June 18: Last night there was quite the thunderstorm in Mbarara. At around 9:00 p.m., the power flickered off and did not come back on until 9:00 a.m. this morning. When the power goes out at the guest house, that means that the power in this entire area (including downtown Mbarara) dies. The storm kept me awake for awhile, and I ended up sleeping for only five hours because I had to wake up early to run. On the run, the dirt roads were flooded with trash from the night before, and there were little rivers that ran along the sides. Further into the run, it started to thunder and pour rain, and we even saw a street lamp burst into flames...that was when we decided we should probably head back to the guest house.
Once in the guest house, Natalie, James, Noortje and I started to fold shirts for the Color Run. The Color Run is a 5k that will take place this Saturday, and it is raising awareness for cancer in the community. There will be five stations at each kilometer, and each marker has a certain color. Volunteers will be at the markers and throw paint powder over the runners. Because of the evangelist that is in town, the route has had to undergo many modifications, but in these next couple days, we are trying to finalize the route and make sure that the volunteers understand what it is that they are doing!
After folding 150 shirts, we went to the hospital and handed a few shirts out to the faculty and volunteers. Natalie and I then returned to the pediatric oncology ward after lunch with art supplies. Allen (our translator) was with James and Noortje, so we were left with an interning male nurse. We brought supplies to make name tags (complete with lanyards that we had made by a local tailor from a Ugandan fabric). The children were excited, but tired after their treatment. When Natalie and I had finished explaining the project to the nurse in English, the nurse then shouted to the kids exactly what we had said, but he spoke to them in English. They all looked at him with confused faces, and I asked him if he could explain it to them in their local language. Either he did not know how to speak the most common language in Mbarara, or he chose not to. After visually explaining the process to the patients, the children understood what we were making and set off to work. These young kids were fantastic artists! Their elephants and dolphins were far superior to my elementary flowers. In the end, they all appreciated the lanyards and name tags, and these will be useful because many of the doctors and nurses do not know their names.
Right as Natalie and I were about to leave, the nurse came up to us and asked for our phone numbers. Thinking that he needed them for future questions or concerns, I put down my Ugandan number. Then the nurse asked us to write down our Facebook names. I gave him a skeptical look...the chances that there is a "Mbarara Hospital Pediatric Oncology" Facebook page are slim to none. We both told him that we did not have them. Then, we said goodbye to the sweet children and left the creepy nurse. Thank goodness we normally have Allen to help us!
The driver was busy, so Natalie and I had to walk the mile from the hospital back to the guesthouse. I thought I knew the way back, but I ended up going off track for twenty minutes. When we finally found the right path, we realized that we would have to walk through the evangelist crowd. The security line stretched far back, and the sun was beating on our backs. After a thorough pat-down from a security guard, I entered the field. There were so many people waiting for this man...it was crazy. Natalie and I searched for a way through the crowd, so that we could return to the guesthouse. We ended up having to walk through the main crowd, but I can now say that I have been part of an evangelist event (I think that will be my first time and my last time at one of these gatherings).
Once at home, I took a little nap, and then we headed over to Ryan and Lisa's house to make pizza. Ryan gave us kids the low-down on the chemistry behind making dough and how baking is all about the ratios. We assembled the dough and then wiped down the table (James made quite the mess). After making our pizzas (James stacked four crusts together to make his), we all sat down and delved in. I must say that my tomato, pesto, goat cheese, eggplant, onion, and basil pizza was delicious. We left their house feeling content and full as can be.
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| Color Run Shirts |
After folding 150 shirts, we went to the hospital and handed a few shirts out to the faculty and volunteers. Natalie and I then returned to the pediatric oncology ward after lunch with art supplies. Allen (our translator) was with James and Noortje, so we were left with an interning male nurse. We brought supplies to make name tags (complete with lanyards that we had made by a local tailor from a Ugandan fabric). The children were excited, but tired after their treatment. When Natalie and I had finished explaining the project to the nurse in English, the nurse then shouted to the kids exactly what we had said, but he spoke to them in English. They all looked at him with confused faces, and I asked him if he could explain it to them in their local language. Either he did not know how to speak the most common language in Mbarara, or he chose not to. After visually explaining the process to the patients, the children understood what we were making and set off to work. These young kids were fantastic artists! Their elephants and dolphins were far superior to my elementary flowers. In the end, they all appreciated the lanyards and name tags, and these will be useful because many of the doctors and nurses do not know their names.
Right as Natalie and I were about to leave, the nurse came up to us and asked for our phone numbers. Thinking that he needed them for future questions or concerns, I put down my Ugandan number. Then the nurse asked us to write down our Facebook names. I gave him a skeptical look...the chances that there is a "Mbarara Hospital Pediatric Oncology" Facebook page are slim to none. We both told him that we did not have them. Then, we said goodbye to the sweet children and left the creepy nurse. Thank goodness we normally have Allen to help us!
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| Making Pizza |
Once at home, I took a little nap, and then we headed over to Ryan and Lisa's house to make pizza. Ryan gave us kids the low-down on the chemistry behind making dough and how baking is all about the ratios. We assembled the dough and then wiped down the table (James made quite the mess). After making our pizzas (James stacked four crusts together to make his), we all sat down and delved in. I must say that my tomato, pesto, goat cheese, eggplant, onion, and basil pizza was delicious. We left their house feeling content and full as can be.
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