Wednesday, January 16

Hello from Uganda!

Sorry it has been so long since the last posting. A lot has been going on, and we have been out of town. Since we cannot post photos due to slow connection speed, here are some word pictures and anecdotes of the past few days . . .

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Two days before arriving in Uganda, we “buzingu” began taking a drug called malarone, which greatly reduces the risk of malaria if bit by a mosquito. Malarone is a relatively new drug which has some unpleasant side effects (Lea has been suffering some of them), but nothing compared to its predecessor, Lariam. Lariam is notorious for causing nightmares, depression, hair loss and, in some cases, outright psychosis, while delivering its “benefit,” some protection from malaria.

So it was a shock to learn that Lariam is what the Peace Corps provides its volunteers posted to malaria-zone countries such as Uganda. We learned this from Diana, a PC volunteer from Omaha, who we met at Ibanda.

Diana was a kick! She was so happy to see us, she said, because she could speak English as fast as she wanted to without worrying that she would not be understood. We were fast friends after a few beers in the local “guest house.” (And don’t worry, we went with the blessings of the sisters at Ibanda.)

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Evenings at Monfort House are straight out of "Leave It to Beaver," with a little beer thrown in. We play cards, dominoes or Scattergories, or just sit together, laugh, tell stories, or talk about school and work. In fact, that's what's going on right now as I write this. Last Saturday night was a typical quiet evening when, in the middle of a card game, Dr. Hunter excused herself to answer the call of nature.

Thirty seconds later the alarm sounded: "Dave, could you come here a minute and get this frog out of the toilet?" Turns out a teacup-sized frog was clinging to the inside of the bowl. Dave, Kyle and Eric used a spoon and a ladle to capture the guy, but it was no-go from his side. They ended up dispatching him with a flush, back to the septic field he came from.

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Father Charlie Beirne, the Monfort father who is the guru of Monfort House here in Mbarara, has returned from his Monfort meeting in Malawi. Those of us who met Charlie last year were very glad to see him, as he adds dash of spice to life here. Charlie is Ireland-born, England-raised, and is a Leeds United soccer fanatic. The doors of other fathers' rooms are decorated with Madonnas, crosses and other church symbols. Charlie's sports a collection of soccer memorabilia from his favorite team.

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If it has wheels in Uganda, it's being used, and used to the max. There is no such thing here as one person in a car. All cars, and in fact, all vehicles -- petrol or person-powered -- is loaded to the maximum with people and goods.

Today I saw a Toyota Corolla holding 3 people in the front seat, 5 adults and 3 children in the back seat, bags of rice on the shelf behind their heads, 3 layers of packages strapped to the roof, and the back window completely blocked by 3 rolled foam mattresses tied to the trunk. When gas in the US reaches the same price as here -- $15/gallon -- maybe we will do the same thing.

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The bird that sounds like a car alarm is sounding so it's time for bed.

We welcome your comments, and send love from beautiful Uganda.