Feeling Good

You know, there are those moments here when I feel completely hopeless about the work I'm doing, and then there are times when I feel like things are really coming together. I finally feel like I have some grasp on the art projects that I’m trying to do here and the way to present them to the children, and I’m really looking forward to the coming weeks. This week we (Veronika, the new volunteer is helping me with the classes) helped the children do “self-portraits”—and I use this term loosely because I was pleased if and when all of the boys understood that they should draw boys, and likewise for the girls. Next week we are going to use saltdough that I am going to make at the office. It’s homemade playdough that can be baked to harden it. It’s made from flour, salt, oil, and water. I can’t wait for this project. We are going to make little pink pigs. It’s no ceramics, but I’m really excited to give these children a chance to do something different. Not that drawing isn’t wonderful and the children certainly love it, but here they will have a chance to mold and shape something three dimensional. Let’s hope at least! ;)

So today is just absolutely beautiful, sunny and breezy, and that always makes me a little mindless, I just can’t focus. But after a morning of some art prep work (for 200 some kids even the smallest idea takes a lot of time!) and a delicious rolex (omlette wrapped in a chipati--pancake) for lunch, I came up to see my cousin and now buy ingredient for the saltdough. I’m also trying to make all my travel plans for the coming months. My parents will be here in December for 2 weeks which I’m really looking forward to. We are going to go to Queen Elizabeth Park and also the Serengeti, but first we need to book everything, which always gives me a headache. Then I have to secure a gorilla trekking permit so I make sure to get a slot before I plan to leave Uganda. There are only 16 permits given out for each day and they book up often months in advance. Then I also have to book my flight to Australia to meet up with my old roommate and her brother there around the end of January, not to mention my plans for traveling down to South Africa overland which is where I would like to fly out from. All of this requires far more time and money than I can ever seem to muster, but for all of it’s overwhelmingness (I’m coining that term!) it’s also very fun to think about all the possibilities. And then really what I’m supposed to be doing right now is finishing up my business school applications—the first of which is due in 10 days—yikes!

This weekend I’m off to a Halloween party of sorts in Jinja. A handful of ex-pat families have started the tradition of booking a hotel and creating a Halloween party and trick o’ treating event for their kids so they don’t miss out on the holiday. I’m going with Kim and Ben (who will be quite a cute spiderman) for Saturday night. I must say, something the US does some things really well—and Halloween and Thanksgiving are two of them! I will be sad to miss them both this fall, but hopefully this weekend will give me a little dose of home! Happy early Halloween!!