Things get busy

Everything pretty sweet here. My biggest concern is probably that I'm living too much of the "good life". I would say I'm getting along well with my coworkers (all three of them) and the family - although my limited swahili makes are conversations short and boring to them. That said, I'm trying to learn a little more each day (a verb a day) and Mama Comboni helps me out during breakfast!

So you ask.. "You still staying STRONG and HEALTHY? " .... well...yes and no.. So, I'm trying to eat well, but our meals are primarily spaghetti, rice and potatoes. I mean the meals are really good, but there aren't a lot of vegetables. There are pineapples and oranges which are wicked cheap (300 shillings = 30cents for a pineapple!!!) and so good. I've got a bit of a cold and I'm using organges to combat it. The problem here is that every small feeling of sickness I have makes me think "malaria!" , which is totally not true especially because we have barely been here long enough to develop it.

Joseph has discussed lots of projects with us - some he is already working on and some he wants to start, but it's difficult to start working on something when all you have is high level information. Now that Joseph has returned from his trip to Nairobi he's helped (pushed) us to get started working - which is super cool! Today we wrote up invitations for ICT training courses which Jane and I will be helping to deliver in June. ICT (information and communication technologies) is the favoured buzzword to describe computers, email and the internet. Somehow this doesn't surprise me - travel half way around the world and i'm still working in the world of computers. Hush. The courses are actually really cool and can potentially impact a large portion of Karagwe community! They're being delivered to community groups - medical staff, secondary school teachers, nonprofit organizations, and civil servants. The goal is to enhance the productivity of these key community members in order for them to better serve the community. After the training, we will be hopefully visiting some of the offices, school and hospitals to help people implement the skills we're trying to give them.

In my mind the biggest challenge with this type of training is the "culture of dependence" it may substantiate within the community. John and Joseph are really very compent people in so many different areas. Still, John sometimes asks for my advice on topics he knows better than me. I would say this is 50/50 in my head and real. They really just want to do things as efficiently as possible, but it's weird to have your opinion so respected. Joseph is trying to hype up training by advertising us as "experts from canada" - I don't know how to react to this. His goal is just to encourage people to come, but maybe he's reinforcing the idea that foreign help is necessary.

Another "project" we're doing is construction of a new building for the FADECO compound. Strangely, it seems that Jane and I will be moving into this building if we complete the interior quickly enough. The building will also be the site of computer training and an expanded internet resource centre. Jane and I will be drawing up a plan for the two floors - which are currently just large rooms of concrete. We will also get to help with the purchasing of supplies and hiring of workers. Jane and I both have some reservations about working on a project to create nicer rooms for ourselves - ie. how does this help Dorothy?

Recently, the three hundred (seven) kids who were living with us have returned to boarding school for the term and we won't get to see them again. The kids were hyperactive and some what pushy, but they were still friendly and served as a nice ice-breaking into the family. Jeff, who is 7 going on 15, spoke English and Swahili really well and was really helping me learn! So suffice to say I have mixed feelings about their departure. Actually... there is one left. Daniel, whose real (swahili) name is Comboni. He's still here and as hyperactive and jibberishish as ever.

Sadly, my mum's mother passed away two days ago. She was a wonderful woman and was troubled in her last month by the death of my great uncle. She had ovarian cancer, but as of yet I don't know exactly what caused her death. I will miss her dearly and I regret ever so much not talking to her more this past year. She travelled a great deal with my grandfather and I know she would have liked a postcard from me here in Africa. I wish there was a way to appreciate how final death is without anyone dying. It truly makes you realize how precious your family is. I will try to remember this lesson for the rest of my life.