"AIDS AIDS AIDS"

Good afternoon everyone! its been an excellent week here in uganda.
on monday i spent the day picking up all the entries for the writing contest!! i've been looking forward to this day since we started the idea back in the first week of may. we went to 13 schools and had our backpacks full of essays and poems galore. i was so excited. i just wanted to run home and read them all that night. but we gave them to wilson and he kept them in the office for us to start on tuesday.

we spent several hours on tuesday, thursday and today reading the entries and separating out winners from each school. we had to sift through many reports about aids information or how many trees are uganda... stuff like that. there were actually a TON OF ENTRIES that had the line "AIDS AIDS AIDS" in it so it became a little repetitive ;) but overall we have some AMAZING pieces that i can not wait to award. the topics were aids, or uganda. we got poems and personal stories about aids that were so moving it almost put all of us in tears as we read them together in the office. these kids are not afraid to express their emotions. the experiences and insight they have are just incredible, terrifying, and uplifting all at the same time. i can't wait to post some of the winning pieces on my blog. it will have to be in a few weeks... if i even get the chance while i'm here. i'll do my best! sorry i haven't posted pictures either... just wait! it will be worth it! :)

wednesday we woke up early and took boda bodas out to PAUL AND ROSE'S orphanage. twelve of us made the hour journey there on the dusty roads. i wish you could've seen our dirty faces when we got there!! we all had a nice "spray on tan" that consisted of orange dust caked to our face. always looking good here in africa! anyways, the kids were just incredible and it was one of my most favorite days spent here in africa. one of the first girls i met was 15 year old MAURINE. we were talking and i asked what she wants to be when she grows up. she wants to be an english teacher! just like me. so we instantly became friends and i spent a lot of the day talking to her. Paul and Rose picked her up four years ago when they were just starting the orphanage. she was 11 years old at the time and had been living on the streets for 2 years. her parents had died when she was just a baby and had been living with her grandma. but when her grandma died, maurine was 9 and had no where to go. i just imagined my little brother connor, who is 11, being on the streets alone. i can't imagine what these kids have gone through. it just amazes me that they regardless of their hardships, they are so full of love. holding our hands and hugging us and smiling all day. they are so happy. maurine asked if there were street children in america. it was hard to explain that while there are children who don't have parents, we don't have the same problem of thousands of children living on the streets. i'm really grateful i was able to meet all the kids. maurine is just one story, they all have experiences like that. paul and rose are so awesome for giving those kids a place to call their own. not to mention feeding them with the food they grow on the 10 acres of land the orphanage sits on.

well, thats all for now i suppose! i'm going to a meeting for the eye camp at kawolo hospital in half an hour so i need to head out! we're learning how to screen eyes! cool huh dad? i imagine it will be similar to what i did for your patients when i worked at your office. i'll let you know! oh and i'm happy to report that we have enough money for our eye camp now!! An organization called Sight Savers has agreed to sponsor the rest of the funds for the entire camp. yes! thanks to all who donated! have a great week! we leave for our SAFARI tonight! welaba!

p.s. last saturday a few of us went to the zoo with wilson and godfrey! and i RODE A CAMEL!! haha it was making this weird groaning noise the entire time so that was pretty hilarious! oh africa :)