Happy Birthday to my little brother, Julian! Love you!
Thursday, March 26, 2009
Christmas vacation, installment 3
After leaving Kansas, we travelled to see my family. I had met Christopher's family when they came to visit in Uganda in 2007, but he had never met any of my family. And meet the family he did. Now, I must preface this family meeting business with a small note on the SIZE of my extended family. It's huge. We're Irish. I meet new people I am somehow related to everytime I visit.
We got in late as our flights were cancelled/delayed (seemed to be a running theme of the vacation) and I got off the plane with reindeer ears that blinked and Christopher with his maple leaf hat. I can't really explain how overwhelming it was to actually see my family's faces after 2 years of being apart. My first thought was, holy crap, Cody is huge! It seems my youngest brother grew up while I was gone...a reminder of the length of my absence.
First thing we did was get some fast food (another running theme of the vacation) and coffee to warm us up. Again, that side of the world is COLD! We arrived home around one in the morning without our luggage, as it was unfortunately lost. Christopher and I were sick over the lost luggage as we had brought half of Africa home to give to my family and friends but the airline promised to deliver the luggage later.
Over the course of the week, we had visits from so many family members it was exhausting and great! Poor Christopher, everytime the house would empty out at the end of the day I'd see him go downstairs to the basement to get a cold beer. He was a trooper, there were a lot of people to meet!
We went out to my Aunt and Uncle's place for New Year's Eve to watch USA play Canada in hockey. The Americans among us tried to rally our team, but a USA victory was not to be. Let's face it, Canadians know hockey! By the end of the night, even Christopher was wearing a Canada hat. Traitor.
The final chapter in Christmas vacation 2008 witll come soon...
We got in late as our flights were cancelled/delayed (seemed to be a running theme of the vacation) and I got off the plane with reindeer ears that blinked and Christopher with his maple leaf hat. I can't really explain how overwhelming it was to actually see my family's faces after 2 years of being apart. My first thought was, holy crap, Cody is huge! It seems my youngest brother grew up while I was gone...a reminder of the length of my absence.
First thing we did was get some fast food (another running theme of the vacation) and coffee to warm us up. Again, that side of the world is COLD! We arrived home around one in the morning without our luggage, as it was unfortunately lost. Christopher and I were sick over the lost luggage as we had brought half of Africa home to give to my family and friends but the airline promised to deliver the luggage later.
Over the course of the week, we had visits from so many family members it was exhausting and great! Poor Christopher, everytime the house would empty out at the end of the day I'd see him go downstairs to the basement to get a cold beer. He was a trooper, there were a lot of people to meet!
We went out to my Aunt and Uncle's place for New Year's Eve to watch USA play Canada in hockey. The Americans among us tried to rally our team, but a USA victory was not to be. Let's face it, Canadians know hockey! By the end of the night, even Christopher was wearing a Canada hat. Traitor.
The final chapter in Christmas vacation 2008 witll come soon...
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
Newsletter Article
Thought I would post the article I wrote for our monthly Peace Corps Uganda newsletter. It was a write up of the girls' empowerment camp I initiated at my site in Busia Town Council. I submitted it for the November 2008 newsletter.
BUSIA IS GLOWING
Over the past three months I have been involved in the planning and implementation of a weekly girls’ empowerment camp. It’s been something I have wanted to put into action at my site for almost a year now, and to finally have an outlet for girls in my community to come and express themselves is, I feel, quite an achievement.
My site is located in Busia Town Council, a town that shares its name with its Kenyan counterpart as the border of the two countries splits the town through the middle. Busia is a town that never sleeps. It is the main border crossing for the East African Highway in Uganda. As a result, the town is a conglomerate of truck drivers, migrant workers, immigrants, refugees and IDPs. Due its demographics, Busia is also home to rampant smuggling, prostitution and a very high HIV/AIDS rate.
This was a daunting scene for me when I first arrived to my new home last year. I so desperately wanted to do some good during my time in Uganda but I had a hard time seeing how one person could be beneficial standing up against such ingrained issues. However, as time went on my outlook began to change. Instead of only seeing the large issues mentioned above, I started to see the little ones that maybe a PCV could devote her time to.
One of the issues foremost in my mind was the absence of any direct programming to prevent the spread of HIV/AIDS or the risk of commercial sex work among the community’s young women and girls. With such a high HIV/AIDS rate, most of the programs being initiated by the numerous organizations in town were focused on testing, treatment and care of the disease among adults. Though these programs have made a significant difference in the quality of living of community members, the lack of prevention programming seems to breed an air of lost hope; as if there is nothing to be done to prevent the spread of the virus. Along the same lines, I saw a few programs working with commercial sex workers to improve or change their lives yet I saw no programs in place to give young women and girls the skills and information needed to avoid such work.
So I got down to business. I started by researching prevention programs for youth and children which led me to a Peace Corps program that has been implemented all over the world called Camp GLOW(Girls Leading Our World). Throughout the world the camp’s main focus has been promoting leadership among young women through self-esteem development, life skills education, and goal setting exercises. When reading past success stories of the camp in other countries, I felt inspired. The program just fit my site and my capabilities as a volunteer. Yet for Busia, I knew that I needed to include some camp activities to help girls understand the transmission of HIV/AIDS and their rights to education, health care, and a safe career.
In order to develop the proposal for Camp GLOW Busia properly, I contacted women in my community in leadership positions for advice. Enlisting women in local government and in local CBOs aided me in comprehending the issues young girls face as well as the possibilities open to them in the future. With the help of a few key female community leaders, we developed the camp to cover 11 different topics specific to young girls and women in Busia. Some of these topics include positive peer relationships, premature sex and its consequences, HIV/AIDS transmission, personal hygiene and child/women’s rights. All camp days include activities that are centered on creating long term goals and avoiding risky situations. Volunteers from the community and I engage the campers in these topics through the use of art therapy and life skills education. The final day of the camp included a career fair highlighting the careers available to women and how to pursue them, as well as a question and answer session between the campers and successful women in their community.
The camp has been received by my campers and the community with open arms. Over the course of the last two months, my campers have become more outspoken, empowered individuals. They use the information we discuss to advise their peers, avoid dangerous places, and some have even chosen to go for VCT to know their HIV status. Through the art therapy exercises, many girls have expressed themselves in a positive way that was not available to them before the camp.
Yet with such beautiful successes also come difficulties. It’s hard to promote girls’ empowerment when parents are unwilling to continue educating their daughters and it’s devastating when some of the girls go for VCT and receive sad news. These are things that I am powerless to change but I hope that through empowering young women with knowledge about prevention I can promote advocacy and information sharing among the female community. If I can’t pay school fees or provide HIV/AIDS treatment for every girl, I can at least instill in them a desire to see a different world for their sisters and daughters. I think I have also changed as a result of Camp GLOW. Through learning more about the Ugandan and Kenyan women in my community I’ve gotten to know first hand against what women in East Africa have to struggle. I cannot even begin to fathom the strength it takes to live with such adversity. But they do it, and most of them have a smile on their face while they’re at it! , through their struggle I am empowered. How could I not be?
BUSIA IS GLOWING
Over the past three months I have been involved in the planning and implementation of a weekly girls’ empowerment camp. It’s been something I have wanted to put into action at my site for almost a year now, and to finally have an outlet for girls in my community to come and express themselves is, I feel, quite an achievement.
My site is located in Busia Town Council, a town that shares its name with its Kenyan counterpart as the border of the two countries splits the town through the middle. Busia is a town that never sleeps. It is the main border crossing for the East African Highway in Uganda. As a result, the town is a conglomerate of truck drivers, migrant workers, immigrants, refugees and IDPs. Due its demographics, Busia is also home to rampant smuggling, prostitution and a very high HIV/AIDS rate.
This was a daunting scene for me when I first arrived to my new home last year. I so desperately wanted to do some good during my time in Uganda but I had a hard time seeing how one person could be beneficial standing up against such ingrained issues. However, as time went on my outlook began to change. Instead of only seeing the large issues mentioned above, I started to see the little ones that maybe a PCV could devote her time to.
One of the issues foremost in my mind was the absence of any direct programming to prevent the spread of HIV/AIDS or the risk of commercial sex work among the community’s young women and girls. With such a high HIV/AIDS rate, most of the programs being initiated by the numerous organizations in town were focused on testing, treatment and care of the disease among adults. Though these programs have made a significant difference in the quality of living of community members, the lack of prevention programming seems to breed an air of lost hope; as if there is nothing to be done to prevent the spread of the virus. Along the same lines, I saw a few programs working with commercial sex workers to improve or change their lives yet I saw no programs in place to give young women and girls the skills and information needed to avoid such work.
So I got down to business. I started by researching prevention programs for youth and children which led me to a Peace Corps program that has been implemented all over the world called Camp GLOW(Girls Leading Our World). Throughout the world the camp’s main focus has been promoting leadership among young women through self-esteem development, life skills education, and goal setting exercises. When reading past success stories of the camp in other countries, I felt inspired. The program just fit my site and my capabilities as a volunteer. Yet for Busia, I knew that I needed to include some camp activities to help girls understand the transmission of HIV/AIDS and their rights to education, health care, and a safe career.
In order to develop the proposal for Camp GLOW Busia properly, I contacted women in my community in leadership positions for advice. Enlisting women in local government and in local CBOs aided me in comprehending the issues young girls face as well as the possibilities open to them in the future. With the help of a few key female community leaders, we developed the camp to cover 11 different topics specific to young girls and women in Busia. Some of these topics include positive peer relationships, premature sex and its consequences, HIV/AIDS transmission, personal hygiene and child/women’s rights. All camp days include activities that are centered on creating long term goals and avoiding risky situations. Volunteers from the community and I engage the campers in these topics through the use of art therapy and life skills education. The final day of the camp included a career fair highlighting the careers available to women and how to pursue them, as well as a question and answer session between the campers and successful women in their community.
The camp has been received by my campers and the community with open arms. Over the course of the last two months, my campers have become more outspoken, empowered individuals. They use the information we discuss to advise their peers, avoid dangerous places, and some have even chosen to go for VCT to know their HIV status. Through the art therapy exercises, many girls have expressed themselves in a positive way that was not available to them before the camp.
Yet with such beautiful successes also come difficulties. It’s hard to promote girls’ empowerment when parents are unwilling to continue educating their daughters and it’s devastating when some of the girls go for VCT and receive sad news. These are things that I am powerless to change but I hope that through empowering young women with knowledge about prevention I can promote advocacy and information sharing among the female community. If I can’t pay school fees or provide HIV/AIDS treatment for every girl, I can at least instill in them a desire to see a different world for their sisters and daughters. I think I have also changed as a result of Camp GLOW. Through learning more about the Ugandan and Kenyan women in my community I’ve gotten to know first hand against what women in East Africa have to struggle. I cannot even begin to fathom the strength it takes to live with such adversity. But they do it, and most of them have a smile on their face while they’re at it! , through their struggle I am empowered. How could I not be?
Christmas Vacation, Installment 2
Our time in Kansas was well spent. While there, Christopher and I did many things. Most of these things included eating. We ate even when we weren't hungry, especially when the food included cheese. Needless to say, we gained some holiday weight, but I think it was a good thing as both of us had some pounds to gain after living in the African heat for 2 years. The following are the best things eaten while there: 1. El Charro - Mexican food and Mexican beer.
2. Uncle Stan's homemade cheesecake - I have no words.
3. Chipotle Burritos - I couldn't finish it, so Christopher did.
4. El Charro - Christopher might leave me for the Durango.
5. Ribs!!
6. Wendy's - When purchased from the drive thru after completing a 38 pt turn in a limo.
7. El Charro - We ate there a lot.
I got to attend a basketball game at Christopher's high school to see his sister cheer (great job, Lauren!!). Some of the other things we did were watch a lot of movies(as we are horribly out of the loop with pop culture), played with the family's dogs (I had forgotten how much I love having dogs around!), played lots of Cranium, and visited with Grandmas and friends.
Now, one of the most important things accomplished while in Kansas was learning how to play the game Rock Band. Christopher and I were completely unaware of this game's existence and I think we both agree we are now better people for having learned of it. Over the course of the week this game was endless entertainment!!
On Christmas day, Christopher and his brothers decided to shoot rockets in the front yard (the picture posted above). I mean, what else to you do on Christmas in America, right? Overall, Christmas in Kansas was a fantastic vacation! It was hard to leave! Thanks for everything!
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
Christmas vacation, installment 1
So, I am a blogging slacker and haven't blogged yet this year. Blog is such a funny word, isn't it? Kinda sounds like something you would be afraid lives under your bed when you were a kid. I guess I should begin by recounting our holiday trip to the STATES!! There's a lot to tell so I am going to type it up in increments.
Installment 1:
We arrived Stateside about a week before Christmas day, and what an arrival it was! Every flight we took was horribly delayed due to December weather. Needless to say, all the delays, 2 days of flying and the shock of being in America again made us look like crazy people! Neither one of us had been back since we left home in March 2007, so I know we were quite the spectacle.
Immediate obervations:
1. Americans are horribly, horribly rude (Chicago being the worst in this observation).
2. Everyone has a tiny computer stuck to their face, EVERYWHERE.
3. We have way too many options for food, drinks, gas, life.
4. I hadn't had a haircut in 13 months and everyone around me seemed to know it.
5. Everyone is sizing each other up constantly, how does anybody get anything done with all
the judging?
6. It's COLD in the US.
When we got to Kansas City it, we were both on our last bit of energy. We rubbed our eyes and found the Porter family joyously awaiting us! They were great and brought us a change of clothes, underwear and deoderant (necessities at this point). They ushered us outside and told us that they had borrowed a friend's SUV so that all of us could ride in 1 car, so we started walking down the sidewalk looking for the vehicle when we passed an old school white limo idling next to the curb. As we got closer, the back window rolled down and a bald headed man told us to "git in". I just stood there in amazement, ready to add this on the list of strange observations when we all realized it was Christopher's brother and that the family had driven a friend's limo to pick us up!
We got into the limo, where there were blankets readily available, listened to a new Britney Spears song while strobe lights flashed, went through the drive through at Wendy's, played in the snow, and finally fell asleep. It was one of the best welcomes I have ever experienced! Thanks, ya'll!
Installment 1:
We arrived Stateside about a week before Christmas day, and what an arrival it was! Every flight we took was horribly delayed due to December weather. Needless to say, all the delays, 2 days of flying and the shock of being in America again made us look like crazy people! Neither one of us had been back since we left home in March 2007, so I know we were quite the spectacle.
Immediate obervations:
1. Americans are horribly, horribly rude (Chicago being the worst in this observation).
2. Everyone has a tiny computer stuck to their face, EVERYWHERE.
3. We have way too many options for food, drinks, gas, life.
4. I hadn't had a haircut in 13 months and everyone around me seemed to know it.
5. Everyone is sizing each other up constantly, how does anybody get anything done with all
the judging?
6. It's COLD in the US.
When we got to Kansas City it, we were both on our last bit of energy. We rubbed our eyes and found the Porter family joyously awaiting us! They were great and brought us a change of clothes, underwear and deoderant (necessities at this point). They ushered us outside and told us that they had borrowed a friend's SUV so that all of us could ride in 1 car, so we started walking down the sidewalk looking for the vehicle when we passed an old school white limo idling next to the curb. As we got closer, the back window rolled down and a bald headed man told us to "git in". I just stood there in amazement, ready to add this on the list of strange observations when we all realized it was Christopher's brother and that the family had driven a friend's limo to pick us up!
We got into the limo, where there were blankets readily available, listened to a new Britney Spears song while strobe lights flashed, went through the drive through at Wendy's, played in the snow, and finally fell asleep. It was one of the best welcomes I have ever experienced! Thanks, ya'll!
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