“Da Rona”
So here is where we are. I’m at a conference with Kellie for two weeks. Don’t panic. So far it is still ok for us to meet. We do have to sanitize several times a day and get our temperature checked before entering. We are staying with friend Karen. It’s like three college girls living in a house together again. Ha! This conference is so eye opening. But I am terrible at putting into practice what I have learned. 🤦🏽♀️ Maybe after it sinks in all the way in my brain, I will be better at it.
Brent and the girls are holding the fort down in Mbarara. At first, I thought they might be packing it up! Brent found 4 tickets at no cost to us to leave on March 27, which is also the last day of the conference. I wasn’t too keen on that. I knew Brent and the girls could pack up our stuff, sell the car, but we have friends to wave good-bye to and young guards to think about since they live on our compound and their work is with us. It was such a quick turn around. I didn’t know if we could be ready, in more ways than one, to leave by then. So we didn’t buy the tickets. Probably a dumb decision.
Then the Ugandan President spoke on Wednesday last week. It was the best Presidential speech ever, and by that I mean funny. They put captions on the screen so everyone could understand his English. Only, the captions must have been on auto correct because what he said was not always what he typed. There was a geography lesson,, a math lesson, and a mention that if you got the Pope sick then how could God forgive you. 🤦🏽♀️ Something about drunken people drooling with saliva down there face and that wasn’t healthy for them. I wish you could have seen it. If all President speeches were like this, more people might watch and it might be a little more enjoyable. And everyone still got the basic point, Uganda is closed for the next 32 days.. We could still leave, just the time got a little shorter and the tickets got a lot more expensive. Then on Friday, we got word that the airport was closing on March 25. And since everything changes by the hour, Saturday (the 21st) evening they decided the airport should close Sunday, March 22, at midnight. Rwanda is closed also, so we cannot leave from Kigali.
They should have closed it on Saturday though, because the first case of “da rona” flew in and landed at 2:00 am from Ethiopia. I thought they should have sent him back on “da plane”. But he will be quarantined for a month and probably won’t be released until he tests negative. Most likely his name will not be given because people are not happy and sometimes take matters into their own hands.
This is a community centered culture. Although, schools, churches, large public gatherings, weddings, funerals have all been closed or limited people allowed, there are no fast food drive- thru’s,- they have open markets and grocery stores. Food prices are already going up.
There no drive-thru ATM’s, you stand in line outside waiting your turn.
I do think some churches will have online services or prayers.
Long bus transportation is to be avoided, but taxis are still crammed full and Boda drivers are busy as ever. This culture does not have a sense of personal space, AKA “the bubble”. They stand and walk super close to each other. Hospitals cannot handle an outbreak.
We are riding out the storm here. We have stocked up a bit.. The girls already have the hang of homeschooling, so that has worked out well. We are good. Hopefully, we will be able to fly home in May as originally planned. Stayed tuned, we only have 1 computer, but maybe I will have time to post a little more. 🤗
Love to all of you.
Brent and the girls are holding the fort down in Mbarara. At first, I thought they might be packing it up! Brent found 4 tickets at no cost to us to leave on March 27, which is also the last day of the conference. I wasn’t too keen on that. I knew Brent and the girls could pack up our stuff, sell the car, but we have friends to wave good-bye to and young guards to think about since they live on our compound and their work is with us. It was such a quick turn around. I didn’t know if we could be ready, in more ways than one, to leave by then. So we didn’t buy the tickets. Probably a dumb decision.
Then the Ugandan President spoke on Wednesday last week. It was the best Presidential speech ever, and by that I mean funny. They put captions on the screen so everyone could understand his English. Only, the captions must have been on auto correct because what he said was not always what he typed. There was a geography lesson,, a math lesson, and a mention that if you got the Pope sick then how could God forgive you. 🤦🏽♀️ Something about drunken people drooling with saliva down there face and that wasn’t healthy for them. I wish you could have seen it. If all President speeches were like this, more people might watch and it might be a little more enjoyable. And everyone still got the basic point, Uganda is closed for the next 32 days.. We could still leave, just the time got a little shorter and the tickets got a lot more expensive. Then on Friday, we got word that the airport was closing on March 25. And since everything changes by the hour, Saturday (the 21st) evening they decided the airport should close Sunday, March 22, at midnight. Rwanda is closed also, so we cannot leave from Kigali.
They should have closed it on Saturday though, because the first case of “da rona” flew in and landed at 2:00 am from Ethiopia. I thought they should have sent him back on “da plane”. But he will be quarantined for a month and probably won’t be released until he tests negative. Most likely his name will not be given because people are not happy and sometimes take matters into their own hands.
This is a community centered culture. Although, schools, churches, large public gatherings, weddings, funerals have all been closed or limited people allowed, there are no fast food drive- thru’s,- they have open markets and grocery stores. Food prices are already going up.
There no drive-thru ATM’s, you stand in line outside waiting your turn.
I do think some churches will have online services or prayers.
Long bus transportation is to be avoided, but taxis are still crammed full and Boda drivers are busy as ever. This culture does not have a sense of personal space, AKA “the bubble”. They stand and walk super close to each other. Hospitals cannot handle an outbreak.
Love to all of you.
Comments