Bye Bye Teacher Ali ...

The girls sing a beautiful song!

Professional Ugandan Dancers!

Oh dear!! trying to copy the professionals!!

Receiving gifts

Me and some of the kids

The 4 children my friends and I are sponsoring!

Saying Goodbye to Justine breaks my heart!

Jonathan loves sunglasses!

Nakato aged 5

Junior aged 3



Rhoda, aged 7



Playing in the street!

I can't believe how quickly 4 weeks can pass! It literally seems to have flown by. Again I had a wonderful leaving ceremony, this time shared with a welcoming ceremony for 2 other volunteers and also a celebration of African Childs day.  We had a whole afternoon of singing from the children, dancing from a professional dance troup !!! (and of course the not so professional volunteers got roped in to embarress themselves, which the children LOVED) and as is the Uganda way, lots of speeches.  I think in every single speech the 'wonderful' generator was mentioned and hearty and sincere thanks given to me (and everyone who helped pay for it) It truly has made such a difference to the school.  I have taken a video of a fantastic speech that 5 of the girls gave, and they said thank you for buying us the very good generator, it was hilarious and I wish i could upload it to the blog as you would all love to see it and it would make you laugh.  I will try to circulate it when I get home.

Obvioulsy I was in floods of tears again and when it came to my turn to give a speech the words just wouldn't come out and every time I opened my mouth all that came out were sobs!!! I really must get a grip on these tears !!! haha

As I am sure you have gathered I have, once more had the most amazing time in uganda and been thrilled to be part of CALM Africa again. I must say the people I met and have spend quite some time with now are some of the most wonderful, generous and hospitalble people I have ever met! I am very sad to leave them. :-(

I have now moved on and am in Windhoek Namibia, having arrived yesterday afternoon I am struck by the complete and utter contrast to Uganda, so far I have found Windhoek to be thouroughly modern, all the roads are tarmaced andin excellent condition, there seems to be little (obvious) poverty though I expect this will change when we get into the countryside! It is also very sort of dead looking (wish I was better with words) What I mean is that is is such a contrast to Uganda which is so green and lush, where the grown here is very dry and arid looking and its also the winter so whilst lovely during the day, its FREEZING at night, last night I was completely frozen.... and I was in a hotel room so I can't begin to imagine whats its going to be like in a tent!!! So this morning I have been out and bought thermal underwear to wear in bed, a termal sleeping bag liner and a very thick hoody to try to keep me warm in the evenings!!! Wish me luck !!! :-)

Anyway, off now to meet my fellow travellers and to get a good nights sleep before starting off on our trup tomorrow.

Bye for now

X

YES, we had the power .... and now so do they!!!!

Inspecting the Generator

Testing it to make sure it works!

The money changes hands

The little girl in the shop kept me entertained

Traveling with the generator in the back of the pick up

Arriving at the school

Carrying it to its destination

Some of the little ones wondering what it is!

Is baby Paul giving me the finger??!!

Africa can sometimes be very frustrating!!!!!!!


I have now been at the internet cafe in Kampala for approx 2.5 hours and have tried to upload photos 4 times to my blog.  There is a massive thunder storm going on outside so the electricity has cut out (no big surprise there) and we are now running on a generator - which has also cut out twice ( this wont happen with the new flash generator we have bought!), so every time the photos have just about uploaded the power cuts out and I loose them again gggggrrrrrrr :-)

Anyway, I just want to say a massive THANK YOU to everyone who contributed to my fund raising campaign, YOU HAD THE POWER and now, so do CALM Africa and the Jolly Mercy Learning Centre.

By the middle of last week we had reached the necessary target to allow us to go out and start shopping for a generator.  We went out on Wednesday morning and again yesterday.  We shopped around a bit to make sure we got a fair price and yesterday morning we found the ideal generator.  It is a Honda generator which is what the chaps at the charity had hoped for as it is the best brand on the market, it runs on Petrol rather than Diesel as in the long run it will be cheaper to maintain. So yesterday lunchtime we paid for the generator and transported it back to the School and had it all wired into place.  Until next week it will be stored safely in one of the offices when a secure area will be built and where it will remain thereafter. .

Once again, thank you so much to everyone who contributed, the chaps at the charity and the kids were absolutely over the moon and we couldn't have done it with you.  You have truly made a difference to their lives.

 

I am leaving Uganda once again this week and am sure I will be just as tearful as last time and am already dreading saying goodbye!! So I head to Namibia on Friday morning for my 2 week camping trip! so will blog again when I get the chance though I think it may be a little more difficult as we are staying in some quite remote places.

Thank you again to everyone and if you would still like to make a contribution to the 'Power' fund, its not too late, we are now collecting money so that they can buy enough fuel to run the generator for some time, so please donate all you like :-)

Bye for now

 

Africa Time!!!!

How Cool am I in my new Nike Top

We all have a watch now!!

We love our new watches

Could my smile get any bigger (see my Watch)

Little Puffla is still one of my favorites

Swearing in the new Mayor!!

The Police are never far away!!

Teacher Ali helped us do this big picture for our parents day!

Me on a Boda Boda!!

How cute am I!!!

Visiting Justine's Mum again ( my Ugandan Family)

Surrounded by the lovely children

Rhoda is never far from my side!

How smart are we in our new gear!

Trying out our new tops

Hello All

A MASSIVE thank you to everyone who has contributed to the DO WE HAVE THE POWER....?? campaign so far, we have now reached 75% of the target with just over a week and a half left to go before I leave, I really hope we can get to the target of 600 pounds and enable to staff and kids at Jolly Mercy and CALM Africa to experience a convenience that you and I just take for granted....  again if you would like to contribute the website address is:

http://www.charitygiving.co.uk/alisonmichie

Thank you again for your contributions, both the people here and I really do appreciate your generosity!.

OK, so what I have I been up to and what is Africa time!!!

Last week I was lucky and privileged to be asked to attend the swearing in ceremony of the Mayor and town Councillors of a district where the charity operates.  I was a little worried that I didn't have the correct clothes to wear to such an occasion but managed to pull a fairly decent outfit together, I also wore make up which I haven't done since January !!! It was an experience I can tell you. I was told (and the invitation confirmed) the programme started at 8.00am so I was up early, showered (well washed down with a bucket and jug anyway) and waiting at 7.30am to be picked up.  My ride picked me up at 8.45 and we arrived at our destination at approx 9.30 (1.5 hours after it was supposed to start... or so I thought)  No problem, no problem, we're on Africa time now I was told.... when we arrived they were still setting up and we were only the second party of people to arrive.  The whole thing eventually started around 11.15!!, THIS is 'Africa time'!!! Mary (one of my best friends) Dad was recently sworn in as Mayor of Stafford and as I watched the ceremony in Uganda I couldn't help but wonder how different the ceremonies would have been.  I wonder in the UK if there was a booming stereo system?? whether the crowds of visitors blew whistles and voovoozelas?? (can't spell) and whether her Dad danced down the red carpet with all his supporters dancing with him....(hilarious) I captured some of it on video as I just have to show Mary when I get back!!

Another example of Africa time was yesterday when there was a parents meeting at the school, again I had to find something decent to wear as it was a formal occasion (well formal for Africa anyway) and I was required to give a speech. Anyway, the start time of the meeting was 9am, so again I was at the school in plenty of time (8.30) for a 9am start.... the meeting eventually kicked off about 10.45 but still there was only about 15 parents there, and people were still arriving at 12.30 .... brilliant, so funny. My speech went down well I think as they all laughed and clapped (to be honest they only really laughed when I said Good Morning Ladies and Gentlemen, thank you for coming in Ugandan!!) I can speak pretty much all the basic greetings etc now, but the locals think its hilarious!!  haha

Other than that I have been spending lots of time at the school with the kids, lots of them are sick at the moment, Malaria probably the most common ailment, but also there is an outbreak of measles, a stomach bug and Flu (lets hope anti malaria tablets, a flu injection, and having had measles aged 14 that I'll come away unscathed!!)  On a brighter note, I have had a couple of fantastic days giving out clothes and shoes again which I sent over from the UK, thanks to friends who gave them to me (Sue, Tim and Matty, Sara, Geoff and Emily., Peter, Norma, William and Louis, Sam, Leigh, Thomas and Jessie and Sally, Carl and Freya) this time round we had so many fabulous things, every child (120 of them) got at least one item of new clothing, so much excitement it was fabulous. But even more exciting was that my sister in law Emma's company Peers Hardy had donated 20 childrens watches to the school.  I felt the fairest thing to do would be to give the watches to the children in P7 (their last year of primary school) To say they went nuts is an understatement, they LOVED their watches, of course, this is the first time the majority of them had anything quite a lovely as a watch! The photo's tell the story..... Enjoy

Anyway that's about all for now, more next week.

A xxxxxx

Do we have the power.........???????

......... to change the lives of the kids and staff at Jolly Mercy Learning Centre and CALM Africa, I sure hope so!!!

? How annoying is it when there is a power cut and you can’t watch TV or use the internet… and then when it comes back on you have to re-set the time on all your clocks.

? Isn’t it frustrating when the battery on your mobile runs out and you can’t re-charge it immediately?

? Can you imagine what it would be like if you couldn’t just flick a switch and the light come on?
At present, power cuts are not an annual or even monthly occurrence but a daily and more often hourly issue at Jolly Mercy Learning Centre. Due to infrastructure issues and the fact that Jolly Mercy is hidden in the depths of a rural village, the power supply is never guaranteed.
I am trying to raise enough money to be able to install a generator at the Jolly Mercy Learning Centre in Uganda where I am working, Please visit my charity giving page to see how you can help with the "Do we have the Power Campaign" Please feel free to pass this information on to anyone who you think may be interested!

http://www.charitygiving.co.uk/alisonmichie

THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR YOUR SUPPORT

PS you may have to cut and paste the link into your address line as I don't think it connects automatically from here!

Baby Class ( its their first year)

Primary 7 (its their last year)

How was there?

Rhoda has hardly left my side since I got back! And just loves my sunglasses

At last Teacher Ali is back ! She loves playing catch with us!

Rhoda has to carry my camera case, no one else is allowed!

So at last I am back in Uganda! And its just wonderful.

I have been made to feel so welcome since I got back, with everyone from the local shop keeper,the internet cafe owner, parents of the kids, the staff at the charity and teachers at the school, saying Oh Ali, you are most welcome back to Uganda, How was there!!!!  ???? I guess 'there' is wherever they think I have been, so I smile and say 'there' was great thank you!

The majority of the kids are still on school holidays, the boarders arrive back tomorrow and the rest on Monday, I am very excited to see them.  The few kids that are at school, mostly the kids of people who work at the school, have been so cute.  Rhoda in particular had dressed herself up specially for my return and had flowers in her hair, according to her mum she'd been up since the crack of dawn bathing herself and out looking for flowers, bless her heart.  She is now practically stuck to my side or clinging on to my legs and both days I have left to go home she has been in floods of tears - how lovely to be so wanted eh!!! :-)

Today I have been into Kampala to stock up on a few essentials that you can only buy in the city..... Pringles, Oreo cookies, Candburys chocolate, mini cheddars..... you know just the necessities in life! Of course being back in Kampala sees me returning to rides on a Boda Boda (on the back of a motobike for those who can't remember) and I guess I had forgotten just how terrifying it could be, I was clinging on for grim death this morning as the young punk boda boda driver, weaved his way through the traffic jams and madness that is Kampala on a Saturday morning, good god it was like a whie knuckle ride I was pertified, I need to choose an old bloke next time, they tend to hear my cries of Poland Poland (slowly slowly) and take a bit more care.. Ho Hum, when in Uganda.........!!!!!!!

I have so many things to do during this stay in Uganda, in particular arranging for some more children to be sponsored by some friends who have said they would like to sponsor a child here.  Also I am going to try to raise enough money to install a generator for the school, the lack of consistent power supply is a constant problem for them and I would like to leave a permanent reminder of me and all my friends, family and colleagues.  I am going to set up a charity giving website, in the hope that by clubbing together we may be able to raise enough money to give them the generator they so desparately need..... What this space for more details.

Anyway, I think thats all for now, am off to take the local bus, come taxi ,come minivan back to the volunteer house.  I am the only volunteer here this time, so have the house to myself! I may have felt a little nervous a couple of weeks ago when there was a bit of a political uprising and the leader of the opposition party was arreseted right outside the gates to the house!!!!!!!! But now there are so many police in riot vans everywhere I don't think anyone will trouble little old me in my little old house!!!! Hahahaha, nothing like being back in Africa!!!

Thats all for now :-)

Sydney, Melbourne, Canberra, Sydney !!

The view from my apartment in Sydney

One of the best views in the world

Fireworks over the Opera House

A cold day in Melbourne

With Gina and Jesse in Melbourne

Parliament House in Canberra



Jenni & I on top of Parliament House, Canberra



Parliament House, Canberra



Australian War Memorial, Canberra



Gorgeous Sydney Harbour

Parsley Bay, Sydney

Cheryl and I on our Bay Tour of Sydney

Sydney Harbour

So the past couple of weeks have definately dispelled the myth that it is always hot in Australia.... its been flippin freezing, apparently it was the coldest day in Sydney for 50 years on Thursday this week and I can definately confirm that it was COLD COLD COLD, however the sun still shone and it was a gorgeous day, I wish Autumn days were like this in England!! I don't have many warm clothes with me so I have been recycling my clothes every couple of days! definately not one of my best dressed trips!! Its quite strange seeing all the leaves falling off the trees in May, it feels like it should be October or November!

Over the past couple of weeks I have spent time taking in the sights of Sydney ( for the fourth time and I still love it), Melbourne ( for the second time though I remembered nothing from the first time I was there 19 years ago) and Canberra (for the first time and really enjoyed it .... though not the temperature...it reached minus 1 overnight!!). During the past couple of weeks I have also spent time with new friends I made from both my West Coast Trip and my Top End Trip which has been great, so thank you Gina, Jesse, Jenni and Cheryl and also its been fantastic to see and spend time with friends I have known for years, Paul and Michele.

On Tuesday I set off for Africa again and will arrive back in Uganda on Thursday (its going to be a long Journey) but I can't wait to see everyone from CALM Africa and Jolly Mercy again.

Take care all and I'll be back on the blog when I get to Africa!