Email 6 From Kampala, Uganda
Email 6
Kampala, Uganda
March 25, 2008
Dear Friends and Family,
We are fine and hope that you are as well. We have a lot to tell you, so let’s go:
• We just spent the 4 day weekend in a remote park, which we visited nearly 4 years ago to the day and visited some of the people that we met 4 years ago. We flew in with a small plane (17 people) and landed on a dirt strip and then proceeded to a new lodge. Among our group was the Swedish Ambassador and his wife, the British High Commissioner and his wife who is also the President of the International Women’s Organization, the President of Centenary Bank ,a high USAID official, and a couple of common folk like Katende ne Nabuuso. We saw lots of game, beautiful scenery, and had the opportunity to visit a small village where we learned much and took some beautiful photos.
• Marua, or Ajon, is a local brew made of fermented millet, and across the street from us, in a private house is an ajon bar. Each time we pass, they ask us to come and visit, so one day we did, and Peter tasted the ajon. It is drunk with long reed straws (about 3 feet long) from a pot that is in the center of the group. Tastes sort of like warm wine. We wanted to be friendly and get to know them. Most of those guys across the street don’t speak Luganda so Peter started to teach them.
• 25 years ago on March 14, the first person with AIDS was discovered in Western Uganda in a small fishing village near the border of Tanzania. Our NGO has a group composed of HIV positive and negative people called the Post Test Club which was invited to sing for the occasion that also included among the guests the President of Uganda and the Ugandan Parliament. We stayed the night in a very low cost guest house with those of us who traveled together from our NGO, and the next morning traveled for a very long time over one of the worst roads in all of Uganda, Whew! Peter was delegated to be the photographer, but alas, because of the presidential security was not allowed to bring his camera to the commemoration. And when Hinda tried to use the President’s sanican, she was turned away. After the President used it one time, it was loaded on a truck and hauled away. Thus there was only one sanican left for Hinda and the other several thousand who were there. But ---- it was kept very very clean by an attendant who would not let Hinda enter until he had cleaned it.
• Hinda has nearly finished the job descriptions and in the next week or two will present her findings and recommendation on the clinic to the Management Committee. Peter will be giving a class on Outlook later this week. And, the Strategic Plan is finally finished. We feel very much a part of things here, and we are. We are pretty much just staff members doing, eating, attending meetings and prayers (although we don’t pray) just like everyone else. We like our colleagues very much, and they like us equally.
• “Westerners have watches and Africans have time.” Now you know what African time means.
• This coming weekend we are going to the West to visit the family of one of our friends from 4 years ago. PeterPaul had asked us to name his 3 children during the past 4 years, and thus we are their “jaja’s” (grandparents), and consequently PeterPaul’s mother and father. His in laws have never met him, and he hasn’t been able to perform the necessary rituals to meet them unless his father is with him. Because his father is no longer living, Peter will be his father and this visit will start the negotiations for the dowry. We will tell you more after we return. We are deeply honored.
• Another friend from 4 years ago was injured in a motorbike accident, and we had to take him to the largest government hospital in Uganda. Don’t be fooled by the word largest. Mulago hospital is different than what we had expected. Our friend couldn’t get an X-Ray unless we, or someone paid cash up front; the ward had no sheets, no blankets, no food, no water, no bed pan, etc., etc., and so we and other friends including PeterPaul brought all of that; and then he couldn’t get the proper treatment unless we, or some one paid in advance – which we also did. How can you leave your friend with a broken hip and no treatment? We couldn’t. He has to be in the hospital 6 weeks in traction. He could not get an operation because he has AIDS. PeterPaul is taking care of his 3 year old son, and somehow, we and others are making sure our friend has food and whatever else he needs. In the ward, entire families are sleeping on the floor, under the bed and bringing food, blankets, etc., and in general taking care of their family member. We have arranged for someone to take care of our friend.
• Peter was the subject of one of the sermons here during the Lenten season when there was a sermon each morning from one of the staff. Most were quite good. About Peter, it was about being open to new things no matter what your age, and specifically about Peter learning to drum when he is nearly 70.
• Hinda found a shop that sells clothes for “Women of Substance”.
• We took our two vulnerable children with AIDS – Ivan and Herbert - that we have been supporting for the past 4 years to the Kampala version of Disney World and they had a great time and so did we. It was a very big treat for them. We also took them for lunch and ice cream. We are committed to supporting them until it is no longer necessary. Herbert wants to be a neuro-surgeon and he is certainly smart enough. He just needs the right breaks which may be quite difficult because he is so poor. Ivan wants to become an airplane engineer and for him also it will be difficult, perhaps even more so, for he has no one, just us. Herbert still has his mother and she has AIDS also. So, let’s hope.
OK, that’s about all for now. Sorry for such a long blog. Hope you enjoy the photos.
Love and hugs,
Katende ne Nabuuso
Kampala, Uganda
March 25, 2008
Dear Friends and Family,
We are fine and hope that you are as well. We have a lot to tell you, so let’s go:
• We just spent the 4 day weekend in a remote park, which we visited nearly 4 years ago to the day and visited some of the people that we met 4 years ago. We flew in with a small plane (17 people) and landed on a dirt strip and then proceeded to a new lodge. Among our group was the Swedish Ambassador and his wife, the British High Commissioner and his wife who is also the President of the International Women’s Organization, the President of Centenary Bank ,a high USAID official, and a couple of common folk like Katende ne Nabuuso. We saw lots of game, beautiful scenery, and had the opportunity to visit a small village where we learned much and took some beautiful photos.
• Marua, or Ajon, is a local brew made of fermented millet, and across the street from us, in a private house is an ajon bar. Each time we pass, they ask us to come and visit, so one day we did, and Peter tasted the ajon. It is drunk with long reed straws (about 3 feet long) from a pot that is in the center of the group. Tastes sort of like warm wine. We wanted to be friendly and get to know them. Most of those guys across the street don’t speak Luganda so Peter started to teach them.
• 25 years ago on March 14, the first person with AIDS was discovered in Western Uganda in a small fishing village near the border of Tanzania. Our NGO has a group composed of HIV positive and negative people called the Post Test Club which was invited to sing for the occasion that also included among the guests the President of Uganda and the Ugandan Parliament. We stayed the night in a very low cost guest house with those of us who traveled together from our NGO, and the next morning traveled for a very long time over one of the worst roads in all of Uganda, Whew! Peter was delegated to be the photographer, but alas, because of the presidential security was not allowed to bring his camera to the commemoration. And when Hinda tried to use the President’s sanican, she was turned away. After the President used it one time, it was loaded on a truck and hauled away. Thus there was only one sanican left for Hinda and the other several thousand who were there. But ---- it was kept very very clean by an attendant who would not let Hinda enter until he had cleaned it.
• Hinda has nearly finished the job descriptions and in the next week or two will present her findings and recommendation on the clinic to the Management Committee. Peter will be giving a class on Outlook later this week. And, the Strategic Plan is finally finished. We feel very much a part of things here, and we are. We are pretty much just staff members doing, eating, attending meetings and prayers (although we don’t pray) just like everyone else. We like our colleagues very much, and they like us equally.
• “Westerners have watches and Africans have time.” Now you know what African time means.
• This coming weekend we are going to the West to visit the family of one of our friends from 4 years ago. PeterPaul had asked us to name his 3 children during the past 4 years, and thus we are their “jaja’s” (grandparents), and consequently PeterPaul’s mother and father. His in laws have never met him, and he hasn’t been able to perform the necessary rituals to meet them unless his father is with him. Because his father is no longer living, Peter will be his father and this visit will start the negotiations for the dowry. We will tell you more after we return. We are deeply honored.
• Another friend from 4 years ago was injured in a motorbike accident, and we had to take him to the largest government hospital in Uganda. Don’t be fooled by the word largest. Mulago hospital is different than what we had expected. Our friend couldn’t get an X-Ray unless we, or someone paid cash up front; the ward had no sheets, no blankets, no food, no water, no bed pan, etc., etc., and so we and other friends including PeterPaul brought all of that; and then he couldn’t get the proper treatment unless we, or some one paid in advance – which we also did. How can you leave your friend with a broken hip and no treatment? We couldn’t. He has to be in the hospital 6 weeks in traction. He could not get an operation because he has AIDS. PeterPaul is taking care of his 3 year old son, and somehow, we and others are making sure our friend has food and whatever else he needs. In the ward, entire families are sleeping on the floor, under the bed and bringing food, blankets, etc., and in general taking care of their family member. We have arranged for someone to take care of our friend.
• Peter was the subject of one of the sermons here during the Lenten season when there was a sermon each morning from one of the staff. Most were quite good. About Peter, it was about being open to new things no matter what your age, and specifically about Peter learning to drum when he is nearly 70.
• Hinda found a shop that sells clothes for “Women of Substance”.
• We took our two vulnerable children with AIDS – Ivan and Herbert - that we have been supporting for the past 4 years to the Kampala version of Disney World and they had a great time and so did we. It was a very big treat for them. We also took them for lunch and ice cream. We are committed to supporting them until it is no longer necessary. Herbert wants to be a neuro-surgeon and he is certainly smart enough. He just needs the right breaks which may be quite difficult because he is so poor. Ivan wants to become an airplane engineer and for him also it will be difficult, perhaps even more so, for he has no one, just us. Herbert still has his mother and she has AIDS also. So, let’s hope.
OK, that’s about all for now. Sorry for such a long blog. Hope you enjoy the photos.
Love and hugs,
Katende ne Nabuuso
posted by Peter and Hinda Schnurman at 5:56 AM
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