watoto. We enjoyed great food, scintillating conversation and a fantastic setting.

Back at the guest house, it was a quick pack and off to bed, in preparation for our early morning start. The alarms sounded at 4, brekky was at 4.30 and we were on the bus and rolling by 5. The roads have improved immensely from what last year’s team experienced, and as we had such a fast run, we were treated to an early trip to the top of Murchinson Falls. It’s where the entire Nile is squeezed through a 7m wide gap! It’s a mighty sight to behold and provided us with many photographic opportunities. It’s hard to describe the noise and vibration of the water as it makes it’s way down. Just an awesome experience. And I can highly recommend you go there!

After the falls, we made our way up to Paraa Safari Lodge for lunch. I must mention the outstanding driving. Moses only hit two potholes, and if you’d seen the road, you wouldn’t believe me! Lunch was buffet style on the verandah overlooking the Nile running through the park. After lunch we went out for our first game drive. All the game rangers were out already, so we got Bonny to fill in for us! We saw many animals, including: elephants, giraffes, jacksons hartebeest, Ugandan Kob, water bucks, warthogs, crested crane, cape buffalo and countless others! No lions or leopards to be seen, despite our tree squinting team up the front! Back at the lodge, Ken challenged Bonny to a few games of pool, and got beaten 3:2 then after we had a buffet dinner they were at it again, this time Ken came out on top with a score of 5:1, while the rest of us went to bed! Wednesday morning, we were up early once more, and out on another game drive, this time with Henry as our game ranger. We were fortunate enough to see a leopard in a tree, although at a great distance. We also played tag with a bunch of American tourists in the hunt for the best angle on a lioness we spotted! As she walked along we got some great shots and even a bit of video footage, something for you all to look forward to upon our return! Back to the lodge for lunch and a swim then off again for a boat trip up the Nile to the bottom of Murchinson Falls. We saw plenty of Hippos (or Hippopotomouse as Tony kept calling them) and were very fortunate to capture some of them with their mouths open mid-yawn! We also saw some very large crocs, as well as a variety of animals and birds we’d seen out in the park. the Falls were just as impressive from the bottom, churning out buckets of foam from the raw power of the water rushing down the narrow gap. After the boat trip, those of us feeling guilty about all the buffet food we’d eaten decided to walk back to the lodge. We are very glad we did, as halfway up the road a mother baboon crossed over, with the cutest baby clinging on to her stomach! We took a lot of photographs of her, Ken even got some amazing footage of her cuddling her child. Wow.

We had to wait until 7.30 for dinner to be ready, so we all entertained ourselves. Bonny and Moses were playing a card game called Watootu ( we think it’s like the Aussie game switch). Bonny and Ken managed to con two free pool tokens out of one of the lodge staff. I played with Bonny for the first game, and we beat Ken. To even the odds, Julie joined Ken’s team, but they were beaten again! Mum, you won’t believe it, but I was actually not too bad! Thanks to Bonny’s guidance I think. Buffet dinner again, followed by more pool. Ken and Moses verses Bonny and I. Ken and Moses beat us 2:1. Fun was had by all, and I’m pretty sure we woke half the lodge with our cheering!

This morning we were up and on the bus by 7.40 so that we didn’t miss the barge across the Nile. We drove back to Kampala and through some dodgy narrow alleyways to The Shack for a delicious (and once again buffet) lunch.

And that’s where we are up to, back once again at the internet cafe! And in case you were unsure, we will be having another gelati on the way home. I’m sure there’s still at least one or two flavours I’m yet to try!

Update again tomorrow!!

–
Author:
Zoe Maclean
Proofreaders:
Tony, Pete and Ken!

Post from Australia

Hello, Toni (Zoe’s sister) here again!

A blog has not been posted today because the internet access at the safari is exactly 12 times more expensive, so there has been a group decision NOT to use it .

The next update from Uganda will be on Thursday

 

- Toni

Three day update. Building- Day Four. Saturday and Sunday Activities.

First up: Building- Day Four.

On Friday we finished building our magnificent classroom. We gave the inside a bit of a clean up, shoveling mezenue out the windows and dismantling the scaffolding, ready for our dedication on Monday. We knocked off around lunchtime, and headed back to the guest house to drop off Pete. Then the rest of us all went into town for a meeting with the CEO of Watoto to present the cash donated for the Goat Farm project. We had a bit of time before the meeting, so we went to the ladies market, where some of us benefited from our bargaining skills and others just paid full price. There were so many beautiful things being sold, and I’m sure some of you will be seeing them shortly

At Watoto Central Church, Tony and Ian met with Johnathon, the volunteer coordinator, while Julie, Julie-Ann, Jeanette and Madonna met with the CEO to present the money. Allen Henry (the CEO) was very grateful for the contribution, explaining that the money would be put to good use within the next few months, probably in Gulu where the first Goat Farm will be.

Saturday was a mixed bag, with some of us heading off to Jinja for rafting, and some of us staying behind.

Madonna, Terry and Julie-Ann visited the Babies home again, and also Garden City where they organised the drinks for lunch on Monday (the dedication day). They also stocked up for some more food parcels.

Pete stayed at home, recuperating. Tony went to a Rotary BBQ on the shores of Lake Victoria.

That left Ian, Jeanette, Julie, Ken and myself on a bus to Jinja to enjoy a day of rafting on the Nile. I spent most of the trip being bounced around by our not-so-gentle driver. We’d hitched a lift with the Australian team from Ipswich. The oldies (Ian, Jeanette and Julie) opted for the grade 3 rapids, while Ken and I went for the grade 5 ones. I nearly talked myself out of that several times! Jeanette tells me that their day on the Nile was good, they didn’t capsize once, but they did opt to jump out and float down the last rapid of the day. Ken and I weren’t so lucky. We flipped twice, once on the 50/50 (for us it was more like 100!) and once on a grade 4 rapid that I forget the mane of. I’m really glad we didn’t flip down the waterfall. It was about 8ft high and we just whooshed down it! Our guide, Alex, told us not to let go. he said, “if you let go, you’re going to die.” I was terrified! It was great fun though, apart from the lasting memento the sun gave us all. unfortunately we had to sit in the sun for about an hour while one girl was taken away, she’d hurt her wrist rather badly coming down the Silverback, and we didn’t have our sunscreen at that point. You could probably fry an egg on my knee at the moment! At the end of the rafting, we hiked up a mountain and jumped into some trucks for the ride back to the campsite for dinner. The roads were dirt paths, and it began to rain as we went, so it was kind of like a 45min rapid! Very scary! But we made it back in one piece and met up with the rest of the gang for dinner and a bumpy ride home. We didn’t get in till about 9pm, which is why I couldn’t write a blog yesterday. A huge thanks to Toni, who put up a note for me

Sunday, that’s today, was church and lunch in the Watoto village of Bbira. Church at Watoto Central is like nothing I’ve ever experienced. We were treated to half a dozen songs sung by a choir of 62 and backed up by guitar, drums, keyboard and bass. Unreal! We were fortunate enough to be there when Pastor Gary was speaking, he only does that when he’s in Uganda- a rare occurrence. He spoke to us about Love and how it is the most important thing. It was a very moving sermon.

After church, we headed out to Bbira for lunch, where we were split into four houses and treated to a traditional meal, consisting of matoke (cooked green banana), rice, potato, vegetables, meat sauce and ground nut sauce, fried banana and chapatis. Desert was fresh bananas, they were really sweet! We presented our families with gifts, including blankets and washers for each member of the house, an Australian Flag apron for the mum, and an assortment of stationary and books for the kids to share. And of course, the all important soccer ball, which will probably be worn out in a couple of months! After lunch we got to know everyone a little better, and started a game of soccer. Nobody wanted to get back on the bus at the end. Many photographs were taken, prayers and blessings exchanged and smiles shown. All in all, a fantastic day!

Now I’m updating the blog, and afterwards, off for a traditional gelati! And I might have a look for some aloe gel for my fourth degree burns!

–
Zoe MacLean and Tony Long

Message from Aus

This is a message from Zoe that I recieved by text-

“We are all ok, just running too late to write yesterday. No blog tonight either, as it’s another long day. Building is complete, Pete was a bit crook, but is recovering. Look out for an update Sunday night (Ugandan time). Zoe”

- Toni (Zoe’s sister)

Building- Day Three

First up, a shout-out from David, who is missing his family. He says, “Hi Cheryl and girls, miss you all dearly and love you all. I’m doing well, haven’t been real sick, though my sinus is playing up because of the smog. To my brother Richard, I know I should have brought the whole bottle. Love you all, God Bless.”

Julie also says, “Hi to all the family. Love you, miss you, and God Bless you all. Love mum.”

On the way to the building site today, we were caught in a massive traffic jam. Understandable, considering the lack of attention paid to the road rules. For ages we sat about, even tried getting in a different lane of traffic to avoid it. But in the end we had to chuck a U-ey through a service station and take the long way round! While we were sitting in traffic though, we saw a huge yellow truck labeled “Yellow Pages” which is a courier service over here. Bonny also explained all the painted building we see on the streets. If it’s a business property, he said they were most likely being paid to have their building painted in the form of an advertisement. But he said a lot of homes get painted too, to cover up the walls, and they aren’t paid for it. It’s certainly an effective form of advertising. I could tell you half the phone companies, paint companies and cooking oil companies here in Uganda.

For our morning prayer circle today, we sang a different song. It was a welcome song from PNG that I taught the group last night, with actions as well. We did it a few times, getting faster and faster until we all just couldn’t keep up. It was very well received. We were also treated once again to Rose’s beautiful singing.

Today’s building went really well, for the most part. We only have about one and a half walls left to do, which hopefully won’t take us long. Not helped of course by me and my “fantastic” building skills. Ken pointed out that there was a tiny hole in a section of the wall that I’d done and you could see right through it! I think I’ll stick to teaching inside classrooms, not building them!

After they finished school, Rose brought her children to the site today. Dennis who is 7 and Chiffon who is 5. Because of my great building skills, I was given the new job of child minding. We had a great time with a bunch of balloons. They kept popping on the prickly plants though. I also taught them how to squeeze the air out so that it makes that really annoying noise! Something for which Rose may not be entirely grateful!

We knocked off after lunchtime and prepared to do the food drops to the homes between Suubi 1 and Suubi 2. The first stop along the way was Jjaja’s house. A very emotional reunion took place between the two Jjajas as we handed him his, specially prepared, food parcel. From there, we stopped at a lot of homes, where there were mothers and children. The kids formed a band behind the bus and followed us along. They loved to have their photographs taken, something which our paparazzi team was more than happy to accommodate! It’s hard to describe the feeling in words, what each person received from the experience.

We’ll be off for more gelatis after I finish this post. Hopefully not as large as Ken and Pete forced me to have yesterday

Oh and mum, yesterday I said the word bambi- it means please. So “Mezenue bambi” means “mortar please” and when you recieve the mezenue, the response is weebale (way-b-ley) meaning thank-you.
This morning, we greeted Bonny with “wasuzue otyano” meaning, good morning! Moses spent most of the trip laughing at our pronunciation!

–
Zoe MacLean and Tony Long (I got my proof-reader back!!)