Five of the eight of us had left the hotel at 7 a.m. to climb The Rock, the only listed tourist attraction in Tororo. I would have loved to have gone but decided sleep was more important.
At 8:40 the bus left the hotel with the rest of us, we picked up some tea and coffee at the GUW office, and headed for a picnic at the Rock, joining those who had hiked. (Three of the five made it all the way to the top.) Anika and Katie had picked up hot breakfast items from the hotel, so there was a breakfast picnic at the base.
We returned picnic items to the office and picked up gifts to take to the families we'd be visiting during our "Day in the Life" activity in which each volunteer is partnered with a family. This year the families were from the Mbera and Diocheny groups; like Kayoro these are rural and farming areas.
The rural nature became evident as the bus went down ever narrower and poor roads. I was the last to be dropped off, over 90 minutes from starting the journey. Although I don't typically get car sick, I was beginning to feel queasy after an hour and a half of bumping along those roads.
I was met by Anna Odoi, and we walked about 20 minutes to reach her home. She has responsibility for a number of grandchildren. She had only one son, who died of AIDS about five years ago, and whose wife, the mother of the children, left. So, at age 65 herself HIV positive (from caring for her son and not taking proper precautions), she is the matriarch who tries to take care of the family. Fortunately, her oldest grandson, Pascali Oroin, is in his early 20's so is able to do a lot of the work on the farm. Because he finished Senior 4 (first part of high school), he speaks good English so was able to do translating. It is sad; he would have liked to go on in school (at least A levels at Senior 6), but his father's death precluded that.
Here is Anna at the corner of her home (with roof problems) with grandchildren and neighborhood children. Children in an area tend to gravitate to wherever things are most interesting or food is being served.
Some of the volunteers had brought crayons and other children's activities so Anika had made up a packet for each of us consisting of crayons, paper, a balloon, and a super ball. Those served as an icebreaker and enabled the kids to have some unusual and unexpected fun.
For "Day in the Life" the visitors were supposed to participate in activities the family would typically do. Of course, most of us are incompetent to really do most of the tasks, but we give it a try. For example, I shelled groundnuts (peanuts). Here I am doing it, and below are the comparative results of our efforts. Anna did have someone working with her and did work for a bit longer, but it's still a sad comparison.
We also walked (about 15 minutes) to get water. It's a really great source --
I tried -- but balancing the small container for just a minute was all I could do. When I tried to move, I immediately handed off the container to a 10-year old girl!
I didn't try cooking; I just ate a bit of the potatoes and greens prepared for me. Here is Anna standing in her kitchen and me with the production.
We walked around the fields that will be planted soon with millet and which currently are producing some vegetables. The family also has a number of chickens which run around and, unfortunately, spend the night in the house (which can transmit diseases to humans). And they have one cow, which was out grazing, and a calf, tied up near the house.
We sat around at the side of the house, in the shade, which Anna and Pascali assured me they actually do.
The family has a dog, named Doggie (not much originality there!). It's purpose is as a guard dog. I'm not sure how great a job it does, but I wasn't sure enough of its health status to even pet it. That was difficult for me, given how much I love dogs and how much I miss my Katy.
There was a small girl, being tended to by an older sibling, who was incredibly cute. However, like many of toddler age, my white face scared her. She would smile at me from a distance but up close she tended to begin wailing.
When it came close to time to leave to get back to the road for the bus to pick me up, Anna changed into a better dress. So, of course, we had to take more pictures.
Along the way to the road we met a neighbor with a cute baby who walked along with us. We arrived at the road at 5 p.m.
Unfortunately it was after 6 when the bus arrived. I was very happy when it finally made it since I was exhausted.
Arrived at the hotel, and there was HOT WATER! It's a miracle -- actually due to Cammie's checking with the desk and asking for it. And Anika and Katie had stopped to buy wine so we had liquids inside as well. The lubrication added to the fun of the group dinner we had during which we shared our "Day" experiences.
In bed with lights off at 10:30.
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