Survey is completed!

Today was the last day of the survey. I haven't acutally been going door to door doing the survey, because the chance of inaccurate results increases if a 'mzungu' is present--people are more likely to say what they think I will want them to say. So instead, I have been meeting with the people who are doing the survey every day before they go out and talking to them about the different problems they have encountered, and then taking them to the different areas they need to get to. After two days of the survey, we have surveyed a minimum of 408 people (I don't know the actual number due to a mistake some of the people made where they didn't record the number of children in each age group.) We are hoping to survey at least 600 people, so if we get another 200 today, then we will have reached our goal. If not, I may have to extend the survey one more day, which I am hoping not to do. Oranizing anything here is pretty much a nightmare, so this week has been quite stressful for me and I'm glad it's over now. I am very excited to see the results of the survey now, and next week will begin the huge task of analyzing the data.

When I was driving down the mountain today (Mooni is a mountain village), after dropping everyone off to do the survey, I took a wrong turn and ended up on a road that I realized was turning into not much of a road anymore. The roads are already terrible in Mooni--I may as well have been off roading--in fact that probably would've been easier than driving on the roads. But this road was quickly disapearing into just a little path. I kept driving for a bit, hoping that I'd find a place to turn around (the roads are also very narrow) and I wasn't finding
anywhere. Suddenly I came up to a really steep hill. I stopped, because if I went down I wasn't sure if I was going to be able to make it up, due to the muddy roads. So then my choices were to either back up all the way down the road until I came to somewhere where I could turn around, or to try to turn around where I was. On my right was a steep embankment up, and on my left was a ditch about a foot and a half deep. I did not like the idea of driving backwards down a muddy mountain road for a long time, so I decided to try to turn around. Of course it wasn't long before I went into the ditch. Both back wheels went over into the ditch. I thought I was really stuck then. Up in the middle of nowhere, by myself, and I had the only Jenga vehicle with me, because Robby had taken the Van to kampala. So I couldn't even call anyone to come up and help me.
Thankfully, I had asked one of the guys doing the survey to show me how to put the truck into 4 wheel drive right before I dropped him off because i was worried about the roads getting bad if it started to rain. So I decided to give it a shot. I got out and changed the setting on the front tires, smiling and waving at the crowd of at least 15 people who had now gathered to watch me. They didn't smile or wave back, they just kept staring at me. I got back in the truck and after stalling it about 4 times, miracle of miracles, I managed to get the truck up out of the ditch.
So that was my disaster eversion of the day.

I seem to have at least one potiential disaster a day here. Maybe it's just me. Probably. But a few days ago I sprained my ankle badly enough that I can't walk without a tensor bandage on it. I keep trying to take it off and walk without it because everyone keeps saying sorry and asking what happened and I feel really dumb telling them that I just stepped off a curb and my ankle rolled. I should make up an exciting story or something.
This has kinda been a rambling blog about nothing, so sorry about that. I need to get back to work now. Hope everyone's doing well and thanks to those that have emailed me, it's always great to hear from people. miss you all and see you soon!