Friday, by Adam

So we woke up in Mityana, (in Johns dads house where we went yesterday), after a big storm in the early hours of the morning. Me and the smart lucky ones, David, Dan P, Leonie, Jess, Helen and Ben, had all slept inside overnight in a nice warm house, so weren’t bothered by the storm at all. However, some of the guys, Joe, Dan B, Nassar and Liam, went out into a tent in the garden to sleep not knowing about the biggest storm waking all us up, but lucky for them it was a good tent and only shoes got really wet.

After breakfast we were asked if we wanted to help with cow milking by hand, so me, Dan P, Nassar and Joe put our best foot forward  and had a go. It was harder then it looked! Everyone came along to watch the show but in the end us four did not even get a thimble full, so the man took over and got buckets full for the local children waiting with bottles

John took us on a walk around Mityana, and showed us all the places he useD to live and work and we walked passed a Tea Plantation, it was very moving to hear that they only get paid by the Kg and they don’t get much for it anyway (63 UgSh per kg, and they pick about 50 kg / day – total 75p /day), if we all went out to buy Fair Trade then places like this would get better, as there would be more demand for fairtrade items so these places would improve their standards to get in on the market.

On our walk we went to the Moonlight Kindergarten, a little wooden hut on the hill which Rachel, a friend of John’s, has started up, to look after and teach the younger children around. We joined them for some time of reading and looking at some books, it was lovely to be with a small group of children and give more one to one with them. Then we went outside as a group to play some circle games, we also used the parachute and some musical instruments what were very generously  given to us with lots of other donations  before we came out here.

It was so wonderful seeing the children’s  happy faces playing, smiling, and then singing along with the music, and  setting down they started to sing to us with the teacher Rachel  songs about life in Uganda and some songs we know but just a little different. It put a very big smile on our faces to sing with them and dance and more older children hearing us started to come along to join in.

At the end we remembered the balloons and got them out and gave one each to them; it was funny seeing them try to blow them up and then play with them.

After lunch we got back in the car for the long journey back to Johns house in Kampala. On the way  we were opening all windows to wave goodbye to everyone in  Mityana and me and liam stood up out the sunroof to wave and dance and sing and Liam got some very good video and photos, we cant wait to see the video  when we get back

Once we had got back to John’s, in the late afternoon we had a chance to look at some Acholi beads for us to buy for friends and families, and tomorrow we are going to the Acholi place to see them being made and maybe trying to help make them.

The day ended with another of Sophie’s delicious meals, and then a debrief where we all laughed so much together that many of us had a stitch by the end. We are just having such a great time together, with so many fun moments amidst the thought-provoking times, and this evening was yet another of those fun times – not least due to Ben’s unending stream of hilarious jokes and comments – he is the star of the team!

Till next time, see yah, love yah bye

Adam xXx