10th - one more photo

oh my one more photo! which i like very much! thanks to JL! this is evidence of us sitting on the boda boda to Kasubi tombs. ha 3 of us on a motorbike. interesting hahaha yups but you have to pay for 2 people la! heh not one



oh anw just read JL's blog and found tt my english is so bad! at least for these hurried posts. just rattle off my mind. not writing composition heh. So yups. for a better blog entries on Uganda adventure, go to her blog heh

10th - Photos of Outreach

The boatman. ha nice photo rite! He's real steady la, can walk from the front of the boat to the back just by balancing on the edge. No handles nothing la!


This is the boat that we boarded. hahhaha. really looks like sampan type rite. er but perhaps cant see very well but yes, this is already at the village, when we're going back le.



On board the boat.... heh behind me is the korean pastor and im sitting with the korean elder... hahahha the way he behaves everything is just like the Typical Korean man on tv!!!! my tv drama come alive. cham suddenly there's a korean wave in me hahaha they're really nice and very cute!



this was taken on our way back. The pastor wanted to take me with the sunset. but yups, wasn't successful la but nvm still nice hahaha



and yups this is the sunset. really nice rite? haha not postcard ok, i took this! there's the korean elder's hair at the right bottom corner hahaha. am proud of this photo! and yes i love the sunset. first time see sunset in africa haha so nice!!!



And here's me emulating the scarecrow amid the maize plantation. Ha erhm didnt get to take the photo of the real scarecrow which they put up.



and these are the maize plants



then this is the village. hahaha this is REAL not the fake ones we took at the museum...



and the village houses... ha dun mind living there ne!



and here's the health centre. and all of us, except the korean pastor, who is taking the photo.



we had lunch first before even working. here's the korean meal prepared by the korean elder! KIMCHI!!! ha didnt know he can cook... cos all the ones in the show all dun cook hahahaha and his Lugandan is so powerful! can crack jokes in Luganda... only cant communicate with me in English :( minimal la



and here's the 3 of them from left to right. Elder, pastor, Dr L. They're real nice ppl real glad to have gotten to know them.



Waterfront housing... in the developed world, people pay to live like that. Here, they have everything. ha was on the boat with this US paramedical lady, the pastor offered her sushi and she commented that in US, people pay to eat and enjoy the view on the lake, and here she's eating and having panoramic view and its free! ha you gain some you lose some isnt it?



And here's the view from the boat of the hilly areas surrounding lake victoria. Lake victoria is so big! hahaha there's bilharzia in lake victoria!!!!! haha otherwise i would have jumped into the clean and cool water!




haha and now ending off my photo post with the korean boy! so cute! heh he's 2 plus going to 3 this year. he really loves to play and he is really hyperactive! ha but dun tink is ADHD hahaha kk



so are the photos nice? do feedback! ha may not be posting much more... see if have time cos we'd be on the go from monday onwards! hehehe exciting weekS ahead hahahaha take care folks, am enjoying myself!

10th

Back in Kampala, Edge House! Ha only after you’ve gone for the rural rotation then you’d appreciate the things which you took for granted. Luckily we decided to go for the rural rotation last instead of first, so we were exposed to a more of Uganda as the time went by and so there was no cultural shock. Ha.but yes, would have loved the opportunity to stay in the village. But we were only there for one day, for outreach.

So yes, the highlight of the week that has passed was that we took the Monday off to go outreach with the Korean missionary, called Missionary L. Ha but I preferred to call him Dr Lim. We went to this ? island (not sure if it has a name ha) in the middle of Lake Victoria for outreach. Apparently, Dr Lim has already been to this village for a few times to provide free medical care, often going with the Korean church. So on this trip there was Korean pastor, Korean elder, Korean Dr, Singaporean students, Ugandans (1 intern, 2 University Bible Fellowship people) all on the trip! Ha it was a wonderful experience. Shall describe what we’ve done later…

SUNDAY

so yups before using internet, had a great lunch at this place called Javas. Ha is atas restaurant. So yups here's the pic:

Cappuccino


and i ate this char grilled lamb! so nice



This is in stark contrast to the local food i eat everyday (ha the samosas in the background is already a luxury) and yes greens is a luxury



And yups, so shall show you where i've been to these 2 weeks. nice photo by JL's panoramic function on camera. Mine does not have. hahahha Wakiso health centre at busiro east district



After we left the internet café, we decided to go back to Edge House. On our way back we saw the sign for the museum in the University. So finally we’re going to the museum! hahaha Why finally? cos during our stay in the university, we wanted to go there, but could not find it and missed the exhibition! It was deemed by the Bradt guidebook as an attraction ha but we asked around and apparently the students there do not know it exists! ha. Hmmm but when we went there we were a tad too late, cos it closed 15 mins earlier. Sigh but there were many nice exhibits around there, presumably all by their school of fine arts students. So yups, we took many photos!



and



Later, on the pretext of giving photos, we sneaked back to Edge House to take a bath at our nice nice toilet. there was no one so we sneaked back in hahahaha it was real fun! Ha and we felt clean. WOW!

we stayed over at the Dr L’s house. We had a very very full dinner. Nice traditional Korean food!!! There was this ____ (erhm, I conveniently forgot the name, was busy eating… heh mabbe look at JL’s blog she’d have it) where you wrap the lettuce with bean sauce and stewed beef! *slurp* so nice! Then there was the traditional soup, used chopsticks and spoons (first time in Uganda) that look like the ones in Da Chang Jin (the Korean drama) and lotsa greens and late lotsa raw green chilli!! Miss them so much! ha show you the photo ah..



Then helped prepare the medical supplies, looked around in his clinic, slept in their children’s room, cos 2 of their 3 children are in Kenya, studying at an International School for missionaries’ children. Hmmm Interestingly, their 3rd son is more African then Korean! Ha he prefers African food more than Korean (hmmm, bad choice my dear… Korean food has chilli which is so so nice!!!!)

We set off at 6.30am, driving to Jinja for about 1plus hr (yes, where we’re planning to go, probably white water rafting?) then boarded a BOAT haha like sampan, but there’s motor and cruised Lake Victoria for 2 plus hours. Throughout the trip I did not sleep much cos I was busy taking photos of the nice nice scenery! Heh and yes, on the way back caught a nice nice sunset.

Ha yups, and the village was really interesting, it was like those village houses we saw at the museum come alive! Ha, took some photos. Didn’t see much patients, cos we were in charge of the dispensary, which was what we did in Batam. ha really think God made all the experiences for a reason.

The village was my idea of rural medicine! Ha the fields full of crops, village houses built from straw and mud and wood, no electricity, some water, no toilets… (well there is! army style heh) Was quite high when I went there. Won’t mind if I could stay there. ha the environment was so nice, the air was fresh! Lotsa maize etc. Really enjoyed myself.

Hmmm no preaching or giving out of bibles, but yes, I loved it. And definitely, Dr L is really admirable. He was the one who helped build the health centre where we worked at. yes, albeit just a small single storey house with say 3 rooms, it was already the most modern building there. There was bricks and cement. (yes, he transported more cement on our trip there). He started building this since years ago. Currently, according to him, there is a nurse who works there. And all the medical supplies and the building? Built from his own salary from his clinic in UBF. And he charges each consultation only 10000 shillings (like 9 plus SGD) each patient, half of what the other specialists in Uganda charges, albeit having attained a PhD in paediatrics. wow. And you can see how the villagers respected him. Prepared a meal, helped with all the carrying (the cement, medical supplies and all) and lotsa maize as souvenirs.

The return journey was a stormy one. Ha so they had to get us life jackets, but yups, the boat was swaying in full force, cos the waves were huge and the boat was just a sampan ha. But it was an interesting experience. And yes, was they were in full confidence that we can sail. Ha reminds me of the scene where Jesus and His disciples were on the sea. Ha. Dunno why, but had peace in my heart even though the boat was swaying. Just having confidence in Him.

Yet, I know I have failed Him, always falling short, yielding to temptation and sin. Sigh. but no, will try my best, yes try my best to live a life that He wants me to. Free from bondage. Free. But yes, my actions have shown that He is still not my first and foremost priority in life, which is bad! Sigh. I am still more self loving than God loving. Hmmm change, change change! Naughty boy must become good boy! Ha.

Hmmm yups, looking at these missionaries, there is something that tugs my heart. And yes, such is the faith of the missionaries. Asked the pastor why Uganda? He just shrugs and point up there. Am awed by the faith. Am hoping that my faith is like that. Will I be like that?

Food for thought.

Anyway, the rest of the week was mundane hahaha cos it’s just running clinics on our own. Just like GPs, and lotsa question marks cos like 80% speak Luganda, so if we do not have a translator, its CHAM.

Ha yups, back at Edge house, really comfortable, at least there is running water. Has not stopped. And throughout these 2 months, it really struck me that if there was any natural disasters around in the world near Singapore, Singapore will just go downhill from our current state. Why? Cos we depend much on others for food, unlike like Uganda, where if the whole world is having war, they’d still survive, cos they live very basically. Water from the lakes, food etc all local produce. Hmmm, so many Singaporean students (heh me lah) have been taught in geography classes etc that we are well protected from all the natural disasters. True, but you never know how the world can change. And we are not immune. Any earth quake that strikes the water pipes from Indonesia or bird flu hitting the region we’d be out of water, or food. How to survive? Hmmm I’m sure our leaders have contingency plans. Ha, if not, they better start planning! Ha seeing Myanmar and China, we know more disasters are to come… but yes, we place our confidence in Him.
Have not cooked any meals for the past 2 weeks. Ha feel very unhealthy always having to eat out, so yups, will cook some lunch today! muhahahaha my fave hobby!

But yes, will try to post some more photos!

NEXT WEEK – FUNFILLED WEEK AHEAD!

So having completed the serious business that is all the medical studies in Uganda, we are now back to the fun business! Ha am so looking forward to touring to Uganda. So here’s our plan:

Monday – Lesster and us drive off to Kabale, Kisiizi hospital to pick up the other 4 students. We’re staying there for the night to see what their life is like.
Tuesday, - leave Kisiizi, to Queen Elizabeth Park! We’re staying at a resort and L’s fren is there so we get special price!
Wednesday – Game drive
Thurs – bee farm, bat caves etc
Fri, Sat – Jinja ? White water rafting? hahahaha
Sun – Kampala. Cornerstone church?
Mon, Tues – Entebbe, fly to HK
Wed – reach HK in the evening.
Thurs – Start HK tour… shall look at the itinery my fren planned for us!!!! muhahahaha!

kk gg to cook now!!!! hungry!!!!

_________

look at the next post for the village photos! :P

9th

hahaha so glad i was able to post so many photos! *pleased w myself* heh heh heh nice photos rite? k here's the update i typed at my place of residence in Wakiso... went back to kampala to use internet... hahahaha sad rite.

______

This is my weekly update. Yes, it is exactly one week since I last have access to internet, as I am now physically back in Kampala, to settle some stuff and cos we are invited to dinner at the Korean missionary's home. They have also invited us to go on an outreach tomorrow, into the villages. It is definitely a new experience for me.

 

But indeed, the past week has been nothing short of interesting, in a different way. I am now doing my rural rotation in Wakiso Health Centre, in Busiro East district of Wakiso Town. We first arrived at the health centre on Monday afternoon, after a long wait for the driver from the university. This was something like a polyclinic, a mini hospital of sorts, for they have one doctor, who doesn't seem to see patients at all, as he is usually doing his administrative work. The main people seeing the patients are the clinical officers (they've got diploma in medicine, not doctors but something like paramedical staff) and the nurses. Here the nursing officers can prescribe. So we met the doctor in charge and of course, it was waiting for the health officer to bring us to the place of residence.

 

Here the accommodation is quite cheap, 10000 shillings per night, equivalent to less than SGD10. But disadvantage is that it is near a pub, so they're blasting music till 1.30am every night. (Ha, but yes, I've gotten use to all the noise in my place of residence at the university, so I can sleep despite all the noise, even when the light is on. Good training. Never used to be able to do that in Spore.) And the room here is much smaller than that which I've been staying for 5 wks. There is a small attached bathroom. But it is really really small. About slightly less than 1metre square.

 

Here things are more primitive. So yups, its quite rural. In Kampala, I get power failure once a week. But here, the power failure is almost everyday, then after certain time in the afternoon there is no water. At night there is not a single drop of water. So yups, they've provided jerry cans for us to store water. Interestingly, as this place has a pub, they have a backup generator. So we still have lights (if at night) when the power failure comes. Except the generator is just outside my room and they use petrol to run it so I smell it everyday. However, the light isn't fantastic. Can't really read with this light. Been using my torch and rechargeable batts ha.

 

So yups the main problem is with the water. Yesterday, there has been no water from the tap for more than 30 hrs ha luckily there was rain and they stored some water. So I've replenished one jerry can of water! That's all ha.

 

BUT no worries, people. I am fine with this living condition! ha sorta expected! Rural what! Ha this was what I wanted to experience so yups. And army has trained me well. I can choose not to bathe and still be clean! hahahahaha erps shan't go down to details. But heh interesting life here.

 

Eating out everyday, at the hawkers. Food here's cheaper, but the bottled water is more expensive than in kampala. But life here is really simple and interesting and slack. Cos I start seeing patients at 9 plus, then by 1plus 2 we're done and would be off for lunch and home!

 

Ha, yes, I get to run clinics here on our own. Not really confident at first but you soon get the hang of the things here. (erps must say it is really NOT good practice, but yups, we just do as they do here lor… can't really try much radical stuff) so got a feel of how it is like being a GP. But yes, the cases here are definitely much more interesting than GP in Spore sees. My first case was syphilis. Then hyperthyroidism. (the clinical officer gave me the ???WHAT??? look when I diagnosed hyperthyroidism. Think he'd have given some propanolol and reassurance and send the patient off.) Think: for somebody who was tachypnoeic, sick looking and not looking dehydrated, (I couldn't take any history cos of lang barrier, so I;m not sure what the patient told him) he took the blood pressure. It was  140/90 and he diagnosed it as hypertension. Treatment for this "hypertension" was IV fluids and observe. Firstly, the BP isn't all that high. It is just abit high. Then even if this was hypertension, the treatment wasn't IV fluids. And for her condition, I need to find out why she is so tachypneic and having some shortness of breath. I examined, chest was clear, everything else was fine. I couldn't take the history, so could find out no more.. So just had to agree to let the senior health officer treat it as hypertension and give IV fluids.

 

Many others… the first day I was full of ???? in my head. Ha but later recovered and yups, just did best what I could, using what little knowledge I have to help. At least, I saw patients with a stethoscope. The clinical officers didn't even use any. They just SEE patients. Don't even examine sometimes.

 

Ha feeling quite tired now, that's why this post does not seem coherent. Anyway, in SUMMARY: have adapted to the new environment pretty well and yups life is interesting!!! Looking forward to the outreach… and Kimchi!!! 4 more weeks and I'd be back!

________

hmmm since i still have about 25 mins shall blog abit more...

Must really admit that i can really be quite a dirty person... cos the past few days there has been no water (luckily we usually buy bottled water to drink, so drinking is really not a problem for us...), even resorted to collecting rainwater. BUT there has not been much rain too! hahahaha the locals have the habit of storing lots of water... that explains the malaria... but i guess you cant help it given such a system. They've spared one jerry can of water for us! haha but yups i didnt bathe la haha but i got those wipes haha so im still smelling good! not tt smelly

heh and i just realised that it is the finals of the american idol soon!!!! hahahaha hmmm heard that these 2 finalists are really good. hope to watch em! i think the younger david will win! hahaha he's so good la! must tape must tape!

heh kk gg off liaoz... gg to village tomorrow for outreach. guess it should be fun ne! take care folks, i'd be back!

8th - yet yet more pics

On top of the ssezibwe rocks. yes we did some rock climbing to reach that high! hahahaha breath taking scenery!




yes, this is THAT CAT. THAT CAT that barged into my room when i opened the door and refused to go out! ha but as the days went by i must say i find it quite cute. just a tad different from the spore cats, albeit they look almost the same. they are NOT enticed by my hand signal for "food"! in spore if i do that, the cats will just come in my direction. BUT in here, this cat remained UNDER MY BED!



Ha there was this traditional dance troupe that performed at the guest house near our place of residence so yups, took a photo with them after their performance! Me holding some instrument which i'm not sure what it is hahaha




Well, thats the last photo i have uploaded! hahaha hope i can post more next week! Next week is an entirely exciting week!

8th - yet more pics

Me sitting on grass outside me residence at the uni



With the painter and guide at Kasubi tombs!




Makerere church and me muhahahah



At the market near kasubi tombs great view isnt it?



MULAGO - where i spent the first 5 wks



Pastor's wife, peace and her children and me! she has SEVEN children! hahaha so nice so fun! ha too bad im not ugandan haha cant have so many... ahahahah but didnt get to meet pastor to thank him... but its still nice! went his house for lunch.




at the ssezibwe falls!!!! so nice rite! its abt 15m tall only la but still...

8th - hoping to post more pictures!

African Village at the Ugandan museum



GOATS. Ha brother goat.



Children - the future...



Cornerstone community church




Cornerstone community school, with pastor's wife and the principal, viola. Guess it was really God's grace that we met them. They were really hospitable and brought us around. Were really touched.



Emmanuel - the intern while we were at infectious disease. HA WE DID ALOT OF LUMBAR PUNCTURES!

8th

the weekend has been good. But yups, missing my mum now that it is mothers' day... yups you must be wondering why I have time to type this given the fact that I am going to a more rural area? cos the simple answer is that the African way is at work ha. The driver will only pick us up tomorrow morning, so we'd start later and so we'd still be in the city for the night. But still, guess it has been a great weekend. Let me tell u what we have done.

FRIDAY - bade farewell to many of our friends, exchanged contacts, then went home to pack bag.

SATURDAY - went to Ssezibwe Falls, which was interesting! So close to nature!!!! Ha but the journey was LONG. We started like moving off at 8.30. Took the bus to the main stop, then took another bus towards Jinja and alighted halfway, then took a boda boda (motorcycle) in to the falls. When we reached, it was 1030. Thanks to the jam in the city I guess… Yups Ha then they had a guide. So yups paid entrance fee of UGSh 3000 each, and the guided tour cost UGSh25000.

The trails took about 1.5 hrs. We took a lot of pictures! Wow haha there were 2 trails: nature trail and cultural trail. We went the nature trail first.

The nature trail was fantastic, cos we saw many different kinds of plants, dug some termite hills, took lotsa pictures and even did some rock climbing! Ha but yups it was really interesting and very back to nature! But it was tiring for JL. Anyway, so yups, breathed in all the fresh air and see the plants and the waterfall and river!!!! The water is so cooling!!! Hahaha so happy.

Then there was the cultural trail, where we were introduced to the way of life of the people living near the river and also the traditional beliefs. They go to the Ssezibwe falls to worship if they have gotten twins. Basically they crawl into a small hole and then worship there. And they leave pots there with 2 holes (signifying twins) to thank their gods. Interesting.

Then we had bible study with Specky, the intern which JL met during her surgery rotation. Yups. It was about Matthew 21:22-46. It was an interesting topic and I have begun to re-think many issues: going to church (erhm feel very much like a Christian paying lip service if I don’t fellowship and worship at a church), serving God, specialization to choose, faith and longing for God. Yups. And shared a lot with the intern, and she shared how she knew she was to be a missionary and then how she decided on anaethesia. And as I listened to her, the calling to be a paediatrician seemed to surface again. But I’m really not smart! But she says, as long as it is part of God’s will, it will be done.

Think most important thing for me is to learn to be more attuned to God’s word and I really need to study my bible. Think there are many things to learn and I am still inadequate.

SUNDAY (today) – finished packing… went for service at the University Bible Fellowship. Yups the sermon was on the same chapters we did for bible study yesterday. The worship was superb. Not that it was the music or what. It was a small church with about 20 people. Yet, during worship, I teared. This is the place where I teared the most, where I can feel the Holy Spirit really here. Yups so who says small churches can’t be good? Think this is a very good example. Enjoyed just being in His Presence.

Then yups, had lunch and fellowship at the Korean missionary cum paediatrician and talked to both him and his wife a lot, and played with his 3.5 year old child! Ha then we took a photo together. It really looked like those traditional Asian family photo cos the guys sat in front and the gals stood behind hahaha duno why it turned out like that.

Feel spiritually more recharged, more ready for rural. Hopefully can just speak to some people about Christ there. But yups, just keep Him in our hearts and His ministry will follow. (Ha this was concurred with by Specky!) And yes, God speaks through people too!

That’s all for now! 14 minutes left.

HAPPY MOTHERS’ DAY TO MY MAMA AND GRANDMA AND ALL THE MAMAs IN THE WORLD!!!!

7th

Some photos... hopefully they turn out fine.


This is one of the dinners i cook hahaha so yups i eat ok here dont worry!


This is at the Uganda museum



This is at the wedding, with one of the page boys hahaha so cute!

7th

Hmmm it is the last day in Mulago hospital, but the sense of familiarity is so strong that I don't feel that I am leaving at all. Working till the last day, yups all the procedures and all. Have grown so used to the place. Have many friends, bade farewell to them. But yups, it just felt like another day, as if i might be coming back to this place... Hmmm I really dunno. I dun think so. Guess I have adapted so well to the place... Perhaps cos we're still spending 5 weeks more away from home that is why we do not have the "i am going home and will not be coming back here" kind of feeling and nostalgia. Yups.

But looking back, time really flies. I still remember the first day when I arrived, I was totally not used to being the only white person walking around and everybody staring at you. Now, I'm used to stardom. I was not used to the roads, the culture, the way they do things here, but now I guess you can call me a local, albeit still a superstar. Just the stares i suppose. But yups I have learnt how to interact with the locals, though sometimes the language is still a problem. Yups. Wait a moment will change computer...

Ha changed. Cos that computer cant access yahoo only gmail. yups back.

So yes, this week has not been much different, feels like any other week, except we've gotta start packing again... hate packing, especially when you have to keep within that limit... but this time i can just lug everything to Wakiso Health Centre, the rural rotation. Heard that I will be running clinics there. Yups, just need that clinical guidelines and oxford handbook. Hopefully it'd be alright and fun. Then after 2 weeks it is TOURING TIME!!!!! MUHAHAHAHA!!!! The Singaporean (hmmm catch the Channel U variety show tink June first wk.. forgot the date... its about Singaporeans in places which very few Singaporeans go...) bee keeper, Lesster, is bringing us around!!!! He's really very nice! Ha and if we've not come to uganda, we'd never have known this person. Ha its really interesting how God brings people together!!!

Yups, will be going to the University Bible Fellowship church this weekend. No need to preach i guess so yups, just enjoying the service and God's presence. This church is really interesting... cos it is started by some Korean missionary doctors (yes, they've set up a clinic called the Bethesda Medical Clinic, and yes, it is set up by a PAEDIATRICIAN!!!!) so its really cool. They've been here for 7 years!!!! (ha same duration as Lesster) wow. And learnt from them there are only about 200 odd Koreans here, and most of them are doing missionary work.

The Koreans are really interesting and inspiring. They have only 30% Christians (source is from the doctor here... not really sure if it is accurate) but there are alot of them who becomes missionaries! They are almost EVERYWHERE!!! Just recall the korean missionaries held hostage in Afghan... Really really RESPECT them. And nothing daunts them. Like the missionary doctor here, because English is not their first language in Korea, so they are still having some problems despite being here for 7 years BUT they have never given up!!! And it was interesting how this Dr Lim actually became a Paediatrician. His favourites were as follows: Surgery, _______ , ________, Paediatrics (haha er paiseh... i really cant recall @ this moment in time) He knew he wanted to do missions in future. But he was not sure of his specialisation. he wanted to do surgery, but he could not stand for long... so he decided his physique was not cut for surgery. Then he applied for the 2nd choice... Rejected. Did army, applied for 3rd choice, rejected. Then applied his last choice. Got it. Yet, he found his specialisation, Paediatrics most useful in Uganda, as there are many children!!!! He knew that God had it planned for him.

Hmmm ha a little inspiring to me cos i havent really figured out what specialisation i should do. Wanted to do Paediatrics but after the posting, i was still interested but not sure whether i had the brain power to do it. Might as well spend the extra time doing something else... But yups, i'd just do whatever i can apply! Trust in the Lord! :P

SO yups, i might not be checking my emails for the next 5 weeks, especially during the next two weeks im in rural part dunno if got internet... BUT I REALLY REALLY HOPE I GET INTERNET!!! I'm So Net hungry these days hahaha

but yups i have gotten used to not watching tv etc... only the internet... need to communicate with the rest of the world ma hahaha but still i'd be looking forward to emails fr all of u!!!

will publish this post first then crap again. in the crappy mode... finally on msn with some ppl!!! hahahaha

6th - some details missing... shall update another time

Ooops forgot to add that after the service i went to pastor wife's
house (er i didnt meet the pastor) for lunch (really nice) and
fellowship, played with her children (7!!! i oso want!!!) and then
they drove us to see their schools and then stopped by Lake Victoria
(breathtaking view) at Ggaba, near the school before driving us back
home and yes, she was so nice she shared offering with us... we were
like so shocked la... but well all in all summary is that pastor's
wife and her helper all very nice to us, they were really hospitable
and we were really touched. really really. ha yups and God is truly
amazing

6th

This weekend had been great. Well not that great in the sense that we
didn't manage to visit Entebbe, but spiritually I guess it was a rich
experience. It made me re-think many issues and got back close to God.

On Thursday, went to the Kasubi Tombs (yes, finally, after the spate
of poor weather and so on) and learnt a lot about the history of
Uganda. Apparently, Uganda has many tribes or kingdom, and the biggest
one is that of Buganda Kingdom. They have approx 8million out of the
28 million pple they have in total. I forgot how many tribes in total
they have but I believe it is like 50 plus? So yes, the Kasubi Tombs
is where they bury 4 of their Buganda kings. There are other tombs
elsewhere of those other kingdoms. Yes, the smaller tribes have
chieftains. But I guess finally the Buganda kings are the overall in
charge. So Uganda come from "buganda". Basically it works like this,
every new king will choose to build his palace on top of a hill. (for
easy defence and so on) and there will be a fireplace within that
palace, which just keeps on burning. It will only be put off when the
current king passes away. Then when the next king succeeds the throne,
the fire will be burnt again. Now for this tomb, it was the palace of
1 king. Then when he died, it was converted into a tomb. And 3 of his
other descendants chose to be buried in the same place.

And kings cannot be described to be dead. They have "disappeared". So
the tomb aka the previous palace has one huge African type house (yes
those with grass etc) where the king stays and every day 2 of his 84
wives will go in and serve him. So when he dies, half of it is sealed.
They dig deep down into the soil till certain depth then dig at right
angles forwards into the forest. Then they will place the coffin
there. So basically, the king has disappeared into the forest. So that
half of the house is sealed. And yes there are 4 kings there in total…
almost all are in succession. They can be requested to be buried there
or elsewhere or in their palace.

Other then the central house, there are smaller houses in the
peripheries, where all the 84 wives of the first king stayed. So when
he died, all the wives still have to stay in that house until they
die. Then after they die, the family of these wives have to select
another woman from that family, who will then take turns with the
other 84 families… So every month there will be 2 women from these
families staying in the central house to keep the place tidy. Etc.
Yes. They stay there. Then the next month another 2 families. And this
tradition is passed on for generations. Cos they consider it an honour
to be part of that "royal family". Of course, those kings after that
king have only one wife, so yes, they have only added a few women
family to that list. The current king is staying somewhere far from
it.

On Friday, we wanted to search for the crafts place where we were told
traditional crafts sold cheaply. But when we went there we did not
find the place. Ha so we went back home, put down our stuff and then
went to the film festival, called Amakula Kampala. We took a taxi to
the national theatre. Now you must understand the term 'taxi' in
Uganda means 'bus' in our context. It is a mini bus (actually like
those vans) which carries 14 passengers, where there will be a driver
and person who opens the door from the company. He is the one who
opens the door and collects the fare and shouts where the taxi goes eg
"Kampala Road, Jinja Road" So basically to take a taxi, you go to the
stop or "park" and start telling people the road you want to go, or
you listen to the shoutings. Er no bus guide or labels. Just ASK. Ha
so it was quite a fun experience for us. We were directed to the right
bus stop and managed to get on the 'taxi'. How do you alight? Just
shout "parking" when you think it is near where you want. They will
stop at the nearest stop. And the door opener collects the fare. Yes,
he can actually remember when one boards and alights. So yes, the fare
varies. To town it takes about 50 cents per person so it is rather ok
for us. This was the first time we took a 'taxi"

Another mode of public transport we tried was the "boda boda" which is
essentially a motorcycle. So only one passenger per boda boda. So it
is more expensive then the taxi. Of course, it can be dangerous. But
yes, we felt that if we never tried it we cannot say we have lived in
Uganda before. Ha so yes, we took it last week. It was pretty smooth.

Back to the Amakula Kampala film festival. We went at the right time,
for they were showing some short films by Ugandan directors. Erhm,
budding young directors. And yes, I do agree that for some of them,
the Singapore slapstick "Gui Ya Gui Ya" (Men in White) was better in
many areas. Ha. That is the standard. However the last one was good,
there was meaning and it advocated against child abuse. It was
touching and saved us from the agony of watching yet another (dots)
short film. Yups, then there was a small play cum dance thing put up
in traditional language, which of course we couldn't understand but it
was talking about the tribe's reaction to a couple having a pair of
twins. It was quite entertaining, all the dancing.

SATURDAY. Did nothing much. Had intended to go down to Entebbe. But
due to some unforeseen circumstances, it didn't materialize. So we
stayed at home, and I prepared my SERMON. YES. SERMON. The story went
like this. I contacted the Cornerstone pastor for a place of worship
in Uganda, so he forwarded my mail to his contact in Uganda. But the
pastor was preaching in the villages so we communicated by email and
he forwarded to one of his staff. (who was really friendly btw. We
were really touched) Who contacted me and offered to pick me up from
our workplace on Sunday. But she asked if we could share our
experiences. So I said sure. But then after I realized that this
sharing was more like a sermon. (she didn't tell us…) it was one hour
long. So ya, we freaked out, cos we've never preached before. So yups,
we decided each take half an hour. So yes, we prepared the sermon

SUNDAY. Yes. We went to the Cornerstone Community Church in Uganda.
My, it was really nice. And to our surprise and relief, we were only
preaching to the youth service! Ha but all these made me reflect upon
my whole trip and realized all my prayers were answered and it was
God's hand in all of these. So yes, I teared during the adult service
as I worshipped (it always happens, but this time all the things that
happened really flashed past my mind and I realized how great God IS!)

It was by divine intervention that I met this Professor from Mulago
Hospital at the Wonca conference. I did not realize it at that time. I
noticed she was African, learnt that she was from Uganda, then took
her namecard, cos I thought having another contact will be good for
the 4 others going to Kisiizi hospital in Kabale. I already had a
place in Kenya at that time. So I took her contact and passed it to my
friends.

Then just before exams, the bad news came. Kenya was too tumultuous
for us to go. There was political instability, killings everywhere,
especially in the town that I was supposed to go. Everyone else
freaked out, but I thought this was one challenge God posed. I didn't
fret, instead was rather calm and prayed. I knew I was going to
Africa, so I knew that if I stayed close to God, everything would turn
out fine. (this happened once before the time when NUS suddenly did
not allow us to go Africa in general. Of course we fret, even cried,
but we prayed and miraculously one wk after the whole incident, the
decision was reverted. And yes, the people who took the initiative to
petition was me and JL. We felt it was something we had to do. But it
was not our petition but rather our prayers that was answered.) So
having the previous experience, we knew God was in control so we
didn't fret.

Yet, the time passed and still the situation did not change. This was
in the midst of all the patho exams. After the exams, we knew we could
not wait any longer. One month before our electives, my friend NY
passed the namecard back to us, saying why don't you try this. So yes,
we tried. The application was really smooth until we couldn't believe
it. Then we wanted to buy the air tickets to fly with the other 4.
Yet, the airline said there was no more places. Then we called again
another day. We could fly again, with the rest of the group, on the
same day, with the same plane. The rest, as you know, I am in Uganda
now.

Prayers were answered. And I guess He really wanted to bring us here.
These few weeks I had initially felt empty, as I am still considering
whether to be a mission doctor and wanted to make use of this elective
experience to decide. Yet, i did not go to any mission hospital at
all.

During the past 3 wks in neurology, it dawned upon me that as long as
we keep God in our hearts, the ministry will come along smoothly. We
do not have to burden ourselves with whether we are doing enough for
God. I had expected to do something for the Lord for this trip, to
share to others about Him, yet I found myself largely not doing so,
save for the few patients I prayed at the bedside for during
Neurology. The ultimate was this "preaching" incident. It made me
realized, God is training me up in some way. (ha this was more felt by
JL, for she was really surprised that it was youth service, for she is
serving in youth svc in her church) This is just the beginning and
there is more to come. I asked God to reveal to me His purpose for me,
whether I am doing too little and this incident came up. Yes, I still
do not know the exact plans He has, but I guess, preaching, sharing
and probably missions will be the way to go for me in future.

Don't know what else to do, except keeping close to Him. I know He has
plans for me. I need not worry or burden myself. (ha yes, this was the
'sermon' I preached, and I got a new understanding on the "yoke" which
Jesus mentioned in Matthew)

Yes, but there are still many issues to be resolved. I really hope I
can go to church in Spore, serve the Lord, serve in ministry. More
importantly, I want to grow spiritually. My growth is really minimal.
I am still a spiritual baby, despite the long time I've been telling
others that I am a Christian.

Yes, use me Lord.

KK ENOUGH OF THE WEEKEND. Hmmm just an update… might not be able to
update much in the next few weeks, cos after this current week, I'd be
going to rural rotation at Wakiso Health Centre for 2 wks, for which I
do not know if I'd have internet. Then I will be touring for another
1.5 wks around the country… so moving around, might not have chance to
update.

But yes, I do want to update. And my travel diary is still on DAY 2. SIGHS

And yes, I bought lotsa souvenirs but still tink I have many ppl I
haven't bought hahaha bought mainly for my family.

But yes, keep close to God! Love Him!!!

5th

I can say that my life here in Uganda is really interesting. Far cry from the mundane life in Spore. Ha but yes, i know no matter what, we will need to remember the focus of this trip is God. So whatever happens, we shall not detract away from Him. We should not be detracted by the cares of this world.

 

This weekend is going to be fun too. Am planning to go Entebbe, maybe visit the art festival where they are screening all the films FREE hahahahaha Singaporean mentality. In the public holiday yesterday, i went to visit Kasubi Tombs (abit expensive not so fun as the Museum but it was still nice cos you rarely see the palace turned tomb of kings! at least not in Spore), then went to a fellowship meeting cum bible study at University Bible Fellowship, being invited by one of the local interns. It was a interesting experience, got to know people and talk to them, made friends with this Korean couple, both doctors and missionaries in Uganda. They have been here for 7 years. One is a paediatrician and another an ophthalmologist. They are planning to set up a mission hospital in Entebbe. Really a great experience to talk to these people, ha. Still considering my options. but i tink short term missions will be one of the things i do in future. not sure about long term missions.

 

yet, we'd see where God leads me.

 

I have learnt from a sermon at cornerstone to align ourselves so that we can be attuned to God. That is how all Christians, regardless of denominations can unite. We may have different theologies, yet the way to unite is to call out to God, learn to hear Him, and hence follow His purpose for us. Only then can we fulfil His big picture of having a loving family with all of us.

 

Some things have happened, and we often think whether it is the enemy that is doing all these. Yet, if we would just learn to listen to God, we know that He will and He has won the battle for us.

 

K need preparation for an interesting and exciting weekend ahead. Shall tell ya all what I have done the next week. And yes, next week is my last week in Mulago Hospital, after which I will spend 2 more weeks in a rural place, followed by touring for 1.5 wks before gg HK hahaha so yes must study hard hard now. Hahahaha but still...