Weird and wonderful things at GSF.....

My life at GSF....

GSF is located in a small village called Buundo, about 15 miles from the town of Jinja, where the water of the River Nile begins its journey from Lake Victoria to the Egyptian delta. GSF is surrounded by sugar cane fields, small villages and farming land.  The area really is rural in that there is one dirt road that runs past the orphanage and then webs of paths that will run between all the mud huts that are scattered around off the sides of the roads.

At GSF we have 5 directing families who head up various ministries which ensure that all the children are healthy, well fed, protected and receive a good education. The directors also work with local families and provide community services of various forms such as the feeding programme. There are also Ugandan staff that work here and live on site. We have security guards, cooks, housemothers, farmers, drivers, workmen, housekeepers, a nurse, a social worker, teachers and office workers to name a few. They also are an integral part of providing the best care to the 79 children that live onsite and approximately 320 children that attend the school.  Then there are the ‘single ladies’ that live in my house, currently; Amanda who teaches the Missionary Kids, and Sarah and I who are nursing. Sarah sadly leaves me to my own devices next week when she returns home and she will be greatly missed. All together we are a busy team!

There is a farm on the land that is a great source of income for GSF. The cows that are here provide enough fresh milk for every child each day. Some of the animals and food that are grown here will be sold at the market creating extra funds.

The maintenance team keep the team vehicles running and deal with day-to-day DIY issues as well as building projects that are ongoing.

There is also a church building on-site which is used throughout the week for various activities as well as for a service on Sundays. The singing each week is beautiful and the children at GSF all take an active part of the church service in singing, presenting or giving testimonies.

My day is busy and varied but I feel that I am only just starting to learn everything and just beginning to get stuck into life here. I have been here a little under a month and will post a blog in a short while to describe a routine day of mine.  For the time being I thought that I would describe the weird, wonderful and new things I am experiencing living at GSF and in Uganda;

• ·      I am now known as ‘Nurse Kate’ or ‘Auntie Katie’ which I like!
• ·      The electricity supply is intermittent which takes some getting used to. I am getting better at wandering around the house to find candles/torches and leaving my laptop plugged in at all times so that it is always ready to go even when we have no power!
• ·      Intermittent electricity means that there is not always hot water and when there is hot water for a shower it lasts for 4 minutes at a time.
•       It is the rainy season and I am hearing and seeing (& sometimes being caught in!) some amazing storms.
• ·     When it’s not raining it is HOT. I used SPF 70 yesterday and still got ‘pink’ shoulders.
• ·      The children’s laughter is beautiful. I wake up most mornings to hear the sound of laughter and chatter around GSF.
• ·      The sky at night is amazing, I spend ages staring at the stars.
• ·      We are on the equator which means that it is light from 7am till 7pm every day, this will stay pretty constant throughout the year.
• ·      I am seeing lots of new bugs and insects but haven’t eaten any yet despite the children trying to convince me they are ‘nice’! Geckos are funny things and scuttle across the walls in my house at times. There are also snakes…..
• ·      When shopping I often feel rich – Ugandan shillings come in 'thousands'. £1 is equivalent to around 4000 shillings. A weekly shopping bill can easily be over 100,000 shillings!
• ·      At night I lay in bed and hear the strangest sounds. The most disturbing is the Hyrax. The hyrax is a small mammal that I have never seen, only heard. At night it makes a screaming/shrieking sound which I am getting used too now. Initially, when I first arrived I thought it was children crying!
• ·      Everything starts late – This Is Africa!
•        Matooke (a type of cooked banana), Posho (maize) and beans are on the menu at GSF every day. The kids love it!

• ·     When it rains everything seems to stop.
• ·     I can never ever get my feet totally clean no matter how many showers I take. The orange soil just gets everywhere.
• •      Everyone in Uganda appears to have a phone but many do not have easy access to clean water. I can’t get my head around that.
• •      When going out at dusk at GSF be prepared to have bats ‘whoosh’ past your head.
• •      Living with Americans I have found that Peanut butter is eaten in abundance – even with carrots!...and Oreo cookies are always close at hand :)
• •      The childen love playing with ‘Muzungus’ hair.
•        Potatoes are referred to as 'Irish' here!
• •      Hugs are in abundance here and one is never far away. The children are beautiful and so loving.