One Month Down...Sorry, is a countdown too early

Well, my first month in the real world of Uganda has moved by quite quickly. My two rooms are as clean as I can get them for now. Last Thursday was a big get things done day. Clothes, dishes, refrigerator...you know all the necessities. Then Friday came and that was a big day as well. It rained. Yahoooo. We needed it, the collection tanks were getting low. Mid-morning I rode my Jeep bicycle about 5km to a school that was having their end of year festival. I thought I was just going to watch...and I did, I watched it rain for a good 2 hours before anything started happening. Upon arrival, I was surrounded by a couple hundred children. I wish I could show you a picture, but I was holding a cake in one hand and my muddy, wet poncho in the other and there was not way of carefully or cleanly removing my camera to photographically document this first in "my time in Uganda" moments (don't worry, next time I will eat my cake en route, however, you will also have to wait a year. Maybe remind me next time, I might forget by then. Hehe)
Anyway, after being removed from the circle of children, I was taken to the office to greet people and of course to be asked if I could take the place of the guest of honor who I was told would not be attending because they had lost someone. So I went ahead and accepted, but was sure to ask if I would have to say something. Yep, but luckily they were going to help me with that part.
So around 3pm the festivities started. I have pictures, but unfortunately I pick a computer that has faulty USB ports...sorry. Don't fret, I'll see what I can do.
Okay, so I was seated with all these important people watching all these primary students share what they had worked on to present to a very large audience. And it kept getting later. In case you forgot or did not know, it gets dark at 7pm and very quickly I might add, and the festival was supposed to start at 11am...mmmm, let us see if we can still do all of it. By all means I'm glad they had lighting to continue the fun, but I had a ride in the dark on muddy, slippery roads. Good thing I was already muddy from the ride there. I was definitely not living up to my Ugandan name, Nanyonjo, which mean very clean girl. Oh well, not the first, and certainly not the last.
So they managed to squeeze my speech in before it got too dark. The wrote 5 key points down for me to touch on...I proceeded to write a blurb about the middle 3 because I tend to not talk coherently to a group of lots of people. So I encouraged the parents, students, and teachers to keep educating and being educated. I asked the students who were not going on holiday to help their parents, share what they learned in school with them, and be respectful of themselves. Maama Gertrude (the mom of my supervisor and is in charge of the compound I live in) wanted me to mention something about protecting themselves from HIV, but I'm just couldn't quite work it in...I feel quite novice at giving hardcore direct speeches to people who have never seen me before in their lives. Give me time. On my second round of inspections with a second women's group, I was much tougher on the community members. (Inspections: Members of the women's groups are trained to go train people in the community that are not members of the group in tippy tap, dish drying rack, and rubbish pit construction, and as to check if they have boiled drinking water and a pit latrine and bathing "room" at the homes.)
Again, I'll have to get back to you with pictures.
Back to the guest of honor speech. The plug I really didn't feel comfortable saying was for the solar they are requesting donations for. I tried to work it in the the importance of education, because an improvement of the facilities would likely improve (in some ways) the quality of education. After hearing what the school is lacking, it seems anything would be an improvement. So even though I had said that and the teacher next to me translated it to the crowd, when I turned and asked him if I needed to say anything else, he said to tell them to make pledges for solar. Wait a second, didn't I just tell them that. Guess not, I wonder what else I didn't tell them too because I have not idea what he was saying, I was too busy trying not to sound like an idiot. I've told people I hate that part about being a muzungu, that I feel more importance is placed on what I say even if someone else could say something much better than I. But now that I have typed all that, there is the other side to being a muzungu...that they just smile and nod and say thank you. Saving face, of all parties involve, how courteous.
Thank you all for listening. I am looking forward to getting back to my little two room home so I will end here, but be reassured pictures will follow.

Until Next Time...