Peace, Love, and Uganda

July 8, 2019 – July 20, 2019

Some basic Lumasaaba/Lugisu for you all to learn!

July 8, 2019

Today, I studied and reviewed my Lumasaaba very thoroughly because tomorrow we have a mock Language Proficiency Interview (LPI) and examination. It isn’t something that I’m looking forward to, because how proficient can someone really be after only two weeks of learning a language? Still, it is something that must be done, and I’ve been memorizing my daily verbs, my vocabulary words, and my conjugations for various tenses. I’ve been reviewing and practicing so much that I feel like my brain is going to leak out of my ears. But at least there was some distraction when I got home to help my homestay sister Stella prepare dinner. I learned a lot about how to prepare and cook the local foods that I’ve been coming to love, so having that as a reprieve before reviewing more Lumasaaba was extremely welcome.

July 9, 2019

Well, that mock LPI was a complete and utter disaster, no matter what my teachers might tell me. Out of nowhere they decided to spring a voice recorder on us, and it must have put me in an extremely anxious state. I couldn’t get hardly any words out of my mouth, let alone form a complete sentence. And despite the encouragement of my instructor, Beatrice, to make mistakes and to not worry so much about being perfect… well, it’s rather rare for me not be good to great at most anything I try. Language was always something that I never had any talent in, no matter the drive or the ease of the language itself. Still, with agreements with Beatrice and Maango, I will be practicing with them one-on-one everyday as well as with friends I’ve made here in Mbale and with my family, while trying not to care about making mistakes… wonder how long it will last.

July 10, 2019

We got our language assessments back, and just like I thought, I’ve got a long way to go. Luckily, my teachers are confident in my potential, and I’ve assumed a new strategy for learning and practice. With plenty of new flashcards, and with all the practicing with others I’ll be doing, I’m sure progress will be made.

Outside the Bethel Institute of Health Sciences, Mbale.

After lunch, we visited the Mbale chapter of the Bethel Institute of Health Sciences. The Health Volunteers and I met with some of the staff as well as some of the students. This facility of higher learning focuses on being certified in skills such as laboratory sciences, medical record keeping, and patient case management. All of which are professional skills desperately needed within the medical sectors of Uganda, but there are a variety of societal and structural factors that keep those necessary positions from being filled. Still, the drive and the ambition of the students was very promising, and the entrepreneurial philanthrope of the doctor, nurse practitioner, and the public health official who started the institute are very inspiring.

It is often you will see the services/products/courses listed on the side of an establishment.

Afterwards, back at home, the family and I (but really my Ugandan siblings and I) had our very first movie night! Maayi Katherine was away for work, but I was happy to introduce some good American cinema to them on my laptop’s tiny screen. It was a nice bonding experience, and Katherine said she would be home for another movie tomorrow, before she left to go pray until the sun rises in the morning.

July 11, 2019

“Wonder Woman 1984” comes out next year! Have you even seen anything so delightfully ’80s?

Sent a birthday message to my father before heading to more language training and practice. Progress does feel like it’s being made, but there’s less focus on sentence structure as we learn more about numbers, finances, and communicating the time of day. But watching Wonder Woman was definitely the highlight of the evening. The family had an early dinner before the show, and with tea and snacks in hand. I smiled, chuckled, and very much enjoyed the entertaining reactions my family had to one of my favorite movies, and my favorite superhero.

“How is that woman so strong?!”

“She will have to get used to people telling her what she can’t do.” “…Oh, never mind.”

“That is a very bad man. Diana will have to stop him soon.”

“Stop shooting! You can’t stop her; you don’t know what she is!”

“Oh, my God… She is so strong!”

It was another successful movie night, to say the least.

July 12, 2019

Turns out, I’m going to be staying right here in Mbale! My site is actually – possibly – less than two kilometers away from downtown. I’ll be working with ‘Spotlight on Africa.’ They are an NGO, non-profit registered in partnership with the UK and in Uganda. Their focus on health, water, education, and economic empowerment. The organization has multiple establishments. There is a school – both nursery-level and primary-level – with around 1,000 students enrolled. A health center, and a team of Community Health Promoters (CHPS), work to motivate and encourage members to access their free health services. They have secured access to both clean and potable water to more than ten thousand citizens. And they support economic empowerment activities that benefit the CHPS, women, widows, orphans, urban forgotten dwellers, and other disadvantaged individuals.

Some of my responsibilities will potentially include:

Conducting HIV/AIDS training and HIV risk assessments
Participating in activities aimed at promoting compliance and adherence to patient treatment
Training in water and proper sanitation and hygiene activities
For Orphans and Vulnerable Children (OVC),

July 13, 2019

Today, we met our Supervisors and Counterparts. Today, we met our bosses and our peers. Today, we were better able to learn about where we will be working, and what we will be doing, and with whom. My supervisor and my counterpart, both named Richard, are kind, welcoming, ambitious and driven. They jokingly – but still somewhat seriously – remarked that with me on their team, the entirety of Spotlight on Africa will have to be restructured. Whatever the case, though, whatever the work, I am more than ready to begin.

July 14, 2019

First thing in the morning was church, at Mbale First Baptist, with a Sunday school lesson among the congregants. Not a single one of them laughed as I introduced myself in Lumasaaba as best as I could. They even applauded me when I finished, and the minister raved about ‘this muzungu fluent in Lugisu.’ While it was certainly embarrassing, it was also rather heartening. My comfort in the language is growing, and I’ll have to keep at it.

Since I’ll be staying here in Mbale, my future home is within leisurely walking distance of my homestay house. It is a separate structure – the interior still unfinished – but is next to my supervisor’s home. Richard, and his wife Carol, have welcomed me with all the hospitality that I’ve come to know in Uganda. Their home is cozy and warm, filled with the love of their many children, birthed and adopted. They are two people who have devoted their lives to service. Richard at Spotlight, and Carol working with street children.

My home is, well, wonderful! A large, open living room, a spacious bedroom, a small cooking nook, and a bathroom. With electricity and running water as well! I have a flushing toilet, a shower, two sinks (one in the kitchen), as well as space for a double-burner gas stove. It is more than I could’ve hoped for, to live with all this for two years. The exterior is modern, but also natural, and the neighborhood is really quite charming. Richard has even told me that the fancy Wash and Wills hotel – a prime establishment in the center of the neighborhood – has a modern gym with a monthly membership program! So, I’ll be looking into that too.

Internet, meet Geraldine: the Unrepentant Jacaranda Tree!

This afternoon, I met Sam, an agricultural business partner with Spotlight, and he took me to a future expansion site for the organization. Together, we planted a tree: I have named her Geraldine, the Unrepentant Jacaranda Tree, and she will grow there for two hundred years! Her leaves, bark, roots, and flowers will serve as naturally occurring anti-inflammatories, anti-biotics, and anti-parasitics for people in the communities for generations to come. She will bear witness to the new facilities, the new gardens, the new opportunities. She will stand tall and strong as a reminder of me in the community! …or so Sam would enthusiastically say, again and again.

The night was quiet, full of introductory conversations, but tomorrow will be a full day of travel, visiting and meeting many more new people.

July 15, 2019

What. A. Day.

My counterpart Richard came to collect me, and we walked to the first of our stops. The Musoto Christian Primary and Nursery School is one sponsored by Spotlight on Africa. As per usual, the sight of a muzungu was enough to turn every little head, calling in chorus for his attention. And the muzungu responded often, but other times conversation or observation captured his attention too much to wave in greeting. We met the headmaster and some of the administrative staff of the educational institute boasting more than 1,000 students. Interestingly, through the partnership with the United Kingdom, as well as other donations, the Musoto School can stay afloat and prosper with significantly less school-fees from the student’s parents. The compound holds several buildings, employing a dozen or so instructors and faculty. The bathrooms have flush toilets, water and soap are available, and every child receives a hot nutritious meal for lunch… sometimes the only meal they might have that day.

A list of the many services offered at my new health center.

Afterwards, we walked to the local Health Center, supported by Spotlight on Africa. This is a Health Center III, and was originally opened only for immunization services. However, the community members kept coming back, requesting more and more, and now the team employed with the small still-under-construction building provides dozens of services, seeing upwards of one thousand patients a month. And in a community of around 33,000 residents, that is a staggering amount of people treated a month and every day.

Next to the health center, there is the still-very-much-under-construction building for the vocational trainings held by Spotlight. Interestingly, in a complete round-about from ways of the United States, the contractors and their teams were actually ahead of schedule in constructing the building. Not only that, they actually started building before they’d been paid any money! It seems impossible, but I was told that straight from my supervisor, Richard, the executive officer of Spotlight on Africa.

Then, I was encouraged to go into the field with a Volunteer Health Trainer (VHT), named Ahmed. He was going “into the bush” to interview a handful of pregnant women on the nature, status, and treatment of their pregnancies on behalf of the health center. We drove into a rather rural outlying village of Mbale City, and had some very educational, and influencial conversations with the women Ahmed was assigned to speak with. While these families lived in very obvious poverty, each of them had power lines running to their houses, every house was clean and orderly, and all the people very hospitable. And Ahmed was shocked and exhilarated to hear how much Lumasaaba I was capable of speaking and understanding. He was so impressed that eventually every woman in the village was stopped, and Ahmed egged me on to introduce myself to them again and again.

Following a quick lunch of local, traditional Ugandan pork – and making a new feline friend who lived at the restaurant – it was time to finally end the day at the Spotlight on Africa office. Now, there’s a Shell gas station that is on our route into town, but also on the same road that my homestay family lives on. The third floor up from the ground, on the same land of that Shell station that I’ve walked past dozens of times by now, is the administrative office for Spotlight on Africa! I spent the rest of the work day getting to know all my co-workers in the office, before returning to Richard’s home for dinner and some well-deserved rest. After all, I had tons of ideas, possible ideas, and general musings in my head from all that I’d seen and learned, so compartmentalization was necessary.

July 16, 2019

Tuesday was meant to wrap up the Future Site Visits and to travel back to Mbale. But I already live here, so I actually spent more of the day meeting and working with new people all about the community. First, Richard, Richard, and I visited another educational institute that Spotlight partners with: Nashisa Primary School. And after speaking with the headmisteress, and from my time at Musoto yesterday, I’m beginning to suspect that these school want me to help them design an entire health curriculum for their students. It’s something I don’t have the slightest idea where to begin, but I’ll just add it to the list of exciting future prospects while working with Spotlight.

Outside the Bukasakya Sub-County Local Government Administration office.

Afterwards, we traveled to the Bukasakya Sub-County Local Government Administration Block. There we met the Parish Chief, and the Sub-County Chief – who are both women! Two kind, driven, intelligent women, elected to their positions by the people they serve, who are passionate about the work we do with Spotlight! They seemed to have a fraction of the excitement of working with me as I do with them, so that combination will be more than enough to get great things done!

We ended our day in the office once more, visiting with the workers of Spotlight for short while, before meeting my returned fellow volunteers for tea and sharing our experiences. Most seemed very positive, and we were all very excited.

July 20, 2019

Seriously, check out the Mt. Elgon Hotel, here in Mbale.

Today is a friend’s birthday, and we’re celebrating at the Mt Elgon Hotel and Spa! As I wrote in an earlier entry, we can get a good meal, good drinks, and a pristine pool to enjoy for the whole day at a very reasonable price. Today is a rather warm day, so being able to cool off after such a long walk. In addition to a hilariously difficult and preposterously cheap mini-golf course, and the good times with friends, I haven’t forgotten about all of you, my Wonderful Readers. I’ve uploaded a few pictures to better stimulate your envy, but until next time: be well, be wise, and be good to one another!

06/01/2019 – 07/06/2019

The Mukono Zonal Agricultural Research and Development Institute (MUZARDI)

Date: 06/01/2019-06/04/2019

You know how people tend to write off long distance travel? Like, how those people will say: “Jetlag doesn’t really get to me,” or “I can fly all day, and sleep the whole gosh-diddily-ding-dong time?” We all know people, or at the very least some-one like that. And I can say, with conviction that I am NOT one of them.

Leaving behind two loving and supportive parents (the mother in that parental set was very strong I must say; I was very proud), I stepped onto the first of several planes headed toward Philadelphia. Hence the previous post. Afterward, we rose – if we could sleep at all – to board a bus, driving from two in the morning until five thirty when we arrived at JFK in Queens, New York. When the Qatar Airlines check-in personnel arrived to begin their shifts at seven, checking bags and getting through security was relatively painless. And if you haven’t flown on Qatar Airlines, I highly recommend that you do! There’s a reason they’ve been ranked the number one airline for so many years. It was also a welcome bit of luxury, even flying Economy class, that we figured we would have much of.

There was a layover in Doha, Qatar, arriving around six-o-clock in the morning their time. Doha International Airport was gigantic, quiet, and very clean. The employees were all very patient and kind. And we even got to step foot on Qatar soil, since we had to be shuttled to our next flight.

Little more than five hours later, we arrived in Entebee, just fifty or so kilometers from the capital city of Uganda: Kampala. We were exhausted. We were excited. We were diligent in the collection of our belongings and truthful in our customs’ statements that we were not carriers of Ebola. And there were a fair number of us in desperate need of the restroom as we bused our group to our Pre-Service Training site: Muzardi.

Outside the Main Hall at Muzardi, proudly showing off the Peace Corps partnership

Pictures do this agricultural research site some justice, but only slightly. Lush and green, with chickens, pigs, and the employees’ pets all about, the simple, but ingenious innovations of the research projects were all around us. And that only made the wonder of this private space all the more special.

As it turns out, there were still some surprising luxuries that awaited us here. Beds adorned with treated mosquito nets, a small writing desk – one for each room’s resident, a standing closet, with fresh sheets, towels, and the offering of daily cleaning and turndown service, if we so chose. Meals are prepared by a team of wonderful cooks, and these ladies know how to make a staple food into a scrumptious and highly anticipated treat for us to enjoy.

Gorgeous views with practical agricultural research projects are an everyday thing in Muzardi.

Our evenings are spent together, shared among drinks, or pool, or music, or simply sitting out in the night-time air. The evenings can be surprisingly relaxing, and I find it humorous how my fellow trainees think the balmy, breezy day-light hours are too hot, and the cool and comfortable nights are too cold. But me? This is wonderful. It’d be paradise if a new round of allergic reactions to all this green didn’t waste anytime getting to me upon our arrival.

06/05/2019

Well, so much for not being able to contact home for at least three weeks after arrival in country. Peace Corps surprised us with minutes on our work phones to call home. And I was lucky enough to call my mom on her birthday. Afterwards, we were instructed on how to handwash our clothes and how to use and maintain the cleanliness of pit latrines. Pit latrines are quite the common sight, here and all around the world. And let’s just say that I’m glad I don’t skip leg day, because all those squats will come in handy. We also covered – very briefly – the four primary objectives of the 2019-2026 health initiative and where we, as Peace Corps volunteers, will fit in it. They include: Maternal and Child Health, OVC (Orphaned and Vulnerable Children), Youth and HIV, and Capacity Building.

06/07/2019

Today was the day of my interview with the Program Manager and Program Facilitator for the Health sector of the Peace Corps for finalizing site placement and language. Of the regions that we would potentially occupy, I would prefer to be near water, such as a river or a lake, or in the district that is more mountainous. I suspect I will be living in a compound from what the discussion of the interview was leading toward. From the sound of it, my primary health objective will be the fourth listed above: Capacity Building. The potential compound sound like its own town, with schools, vocational training establishments, and medical facilities that specialize in certain types of healthcare. It’s pretty exciting to think about, but nothing is final until the site announcement. Which is still several weeks away.

The lecture hall where the Healthcare volunteers met for our sessions.

06/08/2019

Near Muzardi is the town of Mukoro, where we spent part of the day as we collected our sim cards for our personal cell phones. But that was where we encountered some hurdles to overcome. I jokingly said that, with so many issues with our passports and fingerprints, that they had to call the State Department, but I learned that that was somewhat the case. They did have to get new copies of our passports and visas, because the ones they were given before were insufficient. After returning for lessons, we covered social norms and some basic survival skills. We also had a couple very powerful thunderstorms, which were very much appreciated, if they didn’t force us to keep our clothes on the drying line all the longer. The cooks of Muzardi surprised us with French fries and fried chicken, and I’m becoming a big fan of African milk tea, samosas, their bran muffins, fried plantains (matooke), and pretty much most of the food I’ve come across. Things have been good thus far.

06/09/2019

Today was a day with an abundance of free time and more plenty more rain to continue preventing our laundry from drying. To escape the now-familiar face of Muzardi, we were invited to the Chakig Eco-Tourism Center. While there we were involved in a spectacular nature walk, an active working farm, and a fertile herbal garden, which were all helped to get off the ground by two former Peace Corps Volunteers. It was nice and inspiring to see sustainable projects built by volunteers like us, still in effect years after they returned home. In the evening, a group of us walked around Mukoro town, waving to all kinds of children, walking with them, all beaming impossibly infectious smiles, before watching a short live football match. It was a good way to close out a good day.

06/11/2019

The adventures of getting a working personal phone has been trying, to put it lightly. Though it wasn’t in any fault of the Airtel employees. Representatives from Airtel arrived in Muzardi around four in the afternoon. Every person who did not receive an activation text since our visit to the local Airtel store had to have their documents, fingerprints, and photographs taken another two times (at least). Fortunately, they did not take our money for data and calling services until an activation code was received and all remaining necessary info was texted to their servers. This took until well past eight in the evening and not everyone had their phones activated. They would have to wait until another day.

Following this, there were several interesting conversations among us as to who would be the first to drop out of the Peace Corps early. To be honest, this possibility never crossed my mind until it was brought up tonight. This led to a series of discussions on patience and how we needed to adapt and adjust in order to keep up – ironically – with how things are done here in Uganda. This was ironic because time is very much relative in this country. Basically, it boils down to: the work will get done, but don’t rely on schedules too much, because life happens. But the work will still get done. So, we Americans will need to slow down to keep up with the people of Uganda. This might be as difficult and as important a task as learning our languages and cultural integration.

06/13/2019

The health volunteers went on a field trip to the Mukono Health Center IV in Mukono town today. It was there that we learned about their family planning services, immunization services, and antenatal and postnatal services. Some interesting facts about Uganda’s government sponsored healthcare for women and children: everything is free! Many, MANY of the same birth control options that we have in the states are available here. The main problems encountered include running out of supplies, and compliance/patient retention when it comes to routine immunizations and the like. The hospital personnel are also not able to reach everyone in the community that they’d like to. That being said, they still do amazing work. The nurses/midwives/sisters were all wonderful hosts, giving throughout and potent answers to our questions. It was also interesting how accepted it was (even by the patients) for us to literally just barge in on their sessions, led by our hospital hosts, of course. We saw newborns resting with their mothers following delivery and in recovery. The nurses also offered an interesting idea for reaching the predominantly Catholic population regarding family planning options: go into the communities for something different, such as cancer screening, and run a logical tangent into the conversations to tell them about their options – the point is to help them make an informed decision about all of their options.

One of the many posters and images around the health center, used to promote healthy behavior.

06/15/2019

FINALLY! We finally have our language assignments! We will be having our introductory courses during our last week here in Muzardi in the language of Lumasaaba! Lumasaaba is spoken in the far east of Uganda in a land of “great mountains, crystal-clear waters, cool climates, fresh fruits, and gorgeous nature.” So yeah, pretty damn lucky and pretty damn excited!

06/16/2019

Today was our group journey to capital city: Kampala. We toured important landmarks and locations with a current Peace Corps Volunteer (PCV). Our guide showed the various PC approved and vetted hostels – which were very cool and very much my style, the mall which was large and quite lovely, but very, very expensive. As we learned, anything you could want could be purchased from the supermarket across the street from the mall, which was well evidenced by how busy it was. Everything in this supermarket was at least half-off what was priced in the mall. We walked to the PC Uganda HQ, relaxed in the volunteer lounge for a bit, and toured a few more of the exteriors of the variety of foreign embassies, but no photographs were allowed. We ate a late lunch at the Bush Pig hostel, and then took a taxi to the REAL Kampala. Everything in that first district we visited was practically lifeless compared to the Old and New Taxi parks. Milling through the chaotic marketplaces, there was attention and attractions in every direction. Despite all the tall buildings around us, I have absolutely no idea how anyone living or working inside them could even get inside. Riding in the taxis was an experience – it took over 20 minutes just to get out of the taxi park, but the ride back to Muzardi was relatively uneventful. The journey back was also very cheap, and despite it being in the afternoon, we were all rather sun-tired at that point, and so we called it a day rather early.

06/17/2019

Today the Health trainees had sessions devoted to Sexual and Reproductive Health and Safety lessons. To better facilitate, and to demonstrate fun and engaging ways to teach these lessons to children and youths in Uganda. We played a game of handball to teach how irresponsible behavior can impact more than one member of the community, we held a relay race of proper condom application and removal, and we made our own RUMPS (Re-Usable Menstrual Pads). These are cost effective, environmentally friendly, and sustainable methods of maintaining menstrual hygiene. They help to keep girls in schools (since the stigma and stereotypes surrounding menstruation often force girls out of their education), but it also empowers them to have control over their own bodies and their own wallets. Unfortunately, there’s no picture of my finished product because I failed miserably in the process of making my own RUMPS, but I’m sure I’ll have plenty of other opportunities in the coming two years.

06/18/2019

Five of us were assigned to St. Paul’s Boarding and Primary School outside of Mukono town to perform a needs assessment on a group of 7^th graders, and their knowledge of personal hygiene. The kids were all looking sharp in their bright red uniforms, and the walls inside and outside the classroom were decorated with images, diagrams, and insightful pictures concerning subjects that we didn’t learn in the states until high school. They were all exceptionally well-behaved, respectful, and highly intelligent. They were actively engaged to answer our questions, and were exceptionally knowledgeable on many, many aspects of keeping themselves clean and healthy. They just lacked the opportunities to do so (i.e. no tippy-taps outside the latrines and shower areas).

06/19/2019

We returned to the same school, with the same kids, with an educational session on proper handwashing techniques and the benefits that we prepared for around two hours as a group. The session went extremely well, and the kids were all having fun, and willing to participate in the lectures, the demonstrations, and the games. Some of them were even better at hand washing than I was! Turns out that they taught me something about proper handwashing technique. The kids were all actively engaged yet again and having fun. It turned out to be a very positive experience for the five of us, especially when one of the girls asked if we would be coming back to teach them, and have fun with them, some more. It helped to bring all of us volunteer trainers closer together, realize how well, and how easily we work together, and how even a lesson prepared in less than a day can still have a big impact. We concluded our time there by giving the headmaster some resources to build a few tippy-taps for his school, and congratulated the headmaster on the terrific work he was doing and how he should be very proud.

Students from St. Paul playing an educational game with us Volunteers

06/20/2019

Today, we went into Kampala town to get our banking and ATM cards squared away, but the major event happened once we returned to MUZARDI. The Peace Corps Volunteer Trainers organized a truly touching and emotionally-bonding event for all of us. We sat in a circle, but with our backs to each other, and closed our eyes. Four or five individuals were selected per six or seven scenarios to tap the shoulders of those who matched the positive and inspirational affirmation that the leader recited. They ranged from “tap the shoulder of someone who made you smile today,” to “tap the shoulder of someone who inspires you,” to “tap someone who you’ve shared a secret with,” to “tap someone who you wish you knew more about,” to “tap someone on the shoulder you know will be a great Peace Corps Volunteer.” It was all anonymous. It was all wonderful. To be honest, I was feeling like I hadn’t bonded with many of my cohort here in Uganda, and that hampered my relationships with them as a result. But for every four to five “tappers,” for every six or seven questions, I was tapped at least two, three, or even four times. It was extremely uplifting, touching, and powerful. It absolutely brought us all closer together. We continued our bonding with music, and the USA v. Sweden football match broadcasted on a big, projected screen.

06/22/2019

Muzardi threw us a wonderful going-away party with food, music, dancing, and drinks. One last hurrah before we departed to our regions. It was naturally a lot of fun, but a fair few of us headed to bed at a reasonable hour as we had to finish packing and preparing for traveling.

The nights were even cool enough to gather around a bonfire.

06/23/2019

We headed to the Bugisu region in the east, and the capital city of Mbale. We actually ended up crossing the Nile, which originates from a mountain near Jinja town. Never thought I’d see the Nile without actually being in Egypt. We crossed and saw beautiful bridge and beautiful waters, with promised plans for returning for various water-based activities. Traveling to Mbale was around a five-plus hour journey from Kampala, but much of the trip was very smooth and uneventful. We passed through forested stretches, plains, and mountains. The first thing we noticed about Mbale was it is rather posh compared the other towns and cities we’ve visited/been a part of. Large sidewalks, the population is not so congested, and the city layout is well designed compared to others. We met met our homestay families: mine includes Pastor and Matriarch Katherine, and her relatives. Son Demas, Nephew E.D., Niece Stella, and Nephew Sam. She also has three other children, two working in Kampala and one starting his career as a local doctor: Derek, Deliverance, and Dennis, respectively. All of them are lovely, with a splendid home. Three bedrooms (one of which is mine), running water, electricity, a television, and a refrigerator for our boiled and purified water. The family is very proud of their family accomplishments: weddings and graduations adorn the walls and furnishings.

Beautiful bridges crossing the mouth of the Nile near Jinja town.

06/24/2019

First official eight-hour day of Lumasaaba language training, focusing on greeting and identifying oneself in Lumasaaba. Today was actually relatively uneventful, and certainly not challenging just yet. I returned home, and ate dinner alone, as families in Uganda typically eat very late, just before bed. Katherine’s son, the doctor Dennis, came to visit and met me. He was very sweet, smart, and offered me a standing invitation to the health center he’s working to open. I am excited to better learn about the work being done in this particular region with this particular population. We watched the All Nations Africa Cup of Nations with the family for a while before studying a bit before bed

06/25/2019

Language is getting harder to learn, verbs and their complex conjugations seem at times unnecessary, but it’s only day two. And while that is meant to be a comfort, it is also rather disconcerting, personally – it is only day two and I am struggling with language this much already… Regardless, we press on and eventually, these things will just click. Pastor Katherine had to travel into Kampala with family for the day, so for the first time, my homestay brothers, sister, and I ate dinner together, while watching more football on TV. I didn’t get much studying done, since I did laundry and did some shopping in town after classes were concluded. But it was still a very nice evening at home.

06/26/2019

Language isn’t getting any easier, but we were able to build a spreadsheet, after a fashion, of the verbs and how they are conjugated in the tenses we’ve learned so far, and practiced as a group, so that was helpful. We went into Mbale town to officially meet and introduce ourselves as Peace Corps volunteers to the LC-III and chief of police. The LC system of local governance was created by the current president of Uganda as a way of empowering and providing a people’s government that works from the bottom of society and makes its way up. LCs start at the local village level, ten members of that particular community are elected, and move up the population ladder. LC-I is village, LC-II is parish, LC-III is sub-county, LC-IV is county, and LC-V is district. It is just good manners to be known by your leaders, not as tourists, but as legitimate members of your community. At home, my family and I worked on a series of assignments to be completed, watched the Uganda – Zimbabwe Cup of Nation’s match, and then bed.

06/28/2019

My host family matron is also a pastor, and I was surprised to learn, that it is all too commonplace and accepted for certain protestant congregations to come together for prayer sessions… from 10 o’clock in at night until 3 o’clock in the morning!!! I don’t know how she was awake in the morning, but she was, so if anything, that should speak to the power of routine and habits in influencing human behavior. After learning more about religious behavior, I am all the more excited to visit her church and meet her congregation on Sunday!

06/29/2019

We, the Lumasaaba crew, were invited to meet with a couple current Peace Corps volunteers at the Mount Elgon Hotel, within walking distance of our homes and classroom. The hotel is lovely, the pool is cool and very welcome on this hot day, plus some good food at reasonable prices! There was also quite an energetic wedding going on while we were at the hotel, and we also took that opportunity to learn more about the people, by the people, with the people. It was nice to have some more insight into living in this region, as well as being a Peace Corps Volunteer, without the looming oversight of staff and training expectations.

06/30/2019

Not many Sundays can I boast a five-and-a-half-hour church visit, but here in Africa, it really is just another day! Seriously, I mean five-and-a-half-hours for one service, and this being something that happens most every day of the week. After the service, and being partially deaf in my right ear (the minister preaching with my homestay mother Katherine was very interesting and charismatic, but let’s just say he really didn’t need a microphone), Katherine took myself and my homestay siblings for a local lunch of pork, plantains, and vegetables at a local venue, within walking distance of her church. The afternoon was spent doing the washing and studying more Lumasaaba. And we ended the day watching the Uganda vs. Egypt football match.

07/01/2019

Goodness gracious, am I struggling with language now. I had absolutely no confidence today; it felt like I knew absolutely nothing, and was genuinely paralyzed by the fact that I could understand and translate most everything that was said during practices, but couldn’t formulate a single word to speak myself. After lunch, it was pretty much all self-study for me: working on being more confident in what I should – what I do – know. After coming back to the homestay, I relaxed a bit in bed, thinking about other things, before diving into memorizing more verbs and vocabulary.

07/04/2019

Happy Fourth of July (American Independence Day) to you all! Or belated, as is obviously the case. Today, was more or less a day off from language training for the group. So, we took the day to come together and cook for each other and our host families. There was quite a spread, of both American and Ugandan cuisine. I learned a lot about food preparation and the actual process of cooking with the resources that we have on hand in this country. It was also a fine opportunity to get to know each other a bit more and to bond a bit deeper. The host families have been so warm and welcome and patient with us. Their goodness seems to be without end. And while the others may – or may not – have had a day off from language, I most certainly did not. I worked on a little side project for myself, as another of the photos will attest. Let no one ever say that I am not taking this language learning and responsibility seriously!

07/06/2019

Saturdays are our shorter days, so I’ve found my way to an internet café – at an excellent price! Less than a dollar American to use for the whole day! Before I explain the epic escapade that resulted in my finally, FINALLY being able to post this long blog post, after really studying, practicing, and having some one-on-one time with our instructors, Francis and Beatrice, I actually feel some measure of comfort with Lumasaaba. We have a mock interview to measure our proficiency next week. This is to serve as practice before our official Language Proficiency Interview that takes place our last week of language training. So, please: wish me luck!

Now, for the epic conclusion of “The Epic Adventures in Wifi Searching and Social Media Posting!” Yes, I know… the title needs work… Regardless, to put things simply: here in Uganda, the government has imposed a tax on social media. Basically, for any device that can potentially access the internet, you must pay the OTT tax – daily, weekly, or monthly – to access, interact, and post on those sites. And while it makes sense now, in hindsight, how blogging sites are also a part of social media, but the problem became that I couldn’t pay the social media tax for my computer. And we’ve been so busy, and the options for wireless internet access – with an acceptable connection – were so few and far between.

But for now, I’ve found a fast internet connection, for a very good price. I’ve updated and restarted my computer. I’ve downloaded and have started using a secure VPN, and now here we are. I want to thank everyone of you for your patience. Thank you so much for thinking of me, and asking after me. I hope you find this long post to be educational, entertaining, endearing, and potentially inspiring. Inspiring for you to take the step towards visiting this beautiful, vibrant, and friendly country! The next post is still up in the air; I am not sure when it will be. But with Mbale as my main city center in the region of Bugisu, doubtless I will be able to post at this venue with some measure of frequency. So, until then Wonderful Readers: be well, be wise, be productive and happy, and I look forward to sharing with you again.

May 31, 2019

It begins! Here in Philadelphia, with too few hours to get any real rest before boarding a bus for JFK, before flying for upwards of twenty hours and hitting the ground running. But it begins!

This day began rather early as well, flying on a small plane that took off on time, landed early, and had no complications. Got to have a nice conversation with an art student attending SCAD – who really, REALLY liked Pokémon – but to each their own, you know? A short taxi ride into downtown Philadelphia, and I’d arrived at the hotel, early enough for a lunch at Panera. Pre-Service orientation resulted in a fair number of anxieties addressed, quite a lot of self-reflection, and meeting a large number of new acquaintances. All good things.

The facilitators did a fine job answering questions and addressing concerns. Activities were, surprisingly, not as cliché and juvenile as one might think. They really helped to introduce ourselves to our “volunteer family” and to get closer to the heart of why we wish to serve and what we are anxious and ambitious about during this adventure.

Unknowns continue to abound; my insecurities dance along with them. Having a final round of fast food for dinner, getting to know some new people, and one last hot shower for… quite a while at the very least, and now I sit in my hotel room. Tired. Trepidatious about getting a couple hours of sleep. Eager to continue the start of these proceedings. Learning and practicing. Training and branching out to try new things.

It really does mean a lot, dear readers, to have you here on this journey with me. Part of what we learned from the goals of the Peace Corps is how we should act as a kind of bridge between cultures. To be ambassadors, of a kind, with Americans and a culture that Americans might know very little about. Fostering the continued understanding and respect between different parts of the world is a big part of anthropology, and the techniques I would learn in the healthcare sector will doubtless be useful upon my return. So, I’m glad I can share some of these thoughts, and activities, and day-by-day goings on with all of you!

One final time: there will be a significant stretch of time between this post and the next. Ingrained in training and exploring and learning, there will be little opportunity to update. But naturally, I expect there to be plenty to share once the opportunity arises. So, until then: be well, be happy, and be wise!

May 24, 2019

Seven days…

Seven days until the flights begin. Seven days until I meet my fellow volunteers. Seven days before the start of a new chapter. Seven days until the start of my new job, centered half-way around the world.

Seven days. Honestly, that really hit me today… Like a full-on existential awareness of the inevitability of the choice – the commitment – I’ve made… So, naturally, it’s good to get some of that in writing.

As I’ve told many friends and family time and again: there’s an awful lot about this Peace Corps venture that I just don’t know. About ALL of this. I don’t know what sector of healthcare I’ll be working in. I don’t know which community will be the focus of the organization with whom I’m assigned. I don’t know which organization I’ll be assigned. I don’t know what language I’ll be learning. I don’t know what I’ll be eating, how I’ll be living, where I’ll be living. I don’t know if I’ll be living with a family for the duration of my service, or if I’ll be living by myself. I don’t know… I don’t know… I don’t know!

And for those who know me even slightly, they know that anything unknown makes my brain go lightspeed with every possible scenario. Good, bad, and banal. I’ve developed something of a talent: letting those thoughts and predictions run on their own in the back of my mind, freeing my focus for other tasks, but the restlessness grows. It has been growing, with every to-do box checked off from my list. This last upcoming week will have plenty of last-minute things to do – as is the case with every relocation someone makes – but I’m going to be anxious. A little bit more every day.

Which is not a bad thing. Not by a long shot. If anything, it’s all the more exciting. Anxiety and Excitement. They go hand in hand for me. Because once I’m on my way, once we’re in the game, learning what we need to learn, living how we’re going to live, I’ll be jumping into the work feet-first. I’ll be the one to set the bar for behavior and drive. I’ll be the one to challenge and expand. I’ll be me, essentially.

There’s still a lot to do. There’s a lot more that will be done. Selling the car, moving some finances around, having the absentee ballot application printed… making sure I can actually pack everything I intend to bring…

But there’s also fun to be had this week as well: a family day at the beach, drinks with friends, downloading some new music to take with me.

So, as this week closes, I’m grateful for your thoughts, prayers, and well-wishes. I fully intend to not only make you all proud, but I swear to make myself proud. As I’ve been told, the Peace Corps is “the hardest job that you’ll ever love.” I’m looking forward to sharing some of those trials and triumphs with you all.

Once more: next week, on Friday the 31^st of May, will be the last post for a while. Once the opportunity for a more consistent upload is possible, sharing will resume, but I ask for your patience. And thank you so much for being here on this journey with me.

May 17, 2019

For this week’s update, I thought I’d share my aspiration statement. These are my short responses to a series of questions posed by the Peace Corps to better help with site placement once we’re in country.

What are three professional attributes that you plan to use during your Peace Corps Service?

Three professional attributes that I pride myself in having, and constantly striving to further improve, are flexibility, teamwork, and creativity.

How these will help you fulfill your aspirations and commitment to service?

Life is full of unknowns, and being able to metaphorically roll with the punches is where a skill like flexibility comes into play. From the start of service, throughout training and during the duration of our stay in country, unknowns will undoubtedly be in abundance. Living with challenges aplenty will not only require flexibility, but also expanding my capacity to be patient and level-headed. When new problems and unforeseen difficulties make themselves known, flexibility will guarantee the work I do will remain consistent and professional.

Teamwork is essential for the continued survival and development of our species. No matter the sector, no matter the work needing to be done, very little in life can be accomplished alone. By being an enthusiastic and generous team member, to any and all groups I am a part of during my service, I can follow along – and lead where necessary – to see the health outcomes of the organization with whom I partner be realized.

After being in country for some time, I believe I will have amassed enough time, knowledge, and data to contribute to my organization’s work with my personal creativity. Being able to see both in and outside the box, both the small and big pictures of a situation, I can find potentially new and exciting prospects for addressing concerns and cultural needs. Keeping these attributes at the forefront of my work will ensure my service remains of the highest quality.

What are two strategies for working effectively with host country partners to meet expressed needs?

One strategy for working effectively with others, particularly in another country entirely, is actively listening and communication. A seemingly simple strategy, one that might have easily been an answer to the first question, but active listening and communication is much more complex for how I intend to use it. For the duration of my service, I am there to help. I am there to assist with existing Ugandan interventions, developing and implementing new programs, and evaluating others. My hosts and co-workers will be the experts; they will always be the experts. I will constantly be learning from them in order to better work with them. They know their needs, and I am there to help.

A second strategy would be to be both a realist and an optimist. For me, these values go hand in hand with one another. Only together can they build a sustainable, possible, and better future. Hope is useful and necessary, but only to a certain extent. Without evidence, without a grounding in reality, that hope is fleeting and difficult to harness. Balancing both a realistic view of the world and the hopeful optimism that so many prize and practice is a delicate path to take, to say the least. But together, walking that path together, is how we shape those seemingly impossible dreams into truth.

What is your strategy for adapting to a new culture with respect to your own cultural background?

As an anthropologist, my strategy for adapting to a new culture is the tried, true, and tested methodology of the social science: participation and observation. As an outsider looking in, as a foreigner living in their space, my neighbors, my co-workers, my eventual friends and confidants are the experts, and I have so very much to learn. I will jump into this new opportunity feet-first, metaphorically speaking. I will take the information provided in training, and live as actively and as appropriately as I can, continuing to learn, participate, and grow within the community I am placed.

List some of the skills and knowledge you hope to gain during pre-service training and throughout your service to best serve your future community and project.

Aside from language proficiency, cooking and hygienic strategies, and basic societal navigation, I hope to learn several things to best serve my community and projects. I hope to learn current Ugandan health and wellness strategies and theories, related to recently launched initiatives (One Health Strategy Plan, Strategy for Improving Health Service Delivery 2016-2021, etc.). I also want to become familiar with the current cultural, socio-economic landscape to better become familiar with the resources and information available for use. This will help to build effective, and hopefully sustainable, programs tailored to a community’s needs. Last, but certainly far from least, I would hope to learn theories, practices, and evaluation strategies built specifically by and for the African nations that make up the continent.

How do you think your Peace Corps service will influence your personal and professional aspirations after your service ends?

I doubt I could imagine a better location, or opportunity, to develop and expand my professional skillset than working in Uganda. After completing my two Master’s degrees, I had little chance to improve my public health and applied medical anthropological abilities outside of academia. My hope is to take what I learn over the course of my service to continue working and serving upon my return to the United States. If my focus in country is related to preventing communicable diseases, I hope to find work back in America doing the same. The same could be said if my work is with maternal and child health concerns. However my service should transpire, I will seek personal transformations in finding similar and suitable employment afterwards. In many ways, my work in Uganda would be the start of my professional career in the public health and research sectors.

And now, a friendly reminder: Updates will continue every Friday up to Friday May 31^st. After that, it will be some time, according to the Peace Corps folks, until the next update. Training apparently begins right after the plan lands in country, and I don’t know when we’ll have free time – with internet availability. Thank you so much for understanding!

Until next Friday! Be well, you wonderful people!

May 10, 2019

Wow, so, more than a week has gone by… and I’m not sure what to share here today…

Since I’ve moved in with my parents to save up some money before departing halfway around the world, I’ve been working several jobs. Three in fact. And while I’ve narrowed those down to one current place of employment the closer the date draws near, I’ve been sure to keep a list of things that still must be done, so I’m not going stir crazy with cabin fever.

I’ve been bingeing as much of the shows that I love, seeing the movies I want to see, and doing as much as I want to do, because I certainly won’t have as frequent, or easy, access to those while I’m away.

Over the course of the last few months here in the states, my excitement has ranged from heavily tinted with rose-colored optimism, to tempered significantly by anxious realism. And now, with the date so near, and my list of needs and wants all but completed, I can say with conviction that I am ready to begin. Those who know me even just slightly, you know I’ll be jumping into my work and my training feet first, so even with so much coming down the proverbial pipeline, I’ll be meeting those challenges with confidence and grit. If I didn’t, I don’t think I could call myself much of an anthropologist.

And because I told you I wasn’t sure what to share with you all: Here’s some interesting facts about Uganda that you might not know!

While English and Swahili are the official languages of Uganda, there are more than 50 unique languages and dialects spoken. And I’ll be learning one of them!
Uganda remains one of the poorest nations in the world, despite an ever-increasing economy under the current regime, with half the population living off less than $1.25 (USD) a day.
Uganda is home to over 60 protected areas, including: Mgahinga Gorilla National Park, Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, Murchison Falls National Park, and Queen Elizabeth National Park.
There are seven telecommunication companies serving more than 20 million subscribers. More than 95% of all internet connections are made through mobile devices.
Uganda has a literacy rate of 66.8 percent as of the 2002 census, with the divide between male and female literacy being extremely significant. (76.8% male vs 57.7% female)
Human rights, including LBGT+ rights, remain a pertinent concern of the world stage. While the death penalty is no longer in effect, non-heteronormative behavior carries the risk of jail time.

So, there’s some good and fascinating, and there’s some bad and disconcerting. But there’s still so much to learn, and so much to experience, and so much to do!

Now, just a head’s up: I still intend to update you all up until, and including, the day of May 31^st, but after that, it will be some time until I can next connect with you all. We are diving straight into training as soon as we arrive, and they’ve said we will not have much in the way of time the days following our arrival. Thank you so much for understanding!

Till we connect again!

May 2, 2019

Hello, and Welcome All to “Peace, Love, and Uganda”!

I am so thrilled that you’re here! And if you found yourself here, chances are that you know who I am: Alex Cutler. And we have connected through social media, or I added to the mailing list for this: my Peace Corps Experience Blog.

In exactly one month, on June the second, I will have arrived – with my fellow cohort of volunteers – at our destination. Known as the “Pearl of Africa,” the Republic of Uganda has existed since gaining their independence from the United Kingdom on October 9, 1962. Demographically, Uganda’s population is more than 44 million citizens, with an estimated 2017 GDP of 26.4 billion US dollars, and an economy consisting of mostly the production of ultimately exported goods, traded amongst their neighbors. The primary language spoken is English, and the most prominent faith practiced is Catholicism. The capital city is Kampala, with a population of a little over 1.5 million people. Uganda is a landlocked nation, but with a surprising number of interesting geographic features, such as rainforests, plains, mountains, a glacier, and the massive Lake Victoria.

Just a sampling of some the Beauty of the Pearl of Africa

For those of you unfamiliar with the Peace Corps, and for those who don’t want to run a quick google search: the Peace Corps was founded in 1961 by President John F. Kennedy with the mission of assisting with social and economic development abroad. Some of the various fields that we volunteers work in are agricultural business development, education, and healthcare. Each of us makes a commitment to serving for two years in our host nation after three months of training. We live, we work, and we do our best to become a member of the community; there to make a positive difference.

So, what will be the purpose of this blog? Why are you here? Why am I going there? What the heck am I even going to be doing?

Well, to answer those in order, this exercise is as much a chronicling of my adventures, work, and experiences, and to share them with you. You: who expressed an interest in keeping up with my service-related shenanigans. And if you’re just finding yourself here by chance: then a big “Hello!” to you in particular. And you’re here, well… I suppose I can’t answer that for you, but just know that I’m glad you are.

The reason why I’m going is complicated, for lack of a better term. It certainly wasn’t the plan last year, at the beginning of 2018. I quit my job, and began pursuing new employment to put my two Master’s degrees to use. Having no luck, and developing a serious strain on my mental wellbeing after more than six months of interviews, presentations and rejections, I was encouraged to send my information to the Peace Corps. And following a development that moved much faster that I could have anticipated, I was interviewed, reviewed, accepted, and began this once-in-a-lifetime journey.

I have always also had a desire to serve mankind, to make a positive difference in the world. I am one blessed with great opportunities and great privilege. And I would seek and follow any good and fulfilling opportunities to make use of my skills and talents to help others. I believe that there is a moral and ethical imperative for those in a position to help – who are able to help – to give of that position freely.

Finally, what will I be doing? I will be working as a Community Health Specialist. What does that mean? Well, that’s still a little unclear. And by “a little,” I actually mean “quite a bit” unclear. Basically, I am going into this experience not knowing much about where I’ll be living, where I’ll be working, what I’ll be doing, what language I’ll be learning, how I’ll be living, or what is truly expected of me in my role. So that has lent itself to a healthy amount of anxiety and nerves. But those are much smaller than the positive feelings of excitement and ambition that I have felt since I accepted the invitation to serve with the Peace Corps.

I really don’t have too much planned right now for this blog. At first, I’m sure it will be little more than a place to keep a record of my thoughts and such. But whatever may come, I’m beyond thrilled to be taking this new and challenging step into my future, and I’m glad to share it with all of you.

Please know that I am still learning about how to use this site.

Please know that I welcome any and all questions.

Please know that I intend to update this blog as frequently as once a week until my departure, with plenty more information to follow.

Please be well and happy, as I will do my best to be as well.

Until next time!