Morning rush hour drive

I was just comparing early morning drives to work as I made the dash  across town this morning to get to my Bible study class by 8am. In my hometown of Launceston, Australia I would just head up and over the hill and I was there. In Houston I left the house at 6 in order to clock in no later than 6:43 at Memorial SW Hospital. There was a little traffic when I merged onto Hwy 59 but nothing significant.
Driving to get anywhere on time here is quite another story.

Yes, we have longhorns in Texas, BUT they are not on the main roads in traffic!!!

All the while I am having intermittent conversations with myself and God.

Can they pile that truck any higher?
Is that coal? Oh my gosh what a load.

Oops better watch out ahead that no one tries to overtake me here.

Well if you have to be stuck in traffic might as well do a little window shopping.

Well, the window is actually my car window.

 Let's see what size pot do I need, glazed or unglazed?

There is one particular stretch of the road that they display sofas, patio furniture and bed sets. These items are out all day and night in all kinds of weather. The only way you really get to look at them is driving by slowly in traffic.

Now here is one of my very unfavorite parts of the drive. The boda drivers are everywhere, coming at you in all directions.

 They seem to have an entirely different set of road rules than the rest of us. (or maybe no rules at all is more like it)

They weave in and out of traffic and expect you to stop even if they brush within in inches of your car on purpose as they try to push past.

As long as we're on the subject of poor drivers, let me mention those who make 2 or 3 lanes when there is only supposed to be one.
Very frustrating. I am so glad when right on time at 8, I pull into the parking lot. Thank you God for getting me here safely and on time. Oh and by the way if you wonder how I could take photos as I drive that's because sometimes traffic comes to a complete standstill and you even turn the engine off until it's time to roll again.

Hospital and kitchen in Akot

Back in June I spent 3 weeks on the compound that encompasses this facility.

The compound is situated on a large area of land. Towards the front is one of the main buildings that houses the clinic rooms, pharmacy and offices for the Malteser Ministry that is responsible immunizations.

There is also a dentist room complete with chair but no dentist present at this time, although it is available for any visiting teams.

The hospital is one long, rectangular building which is broken up into two sides, with usually 12 beds in each area.

Above every bed hangs a mosquito net. Each bed is supplied with one sheet and one pillow.

Monday through Friday the doctor  makes rounds on all the patients, getting updates from the nursing staff and monitoring the course of treatment. The doctors here are pretty much on call 24/7 as they live just across the compound.

During the time I was in Akot, most of the patients that were admitted had malaria.

 This means they came with at least one of the following, but not limited to, high fever, headache,stomach problems sometimes, such as vomiting and diarrhea and general weakness similar to flu symptoms.

Typically, depending on the severity of symptoms they would receive IV or oral anti -malarial medications along with some fever reducing tablets. In most cases they would be feeling better in 2-3 days, although there were some persistent symptoms that would take up to 5-7 days to finally abate.

Unlike many hospitals in rural Third World countries, the patients here are fed by the hospital.
 Each morning hot tea with a ton of sugar is served. (this is the way Sudanese like to drink it)
Some patients at this time may also receive porridge. ( like oatmeal)
The next two meals that are served will be the same, rice and beans.
The photo on the right is the kitchen where all the meals are cooked. As you can see the goats like to check out what is on the menu too!
Big pots sit over hot coals for hours during the day and once served the bowls are carried to the bedside.

This is where the staff gathers for their meals of beans and rice . It's just next to the kitchen.
During my stay we had 4 nursing students in residence who always had interesting things to say about their home communities. One of the students came from the Nuba Mts. in the north where there is presently much fighting.
Breakfast was around 7am, lunch anywhere from 2-3pm and supper between 7-8pm. Tea and coffee all day as needed with lots of filtered water available on those hot, steamy days.


Well I think that's a good overview of the hospital and meals etc. You may wonder why I am writing all this, as it may not be very interesting to readers but it's like my personal memory book. I did keep a journal while I was there with my own private thoughts and feelings but the blog, especially if I print it, will be a great visual to jog my memory.

Rules to live by

The apartment I am living in came fully furnished. On the whole I am pleased with their choices of furniture, appliances etc. I really like the one and only wall hanging.

What comes to mind when you see this? Do you think of childhood days and rules that you had to obey?

I wonder what home rules you have now as an adult, parent or grandparent?

Perhaps there is no written list but instead an unwritten code or such that everyone in the family is clear on.




Below are some other house rules that are very fitting, maybe these apply in your house hold.

Even if I don't have anyone here in my home to be accountable to, I can still apply these to my life and how I treat others.  These rules are hanging on the wall opposite where I sit and eat. This is a great reminder and definitely something to "chew on". I hope that they help you too.

Shea Tree

Well after a few recent posts from around my new home I think it's time to go back to South Sudan and continue with some of the things I found interesting and new there during my stay in June.
In earlier postings I think I briefly mentioned the Shea tree, or as it was known locally, the Lulu tree.

The correct name in Latin, I believe, is Vitellaria Paradoxa.

This one is huge. It was on the grounds of the hospital in Mapuordit that I visited for the day.

As you can see it's also a wonderful shade tree in the hot African sun.

We spotted this woman cooking under the tree.
It was in a way, a strange sight. She was using what looked like an almost new teflon pan.  I never thought of using my teflon to cook over hot coals!
When we first looked her way she had a metal spatula and was tossing the beans around with it.
Horrified we suggested, through a translator, that she use a wooden tool. She took our advice :-)

These two ladies have been collecting the shea nuts. They contain a pale yellowish fat that is extracted to make the shea butter.

The butter is used in cooking by the locals. I understand it works well but has a very different taste than other butters and fats.

There are a lot of women here who could make a decent living if they were able to market their shea nuts.

Check out your cosmetics and lotions labels. I'm sure many of you are using it. Well that's a wrap for my Shea story. You never know what you are going to get on this blog, history, geography, theology, nutrition and random thoughts. Thanks for reading and check back later.

A walk around Gaba ( aka Ggba)

Today I decided to step a little more into the local flavor of the community that surrounds me.

It's an easy walk down the hill on a dirt road. It's definitely uneven and therefore always a good idea to watch where you are stepping. I have   my walking shoes on and am always amazed to see young women in high heels!

I enjoy watching the people go about their daily life. It's definitely an assault on the senses though.

Sometimes there's smoke floating across your path from a roadside stand that is cooking some kind of food or just someone burning rubbish. (trash)

There are so many interesting things to look at. I keep my sunglasses on to keep out dust but it also allows me to look at people without them thinking I am staring. Oh, before you think I 'am rude for staring, I get plenty of stares and comments like "hey momma" and "muzungu."




I am fascinated by some of the stalls and stores that I pass by. I must admit the signs sometimes crack me up.

Now here's a sign, actually 2 bright yellow ones that really caught my attention.
The place is called the Classic Inn. You can see it's pretty classic alright!
They are having a price cut for their guests. Resting is only 3,000 Ugandan Shillings ( $1.25) and to spend the night is 5,000 USH ($2)
I didn't have the least interest in doing either.
 I only happened along this pathway trying to locate the "beach resort" that was advertised.  It never materialized.

I did come across the local mosque with it's big loud speaker on the top. Could this be where I hear the call to prayer from? Surely not, it's too far to be so loud.

Today happens to be market day so a all kinds of things are displayed on both sides of the street. There are a lot of used clothes and shoes that look like they are from the U.S or somewhere in Europe.

This is probably one of my favorite encounters of my walk. I noticed this man earlier selling his pineapples but I lacked the courage to ask if I could take his photo. I was walking back towards home a little later and decided to go for it.

I can't tell you how many pineapples he had tied to that bike and then the clear plastic bucket on the front holds freshly cut pineapple if you are so inclined. That thing has to be so heavy to push!

Next is Jonathan. He is in the shoe business, heavy duty, rubber shoes taken from car tires I think.
I asked if he was making money. He said, yes.
So many people working very hard for very little.

A little off the main drag is an open field the overlooks where fish are dried, smoked or whatever it is they were doing that smelled nasty and looked even worse. The big guy in the foreground is a Maribou Stork. They are everywhere around here.


Well that's mostly it. There are so many other photos that were screaming out at me to be taken but I am not bold enough to just whip out my camera, I am after all trying not to draw attention to myself, but just blend in with the crowd.