Teaching in Luweero!

Yesterday and today, I've been teaching 3 of our girls to do appliqué, working on one of my own projects.   They are taking to it like ducks to water!  They essentially spent the afternoon yesterday basting leaves.  They mastered that in no time.  They stitched for hours until the light was gone outside.   Remember there is no hydro at the house.  Kerosene lanterns only with one solar lantern they use 3 hours a day at night.

Today, Pressie wanted to do more.   I gave her circles to baste which are tricky as they are so small. She excelled at that.  so I moved her on to learning to appliqué my flowers onto the background block. Showed her the appliqué blind stitch and so forth.  She has a quiet little smile when she is sewing and seems so at peace in what she is doing.  This is the best thing when teaching....to see someone so taken with it and not want to put the work down.  She has been at it for hours today. Another....we call "Dam" because Ebra cannot say "madam" so we all affectionately call her Dam too, wanted to learn to baste leaves.  The other two from yesterday were busy with chores like filling 10 jerry cans with water a 15 minute walk each way.

Shalan and Madeleine our grad students from Ottawa U arrive in Kampala tonight, stay overnight when Jackson and Susan will go and pick them up to bring them to Luweero.  Can hardly wait to see them.  They are bringing me colouring books for the kids and library I hope if they could find them.

Susan is planning to stay at the house with the girls so I will be moving to a single room early next week.  Looking forward to not having to share a small room and smaller bathroom.  Single rooms have double beds too! Yippee!  Power has been on most nights, although off when we left the guesthouse for house after breakfast this morning. This is a daily thing.

Brad is working in the sun, clearing rocks and such from an unused area at the back of the compound to put in a garden.  Likely beet greens, for one thing, a staple at every meal with rice. We haven't had meat of any kind in about 3 days.  Since the chicken on Monday. Brad is a little sunburned today.  I keep pushing water on him.  He has stopped for the day and we came to the internet cafe to check email and blog.

Today is very hot but has a great breeze which is a good thing.  My sunburn is better and so are the hives on my feet.  It is challenge staying out of the sun....and yes...Mom I remembered to put on my sunscreen and wears my hat everywhere outside.  And I have my neck and upper chest covered where the sunburn was worse to keep the sun off it.  so I am doing very well.   Enjoying giving my quilting lessons. I want to find a project and materials for it for the girls to work on their own somewhere in Kampala next week.  Susan’s sister Sarah should be able to take me around to find what I need.  I suspect freezer paper for pattern pieces may be hard to come by!  oh well...we will improvise.

Shipping container for the library is still stalled in Mombasa, Kenya.  Not even off the ship as it is so congested ship hasn't docked yet. So we are marking time and twiddling our thumbs mostly.  We have 2 labourers installed 2 windows and a door, heavy metal welded things for the girls and children to move into those rooms.  Floor will be poured tomorrow hopefully. Right now they are all in one room which is a common pass through for everyone so they have no privacy when changing after bathing.  Bathing is at a back corner of the compound and even less privacy there.  The men do their best to keep their distance when they know they are bathing.

Since the books will be at least 15 days by truck from Mombasa and no indication when it will be released from customs once docked....we are planning a 3-4 day trip to see the gorillas in one of the national parks.  The whole team will be going.

Anyway that is about all for today.   I want to leave time to check Facebook.  I know some of you have been posting there.   Ciao! xoxo.....Chris