Hello Friends! Kris and I apologize for the delay in putting up fresh new material on the blog. For our Nativity family, please look at the Nativity High School link for some new additions.
Today is day 50! Wow! It seems very hard to believe that we have been living in Uganda for the last 50 days. It seems to be much less. We are starting to get into a normal routine. Well, as normal as it can be living in Uganda. For instance, we live at the rectory with 3 priests. Fr. Pasqual, Fr. Joseph and Fr. Andrew. Our room is 12 x 11. In that 132 sq. feet, we have a full sized bed, two desks, two chairs and 5 suitcases that we use as dressers. We do have a small storage room inside of our room, 5ft x 1ft that I made into a closet for hanging clothes. That made Kris happy! The bathroom is down the hall and we all share it. We are in a drought, the water harvesting tanks are empty. Water is carried in 5 gallon “jerry cans” from a natural spring about 1 mile away. That means, no running water! Showers are taken using a basin and bucket, cold showers unless you take time to heat water on the fire! I am getting used to cold showers, especially after a run. Here we do have the luxury of electricity. 1 outlet in our room. You can only imagine how it looks with a power strip and about 6 things plugged into it!
We have a small motorbike we use for transportation. It is also used as our truck! So far, I have carried a 5 ft. piece of metal bar on it from Kiwangala (closest trading center) about 3 miles away, a full case of water and a bunch of bananas! Kris is sitting side saddle the bike. Women do not “straddle” the bike like the do in America. Kris has mastered the side saddle riding and is now more comfortable that way than straddling it. I think because now she can jump off more quickly. She had to jump off the day we were carrying the case of water! We were climbing a very steep hill with the water on the very back, I had to shift down half way up the hill! Well, with the extra weight of the water on the back, and the lower gear, the front tire came up very nicely making for a perfect wheelie! Kris had to bail off! We laugh now but it was a learning experience!
Kris and I are a team here in Uganda. My part as most of you know is the construction of the Fire Alarm Services Science Lab at the St. James Secondary School. All I can really tell you is that construction is going great and is ahead of schedule and a click under budget at this time. I take no credit for this! The Head Mistress Juliet and Vincent, the Chairman of the Board of Governors are watching every penny spent. The “Building Inspector” for the diocese is Fr. Kizito. He is looking at each phase of construction and bringing many great ideas to the project. So far, Fr. Kizito is very happy with the progress and the craftsmanship of the lab! Here are some pictures of phases 1-5 of the lab. The lab has a total of 9 phases, so we are almost half way done! The rains are coming soon, and that will slow progress.
I hope you enjoy the photos and please respond! We love to hear from all of our friends at home!
God Bless you all, and please keep us in your prayers!
Peace and all good,
Dean
& Kris
Well, bummer - Uganda didn't get its first rain on Aug 15.
ReplyDeleteHey, the school is taking shape, great! I see you're doing what you each do well, even amid the myriad challenges, I'm sure. Keep on, friends. Blessings and love, Sue