Blog changes
15 years ago
Friday, 4 April 2008
Photo success
Have taken advantage of good network and uploaded a selection of photos! The 'fishy 'ones were taken on a recent trip to a remote fishing community on the shore of Lake Albert. There is one of Chris' car being towed away by the ambulance to be repaired (see earlier blog!), one of my craft shop and one of our camping friends.
Wednesday, 2 April 2008
Six months!
It has just dawned on us that we have now been here six months. When thinking about what to write about on the blog, it seems that incidents that happened five or six months ago deemed worthy of comment but those same situations now seem less out of the ordinary and not worth mentioning. So, although it’s difficult to think what to write about, a lot has actually happened and the days have passed really quickly.
A parcel of somewhat squashed mini chocolate eggs from Becky and a box of ‘bits and bobs’ from Kare were most welcome. The eggs were fine after a few hours in the fridge! We’ve had various visitors this week - some more welcome than others! Somehow a couple of baby bats escaped from the roof into our bedroom (one lodged in the mosquito net and scared me to death), followed by a mouse and then a frog - geckos don’t count anymore! Our invited guests were Grania and Dan from Kampala who came to stay with some of their friends from the UK and camped in the garden. We had a good night with them all and the monkeys behaved themselves and left them alone. Work has been busy for both of us this week. Every day brings new challenges and frustrations. The notion that life would be simpler here was way off the mark. Nothing ever goes according to plan and just the simplest things become so complicated. Fortunately there aren’t any complicated things to sort out. Adapting to not being able to achieve as much as you would like is one of the hardest lessons. It’s not all doom and gloom though! It’s good to be able to walk down the street or around the market and be recognised by people who want to greet you and wish you well. There’s never any hostility but plenty of curiosity!
Being English I feel it’s my duty to mention the weather! The temperature has dropped a few degrees this week and the rains have started in ernest. It’s interesting to see the local people in their thick padded jackets and woolly hats and babies in several layers of knitted garments and quilted blankets. We are still walking around in t-shirts which prompts a few comments.
Now that the ground is wet Sam, the gardner, has been really busy planting my vegetable and salad seeds which arrived from the UK (thanks Steve and Denise). The only problem is keeping the monkeys and the mongoose off them. It will be such luxury to have lettuce again. I’m easily pleased these days - who needs radicchio, lollo rosso, curly endive, little gem and rocket when a good old iceberg will do?
This is going to be a brief blog as I want to try and upload some photos that we’ve been unable to do the last few weeks due to poor network. We’ll see what happens!
A parcel of somewhat squashed mini chocolate eggs from Becky and a box of ‘bits and bobs’ from Kare were most welcome. The eggs were fine after a few hours in the fridge! We’ve had various visitors this week - some more welcome than others! Somehow a couple of baby bats escaped from the roof into our bedroom (one lodged in the mosquito net and scared me to death), followed by a mouse and then a frog - geckos don’t count anymore! Our invited guests were Grania and Dan from Kampala who came to stay with some of their friends from the UK and camped in the garden. We had a good night with them all and the monkeys behaved themselves and left them alone. Work has been busy for both of us this week. Every day brings new challenges and frustrations. The notion that life would be simpler here was way off the mark. Nothing ever goes according to plan and just the simplest things become so complicated. Fortunately there aren’t any complicated things to sort out. Adapting to not being able to achieve as much as you would like is one of the hardest lessons. It’s not all doom and gloom though! It’s good to be able to walk down the street or around the market and be recognised by people who want to greet you and wish you well. There’s never any hostility but plenty of curiosity!
Being English I feel it’s my duty to mention the weather! The temperature has dropped a few degrees this week and the rains have started in ernest. It’s interesting to see the local people in their thick padded jackets and woolly hats and babies in several layers of knitted garments and quilted blankets. We are still walking around in t-shirts which prompts a few comments.
Now that the ground is wet Sam, the gardner, has been really busy planting my vegetable and salad seeds which arrived from the UK (thanks Steve and Denise). The only problem is keeping the monkeys and the mongoose off them. It will be such luxury to have lettuce again. I’m easily pleased these days - who needs radicchio, lollo rosso, curly endive, little gem and rocket when a good old iceberg will do?
This is going to be a brief blog as I want to try and upload some photos that we’ve been unable to do the last few weeks due to poor network. We’ll see what happens!
Sunday, 23 March 2008
One of our rhinos is missing
Maggie and I decided to have a weekend away from Masindi at Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary. The original plan was a romantic weekend for two, but it is too hot for that sort of thing so all the Masindi volunteers decided to come out for the Saturday night which worked really well.
We arrived on Friday after work to find that one of the female rhinos had given birth to a still born calf that week. There are only six rhinos in the sanctuary and the hope is to breed them to restock parts of Uganda that previously had wild rhinos. Every one was sad to lose the first calf a month premature after a 15 month gestation. To add to the concern three of the rhinos had escaped from the ranch when the villagers cut the fence to gain access to the grazing. The rangers had to track down the lost trio and found them several miles from the ranch. Finding them is difficult but more of a problem is to persuade them to turn round and return. You can not just say shoo to a rhino they are big and definitely have minds of there own. At one point they charged the rangers who had to climb a tree to keep safe. Some how they managed to return them to the ranch and repair the fence.
We spent Saturday sitting on the verandah , reading and watching the birds and butterflies around the house. It was idyllic. We did manage a short walk but realised that we were not sure of the correct procedure if we met a rhino. The rhinos roam wild and there was plenty of evidence of their presence with great piles of rhino dung around the place. They certainly do not suffer from constipation. At one point on our walk there was a crashing in the bushes so we decided to retreat to the verandah for another cup of tea.
Sunday it was decided we would all go off and see the rhinos with a ranger. The 2 groups of three rhinos are all supposed to be watched by the rangers all the time so there whereabouts are known. After about 20 minutes off road driving we parked and the rangers pointed out the beasts in the bushes trying to find shade. We were able to walk to within about 30 yards of the group. Luckily rhinos have poor eyesight and locate you by smell. We can’t have smelt too bad that day as they took no notice of us.It was a great weekend after a pretty awful week at work and we returned to Masindi refreshed.
This week has been better. The mouse and stray bat that invaded us last week seem to have taken the hint and left. Maggie seems to take all our little visitors in her stride but was very annoyed that the mouse had dared to chew a corner of her Green and Black chocolate. She managed to overcome her disgust and eat it, needs must I suppose.
Last week most of the staff I work with had been on a diabetes course leaving me to run the clinic and the ward. It is much easier when the whole team is available. Unfortunately Monday was another difficult day. During the ward round we found the 10 yr old severely disabled child of one of the patients fitting. She had stopped taking her phenytoin as they had run out. It took 3 doses of diazepam and over an hour for her to stop fitting. There were no other drugs available either in the hospital or in the pharmacies in town. It was awful to see this child fitting with nothing available to help. She may have had malaria so she was given quinine. It took 2 days for her to really come round but by Friday she was back to her normal self. She has no sitting balance and a left hemiplegia but she has a lovely laugh when she is tickled. What sort of future she has is debatable especially as her mother has terminal liver disease. There are so many tragic stories here.
Monday also was the day that we asked Raymond to stay away from the clinic. Raymond has been the mainstay of the clinic for several years. He is an expert patient and chair of the local group for people living with HIV/AIDS. Unfortunately he also has open TB. He has had 5 treatments for it but is still positive which almost certainly means he has drug resistant TB. There is no treatment for MDRTB in Uganda. The best we have been able to do for him is to register him at Mulago hospital so if a donor starts a programme with the necessary drugs he will be able to access them. It was sad to see Raymond go he will be sadly missed but the risk to other patients and staff is too great .
The Tuesday clinic was quiet without him and not as efficiently run as there was no one to do his job but the patients were all seen.
On Wednesday I managed a trip out to the community. This was in a UK ambulance donated by the rotary club of Hereford and Wye. The siren was useful at scaring children and cows!. We travelled to a village where 2 children had died from diarrhoea and vomiting in 3 days. The concern was that it may be the start of a cholera outbreak. From the story it is possible that it was cholera but could have been any diarrhoeal disease. Unfortunately the parents had not taken the children to the health centre and they had died from dehydration. The village is several kilometres from the health centre. It has very poor sanitation and poor water supply. Many of the houses have no latrines and the water comes from the local river. There is a market in the village which attracts many people. There is no latrine or washing place for the market. It is not surprising that diarrhoea is common. Death of children is common here and is an accepted part of life.
Everyone is aware of the need for improved sanitation, in fact this week is national sanitation week, but the resources are not available to deal with the problem in the villages.
On Saturday I visited the Family Spirit Centre with Pam our latest VSO volunteer. The centre has 57 pupils , 35 of them are orphans or abandoned children who live at the school. They range from 18m to about 13 years. The centre was started by a small group of concerned parents to try and provide education and shelter for vulnerable children. In spite of no official funding they manage to feed and clothe the children. The children all seemed happy and well cared for. The centre is always short of money but never short of children. They desperately need more accommodation and a fence around the compound. They have just dug a new pit latrine as the old one is nearly full. They needed money to complete the programme and I thought that it would be a good use of some of the donated money I brought out to Uganda. For 800,000 ush the building could be complete, that is about £240. They were very grateful so we had kids singing and speeches in the African style. It is an inspiring place. One of the best things about it is that it is a purely Ugandan response to a Ugandan problem. Yes they would like help from any one who can give but the inspiration and drive is coming from ordinary Ugandans who recognise that there is a big problem..
No pictures the system has crashed 3 times!
We arrived on Friday after work to find that one of the female rhinos had given birth to a still born calf that week. There are only six rhinos in the sanctuary and the hope is to breed them to restock parts of Uganda that previously had wild rhinos. Every one was sad to lose the first calf a month premature after a 15 month gestation. To add to the concern three of the rhinos had escaped from the ranch when the villagers cut the fence to gain access to the grazing. The rangers had to track down the lost trio and found them several miles from the ranch. Finding them is difficult but more of a problem is to persuade them to turn round and return. You can not just say shoo to a rhino they are big and definitely have minds of there own. At one point they charged the rangers who had to climb a tree to keep safe. Some how they managed to return them to the ranch and repair the fence.
We spent Saturday sitting on the verandah , reading and watching the birds and butterflies around the house. It was idyllic. We did manage a short walk but realised that we were not sure of the correct procedure if we met a rhino. The rhinos roam wild and there was plenty of evidence of their presence with great piles of rhino dung around the place. They certainly do not suffer from constipation. At one point on our walk there was a crashing in the bushes so we decided to retreat to the verandah for another cup of tea.
Sunday it was decided we would all go off and see the rhinos with a ranger. The 2 groups of three rhinos are all supposed to be watched by the rangers all the time so there whereabouts are known. After about 20 minutes off road driving we parked and the rangers pointed out the beasts in the bushes trying to find shade. We were able to walk to within about 30 yards of the group. Luckily rhinos have poor eyesight and locate you by smell. We can’t have smelt too bad that day as they took no notice of us.It was a great weekend after a pretty awful week at work and we returned to Masindi refreshed.
This week has been better. The mouse and stray bat that invaded us last week seem to have taken the hint and left. Maggie seems to take all our little visitors in her stride but was very annoyed that the mouse had dared to chew a corner of her Green and Black chocolate. She managed to overcome her disgust and eat it, needs must I suppose.
Last week most of the staff I work with had been on a diabetes course leaving me to run the clinic and the ward. It is much easier when the whole team is available. Unfortunately Monday was another difficult day. During the ward round we found the 10 yr old severely disabled child of one of the patients fitting. She had stopped taking her phenytoin as they had run out. It took 3 doses of diazepam and over an hour for her to stop fitting. There were no other drugs available either in the hospital or in the pharmacies in town. It was awful to see this child fitting with nothing available to help. She may have had malaria so she was given quinine. It took 2 days for her to really come round but by Friday she was back to her normal self. She has no sitting balance and a left hemiplegia but she has a lovely laugh when she is tickled. What sort of future she has is debatable especially as her mother has terminal liver disease. There are so many tragic stories here.
Monday also was the day that we asked Raymond to stay away from the clinic. Raymond has been the mainstay of the clinic for several years. He is an expert patient and chair of the local group for people living with HIV/AIDS. Unfortunately he also has open TB. He has had 5 treatments for it but is still positive which almost certainly means he has drug resistant TB. There is no treatment for MDRTB in Uganda. The best we have been able to do for him is to register him at Mulago hospital so if a donor starts a programme with the necessary drugs he will be able to access them. It was sad to see Raymond go he will be sadly missed but the risk to other patients and staff is too great .
The Tuesday clinic was quiet without him and not as efficiently run as there was no one to do his job but the patients were all seen.
On Wednesday I managed a trip out to the community. This was in a UK ambulance donated by the rotary club of Hereford and Wye. The siren was useful at scaring children and cows!. We travelled to a village where 2 children had died from diarrhoea and vomiting in 3 days. The concern was that it may be the start of a cholera outbreak. From the story it is possible that it was cholera but could have been any diarrhoeal disease. Unfortunately the parents had not taken the children to the health centre and they had died from dehydration. The village is several kilometres from the health centre. It has very poor sanitation and poor water supply. Many of the houses have no latrines and the water comes from the local river. There is a market in the village which attracts many people. There is no latrine or washing place for the market. It is not surprising that diarrhoea is common. Death of children is common here and is an accepted part of life.
Everyone is aware of the need for improved sanitation, in fact this week is national sanitation week, but the resources are not available to deal with the problem in the villages.
On Saturday I visited the Family Spirit Centre with Pam our latest VSO volunteer. The centre has 57 pupils , 35 of them are orphans or abandoned children who live at the school. They range from 18m to about 13 years. The centre was started by a small group of concerned parents to try and provide education and shelter for vulnerable children. In spite of no official funding they manage to feed and clothe the children. The children all seemed happy and well cared for. The centre is always short of money but never short of children. They desperately need more accommodation and a fence around the compound. They have just dug a new pit latrine as the old one is nearly full. They needed money to complete the programme and I thought that it would be a good use of some of the donated money I brought out to Uganda. For 800,000 ush the building could be complete, that is about £240. They were very grateful so we had kids singing and speeches in the African style. It is an inspiring place. One of the best things about it is that it is a purely Ugandan response to a Ugandan problem. Yes they would like help from any one who can give but the inspiration and drive is coming from ordinary Ugandans who recognise that there is a big problem..
No pictures the system has crashed 3 times!
Sunday, 9 March 2008
The Lost Forest
Normally we set aside some time at the weekend to put something on the blog. As we have now learnt through experience, and become to accept, there is no point in making definite plans. Last Saturday I was unexpectedly invited to a wedding ‘introduction’ to accompany Sallie. In Uganda this ceremony is as important, if not more so, than the wedding itself. The mother of the bride, daughter-in-law to the king of one of Uganda’s kingdoms, is someone I have met before. On our visit here last June we went with her to her ranch set on a very remote five square mile plot of land in the middle of the bush. So remote, she couldn’t find it herself as she hadn’t visited for some time. We had to stop often to ask the villagers, who inhabit her land, where it was. She has lived in Barnet for the last thirty odd years since she went there with her lawyer husband and young family. Her husband was murdered during the Amin regime. The Introduction was at the same venue but we managed to find it a bit more easily this time and only had to stop once for directions. It was a very grand affair with marquees outside. We were the honoured guests from the UK and were seated with the princes and princesses. It was quite an experience and I’m pleased I had the opportunity to attend. These occasions can be very lengthy and often boring but this one,although lengthy, was well organised and entertaining. Many potential brides are paraded before the groom before he declares which one he will accept. Gifts are proffered, numerous speeches delivered, the ceremonious cutting of the cake (the bride-to-be with her brother as the groom has to wait until the actual wedding), certificates to be signed, local entertainment, etc., etc.
Sunday turned out to be quite an interesting day too. We set out to go for a swim at the Kinyara Sugar Co. Management Club, as we have done many times before. It is quite a trek to get there, along narrow, dusty roads and we have to rely on being able to find a driver and car to take us. On the way, Sallie announced that she’d like to just pop and check up on the chimps which are under threat from poachers and live in a nearby forest. I’m not sure how many miles we drove around the sugar plantation; it was like being in a maize of 6ft high sugar cane. We drove from forest to forest, sometimes off road (in a saloon car!) until we eventually found the right forest. Of course, by this time it was bedtime for the chimps and we didn’t find any. We did see lots of collobus monkeys and african grey parrots. The moonlit swim was quite nice really!
So, despite being away from Masindi for five weeks, we soon felt like we hadn’t been away at all. Chris managed to go straight back to work although his arm is very weak. I’m sure everyone who has seen him recently will be pleased to know that he’s gaining weight - we managed to eat very well back in the UK and we don’t exactly go hungry here either. Trouble is, I am also gaining weight and I’d rather not. When we returned I was paid a great compliment, allegedly in Ugandan culture, by a couple of people who told me I was fat! This means I must be very healthy and strong. Mmm….!!
Chris was very excited to finally see the vehicle which he is hoping to use for work being towed away by an ambulance (though we haven’t found out where to yet). When we arrived in Masindi last September, Chris found it abandoned in the hospital grounds and discovered it hadn’t been anywhere for six months. No-one seemed to know why not and there were no plans to get it back on the road. It was originally donated by the Elton John Foundation and intended to be used for District work. As this is what Chris is supposed to be developing and can’t because of lack of transport, he thought he would some of the funds he has raised to get the vehicle back in action. So, after several trips to the ATM to withdraw the necessary 4.3 million shillings (and a suitcase to carry it in!) it has been towed away - I wonder when we will see it again. Another great excitement last week was the arrival of Pamela, a VSO district nurse from the UK, who will be working with Chris. Pamela is staying with us until her house is ready and we are doing our best to gently introduce her to Uganda without scaring her away and heading for the next flight home. She bought a washing up bowl and a spoon yesterday so it’s looking hopeful that she will stay! I am full of admiration for anyone coming here on their own and tackling this.
Before we left for the UK I had been setting up a craft shop at Sallie’s hotel. It has always been on my list of ‘things I’d like to do’ but never yet got around to doing. I was really pleased when Sallie took up my suggestion and was just about ready for opening when I was whisked away. Thankfully they managed to finish getting it ready for the half-term rush and it’s doing very well. If you look hard enough there are quite a lot of crafts being made by various projects in Uganda, some of them struggling to market their goods, so hopefully this will be another useful outlet for them. Consequently, I am spending more time at the hotel but really enjoying it and there’s never a dull moment!
Yesterday I celebrated my birthday as well as International Women’s Day. I cooked for a group of friends and had a lovely day. I’ll try not to let muttering of ‘best food in Masindi’ followed by ‘best food in Uganda’ go to my head!! I received some very nice cards and gifts, thank you all!
It is Sunday again and we are about to set off for a swim at Kinyara - watch this space……………….
P.S. photos to follow, network is too slow tonight!
Sunday turned out to be quite an interesting day too. We set out to go for a swim at the Kinyara Sugar Co. Management Club, as we have done many times before. It is quite a trek to get there, along narrow, dusty roads and we have to rely on being able to find a driver and car to take us. On the way, Sallie announced that she’d like to just pop and check up on the chimps which are under threat from poachers and live in a nearby forest. I’m not sure how many miles we drove around the sugar plantation; it was like being in a maize of 6ft high sugar cane. We drove from forest to forest, sometimes off road (in a saloon car!) until we eventually found the right forest. Of course, by this time it was bedtime for the chimps and we didn’t find any. We did see lots of collobus monkeys and african grey parrots. The moonlit swim was quite nice really!
So, despite being away from Masindi for five weeks, we soon felt like we hadn’t been away at all. Chris managed to go straight back to work although his arm is very weak. I’m sure everyone who has seen him recently will be pleased to know that he’s gaining weight - we managed to eat very well back in the UK and we don’t exactly go hungry here either. Trouble is, I am also gaining weight and I’d rather not. When we returned I was paid a great compliment, allegedly in Ugandan culture, by a couple of people who told me I was fat! This means I must be very healthy and strong. Mmm….!!
Chris was very excited to finally see the vehicle which he is hoping to use for work being towed away by an ambulance (though we haven’t found out where to yet). When we arrived in Masindi last September, Chris found it abandoned in the hospital grounds and discovered it hadn’t been anywhere for six months. No-one seemed to know why not and there were no plans to get it back on the road. It was originally donated by the Elton John Foundation and intended to be used for District work. As this is what Chris is supposed to be developing and can’t because of lack of transport, he thought he would some of the funds he has raised to get the vehicle back in action. So, after several trips to the ATM to withdraw the necessary 4.3 million shillings (and a suitcase to carry it in!) it has been towed away - I wonder when we will see it again. Another great excitement last week was the arrival of Pamela, a VSO district nurse from the UK, who will be working with Chris. Pamela is staying with us until her house is ready and we are doing our best to gently introduce her to Uganda without scaring her away and heading for the next flight home. She bought a washing up bowl and a spoon yesterday so it’s looking hopeful that she will stay! I am full of admiration for anyone coming here on their own and tackling this.
Before we left for the UK I had been setting up a craft shop at Sallie’s hotel. It has always been on my list of ‘things I’d like to do’ but never yet got around to doing. I was really pleased when Sallie took up my suggestion and was just about ready for opening when I was whisked away. Thankfully they managed to finish getting it ready for the half-term rush and it’s doing very well. If you look hard enough there are quite a lot of crafts being made by various projects in Uganda, some of them struggling to market their goods, so hopefully this will be another useful outlet for them. Consequently, I am spending more time at the hotel but really enjoying it and there’s never a dull moment!
Yesterday I celebrated my birthday as well as International Women’s Day. I cooked for a group of friends and had a lovely day. I’ll try not to let muttering of ‘best food in Masindi’ followed by ‘best food in Uganda’ go to my head!! I received some very nice cards and gifts, thank you all!
It is Sunday again and we are about to set off for a swim at Kinyara - watch this space……………….
P.S. photos to follow, network is too slow tonight!
Tuesday, 19 February 2008
Back on Berwick Bridge
It is freezing on the bridge but the light is fantastic and Sammy the seal is just in front of me. This posting is a bit late for various reasons normal service should be resumed back in Uganda.
Yes, we are still in the UK but the end of our nomadic lifestyle is in sight. We reluctantly tore ourselves away from our one and only settee, which is carefully positioned parallel to the window to take advantage of the wonderful view of the walled town of Berwick and from there the mouth of the river and out to sea, to travel to London for Chris’ out patient’s appointment. Once again we have Kare and Steve to thank for their generous hospitality. After a brief chat with the doctor Chris was given the all clear to leave. Understandably, VSO require a letter of confirmation and we were a bit disconcerted to learn that at St George’s they send their dictation to India to be transcribed and it returns three weeks later. Fortunately Chris managed to persuade the doctor to hand write a letter there and then. Our priority was then to contact VSO and see when the next available flight would be. We were prepared for anything - my experience in Kampala a month ago has taught me to always travel with a toothbrush, change of underwear and passport as you never know which continent you are going to be whisked off to at a moment’s notice. It seems that the next batch of VSOers will be travelling out to Uganda on the 22nd February and seats are available for us on the same flight. One of the new recruits is a district nurse who will be working along side Chris in Masindi. We have had telephone and e-mail contact with Pam and we’re looking forward to meeting her. Waiting until next Friday to fly out has meant we’ve been able to spend a bit more time with family and friends, although they’re getting tired of saying ‘goodbye’! We really hope that this time we’ll stay put for some time. We haven’t spent more than four consecutive weeks in our house in Masindi. The other advantage of being in the UK is being able to satisfy our desire for comfort food and try and replace some of the two stone lost by Chris. Whilst at Hannah’s house in Sheffield we thought we’d help Chris with his newly acquired phobia of step ladders. For some reason, he can’t even walk within ten feet of a ladder without nervously flinching. Neither Hannah nor I could stop the smoke alarm so Chris had to find considerable nerve and pluck up courage to climb those steps with the two of us tightly clutching the base. Just to complete the therapy session for the day we made him change the light bulbs while he was at it!
We’ve mastered the art of travelling by public transport in the UK; approximately ten train journeys up and down the country and numerous tube and bus rides. I wonder if the concept of buses leaving on time will catch on in Uganda. There the bus will only leave when full of passengers and that can take up to three hours, sometimes never, and then you have to disembark and look for another one! Masindi here we come!!
Yes, we are still in the UK but the end of our nomadic lifestyle is in sight. We reluctantly tore ourselves away from our one and only settee, which is carefully positioned parallel to the window to take advantage of the wonderful view of the walled town of Berwick and from there the mouth of the river and out to sea, to travel to London for Chris’ out patient’s appointment. Once again we have Kare and Steve to thank for their generous hospitality. After a brief chat with the doctor Chris was given the all clear to leave. Understandably, VSO require a letter of confirmation and we were a bit disconcerted to learn that at St George’s they send their dictation to India to be transcribed and it returns three weeks later. Fortunately Chris managed to persuade the doctor to hand write a letter there and then. Our priority was then to contact VSO and see when the next available flight would be. We were prepared for anything - my experience in Kampala a month ago has taught me to always travel with a toothbrush, change of underwear and passport as you never know which continent you are going to be whisked off to at a moment’s notice. It seems that the next batch of VSOers will be travelling out to Uganda on the 22nd February and seats are available for us on the same flight. One of the new recruits is a district nurse who will be working along side Chris in Masindi. We have had telephone and e-mail contact with Pam and we’re looking forward to meeting her. Waiting until next Friday to fly out has meant we’ve been able to spend a bit more time with family and friends, although they’re getting tired of saying ‘goodbye’! We really hope that this time we’ll stay put for some time. We haven’t spent more than four consecutive weeks in our house in Masindi. The other advantage of being in the UK is being able to satisfy our desire for comfort food and try and replace some of the two stone lost by Chris. Whilst at Hannah’s house in Sheffield we thought we’d help Chris with his newly acquired phobia of step ladders. For some reason, he can’t even walk within ten feet of a ladder without nervously flinching. Neither Hannah nor I could stop the smoke alarm so Chris had to find considerable nerve and pluck up courage to climb those steps with the two of us tightly clutching the base. Just to complete the therapy session for the day we made him change the light bulbs while he was at it!
We’ve mastered the art of travelling by public transport in the UK; approximately ten train journeys up and down the country and numerous tube and bus rides. I wonder if the concept of buses leaving on time will catch on in Uganda. There the bus will only leave when full of passengers and that can take up to three hours, sometimes never, and then you have to disembark and look for another one! Masindi here we come!!
Monday, 4 February 2008
Back in Berwick
Thanks to the wonderful NHS my R arm is now plated and almost working. After arriving at Heathrow we were taken to St Georges,Tooting Casualty department. Two trips to fracture clinic and then it was decided that the fracture needed plating and I was booked on the next available trauma list. Unfortunately this was not until Sunday but at least I was not admitted until the Saturday. Thankfully Kare and Steve live only 10 minutes away from the hosptital and we were very grateful to stay there and be looked after.I admit I am not the most patient patient and it was annoying not to be able to do anything. It is remakable how a broken bone can affect all of you,I certainly felt I was paying for my moment of madness.
Surgery went fine and I was out the next day the arm is painful and stiff but it is improving every day. We have returned to Berwick for rest and recuperation. I have an out patients appointment on 14th Feb and hope to fly back to Uganda soon after.
It is sobering to think what would have happened without VSO and insurance.For most Ugandans the treatment would have been painkillers and wait and see. The best result would have been a stiff useless right arm. This would mean no chance of earning a living with no safety net of sick pay.We heard the other day of a bad bus crash in Masindi and 15 people were admitted to hospital. One needed transfer to Kampala in a coma, others had fractures.Hopefully they will recover. It makes you think about the differences between the two countries so we made a list of good things in Berwick and Masindi.
BERWICK
NHS
Family & friends
Transport
Haddock, chips & mushy peas
Comfort food
Sea
Changing weather
Broadband
Radio 4
No leaking gutters!
MASINDI
Sunshine
Friends & colleagues
Work
Birdlife
Slower pace of life
Swahili lessons
Shopping on the market
Smiley kids
Surgery went fine and I was out the next day the arm is painful and stiff but it is improving every day. We have returned to Berwick for rest and recuperation. I have an out patients appointment on 14th Feb and hope to fly back to Uganda soon after.
It is sobering to think what would have happened without VSO and insurance.For most Ugandans the treatment would have been painkillers and wait and see. The best result would have been a stiff useless right arm. This would mean no chance of earning a living with no safety net of sick pay.We heard the other day of a bad bus crash in Masindi and 15 people were admitted to hospital. One needed transfer to Kampala in a coma, others had fractures.Hopefully they will recover. It makes you think about the differences between the two countries so we made a list of good things in Berwick and Masindi.
BERWICK
NHS
Family & friends
Transport
Haddock, chips & mushy peas
Comfort food
Sea
Changing weather
Broadband
Radio 4
No leaking gutters!
MASINDI
Sunshine
Friends & colleagues
Work
Birdlife
Slower pace of life
Swahili lessons
Shopping on the market
Smiley kids
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