This week, a fair number of my cohort, and some of the education cohort before us, found ourselves in Kampala, at the Pope Paul Memorial Hotel for Grass Roots Soccer training. The week was busy, with a certified trainer from the GRS headquarters in South Africa. She was also a Returned Peace Corps Volunteer; now her service has taken her to an ideal career opportunity. For a lot of my friends: she’s become a light at the end of the tunnel, showing what worth can come from their difficult times.
My coworker Richard, and one of the Musoto Christian teachers named Rose, worked together to bring mixed gender, exclusive boys’ teams, and exclusive girls’ teams. It was a week jam packed with information and supplies. It was also a week filled with allergies. Apparently, it is in Kampala that my allergies wait for me. So much dust, so much pollution, and all the winds from all four corners blowing everything pollen into my body… But it didn’t stop the fun times, and some nights on the town with my friends.
Warning: People in the Photograph do not Adequately Reflect the SHEER NUMBER of Guests.
February 16 – 22, 2020
This week was spent in the office, back home in Mbale. It was a lot of logistical work, and a lot of administrative work. There was, and is, a significant amount of preparation still to go to make GRS happen at Musoto Christian Primary School. But, we have the faculty and staff on board, and many projects to make this happen have been completed, so we’ll be ready to move forward once I return from another Peace Corps training for a DREAMS club.
A beautiful bride on her special day!
I also attended my largest wedding to date: the ceremony was one thing, but the reception easily had over FIVE HUNDRED people in attendance. While it was a beautiful ceremony, and the reception was a lot of fun, I only knew a grand total of five people, including the two who invited me, so it was understandingly overwhelming…
From our Ridar rooms in Mukono District.
February 23 – 29, 2020
This week was in Mukono (the District just outside of Kampala) at the Ridar Hotel. Many of my same fellow volunteers were at this training as well, and it was once more a busy week, full of important and useful information to make a difference in the lives of adolescent girls and young women. Because, that’s what DREAMS is all about. Determined, Resilient, Empowered, AIDS-Free, Mentored, and Safe women and girls. I went with another co-worker, named Beatrice, so we can also bring these services and opportunities to the students of Musoto Christian Primary School.
March 1 – 7, 2020
Another logistical week, with not much to report. Preparing for GRS and DREAMS, as well as community outreaches for the upcoming Malaria month in April, has consumed all of my work time. We will be having meetings and plans with the schools, clinics, district offices, and more to move forward with these plans. So, unfortunately, not much else to share this week. That being said, thank you all so much for reading! And until next time: Be Well, Be Wise, and Be Good to One Another!
The stories to tell in this blog installment will be doubtless a little less enthralling than past passages, but thanks for sticking with me all the same. This week was spent in the office. I completed a grant proposal for the Japanese Embassy, compiled a number of documents for my organization, and even wrote a short story and a poem – both on the theme of “Rain” – for an African Anthology project I was invited to participate in. The collaboration was for writers and creatives around the continent. If anything exciting for the project comes to my attention as we go through beta-reading and the like, I’ll be sure to keep you posted.
But speaking of rain: an unprecedented season of rainfall has come to the region. It’s thrown a number of wrenches into the works. I was also lucky enough to meet with two American women, living and working in Kampala with PEPFAR (the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief). It was a fine dinner and networking opportunity, and a fine way to shake up my usual Thursday routine. Other than that, this week as been quiet, and comfortable in the office, completing some assignments I’ve had on my plate.
January 26 – February 1, 2020
Another quiet week – but a busy one – in the office. We sent off our grant application to the Japanese Embassy, first of all. And the rest of the work was divided between meetings, and preparing for a whole cadre of activities this year. The team spent our week diligently working, planning, designing, and budgeting proposals for seven different health related events spread among all five our sub-county parishes. This was for a board meeting at the end of the week. It was a fine start, and also the beginning of some really exciting outreaches and services come our way!
February 2 – February 8, 2020
Tororo town.
Sunday saw the arrival of the first of several visitors from the UK. The first two were a husband and wife team, responsible for the patient management system that we use at the clinic. We went over our suggestions and updates that will be rolled out with the program update. It was a very pleasant and productive opportunity. Tuesday also had visitors from the UK. Specifically, from the newly founded UK-Uganda Health Alliance, and Priory Medical. Two experts from the NHS of the UK came to see where and with whom they will be partnering. We’re looking forward to the work we will do together.
Working with the District!
The rest of the week was spent in the Tororo district for three days, on a surprise, spontaneous meeting with the district’s nutrition team. We spent the days developing a five-year work plan for advancing and continuing nutrition support throughout our area. After presenting the portion assigned for me today – as a Spotlight representative – tomorrow will involve the usual errands and a few chores. But not all of them… Come Sunday, I am traveling to Kampala for a Peace Corps training on Grass Roots Soccer. Stay tuned for that and more, my lovely readers! Until next time: be well, be wise, and be good to one another!
We stayed at the Lacam Lodge, five of us from the Lumasaaba
group, and we spent the weekend in one of the most beautiful natural settings
I’ve ever known. The hike was relatively
easy, despite the muddy paths, and the waterfalls were among the most powerful
and breath-taking feats of Mother Nature I’ve had the pleasure to be drenched
by. This posting is more than likely
just going to be pictures of that trip, but it’s well worth it in my
opinion. Should you ever find yourself
in the Eastern Region of Uganda, make your way to Sipi, and if you’re here when
I’m here, I’m more than happy to take you!
The week featured the return of the nursing students from
the Mbale School of Nursing and Midwifery, and with their tireless efforts to
help our facility run smoothly, I was free to work on completing the storage
room redesign. But to my surprise: we
received our overdue shipment of drugs, medication, and supplies! And we were completely swamped because of it…
Earlier, in another posting, we talked about how word
travels fast; so, when we have medication on hand, the people come
running. We used hundreds of pills,
hundreds of injections, hundreds of gloves all in one day. But I was encouraged to keep working on the
stock room, reworking everything, putting relevant items together (HIV/AIDS
treatments, injectables, family planning and pregnancy kits, etc.). By the end of my time, we have a clean,
orderly, and easily navigated storage area.
But it still took up a vast majority of my days at the clinic.
And since we’re seeing so many patients every day, due to
our shipment arrival, the clinic staff came to the agreement that we should
hold off on the one-on-one tech trainings until we’ve settled down once
again. It’s a little depressing knowing
that we’ll be returning to a slower state due to a lack of supplies; it’s also
depressing that that state is the status quo most of the time, but we have to
work with what we have. Now is the time
to put patients first, because we actually have the full ability to do so now.
Since I had to leave early Friday morning to make my way to
the Peace Corps In-Service Training (IST), my work at the office was rather
sparse, but by the end of the week, I packed my bags, and ventured forth to
Mukono with my friends for IST.
October 20 – 26, 2019
A week spent at a nice hotel with friends and good food is
always a welcome experience. However,
with a majority of the sessions of IST, I found myself looking at my watch, and
thinking about the work I would be doing if I was back home with Mbale. But it wasn’t all that lacking, either. We learned more about specifically targeted
interventions, such as HIV/AIDS prevention among youth and the Bodaboda riders,
nutrition for all age groups (and targeted by region), as well as unique Income
Generating Activities (IGAs).
It was wonderful to reconnect with friends, and to spend
time with our counterparts. Richard
Mutambuli, the man, myth, and the legend, was able to come out with us to
Mukono, and he found the IST experience very useful. His work is more on the agricultural and
business side of Spotlight on Africa; his expertise is on combatting climate
change and developing agricultural techniques.
And on another positive side: I have been able to get so
much writing done! And not just for this
blog. I’ve been steeped in the middle of
“Preptober.” Since next month is Novel
Writing Month, October is the time to prepare.
I’ve almost completed Part One of my current work in progress, and
NaNoWriMo will be spent writing Part Two.
Once I’ve sorted some logistics out, I’m hoping to have at least four
projects in their alpha stages finished by the end of the calendar year. They will all be different genres, literary
styles, and explore various themes.
October 27, 2019 – November 2, 2019
It’s good to be home.
The drive back to Mbale was the longest – and hardest – yet; countless
stops and the one time we switched vehicles made the relief of being back all
the more enjoyable. Saturday evening and
Sunday were spent running the necessary errands, and doing the washing and the
cleaning. I was ready to get back into
the rhythm of work.
Monday, I learned that we have a new batch of nursing
students, and still an almost overwhelming number of patients. Even if it’s Monday, by the end of the day,
we were all very tired. I also learned,
through a series of conversations, how difficult it can be to explain the
difference between fantasy and reality to someone not prone to experiencing
them, the minor crisis that will need addressing at the monthly staff meeting,
and the plight current Ugandan prison system.
American prisons are very bad, but Ugandan prisons are even worse. It made my newly discovered
off-the-beaten-trail path to and from the clinic a bit of a downer, despite the
scenic views.
I have to spend the majority of the week in the office, in
order to prepare for the staff meeting this Thursday.
Happy Halloween! And
a Blessed All-Hallows-Eve to You All!
Friday afternoon, I’ll be catching another taxi to go up
north. Fellow volunteers and I will be
celebrating Gulu-ween.
November 3 – 9, 2019
Gulu is a great little town.
It is clean and well structured from a planning perspective. The people are friendly, and there’s plenty
of great places to eat and shop. Also,
having a majority of your Peace Corps friends there can make the experience a
highly positive one. Folks from the East
took a bus service up to the North; it was much nicer and faster than going by
a small taxi. Still, it was over a
seven-hour drive, so we had to be getting up very early in the mornings when we
traveled.
And while it was a fun weekend full of food, festivities,
and friends, there were a few instances late at night that simply served to
show that no matter where you are in the world, nothing good happens after two
in the morning.
The week was rather uneventful, but was still jam packed
with meetings. Meetings at the office,
meetings at the clinic, meetings at the District Health Office. It also served to show something very
important: I am not here to change the system, I am here for the people, and I’ll
need to be conscious of that when choosing my projects moving forward. I am a Community Health Specialist, not a
personnel manager. It was conclusion I
had to come to, so as not to spend my whole service sitting stagnant in meetings,
going around and around, never moving forward.
November 10 – 16, 2019
This week saw a return to the original schedule: many more
people at the clinic were training with me on technology and computer
skills. Which also meant the medicines
and drugs have run low once more, as predicted, but now there’s time for capacity
building. Especially with the new
ambulance drivers that we’ve had trained and certified! They’re great guys, hard workers, and we’ll
be getting the bodambulances on the road for patients hopefully in the next
week or so! When the garage for the
vehicles is completed, I’ll have a picture for you all as well.
We’re also a little frenzied at the moment, building a
series of events out in the community for the up-coming World AIDS Day. We will be going to five villages over five
days for screening, testing, activities, and educational sessions. Then during the Mbale District celebration
the first week of December, we will have a larger event targeting a whole
sub-county. Plenty more information and pictures
about those days to follow!
Sorry for the delay getting this update to you all; there
was actually a significant stretch of time – not including how busy we all were
– where we were utterly without power and internet in the office. Otherwise, hopefully, we’ll be back on a
proper schedule, with another upload coming to you before Christmas. I’ve also been ahead of my NaNoWriMo novel
writing project, which is another first for me!
So until next we meet: Be Well, Be Wise, and Be Good to One Another!!!
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…
Meeting with the CHP Leaders.
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!
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.
Chakig Eco-Tourism Center
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 7th
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!
I’m like, super serious, you guys…
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.
Peace, Love, and Uganda 