Software Training

I am really excited. For months I have been trying to work with the girl in Human Resources here to get computer training off the ground. Someone from my church sent training software. Its great because it does not depend on me to be here. HR girl has been dragging her feet. She wanted me to do everything and I only wanted to empower her to do it herself. What good is a one time training when they have the power to train themselves and anyone new that they hire?

Every time someone in the office asks me for help I have been telling them about this software we have. They finally demanded it from me and I have made copies for all of the departments! The accounting off just came to me and said they installed it and are going to start using it tomorrow!!! I am so excited!

We bypassed the HR bottle neck and they are on their way to self computer training! I created a buzz to get the staff interested and an assignment to really test their knowledge. I will of course help them when they need it. Knowing MS office will help ease the work load they are under!

It has only taken 6 months for things to finally come together!

Yes I can

Today is Renee can you help me with my computer it's __________ (fill in the blank) day. So far today I have tried to:

1. Fix an external drive that fell off of a desk. Sadly I think it is dead
2. Scanned three computers for viruses, worms etc.
3. Set up an email account on gmail for a village worker of mercy network. So far i have tried to load gmail.com 5 times. It still will not load.
4. Fixed one Kodak camera and cleared its SD chip
5. Working on fixing a laptop that has been infected with some virus that has disabled the anti virus that is loaded and was apparently turned all the characters into Chinese writing and displayed porn. Although I did not witness the "Porn" or Chinese characters so it could have been an advertisement for a company that makes bras in china.
6. Loaded and attempting to update the Norton virus onto laptop

I have been doing all of this while burning Cd's and working on my database for a child sponsorship program.

I'm tired and want to take a nap

My Last Update with photos

I have hundreds of people on my update list. They are my family, friends, supporters or mere strangers that I have met in passing. The following is the last update that I sent only this time I have included some photos.

You can see more of my photos at reneealina.com

Sad Eyes in Africa

I remember as a child seeing images of starvation from Ethiopia. I clearly remember seeing the skeleton of a child draped in paper thin dry and dirty skin, with a protruding belly, to sick to chase away the flies landing on their faces. Although these images impacted my life, they are not “that” common the capitol of Uganda. I am not in a refugee camp that has run out of food and I don’t see people dying on the streets, at least at first glance. What I have come to realize is the reality of hunger looks much different than the extremes I remember watching on TV as a child.

Forgotten people all over the world have that same dark and distant look in their eyes, often filled with emptiness and pain.

I see it in the eyes of children whose parents make them beg along the main road. My heart breaks whenever I see them looking like fragile mannequins dressed in rags. Their heads nodding from sleep deprivation while their tiny hands are outstretched looking fragile the mother sitting a few feet away. Handing them change is like putting a band aid on a bullet wound.

I see the emptiness in the eyes of the man whose limbs are broken and he is forced to scoot along the road.

I saw it in the eyes of a little girl who I passed along the way to work, these eyes made me stop and think about innocence and first impressions. Not hers, but mine. She was adorable her head smooth, her only clothes and pink and blue princess skirt her belly sticking over the elastic waist and she skipped across the road in front of me. Quickly my mind processed the situation. She was playing and having a blast but her eyes had that desperation in them and I realized that her belly wasn’t from food it was from the lack of food. Her head might have been shaved to keep the lice away but most likely bare from malnutrition. During my time here I have learned that first impressions can be wrong and my innocence from “stupid poverty” is forever lost

At first glance so many of the children I see on the streets here look like they could be “normal” kids. They are full of smiles and always ready to laugh and play. When I remember where I am I realize that they are anything but. They are the statistics that you read about. They are the reasons that we come to places like this attempting to slightly alter the course of their lives, hopefully toward self sufficiency. They are the next generation and we have a choice to unite together and make some changes or to pass by the unseen without a glance. When I get frustrated with my work here I try to remember that I am working on a database that will help this organization impact the lives of these children. I try to remind myself that we are all working towards one goal and that the people I am working along side used to be these children.

The World on time (usually)

Every American knows what a FedEx truck looks like. Did you ever have images of your clean white envelope on the back of a camel? In Uganda it happens to be on the back of a boda boda!



I happened to be driving to lunch today and pulled right behind a FedEx boda complete with a FedEx box baring the slogan your world on time. Although the number was cut out to make room for the tail light. Oh well. No one is perfect.

After using FedEx in time insensitive region of the world I have deiced that it is your world on time, usually.

Squeaky feet?

No its not the name of an expiremntal indie band or some profound philosophical metaphor. My feet are all squeaky on the Atherstone's wood floor. Does anyone know why? I don’t ever remember my feet making squeaking noises before. I have a suspicion that it has something to do with half healed blisters that are a constant on the balls of my feet. Blisters a side effect of walking 3 miles in humidty along dirt roads in flip flop Anyone else have any ideas?

Jello Tomato Sauce

What I call pinkish Jello ketchup is know here as Tomato Sauce but there is nothing "saucy" about it. Its texture is like Jello that has not quite set. The color a nice pinkish tone. I've tried it and its not horrible but I won't miss it when I am back in the states.

This is Beth's first time trying the icky pink "tomato" sauce. I think it sort of ruins eating chips.

Boda Update

Walking home tonight I saw a boda boda with about 400 shoes attached to it. I am kicking myself for not having a camera but have committed to start caring Beth's around so we can capture some of the grand things we see around town.

lazy sunday mornings

Beth and I just finished making and eating Sunday brunch. It didn't come out exactly as we would have liked. The potatoes were a little bit mushy, Ugandan potatoes, known locally as "Irish", don't seem to stay firm when you cook them. I made coffee and why it was all cooking it smelled like home in the kitchen. Breakfast was served with a podcast from mariners church and good conversation.

After drinking half a pot of coffee I now feel normal and it doesn't matter that I did not sleep well last night. There is always something to keep you awake but last night is was the oppressive feeling of humidity. All though the air cools at night and sometimes I get cold enough at night to wear a jacket, usually when the outside temp dips to 75F, last nights air felt suffocating. It is possible that the suffocating feeling could have been humid air mixed with the cold/allergies/asthma that I have had going on the last few days. Sometimes I want to scratch my eyes out just so they stop itching. I think I have ruled out a cold and am just going to admit that the dust, smoke and mold have been increasingly playing havoc with my now returned childhood asthma. At least it has taken 10 months to get this bad. I am now on the hunt for an inhaler so I can sleep at night.

The Friday night sky looked like a forest fire it was so smokey. Although annoying it is better to burn your trash all on one day rather than everyone burning it on different days and always having the air filled with thick acidic smoke.

im off for an early afternoon nap. After all it is a lazy Sunday.

What I have seen on the back of a boda boda

A boda boda is a small scooter or moped originally used to transport black market goods from one boarder to another earning the name boda boda. Today they are just as dodgy only they cart people and not goods.

Here is my top 10 list of things I have seen on the back of boda bodas.

1. A crate of chickens
2. Four human size bags of coal
3. An family of four including a baby sitting on mamas lap, the driver makes five
4. Three twin size bed frames with matterres
5. A stack of mattresses six feet high
6. The FedEx Man
7. A long dresser with mirror attached
8. A stack of twelve foot long two by fours
9. Eight small children
10. A sofa, two chairs, coffee table, and two end tables