more on our orphanage visit

Our last day there, Paul went into town to purchase a ball and some art supplies (could only find a ball) and I was alone with Primah and Momma Africa. They had invited the women of the village to meet me and all arrived dressed to the African Nine's. Two elderly arrived in full headress and staffs about 1o feet tall to help them walk. I was interrogated with Primah interpretating. All cheered when asked if I had children and I responded that I did. All asked if I could stay for a month and stay with them. One of the elderly said that if it were earlier in the day she would dance for me to show me how much she appreciated my visit. I told her I wanted a dance anyway. Everyone laughed and she stood, dropped her walking stick, raised her arms and did a short traditional dance. I applauded. It was fun.

Momma Africa asked if I could come back and stay with her for a month or two. I told her my husband probably wouldnt allow it and she understood. In the evening she walked us down the road and up into the mountains to meet another family. The woman was awestruck having two white people in her home. She told Isaac that she felt she was sitting in the presence of God. Paul and I later laughed and decided that since all the photos in her house were of Jesus, who is white, she probably did:-)

Hope I told you of the children doing an impromptu song and dance for us in the evening. Ill check later and if not, Ill pass it along in another blog.

In the morning I watched the children pull branches from trees and sweep their sleeping/school quarters and pick up all of the twigs and rocks from the yard. Still, each was in the same outfit they had been wearing all week. Still dirty and vaguely hungry. We popped our heads into their classrooms as we left to say goodbye. They remembered how to blow kisses as we taught them. I left with a giant lump in my throat.

We stood on the highway and waited for a bus to come along. The one that stopped was circa about 1970 and still had some padding in the seats AND SCHOCKS!!! The ride back was so much better but longer as it stopped ih Mbarara and we sat there for over an hour waiting for the bus to fill up. In the process I had to pee and got off in search of a place in the market place to go. Finally found my first Ugandan public toilet. For 2oo Ush I got three squares of toilet paper, directions on where to go, and 6,000 Ugandans watching the muzungu head for the hole in the ground.

Got home last night, washed up in a bowl and hit the sack early. During the night I enjoyed hearing a long and heavy rain. Got up this morning, stepped outside, and sunk up to my ankles in mud! I lost my sandals in the mud and had to pull them out and squish up the hill to the loo.

Scovia has been off taking care of her sister that has gone mad and so there was no real breakfast--two ears of cold corn and a piece of bread. Her sister is pentacostal and so when she had a psychotic episode again her husband sent her to the church to have the demons exorcised. It hasnt worked and Scovia found her sister was still at the church--crazed and dirty--and has been there for a month. She spent two days trying to get her from the church and into a hospitqal and it didnt work. Scovia came home terribly upset last night.

Today i have come to the hotel and spent money on coffee and breakfast so that I can sit here and access internet. Ill now see if i can upload some photos. None will be forthcoming of the orphanage until I can get back into Kampala and try to purchase another card reader. My photos from the past five days are stuck in my camera:-(