Week 43 (13 – 19 May 2007)

We didn’t have a very good night’s sleep as we were both suffering from stomach pains – probably just getting used to the water here again. The pump has been fixed so it’s much quieter and only the S4 (final year) students are around. I could go into the details of my decision making at 2am which was influenced by the rain. It’s bad enough having to get up at that time, but getting dressed, finding waterproofs and unlocking the door before squelching to the small room down the hill while balancing the need to walk safely and the urgency of arriving was not easy. However, the room in question was dry and warm – at least when I arrived! It was a bit noisy though – due to the rain on the tin roof, of course. By the way, on our car journey to Nairobi and back we discovered that people who have lived in fairly remote and primitive conditions do develop a certain basic sense humour. Laura would fit in well!!!

Anyway, we decided to sleep in rather than venture even to the school service. Due to the time it was taking to mark papers we both did a little to try to get ahead. Something amazing happened tonight. We received an e-mail from our son, Richard! Great to hear from you Richard and hope you still enjoy or at least tolerate reading the blog. We wish you well with the cooking in the new kitchen and the new housemate. I don’t mean that you’re thinking of cooking the housemate – but by now ……!

Mary, our first home help returned to work on Monday with the assistance of Joyce who will do the heavier work such as carrying water and washing. Our lunch was a treat – we have really missed Mary’s cooking! She brought her newborn son, Jonathan with her so Andrea didn’t get much marking done as she spent quite a bit of time either holding or watching him or both. Lillian, our neighbour and Andrea’s language teacher has been unwell while we have been away. As she was too weak to walk to the hospital we took her in the afternoon thinking that it would be quieter. When we got their we realised why so few people are around – many of the staff go home early so are not around to see the patients, even if there are people waiting for them! So don’t complain about NHS queues too much! We spent some of the time catching up with our friends Molly and Isobel who teach at the nursing school. Late in the evening we got a phone call to say that James’ Dad had been taken into hospital in Southampton.

On Molly & Isobel’s advice, we returned to the hospital with Lillian as early on Tuesday morning as possible – but she was sent to the wrong clinic and didn’t see the doctor as we had arranged. Instead, she was given some strong antibiotics. We quickly discovered that this was not good news, and Andrea warned Lillian not to continue with them. Later, we took a book delivery from the VanderMeers, a Canadian family who are leaving their house for an extended furlough. We will be looking after, and reading their books, some of which will eventually go to the school library. They also lent us a large bookcase to store them. I started to catalogue the books – as a record of what we are holding and to help with the deciding which of them will go to the library. I also prepared some spreadsheets for recording the exam marks and calculating the grades.

Andrea finally finished her marking on Wednesday – after four long days of doing little else. We need to evaluate the usefulness of such extended examinations at this stage of the academic year. The other main event of the day was the torrential rain from 2 to 5pm. It was so heavy that it was coming off the staff room roof in a single sheet – like a really good waterfall. It also wet almost everything in the staffroom, including the centre table, because the windows were open and it was a battle to close them. Andrea was trying to stem the flood coming in through our back door – even though the door was closed properly! It was HEAVY rain.

Andrea spent most of Thursday entering her exam marks on the report cards. I had a quieter morning trying to sort out some of our paper work and avoiding preparing any lessons. I achieved the second part with relatively little difficulty. I spent some time in the afternoon entering exam data on the laptop. But only two (of 12) other subjects have been completed. In the evening, I made a call to find out how Dad was – the news was not good so we began to think about making a trip home.

We took Lillian to hospital again on Friday morning where she saw the German Gynaecologist – a fellow missionary. It was decided that Lillian be admitted but she had to return home to collect belongings and prepare for a three night stay for observation and medication. So we returned to Ushindi then set off for Arua. While at the hospital I contacted Lyn in Kampala to enquire about flights home. We had several conversations, both from the hospital and later in town while doing the shopping and found some possibilities. They hinged on when we could get a flight from Arua to Entebbe – so our priority was to go to Eagle Air. We discovered a Sunday morning flight but did not confirm this until we had spoken to Brian and Libby in Winchester. It’s hard to believe, that with Lyn’s help, we were able to book flights while doing our shopping in Arua! The mobile phone came into it’s own today! We returned to Ushindi only to leave a short time later for Kuluva Hospital with Lillian. Four times over the rough road in one day is now my record. I know every bump and trough intimately and I think the car only fights me because it seems to know the best route through them!

Saturday was spent trying to sort things out at school to minimise the difficulties caused by our absence just at the report cards were being produced for the start of term – and of course the lessons we would not be teaching, probably for three weeks. There was also the question about whether we had made the right decision – only time would tell. It was a but hard to think about packing and adjust to making such journey at short notice. Although, in the end we took very little so the actual packing was straightforward – if only that nagging feeling of “What have I forgotten?” would go away.

Week 42 (6 – 12 May 2007)

After a good nights sleep we prepared for a leisurely start to as the Sunday service at Zzana was at 11am. However, Lyn got a call to say that she was needed for the Sunday school after all so had to prepare at the last minute and leave earlier. An American was preaching but both he and the translator got so excited and loud that we couldn’t hear what they were saying! We later found an experienced AIM missionary spent this time preparing a sermon of his own!!!! Lyn had been given a gift of some money to use on our visit so treated us to lunch at “Le Chateau” which has a Belgian cuisine. We had steak in mushroom sauce – and the fact that I remembered what we had is an indication of how much we enjoyed it! Gregg, Lyn’s boss, was the AIM representative who visited Ushindi before we went. He has worked in schools in Congo and did our Uganda induction back in August so it was good to catch up with him.

Monday was definitely a day of rest. Lyn’s flat was quiet after the neighbour’s music stopped at 10am so we sat out on the balcony reading and reflecting on the last week and making tentative plans for the rest of the year. There was a gentle breeze and the temperature was very comfortable for us. Lyn’s helper came to clean the flat and do our washing but she worked so quietly we were not disturbed. Andrea slept for 3 hours in the afternoon! Just as we sat down to eat the electricity went off – but only for a few minutes. However, it came on again for only 30 minutes and so spent the rest of the evening chatting by candlelight and head torches. By 9pm we were so weary that we all retired for the night.

We had a quiet morning on Tuesday reading and catching up with e-mails, the blog and searching the internet for knitting patterns (Andrea). At about 2pm we were collected by Debbie Carpenter and taken to a potential venue for the AIM Central Region Conference (January 2008). We are on the committee and so went back to Matoke Inn for a committee meeting before returning to Lyn’s flat to recover!

Wednesday morning was a repeat of Tuesday morning until 11am. We then walked up to Matoke Inn and arrived at 12pm hot and sweaty. I was very hot and so sweaty that it was showing though my trouser legs. Fortunately on my legs and not anywhere embarrassing – or at least no one pointed out anything embarrassing! We sorted out some financial details as we have an AIM account in Kampala enabling us to pay for some things even when we are in Arua. We then had lunch with the Central Region Committee and while we were eating we each reported back about our reactions to the LeaderLink Conference in Nairobi last week.
We were then taken by car into town just as the heavens opened so were delayed for a bit. We visited a bookshop for about 2 minutes and managed to leave without buying a single book but crossed the road and bought a guitar in about 10 minutes! We were then taken to the bank and while I was pleased with the security arrangements I was surprised how little time it took me to withdraw 2,000,000 Ugandan shillings. Yes, the number was two million. What fun! But we weren’t millionaires for long. Our next stop was a supermarket and I mistakenly let Andrea loose on her own so that I could look after the rest of the money! But while waiting for her I bought an external aerial for our phone in Arua so when it is transported up we should have a better connection. We then went to a solar goods warehouse and parted with most of our newly withdrawn money in exchange for a battery and another solar panel. The battery weighs 67lbs. Not your average torch battery. The solar panel only just fitted into the back of the car. We decided we needed them both as we are trying to run two laptops. I’m still recovering from the shock of spending so much money in such a short time! It’s just as well we were driven back to Lyn’s flat – we weren’t in any fit state to negotiate the public transport. We now have to arrange for them to be taken from Kampala to Arua by road. After recovering, we had tea and Lyn had arranged for a special birthday cake – with green (i.e. Irish) icing. It was a very nice cake too. It’s a treat just to have a cake! But it’s possibly the only cake that’s been transported on a boda in a rucksack! I spent a further hour or so checking e-mails and updating the blog. Good therapy after spending money!

On Thursday we just recovered from Wednesday! It was very pleasant to be able to relax in the comfort of Lyn’s flat, reading, writing e-mails and the blog and surfing the web. We also had the luxury of packing slowly.

There was no power when we go up at 5am on Friday but we’re used to that! We were collected by Lawrence, the “AIM” taxi – he does most of the airport trips and keeps track of all the comings and goings. There were no problems with the trip and with no international flights, the airport was quiet. However, we saw a little more of Uganda than expected as the plane went further north to Moyo (on the boarder with Sudan) before returning to Arua. We were only 30 mins later than expected and Thomas from Diguna had spotted that the plane had landed from his home and workshop. He managed to repair the back door and check and service the car. We did our shopping and called at the vanderMeers who are leaving soon for a year back in Canada. We will be looking after many of their books and no doubt reading many of them too. So we collected the first to TRUNKS. We’ve no idea how many more there are but with six children it could be a lot! By the time we returned to the school we were hot and tired (no change there then) and everything was fine. I did walk into a staff meeting, not realising that it was on, but was too hot and tired to stay.

On Saturday we started our exam marking – it’s going to be a long job and needs to be completed with the report cards written up by Monday 21st May – when the new term starts. One of the Chemistry exam questions I set was to “Explain why substances with covalent bonds do not conduct electricity.” I was expecting an answer along the lines that there are no electrons or ions free to move so the current cannot be carried. One student wrote “They are weak and unstable just like having two wives sharing a husband. They won’t be on good terms.” In nearly 30 years setting and marking questions on this topic it must be the most unique answer!

Week 41 (29 Apr – 5 May 2007)

We left Eldama Ravine at 9am on Sunday. It was a beautiful morning – cool and bright with the sun shining through the trees. As we drove towards the edge of the Great African Rift Valley we saw right across the plain to the ridge on the other side and the mountains beyond. Having studied the formation of rift valleys at school with the African Rift Valley as the main example it was quite and experience to find we were actually driving along it and up the other side. The main road is being repaired so we went on the older road. Well, track. As it was dry the lorries stirred up the dust so much that it was like a very heavy fog and we could hardly see the vehicle in front let alone those coming the other way. This was a problem at times because very few stayed on the correct side of the road – avoiding the ruts and potholes was more important. It’s a bit unnerving seeing a huge lorry suddenly appearing out of the dust and heading straight towards you. Being Africa, the vehicles don’t travel any slower than under ‘normal’ conditions! The road itself was so rough that a couple of very very big speed bumps were the smoothest part of the drive! When we got past this part and were nearing the top of the cliff we had a great view of the extinct volcanoes. The journey today was only 4 hours – with stops to give Bill, the driver, a rest. We arrived in Nairobi at 1pm in time for lunch at the AIM Mayfield guesthouse.

The conference was being held at a convent that ran a large conference centre. There were only a few double rooms so we had to separate but at least were opposite each other. Each room is like typical student accommodation but with its own en suite bathroom and shower. Electricity and running water – what luxury! But only for 5 nights. Our first session began at 6pm with an introduction to the LeaderLink team.

Monday to Thursday
The conference programme began at 8.30am each day. There were five 90-minute sessions that ended at 6.30pm. Wednesday had an extra evening session. So there was little free time and was a bit gruelling, especially at the beginning when we were tired from the journey. The topics we covered were:
Biblical Guidelines for a Christian leader
The Leadership Challenge
Introduction to Leader Development
Becoming a more Facilitative Leader
Transferring Organizational Culture and Values
The presenters were all from the US but with experience working overseas both with business and missionary organisations. The sessions included times for reflection and discussions and were generally very helpful and thought provoking. We also appreciated learning about other jobs, especially as not everyone was from AIM. Many of the delegates were African and it was interesting hearing their perspectives on the issues we discussed.

We had two final sessions on Friday before leaving on the first leg or our return journey. Two of our passengers had changed so Steve and Audrey were replaced by Tim and Dale. Tim is an AIM-Air pilot with many years experience in Africa but he seemed to have a disaster story to cover every event.

On Saturday we left “Sunrise Acres” at Eldama Ravine by 8.15am not long after the sunrise. It was very picturesque. But we tended to keep our eyes on the road in anticipation of the bumps and vibrations and trying to remember which side of the road the traffic should actually be on. Oncoming traffic also weaves around to avoid potholes on their side of the road. We had a couple of nice breaks and arrived back at Lyn’s flat in Kampala at 5.45pm a bit tired and dazed.

Week 40 (22 – 28 Apr 2007)

The service was very quiet – comparatively – without Laura, Matt and Lisa. Some students from Vurra Secondary School (a near neighbour) took the service. One of the girls gave the sermon but I’m not sure what it was about! They were a friendly group and two of them are doing science A-levels which is unusual and the first we’ve met since being here. Most opt for humanities subjects. The car had another bathe today – only the second of 2007 but the last before the end of this term.

The exam timetable appeared on Monday evening and the practical exams will start on Wednesday. This means that the S3 and S4 miss their lessons on Thursday, and hence vital revision for the Chemistry exams. I’ll try to use the time to find out how they run the practical exams as I may have to do this next term. I teach S3 Chemistry and have indicated that they cannot do a practical exam this term. Most of the day was spent writing the exam papers. We do this on our laptops so that they can be photocopied but we did need to try to persuade the Director of Studies that this would be preferable to the secretary re-typing them onto stencils. He seems unconvinced. However, the secretary ‘big’ Joselyn, had no doubts. She can’t type matrices or integration symbols and has too much to do anyway!

Finished the exam papers today, Tuesday. Just had to persuade the printer to actually print them. After a few threats, it gave in so we can now begin to relax – or at least think about packing and relaxing a little.

Laura had and interview with Christian Aid on Wednesday and after the interview said that having met one of the other candidates, she would be very unlikely to get the job. However, she was offered it and we are all delighted. It seems such a good opportunity for her to complement her other more administrative role and both jobs are based in Exmouth. Well done Laura!

ANDREA’s visit to Mary’s house to be added here



Thursday was for packing and sorting out the final things we needed to do in the house – after the usual morning’s teaching of course. It’s still hot so hard to concentrate one what’s needed when we don’t know exactly where we’re going, the temperatures and rainfall in Kenya or in Kampala or what facilities we would have. No doubt we’ll get it wrong. We were also very aware that the funeral for Emma Golding was happening this afternoon and that we couldn’t be there.

Another early start on Friday and off to Diguna to leave the car for repairs and servicing. Thomas took us to the airstrip where we had a leisurely wait for the plane. Lawrence collected us at Entebbe and took us to Lyn Cooke’s flat where we chilled out for the rest of the day.

We left Lyn’s flat at 7.15am on Saturday and were taken to our pick-up point before leaving Kampala in a good 4x4, at least it doesn’t rattle and creak like ours! The journey to the east of Uganda was not unusual with the main highlight being the boarder crossing African style. It seemed chaotic and there were lot’s of people around but when we found out where we needed to go the papers were processed surprisingly quickly. The next part of the journey took us into the Kenyan mountains and became cooler. Much of the vegetation seemed to be very like that in the UK with fir trees everywhere. Our rest breaks were in very pleasant places and we had a good chocolate milkshake with our chicken and chips at lunchtime. We arrived at our overnight stop in the rain and mud but did see a double rainbow which almost completed a circle. No crocks of gold though. We stopped at 5.15pm after 9 hours travelling although it took another few hours for us to realise that we weren’t bumping along any more. “Sunrise Acres” is at Eldama Ravine and a brilliant place for a quiet weekend or for families with younger children. It is in on land given to an AIM missionary by a past president of Kenya as a way of thanking him for his work and help.

Week 39 (15 – 21 Apr 2007)

Matt, Laura and Lisa took part in the Sunday morning service. The preacher was David Akello, who we met last Sunday. Afterwards we had our second breakfast with him and his wife and he told us more amazing stories of his job in reconciling people affected by the war in Sudan and terrorism in northern Uganda. Later, Andrea went with Grace, the girls houseparent, to check that all the girls had mosquito nets – which they did. But many of them were not using them. In the cooler part of the afternoon Laura and I went for one of our short walks, and returned over an hour later! For me, our chat was one of the highlights of their visit. We went straight up to devotions where Matt did the talk based around a story which kept our attention!
Later in the evening we were playing Laura’s silly card games when we got a knock at the door (about 9.30pm). A student was unconscious and had to go to the hospital. I returned at around 10.45pm after she was admitted. It’s not the first time the girl has been taken ill so they need to do some tests, but it doesn’t look to be life-threatening. By the time I returned all the others had gone to bed. Matt was sleeping in the lounge and the outside door creaks considerably. He had said that he can sleep through anything. Now I believe him! He didn’t miss a single snore (and I even heard from outside that he was asleep but was too polite to tell him!).

On Monday Laura, Lisa & Matt started preparing the hall for painting under the supervision of Ronald and the help of the site staff. The site staff did the really high parts. There was a lot of dust but they also managed to get one coat of paint done. Even with the watered down emulsion it has made a significant difference already. They finished by lunchtime and rested in the afternoon before spending some time with the students. Andrea did her knitting session and was joined by Jeremy who wants to knit himself a Man Utd scarf, much to Lisa’s pleasure as she supports them. Lisa spoke at the devotions but some of the students were more than a little noisy. I had a “firm talk” to them afterwards. A significant number of them aren’t Christians and daily devotions are compulsory – at least in theory but it’s rare that anyone checks. Laura was pleased to find that they are just normal secondary school students!

On Tuesday the British trio again ventured into the hall to spread a second coat of paint on the wall of the hall. The staff and students find it very interesting that they actually know how to paint! White people doing manual jobs seems to be a novelty! We left in time to go to town and the Asiki’s for lunch – we were treated to sausages! In the evening we watched the first half of the France v Ireland rugby match from the Six Nations Championship. Matt had very kindly recorded some of the matches on DVD so that we didn’t miss them completely. I’m looking forward to seeing the Ireland v England match!! We also heard that one of the part time teachers had given birth to her second child late on Monday evening. She was taken to the hospital over the very rough road on the back of a motorcycle while in labour! Things are definitely different here.

The saddest part of our day, and indeed of our time here, was when we received a message to say that Emma Golding had slipped away during the night. We have been to America and Bulgaria with the Goldings and have many happy memories of them as well as many other occasions nearer home. We will greatly miss Emma and it hurts us that we are so far away from our dear friends in this sad and difficult time.

The painting continued on Wednesday with the first coat of gloss up to window height. In the afternoon we went to Kuluva Hospital to meet Molly and Isobel. Molly is the acting Principal of the Nursing School and took us on a guided tour of every ward in the hospital – our first time too. Some of the older wards were difficult to see. The hospital was set up by two AIM missionaries in the 1950’s so has a strong Christian emphasis. It is held in high regard in the area, as is the nursing school where the trainees receive a better education than in government run institutions. The evidence for this is the ease with which they get jobs. Back at school, Laura did the devotions in the evening. There was only one problem, how do we follow the three Youth Workers? We’re old and boring in comparison. It was a delight to hear Laura speak so confidently and fluently without any notes.

Painting continued again on Thursday morning although the work will not be finished. A good start has been made and teacher Ronald has said that he will ensure that it is completed. After lessons the three visitors spent some time outside the classrooms chatting to the students and taking photos. We returned to the devotions for the last time – but not intending to participate. However, Matt & Lisa were asked to sing again and received a loud round of applause. They really appreciated their different and lively style. At the end, Simon, the Chairman of the Scripture Union, got all of the committee up to the front to sing for the visitors. He then turned and led them in saying “Thank you” – all together and drawn out for emphasis. We were then ushered into the staff room where they had cleared the tables, covered them with table cloths and set out sodas and biscuits. The staff who were around joined us and each one gave a short speech of thanks for what Laura, Matt and Lisa had contributed in their short stay. Laura replied on behalf of her friends and gave a very eloquent speech. We think she takes after her mother in this regard! The time together was very touching and greatly appreciated.

We took Laura, Matt and Lisa to the airport on Friday morning and managed to get fuel on the way. There has been a shortage of diesel in Uganda so was becoming something of a concern. It was sad to see them go. Saying goodbye and watching them get on the plane was one of the hardest things we have had to do. They were very easy to look after and left behind many things that will make our lives just that little bit easier. Except that every we see something they left it reminds us of their visit which is good, but that they are now so far away and we miss them, our family, especially Laura and Richard, and our friends.

Shopping was something of a let down without the company we have got used to during the last week and the house was too quiet when we returned.

I don’t remember much about Saturday but expect that we were resting from entertaining and starting to rearrange the house again. I think we were also taking time to grieve after the loss of Emma and for her family, friends and work colleagues. Naturally, this was also mixed with our feelings of separation from Laura too.

We received a number of text messages from Laura to let us know how their journey was progressing and were glad to hear of their safe return to Exmouth on Saturday evening.

Week 38 (8 – 14 Apr 2007)

Easter Sunday started with a service that was not much different from usual. The visiting preacher was one of the students from the Uganda Christian University (UCU) that the students beat at football yesterday! I completed my last stint as Teacher on Duty by sitting in the staffroom in a cool breeze with very few interruptions. Being half way through the term, the afternoon was designated “Visiting Day” for parents to see their children. I got the task of writing a welcome notice and times with a reminder “Please do bring boiled food for your children to eat later” on a chalk board. John was a little surprised when I asked for coloured chalk and then started ruling faint lines (with a ruler) before drafting the words and spacing on the board. I got the impression that he expected me just to write and a normal person would with no planning. But I was pleased with result and I think he was too. I’m not a perfectionist, but I like things to be done well. I slept in the afternoon while Andrea went on duty. Or rather, she took her knitting and sat near where the parents and students were sitting and was joined by a group of girls and they had a pleasant chat for a couple of hours. Jeremy (a boy) also joined them having been taught by one of the girls who had attended previous knitting sessions. It may seem obvious that Jeremy is a boy, but another student is ill at present. Her name is Kevin. During the early evening one the guardians joined us for tea at our house. David Akello has sponsored a girl, who was formerly his home help, thorough primary school and is now in Senior 1. He told us some amazing stories of his time as a missionary with the Karamajong, a very remote tribe in north-west Uganda with similar customs to the Masai of Kenya. He trained as a teacher but thought it was too hard. Now he works for KOA in conflict resolution and peacemaking in areas such as Moyo with boarders with Sudan.

We had intended to have a quiet Easter Monday morning but even before we were dressed there was a knock at the door. One of our neighbours, Lillian, was unwell and needed to go to the hospital. After waiting for an hour, we found out that as there was no power at the hospital they were collecting the blood samples until there were enough to make it worthwhile turning the generator on. So we returned home only to get a call at about 1pm that the test had been completed and Lillian and Ronald needed a lift back – but due to the time factor I went the shorter, and much rougher, road. Lillian has malaria and bilharzias. Not nice. Even though we were very tired (and hot) we still decided to go to the Goat Roast at the Asikis. It was worth going to meet up with some of our new friends, including the Bishop and some folk who have been in Arua for less time than us. We’re not the newcomers any more! And the goat was recognisable but very tasty – it had been roasted whole for about 4 hours. Everyone brought a dish so there was a mixture of local and western food from a number of countries. We were especially glad to see Sherry. And not just because she brought the four flavours of ice cream!

Perhaps Tuesday will be a quieter day. The water level has dropped considerably – hence the restrictions of power at the hospital – but it has made it more difficult to get water from the pump by our house so the students use it more vigorously (and noisier) for longer periods. Bit of a pain really. Talking of pain. While doing one of my chores this morning (washing the undies) I moved one of the water containers and hurt my back. Not enough for any sympathy but painful when I sit in one position or try to move. I slept for a while this afternoon but had great difficulty getting off the bed again. So I don’t think I’ll be up early tomorrow. The school debates were due to start yesterday and I found out that I was put down as a judge today – I declined the invitation as I couldn’t have sat for 2hrs, even if the temperature had dropped a little. I’ve been put down to be the chairperson at another session but have no idea what that involves. I still have great difficulty hearing what the students say when they speak at these sorts of occasions, let alone understanding their “arguments”. We’ll see what happens.

I’ve no idea what happened on Wednesday – probably spent the time tidying the house in preparation for the influx of visitors tomorrow.

Thursday was an exciting day for us! After teaching for Periods 1 & 2 we set off for town and the airport to meet the 9.30am flight (which arrived at 11am!) and greeted the Bishop on his arrival from Kampala via Gulu. Laura, Matt and Lisa also arrived and were introduced to Bishop Joel. It was great to see them after waiting for what seems to be a long time – it’s hard to believe that they’ve actually arrived. Understandably, they’re a bit weary and meeting so many new people is very tiring. Our neighbours came to greet and welcome them to Ushindi and made them feel very welcome. Laura is an Arsenal supporter which pleased Ronald and fortunately Lisa is a Man U supporter so Victor is happy too!. We did little other than chat and show them around briefly. The logistics of the eating and sleeping arrangements were as much as we could manage.

I cooked breakfast on Friday morning! What’s more, Lisa and Matt even ate the porridge. Laura has more sense and made her own toast. Andrea was teaching early and left us to it. We didn’t attempt to do too much today to allow Laura, Lisa and Matt to recover from the rafting and their journey. On the other hand, we may have gone into town for lunch and to visit the market. But the senility has set in again and I can’t remember. No doubt I will be corrected in due course when one of the participants reminds me. That’s if any of them get around to reading this! There was the usual assembly in the afternoon and it was a pleasure to introduce Laura and friends to the school. Each spoke briefly to say what they were doing.

On Saturday we didn’t do much in the morning but in the afternoon the others walked to Kuluva Hospital while I went into town to buy paint for the school hall. We met at the hospital football ground where we watched Ushindi loose 1-3 to another school. It was rumoured that the opposition had imported some ringers. Matt was due to take devotions in the evening but as the students were late back from Kuluva it was cancelled – or at least it didn’t happen.

Week 37 (1 – 7 Apr 2007)

Due to our schedule of visitors, duties and travels the blog entries have been delayed - it's a month since I last posted one. I have written parts of other weeks so should be able to catch up soon. Apologies to our reader - or two!

Palm Sunday began with the students lined up waving real palm branches as they sang and walked around the school site. They continued to wave them during the service. We were very tired in the afternoon and it was very hot so we either slept or moaned or read. There was little to do as teacher on duty except that a few parents arrived thinking that this week was for visiting rather than next week. We are supposed to discourage them from visiting but as they hadn’t heard the Visiting Day date and had taken the trouble to come all this way to visit their charges they were allowed to stay – for a limited time.

While the early mornings are bright, cool and fresh and the view idyllic I felt I could miss one or two for a while. None the less, on Monday morning I dutifully took the morning parade and tried to say something intelligent and inspiring. I need to try harder with the inspiring bit – I’ve given up with the intelligent bit so early in the morning. The girl’s dormitory is a delight to visit before 8am with the “dressed” (i.e. made) beds beautifully decorated with delicately and ingeniously folded sheets and blankets. The boy’s dormitory is something of a contrast, although the natural aromas are probably the most striking feature. Anyway, no one was ill. They saved that until later.
We went back to town in the afternoon to collect some “Daily Power” Scripture Reading booklets for the students and at the office I met a group of workers who were planning a training conference for next weekend. Andrea was doing a knitting surgery with the Asiki family while I was chatting with the schools workers.

My inspiration for the Tuesday morning assembly came from the Bible and the “Daily Power” Scripture Reading notes. A reasonable place to look. It seemed to be appreciated. We have bought copies of these are selling them to the students at a much reduced cost. They cover the whole calendar year. Today was very hot again. The weekly staff briefing was a bit frustrating – possibly because the Principal wasn’t there making it harder to make decisions.

On Wednesday Andrea discovered that one of the boys has learnt to knit and wants to make himself a Manchester United scarf! She also discovered some of the girls knitting while waiting in the queue at the water pump.

The Garners arrived Thursday morning while I was teaching. Their driver brought them from Murchison Falls Park (Paraa Lodge) right to the school so I didn’t have to re-arrange my teaching. We chatted non-stop for the rest of the day including a brief tour around the school site. We discovered very late in the day that because lessons were cancelled tomorrow the assembly was moved to today. As we passed the pump on our way to the hall some girls, including the Head Girl, were pumping water. They were unaware of the assembly! About 10 minutes later the Head Girl was giving her report for the week – and did a very good job too! We introduced the Garners and Brian spoke briefly on behalf of the family.

Good Friday began with us just trying to work out how to get 6 people up, washed, dressed and fed. I think we managed it although I can’t guarantee that everyone washed! We decided to go to Arua and as we left discovered that the students were coming to the end of a 2 hour service! We did our usual shopping but took the Garners into the market also. It is quite intimidating the first few times as it’s easy to get lost and there are lot’s of people crowded more closely that we Brits are used to. The visitors managed very well and even witness our purchase of a traditional hoe. These are the ones that take a little practice to use otherwise you risk separating your ankles from your feet! We decided to have lunch in town but, not surprisingly, the Catholic Centre was closed. The Hotel Pacific didn’t have anything on their menu that any of us wanted to eat so after a drink we tried Heritage Gardens. Brian very kindly treated us to a good lunch. It was my turn to take the devotions in the evening. We had planned to try a devotions without any singing but it was too difficult to get any of the students together to plan it – they have very little free time. The theme from the Lord’s Prayer was on forgiveness so I was able to make it a little more reflective than usual. Andrea finished with a prayer from St Patrick’s Breastplate using actions to emphasise the meaning. It was one of those special moments.

On Saturday we took the Garners to the airport and had a pleasant drink as we waited for the plane to arrive. No crowds or rush – it must be one of the more pleasant airports to wait for a plane! Their visit seemed to go so quickly but it was great to seem them all and to have time to chat and catch up. We would also like to thank them for all the bits & pieces they brought that will make our lives easier in the coming months.

On our way back from town we visited Molly and Isobel at Kuluva hospital. They have just returned from the UK so again we caught up with news while drinking coffee and eating (Scottish) pancakes. We then visited our first (and best) home help, Mary, who gave birth to a son yesterday. It was our first visit to the hospital wards and although different from UK hospitals the conditions were better than we had expected. The rest of the afternoon was spent watching the Ushindi football team beating a team from the Uganda Christian University (UCU) 3-0. It was a very exciting match.