Joyce in Kampala

At Lake Albert with hippos in background

Joyce is a biomedical officer at the International Hospital Kampala - IHK.  In Manila, we were in the same batch of VSO volunteers who attended the pre-departure briefing and we traveled together to

View from her balcony

Entebbe.  Since then, we were always there for each other.  She lives in a modern condo unit provided  by IHK and her place has been a sanctuary and information

Food at her table

center for Filipino volunteers.  Her ref is loaded with all sorts of goodies as she has access to a Filipino store and

Filipino vols hang out

fully-stuffed supermarkets - and she cooks delicious Filipino dishes, too.  The rest of us Filipino volunteers are promdi (from the province) when compared to Joyce's accommodations.  She carries herself very well.  She does not dwell on problems, is very calm and composed.  But most of all, she is very caring.  Volunteers

Joyce with Red Cross

who seek medical attention at IHK would often look for Joyce.  Although she is fashionable, she travels light and can pack all her wrinkle-free stuff in her backpack, together with her food provisions.  She braved climbing Mt. Kenya (second to Mt. Kilimanjaro in height) when the rest of her company gave up because of hypothermia and altitude sickness.

In Lake Katwe, Kasese, Uganda

I was fortunate to have known Joyce, because other than what she is, I can always ask her to send me dried fish from Kampala to Gulu.