We're Engaged!



I have some exciting news! Henry and I are engaged! J We went for a trip into Jinja (which is a big tourist area) and went to this really nice restaurant for lunch with a gorgeous view of the lake and that’s where he proposed J We are planning the wedding for July of this year.

 

Adventures on the Taxis

Over the last couple of weeks, I have had the opportunity to travel by taxi a few times with some very interesting stories. Taxis are quite different here in Uganda, to begin with they are 15 seat Toyota vans. It is very common to find a taxi with 20-25 people packed into them (even though they clearly state on the side that they are licenced to carry 14 passengers), since the driver wants to make it worthwhile to drive from one location to another. When catching a taxi is it actually better to look for one that is quite full as it will be leaving soon, otherwise you could be sitting and waiting a half hour or longer for the van to fill up enough to go. As you are driving along, the taxis stops and picks up more people and somehow people manage to squeeze in (sometimes 5 people along a bench seat).  Even though they often try to overcharge us because we are white, it is still very cheap to take a taxi. Depending on where you are going, the most it has cost us is 3000 shillings each (which is just over a dollar). There have been many adventures on the taxis, from stopping to change a tire, live chickens, and random babies sitting on the seats.

On one ride when we got in (Miriam, Diana, and I), there was a baby just sitting on the seat. The mother ended up being in the front of the taxi, but we ended up having a very cute baby with us for the journey J

It is also very common to find live animals on the taxi (mostly chickens). Most of the time you can just hear them, but sometimes you find yourself seating next to a person holding an untied chicken in their lap.

There is never a dull moment on the taxi rides, lol J

 

 

Fridays at the Clinic

The past couple of Fridays I have been going to the clinic in Kiyindi with Miriam and Diana (the nurses from New Zealand that I have been staying with). Every Friday, the clinic runs an immunization clinic and about 60 to 70 moms bring their babies in for immunizations and a check-up. My job has been to weigh the babies and record the weight in the books for the mothers. It has also been wonderful because I have the opportunity to hold a few babies J I have really enjoyed helping out at the clinic and plan to continue going on Fridays with Miriam and Diana until they leave at the beginning of April.

 

 

 

Feeding Monkeys in Jinja

Last Sunday, I travelled to Jinja again. This time I went with a team of 18 people from the UK (there ended up being 25 of us total who went). We visited the source of the Nile and went for a boat ride from the source of the Nile to the hotel we ate lunch at. One really great part of the day was that we got to feed a big group of monkeys bananas at the source of the Nile. The monkeys were very used to humans and would come right up to you and take the bananas out of your hand. It was amazing! J Especially since I have always loved monkeys, it was awesome to be that close to them. The monkeys were very quick to peel and eat the bananas and come back for more. J

Fun Times Painting

Last week I also had the chance to teach an art lesson to the P3 class. I taught the class how to draw a picture of an owl and then the next day we painted our pictures. The kids were so full of excitement and enthusiasm to be painting.

New Slates

Last week, I got to join in on a lesson with the top class (similar to senior kindergarten in Canada) using the new slates that the primary school in Kiyindi had bought using money that was generously donated. Both the teacher and the students were thrilled to be using them. Previously the teacher would have taken the students outside to complete a similar lesson with the kids writing in the dirt. There were lots of smiles all around that day. :)