Last Week and Out of Africa

It’s so nice to be on a computer that responds and doesn’t take forever to connect!  It’s amazing what we take for granted.  Home at last, but will fill all of you in on our last week.

We left Kampala on Monday, February 2nd and drove to Mbarara.  We met the Rotarians at the Kash Hotel. My host did not arrive right away, but he sent a driver to take me to his house to drop off my things.  From there, we met at a dinner being given for all of us.  My host is Benon and his wife is Barbara.  They live in a lovely home.  Benon is a physician and built and started the Memorial Hospital in town in memory of his father.  Benon was the oldest of 20 children (his father had 3 wives…..common in that generation) and left money with directions for a hospital facility to be built in the city of Mbarara.  Benon decided to become a physician and built the hospital.  He has a general practice with a specialty in OB-Gyn.  He started a nursing school last year on the hospital grounds. 

Tuesday morning we each had our own vocational experiences.  I went to the hospital with Benon and donned scrubs and boots, cap and mask, and followed him into the OR (operating teater in Uganda) and watched Benon perform a C-Section.  They do some procedures a little differently, but it is mostly the same.  The incongruity is seeing the totally sterile environment kept up appropriately, but on carts with rusted legs and paint chipping off the window frames.  When the baby is delivered, it is wrapped in warm blankets and placed on a cart.  They do Apgar scores there, but do not bathe the babies as we do at birth.  They are also much quicker to cut the cord than we are, and that is because of transmission of AIDS from mother to child.  Even though not all mothers are HIV positive, they follow the same procedure routinely.  The babies stay with the mothers in the same bed.  No isolettes, and no nurseries.  It was fascinating.  They use spinal anesthesia (which they give while the patient is sitting up) for C-Sections, and no medications at all for vaginal deliveries.

Off we went to meet up with the rest of the group.  We then traveled by car to a school quite far from the city.  The headmaster of the school is a Rotarian.  We were there a very short time.  From there we went to luch at the King Fisher Hotel which is situated above the water and has a lovely view.  Tilapia is indigenous to East Africa, so we have had a lot of fish and chips!  We drove back over the bridge that has Lake George on one side and Lake Edward on the other (called the Great Lakes).  We looked for the baboons that roam around there, but no luck.  Later that night, after a very long day, we had a Goat Roast.  The goat was barbecued on skewers. Tasty, but somewhat fatty.  When we got home, Benon announced that we would have supper….my second of the evening!  A bit much and a bit late, but very nice. 

The next morning, before our departure to Kabale, Benon took me early to the nursing school and had me address the students.  They all have the same question….”If I am trained in Uganda, can I come practice in the US?”

We drove on very bumpy, mostly dirt roads to Kabale.  We arrived about 3:30.  We went to the White Horse Inn where one room had been booked for the 6 of us to change and relax.  We met Moses, the president of the Rotary club, for lunch.  We had a Rotary meeting that evening at the same location and then went home with our hosts.  My host was Lydia.  A very sweet woman who was willing to have discussions with me about living conditions in Kabale and also about politics in Uganda.  Lydia bought me a torch (flashlight) because her house is lit by solar power and the lights all go out early.  She cooks in the yard over firewood.  I had indoor plumbing here, but again, a bucket of hot water for bathing in a separate “bath room”.  Some of my other team mates did not have hosts that had indoor plumbing, but everyone did very well. 

We all met and went to visit two places.  First, the University in Kabale.  They divi8ded us into groups for various discussions and collaboration.  In mine, we discussed links with the universities in the US.  This is probably not the best bet for them, as they have local resources.  For example, it was believed that we gave computer courses (basic use of computers) to college students, by trained teachers who specialized in computers.  Of course, that is not the way it works in the US and of course we start teaching basic computer skills to young children.  We were also asked about courses online.  This won’t work in Kabale at this time as their internet connection is very poor and not at all reliable. 

From the University we went to the African International Christian Ministry, a vocational school.  Again, we were divided into groups.  Three of us were asked to address the issue of education of the girl child.  We were asked to address the students.  Of course, due to our accents, they did not understand us!.  When it was restated for them, they did not seem to have much interest, and their questions were not about that topic.  They wanted to know why they were “degraded” for being vocational students rather than being at a university.  The issue of the education of the girl child is not an easy one.  There is a cultural issue in this country, and many families teach their girls that the boys are the ones to get educated and the girls are to stay home and take care of the house and the children.  It does not seem likely that any of us will every make much of an impact on changing their cultural beliefs!  It was nice, though, that our input was being requested.  We found that they taught computer courses at the vocational school and I suggested that they coordinate and collaborate with the university on this.  We each spent the evening with our individual hosts.   It’s interesting to hear their views on the USA.  They somehow think that all Americans are very rich.  They think that life is always easy for us.  It’s true, by contrast, our life is easier.  But they are very surprised to hear we have homeless people here in California.  They don’t see how that is possible. 

Friday we drove back to Kampala.  Nine hours (includes a short lunch break).  We were met by our hosts and spent the evening with with them.  On Saturday, we were treated to salon treatments by the wife of a Rotarian who owns a local salon.  That was very nice.  We went from there to do a little last minute shopping and back to the country club to relax and use the internet.  Except, the internet was down!.  We changed clothes there and were taken to a dinner being hosted by local Rotarians.  This was a farewell dinner.  Joel Sekambebe came and it was great to see him.  He was the team leader to our district two years ago.  Joseph was with us again as well.

Sunday we met at 10:30 to prepare for the long journey home.  We said goodbyes with mixed feelings.  Anxious to get home after such a long time and yet, sad to see this wonderful adventure end.  38 hours in transit with all our layovers.  Very long.  How nice to be greeted at the airport by team members’ families and by Rotarians Rick Clark, Marge Cole, Larry Sundram, Dave and Marilee Breeding, Beverly Sumwalt and Bill Stumbaugh.  I’m home, but only physically.  I left a big chunk of myself in Africa. 

Goodbye Africa….for now.

Best,

Dale

PS  Stay tuned for photos. Check back to this site in a few days.