A park for the people but not anymore, head banging teachers and demonistic epileptics....

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Its 30 degrees in the UK and 23 degrees and raining in Uganda? what is going on? I am supposed to be the one boasting about the weather not you guys 😊

lots of noise from the bar outside the hotel so my room was moved on Monday night, I thought great I will finally get a decent nights sleep, I put the lock on the door and someone tried forcing the door open at 1am, the reception had not logged my room change and the room was given to someone else. At 2am I recieved a call, the call was to ask me why I was in the room!?! after grumpily explaining the situation, I fell back to sleep and awoke at 6am groggy and not at all ready for the day. But last night after a good sleep I feel far better today, it is pouring with rain right now with thunder and lightening....

Today we are talking about the reasons for being unconcious FISH SHAPED it is called for all the First aid nerds out there ... we were discussing head injuries, Elisha, a rather tall first aider started to look worried when I said "a violent blow to the head", he asked me "how long after a violent blow can compression appear?" I advised him that it can be anything from hours to days or weeks or even months, "what about years?" he seemed really scared at this point, "unlikely" I said "when did you bang your head" realising that we would be seeing signs by this point if he thought he had it, "when I was a small boy at school, my teacher would hit me hard on the head when I was bad" I can promise you I wasnt the only one laughing, I assured him he was ok and he didnt need to worry, apparently though teachers do still hit kids in school out here! Not sure why that surprises me.

We later spoke about Epilepsy, obviously a subject close to my heart and so far in each country they have had different reactions to Epilepsy, pee and fingers being the strangest so I looked forward to discussing this subject with these guys. It seemed to be quite emotional with them We even missed tea break to discuss it. (not like an African to miss a tea break)

I found myself having to assure them that it was not the mothers fault especially when I stated that a bang to the head can cause a seizure a gentleman piped up and said "how would they bang the head in the womb? what would the mother be doing?" this is a very old fashioned thought. I explained that when someone is diagnosed with epilepsy parents do feel scared, and maybe do blame each other but no one is to blame, it is just one of those things that happens and people can learn to live with it.

We talked through what Epilepsy was and how to treat it, of course like everyone else they still thought that you must put a spoon or block in the mouth to save the tongue, I explained to them the dangers of doing this and the fact that when he or she comes round they will be knocking on your door for the dental bill...

Then we had the clanger, the one you get in each country the one that makes you go "WHAT? REALLY?" a lad says to me "excuse me, it is believed in Uganda that if you treat someone with Epilepsy that a demon will leave their body and you will catch the epilepsy demon from them" I advised them that Epilepsy is a condition of the brain (as we have been discussing) and I can promise you there are no demons involved. they were happy with this (at least they seemed to be)

Diabetes = apparently the disease of the rich - food is hard to come by for the poor so only the rich have Diabetes hmmmm

I have just come back from a walk in a park, a park initially installed with a monument of King George V in 1936 for the people of Kampala, it is a beautiful park and one the people of Kampala should be proud of, only they are not allowed in it anymore... not unless they stay in the sheraton. Last July there was a bombing, they call it the 7/11 bombing (this one will confuse the Americans) Somalians bombed a rugby club in Kampala whilst Ugandan's watched the world cup, 76 people died. Since this bombing this park has sadly been closed to the people. As I walked around the park I watched "the people" go about their daily business, children returning from a long day at school running and skipping, people returning from work on motorbikes some of them three or four on a bike clinging to their live chickens for dinner and the police in the sexy white outfit everyone with a mobile phone to their ear, what would Africa do it we took all the mobile phones away? thats a thought to ponder 😊 A young girl stops and watches me through the fence that has been put up to stop "the people" from getting in, I wave and she smiles and waves back and she skips off ...

Have a lovely evening all, I am imagining Elisha one of the first aiders has gone home checking all of his family for Heart conditions, Diabetes, Epilepsy and Asthma, poor guy I think I terrified him today with all these conditions....

sleep well

Lisa

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Photos

not for the people
The security guard assured me that this didnt include me

tiny termite mound
they grow bigger than michael