But seriously...

Before I return home with the IGNITE team , I thought I better make a few serious comments. I understand that one of the teams themes will regard the prospect of aging,and at 62 I can honestly say that my experience here in Uganda has confirmed that you are never too old to learn or experience new things.I have taught history ,art and drama to secondary pupils for the first time. I've never preached before , Ronald an extremely able physio, has taught me the basics of treating children with contracted limbs. Other aspects of the learning process has been to adapt to a completely new way of life. Life without TV, and many other commodities that I have grown accustomed to.Those things that I miss the most are contact with family and friends and freedom of movement as personalized transport is lacking.I also miss the fellowship aspect of interacting with our church house group.Not surprisingly I also miss cycling and country walks. I have had greater time to reflect which is a paradox as I lack the "time saving" devices such as washing machines etc. Maybe the lack of TV is the reason I have more time?? Two years after retiring , I've had time to reflect whether retirement was the right decision as this trip has given me the opportunity to see patients. And although it's been imensly interesting and stimulating to use the internet as a source of information to give health talks and learn about diagnosing and treating a whole range of diseases that I've never seen before,( never too old to learn) I still don't miss the NHS. I think God opens "doors" up for us and it's our decision whether we go through those doors, I'm so glad we came through this "door" to Uganda. The people are very friendly and Ugandans put a high priority on giving time to each other, which can sometimes cause frustrating delays,making waiting and lateness a common occurence.I have made good friends with several people during my stay here and I value that very much. One such friend took me to a "Pork Joint" which is an unknown Ugandan treasure that I've not seen mentioned in any guidebook, but in my books it's a "must".My friend say's never seen a mazunga ( white person) in one before. He stressed that one should always choose a clean one ( the alternatives are very obvious from the outside),they sell only pork (not for Muslims or Jews) BBQ'd or fried in tomatoes diced and served on a large shared platter with accompanying piles of chopped tomatoes and onions, avocado chunks, casava ( a starchy root), greens, ,mashed plantain,salt and pepper.There are no knives and forKs and no plates (and Mac Donalds thought they came up with that idea first!), you use your hands( which the waitress helps you wash before and after eating).The only beverages are either beer or soda.The atmosphere was so relaxed, and it was one of the best meals I've had here. Most Ugandans agree that corruption is the main reason their country is slow to regain it's economic strength following the years of Idi Amins' regime.It's a real shame because the country is blessed with a wonderful climate remaining around 25 degrees all year, at the moment it's the rainy season , so the temperatures around 22 and feels like an overcast English summer day.The soil is very fertile , one local said he finds vegetables growing in his garden and didn't know how they got there!Theres adequate water, several large lakes including lake Victoria which is the largest single lake in the world.This provides abundant fish, and the rivers including the Nile are a source of hydroelectric power.Other natural resources include fantastic mountainous scenery in the west with several tourist magnet game reserves, copper,iron and gold ore. I find here a freedom from the stranglehold of the sometimes petty political correctness in the UK, although like every society they have their own versions of social correctness that they inflict on people. Talking of opinions, we in the west see images of African problems and organisations formulate plans to help them deal with those problems.What we need to remember is that those solutions are from our perspective which isn't necessarly from the African point of view. As a result , help is politely accepted , then ignored or used for an alternative unforseen purpose. This is a lesson Lynne and I have learned from anecdotal, practical and observational experience.I think it is important for any aid or mission team to bear in mind when coming out to help in foreign countries.In the same way , finances are finite and when one is beset by such a seemingly bottomless pit of need,mission workers such as those at Wellspring have the unenviable task of rationing out the scant resources to those with the highest need. Prioritising when face to face with the affected individuals can be distressing especially when your sole aim is to help. It has been my privilege to go into many of these peoples homes, it is inspirational to see the positive attitudes of some families despite their circumstances ,by contrast, sometimes the indifference and dispondency that purveys the home is very evident . Finally, I am so glad to have come here in so many ways, the details of which you will deduce from the previous blogs. It's not been easy, but it will be something I'll remember and cherish for a long time.

A travelers reflections

I can't believe that in a couple of weeks I'll being heading home. Four months seemed like a long time and I suppose in some ways it has been. I've spent some time reading my diary relating what we've experienced and a few thoughts come to mind. The polite term for going for a pee out here is called "taking a short call", a man at a petrol station asked me to pay him 200 shillings for a short call, I asked him how much would a long call cost? What is it about the blood in our fingers and toes that is so tasty for mosquitoes, they always seem to bite those areas? Since Uganda has made homosexuality illegal it hasn't stopped the men holding hands. Traffic police wear white uniforms and despite the rainy season with all its mud, the uniforms remain as white as snow. I have tasted crocodile in wine sauce (responsibly sourced from a crocodile farm) , frog in chilli sauce ( responsibly sourced from a swamp) and grasshopper in it's own grease ( responsibly sourced from a local grasshopper plague) I must say I enjoyed the latter the most. A Ugandan secondary pupil at the Wellspring school was asked to write an essay for the subject "Christian World View" on homosexuality, he gave the Ugandan perspective, it was submitted to the UK on line and returned as unmarkable. Such is the difference in opinion on this subject between the two nations churches. Contrary to my previous statement recounting a Ugandans assurance that trains never stop no matter what is on the line,I recently witnessed an exception to the rule. Lynne and I were going on a shopping trip in a local minibus taxi called a "Matattoo". ( more on that later).We were stationary in a seemingly grid-locked traffic jam.We were on a section of road adjacent to the famous level crossing that "brave Dave the driver" recently negotiated in the works minibus. We observed a seemingly hopelessly jammed up collection of lorries cars and other vehicles facing in various directions astride the railway lines. Then a mournful blast of an oncoming train was heard coming down the line. Pandimonium broke out, motor cycles negotiated impossibly narrow spaces, men standing on top of laden lorries started waving their arms in the air like windmills in a hurricane, horns of every pitch and tone blared a cacophonous symphony with the trains horn playing the lead instrument.I said to the bus conductor " The train wont stop!", he replied confidently that it would. Neither of us was right, it simply slowed up giving time for the assembled dozen or so vehicles to somehow disentangle themselves and clear the line.Later in that interesting journey a woman tried her luck at overtaking the matatoo on the inside, the driver didn't see her and her wing received a nasty dent from our transports bull-bar.But there was no drama , she looked miffed and the conductor assured the driver that his vehicle was unscathed, and both vehicles continued on their respective journeys without stopping. Matatoos are very cheap means of transport. They all have a sign saying that they are licensed to carry 14 passengers. The conductor is not included in this number , so when full ( as it often is) the conductor sits on the passengers lap (this does not seem to be covered by the recent anti homosexuality law) or if you prefer, 4 passengers sit on 3 seats. The other exception to the passenger numbers rule is when you are carrying a body in a coffin on the roof rack, but there again, it's debatable if a dead body is really a passenger? Finally, it's interesting to note that theme parks don't exist in Uganda, that's because they're not needed, if you want a white knuckle ride , why not take a a ride on a bodaboda (motorcycle taxi) they are a lot cheaper than "Doom Drop" at Thorpe Park and a lot more scary.The poor mans cure for constipation!