New Boss – Peace, Love, and Uganda

August 12 – 31, 2019

No real story here, just the gorgeous mountain within walking distance of my office.

Week of: August 12-17, 2019

Hello Readers!

So, we’re going to try a new format for the blog. Instead of going day-by-day – since there’s not going to be much in the way of new beyond the happenings of the job – we’ll go in a week-by-week style. If it’s not ideal, or we want to change it back, I will. Just something to keep in mind as we go forward on this adventure.

And to start off: this week was amazing! I wanted a job where I could just dive right in, start working right away, and just be cooped up inside my house for the first three months of service, and I got it! I got what I wanted! And, I Love It!

First off, I know Monday will be a bit of a recap, but here we go! Monday, I started off by reading more about the work done here at Spotlight on Africa – Uganda Foundation, and then we journeyed to a different Health Center III to take a look at their new maternity ward, open to the public less than two years ago. The combine an ingenious design to maximize airflow and cooling the interior with traditional Ugandan architecture. We’re planning to use elements of that in our new maternity ward in Bukasakya sub-county. Which, by the way, we’re breaking ground on next month, and will be completed and open to the public before I am finished with my service here in Uganda! I am so excited!

Tuesday, was a rather slow day at the office. We went over budget reports, and planning for the future of the organization and the institutions we support. Afterwards, we had a meeting on adding the cooling architecture to the maternity ward once construction begins and it was very well received.

Wednesday, we had an impromptu meeting at the Mbale District Health Office concerning the planning and implementation of a currently District wide Community Health Promoter (or Volunteer Health Teacher/Trainer) database, that could potentially be adopted by the whole of Uganda in the future. This will help with tracking, continued training, and sending the best to where they are needed most, to name a few. I also had the chance to meet many of my peers, also working for NGOs in the Mbale District. After the meeting, I also started researching Public-Private Partnerships, at the request of my supervisor, for a presentation to the District Health Officer on Friday.

Thursday, was a day at the office. I worked on the handout, the presentation, and the follow-up participant questionnaire all day, getting that ready for the meeting tomorrow.

Friday, we had the meeting at the Bukasakya Health Center that we sponsor. Naturally, with Ugandan time, we started significantly later than planned, and we didn’t have as many participants as we invited, and we ended well into the start of the night, but it was still a very successful event. The representatives from the district were very receptive to our discussions and goals for the future of our partnership. Far from using empty words, talks of immediate action were taken, and I am excited to see where the future takes us for the citizens of Bukasakya sub-county.

Saturday, I spent much the morning shopping for more supplies for my house, and planning for what else I’ll need to buy over the coming months. At the moment, my kitchen and bathroom are more or less completed and stocked, and for the rest of my house, there’s really only the larger sized purchases – furniture, appliances, etc. – to worry about. Afterwards, my fellow Lumasaaba volunteers and I met for an afternoon at (where else?) Mt. Elgon Hotel. It was nice to see everyone and learn more about what we’ve been doing the past week. And, at my friend’s insistence, I was able to find a very scenic, nature-filled alternative path back to Mbale for my walk home.

Week of: August 18-24, 2019

This week was spent working, almost exclusive, at the Bukasakya Health Center. All day, every day this week, I was there, working with the Senior Clinical Officer (she’s in charge of the whole facility) on designing an annual work plan for the Health Center III. We focused on designing annual and quarterly goals, compiling population data relating to health trends and concerns, rules and roles of key stakeholders and funding sources, staffing needs, referral behaviors for the past year, budgeting, achievements and challenges, and finally, we planned how to address the District’s health objectives for the year.

There was a lot to do, obviously. But we managed to get that done in a week, so I’m pretty proud of myself. And my co-workers are rather impressed as well.

The weekend was a rather lazy weekend. Got my chores and errands done, cleaned my house, washed my clothes, got some writing done, and just relaxed. It was a good way to prepare for my next – very big – project with Spotlight that could take several months to complete. And I’m going to need those several months, to say the least, because I’ve never designed a district-wide standardized health education curriculum before…

Week of: August 25-31, 2019

This week was a rather slow one, spent almost exclusively in the office. I was given my first two large-scale assignments, and I’ll be officially starting both next week. For the first half of each week, for the rest of the calendar year, I’ll be working at the Bukasakya Health Center in an administrative role. As an active team member, I’ll be able to use my skills as an applied anthropologist as well as a healthcare professional in order to observe and participate. The goal will be to improve and build upon the capacity of the staff as well as the operations of the facility as a whole. We will work to improve technological ability, patient care and safety, and expanding our resources to account for the growing status of the community as well as the center itself.

The later half of the week will be spent in the office. I’ve been assigned the task of designing a Community Health Promoters curriculum meant to improve upon the knowledge and skills of the volunteers we have in the surrounding villages. I have a whole list of topics. I have a whole list of expectations. I have the rest of the year to produce a product worth ushering into the new year. It’s daunting, exciting, and carries a suitable amount of pressure. I’ve already started the research and gathering some materials, so I’ve made an appropriate start.

We did have one big event this week. On Wednesday, Spotlight met with a majority of their Community Health Promotion Leaders. This happens once a week, and we will be working on building their leadership and mentoring skills to bring to their teams in the villages. The meeting went well; they were all very engaged and a wonderful group of people. I’m excited to meet them all in a more personal capacity as we all work to better ourselves and the work that we do.

“The Best Things in the World are Felt with the Heart.”

And while I am posting this on a Friday, I’ll share the plan for tomorrow as well. My supervisor will be helping me with the first round of larger item shopping. I’ll be paying for my mini-fridge, a large fan, and my bicycle this weekend. It’s a wonderful thing: having a supervisor with transportation to help lug these bigger pieces back to the house. So, until next time my lovely readers: be well, be wise, and be good to one another. I hope you’ve all had a great close to your month of August. Have a wonderful start to September!

July 22, 2019 – August 12, 2019

Up the mountain from my hometown, Mbale. No big deal, or anything.

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.

Single Building Health Center II. Often sees more patients daily than the hospitals.

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?

Nothing Like a Joyous Welcome of Singing and Dancing to Get You Excited about your Work!

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.

Look at that official invitation! Look at that Official Seal!

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.

The Honorable Ambassador to Uganda: Deborah Malac.

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!

My Lumasaaba Language Teachers: the Beautiful Beatrice, and the Manly Maango Francis.

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.

A Recently Renovated Health Center III outside Mbale.

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).

Sometimes I cannot believe the beauty of this country; and I’ve only been to the East!

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!

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!