Paper airplanes

2/23/08

Saturday mornings here capitalize in lazy relaxation. Let me explain… I woke up this morning by the sound of a cock, of course. It was about 7:45. I rolled over only to recognize the African jams from a house down the road still blaring since the evening. Celebrations of every kind last ALL night long. Thank heavens I packed earplugs.

My list of unexpectedly most beneficial things I packed is as follows:
Earplugs (see blog entry about Shut the Cock Up below)
Head lamp
Oil of Olay just add water face cloths
Baby wipes
Nail polish
Beef jerky
Flash drive
Shampoo and conditioner in one (I never imagined using a combination formula on my hair for a continuous time.)
Cards and Scrabble (well, I didn’t pack them, but my friend Ruth did)
A Moleskin mini writing pad

SO back to my lazy morning…

I put in my earplugs and stayed in bed for another half hour. I read on my front porch for a while. I’m reading Les Miserables by Victor Hugo – no better place than the other side of the world to accomplish an epic novel as such. Not long and the neighborhood children gathered around. They are quite content to simply stare at me while I read and they pile on top of each other in the corner and entertain themselves. So today I wanted to give them something to do. Ahah! I brought home colored construction paper yesterday for a project. We made paper airplanes! These kids were gloriously entertained by this simple contraption. I had 7 planes flying all over the veranda and front yard for an hour. The regular children’s names are Esther, Sarah, Jeremiah, Job, Joshua and Koloba. I love it – as we were playing, a boy probably 7 years old saw us as he walked passed the entrance. He just came and joined us. Who knows where he was headed, where his mother was, or where he came from. But he saw that we were having fun and felt free to join in. These kids are SO cute and independent.

After airplanes on the veranda, I washed my hair in the sun on the side yard. Then I soaked my feet and shaved my legs in a basin. Mmm, luxury in the equatorial sun! My feet have super tan lines in the form of my Chacos which are always on my feet. But I am beginning to wonder if they’re tan or if they’re dirty. Evidence supports the latter after my pedicure today!! I painted my toenails too. I never imagined I could get such a feeling of joy from this menial luxury! I will never take pretty feet for granted again.

It’s 3:00 pm now and I’m still reading Les Mis. I’m going to Bupoto again this evening… looks like I will be spending a significant amount of time there. The new clinic opened last week and has been running without any management or organization beyond the nurse and medical assistant. The opportunity and project is exciting, but Bupoto is extremely isolated and the worst road in Uganda is the only one available to get there. I guess I’ll see if I’m brave enough for this.