This is my now. Kelly in Uganda xXx

My Youtube Moment!

Sat, 03 Oct 2009 14:18:36 +0200

Hey all, i haven't written anything for a while, it is probably because i am on placement at the moment, time is soo limited in the world of Kelly Sickel.

Although, this week, on my day off i did record a new video for youtube. It's of me singing....i love the song so much! It's Kelly Clarkson, Beautiful Disaster.
Amazing song!

The link is

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YeNlQ2U66Qk

feel free to watch and let me know what you think!

Hope you are all well!

Kelly

Comments

A typical day at University!!

Thu, 07 May 2009 13:01:33 +0200

I have not written since i was in Uganda.....but i have decided to re start and keep writing. So much has happened since then, i had some amazing experiences that will never leave me! I went through some tough times that have made me stronger and now just three months later, i am stuck in at Uni, in Norwich....training to be an adult nurse. Good times!

Today,

is an ordinary day as a student nurse. At the moment we are doing 10 till 4 lectures and learning practical learnign skills that we will need when we start our placements. My placement starts on Monday. I am working on the wards in the N&N and for the first real time, wearing my uniform!!

On Tuesday we learnt to shave men and brush teeth, to use slings and bandage wounds. It was real fun.....today we are back in the lecture theatre. This mornign we had 2 hours on food hygiene. Fun fun fun....this included a cheesy video from the 80's i think. It was a joke, infact i nearly fell asleep.

Last night, i was cleanning my room a bit and opened my window. As i did a huge gust of wind came in....then knocked my huge frame of the shelf that had all my photos collaged in and missed my head by inches, the glass smached everywhere. I screamed of shock at the top of my voice and Christie (my flat mate and my course mate- really nice girl, my age - 18) ran in and was laughing her head off. She asked if i was okay and said she heard a bang, a scream and knew it was me. These things always happen to me...lol....why!?

Anyways we cleared it all up and then i knocked the glass of flowers on the floor and the smelly water went everywhere....everywhere, into my drawer, over my clothes and grrr...;.anyways, hopefully today will be a lil better!!!

Anyways write soon..... Kelly

Comments

Madness

Fri, 19 Dec 2008 12:26:11 +0100

its so hot....crazily but i am so white still!

SO much to catch up on but no time at all toady!!.... its going to take forever to tell you everything and some things i pray i will never forget!

I wish my camera was working proparly, its so annoying...i can occassionally take a ferw pictures but i hate the fact i cant take pictures when i need to and i occasionally miss amazing things!

I get really upset and annoyed about it!

Just as much as i get upset because i am not in reach of minstrels ...he he! anyways, just under a month now till i come home! Scary ... strange and weird.

So much i am doing here befor i come home! I will be exhausted! Including bungee jumping, white water rafting, visiting the slums again, hosptials and other prphanages, trekking and visiting some villiages outside of our knowledge. We are even trying to get the song recorded at a studio that me and Eric have composed! So much ...more than that. Christmas production is coming up on the 24th, sso many rehearsals and that, and we have the wedding tomo that we are bridesmaids for. It is going to be crazy and tiring.

we are sleeping at the hair salon tonight because it is going to take around 10 hours to do my hair. Not looking forward to thsat new experience, altho it sounds quite funny. The dresses are dyre as well! Trust me!

I am worried actually abuot tomorrow because i have a feeling i am going to look like a walking cristmas cracker! I will get some ppics and you can see for yourself! YUK!!!!

This week....as a team we went to a feild and played some football with some of the lads from church. They made me in charge! Haha .... i felt so good controlling about 20ish guys becuase here women do not have much say in anything other than the cooking! ALtho we as white people have more of a say! Bad ... i nkow, i is just the African way.

We have started to do football a few times a week now and i maje them do lots of work, anyways .... the first day we did it. Oh my days! It was hilarious....it rained like i have never seen rain before...the rain felt like stones! It is the dry season and has not rained in a while, so it RAINED! It was so bad, we were all so scared. We ran and dived for shelter adn the Ugandans said that even they were shocked at the fall! We began getting bored as we all gathered under a small roof edging of a building squashed, we were all smelly, hot and wet anyways.

Me and Ali decided that altho we knew it was stupid we would run out and in the running streams of water (we were on a hill) we would run out and dance in the rain while Hannah filmed! Bad idea ...it hurt but was hilarious!

Then we waited another half hour, it was getting heavier and heavier. I whilspered to the group nad the Ugandans had just told us off for being silly and dancing in the rain becauase we would get ill and it hurts or we would slip.

WE ran for our lives....all the way home! The funniest thing ever. We got to our village and people were laughing and laughing! Then began the lighting ... i was sooo sure i was about to get struck, it was landing all around us, me and Hannah nearly cried, we falling over, absolutely drenched, we were running faster than evr before, the boys kept picking us up and pulling us. We were so scared.....then we got to our porch and once inside we stripped so quickly, shaking away. Freezing! We then all began laughing to much, it was hilarious!

Never again, a once in a life time experience!

The day got better....me and HAnnah we covered in mud, we were so wet and there was no electricity and no water in the house. We decided we should take the chance of showering in the rain.

It was amazing....we snuck round the side of our house in our shorts and underwear. And the rain although was hard was just like a power shower! When you have not had a proper shower in 3 months, it is serious business. OPut came the shampooand conditinoner and then the soap! It was so beautiful! Natural! I felt so cleean after. We went back inside feeling so good!

Then more fun began. The rain stopped and the grasshoppers came out! We went out in the compound, all of us and began shaking the trees and bushes. The grasshoppers all fly out, hundreds, huge and green!

WE took a few empty bottle and began filling them. It is so fun but they bite so hard and its hurts! Trust me! It feels like some one has stabbed you with a needles for about 4 hours! I happened to get bit three times! Trust me!

Anyways, we got about 100 in about an hour and then in the evening just beofre dinner, we took off the arms and legs and other little bits .... and then i fired them in a pan with salt and pepper, oil and a drop of lemon juice and onion! They were beautiful! Yummy!

We actually felt so good becasue we cooked and preparesd our own food from scratch, it was great!

Yesterday we went to Kasoobi tombs! Amazing strory.....ask me about it when i return but its all about the war and the kings and the history of uganda .... amazing! I was fascinated. The king had something like 123 wives in 1864 or something and in the tombs he is burried and aound then tombs (it used to be his privet palace before) are houses were they all would live. The houses are still there and decendents of the wives still live there today. They HAVE to. We met a few. Anyways, it is all very confusing but amazing! They are nutters here and all come from different clans that are named after animals.

If you are from the cow clan, you are not allowed to eat beef etc. It is crazy!

ANywyas .... we took the orphans out this week and managed to loose half of them and found them eventually about a mile away climbibng trees! My heart nearly stopped! They are so lovely though. they call me Mumma Kelly. Amongst 4 other African names! I love them all!

I am now singing a song solo at the Christmas production in Lugan .... plase pray for me. I am also solo - ing Silent night, a song i don't know very well and i am leading other songs and playing my flute. It is all so much! And it is all scary! We are dancing to which involves shaking every part of your body, which i hate! They do not understand that me and Hannah feel slighlty unconfortable shaking every bit of fat on our bodies about!

ME and JAmes were chased by acow badly the other day, i mean it ran, we ran, i cried inside but the cow laughed outside!

\The kids from the streets are with us most of the time and following us everywhere, i have got used to thier beggin now and i now beg them back in Luganda, which they find hilarious!

I hope to chat very soon about other things.

I had a dreem about Fiona, Sarah, Kate, Lucy, Mum and Gill gardiner a few nights ago. We were on the news and all the African were with me watching it. Baring in mind we have no TV's here and especially no BBC, it felt very realistic! Whatever it was about Aveling woke me upbecuase i was laughing so loud! Love you all!

Please pray for those things iemailed about this week, i really appreciate it and also pray for the wedding tomo adn that we will have hair still after the Africans have done their things eith it. Please pray that it will not hurt so much and that i will still have feeling in my head!!!

Comments

Ugandan Christmas Preps

Sat, 13 Dec 2008 09:51:21 +0100

It is shocking! I have been here for nearly 10 weeks! Craziness! But i believe the time has been powerful and i believe the time will be powerful! Chuganda Kuba Chika! (Its going to be powerful)

Stephen is now in England! How funny and he comes back here on the 30th of Jan and i will back in England then and one of his young daughters and son is with him. I love them, he said we could arrange a day with them and spend some time with them! The cutest of his tho, is about 2! She is adorable! I want one! I will get a picture and you will understand! I have considered stealing her a few times, inace we are getting quite attatched to eachother. She comes and finds me in services and in rehearsals and even at school. She snuggles all down until she is comfy and then falls

OK ..... i do not have very long at all but i will brief you on just a few important things. The party in the slums last Saturday was immense. The children were very naughty and unappreciative of the things we gave them but they really enjoyed our company. I think because of their lifestyle and the way they have been brought up or not brought up, some of them being homeless and fatherless has caused their bad manners. Although at first we were overwhelmed, it because clear that it was not their fault at all. We had an awesome day with the children, we gave then sweets and drinks, balloons we sang to them, they sang to us, we danced with them and played games! It was so powerful nd i just pray that God's name was shouted out in the slums that day as GIVE ME!

The first picture is of a family in the slums. The mother is dying of Aids and she has three children. an older girl about 14, a boy of 7 and another boy of perhaps just under 2? The children probably have the disease too. The mother is really suffering and they live in this small small room, in the same bed, in the middle of the slums. It is really badly smelling. We went in and prayed with the lady and we asked God to decrease her pain and suffering. She was a prostitute for many years as she had no income to support her first child . Through prostitution she conceived the other two children, meaning each child is from a different Father. This sadly, is very common here!

The second picture is of me with a grandmother of many. One being the baby she is holding. This lady has very bad health issues, i am unsure of them but her daughter abandoned her children with them. This lady is really struggling. She finds it hard to bring in bread every few weeks and she does not know what the future holds for the children.

We were then able to take a picture of just a few of the children we saw that day and played with.

**************************

Holiday!!!

Okay i will give you the outline of our scheldule and please pray that we will fill each day with work etc, please also pray that everything will be successful and we will stay safe!

Okay! Where do i start???

Tomorrow? Okiedokies......

Sunday 14th Dec - We are going to church and then during the service we are going to leave to go to a huge tribal gathering in Kampala. I am wearing an African dress and we are going to see all the tribes gather to meet and for once get on! It is a Christian even but there will be thousands of people there and funnily enough maybe the president! How cool....we will be trying all the different foods and singing and dancing to all the different types of music. There is over a hundred tribes in Uganda. I wonder what its going to be like! Fascinated .... i cant wait! Then depending on when we return, we may go to the youth service!

Monday 15th Dec - Spending day with the orphans and then we have dance rehearsals and music rehearsals for Christmas production!

Tuesday 16th Dec - We are taking the hostel kids (Orphans) to Kampala, some of them will never have been there strangely! Pray for safety for the children and pray that we will not loose any! There are many! We then have an evening service.

Wednesday 17th Dec - Spending day with the orphans and then we have dance rehearsals and music rehearsals for Christmas production!

Thursday 18th Dec - We, i think are going on a trek for the whole day! Woooo.....maybe i will see some more monkeys and mega lizards hanging from the tree! Then we have rehearsals and an evening service.

Friday 19th Dec - We have an over night at the hiar salon because it takes forever and a day...quite literally do do crazy things to our hair and we are maids the following day so we are sleeping in a salon! How weird!

Saturday 20th Dec - We have the wedding.....help! Bridesmaids to people you don't know,in a forieign country in ugly dresses....brilliant!

Sunday 21st Dec - Recovering.........Church, worship, youth service

In between these days we are going to drive around the villages publicisin the Chrismas production with a PA system, lots of sweets, singing, acting and dancing!

Wednesday 24th Dec - Christmas eve - Christams production! Its going to be immense!

Thursday 25th Dec - Church in the a.m.......We are spendning Christmas day with the orphans. I can't wait but i will miss you and my family! )we are doing a secret santa between the team, should be fun!

Friday 26th Dec - We leave for our little holiday in one of the sessy islands, i cant wait! Kanoeing and swimming, fishing, treking and allsorts!

Tuesday 30th Dec - Come home from sessy!

Wednesday 31st Dec - Spending new year at Hellens Church because they have fireworks....not looking forward to that! I don't know why, im scared about that if i am honest, more than Christmas!

1st Jan - We are leaving to go to Helens home villiage in Kumi. It takes 10 ish hours via taxi....pray for that, i get really constriphobic altho is a hilarious expereince, we get them all the time now but they are bonkers! Hellens villaige is mud hutsa nd a huge plain. Hellen is worried we will hate the way we sleep, once again .... an experience!

5th Jan - Leave the villiage and head for Jinger......should be my home town! This day will concist of us bungee jumping and white water rafting! How scary!

6th Jan - I am recording the song i have written with Eric.

17th Jan - saying goodbyes....etc!

18th Jan - My flight is at 6.50 English time and i get into Heathrow at 3.55 ish. Oh my.....its coming to an end!!

( In all of the gaps we are going to be visiting homes, hospitals, other organisations, orphanages and schools etc, we will be going back to the slums,
som emore health care and HIV and AIDS awareness campaigns, playing with the hostel kids, painting walls in the school ....cool, playing and talking with the homeless etc. Pray that we will find more doors and that everything we do will be for the glory of God!

Anything else to write home about??

Please pray for the team still, that we carry on getting closer, and pray that people will stop talking about me going home because i still have over 5 weeks!

Erm.....Please pray for my money situation as i am rapidly running out on money. Sounds silly but being white is automatically a downside sometime here becuase you are overpriced for everything!

Okay.....i will tell you a funny story that happened this week. Basically babies are everywhere and most of them are nakey! Starkers! They run everywhere naked and they sit everywhere naked and everywhere we have looked this week, there has just been babies i s weir places, like a baby randomly sitting in a bush or on a goat. Anyways....most of the babies altho naked....where a ring of beads around thier waist. Their mothers do this to thier kids as like a tradition. It is supposed to get angels protect them from getting theor bellies funny shapes of something becasue of their lack of food. Thier bellies bloat anyways and it is just a myth of course but on Tuesday we were walking along the dusty road near our house. Out of the dust walks this cute baby....starkers and James shouts....for goodness sake....put on your beads.

You may not find this funny at all, but we were wetting ourselves! Our team has so many hilarious quotes and saying that i have put them all in a quotebook and i will cherish them forever!

ANyways.....i will not ramble on. Although...once again, i already have!

Sorry about spelling and punctuation but you know what i am like anyways!

Keep praying for me, i hope you have not forgot what i look like!

I love and miss you all and really hope your enjoying this time of year, i keep thinking it is August! I can't even imagine what England must be like by now, with its Marks and Spencers Christmas adverts and all that jazz!

Pure!

Comments

And more news

Thu, 04 Dec 2008 09:46:53 +0100

So, it is Thursday i think. I am so tired and exhausted, i still am unwell but feeling billions better. Every single bit of food does not seem to want to stay in my system and if it does, i have such pain but altho saying that the last pack of minstrels i had actually made me feel sooooo much better! No pain and it stayed in my system so i think mum should send me a box! Well..... obviously my body is so used to minstrels so it does not have any problem! I have searched every shop over and under Uganda and the nearest i can get it Kenya dairy milk and it is horrible! Livid!

So this week anyway.....every day i have been at the school playing with the children who do not go home for Christmas, becasue they have nowhere to go. Most are orphans and the few that are not are just unwanted and abandoned. I love them all......they all think i am hilarious and keep calling me snake! I am not sure of what i have told you now but i have a few Ugandan names, including Nachimoli - meaning flower because i have big eyes! Great, hopefully a compliment! Babydiae - first born twin, Obwesigwa - Trustworthiness-Faithfulness and they also call me Britney because they think i resemble her altho some say i look like Lindsay Lohan now as at the hostel the other night, some of them were lucky to see a short bit of Herbie! But the electricity went!

Each day we are making things for them to do, like Christmas cards and decorations, taking balls and yoyo's and allsorts!

They seem to love it and i painted all the girls nails yesterday and then all the staff found out and i painted all theirs. Oh and a boys who i mistook for a girl!

In the evenings we have also done more marking which i hope is now finished, we have been writing year reports which all the children will come and get tomorrow! Yay.....i get to see my class!

Also we have been practicing for the Christmas production and i have been working with Eric still on the song we have been composing. I think we are going to do an instrumental too! How cool!

This morning i decided to go for a walk on my larry and go and look at all the atmosphere and trees etc. Some people thought i was weird and i said no....i just take after my mum! I even told them that my Mum weirdly takes pictures of doors......for those of you that didn't know that, it is true! Although.....some are quite nice it is a strange hobby! It was a great time to pray and spend time looking at God's beautiful creation! If you want to go for a walk on your own around 11 ish is the best time to do it because it is the safest!

Anyways i saw some amazing trees and plants, i saw a snake with legs and lots of beautiful birds. It is really funny because the temperature is rising now each day and the reptiles are coming out to sun bath! Its funny because they fall asleep and don't see you coming so they run across your feet.

We are starting to get huge cockroaches in our house every day. It used to be the odd one but now they are everywhere! Our shower has just come back into use but James tried it the other day and got electrocuted on his bottom so we are scared to try it! The electrician came finally the other day and things have got a bit better! YAY! I think i will try and have a shower tonight, i have not had one in about 5 weeks! It has been a cup and bowl jobby! Not so nice!

The water we are drinking is becoming more normal to me now. I was to scared about drinking it at first because it's not normal color and it has to be boiled a few times but after a few weeks of people drinking it and then me realizing they were still alive, i drink it now daily but it does taste weird!

Oh! On my walk today, i received a text from Kayex the music leader, he asked to see me at the hostel, i made my way there and was worried at what he was going to say. I sat down and waited for him, he came in and we had a big discussion about fear! He wants me to sing a few things at the Christmas production and wants me to sing some of the songs .... oh and rap in Luganda! Brilliant! Anyways, i said i would think about it and he went into how i fear about somethings and fear is not Godly and well i won't explain it all but he said about how every God given gift should be used for his glory and he doesnt understand why people can be shy at times or scared etc. All Africans do it! It is crazy! They will ask you to do something and you say no and they all shout back at you YOU CAN!!!!! grrrr.....i am learning to be more confident here but it is tough and especially dancing and singing in luganda! Mulalu! (crazy)

The wedding that i am a bridesmaid at has been persponed to the 20th because of money issues so that is one less thing to worry about! On Saturday, i am unsure whether i will be able to get to a computer because we have going to do a party in the slums and i can't wait! It is going to be quality! We are going to take hundreds of balloons and sweets and some balls and other bits. The guitars and music etc! It will be incredible! My memory cards have no more space and my last one the biggest one, 4GB does not work for some reason. I asked mum to send me out another, so i received a 2GB card and now that one doesn't work! I really want to take pictures and am so gutted!

I will try to fix my camera again!

Comments

Ugandan Update

Sat, 29 Nov 2008 09:49:00 +0100

Osobola okukikyuusa? Otulo tunnuma, enjala ennuma njago nsesema naye Ndi kirungi! (SECRET CODE)

Hello friends...how are you doing? It's a privelage for me to of been able to get here in Kampala without using a toilet or asking the taxi driver to pull over. For four days, starting Tuesday i think, i was unable to keep my food and drink down and it decided to come out both ends of my body! Nice...i know!

I went to practice for the Christmas production on Thursday and in the middle began feeling ill again, i ran out the door and fainted to then find myself waking up on a bed at the hostel with about 20 hands on me ... praying. I felt so ill and i kept passing out, there was a lady pouring water over me and they were saying i had a fever. Ali was sitting next to me one side and Hannah the other. They were saying i needed to go to hospital because i was getting worse. I woke up for the final time, whilst others were arranging for a doctor but then later that night after sleeping it off in the hostel i woke up able to walk home. JOY!

So…yesterday (Friday) I woke up and then I felt so ill, I didn’t feel I had energy to get out of bed. I spoke to Helen and she said she would call Pastor Stephen Jota and ask to take me to hospital. So that is what we did. I went and spent the whole day at the hospital. Fun! Not….I had to do a stool test and I had to have blood tests and stuff. They basically said I did not have malaria. I was glad! I have been bitten about 6 times per night this week although my net is probably the best and it only has a few holes which have been taped! Who knows! Anyways….. so the hospital said I could go and they were not able to tell me what it was but they have given me tablets and medication. It has started to help, I have only been sick once since starting them and I have only visited the toilet once to! What a relief….a few hours sitting on the toilet and then leaning over it every day was beginning to get me a little livid!

I have not been cooking for the tem obviously for a few days because obviously not wise but the team are begging me to cook tonight. Looking forward to it! In fact…… I will let you in on an amazing experience I have been able to have here in the past few weeks. A few weeks ago, fasting was mentioned a few times by separate people and it made me want to look more into it. I read many things in the bible about fasting and I felt that many people in the bible have used fasting as a way of learning to depend on God in all situations. I decided that God was teaching me about this and wanted me to perhaps learn to trust in him this way. I then spoke to Helen about fasting because I thought that she had just finished her time of fasting in recent days. She then told me that she is still fasting and will do until January 1st. She fasts 12 hours a day and while she is fasting she just drinks water. I told Helen that I felt God prompting me to fast and she said that we could do it together. This has been amazing; I feel so close to god. Fasting is something that I never imagined I would do and I hardly ever thought about it before. I have been fasting for 2 weeks today and it is amazing friends! It is something that is personal and between you and God. The team is unaware that I am doing it really and it is such a personal thing with God. I feel so close to God and I pray with Helen most days and read the bible with her. It is incredible! I am learning so much to depend on him and even this week when I was unwell, it was easier for me to fast in the way that I couldn’t eat anything at all but harder that I had t depend on him for strength and perseverance. I feel like God may be telling me that my fast is nearly over but I am being patient and continuously praying even when I am making the team eggy bread or pancakes!

Next Friday was supposed to be the day the kids all break up and go home for Christmas to their different tribes and villages but the school has gone bankrupt and so the children had to leave last Friday. It was so sad because we didn’t really know until Monday and all our kids are going and I was unable to say goodbye to some of them and a lot of them do not know I won’t be teaching them in February because I am going home! I am lucky that my favorites live near by but I love P4 so much! They were great! I love teaching them. This week I have just been going into school occasionally and getting papers to mark and then taking them home to mark! I hate marking but it’s a must. I just kept finding myself waking with a paper and pen stuck to my face!

I really have spent a lot of time with the street kids this week, playing games with them whilst I was ill and teaching them a bit of English. I am learning more and more Luganda and it’s great that the communication with them is building!

Infact before I came here today, I gave two of the little ones my washing as they were begging! I said to them in Luganda….i will give you little children some washing but do it well and I will reward you! I hope they haven’t run off with them! We think that Aveline’s alarm clock was snatched from our window this week but it was a close one because my camera and memory cards were also there!?!? We are learning that windows need to be shut at all times!

The heat is ridiculous and so is the color of my skin! It has not changed in the slightest! Although, I have lost a bit of weight this week but that will change with the amount of chapatti’s I will eat before I will come home!

We are still not sure what our holidays will bring us and where we will go but I know that God is taking our team down a path of growth and experience. I believe that the team is slowly getting stronger as the devil knows that we are each very strong. He has been trying to challenge us and divide the team in past weeks but the team can see it clearly.

Just please pray that all our team will fix our eyes on God and have straight priorities and please pray for all our Health. Everyone else is okay, a little snotty here and there but okay! And I am getting better again! Although I have had enough of paying loads of money at the hospital!

How can I forget……James! James arrived on Wednesday morning, he has slotted in very well! He is good fun and like minded to all of us! He is very brave for jumping in the middle but I am proud of him! I think that he is a bit confused at what is happening in the house but he will learn quickly enough what is going on etc! I am acting as his translator at the mo, it well fun! Love it! He keeps saying…..raaa, looks at that and was like what! And he will point at a random thing like a cow running alongside of a car or something, we are getting used to it obviously!

Err…nearly got attacked by a huge cow with horns AGAIN! Scary….a mother in the village keeps bringing her baby to the smile house and says I can have her for a bit! Each time, the baby falls asleep on me and cuddles up, it’s only about 6 months old, she is adorable and is called Joaan! Adorable as! I actually want her and when I take her back to her mum or her siblings she cries so much! She loves the white I think!

I have been practicing the song that I sent last week with Eric and we are setting ourselves targets each day. I am finding it really hard but in a good way! Trying to get to the next level of singing and music when you have no background of singing lessons or whatever….it’s hard! But it is amazing, although the bridge is very high and Eric is trying to train me to reach the notes but at the moment I am just jumping up and down shouting and so close to pulling out my hair. He is very patient with me!

What else do I tell you…..erm….taken the animal look alike hair out, it began getting a little loose? It took 6 hours to take out! Jokes! The wedding last week was amazing, the bride looked beautiful, and they go to extremes to make the bride outstanding. She didn’t smile a lot though! The wedding was very long and we wore dresses of Helens. Africany but not that much! Was great!

Comments

title-5244627

Sat, 08 Nov 2008 09:42:52 +0100

Good morning....although it is afternoon here. I am afraid to say i only have 20 mins on here today! Shocking i know. I bet your thinking....great! More spelling mistakes and poor grammer.

This week has been great! Really has....i feel so much better and i am feeling so close to God! I have had my hair braided and it is so tight, i look so weird! I am trying to get used to it because it took 9 hours to do it and it would be a waste if i took it out. It's ginger again! Well..... i had to pick a colour for the extentions and for Hamish and Dad, i picked strawberry blonde! Hope your happy! I actually feel that i have an animal on my head, like an amphibian or reptile or something! Seriously.....its weird! Although, my hair is getting naturally back to its norm quicker here as the sun is affecting it. Anyways.....the pain! I made Alistair get his done with me and Hannah and the Africans laugh so hard at him because he looks so feminine! Bless!

Things are good here, working at school is getting more into a routine and the children really love me teaching. Their exams are coming up and these determine whether they stay back a year or whether they move into the next class. I am working them really hard!

It's hard sometimes though....honestly,i think it was Monday, i nearly cried in my lesson because 87 children were causing havock. It was the first time i shouted at them and they didn't like it, they were asking for Heidi, last years gappy and i felt so hurt. I didn't know what to do. I sat down and said, i wasn't going to teach until they were quiet and they then knew i was upset. I ended up getting one of the teachers who goes to church that i know quite well to pull a few of them out of class and tell them to behave. Then the class was fine. I think they needed it, i felt like i couldn't control them, Tuesday morning i went in and there were 10 or so letters on my desk from some of the children. They keep writing me love letters and school fee's letters and some even draw me things.

It is beginning to get very hot here!

Anywyas...Wednesday we went to our friends house. His name is Kent. He is very small but older that us. He has a very difficult background and lots of brothers and sisters, a few dads etc.

We all went to the fitness service and to his house after. His house was tiny and the smell was not very nice, his mum had made us huge plates of dinner and matoke (mashed boiled banana) and spinach etc. We all failed to eat it all but it was amazing. I am not a huge fan of matoke but it is similar to potato. Although i love potato!
Weird.... we saw his room and he has a bed and a small pile of little bits he has, including his bible. It made me think so much! He can survive on so little and in poor conditions (which here is actually good conditions - as he has a little room for himself), he is so happy though and so dependent on God. I am sometimes so unhappy about things in England but i have more than any of these people could imagine. Just a little encouragement to thank God so much every day for the things we take for granted, the television, the food, the roof we have over our heads, the education we have or had, the job we have, the money we have, the phone we have and even the families we are so fortunate to have. Families here are so different.

Kents' family for example, his Dad is a moslim and his mother is a Christian, they each have many children and now live in different parts of Uganda with different partners that they now call their husband or wife. Kent now has many brothers and sisters and many half siblings and step siblings.

He is now living with his mother as his dad threw him out after becoming a christian and telling his father that he is not a moslim anymore. His dad beat him and wants nothing to do with him anymore. His mother has a husband called saied. He is not a believer (yet) and works in the army. He left his mother 8 years ago and found other wives around Uganda, in places he worked.

Sorry if i have lost you.

..........I have been praying with Kent every Sunday for 20 minutes in the evenings for Saied to return to his family and for him to be saved.
To our great surprise, Saied returned 3 hours befor we arrived at Kents house. After 8 years! His mother was so happy and i love her character so much. I feel like God has really answered prayer nad i will carry on praying with Kent that Saied will be saved.

Please pray to!

Okay.....

random knowledge for you all.......

1. Grasshopper season is beginning and i am going to try them!

2. I am now officially a dancer and a mimer (singer) in a music video - cheesy!

3. I am probably going to buy a pig or a goat, and a few chickens this week and slaughter and cook it (with a bit of help)

4. My legs are so white still!

5. I am learning Luganda very quickly!

6. I fell off a budha budha on Thursday as it was stopping, my skirt got stuck and i fell off the back! Now the whole village laugh at me.....o dear!

7. I am cooking an African lasange tonight because everyone misses it

8. Stephen Jota - is back from America tonight and we get to see him for the first time! Can't wait

9. The church has just been knocked down as they have just got donations to help build it again as it was about to fall down

10. David hircock - my housekeeper wants to keep bees and wants to know everything you know about them

11. Peter Havers - my housekeeper wants to keep pigs also and wants to know everything you know .... she has one already! You have fot to start somewhere!

12. I am soooooo thankful to all the people sending me emails, they make my week so special and i enjoying giggling to them or pondering upon them. I love you all so much!

13. I am the only one in the house that has not been home sick YET....heehee

14. Mum .... beware, i have got a few friends that are babies and their mothers seem fine with me bringing them back to England

15. To those people that wanted to know what happened at the prayer meeeting, the presence of the Holy Spirit has been amazing and many prayers have been answered

16. I miss minstrels

17. I am singin at church tomorrow and i am singing a few songs in Luganda

18. Hope everyone is okay and i think the pictures that are attatched should send. One of them is the family i wrote about.

Anyways....sorry this email is messy but i did warn you, i have a time limit!
If anyone wnats to know anything specific, send me and email and i will involve the questions in my next email. Mum said some people were a bit worried about my health and i thank you so much was caring, i am feeling better and you know me...i am always fine and giggly!

Please also pray sorry that the street children would get better because they are probably all unwell.........alot of sickness around our village, mainly the flu and fever.

Thank you

Love you all so much!

Comments

Update again

Sat, 01 Nov 2008 10:30:28 +0100

Wow...in 6 days time, it will be a month since i arrived here in Uganda.

This week has had its ups and downs but only once did i loose my smile! I have not been writing in my diary still, its quite gutting!

We spent 6 hours on saturday after going to town, joining the worship team. Incredible!
I have learnt lots of songs in Luganda but it needs a bit of work and i have learnt to sing songs we know, but in African style.

I have been suffering with pain for 10 days now and on Saturday night i was sick all through the night. Only sleeping an hour. I had severe pain in my chest and thought i wouldn't wake anyone up, just try and sleep through it. In the morning services, there is over an hour of singing and dancing. We didn't get a choice. We had to be involved! Ali got out of it but us girls were roped in!

To my surprise, Kayex the music leader called me up on Saturday and asked me to sing Amazing Grace because he had watched Sister Act the week before. I couldn't believe it! I was happy ans amazed with the song choice obviously!! But petrified! Sunday came and Hannah decided not to turn up at practise at 8am with me and Ave! The service was great. I sung the first verse of Amazing Grace and then (just like sister act) everyone came in jumping and singing in hip hop style. Praising God. Their worship is awesome! I nearly cried!

I then went home after the service to be sick again. The pain was getting worse. It really hurt when i ate meals and on Monday it hurt when i swallowed. Helen, our housekeeper, after school on Monday night, put her hands on me and prayed. It was strange at first but then i realised i shouldn't find it weird. I believe God can heal so i began to pray in my head to.

I carried on going to school like normal although i had a slight fever every few hours and coughing fits but there was so much work to do, i would of hated being at home doing nothing with no electricity! I knew i would see as doctor if it got worse and couldnt work out where the pain exactlywas so....i sort of left it.

- Monday night we went to a bible study! Amazing....Kayex the music leader is awesome at telling stories. This week,the topic of the spirit and tongues etc has been making me question my personal views etc.

- Tuesday, the kids in my class laughed at me all day as i taught them some funny words and taught them about the body. When they opened the book and say the body parts, they found it most amusing! I then let them play pictionary on the board, so they could learn the different bones and body systems. Wrong idea! Prossy, a boy in my class.....drew somethinging quite inappropriate! Then Tuesday night i spent with the street children, playing with them and braiding one of the girls hair and singing them songs. It is really funny because the others went to the city to play Hockey but i wanted to spend some personal time with God but firstly i say down with some of the children in the street. When i sat down with them, the wordgot round that there was a 'mutzungu' nearby and i had about 30 children and babies climbing all over me. They love it when we sing because its so different and they know the English word God and Jesus.

- Wednesday, i took the afternoon offschool after thinnkingi was going to passout whilst teaching Mathsin the morning. Wednesday night, me and Hannah went to the fitness service. It was probably a bad idea for me to go because of the pain but i wasso tired of doing nothing! I got home and i couldn't eat any dinner!

- Thursday,i woke up in somuch pain, i couldn't hold it together anymore. I had been reading Isiah 40v29 every morning which helped me alot. I had been asking everyone about going to the doctors but i had no answer for days but i knew that i had to find a doctor. I walked down to the school with Helen. The school was trying to get me transport and the pain was getting worse. I hadn;t eaten for a few days which was making me dehydrated but the people at school were saying that the transport could come within the day. I had to wait. I sat in the room and cried. I felt like people wernt taking me seriously, this was probably my fault because all week people kept asking me if i was okay and i kept saying yes, even though i wasn't!I'mstupid...i know! After about two hours of me waiting, i just had enough and text Ave and Ali, who rushed out of their classes. They came and found me being a right girl, crying in a ball and holding my chest! Ali ran back to the house and got a rucksack full of bits together and asked the American couple if the Husband could take me on his bike. They came back and i got on and we went to Hospital. It was an insane journey. A few times we nearly fell off and hit cars and other timesthe potholes made me rise from my seat! THe hospital was okay but the doctor told me i had Malaria and i told her that she was wrong. HEre, every illness or fever is Malaria. She called another doctor in and they did some tests. SHe told me i had a fever in my Oesophagus. I don't exactly know what she was talking about but it ended with me been given alot of medication for a severe chest infection thats spread. Who knows!? Anyways.... I have been taking the medicine and it has stoppen me from having a fever but i strill think i have an infection or something in my chest. I am still struggling to eat. Please pray! I am really hungry!

Thursday night, Hannah and i went to the service at Church. A lady called Margeret was stiing next to me. She became a Christian last week but we heard that she is struggling with demons that are trying to stop her faith. This was weird to hear but it didn't impact me.
After the service had finished, we all said the grace and shook eachothers hands.I shook Margerets and then she shook Emmas. Emma is a guy in the youth. Awesome guy, i will tell you more about these people in another email. As Margeret shook his hand, she began to punch and kick him, making animal noises and cursing him. About 5 men and a lady from the church, got her onto the floor incase she hurt anyone or herself. They all began to curse out the demons. She looked crazy. ME and Han, stoodstarring, trying to understand.We both began to cry. I sat down and prayed for Margeret on my own. Questions spiraled my head and i began to feel more anger towards the devil. I asked Hannah if we could leave and as we were going to the door, someof the youth ran after us and stopped us.They asked if we were scared and we sat crying. I couldn't control it. We explained that we had never been in this situation etc and we had so many questions. For two hours we sat outside the church asking questions and some people helped us to understand. The apologised becasue they didn't know we had never seen these things before. It happens alot here so they are used to it. I am glad i was able to see this but i am still trying to understand some things. Kind of wanting and seeking more knowledge and that but i tell you it was scary!

Friday was crazy to. In alot of pain still but it was the day we were shooting our friends music video. Hilarious! We all wore jeans and black tops. Ready to do the routine we had spent one day rehearsing. Got there.....no routine, just freestyling! Great! ha.... we alldid some freestyling and then the camera man and director asked if i wanted to be the main dancer. I hated every minute of it but i did it! Comfort zone is seriously being attacked out here! haha! I danced for 10 minutes nonstop. It was recorded at the school becasause the have a nice spot there that they used. When we were dancing all the kids ran out of class and came and watched. HOW EMBARRASSING! OH....and teachers! I will buy the DVD here and bring it home! Memories or what!

SO.... that has been my week. I hope i don't sound like iam moaning alot. I haven'treally moaned at all here so you may be getting the bad side. Sorry! Food is good. I have been cooking lots still and teaching others.

Every morning we will have Gapati'sfor breakfast with sugar or honey

Lunch time we have rice and sometimes potatoes or pumpkin

Evening we have rice or spaghetti but once a week we go all out and have a meat meal or fish meal that i attempt to cook,

We snack a bit to be honest, mangos and jackfruit are great.I try to have a piece of fruit everyother day.

Unfortunatelyi have not been able to find minstrels anywhere ..... please mum, christmas is coming!

Erm..... Last night i went to the two hour prayer session at church. SOmething amazing happened but iwant to tell you in more detail and only have two minutes left. Save it for next time!

Once again sorry for moaning, sorry for spelling mistakes and poor grammer. Time and bad computers is the problem. But i can't spell,this is also the problem!

Miss you all....kind of! Thank you fo rsome emails i am getting.I love Saturdays because of that reason! Got everyones but struggling to get Sarahs through!

Comments

Sat 25th update

Sat, 25 Oct 2008 09:59:20 +0200

This week has been and gone like a rash! Seriously....so fast. I feel angry at myself becasue i have not written in my journal since last Sunday. I was doing it everyday! Grrr.....Why!?!?

This week has been slighty different from the others. The whole school are doing exams so i have only been teaching once a day and the rest of the day i am marking exams. Its hard work. I unfortunaltely have got the short straw in this as i have the biggest class and the oldest class. Their work is therfore in bulk and the answers are in detail. I have been trying to mark as many as i can a day, they are doing 3 exams everyday, 90 children, about 6 pages each exam. Beautiful!! Thats about 260 exams in my class each day. Well....the first day i was only able to get done about 70. I felt awful but now i am beggining to understand the marking scheme and i have been doing around 200 each day and taking the rest home to finish.

Wednesday i woke up with a fever, Helen our housekeeper was sure i had Malaria. Ali was also ill. I was lying down feeling so useless. I then was coughing, i had a headache. My body was cold annd i was shivering and then literally 2 minutes later i was sweating! I hated it. I was trying to mark and Helen ran to get me and Ali medicine.
Me and Ali were like this most of the day. I have been taking my Malaria tablets consistently but have been bit 6 times now. O well....i didnt have Malaria so i got over it. I still had a fever but i decided to go into school. With no electricity, no water or food in the house...there was nothing to do! That evening was the bible study. I wanted to go but instead i decided to stay and get rest.

Thursday i marked and then went home to play with the street children. There are some beautiful babies that i have fallen in love with. They are all so dirty and smelly though. The children always carry the babies on their backs and when we get home from school, there are tonnes of them sitting waiting for us. There is one particular child i love. Her name is MukisaRenitta. She is adorable, she laughs and laughs and giggles and although i am picking up a few words they are saying now, there is a language barrier but me and Renitta can get on so well because we just sit and laugh! Literally for hours. I have been teaching her the numbers and letters and i have teaching her and her brothers and sisters simple english through some pathetic drawings.

This week, i have had about 8 letters from parents of children in my class, children and street children asking for money, school fees and sponsership. Its so hard turning children down and i have been praying about it all. Funnily enough there is a teacher at school that asked us all for money to sanctify their marriage. I know that she talks about us badly and she has sat infront of me in a lesson talking to another teacher about me, i know also that she lies to us about things but i really believe God has encouraged me to give to her a small amount of money towards her wedding! Crazy i know, i can't even put into words. Like i know that God doesn't want me to give to some of the children who want school fees but i know God wants me to give to this lady. Anyways, yesterday i was being constantly sick in the morning and then in between lessons, perhaps it was something i ate, perhaps it was something to do with my fever but i feel so much better now. Our water and electricity has come back . Hopefully it will stay for a while as a week without it, im being honest here, was hard! Real hard!

The computers i use never allow me to put pictures on, its horrid. I want to show you this place! Its incredible.

The situ with the team, is a bit better. We are all getting on so well, we are all crazy which i LOVE! Yay! This week we have read the bible together once. Yay again! And Last night was amazing i just have to tell you. I am sorry if the email is so long!

Every Friday at the church is this 2 hour slot for prayer. We didn't know what it would be like or how it would go but.....Nobody wanted to go with me but i begged Aveline. I am so glad she came because when we got there we were told to sit anywhere and begin to pray. I suddenly thought, what? We are praying for two hours straight on our own. I don't think i have ever done that. I thought that i would start thinking about other things or....you know. It was awesome! So awesome! I have never felt so close to God in my life. I love the Lord! He is helping me to draw near to him and become close through something that sounds so simple.

I sat next to aveline and began to pray. Everyone was dotted around the church praying out loud to God. I started to pray out loud, meaning every word, putting everything i had onto God, thanking him, talking to him like he was here in person. I really felt his presence and i couldnt stop praying. It is so easy to talk to god, and i was surprised in a way! I loved it, i prayed so hard and i was brought to tears at how i had never been able to talk to him like this before. Why hadn't i ever spoke to God this way? I promised God i would do it again soon. I will!

Today we are going to church to 'join the worship group'. Bit nervous as they want us all to sing etc. Can you also pray because the pastor has asked me to do a cermon......yes you read this right. On the 2nd, to the youth. Also on Sunday, the church want me to sing as the worship leader says i have a voice like an angel! hahaha......

Comments

18th October 2008 - 2nd email xXx

Sat, 18 Oct 2008 09:02:01 +0200

Email 2

Hiii my fellow English freinds!

Hmmm...I never seem to know where to start but i will jump right in.

Church on Sunday was crazy but i loved it, long which was hard but i was able to stay awake unlike Ali! Haha! The worship was another world and the amount of children was amazing, seriously hundreds and hundreds and they just kept coming! In the evening we went to the youth service which takes place. It was something that was new in the church and there only were about 20 of us there. There was a a part for drama, discussion and scripture. The discussion was on the stragest thing, i will not write on here but....it was a very honest and open discussion. I have learnt that Uganda is so honest.

Anyways...Monday was when it all really began. I sat down with some of the teachers and they asked me what i wanted to teach and all that jazz....i said, half a lesson of science the next day. So on Tuesday morning, i got up and went to school. I was planning to prepare that morning as my lesson was at 10. It was 8. My teacher stood up and greeted me, and announced to the class to get their science books out as i was teaching science. JOY! THe teacher said she was popping out, she gave me the text book and a peice of chalk and EVACUATED THE BUIDING!!! Seriously, i nearly had a heart attack as i looked up and 92 children starred at me with the biggest smiles, some shouting stickers and others saying teacher Mutzungu. I quickly prayed and found myself at hte end of the lesson feeling much better and relaxed, thanking God for getting me through that nightmare which turned out to be awesome. Then as i sat marking ALL the childrens books, i looked at the time. The teacher should have been with me 15 minutes ago. Another lesson had started!?!? A child walked up to me and asked if they should get their english books out. I decided that because the teacher was not here, i would start. Not knowing what they were being taught or their level of understanding. I took the chalk adn began to write exercises on the bored and started to have one to ones with them, trying to learn their names and find out a bit more about them. THey think i am hilarious as i keep saying CHOP CHOP when they are being slow. I then get CHOP CHOP chanted back at me and giggles. I love my class so much, already there are favourites though...oops! THere are some difficult children too and chlidren that are constantly disruptive and some that walk around provoking others for fights. I think i have got a hard class, but they are beginning to realise i will not tolerate bad behaviour and those who are good, i reward.

It is really sad though, the children get cained alot. I mean alot alot. It is just their culture but i do wonder how it Christians caining the children can chow Gods love!! Surely there is another way of punishing?

Anyway, the teacher didnt come back for another 2 hours, meaning my first experience of teaching was an obstacle course, but i think it did help me to get out my confort zone and get stuck in. Maybe that is what i needed but i do strongly believe i would of failed terribley and ran out the room crying if God hadn't of pulled me through and given me the things to say and do. You really do have to put your whole trust in God! Its a great thing though.

I think this week has been real tough with the team. We have had a few small disagreements which caused a tad bit of tension at the time. Things are fine now but it all began on Tuesday night. I was reading my bible in my room and i started to pray. I prayed that our team would become more unified as since we have got to Uganda, whenever i have asked us all to get together and pray, everyone said they were too tired or not in the mood. It was the same towards doing devotions etc. If i am honest, i began to feel anger building up inside about this. It got worse when every night everyone decided to play cards instead. I started to feel alone and i felt out of place if i am honest. I didn't know what to do. I think the team noticed it, which didn't help. I kept my anger inside for many days so on Tuesday night when i heard everyone laughing in the other room, I shut my bible, went in the other room and sat down next to everone ... as they played cards. Ali, Hannah, Aveline and an American couple were there and they asked me if i was okay. I just suddenly felt i couldnt keep it in anymore and asked them if i could share something. They all looked at me and i began saying how i wanted Jesus at the centre of this Gap year, the only purpose of me being here was God and i felt that i was confused why we hadn't spent time with God together. Still, people began to say how there is not enough time in the day, everyone is busy and there is some much to do and when we get home we are all tired. I said it is true but it is the most important thing. There was no more comments really so i went to bed.

In the evening of Wednesday, we then we sitting eating in the evening and Aveline said how she wanted to do something perhaps once a day because she had felt guilty etc about not having GOd at number 1. We all agreed that we would pray or do a devotions once a day. We sat and prayed there and then and it was great. I knew God was happy. We have prayed again once together but it is an improvement so please pray that i will carry on spending time with God personally and that as a team i wcan carry on encouraging meeting as a team with God as it is so difficult and i don't want to sound too pushy or cause tension. Grrrr....hard

Anyways.... this week has been awesome and i have been teaching two or three lessons a day and P.E. I have also been playing with all the street children and trying to help clean a few wounds etc (with gloves Dad) and i am enjoying going to the hostel where the orphans live etc. The children are so appreciative of company and God is persistantly teaching me things everyday!

I love Uganda and through the times i feel like crying i find myself laughing and i don't know why. I know i laugh alot anyway but serioulsy. I am being taught to rejoice in times of trouble.

Mum adn Dad email me or call me, my phone will be in use next week i think. WIll let you know.
How are things at home mum?
Please send me some Minstrels.....I am craving! Praying for everyone and Hayes Lane etc.
Love you
Will email either Wed or Sat and i will send pics....i promise!
Mwah
xxx

Comments

my first email ......11th October 2008....internet cafe in Kampala!!

Sat, 11 Oct 2008 13:18:14 +0200

Oh my days.......where on earthdo i begin. I am in an internet cafe in Kampala, about an hour away from Kyebando (Chebando) .... i will not go into the journey here this morning! One word - crazy! Just sitting here in front of this computer gives me a mixture of fellings, excitement and weird. Where do i begin? From the beggining is probably best.

Tuesday we all met at the airport from 3 o'clock, the plane journey was nice, it took 9 hours and we have movies andtelevision to watch. Unfortunatley the food made us all ill when we arrived. The small square window overlooking the clouds slowly cleared, showing such beauty. Africa is so green. The view was awesome!! It finally hit me!!!!! I was in Africa, all this waiting and i was about to arrive. It was now wednesday, this was it! The plane got close to the ground and then it came to a halt. As we walked off the plane, about a hundred African men and women stood starring. This is where our journey began. Whispers and looks. Everything was different, i suddenly felt alone. The team i am with, Hannah (18), Alistair (18) and Aveline (18) all went quiet. I have never felt this way. Out of everyonbody, i was thoroughly searched! The swiped detectors over my body and a woman had to search in my clothes! Why me!!!! Hehe...the team laughed as there were constnd beeps and buzzing noises. It had to be me!? We retrieved our bags and walked to the exit to meet Stephen Jotta, the director of the school i will be teaching at. To our surprise it was not Stephen Jotta but about 8 people. Strangers holding a Smile sign. They took our bags and i secretly felt unconfortable, thinking maybe they are tricking us, but we thanked God as we approached the school minibus where we all crammed in. Squish!! The journey was absolutley crazy. We were all so tired and Hannah was snoring on my lap. I was so shocked at the surroundings that i could not sleep. It was 8.30 in the morning. Not just the language and the people are different but i think this is where my culture shock began. Everything was different. I expected this but when it infront of you, its like a smack round your face.

I began to feel God working in me, changing me already. The people shouted and chanted 'Muzungu', meaning white person through the windows and the people constantly starred. We later that day arrived at the house. Helen the housekeeper, she is so lovely. We all were like lost sheep. I really was praying hard through the whole day. I felt shattered and my body and mind were finding it hard to cope already.
We sat down together and shared our feelings and were relieved to feel that everyone felt the same. Hannah cried and was sick from the food, Aveline then was sick and i began to feel better, i made everyone hug and then we slept for the rest of the afternoon and evening to find ourselves waking up about 10am on the Thursday.

Thursday was independence day. The children were not at school and we had a day of rest. Children piled up outside the doors and windows. I could not believe my sight infact, when i woke up to find 6 children climbing up the window bars whispering morning muzungu. This day was just a day of getting to know the area and then buying lots of drinks. We played outside the house for a bit with the children as we got a bit creeped out with their constant watching eyes.

Friday, we were invited to Botanical gardens in Entebbe. These are beautiful gardens with monkeys and where Gods creation grabs your attention at every angle. I was so pleased to go here and the monkeys were literally jumping all around us. I saw some scary GIGANTIC spiders and some amazing birds. I climbed an absolutely gronormousive ......big tree and got bitten badly by beastly (oh my gosh sized ants!!) ants. I think they had pioson in because my hand went blue and in the night i had to cut the bites open and squeeze out the sting and the liquid. I am now officially a big girl as i did not cry! I only did it because i convinced myseld that i was going to die as i waslying under my mosquito net in so much pain. To my surprise i am now better, just a bit sore. I was able to capture some fantastic pictures that i hope to put on the computer next time.
When we returned to the house later that evening we all found ourselves feeling so much better and more confortable. I just think we were under a lot of shock of the way people live over here and the poverty, the change and difference in our lives. In the evening when we arrived home, i found a little girl about 2 years old on our door step crying. She was with perhaps her sister. Her sister was pointing to her foot. Noone really knew why she was crying but it became clear when she took her hand away that she had a really bad infection on her foot and toes. Everyone looked at me and asked what we do. I suddenly panicked and wondered how i would ever cope being a nurse if i could not look at something like that. Sounds bad but, i knew how to help but i was scared and i was too worried about whether i would catch something. I woke up, out of my own world and realised i was being selfish and i walked inside. I got out some rubber gloves and our team’s mighty first aid kit. I sat her on my knee, so little, so vulnerable and i treated her foot and then bandaged it up. People for the village sat and watched and i suddenly felt like God was teaching, guiding and putting his hand on this little girl. I went inside and i stepped in my room, a tear rolled down my face. It suddenly hit me that i was a selfish and ungreatful person, a person that has been brought up in a country that is so materialistic, so wrapped up in appearence and i felt so ashamed.

We have just heard from the head master at the school what classes we will be teaching and what subjects!
Hannah is teaching p1
Alistair is teaching p2
Aveline is teaching p3
I am teaching p4

p1 is the youngest and i have the oldest. We start on Monday. Communication is very hard here. Alot of older people speak English a bit but most people struggle or only know a little. The kids only know a cretain amount of phrases. I am glad i have got older students because they are the children who i think know a little more but on the downside they have the biggest class. I will start off teaching English, religious education and Maths, then maybe some more but they do not have many subjects. This will be an experience, i am becoming more worried about but o well,i will just have a go!

So far, i have been cooking every night. My team have unfortuntley one meal only they are pro at....beans on toast. I have been cooking lots of African meals and a bit of Spag hear and there, mum you will be proud! Last night was amazing and i am learning how to make Chapatis,aparently, i am a natural. Shouldn't brag. My punctuation and spelling is probably as bad as my grammer now, there is so much to say and feel i have missed so much, but right now i feel iam going to faint. Need some fluids! I hope you are all well. I have been praying and thinking of everyone from church. Look after eachother.

PRAY
Please pray mainly that we will adapt more to the african culture, that the shock will fade and we will stay well.
Please pray that as we start the school next week, we will use every oppurtunity for God's glory and in his name.
Please also pray we will continue to get along as a team and cope with the annoying accents (only joking)
Please also

Mum and dad....i found your hidden letter amongst my bits and your post - it dad. Thank you, hope you got my will! Thought i would write one for a laugh and just in case but it is serious but geeky i know. I will email again in a week or so. with more to tell you and about school, please forward to everone as i have only sent it to you

love you
kelly
xxxxxxx

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1 week to go!!!!

Sat, 11 Oct 2008 01:34:26 +0200

I am so excited, i have 6 days until i go to Uganda.....countdown!

Saturday was my auction on promises fundraising event at my church.
I sold tickets for £10 and over 60 people came!
It ws such a great evening and people have been so kind and generous!
The evening went something like this:

7pm....arrival, drinks and buying and viewing homemade produce
(cards, cakes and candles etc) that people have donated

7.45pm....meal time, a sit down meal in the church. Very tasty (thanks mum) and well nice gateux for desert. I had some amazing friends help serve and welcome that evening!
It was quality!

8.20ish pm....Smile International gap year DVD and my presentation about the work i will be doing in Africa

8.45pm....auction begins! (50 x promises that people have promised - e.g. 4 weeks worth of iring, babysitting, dog walking, hair cuts, a beautiful photo framed etc)

9.10pm....interval...coffe and tea (and mints)

9.25pm....back to the auction

9.45ish pm....thankyou and count....then bye's

Thanks so many awesome friends and some genorosity and laughs, we were able to raise £1664 on the auction alone and around £600-£700 ish on tickets (still being counted)

I can't thank people enough for being such good friends, for the support and encouragement!

I will miss everyone alot!

Thank you all again!

Kelly
xxx

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One day to go!!!

Mon, 06 Oct 2008 18:08:01 +0200

It is the evening of the night before i leave for Uganda. It is weird but it still hasn't
clicked properly yet. I think it only will when i am sitting on the plane crying! LOL! (laugh out loud). I am really excited still though.

Saturday i went to a womens conference. It was great! Then in the evening i went to see TAKEN at the cinema with Cheryl and Hamish...family friends i adore and my parents. The meal i had was lovely too.

Yesterday i went church in the morning, Cheryl and Hamish's for lunch....so scrummy and lots of time to talk to see some other great church friends. In the evening i went to church again. GREAT service from Stuart. The after church was at ours and was lovely to spend a bit longer with people before i had to say my final goodbyes to people. Although it still feels like i will see them again next week!

Then today was great to, got up at 10...oops, then got a few things sorted and then went for lunch with Fiona, my big sister....well, not by blood. We went to Pizza Hut, it was lovely! Now, i hope to spend the evening with my Mum and Dad....maybe even Amy if i'm lucky! Who know's!

Tomorrow is going to be a rush and will be crzy, i can tell....got lots more to do!!

Aghhhh!
Write soon....maybe next tim will be in Africa! Scary!!!

xXx

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My first lil Blog!

Sun, 24 Aug 2008 12:12:12 +0200

Hiiii!

As many of you will know, I am going to Uganda, Africa on October 7th for 3 months.
I am going with Smile International, a local charity that helps the poor and needy around the world. Last December I visited Kosova with Smile to distribute Christmas shoeboxes. This year I am going to teach children English, Maths, IT, Music, Sports and Art and Craft. I will also be helping in the local community with health related issues, such as HIV and AIDS awareness training and helath check ups for the children and teaching Sunday school classes in the local churches and much much more!! I am going to use this Blog to keep everyone up-to-date with my news and my new experiences of my adventure. I have lots to do before I leave so better get to it....Mum is nagging!

BRB Kelly xXx

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