hau moving forward

I could feel the chill of the morning slowly creep into my bones when I was stirred awake by the sounds of Janet preparing a hot bath for her new-born anyaka, her baby girl. I lay in bed for close to 15 minutes ticking off what was planned on the agenda for today, and wishing a little that my Nokia was lying, that it wasn’t 6:30AM yet, and that my alarm clock had fortunately misfired leaving me with a good hour to remain a tangled, tired lump. One oomph, sigh, and roll later, I was up on my feet, and out the door. Prosie and I fetched water this morning from the bar hole at the PTC but found it to be brown and full of sediment. For my bath, I ended up boiling some rain water we had collected last night. It’s always a struggle to carry my basin over to the place where I bathe, but I think my weak arms are slowly getting accustomed. David, Beatrice and I sat on a mat outside in the middle of the compound to enjoy our breakfast: fried eggs with green pepper, Mukuno tea (from the Rwenzori Mountains of Uganda), bananas, and some fresh mangos Janet’s mother had picked earlier this morning from her home. It wasn’t even 8AM and yet our conversation quickly became heavy with topics of Obama, racism in America, and their personal perceptions of slavery.

A fleeting honk told us that Ben from Health Alert had come to pick up David and me, and so I grabbed my Duke Energy bag, kissed Beatrice goodbye, and rushed out to the white, four-door truck which had both Save the Children and Health Alert’s logos stamped proudly on the passenger side. While zooming through the dirt road towards town, I rolled the window all the way down for a makeshift hair-dryer, and kept my eyes steady on the mango trees, uniformed school children, maize fields, MTN stands, lines of dripping laundry, and budding eucalyptus trees on the horizon. After being dropped at NUMAT, I said hello to all the familiar faces and was brought upstairs to meet Dr. Edson, NUMAT’s TB Focal person. He was an unassuming man who reminded me of a physics professor – absent-minded, unmistakably brilliant, easily distracted, and unable to hold proper eye contact. I found myself making large sweeping movements during our meeting, just to ensure he was completely focused on the conversation. Sweet success. He agreed to come to HAU this Thursday morning for a quick introductory workshop on why TB/HIV collaborative activities are important. Not ONLY that, but he also agreed to hold two 1-day trainings (which NUMAT will sponsor!) for the CVC’s and staff of Health Alert – Uganda to educate them on how to integrate TB into their already existing CB-DOTS program. Everything worked out so well – at this point in time, there is agreement and approval from all sides involved: Health Alert – Uganda, Gulu District of Health, and NUMAT. Dr. Edson told me that this is the first time a CBO has approached him with an interest in TB; Health Alert – Uganda is now recognized as a priority. I couldn’t ask for more.

While sitting sideways on the boda with my ankles crossed, leaning to the side with my left hand resting on the small bar at the back, I found myself in a perfect position to wave “hi” to the children who were screaming “muno!” and chasing after me barefooted. My long fuchsia skirt billowed behind me on the way through town to HAU, and I made quite an effort to maintain all decency and avoid a Marilyn – ‘oops’ moment. Seven of the HAU staff and I went out to lunch at Lindon Guest House this afternoon around 1PM. There was an uproar when I told them about my dare from Janet and the family to eat a white ant (which is a bit like a dragonfly), claiming that they’d send me a box of white ants for my birthday and for Christmas. Apparently, we’re all going out the night before I leave so we can enjoy the local delicacy together at one time. I couldn’t help but roll a film clip of “Hakuna Matata” from the Lion King in my head amid the laughter – everyone slowly metamorphosed into a Timon and Pumba, encouraging me to feast on juicy bugs and insects. Locusts, grasshoppers, and crickets are delicious apparently, but cockroaches are forever forbidden.

Exactly 14 days left in Uganda.