An important lesson for when we struggle with difficult challenges. Note: the images above are not mine, I am not the artist. This blog is not for profit, but if the creator can be credited, please reach out.
So, dear readers, a lot has been happening. To say the very least… The whole world is on pause due to COVID-19, and every single Peace Corps volunteer around the world has been evacuated back to the United States… Something like this has never happened before, in the history of Peace Corps, and these past weeks have not been easy for us. Put in summation, I was broken for quite a while; feeling too much all at once, and unable to process it well.
The Sun sets on the waters of the Great Lake…
We were given 24 hours to pack up our lives. No time to finish projects, no time to say our goodbyes, no time for closure on our lives and the new families we made in our homes… Then there was a week of unbearable stress and broiling negativity. My fellow volunteers and I buried what we could with friendship, shared experiences, and unhealthy behavior, but each day only compounded the misery. Exponential rising despair, tears, shouting, and regret filled every corner of ourselves, and what we tried to hide.
And so do the waves of change bear down on us all…
I wouldn’t wish this experience on anyone, but least of all the country staff of Peace Corps Uganda. While we wallowed, they worked. They even came close to performing numerous miracles, all for our benefit. They showed an unprecedented level of compassion and professionalism, and above all love for us. They had welcomed us as family as well. Thank you to everyone at Peace Corps Uganda; you are cherished and wonderful, each and every one of you.
Giant dinosaur trash birds of Kampala! They can literally kill you, smell your fear, and I may be exaggerating somewhat…
My workplace – one of the best of my career – Spotlight on Africa, had become my home. My coworkers: my brothers and sisters, my aunts and uncles, and some of my dearest friends… And I didn’t have the chance to say goodbye. We left so much unfinished, it remains a hole in my heart – deep and wide. I was made an official member of the Mbale communities, a sibling, and with an authentic Ugandan name and everything. It is my hope, even during these unprecedentedly difficult and enigmatic times, to continue working remotely, as a consultant with Spotlight. At the very least to get the work we started further off the ground, and more and more into the hands of the communities we serve. All of our work was for their potential betterment, after all. So, to my family at Spotlight on Africa, each and every one of you means the world to me! I will be seeing you soon, one way or another! There’s still so much for us to accomplish; you all make an invaluable difference on our world.
Not sure what there is left to be feeling…
My friends, and my family, Peace Corps and Ugandan, I love you all…
This isn’t where I want to be, but reality necessitates coming to grips. To make that reality better.
Flying first class internationally did help to momentarily cushion the Despair…
Told you Peace Corps worked some near miracles!
What will follow are photos left over from my time, and what little we had before misfortune took it all away. As I wrote a few moments ago, I doubt I’ll be going back to Uganda with the Peace Corps, as the soonest that would be is in over five months from now. I cannot wait that long, especially since it is still very much an unknown uncertainty at this point. Regardless, I want to thank you all for coming on this journey with me, for reading along, and for reaching out with your excitement, your comments, and your kind words.
The food, service, and amenities of Ethiopian Airlines was pretty fantastic. Also, did you know that ALL alcohol is free on international flights?! Regardless of where you’re seated?! Cause I do now!!!
This may be the final entry, or it might not. Either way, readers, you have my thanks. Be Well (in these trying times), Be Wise (when foolishness seems more rampant than ever), and Be Good to One Another! We need it now more than ever!
There’s always one woman to help bring me up when I’m feeling down. Even when her next movie is delayed like the rest of the world…
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!
The week before the events begin, and there was much work to do. There were many meetings to attend, supplies to gather, transportation to secure, personnel to mobilize, and a NaNoWriMo novel to complete. Luckily, we were able to complete everything from scheduling, planning, and whatnot. We begin execution and implementation next week. World AIDS Day is traditionally on the first of the month of December. But this year, that day falls on a Sunday, so we had to get creative.
New Ambulance Garage!
There will be free HIV and Tuberculosis screening, testing, counseling, and health education at the following five village sites: Masanda, Musoto, Bugema, Kibiniko, Marale. The World AIDS Day celebration – as designated by the district of Mbale – will be on the fifth of December in Tsabanyanya village.
Testing and Counseling!
And luckily, I was able to complete the National (International) Novel Writing Month challenge! For the first time in three attempts, I was able to write over 50,000 words in the month of November! Guess that old saying is right: the third time’s the charm. I’m just glad that I was able to complete this goal I’d set before the hard work begins. Being out in the field, all day and every day for a while now, will make for some very tiring work. Not exactly conducive to being energetic enough for extra writing.
I did it… I did a thing.
November 24 – 30, 2019
We started on Wednesday in Masanda, and completed everything for four of the six events we planned for. Minus the recurring frustrations and miscommunications (the likes of which I will not go into detail about), the events were all very successful. As it turns out, this was the first major outreach for HIV conducted by Spotlight on Africa, and I was helping to chair it! Glad I learned that after we actually started, and not before. I might have been a bit too overwhelmed.
It has also been said that for events like these, if you have at least one hundred participants, you can consider the day a success. Well, we had far more than one hundred people every day, so needless to say: we’re all very happy with how things have progressed so far.
Sometimes rain happens… a LOT of rain… and sometimes it makes you have to stand on your chairs…
Taking on a supervisory role, as well as actively working with staff and community participants, was just as draining as I expected. Looking back, however, I’ve found it all to be extremely rewarding. During our time in the field, I also encountered quite the number of humorous exchanges about me. I was accused of being responsible for creating the virus that causes HIV and now expected money from the community for the cure. I was propositioned for marriage, believing that I had an unprecedented level of wealth, and their thinking would not be changed, no matter how many people attempted to convince them to the contrary. Several children thought that I was famous Bollywood soap opera personality R.K. (pictured below). They were very excited to shake the hand of a famous actor, and I was flattered that they thought I was that handsome, so I just rolled with it. No harm in letting those children have a fun story to tell others about that day.
Bollywood Character R.K. (or as he’s known in this country: me).
It was a stressful, fun, educational, productive, and successful week. And the work was not done.
December 1 – 7, 2019
In the off days when we weren’t in the field, I was in the office compiling the data we’d collected. Monday and Thursday were the final days of the events – with Monday in Marale village and the main event on Thursday in Tsabanyanya. The night and day of the celebration was unfortunately mired by tragedy and hardship. Torrential rains had resulted in impassible roads, severe flooding, and deadly mudslides. Many homes and lives were lost in the districts surrounding ours, and we had to begin late as a result.
Testing on World AIDS Day!
However, despite sorrows and setbacks, World AIDS Day was still a success as well. We still tested over one hundred residents of the village, and there was music and festivities to enjoy, too. Several organizations, schools, and the like came to perform and to entertain. One of which was our sponsored school: Musoto Primary School – as well as a marching band. Earlier, before the events, I’d prepared a poem and a short performance for the event, and the children to perform. Surprisingly – for me, not for the others – the little actors did a phenomenal job! They took what I had written and made them into something relevant, powerful, and enthralling. The poem became a spoken word performance that was met with a stand ovation by some. And the skit became a dramatic comedy to rival even the most popular day-time shows produced in Africa. They were both the highlights of the day for those in attendance. I was very proud.
This week was in the office – finishing up the data from the previous weeks, and moving forward with next steps and plans. The unmitigated success of the HIV outreach really cannot be understated. In six separate villages, we tested nearly nine hundred citizens. Of them, only around 1.5% of those nine hundred tested positive. We had a Skype meeting with our counterparts in the UK, and discussed how we are going to move forward. My focus will be on completing my projects at the clinic, as well as mobilizing any potential partnerships for securing a new, more powerful microscope for the clinic, too. I’ve started researching potential sources of partnership for the microscope, and I’ve been drafting possible proposals for contact with them as well.
As we press on and on and on, I want to once more thank everyone for your continued patronage of this little project of mine. It’s become rather difficult not to upload but once a month, it seems of late. However, if that is the case, I trust you all had a very grateful Thanksgiving with family and friends. I also wish you all the very best in the holiday season, no matter what holidays are yours to enjoy. (And no: I am not ready, no one is ever ready for the holidays!) Merry Christmas to all, and to all: Be Well, Be Wise, and Be Good to Each Other! Until next time, dear readers…
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!!!
You see matooke trees with flowers around, and you know there’s a celebration happening there!
September 22-28, 2019
It’s Sunday, and suddenly I’m called into an impromptu
meeting with the District Health Officer at the Health Center to discuss the
upcoming events. Naturally, this
happened right when I’m in the middle of all my washing and cleaning, but
Director Richard is out of town, and I’ve been requested in his place. So, despite my dirty and filthy state, I met
with the head of the Mbale health office, Dr. Jonathan, Sister Agnes from the
clinic, and Christine from Spotlight.
We’re meeting because this coming Tuesday is a very big deal in the
history of our organization. Afterwards,
Agnes and the security team of Bukasakya Health Center III helped me to
reorganize the clinic space according to my design. This will hopefully help to aid with time
management, space maximization, and patient care.
And the celebration’s here!
Monday was a whole twelve-hour work day; at the clinic from
before opening to well past closing. The
new process for handling patients and increasing the effectiveness of the
workplace has already proven a vast improvement. Even my fellow health workers have noticed
the positive change we’re making. After
the long day – with many new patients as is the case with every Monday – we
focused on preparing the space for tomorrow.
We worked past sundown, and even after I left, a whole team continued
into the night.
It’s not a party in Uganda without the right kind of music and dancing! (all from the hips)
Tuesday was a spectacular day; even though it was another
long thirteen-hour day. After starting
off at the office for a little more prep time, I journeyed to the clinic in
Bukasakya, and found the festivities all ready for the big day! Today was the long awaited ground breaking
and dedication ceremony for the new Maternity clinic, our vocational institute,
and the new motorcycle ambulances (I call them ‘bodambulances’)! There was singing, dancing, wonderful
speeches, and – of course – the symbolic breaking of the ground. We were able to see some of the work the
tailor students were capable of, and see the very fair, possibly too cheap,
prices of their products. The buildings
and grounds were beautiful. More than
three hundred people were in attendance.
I was able to meet the sponsors from Harpenden Spotlight on Africa in
the UK, as well as a member of the British Parliament, the Honorable Bim
Afolami! They are all wonderful
people. We had enough traditional
Ugandan cuisine to feed everyone a nutritious meal, and then some. And despite the line for that meal bringing
me physically closer to the other hungry people – closer even than some past
intimate encounters – everyone was fed, happy, and had a wonderful time!
Our new bodambulances!!
When I returned to work at the clinic on Wednesday, I was so
proud to learn that the staff had continued to work using the new layout and
procedures I had designed, even when I wasn’t there. And it ran smoothly to boot! They are happy with the ease and comfort that
the new stages have afforded them. So,
Wednesday was a rather relaxed day – albeit with a significant number of new
patients. As I was walking home,
expecting an easy nine-hour day as usual, I was surprised by our visitors from
the UK! They wrangled me into a series
of productive meetings over drinks at their hotel, and then a dinner with the
board members of the Spotlight on Africa – Uganda Foundation. And thus, ended another long, productive, and
unexpectedly enjoyable day on this very busy week!
The Honorable Minister of Health, Dr. Aceng, breaking the ground on our new maternity clinic!
Thursday, we had to be up at 5:00 in the morning, because we
were all driving to Kampala! We have to
be at the residence of the British High Commissioner for evening tea, and a
fundraiser for Spotlight on Africa! And
we made it, despite the short delay from a flat tire on the road to Iganga, and
the repairing of the tire in Jinja.
Since every dark cloud has a silver lining, my new friends from the UK
bought me a bacon cheeseburger for lunch while we waited in Java House for the
repairs! I’d been craving one for some
time now, and yes: it was wonderful. We
arrived in Kampala at our destined location close to the time of our tea and
fundraiser, and the event itself was a smashing success! High Commissioner Alison Blackburn has a
beautiful house, with some breathtaking gardens, and we were welcomed with open
arms to gather as friends and co-workers.
We discussed the future of our work in the healthcare field for
Spotlight on Africa, and we ensured everyone would be on the same page going
forward. I even gave a short
presentation myself, impressing the political members of those in attendance;
they said I was a natural public speaker.
Afterwards, we drove through the maddening Kampala traffic to take our
friends from the UK to Entebbe airport.
After a friendly farewell, and a promise to meet again in a few more
months, the remainder of us made the long, long, LONG trip back to Mbale. In terms of kilometers, it wasn’t that long;
but for a twenty-hour day of mostly travel: it most certainly was long…
An afternoon tea and fundraiser at the British High Commissioner’s!
Friday was a day of recovery. And the weekend was relatively
uneventful. Just the usual chores and
errands. But there was another surprise
meeting on Sunday evening with a district official, so that was something. All in all, this week was exceedingly busy,
but an undeniable triumph for us and the work we do with Spotlight on Africa.
The High Commissioner’s gardens.
Now, I know some of you have reached out, wondering about
possible donations to Spotlight. This
is, currently, difficult to do, as the website is only accepting the British
pound. But I’ve talked with the members
from the UK, and we should be able to change that to include American dollars
in the relatively near future. So, look
out for that update, and give when you’re feeling generous!
September 29, 2019 – October 5, 2019
We also celebrated the opening of our new tailoring vocational building!
And with the end of the highly productive, stressful,
wonderful, crazy busy week, it is back to the usual grind. Monday at the health center made it clear
that it was time to start the next phase of capacity building for the staff and
the workings of the clinic. I started
planning for my one-on-one lessons with each member of the team, and how I
would build their typing proficiency as well as showing them how best to use
the computers provided by Harpenden Spotlight UK. Our monthly staff meeting was beneficial in
many ways, allowing for me to get most all of the staff on board with where our
work together would be going next.
In just a few years, all of this will be filled with buildings, making a complete sub-county hospital!
Wednesday also made it clear that the clinic still has some
major hurdles to overcome with regards to communication. My one-on-one lessons will provide ample
opportunity for this; it really just needs to be hammered in how important it
is to tell others on the team where you will be, what you are doing, etc. That way we can best ensure all stations and
departments are covered at all times when we are open.
My days in the office turned out to be much more complex
than I thought. Both days had me running
from the office to the district health office and back and forth so we can work
on getting the new motorcycle ambulances certified and working as soon as
possible. I also spent time revamping
the schedule for the health center, prepping for my lessons, working on the
quarterly report for the Peace Corps, and potentially become part of the
National Malaria Think Tank to which I was invited to apply.
My homestay brother, the new Doctor Dennis, and his friend and classmate!
Thursday was another day of celebration! My homestay brother, Dennis, graduated from
medical school, and I was lucky enough to celebrate with him, friends, family,
and lots of food. All in all, I would
say this week was another highly productive week! And it gave me a chance to start Prep-tober. Working a month ahead of time in preparation
for NaNoWriMo, or National Novel Writing Month!
Stay tuned for more about that as I try to write a novel in a month and
steadily lose my sanity!
A Writer’s Clock…
The weekend, starting on Friday, was hit by some of the
harshest storms, thunder, and rainfall that I’ve experiences since coming to
this country. It let up enough to allow
for work, errands, chores, etc. but during the evening and nightly hours, the
storms were at their worst. So, with the
roads being in such bad, and worsening, condition from all the rain, I still
have not been able to get my bicycle’s rear tire fixed. But good news: I finally have a large
rotating fan for my living room, and I have my small refridgerator! Now I need to start getting some actual
furniture and decorative pieces over the next few months/years…
Family and friends came from all over the country, and some from beyond, to celebrate!
There was cake, and as always: sooo much food!
October 6 – 12, 2019
With even more rain carried over from the weekend, a
pleasant surprise was waiting at the clinic, and would remain for several
weeks: nursing students! Which meant
there were able-bodied and minded humans to handle patient intake and
management; freeing me to start work on other projects at the center that had
been bothering me for a while. For
example, the storage room: it was in need of some serious consolidation,
maintenance, attention, cleaning, updates, and more. So that’s what my Monday, Tuesday, and part
of Wednesday were about. All and all, I
freed up two whole shelves worth of space, separated the supplies, drugs,
equipment, etc. into their own specified sections, and I’ve started the task of
updating the inventory. The work is not
finished, but it’s a solid start.
It will also make things much easier once we’ve received our
next quarterly shipment of drugs and supplies… Which is already late… By
several months… Another problem that happens here – it happens all over the
world, but here it can be rather frequent.
So, you just have the make due with what you have.
October 9th is the day when England granted the emancipation
of Uganda to its own sovereign state after centuries of colonial
occupation. To celebrate, I attended a
nationally sponsored training session on Measles and Rubella vaccination
efforts. You see, unlike some
Americans, Ugandans are aware of the importance of vaccinations – we have them
for free here everyday at our clinic.
Taking that to heart, you can now tell any “anti-vax supporters” that
you meet that they can look forward to complications, bills, and potential
sorrow, while the folks in Uganda just continue to build healthier and better
lives.
(Note: at the training, when I told them, the participants
were in utter shock and disbelief that some Americans were actually
rejecting the uses and benefits of vaccinations; they were also very, very
worried about the children living with such parents who refused their
life-saving medicines)
Thursday and Friday have been in the office, as per
usual. I’ve completed my first reporting
of activities to the Peace Corps, and I’ve been working on finalizing the
lesson plans for the folks at the clinic.
I also continued working on a few outlying projects, and continued
researching for the CHP health education expansion. This busy week will be concluded with a
relaxing weekend with friends. The
Lumasaaba crew is heading up to the Sipi Falls for the weekend, so be on the
lookout for many gorgeous photos in the next installment.
Once again, my wonderful readers, thank you for joining me
on this journey! And until next time: be
well, be wise, and be good to one another!
Happy International Day of the Girl-Child! (October 11th) Here’s to all the girls who’ll be saving the world as Wonder Women, one day! Or even today!
Just a pretty field. Oh! But there’s actually a stream hidden somewhere here! Can you find it?
September 1-7, 2019
Well, the weekend did not go as planned. I don’t have my mini-fridge, my fan, or my
bicycle. This was due to an unexpectedly
copious amount of rainfall, and ATM services being completely down. But this is Uganda. And in Uganda – like anywhere else in the
world – things happen. Which is why the
mentality here is along the lines of “the work will get done… eventually.” I’ll get what I need and what I’d like to
have eventually, but not necessarily when planned. So, in the meantime, you just have to greet
these changes with a positive attitude, and find other work and activities to
occupy your time.
Bukasakya Health Center III Exterior
And Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday were… an experience. Monday and Tuesday with more than 150
patients each, and Wednesday with around 75 patients… to put it very
mildly. While it was an extremely
informative three days at the health center, there’s clearly a very large
amount of work to be done. When we have
an influx of patients (sometimes as many as fifty in an hour), the center
devolves into absolutely chaos. Somehow
every patient is seen, and somehow the nurses make it work, but there are
opportunities for space maximization, resource allocation, time management, and
more. I’ve already started planning a
nearly complete restructuring of the floorplan, and we’ll be working on putting
that into practice moving forward. I’m
also going to need to practice my Lumasaaba, but with twenty-one possible
languages spoken in all of the villages served, there are many more language
barriers that need to be traversed. It
was also a fine three days getting to know new co-workers and healthcare
professionals.
Quite a small space for such a large population, isn’t it?
Thursday and Friday were slow days in the office. I spent the time drawing up an outline of the
individual subjects for the health promotors’ curriculum expansion, and
researching the first topic. I’ve been
preparing a draft, one that should be ready for adjustment, critique, and
improvement by the end of next week. We
can then work on moving forward with all of the topics, as well as what is next
on our leadership training for the month’s coming CHP leaders meeting.
September 8-14, 2019
This weekend was the right – and the wrong – time to buy a
bicycle. The shop owner is a wonderful
man, who sells used bikes at very reasonable prices. They are sturdy, strong, and solid. So, I bought mine, and began to ride it home
on Sunday. I made it further than
three-fourths of the way back to my house… when the rear tire exploded. Literally, it sounded like a loud rifle
blast, and it was most likely due to over inflation, which I was told is a
common problem for bicycles, motorcycles, and cars in this country. Regardless, I have a bike, and it will be
repaired for free, but it is currently out of commission.
Generalized Topographical Map of the area we serve at the health center.
This week, during my days at the health center, Monday was
completely madness once more – seeing more than one hundred and fifty patients
come through. But Tuesday and Wednesday
were much slower. As it turns out, word
can travel very fast when a clinic is out of medication for particular – highly
recurring – illnesses in the community.
When it comes to diarrhea, malaria, flu, and the like, we’ve run out of
medication for treating them, and so the number of patients coming through
dropped to less than fifty patients a day.
If anything, this speaks to the clear and present need for better
prevention strategies and interventions in the community. Like in America, people have become too
reliant on medications, instead of focusing on keeping themselves healthy before
they become sick with something that is preventable.
Wednesday was also the day when I caught a cold working at
the Health Center. Not all that
surprising, considering every other patient presents with cold, flu, and
coughing symptoms. Which they then cough
and sneeze in our general direction all day long. But I don’t have malaria, and I feel strong
enough to continue working, while resting earlier and longer while home.
Thursday, I felt stronger, so I spent the day at the office,
as was the plan. I met with Joseph, a
member of the Peace Corps staff here in Uganda, and he was very excited about
the work that I’ve been doing and the work I will be doing here at
Spotlight. He is also considering me for
a position on a new regional committee of volunteers that the Peace Corps is
building, so that’s pretty exciting.
Joseph is also a gosh dang superhero!
That’s very important for you all to know…
See? That single red line means you’re Malaria-free!
I took a malaria test, to prove that my sickness wasn’t
malaria, and I was right!
But that didn’t stop me being more or less completely
bedridden for all of Friday… Only cold showers could really break my fever and
there was a lot of resting and recovery.
Everyone in this country (exaggeration for the win!) seems to have this
cold, so even my neighbors were sick, and we were all miserable together.
I felt strong enough to make my way into town on Saturday to
buy food, because I need food and food is important. But as soon as I got home, my fever had
spiked back up and it was time to stand under cold water for a while!
It’s been an interesting week… We feel so proud when we go
for a such a long time without getting sick (five years!) but then when we do,
it hits us like a an unpredictably moving car.
Oh well, another week, another experience…
September 15-21, 2019
Something interesting that I’ve noticed, I’ve been in this
town long enough now, and I’ve met and have gotten to know enough people, that
I find myself running into friends, acquaintances, and co-workers every time I go
into town. I know there’s not a whole
lot of people in this city, but it’s still a nice feeling to have, and a nice
realization to make.
The Maternity and Post-Natal half of the Health Center.
This week was relatively uneventful; spent much of the time
recovering from my cold. I did go to work,
however, just not at the health center. I
refused to stay in my house as I recovered.
Just not the kind of guy I am. But
it is the smarter option not to risk re-infection, or catching something
entirely new with a compromised immune system.
So, my week was spent in the office, and even there it was a mad scramble
for much of the week.
There is something very big – several somethings, actually –
that will be taking place next week. And
since I’m feeling puckishly cheeky, what with being healthy and strong again, I’ll
be leaving you on a cliffhanger to find out what happens when I release the
next post.
Once again, thank you all for your time and coming with me
on this journey! It means the world that
so many of you find enjoyment and education from this: our shared experience. So, until next time, dear readers: 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!
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.
Through the forests and the trees.
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.
Masafu Hospital Exterior, Main Entrance
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.
A two building Health Center III
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.
Compound of a Rural Secondary School
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.
Lush Green Plains and Hills.A Fancy Modern Bridge.The Famed Nile River!
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.
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.
The exterior of my lovely future house!
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.
Outside the Musoto compound.
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 startedbuildingbefore 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
Nashisa Primary School.
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!
Peace, Love, and Uganda 