and nightbirds sing to you an empty tune

it's 5:30am and i'm awake. again. as much as i do love "living" in africa, my sleep has not proven to be high on it's priority list. it's been ten days, i should be over jet lag by now. i've almost gotten used to the nightly bird chatter right outside my window. (not songbirds, my friends ... there's one we call the laughing bird and another that sounds like a metal detector you'd see your uncle using at the beach.) we have power here at rafiki, but it is regulated by "the man", so two generators are in place for those times when we are cut off. apparently, they haven't had to use them for quite a while until this past week. the not-so-gentle start up hum of this diesel-fueled power source in the wee hours serves as my own personal alarm clock. despite all of these african sleep depravities, this morning i blame my new contacts. that familiar throbbing pain, sensitivity to light and horribly red, or should i say PINK, color of my eye can only mean one thing ... thank you doctor's vision center-racine drive for yet again possibly permanently damaging my cornea. i'll pay a visit to doctor tyler this afternoon ...

this past weekend was very chill. thankfully, nap time is fit into the schedule here at rafiki. sure, it's intention is probably for the children, but i like to actively participate in every aspect. saturday was visitation day ... rafiki school is required to provide a visitation day for willing and able relatives of the kids. i sometimes forget that this is an orphanage ... the children are so healthy, loved, intelligent (they were counting in japanese the other day) and, for the most part, happy. visiting day can be pretty traumatic. mostly because some of the children are afraid that they are going to be taken away when family members come. in light of the day, i made myself scarce and relaxed at the guesthouse. season 10 of friends was the pick of the day. on sunday, we attended church with andrea who is leaving, actually as i type, to go back to the states. she has been here for one year and i know will be greatly missed.

some of the ROS with andrea (center) and us, the minis, at lunch

i have enjoyed most of the food i've had here so far. though if you know me at all, there's not much i don't like. we eat lunch and dinner with the families during the week which is mostly traditional ugandan fare ... beans, rice, various "potatoes", fresh fresh fruit. our experienced ROS know where to go and not go as far as restaurants outside the rafiki walls. those meals have been ... "not bad" ... if you don't mind your food looking at you while you eat ...

on monday, we went to jinja to shop and to just be tourists. jinja is a bumpy two hour drive from kampala and is home to many sightseeing spots. we had tea on the nile at a beautiful resort, visited bujagali falls and took a boat tour of the source of the nile - where lake victoria and the nile river meet. it was a great day to see more of the beauty of africa.

yesterday, we were back to work. and work we did. the morning was spent moving desks from the cottages to the new residence hall for older boys. seeing the less than stellar pace we were at in africa heat and long skirts, uncle stu (ROS) let me drive his truck to haul the furniture. man, i love driving the prado! maybe by march, i'll be out on the actual roads ... maybe. it took me a couple times to remember that the driver is on the right. good to know. i also got homework yesterday! i will be teaching language arts to P4 and P5 grades, at least for the first two weeks of school while a teacher is out. YIKES! talk about being used where i feel the least confident ... teaching in a classroom on the first weeks of school. i think i am assisting in the preschool after my morning classes. now that's where i'm at home. i'm excited and nervous, but ready to give it a try. the P5 class is all day students, which mean they do not live at rafiki. it's something to start a new grade (for students and teachers), but to do it with two different nationalities and accents that haven't come in contact much ... oh boy. this will truly be a test of my faith. and my nerves.

PICTURES - soon, i will give you all a link to see more of my pictures when i get all of that set up. i don't have any pics of the kids here yet ... it has been a "rule" to not have our cameras out the first couple weeks. we don't want them to see us as the mzungu (white people) behind cameras. personal relationships is key in this type of work and meeting someone with a camera between you doesn't lend itself to that. there is a designated "picture day" where i'll be able to get some photos and tell you more about some of the personalities of these awesome kids. you won't see pot-bellies and flies and trash everywhere ... though it is a reality, that is not what africa is all about. you'll see happy and healthy kids. and maybe a few tears from mercy, depending her mood. :)

good night, y'all. time for me to start another early day ...