After waking up to another crazy thunderstorm, I ate a delicious breakfast of porridge and matoke with g-nut sauce (They feed me more here than in America). The g-nut sauce tastes a bit like peanut butter, which makes sense because it is made from ground nuts. I said my farewells, and then jumped on the back of a boda boda and headed to the location where my driver would pick me up to take me to Mbale. Unfortunately, there was a miscommunication and he thought (for reasons I am still unsure) that he was taking me back to Kampala!!! We cleared things up and he headed back to Jinja after driving over the bridge over the Nile. It Turned out to be another blessing in disguise because our little round about trip turned into a tour of Jinja, from the back of a motorcycle. I loved it. :)
Right away, the driver picked me up, and off we head to Mbale!
Driving down the road, I see many goats and cattle tied to short enough ropes so they cannot escape but may still graze. Tall corn fields cover the land. I see many small huts and homes. Groups of children play and run barefoot, and adults work in gardens. Other women, both young and old, carry large jugs of water or other heavy loads on their heads, with babies strapped to their backs. The women here are very strong, and take care of the children, haul water, tend the gardens. . . Much of their work is very physical.
I arrived at the FIMRC guesthouse and clinic today. I love the guesthouse and clinic so much, especially the clinic. It is an NGO clinic set up in 5 different stations, with an attached lab for blood work and urinalysis. They test most commonly for HIV, pregnancy, and malaria (all three are hugely common in Uganda).
How the clinic is set up is awesome. Patients move from station 1, where they are registered and info is collected, to station 2 where vitals are taken. Next at station 3, they are seen by a clinician and receive a full exam. Station 4 is the pharmacy where drugs are dispensed and the medications are explained. At station 5, someone makes sure they understand how to take the medications, and clarifies any questions the patient may have. I find it ingenious, actually. Very efficient but also very effective. Local people are hired to work at these stations, and all have been trained at schools. They are very smart, intelligent, kind, awesome people. Truly, they are incredible and I feel blessed to get to know them all.
I took my first bucket bath this evening. I bathed in the dark, in a light rain, in a bucket. But hey, the water was warm!! It was great actually, I really enjoy living simply and deliberately.
Also, I am learning a bit of Lugisu (the language spoken here in Bududa):
Mulembe (moo-lem-bey) : Hallo/ Good morning
Mai (my) : ma'am
Papa: sir
Yaya: brother/sister/child
Uriena (oo-ree-en-uh) : how are you? / good evening / good afternoon
Bulayi (boo-lay-ee) : fine ("I am fine", given in response to Mulembe or Oriena)
Uchienda bulayi: Safe journey.
Salsilay (sah-see-lay): sorry (I think. . .)
Uchienda bulayi: Safe journey.
Salsilay (sah-see-lay): sorry (I think. . .)
Wanyale (wan-yuh-lay) : thank you
Kale (kah- lay) : yes / ok
Towe (tah-way) : no
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