Adventures with Julia

August 13, 2016 Still at Mahogany Springs Lodge.

The view from Mahogany Springs lodge

The mahogany tree shaped like Africa outside our our room

It is nice to stay in one place awhile. We are here for 5 days and nights. The place is close to Bwindi BCommunity Hospital (BCH) and the Batwa Development Project (BDP), very comfortable and quiet and we have a lovely view of the rainforest from our small veranda. The staff is delightful and very accommodating. The food is not great, but at least it is not traditional African faire and the atmosphere is pleasant.

Bwindi Community Hospital, Buhoma, Uganda

THe sprawling BCH campus

This morning the hospital van picked us up to take us to Monkey House, where KF volunteers stay and group meals are served. Most everyone was getting ready to leave for home following morning prayers. Dr Andy Nyberg, an ER doc from Park City who had been with our group all week, had buttonholed me the night before to ask if I would participate in a mock car crash to give the hospital team some practice in diagnostics. Silly me said yes. So as soon as we

Mock emergency. Me pretending badly to have a broken leg and skinned arm.

arrived at Monkey House, I was taken to the ambulance, had grape jelly smeared over my arm and a bandage wrapped around my leg. Two nursing school students were told to demonstrate pain in the gut and difficulty breathing. I was to have the least serious injuries, but to make the most noise about my pain and draw attention away from the “more seriously injured”. So, as everyone was in the middle of prayers on the outdoor hospital waiting area, the ambulance driver started his sirens about a block away and drove like crazy into the hospital yard. We each did our bit, with me screaming bloody murder about the pain. Mark, who knew it was a mock event, said the three of us were terrible actors and he could not stop laughing. The way I was extricated from the ambulance would have been most painful, had I really had a broken leg. Three emergency aids managed to get me into a wheel chair and into the ER. They had a hard time getting me on the bed as there was no gurney for that purpose. I carried on complaining of pain until someone announced that this was a practice event. Dr Andy observed the experience was an eye opener and brought up many lessons to be learned. I was glad to help and glad to get the grape jelly off my arm.

Shortly thereafter, our two vans for the week departed with most of the group. They headed for Kigali, Rwanda and home. We were happy to be staying behind with no more scheduled agendas. However, we kept busy the rest of the day anyway.

A bodaboda ride. Cool fun transportation

Once the gang was not around to keep us from using boda bodas, motorcycles for hire, we flagged one down and had a cool ride back to our lodge, an otherwise hot uphill walk.

Waiting at the entrance was our godchild, Juliana, and her father Gino. We had not seen them since her baptism 12 years ago. Having been in regular email contact with Gino, we were expecting them, but it was still a treat. The staff brought us drinks as we sat in the lobby and chatted.

Meeting Juliana, our 12 year old Rukiga godchild for the first time

Juliana’s English is pretty good and we were able to communicate reasonably well. Gino speaks reasonably good English and helped when Juliana and I had trouble. She, just like Anivious, is very shy and soft spoken. I gave her the second bible I brought for the two of them. She seemed very pleased. It took her no time to understand how to get around in the book and, when I asked her which was her favorite, she immediately said Luke, went directly to that book and read the first chapter to me with good inflection. I was impressed and trust that she will use her new bible well. After agreeing to join them at Sunday Mass the next day, they left with big hugs.

For those of you who may not know, I came to be Juliana’s godmother when Carol and Scott Kellermann, who are Anglican and thought it inappropriate to do it themselves, asked me, because we happened to be here at the time and Gino’s family is Catholic as I am. I hesitated, knowing the responsibilities of a godparent, but, if you have not already guessed, it is very hard to say no to Carol and Scott.

Baptism photo and certificate, August 15, 2004

The baptism occurred on August 15, 2004. Over the years, I have sent clothes and cards when someone from home was headed to Uganda. Eventually, we started paying her school fees and recently I received a scanned copy of Juliana’s first letter to me, in English. Now she is 12 and in her last year of primary school. In February she will start secondary school. Where she goes depends on how well she does on her exams. She gave me a paper listing her options and first choice, which is a private coed Catholic school a long way from home. If she gets in, she will live on campus. She says she is in the top 25% of her class. We are hoping she gets her wish.

Precious, Adera and Juliana at their homeng she gets her wish.

Sunday morning, August 14, 2016, I took a boda boda to the Catholic church at 10am, the time Juliana asked me to come. The place was deserted, but someone came along who knew Gino and walked me to their home nearby. We encountered Juliana along the path. She looked like an angel all in white with gold sandals on her feet. We walked together to her house. Turns out services start around 11am, so I visited with her mother, Victor, and her two younger sisters, Adera (9) and Precious (6). Gino was there plucking a chicken in preparation for our lunch. Finally, the drums started and we walked back up the path to church.

It was not the usual mass proceedings I know, but a thanksgiving service without the consecration or communion. Never mind, the music and singing were glorious. I did not need to understand the words. At one point the priest called Juliana up to the altar and asked her to introduce me. So I said a few words. That did not seem to satisfy anyone, so I had to tell them more about myself and how I came to be there. Shortly thereafter the service turned into a live auction. A man came down the aisle with a clean, good looking goat asking for offers. Apparently, people bid on the goat until someone finally buys it. The proceeds go to the church. After the goat, came a bundle of maize. I could see that this was going to last a long time, so the girls and I left. Victor and Gino, had left earlier to finish preparing lunch.

Juliana, their great grandmother and Adera after church

As we left, an old lady came up and stopped us. Juliana told me this was Victor’s grandmother. She wanted some attention so I took a few photos.

A warm embrace

Finally, back at Juliana’s home, Gino called Mark and as soon as he arrived we sat down to a better than average traditional meal. Stewed chicken instead of goat, good beans, rice and matoke. No millet or cassava, thankfully. After a conversational lunch we went out into the courtyard to watch the girls dance and have fun.

The girls dance after lunch. Notice the gold sandals

It was a pleasant afternoon. Around 3pm the whole family walked us down the path to the road. We hugged again and waived goodbye with hopes of seeing each other again.

Gino, Victor, the girls and us enjoy the day together

For years I have admired photos of other peoples children and grand children and not been able to reciprocate. So now is my chance. Here are a collection of photos of Juliana,our only godchild, and her family. I hope you ohhh and ahhh at them. 🙂

The family wishing us good bye