Getting to Africa and Meeting my First Africans

I left for Africa on Tuesday, which seems so long ago now. I almost didn't make the flight because I was so scared. I didn't think I could do it. I kept asking myself what was I doing going all the way to Africa? Other people do these things, not me. What in the world was I thinking when I signed up for this. After so much planning and preparation I almost didn't go! But I had my mother, sister and my dad. They were praying very hard and were very supportive. All of them encouraged me to follow through. Before I left for the airport my Dad gave me a prayer "Angel of God my guardian dear, to whom His love commits me here, Ever this day be at my side to rule and guard and lead and guide." And I gotta tell you I think I have said it a million times since then. So after many tears and much anxiety I made it on the plane. I also had a lot of encouraging words from the doctor that was traveling with us. He told me to "take 2 xanax and get on the plane, you will be fine" It worked! It was a 7 hour flight to London from Chicago and we left at 6pm Chicago time. We landed in London at 7 am local time. It was really pretty cool because the sun never really set as we flew East to England. We then had a 12 hour layover in Heathrow Airport. I went through customs, which took forever and ever, left the airport, then toured a little of London. I saw West Minster Abby and I burned a candle for my family. It was very special for me thinking that I have a candle burning in such a sacred place. 12 hours after landing I boarded another plan to Uganda! That was a 9 hour flight overnight. I could not sleep as everyone around me was sleeping on me! So I made friends with a flight attendant and she let me sit in her jump seat so I could stretch my legs. By the way if you ever have a choice of planes and fly to Europe definitely choose British Air. They was the best! And Chris I had cottage pie for dinner and it was soooooo good. Who knew the English could cook things like that!

Ok so the plane starts to land in Entebbe, Uganda and I look out the window in absolute awe that I made it this far and that I am about to set foot in Africa and ........... I have a panic attack. I'm thinking "oh shit why now, I really don't need this." I wish I could say I had some profound thoughts about the motherland and all but no, just panic. I am sooooo far from home and I think that it hit me how far I really was. I didn't care about the Discovery shows anymore, or about what others thought I just really wanted to go back home. I had endured so many shots, malaria medication, money, time, you name it and now I just wanted to go home. So I did what I do best when I panic, I cried, buckets. I cried all the way to the house and much of my first night. The drive to the house was so surreal I can't even tell you. It is nothing, and I mean nothing like at home. I was a minority in a foreign land very, very far away from home. I was scared and panicking and exhausted. But there was a bright spot, MY CELL PHONE WORKED! Oh that was great because it was my lifeline back to the states. I talked to Susie, my mom and Chris until I was so tired I fell asleep on the phone.

I am very happy to report that my anxiety is much better today. No pills! yeah mon! I am still anxious but it is much, much less. So we left early this am to build a home for Cissy in a suburb of Kampala. That sounds so funny to say because nothing to me even looks like a city here. Not like any cities I know much less a suburb. The roads are very narrow, full of motorcycles, pedestrians, cars and trucks spilling over with stuff. And they drive on the wrong side of the road! I am told the only way to drive in Uganda is by being aggressive or you'll get plowed over. The motorcycles are nuts! They ride in gravel, in the rain and pass everything they can in the road. Then you get to the "suburb". It is quite simply a slum. The roads are dirt and full of rocks and holes. The homes are not even shacks. I can't even describe what they look like so I will try to get a good picture later so you can understand. They are made of mud bricks and tin roofs. Very small, dirt floors and filthy. No bathroom, This I learned the hard way. They use a latrine that is dug 20 meters deep, covered with a cement top, left with a small rectangular hole that is then covered with a board. You have to kick the board off and have good aim if you are catching my drift. Being a woman and hitting that hole was not very easy. That was only peeing! What if you had to poop?! Oh my god it was so dirty and so smelly but it was that or pee my pants. So I mostly peed down the hole and used a lot of hand sanitizer!

Seriously though when I got home from today I didn't want to talk to anybody back home about it because I couldn't find any words for my experiences today. I'm trying to find words, any words for what I saw and what I did today but they are not coming. I can only hope some of the photos I post will say more than I ever can in this blog. We built a house for a beautiful blind woman and her children today. Her name is Cissy and she was attached by her husband and was left blind. In the same attack he killed Cissy's mother and was then killed himself by what they call here "mob justice". Before this attack he cheated on Cissy and contracted HIV and then passed it on to her. She in turn passed it on to her daughter. Oh my God can any one person suffer much more. She was living in the most disgusting place you can imagine.
Sleeping on dirt and filth and eating off the floor in horrible conditions. Can you imagine trying to navigate to the latrine while being blind? So all the town elders came out along with the local newspaper. There were many speeches and it was really really cool. An elder spoke to me, I felt honored to just be in their presence. Ok so much happened in between there that I can't put it all here so I'll keep to a few.

I fetched water today. I walked downhill through graves, slums, and an open gutter full of urine and feces to a well and filled the cartons with dirty water. I hauled the water back up that hill and through all that stuff. I was only able to carry the water for 50 feet at a time and then I needed a break. At one point a little skinny Ugandan boy came running up to me and took TWO cartons and Ran up that hill! Boy I felt Fat! But seriously me and the doctor took turns carrying one up and the Ugandans seem to do it with ease. (I think they were laughing at us white people trying to carry that water!)

Africa smells! It smells of so many things but I mean it really smells. I'm getting used to the body odor somewhat but the latrine smells I can't get used to. They burn fires to cook and there is garbage everywhere. There are no garbage cans here in the village. There is a garbage pile! When everything is taken up that they could possibly use, they burn it. There is disease everywhere and so much sickness. It is a huge melting pot of pungent odors.

Africa is full of bugs, mosquitoes everywhere by the millions and millions. Where I am staying is very bad. But I sleep under a net and pray every day I don't get bitten by the bug that is carrying a disease. I saw a cockroach today the size of a small dog. I have killed so many mosquitoes that I am afraid I will arrested for mass murder!

The water is good. They have bottled water for us and it tastes like back home so that is good. The food is ok. I don't have much of an appetite so it's hard for me to tell. But I have fallen in love with Ugandan tea! Oh my God that is soooo good. I think there is whole milk in it and some ginger. I'm thinking maybe I will loose some weight. I just can't think about food for me when there is none for them. I am not hungry here at all. I eat only when my stomach growls.

The kids, the kids, they make me happy and give me strength. I am a mzungu! I heard "mzungu, mzungu" all day today. (Ma Zun Goo) The kids they laugh and smile just at the sight of a white person. (Mzungu is their word for a white person.) They want food, "sweets", water, money, absolutely anything they can get their hands on. One little girl wanted my sunglasses so bad she took them off my head and wore them for awhile. Another little boy really wanted my work gloves. I couldn't give them away because I was tearing down a house and hauling bricks. Doc said we really need to wear them as we DO NOT want any open cuts on our hands. So I had to say no to the boy.

The kids LOVE us and I mean really love us. Everyone, even adults hold hands. You are standing there or walking along and someone runs up and holds your hand.... and won't let it go! You are pretty much stuck with their hand for awhile, so good thing I am a hugger so it is perfectly fine with me. I walked throughout the huts and always had at least one child or one adult holding my hand. I love these kids!!!!!!!!! You have never seen love like this before. It really keeps me going. When they smile I swear you can see their beautiful spirit in their eyes.

I picked out my family to sponsor today. Melody had an emergency with a family today and they needed money for food, medicine, clothing. The baby has AIDS and the mother is also very sick from AIDS and can't care for her anymore. The child was found naked and almost limp. She was being cared for by a 9 year old cousin. Melody asked who had any money and I volunteered. My brother gave me an extra $100.00 before I left and I had money for them. We went and got food, medicine and everything they needed right then and there. Melody suggested I sponsor this family through GFR and I of course said yes. The grandmother is dying of advanced syphilis, her daughter has AIDS and the granddaughter has AIDS. I went and visited them and informed them I will be helping them from now on. The kids can now go to school. (In Africa school is not a guaranteed thing. All grades must pay for their schooling, books and clothes. That's why many many poor never go to school) When they are sponsored they receive help with the hut, medical care, clothes, food, education and anything else that comes up that they can help with. A little money goes a long way here! The cost to sponsor a family is $64.00 per month and they get all that. The grandmother cried with me and I was almost speechless with emotion for the moment. We talked that it was ok for her to die when she felt ready because I will be helping with the rest of the family. We talked about heaven and how beautiful it will be for her. I asked her to say hello to Jesus for me when she gets there. I then gave her money on the spot (thanks Scott and Susie who both gave me donations before I left and mom and dad too!). She really began to cry then and prayed in almost a chant like prayer in Ugandan. It was interpreted that she had blessed me deeply and could not believe that a woman would travel so far and help someone she did not know! She was overwhelmed with love and faith in God. She told us how last night she could not sleep and felt it was the devil keeping her awake so she prayed to God. She asked him for a sign and for help as there was no food to eat or money for medications. She said she fully believed God would help and then when I came today she called me a miracle. She thought I was a messenger from God. We were all crying by then. Even the more rugged Ugandans from the other NGO were crying and holding my hands and giving me hugs. Now I know true love! I feel like I will have another angel that will look out for me from heaven when she gets there soon. I hope my grandma Eloise looks her up , and welcomes her when she gets there. There was so much disease and sickness today and yet at the same time I have never experienced so much love as well. Africa, Africa.................

I feel like I had a National Geographic, Discovery Channel, MSNBC News, the Animal Planet, Oprah and the Book Club Selection of the year, experience all in one day! The dogs are howling and it is after 2 am here. I can't sleep tonight but I think I should try.

I will write more tomorrow!!!!! I love you all! thanks dad for the prayer, I have really relied on it! oh and ps I can build a home too dad! see ya !

Kathy