New Way of Communicating

I first need to thank Mrs. Baldwin for making this moment possible. I think I will probably use this blog thing instead of mass emails from now on. So check back here. It is Saturday morning in Uganda and we have enjoyed our first morning of "sleeping in" since we arrived. I think I have finally got over my jet lag.

Since my last email, we made another trip into Kampala, this time taking a young man named Martin in to see a German eye doctor. Without his glasses, Martin has a drift in his left eye. It was time for Martin to be fitted for a new pair of glasses. We had the opportunity to tour the Mengo Hospital grounds while there, and even took a peek inside a dark hospital ward. Each patient is cared for by members of their own family, not the hospital nursing staff. Sheets must even be provided by the family. Nurses and doctors have the sole responsibility of administering therapy and treatment.

I've continued spending most of my time as a teacher's aide/tutor during the school day, and a soccer player after school. I spent my first two hours each day with preschool children, ages 3 and 4. After that was Language Arts in 5th grade and then 4th grade, followed by lunch. Then we teach computer to 4th grade and tutor during study hall.

Yesterday set a record for most children sent home with malaria since the school opened, as 3 went home early. We observed the doctor performing a malaria blood test, which reads similarly to a pregnancy test. Luckily this girl tested negative.

Let me verify, when I say the kids were sent home: there is a proportion of the students who live in the surrounding Ssala village.

We are taking today to relax and get some housekeeping finished, such as cleaning our clothes.

A brief note of interest: we are finding that we are changing our accents slightly, annunciating more clearly than ever before. This is somewhat subconscious, but it does make it much easier for the kids to learn proper speaking from us. I'm also working on learning some basic Luganda, the tribal language taught in the school as a secondary language.

Thank you for your prayers and support. God bless.