Week 20- Gulu

Monday 20/05/13

As our time in Uganda is winding to an end our time to do all the things we want to is also becoming limited, so today on our day off us internationals utilized our sabath Monday. Some feeling a bit neglected had haircuts and coloring whilst others including myself went to the much loved craft market at the national theatre for the last time.

I bought a few things and picked up my elephant painting I had ordered. It is the most amaizing thing and I am so happy to have it; it is of a mother elephant and her two babies mixing realism and abstract into the most amazing acrylic on canvas painting which is now hanging on my wall.

Tuesday 21/05/13

Today was our last day for ministry at Sanu Babies home, were we swept and held the babies for the first time as our last visit we cleaned the entire time. It was really sad because I don’t the prospect of 360 being over isn’t real and it just feels like it will never end and not in a bad way. So a nice sweet day and we supported the organization by purchasing a few things at their gift shop and I realized I might have a slight shopaholic characteristic. I’m not over spending, it’s just that I like to buy things with the money I have each week, but I am sure it will all turn out well because I have a strict list of what I need/want to buy.

Friday 24/05/13

Early this morning at about 5:00am we all met at the WC to leave for our Gulu trip. We had Thursday off to prepare and I am pretty sure I didn’t achieve much except for just packing. It was a long drive and I pretty much just slept the whole way down. Then when we got there we toured the living hope place there. Whilst in one of the rooms, one of the women gets up and turns on the radio really loud and then all the women and our class start dancing. It was almost like a scene off a movie and there were some really interesting moves going on, like this one women was doing something were she looked like her waist was a hinge but she remained straight; I think the trick was in her toes possibly. We then went to our motel, which was pretty good, but against western standards you wouldn’t pay to stay there, as you will soon see. In the afternoon we had a swim and it was pure joy to me. Why I say that is because I am evil. A lot of our Ugandan classmates are basically ripped and can run faster then a bullet and being not so ripped and not so fast we get made fun in little ways but it all adds up and the thing is “revenge is sweat, especially when you let the truth speak for itself”. Lets just say that they have been bragging to us how good of swimmers they are and it became apparent to me and us that there good, isn’t really swimming at all; the bigger the splash apparently the better swimming you’re doing. Basically the Ugandans who bragged about how well they can swim found themselves in our territory if you will as we can swim verily well in oppose to them. So we felt better knowing there was one thing we dominated in for ounce besides being blinding white. We spent the rest of our swimming I the pool over the three days helping and teaching them to swim with basic treading and touching the bottom of the pool along with other techniques to help their swimming experience be that but more satisfying and less exhausting. Later that night in my room I discovered that the air con in my room wasn’t working and decided I would open the door. As I did the cord to the TV which was exposed (I didn’t realize it before hand) touched the aluminium door and burst into sparks and then the cord caught on fire. I went into ninja mode ripping the curtains away from it and quicly blew it out. It really could have gone bad quickly but thankfully God was paying special attention and saved me. I called the maintenance guy and he very promptly went and got a piece of garbage bag to tie around it to fix the problem, very reassuring but I am happy to say I didn’t have anymore fire problems. I then slept on some very soft pillows and had one of the best sleeps beside the safari lodge I have had here.

Saturday 25/05/13

Today we got up early to go to the Gulu village and the best thing about that is that my sponsor child lives there! As the village only has about 10 clusters I quickly located his house by asking around and I got to meet his mother although he was off at cell. In the house I was doubtful if this was the right Reagan but I saw on the wall of their home a painting I had sent him and it was just the best feeling to see my small, maybe big impact on his life. I then went to church and I kept looking around for him (I had sent him a letter saying I was coming so he did expect me) and then out of the crowed he came over and gave me a hug. It was cool but at the same time awkward because what do you say and how do you make such a small time an awesome time. After the service I went to his house and I had some gifts including a Socceroo’s soccer ball which I picked out with my Mamma Cynie, a pack of Uno cards, some lollys which were gifts to the whole family but when I gave his mum the ball she looked at it and handed it to him saying you can have this, so it all went to plan. Then I had a book that had pics of where I live which I was given and some stickers I was also given just for Reagan. It was really awesome being able to give him these things, which I had gotten and had been planning to give him for so long, very spiritual in a way. We played the Uno cards with his other brothers and sisters and then we went for a walk where he took pictures of stuff and I got to meet his best friend. We then went and spent the rest of the afternoon playing volleyball with some of his friends and that’s when I discovered Reagan had been on a previous choir that had actually passed through Longreach so that was basically awesome to say the least. It was a good day and I really don’t know how to rate it because everything I wanted to do was achieved and in the end if Reagan had a good day I had a brilliant one. Also earlier that day Callie and myself were interviewed to make a video to be posted for future internationals as they are encouraging more internationals. Later in the afternoon after getting back we had a swim and the basic routine dodging the splashing and teaching them to swim started. However this time my skills were put to the test when a heavy built ripped Ugandan man panicked and began to drown in the deepest part of pool. I heard a women scream out and saw him thrashing around and then I torpedo free styled my way down to the end and then down to bring him back up. I think I had gotten there in the nick of time because it was that point where he sort of giving up. Anyway I kept him well above water by staying under because if I had my head up his would be near the water and he would start to panic so I was basically like a sea turtle keeping him up and pushing him to the edge. He survived and so did I and then I swam back to my position were my friends made a bigger deal then I thought it was about saving the guys life and I did feel pretty good about myself; the second time I had saved someone’s life in Africa. Then I went back to the heavenly bed.

Sunday 26/05/13

Today not being able to serve at our home districts we served at Gulu church in the morning; I was on toilets and I didn’t clean one toilet because there were so many of us and so little work so it was one of those painful bludge mornings were there is nothing helpful or fun to do. Then we had lunch at the guesthouse and then went to the Gulu baby’s home. It was so much fun because we just held little black babies the whole time. I had a little girl called Sharyn who cam in at 8 months ‘a bag of bones’ and was thought to die on the trip to the babies home. I was holding her at 10 months a happy chubby girl who when you through her in the air would come back down spaced out and then crack this huge supper cute smile. She was damn preciouses and I was tempted to smuggle her home with me. I held her he whole time and then I went with Hannah to see baby Susan who wears glasses and because they are training her eyes to not be lazy they probably hurt and she will often just let her head drop because life gets to tough and it is easier to lie in your bowl of pineapple; just too cute!

Monday 27/05/13

Today we headed home but we had a nice surprise when we ended up going on the same safari we went on the first time. Unfortunately for me my camera was flat so I had to rely on the photos of everyone else. And I just want to say God keeps his promises, because on our first safari we had prayed to see a lion with a mane and we got to see about five lions in total. It was a really good safari and we got to see a lot of animals up close. It was strange being back at the fairy dock where we had been and thought we would never be again, so it was a funny little surprise to be back again. We got back home really late and thankfully had Tuesday off to rest.