As I look back on my 25th year of life I am happy
with what I accomplished. I had a job I loved and enjoyed traveling to many
races to run, and was happy. Yet something was missing. It was like a part of
me was left in Uganda in 2009. It was not until around February of last year
that my dream of going back to Uganda was finally coming into place, and a
spark came alive in me. In September it became reality as I left America for
Uganda. I have been here now for almost six months and although there have been
many struggles along the way and sometimes days when I question what impact I
am making when I look back I cannot believe where the time has gone. The past
six months have flown by. Anne and I would like to postpone our orignal
return flight from May to a later date, yet we are struggling to choose the
date. This place has made me so happy and taught me how to love and be loved. I
appreciate the little things here so much more (I don’t think I can ever get
tired of having a small child rush up to hug me daily on my run as though she
had not seen me for months when in reality she greeted me just the day before)
and feel at peace here in this place that I did not feel in America. I would like
to stay six more months, and although that may seem like a long time for my
family back home to me it just seems too short. Sometimes we have to leave home
to find home, and I think I found it here. Now the question is where do I go
from here?
Belles for Africa
The LORD is my light and my salvation; Whom shall I fear? The LORD is the strength of my life; Of whom shall I be afraid?
Sunday, March 16, 2014
My 26th Birthday
This year I celebrated my 26th birthday in Africa. It was
unlike any birthday I have ever had. Although I was not home celebrating with
family and friends, blowing out candles on my “cake” of chocolate chip bars,
and listening to my parents and siblings sing about 5 different versions of
happy birthday to me, I was surrounded by friends who are like family here in
Africa and felt loved and blessed on my special day. Celebrations began the day
before my birthday on Friday, March 7th. Since my birthday fell on a
weekend the clinic staff celebrated with me on Friday by singing Happy Birthday
to me twice and eating a cake that Anne made. Celebrations continued when I
visited Moreau School and my co-teacher immediately wished me a happy birthday.
I had not mentioned my birthday at all to her so I was surprised to hear her
say this. She then had my primary one class sing happy birthday to me, and
throughout the rest of the afternoon I got well wishes from many of the
teaching staff.
The next morning I woke up to decorations on my door before
heading to mass where I received a blessing from two newly ordained deacons.
This was followed by a birthday run complete with a short stop for a breakfast of milk and bread
at my friend, Eva’s, African hut with her one year old daughter, Irene. Oh, and
as a birthday gift we stopped at her shop where she gave me a bunch of bananas.
After my run the Sisters took me on an outing to Nyakasura
caves where we saw stagmites and stalactites and took a nice hilly walk to a
crater lake. It was a beautiful sunny day and with the Rwenzori mountains in
the background I felt like we were straight out of the Sound of Music…well it
probably helped that I started to play the song “climb every mountain” on my iPod
as the Sisters and I climbed the hills. Our outing was followed up by a
delicious lunch- American food(!), cake, a birthday prayer, and presents at
Mountains of the Moon restaurant. When I returned home I opened my birthday box
and was excited to read so many beautiful letters from my family. (I had
received my package about a month before my birthday, and it was hard to resist
the temptation of opening it up- I had to push it farther and farther under my
bed!) I feel so blessed as I enter my 26th year of life to be
surrounded by people I love in a country that has become like home. Webale muno
for all the birthday wishes!
Oh and did I mention that two of the kids I like to play
with from the village each bought me a chapatti for my birthday…which I ate
after riding on the “backseat” of the bicycle driven by Living, one of the
children. Now that is what I call a good
birthday!
Jinja Trip
So this past weekend Anne and I took a trip to Jinja, a city
about 7 or so hours away from Kyarusozi. As has become our routine Anne and I
planned very little for the trip yet God seemed to make things work out, and
subsequently our time in Jinja was extended a few days longer then planned. We
stayed with the OLMs (oversea lay missionary volunteers,) two of which are
Notre Dame graduates. After living in a convent for several months it felt like
I was back in college again as Anne and I stayed in the garage which had been
converted into bedrooms. (Warning: always bring a fan if you plan to stay in
Jinja, the equator sun is HOT especially when there are no windows in the room
you are sleeping in.) The OLMs made sure we enjoyed Jinja, as the first night
we ate dinner at sunset overlooking the Nile River. The next day I went on a
run with an OLM, Colin,…which ended up being quiet the adventure as he got us
lost along the way and being the typical man afraid to ask for directions soon
enough we ended up in someone’s sugarcane and banana plantation ankle deep in
wet dirt and burrs. After creating our own path through the swampy area we made
it back to the house…a half hour later then planned. Luckily I had a nice
shower in the Nile River as the five of us went tubing down the Nile River. The
sun was shining strong (don’t worry dad I applied and reapplied sunscreen about
three times during the course of two hours) and the water was warm as we
enjoyed ice cold drinks drifting down the Nile. I am not good at being lazy for
long so I enjoyed having the chance to kayak down the Nile for a bit as well.
After being in the kayak under the hot sun I had dried off a bit and was ready
for the boda ride home, but unfortunately I was thrown into the water and my
plans of staying dry were ruined. Don’t worry though eating a banana and peanut
butter chapatti rollex on the back of a boda made up for it. Anne and I decided
to split up on the trip home as she extended her stay in Jinja a bit longer
then I did, which meant we were on our own to travel back to Kyarusozi. I have
gotten used to travel here, but I have always had a partner to rely on and talk
to during the trip. I was a bit worried starting out the journey on my own, but
I am proud to say I made it home safe and sound. Unfortunately for me the first
person who saw me was if you recall from previous posts my “admirer” who
decided he needed to blow a kiss to me across the street. Great. Only in
Uganda.
Outreach
At outreach this week a malnourished baby came to receive
immunizations. The child was almost two months, but weighed only 3kg. We wanted
to supply the baby with a milk powder formula, but we did not have it with us
so we told the mother to come to the clinic the next day. Sure enough she
showed up. While she was there I examined the mother breastfeeding the baby and
noticed that despite the baby’s good latch and sufficient sucking ability no
milk was being released. The mother was dry in both breasts, and therefore the
baby was getting little to no food at all. No wonder the child was so
underweight. The mother herself was poor and malnourished and there was concern
as well of if she had a mental issue. We had a powder milk substitute that
could be used for babies 6 months and above, but nothing for those under 6
months. After a few phone calls confirming it was okay to administer this milk
to the formula I spent over an hour syringe feeding the child and teaching and
demonstrating to the mother how to mix the milk and feed her baby. Unfortunately,
the mother could not get the hang of drawing up milk and releasing the plunger
slowly into the child’s mouth. Despite numerous demonstrations and practice
every time she syringe fed the child the baby would gag. Therefore, I tried option
two- showing her how to feed the child bit by bit with a medicine cup. She
seemed to do better with that, but I still had many concerns over her ability.
Although it clearly was not the ideal resolution for the problem I was very
concerned about the life of the baby if she was left in the mother’s hands.
Therefore I asked the mother if I could take her baby home for a month or at
least a week to feed and care for the baby in order to help it grow. The mother
had already had three of her children pass away at a young age, and I did not
want to make this the forth. Although the grandfather agreed to let me care for
the baby, the mother refused. It was clear she loved her child very much, but I
could not get across to her the fact that the baby was in danger if something
did not change. In the end we ended up giving the mother a month’s supply of
milk powder, some clothes for herself and the baby, a bar of soap, and a little
food for the mother. The situation made me discouraged and left me wondering
what more could be done. Please pray that the baby is slowly gaining weight and
the mother is taking better care of herself as well.
Update: The mother and the baby showed up to immunization
outreach this past week! I was hopeful as I weighed the baby, but unfortunately
the child was the exact same weight- 3.2kg as the previous month. Although it
weighed the same I took courage in the fact that the baby’s face seemed to be a
bit fuller, and one of the nurses felt as though the child had more muscle in
the leg while immunizing then it did previously. The mother said that she had
been feeding the child the milk we provided, and subsequently we were able to
provide her with more milk powder that we had brought in hopes that she would
be there. This situation has still left me at a loss of what to do for this
family. They live far from where I stay, and it is not possible to visit
everyday, but I still worry about them. Oh…by the way I asked the mother again
if I could take her baby home for a week…the answer was still no.
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