Reflections

It is just after 7:00pm and dark has fallen upon Noah's Ark. The weather has been great and it has surprised me. I was expecting hot and humid, it's actually been warm and lovely. Today the wind picked up and the sky became dark and I thought it would storm, but it blew over. This compound is incredible and I am astounded by the multitude of activities that are going on. There is the Big House, where mama and papa and  about 80 kids live. They have their own beds and there are separate rooms but it is their home too. The kids run through it and out onto the playground and are generally seen playing and having fun. The little ones reach up to you with their big brown eyes and are craving to be picked up. So we pick them up and they snuggle in. We have to look past the running noses and a few of us have been wet on, but it's all part of the experience. These little ones are well cared for and have opportunities that others in the cities, may not have. 

Chuck,Ceara and I met with the school staff today to plan a few of our activities. We will be observing in the school over the next few days and will be meeting with the teachers on Thursday. We really do want to listen to them and ask a few questions. I'd like to teach a lesson or two and share some of what goes on in my school and our district. We will also be organizing a Canada Day Celebration on Saturday. We're a little behind the times here:-)

Darlene, Ceara and I survived the trip to the market. It was awesome and I'll try to describe it.  The trip in was exhilarating and our driver navigated traffic, motorcycles, pedestrians and many other things and we arrived at "the store". Superstore it was not but it had what we needed. We didn't manage to find syrup but one of the workers did offer to get some in for us. Our order came to $198 000.00 Ugandan shillings and I have no idea how much that is, but it sure seems like a lot of money. After the shop we went to the market. Oh my, what an experience. Mom, there were some similarities to Peru but it was enormous. The road stretched for what seemed like miles and miles and there were vendors on each side and people all over the place. We navigated the people, potholes and motorcycles too. It was a lot of fun and the people were friendly. Daniel helped negotiate our prices and we came home with some fresh fruits and vegetables. We chose not to purchase any of the hanging meat! Imagine that.

When we arrived back it was time to see what was going on in the compound. Many of us went over to the Children's Home. There is always things to do there.I had a kids book with me and was swarmed with kids wanting to hear  a story. Now many are familiar with Five Little Penguins and liked the skating ones. I came back to help with dinner and the others stayed to watch the children get settled down to their dinner time. The band was playing near our house and they are pretty good. They just started in January and have picked the music up quickly. Most prefer to play by ear and can pick the songs up really quickly.

Tonight Darlene and Neil are going over to see Piet and Pieta and will be planning our schedule. That's it for now, the crickets are chirping, the monkeys must be sleeping and it's another beautiful night in Uganda. 

Until the next time. Taryn