Uganda 2022 Day 7

Today we picked up our interpreters on the way to clinic. It was much better today when we arrived. There were mainly kids there. My job for the day was to help direct the people from one area to the next. When they arrived we would seat them in the waiting area and when the previous group was done hearing testimonies, they would move to where the testimonies were being given. From there, they went to the education area where I left them for others that worked up there to move around. If I am not mistaken, they had one more educational area, the waiting area for the doctors before the pharmacy and leaving. We really had to monitor people because they would move to the next section or try to go directly to the doctors. The kids obviously found me as I was out in the open, but I would only talk to them for a little while and then the to get them to the childrens area. I met a lady named Susanna while I was down there as well. She had 6 kids the oldest is 12 and the youngest is 3 months old. Susanna, just like the kids asked to come to America with us. I told her I could not bring anyone with me and “they” won’t let me. I just did not say who they is because it is everyone. She was very surprised at my age and the fact that I don’t have children and am not married. We talked for a little while before she left. 

Awhile later, I switched places with Elena because she was fighting a headache and working with the children. Those don’t go hand in hand when jumping and having loud music. Algena and Lany had some songs we did and we did “repeat after me” chants. The kids had  been loosing interest at this point. It was hard to keep their attention and they started fighting more. One of the girls told the teacher that she wanted me to go to the drama. Just me. I made sure Algena and Lany would be fine alone and went with her. Once we arrived, I saw it was a group of the kids with paint on and they were dancing. We stopped in one area, but I decided to go to the other side so I could be by more team members and see better. As soon as I got there. One of the ladies grabbed my hand and started to pull me into the dancing. Today I tried to resist, but I had to give it.  I could not do the dance because there was so much hip shaking and I don’t know how to shake my hips. Also, this white girl can’t dance. The worst part is there were so many phones pointed at me and only a couple were by my team. I only danced the one song and then hurried to sit down. They only did one more songs before they finished. 

Around 1p we ended our time with the kids as the testimonies had finished and we were not taking any more patients because there had not been new ones. So, we let the kids go play, but tried to keep them from the clinic area. 

After lunch, I hung out in the pharmacy. When Jen and I walked in from lunch, two interpreters had a baby with them. We asked who her mom was and they said they didn’t know. The baby’s sister just went up to them and asked them to hold her before walking away. She was three months old and had dimples. Later I learned that she was Susanna’s baby. Jen, Destanie, and I took turns holding her and then Destanie and I watched her until someone came to claim her. I even held here while breaking some pills in half before she was claimed. Destanie and I worked on breaking the pills and packaging some that were not already packages. A couple times Joanne called me asking me to get stuff for her too.  I spent the rest of the time there in case they needed anything we were able to get out around 5:15 or 5:30. We saw 358 people today.

Once back at the hotel everyone showered and headed to dinner. Thankfully Benjamin was able to join (he left clinic sometime before lunch) even though he did not eat. Joanne told him he needed to have an IV done to get fluids in him, so after dinner. They hooked him up. While in the dining room, Algena, Lany, Destanie, Jen and I played cards. Destanie, Jen, and I were the last Americans out. The Ugandan guys were closing things up when we decided to leave. We got to see Destanie and Algena’s room. You could fit a minimum of two of our rooms in their one room. Possibly three of ours. They also did not have to set up two feet to get into their bathroom/ shower. All the rooms here are so different and weird.