July 22 – 25, 2019
For the whole duration of this week, our focus has been on preparing, practicing, and studying for the real Language Proficiency Interview (LPI). As such, not a whole lot of import or excitement happened to report. There was just a lot of preparing, practicing, and studying Lumasaaba. However, I am feeling better about my use and understanding on the language. So, I’m not all that worried about the exam. For now…
July 26, 2019
Well, I took the LPI exam, and… it actually went fairly fine, as it turns out. I can only say that from what I felt about the experience, and if it turns out that I actually did horribly, I’m going to be very disappointed. That being said, I was able to answer in complete sentences, make coherent paragraphs, use descriptive adjectives, various tenses, and understand all but one of the questions. So, if I did poorly, I will be disappointed and surprised.
I was lucky enough to finish my exam early, so I headed into town to buy some sweets from a fantastic bakery and café as thanks for my homestay family for housing and caring for me these past five weeks. I bought enough for us to enjoy tonight and tomorrow night. Our last night of homestay. So we will have a veritable feast – which we were preparing some of tonight – sweets, and another movie night.
July 27, 2019
As a way of Peace Corps giving thanks to the family’s who took us in the past month, we invited our families to a send off and celebration of our time together. We shared a meal. We shared words of love and praise. We shared our time. But naturally there was more to do.
Many of us seemed to have a similar idea of a final night surprise for our host families. But where some bought pizzas for dinner, I had my cookies and sweets. They were very well received, as well as a comedy for movie night, plus the oh-so-necessary Indian soap operas. Thus, did our final night together – at least for now – had wrapped up smoothly and happily.
July 28, 2019
We’ve travelled to the boarder town of Busia, and to use a proper but cliched metaphor: it’s like a whole different world. Where Mbale is a city of hills, trees, sidewalks, and buildings sometimes as high as five stories; Busia is flat, with very few trees, no sidewalks, and short buildings. It also borders Kenya, so while we’ve not set foot in Kenya just yet, we did set tires in the country, so we’re counting it as a visit. No matter how arbitrary and derived entirely from semantics. Also, the palpable disconnect from not being able to use the language we’ve been trained in for five weeks has rendered me temporarily mute. Uganda is a nation with over fifty spoken languages, and leaving our small area has opened the door for five new, and completely foreign, tongues.
We’ve also split into two groups: the four health volunteers together, and the four agricultural-business volunteers. We health volunteers met with our two current volunteer trainers: Alyssa and Madison, who will be taking us through Technical Immersion, while we stay at the Maryland Inn of Busia. One of the last two weeks of training before we are officially sworn in as Peace Corps Volunteers.
July 29, 2019
There was exploring. There was learning. There was meeting new people. There was eating. There was planning. There was meeting new people. Alyssa and Madison took us to both of their sites, introduced us to their co-workers, showed us some of their active projects, and, of course, fed us and answered our seemingly endless array of questions. Our hosts have been so wonderful and patient so far in our time together, and they’re very ready to help us dive into our group and individual facilitations among the communities they serve.
One of the locations we visited was the Busia District Hospital, Masafu. Now, in Uganda, the healthcare system is entirely government supported. For those who don’t know, that means that Uganda provides universal healthcare for all of its citizens, and they pay no cost for services, treatment, laboratory investigations, surgeries, anything. But the biggest issue seems to come from a national struggle to actual reach the people and to get them to use these services than most anything else.
The same number of patients, or more, would visit a much smaller Health Center II or III, simply because those facilities were closer, even though they only offer a third of the potential services and expertise. Only when a Health Center reaches a Level IV do you actually have a certified physician on duty, so the lower the number, the less there is, but the people come for the help and healing that they need. It is a difficult situation, and far more complicated and nuanced than this explanation is offering, but I am going to be working in one city of one district of one region. Not on the national stage. I will focus on what I can focus on.
July 30, 2019
It was a day of needs assessments, fantastic food, and new animal friends! Groups of two of us conducted needs assessments of two sites today. And we designed a lesson to address those needs today as well. One group – not mine – worked with secondary school aged girls to learn what they new of teenage pregnancy, sexual and reproductive health, their menstrual cycles, etc. The other group of two – mine – visited a primary school, to speak with a couple classes on what they knew of HIV/AIDS.
Afterwards, we retired to Alyssa’s house, and she prepared us a feast of macaroni and cheese, brownies, dozens of different tea options, fresh fruit, and a vegetable salad. We played with her dog and two cats while working on our presentations, which we will bring to the communities tomorrow.
July 31, 2019
No doubt you all would understand that somehow making a connection in less than an hour with a group of over eighty or so children on a dour and serious topic like HIV/AIDS can be a struggle. When I work with the two schools sponsored by Spotlight on Africa in Mbale, I will naturally – but very much deliberately – take more time with the students before even beginning to assess needs or make changes. But still, that is what we did. It was like pulling teeth, but it was still a valuable educational experience for both us and the students.
August 1, 2019
Now was the time for even more community needs assessments, within new communities, one for each of the four of us. We would individually be facilitating for four different groups. One would teach and train a group of community trainers on RUMPs (Re-Usable Menstrual Pads), one would investigate the needs for nutrition among village mothers, one would also be working with RUMPs with Secondary School-aged girls. And one – that would be me – would speak with a Women’s Group in the village of Musafu about malaria.
After completing this, we were once again treated at the best restaurant in Busia: Alyssa’s House! She made fish tacos! Being spoiled like this is going to ruin my own culinary failures all the more. No, I cannot really cook, but two years of practice… has to do something, right?
August 2, 2019
Well, my facilitation with the women’s group regarding Malaria was a rousing success! As we pulled up, and as they waited, the women were all singing and dancing, wearing countless infectious smiles on their faces. My translator, Lilian, told me that they were celebrating our return, expressing their gratitude in joyous song. We learned together, played games together, answered questions and distributed mosquito nets together. In one two-hour session, eighty families had a new mosquito net for their home. In two hours, I was able to share relevant, and potentially life saving information, to eighty women to share with their families. In two hours, Alyssa and Madison gave me an opportunity to make a real difference. This is what makes Peace Corps something special; this is what makes work like this worthwhile.
August 3-4, 2019
Well, it was time to travel back to Kampala! We piled into a mutatu (taxi van) and drove a beautiful, if a little cramped, five hours from Busia back to the capital. The eight of us Lumasaaba bazungu (plural for muzungu) grabbed lunch at a local brewery and Japanese restaurant. It is Restaurant Week here in Kampala, so there were a few deals that we took advantage of before catching a ride with an Uber to Paul Paul VI Memorial Hotel.
The next day, a couple friends from the other language groups in our cohort, and myself were given the freedom to explore some of Kampala before being back at the hotel for dinner. We journeyed to the arts and crafts market, and then to a trendy café called “1000 Cups” for snack and caffeine. It was nice to catch up with friends we’ve been separated from for over a month and a half, and it was good to get away from the hotel for a couple hours. The arts and crafts were plentiful, but often repeating. Still, there were beautiful, unashamedly African, and gave us plenty of ideas for decorating our future homes.
August 5-7, 2019
The days here were pretty uneventful. Mandatory sessions, more waiting, more sitting, more reconnecting. The anticipation was palpable to say the least. It was fair to say that a significant number of us were very much ready to begin our services.
August 8, 2019
We did it! We’re volunteers! It’s official! Finally…
The ceremony – which was quite a lot of fun, as well as exciting – was held at the home of the United States Ambassador to Uganda. A kindly, matronly woman – named Deborah Malac – who could still command great respect and authority, despite her petite figure. She and the Guest of Honor, Dr. Jane Aceng, were delighted by our presentations, our dances, our songs and speeches. There was laughter, photographs, and colorful kitenge all around. Good food, good people, in a beautiful setting; it was such a welcomed and delightful day.
And, since we would all soon be apart for quite some time, naturally we volunteers stayed up well past our bedtimes to celebrate and spend a night of joyful revelry. For tomorrow, the real work begins!
August 9, 2019
Driving, driving, driving across country… It takes a while to get out of Kampala and Mukono district. Like three and a half hours, long. Yeah. And that wouldn’t even be considered bad by the standards of Uganda! Because at least we were moving every once and a while. A truly bad traffic jam is to be stuck in place for at least an hour and a half, not making any progress at all. The public transport drivers will even leave their vehicles to socialize and spend the time, leaving their passengers inside. Because if you, a passenger, leaves, someone else can very easily take your seat.
Still, we made our way, over the course of eight or so hours, to Mbale. And so, it is time to sleep.
August 10-11, 2019
It takes time and money to make a house into a home, and despite the best efforts of the infrastructure of Mbale city, I was able to collect everything that I need for my kitchen, and all the cleaning supplies I required. One of the struggles of living in Africa, as opposed to the United States is: sometimes the phone companies are down and you’re unable to settle accounts or acquire new services, sometimes the ATMs are out of money, sometimes the internet is down or the establishments that offer it are closed. Any number of things can happen, and for me they just all happened at the same time.
Not that this is an inherently bad thing. It gives one more time to explore, to meet new people, and to navigate new contacts in the city. Still, with a frankly staggering amount of walking, shopping, cleaning, washing, talking, and more these past couple days, I am tired. Very tired. But tomorrow, I start working. And that is something that every part of me can get behind.
August 12, 2019
Today was my very first day. After collecting some additional funds for groceries this afternoon, I ventured to the office in order to manage some logistical and administrative responsibilities. Afterwards, my counterpart Richard and I walked the rather long distance to the sponsored health center – thank goodness for overcast days with a cool breeze. I was able to reconnect with the staff of the health center, as well as go over plans and schedules for the first few months here at site and with Spotlight on Africa (SoA).
Myself, three Richards affiliated with SoA, and one Dr. Edith visited another health facility in a truly gorgeous area around Mbale. It was as much a professional visit as it was an investigative visit. You see, SoA is planning on breaking ground on the second building of its health center next month! And the center we visited today had a remarkably cool and comfortable interior – temperature wise. This was achieved through ingenious local Ugandan means of ventilation and space maximization. It was certainly a very education and worthwhile visit with my new co-workers…
But… it really didn’t leave any time for grocery and supply shopping. I mean, I could go out at night and visit the night markets, but I was very tired from all the walking and the traveling and whatnot. So, instead, Richard and I made a quick round for some necessities and a bushel of bananas for my breakfasts this week. Hopefully tomorrow I’ll be able to get some real food shopping done. So, until our next conversation, dear readers, be well, be wise, and be good to one another.
Much love from Uganda!
Peace, Love, and Uganda 