If you ever wanted a close up glimpse, here you go...

Today has been a bit of a whirlwind. It seems that things go in two different ways here -  either it's slow, with relative calm and peace; or it's pedal to the metal, moving as quickly as you can to get everything done.     Today was the latter -I'd say the later part is more interesting, if that matters.

It started this morning with waking up before the sun to give Floyd his next dose of malaria treatment with Kool-aid (the only thing that doesn't taste awful to him right now), and a spoonful of peanut butter (the meds are supposed to be taken with something fatty).
Next, I refused to stay up and tried to go back to sleep, even though I knew there was plenty to do.
Now, I finish entering some data in the computer as quickly as I can because I need to return the record books to the Bursar and I stopped at midnight. As I enter data, I realize that a child is listed in the wrong place, so I dig out last years records to verify that my info is correct. It's confirmed.
As I walk out to return the books to the Bursar, I realize the power went out but I hadn't noticed. I also check with two teachers for clarification on their homework assignments that I'm typing up, ask about the student whose in the wrong place & determine our course of action, and then find out that they need interview papers for two more students. As I walk home, I pray that the power comes back on because I really need to print a lot of papers and generator fuel is expensive.
I go home and start boiling the milk so I can make breakfast. To my delight, the power comes back on, so I start printing the interview papers.
I move back and forth between making breakfast, putting more paper in the printer, and getting the boys started on their school work.
Now, I finish cooking breakfast and the kids and I sit down to eat (it's nearly 11am, so we'll count this as lunch also).
I take the interview papers to Madame Grace, ask more questions about homework assignments, meet with a few parents who've come to drop off their children (fun because they don't speak any more English than I speak Luganda, but we manage and they appreciate that I tried to communicate with them). I also go to every classroom to find out how many kids there are because students keep arriving and I need to print the right number for each class.
I find out that P1 is over-flowing with kids and they don't have enough desks. I tell the teacher that we'll just have to be creative because we don't have any more. The builder never finished them and that's not part of my role, so I can't move him to finishing the job. When I get to P6, I realize they have 2 desks not being used (since each desk seats multiple students, this is a big find). I interrupt the teacher and enlist the P6 boys to help me carry these desks to P1. Yay! That problem is resolved for now. :)
Now, I'm at the computer for a few hours trying to type up all of the homework assignments that the teachers need printed before school dismisses. (We save 2 hours a day by having things typed and printed, rather than the teacher writing each question on the board and the children copying it down. We were so grateful to our 2 donors that made the printer and ink possible!)
A quick pause as Pastor Tony arrives to deliver my weekly tray of eggs (he raises chickens for income because the church can't afford a salary for him). I tell him about Floyd and we pray for healing.
Time is running out, so I'm printing and cutting homework pages, while still trying to type up the last one. I'm literally having to create images to match the children's assignments to be printed. As I finish a class or two, Tyler runs them down to the school classes for the teacher to pass out. I realize that on one set, I forgot to uncollate, so now I've enlisted Troy to help me by sorting out the papers for me.
I print the very last set, but when I start to cut it, I realize there's a problem.
The printer is continuing to tell me that my paper size and the file settings don't match. No matter how I adjust them, it won't work. I'm very frustrated. School is over but the class is waiting on their homework sheets. I'd like to throw something or break something, but that would create costly repairs and not accomplish anything, so I manage to control myself. :) But, I'm still very frustrated. Even after totally editing the entire document, the print margins still overlap and the copies are useless. Finally, I resort to changing the paper from a half sheet, to giving each child a full sheet. It feels like a total waste of paper, but I've got no choice.
Now, the homework is passed out, but there's still tomorrow. So, I use Google to look for any online answers to my problem. I found them and it boils down to the little plastic tray guides in the paper tray. If they aren't set exactly for A4 paper (the standard here), the printer will think you're using Letter Size (the US standard). I go to my printer and adjust these settings, which is not as easy as it should be, and it actually worked! It's almost frustrating that such a tiny thing can cause so much headache.
Now, it's after 4pm, and I've still got a list of things to do. I forgot to mention my conversation with the matron earlier today. We are short a mattress in the boys' dorm. Of course, the cook needs bread (they have it once a week and Floyd's malaria meant we didn't go for it on Saturday) and eggs for breakfast.
I go down to the store room and double check the school menu to see if there is anything else we have forgotten. Floyd is still too sick to help, so Tyler is my assistant. As I'm walking back to the house to get in the van, one of our construction leads, Franco, stops me. Since Floyd's sick, he needs me to give him guidance on what to do next because he finished today's project. I tell him that I'll check with Floyd and get back to him. I check on Floyd, get him some ibuprofen, and tell him I'm going.
Now, Tyler and I get in the van to drive to town. As we near the property gate, one girl is beginning her walk home. I know where she lives and it's a bit far. Of course, she walks it every day, but since it's on my way, I let her climb in. A bunch of other kids see this and they come running. Now, I've got a van FULL of kids. In fact, it's illegal because I'm not licensed to run a taxi, but what am I gonna do. :)

Tyler snapped a pic, but you can't quite see everyone.

All along the road, I stop to let kids out. Our usual 25 minute drive, just got a LOT longer! Of course, it's fun for the kids, so we don't mind. As we get to the first actual intersection, some of our students that left a bit sooner see us coming with a car full. They start yelling, "take us, take us." Of course, I have no more room, so I tell them I'm sorry but I can't.
Just little ways down the road, I stop to let out a big group. The kids that I had passed back at the corner come running full speed hoping to jump in. Now, the van is full again and we head on down the road to the next village. After three more stops, it's just Tyler and I in the van.
We get to Kapeeka. First stop, we purchase 5 loaves of "small bread" and a counter book (for the bursar). Next we buy 6 mattresses, which we easily load in the van. Auntie Betty, my friend who runs the shop where I buy the most things), gives me a large bottle of Orange Fanta to take home to Floyd and says a prayer for him. They don't have any eggs, so while I'm paying the bill, I direct Tyler to another shop to ask if they have eggs.
They do, so I drive through the round-about and park the car. We buy 8 trays of eggs (that is 240 eggs, if you're curious) and load them in the car. We lock the car and walk to buy chapati (Tyler asked and I realized that buying chapati would make dinner prep WAY faster). We stop at another shop for a coke for Tyler, and next door for a pair of curtains for the girls' matron, as she had requested. We get back in the car and drive to the Hardware shop. I need concrete nails but find out that they don't have any. So, now we head home.
As we get to Kifampa, the village where we go to the medical clinic, we pass our friend Joseph. He actually is one of the guys that works on the construction team at our property. We realize he's probably walking back to the property, so I stop the van (yes, in the middle of the road, I just stop). Joseph comes running to jump in, but before he can fit, we have to rearrange the eggs and mattresses. It's crowded, but he manages and we're off.
We get back to the property, let Joseph out, pull up to the dorms, and start unloading. Of course, I take a few minutes to play with children, and then I drive the car back to the house and park.
I let the cook know what I've bought and have Madame Flavia translate because cook's English is limited. Then I discuss with the Bursar what she needed and give the curtains to the matron.
I head to the house and check on Floyd. It's about 10 minutes until his next dose of meds. He's decided that he'll try a little more sustenance this time, so he wants a half a grilled cheese. I literally have one piece of bread because I had intended to bake bread today, but it didn't fit in my schedule.
So, I use that one piece of bread to make his grilled cheese. As he sat down to eat and take his pills, I start preparing supper for everyone else. He takes one bite and says he can't handle it. :)
I prepare supper, then call the children to eat. We eat, but we're interrupted about 5-6 times by people at the door. I let Troy and Tyler handle all the needs, which was such a blessing for me. :)
After dinner, I start sewing hooks on mosquito nets for the new students. I make Tyler sit down on the chair next to me to work on Science because he's been slacking off for the last week. I realize that I forgot to tell Floyd to talk to Franco or get him an answer. Since Floyd's getting a little better, I ask him to sit on the porch and talk to Franco. I send Troy to ask Franco to come up to the house. Then I remember the towels on the clothesline that I had forgotten to take down yesterday, so I send Troy and Tyler to do that. Now someone comes to the door asking for me. I go and find 7 girls from the dorms. They've come to tell me that they need mosquito nets (which I know, that's why I'm sewing them). I grab all the ones that I've sewn and head to the dorms, with Tyler coming along to help.
I'm gratefully surprised when I realize that I finished sewing the 6th mosquito net as the girls knocked on the door, and I needed exactly 6 nets! Woohoo! I help tie nets on the necessary beds in the girls dorm and then the boys dorm. The boys see the girls playing with puzzles and ask if they can have some. I tell them that I will get them tomorrow. Edgar is running around the dorms and being a bit stubborn, so I have to pause to correct him a few times. The girls want stories, but I tell them that tomorrow night, Raegan will read a story while I'm at adult Bible study.
The dorms are settled, so now we can go. I take Edgar to the staff room where all the teachers are working late on lesson plans. We chat for a little while about all sorts of random things. Grace is going to be there a while and Edgar is fighting sleep, so I tell her I'll take him to my house and he can either sleep or play with blocks. She'll pick him up as she walks past my house to go home. Tyler is now caught up in something with Teacher Shawn, so Edgar and I leave him.
I go home, check on Floyd, discuss the plans for tomorrow, and go back to my computer. Edgar can't decide between sleeping and playing. He sees the biscuit letters and wants them, but Raegan offers him the last left-over chapati instead. He takes the piece she gave him and sits on his mattress to eat it while I'm working on the computer. He comes back for more so many times that he actually ate the entire chapati. Just as he finally lays down and is nearing sleep, Madame Grace arrives. It's after 10:30. He cries when she takes him, but he's done before they get home.
Finally, I'm trying to finish typing the last of the homework assignments for the week.

If you actually read this, I'm shocked and hope you at least got a chuckle or two. I just had to put it down in writing for my own memory's sake. Some day it will be fun to look back on these times. :)