Author: Karen

Alex’s post

We started off today by taking the bus over to St. Ursula’s Special School. It’s the only school for children with special needs in eastern Uganda, and it provides the students who attend a chance at life that otherwise would not have been available to them. I spent most of my time playing a game with a non-verbal girl. The game was pretty simple, as it only involved her guessing which hand I had a bottle cap in, but it was something which fascinated her for over an hour. It was an outpouring of pure love from both her and me, and in a country where special needs are so stigmatized, I think that these kinds of connections are exactly what these children deserve. I think St. Ursula’s is doing a great job at providing this, and I wish them all the best after we leave.

Monday

Its day two in Uganda, and we’re settling in for the night at St. Andre House here in Jinja. Starting the day in Entebbe, we were able to drive thru the city and towns on the way. The motorcycles, boda bodas, are the primary means to get around the city and constantly weave thru traffic. The best part of the day for me was Mass at the House. I was preparing to relax for a little bit it was pleasantly surprised by the amount of singing and dancing! It was a beautiful service and look forward to visiting schools tomorrow.

Kayleigh and Mitch

Hey all! After about 38 hours of travel we made it to Kampala! We all sorted out the mosquito nets and are ready for bed. One of the things that struck Mitch, one of our seniors on the trip, the most was how dark it gets in Uganda at night without many street lights or light pollution.  We could see an amazing skyscape full of stars. Kayleigh, another senior on the trip, was just happy everyone received their checked bags and successfully passed through the immigration checkpoint (and that the Astros won the ALCS!). We slept in two connected buildings, so the guys took one building and the girls took the other. Most of the rooms were singles, and there were a few doubles. Each room had its own bathroom with a shower. We’re all exhausted from the travel, but we made sure to take our malaria pills on time!