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We all had a bit of a sleep in this morning, as our meeting with Godfrey was not until 2pm in the afternoon. We all ventured into Jinja for a quick bite to eat and the guys had spied an all you can eat Ugandan buffet for about £2.50, which they were very excited to try out! However Lib and I couldn't think of anything worse than bucket loads of hot Ugandan carbohydrates so we went to indulge again for a sandwich and smoothies. Afterwards we returned home and then to the Zamo Hotel for our meeting with Godfrey. We all sat outside the hotel around a table with Godfrey chairing the meeting and representatives from our different link schools as well as Ian - the Busoga trust representative who lives in the guesthouse. The meeting went on for about 2 hours and Godfrey and the other Ugandans gave us lots of advice so that we could really feel Ugandan! However every time the meeting seemed like it was about to draw to a close Hasan, who always introduced himself at the beginning of every sentence with "Hasan is me", kept saying he wanted to make yet another 'short' point.
After the meeting we decided to head up to adrift for a drink and to watch the sunset. When we arrived several people were bungee jumping over the Nile so we all gathered round and watched them - I don't know if I could do it yet but we'll see! We saw Julius again and said hi and then all sat round on the sofas with beers and a new discovery - Reds- which are really nice and a bit like cider in England. Marian and Tom's project leader Helen joined us and chatted about her experiences whilst living in Uganda for the last 2 years and she warned us that she came for six months but couldn't leave and 2 years later is still here! When the sun had set, we went back to for some very hyped up Spaghetti Carbonara a la Joe. Cooking for twelve people is quite a big feat (I imagine) and the pasta was actually really nice as was the rather dodgy looking 'beef bacon'. After diner we all sat round to watch Roadtrip but I missed it all as I fell fast asleep on the sofa.
Day 7 - MondayI didn't think I would be able to make it up but I woke naturally at 7am and decided to help Marian painting at Magua Primary School as Tom had to accompany Helen on a trip to Kampala. Marian, Lib, Joe, Dom, Ollie and I all set off to the school, which was only a 10 minute walk away despite nearly strolling into an unknown persons house we arrived at about 8.30 ready to paint. The school was really pretty but we all commented on how strange we found it that the schools top aim written on a big wall in the centre of the grounds was "Stop the spread of HIV and AIDS" with warnings such as "pre-marital sex is risky" and advice such as "delay sex" painted in various places all around the school. There was even a specific room designated to "HIV testing" and I saw a woman wearing a t-shirt saying, "I have been tested for HIV". It was obvious that even at a young age - sex education is exceptionally important over here.
We had to paint the gateposts and the watchman's hut a terracotta colour with a white base coat. Just as were getting started and had pushed the paint bucket up against the wall for minimum spillage, I spied a really cute little green gecko running up the wall, then, in a flash it fell all the way down into the massive bucket of paint and started panicking and swimming around! Lib and I were screaming but the boys were just laughing and it did look a bit funny. Lib fished out a newly painted red lizard and it ran off to show it's new clothing to its friends and family! Locals and teachers alike were really friendly and kept telling us how well we were doing. After painting the walls, we painted the gate bright blue and we finished at about the same time as Marianne. We all walked back to the guesthouse, which was only about 5 minutes away and then decided to head to the source café for some lunch. Some kids came up to us to ask for food but the waiter shooed them away but we gave in and told them to run away with some bread. Then Joe, Marianne and I went to the market to pick up some bread and lettuce for the BBQ . We then met up with the others in Indulge and had a drink. When we got back to the guesthouse we attempted to get the BBQ started but we had no paraffin and no coal and so it was a bit unsuccessful. An hour later we had coal and paraffin but still the meat was not cooking! Eventually at about 10pm Tom and Dom had taken to the kitchen and it was very tasty. Before and after dinner we all sat out on the porch and requested every song under the song for Ollie to play on his guitar and we had a sing-along as a group. However, we were eventually kicked out as it was getting late so we moved onto 2 Friends where we met the Icelandic owner Ellet who bought us all shots and told us the stories behind his numerous tattoos.
Day 8 - Tuesday
Cathy picked us up from the guesthouse and took us into school where we were meant to have a staff meeting, however, the staff meeting had been postponed so we just met some of the teachers and spoke again to Proscovia and gave her our gift. There was a whole school assembly where all the children lined up in their years and Proscovia - the headmistress gave a speech. Lib and I were sat at the front and were asked to stand up and we were introduced to the children and there was a murmur of intrigued chatter when they saw us. A girl called Barbara who was a prefect gave us a tour of the school and showed us the classrooms, computer rooms and dining room. We then met all the heads of departments for our subjects. The head of English - David was really lovely and he told us all about the kind of things his department taught and they way in, which the students were taught. We were a little perturbed by the list in the staff room headed 'untimely deaths' under which famous people's deaths such as john Lennon and Marilyn Monroe were explained by the fact that they had renounced God! It was a bit weird! Lib and I also found out today that Cathy (practically our Ugandan fairy godmother) is 5 months pregnant and we hadn't even realised which she found to be hilarious! We were really shocked because she had been driving us round and carrying our shopping for us but when we said this to her and her sister they laughed us and told us that African women were strong and could handle it! We hopped into the school bus which dropped us off in the central Jinja and then Lib and I, joined with Connor and Tom had lunch in Flavours, we then went home and read on he patio whilst Joe, Ollie, Dom and Tom went off for their first practice at the local Rugby club. Marianne and Jen made Fajitas, which were really good and the best meal so far!
Day 9 -Wednesday
Today was a bit of a lazy day as none of us had to go into work or school so we all got up pretty late and then went for a swim at the Nile Resort where we sat in the pool bar and had a beer. About and hour in practically an army of 30 or so Gap Year students from AV (African Adventures) filed through the pool area one of which was the Hampton Boy's school friend Brooke. Some of the guys sat down and chatted to us and told us that they were staying at Adrift Campsite, just a minute walk away. Mid way through our sun bathing the heavens opened for the first time since we had arrived and there was torrential down pour but I t was still very hot! Regardless, Joe happily jumped into the pool and swam in the rain whilst the rest of us took cover. We decided to move to Adrift Campsite, the home of the Bungee Jump as Brooke had told us that several members of his group were bungee jumping that afternoon. After watching people do the bungee again I really want to give it a go but it looks absolutely terrifying! We stayed at Adrift until about 9pm and had a quick snack there but we had problems getting Bodabodas home and as per usual none came for ages and then an army of about 20 turned up at once! We headed to the supermarkets to get some drink before we went out but they were all shut by 10pm so we headed back and eventually decided we'd have a night in and watch a film together. I wasn't too keen on the choice - Disturbia- as it was a horror but it was actually really really good but a bit creepy which was augmented by the fact that the electricity cut out mid way through the film!
- comments
Lever Hey Livy All sounds great, glad you're having such an amazing time. Miss you xxx