Frustrations and Jubilations!

Totally surrounded!!

We’ve now been in the UK for over a month, but we Just wanted to update you about the Sango Bay Refugee camp that Sarah has been working at...  we are delighted to report that *finally* their water source has been sorted out.  Just as well, really, considering the men were refusing to use the water purification tablets for fear that they might affect their “potency”.  I would argue that bloody diarrhoea might have a negative impact on your potency too, but who am I to say?

It’s quite full-on work when, since, most of the time, you feel like you’re in the centre of the World’s Largest Rugby Scrum, and sometimes you can’t even get out of your chair to select drugs for a patient, since you risk squashing several waiting patients in the process.  No problem, you might say, why not have a number system, a la Mr Bean, but when each patient comes with 4 children, even that system is not fool-proof (if you eventually want to get home in the evening!).  Suggestions on a postcard (airmail!) please….

Sometimes you just need Argos….

…know what I mean?  Well, if you don’t, you will.  We wanted to buy a washing machine that could handle all the stinky nappies that our little man produces, so off we went to Kampala.  Simple task, right?  Yep, it was simple.  Popped in, picked one, packed it into the car, bit of a pain to get it plumbed in, but sorted that out soon enough.  One good load of laundry done. 

And then it started clunking.  A bit like when you have tiny pixies in your pipes with large hammers, working away as if they were coal miners.  No problem, we had to return to Kampala to pick up visitors two weeks later, so off we trotted, to be told that the problem had been our fault – we’d forgotten to undo a bolt.  But never mind, as it’s now fixed.  Great!  Except once we got it safely home (3 hour drive, remember) it wasn’t.  Luckily our visitors needed to be dropped off again 10 days later, so our friend Mukiibi returned the machine again, with a polite but firm note demanding either a new machine or money back.  Sarah thought it wise not to ask about the bolt at the time of exchange, lest they refuse the exchange.  When we finally got through on the phone to them 4 days later, it turns out there IS no bolt.  Sarah was dumbfounded.  Tim wasn’t in the least bit surprised!

Baby Babirye!  

Another week, another heart-warming baby story.  This little poppet is our tiniest ever survivor, born at 820g (1.8 pounds), and 28 weeks gestation.  When she was born, there was another small baby born that same day, so it was rationing time on the Unit (you think you’ve got it bad in the NHS?).  So Sarah deduced that this tiny little creature couldn’t possibly survive, so the one infusion pump was used on another baby.  WELL, Baby Babirye was having none of it – she stuck her tiny nose in the air, clenched her fists, and fought a good fight.  She spent nearly 50 days with us on the Unit, but turned out very well indeed, thriving at home with her devoted maama, as well as returning to the Unit to encourage us periodically. 

 And finally, you know you’re in Uganda when...

You notice your small son is playing with a worm... oh no, on closer look, it’s a baby snake.  Best not eat that, then, boyo!