Progress!

Today was another very encouraging day. I went to UNAD in the morning and asked Deborah (who was the very first person to respond to my e-mails back in January) if she could help me set up interviews. I was overwhelmed at the prospect of finding willing participants, finding an interpreter, and getting all three of us at the same place at the same time (which might have necessitated hiring a driver, which would have been person number four). So right then and there, Deborah and other staff members brainstormed a list of people, a guy whose name I don’t know is asking all of them and creating a timetable, and Miriam offered to be my interpreter. So a huge stressor is relieved and I can concentrate of coming up with interview questions and interviewing people at related NGOs.

I am going to Masaka on Sunday for a conference on HIV/AIDS education for disabled people. We are traveling there (2 or 3 hours away, I’ve been told) with the very large bus usually used by UNAD’s Silent Theatre Group. I asked Miriam if I was going to be the only hearing person on the bus and she gave me a really funny look. She told me that Florence was going to be the only deaf person on the bus and the other people were all from yesterday’s meeting (members of other DPOs, Disabled Persons Organizations). As much as I like meeting new people, it’s also great to be around people I already know and who know me.

Tonight was American movie and pizza night and Brian and Renee’s house. We watched Batman Begins. Have I mentioned that I live near an arena where concerts are held on the weekends? It is a number of blocks away but this music is so loud (now, at midnight) that I think the singer is in my room. It would never been this loud if I was blasting my own music in my room. Thank goodness for earphones and audio books.

I will post today’s pictures tomorrow; I am too tired to upload them now. Goodnight.

Sarah