Which doctor is witch?

Tuesday, August 16
We headed south for Kabale, where we met a colleague of Sarah-- M.J. a 70 plus lady with the energy of a 39 y/o. She was a nurse for three branches of the military and did her fair share in civilian hospitals, too! She has been doing outreach for a Ugandan hospital for the past two years-- her favorite activities include catching men, sequestered in drinking halls because of rain and forcing them to talk about family violence and HIV. She also explained her methods of wound and burn care using readily available banana leaves. Did we mention that she holds regular educational meetings with local witch doctors? We wonder who is learning from whom. After lunch she gave us a tour of the hospital. Our eyes were not much stimulated, tiny ward after tiny ward, but our olfactory senses were overwhelmed. Standards were supposed to be better than most! MJ says it is much better than dodging bullets while nursing for the American Refugee Committee in Southern Sudan.

After leaving her, we proceeded to a “landing”on Lake Bunyoni where we met one of Sarah's friends who took us with his boat to the Byoona Amagara island where we spent the night. Sarah had proposed making the crossing in a dugout (Ugandan style) canoe, But GPZ put the ca-bosh on that.......We have a will, but are not quite ready for it's reading!

As soon as we hit the island, a downpour made the ascension of 5 sets of of “steps....African style”, a little difficult, especially for GM- Martha. Not to mention the fact that all stairs we have encountered thus far are uneven. No wonder average life expectancy here is 55! We arrived wet and cold to a little hut where everything was done “environmentally friendly”-- a grand idea until you realize that the solar powered lights, water pump, and water heater all function miserably sans sunshine
The next morning, the helpful staff heated water on the stove (the solar heater had not yet geared up) and tried to affix a bucket shower overhead. Before we got to use it, it came crashing down , to their embarrassment and to our chagrin. They didn't understand that the tiny timbers up there wouldn't hold the weight of a “lard can” full of water. The delay from those shenanigans gave the sun a bit of time to warm our water and we showered without hypothermia .

Later, a tour of the continent's deepest lake revealed beautiful scenery and a way of life for people using dugout canoes to get back and forth from their fields. Especially interesting was
“Punishment island”, where unintentional mothers were stranded and left to starve. Alternatively, men without enough cows for proper bride purchase, could pick them up, making it “Discount Island.”