We made it to Bushenyi yesterday night. Somehow we all managed to fall asleep on the drive even though it was crazy drive. We did see a bunch of things set up to catch grasshoppers which are roasted and eaten in a lot of places here. Bushenyi is beautiful. The people are crazy nice and we met with the Cleophas and community workers today and gave them all candy which they loved. Hassan and Melony gave impassioned awesome speeches even though no one could understand Melonys english. We discussed visiting the communities who are going to be affected by our nutrition program and planned a few visits that we could in the time we have here. We all wish we could stay here for the whole summer and see everyone in the communities. Sidenote: Hassan can't understand my english. I said to him "Is the blog not working" He then asked if I said "The volcano erupting?"

-Salik

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Finally in Busheyni. We were supposed to leave on Tuesday. The KCRC truck needed to have its radiator fixed and was in the shop. By Tuesday, the truck was fixed, but the problem was the Toyota dealership doubled the original quote. So, we toured more of Kampala Tuesday and decided to leave Wednesday. In reference to the truck, I said, "TIA" to Dr. Patrick and he started cracking up. He gave me a high five and asked, "Transient Ischemic attack??" I guess "This is Africa" is a phrase only used by Westerners and in movies. Anyway, we finally arrived here to Busheyni late last night. It is absolutely beautiful. There are many hills and lush green valleys. We will try to upload some pics, but the internet here in Cleophas' office is slower than my 56k dialup modem in '98. We were able to get a tour of the clinic. More importantly, we met with the community health volunteers and discussed some of the details of the nutrition program. They seemed really excited to see us. KCRC covers a huge area and one of the problems is us only being able to visit some of the areas and not the others. The volunteers thought that our presence (and cameras) would be very motivating, so we should try to go to as many as possible in the short time that we have.

P.S. Obviously the animals here are different, but the insects stand out more. Last night we had some issues with a killer wasp that had pincers and a stinger. It's also interesting sleeping in a mosquito net. Sleeping with someone else in a mosquito net is even more challenging (me and Salik had to shared one of the nights and I woke up with him incredibly close to me).

-Hassan

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This morning, we stepped into the daylight of Busheyni and were surrounded by the beauty they describe as the"land of milk and honey." Hassan and I stepped out on the balcony and were saw rolling hills for miles and miles, covered with banana trees reaching for the blue skies above. Cleophas picked us up and we were on our way to Kabwohe Clinical Research Centre. Dr. Patrick and Dr. Joseph gave us a tour of the clinic that follows the care for patients affected by AIDS. During our tour, Cleophas came and found us because the Community Volunteers were ready. We walked into a separate building, and followed Cleophas and Dr. P to a room that was filled with 30 volunteers, eager, curious, and staring with wide gazes for the future. Cleophas began to introduce the program and our objectives. "Oh friends, remember the time we once talked about a nutrition project for our children affected by AIDS and malnutrition, well the time has come." With jokes, and smiles, and determination Cleophas and Dr. P's speeches evoked an energy and passion among the volunteers. Next thing I know, Cleophas began to introduce us, and ask for us to say a few words. My voice began to quiver because I couldn't believe I was in front of the community that would connect us to these beautiful families, the communities that I once dreamed about working with, the community that will be the drive to my work, passion and raison d'etre. This is it. My voice quivered, and I began thanking the people for giving us the opportunity to work with them. Our lives will forever change because they let us into their lives, and we will learn so much in the next few days. Tears were on the verge, and I quickly wrapped up my talk. I guess I was talking too fast, and my muffled voice with near tears didn't help too much... The volunteers started laughing at the end because they tried very hard to understand, but no worries, Cleophas gave a summary and translated... in English though? The meeting created a lot of dialogue amongst the group regarding what was the best means to reach the families. We decided on visiting 3 parishes/ subcounty per day. The meeting wrapped up and we shared some chocolates with the community volunteers. We continued to talk to Dr. P, but as we were leaving one of the volunteers took my hand and said "My prayers are with you." She placed a paper in my hand. The paper read, "I want to make a friend with you madam, I am called Angela Bakigumire, Community Volunteer."

I can't stop smiling, and dreaming about the future. For the children of Busheyni, for the families, for Globemed, and the well-being of the world in general.

Smiles and love all around,

Melony

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