Hi everyone,
This is probably going to be my last update since tomorrow morning we are leaving for Jinja and leave Saturday for our safari which I cannot even wait for. I don't think I will be able to get onto a computer until I get home, but for everyone who has been following my trip ill write one more entry when I get home to tell you all about the safari, bungee jumping and white water rafting down the Nile.
The past couple days have been busy ones. I have been teaching at a preschool here called Harmony. It is a different school than the one that we cleared the soccer field for, but still ran and supported by YWAM which is the base we have been staying at for the past month. There are three classes there, and this morning I had the older kids, who really are only 4 and 5. To be quite honest, I questioned my teaching abilities, these kids were little devils. There was a huge language barrier and they have a hard time respecting anyone with white skin. All I could do was laugh and try my best to keep them under control. I felt like I was stuck in an animal cage, and I never want to sing the hokie pokie ever again. It was actually a really fun experience, even though I had zero classroom management, it was still fun to pretend to be the teacher for the day. All of the teachers were at this huge Christian celebrated called Jubilee so we were all the only ones teaching at the school. They are devils until they hold onto your leg and beg you not to leave. One three year old started crying and begging me to stay, it was really cute.
Yesterday a few of us went into town for the rest of the afternoon. A few of us have decided to put together some money to buy school supplies for a few of the families who are struggling. With some of the money that my friends and family raised for me back home, I was able to buy some notebooks and pencils for the kids, and a few supplies for the teachers.
I find here that begging is not something that you see on a regular basis hear because there is basely a tourist industry. We have been talking a lot as a team though about how to deal with the children whose only English word is money, and how to handle little ones pulling on your skirt begging for food. It breaks my heard every time I have to say no, but really giving money or food is only a band aid solution and not helping anyone of the problem in the long run. Yesterday a older lady approached me. She looked like she had suffered from leprosy and was missing fingers and toes. She was blind and walking with a terrible limp and a homemade crutch. How do you say no to someone like that. I wanted to give her everything that I had, but I knew that if I did I would have 100 other people expecting the same. I wasn't able to help her which made me feel sad, but I just told myself that by being here is helping far more than giving someone a small amount of money.
We had a pig roast last night which was insane. The pig was rotating on a stick and was definitely something I had never seen before. It was delicious though and a really nice farewell feast for us.
The airline we are taking home is now on strike, so getting home may be an issue but we are working on it. See you all soon!!!
Love you! xoxo
Tor
Thursday, May 27, 2010
Tuesday, May 25, 2010
Happy Birthday Daddy!!!
This might be a quick update because I do not have a lot of time on this computer but I will do my best!
Hi everyone, I am still have an amazing time and loving every day. We went and hiked Soroti rock the other day and had a blast. The path up was made of jagged rocks and a really weak railing so we felt pretty safe! Like most things we do here we had an army of little African children following us up the rock. At the top we were able to see all of Soroti, and even more of the poverty that is in it. I saw a village of mud huts that were using garbage as a roof and old tires to hold the garbage on, it was terrible. There is another big story about the rock, but I will save that one for you for when I get home!
Last night was devastating for me. I was asked to go to the hospital with two other people off my team to hand out bread to some of the patients and their parents. The hospital cannot afford to feed their patience, so unless family and friends bring food, the sick and dying people in the hospital starve. We first went to the pediatrics ward. I cannot even put into words the condition of the entire hospital other than every single emotion went through me when I saw it. Disgust, anger, sadness, are just a few. Stray dogs lay outside every door and flies cover the faces of all the little ones sick from malaria, AIDs, TB, and other awful diseases. There were three children to a bed, and parents sleeping on the cement floors beside them. I went through three different wards and saw maybe 5 nurses the entire time. We went with a staff member from the base and he prayed for all of them and read from the bible and then we helped hand out bread. When others around the hospital heard we had bread they came and filled the room. An old lady was pulling on my skirt begging for one piece of bread. The entire time I was fighting back tears. To see these children dying in the most terrible conditions ever made me sick to my stomach. I couldnt help but think that people back home are angry if their hospital room's TV doesn't work. That wasn't even the worst ward either. Next we went down the heart problems, AIDS, and TB ward. For some reason, seeing a malnourished adult made me even more sad than seeing the children. Especially when they are lying alone, with no family or support meaning no food. I am pretty sure I was watching some men take their last breaths which was just awful and something I hope I never have to see again.
We walked down the maternity ward as well and saw a few brand new babies, but the smell of that building was unbearable and we had to leave before we were going to be sick. The entire hospital is overcrowded, dark, dirty, and even worse than what you are picturing right now. I tried to take pictures to bring home just to show everyone how awful the conditions were, but the pictures cant even do it justice. I am really glad that I was able to go and see for myself how bad it really was, but it was once of those experiences that will stay with me forever. On a brighter note the families were incredibly grateful for the bread that we bought for them which made me feel better about the entire thing.
Today I went to a pre-school and elementary school and helped with the little ones. Yesterday I visited the high school and taught a quick lesson on Canada and what being a student back home is like. The class yesterday had 50 students and more than half were missing. I asked how many of them wanted to go to university and all of their hands shot in the air, I thought that was amazing. The little ones this morning were a handful but they were so much fun and had the cutest little uniforms.
I only have 3 more sleeps in Soroti and then we are heading back to Jinja on Friday morning. We are bungee jumping and white water rafting at a place called Adrift. You can look at their website it looks like its going to be amazing. We are spending a few nights there after our safari!
DAD! HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU, HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU, HAPPY BIRTHDAY DEAR DADDY, HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU!! I bought a phone card the other day so I will try and call tomorrow night, so it will be in the morning on your birthday. If you are not at home ill leave a message but try and be home!!!
Love you all! And see you soon!
xoxox
Tory
Hi everyone, I am still have an amazing time and loving every day. We went and hiked Soroti rock the other day and had a blast. The path up was made of jagged rocks and a really weak railing so we felt pretty safe! Like most things we do here we had an army of little African children following us up the rock. At the top we were able to see all of Soroti, and even more of the poverty that is in it. I saw a village of mud huts that were using garbage as a roof and old tires to hold the garbage on, it was terrible. There is another big story about the rock, but I will save that one for you for when I get home!
Last night was devastating for me. I was asked to go to the hospital with two other people off my team to hand out bread to some of the patients and their parents. The hospital cannot afford to feed their patience, so unless family and friends bring food, the sick and dying people in the hospital starve. We first went to the pediatrics ward. I cannot even put into words the condition of the entire hospital other than every single emotion went through me when I saw it. Disgust, anger, sadness, are just a few. Stray dogs lay outside every door and flies cover the faces of all the little ones sick from malaria, AIDs, TB, and other awful diseases. There were three children to a bed, and parents sleeping on the cement floors beside them. I went through three different wards and saw maybe 5 nurses the entire time. We went with a staff member from the base and he prayed for all of them and read from the bible and then we helped hand out bread. When others around the hospital heard we had bread they came and filled the room. An old lady was pulling on my skirt begging for one piece of bread. The entire time I was fighting back tears. To see these children dying in the most terrible conditions ever made me sick to my stomach. I couldnt help but think that people back home are angry if their hospital room's TV doesn't work. That wasn't even the worst ward either. Next we went down the heart problems, AIDS, and TB ward. For some reason, seeing a malnourished adult made me even more sad than seeing the children. Especially when they are lying alone, with no family or support meaning no food. I am pretty sure I was watching some men take their last breaths which was just awful and something I hope I never have to see again.
We walked down the maternity ward as well and saw a few brand new babies, but the smell of that building was unbearable and we had to leave before we were going to be sick. The entire hospital is overcrowded, dark, dirty, and even worse than what you are picturing right now. I tried to take pictures to bring home just to show everyone how awful the conditions were, but the pictures cant even do it justice. I am really glad that I was able to go and see for myself how bad it really was, but it was once of those experiences that will stay with me forever. On a brighter note the families were incredibly grateful for the bread that we bought for them which made me feel better about the entire thing.
Today I went to a pre-school and elementary school and helped with the little ones. Yesterday I visited the high school and taught a quick lesson on Canada and what being a student back home is like. The class yesterday had 50 students and more than half were missing. I asked how many of them wanted to go to university and all of their hands shot in the air, I thought that was amazing. The little ones this morning were a handful but they were so much fun and had the cutest little uniforms.
I only have 3 more sleeps in Soroti and then we are heading back to Jinja on Friday morning. We are bungee jumping and white water rafting at a place called Adrift. You can look at their website it looks like its going to be amazing. We are spending a few nights there after our safari!
DAD! HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU, HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU, HAPPY BIRTHDAY DEAR DADDY, HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU!! I bought a phone card the other day so I will try and call tomorrow night, so it will be in the morning on your birthday. If you are not at home ill leave a message but try and be home!!!
Love you all! And see you soon!
xoxox
Tory
Sunday, May 23, 2010
HI!!!
Hi friends!
So all the worry about people knowing that we were giving out things was for nothing. If anything when we walk the streets now they just bow to us and thank us for coming to help. Our team came with a budget to spend a certain amount of money to complete some projects of our choice while being here. Since clean water here is such an issue, we decided as a team to put some of our money towards buying these huge water containers (the ones that you see the ladies carrying on their heads). For the people here these cans are very expensive, but for us really they are worth peanuts. We were able to put our money together and buy 50 of these containers that will be going to several widows around town and their children to make it easier for them to have clean water from the wells. Today we went and picked up the last of these containers, and we have set up a table of the rest of the pink triple flip clothing for these single mothers to come sort through and bring back to their kids. I am really excited to be there while these ladies come, I think it will be an eye opening experience to have them, and I know that they will be incredibly thankful.
Yesterday a few of us went to the local well and tried to help pump some water for all of the children and elders who line up for hours to get clean water. We counted a line up of 52 water containers waiting to be filled and hundreds of people gathered around waiting for their turn. We tried to help but in the end they didn't want our help. The people here have this amazing sense of pride and at times almost get offended when we offer to help. That is one of things that has surprised me the most. I figured we would come and we would have people and families begging for our help, and for some that is the case, but for others their faith and pride is all they have. I tried pumping the water and all of the kids gathered around and just laughed at me and how slow I was compared to them. It was pretty funny, their little giggles are amazing.
We went back to work with the compassion kids on Friday and it was just as amazing. I had a group of about 30 who followed me around and fought for one of ten fingers to hold on to. I sat down with them and they gathered around me, pushing to be as close as possible. We played the repeat after me game. I would clap three times and they would repeat. We practiced our counting and I taught them a few more camp songs. It really made me want to come back and teach these kids. The children who do have the opportunity to go to school here are so grateful and work so hard. Ains you are going to have a wicked time teaching in Tanzania I wish I was going to be there with you.
Today we are going to hike the Soroti Rock which is the biggest tourist place here. Apparently up top the huge rock is a military base and you are not allowed taking pictures but I will see what I can do.
A man named Dominac has come from Kenya to stay with us for a few days. He is 23 now and a former LRA (Lord Resistance Army) child soldier. He is going to talk to us about his experiances and life story tonight which I am really excited for. I have heard bits and pieces about it so far and it is absolutely devastating. He is a journalist and has written some books about being a child solider as well.
Our safari and final activities are all planned. Mom I know you might freak but I am bungee jumping in Africa but it is going to be amazing! We are also going white water rafting down the Nile which is going to be amazing!
My month here has flown by but I am also really excited to come home. It is crazy how much you miss your family and the people who love and support you when you are seeing the sad things that will stay with me forever!
Oh yeah one more thing, we went to the orphanage last night for a sing along night with the kids. They all sang and played drums and it was amazing. We just danced with them and had an amazing time. Paully, the little girls with AIDS and stomach cancer was having an amazing night. She was up and dancing and I saw her smile for the first time. She pointed to my pink toes and asked if she could have some so I am going to go search for some nail polish so I can paint hers.
Love, love!
See you soon
xoxo
Tory
So all the worry about people knowing that we were giving out things was for nothing. If anything when we walk the streets now they just bow to us and thank us for coming to help. Our team came with a budget to spend a certain amount of money to complete some projects of our choice while being here. Since clean water here is such an issue, we decided as a team to put some of our money towards buying these huge water containers (the ones that you see the ladies carrying on their heads). For the people here these cans are very expensive, but for us really they are worth peanuts. We were able to put our money together and buy 50 of these containers that will be going to several widows around town and their children to make it easier for them to have clean water from the wells. Today we went and picked up the last of these containers, and we have set up a table of the rest of the pink triple flip clothing for these single mothers to come sort through and bring back to their kids. I am really excited to be there while these ladies come, I think it will be an eye opening experience to have them, and I know that they will be incredibly thankful.
Yesterday a few of us went to the local well and tried to help pump some water for all of the children and elders who line up for hours to get clean water. We counted a line up of 52 water containers waiting to be filled and hundreds of people gathered around waiting for their turn. We tried to help but in the end they didn't want our help. The people here have this amazing sense of pride and at times almost get offended when we offer to help. That is one of things that has surprised me the most. I figured we would come and we would have people and families begging for our help, and for some that is the case, but for others their faith and pride is all they have. I tried pumping the water and all of the kids gathered around and just laughed at me and how slow I was compared to them. It was pretty funny, their little giggles are amazing.
We went back to work with the compassion kids on Friday and it was just as amazing. I had a group of about 30 who followed me around and fought for one of ten fingers to hold on to. I sat down with them and they gathered around me, pushing to be as close as possible. We played the repeat after me game. I would clap three times and they would repeat. We practiced our counting and I taught them a few more camp songs. It really made me want to come back and teach these kids. The children who do have the opportunity to go to school here are so grateful and work so hard. Ains you are going to have a wicked time teaching in Tanzania I wish I was going to be there with you.
Today we are going to hike the Soroti Rock which is the biggest tourist place here. Apparently up top the huge rock is a military base and you are not allowed taking pictures but I will see what I can do.
A man named Dominac has come from Kenya to stay with us for a few days. He is 23 now and a former LRA (Lord Resistance Army) child soldier. He is going to talk to us about his experiances and life story tonight which I am really excited for. I have heard bits and pieces about it so far and it is absolutely devastating. He is a journalist and has written some books about being a child solider as well.
Our safari and final activities are all planned. Mom I know you might freak but I am bungee jumping in Africa but it is going to be amazing! We are also going white water rafting down the Nile which is going to be amazing!
My month here has flown by but I am also really excited to come home. It is crazy how much you miss your family and the people who love and support you when you are seeing the sad things that will stay with me forever!
Oh yeah one more thing, we went to the orphanage last night for a sing along night with the kids. They all sang and played drums and it was amazing. We just danced with them and had an amazing time. Paully, the little girls with AIDS and stomach cancer was having an amazing night. She was up and dancing and I saw her smile for the first time. She pointed to my pink toes and asked if she could have some so I am going to go search for some nail polish so I can paint hers.
Love, love!
See you soon
xoxo
Tory
Thursday, May 20, 2010
Update!
Hello everyone,
The last three days have been busy ones, and a little bit scary. For the first time we experienced a night where I didn't feel safe. We have two contacts here, Steven is the owner of the YWAM base that we are staying at and Simon owns the school that we are working at as well as both orphanages. It is really frustrating having these two men control our jobs since they have so many more important issues on the go. When one of our jobs fell through on Tuesday, we decided as a team to go out into the community and just make as many positive changes as we could. We split up into teams and just went out and tried to put a smile on as many faces as we could. My team and I went into a an alley where there were tons of kids. There was a concert going to promote voting in the election in soroti so we started a dance party with all of the kids. As soon as the word got out that there were "mazungas", white people, all of the kids from all over town came running towards us to join in our dance party. We handed out candy and other small prizes and it was absolutely amazing. Just to see their little faces light up when they get one little candy was amazing.
A store called triple flip in Calgary donated a bunch of little pink tank tops and zip ups to our team which is so nice. We each were given four pieces of clothing and told to go out and find families who were really in need of some new shirts for their kids. In one of the back streets I found a bunch of kids playing games and one Mom watching. I went up to her and asked about her story. She told me that she has two little girls and struggles to meet ends meet. I told her about the shirts and she started to cry. She called over her two little ones and I dressed them with their matching pink zip ups. It was an awesome moment. I have pictures of the family to show everyone. |I felt so fortunate to have been given that opportunity. I also came across another family sitting under a tree. They make a living by selling bananas and other baked goods but live in a mud hut that is falling apart and struggle getting clean water to their two children. I talked to them and asked them if I could give their son and a daughter some clothes. They just started saying anything, please anything. I think the language barrier was hard for them to understand me, but they were so grateful for anything I could offer them. A pink tank top on a little baby boy was probably the cutest thing I have ever seen, and the zip up hanging off the little girl was adorable to. They will be able to grow into them and they are really good quality so I am sure that they will last.
One of the other teams went into the slums and found a brand new medical center that has been created by two men from the UK, one is an engineer and the other is a dentist. They have had this goal of opening this center for ten years and it is almost ready. Yesterday we went and helped them sort all of their medical supplies and other toys and equipment that had been donated. They kept saying how we were the answer to their prayers and how thankful they were for all of our help. It felt really good to feel so welcomed. They found out that I was going to be a teacher and offered me a job to come back for a year and work as an administrator for their center but I think that is an awfully long time to be in Uganda. I was flattered to be asked though.
Another team found a primary school that holds 800 students and that is in just terrible shape. The roof is falling off, the windows are shattered and the whole building looks like it is going to collapse at any moment. We talked to the head teacher and he wants those of us who are teachers to come and teach some of the classes. I that would be an amazing experience, even though I would be teaching 100 kids which is insane. We are trying to put together a lesson on Canada for next week when we go into the school and help out.
After that amazing day we found out that giving away clothes to the locals here puts us at risk. Once they find out that we have money, our contacts were worried that we were going to get hassled in the streets and might even be at risk at getting robbed. They kind of exaggerated about the whole thing but it was really scary to think that we, or our stuff might be at risk. That was two days ago however and nothing has changed and we have been fine.
Today I was at the baby orphanage for about 4 hours. I sat with the head nurse who is from Holland and learned about the stories of some of the babies that I have fallen in love with. For the most part all of them are HIV positive, even the little one with stomach cancer. They are all on heavy medications which help fight infections and disease. One of the babies was abandoned in an outhouse right after being born. The mother did not tell anyone that she was pregnant and after giving birth left her baby alone in a toilet. How disgusting is that? I tear up most days hearing these stories but that one I will never forget. The baby is healthy now and doing really well which makes me feel a little bit better about the situation.
Tomorrow we are going back to work with the compassion kids so I am really excited for that. We are going to plan a bunch of games and activities to do with them so this time we are a bit more organized.
Hope you are all doing great!
Miss you and see you soon!
xoxox
Tory
The last three days have been busy ones, and a little bit scary. For the first time we experienced a night where I didn't feel safe. We have two contacts here, Steven is the owner of the YWAM base that we are staying at and Simon owns the school that we are working at as well as both orphanages. It is really frustrating having these two men control our jobs since they have so many more important issues on the go. When one of our jobs fell through on Tuesday, we decided as a team to go out into the community and just make as many positive changes as we could. We split up into teams and just went out and tried to put a smile on as many faces as we could. My team and I went into a an alley where there were tons of kids. There was a concert going to promote voting in the election in soroti so we started a dance party with all of the kids. As soon as the word got out that there were "mazungas", white people, all of the kids from all over town came running towards us to join in our dance party. We handed out candy and other small prizes and it was absolutely amazing. Just to see their little faces light up when they get one little candy was amazing.
A store called triple flip in Calgary donated a bunch of little pink tank tops and zip ups to our team which is so nice. We each were given four pieces of clothing and told to go out and find families who were really in need of some new shirts for their kids. In one of the back streets I found a bunch of kids playing games and one Mom watching. I went up to her and asked about her story. She told me that she has two little girls and struggles to meet ends meet. I told her about the shirts and she started to cry. She called over her two little ones and I dressed them with their matching pink zip ups. It was an awesome moment. I have pictures of the family to show everyone. |I felt so fortunate to have been given that opportunity. I also came across another family sitting under a tree. They make a living by selling bananas and other baked goods but live in a mud hut that is falling apart and struggle getting clean water to their two children. I talked to them and asked them if I could give their son and a daughter some clothes. They just started saying anything, please anything. I think the language barrier was hard for them to understand me, but they were so grateful for anything I could offer them. A pink tank top on a little baby boy was probably the cutest thing I have ever seen, and the zip up hanging off the little girl was adorable to. They will be able to grow into them and they are really good quality so I am sure that they will last.
One of the other teams went into the slums and found a brand new medical center that has been created by two men from the UK, one is an engineer and the other is a dentist. They have had this goal of opening this center for ten years and it is almost ready. Yesterday we went and helped them sort all of their medical supplies and other toys and equipment that had been donated. They kept saying how we were the answer to their prayers and how thankful they were for all of our help. It felt really good to feel so welcomed. They found out that I was going to be a teacher and offered me a job to come back for a year and work as an administrator for their center but I think that is an awfully long time to be in Uganda. I was flattered to be asked though.
Another team found a primary school that holds 800 students and that is in just terrible shape. The roof is falling off, the windows are shattered and the whole building looks like it is going to collapse at any moment. We talked to the head teacher and he wants those of us who are teachers to come and teach some of the classes. I that would be an amazing experience, even though I would be teaching 100 kids which is insane. We are trying to put together a lesson on Canada for next week when we go into the school and help out.
After that amazing day we found out that giving away clothes to the locals here puts us at risk. Once they find out that we have money, our contacts were worried that we were going to get hassled in the streets and might even be at risk at getting robbed. They kind of exaggerated about the whole thing but it was really scary to think that we, or our stuff might be at risk. That was two days ago however and nothing has changed and we have been fine.
Today I was at the baby orphanage for about 4 hours. I sat with the head nurse who is from Holland and learned about the stories of some of the babies that I have fallen in love with. For the most part all of them are HIV positive, even the little one with stomach cancer. They are all on heavy medications which help fight infections and disease. One of the babies was abandoned in an outhouse right after being born. The mother did not tell anyone that she was pregnant and after giving birth left her baby alone in a toilet. How disgusting is that? I tear up most days hearing these stories but that one I will never forget. The baby is healthy now and doing really well which makes me feel a little bit better about the situation.
Tomorrow we are going back to work with the compassion kids so I am really excited for that. We are going to plan a bunch of games and activities to do with them so this time we are a bit more organized.
Hope you are all doing great!
Miss you and see you soon!
xoxox
Tory
Tuesday, May 18, 2010
Waterfalls!
Hello hello!
This update doesn't have any sad stories for all of you, and it has been a nice change to not go to bed feeling devastated for the past two nights. I am doing really well, at times looking forward to coming home, but also a little scared about how I will be coming back to my little bubble of a world. I cant wait to come home to clean water, and constant electricity, and I am honestly so grateful for absolutely everything I have back home and I hope passing on my stories make you all feel the same way.
Yesterday I got to be a tourist for the first time since being here. All 15 of us crammed into the smallest van ever, with no air conditioning, and backpacks on our laps. The drivers here are insane, they swerve pot holes going so fast and we actually ran over a crocodile which was sad, but really funny at the time, I don't know how many people can say that they have been a part of that.
The drive was supposed to be an hour, but I have learned to never trust the time limits that we are given. By one hour, they mean three, but it is really cool getting to drive through the different areas in Uganda. The poverty still blows my mind every time I see a 10 year old carrying a baby on her back, and a huge bucket on her heard.
We arrived at the most beautiful resort ever (Mom and dad you would have loved it). It was the most westernized thing that I have seen here and loved it. There was a huge rainstorm at first and we were worried that after that drive we wouldn't be able to hike the waterfall, but the sun came out shorlty and the hike was amazing. It was a little scary being warned of the cobras who live on the mountain, but luckily we didn't see any. It was sad because when we made it half way up the mountain, a few young boys greeted us and stared leading us. They would grab your hand and help you down a ledge and then ask for money. I feel really uncomfortable when people beg or ask for money, but we ended up giving them some at the end because they saved our lives several times. We stood under a waterfall, and the mist from it almost was enough to push me over. We kept hiking and at the top was a calm pool of water and looking down you could see Uganda for miles, it was gorgeous. We saw some families who lived in small mud huts on the top of the moutain who looked at us like we were aliens. They survive off the millions of banana trees all over the mountains and their steady supply of clean water because of the waterfall. It was just a wicked day.
At the end of the hike we went to give some of the boys money to thank them for their help and one of the older boys went to pocket all of the money. One of the elders came up and hit him on the hand with the stick for being selfish and made him distribute the money evenly to the other younger boys who helped us. It just made me think how 1000 shillings here (so fifty cents) back home is nothing to us, but it is so essential here that the boys were willing to fight each other for it. Things got a bit scary so we were rushed into our van and had to leave, but everyday I learn something more about myself and how fortunate I am by seeing some of the sad and scary things here.
We are not able to go back to the orphanage because of the chicken pox outbreak. If one of us gets it then we cant get on the plane to come home. We just finished two of our painting jobs and are hoping to spend some time with the older girls from the other orphanage. We are hoping to have a fun girls night with them.
We had dinner with a local family from New Zealand last night and it was amazing. We celebrated their daughters 3rd birthday and just played the guitar and sang all night with them. It was a great end to one of the coolest days yet!
Mama,
I packed pretty well, ill have some great tips for ains though for when she goes. Your clothes get so dirty so fast and washing them doesn't really help. I am going to leave most of my clothes here with some of the local kids who really need them, and already know the little girl who is going to love my running shoes!
I am honestly doing ok, some days are better than others, but for the most part I love it here. I get sad at night when I have down time to think about what I have seen, but everyone should get an opportunity like this. I have learned so much!
Miss you so so much and love you!
Tell ains, leight and dad I say hi and i love them!
Talk to you soon
xoxoxo
Tory
This update doesn't have any sad stories for all of you, and it has been a nice change to not go to bed feeling devastated for the past two nights. I am doing really well, at times looking forward to coming home, but also a little scared about how I will be coming back to my little bubble of a world. I cant wait to come home to clean water, and constant electricity, and I am honestly so grateful for absolutely everything I have back home and I hope passing on my stories make you all feel the same way.
Yesterday I got to be a tourist for the first time since being here. All 15 of us crammed into the smallest van ever, with no air conditioning, and backpacks on our laps. The drivers here are insane, they swerve pot holes going so fast and we actually ran over a crocodile which was sad, but really funny at the time, I don't know how many people can say that they have been a part of that.
The drive was supposed to be an hour, but I have learned to never trust the time limits that we are given. By one hour, they mean three, but it is really cool getting to drive through the different areas in Uganda. The poverty still blows my mind every time I see a 10 year old carrying a baby on her back, and a huge bucket on her heard.
We arrived at the most beautiful resort ever (Mom and dad you would have loved it). It was the most westernized thing that I have seen here and loved it. There was a huge rainstorm at first and we were worried that after that drive we wouldn't be able to hike the waterfall, but the sun came out shorlty and the hike was amazing. It was a little scary being warned of the cobras who live on the mountain, but luckily we didn't see any. It was sad because when we made it half way up the mountain, a few young boys greeted us and stared leading us. They would grab your hand and help you down a ledge and then ask for money. I feel really uncomfortable when people beg or ask for money, but we ended up giving them some at the end because they saved our lives several times. We stood under a waterfall, and the mist from it almost was enough to push me over. We kept hiking and at the top was a calm pool of water and looking down you could see Uganda for miles, it was gorgeous. We saw some families who lived in small mud huts on the top of the moutain who looked at us like we were aliens. They survive off the millions of banana trees all over the mountains and their steady supply of clean water because of the waterfall. It was just a wicked day.
At the end of the hike we went to give some of the boys money to thank them for their help and one of the older boys went to pocket all of the money. One of the elders came up and hit him on the hand with the stick for being selfish and made him distribute the money evenly to the other younger boys who helped us. It just made me think how 1000 shillings here (so fifty cents) back home is nothing to us, but it is so essential here that the boys were willing to fight each other for it. Things got a bit scary so we were rushed into our van and had to leave, but everyday I learn something more about myself and how fortunate I am by seeing some of the sad and scary things here.
We are not able to go back to the orphanage because of the chicken pox outbreak. If one of us gets it then we cant get on the plane to come home. We just finished two of our painting jobs and are hoping to spend some time with the older girls from the other orphanage. We are hoping to have a fun girls night with them.
We had dinner with a local family from New Zealand last night and it was amazing. We celebrated their daughters 3rd birthday and just played the guitar and sang all night with them. It was a great end to one of the coolest days yet!
Mama,
I packed pretty well, ill have some great tips for ains though for when she goes. Your clothes get so dirty so fast and washing them doesn't really help. I am going to leave most of my clothes here with some of the local kids who really need them, and already know the little girl who is going to love my running shoes!
I am honestly doing ok, some days are better than others, but for the most part I love it here. I get sad at night when I have down time to think about what I have seen, but everyone should get an opportunity like this. I have learned so much!
Miss you so so much and love you!
Tell ains, leight and dad I say hi and i love them!
Talk to you soon
xoxoxo
Tory
Sunday, May 16, 2010
Hello :)
Hi everyone!
It is so exciting reading everyone's comments, I am so glad that I have all of your support back home. The last few days have been great, super busy and filled with even more exciting and sad experiences. We are almost done sanding and painting the complex that we are staying at, and I a few of my team mates were painting the older kids orphanage yesterday. When it is all painted we are going to get all the kids to make a rainbow of hand prints and we are going to add ours aswell as a way to remember us.
On Friday we got to do easily the coolest thing yet. There are a group of children here called "compassion kids" and they are the ones who have sponsors from all over the world. All we knew was that we were going to organize a few games and songs for these kids and spend some time with them, I really had no idea what we were getting ourselves into. We arrived in the back of our truck (the way we get everywhere, all 14 of us cram in the back of a truck, its so fun). We turned into this huge field and saw the church is runs the compassion kids program and immediately saw 400 of the most beautiful faces that I have ever seen. All wearing matching green shirts and running towards us. They were so excited to have friends to play with and have apparnetly been looking forward to us coming for so long. We broke into different groups, but as soon as I started leading repeat after me camp songs in the middle of a small circle, the number of kids surrounding me tripled. I guess the teacher in me kicked in and I entertained 300 kids for an hour. We sang songs, played games and it was absolutely amazing. At one point we sang head and shoulders and they already knew that song. I stopped and just let them sing and it was actually like the children choirs you see from Africa on tv, just such a cool moment. At one point we were running out of games to play with all of the kids, so one of the leaders was like I have an idea, see Tory, go chase her. So I ran down the field, turned around and actually had a stampede of green shirts sprinting towards me. Something that most people will never experiance in their lives, I felt so lucky. They all ran towards me and everyone single one joined in, in the biggest group hug ever, it was adorable. I have some videos of us singing with the kids and tons of great pictures that I cant wait to show you.
Yesterday was a tough day at the orphanage, every time I go I have to mentally prepare myself that I am going to have to hear, see, or learn something devastating. When I first got there I was told that William, one of my favorite little ones had been adopted. I was actually really happy to hear this because it sound like a great family had fallen in love with him as much as I had now, and hopefully will love him and take care of him. I met a new little girl named Paully for the first time. She is six years old, and I had never seen her before because she spends all her time collapsed on the floor in pain. It made me frustrated because she just cries and cries and it almost seems like the nurses just ignore her. She is the skinniest little thing I have ever seen, and cant weight more than 40 pounds. I sat with her and had to force feed her and when she got up and collapsed on the floor. I asked one of the nurses what was wrong with her and was told that she has stomach cancer and the pain is excruciating for her. As if being an abandoned orphan in Africa isn't bad enough, this little one has to fight for her life every moment of every day. I carried her to bed and was actually sad that I wouldn't see her again after that moment. I am pretty sure that she is going to pass away while I am here.
Just as I was leaving the orphanage a brand new baby was brought it. It is always so sad when this happens because the story that goes along with that child breaks my heart every time. That morning his mom had passed away from the chicken pocks and that was his last remaining family member. Now he is actually alone in this world, also fighting chicken pocks without the proper medication. A part of me wondered if it would just be easier on this little guys if he were to just die to, but my fingers are crossed that he will be ok and a family will adopt him.
Tomorrow we are being tourists and climbing this huge rock that has a waterfall on the top called "sippy falls". We are all really excited. Apparently it is quite the hike, and with the heat might be a challenge but it should be really fun.
Tonight is a big party at our base since the students who we have been living with leave tomorrow, so I have to get back to that!
My friend Tyson has malaria we found out yesterday, but he is taking a different pill than I am so I think I will be ok!
Love you and miss you all!
xoxox
Tory
It is so exciting reading everyone's comments, I am so glad that I have all of your support back home. The last few days have been great, super busy and filled with even more exciting and sad experiences. We are almost done sanding and painting the complex that we are staying at, and I a few of my team mates were painting the older kids orphanage yesterday. When it is all painted we are going to get all the kids to make a rainbow of hand prints and we are going to add ours aswell as a way to remember us.
On Friday we got to do easily the coolest thing yet. There are a group of children here called "compassion kids" and they are the ones who have sponsors from all over the world. All we knew was that we were going to organize a few games and songs for these kids and spend some time with them, I really had no idea what we were getting ourselves into. We arrived in the back of our truck (the way we get everywhere, all 14 of us cram in the back of a truck, its so fun). We turned into this huge field and saw the church is runs the compassion kids program and immediately saw 400 of the most beautiful faces that I have ever seen. All wearing matching green shirts and running towards us. They were so excited to have friends to play with and have apparnetly been looking forward to us coming for so long. We broke into different groups, but as soon as I started leading repeat after me camp songs in the middle of a small circle, the number of kids surrounding me tripled. I guess the teacher in me kicked in and I entertained 300 kids for an hour. We sang songs, played games and it was absolutely amazing. At one point we sang head and shoulders and they already knew that song. I stopped and just let them sing and it was actually like the children choirs you see from Africa on tv, just such a cool moment. At one point we were running out of games to play with all of the kids, so one of the leaders was like I have an idea, see Tory, go chase her. So I ran down the field, turned around and actually had a stampede of green shirts sprinting towards me. Something that most people will never experiance in their lives, I felt so lucky. They all ran towards me and everyone single one joined in, in the biggest group hug ever, it was adorable. I have some videos of us singing with the kids and tons of great pictures that I cant wait to show you.
Yesterday was a tough day at the orphanage, every time I go I have to mentally prepare myself that I am going to have to hear, see, or learn something devastating. When I first got there I was told that William, one of my favorite little ones had been adopted. I was actually really happy to hear this because it sound like a great family had fallen in love with him as much as I had now, and hopefully will love him and take care of him. I met a new little girl named Paully for the first time. She is six years old, and I had never seen her before because she spends all her time collapsed on the floor in pain. It made me frustrated because she just cries and cries and it almost seems like the nurses just ignore her. She is the skinniest little thing I have ever seen, and cant weight more than 40 pounds. I sat with her and had to force feed her and when she got up and collapsed on the floor. I asked one of the nurses what was wrong with her and was told that she has stomach cancer and the pain is excruciating for her. As if being an abandoned orphan in Africa isn't bad enough, this little one has to fight for her life every moment of every day. I carried her to bed and was actually sad that I wouldn't see her again after that moment. I am pretty sure that she is going to pass away while I am here.
Just as I was leaving the orphanage a brand new baby was brought it. It is always so sad when this happens because the story that goes along with that child breaks my heart every time. That morning his mom had passed away from the chicken pocks and that was his last remaining family member. Now he is actually alone in this world, also fighting chicken pocks without the proper medication. A part of me wondered if it would just be easier on this little guys if he were to just die to, but my fingers are crossed that he will be ok and a family will adopt him.
Tomorrow we are being tourists and climbing this huge rock that has a waterfall on the top called "sippy falls". We are all really excited. Apparently it is quite the hike, and with the heat might be a challenge but it should be really fun.
Tonight is a big party at our base since the students who we have been living with leave tomorrow, so I have to get back to that!
My friend Tyson has malaria we found out yesterday, but he is taking a different pill than I am so I think I will be ok!
Love you and miss you all!
xoxox
Tory
Wednesday, May 12, 2010
Update!!!
Hello, hello, hello!
The power has been out here for the past couple days and has recently came back on, so fingers crossed that it will stay on long enough for me to update you all on the past few days. It has been raining here about every evening, and the Ugandan people say its becuase Uganda loves us and is blessing us with rain!
I find that the culture in Africa is very simple. It couldnt be more different then ours at home. In Canada we are all on a time limit and feel the pressures of deadlines constantly, but here as long as everyone is happy and being fed, there are no stresses. We are having a hard time adjusting to this just becuase since we have come such a far distance to help, sitting around and not accomplishing the jobs that we want to seems like a waste of time. The painting of the library hasnt happened yet. We waited on Monday for the owner of the orphanage to come get us and take us to the library to paint, and were frustrated when he did not show up til around 12. We later found out that his reasons were becuase he had been dealing with a little boy who had recenetly been taking back to his family after spending a year at the orphanage. He had been beaten by his aunt after being accused of stealing and made his way back to the orphanage in the middle of the night (clearly the only place he has ever felt safe). We all went with him to the police station and wrote a police report, but after could do nothing else but drop him off at another family members house. Leaving him made me feel sick to my stomach and I felt selfish and disappointed in myself for being angry about not being able to paint the library when really their are bigger and more important things going on here then just us.
We visited the orphanage again and I spend half my time washing windows and folding laundry and the other half holding the greatest little boy named Issac. Before I heard his story I would have guessed that he was about 6 months old. He is weak, so tiny and cant hold the own weight of us head. I asked one of the nurses about him and she told me that he had spend about the a year at the orphange after being abandoned by his parents. At this time he was so sick and so malnutritioned that they didnt know if he would survive. He ended up being saved and being nursed back to health and then was returned back to his family once he was healthy. About three days ago he was dropped off and abandoned at the orphange once again, this time even more sick than he was the first time. He is almost two years old! Two years old, and isnt strong enough to hold his own heads weight. I held him for three hours, and just kissed his head and hoped that in that short time that I could spend with him that he would feel more love than he ever has before.
Yesterday our team split up. I was one of five who went back to Harmony school and began creating a soccer team for the children there. The high grass and push that covered their filed was taller than me, and we were given machettes to start chopping away. In three hours, 5 of us were able to get about a quarter of the field done, and that is only becuase a few of the local boys who live in the poorest part of Soroti couldnt get over how terrible we were at using the knives. They just stood back and laughed at us, and eventually began helping us. At the end thier was about 15 babies, toddlers, parents and teens who had gathered around, some to laugh at us, and some to help with the job. The sense of community here blows my mind.
We began tackling the job of building soccer nets, but due to the lack of resources here can only make them out of strips of fabric knotted together. One net took us about three hours and we hope to get about eight made while we are here.
Another job that we are going to start soon is a building some benches for the local prison. It is hard to shop for materials here because everyone knows that we have money. They try to up the prices becuase they know we can afford it, so we are all getting very good at bargoning.
It is about 35 degrees here today and probably the hottest heat I have ever experiances. The colours here are amazing and everything is so lush and beautiful. I have taken some amazing pictures and cant wait to show you all!
Every day at 5 we go to the local soccer fields and play with the kids their. We introduced them to football which they think is the most halarious sport ever. They also love frisbee!
We are just about to go back to machette and hopefully begin painting!
Love you all!!!
xoxox
Tory
The power has been out here for the past couple days and has recently came back on, so fingers crossed that it will stay on long enough for me to update you all on the past few days. It has been raining here about every evening, and the Ugandan people say its becuase Uganda loves us and is blessing us with rain!
I find that the culture in Africa is very simple. It couldnt be more different then ours at home. In Canada we are all on a time limit and feel the pressures of deadlines constantly, but here as long as everyone is happy and being fed, there are no stresses. We are having a hard time adjusting to this just becuase since we have come such a far distance to help, sitting around and not accomplishing the jobs that we want to seems like a waste of time. The painting of the library hasnt happened yet. We waited on Monday for the owner of the orphanage to come get us and take us to the library to paint, and were frustrated when he did not show up til around 12. We later found out that his reasons were becuase he had been dealing with a little boy who had recenetly been taking back to his family after spending a year at the orphanage. He had been beaten by his aunt after being accused of stealing and made his way back to the orphanage in the middle of the night (clearly the only place he has ever felt safe). We all went with him to the police station and wrote a police report, but after could do nothing else but drop him off at another family members house. Leaving him made me feel sick to my stomach and I felt selfish and disappointed in myself for being angry about not being able to paint the library when really their are bigger and more important things going on here then just us.
We visited the orphanage again and I spend half my time washing windows and folding laundry and the other half holding the greatest little boy named Issac. Before I heard his story I would have guessed that he was about 6 months old. He is weak, so tiny and cant hold the own weight of us head. I asked one of the nurses about him and she told me that he had spend about the a year at the orphange after being abandoned by his parents. At this time he was so sick and so malnutritioned that they didnt know if he would survive. He ended up being saved and being nursed back to health and then was returned back to his family once he was healthy. About three days ago he was dropped off and abandoned at the orphange once again, this time even more sick than he was the first time. He is almost two years old! Two years old, and isnt strong enough to hold his own heads weight. I held him for three hours, and just kissed his head and hoped that in that short time that I could spend with him that he would feel more love than he ever has before.
Yesterday our team split up. I was one of five who went back to Harmony school and began creating a soccer team for the children there. The high grass and push that covered their filed was taller than me, and we were given machettes to start chopping away. In three hours, 5 of us were able to get about a quarter of the field done, and that is only becuase a few of the local boys who live in the poorest part of Soroti couldnt get over how terrible we were at using the knives. They just stood back and laughed at us, and eventually began helping us. At the end thier was about 15 babies, toddlers, parents and teens who had gathered around, some to laugh at us, and some to help with the job. The sense of community here blows my mind.
We began tackling the job of building soccer nets, but due to the lack of resources here can only make them out of strips of fabric knotted together. One net took us about three hours and we hope to get about eight made while we are here.
Another job that we are going to start soon is a building some benches for the local prison. It is hard to shop for materials here because everyone knows that we have money. They try to up the prices becuase they know we can afford it, so we are all getting very good at bargoning.
It is about 35 degrees here today and probably the hottest heat I have ever experiances. The colours here are amazing and everything is so lush and beautiful. I have taken some amazing pictures and cant wait to show you all!
Every day at 5 we go to the local soccer fields and play with the kids their. We introduced them to football which they think is the most halarious sport ever. They also love frisbee!
We are just about to go back to machette and hopefully begin painting!
Love you all!!!
xoxox
Tory
Sunday, May 9, 2010
Newest Update!
Hello everyone,
Facebook is really hard to get onto in Soroti and email at times doesnt let me send messages so this is the best way for me to give everyone updates on my trip. The place we are staying at in Soroti is great, the people are amazing and all have crazy stories. We went and visited both of the orphanages yesterday for the first time. I held the most beautiful baby boy in the world for about an hour and had my first melt down, I cried for the first time since arriving. On the wall were pictures of all of the babies that had been at the orphanage in the past, and the stars represented those who had passed away. Most of the pictures had stars which made me really sad. They all have smiles that light up their faces, and even though most are sick with AIDs they all are incredibly happy babies. The orphanage with the older kids needs lots of work. We plan on painting some of the walls and decorating them with a rainbow of our handprints with the kids handpints inside of ours. We also are hoping to buy materials and build some soccer nets for the community and for the orphanage.
Yesterday we also filled some pot holes in some of the local roads in hopes to make it a smoother ride for the few cars that are here, but mostly for all of the bikers. It was a long job in the heat but we sang songs and had a really good time. Wherever we go crowds gather around us. We feel like celebrities here it is really exciting.
Today we went to a local church. Walking in was very intimidating but eventually they called our team up and introduced us. We each said our names and where we were from and everyone was so excited to have us as their visitors. Church here is all about singing and dancing and it was a blast. One little boy came up to me out of nowhere and sat down beside me. I looked down and saw his little hand wrapped around my thumb, it was amazing!
Tomorrow we are planning on going to help paint the new library that has just been built, so that should be exciting!
Rice and beans is delicious!
Mom! I wont be able to call today, but I hope you had an amazing Mother's Day. I love you and wish that you were here with me. You are the best mama in the world and I hope you and Nana are having a great Mother's day together and that my sisters are spoiling you!
Love you, love you love you!
Miss you all! xoxoxo
Tory
Facebook is really hard to get onto in Soroti and email at times doesnt let me send messages so this is the best way for me to give everyone updates on my trip. The place we are staying at in Soroti is great, the people are amazing and all have crazy stories. We went and visited both of the orphanages yesterday for the first time. I held the most beautiful baby boy in the world for about an hour and had my first melt down, I cried for the first time since arriving. On the wall were pictures of all of the babies that had been at the orphanage in the past, and the stars represented those who had passed away. Most of the pictures had stars which made me really sad. They all have smiles that light up their faces, and even though most are sick with AIDs they all are incredibly happy babies. The orphanage with the older kids needs lots of work. We plan on painting some of the walls and decorating them with a rainbow of our handprints with the kids handpints inside of ours. We also are hoping to buy materials and build some soccer nets for the community and for the orphanage.
Yesterday we also filled some pot holes in some of the local roads in hopes to make it a smoother ride for the few cars that are here, but mostly for all of the bikers. It was a long job in the heat but we sang songs and had a really good time. Wherever we go crowds gather around us. We feel like celebrities here it is really exciting.
Today we went to a local church. Walking in was very intimidating but eventually they called our team up and introduced us. We each said our names and where we were from and everyone was so excited to have us as their visitors. Church here is all about singing and dancing and it was a blast. One little boy came up to me out of nowhere and sat down beside me. I looked down and saw his little hand wrapped around my thumb, it was amazing!
Tomorrow we are planning on going to help paint the new library that has just been built, so that should be exciting!
Rice and beans is delicious!
Mom! I wont be able to call today, but I hope you had an amazing Mother's Day. I love you and wish that you were here with me. You are the best mama in the world and I hope you and Nana are having a great Mother's day together and that my sisters are spoiling you!
Love you, love you love you!
Miss you all! xoxoxo
Tory
Friday, May 7, 2010
We made it!!!
Hello everyone!
We arrived safely on Wednesday after two separate 8 hour flight, and another 8 hour lay over in Heathrow. Right after we got off the plane all 25 of us piled into a small van, with all of our luggage and made our way to Jinja, Uganda. We drove through Kampala which is the capital of the country and it was like nothing I have ever seen before. People fill the streets, motor cycles weave in and out of the traffic and on sidewalks, and their are no road rules. We arrived in Jinga and were greeted with tons of little ones who were so excited to see us. The family that we stayed with was amazing and made us all feel very welcome.
Yesterday we made another 7 our trek to Soroti which is where I will be spending my next 25 days. We are staying at a base called YWAM (Youth with a mission) and there are about 15 staff and students that are staying with us. They constantly thank us for coming to help their people and are so genuinely kind and giving.
We plan on visiting the orphanage tomorrow and meeting the little ones that we will be working with. We also plan on helping to finish paint a church and fill pot holes in the roads, as well as visit many patience suffering with HIV and AIDS in the local hospital.
Overall it has been incredible so far. I cannot even put into words what this culture is like other than amazing. Everyone should witness the poverty fist hand to realize how fortunate we are back at home.
Love you all!
Ill update as soon as I can!
xoxox
Tory
We arrived safely on Wednesday after two separate 8 hour flight, and another 8 hour lay over in Heathrow. Right after we got off the plane all 25 of us piled into a small van, with all of our luggage and made our way to Jinja, Uganda. We drove through Kampala which is the capital of the country and it was like nothing I have ever seen before. People fill the streets, motor cycles weave in and out of the traffic and on sidewalks, and their are no road rules. We arrived in Jinga and were greeted with tons of little ones who were so excited to see us. The family that we stayed with was amazing and made us all feel very welcome.
Yesterday we made another 7 our trek to Soroti which is where I will be spending my next 25 days. We are staying at a base called YWAM (Youth with a mission) and there are about 15 staff and students that are staying with us. They constantly thank us for coming to help their people and are so genuinely kind and giving.
We plan on visiting the orphanage tomorrow and meeting the little ones that we will be working with. We also plan on helping to finish paint a church and fill pot holes in the roads, as well as visit many patience suffering with HIV and AIDS in the local hospital.
Overall it has been incredible so far. I cannot even put into words what this culture is like other than amazing. Everyone should witness the poverty fist hand to realize how fortunate we are back at home.
Love you all!
Ill update as soon as I can!
xoxox
Tory
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