Hey everyone. Life keeps moving on. The kids are loving their new clothes and shoes. Such a blessing! One of the best parts about being here for Kami and I is just to be on the viewing end of all the support and love people from other countries are showing for these kids. And especially to see the support from our families and friends has been made this such an affirming time in our lives. So Thank-you. Everyday we are here teaching gets easier. Our students understand us better, and we get to know them more. (They are finally getting my jokes.) Let's just say American and Ugandan cultures are as different as the accent we speak the language in.
This weekend we took trip to Kunungu in Southern Uganda. The beauty was unreal. At 6:30 AM, on one of the mornings, Kami and I climbed to the top of a mountain and watched the sunrise over the sweeping green hills covered in tea leaf fields and banana palm trees. I don't really have words to describe it, so I'll just say it was pretty sweet. We drove to the edge of the Impenetrable Forest where all the mountain gorillas live. Unfortunately, we didn't see any. (All the moms back home just breathed a sigh of relief) but we did get as close as we could. We didn't know you have to pay money because its a national park and so when they started crossing the path we were on, the person with us said we had to turn around. Man, I was bummed. We did see some pretty cool monkeys though. The kids are all healthy and happy. Every night they thank God for the sponsors in their prayers so know you are being prayed for. Thanks for all the prayers on the other end. We love you, and miss you.
Friday, February 29, 2008
Friday, February 22, 2008
Sickness, Recovery and Sticks
Hello Everyone. It's another beautiful day in this place of perpetual summer. Everyday the high is 75 and low is 55. Not a bad way to spend your days after 4 years in Portland rain, and then 5 months in the Alaskan Rain forest. (At least for me...Kami saw more sun.)
There has been a pretty big gap since the last time we wrote, but its been for good reason. A few weeks ago I was playing football with some of the kids and fell into some bushes. I developed a rash on my chest that over a few days spread to my arms, then my legs, then my feet, my hands, my back and my neck. It was like having Chicken Pox again. I started getting really weak and then couldn't go to teach anymore. At night I had really high fevers. After a few days we went to a clinic where Sam knows the doctor from family friends. Unfortunately, in Africa, clinics like the one I went to diagnose people so they can make money and stay in business. So, after checking my blood and urine, they told me I had both Typhoid fever and Malaria. (I couldn't believe and was a bit rude, demanding to see the sheet the nurse was reading off of and telling here I didn't think she was telling me the truth.) Eventually I conceded though and spent the rest of the day, the night and much of the following day in the hospital with a malaria drip and Typhoid fever injections every 6 hours. After a day of thought though, I realized something. Typhoid fever can only come through drinking the water here. Kami and I only drink bottled water, and I did not have any of the symptoms of Typhoid fever. So, I pulled the IV out, picked up my stuff and walked out. A few days went by and although I started feeling better, I still fluctuated a lot, felt weak at night, and the rash wasn't leaving. So, we did what we should have done the first time and will always do if something turns up in the future. We went to the best Hospital in the city: the International Hospital of Kampala, and the doctor (who was very helpful and explained about the way clinics do business here) told me it was a common happening when foreigners come in contact with plant life here in the Bush. An allergic reaction takes place, the blood of the body is drawn to the surface and away from the muscles, and as a side effect, the body feels weak and has a temperature when fighting off the reaction. He diagnosed some medicine that has cured the reaction, and I am back to full strength and teaching again. Valuable lesson learned about the health system in Uganda. Kami and I continue to work everyday at the schools. And, big news for everyone at home, the teachers in primary school use a stick! They are required to and its the normal procedure that children react to in learning here. So, despite the disbelief, Kami now uses a stick while teaching math. And its quite affective! I don't have to do anything of the kind with the High schoolers and am really enjoying getting closer to my students. I was welcomed back very warmly by all of the school after being sick.
We're headed to Kunungu this weekend to visit the other school and Sam's home village.
Also, supplies, shoes and clothes have arrived for the children, brought over from out visitors form Oregon! Thank-you for everyone who have helped...especially you Mom!
We love you all. We're on a proper adventure here.
There has been a pretty big gap since the last time we wrote, but its been for good reason. A few weeks ago I was playing football with some of the kids and fell into some bushes. I developed a rash on my chest that over a few days spread to my arms, then my legs, then my feet, my hands, my back and my neck. It was like having Chicken Pox again. I started getting really weak and then couldn't go to teach anymore. At night I had really high fevers. After a few days we went to a clinic where Sam knows the doctor from family friends. Unfortunately, in Africa, clinics like the one I went to diagnose people so they can make money and stay in business. So, after checking my blood and urine, they told me I had both Typhoid fever and Malaria. (I couldn't believe and was a bit rude, demanding to see the sheet the nurse was reading off of and telling here I didn't think she was telling me the truth.) Eventually I conceded though and spent the rest of the day, the night and much of the following day in the hospital with a malaria drip and Typhoid fever injections every 6 hours. After a day of thought though, I realized something. Typhoid fever can only come through drinking the water here. Kami and I only drink bottled water, and I did not have any of the symptoms of Typhoid fever. So, I pulled the IV out, picked up my stuff and walked out. A few days went by and although I started feeling better, I still fluctuated a lot, felt weak at night, and the rash wasn't leaving. So, we did what we should have done the first time and will always do if something turns up in the future. We went to the best Hospital in the city: the International Hospital of Kampala, and the doctor (who was very helpful and explained about the way clinics do business here) told me it was a common happening when foreigners come in contact with plant life here in the Bush. An allergic reaction takes place, the blood of the body is drawn to the surface and away from the muscles, and as a side effect, the body feels weak and has a temperature when fighting off the reaction. He diagnosed some medicine that has cured the reaction, and I am back to full strength and teaching again. Valuable lesson learned about the health system in Uganda. Kami and I continue to work everyday at the schools. And, big news for everyone at home, the teachers in primary school use a stick! They are required to and its the normal procedure that children react to in learning here. So, despite the disbelief, Kami now uses a stick while teaching math. And its quite affective! I don't have to do anything of the kind with the High schoolers and am really enjoying getting closer to my students. I was welcomed back very warmly by all of the school after being sick.
We're headed to Kunungu this weekend to visit the other school and Sam's home village.
Also, supplies, shoes and clothes have arrived for the children, brought over from out visitors form Oregon! Thank-you for everyone who have helped...especially you Mom!
We love you all. We're on a proper adventure here.
Pictures Below!
Sorry it's taken so long to get some of these up guys. The below pictures are some of the kids at play, the house we live in that the Acosta Family donated money to be built, the Jungle scenery off the path that I walk to school on, a pic of how we prep for school each night by lamplight, and just Kami and I here.
Tuesday, February 19, 2008
Albums!
We have created an album and more pictures are to come.
http://picasaweb.google.com/dorcaschildrenshome/Africa
Check it out and we love you.
http://picasaweb.google.com/dorcaschildrenshome/Africa
Check it out and we love you.
Monday, February 11, 2008
Donating Shoes or Clothes!
With shipping costs and theft on the Black market Kami and I have been praying for a way for those of you who want to help in donating shoes or clothes to these kids can make it happen. And we have found a solution! A couple is coming from Oregon on the 22nd of this month. They can bring a couple extra trunks with them. So if you have shoes to donate, or clothes, please send them to
King Medical Supply
431 W 13th Avenue
Suite 4
Eugene, OR 97401
as soon as you can. Then the couple will bring them on their flight over here, and we will be on the other end when they arrive. Thanks to all of you who have expressed interest to help. These kids are certainly worth it.
King Medical Supply
431 W 13th Avenue
Suite 4
Eugene, OR 97401
as soon as you can. Then the couple will bring them on their flight over here, and we will be on the other end when they arrive. Thanks to all of you who have expressed interest to help. These kids are certainly worth it.
Growing Up Fast
Before beginning, let me say that while I was waiting for the 2 minute page upload, I glanced over what I wrote last week. For someone who is currently teaching English, there were definitely a few spelling and word errors that leave me quite embarrassed, all I can say is its quite a task on the internet here. Whenever Kami and I make it to town, we have about 1 hour to email everyone we need to and its like a race against the clock blinking down in front of us. So we just write like the wind and hope its readable.
Normally in life, a marriage and some time happens before you begin raising a full family and working a full time job. Kami and I have laughed a lot this week because without having any idea, this is basically what we got ourselves into here. Sam, the home's founder is 65 now, and has Diabetes and so is restricted in his abilities. We have developed a really good friendship over the last month, and as his trust in us has grown, he has started allocating a lot of the responsibilities of the home into our hands. Actually, the truth is that Kami and I can't stand not working so we both basically jumped in with both feet and now basically raise a family of 21 kids. We wake up early, eat, have a short Bible study with Sam, make sure all the boys have eaten and off to school on time, teach until the afternoon, then come home and make sure they have done their chores. Then there is time to play for a couple of hours before they come in at 6 to start homework. Every night we go over homework with each of them, and then they work on our assignments. Each of the age groups have different assignments everyday that teach them to read and write English better, and for each day they finish all their work, they get a sticker. After they receive 10 stickers they get a prize! After homework its time to light all the lamps, the boys wash (we tell them, "okunaaba!" -"go wash-yourself," check if its done because younger boys never want to wash, and then eat dinner. (This is basically Kami's and my one opportunity for quiet in the day.) After dinner we all meet in the sitting room where we sing and dance, play drums and then say a prayer. We wrestle or play with the kids for a few minutes, get them into bed, hug each one and tell them "Suula Balungi" -"good night" and over the last week we have also telling each one "kagala nnyo" -"i love you." There is no doubt about it, we have fallen in love with these kids. You just can't spend everyday with them, playing, teaching, laying with them when they are sick, planning activities like treasure hunts for them on the weekends, sharing prayers and singing every night and walking home from school to see them all running towards you after a long day, and not fall in love. We are so blessed here. Neither Kami or I knew quite how much these kids would affect us or they way in which they would become our family but it has definitely happened and we are thankful. We miss you guys. Thank-you for your prayers and your support. Chris and Kami
Normally in life, a marriage and some time happens before you begin raising a full family and working a full time job. Kami and I have laughed a lot this week because without having any idea, this is basically what we got ourselves into here. Sam, the home's founder is 65 now, and has Diabetes and so is restricted in his abilities. We have developed a really good friendship over the last month, and as his trust in us has grown, he has started allocating a lot of the responsibilities of the home into our hands. Actually, the truth is that Kami and I can't stand not working so we both basically jumped in with both feet and now basically raise a family of 21 kids. We wake up early, eat, have a short Bible study with Sam, make sure all the boys have eaten and off to school on time, teach until the afternoon, then come home and make sure they have done their chores. Then there is time to play for a couple of hours before they come in at 6 to start homework. Every night we go over homework with each of them, and then they work on our assignments. Each of the age groups have different assignments everyday that teach them to read and write English better, and for each day they finish all their work, they get a sticker. After they receive 10 stickers they get a prize! After homework its time to light all the lamps, the boys wash (we tell them, "okunaaba!" -"go wash-yourself," check if its done because younger boys never want to wash, and then eat dinner. (This is basically Kami's and my one opportunity for quiet in the day.) After dinner we all meet in the sitting room where we sing and dance, play drums and then say a prayer. We wrestle or play with the kids for a few minutes, get them into bed, hug each one and tell them "Suula Balungi" -"good night" and over the last week we have also telling each one "kagala nnyo" -"i love you." There is no doubt about it, we have fallen in love with these kids. You just can't spend everyday with them, playing, teaching, laying with them when they are sick, planning activities like treasure hunts for them on the weekends, sharing prayers and singing every night and walking home from school to see them all running towards you after a long day, and not fall in love. We are so blessed here. Neither Kami or I knew quite how much these kids would affect us or they way in which they would become our family but it has definitely happened and we are thankful. We miss you guys. Thank-you for your prayers and your support. Chris and Kami
Tuesday, February 5, 2008
Back to School
Its sounds so strange even to us to say we are now back in school when it is the beginning of Feb. but.. we really are back in school. The first day for both of us was like the beginning of any inspirational movie in which the first day for the character is the worst experience ever. Kami and I both came home for lunch on the first day and each of us was wearing this awkward smile like "was your day as nuts as mine so far?" Let's just put it this way. In Africa, things like schedules, specific room assignments and teacher coordination aren't really priorities right away. There theory is to leave all the prep work until school actually starts and sort out as the first week goes along. I guess this is very normal. Kami showed up to the primary school, excited and ready to go only to find that half the teachers weren't there yet, parents send their kids from the villages around the time school starts, not necessarily the first day (I mean why rush it, right?) and there were no benches in the classrooms. So, she spent the first 2 hours moving desks and benches from a school near by. The headmistress had not finished the schedule yet and kept changing her mind on where she wanted Kami, and even when she did get her in the right class, kids from all other grades just start walking in and out to see her white skin. Its not easy to teach when your kids are walking in and out, and you know very limited Lugandan. Luckily she knew, "Bambi Tuula" which means "please sit down." She came home very exhausted.
I left to school with high hopes. I had prepped all weekend to teach History and honestly have been thinking about the first history class I would teach since before I entered college. The walk is beautiful, along burnt red dirt roads, and through palm tree covered paths. Its about a mile to the school and to walk it in the early morning makes you feel alive. (the temp is usually around 65 degrees as I walk in the morning.) I got to the school to find a very similar situation. The schedule was not made yet (I mean why work before you have to, right?) There was an opening assembly where they introduced the teachers (there is really 11 but only 2 beside myself made it: traveling from the city is not always easy.)
I then found out that History would not start until next week. During this time I was looking around for the teacher I was supposed to be co-teaching English with. For the first week, because he had all the books, I was going to sit in class and get a feel for Ugandan curriculum. He never made it to school though. You are in Senior 3 for the first class they told me. Have fun. If you have never stood outside of a high school classroom before with absolutely nothing prepared, two pieces of chalk in your hand, a full classroom and a language barrier, let me tell you, you need to try it sometime. It's a strange feeling. I made it somehow though. Luckily, taking Greek in College drilled the definition of verbs, nouns, direct objects and all the other basic parts of speech into my head and I just winged it. I have to talk so different here. I pronounce all my letters like they do even when I speak English so I don't recognize my own voice when I am teaching. I left the school 6 hours later with my head buzzing. I walked slowly all the way home. The kids were nice, but being in the presence of a white person, (some for the first time since they come from small villages hundereds of miles away) they were very quiet and very unresponsive. Girls are so submissive here they don't talk barely above a whisper to me in class.
I thought soccer practice would be redeeming though. It went worse than school, if that's even possible. None of the kids have had a coach before. The only soccer they know is what they have seen in snipits on TV. The only thing they all know for sure is that they are supposed to be obsessed with it. (You can't be a Ugandan and not love football, so even when people don't, they won't admit it.) They were all over an hour late, and then came out onto the field at different times. It took me over 10 min for everyone to actually gather together and be ready. I asked the kids, do you want to just play, or do you want to learn some skills and get better? They said they wanted to learn. I asked them if they wanted to win, because that would talk a lot of hard work. They said they were ready. 20 mins into the first drill they all started asking, "coach, coach, why can't we just play?" I didn't even have the energy left to refute them. They have so far to go, most of them aren't sure even about positions. But, we're going to make it work.
I came back from my first day more exhausted than all of the days we have been here.
I need to wrap this up, so let me close in saying that the second day was much better. Everything is lost in translation here so the first encounters with everything is rough at first. Classes went well today (still no English teacher but this time I was prepared.)
We had two visitors from Oregon last night. They were a couple who is going to help with some water holes in the villages in North Uganda and crashed at the home for a night. They were like angels. We have not had any contact with Americans since we got here. (You can't believe how much it means, even after 21 days out. Just to talk normally again, and to laugh about things we all got was so great. We had a great dinner at the home, went and sang and prayed with the kids outside, sent them to bed and then walked down to a small place we could sit on the deck and talk. We talked until 1 AM until they asked us to leave. We heard that Health Ledger died from them, and I feel a little embarrassed at how much it took us back. I mean there has been some serious years of movies we have shared with him. We're ok though.)
We love you all. We are going to post more pics soon. It just goes so slow here on the internet. You have to set aside a couple of hours to upload photos. We're safe, we're happy and we fall asleep every night so satisfied with the work we did in the day. It's an amazing feeling.
I left to school with high hopes. I had prepped all weekend to teach History and honestly have been thinking about the first history class I would teach since before I entered college. The walk is beautiful, along burnt red dirt roads, and through palm tree covered paths. Its about a mile to the school and to walk it in the early morning makes you feel alive. (the temp is usually around 65 degrees as I walk in the morning.) I got to the school to find a very similar situation. The schedule was not made yet (I mean why work before you have to, right?) There was an opening assembly where they introduced the teachers (there is really 11 but only 2 beside myself made it: traveling from the city is not always easy.)
I then found out that History would not start until next week. During this time I was looking around for the teacher I was supposed to be co-teaching English with. For the first week, because he had all the books, I was going to sit in class and get a feel for Ugandan curriculum. He never made it to school though. You are in Senior 3 for the first class they told me. Have fun. If you have never stood outside of a high school classroom before with absolutely nothing prepared, two pieces of chalk in your hand, a full classroom and a language barrier, let me tell you, you need to try it sometime. It's a strange feeling. I made it somehow though. Luckily, taking Greek in College drilled the definition of verbs, nouns, direct objects and all the other basic parts of speech into my head and I just winged it. I have to talk so different here. I pronounce all my letters like they do even when I speak English so I don't recognize my own voice when I am teaching. I left the school 6 hours later with my head buzzing. I walked slowly all the way home. The kids were nice, but being in the presence of a white person, (some for the first time since they come from small villages hundereds of miles away) they were very quiet and very unresponsive. Girls are so submissive here they don't talk barely above a whisper to me in class.
I thought soccer practice would be redeeming though. It went worse than school, if that's even possible. None of the kids have had a coach before. The only soccer they know is what they have seen in snipits on TV. The only thing they all know for sure is that they are supposed to be obsessed with it. (You can't be a Ugandan and not love football, so even when people don't, they won't admit it.) They were all over an hour late, and then came out onto the field at different times. It took me over 10 min for everyone to actually gather together and be ready. I asked the kids, do you want to just play, or do you want to learn some skills and get better? They said they wanted to learn. I asked them if they wanted to win, because that would talk a lot of hard work. They said they were ready. 20 mins into the first drill they all started asking, "coach, coach, why can't we just play?" I didn't even have the energy left to refute them. They have so far to go, most of them aren't sure even about positions. But, we're going to make it work.
I came back from my first day more exhausted than all of the days we have been here.
I need to wrap this up, so let me close in saying that the second day was much better. Everything is lost in translation here so the first encounters with everything is rough at first. Classes went well today (still no English teacher but this time I was prepared.)
We had two visitors from Oregon last night. They were a couple who is going to help with some water holes in the villages in North Uganda and crashed at the home for a night. They were like angels. We have not had any contact with Americans since we got here. (You can't believe how much it means, even after 21 days out. Just to talk normally again, and to laugh about things we all got was so great. We had a great dinner at the home, went and sang and prayed with the kids outside, sent them to bed and then walked down to a small place we could sit on the deck and talk. We talked until 1 AM until they asked us to leave. We heard that Health Ledger died from them, and I feel a little embarrassed at how much it took us back. I mean there has been some serious years of movies we have shared with him. We're ok though.)
We love you all. We are going to post more pics soon. It just goes so slow here on the internet. You have to set aside a couple of hours to upload photos. We're safe, we're happy and we fall asleep every night so satisfied with the work we did in the day. It's an amazing feeling.
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