People at work

Today has been another long hot day (see 'Dr Tom Goes Global' because I'm not going to steal his thunder on his meeting today. He's just taken someone to hospital but is planning a blog if he has time tonight). However, today I met some of his research subjects and it made me think about how hard people here have to work.  So, today's blog is about cooks and food and maybe a man or two at work. As I’m writing this, Thomas has just waved to me, having been to collect medication for a child with TB, which he’s now taking out to her village.  Michael Manager has been to the hospital twice today taking food for a grandmother and baby with malaria.  The staff have told me they’re going to start reading my blog so I want them to know I think they’re fantastic! They work so hard and they care for these children in a self-sacrificing way.  

 

The cook here is called Fortunate. She told me her other names are ‘Happy’ and ‘Joy’. She is always smiling. She cooks for everyone on the site so that’s 50+ at lunchtime. She starts cooking at 7am and leaves the site at 6pm.  She sometimes has to chop firewood too.  We have the staple local meal of Posho and Beans which is very tasty.  

 At the minute she cooks in a small room on wood and the room is full of smoke and very hot.  She says that she needs boots because the posho bubbles over the edge of the pot and scalds.  She has two small boys who are becoming my friends now they’ve got used to me.

 

 The girls here decided Tom & I should try white ants so they cooked some for us. We tried them. We won’t be trying them again… Some people here agree with us that they’re not the finest example of Ugandan cuisine

We love going to the market although I don’t like it that the babies cry when they see the Mzungu lady.   

 We’re having an interesting array of vegetables for tea and last night we saw smoked fish – which Tom says he’ll try at some stage.  They have to be re-hydrated before cooking!

I hope Tom gets back in time to go shopping because he hasn’t left me any money and we need to buy food for tea. We buy each day for that evening. 

Today I enjoyed watching the tent go up for Tom’s meeting.  

 

 It’s no different watching the men here trying to put up an awning as HHC in the Park! On the other hand, the grass was mown by strimmer which is a very laborious job and it took a day to clear enough for the tent. 

We had a power cut last night which lasted all morning too so I will stop here for today and make the most of the fact that we have power at the minute to load this up.   The sound of the ukulele signifies that everyone has stopped work for the day and we’re just waiting for them to return from the clinic.