Thanks-coal-giving!

November 21-28

I’ve been putting this post off for about a week now because my lack of energy and charging ability. It’s now or never with this post because I will be leaving for camp GLOW (Girls Leading Our World) tomorrow and won’t be back for a week. I’ll then have 2 days to write about camp GLOW and then I’ll be heading back towards Kampala to train the newbie group about homestay. After that…. MY BROTHER COMES! (although he’s only bringing a backpack and I want more than a backpacks worth of stuff from home like a deflated soccer ball for the kids!) Its okay Mike I’ll get over it… eventually….

Let me take a moment to think about what happened in the past week…. THANKSGIVING!

On my way to the taxi park in town… just a few days after the crazy earthquake… I heard a weird indescribable BBBBZZZZAAAAPPPP and when I looked up at a telephone pole (there wasn’t even a transformer attached) I saw what looked like a blue force field of energy… like from the film Independence Day. At this point I was still a bit jumpy thanks to the earthquake. Even now when I hear the tin on my roof crackle just a bit because of the harsh sun or my cat, I expect a full-on earthquake! Anyways… I made it to the bus park wondering what the heck just happened and after waiting 30 minutes finally had a matatu (taxi van) pull up heading my direction and I get put in the front seat with plenty of room…. Such a tease… I get transferred to another matatu not even 5 minutes later and am sitting in-between two men with no deodorant and no compassion for the people next to them (me) on how much space they are taking up. Rude. Skip to the car ride on the way to the Thanksgiving venue (a small outdoor restaurant owned by a Dutch man with a decent ‘view’ and quiet atmosphere) there are so many of us piled in the vehicle that it gets stuck in some mud 200 yards from the place. We all just decide to lighten up the car and get out. While rummaging through the trunk to get the food I go to grab a bag and something from inside is looking at me! I found the turkey! 

Once we reach the venue we throw all of our bags in a large room that is littered with mattresses for us to sleep on. The mattresses were made up with sheets, blankets, pillows, and towels. I was impressed! It looked like a giant sleep over and reminded me of the good old days. We got served pizzas with pineapple, ham, beef, tuna, and a mystery meat that I took a bite of and tossed in Kendra's direction for her to finish. While we were picking our teeth clean and licking the plates Robyn and her sister, Bailey, and mother, Sharon, from the States arrived. They have been traveling all over the SW of Uganda for the past week and were gracing us with their presence for such a family oriented holiday. Actually Robyn set up the venue and organized everything so…. BIG shout out to Robyn and being on top of it all! Thank you! Robyn’s mother also brought gifts we requested from the States so I was able to enjoy pistachios again! Another shout out and Thank You to Robyn’s mom for lugging everything we requested!! 

The next morning (THANKSGIVING!) Kendra and I went for a walk around the village when we eventually reached a dead end and saw two women in their yard. They waved us over and pulled over a bench so we figured ‘why not’ and took a seat. We greeted them and then just sat. We didn’t know enough Runyankore  to carry on a complete conversation and they didn’t know enough English… so after 5 minutes we excused ourselves and found the trail again. When we got back to Kalibas (the restaurant) I opened a letter from my cousin Laura who handed it to me at my going away party and it read ‘do not open for 6 months.’ She didn’t remember writing it or plan me to open it on Thanksgiving but it was a very inspirational letter. A great start to a great day!  Robyn killed the turkey while her mother and vegan sister watched. I just watched everyone’s face that I could see while this slaughter was going on. The last time I saw a chicken get slaughtered I wasn’t impressed… just scared… for the chicken. I decided to opt out of watching. While the turkey was cooking we set up the sigiris and chopped the veggies. I was scrubbing extremely dirty potatoes by hand so we could keep the skins on in our mash of potatoes. After scrubbing those suckers clean I decided to tackle the pumpkin with the only knife I could find…. my pocket knife. The resteraunt was very ill prepared and did not have many knives… only one I believe.. so everything we chopped was with pocket knives. Good thing almost every PCV I know has one! After spending an hour de-seeding, chopping, and peeling the rind off I boiled the pieces and threw the cooked pieces in a clean bathing basin. We had THAT much pumpkin. We also used a basin for the mac and cheese, salad, and mashed potatoes. During this feast we were not lacking food. I roasted the pumpkin seeds, mashed the pumpkin while Kendra added the pie ingredients, mashed the potatoes, and cooked the green bean casserole. I felt productive and useful! So our menu for the meal was: turkey, vegetable salad w/ basalmic dressing, green bean casserole, mashed potatoes, mac and cheese, stuffing, and drum roll…. Pumpkin pie! Everything for the meal was a team effort and made from scratch. Most of us had blisters on our hands when we were done chopping and cooking! Way to go team! After our main meal we sat by the fire with some drinks and enjoyed one another’s company. It was the end to a wonderful Thanksgiving… I may not have been with my family back home but it sure felt I was with a family… which is the most important. My Peace Corps family!

The next day we celebrated one of the PCVs birthdays. It was an epic night filled with bone shaking (dancing), lighting my mouth on fire intentionally (twice), and getting VIP treatment for being white… most of that would never happen in the States… it was AWESOME and at the same time extremely odd to be so privileged. Celebrity status. Although while bone shaking I saw a television with news about the rebellion in the DRC and it just all felt like a dream… like something dramatic you would see on a TV show or in a movie… I was having a good time dancing and there was this… war/ unrest… happening on television… in a country right next to me. 

When I got home after an exhausting day of public transportation I fell asleep at 6pm and didn’t wake up again until 9am. Good thing it was raining most of the day so I did NOTHING but clean my house and write. Uganda gives me OCD. I also have more of an appreciation for Elend (my cat). He cuddles with me when I want him to, he responds to me clicking like a dog, he now follows me down the driveway when I leave…. he’s growing on me… but still an idiot (aka waiting till it pours to go outside then being mad when he’s all wet). I started playing with the kids more outside my house because there are only about 4 living here during break and they don’t do really anything all day. Four kids isn't as intimidating as 20. Tonight I was giving the younger ones piggy back rides, we were spinning and getting dizzy, I had a little photo shoot with them, and then we kicked a ball around. The two youngest, Abigail and Bridget, each fell once and started crying. When they aren’t falling and hurting themselves they are adorable. They call my cat ‘cappa Michelle’ because he is mine. After returning inside my house I got a tap on the door 10 minutes later and posho and g-nut sauce delivered to my door. I grabbed a fork… walked outside… and sat down on my stoop with Abigail and Bridget. They both got on either side of me and were talking to me in Runyankore. I didn’t know most of what they said but it was still cute. Very enjoyable. 

Earlier today I also sat in town charging my computer and watching the TV show Community for a few hours. I pulled my only three carrots from the garden in the front of the house because the cows trampled on everything else I planted. While I was in the garden a black mohawked eagle flew over me again and I tried getting some pics. A long-crested eagle…. I wish I could tame one and walk around with him on my forearm…. When I wanted him to he could mail letters for me. After the eagle flew over, Elend came to visit me in the garden and we walked back to the house together… at one point I had him running next to me… this is what I would do if I had a dog. Ugh. I miss my dog from home.

Tomorrow I am heading to GLOW until the 8^th! My group animal is the Warthog… snort snort! Get ready to play some Frisbee girls!!! Empowering women is going to be fun!

Thank you for the package Grandma Sophie! I’m enjoying all of the food and the kitten pot holders and oven mitts! Maybe I’ll stop burning myself now! 

Hope you all had a MARVELOUS Thanksgiving and have reflected on what you are thankful for! 

When trying to teach a Ugandan about Thanksgiving... they just kept asking 'what did you give?' 

Bridget

Bridget, Florence, Abigail

Herb garden with flower

my only 3 carrots

Passion Fruit... my favorite

Lettuce, Broc, and Spinach!

Shake it Up in here!

Song: Shake it out – Florence and the Machine

About 20 minutes ago I’m on the phone with my friend Georgie from back home and while I’m standing in my bedroom talking I hear the tin roof start to crackle a bit so I assumed Elend was on the roof… like normal. I noticed that it couldn't be Elend because the tin is crackling from not just one sot but throughout the entire house! Then I noticed the ground shaking and I there were a million things going through my mind! Should I get out of the building… will it hold up… Where do I go? I was just frozen on the phone. The whole house was shaking and I noticed little bits of concrete crumble off the wall. How much longer is this going to last? Is this going to get any worse? If I go outside is that even safe since it is after dark and it is known around here that you stay inside when it gets dark out? I’ve felt earthquakes in Michigan before… but it’s such a slight shake that if you’re not sitting or lying still then you would never notice it. I’ve never felt an earthquake this powerful before! It never occurred to me that earthquakes would happen along the Albertine Rift Valley where I live. I suppose it caught me off guard and shook me up… ha… no pun intended. I’m still a bit…. shakey :p I am NEVER living where these things happen all the time. Give me my Michigan back! I think I may have cried if I wasn’t on the phone with someone… I was all by myself. My Supervisors and the family went to go visit their very ill brother in law in Kampala earlier this week and haven’t returned yet so I was alone during this earthquake (other than being on the phone). The kids were even gone at the school to eat supper. 

After all of that excitement…. let us talk about another first I had this week. I doubledutched with a jump rope! I am horrible at it and Irene (the 10 year old Ugandan we taught) is of course a natural at it. But I’ve never done double-dutch  when I was younger… it was really hard but fun! After all this time.

I’ve been really bored lately. A few days ago I taught some little kids how to play tic-tac toe. They weren’t as excited about it as I was… but in time they will realize how awesome of a game it is. I also tried to feed the little orphaned goat that the grandmother here usually feeds… I mixed up some milk and put it in a water bottle. I poked a hole in the top of a balloon and attached it to the water bottle. I could tell the little guy was hungry but he must have looked past my tricks and noticed that it was powdered milk. Sorry I didn’t go milk the cow but this it was I’ve got! He could take it or leave it… and he left it… so Elend got it. 

Thanksgiving meal in 2 days with an amazing group of volunteers… can’t wait!

Ebola Round 2.... *Ding*

Current Music: Bon Iver

The new Education group arrived in Uganda yesterday so…. WELCOME! That means 49 more Peace Corps... soon to be volunteers! 

I'm going to start off with a little non-traditional riddle.... Why does the Chameleon cross the road? It doesn't really matter because he doesn't make it and is too slow. The real question is what color is the chameleon when he gets run over? Well from my experience... the chameleon is green even though he was crossing the brown dirt road. The poor little fellow didn't even have time to blend in :( I wanted my first chameleon to be walking around but it gives me hope that I will have a chance to see another one. 

Other than coming across a dead chameleon on my walk home yesterday I heard a child running up behind me and thought it was ‘just another kid’ but when he caught my attention my calling my name I realized it was a student from Miranda Memorial (the school I live at)! A few times I walked back with him and his brothers and friend while their mothers trailed behind us. I saw that he was carrying a bag above his head and offered to carry it for him since I’m much bigger and it gives me an opportunity to work out without actually working out. I grabbed the bag from him and we waited for his friend and little brother to catch up. When they got closer I realized that his friend was holding a rabbit by the ears. Strange site but I put two and two together and understood that it was going to be their supper. Unlike in the states rabbits where rabbits are all over the place I have yet to see a wild rabbit hopping around. If you want a rabbit here you go to the market and get one that was raised on a farm and is destined to end up as someone’s supper. Any other day or place before yesterday it may have bugged me the way he was holding the rabbit but he just saw it as food and in that moment I understood. I also grabbed his bag and he started holding the rabbit more ‘proper’ because I freed up his other arm. At first I thought it was dead… but his eyes were still open so I gave him a little pat on the head…. I need to stop petting dinner. Its a bad habit to get into and I just get attached to fuzzy and feathered things sometimes. We walked in silence for the walk back… me in front carrying 2 bags and being trailed by 3 children with a rabbit… must have been a site. By the look of the boda drivers passing faces and their passengers I’d guess they enjoyed it. There was something about the walk that just made me feel so… at ease and relaxed. Speaking of chameleons… I had a legit lizard you’d buy from a pet store in my pit latrine and when I came back from training last week…. a BIG…. FAT…. Black Widow!!! When I sprayed the crap out of him and he dropped to the ground I noticed the red hourglass plastered to his abdomen. Gave me the creeps.

About 10 minutes ago I'm sitting next to Candy while she's enjoying a veggie samosa... in the middle of a bite she hold out her hand 'what...what is this?'..... 'I don't know what is it?'.... 'Its a piece of foam!'.... 'That's one dirty piece of foam.'..... Then I started to realize.... you could commit any crime in Uganda and hide your evidence in a samosa Nobody would ever know.  

News Update: 

As of earlier this week there has been yet another what? Ebola outbreak! Not in my town though. I’m starting to forget the name of the months and call them the name of the outbreak that occurred during that time…. September, October, November = Ebola, Marburg, Ebola2…. Does this always happen or is it just now?

Anyways… the holiday season is upon us and the school kids are out soon! Plus, I have a Turkey to eat next week! Only A month until my brother arrives!!! I’m SOOOOO STOKED!!!!

Oh Uganda. I just have to wake up and remember sometimes that TIA (This is Africa) and I live here!

Its Snot so Bad,,,,

Saturday and Sunday I managed to be a lazy bum while inhaling cough drops and sucking vitamins out of  what Ugandans call oranges. Most citrus (lemons, limes, and oranges) are green on the outside so you distinguish them by the roughness of the peel and size of the fruit. Its a good thing I can handle sour and that limeade is my favorite thing to drink on this planet so far because I have yet to hone my citrus picking skills and bought limes instead of oranges! I did some laundry and due to the rain it took a few extra days to dry but now I know all the soap is out of the clothes. I also decorated my gas tank because... my life is so much easier now... I'm not sure if I actually like how easy it is when I have nothing else to do with all my free time. A normal person would be ecstatic but at least starting my sigiri gave me something to get up for earlier each morning.

Monday I got up, stepped over my snot rags, took a cold bucket bath, and headed to school. I sat in the headmasters office (my promised office has been occupied since I got here) in a chair in the corner while charging my laptop and googling things. About every 30 seconds I either had to sneeze, wipe my eyes because they were tearing up so much, or blow my nose. The only thing I accomplished while being there was to get the headmaster and director interested in starting some after school groups for the kids. But the term just ended so its a thought for the new year in February. It was a miserable 3 hours of nothing but sharing that simple idea. At noon I left to go make some soup and ended up watching an episode of Game of Thrones and playing Ceasar III until I conquered my virtual components. Actually it was more pathetic because I had no opponents and just spent 2 hours building an amazing Roman empire! The things I get to do over here. At 4 pm I went back to school to re-charge my laptop and sit some more. I actually got a few good and relevant Google searches in when the children started coming into the room... touching me... and then running away giggling. I just ignored them at first but after 3 times how could you? I need to set boundaries with the kids but its hard because I'm not there often and I understand their 'white person' curiosity but... boundaries are coming out so beware kids!

My life moves very slow here... mpora mpora (slowly slowly).

Here are a few new things I noticed about my cat in the past week through careful observations:

When I prepare meals to cook and Elend looks up at me and meows he also gargles. I like to pretend when he's purring that its actually him snoring.. And when he slides down my tin roof once a day I hope he enjoys it because its the closest thing he or I will ever get to snowboarding in the next 2 years of my life.

On a good and happy note I may be getting the women's groups involved in the selling and distribution of personal solar lights in the villages if they show interest. This will provide them with some form of income! Plus they can use these lights to work on their crafts at night! BINGO!

The stampede on my bookshelf

Such a happy Tank

This is where I get to cook my meals

Weasel Baby Shower prompt I drew during PST

Another prompt during PST

A professional picture of my Ugandan parents :)

I Got The Friday Night Fever... Really.

I thought life in Uganda would slow down since IST but not a chance. Kendra (a fellow SW volunteer) was ‘homeless’ due to Marburg fever in her area so she stayed in Rukungiri for the week. On Halloween I got together with Candy and Kendra and we made pumpkin soup, a grated pumpkin dish, roasted seeds, and then watched a ‘scary’ movie. Since the power was out we were cooking by candle light which gave the night an eerie effect. It was a perfect Halloween night in Uganda. That Saturday we all left for Jims site located near Rubirizi just 3 hours Northwest and ate dinner at another mazungu’s house. Nicole has been in Uganda for 6 years studying chimpanzees and right now she is living in a gorgeous house studying chimps and rehabilitating a wetland. Her house has a wrap around porch and overlooks one of the wetlands, electricity, running water, and is designed by either a German or Belgian architect. She also has 3 adorable dogs Lola, Natu, and Stevie! Her house is near the Kyambura Gorge (one of the locations you would go to trek chimps) Dinner is an understatement… she has a brick pizza oven so what do we do? Make the best flippin’ pizzas in country! We had an assembly line going with people rolling out dough, cooking the dough, adding topping, and then cooking the final product. The toppings included: homemade mozzarella, spinach, basil, tomatoes, sun dried tomatoes from Italy, olives, mushrooms, carrots, capers, and something else I seem to be forgetting. We made over 10 small pizzas for 9 people. You can just use your imagination on the topping combinations. It was A-mazing. That night we all went back and stayed with Jim. Clair, Tara, and Kendra on a mattress, Candy sleeping on a mat on the floor and me on a not so long couch. Before going to bed we had a nasty looking ‘sausage’ ant flying around. From locals I hear that these ants have one sole purpose… to crash land near a group of female ants and be dragged underground to mate. They crash land because they are horrible at flying and have ‘pinchers’ on their face that they can’t even close because they are horribly designed. But these things are UGLY! Right before going to bed one decided to find its way inside and dive bomb into everyone. The girls all started freaking out and eventually I got out from hiding under my blanket, grabbed a map of Uganda and took a swing at it. Luckily I knocked the thing to the ground and that was that. 

The next morning we woke up at 6am so we could go on a safari in Queen Elizabeth National Park. It was my second time being there and I was just as excited as the first! Along with an elephant, water buck, cob, and water buffalo we were able to get close to a group of hippos sleeping just off shore and I also saw a TON of birds I didn’t see last time. Plus my pictures were erased from last time when my computer decided to crash on me. But I finally got the pictures back as in… I took new ones! After Queen I spent the night at Brittan’s Guest House (Bitts house) and the next day traveled to Entebbe for a Training of Trainers (TOT) to make a presentation about living with a home stay (local) family to the new Peace Corps Trainees (PCTs) coming next week! Well... We get to Kampala late due to traffic and the amount of stops the bus made so we had to stay in Kampala for the night. Not my first choice but… didn’t really have any other option. Dinner that night was amazing though (veggies smothered in cheese). Got a ride with PC the next morning to training and the first thing  I see are Vervet monkeys running all over. After a few hours of training most of the group went out to eat Thai but a handful of us stayed back for a dinner of soup, guacamole, chapatti with cabbage, garlic bread, and ice cream! For Uganda that’s a great meal! Afterwards I was able to get some new movies and watched RED (starring Bruce Willis) with Lori who is also presenting with me on home stay and living in western Uganda. RED is a really good movie I highly recommend it. The training site didn’t have any running water unfortunately but the accommodations were nice.  They had statues all over their grounds that I hope to replicate or get ideas from somehow. Oh! And I also might have seen a marmoset (small animal) for the fist time.  Again the next day I had to travel back to Rukungiri but not without stopping to grab some cat food for Elend. Travel was torture… I think I rode in at least 5 different vehicles and my entire body hurts now. In one vehicle I was lucky enough to be sitting on the middle council in the front seat… that hurt. Two other vehicles I was in the back of the car with 5 adults. Not my favorite. Ugh. When I got back to Rukungiri I played with Marvin (the baby at the Orange store that my organization owns) which made me a bit happier but when I got home I had a temperature of 102, took some medicine and fell asleep at 6:00pm before the sun even went down. This morning I woke up feeling a bit better but still slightly ill so I laid in bed most of the day watching the 1999 TV show ‘Freaks and Geeks.’ It was pouring for most of the day and I didn’t feel up to doing anything. I didn’t unpack from my trip until about 3 pm but now my house is nice and tidy again. 

At about 4 pm I went to the school to talk with Tess and the Headmaster about Camp GLOW and the World Aids Day event the SW PCVs are hosting in Rukungiri next month. While sitting in Tess’ office two students, Bridget and Elizabeth, came in and were watching me doodle for a bit. Then I gave them the pen and had them spell and draw for me. After about 20 minutes 5 more students came in all between 5 and 10 years old and started doing the same. It was adorable and for the first time I feel like I was able to bond with some of the students. I hope that it happens more often. On Monday I shall be spending the whole day at the school helping study for the upcoming exams and when school opens back up in February after break I hope to be teaching/ helping out with after school activities. 

My new gas tank compliments my stove wonderfully!

Over 600 bottle caps and counting!

Enjojo!

African Fish Eagle

fishermen at Lake Edward

Hippos!

Clair, Kendra, Me, Candy in front of Hippos!

Salt water plots

Water Buck... my favorite!

More Water Buck

Enjojo even closer!

Queen Elizabeth National Park

600+ Bottle Caps for crafts!

Safari outfit... check.

Statue at training

Warthog! My power animal at Camp GLOW!