Rainy days.
Again, I am writing this on my phone so forgive me for the errors! :)
Right now many of the kids are on holiday so things aren't as crazy as when all the kids are here for school. We have been trying to take advantage of that time by getting to know each of the children on a more personal level. In the mornings I am working with a little 3 year old boy who has some learning & communication delays. He is such a special little boy to me and the cutest little guy ever. I have found he is incredibly bright with technology & phones- so as of now we are taking small steps trying learn new things as we get to know each other. It has been interesting working with him because I am not a teacher- I am a nurse. However, working in the schools has really prepared me for this trip. Special needs are not widely accepted here in U*ganda and many of the programs available for kids who need extra help are very expensive so most cannot afford them. The little guy I work with is in a regular school that isn't really equipped with what he needs. So this year I will be working with him some time each day and while he is in class to try and set up a schedule and implement interventions that show how bright he truly is! That being said: Any teacher friends who read this I would LOVE resources and/or Application recommendations. I can access anything through email so either contact me on here or through Facebook and I would be eternally grateful!
Every day here during holiday has a unique tempo to it. We wake up each morning and have breakfast and then move onto various chores and activities. Laundry here is done by hand and it has been quite the learning experience. I have done laundry by hand before but never many articles at a time and let me say this: there is nothing quite like doing 2 loads of laundry by hand. My hands were raw by the time we finished. Jim and I started our laundry alone and two girls who live here stepped in to help after politely telling us we had no idea what we were doing haha they kept grabbing things I had already washed and rewashed them :) it's a humbling experience to have an eight year old a twelve year old teach you how to properly wash your clothes haha once the clothes were all washed, we hung them all up on a line in our room (bad idea haha) which resulted in them taking DAYS to dry. After a few days of drying (mind you we washed both of our towels so we were drying off with tshirts in the mean time) we had to iron ALL of the clothes we washed- mainly because I am terrified of mango flies (google it- or don't if you are squeamish). So finally after about a week we were done with our two loads of laundry haha needless to say I will be much pickier about the clothes I throw in our dirty clothes basket!
When we aren't slaving away doing our laundry (kidding- kind of) we are busy fetching water, playing with the kids, heading to the city to get our school work done, volunteering in the orphanage we are adopting from, going to church, and trying to really get to know each of the kids we now share a home with.
Water...where to begin- I will never look at clean running water the same ever again. Here children of all ages, sometimes as young as 2-3 go to the well and fill up huge containers and then carry them uphill back to their homes. Jim and I are winded after one trip and generally you have to take multiple trips to get enough water for the day. This life here really makes you appreciate the clean water we have at home & how easy it is to shower, flush the toilet, and cook. We now shower out of a bucket, pour water in the toilet in order to flush it, and boil all of the water we use for food/drinking.
Along with all our "fun/entertaining" activities, we have been really enjoying church here. Jim has had the opportunity to preach a couple of times while Pastor Herman has been away in the states. It has been a joy to watch him study the word and then see him share it with the church here- he truly is an amazing man of God!
So far, no updates with our adoption- we are still patiently waiting on the waiting list:) please keep that process in your prayers and in the mean time we travel to the orphanage each week to love on some precious kids- one of which could be our future son/daughter!
As I have said before, life is so different here but truly so incredibly beautiful. There is such a simplicity in the life here that makes me realize all of the things I took for granted back home. We didn't expect to come here and change the world- but we did expect to be drastically changed in the process of living here, and those changes are already so evident in Jim & I.
Fetching water at the well.
Laundry :)
JimBo preaching :)
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