HAHA.

So the pants/trouser joke is getting old. Too many white people who come through here have called their trousers, “pants” (i.e. Underwear). So some of the more modern Ugandan men/women here, who work with the mission, understand already. 

Except...it’s still not completely clear. 

Vincent, our beloved language helper and friend, speaks great English. We went on a hike one day, and I wore beach trousers that can be changed into capris by drawing up each side of the pant-legs and tying, except one side had come undone. So Vincent, who has tried to assimilate to our “American” English, says to me, “Olvie, you need to tie your panties!”. Baffled, Sarah and I stopped in our tracks. He said what?

Side note: oftentimes, in Ugandan English, they like to add an “e” sound at the end of a word. For example, candy/sweets is called “sweeties” here. Vincent wanted to speak our language of “pants” instead of “trousers”, except in this case, panties actually mean underwear. How confusing for a Ugandan!

The other inten & my partner, Sarah, whom I've been travelling with for the past 2 months and who has been in my personal space EVERY single day, has a blog @ http://www.sarahgbarton.blogspot.com/. Please read her blog too! She definitely has stories I've missed and a different perspective!

Late entries. Quickie updates!

July 21st- PicFare

PicFare Primary Students

We went to PicFare Primary School (started by Christ School alumni's) on a boda (motorcycle) with Kevin Barkotvich (the founder of Christ School). Sarah and I led their chapel. They sang to us. We shared the wordless gospel story (the 5 colours) with them. And we prayed with these little blessings.

July 23, BO/GO football game

It was a day of festivities to welcome home Christ School’s old man, Kevin Bartkovich. There was a football game with Old Boys VS. Current Boys (aka alumni male students VS. the current male students). There was traditional Ugandan dancing, speeches, frisbee games, and a dinner. What was funny about the day was, instead of OB/OG for Old Boys and Old Girls, they made a typo and called it BO/GO...those who have been here would understand how appropriate B.O. is in this context.

July 24th- Hike at Nyahuka Falls

It was one epic hike as we clung onto branches, vines, and moss covered rocks. We had a trail of children following us, catching us as we slipped and fell in the mud & dirt. At one point, I almost slid right off the cliff if it wasn't for the boy who trailed behind me and caught my hand. We were truly in the jungle and rainforest.

July 25th- Morning mountain biking

As if an intense hike on the steep green mountain isn't enough, Sarah and I took some bikes out for a ride monday morning. It wasn't exactly mountain biking since we stayed on the dirt roads...but it was pretty much equivalent to Canadian mountain biking considering the road conditions. I even fell over and into a mud swamp. I now have a bruise on my left hip, but it was well worth it. Besides, how can I return home from a missions trip without some battle scars?

July 26th- WE'VE REACHED THE CONGO!

Survey with Baguma & dipping our feet in the Congo

We have finally started our community surveys. Although we will not have time to do a complete comprehensive survey amongst all the villages, we will at least get the job started for the team. We hope the new upcoming team will continue where we left off. So Baguma Charles (a good friend of World Harvest’s and sponsor student, he was just accepted into a university in Kampala for Public Health), picked up Sarah and I on his boda (motorcycle) and we drove to the Congo border and interviewed 3 people: the LC1 (Local Counselor), a mother, and a nurse.

-we discovered that the locals believe children get diarrhea from what they call “Kibale”, a stone, in their colon (most likely from impacted stool, which makes sense).

Then, feeling bold, daring, and adventurous, Baguma took us to the Congo border! At first, the custom guards asked for our passports and lectured us about how we must carry our passports wherever we go. And then he let us go to see the river that separates Uganda and the DRC. So we went to the river and dipped our feet in another country (where many people were bathing).

Praises

At the bottom of Nyahuka falls before our hike

Mud-caked feet

The rest of our luggage JUST arrived yesterday!!

While all of our personal belongings have been with us, our 3 large suitcases of donations had to be left at the MAF (Mission Aviation Fellowship) airport since we had a weight limit on our flight in. 

Praise the Lord, now all the missionaries, students, families, and children can receive the blessings we brought from North America:)

Travis Johnson has recovered from his unusual sickness and is back into the swing of normal chaos. Little baby 2-year-old Aidan (Travis & Amy's youngest son) has recovered from malaria! But he's still fussy...they say it's the terrible twos.

Dipping our feet into Nyahuka Falls

Vincent, our language helper, also an OB ("Old Boy" alumni of CSB)

Jacqueline (a Christ School student, and the one we stayed with at our host family wknd) and I at the OB football game

Banana Pancakes, Hospital, Saturday Market, OBs/OGs

Lily comes over for a girls banana pancake breakfast!

Getting down to our last 2 weeks now. 

The sun came out today with no hesitations. 

We made banana pancakes with Lily this morning, while listening to Jack Johnson. 

Today I put in my first IV.

I also laid eyes on a tiny premature baby, born last night, who was cold and ashen in colour. Whose breathing was shallow and infrequent, and heartbeat nearly inexistent.

I praise God for the healthy babies that are born everyday (like my sister, Olga’s, last month, and Sarah’s sister, Heather’s, a few days ago), especially the rare healthy babies born in this village where 20-30% of children die before age 5, and approx. 50% of the children’s growth is stunted due to chronic malnutrition.

As I walked home on my own from the hospital, after a couple hours of shadowing Arube Charles (a smiley, round faced man-nurse who is highly educated and skilled in his field of work, and coached my first IV insertion), I felt significantly more comfortable than when I first arrived. It’s amazing how, as humans, we can quickly adapt to our surroundings, yet it’s harder for some.

Arube Charles, my favourite Ugandan nurse

Please pray for our team member and long-term (5 years< commitment) missionary, Dr. Jessica Ankney, who is finding it extremely difficult to adjust. She has been here for 3 months now, and plans to be here for 5 years or indefinitely. She would like prayer for her impatience and frustrations of life here, the rhythm and flow of things. She is currently not enjoying her time here as much as she would like.

...I walked along the mile-long dirt road from Nyahuka Hospital, and I ventured into the market. Saturday market in Nyahuka brings business men and women from afar to sell their goods (even from the Congo). It has become a trading post over the years. Sarah and I have become a part of the market scene more than anyone else on the team. We know a lot of the ladies in the market selling bananas, or the men selling Orange (our phone company) airtime at the dukas (small shops). I carefully perused the clothing laid out on the red mudded paths, being careful not to bring too much attention to myself (if I can help it), and I confidently exchanged courteous Lubwisi greetings with everyone I met. 

After almost 2 months, I love how I can bump into several people we know on my way home. Nyahuka village is so small, that it’s not hard to cross paths with a friend. Here are some people that stopped me in my tracks today:

The Fish-man: he comes to our doorstep several times a week, asking if we would like him to get fish for us. Having refused several times, Sarah (who is a vegetarian but eats fish), finally agreed to him once and he brought us back an entire Tilapia with skin/bones, which he then inquires for a basin with water, cutting board, and knife...which I comply...and I receive in return, smelly fish water, and a perfectly prepared and skinned fish. By the way, he still comes to our door every so often. And when I bumped into him today, he asks, “so do you and Sarah want fish this week?”.

Arali- trouser man: No, I did not ask for his pants again this time (please read “Offbeat Oddities” blog entry for funny story). But I do love greeting him every time I walk by his cloth-es (and they pronounce it as Clothe-ES) store.

Sunday Godfrey: He is a Christ School Bundibugyo alumni, except here, they call alumni’s, O.B.’s and O.G.’s- Old Boys and Old Girls. He also founded Bundibugyo Hand of Hope (BUHAHO), which is a local organization advocating for human rights and helps its own people. I have chosen to give some of my donations to them. 

Happy Hugs Granny: there’s this grandma who never fails to greet us every time we walk past her house. She is always surrounded by school children and doesn’t speak any English. But every time she sees us, she gives us a big hug and smile...and keeps speaking to us on and on...in Lubwisi. We would say, “Timanye Lubwisi”, I don’t know Lubwisi.

Bible-translator Wilson: He is the father of Sunday Godfrey, and he has been working with a Bible translating organization to translate the Bible into Lubwisi. He also wears this ridiculous, yet stylish fedora, that stands out so much in this society. When I bumped into him, he told me his son took his computer, and he has been praying for another computer so he can continue his Bible translating work. Now that this town has electricity, any working computer would be greatly appreciated here. 

Gladys, or Gladys-see (here, people often add an “e”’ sound after a name): she does our laundry. She cleans our bathroom. She sweeps our house. She even does dishes if you ask her to! Gladys is a woman of prayer. She sings and prays for us whenever she comes to work for us! Yet she has her own charcoal business in the market. She works everyday. And when I see her, along the way to and fro, I always give her a hug and thank her for all the work she does. Webale miilimon. Thank you for your work. 

Mass crowds of screaming children: I didn’t think it would ever be possible for me to adapt to this. I have never had a peaceful walk from the mission to the hospital or market. Children are always following us, or screaming “how AH-you?” or “mujungu!”. Or creepy men are saying, “how are you ma’am”, “I love you”, “please come and greet me ma’am”. And occasionally, I get a “EH! China!”. Except, as I walked alone today, I felt at peace. The warm african sun was cooling off in the afternoon. I bumped into several friends. I knew the greetings well, and said them confidently. I think if God calls me to be here long-term, I can eventually get over the mass number of people who view me as some exotic breed. 

Two saturdays from today, we will be leaving Bundi district, the place we’ve called home for two months! We will then travel to Kampala (a 9-hour drive), before we fly home from this beautiful place.

a whirlwind.

It has been a whirlwind of activities this past week. 

When do we ever get to take a breath?

When do things ever go as planned?

T.I.A.: This Is Africa. Amy Johnson would say. 

And I would be thinking, Transient Ischemic Attack.

Yes, certainly a spontaneous stroke will result from all this action. 

A good friend of mine has been saying to me, “a lot of water will pass beneath your bridge this summer, Olvie”. And surely there has been an unusual amount of rain for dry season this year. 

Banana Bonanza, July 14^th, 2011

Sarah and I had a baking frenzy where we made 3 loaves of banana bread, 2 loaves of carrot cake, and 3 batches of peanut butter & maple cookies. For what? As the Africans would say (they often ask rhetorical questions ending in ‘what’). For our weekend of hosting guests. A medical team of 5 young and aspiring medical school-bound/post-nursing school females, along with an older couple leading them, joined us on Saturday. It was refreshing to meet other like-minded and mission-passionate people my age, yet it was an exhausting end to our week! 

Storage Room Make-over

The health centre paeds ward reeks of a pungent mix of urine, body odour, and strange anti-septic solutions. The locked storage room (where World Harvest keeps their stock of medical supplies) is a safe haven from the gut-wrenching smell, except it is draped in cobwebs, blanketed in thick snowy dust, sprinkled with lizard poop, and filled with tattered boxes and medical supplies in disarray. Quite frankly, it is a horror to look at and a scary room to be in despite the freedom from sickly human body odour. 

St. Peter’s United Church in Sudbury, generously gave me $500 CAN to purchase medical supplies for the mission. Back home at Shoppers Drug Mart, before I came, I was dumbfounded. I didn’t have a clue what these dying children needed in expensive bottles of vitamins from Canada. So the team suggested I wait until I arrived in Bundibugyo to purchase the meds. I’m so glad I did.

Jessica, Sarah, and I spent the entire morning to de-shroud the room of cobwebs. I think I swept up enough dirt & sand to build a sand castle too. We reorganized all the supplies, categorized them in colourful plastic bins and labelled each section. For once, in our time in Africa, there was some sort of order.

Dr. Jessica took an inventory of what was existing. She made a little wish list.

And so we went into Bundibugyo town the next day, and went straight to the Pharmacy. We were greeted by an Indian and a Pakistani man. 

It felt like we were at a candy store, because we were able to get everything on the wish list and more! Every time we stopped to calculate the balance, we always found ourselves with more money left over to get more medical supplies! 

Imagine picking out your favourite candy, except this kind saves lives. Thank you St. Peter’s Church in Sudbury, and thank you Jesus. 

Storage Room at Nyahuka Healthcentre before the big clean-up

After the clean-up:)

So I guess my friend was right. A surge of rich & refreshing experiences has, and will continue to, flow under my bridge this summer. 

Beautiful Canadian

It was a 9:00am meeting that started at 10:00am.

A the CME (Continuing Medical Education) meeting last Friday, Sarah & I had the role of assisting with training the staff about record keeping so that UNICEF may continue to give us the formula for severely malnourished children. The meeting was supposed to begin at 9:00am and we even prepared hot cereal and Mendazi (Ugandan doughnuts) to entice the staff, but people did not show up until 10:00am, which is not shocking. 

But praise the Lord, because Olupah, the head nurse, who knows more about this healthcare system than anyone else, led the meeting and gave an insightful lecture. It was encouraging to hear that although they have such a poor system, they do have a level of standard and quality. Living here, I can see that they are long ways from complete structure and order in the healthcare field, but they are slowly improving and changing for the better. 

So while we sat on the benches outside where meetings are often held, a few people joined us. One man named Rogers sat across from Jessica, Sarah and I. Dr. Jessica was conversing with Roger and introduced us. Rogers then refers to me, 

“Oliver (which is my Ugandan name) looks like she is from Canada”.

Jessica: “Canada? Really? Most people from Canada do not look like her”.

Then I responded rather defensively: “Well, Canada IS a very multi-cultural country”

Rogers: “She is from Canada because there are many beautiful women in Canada”.

Then he asks me afterwards if I knew Celine Dion. 

That made my day.

Prayer Updates:

• Dr. Travis has recovered significantly and started doing rounds at the healthcentre again. Thanks for your prayers!
• The CME meeting that Sarah and I were in charge of, went well because their own people led it instead. We are finishing up on the malnutrition program records to send in to UNICEF. 

Prayer request: at a beautiful home we stayed in Fort Portal (just 2 weeks ago), which was nestled in miles of tea fields, belongs to a long-time World Harvest missionary, Pat Abbot who is currently in the US, was just burned down. We received a phone call yesterday informing us an explosion happened at this house. Please pray for Pat Abbot who is planning to return in 3 weeks, but does not have a home anymore. Praise God that no one was inside (but just a little less than 2 weeks ago, the entire Johnson Family and Sarah & I too were inside!).

Offbeat Oddities.

They have called me by a new name. 

-Before coming here, Travis Johnson sent me an email asking me if I would like to change my name. Since “Olvie” isn’t used here, it would be easier for the locals If I was named something else. Travis said it would be cool to get a pseudo name for 2 months!They suggested I change my name to “Oliver”. Which, to me, is a MAN’s name!! Apparently, it is a common female name here.

At first I was slightly offended. Olvie has never been a common name, but that’s why it’s unique. And people have adapted over the years in my life to remember and know me for my different name. When I landed in Bundi, Amy & travis brought it up again. They said you can choose ANY name you want. It might be fun…

As the days went by, and I tried using “Olvie” with people I met. They would often be confused and forget my  name. Until I used Oliver (which they pronounce as OLIVAH), and they would light up and be glad that they could call me something familiar to them.

July10, 2011

We want to see your underwear!

Here in Uganda, the english word for “pants” actually means “undergarments”.

Pants = Underpants

If you want to say “pants”, you would say “trousers” instead.

Trousers = Pants (American) 

So today when we were walking home from church at Bundimalinga Church of Uganda, we ran into a friend, Arali, a friendly and smiley man who owns a clothing store in the market. Anna had found some nice pinstriped, 2^nd hand, dress pants at his store. We were very excited to see him because Sarah & I missed him at the market on Saturday. This is the conversation:

Arali: Hello! How are you? (he takes my hand and shakes it) You are lost!

Me: I am lost?

Arali: You are lost.

Translation- when they say ‘you are lost’, it means they have not seen you in a while and miss you.

Me: Yes! Sarah and I could not find you at the market yesterday! We want to see your PANTS!!

Anna, Jessica, Sarah: (HORRIFIED expressions & in hysterics)

Me: I MEAN YOUR TROUSERS!

Signaling Mars.

Since the Johnson’s are not able to return (due to Travis’ sicknes), we have not been able to use their satellite internet at their house.

In our desperate need to contact the world via World Wide Web, Jessica and I have been driving back & forth, 10 minutes west towards the Congo (DRC), to the MTN cellphone tower in hopes of getting better signal for our portable modems. 

So we parked underneath the cellphone tower in a primary school football field, getting ready to send mass emails to friends & family. 

Some people walked by. A few kids stared. Jessica stared back. Then a crowd of children started forming, inquisitive & curious. Before I could finish sending an email, I looked up...and a dozen children were perched on my window, STARING and SMILING at me. 

Then I made the mistake (or maybe not) of turning on my laptop’s Photobooth (a camera that takes silly distorted and animated photos), and the kids HOLLER with laughter. Before I even took notice, Jessica says anxiously, “Olvie, there are seriously 40 kids surrounding our car!!”. So we quickly finished up our luxury internet time, and booked it home before they could tip the car over with us inside. 

It was amusing and hilarious to see these children, who could laugh so effortlessly and be so carefree. 

Today we went again, but to a different location. We parked on the side of the road, hoping they wouldn’t find us. 

But the children always have a way of finding us. 

This time, I ripped blank pages out of my journal and did some origami, folding paper boats/cranes/flowers/hearts. They were equally as entertained. 

Sunday Auction

The churches here have a different way of doing things and raising money. In North America, we pass around the offering bag/plate to collect weekly tithes. Here, people step forward to offer their appreciation at the alter in offering baskets/boxes. Oftentimes, people who grow crops and vegetables as a living, offer their yield to the Lord. So it’s not uncommon to find a pineapple sitting on top of the offering box from time to time. At the end of each service, one person holds up the offered gifts and auctions them off. 

This Sunday, a big juicy ripe pineapple was offered. Sarah and I salivated at the sight of it. Then the bids started flying. Before we knew it, the price went up to 20, 000 shillings (about $10 US), then at last, it was sold to our good friend (& minister of the church), Baguma Charles, for 25, 000 shillings (approx $12 US)!! But he didn’t take it for himself. The seller comes towards us and says the bidder wishes to give us this gift. We giggled with delight and appreciation. Baguma then stresses to the congregation that they should not bid for just the gift, but to offer the money as a pleasing sacrifice to the Lord. The pineapple left a lasting impression on our taste buds for days afterwards. Mmmm.

Home sweet home.

I never thought I would feel so much at home in a foreign country before.
I didn't even think I could call this place home.

But after a week of being on the road, moving from place to place, meeting an assortment of people, I felt so frazzled and restrained by not being able to speak the language I spent 3 weeks learning. I tried my olayo's and webale's. But nobody understood my words of gratitude or friendliness.

Now that we're back in Nyahuka, Bundibugyo, it felt so freeing to be able to say a simple thank-you or how-are-you to any person, and they would acknowledge! It felt nice to be back at the mission, in a rustic home, that most middle-class North Americans would consider musty, dusty, and unbearable.

Who knew? that I could call a foreign place home after 3 weeks of living & learning the language.

Urgent Prayer Request:
-Our fearless leader, Travis Johnson, is extremely ill. He has been febrile, vomiting, having diarrhea, and feeling so weak, he cannot get out of bed currently. We have notified another doctor who works for WHM (Scott Myhre) and lives in Kenya, to see the best possible solution. We may have to take him to the best nearest hospital. Please pray for his health, stamina, and recovery from whatever that's attacking his system!

-As a result of his absence, Sarah & I will have to pursue the overwhelming task of re-organizing the entire health records system and train the staff by holding a presentation this Friday, on our own. We pray & hope all will work out, as many things must be done before this takes place! Pray for staff motivation and attendance to the CME (Continuing Medical Education) meetings!

Thanks for being prayer warriors! It is definitely powerful and sustaining us.

I would LOVE to post pictures of my journey...unfortunately internet is too slow and too expensive to post pictures. I'll try though!!

Our Safari Retreat

Back in Canada, when cars are parked on the side of the road and people are pointing & taking photographs, it is often due to bear or moose sightings (or some sort of natural phenomenon).

But in Africa, cars stop for something a little different.

Today, our cars pulled over to snap pictures of our big friendly African giants, the forest elephants! With their grey wrinkly, velvety skin, and big fanning ears, these mammals are very gentle and loyal creatures, despite their monstrous size. 

After the second day of being here in Queen Elizabeth National Park (formerly, Kazinga Nat’l Park), elephant sightings, and even crossings (they crossed the road right in front of us in a single-file line, as a family!), have become as common as deer, moose, or bear is in Northern Ontario, Canada.

It has been such a blessed week of team bonding and rest as we travelled on bone-rattling dirt roads from savanna to forest, modest hostels to luxurious banda resorts, from safaris (while sitting on top of the jeep) to scenic boat launches and several wildlife sightings. 

Today we saw a LION in a CACTUS TREE.

Today we saw SCHOOLS of HIPPOS chilling in the water.

Today we saw CROCODILES. And we saw:

HUNDREDS of BIRDS from DOZENS of different species (e.g. Yellow-billed Stork, vultures, rouple….). We saw tons of scurrying WARTHOGS, and grazing WATERBUCKS, even an ANTELOPE galloping away...

I’ve been to the zoo several times in my life. I have even been to Ontario’s “African Lion Safari”, where they cruelly have African animals concentrated in a fenced-in area and allow cars to drive along a path while they are being attacked by monkeys and giraffes, for an unreasonable fee. But today, as I saw the animals I typically see at the Toronto Metro Zoo, I realized how real, raw, and…..wild it was. Seeing the “King of the Jungle”, the Lion, and the 2000 pound elephant, in the natural ecosystem of Uganda, is equal to seeing the Black bear, Caribou, or beaver in a Canadian forest. How cool is that? They’re not just zoo animals, they’re indigenous beings to the land I am currently living in!

And so tomorrow we return to Fort Portal, the nearest city to Bundibugyo (a 75km drive east of Bundi, but a 3.5 hour drive with winding red dirt roads, up the Ruwenzori Mountains and down on the other side). When we return on Thursday, we resume our projects and assignments at the mission.

What you can pray for:

Team Health: Half the team has caught some sort of flu, including Aidan (Amy & Travis’ 18-month old baby who just caught malaria). Jessica, Anna, Sarah and I, all have muscle & joint aches and pains. We’ve got the occasional nausea, headache, upset stomach, and diarrhea. 

Please pray that we will regain strength & stamina as we resume our schedules.

UNICEF Formula: Currently, most children admitted to our hospital in the pediatric ward are severely malnourished. Some are suffering from Sickle Cell, a few are HIV positive, and most are suffering from pneumonia and other septic infections. As a result, they are heavily dependent on supplements such as the formula that UNICEF donates. However,  UNICEF only provides formula according to the records we send to them as evidence of our need. The problem is: the local nurses/clinical officers DO NOT keep health records up-to-date and accurate. 

Please pray that despite the disorganization of heath records, we will receive what we need in formula to feed these babies! 

Please also pray for the local staff members who rarely show up to work, who do not attend staff meetings, and are ill-informed about hospital procedures/guidelines.

Thanks for praying!