”Humility is not thinking less of yourself; it is thinking of yourself less”

- from the book ”purpiose driven life”

BACK IN NORWAY, 17.MAI AND END OF SCHOOLYEAR

It has been a couple of months since I left Uganda the 25th of April. I find it strange to be back in Norway as well as good. Many challenges did that I longed to get “back home,” but as I’ve spent some time here I’ve started to long back to Africa. To mention a thing; the paste there – that sometimes is annoying – is also good in a way. Here in Norway many things are just stress and a hassle to get done. But we have to adjust and try to live the best we can, and make the most out of our stay wherever we are…

It was wonderful to meet all the people back at school in Mandal. We shared experiences, started and continued good friendships. Sadly the school-year is over and we have to continue our lives different places, but I will always remember the people at school and I appreciate the time we’ve had together. All the games we played, food we made and laughter shared. :) I also hope that we will still continue to stay in touch. So many good people gathered on one place is rare… :)

“Hurra – Hurra – Hurra – 17.mai er jammen bra – hurraaaaa…. “
Before ending school we had the opportunity to celebrate 17th of May together. This is Norway’s national day. This celebration was the best in many years for me. It was nice sharing the day together with all the internationals at school. Many Norwegians wear traditional clothes, we danced and played games. A memorable day! The world should be all about sharing and learning.
“Christina and Ragnhild, in traditional clothes, playing the national anthem on violins while the Norwegian flag is raised”

SURPRISE

A friend of ours had his birthday yesterday. We learnt that he hadn’t celebrated even one of his birthdays in his life, so we arranged a surprise party for him. He was indeed very surprised. He said it took him several minutes to stop shaking… :)

Friends were invited and we had a really nice time all 14 of us. We had good food consisting of pumpkin soup, fruit salad, waffles and cake.

Off course we had to have candles on the cake. Can you guess how many years he became?
25 Years – Happy Birthday

THE LAST WEEK.

Our last week is now about to end, and we have started to say good bye to people. Monday it was the prison. I played a lot with the two children whose mothers are prisoners. Finally the children are not afraid of me any more. It was so good to hear their laughter. I also played some ball with some of the girls there about my age.

Still in the prison I walked past one of the dorms and heard a baby cry… I opened the door… No mother was nearby so I ended up taking up the baby. The baby was so cute and tiny. I guessed it couldn’t be more that about a week. Where is the mother? A girl at the age of 20 came and it turned out that it was hers, so I gave it back to her. After words I learnt that the mother was put in prison because she had dumped her baby in a pit latrine. I could even read about it in on of the national newspapers that same day. I was shocked. What make you do such a thing? I just wanted to take the baby with me and give her all the love and care she might not be given… Some of the stories from the prison are so sad and unbelievable.

Children painting on our last day at BMC

Tuesday we went to BMC as usual. We did as usual and about 5 children were there enjoying drawing, painting etc. Now almost all the walls (in the room we were) are filled up with their work. One of the nurses told us that children actually were looking forward to come to BMC now, because of our work there. We’ll leave some materials for them, and I really hope that they can keep it going at least for a little while. The children there really deserve it.

Walls filled up with pictures at BMC…

Ruhandagazi closed for the term yesterday so we also went there to say goodbye to the children at Tuesday. It was a bit hard to see some of the faces as we told them that we had come for good byes. I don’t think we always can now how much impression/impact we can have in a persons’ life… But it’s also nice to know that we actually have made a difference by being there although it doesn’t always feels like it…

Yesterday we made food for the people at the office at West Ancole Diocese. We made them Norwegian rice porridge (“risengrynsgrøt”) and waffles. The waffles were a big success. :) At the picture you can see me making the porridge. We had no power in our house, so I had to make it on our kerosene cooker.

Katherine ready to serve

And some enjoying the food while working...

I must admit that I feel ready to go home to Norway now, but there are also some people I’m going to miss here. Thank you for making my stay better by being here…

QUEEN ELIZABETH

A trip to a national park is almost a thing you’re obliged to do as you are in Africa. At least when you live only about an hour away from one… So when we had our visitors together with us, we went to Queen Elizabeth for one day. I don’t think that this park had the most variety of animals, but at least we saw some… Even though we didn’t see the lions that we really wanted, we saw hippos, warthogs and loads of elephants to mention some. Just want to share some of the pictures…

This hippo looked really mad… I actually was a bit afraid for it... Just look at his “face and gaze”…

On our way back home we “met” these ones… And we paid to get into the park… :)

Simi and Helga at a signpost for the park.

EASTER PARTY AT RUHANDAGAZI SCHOOL FOR DISABLED

Children playing football, throwing ball, skipping rope and watching in books is just some of the things that happened as we arranged an Easter party at Ruhandagazi School for Disabled. The event took place Friday the 6th of April as the children were supposed to go home for Easter. Some children didn’t have the money for doing so, and it was mainly for those we planned to have the party.


As the afternoon and preparation went on we got a message from one of the teachers: “the more you delay, the more children it will be…” :) The word about us going to have a party spread to the neighbors and they also appeared. I think there were supposed to be 20-30 children, but I think it was more like 50. But we had fun!

2 girls from Norway visited us for the weekend, and also helped out with the party. Simi and Helga – former Act Nowers – which were in Kampala two years ago. Deborah (a girl from England that’s here for about 1,5-2months and shares the house with us) also helped out. We played with the children and gave them some food we had prepared. Many children had to share both plates and cups, since there was a lack of those. But I don’t think they minded.

It seemed that the children really enjoyed it and so did we.

BMC

Picture by Kathrine

At BMC, (Bushenyi Medical Centre) a week ago, we made some figures out of modeling clay amongst other things. You can see the work done at the picture above. Other things we did were playing cards and paper folding. It was only 5 children, but when I can see that they’re enjoying it really makes it worth it! And I say only 5 children because yesterday they were 15 children. That is a record for our time at BMC.

Yesterday we had an Easter workshop together with the children. It was so fun. BEST TIME EVER! The children were so free. Before we have had to ask them if they want to do this or this, but yesterday they just went on doing whatever they wanted; painting, drawing freely, playing cards, paper folding and watching books. It was a wonderful chaos… :) And the children must have enjoyed as much as Kathrine and I did, because many stayed way past their examination/medication time… Children that don’t want to leave the Health Centre because they’re enjoying too much… How wonderful is that… :)

A wonderful chaos. We had a problem of space because we were so many, but that’s just fun.

I called it an Easter workshop… That’s because it was the last time before Easter and we painted on eggs which is kind of a tradition back in Norway. We also made waffles to them. This was something new for them, but it seemed that they liked it…

Painting on eggs

You can se the painted eggs hanging in front and some of the paintings and drawings of the children at the wall behind. Soon we’ll not have more space for all the nice pictures they produce… :)

KMI

Last Wednesday as we arrived at KMI (Kabwohe Management Institute), we were met by the students doing activities like skipping rope and a form of dodge ball (we go there each Wednesday to do sports together with them…). The aim of the game is, as I understood it, to manage to put all the bricks on top of each other before you get hit by the ball passing by two others. As you get hit someone else have a try. I didn’t give it a try – it looks like the ball is thrown pretty hard… But I had fun watching…

We played some netball together with them after words. It was not to hot that day so it was very nice to play. I’m still new at the game and do not know all the rules yet, but I enjoyed. This was the last time we saw most of these girls. We were mostly together with the ones in their graduating year… Their term ended last Friday, and the next aren’t starting until we’re on our way back to Norway.

TRIP TO GULU

“Gulu, the largest town in the north of the country, is heavily militarized – it is the supply centre for the government’s war against the LRA. As long as the war continues, there is absolutely no reason for tourists to come here and plenty of reasons to stay away (…)”
(Description of the place by Lonely Planet Guide book, 2003)

Here some reasons why to go:

In an IDP(Internally Displaced People)-camp

Children at a health and activity centre

Children in an IDP-camp

Together with a friend of my family that have worked as a missionary in Uganda for the past 20 years Kathrine and I went to visit Gulu the 24th-25th of March. This is a place in the north that has been affected by a conflict that started in 1986 as President Yoweri Museveni took over the power by a military coop. The LRA (Lord Resistance Army) under the lead of Joseph Kony have fought their war up in north apparently as a way to overthrow the sitting President. LRA have had little success besides loosing the little support they had to begin with because of their way of acts. They have kidnapped a lot of children and trained them to be soldiers or/and sex-slaves. Children couldn’t feel safe, especially at night. Many of the children in the villages therefore went into the nearest towns to find a safe place to spend the night. Lacor hospital right outside Gulu town is one of the places they found a shelter. When the conflict was on its worse in 2003 it housed about 30 000 children.

Parts of an IDP-camp

Gulu is now a safe place to stay and have been for about three years. Our family friend started to work in the north, Gulu included, for three years ago. Then the fighting some kilometers outside town had just ceased. My first impression of Gulu is that it looks like a normal town with surrounding villages. But as I already knew it weren’t. The ”normal villages” – were mostly IDP-camps. People have lived here for too many years… The children have to bee taught how to play and how to work for food. Most of them have only experienced to get food from WFP (World Food Program)-trucks amongst others. Not one school sponsored by the government has been built in the north since the conflict first started. And here in the west, were I stay, you will find many new ones as well as many other advantages like a pretty nice road. A coincidence that the Presidents home place is here in the west… Sorry to say but I don’t think so…

My visit to Gulu included both a visit to “Karin Clinical Medical Centre” and an IDP-camp. At the clinic children met us with songs and dances. The clinic also functions as an activity-centre/day-centre for children. About 150 to 200 children come every day. Many of them are orphans or have just one parent left living. The daily life is hard and here they play and participate in different groups – counseling, music and drama ++.

Some of the children singing and dancing for us…

The children have gone through too much than I even can start to imagine – still I see many smiling faces… They will never forget things happened to them, but I hope they will have the opportunity to find out what a “normal” life is and live it themselves. If someone deserves a good life it is these children…

Some of the children watching the performances as we did…

In the IDP-camp Awer, we visited a church as well as being shown around the camp. It was about 20 000 that lived in this camp… In the beginning I felt I was kind of intruding in their lives, but learnt that they thought it was ok. Several were smiling at me, babbling in a language I didn’t understand and wanted me to take their picture… Some people are just amazing…

Okello James (from the left), Kibwoja Wilbam and Oyet David are taking a rest under a tree in the camp – listening to the radio…

Visit to an orphanage

A couple of weeks ago Kathrine and I went together with some friends to an orphanage. When we arrived we were welcomed with many happy faces and hugs from many at the same time. It was overwhelming because I had never been there before and still they welcomed me as an old friend. We had brought some flower seeds and the children got to plant them into containers. We wrote each of their names on a peace of tape and put it on their container. This way they can follow up their own flower.

Kathy watering the containers with flower seeds planted in, together with the children.

Angela read a book for them and the children also coloured some pictures. It seemed like they really enjoyed it.

I went to Kampala for a weekend to meet up with people and watch the movie “the last king of Scotland”. I felt that I couldn’t go back to Norway and say that I hadn’t watched the movie. After all it’s about the history of the country I’m in…

The other days we’ve followed the new work plan as told about earlier. The children are wonderful and it’s still interesting to go together with the health centre. Last time I got to weigh the pregnant woman that had come for check up. At BMC yesterday it was only two children, but the laughter to one of them while playing with a balloon really made it worth it. It’s not about how many but how/or if they enjoy! The days go by and before I know it we’ll be back in Norway and at Hald International Centre.

I would like to end this post by wishing all Hald students a good end of the stay. I look forward to meet all of you again.

Proverbs 4, 23; “Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life”

Health station
Kasaana

Children are screaming from inside and a “queue” of tired women, after a long walk, and their children are sitting outside under the trees. They’re all waiting for their turn to go into the small and dark room where the vaccination of the children is done.

“Just finished with their vaccines for this time:”

From the left: Kyosumire with her 6months old boy Muhereza Isaiah, Nshemereirwe with her 4months old daughter Beinomugyicha Innocent and Nurse Alice Kyomuhendo.

Every Thursday I go together with some of the staff from a health station out to their units in the villages. This last Thursday we went to a place called Kasaana. Every Thursday and Friday they go out to one of their units and help out with immunization, vaccination and pregnancy check-ups – just to name some of their work. Due to my lack of competence in this area I mainly observe the Thursdays I’m joining them, but I try to help out with things that I can, like putting medicine, brought with us, in the storage and weighing children. The last thing mentioned was something I was meant to do at Kasaana, but they were out of something that we needed to do it so I just watched while Nurse Alice Kyomuhendo did the vaccination of children.

“9 months old Nuwasiima Marcline is finishing her vaccination program this day. Good to have mother Kyawisiima Marcline to comfort while she get her last shot.
Community Health worker Edward Wakubariho(to the left) and health worker Maris Turyasinguv) are also doing a great job…”

It’s very interesting to see how they manage to do the work at the different units, and it’s a very important work that they do! So keep up the good work people. ;)

SLUMBER – PARTY

Friday a week ago we had invited 9 girls from Compassion International to come and stay at our place for one night. They were picked up in the afternoon and as they arrived they got some food. Thanks to the chef at “Meats and More” (a restaurant in Bushenyi town) we didn’t have to make it ourselves… Beef-stew with rice and chapatti was on the menu… Later we served brownies and fruit-salad.

We spent the evening playing cards, watching a movie (a cartoon/animation) and dripping lights onto water making nice colour-patterns;

Early next morning I was awakened by the girls. It was around 6.30. I wanted to sleep a while longer but we had to take the girls back to Kyamuhunga for Compassion International. After serving them tea and an egg for breakfast we drove them there, borrowing cars from a friend. They had, after what we are told, a really nice time. This was something they were going to remember for a long time. It warms my heart to hear that. It’s very good if we can make a difference for some people…!

Goats wandering around grazing in the “town” together with cows, and none of them seem too mind the traffic, passing by in tremendous speed, when passing the road. People shouting “mzungu how are you?” at you. Besides the traffic, animals, and maybe some generators running there’s no much other sounds besides some birds and rain pouring down now and then. I feel that everything is passing in slow paste… Taxi drivers are fighting over who should take you to Kiamhunga (a place where we attend Compassion International), and even fighting more (about the price) when they realize that the mzungu aren’t paying mzunguprice…

I’m back in Bushenyi, and I have been here for some weeks now. I’ve been away for Christmas holiday and Infield-course (a follow up course arranged by the school back home) (More about that below…)

Before the school started our working schedule looked like this:

Mondays: Work with the woman in prison (at the time - doing handcrafts with
the prisoners, mutual learning)/office work
Tuesdays: BMC (Bushenyi Medical Clinic) – being together with the
HIV/AIDS children while they wait for their medication. We bring
playing cards, books and thing to draw on and with. We usually also
show a movie…
Wednesdays: Compassion International
– an organization that organize different activities for orphans,
HIV/AIDS sick etc.
Thursdays: Office work/”field work” together with a health station.
-> Visiting the Dispensaries in the villages, seeing how they work
and help out if we can.
Fridays: Compassion International

I found the work interesting and varied. It was good to do something else than mainly office-work. We wanted to come here to meet people and help out if possible. Even though we helped with the paper-work at office, I feel more of a help when I’m out and meeting people…

-Together with some of the children at BMC-

I still struggle with the language, and it can be a problem sometimes, but one way or another you find other ways to communicate when needed. Like in the prison we can show each other how to do things without necessary explaining more… (Many of them speak little or no English) And I’ve had a nice time together with the ladies there.

The schools started this week. From next week we’re going to start with helping out at a computer-training school at Wednesdays and with teaching or similar at Fridays at the school for disadvantaged children. Compassion International is now only continuing on Saturdays, due to school.

I’m really looking forward to get started on this work. I think I’m going to learn a lot, and hopefully I can contribute something to the children, woman and youth that we’re going to work with. It’s going to be an exciting time.


CHRISTMAS HOLIDAY

-We spent much time traveling with bus and crossing borders during our vacation. This is some of the children at one of the border crossings…-


NORWEGIAN CHRISTMAS AND CRO!

“Pepperkaker, gløgg, melkesjokolade, Jul i Skomakergata, juleverksted, pinnekjøtt, surkål, grøt med mandel i…” This is some of the things we (Kathrine and I) enjoyed on our first days of our holiday – typical Norwegian Christmas traditions, food and candy… And where did we get all this? In Mbale!

The first days of our holiday we spent in Mbale visiting the CRO (Child Restoration Outreach) project and the two Act Nowers (AN) placed there.


-Thomas (AN) and his sister Kristin making “pepperkaker”-

I found it interesting to see what CRO is doing for many street children and help out with the Christmas-party they were holding for them. The work they do is so impressive and to see all the happy faces was amazing. I can’t imagine what they all have gone through, it’s too mind-blowing, and still they smile to you. It makes you think about what’s important in life. (You can read more about the CRO-project on the blogs for the ANs placed there – Eivind and Thomas)


-Children at CRO playing-


-Some of the children at CRO-

Coca Cola sponsored CRO with sodas and some other things for the party. From before I don’t have a very good impression of the Coca Cola Company, so I was a bit amazed over the fact that they actually sponsored CRO and even other projects. That’s very good! When Coca Cola came with a couple of trucks the children “suddenly” couldn’t sit still any longer (a function with speeches etc. was a part of the program for the party). I can understand that! ;)


-One of the Coca-Cola trucks-


ZANZIBAR

White beaches, restaurants, hotels and bungalows at the beach.
Spending some relaxing days at Zanzibar with some good friends is recommendable! My Christmas celebration was spent on the south-east coast at a place called Jambiani. I must admit that I didn’t really get the feeling that it was Christmas, but I really enjoyed the days spent there. Just relaxing and enjoying life… Christmas day I went snorkeling… ;)

-Sitting outside our accommodation right next to the beach-

Before leaving Zanzibar we spent some days in Stone-town as well. There the paste is a bit higher, than in north and south, but still calm with many small roads and market streets. I enjoyed walking around…


A NEW YEAR

When the New Year started I was in Nairobi. I celebrated it at a “FOCUS-camp” together with almost all the Norwegians placed in East-Africa. At the camp there were held meetings, Bible groups and seminars. New Years Eve were celebrated with a meeting and a party with some entertainment. Even the Norwegian “focus-people” entertained with a medley song. We had a countdown for the start of the new year, and reaching 0 people started clapping, shouting, lifting chairs, and running/jumping around in addition to congratulate each other. We then got biscuits and soda. And then it was all over… Hm… A new experience…

-Celebrating the New Year-

The celebration only lasted until about half past twelve when all went to bed. Well not all… nearly all the Norwegians (and a couple of others) stayed up two more hours in order to celebrate the Norwegian New Year… (Norway’s two hours behind…)

-Celebrating Norwegian New Year-

The other days in Nairobi I went to visit some of the places I remembered from my childhood. Places like The Norwegian Community School (NCS), Kenyatta Conference Centre, Horseman (a restaurant), Sarit Centre (shopping Centre), the railway museum, Uhuru Park (boating on the “lake”) and the giraffe Centre. It was fun visiting the places again even though I visited some of the places last time I went to Kenya, only a year ago. At NCS I met 5-6 people that either had been my teachers, or had been there while I went to school there as well. Most of them were also just on a visit. Funny how this things just happen… :o)

-From the top of Kenyatta Conference Centre-


-Railway museum-


-Giraffe Centre-


JINJA

Like last year, while traveling around, I went to Jinja for rafting. This time it was a lot more water. It looked scarier than last time, but that made it maybe even more fun. Sorry, I don’t have any pictures from it – but it was a bit difficult taking pictures while rafting… ;)


INFIELD-COURSE

After our vacation the infield course started. It was nice to meet all the Norwegians again (even though it wasn’t long since last time) and two of our teachers from Norway. We shared some experiences and encouraged each other. A really nice week!

One of the days we went on an excursion to Jinja - visiting the source of the Nile. Well… It is not the source, but it was believed to be for a long time, so…

-The source of the Nile???-

While we were in Jinja, some of us used our spare time on bungee jumping. 44m over the Nile from a platform… It didn’t look too high from the ground, but when we were up there… ai-ai-ai… I have for a long time wanted to do the bungee jump, but now that I had the chance I didn’t know if I dared… But I went out to where we were going to jump from, the security guys tied the bungee around my legs and I moved towards the edge…

-Standing at the edge-

When I stood there I thought: “I can’t do this… I’m not going to do this…” The man told me: “You have to jump now, or else you won’t jump.”

So I jumped…

I’m so happy that I can say that I jumped!
I can, together with the eleven others that jumped, recommend it!

-Enjoy and have fun! :o)-