One week to go!

Well most of the costumes are sorted – just need to make head and arm holes in the stripy pillow cases for Joseph and the cow herd. Rita and I have made almost 50 stars for the children to wave during Twinkle, twinkle little star; King Herod has a green shiny crown with buttons for jewels; the headbands have sparkly squiggles on them and I’m sick of singing ‘Little Donkey’! I’m collecting empty marmalade and jam tins from the guest house to make shakers and we’ve made a tambourine from wire and bottle tops – I’m so glad I watched all those episodes of Blue Peter!!

Oh and we must find a doll – at the moment we are using a large Zippy wrapped in a sheet, but as ‘Mary’ keeps unwrapping him……….! Mary, the class teacher is planning a dress rehearsal next week so I can see the play before I leave for UK. I’m going to buy some biscuits for the children; they are really good, especially the star, who solemnly leads the Wise Men and cow herd to the stable! I’ll take some photos!

Hopefully by the time you read this, the library will have glass in the windows and then we’ll be able to buy the bookcases. No news of the books yet!

Travelling around the country a bit, I think the relative poverty of a district can be ascertained by the quality of its market. Not the produce as that’s pretty standard, but the way it’s displayed. In the market in Namuwongo the vegetables, which are mainly sweet and Irish potatoes, matoke (cooking bananas), onions and other dull-coloured vegetables, are on the ground and goats graze on the discarded stalks from ‘the greens’ that are sold. Even some of the clothes and shoes are on plastic sheets on the ground. In other markets the produce is on bamboo tables and the whole thing is very colourful, with tomatoes, jackfruit etc.

Africa has really discovered luggage, furniture and shoes in a big way. Walking around Kampala, there are lots of shops selling these things. Some shoe traders just have piles of shoes on the pavement; others, in the markets, display them on curious stands which resemble shoe trees [sic].

On Sunday night, Gabrielle, from Dublin, who has volunteered for 2 years as Project Manager at the Nursery and her friend and I went to see traditional dancing, singing and drumming at the Ndere centre just on the outskirts of Kampala. It was great! There were women dancers, who also sang and male drummers who also danced. As well as Ugandan dances including one where the dancers balanced stacks of pots on their heads, there was also a Rwandan Intore dance, featuring peace baskets and warriors! At one point we ended up dancing on the stage along with other members of the audience!

Mon-Thurs when I go to the Nursery first thing in the morning , I go the scenic route with very little traffic, but on Fridays when I go to St Barnabas School I take my life in my hands and go down St Barnabas Road. It is a two lane road, with no pavements, only gullies and speed bumps, 4WDs, boda-bodas and pedestrians. Today, to add to the chaos on the road, suddenly I came upon a line of young men, naked from the waist up, wielding big wooden sticks and jogging down the road. You could be forgiven for thinking we were being invaded by Kony’s army – but no! These were just the latest cohort of Falcon Guards being put through their paces, urged on by a manic sergeant! Most supermarkets and forex bureaux have an armed guard outside and most guest houses have a guard, usually just overnight. We have one at Banda Inns who sits in a corrugated shelter all night and emerges muffled like Captain Oates at 7.00am in the morning. It is he who brings me the newspaper.

On Thursday night we had a BBQ at the guest house, primarily because there were 6 Norwegian women staying and Steven, who owns it, is Norwegian-Ugandan. We all really enjoyed it; it was interesting to talk to them for longer than just a quick chat over breakfast. The kebabs were delicious and we had a big fire – incongruous tho’ to think that on Monday there was no wood at the slum school so the cook couldn’t make porridge for the children and here we were burning probably a week’s supply of wood just for fun!

Good news! All the Nursery children were tested for HIV on Friday and none of them tested positive! I’m reassured as I’ve been dressing lots of sores on their arms and legs and using disposable gloves, just in case!

This morning we had reading club. Someone else organised it and did it totally differently. A bit too formal and school-like in my opinion, but the format can be discussed and agreed. Hopefully, Ritah, the librarian will take a more active role in the organisation, as she is the only person who will be there every week.

Observations on people’s confidence in the Health Service: Opposite Mulago Hospital, the biggest in Kampala, there are two businesses offering ‘Coffins for sale’.

On the way back from Masindi, we passed St Jude’s Health Centre. As far as I remember, St Jude is the patron saint of lost causes! Very reassuring!

Tonight I’m going for an Ethiopian buffet at a restaurant down Kabalagala with Joe, the Project Director, Matt, a volunteer from Canada and Gabrielle. The last time I was here I had an Ethiopian meal at a different restaurant and didn’t really enjoy my choice; tonight I’ll be able to try lots of different dishes!

Bon appetite (or whatever they say in Ethiopia)!