July 21

So after writing yesterday’s blog entry, I got sick again. Fortunately, I was able to sleep through the night. Although I am feeling much better in terms of stomach stuff, I do not have my full energy back. One short walk leaves me exhausted. I needed to take it easy today. This afternoon I went to the clinic for two hours to work on posters for the health education project. Tomorrow, I will go in the morning and hopefully spend most of the day. Wednesday is Lucy’s day at the clinic, so I should learn a lot, as long as patients actually show up.

After leaving the clinic, I went back to my room, where I finally sorted through all the things I brought for the clinic and for the schools. I put together a pack of one of everything to show Elizabeth so that she can see what I brought and so she can help me figure out the best way to distribute everything to the schools. The pack includes the laminated handwashing posters, the first aid kits (for teachers and for headmasters/mistresses), books on germs (there are only two, so we have to pick which schools to leave them at – probably Kasiisi and Kanuyara, the two schools I will be doing my health education at), soap, and handsanitizer. Elizabeth and I also need to sit down and figure out when I am going to get into the schools. This morning we discussed doing a trial run with the girl guides (our equivalent of girl scouts) at the Kasiisi School. We will figure out the details later.

On my way to the chimp house, where Elizabeth lives and where my food is served, I had a bit of a delay. Just as I was heading down the road, over twenty baboons sat down in the middle of the road. I waited for over 10 minutes and they still didn’t budge. Then, a local man came along and said that it was safe for me to walk, that the baboons wouldn’t bother me. I wasn’t so sure about that after having heard multiple stories about the males charging at people. So instead of walking on, I inched my way forward. Some of the baboons began to move in the direction I was headed, which was better than the direction I was coming from. Had that been the case, we would have had a problem. Other baboons walked off into the woods, so I continued on forward. At one point, I looked to my right and there were a bunch, including a massive male, sitting right on the side of the road. I clapped my hands loudly (as I have been instructed) and picked up my pace. Unfortunately, by picking up my pace, I gained on the other baboons. I scooted around them and started to run. I finally made it and the local man had been right. The baboons did not bother me.

It is almost four now and I am going to take the rest of the afternoon to lay low. If I don’t, I will probably get sick again. Hopefully, by tomorrow, I will be back to my old self.

My mom arrives at the field station a week from today! I can’t wait to see her!