Well its been 3weeks (I think) since I have left Dublin (which is so hard to believe - obviously a good sign tho!) and today is my 1st visit to civilisation - i.e. in Kampala for the weekend. The nearest actual town to where i am based is called Kytorea and is about a 20-30min drive from KAASO along what can only be described as a dirt track! The fact that the national sport in Uganda so far seems to be running people of the road makes this 20min potholed (to be avoided at all costs of course)trip here quite the exciting one!

So after a good 26 journey after a splendid Cornish Pastie with Eoin and Anne, I arrived in KAASO. The fun began in heathrow airport trying to persuade the Emirates check in staff that no I was not going travellling around the world with a 32Kg bag full of Books, Frisbees, Footballs, Teddys (thanks Emmet - went down an absolute treat) and whatever else was stuffed into the Bective tour bag. Unfortunately this didnt work and following alot of re-arranging and sweat I managed to have the two heaviest pieces of hand luggage of all time! Of course following all this I was told to rush to check in only for the plane to be delayed by 2hrs resulting in a very tight connection in Dubai...

Dominic, the director of the Orphanage/School, (who may I add is an absolute saint) collected me at Entebbe airport which was just fantastic as to be honest I am not quite sure who i would/could have negotiated the 30min taxi trip to Kampala (in the middle of the road - i think/hope there is a magical lane there that everyone else knows about but i fear not and so can confirm taxi drivers are the same EVERYWHERE!). After a brief pitstop in a currency exhange "booth" - with armed guard with what looked something like an AK47 and the bus trip down to where i am based commenced. The national sport was recommenced and 4-5 hrs later a very much dead-arsed John arrived in his new home for the next 5weeks or so.

So i must as\\say upon arrival the first night had a bit of the old "what the hell am I doing here", after arriving at about 1030pm, having something to eat by candlelight - something being the operative word - but basically the staple diet seems to consist of roasted Banana (Matoke), which is more or less their "potatoes" except with a bit more "flavour" - hard as hell to digest though! It is a mainly vegetarian diet here yet somehow, and yes my lack of food issues were completely unfounded, I am managing to put on weight, or should I say continuing to put on weight - MUM!!! Beans, Rice, some other crazy maize type dish and a very nice groundnut sauce have been the main order of the day so far with a bit of Pork on occasion and fish once too (what type I have no idea!!!). But basically Im just going with it.

The next morning I suppose was a bit nerve wracking getting up, but after getting a tour with one of the other long term "volunteers" (i.e. taking the place for a ride really but they are too nice to say anything) I felt a lot more at ease. Got myself involved by helping with the filtering of the water. What they have is a well about maybe 1km away, and before the Rotary Club sponsored a pump to pipe it up to a few storage tanks recently, the kids had to trek down with "Jerry Cans" (hold about 10l). Again they recently got these sand filters - designed by some ingenious lot in Canada. They never need replacing as essentially are a little ecosystems in themselves, and take at least 95% of the crap out of the water. Before this, in order to prevent disease they had to boil every last drop. Nightmare! There are about 20 Jerry Cans and they need constantly taken from classrooms, refilled with dirty water, poured through the filter and recollect (this takes about 30mins per can). You then redistribute! Weird how easy you take running water for granted, but also strange how you get used to the alternative…Showering though, not so much! Pouring 2litre bottles of pretty cold water over me isnt going too well so far. The girls arent complaining…….too much……yet. But I guess manning up more often will be required soon!

Also as we are lucky enough to have a western toilet (yeah you know what the alternative is!) but unfort no one felt to tell me that the sewage system wasn't quite able to take toilet roll. A very nasty incident was just avoided.

But the kids, the kids are awesome! So much fun, so happy and work so hard. I didnt realise that English is more the lanuage for getting by (i.e. a common language was required as there are c. 38 different tribal languages). So mother tongue it is not, plus Johnny's nice fast nordy accent has resulted in a lot of nodding and smiling……working on it tho! You never know by the time I come back everyone may be able to understand me!

Also i am learning (slowly) the local lanuage - Luganda - to the extent i can now count from 1-10 and a few other numbers and have most of the basic greetings! They really do appreciate it if you do try and pick up and try and use some of their day to day language.

ANyway if this whole email is all over the shop its because it has been constructed/extended about 10 different times and only now when up in Kampala for the w/e - we are dropping off one of the other volunteers tomorrow before heading back down - am i getting to send it properly.

I have some more bits and bobs of an email on another disk that I will update but overall having a blast - loving getting to know the culture properly by being immersed in it. We have (unfort) been to two funerals for example which couldnt be more differenr from home....Also have taken the kids on two school trips to Lake Victoria - the vast vast majority having never been there despite it being about 20miles away in a straight line and seeing them swim and splash about in the water for the first time (P4s and P5s) was worth every torturous moment on the 4 hr bus (i.e. truck with johnny and 100kids standing on the back) joruney on the worst road of all time (potholes bigger than people).

Less than 2 weeks left in the orphanage then it is off to the safari for a month with Sid (from home) which i cant wait for!

Hope everyone is well at home and let me know what is going on in your worlds (tho not reply to all to save rennicks sanity!)

John

PS Just to say thanks a million to everyone who donated money to the cause, being in Kampala today has only contrived to show me even more how disadvantaged the kids are down in KAASO and your donations will give them a much much better chance and much conditions to live in and enrich their life experience. To those of you who meant to donate and forgot I would appreciate every little bit, as even as little as 20euro goes so so far down here. I will update everyone properly in the coming weeks as to exactly what all your money went into.