God is good

I’m working on a feature on egg donation and infertility in Uganda. Last week I took a boda across town and got to meet with a Ugandan doctor who loves Jesus and loves his people and began Women’s Hospital International in Kampala to give back to and serve his countrymen – er, countrywomen.

Just like in Kenya, so much of a woman’s life and status is wrapped up in her ability to bear children. “If a woman doesn’t have children of her own, the she’s (…) regarded as not a woman, in a sense,” Dr. Tamali-Sali said to me. “She can’t propagate the next generation, therefore she’s useless,” he said in reference to the cultural attitude toward infertility in Uganda.

I also worked a good chunk of the week extracting the names of people awaiting prosecution from a 253 government white paper. Not my favorite job ever.

I have been shifting away from news and towards writing more feature/enterprise articles. It’s really interesting but a LOT more time and work!

Over the weekend, Zoe and I went to a rugby game at the Kampala Rugby Club. Pirates vs. Cubs. The Pirates had two incredible tries scored off of breakaway runs and ended up winning the game. The guy standing next me had 20,000 shillings bet on the Cobs.

We also met up with Agnes, a Ugandan girl who also attends Stanford, at the rugby game and hung out with her and her friends afterwards. I enjoyed it a lot.

Patrick’s little daughter Melanie has a heart defect. She has been in Mulago Hospital for the past 2 weeks. Patrick’s family is making preparations for her and Sarah (her mom) to fly to the US for an operation next week. Penny has been helping their family and staying in the hospital so it has just been Zoe and I at home. Melanie is just three months old. Please pray for her and her family in this time and that the operation in the US will be successful.

I can’t believe it’s almost August. I love being in Uganda and I’m enjoying the experience at the Monitor a lot, but there have also been times that are hard and really lonely. I am learning a lot of trust and reliance on God through everything and can truly see Him at work in my life.

This post is all over the place. But the bottom line in my life right now is simply this:

God is good.

Can't begin to catch up on everything, but I'll try to do better from this point forward. :)

It was wonderful to see my family and Jason and we had a great time together rafting the Nile and...BUNGEE JUMPING over the Nile just this morning.

Now I'm back in Kampala and back to work tomorrow.

More soon. :)

All in a day's (week's) work

It has been a CRAZY week! With 36 hours of work in the last 3 days alone, 7 articles published, and my first front page story! (Can you tell my week has been dominated by work?)

It’s also been a good week! I am learning so much about journalism and Kampala and getting to see so many different places and meet so many people (albeit as a pen-in-hand, probing reporter rather than a sight-seeing tourist).

My “beats” for the week have been healthcare, justice, and poetry.

First, healthcare:

On Monday Kenya had its first case of the H1N1 virus (“swine flu”) and on Tuesday I was assigned to follow-up the story with more details and the relevance of the case for Uganda. Wednesday, I did another follow-up on the situation and Thursday, Uganda had its first case. Because I was already covering “swine flu” I went to the press conference, called all my sources, and wrote the story on my own. And the story ran on the front page on Friday! (I feel kind of bad being so excited about swine flu…)

http://www.monitor.co.ug/artman/publish/news/Swine_flu_confirmed_in_Uganda_87423.shtml

Yesterday, I worked on some more follow-up on the H1N1 virus and went to Mulago Hospital to see whether they really were “ready” as the Ministry of Health claimed. The first photographer who was supposed to go with me passed the job off to another guy (I think he was afraid of getting swine flu…even though the man who has it is in Entebbe Hospital) :) and together we headed across town to the Hospital to see what we could find. The Publicity Officer did not want to show me the “isolation unit,” admitting that it wasn’t in the best shape. Finally he gave in and showed me. Turns out the “isolation unit” is 8 make-shift tents without beds, mattresses, or nurses present in an area with overgrown grass and a broken down fence (but I was assured that it would be ready by Monday…hmm).

On Wednesday I also went to another press conference for a new “Texting4Health” initiative aimed at increasing health awareness among Ugandan cell phone users.

And the justice and poetry?

The Principle Judge of Uganda, Hon James Ogoola, just published a book of poetry (Songs of Paradise: A Harvest of Poetry and Verse).

Justice Ogoola is a prominent judicial figure in Uganda and known for his stance against human rights violations and injustice. (One of his poems (about the horrors of torture) was read last week at the UN Day for Torture Victims that I covered).

On Wednesday, I went with Charles to the High Court to interview Justice Ogoola about the book and about some of his politics (can I also just say that transcribing 12 pages of a taped interview from a scratchy tape that rewinds to a place that actually comes later in the interview is not such a fun job! Oh how I wish I had brought my own digital recorder to that interview!)

Justice Ogoola is also a Christian and his poetry is centered on a message of faith. It was really interesting getting to meet him in person and talk with him, and really cool too to see someone like him giving time and pleasure to poetry as well as to the many issues affecting the judiciary in Uganda right now. I was very inspired!

On Friday, I went to the book launch of his book at the Serena Kampala Hotel. It was a really formal, fancy event and truly a celebration of art as a whole I enjoyed covering something “creative” rather than just “hard news.”

I also did a book review of the book (it came out today in the M2 insert - http://www.monitor.co.ug/artman/publish/coffee-break/A_judge_s_poetry_87483.shtml)

It has indeed been a full, busy, and rewarding week!

I’m learning to “cultivate” my sources, and am now on a first-name basis with the Country Representative for WHO and another representative from the Uganda Ministry of Health. It’s also been great getting to know the other reporters, writers, and editors at the office and gradually gaining their trust. Sometimes it it’s intimidating to be told, “cover this” and have no idea where to start with calling people or finding background information, but it’s also an exciting challenge.

I’m learning my way around town (largely on bodas) and gaining so many vantage points into this culture and country.

On Friday, after a crazy boda boda ride across town, I walked off of the dust and clamor of the street and into an auditorium at the Serena Hotel where quiet music was playing, distinguished guests were gathering, and yes, the air conditioning was running. Two hours later, I walked back outside into the heat and diesel fumes and caught another boda back to the office where I piled into a car with five men (we were later pulled over by the police, and one of the men had to get out…) and was dropped off at the Hospital to see their “swine flu” isolation unit.

All in a day’s work.

It’s also interesting watching the news at night and seeing a press conference or event that I covered. Maybe one of these days I’ll be on TV. :)

It has been so nice to have some down time this morning to drink tea, eat mango, and catch up on emails. Our neighbor came over for tea and it was good to get to know her a little better.

Penny is gone for the day and this afternoon, Zoe and I are going to explore more of the city (without notebooks and pens!) and then meet up with some people from the Monitor for a movie in the evening.