Hey you guys I FINALLY worked out how to do a bucket shower!
Stop laughing it's INGENIOUS. I sat in that bucket like a giant baby, chucked my fancy lavender soap in and boom. Clean. As. A. Whistle. Even washed my hair.
These are my travelling companions and like Celine says, "How do I live .... without you?" From left is Suzy, Emma, Stephanie, Lou, and me. Everybody knows about everybody elses bodily functions, like when I look at them and yell "DUBAI" they know it's still the last time I've gone to the toilet properly because I forgot my laxatives. I also forgot my tweezers and its been five days now so when I go downstairs to sit with them at breakfast this morning they'll just be greeted by the Shaggy D.A. And ask themselves, "Where is Eden and why is this hairy-faced dog sitting up at the buffet with us?" and I'll be all "WOOF WOOF WOOF" and they won't understand until we find a pharmacy.
We visited a school that has had SO much renovation work done on it because of World Vision. The children sang, danced, laughed with and at us. Their joy is so infectious. It's funny the things that overwhelm you on a trip like this ... the utter gratitude shown to us by ALL of the different people we meet every day, whose lives have been directly affected and transformed by World Vision. I get teary and incredibly humbled because they're not thanking me personally - they're thanking everybody who has ever donated to World Vision and if that is you? Then thank YOU on their behalf. What a total gift to be here right now and see these things and places and beautiful faces.
At one point at the school, they brought out some drums and re-enacted a sanitisation project through dance. Emma got up to dance but Mrs McGrieverson over here doesn't dance anymore, remember? Well that lasted about two seconds of watching Emma do it.
You get asked to dance in Africa - you dance in Africa.
My husband Dave used to be in an African drumming band for years, playing the huge dun duns. He always wanted me to do African dancing but I never did. Except I got a secret surprise lesson before our wedding and as he was playing at the reception, I waited for this one song and went up and danced right in front of him in my wedding dress. He couldn't BELIEVE it. I'll always dance to the beat of your drum, Davey. (I hope you and the boys get well ... the guys all have the flu!)
So sleepy!
SO BEAUTIFUL!
Everywhere we go they have chairs set up for us when we arrive but we always sit with people on the colourful grass mats, squashed in together. It's how it's supposed to be. I was talking about depression on twitter the other week and this guy chimed in beautifully with "My father always said to stop, and come together. Live together, sleep together, eat meals together. Then you will feel better." And I think of my brother Cam and how he dropped off the world and what a total waste and tragedy that is. Oh so much. So much.
I love this photo. I love these people. It's a complete honour to be here but I gotta admit, it's quite hard sometimes too.
Would rather be sitting on the beach in Kauai eating cinnabons.
But moments like that don't last long at all - I'm brought straight back to the people and why I'm here and while all my guys are so sick back in Australia mummy is busy getting her spirit filled up.
This is Vincent. His village has been completely transformed to such a beautiful place with running water, immaculate kitchen, all completely sanitised so the people don't use the dirty pond for water and get sick anymore. It's not often you meet a Vincent. It's a beautiful name, the name of a beautiful uncle I had.
People can die from diarrhoea - I never knew that. Two children from this village don't have a dad anymore because he died from a broken leg. Life is so incredibly fragile and we often don't find out until it's too late.
::
Letters to Home (Written on paper to my family before I left - hopefully they're still opening them once a day.)
DAY FIVE
Hey guys are you being nice to each other? I hope so. I don’t like it when you fight. I don’t like it when one of you is mean to the other. Life is too short. When I was little I loved my brother SO MUCH I wanted him to never be sad. It feels like I loved him too much - do you think it’s possible to love somebody too much? I don’t. I think we have to love people with our whole hearts and protect and take care of them, whenever we can. Even people we don’t even know. By now, I would have met a lot of people over here in Uganda. It’s probably hot and sweaty and dusty and sometimes boring. But us humans on earth are all connected and we need to take care of each other. We really do. xx
DAY SIX Rocco remember that time we were all swimming in the beach during a rainstorm - even me? And suddenly you shouted out “OH LOOK SOMEBODY DID A POO IN THE OCEAN” and we all looked to see a chokito floating right next to us so we all swam straight out of the water? And you totally admitted it was you and laughed so hard? That was funny. That was HILARIOUS. Always be you, my beautiful sweet guy. I miss your cuddles and your morning breath and hearing about your day. xx
Lastly, on a really personal note - hey Megan, how's my favourite librarian? I MISS YOU COOKIE. Just want you to know that I was a *little* bit hot out on the fields yesterday and my white skin was burning and I was a bit tired and slumpy until somebody said " ... and here are the Australian Eucalyptus tree saplings" and I was all WHAT!?
World Vision provide tree farming programs. And hon I saw the teeniest eucalyptus saplings and took a photo just for you. Imagine how tall they're going to grow! Simon says hi.
(Megans brother was a cheeky spirited gorgeous tree-lopper.)
It was beautiful. Walking along I looked underneath some shaded areas and here were all these guys, on their way to grow so high until their wood can be used to make houses and chairs and tables. The proper names for these saplings are "Giant Lira."
But I like to call them "hope."
Stop laughing it's INGENIOUS. I sat in that bucket like a giant baby, chucked my fancy lavender soap in and boom. Clean. As. A. Whistle. Even washed my hair.
These are my travelling companions and like Celine says, "How do I live .... without you?" From left is Suzy, Emma, Stephanie, Lou, and me. Everybody knows about everybody elses bodily functions, like when I look at them and yell "DUBAI" they know it's still the last time I've gone to the toilet properly because I forgot my laxatives. I also forgot my tweezers and its been five days now so when I go downstairs to sit with them at breakfast this morning they'll just be greeted by the Shaggy D.A. And ask themselves, "Where is Eden and why is this hairy-faced dog sitting up at the buffet with us?" and I'll be all "WOOF WOOF WOOF" and they won't understand until we find a pharmacy.
We visited a school that has had SO much renovation work done on it because of World Vision. The children sang, danced, laughed with and at us. Their joy is so infectious. It's funny the things that overwhelm you on a trip like this ... the utter gratitude shown to us by ALL of the different people we meet every day, whose lives have been directly affected and transformed by World Vision. I get teary and incredibly humbled because they're not thanking me personally - they're thanking everybody who has ever donated to World Vision and if that is you? Then thank YOU on their behalf. What a total gift to be here right now and see these things and places and beautiful faces.
My husband Dave used to be in an African drumming band for years, playing the huge dun duns. He always wanted me to do African dancing but I never did. Except I got a secret surprise lesson before our wedding and as he was playing at the reception, I waited for this one song and went up and danced right in front of him in my wedding dress. He couldn't BELIEVE it. I'll always dance to the beat of your drum, Davey. (I hope you and the boys get well ... the guys all have the flu!)
Everywhere we go they have chairs set up for us when we arrive but we always sit with people on the colourful grass mats, squashed in together. It's how it's supposed to be. I was talking about depression on twitter the other week and this guy chimed in beautifully with "My father always said to stop, and come together. Live together, sleep together, eat meals together. Then you will feel better." And I think of my brother Cam and how he dropped off the world and what a total waste and tragedy that is. Oh so much. So much.
I love this photo. I love these people. It's a complete honour to be here but I gotta admit, it's quite hard sometimes too.
But moments like that don't last long at all - I'm brought straight back to the people and why I'm here and while all my guys are so sick back in Australia mummy is busy getting her spirit filled up.
This is Vincent. His village has been completely transformed to such a beautiful place with running water, immaculate kitchen, all completely sanitised so the people don't use the dirty pond for water and get sick anymore. It's not often you meet a Vincent. It's a beautiful name, the name of a beautiful uncle I had.
People can die from diarrhoea - I never knew that. Two children from this village don't have a dad anymore because he died from a broken leg. Life is so incredibly fragile and we often don't find out until it's too late.
::
Letters to Home (Written on paper to my family before I left - hopefully they're still opening them once a day.)
DAY FIVE
Hey guys are you being nice to each other? I hope so. I don’t like it when you fight. I don’t like it when one of you is mean to the other. Life is too short. When I was little I loved my brother SO MUCH I wanted him to never be sad. It feels like I loved him too much - do you think it’s possible to love somebody too much? I don’t. I think we have to love people with our whole hearts and protect and take care of them, whenever we can. Even people we don’t even know. By now, I would have met a lot of people over here in Uganda. It’s probably hot and sweaty and dusty and sometimes boring. But us humans on earth are all connected and we need to take care of each other. We really do. xx
DAY SIX Rocco remember that time we were all swimming in the beach during a rainstorm - even me? And suddenly you shouted out “OH LOOK SOMEBODY DID A POO IN THE OCEAN” and we all looked to see a chokito floating right next to us so we all swam straight out of the water? And you totally admitted it was you and laughed so hard? That was funny. That was HILARIOUS. Always be you, my beautiful sweet guy. I miss your cuddles and your morning breath and hearing about your day. xx
Lastly, on a really personal note - hey Megan, how's my favourite librarian? I MISS YOU COOKIE. Just want you to know that I was a *little* bit hot out on the fields yesterday and my white skin was burning and I was a bit tired and slumpy until somebody said " ... and here are the Australian Eucalyptus tree saplings" and I was all WHAT!?
World Vision provide tree farming programs. And hon I saw the teeniest eucalyptus saplings and took a photo just for you. Imagine how tall they're going to grow! Simon says hi.
(Megans brother was a cheeky spirited gorgeous tree-lopper.)
It was beautiful. Walking along I looked underneath some shaded areas and here were all these guys, on their way to grow so high until their wood can be used to make houses and chairs and tables. The proper names for these saplings are "Giant Lira."
But I like to call them "hope."
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Write to be understood, speak to be heard. - Lawrence Powell