What up? Paul and I have been working on our soccer skills ever so slightly during our free time when the secondary school gets out around 5pm. Paul, the first day playing, managed to find the right spot for tearing off his pinky toe nail. It is quite the sight, seeing tall Paul surrounded by a bunch of people helping him to the point where he just ripped it out. OUCH! Some days later, I managed to find the biggest rock on the field, which is most likely part of the lava flow of the island (aka, not moving at all) and kicked it instead of the ball. Surprisingly, I managed to not break anything, but it sent a shattering shiver up my entire leg. One player, from the other team, came over and gave me a foot massage, which was quite nice! I managed to play a little more and even score a goal on adrenalin, but the pain became too much. I have been hobbling for a couple days now but should be back on the pitch in no time. The next day, literally 24 hours at most, it seemed like everyone knew about my hurt foot and people were coming up to me in Lingira village, which isn't close and asking me how my leg was. Even people who were calling Karla were asking how I was doing. Ha! Apparently my soccer skills are so noteworthy that an injury results in a public scare. Right...
We spent an afternoon with Faith, a lovely woman at SHIM, placing large orders for crafts for the EDGE project to sell back in Madison. Our goal, other than supporting the women who have taken the initiative to make better crafts to sell to market, is to be able to show people at home actually WHO made their item. This involved taking their photo and getting names and a few facts about them to put on a tag attached to the item. It should be a good connection for EDGE members and followers to see where their jewelry is coming from. We purchased necklaces, bags and baskets, all made from papyrus and banana plant leaves on the island.
We proposed our fence plans (there are three) to the headmaster (Sam Okelo) of the secondary school the other day. He is excited for the fence, although he thought we were planning on doing the entire school. The feasability of fencing the entire school is completely out of EDGE's budget because of the cost of fencing here. It would be in the 5,000-7,000 dollar range, which would all have to be withdrawn as cash. Our primary focus for the fence is the garden. We want to fence in the whole area of the garden so the school can finally get a grasp on the growing season and produce food for consumption and demonstration. Headmaster seemed a little skeptical and tried making the plan to fence off the school boys from the girls. They want to do this anyways (you know, because a chain-link fence will stop boys and girls from interacting) but the EDGE project wants to stray from aiding in the separation of sexes. A compromise will be hard fought for them, as Paul and I are both strongly advocating the simpler, less expensive plan. It's nice being on the side who is paying for the fence. A strong advantage, I must say so.
Apart from EDGE focused stuff, we have been having fun with all of the livestock on the island. Paul and I, mostly Paul, have been running around the goats and picking them up, chasing turkeys, and playing with Honey, SHIM's dog. We (Paul, Karla and I) hiked up the mountain one morning to watch the sunrise. It was a gloomy morning after I hurt my foot, so it was slow moving. Despite the lack of direct sun, it was quite beautiful and pleasant. I was able to look south to the openness of Lake Victoria and see an extravagant lightning storm occurring. It never managed to hit Lingira, which is unfortunate because rain storms are few and far between. Faith taught us a dance that Papa O loves doing. It involved some steps and chest movements and head movements that were all tough to do simultaneously. We were lucky to witness Papa O do this dance the other day and to our delight, he really followed through. It was fantastic and had everybody laughing! Our boat ride to Jinja on Saturday morning reminded me of sailing on Lake Superior. Water was slightly coming over the railing with each wave, but I was up front in my raincoat loving every minute of it. I'm really happy to have spent so much time on the water to not worry about getting seasick anymore.
Jinja is quite a funky town. It's pretty and well established, but completely hopping with missionaries. It's weird being around so much religion when I myself don't really associate. I have nothing against it at all, but it's a totally different lifestyle when every positive event is equated to divine intervention. Despite the awkwardness, many missionaries are giving up a nice lifestyle in the western world to work on many great community development projects around the area.
Karla, our beloved leader, left us this morning to fly back home only to fly to South America a week later. She has helped Paul and I acclimate to the life of an EDGE member in Uganda. Our jaja (grandma) was a great person to travel with and really knew what she was doing. Karla, Paul and I thank you for being great and always laughing at our jokes about you and your lack of coolness. It's only because we love you even more. I'm going to miss my sister look-a-like.
Now, it's time for Paul and I to buy a fence. Hire someone to drive the materials to the port. Then find a big enough boat to ship it to Lingira. Then find people to help us unload. Then build the fence. Just like any other day. No big deal. Over and out my fellow readers. Wish us lots and lots of luck, we will undoubtedly need it.
IF anyone is interested in supporting the fence (bad fence joke) go to the EDGE project blog and follow Paul's most recent post here (EDGE Project).
Pop it. Lock it. Drop it.
Sam
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