Two weeks and counting...

Things for Uganda are starting to come together!! I am two weeks and a day away from taking off...I keep telling myself that, but it hasn't really hit me yet that I am actually going. People keep asking me if I am ready to go, and I feel more like I am...my physical preparation is pretty much complete (just need to put everything into my backpack), planning for the clinic is about as complete as it can be at this point, and Jeff and Shannon have agreed to pick me up at the airport when I arrive in Uganda, so it's all good!

I have a cool opportunity to do a couple other jobs/tasks while I am in Uganda, which I am excited about! I am involved with the Centre for International Child Health at BC Children's Hospital, and our group has a partnership with Makerere University in Kampala, Uganda. Right now, the partnership is focusing on improving the education of Ugandan medical students (future doctors), and I have the opportunity to meet with the head of the nursing school at Makerere to talk about how we can also support nursing education...basically, the goal is to help improve nursing education so that will in turn lead to better health care and therefore better health for Ugandans! (if that makes sense...)

The other thing I get to do while I am in Uganda is be the contact person and local "expert" on life in Uganda for a group of undergraduate students from UBC! (little do they know I am far from an expert, but oh well!! At least I have been there before!) The students are coming over to do some type of dental education...I actually don't know much about what exactly they are doing (I think they will be singing lots of songs about brushing teeth, etc). I have been asked to meet them at the airport, help them find a taxi, show them around Kampala, teach them how to barter/negotiate prices on food and stuff, and do a bunch more things which I have yet to be told about!! This "little favour" for UBC is turning out to be a bit more involved than I thought it would be, as it will take up a couple of days of my time, but it should still be pretty interesting! Fortunately, the only cost to me will be time...UBC is footing the bill for the rest of the stuff. I met the students who are coming to Uganda earlier this evening, and they seem cool and pretty confident, so I think we'll have fun. This was totally not an opportunity that I was looking for, so it will be cool to see how God uses this experience during my trip!

Now it is time for sleep! Tomorrow I think I need to make some space to be quiet and rest, and begin to prepare spiritually for this trip...this has been my biggest challenge as I prepare to go. Somehow, the physical preparation always seems easier for me to do! I know I will be changed and challenged by this experience, so I want to be ready to hear and to be obedient...