It has been a long time since I posted, the screen on my Mac broke which was a bit of a downer. I was seriously wondering how I could make it through my classes but..... we did. I came back from Kampala on Monday, we went down for In Service Training which was a great chance to reunite with the group that I came over with. I have had a terrible cough for the past month and it disappeared just after we left Lira. Things are moving along. I only have two weeks left with my students before their break. They have been in a rather "off" mood of late. They finished their last Mid-term exam yesterday (November 17th) and will start their final exams on December 1st. They seem to be under a great deal of stress and I only get glimpses of that bright happy group I first met. I am online looking for some great tools to help them remember the Glascow Coma Scale while reading that so many people are against the teaching of the GCS, blogs filled with how irrelevant it is! We just have Friday to finish working on our assessments and then next week I have two lectures to prepare them for their final exam.
GHSP and Peace Corps put on a nice show for us at the IST, the hotel was a bit of a downer but the group from Boston was informative and fun. I enjoyed seeing the other volunteers so much. What a wild crazy group they are. Can't believe that these "kids" who are somewhere in age between my kids and grandkids know the words to American Pie! Now that was fun. Can't believe that I can still remember it too. All those days in Viet Nam, "translating" not just what the words were, but the meaning. We had some interesting talks and Eileen arrived with the magic word of "Grants" and I am so excited. I could hardly sleep the first night I was so busy spending money! I need to get together with the rest of the Lira crew and make sure that we are all wanting the same thing.
SEED people arrived with the new Mac screen and I figured out just because my driver can occasionally drive through LIRA without hitting anything that hasn't prepared him for driving in Kampala. Suddenly the place seemed huge to even me. Walter has never been on a by-pass, it happened that we passed through a huge rally before getting on to it, then torrential rain and I came to realise that he really doesn't know left from right. As in when you say turn left, he turns right. Ouch. It was an adventure and eventually I hired a boda driver, a motorbike driver I should say to show us the way through some of the most crowded traffic. The Boda driver told me that my driver was not safe, that he doesn't trust him and that I should not be in the car with him. Now wait. Since I arrived in Uganda I have had stern warnings from PC, ride on a Boda and you get a one way ticket back to your hometown, they are the most unsafe mode of travel and from my own experience they also take up about half the available bed space in some wards of the hospital from accidents, but wait! The Boda driver was warning me? The lesson is just because you can make it around Lira on dirt roads might not mean you can make it on a by-pass. We did make it though, despite the Boda driver's warning. One thing about Walter. He does get out and ask directions and then just nods thoughtfully walks back and sits down. He doesn't actually listen. I had him call PC to ask for directions as they were "standing by" so to speak. Sweet Jenny was giving directions that is when I realised that if I want him to go right I have to say Left but am pointing right so that really confuses him. She asked him were we were, he got out looked around a bit and said "The Shell Station"....... that narrowed it down to probably several hundred gas stations. Anyway! We made it, this is one point where I think I could have done better because I actually have some idea that 4 lanes of traffic means that there will be two cars utilising one side of the road. Not his fault in that he hasn't really ever been to Kampala and the map. Just forget that. I have learned in the past few months that very few people here use a map at all. They just don't, and of course with all of the rain my phone was on strike. Anyway, we made it. Walter looked as relieved as I felt and after we located the hotel I was staying in near to the PC they began giving him directions to where they had booked a room for him, much more economical I am sure but he looked exhausted and scared. I just went ahead and got a room in the place I was staying and told him to go have dinner. In many ways he did the impossible, we actually made it. I have never thought of what a challenge a by-pass would be to someone who absolutely never has traveled on a 4 lane highway might be. He made it and on the way back Agnes from the University came back with us and got someone who used to be a lecturer up here offered to drive us through Kampala and to find the Apple repair shop. I came walking in with my broken screen, the guy smiled and it didn't even taken 20 minutes to get my new screen on and then we were off! Lira bound. Andrew, the previous lecturer, new driver got us back safely on the road to Lira and success. We made it safely up the road.
Felt good to be "home" although i started coughing. I've decided it is the dust in my room. Dust in my room? And who knows what else. It is less then one month before I head back to the US for Christmas holidays. I miss my kids so much. One of the upsides for that was that I could watch the games live...... boo hoo. Don't even know if I want to watch them anymore. I might just be a bandwagon fan, I wonder how those people who never have teams that are Super Bowl contenders even survive. We were at 0 losses and 7 wins then crashed back to earth and lost two games. I was in the stands last year when we WON playing Kansas City and people were not happy I bet that was a rowdy crowd watching us lose last week, at home. I love Peyton Manning way to much to ever want to see him play another game. He brought us so much happiness, and we can remember it. I want Elway to go get Kap, the other number 7 but doubt that will happen. I also seem to be the only person who wants it but he can run, he has an arm, and he was adopted. I mean what else do you need in a quarterback?
Time to get back to lesson prep. Or cleaning my room, Or, Or.
Being around the volunteers reminded me of how much I do enjoy being around the volunteers. Great group. The entire world seems to be intent on having war and everyone is busy killing each other so we hardly need any of my thoughts on that in my blog. Just sad for the people of everywhere and always hope we don't find life on another planet so we don't expand our war on everyone list. We had a spokesman from the US Embassy come in to sit around and give a speech on what we could post or should post or should not post. In all I think his message was that we should just sit out here, do our work, and not blog, think, comment, react, write, or think of writing. He did suggest that if we felt like saying anything we should use email. EMAIL? Where can I find out how to do that? There is nothing that irritates me more than receiving an email from someone about their latest trip abroad, or a joke that they read.
This also seems to be in direct contradiction to everything I heard before we came over here from PC. I personally used other people's blogs to make up my mind about even coming to Uganda to watch football, oops to teach nursing. I am grateful to the many people out there who do share what their life is like and how the experience is as I still am just getting the hang of what it is truly like to be here.
He did review at length with us Facebook's privacy settings. Is there anyone out there who thinks that there Facebook profile is confidential information? Did you know that someone can take a screen shot after you post something? I risked life and limb to make it to Kampala and found out that I need to review my privacy settings on FB. Anyway, I noticed my kids started acting just like that after they joined State and got commissary privileges so I cut him some slack.
Other then being scolded I felt the entire event was remarkable. The group has come a long way together. We were all pretty innocent when we left DC and we all came into this with great expectations I don't think we had any idea just how much would be asked of us and how much we would want to give and how inadequate we might feel about some of what we are able to give or do but we are a pretty up beat crowd and we genuinely care about each other. The group from US was like a breath of fresh air. You could have figured out who was from the US just by looking at the hair cuts. Those in Uganda-- need haircuts. I won the prize for having the most stuff sent to Boston for me but I am so happy with that "stuff", now Walter the driver has a Bronco's shirt too. I told him he can only wear it on Sunday's though. I am also overjoyed that I might be getting my Christmas dream. Supplies for my students through Grant money.. I was so happy to be back in the classroom with them yesterday. They absolutely make my spirits soar, and usually when I can hear them repeating back to me my own words. Got that the 5th Vital Sign is PAIN!! I've spent so much time today online today getting ready for the final exam just two weeks away that you might get confused and think that I am taking a final! I am just passionate about making this exam fair, and don't want to test anything I haven't taught. I'm trying to think of how many classes I have taken where that ever was a priority. I am on a relentless search to find the best price for the nursing kits that I want for my students. It is so strange to find yourself teaching assessment to people who don't have assessment tools. My presentation tomorrow is going to be excellent. I have worked so hard on it. But here is the lub/dub of the heart sounds, too bad you don't have any way to ever listen to heart sounds. I just cannot let go of it and went ahead and signed up with Alibaba Market Place today. I hope that it somehow is legit as their prices are amazing. Okay that's it for me for this post, so happy to be back on line and will do my very best not to offend anyone which in today's world would be absolutely impossible!
GHSP and Peace Corps put on a nice show for us at the IST, the hotel was a bit of a downer but the group from Boston was informative and fun. I enjoyed seeing the other volunteers so much. What a wild crazy group they are. Can't believe that these "kids" who are somewhere in age between my kids and grandkids know the words to American Pie! Now that was fun. Can't believe that I can still remember it too. All those days in Viet Nam, "translating" not just what the words were, but the meaning. We had some interesting talks and Eileen arrived with the magic word of "Grants" and I am so excited. I could hardly sleep the first night I was so busy spending money! I need to get together with the rest of the Lira crew and make sure that we are all wanting the same thing.
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| Broken Screen still have Projector, can watch team lose! |
Felt good to be "home" although i started coughing. I've decided it is the dust in my room. Dust in my room? And who knows what else. It is less then one month before I head back to the US for Christmas holidays. I miss my kids so much. One of the upsides for that was that I could watch the games live...... boo hoo. Don't even know if I want to watch them anymore. I might just be a bandwagon fan, I wonder how those people who never have teams that are Super Bowl contenders even survive. We were at 0 losses and 7 wins then crashed back to earth and lost two games. I was in the stands last year when we WON playing Kansas City and people were not happy I bet that was a rowdy crowd watching us lose last week, at home. I love Peyton Manning way to much to ever want to see him play another game. He brought us so much happiness, and we can remember it. I want Elway to go get Kap, the other number 7 but doubt that will happen. I also seem to be the only person who wants it but he can run, he has an arm, and he was adopted. I mean what else do you need in a quarterback?
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| I was very broken... Mac |
Posted Aug 27, 2015
Hall of Fame QB John Elway: 'I've Always Liked Colin Kaepernick'
Don't forget Johnny boy. If my endless chatting about the Bronco's bothers you I have great news. One of the folks that came over for IST told me that he has been reading my blog and that he was a Patriot's fan but now wants the Bronco's to win! The power of the written word! I have converted one entire University class room, three locals, and now a former NE fan.
Time to get back to lesson prep. Or cleaning my room, Or, Or.
Being around the volunteers reminded me of how much I do enjoy being around the volunteers. Great group. The entire world seems to be intent on having war and everyone is busy killing each other so we hardly need any of my thoughts on that in my blog. Just sad for the people of everywhere and always hope we don't find life on another planet so we don't expand our war on everyone list. We had a spokesman from the US Embassy come in to sit around and give a speech on what we could post or should post or should not post. In all I think his message was that we should just sit out here, do our work, and not blog, think, comment, react, write, or think of writing. He did suggest that if we felt like saying anything we should use email. EMAIL? Where can I find out how to do that? There is nothing that irritates me more than receiving an email from someone about their latest trip abroad, or a joke that they read.This also seems to be in direct contradiction to everything I heard before we came over here from PC. I personally used other people's blogs to make up my mind about even coming to Uganda to watch football, oops to teach nursing. I am grateful to the many people out there who do share what their life is like and how the experience is as I still am just getting the hang of what it is truly like to be here.
He did review at length with us Facebook's privacy settings. Is there anyone out there who thinks that there Facebook profile is confidential information? Did you know that someone can take a screen shot after you post something? I risked life and limb to make it to Kampala and found out that I need to review my privacy settings on FB. Anyway, I noticed my kids started acting just like that after they joined State and got commissary privileges so I cut him some slack.Other then being scolded I felt the entire event was remarkable. The group has come a long way together. We were all pretty innocent when we left DC and we all came into this with great expectations I don't think we had any idea just how much would be asked of us and how much we would want to give and how inadequate we might feel about some of what we are able to give or do but we are a pretty up beat crowd and we genuinely care about each other. The group from US was like a breath of fresh air. You could have figured out who was from the US just by looking at the hair cuts. Those in Uganda-- need haircuts. I won the prize for having the most stuff sent to Boston for me but I am so happy with that "stuff", now Walter the driver has a Bronco's shirt too. I told him he can only wear it on Sunday's though. I am also overjoyed that I might be getting my Christmas dream. Supplies for my students through Grant money.. I was so happy to be back in the classroom with them yesterday. They absolutely make my spirits soar, and usually when I can hear them repeating back to me my own words. Got that the 5th Vital Sign is PAIN!! I've spent so much time today online today getting ready for the final exam just two weeks away that you might get confused and think that I am taking a final! I am just passionate about making this exam fair, and don't want to test anything I haven't taught. I'm trying to think of how many classes I have taken where that ever was a priority. I am on a relentless search to find the best price for the nursing kits that I want for my students. It is so strange to find yourself teaching assessment to people who don't have assessment tools. My presentation tomorrow is going to be excellent. I have worked so hard on it. But here is the lub/dub of the heart sounds, too bad you don't have any way to ever listen to heart sounds. I just cannot let go of it and went ahead and signed up with Alibaba Market Place today. I hope that it somehow is legit as their prices are amazing. Okay that's it for me for this post, so happy to be back on line and will do my very best not to offend anyone which in today's world would be absolutely impossible!
