Bordertown Livin

Close of Service! :)

2009-04-22T14:22:00.003+03:00

I am an official Returned Peace Corps Volunteer (RPCV) as of April 15, 2009! It's unreal, I am still trying to adjust to not being a PCV anymore. First things done after leaving Peace Corps:

1. Ride many a piki piki (motorcycle) throughout Kampala city.
2. Drank a few beers and shared a hookah with Christopher to celebrate
3. Saw some of the sites of Kampala in preparation to leave Uganda (using afore mentioned piki pikis).

We went to the Baha'i Temple in Kampala first. It was really cool to see it, one of only a few in the world and the only one on the African continent. We learned the history of the newest world religion and spent some time in the temple itself. You must take off your shoes and are not allowed to speak when in the temple, as it is used for meditation. While inside, Christopher and I were struck by the calm silence, though sometimes broken with the echoing sound of the birds outside. It truly was a holy place.
Next, we visited the Kasubi Tombs of the Baganda kings. It was interesting to see the momument built to honor the last four kings of such an expansive kingdom. We learned about the history of the kings, especially Mutesa I, who was the first Buganda king to come into contact with Europeans and even made a deal with Queen Victoria for some canons to ward off his enemies. The tombs themselves are housed in the largest grass thatched hut in the world -- which was cool to see. Also, there was the stuffed leoard pet of Mutesa I, to whom he fed a goat a day. Weird but cool!
We said our goodbyes to Kampala and headed West for the beginning of our African travels, but I am very happy we visited these two sites as they are an integral part of what makes Kampala special.

For more info on these two places, please visit the links below!

http://www.kasubitombs.org/index.htm

www.bahai.org

http://www.bahai.us/bahai-temple-uganda

Christmas vacation, installment 4

2009-04-14T14:42:00.002+03:00

When we were with my Mom and the fam we took Christopher to see the sights of the town and its surrounding areas. They are as follows:

1. My cousin Matthew's new house! It was a beautiful cottage on the lake -- I am a bit jealous! :)

2. The Peterborough lift locks--kind of like a small Panama Canal lock. Interesting, even though they were closed up due to the cold weather. It was nice though, as the canal leading up to the locks had frozen over and kids were playing hockey on the ice.

3. The Neil Young Museum: Awesome, even though it was closed.

4. The Lindsay river -- beautiful when its covered in snow and ice!!

5. Hockey, hockey and more hockey.

One of the best things we did was attend my Grandma's New Year's Day party. I love Grandma's parties because all of her sisters and brothers stop by whom I love to see and love to watch them interact. They are all so individual and unique, and by the the end of the party, they start to sing. My Great Aunt even played the organ this time. Christopher thought that was fantastic! There's always too much food and lots of laughs. Thanks Grandma!

Cody and Julian really wanted to take Christopher and I out ice skating. We went first to the indoor rink. Now, I am no pro skater. I hug to the sides of the rink like a kid, I would even push a chair in front of me as I skate if it wasn't silly for a 26 year old to do so. Finally when I got the courage to get away from the side, sure enough I fell. No injuries to report, we all had a good laugh. My brothers then took us to an outdoor rink they had made not far from the house. Christopher put on about 80 layers of clothing in order to face the elements and ended up sweating like crazy. It as a lot of fun though, I even made a goal, albeit a slow one into the hockey net. Thank goodness for our hot coffee though, as my feet were frozen after the skate.

After all this fun, food, and skating the time came to return to Uganda. It was sad to leave my family again but I am so grateful we were able to visit! Christopher had a great time too, even when Grandma asked him to play some Tony Bennet on the guitar! I can't wait to visit again, especially when it's warmer!

Daylight in Africa

2009-04-13T17:07:00.003+03:00

There are days I wish I was more eloquent about my time and my surroundings in Uganda. I have always had a love-hate with Ugandan mornings. Once you hear the first rooster crow and the muezzin call the faithful to prayer, its over. You might was well just get up and do your laundry. But since I can't put it any better than that, here's an exerpt from a fantastic book I am reading, The Shadow of the Sun:

"The sight of the sun acts like a starter's pistol: the town instantly springs into motion. It's as if all night long everyone was crouching on his starter blocks and now, at the signal, at that shot of sunlight, they all take off full speed ahead. No intermediate stages, no preparations. All at once, the streets are full of people, the shops are open, the fires and kitchens are smoking."

Leaving Busia

2009-04-13T15:38:00.008+03:00

So the time came for me to leave my home of 2 years. It came a bit before I was ready, due to unforturnate circumstances. It was overwhelming to say farewell, and even more so having to do it abruptly. Yet, all things must come to an end.

Its been almost 3 weeks since I moved out of Busia for good. It was very sad and I think I haven't wrote about it too much because its slowly sinking in that my work and life in Uganda is done. In some ways, there is a huge weight lifted off my shoulders, as the burden of living in a risky border area kept me always tense. The gravity of the issues in Busia also weighed heavily on me though I think, over time, I became desensitized to it all. That crazy border town created an endless amount of work, as well. I loved it though, especially the girls' camp and the orphans and vulnerable children project development.

I am having trouble putting my 2 years in Busia into perspective. I think the beginning was really shaky, as I tried to find my place and apply what I learned in Peace Corps training to such a unique environment. With the knowledge I have now on how to get things in Uganda done, I wish I could go back and do some things again. Yet, I realize that learning is a process and I couldn't have done it any differently, especially in a place like Busia. There were days I wanted to give up -- my outlook on behavior change tarnished by endemic problems in the population. I think those days were more frequent in the first year. Coming to realize that corruption is the system through which things here get done, seeing street children treated like pests, hearing horrible stories of abuse, seeing the effects of HIV everyday, and witnessing the ways people have to use in order to provide for themselves and their families all mixed together in my heart and soul to block any semblance of a solution I could have come up with. These are also the things that I became desensitized to over the two years. I worry to what effect seeing these things and continuing everyday to work and live have had on me.

But, instead of focusing on the negative things, I know that I will never forget the people. What a difference relationships made for me! My best friend in Busia, Harriet, and her daughter, Gloria, provided solace and support through it all. I owe my sanity to Harriet as she helped me find myself amongst all the dirt, disease, and dust. She truly was an angel sent at the right time in my service, a time when questioning myself had become constant. Its amazing when we, as human beings, realize our connectedness, our humanity. Harriet helped me to this realization. Even though we were very different, we could be girlfriends -- something I so desperately needed. I think that the art program at New Hope Orphanage that I was able to participate in during my second year lifted my spirit as well. The children there are probably the most humble people I have ever met. They are truly and inspiration in selflessness. I learned from them that leading our lives with our hearts is possible. I think their faces will foever be in my heart and memory. Camp GLOW was another activity that helped me along my journey. I believed in the work more than any other work I have ever done. I felt a purpose and a drive to impart some of what I believe makes me who I am to my girls. I saw myself in them and found a kind of commradery amongst them. They truly are a light in the darkness of that town.

So, when I look back on my service, yes I could focus on Busia (or Busketchia as some of us fondly renamed it) and its problems, or I can focus on the people and thank God for the relationships I was blessed to make.

And that, more than the work, is my biggest accomplishment and what I am eternally thankful for.

Jonathan Swift poem

2009-04-06T13:01:00.003+03:00

In preparation for my travels in East Africa, I am reading a book on the history of Indian Ocean trade. Here's a poem I found amongst the 500 pages:

"So geographers, in Afric maps,
With savage pictures fill their gaps,
And o'er unhabitable downs,
Place elephants for want of towns."

(1733)

Hey Jude!

2009-03-26T12:59:00.004+03:00

Happy Birthday to my little brother, Julian! Love you!

Christmas vacation, installment 3

2009-03-26T11:38:00.005+03:00

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...

Newsletter Article

2009-03-24T13:26:00.009+03:00

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?

Christmas Vacation, Installment 2

2009-03-24T11:24:00.005+03:00

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!

Christmas vacation, installment 1

2009-03-17T16:44:00.004+03:00

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!

A time for giving

2008-11-21T12:16:00.002+03:00

When I visit New Hope Orphanage Home here in Busia, I always leave smiling. The children at New Hope are incredible. Last night I went to New Hope with a new volunteer in Busia to visit the kids and we were dancing the Calypso until the sun went down. Neither of us wanted to leave!
I am attaching the link to New Hope's web-page, www.newhopeafricanchildren.org. If you are looking for a gift for someone this Christmas season or a New Year's resolution - sponsor one of the amazing children at New Hope! Its a gift that would pay for the education of a fantastic child! If you don't want a long term financial committment, you can donate to the community garden fund on the website that will help the children have good, nutritious food to fill their bellies!

Thought it was nice

2008-09-09T16:01:00.003+03:00

Just finished a book called Africa Solo that my German neighbor loaned me. It was good...bout a guy who hitchhiked through the Sahara to Kenya. I find that I get a lot of travel lit passed on to me here. I guess we all read it to get ideas and sometimes use it as justification that "i can do this". Anyways, I liked what the author had to say about the continent at the end of his travels and since I am not so eloquent, I am posting his words instead of my own. In most ways his words are congruent with my feelings on this crazy, wonderful place.

"...Though I had longed to immerse myself in a world without the complications of modernity, I'd had no concept of what such a world would actually be like. Even through I had read about the sandy vegetables and rancid meat, the crowded trucks, the mud holes, the corrupt soldiers, the long sunsets, and the melodic songs, there was no possibility of conceiving it without having seen it.
I had wanted to be alone for a while, but I had not expected loneliness that was almost physically painful. I had wanted to experience new and different worlds, but I had not expected to learn what it was like to be marked as an outsider day after day, to feel at times desperate for something familiar to hold on to. I had wanted to meet some interesting people along the way, but I had not expected to find smiles and voices and brief friendships that would stand in my mind forever. Most of all, I had wanted to find art and expand my aesthetic sensibilities, but I had not expected to be touched by Africa's quiet suffering as much as its beauty...
...In the end, I had found something that I hadn't known I was looking for. I had wanted to learn new things about the world, but I had learned as much about myself as anything else. I had learned what it was like to walk alone through the world...Africa had given me much more than its colors and rhythms, its peaceful smiles and languid sunsets. It had given me a sense of reality and clarity about myself and the world around me..."

Pardon Me!

2008-09-03T16:10:00.000+03:00

Some things are just universally appreciated. When you discover those things with your Ugandan friends, unforgettable moments are made.

Christopher had a birthday in August and so began receiving packages from home that included presents and yummy American food which he was nice enough to share. One evening, he produced a present addressed to me from his grandma wrapped in tissue paper with the words "pardon me!" written on it.

Having never met grandma, I felt special to have been included in the presents from home. I eagerly tore away the yellow tissue paper and inside found a jar of Flarp which was bursting with fart sound potential.

I hope that those of you reading this blog were lucky enough as children to experience the full spectrum of fart noises able to be produced by the combination of pink putty and a plastic jar. If not, let me summarize just a few of the farts produced by Flarp for your gastronomical distressical education:

1. the Robusto - forceful, not overpowering, with a nice rounded ending.

2. the Dog Whistle - although the rectal flute is sounded, pitch is beyond the apprehension of human ears.

3. the Jingle - light, bouncy, fun. Often accompanies merriment.

4. the Shart - Often follows a hearty meal. Can ruin your favorite drawers.

5. the Ju-art - Familiar to Peace Corps volunteers. Resonance flapping is observed with occasional liquid expulsion.

Now that you are all up to speed, I am sure you are in agreement that such a device can produce hours of entertainment. And this is exactly what it did for Christopher and I in my house. In order to share the joy, I decided it would be fun to introduce Flarp to my Ugandan neighbor children. I went over to their back porch with the Flarp and asked the youngest to please stick her hand into the pink goop. She reacted with a look of fear and refused. This was no good. I then moved on to the little boy and asked for his contribution. Being a 6 year old boy, he jumped at the chance to try something new. As the sound was produced, a glorious realization of this jar's purpose flickered in his eyes. While he experimented with some of the above-listed possibilities, the young girl's fear was eliminated and she joined in. After lots of laughter between Christopher and I and the children, the youngest decided that her parents (my landlords) also needed to get in on the action. As she called for her father, I knew I couldn't run. So, I stuck it out. When he appeared and sampled the goods, we all laughed harder. When her mother appeared, I thought, "this is the end of my credibility in this town." She watched her children and husband as a symphony of sorts was recited. After a minute or so, she too began to laugh and responded with a phrase that will forever be remembered with a smile, "Oh, it is a game that makes noise like pupu!"

The moral of the story is, children: No matter where you go, the music of the butt tuba will always be funny.

This Is What a Feminist Writes Like

2008-08-20T15:04:00.004+03:00

“Mizungu, you are very beautiful, where is the husband?” “Ah! You are my size!” “May I escort you?” “I will give your father cows so that I can marry you.” “Mizungu, I want to sex you.” As a female volunteer, I am pretty much over hearing these horrible Ugandan pick up lines at least once or twice a week. They make me want to scream, punch, kick or never leave my house again.

I wouldn’t say I’m a bra-burning feminist, but I mean I like women’s rights. I understand that I am a stranger and that the culture here is different in that women and men have very specific roles in society. In college, I remember reading a lot of books on cultural relativity applied to human rights in my African Studies classes and found it fascinating. I guess after coming from a small, close-minded town it was refreshing to be introduced to a new way of forming one’s morality.

I know that as an American, my views on human rights are individualistic. That’s right I like privacy, being able to own things while having ovaries, and I like being able to choose what type of birth control is right for my body as an individual, not after being told to do so by a man.

So why are those convictions constantly questioned here? Why do I find myself scared to go and get air pressure in my bike tire without my boyfriend to accompany me and do all the talking? Why do I recoil when a newspaper salesmen comes up to Christopher and I having lunch and says, “Yes, big man would you like to buy?” and completely overlooks my presence, my ability to read, or a common interest in world news? Why is it that after I do these things, I am then at home, in tears, questioning the principles that make me, me?

Now I’m not boasting when I say that, generally, I view myself as a strong, individual woman. Its perfectly normal for a woman to feel empowered enough to say that. I mean my Mother says that I’ve been asserting myself as a woman since I was 5. I don’t think I have ever been one to back down from a challenge, especially if that challenge was posed by a man.

So, again, why am I backing down to a newspaper salesman with holes in his sandals? Have I been in Ugandan long enough now that I have begun to take on the submissive role of a Ugandan woman? Do I let Christopher do all the talking because it’s his role and I am just supposed to shut up and pop out a few babies one day?

And subsequently I ask myself, do I look down on Ugandan women then? I mean if I am thinking that I have lowered myself to submission, what does that mean I think of the women around me? Here follows guilt and sadness.

Yet it is not ALL Ugandan women that submit to the whim of men. I know this. I have friends that constantly lift my spirits when they discuss reproductive health openly or assert their rights. But they are few. I guess I get beaten down by the constant repetition of how amazing it is to be a man in Africa. I am constantly hearing men assert their rights or things that they want or need to live comfortably. Rarely do I hear this from a woman.

In a world full of attitudes like that, no wonder there are only a few women who feel comfortable enough to assert themselves! No wonder I am feeling their affect on my own sense of self. I can only imagine the daily struggle girls and young women go through to try to be successful. It is such an uphill battle.

I think I am in the midst of such a dilemma because I am half way through with the girls’ empowerment camp I am running. In trying to empower young girls within a traditional culture, I am bombarded by questions from them and from myself. I try not to lose hope that by working with them and teaching assertiveness I am helping the future generation avoid those horrible pick-up lines, but it is overwhelmingly hard. It’s hard because when I look around I see nothing but prostitution and sickness.

And that’s what my girls see too.

How is the going?

2008-03-05T12:05:00.002+03:00

How is the going, I think i get asked this question by my Ugandan friends at least 20 times a day. But, the going is busy here in Busia. Last week I had the stakeholder meeting to discuss the future of the youth centre project and girl's empowerment camp that Natalie and I have been working on for months now. It went quite well. It seems that many community members and organizations were very willing to pledge support or funds. We just got word that we will be able to pick up 200 books from the west of Kampala to place in the centre. We've also had an organization pledge to supply bookshelves and another to help with environmental outreaches. So, work is crazy busy.
I had a current PC trainee stay with me from Thursday through Sunday of last week. It was interesting in that we had very different motivations for joining the Peace Corps. It was also nice to have someone else around and talk about the issues that have come up during this first year of service as well as the wonderful things that have happened. The visit was exhausting though, we did a lot, travelled a lot, and the simple act of reflecting on the last year and answering questions was also tiring. But it was all great.
This week marks my one year anniversary in Uganda. One year since I have seen my family and friends, but one more year until I get to see you all again!! I hope I don't come back with leathery, way too much Equator sun skin. We'll see what the next year brings.

Get Involved with my Youth Centre!

2008-02-20T11:38:00.002+03:00

For those of you wanting to help out with my youth centre, I am going to create a list of things that we need or could use from the States on this blog. If you want to contribute, please email me at olivia.burchett@gmail.com and I will give you the address and directions. Of course, if you choose to send anything or help out in anyway, we would be more than grateful! Instructional and learning supplies are very hard to come by here so anything will be appreciated. I am going to break the list down in sections that match the centres we are creating within the room.

ART:
Art therapy instructional books
Sharpies
Ribbon
Glitter
Glue
Colored paper
Pipe Cleaners
Scissors
Felt paper
Brushes
Paint (Watercolor or Acrylic)
Stencils
Crayons
Sidewalk chalk
Anything else you can think of! :)

Math:
Number/counting aids
Ideas to help in basic arithmetic
Rulers
Pencils
Index cards

Science:
National Geographic books/magazines (especially focusing on East Africa)
Environmental education information
Ideas on how to integrate environmental ed into science classes
Pictures of the body (skeletal system/muscular/respiratory system)
All you nurse friends of mine could probably give me ideas, right?

Literacy:
Books!!
Reading aides
Ideas on how to increase student literacy and make it fun!!

As we move along in the centre's renovation and development, I will be posting the proposals Natalie and I have written as well as pictures of the progress. We want you all to be involved, so please if there is anything (especially information or ideas) you could send our way -- you'd create 2 happy Peace Corps volunteers! Thank you for your love and support!!!

Anniversaries and Reflections

2008-02-20T09:23:00.004+03:00

As I approach my one year mark as a foreign resident of Uganda, I have become more aware of how my attitude about myself, my environment and my decision to come to Uganda changes a jillion times a day. Never in my life have I been so conscious of the evolution of my outlook, my goals, and what is important to me. It's really encouraging but terrifying at the same time. I must constantly keep it in check, so as not to become some horrid, jaded expat before the next year is up. It's amazing how fast the time has gone in retrospect, but there were moments when I thought that life was crawling by. For example, my first few weeks in Uganda tested all of my limits, patience, and my perception of myself as somewhat tough. I think it was around week three, last March:

I found myself trying to talk to my Mom on my new cellphone in my room in my Ugandan family's house, bottle of Raid in hand stalking the largest cockroach I have ever seen (seriously it must have been half monkey or something), when the power decided to go out, the connection with my Mom lost, cockroach scattered, headlamp nowhere in sight, and I felt the now familiar rumblings of an American stomach in Africa. It was at this moment that I lost it. Crying, in the dark, inhaling the Raid that missed its mark, questioning myself and my decision to join the Peace Corps.

That was the first of many days that I began to wonder, why did I want to do this? I can't say that I still don't have those moments, even now. The moments come in smaller instances, but they are ever present. The daily attitude battle usually begins like this:

I begin to think, why did Ajambo just call me Mzungu? She knows my name is Olivia, and I have asked her to call me that!! Then my emotions and thoughts start stewing, "it is probably just because I am always going to be the perceived stranger. No matter how many neighbors I know, no matter how much I can talk to the ladies in the market in local language, no matter how many trainings I conduct or workshops I develop, no matter how easily I can light my charcoal stove, I will always, always be that white woman who lives down the street. Or, the Americana. Or the mizungu. Or Nabwire. Never just Olivia."

I understand this some days, yet on others it just makes me furious. I mean, can't I just walk to the nearest vegetable stand and buy eggplants unmolested by 50 people yelling my local name or mzungu?!? I just want an eggplant!!!! But on other days, its amazing how much this same yelling makes me feel accepted and wonderful. When I see the little boy down the street who only wears a shirt (doesn't roll with pants) who stands on his front stoop and waits for me to come by on my daily afternoon walk to town and yells to me, Mzungu! I'm fine!! instead of waiting for me to ask him how he is doing, it lifts my spirits. He just can't wait for me to give my part, he's been waiting all day to tell me he's fine. And that's just fine with me. In this way, I am not a stranger. I am one of the highlights of his day, and he is one of mine. It's our routine. I have a routine! I live in Africa and I have a routine, man life is good.

On the days I put myself through an emotional rollercoaster of trying to decide whether or not I really belong here, something almost always happens like the little boy with no pants who wants to tell me he's fine. There are days when I go out into the slums to visit with bedridden HIV/AIDS patients in hopes to figure out a way to better address their needs in the community based health system. I spend the entire day walking from hut to hut in the relentless African sun, only to find sick person after sick person waiting for me. When I reach home at the end of the day, I find myself staring into space, lost in thought. Or crying. Or fighting the urge to call home and say, I can't do this anymore. This is the lowest point. I can't find clarity, I can only focus on what is sad or what is unfair. I am not looking for a solution or a way forward, I can only see what I can't do. I can't provide ARVs, I can't save a life. Why am I here? And then there is a knock at the door. I wipe my face and go to see who's visiting. I find my five year old neighbor Simon standing there with a boiled sweet potato in his hands. He says, this is for you Auntie Olivia. Then I hear his family, from the next porch over, say, Come and we eat! And I put on my shoes and eat lunch on their porch. I end up talking about my day with Simon's mother and my frustrations. She reassures me, says yes it is hard. We all feel that way Olivia, but we can't give up hope. And I realize, yes - enough now Olivia. I eat my beans and sweet potatoes and regain my faith in people and my hope for a solution.

The constant struggle to reassure myself and my intentions will most definitly continue until my last day in Uganda. Yet, in being aware of this persistent conundrum, at least I can try to accept what I cannot change and learn how to solve what I have the capability to solve. I cannot ask any more of myself than this. And that is enough.

Youth Development Centre!

2008-01-31T13:44:00.000+03:00

I feel like a Peace Corps volunteer today. Natalie, my closest neighboring PC volunteer and I have successfully written our proposal for the renovation of the town's youth room as well as a proposal for a girl's empowerment camp that I am going to run and a literacy program that she is heading up. We've been in lots of meeting and working really hard and today I got reassurance that this is really going to happen. The best part is that it's not my or Natalie's ideas - they are the ideas of the many youth and organizations in town, they've just not had the capacity to coordinate their efforts to make the youth centre grow to its full potential. Right now the room is empty but for a tv and computer donated by Christian Children's Fund. There is water damage in the ceiling that we just got word that we will have fixed by a volunteer youth environment group and we are also hoping to get timber donated to build wall to wall bookshelves in the room. We are planning on painting it lots of fun colors, as well as creating centers in the room that would include a reading/writing center, art center, computer/typing center, and a math center. WE have a concept meeting planned with the district officials, town council government officials, NGOs, the youth and community based organizations planned in two weeks. I am so excited, I can't wait to begin. It's amazing, I had no idea that we'd be able to get this far in such a short amount of time. Everyone in Busia has been really supportive and willing to work to get this project off the ground. There isn't a library in the whole district, so if we make bookshelves and get some books it will be such a blessing for the children here. I am going to document the process and hopefully put our proposals on my blog as an attachment so that everyone can get involved if they feel as though they want to. As the program develops, there may be a way I can get everyone from home involved in the camps and literacy program if you'd like. Just let me know! Great, great, great day!

Long Time

2008-01-30T16:04:00.000+03:00

So it's been a long time since my last post, and I apologize. Things here have been busy. The main issue has been the Kenyan crisis. We are all watching and reading the news fervently as things seem to worsen daily. For about a month after the elections on December 27, my town had a steady influx of refugees. I was working at the camp helping to distribute food, carry sacks of charcoal and register new arrivals. It was exhausting but really worth it in the end. Everyone was so humble and I even learned some new Swahili words! Also in the last month or so, I have been working hard to develop a youth center and girls empowerment camp proposal. Fingers crossed this should be completed in the next few weeks. I begin renovations on the center in February, I will begin posting more and putting up pictures of the progress. If anyone out there knows of a good way or organization that could donate books or art supplies, please let me know! Thanks so much! I am also going to try to implement art therapy for some of the kids that are most affected by the issues here - any help or feedback on this subject would be so helpful. Thanks everyone for all the letters and emails and packages. Christopher and I are going to camp out in a rain forest this weekend - I am stoked! I will put up pictures when I can, I promise! Great week and merry weekend to you all!

Are YOU Ready for CHOGM?

2007-11-19T11:34:00.000+03:00

I have been a bit out of touch lately, mostly due to the fact that our office has undergone some technical upgrades. I am happy to report that we now have a very sophisticated internet connection and office network that will allow me to better keep up with this blogging business.

This week is a big week for Uganda on the international scene. The State House is hosting the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Kampala starting on Friday, of which the Queen of England will be attending. Thus, Uganda has undergone some heavy duty beautification projects over the last few months in preparation for her arrival. I can remember talks of CHOGM on the radio and in the paper since I arrived in country in March. From what I can gather, the Queen had boycotted coming to Uganda since the time of Idi Amin due to some unfriendly comments the former dictator had to say about her and her country. Therefore, the government of Uganda has been bending over backwards to welcome her after so many years. I have to admit, Uganda is looking quite fabulous for Her Majesty!

"Are you ready for CHOGM?" has been the slogan of the event and its plastered all over taxi buses, billboards, posters, and newspapers throughout the country. It is an international forum of the 'voluntary association of independent sovereign states, consulting and co-operating in the common interests of their peoples and in the promotion of international understanding and world peace.' The sovereign state is represented by the heads of government of the UK as well as the heads of government of the former colonies. The Queen will arrive on Friday, yet many heads of state have already arrived as they are having meetings to discuss better collaboration between the commonwealth countries as well as having a people's forum to discuss issues pertinent to the Ugandan people. CHOGM is held once every two years, with the venue changing every time. The president of Uganda, Yoweri Museveni, made a speech last night that expressed his devotion to Ugandan development and environmental conservation. I hope that many good things come out of the meeting and that Uganda does committ itself to increasing efforts towards protecting the natural beauty of this country.

For more CHOGM info, check out http://www.fco.gov.uk/servlet/Front?pagename=OpenMarket/Xcelerate/ShowPage&c=Page&cid=1007029393672

Baby Steps

2007-09-25T15:06:00.000+03:00

So, I have been driving myself and Christopher crazy lately. Due to the recent theft of my phone along with the insufficient funds to purchase another one, I am left with a lot of time to think. As a result of all this brain activity, I have since become frustrated with myself and my work.
I have been trying to develop a gender-based violence program here in the Town Council, yet during my meetings with the deputy of police and the family protection unit, a few "issues" have come up. First, in discussing the need to protect women's rights, as many times they do not have equal say in their relationship, the response to my question of "would you like to become involved in the project with me?" has normally been: "Yes, but why are you only focusing on women, the men will feel left out." And this is a women's rights project. Secondly, and this one is quite ironic. I have been going to the police station a lot, in hopes to get their advice and support in starting up this program as well as a substance-abuse program in town, yet there is a particular police officer that seems to always know where I am or will be. When I see him he consistently asks to give my father 6 cows for my hand in marriage (to be his 3rd wife, mind you). I continue telling him to leave me alone and that I am happily married already (quick, someone send me a fake wedding ring). Despite the sheer notion that its creepy that he is Weirdo McStalker, doesn't it defeat the entire purpose of me trying to get the police to help me out with my women's rights project to stalk me?!? Thirdly, I want to hold a refresher course for our home-based care volunteers so that if they come across a client who is a victim of domestic violence or have a family member with a substance abuse problem, they will know how to handle it and where to refer the family should they request help. I was in the process of renting a meeting place, organizing the volunteers, and getting the training agenda worked out when my supervisor informed me that I must inform the district government that I want to hold a training, they must approve it, be invited, and appoint the trainer. This is fine, I don't mind if they must know everything, I just got frustrated that I had no idea I needed to do all of that and now the training is pushed back indefinetly.
I had a Peace Corps In-Service Training last week in Kampala. It was wonderful to see my friends and my Christopher. I ate a ceasar salad and had a steak. Amazing. I had forgotten what good food really was like. The training was great, my APCD did an amazing job coming up with activity planning worksheets and helpful ways of putting plans into action. I learned so much. Yet here's where the frustration kicks in: Day 2, the hotel, housing all of the volunteers in my group (48) and most of our supervisors and counterparts (a lot) runs out of water. No showers, no toilets, no brushing your teeth. We asked them to give us jerri cans of water (big containers), yet to no avail. We asked them to show us where the latrines are, wouldn't let us. I will leave the rest of the story to your own imagination, just remember to think about 48 dirty Peace Corps volunteers and our respective stomach issues. On that note, frustration number 2 of last week. A buffet of straight Ugandan food 5 times a day. Now, I have no issue with Ugandan food, even though it is pretty bland it is pretty good. I just haven't been eating it as much as I was in training now that I am at my site, since I cook for myself. The Ugandan diet is based mainly on tons of starch - white rice, plaintains, plaintains mashed up (matoke), posho (white, gluey corn meal), and potatoes are a staple of almost every meal (even breakfast sometimes). So by day 3 and lots of starch...well let just say maybe I got lucky since couldn't use the toilets that didn't work or the unavailable latrines for 2 days.
Lastly, I returned to my house over the weekend to find that my basil plant (which I have been baby-ing like crazy) got all shriveled up in the heat and may be a lost cause. I also discovered that although I eradicated the ants that are slowly eating away at the insides of my living room and kitchen, they have beaten me once again by moving into my bathroom.
So I have decided, on Christopher's insistence, that I have to do more yoga and more consistently, make small goals for myself each day to feel somewhat accomplished, and pour myself into finding ways of integrating into my community a little better. My goals for October so far are as follows:
1. Furnish my second bedroom
2. Learn to kill a chicken (funny I know, but hey this is Africa)
3. Keep my basil alive
4. More yoga
5. Cook Canadian Thanksgiving dinner

Suggestions are (as we say in Uganda) most welcome.

2007-09-14T12:44:00.000+03:00

On Saturday, Sept 8, I attended the Uganda v. Niger football game in Namboole Stadium, Kampala. The Ugandan Cranes are vying for a spor in the African Cup in Ghana 2008. I travelled on Saturday morning, only to arrive in Kampala amongst all the game day chaos! There were taxis everywhere with people hanging out the windows yelling, holding flags, trumpets, branches and leaves! I still don't understand the leaves part. We arrived at the staduim and I bought some corny Uganda flare, only to meet up with my friends and discover I looked normal. Some of the other muzungus were painted head to toe in the colors of Uganda (red, black and yellow). The game started off well, with Uganda scoring its first goal in the first minute. The stadium went nuts. I have never been to a soccer game before, so it was a fun experience for me. The noise of all the people blowing their trumpets created this buzzing noise through the whole game, sounded like swarming bees. The crowd was cheering, Oh yee, oh yee, Uganda Cranes oh yee! We joined in, must have looked pretty silly. I heard from my friends in Busia when I returned that they put us on tv. We were that much of a spectacle, ha! In the end, the Cranes won, 3-0. and have qualified again for Ghana. Since soccer depends on the points you have, not the process of elimination, Uganda must beat Zambia in the points ranking to go, so cross your fingers! Uganda Cranes oh yee!

the hizzouse

2007-09-01T08:01:00.000+03:00

So I am a spoiled brat. I have a new house, running water, a toilet and a flippin shower, electricity and a sweet compound. I realize that many of you are wondering what my place looks like, envisioning me in a grass thatched hut or a bush or something. Well kids, I won't hold out on you anymore. Here she is, home sweet home. There are more and I will supplement them at some time. Seeing as how it has taking me this long to put these up, I wouldn't hold your breath for new ones soon. As mentioned in my emails, I have waged a battle on the ants who seem hella determined to take over Oliviaville, yet they shalt not conquer as I am a formidable opponent to those tiny little pests. And yes, my field mouse is still around eating my tomatoes. He's cute I can't kill him, what do you want from me? He has stayed away of late due to the presence of another voracious beast in my house (more to come on this subject in a later post). I am happy to report that I now have living room furniture as well as a kitchen table. I have experienced some "difficulty" with the carpenters in my town. Let's just say that if my daddy was here, he'd have opened a can already. So after about a month of threatening the police if they didn't just paint the damn shelf brown, I finally have furniture in the house. I have cement floors, which is great because you can't see the red dust all over it that well, and they are easy to clean. And yes ma, I clean my floors once a week. I have an extra bedroom that right now holds only my clothesline for hanging up my wet clothes, but I am thinking of maybe puting a bed in there and a bunch of art supplies to help me pass the time. I will let ya'll know. Alright um, yeah I don't have much else to say about my house...more pictures will follow, I promise.

Dumpster Diving

2007-08-15T09:54:00.000+03:00

On Friday, August 10 I helped in a Busia town clean-up event in one of the slums near the Kenyan border. The slum is called Marachi. I went with some of the other Peace Corps volunteers here in town along with the Busia Town Council, the Mayor and my friend Boris from the German Development Organization. Boris is working with the town council to promote water sanitation as well as community hygiene. Thankfully the sun held off to allow us to work without getting too sunburnt! It was such an eye-opening experience. The first site that we went to was completely overwhelming. It was a public dump site about the size of a basketball court. The trash had been collecting for 3 months. There were homes and stores and outdoor cooking areas surrounding the site, and children were running through the mud and trash in bare feet. The smell was enough to make us gag, but we all grabbed a shovel or a rake and got to work. We worked and worked making piles, lifting them onto empty rice sacks and then onto the back of a rented dump truck. My shoes got covered in God-knows-what. There must have been about 20 of us working, 5 being muzungus which drew all of the children in the slums out to watch the white people work.
About an hour in, the equivalent to a town crier with a megaphone started walking around us informing everyone who didn’t already see the muzungus digging to come and watch. While we worked we were constantly dodging chickens that were lavishing the freshly dug up cockroaches and beetles Even though the slum is about a 15 minute walk from my house, where most of my neighbors speak the Ugandan language I learned (Lusamia), all of the children looked confused this morning when we tried to speak with them. One of our Ugandan co-workers explained that most of the children spoke either Swahili or Karamojong. When I inquired as to the reason, he explained that nearly all of the inhabitants of the slum were either refugees from Somalia or internally-displaced people from Karamoja. There must have been at least 6 or 7 kids for every adult I saw today. So many children!! They were swarming around us, pinching our skin and staring from every direction. There was a steady trail of children behind us as we moved from site to site. Not only were there so many kids, but I was really disheartened at the amount of sick and dirty children I saw. As we were digging, the children were picking up pieces of trash to play with and putting them in their mouths. I started to get upset watching the kids and discovering that no matter how much we dug and raked and picked up, there were so many layers of trash underneath that I just couldn’t see any good in what we were doing. The soil seemed so inundated with waste that I felt we were barely scratching the surface. We dug up vegetables, egg shells, paper and other very biodegradable or compost-able waste, yet the amount of black plastic bags I found was really discouraging. The ground was covered in tons of plastic that will never decompose. It made me so sad to see it all. I can’t imagine how many layers of plastic were underneath us. With all the layers of trash, I cannot even begin to imagine what must be seeping into the groundwater. I became really scared, looking at all the little faces staring up at me with runny noses and eyes and thinking about what they must be ingesting when they drink untreated or non-boiled water.
Although I was initially discouraged and sad, by the end of the day I found solace in the fact that so many people turned out to help us. The town crier, who initially was announcing the spectacle of the labouring mizungus, eventually was able to rally many of the children and other community members to come and help clean up their neighbourhood. Seeing the way we all pulled together, I guess I realized that there is something good lying underneath the surface of my surroundings.

Raindrops keep fallin on my head

2007-08-02T15:34:00.000+03:00

So it has been raining non-stop here for the last 3 days. I have had to wade through rapids to walk to work. Its an awesome feeling to step onto the dirt road outside my place and feel yourself sink 3 inches down into the mud. And what tickels my pickle is the fact that my water has been off the last two days? I would think with all of this rain that the reserves would be overflowing. I like the hour before it rains though: the sky gets this blue-gray haze as the clouds roll in, and then the breeze picks up, all the humidity is zapped from the air, the cows start lowing, and the goats all run towards and fight over who gets to stand on the biggest anthill. I think that is my favorite part: watching the goats headbut eachother over and over again trying to be the king of the muddy red anthill castle. The kids think that I am crazy when they see me walking with my umbrella to town. When it rains, the streets pretty much clear out, making me even more of a spectacle than usual as I carry my zebra print umbrella to town. They yell, Mizungu, mizungu, but it is raining! I smile, nod and keep walking briskly to town. The rain is nice because it keeps the ever-present dust down. With all of the petroleum trucks passing through on their way from Kenya, the dust is most of the time unavoidable. Covers everything. I have learned that wearing white is not the best idea, seeing as how I do all of my laundry by hand. Oh well, live and learn I guess! I just hope that it stops raining before my time at the internet cafe is up. I'm don't know how much I want to show off my rafting skills on my walk to the supermarket today.

Yet I still love technology

2007-07-31T15:05:00.000+03:00

Today is a good internet day. I was able to actually sign into my email and that spawned the idea to create a blog. I hope that this blog will be used in correspondence with friends and family at home as well as with the class being taught by my good friend Rebecca Lowry. As it is always a gamble as to whether or not signing into gmail will make our server spontaneously combust, uploading pictures will most likely be a process. Stick with me as I discover more about myself and a little concept called "patience" while trying to update this blog as much as possible. There are so many little trials and tribulations that I am still getting used to here in Uganda, i.e. the slow speed or lack of internet, and all I can hear is my mother's voice saying, Olivia, patience is a virtue. If I learn nothing else over the next 2 years, please God let it be that.