where can I go for a short call?

yay! Thanks for commenting Robyn! I was thinking about ending this whole blog thing because nobody ever comments so I didn't think anyone was actually reading it and I felt kind of silly like I was just talking to myself, but then lately a couple people told me that they're reading it...some comments would be nice though!

I started volunteering at the Kamwokya Christian Caring Community today and my first day there was awesome. I worked in the Child Welfare Department and got to go to a couple home visits with Pamela, who works for KCCC and with this woman named Olivia who is a community volunteer trained by the KCCC to lead support groups for children. Afterwards, they had me write up a report on the different families and their situations and what I reccomend for KCCC to do to help them. It was nice because I didn't expect to feel useful, but I actually did.
The second family we saw just broke my heart. It was a 20 year old girl who has twin girls who are 2 months old, and her boyfriend left her once he found out that she was pregnant with twins. Her family is from the Western part of the country so she is trying to raise these kids alone but can't make enough money to pay her rent. Her landlord has been lenient the past couple months because he knows her situation, but now is saying that if she can't pay the 35,000 shillings (about $18) for July rent then she has to leave. KCCC was going to pay for her transportation to Western Uganda so her relatives could help her care for her babies, but her families culture believes that twins have to be raised where they were born or with their father's family, so they won't help her...even though she has nowhere else to go. Her boyfriend's family won't help her because they can't be sure that their son is the father. She really has no options, but she is healthy and hard-working so I'm really hoping that the KCCC will pay for her rent for a couple months until her children are a little older and she has more time to earn a living. It was really, really sad to see.
The other families were also sad...the whole community is really. The dirt roads are absolute crap so after it rains there are huge puddles everywhere, (it rained last night) and during the rainy season all the little shops alongside the road flood, as do the houses. There is no drainage system, and no garbage disposal system, so you can try to imagine what it's like.
The rest of the week I will be going to a different part of the KCCC everyday to learn about what they do, and then I'm hoping that I can volunteer for one more week in one specific area that I liked the most. I moved out of the hostel and am now staying with Angella, a Ugandan girl that I met while I was on the nursing program. She is really great and I love hanging out with her, but her house is very tiny so I don't know how long it's really appropriate for me to stay. I am totally fine there, but I don't want to be a burden for her.

The title for this post comes from her. I asked someone at the post office the other day where the bathroom was and he started laughing and looked really uncomfortable and like he didn't know what to do. He told me to ask this other guy, so I did and he pointed me in the right direction. I told Angella this and she would not stop laughing! She said the guy probably thought that I wanted to take a shower. From now on I need to always ask for a place to go for a "short call." I knew that already, I just feel weird saying it, but now I will.

Ohh...there's so much else I could write about, I just don't even know what to say really. Lake Mburo was really nice. We went on a guided walking safari and saw zebras and antelope and buffalo. Our guide was really cool and told us really great stories and little tid bits about animals which was neat.

Another little note on Uganda: the only thing I like about taking the buses here is that when you stop along the way to drop people off or whatever a bunch of people will come RUNNING up to the bus with meat on a stick, roasted plaintains, water, roasted maize, soda, chapati, bananas, etc. etc. to try to sell it to you. Then people on the bus open the windows and lean out of the bus to get what they want and give money. Sometimes the bus will start moving in the middle of this transaction and the person selling stuff will have to run to get his money or to give you your food or whatever. It is a really entertaining thing to watch and to be part of. I looove the roasted plantains.
okay toodles. I'm going to try to cook for Angella tonight but I have no idea what to make! I haven't cooked in so, so long! I am going to go to the grocery store and take a looksie.
comment people! especially if you want me to keep this thing up!
love, shelly