Mission not accomplished

How not to accomplish anything

Long day. I'm hot, I'm tired, and yes I can't wait to go home for Christmas. Some time back we gave my fan to these people to get it fixed and they just flat out refused to return it. So today we were driving by the policeman, went and met the one on the left who is our local OC and he said "let's go" and hopped in the car. Meanwhile this turned into a nightmare with people shouting at me for asking for my fan back, the guy who said he would fix it has gone to Kampala and a long fight broke out between various women and bystanders about the audacity we had to want the fan back. The owner of this block of stores blamed  me for coming to Uganda. He said this isn't like "your" country, I did ask him "which country" and he sputtered. Anyway, he was right, it did not do any good at all and I am never going to see that fan again, there was some pretty nasty threats made by the women at the shop about how I should be careful, which is why I have avoided going back to begin with, until the policeman took in there,  anyway, no electricity anyway so why worry about not having a fan?

In happier news I suppose it goes without saying that Monday morning here was like winning the Super Bowl. The only slight downer was that Anna, the Patriots fan stayed over to watch the game with me and here we are in overtime, my Bronco's winning and her on the sofa probably in shock and a bit devastated. I like her so much that it took some of the glow off the win but she finally took a rest and went to her room and I came into mine to use my entire data allowance watching Anderson run that football in again, and again.  She's such a good person I had to keep my joy intact until we said good-bye, because seriously this stuff feels so real at times. Lesson learned, never going to watch another game with a Patriots fan! Janet said that in Uganda people do not believe women should watch football, men don't like women who watch football, women don't understand football, and some more.... "In Uganda" statements. In Uganda the grass is green, it rains, people are far more alike then different and if these people watched "real football" there would probably be lines of women knocking over guys to watch Anderson make that touchdown just one more time for the home crowd :) Daughter Beth went to the game and said that it was like winning the Super Bowl, strangers were hugging, everyone so happy. Forget Bock'o's strange haircut for now. We can live with it. I can't say one negative word about Patriot fans because the good people of SEED who are the ones who brought me to sunny, hot, muggy, power free, glove free, crazy Uganda are based there but .......

Love Brady's Haircut in this pic 

Ready at 4:30 am!

For Prostrate Cancer Beth at the Game

My class took their exam and looked pretty down and out to be honest. I have looked it over and they did "Okay" but it wasn't exactly a fun few hours with my usual happy people looking down and out. I had to project back to taking Algebra and Statistics a few years back and thinking I would die taking those exams and not being able to relax at all, or take it easy. Anyway, I'm relatively certain that most of them passed, an A here is 80% to 100% in a course, huh? That doesn't exactly reward outstanding students! But not set by the University.

Anna BEFORE the game 

Back to grading exams, looking at the fan, wondering what it would look like if it were on, this is the fan Douglas loaned me not one that I own. And trying to survive in my own little world, I'm hungry, I miss my kids, and I was much better when the trip home was weeks away, now? Just cannot wait to see my family! it isn't going to help that classes have ended so I don't have much to do.

Happy Happy Holidays

Where has the time gone? I was staring at the calendar one hot day back in October thinking that this was going to be the longest few months of my life and next thing I know, tomorrow is the final exam. Cannot believe how fast time has gone. I have even added a new word to my vocabulary; I am to be an “invigilator” for the exam. Seriously I haven’t ever invigilated anything but turns out Preya has with IB exams. She said 2 hours of standing around watching students. What I have is 3 hours (hopefully sitting). Seems there will be some searching of body parts etc. going on as well, sounds like fun and games. There are supposed to be 3 of us in the room watching them. It’s a pretty big room so let’s hope this goes off well! Creating my 100 point, 13 page final exam was not easy. I was so stressed about formatting it and about making sure that I had covered every single thing that I was testing on. In part because the students just had to retake an anatomy exam that was given to them and was only passed by a small handful of students (that is the fault of the lecturer then not the class). I just wanted a good exam to the point that I was so stressed out one of my kids had to remind me that I was just giving the exam, not taking it. I had my last week of classes with them and could feel the energy in the room as I said, “this will be on the exam” and they would immediately perk up and listen. I asked them why I tell them what will be on the exam, the reply, “you want us to do well” my answer, “no this is what I want you to remember for a very long time.”

Thanksgiving for me was a long and very productive meeting at the University with all of the faculty working on the grant money, we came up with some very productive ideas that will further the goal of SEED and the Peace Corps here in Uganda, we think, we hope. Followed that up with a visit to the hospital to get their okay and opinion on it and it went well. We have a very good plan to provide each ward where we have students with Digital Thermometers, BP equipment, pulse ox imiters, that kind of rare stuff (one per ward) in case your mind was imagining maybe 20 thermometers in out patient. The problem then becomes how to keep them secure on the wards. Everyone was excited about such cute gadgets then the wheels start turning on how to keep them from getting nicked. We will be investing a some sum into cabinets and locks to keep things secured as well as some clip boards and other printed materials for assessments. One wonders how beneficial a thermometer is that has to be locked up with two people having the key to get to it, but we shall try, this is all about Quality Improvement and we have to start somewhere. I have been on a mission to purchase items here in Uganda. Lot’s of luck with that. I found the medical store that has the “best prices” and priced them against Amazon, it is 4 times more expensive here then ordering through Amazon. Doesn’t even make sense. So …… moving along. I have ordered so much on All Heart and Amazon that I am going to arrive back in January with an amazing amount of “stuff” but hopefully it will go okay and I can get by with paying for an extra bag not an extra ticket. I don’t know, I just want everything here safely and SEED has made incredible progress with a very well laid out grant program. Meanwhile we had no electricity for the days leading up to Thanksgiving, or on Thanksgiving so my planned Skype call with my family did not work out. I was awake the entire night.. Hot, and just longing to call home. Anyway. I finally got through and talked to a few family members after most people had gone home but was feeling homesick. 

Thanks! Giving! Sue sent this over with SEED, saved it

Last night we had a very wild party here, and I do mean a crazy party. I invited my host family, Assman the occasional cook who stops by for parties and his family, Walter the driver and his friends and my neighbors (of course). This involved the procurement of cases of beer and about ten chickens and other miscellaneous purchases. Shillings began taking on the feel of Monopoly money at some point and I just came handing it out. All I can say is people were leaving here with a remarkable glow on them and there was no chicken left so I assume it was a success considering that the number of people who said they were coming tripled as the day went on. When someone says “can I bring a guest?” that means I am bringing two or three more people, I think. Anyway our man Walter, the terrifying driver, suddenly became chief waiter, chauffer and fetch the beer guy as well as the dispatcher of the ten chickens. It was all a bit informal as we gathered in the driveway but the music was LOUD enough that I thought the church would call and ask us to quiet down. Fortunately it went well and everyone looked happy when they left.  Among our guests were Dr. Peter who literally saved the life of one of the PCV’s and it was fantastic to get to talk to him about all that we experienced that night. He is a very talented surgeon, just has “that” touch and we ended up talking shop for about 5 straight hours. All about the hospital, the patients, the students, training of the students, medical care, and patients that he has that I have also had. He had another doctor with him and he of course was completely in on our plans for Quality Improvement. Sadly I don’t really know the title of the other doctor but at some point I figured out that he is not just a doctor but “the” doctor as in all other doctors work for or with him somehow in our district. I am quite certain he assumed I know who he was, finally half way through the evening I was able to quietly ask Peter what his name was. I’m not disclosing it. So embarrassing but honestly how would I possibly know? I had never met him before but he certainly seemed to know who I was so I just did that “Hi, how are you?” thing hoping I would get some clue as to when or where I had met him. I haven’t met him so fortunately didn’t ask about the wife and kids. We spent the entire party talking shop and of course I did get to mention a few things about football and of course my students and family. That is the extent of the world as I know it but not in that order.

Walter, Janet and Anna getting ready to feed Papa

Everyone cooking, me taking pictures 

Assman's cute family 

It’s Sunday morning and the church is definitely louder than our party was now that I reflect. A few days ago there was an elementary school graduation near to our house, the power was out and they had a generator and at one point the noise was so loud that the coffee table was vibrating. That was interesting. So life on the home front is good but I am missing my family so much that I ache, I just want to see them, hear them, just be under the same roof with them, it is a physical longing just to be around all things Clark/Nguyen/Davis and we have a fair number coming home for Christmas. YEAH!!!! I don’t think I can stand it much longer. I almost (thanks to United) L O S T my ticket home.  I got it with mileage points on August 8^th, United code shares with Belgium airlines and Lufthansa and doesn’t fly into Uganda, so I have my ticket, I have my plan, I call United because they sent me a message that they were trying to contact me urgently about a change of plans (that change was that the flight was going to have a longer connection time in Belgium) whatever, once I get on the flight I’m on it, it’s a very long trip no matter how you look at it. So here I am, ready to go home and the United ticket agent and I are on Skype and …… she deleted my reservation. As in she was trying to find another route and she actually was in the computer and bingo, erased my confirmed seat. Once it was deleted there was no way on earth to get a free seat on anything and some lucky devil out there who was waitlisted on the Frankfurt to Denver flight had their waitlisted ticket cleared as mine evaporated. With our long life in traveling and with all the kids I always said get your Christmas tickets on the 4^th of July, so I got mine in August. Suddenly, I had NO ticket at all. Meanwhile my data was running out, my battery was going down and the electricity was off and I gave the lady my phone number twice as she was off in search of a supervisor to explain that the best she could do was to offer me a ticket departing here on Christmas Day. There are only two people on earth who will ever know what a nightmare that was, the person who for some insane reason deleted my reservation while searching for another route and me. She knew what she had done but how to undo it? I didn’t shout, demand to speak to anyone or anything, I just cried. After several hours of absolute stress, she got me reconfirmed but I am leaving on the 9^th, with my finals being on November 30^th I’m fine with that but my life doesn’t belong to me, exactly. I need to get permission for more leave from PC, I need to talk to Agnes about leaving, she has already told me to go as soon as I grade my exams which of course I will be doing almost immediately as the diligent invigilator that I am. But still, this is all going to be rather sudden to drop on her tomorrow. She probably isn’t going to even blink an eye and when I went back in my emails I realized I had one from her saying feel free to go as soon as you complete the grading of the exams, but still I have changed my plan so had to create some drama that maybe this will not work out and I will be here for Christmas. That might be fun, but I sincerely want to be on the other side of the world. Wish I had brought a jacket but these are things that one doesn’t focus on in July. Agnes has so much work going on I seriously have no idea how she holds up as well as she does. She is a very strong and very determined person and I admire her greatly. She deals with incredible problems every single day, such as my student catches me outside my car to explain something, the something being that she hasn’t paid her tuition and therefore wants me to give her the final on some other day, this is the same day that I have learned about the awesome responsibility of being an invigilator and how the final exam is put into an envelope and kept for five years sealed, etc. No reduction of paperwork act yet implemented! I am able to calmly look at my student and say, “that is just terrible, talk to Agnes about it” which of course just puts more on Agnes but not some kind of thing I can decide.

Anna making Promila's Tomato Chutney! 

I’ve been very lucky the past few weeks to get to know Anna one of the PCV’s who lives about a half hour outside of Lira. This young lady is so incredible. My new best buddy is the same age as my grandkids! She is so full of energy and incredibly helpful and fun to be around. Last weekend we were also joined by two other PCV guys and we watched the football game together, and the movie Amadeus, we ate, they slept here, there, everywhere, as though such things as pillows and blankets are just extra “stuff”. Anna has her “own” room here now. We love having her come and she is so friendly, so into what she is doing and we speak the same lingo. Except. There always has to be an “except” right? She’s a Patriot’s fan. First night she stayed here we made up her bed and put a Bronco’s blanket on it. Ha ha. Anyway, we are going to get up at 4:30 to watch Brady go down in the Mile High City. Sack that dude. We do share a similar feeling that the Bronco’s acting QB Oz needs a hair cut or something. He isn’t a bad looking guy but his hairstyle is just not up to Brady standards. If he can win against the Patriots in about 15 more hours #17 jerseys are going to be the hottest item in Denver for Christmas even if he doesn’t get his haircut. So this is going to be fun tonight, at least last week no one really had a dog in the fight, just me wanting to have us win so that was okay and we did. I always tell Janet, “we cannot win this game because number 18 is injured” so I had to explain that ten times yesterday and she said, “no you always say that but we win”… time will tell. In the months that she has lived with me including pre-season the Bronco’s have lost three games and won a whole bunch more so she assumes that the Bronco’s are… shall we say the Patriots? Speaking of winning, Beth won free tickets to the game so is going to be sitting there in the stands with some very cold weather and snow (thankfully both her and Peyton are going to be on the sidelines) but she is going to bring this game home for me. The Patriots have only a few hours left until they are no longer undefeated! If I was them I would not be looking forward to this trip to Denver at all, because we got D, including Talib, formerly of the Patriot’s who they decided not to pay and that guy is devastatingly good without a chip on his shoulder. They may have the QB with a better haircut but we got D. Every picture I have of Anna is her cooking food, she cooked a lovely lunch today and I didn't even get up to photograph it, or she's serving food. She is one for PC to be proud of. Doing her thing! 

Another shooting in Colorado, and following the shooting which happened to involve a white dude who actually killed a policeman but of course was taken alive without a scratch on him (probably), the tweets in support of a man going into a clinic and killing people were some of the most outrageous thing I have ever seen in my life. He is the new hero in town and he actually killed people seeking medical care as well as a policeman. That is seriously wrong. So another day, another shooting in America, it must have something to do with guns? Oh no probably not.

The Pope is in Uganda. I am going to have to wait until I get some free data to watch his speech, apparently he really hit some great points and people were very taken by his strong words on tribalism. This Pope is quite the guy. Speaking of saying what is on your mind, I sent out a blast email to PC this morning that I wish I could get back. I could have said it all in one email to the PC Director and just let it go but I was feeling quite passionate about something so emailed half of Kampala. It was entirely unnecessary but …….. Some of us just say what is on our mind. Not comparing myself with the Pope. Chill guys I’m kidding, Somewhere there is a Clark child saying oh NO my mother just said WHAT.

That is the Sunday morning update from beautiful, loud, we got power Lira, Uganda. I got a ticket! I’m going home! I’m going to have deviled eggs! I’m going to eat cheese!  I am so happy, so relieved the party came off okay, so happy my classes are finished after a successful semester and grateful above all else that I somehow ended up here in Lira, Uganda. This is truly a time of Thanksgiving, Thanks to the Peace Corps for allowing us to do what we can do, thanks for the people of Uganda for being so darn nice, thanks to the powers that be that I am still walking about, or limping about!

Lock up the kids, turn on the Christmas lights, and break out the egg nog, I’m coming home and will then do a post about how much I miss Lira.

I'm Back!

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.

Broken Screen still have Projector, can watch team lose! 

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?

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!

Can't say it any better!

“You sign up for Peace Corps and you think you’re going to save the world. You start Peace Corps and you think you’re going to save a country. You get to site and you think you’re going to save your village. Each day you realize that it is the interactions with various individuals, even just one, throughout your service that mean the most to you.”

With The Brits and Lira Faculty 

 I have had quite the pick me up. Just as I was celebrating 3 months in PC and wondering what it would take to get my mood up a bit Agnes introduced me to some Medical Personnel who are here from the UK for 2 weeks and eager to help with the students. This is an incredibly energetic and fun group and they are enjoying the students who are studying in all years so much. I've also had the chance to hook up with one of the GHSP volunteers who was here during the first year and to get to know her a bit from emails. The volunteers who are here are a very experienced Midwife, Pediatrician, Surgeon and Critical Care Specialist so I have been joined by these fresh and eager people and we had a dinner with some of the faculty here at my home last night. Now that was a bit of a challenge as Assman, Janet and I prepared dinner for 11 people. Not like just running out to King Soopers and throwing some chips in the cart. We pulled it off nicely though and everyone seemed to leave happy if not exactly full. No way can I cook for a group of Ugandan's! The UK group have been working in Sudan in the past but could not go there so opted to come here and volunteer.  I was feeling quite overwhelmed with all that could be done, but have to keep thinking about that first paragraph. I realise that I cannot be everything to everyone all the time, but I try to do as much as I can and I can look at my students and I know that within my group of second years there are those who truly will change the face of nursing in Uganda. There are some very incredible ones and it was so nice to be joined to teach them by some people who are so eager to share their knowledge. They came with interactive power points and teaching aids and really picked the students up.  I have very little in the way of teaching aids and won't pass this time up to once again whine about the fact that all I want for Christmas is 40 thermometers, stethoscopes, etc. Teaching assessment with no equipment isn't fun and hanging out in a hospital where there are rooms full of sick and dying people and no equipment is at times very exhausting. So nice to have these new arrivals.  We have all spent time working at the hospital in various departments and they feel my students are doing very well, I think so too but of course there is still so much to do and we are almost at the half way point of this semester. They had tried to obtain my email address prior to coming so we could set more up but for one reason or another that did not work out. But here we are and they have had some productive times. They aren't always as busy as they wish they could be but we are trying and I am overjoyed to have this help. The students met us at the front door of the hospital prepared to usher all five of us women to their individual departments and as the other four women went off with students one remaining students said, “Oh, I didn’t get a Mzungu.”  They love showing off their skills or asking questions. As it was we all circled around the wards quite a bit. So very many very sick kids, Malaria is still terrible and at least 4 children desperately ill with one oxygen tank. Along with all of the frustrations there are also some good times and it might be obvious that I love the students and what I am doing. This is challenging in ways I cannot describe but then there are those days when it all comes together!

Janet and Agnes fooling around it got opened and I am not sure even one was finished :)

Breathe baby Breathe

Add caption

practice with sutures 

My office 

"My" classroom

And the Academy Award goes to Pam.
 She birthed that dolly!

Catching UP

Spent Ugandan Independence Day with Janet who is also here with GHSP and Peace Corps as an RN Educator, she lives about 8 hours by bus and car from here and came over to help celebrate my birthday as well as spend the holiday with me.

Found this sign on the way back from Murchison, Got Demons? 

We had a good time just hanging out. She has worked in Africa in the past and has some amazing stories to share. I managed to get caught up on much of my paperwork for classes this week. I had to miss a day of lecture so had some written assignments from the students. The class is coming together and I can see where our needs are much more clearly now. In the past I was more or less guessing where our strengths were. I have students who are Clinical Officers who oftentimes are the only medical people at all in the Health Care Centres where they serve and Midwives as well as students who have just come out of passing A levels. It is an interesting and complicated mixture and at times I wonder just who I am teaching to. They have individual strengths and weaknesses that make for some interesting class time.                                                                                                     

Can't believe how fast time is going and how much I still want to accomplish this semester. After Janet left today I got caught up on some lessons for this week. We are currently having a measles epidemic here in town and I put in some long hours at the hospital last week. Many scared moms coming in with babies who probably do not have the measles but do have mild rashes. Nice to see the mothers being pro-active. Many told me that they had been waiting for 2 to 3 days to see a doctor or clinical officer and that they have to come back and stand in line from the beginning each day, some had already been there since 6 in the morning when I saw them at 10. The fact that there is only one thermometer, a cheap small one, being used for several hundred people frustrates me. My students don't even have the basic supplies to do an assessment. No thermometer, no stethoscope, just nothing. I take along mine but that is a temporary solution at best.

They came right up to the car

I took a brief and much needed vacation to Murchinson Falls last weekend. It was the best gift I could have given to myself. I've never been an endless fan of giraffes but to see them in the wild is inspiring.

view from my window

The Rothschild Giraffe is endangered and as the tallest animal is huge and you don't quite grasp that until you get right up close and personal with them! They literally walked right up to my car. There thighs towered around us. The locals tell me that they might be cute but don't get around the kick of the bite. The Nile was so beautiful and so relaxing, it was a break when I needed it most. Ran into a Bengali couple raised not far from where we lived in Cal and had a great time talking with them.

Meeting Bengali's on the Nile :) 

Good Morning Uganda!

Woke up to an almost cool morning with a breeze and there is electricity. Life is coming back to normal and I have had some great chats of late with my support system and appreciate those volunteers that were here in the past with GHSP who are now in the US as they truly understand how frustrating life can get at times and have walked the same streets of Lira and they know the cast of characters and scene so well. They understand things do not work perfectly but if it did why would we be here?  This is a unique effort that has come into an incredibly challenged place to do good.

Next week is Ugandan Independence day so I am planning on a trip out of here to try to see some wildlife and water. It seems that many other people are taking advantage of the weekend off too so rooms are difficult to come by but I will find something some time soon. I feel a great need to be near water.

I have had so many good things to say about my students of late they came to class totally believing that they were as perfect as I told them they are and forgot to study for a quiz and then told me I had not told them there was a quiz. Ha ha. They have it in writing plus a powerpoint, plus verbally. I have taught quite a few lessons in my lifetime as well as raised ten kids. I asked them why it was that students who could not make it to class had emailed asking if they could please take the exam late and they seemed to know that there was a quiz. Anyway, as it was it worked out okay and I just gave a firm but kind warning that we can have fun, we can share our stories in class but we are here to learn. I also told them that I don't want to need help someday and find out that I have the nurse taking care of me who didn't study. This is not a complex class but it is a vitally important one perhaps even more important here then any place else in the world because people need to stop and think, and use critical thinking and plan ahead. I have written about pain medication and I lecture constantly about pain being the 5th vital sign and how important pain control is to good patient care. I might just make the next quiz 10 questions about why pain control is important. If they do not walk out of this semester using a bit more in the way of  critical thinking and planning then it is not because I am not pushing them as hard as  I can and I will keep striving to make them reach higher.  I also make their attendance at the hospital critical as half of them are already nurses and don't feel they need more time in a hospital. Trying to get someone to unlearn something is much more difficult then learning it and I am not at all impressed with the way things are being done. If I go back to school again, and who knows I might, I will be treated like a student with no points off for the fact that I have "life experience." I tell them, firmly that they are not sitting in their chair to keep the seat warm, they are here to learn something new, this isn't about getting a paper so you get a pay raise this is about learning how to be a better nurse.  Critical thinking and planning ahead are desperately needed skills as well as good pain control and monitoring. I teach that people need to plan ahead and to see their patients in a more comprehensive light and will keep teaching and preaching it. There is so much preaching here anyway when someone says they are "praying" about something, which happens at least 5 times a day I now respond by saying,  "Oh and don't forget to pray for oxygen, bandages, better hospitals, and well trained nurses." My close support system now understand that this will be my response so when people make that statement my ever vigilant family know what my response will be, and start laughing (in a good natured way) I know that this can be taken out of context in writing but trust me I say it with the best of intentions. They brought the minister over to visit a few days ago and I also told him that prayer is good but that prayer and action is better. We can make all the noise we want all weekend but we should rally around and make noise about malaria and the lack of basic things if we really want to do good. Anyway, I chose my sermons carefully and try never to offend but my "mother" has been here so much of late and she knows what I am going to say before I say it and it usually relieves some tension and leads away from grave conversations with lengthy prayers into action directed conversations about better care. The attitude of "well what can we do?" shrugs needs to be replaced with we are going to do something positive to change things.

Anyway, my conversation with my students was tough love. I didn't come over here to be there buddy and if they aren't learning something then I am wasting their time and mine and I told them so. Many students contacted me afterwards to say how grateful they were that I shook things up. Many of them are very good students and I am convinced that within my class room there are several people who will change the face of nursing in Uganda, there are some incredibly bright students and I know that they are hearing every word I say. The Universities in the South were very well represented during our Kampala orientation and I hope at some point the people from up here are given an opportunity to be heard. Some of these people who are really working with nothing at all need to be represented in any talk about Ugandan health care.  We can't just shrug and say "Oh things are so bad up there" Yes, so let's change that! It is not acceptable. We have some very good doctors that I know for fact I have seen them in action but just having them walk about lecturing will not be the only thing that will change things, attitudes about what is acceptable also must change.  I am in the right place at the right time in my life and I know it. I am not suggesting we take to the streets but they need to advocate for themselves if it is just through a Facebook group where they can support each other and plan because many of them are active online. I can deal with anything except apathy, I think. There are moments when we are asked to do something and the rest of the hospital doesn't have running water or gloves. Fine and dandy that I have a pocket full of gloves and my own hand sanitizers but seriously this gets complicated.  I am going to keep trying to find a way to get a student nursing kit for my students. I contacted AlLNurses but the best they could come up with for what I wanted was a hundred dollars a kit, too much.

The area has had some tough times and I love the Peace Corps and the people who are involved and I know that people care about us and they are trying to do their best and of course there is always areas that can be improved.  No one came to Uganda expecting a perfect health care system. Not sure I was quite prepared for how challenging it is but there are some things you have to live with to come to understand and it just can't be explained.  I hope that I have the opportunity to help facilitate positive discussions in any manner that is helpful.

This morning Mary Hogan one of the volunteers who was here in the past called and I saw Douglas in the lawn and called him over to the window and handed him the phone. They had a wonderful chat and he was able to talk with her for about five minutes and he was in tears when he handed the phone back.  Just so happens at that moment he was wearing his Bronco shirt that Sue sent over and Dr. Mary lives in Colorado. I am forewarning the next GHSP volunteer that is coming over  if Orange is not your colour bring whatever you like :) These kids would wear any new shirt from America, even if it isn't orange. Douglas is going to watch the next game with me. I have assured him that he will love it he is a great soccer fan he will soon understand REAL football rules. When all else fails water calms me and if no water, Bronco's.  My family is right here in my laptop with me and we "watched" the game together on Sunday even though my power went out and my battery died I had my phone and their hilarious updates, it was the greatest stress relief. I just kept reading their comments and being "with them" through each play makes me feel so much closer. I have missed my kids so much of late but where to go to see my kids? The price we pay for raising international third world kids and now my grandkids is that they scatter all over the world. I hope most of us can be together for Christmas this year. .Just a tad homesick for somewhere and everyone wherever they are and I want them to be safe. They are on my mind every minute and I worry about them and the craziness of where they live.

My daughter Beth who is an incredibly great mom and a very good nurse launched and managed a wonderful fund raising effort on Gofundme for one of our best nursing sisters in Kolkata who has cancer of the throat. We were informed that her situation was urgent by Dr. Dadina in India who began working with us in the 70's and helped us train so many of our nurses.  When Sister Madhu came to us she wan't a nurse but just a very bright woman working in health care. We trained her into one of the finest nurses in India and she also helped me with taking care of the older and handicapped children and continues to work with abandoned and vulnerable preemies today. Through some bleak moments I was able to see Beth raise her goal of thousands of dollars  and am so proud of her effort to take on this project. It was nice to see our IMH India kids giving back to those who loved and nurtured them.  Beth changed the direction through just reaching out to people and is an example of what can be done when someone takes a little time out and as a busy working mom this wasn't easy for Beth, but it was important. and a great deal of her effort was reaching out on Facebook. So proud of my kids, be the change!

Douglas the compound caretaker for the landlord