A Big THANK YOU

Here is my unique bag, covered with stickers from students and friends!!!
(It won't be hard to find on the luggage carousel, will it?
May 29, 2008
Today was the last day of school for the girls. I had a little extra time before I start cleaning my lab and packing up for Uganda so I thought I would add some special thank you's on my blog. First a big thanks to all my students,their generous parents and some of my friends, who contributed from $4 to $300 and helped me raise about $2300 to buy software, etc. I was able to purchase Lab packs (10 copies) of about 18 different software titles. Thanks to Linda at Sunburst - we also received some extra programs and were able to get special pricing on the other software. Microsoft also generously donated several copies of Microsoft Office 2007. The group at Inspiration software donated several copies of both Inspiration and Kidspiration along with some books. Rand McNally donated several wall maps. Thanks to Sister Karam's annual book sale, we were able to buy over 60 books for the school's library. One of our families also donated a printer and print cartridges. A huge thank you to all of you for helping me "Pack My Bags to Uganda" I know the students and faculty at the school will be overjoyed with all these supplies. Now the fun begins as I attempt to pack all of this into 2 suitcases. Wish me luck!!!

Dates and times

Sunday - May 18
I thought I should put down the dates and time of my trip. I will be leaving June 30th from Houston Intercontinental at 8:00P.M. I will arrive in London at 11:00 Am Jul.1st. I will meet all the other teachers who are going to Uganda at Heathrow Airport. We leave that night at 9:10 PM and arrive in Entebbe at 7:40AM July 2. Think I'll be exhausted by then, or so pumped up with excitement - not sure which. We go through customs, which should be an experience in itself. Then we travel to the school - through swamps- see below. We leave Entebee on July 18 at 9:15 AM and arrive in London at 4:00 PM. For those of you who don't know, this is where I go off on my own excursion. I will be staying in London 2 nights and leaving July 20th at 8:55am to fly to Dublin, Ireland and arrive at 10:00. I begin a tour of Ireland that evening and the rest... well, that's a different blog, isn't it? I hope that if I don't get very much internet access in Uganda - I will have a better chance in Ireland of adding to my blog, so if you don't see much during the dates I am in Uganda - start looking again after the 18th. I leave Dublin on July 26 to London and then fly back to Houston, arriving 5:30 PM on the 26th. Then I sleep for a week..... So - I will not have access to a cell phone, so I will be e-mailing as I can. I will probably use my yahoo account - so if you see mail coming from dragon3rider - you'll know who it is. Please add comments to this blog as you feel the desire. You just need to get a google account - you give them your e-mail and make up a user name and password. I have one and have never received spam from them - so it is safe. Later.....

A Schedule of events!!!

Wed. May 14 - I received a tentative schedule from Sister Irene last night. After I read it, I was so excited, I couldn't get to sleep. So many things running through my mind, so many things I need to do, I can't believe I'm really going on this adventure. We will be traveling through 3 swamps from Entebbe where we fly in to get to the Kalunga school in the Masaka district. This is the Seconday School where we will be staying. We will then go to the SHPS - the Primary School - where we will get a "grand welcome". After a couple of days, we will go to the high school at Lake Nabugabo. We will have an inservice with their teachers there. The next week we will spend most of our time at SHPS- I will probably be installing software and instructing teachers and students about the software. On that Sat. there will be a huge celebration with the KGTC and a blessing of the new science lab, solar and water tanks that Sister Irene has been working on with them. There will be the school community, villagers, dignitaries, some Alums (called Old Girls), speeches, songs, dance, - what a blast!!!
The next days we will be traveling to Jinja where the noviceship is, the mouth of the Nile, waterfalls and Kampala for shopping. Then to a B&B before we leave the next day!! Whew!!! See why I couldn't sleep??

Pre-trip thoughts continued

Mother's Day - May 11 Well, time is getting shorter. My brother asked me today - are you REALLY going to Uganda? Yes, I really am. Most everyone I tell is excited for me. Stephen is really excited for me and that makes me really happy. I already have so much to pack for the schools. Software, books, and I still haven't ordered much - what I have already has all been donated. I wonder every day what life is like there. I am so excited to meet the girls, the teachers and see how life in a completely different place will be different, yet probably the same. I think, well actually, I KNOW I will learn so much.

Pre-Trip Thoughts

I am just beginning my blog on my upcoming trip to Uganda. I leave in approximately 56 days from today - May 4, (not that I'm counting.) You all know how excited I am and it is hard to keep my thoughts on the present - knowing that my adventure is so close now. I have my passport, my visa, my immunizations, and even my tickets. I just found out last week that I have to wear skirts there, and being as I own no skirts, my friend Kernie and I went skirt hunting today. I was very successful and I have all the clothes I need except shoes.