What an exciting turn of events there has been this week! I
will work from the past to the present because that is the only way that seems
right! Don’t want to depress everybody at the start now, do I?
As I may have mentioned in a previous blog, we took 11 children swimming on Saturday which was unbelievably good! We had the four boys next door (Derick, Eric, Enock and Kagezi) who we all spend a lot of time with. I will quite often disappear for a night to have dinner with the four of them and their mother while watching a movie, ‘dinner and movie date’ as Derick sometimes calls it…he is 14! We also had Kaka, Calebu, Dan and Elianah (of course) along with their 3 adopted siblings Charles, Nkoyoyo and Estar, we were a real Brady bunch all setting off in our 7 seater car, a picnic and 2 bags full of swimming stuff; prepared!
Our first problem was when we arrived at the Tropic Inn, where we had intended to spend the day, to find en empty pool, not really ideal for swimming now, is it? Therefore after a quick petrol stop we headed off to Lake Nabugabo where we had the most exciting and hilarious day! Not only did we have everyone in swimming (including baby Elianah) but we also managed to join a leaver’s party where we danced until our feet ached…then we went swimming again! It was wonderful and we all went home with our eyes closed and lots of zzz’s echoing around the car. I must admit it was one of the greatest trips I have had since being in Uganda; the children we so happy it made me feel like a million dollas! Their faces when I handed out little packets of biscuits, it just took my breath away. You would never experience such joy from a packet of biscuits anywhere else other than Uganda.
On Saturday night Kate, Calum and myself stayed in Masaka to get some things done on the internet and before heading to Emma’s farewell party on Sunday afternoon. It was sad to see everything in the KCV house packed up and having to watch Emma say goodbye to the children. They all respect Emma so much and struggle to hide their emotion when saying their farewell. Emma has been there for six months and has done an amazing job building new toilets, a fence and starting various projects for the children to enjoy in her absence. She has done a remarkable amount in such a small space of time, in a way I envy her.
Now for the really exciting part, ready? So Monday morning I woke up feeling great! I had felt a bit ick on Sunday evening but woke up on Monday feeling fine, however as the day progressed I started to feel a little worse. To this day I am still unsure of how everything happened but the series of unfortunate events goes as followed. It was after break and I was suffering from minor headache but I decided it was nothing so headed to class. Once in Top class I decided to move all of the desks and get the children to sit on the floor with books to look at the pictures, an easy yet educational lesson. Towards the middle of the lesson I was feeling a little dizzy so decided to pack up early. However, in my haste I managed to drop a desk on my toe which quickly proceeded to bleed and although I felt no pain I was a little startled. I finished packing up, collected the books and headed to the staffroom to see Justine and Kate and exclaim my upset about my toe (I was not happy I might have to join the skanky toe crew!). From there it is a bit of a blur. I remember standing talking to Kate and Justine and the next I am lying face down on the step outside the staffroom (when did I go outside?!) panting and searching for breath. I had fainted a total of 7 times before I was flung into a taxi and sent to Kiwangala hospital where I continued to faint; I also hit my head which probably did the wall more damage than my head in all honesty.
Sadly this was not the end of the adventure because I was soon thrown in another car (or carried by Teacher Emma whose muscles must be massive by now!) and driven to Masaka hospital where I was put on a drip and then lay bursting on a wee and waiting for my ambulance to arrive from Kampala. Somehow I had gone from bad to worse and with Dr Stockly now panicking I was driven in an ambulance with Kate by my side to Kampala where I spent two nights feeling very sorry for myself and fearing lifting my head!
I was really lucky to have such caring friends (family.) with me to keep me smiling and support me. Holly has been an angel from getting a bus into Kampala at 7am, to sharing my private hire (thanks Georgina at First Assist) to the village, to sitting on my bedroom floor washing my hair. She has truly been my Florence Nightingale. Cal who has managed to make me laugh without fail every day at something, allowed me to roll backwards while he read a poster which caused a dent in a wall and my head and chatted to me until all hours when I can’t sleep. Justine who has cried and freaked me out by suggested to cut my toe nail off (it’s really not that bad!). Cuddling me when I cried because I had no idea where I was and the drip was really stinging and facing her fear of hospitals to be with me when I needed her. And Kate who has travelled all the way to Kampala and back with me (in style I must add, ambulance and private hire!), slept on reception chairs in the hospital after a dehydrated Chinese lady nicked her bed and continuously kept me happy, even when she fell sick. She has ran about looking for someone to lift me because, oops, I fainted after crossing the road, paid for me because I had nothing but the clothes on my back in Kampala, cuddled me when the tears wouldn’t stop flowing because ‘HOLY COW MY BILL IS 2 MILLION SHILLINGS!’ and just been a genuine saint, I like having a sister who is a saint.
It’s not very often you are given the opportunity to thank people who really deserve thanks publicly but I must thank these 4 for being there for me when I have been pretty down. Thank them for everything they have said to stop me crying and for every moment they have given up this week to sit with me while I am asleep, passed out or just my loopy self. Project Trust have done well finding three gems like these, they should know just how good these vols are.
All my love
Your Ugandan Girl. X
As I may have mentioned in a previous blog, we took 11 children swimming on Saturday which was unbelievably good! We had the four boys next door (Derick, Eric, Enock and Kagezi) who we all spend a lot of time with. I will quite often disappear for a night to have dinner with the four of them and their mother while watching a movie, ‘dinner and movie date’ as Derick sometimes calls it…he is 14! We also had Kaka, Calebu, Dan and Elianah (of course) along with their 3 adopted siblings Charles, Nkoyoyo and Estar, we were a real Brady bunch all setting off in our 7 seater car, a picnic and 2 bags full of swimming stuff; prepared!
Our first problem was when we arrived at the Tropic Inn, where we had intended to spend the day, to find en empty pool, not really ideal for swimming now, is it? Therefore after a quick petrol stop we headed off to Lake Nabugabo where we had the most exciting and hilarious day! Not only did we have everyone in swimming (including baby Elianah) but we also managed to join a leaver’s party where we danced until our feet ached…then we went swimming again! It was wonderful and we all went home with our eyes closed and lots of zzz’s echoing around the car. I must admit it was one of the greatest trips I have had since being in Uganda; the children we so happy it made me feel like a million dollas! Their faces when I handed out little packets of biscuits, it just took my breath away. You would never experience such joy from a packet of biscuits anywhere else other than Uganda.
On Saturday night Kate, Calum and myself stayed in Masaka to get some things done on the internet and before heading to Emma’s farewell party on Sunday afternoon. It was sad to see everything in the KCV house packed up and having to watch Emma say goodbye to the children. They all respect Emma so much and struggle to hide their emotion when saying their farewell. Emma has been there for six months and has done an amazing job building new toilets, a fence and starting various projects for the children to enjoy in her absence. She has done a remarkable amount in such a small space of time, in a way I envy her.
Now for the really exciting part, ready? So Monday morning I woke up feeling great! I had felt a bit ick on Sunday evening but woke up on Monday feeling fine, however as the day progressed I started to feel a little worse. To this day I am still unsure of how everything happened but the series of unfortunate events goes as followed. It was after break and I was suffering from minor headache but I decided it was nothing so headed to class. Once in Top class I decided to move all of the desks and get the children to sit on the floor with books to look at the pictures, an easy yet educational lesson. Towards the middle of the lesson I was feeling a little dizzy so decided to pack up early. However, in my haste I managed to drop a desk on my toe which quickly proceeded to bleed and although I felt no pain I was a little startled. I finished packing up, collected the books and headed to the staffroom to see Justine and Kate and exclaim my upset about my toe (I was not happy I might have to join the skanky toe crew!). From there it is a bit of a blur. I remember standing talking to Kate and Justine and the next I am lying face down on the step outside the staffroom (when did I go outside?!) panting and searching for breath. I had fainted a total of 7 times before I was flung into a taxi and sent to Kiwangala hospital where I continued to faint; I also hit my head which probably did the wall more damage than my head in all honesty.
Sadly this was not the end of the adventure because I was soon thrown in another car (or carried by Teacher Emma whose muscles must be massive by now!) and driven to Masaka hospital where I was put on a drip and then lay bursting on a wee and waiting for my ambulance to arrive from Kampala. Somehow I had gone from bad to worse and with Dr Stockly now panicking I was driven in an ambulance with Kate by my side to Kampala where I spent two nights feeling very sorry for myself and fearing lifting my head!
I was really lucky to have such caring friends (family.) with me to keep me smiling and support me. Holly has been an angel from getting a bus into Kampala at 7am, to sharing my private hire (thanks Georgina at First Assist) to the village, to sitting on my bedroom floor washing my hair. She has truly been my Florence Nightingale. Cal who has managed to make me laugh without fail every day at something, allowed me to roll backwards while he read a poster which caused a dent in a wall and my head and chatted to me until all hours when I can’t sleep. Justine who has cried and freaked me out by suggested to cut my toe nail off (it’s really not that bad!). Cuddling me when I cried because I had no idea where I was and the drip was really stinging and facing her fear of hospitals to be with me when I needed her. And Kate who has travelled all the way to Kampala and back with me (in style I must add, ambulance and private hire!), slept on reception chairs in the hospital after a dehydrated Chinese lady nicked her bed and continuously kept me happy, even when she fell sick. She has ran about looking for someone to lift me because, oops, I fainted after crossing the road, paid for me because I had nothing but the clothes on my back in Kampala, cuddled me when the tears wouldn’t stop flowing because ‘HOLY COW MY BILL IS 2 MILLION SHILLINGS!’ and just been a genuine saint, I like having a sister who is a saint.
It’s not very often you are given the opportunity to thank people who really deserve thanks publicly but I must thank these 4 for being there for me when I have been pretty down. Thank them for everything they have said to stop me crying and for every moment they have given up this week to sit with me while I am asleep, passed out or just my loopy self. Project Trust have done well finding three gems like these, they should know just how good these vols are.
All my love
Your Ugandan Girl. X
Jenny, you have fantastic friends (family). We will always have an open door to these wonderful people. Now get better!
ReplyDelete