I'm Back.......

Just a quickie post to let everyone know that I'm home safe and sound and very tired.
It is 6:18 a.m. California Time and 4:18 p.m. in Uganda.
I don't know if I should eat or go to sleep. Maybe I should go take a nice hot shower. Yeh, that's what I'll do.

April 21-22, 2011 – Please Come to Jaaja’s Dental Bazaar

Due to power shortages, a VERY SLOOOOOOOOOW internet service IF you want to include pictures (it took me 3 hours to post my last blog) AND the fact that I have been very busy doing whatever seems to be the project of the day, needless to say, I haven’t had any time to blog.  Something has happened to my camera and I can’t download pictures onto my laptop anyways so I can’t waste the precious time that I have. 

I have 3 more days with the very special people I’ve met but I’ve only taught 1 person how to floss.  So, I had to come up with another Plan of Attack.  God gave me a GREAT  IDEA!!!  Have a carnival or a fair.  But… there are animals at a carnival and rides at fairs.  They don’t know that but I do so I had to think of another name.  Since Crazy Jaaja is always doing something bazaar that makes the kids and everyone else laugh, that’s what we are going to do this Saturday!!!  The admission price is passing Flossing 101.  I will be teaching my teachers tomorrow.  Starving Wyclef, Shouting Sharon, Almost Floating Kato, Safe Driver Sheriff (pronounced like Omar Sharif) and Tender Takola will be just a few of my teachers.  I will be the Supervisor and hand out Tic Tacs after they pass inspection.  There will be stations set up for “Rainbow Toes”, Tattoos, Hula Hooping, Jump Roping and anything else I can think of  between now and then.  We’ve been inviting others as well and the word gets around very quickly because we all have cell phones.  The STAO kids are looking forward to it.

Tomorrow at 6 a.m., my day will start with sewing buttons on Nora’s blouse that is currently soaking in Oxy Clean. The roosters wake me up when it is still dark so I’ll have to wear my “torch” as Grace calls it.  It’s a Head Lamp that has been most valuable during the power outages that seem to last all night of which there has been at least 6.  Then, I MUST be at “work” by 8:00a.m. California Time to teach my teachers.  At 10:30 a.m. California Time, we hopefully will get to have our last Floating Lesson.  Nothing is scheduled after that so far but I’ll do something…who knows… whatever … on Uganda Time.

Today, I had to be at STAO by 7:30 a.m. California Time to give a shirt to Paul because he HAD to wear his one uniform to school.  He had asked me to sew on his badge because he didn’t have the money to have it done by the ladies that sit on the dirt road with their 75 year old sewing machines.  I was ready to go first, so I opened the gate and got the keys from Nelson.  “I’m driving!! We must leave NOW, please.”  So, I got to drive on the wrong side of the car on the wrong side of the rode.  Nelson had to tell me how fast to go at certain places and when I could go faster.  “How do you know how fast you can go?” I asked.  Nelson said “You just know”.  Did I mention that there are no street signs OR house addresses??  “So…How do you give directions to someone that wants to come to your house”?

Nelson said “Everybody knows how to find everyone”.  The major and only “Speed Bump Ahead” sign that I’ve seen is some cut tree trunks by a HUGE speed bump.  You are not allowed to take pictures on the major bridge but there’s no sign for that either.  You just know.  Got the picture yet??  There’s a LOT of polite horn tooting but  NO ROAD RAGE.  My camera is still able to take pictures and videos so I’ll have lots to share when I get back.  Now then, where was I?  Oh yes, we made it alive to STAO and gave Paul his shirt, picked up Kato and came home for breakfast.  Then we loaded up the straw mats that we purchased the day before from some widows in Buwenge that Nelson visits every week and went back to STAO.  Sharon and I walked past the Medical/Dental construction site and took progress pictures of the Dental Bldg. Then we visited a friend of a friend for a nice long visit on Uganda Time.   we had to leave to get our Boda Bodas  (motor bike taxis) loaded with the mats and ride to another widow camp.  I had bought bead necklaces from Lucy last week and owed her some money.  THEN, we walked in the BLOODY HOT sun to flag down another pair of Boda Bodas to get a ride back to the “road” that leads to STAO. Takola had invited Sharon and me to her house for a visit.  I ended up sharing about my family, my mother’s illness, meeting Nelson and ending up eating fresh mango and papaya for lunch somewheres around 4:00 p.m.  All of these stops were on Uganda Time.  The difference is that California Time involves using a watch.  No one in Uganda wears a watch – including ME.  I quit wearing it because I didn’t want a “watch tan”.  In fact, I’ve quit wearing bug repellent too because I don’t need it during the day and I have a net around my bed at night to keep the mosquitoes out.  The SPF 30 sunscreen w/bug repellent that I bought at REI doesn’t do a thing except make me stickier than I already am.  I’m down from 4 showers a day to 2 like everyone else and if I had another week, I would no longer be a “muzongo” (sp?)  which means white person.  I would be an African.  I love this place and these people and I have already told them that I will try and come again next year.  It is 12:47 a.m. California Time by my phone so I must go to sleep. 

Please pray for the Dental Bazaar.  Blessings to all, Crazy Jaaja 

When Will I Have Time For Flossing School???

Uganda is incredible!!!  The people are fun and very friendly.  I have "adopted 3 more "sons".  They are very special guys that have shown me much love and given me many laughs. I have started giving everyone nick names.  Most of the time, I am known as "Crazy Jaaja".

My "#1 Son" is Trevor, of whom I am very proud and love dearly.  

Nelson, of course is "#2 Son".  I wouldn't be here if I hadn't met him last year.  I am "Jaaja" to his wife, Grace and his 2 little girls, Patricia and Victoria, as well as all the children at STAO and everyone I meet.  I haven't met Nelson's son, Elvis, because he is still away at school.

Wyclef is "#3 Son".  He is the Chief Administrator/Volunteer Coordinator at STAO.  We are FB friends and he asked me to bring him a good study bible.  He has been my driver as we shop for things that are needed for the children.  We have THE LIST that keeps growing and when I think of things to add to THE LIST or when I tell him that I have an idea, he says "Bring it on".  He knows where to find anything and he's always starving.  He introduced me to his favorite dive, Bismat, and so far, I've eaten there 5 times.  I'm going to bring home some great recipes.  We are plotting many things as we drive and shop. 

Kato is "#4 Son".  He is one of the pastors at church.  He is a powerful prayer warrior and leads  the prayers in church.  He anointed several people at church today with the oil the I brought for Nelson.  He is also one of my floating students.

Edrine is "#5 Son".  He is one of the STAO kids.  I first noticed him in the pictures that Nelson sent me from Tooth Brush Day last year and I could tell from that picture that he is a very compassionate young man in spite of his circumstances.  I finally got to meet him and he is indeed the gentle person I knew he would be.

In addition to playing with the children, meeting with widows and organizing Nelson's office, I've been giving floating lessons to Grace and several others that don't know how to swim and have never been in a pool before. 

 I am also the Unofficial Building Inspector at the construction site!!!


Please pray for Time Management for all of us.  In Uganda, 20 minutes usually means 1.5 hours.  I have started teaching them California Time!!!  Wyclef and I have fun timing each other.  He is getting better.  Nelson is NOT!!!

April 9-14, 2011 – Jaja Laurie! Jaja Laurie! Jaja Laurie!

I woke up very early on Saturday morning but not to the sounds of lawn mowers, trash trucks, sirens, screeching tires attempting to stop or take off from the stop sign near my home in Irvine or the roaring freeway in the distance.  Instead, the roosters were doing what they do best, the crickets were cricketing and little song birds were singing their hearts out.  It was GLORIOUS!  No one else was awake yet so I walked outside to see and hear my surroundings.  Pastor Peter had kept the car from the night before so he came to breakfast and then drove Nelson and I to STAO.  The road from Nelson’s house has barely survived some serious rains and we could have made great use of my Trooper.  This was a serious “Off -Road” experience.  As we drove through Jinja Town, I learned about their “taxi” system.  It consists of small motor bikes with 2-3 riders plus cargo and maybe a live chicken or 2.  The “First Class” drivers only carry one passenger.  The “Economy Class” gets the bulk of the business and they are everywhere – passing you on the left while we are trying not to hit one that’s passing an oncoming car. Third class riders use the bicycles.  You have to see it to believe it.

I wasn't prepared for the greeting that I received when we got to the Agape Children's Home at STAO.  About 50 kids were waiting for us and chanting, "Jaja Laurie, Jaja Laurie, Jaja Laurie" over and over.  When I got out of the car and spread my arms, I was mobbed.  We almost ended up in a huge pile.  Nelson gave me a short tour of STAO and then we took a short walk to the Medical Center.  The Dental Clinic is the first thing you see and is in the middle of the complex.  When we walked through it, I couldn't help but cry. We held hands and I prayed for all of the people that would that would receive care and for all of the special people that would give care.   It truly was a very moving experience.  We both know that it is a miracle.  The used dental equipment that Nelson found is only 3 yrs. old so it will be very modern. 

That's all for now.  We just had another power outage and the modem is very HOT.  I'll try to send some more tomorrow.

April 7-8, 2011 – There’s Nothing Like Running 2 Hours Late!!!

Running late as usual – 3 boxes still not roped or tagged, I found more bills including  THE  PROPERTY  TAX  BILL that had been buried on my desk along with 2 checks that I thought I had already deposited.  The promised 16 GB camera card that I had ordered last Friday never showed up so our first stop at 11:00 a.m. was Office Max.  Trevor and I had a rather tense ride to LAX.  I paid bills while he drove.  I wasn’t able to print my ticket online so I was glad to see an empty airport.  Trevor loaded my luggage along with my 3 carry-ons onto a cart, hugged me goodbye and left the LOADING ZONE ONLY zone with my prepared bank deposit and the paid bills.  I wish I had a picture of me pushing my monumental luggage cart and dragging my Pullman.  But at that point, I didn’t know where my camera was.  I hardly knew who I was!!  I had to plead with the clerk to give me the 20% discount on my 5 pcs. of extra luggage because I wasn’t able to register them online.  I explained that I was taking bibles and dental floss that weren’t worth as much as she was charging me.  The supervisor finally gave the OK for which I was very grateful and I proceeded to luggage scan and left without my un-tagged laptop bag because I had to run to my gate with only 50 minutes to spare.  About 15 strides along, I realized that something was wrong, screamed and ran back to luggage scan to find 3 people looking for the “lady going to Entebbe”.  I start running again only to find the security section had 4 rows of very long lines.  I told the stationed security lady that I was very late for my plane and she directed me to a secret elevator to the second floor with a MUCH shorter line.  You know the drill – take off your shoes, get the laptop out to go through by itself, find the baby liquids in their baggie, pray that everything goes through only once, gather it all up, put it back together and put your shoes back on.  Now I have 35 minutes to spare.  I had just enough time for a pit stop, buy 2 bottles of water and get to my gate.  The plane was just beginning to board.  As I was waiting to board, I texted Nelson and told him that I was getting on the plane, how excited I was to see him and gave him my flight #.  I got on and discovered to my dismay that my seat was a middle seat.  I plopped into my seat sweating and panting in total disarray because I had 3 carry-ons instead of the 2 allowed but I told the flight attendant that I would consolidate everything once I cooled off.  Then, my window seatmate arrived – a very sweet Christian lady from the Philippines named Filomena who now lives in Rowland Heights.  We felt like sardines and instantly prayed that the aisle seat would remain empty.  It wasn’t until the plane started moving that we knew our prayer had been answered.  I moved over to the aisle seat and we put our stuff in the middle seat.

There’s nothing like a 22+ hour flight to catch up on movies you haven’t had a chance to see or want to see again while trying to stay up long enough before you can take you sleeping pill!!!  KLM comes complete with remote controls and 3 movie lists.   We took off and immediately were served a snack.  I snoozed off & on through Black Swan and was served dinner.  Afterwards, I watched Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollows I and The King’s Speech.  The best steward I’ve ever had - he played with all of the kids nearby and knew them all by name - brought out hot wipes and breakfast was served.  “Mena” and I talked as we were getting ready to land in Amsterdam.  She was on her way to Abu Dhabi and Dubai for 3 months to visit an old friend.  We walked together to our gates, hugged goodbye and we’ll meet up in July when she returns. 

From Amsterdam to Kigali, Rwanda, I finally got to take my sleeping pill!!!  I slept, had lunch, watched Burlesque and had dinner.  During the hour layover in Kigali, I brought my checkbook up to date and reorganized my backpack.  The flight from Kigali to Entebbe, Uganda was a short one – just enough time for juice and a quick snooze.  Not too bad for an entire day of flying.  I left LAX at 2:00 p.m. on 4/7 and landed in Entebbe at 10:30 p.m. on 4/8.  Somewhere along the way, I gained 10 hrs.  Surprisingly, it was a very enjoyable trip.

At the Entebbe Airport, I went through immigration without a hitch.  Then I went to find my luggage.  I had to use TWO luggage carts for all of my stuff. 

A very nice attendant offered me help before I had a chance to ask for it.  On the way to meet Nelson, I discovered that real men DO where pink - at least in Uganda. 

Nelson and his baby daughter, Victoria, met me and he told me that his family and Wyclef, the Volunteer Coordinator at STAO, had also been on the same plane from Amsterdam.  They were in row 10 and I was in row 31.  Since I was asleep for most of that flight, I didn’t get up and walk around or I might have found them. They were already waiting at the car for us. 

Needless to say, the car was already full.  Nelson said, “We have a plan.”  Obviously, we were going to need a 2^nd car just for my luggage.

Everyone thinks that I’m a crazy fast driver in my little Mini.  I challenge YOU to ride shotgun with Nelson for 2 hours – late at night – on a poorly paved one lane road with no line – no street lighting – the driver’s seat is on the right and the car is on the left side of the road – going 80 - 100 mph!  But, he does keep his right turn signal on and beeping the entire time so oncoming cars know how to pass him.  We even stopped for ice cream and we still got home before the other car with my luggage. HE gets the Crazy Fast Driver Award!!!

We arrived at Nelson’s house at 2 a.m. and got unloaded.  THEN!!!, he lets me know that I will be speaking in church on Sunday.  I wasn’t quite ready for that announcement.  I wonder why?????!!!!!  Stay tuned…

See the little RED marker? That's Jinja, Uganda

“I’m Leavin’ On A Jet Plane” – Tomorrow!!

I just got home from my last shift at Atria.  Everyone is excited for me and told me how much I will be missed at the front desk and driving the Wednesday walkers to Dana Point Harbor.

“Mother Hen” is officially off to Uganda. 

Now then, let’s check things off the “TO DO LIST”:

The frig is empty.

The bills are paid. 

The plants are watered. 

The pool has been tested and is running clear. 

The front yard is weeded, edged and mowed. 

The Christmas decorations finally got stored away high the garage. 

The shopping is done.

All of the plastic bottles have been taken to the recycler. 

The back yard has been raked and swept.

I’ve counted and rolled 17 of 95 Jinja Jugs, traded the rolls for cash at the bank and gave it to my church for donation recording.  The Jinja Jugs contributed $1,807.76.  To date, $5,887.62 has been raised for the well and the dental clinic. 

The banking is DONE!  

My passport, immunization cards and plane ticket are in with my laptop in my new laptop roller carry-on bag. 

My backpack is loaded with munchies, DVD’s, CD’s & CD player, earphones, book, water and sleeping pills! 

My Good Neighbor Roy will be collecting my mail while I’m gone. 

My other neighbors will be watching my house. 

My son will be coming over weekly to keep my pool from turning green and watering all of my house plants.  His “to do” list is waiting on the counter for him.

My sister cleaned my teeth today and gave me a crash course in TEACHING FLOSSING 101.

Thanks to Stan Gray, I learned how to use my laptop, transfer pictures and videos from my camera so I can blog while I’m gone.  This blog entry was a “laptop test” and it worked.
The packing is DONE!!!  I managed to pack everything into 4 suitcases and 3 boxes.

YEEHAH!!!  Everything on that “TO DO LIST” is DONE!!! 
It's 2:00 A.M. and I’m going to bed!!!  

Unlike the song, I do know when I’ll be back – 4/27.

My flight is 22.25 hours.  Please pray for “Airline Mercies”.