Horrible tragedy. Unbelievable loss. Shock and mourning remain.
Prayers for all.
Showing posts with label Grose. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Grose. Show all posts
Thursday, June 18, 2015
Monday, June 15, 2015
Thank you readers!
I discovered this morning a pleasant surprise. I have passed 3,400 page views for the blog. Here's how it breaks down by country:
Thank you Switzerland. I have no idea who you are, but thank you for putting me over the top.
Wednesday, June 10, 2015
Closing thoughts: Learning to Fly
This is what I learned from my trip to Africa. There was great, there was good and there was the heartbreaking. But I'm learning to fly. I'm earning my wings.
Thanks for taking the ride with me. LG
Thanks for taking the ride with me. LG
Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers live from Bonnaroo 2006
Learning to Fly
Well I started out down a dirty road
Started out all alone
And the sun went down as I crossed the hill
And the town lit up, the world got still
I'm learning to fly, but I ain't got wings
Coming down is the hardest thing
Well the good ol' days may not return
And the rocks might melt and the sea may burn
Started out all alone
And the sun went down as I crossed the hill
And the town lit up, the world got still
I'm learning to fly, but I ain't got wings
Coming down is the hardest thing
Well the good ol' days may not return
And the rocks might melt and the sea may burn
I'm learning to fly, but I ain't got wings
Coming down is the hardest thing
Well some say life will beat you down
Break your heart, steal your crown
So I've started out for God knows where
I guess I'll know when I get there
I'm learning to fly, around the clouds
But what goes up must come down
Coming down is the hardest thing
Well some say life will beat you down
Break your heart, steal your crown
So I've started out for God knows where
I guess I'll know when I get there
I'm learning to fly, around the clouds
But what goes up must come down
I'm learning to fly, but I ain't got wings
Coming down is the hardest thing
Coming down is the hardest thing
Monday, April 13, 2015
Eye Candy for Readers
This is George building a house.
Shower to clean off the mud: $0.10
Shirt to keep your friends from drooling a river: $50
Trip to Africa to meet him: $4,000
Waking up next to George every day for the rest of your life: Priceless.
Ladies, he's looking for a 2nd wife. Applications with photos are accepted. Contact author for details.
Shirt to keep your friends from drooling a river: $50
Trip to Africa to meet him: $4,000
Waking up next to George every day for the rest of your life: Priceless.
Ladies, he's looking for a 2nd wife. Applications with photos are accepted. Contact author for details.
Sunday, April 12, 2015
Sunday Night Blues
So I've made it to another Sunday night. And this one is after the dullest weekend of my time in Nairobi, so I guess the Sunday Night Blues are inevitable.
The Sunday Night Blues have been an affliction in the Grose household since graduation from college. Ah, those heady days of no responsibilities and no work on Monday, just 3 hours of class and then the bliss of putting off reading or studying while spending time goofing off with friends. I wouldn't say the Sunday Night Blues are depression, just more a sort of vague despondency and a resignation that the inevitable Monday is only a few hours away.
In an attempt to rescue myself from boredom, I haul my laptop into my backpack and head for the Starbucks of Nairobi (Nairobi Java House) near where I live in Greenspan Mall. I determine that I will spend the evening watching videos and surfing the net getting caught up on the world's news and just goofing off over the evening.
After I plug in my computer and start writing this post, I am joined by a complete stranger at my table which disturbs me greatly. I am sitting in a 4-top booth that I had intended to keep entirely to myself. I had planned a perfectly funny evening of John Oliver from YouTube and now I can't enjoy laughing out loud with someone, a stranger, sitting at my table. Hopefully this will not last all night.
The Stranger has pulled out his Bible and is reading intently. This does not look good for having a quiet (but funny) evening on my own. I am mortally afraid of being witnessed to against my will. Momentarily, I think I would prefer Guantanamo Bay, but then I think better of that one. He closes his Bible now and is looking around the café as if he is waiting on someone, perhaps someone unknown to him, that will engage him in the conversation that I will not.
Julius, my regular waiter here, brings me great service and superb light conversation. He has also just brought me my Chicken Tandoori Wrap. But wait, a light from my cell phone tells me that I have a text message waiting. The evening could be saved, I hope.
An exchange of texts ensues, but nothing is really determined. You come here. No, you come here; I just got my dinner. No, you come here. You know the drill. Looks like John Oliver and YouTube are back on again.
And so it goes, I have about 6 weeks left in Nairobi and one seriously dull evening was bound to happen. On the bright side, I realize that spending an evening in an internet café is going to be a great way to transition back into my life at home. Home. Such a comforting word right now.
But wait, another text from my friend. It is possible this evening could be interesting after all. We work out a time and place to meet. But I still miss home and right now I can think of nothing I would rather do than have the Sunday Night Blues with Charles.
The Sunday Night Blues have been an affliction in the Grose household since graduation from college. Ah, those heady days of no responsibilities and no work on Monday, just 3 hours of class and then the bliss of putting off reading or studying while spending time goofing off with friends. I wouldn't say the Sunday Night Blues are depression, just more a sort of vague despondency and a resignation that the inevitable Monday is only a few hours away.
In an attempt to rescue myself from boredom, I haul my laptop into my backpack and head for the Starbucks of Nairobi (Nairobi Java House) near where I live in Greenspan Mall. I determine that I will spend the evening watching videos and surfing the net getting caught up on the world's news and just goofing off over the evening.
After I plug in my computer and start writing this post, I am joined by a complete stranger at my table which disturbs me greatly. I am sitting in a 4-top booth that I had intended to keep entirely to myself. I had planned a perfectly funny evening of John Oliver from YouTube and now I can't enjoy laughing out loud with someone, a stranger, sitting at my table. Hopefully this will not last all night.
The Stranger has pulled out his Bible and is reading intently. This does not look good for having a quiet (but funny) evening on my own. I am mortally afraid of being witnessed to against my will. Momentarily, I think I would prefer Guantanamo Bay, but then I think better of that one. He closes his Bible now and is looking around the café as if he is waiting on someone, perhaps someone unknown to him, that will engage him in the conversation that I will not.
Julius, my regular waiter here, brings me great service and superb light conversation. He has also just brought me my Chicken Tandoori Wrap. But wait, a light from my cell phone tells me that I have a text message waiting. The evening could be saved, I hope.
An exchange of texts ensues, but nothing is really determined. You come here. No, you come here; I just got my dinner. No, you come here. You know the drill. Looks like John Oliver and YouTube are back on again.
And so it goes, I have about 6 weeks left in Nairobi and one seriously dull evening was bound to happen. On the bright side, I realize that spending an evening in an internet café is going to be a great way to transition back into my life at home. Home. Such a comforting word right now.
But wait, another text from my friend. It is possible this evening could be interesting after all. We work out a time and place to meet. But I still miss home and right now I can think of nothing I would rather do than have the Sunday Night Blues with Charles.
Tuesday, March 17, 2015
Look for the Bright Side
Look for the Bright Side.
This is my favorite blog by my college friend, and Unit 6 Basement alumni, Julie Loewus Rich. It is about her family's experiences as her husband is deployed to Japan for umpteen years. She vowed in the beginning of the blog to start looking for the bright side in any situations she encounters, the good, the bad and the ugly. The result is her cheerful blog about surviving culture shock in Japan, having the military move you ⅔'s of the globe away from home, educating her two young children and her marriage to a fantastic, but too frequently deployed Navy man.
You should also know that Julie despises social media, so don't even bother looking for her on Facebook. Although, I think she should get a Twitter account to share her thoughts on life with the world in just a few characters.
Love you Julie!
This is my favorite blog by my college friend, and Unit 6 Basement alumni, Julie Loewus Rich. It is about her family's experiences as her husband is deployed to Japan for umpteen years. She vowed in the beginning of the blog to start looking for the bright side in any situations she encounters, the good, the bad and the ugly. The result is her cheerful blog about surviving culture shock in Japan, having the military move you ⅔'s of the globe away from home, educating her two young children and her marriage to a fantastic, but too frequently deployed Navy man.
You should also know that Julie despises social media, so don't even bother looking for her on Facebook. Although, I think she should get a Twitter account to share her thoughts on life with the world in just a few characters.
Love you Julie!
Monday, March 16, 2015
Everybody has their own NGO
Absolutely every single person in Africa has their own NGO. And absolutely every single one of those people wants you to hear about their "program".
There is a neighborhood drunk where I work named "Sam". A couple of weeks ago while I was buying a bottle of water, he accosted me with his "program". Everyone with an NGO feels they MUST tell ME about their "program" every time they see me.
The basic tenets of Sam's particular "program" are as follows:
1) To remain drunk at all times;
2) To "do something" for the youth of Kenya/Africa while remaining drunk 24/7;
3) To "do something" for the youth of Kenya/Africa who suffer directly or indirectly from the scourge that is HIV/AIDS while remaining drunk 24/7;
4) To "do something" for the orphans and other vulnerable populations in Kenya/Africa while remaining drunk 24/7;
and
5) For me to finance all of the above, most particularly the portions of these programs that will allow Sam to remain drunk 24/7.
Nope, I'm not the least bit cynical today. This post is dedicated to Perfesser Kevin Hill, Florida International University
There is a neighborhood drunk where I work named "Sam". A couple of weeks ago while I was buying a bottle of water, he accosted me with his "program". Everyone with an NGO feels they MUST tell ME about their "program" every time they see me.
The basic tenets of Sam's particular "program" are as follows:
1) To remain drunk at all times;
2) To "do something" for the youth of Kenya/Africa while remaining drunk 24/7;
3) To "do something" for the youth of Kenya/Africa who suffer directly or indirectly from the scourge that is HIV/AIDS while remaining drunk 24/7;
4) To "do something" for the orphans and other vulnerable populations in Kenya/Africa while remaining drunk 24/7;
and
5) For me to finance all of the above, most particularly the portions of these programs that will allow Sam to remain drunk 24/7.
Nope, I'm not the least bit cynical today. This post is dedicated to Perfesser Kevin Hill, Florida International University
Friday, March 6, 2015
Things I miss from home
- My home.
2. Charles, especially his very dry wit.
3. My Imelda Marcos sized shoe collection
4. Scott and Alex (and Oscar-baby)
5. The Rhines
6. Pascal's
7. The Pantry's jalepeño pimento cheese spread
8. My car and driving
9. My rose garden that I perpetually ignore
10. My pets -- those departed and those still with us.
#HomesicknessAbounds
Wednesday, March 4, 2015
Culture Wars
I am fortunate to have the opportunity to work in Kenya. I try to live by the aphorism "When in Rome, do as the Romans" and I want the people of this country to know that not all Americans are jerks. But I'm left with the nagging question of cultural practices.
Most of the men that I work with are of the Luo tribe of Kenya. Kenya has 42 distinct tribes, each with its own native language. The Luo also have the reputation of being the most restrictive when it comes to women's rights, but fortunately they do not participate in FGM.
I come from a culture that values women as equals, even though the pay gap and the glass ceiling are alive and well. At least we say we value women.
In Africa, there is much talk from men about how women need to be empowered, but little is actually done on the personal or national level to achieve this goal.
And so, as a guest in Kenya and as an American woman, how do I manage the situations when the two cultures clash? If it is inconsequential to me, I let it pass. Why bother rocking the boat? But in doing that, am I implicitly accepting the cultural practices of these Luo men that I do find offensive. And how about when I am faced with the choice of how to respond when a cultural practice I find repugnant is unavoidable? Or what about when the practice is just plain stupid?
In my fantasy world, I'd like to think we could meet in the middle and take the best of both cultures and forge a compromise that leaves both sides feeling good about their culture. But in the real world, I find that I am most often on the short end of the stick.
And what of others respecting my culture and its practices? Am I to abandon my culture completely because I am a guest and want to be a polite guest?
Comments welcome.
Most of the men that I work with are of the Luo tribe of Kenya. Kenya has 42 distinct tribes, each with its own native language. The Luo also have the reputation of being the most restrictive when it comes to women's rights, but fortunately they do not participate in FGM.
I come from a culture that values women as equals, even though the pay gap and the glass ceiling are alive and well. At least we say we value women.
In Africa, there is much talk from men about how women need to be empowered, but little is actually done on the personal or national level to achieve this goal.
And so, as a guest in Kenya and as an American woman, how do I manage the situations when the two cultures clash? If it is inconsequential to me, I let it pass. Why bother rocking the boat? But in doing that, am I implicitly accepting the cultural practices of these Luo men that I do find offensive. And how about when I am faced with the choice of how to respond when a cultural practice I find repugnant is unavoidable? Or what about when the practice is just plain stupid?
In my fantasy world, I'd like to think we could meet in the middle and take the best of both cultures and forge a compromise that leaves both sides feeling good about their culture. But in the real world, I find that I am most often on the short end of the stick.
And what of others respecting my culture and its practices? Am I to abandon my culture completely because I am a guest and want to be a polite guest?
Comments welcome.
Tuesday, January 27, 2015
Top ten things your tour guide won't tell you about Nairobi
10. There are approximately 4 million residents of Nairobi. There is a speed bump for every single one of them.
9. Nairobi is the host for the annual 124 mile Rhino Run. This makes child's play of getting gored by a bull in Pamplona.
8. The Solar Ice Rink boasts 15,000 square meters (area of the total sports complex that houses it). It is the largest ice rink in Africa and the first ice rink in East Africa.
7. Malaria is very rare in Nairobi according to medical experts in Nairobi and there are surprisingly few mosquitos here. But I wouldn't chuck the malaria prophylaxis yet.
6. Odd dining options: The Iguana Bar and Grill serves Mexican and Indian food and Tanager Bar and Restaurant serves Chinese and African food.
5. Narcissism in Nairobi: A local bride had her wedding cake made to look like herself.
4. Nairobi is home to the Male Girls Secondary School. No commentary necessary.
3. Nairobi hosts the Slum Film Festival, an annual festival celebrating films about slums. I hope it has a category for films by slum residents. I wonder if Slumdog Millionaire made the cut?
2. According to Transparency International's 2013 study of corruption in Kenya, 58% of individuals that had legal issues reported paying bribes to the Judiciary. 77% of individuals having business with the police paid bribes. I guess the police assumed these two riders on the back of a truck couldn't afford to pay the bribe for the ticket.
1. A local pastor has banned women from wearing underwear during services underwear during services so that "God can enter their bodies more easily". He did not ban men from wearing their knickers. I suppose this pastor of the Lord's Propeller Redemption Church did not want male congregants to have God enter their bodies through their orifice.
9. Nairobi is the host for the annual 124 mile Rhino Run. This makes child's play of getting gored by a bull in Pamplona.
8. The Solar Ice Rink boasts 15,000 square meters (area of the total sports complex that houses it). It is the largest ice rink in Africa and the first ice rink in East Africa.
7. Malaria is very rare in Nairobi according to medical experts in Nairobi and there are surprisingly few mosquitos here. But I wouldn't chuck the malaria prophylaxis yet.
6. Odd dining options: The Iguana Bar and Grill serves Mexican and Indian food and Tanager Bar and Restaurant serves Chinese and African food.
5. Narcissism in Nairobi: A local bride had her wedding cake made to look like herself.
4. Nairobi is home to the Male Girls Secondary School. No commentary necessary.
3. Nairobi hosts the Slum Film Festival, an annual festival celebrating films about slums. I hope it has a category for films by slum residents. I wonder if Slumdog Millionaire made the cut?
2. According to Transparency International's 2013 study of corruption in Kenya, 58% of individuals that had legal issues reported paying bribes to the Judiciary. 77% of individuals having business with the police paid bribes. I guess the police assumed these two riders on the back of a truck couldn't afford to pay the bribe for the ticket.
1. A local pastor has banned women from wearing underwear during services underwear during services so that "God can enter their bodies more easily". He did not ban men from wearing their knickers. I suppose this pastor of the Lord's Propeller Redemption Church did not want male congregants to have God enter their bodies through their orifice.
Saturday, January 24, 2015
News from Nairobi Weekly (Week of 19/01/15)
This week in the Nairobi News (Week of 19/01/15)
Could it be more inappropriate?
20/01/15: As I am working in the slum of Kayole-Soweto this morning fighting with Excel, this gem of Hollywood's early attempt to help people just like the ones I am trying to help comes blaring out of one of the residents' home. Sorry, but this was too strangely funny and too utterly sick not to share.
This post is dedicated to Dr. Lisa Richey. Check out the book she co-authored with her husband Dr. Stephano Ponte Brand Aid: Shopping Well to Save the World. She researches the effects of celebrity fundraising on international development.
Only in Kenya
Thursday 10:00 a.m. EAT (East Africa Time): So I leave my office to go next door to buy the morning caffeine rush. When I get to the little hole in the wall shop, I see that no one is there to sell my drug of choice. I decide to wait a bit. About 5 minutes later, this guy shows up and stands behind me in line for about 5 minutes, then he opens the cage door, which is unlocked (the cage door is the door that is closed when the store is open and closed. When the store is open the cage is closed to prevent someone from just walking in and stealing the money. When the store is closed, you can do the math.). I assume that the shopkeeper is around the corner for a few minutes. Who knows?
So the dude walks into the store, he looks at me and says "What can I get for you?". So I say I want a coke in a plastic bottle. Then he mentions a price that is about 10 bob higher (that's local lingo for a small number of Kenyan shillings) than I normally pay. So I say "No. Sixty bob" and I give my 60 shillings and go back to work.
Was I on Candid Camera or what?
Today in the news
23.01.15 Heard at 7:30 a.m. local time on Nairobi radio station KISS FM:
The International Criminal Court is an unholy alliance.
Almost as good as dubya's Axis of Evil comment. Maybe the Unholy Alliance will publish a cookbook like the Axis of Evil did.
Friday, January 23, 2015
Photo Friday 23.01.15
View from the Executive Suite at Arrow Web Hospital Kayole slum, Nairobi
 |
| View to the left |
 |
| View to the right |
 |
| Man with overloaded bike directly beneath |
Thursday, January 22, 2015
Tanzanian Excursion to Zanzibar
In late March, I am planning a trip to the Tanzanian spice island of Zanzibar. It is a UNESCO (think United Nations project) World Heritage Site. Check out the photos of Stone Town. I did not know this until I started searching the internet for information, but Stone Town, Zanzibar is the birthplace of Queen's Freddie Mercury. Mercury House is his birthplace. Although his family eventually moved to the UK to avoid the revolution, Mercury House is one of Zanzibar's most famous residents.
As for my trip, I plan to see the old Anglican Cathedral, the mosques and tour the Hamammni (Turkish Bath Houses).
This is a picture gallery of where I will be staying Mizingani Seafront.
Bon voyage to me!
As for my trip, I plan to see the old Anglican Cathedral, the mosques and tour the Hamammni (Turkish Bath Houses).
This is a picture gallery of where I will be staying Mizingani Seafront.
Bon voyage to me!
 |
| Looks like a great place to retire! |
 |
| More beautiful water than the Caribbean. |
 |
| View of Stone Town from the Indian Ocean |
Tuesday, January 20, 2015
Mother's Little Helper
The Rolling Stones sang in Mother’s Little Helper the
following words “What a drag it is getting old” and nothing could be truer for me
this morning. There is not enough
caffeine in this world to get me going, but I go on.
I am now in Nairobi, Kenya working for Arrow Web Hospital as a volunteer for the hospital that is in the Kayole-Soweto slum. I don't live in the slum, but in a nice townhouse in Donholm with a couple of co-workers. Nairobi is a far cry in many, many ways from rural Uganda.
My job is to develop a set of spreadsheets that will compile
the information that all 14 of the reports that the Ministry of Health (MOH)
requires the hospital to report, some are daily, some are weekly, some are
monthly, or quarterly or annually. Much
of it is repetitive and the hospital needs something to save time filling out
reports. Hence, I have work to do. And not enough time in the day to get this
done by the time I go home in May, but I will be an Excel wizard when I do go
home.
It is said that time flies when you are having fun, but I
say time flies when you hit middle age.
So back to my nested^infinity IF statements and linking cells and
endless compiling the same information repeatedly as my need for more caffeine
grows.
Friday, November 14, 2014
In case you were wondering . . .
I'm doing well physically, mentally and spiritually.
On the physical side of things, I have lost about 45 lbsf. This was a much needed weight loss and I hope to lose another 30 lbsf. before I come home. Now understand this, I am not losing weight because there is no food. Quite the contrary, I am eating very well. Ugandan cooking is very good and they eat well. At least this year they eat well. The rains have been very good this rainy season and therefore the crops have done well. I have lost so much weight because of all the activity in a day. My primary means of transportation is "footing it" as they say here. The second way is by motorcycle, but more on that in another post.
Mentally, I feel very peaceful and centered (whatever that really means). Without all the distractions of TV, radio, regular and reliable Internet service, and everything else, it's easier to relax even if there is so much to do that you can't really slow down. There is plenty of work to be done and I am somewhat disappointed that it is almost time to come home. The people here are so wonderful and warm and friendly.
Spiritually, well that was an area that I expected to continue to lie dormant as it has for the past 25 years. But in Uganda, religion is the culture. People are very sincere in their faith and I have been "taken" to church about 5 times. The last time, this past Sunday, my namesake was baptized. I was thrilled when her mother Christine handed little Lisa to me to hold while the pastor baptized her. What an honor!
Do understand that now that I have a namesake, you will hear about her every movement until she reaches the terrible teens, but probably even then too.
Cheers:)
Lisa
On the physical side of things, I have lost about 45 lbsf. This was a much needed weight loss and I hope to lose another 30 lbsf. before I come home. Now understand this, I am not losing weight because there is no food. Quite the contrary, I am eating very well. Ugandan cooking is very good and they eat well. At least this year they eat well. The rains have been very good this rainy season and therefore the crops have done well. I have lost so much weight because of all the activity in a day. My primary means of transportation is "footing it" as they say here. The second way is by motorcycle, but more on that in another post.
Mentally, I feel very peaceful and centered (whatever that really means). Without all the distractions of TV, radio, regular and reliable Internet service, and everything else, it's easier to relax even if there is so much to do that you can't really slow down. There is plenty of work to be done and I am somewhat disappointed that it is almost time to come home. The people here are so wonderful and warm and friendly.
Spiritually, well that was an area that I expected to continue to lie dormant as it has for the past 25 years. But in Uganda, religion is the culture. People are very sincere in their faith and I have been "taken" to church about 5 times. The last time, this past Sunday, my namesake was baptized. I was thrilled when her mother Christine handed little Lisa to me to hold while the pastor baptized her. What an honor!
Do understand that now that I have a namesake, you will hear about her every movement until she reaches the terrible teens, but probably even then too.
Cheers:)
Lisa
Thursday, November 6, 2014
Happy 1 month Birthday Lisa Ellen Grose
Every time I see my namesake, I cannot help but sing this Furman lullaby to her. In my heart, this song is for for little Lisa and her mother Christine Acham.
Thursday, October 23, 2014
Jackie O. might have approved
Every summer for at least the past 6 summers since Blossom Shoes and Such opened in Greenwood, SC under the classic eternal good taste of Kimberly Stephens, I have enjoyed a new pair of Jack Rogers sandals every year.
Past pleasures for my feet with ridiculously expensive taste have included:
And this is to name only 3 of the pairs I have. I have more Jack Rogers sandals than maybe Jack Rogers.
I love summer and I'm always on the lookout for a really great summer sandal. Since I knew I was going to Uganda this year, I didn't buy my annual pair of Jacks and decided to wait and see what treats would be over here. Let me tell you how glad I am that I waited. Check these out!
These hand-sewn and hand-beaded sandals are made in Uganda. I found them at the local crafts market in Entebbe. The cost after bargaining, 22,000 UGX (about $9 USD). There are all kinds of local crafts around that are stunning fashion and home decor pieces, not just the mass made masks.
Hope you like these as much as I do. I have another pair too. I'm saving them for special occasions - Havianas can do the everyday job.
Cheers:)
Lisa
Monday, October 20, 2014
Fixing Subsaharan Africa the Redneck Way
I've been here long enough to see that some simple products could go a long way to repairing many things here. I've also been here long enough to know that not all really good ideas come from a working group or an official team. Don't get me wrong -- I'm not saying these are good ideas. These are just things I think most Ugandans would find damned handy in their daily lives. So here's a short list of items I think could really help improve the standard of living of most Ugandans.
1. No Ugandan kitchen or office should be without the Hefty Ziploc bags that have the plastic zipper pull. They hold most everything and keep flies where they belong -- away from food.
1. No Ugandan kitchen or office should be without the Hefty Ziploc bags that have the plastic zipper pull. They hold most everything and keep flies where they belong -- away from food.
2. The one, the only, the stuff that holds Alabama and Mississippi together -- Duct Tape.
3. This can fix all those cheesy Chinese made locks that aren't made of stainless steel as they should be. The beauty of WD-40 is that it is not so viscose as to make the lock easy to pick after you have lubricated it.
4. Loctite saved my fanny many, many times as a manufacturing engineer. That and it's darker cousin called "Black Max" could fix anything plastic or metal that had broken. Subsaharan Africa needs about 30 metric tons of this stuff for every manufacturing facility opened here.
5. The Leatherman tool should be given to every student who graduates from S4 (that's the 4th year of high school). If a student graduates from S6 (the two extra years of high school to prepare for the university), the then student gets the French Army version of this tool which includes a corkscrew. These things can fix anything.
Send your additions via the comments section. One of my next posts will be about all the cheap and simple things that can be done to make hospitals around these parts safe and sanitary.
Cheers:)
Sunday, October 19, 2014
Brazil's answer to the Mojito
The Boma Caipiroska
1 oz Vodka
Simple syrup mixed with the juice of 3 fresh lime wedges
Large grain sugar on the rim of your rocks glass
Serve over crushed ice with a lime wedge garnish
Best served by the Boma Entebbe's pool.
Cheers:)
Lisa
The Boma Hotel, Entebbe, Uganda
Monday, October 13, 2014
Little Star
Nothing excites me quite the way the birth of a baby can. While Charles and I have not been able to have our own children, through work, friends and countless other ways we have had the privilege of sharing in the lives of others’ children in many fulfilling ways. Charles’ work through the public defender’s office and now in private practice brings him into contact with children who have had the misfortune of being on the wrong end of law enforcement. Many times he has been able to help these children get on the right track in life by dealing with the circumstances which led them to trouble. In my work as a volunteer Guardian ad Litem, I shepherded children through the family court system when the Department of Social Services has removed them rightly or wrongly from their homes. Most of my cases involved getting families to reconsider how they managed crises in the home.
Here in Kapuwai, there is at least one child for every dollar that Bill Gates has ever made. None of these children can be considered privileged in any sense that we use the term in the United States.
But they have privileges that Americans would do well to consider adopting in order to raise more responsible youth. As Hilary Rodham Clinton wrote It takes a Village to raise a child in Uganda. Everyone in the society feels the burden of correcting, rebuking or praising every child in the community to ensure that the child becomes a productive adult. And these children are LOVED so much that I can’t even describe how much the community cares for them. But I have digressed . . .
Meet Christine Acham
In my first crochet class which happened before the yarn arrived, Christine, age 42, was the first to class and the last to leave. As you can see by her picture on the left, she has a warm and engaging smile. She has a magnificent heart of gold and she loves people and helps others in any way that she can.
During the first class, I asked each class member to introduce themselves to the class and to talk about their family. Christine, who was 6 months pregnant at the time, told the class that she had completed school through P7 (primary — roughly the equivalent of 7th grade) and that she had 10 children. Her first question to me was what would the maternity leave policy be for the class since she was due at the end of September with her eleventh child. I told her she would be a homebound student until she was ready to come back to class.
She is a voracious and competitive student despite the fact she is functionally illiterate. She figured out on her own how to read Japanese crochet diagrams.
Christine speaks very little English. Her native language is Ateso, a common language in Eastern Uganda. She quickly became a very dear friend to me and the language barrier grew insignificant as our friendship grew. In class, I nicknamed her “Toto One”. “Toto” means mother in Ateso; she is Toto One because she has more children than anyone else in class. Toto Two has nine children.
And this baby makes eleven.
In mid-September Christine became ill with what the local community nurses thought was malaria. She had a port installed in her right hand and quinine treatment commenced. But she didn’t improve and developed a serious lung infection. She was taken to the local community health hospital in Kibale for treatment. There she was treated again for malaria and for acute bronchitis. She began to slowly mend, but when I visited her at Kibale I discovered that she had never had an ultrasound with this pregnancy and had only had 3 prenatal medical exams. I decided immediately that she would live with me until the baby was a week old. It was the only way I could make sure she could rest and recuperate given her ten other children.
In Uganda, when you are in the hospital and you can’t afford to pay all of your bill at the time the doctor releases you, the hospital will keep you against medical advice until you can pay your bill. This seems really backward to me. How can you work and make money to pay the bill if you are stuck in the hospital? So Christine and her husband scraped together all they could, about 37,000 UGX (about $15 USD) and paid the community hospital at Kibsle. But they still owed roughly 19,000 UGX (just under $8 USD). I paid the hospital the balance and got her out and brought her to my apartment at PACODET.
She was still really sick and the Kibale Health Unit didn’t prescribe a full course of antibiotics to treat the bronchitis. As you may have guessed, when the meds stopped, she got worse again.
By September 20th, she could barely speak for coughing so much. She had tried every cough syrup in Uganda (which are few and utterly ineffective), so on a trip to Pallisa I picked up a bottle of Sherry since they didn’t have Rock-n-Rye with lemon. Miracle of miracles, it helped her stop coughing long enough to get some rest. I knew it was risky giving a pregnant woman alcohol, but the coughing spells had become so violent that she had constant pain in her lower rib cage.
As time passed and I had to buy another bottle of Sherry, she was adamant that the baby was still “playing” inside her. Playing was the term we discovered together to describe the baby’s activity because she didn’t understand what I meant by the baby “moving”. Whether or not the baby was playing, she was very sick and I was pissed off at the poor health care she had received. With a trusted boda driver, the two of us packed up on a motorcycle and headed to the regional hospital Pallisa General.
We met with an admitting doctor right away on that Friday right before lunch. Just prior to going to the waiting room, I heard a nurse tell the doctor that a “muzungu” (white person) was there with a pregnant woman insisting that she be seen immediately.
In the consultation with the doctor, Christine disclosed that she had a heart problem that had been present since her last pregnancy about 2.5 years ago. The doctor also diagnosed acute bronchitis and a severe urinary tract infection.
While she got dressed, the doctor spoke with me in the consultation room. He told me in no uncertain terms that she was going to be admitted immediately and that under NO circumstances should she have the baby at a local health clinic. I asked him many direct questions about birth control options after the baby was born; he was clear that since this was her ninth pregnancy (she has two sets of twins) she should not become pregnant again.
The hospital was nasty, filthy and disgusting; but that is for another blog post. On Wednesday, October 1st at 4:01 p.m. Christine gave birth to a baby girl weighing 2.8 kg (about 6.2 lbsf). She named her daughter Lisa Ellen Grose. She and everyone else in Kapuwai pronounce Lisa as “Elise”. “Elise” is healthy and thriving on breast milk. Christine went back to her home (about 5 minutes from my apartment) on her one week birthday.
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