What It Can Be

I'm sorry to hear your parents are having trouble with your interest in Peace Corps. It's understandable and something you and them should definitely get information about before giving up...or simply decide not to listen to one another. I'm always up to help out and provide some insight if you're interested!

Peace Corps allows US citizens to travel, work, learn, and teach abroad for 2 years on behalf of our government and people. This is something a lot of countries don't take the time in doing/or even have the resources (money, people) to do. It's very special and unique. People in Uganda often ask how they can come to the US... I don't know??? Education, your government, volunteer programs, Church, work exchanges, NGO exchanges, family, friends, MONEY?

You should read over the 3 Peace Corps Goals, 2/3 of them directly relate to the learning and sharing of each other’s country and cultural understanding. By spending 2+ years somewhere, living amongst common people (who you will learn will be a lot like yourself), learning a bit of their language, and making the attempt to learn from someone else, while also providing them your technical knowledge and experience, is special. It's much different than spending all your time isolated and separated from people in YOUR own or THEIR country.

I had a lot of people tell me I could do this work in the US, and that the US has plenty of ppl to also help out...which is VERY true and needed. No doubt this is on my mind a lot. Maybe your family brings this up? It's important to talk about. My response to people was that this was an opportunity to learn more about the worlds needs, not just ours, and be able to bring that back to many people in the US. I told them that it was for only 2 years, and an opportunity that made since for me to do NOW. Although I heard it plenty before, I’ve learned quickly that poor in America does not equal poor in Africa, or anywhere else for that matter. Doing this doesn't mean you don't care, or don't plan on moving back to the US. I think by becoming a US ambassador (not really) for 2 years for these very different and isolated communities does a lot for our own country and its people. People I meet don't really know much about the US, and it's amazing the connection you can give them, and the satisfaction they get from learning it. I believe world relationships are something the US needs to improve, anyhow.

There's a book called The Ugly American if you're interested in reading what's wrong (or what was) with American foreign policy; it was given to me by one of my graduate professors. Good read, and it helped me understand about why Peace Corps was structured the way it was, though the book never once mentions Peace Corps. Before it’s time I suppose…

As for the reading material to explain PC to your family, I would highly suggest contacting your PC recruiter. He/She will definitely have that information in electronic form, or be able to mail it to you. I was given a hard copy of a manual for parents on what to expect, and how to cope with a child in Peace Corps. I got this when I was given my country invitation, maybe they could send this to you sooner. These questions I feel are exactly what you're recruiter should help you with.

Take care, there. I think telling your family that PC is something YOU are interested in doing and is an opportunity to learn much more than you'll ever get out of reading a book... or watching the news, will help. Again, this doesn’t mean you won’t be coming back. Be sure to tell them you’re willing to listen to their concerns as well…their family after all. Maybe after all this there'll be better understanding and some hope. I don't doubt it...and it is important to get past. I believe most volunteers go home early because of family, friends, and/or school anyhow. The two years are not easy, but challenging and rewarding (and I’ve only been here 8 months). The way I think of it, is that there's no place I'd rather be, or nothing else in the US that I'd rather be doing. Again, family is most important, and you guys should want to talk about this stuff first. I hope it goes well. Just be happy about whatever decision ya make...sounds like either of your options are pretty good ones. There's a big world outside the US, one that I haven’t even come close to seeing or feeling. I hope this initial perspective helps.

Wednesday, May 5, 2010: Letter to My Aunt

Hi Titia

I’ve included some tips and summarized some information which I think is worth knowing before your trip to Uganda. Hope I haven’t ruined the excitement! I’ve given you some items to bring, but I thought I would just give you the basics first. I’m looking very forward to your visit!

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Getting the Info

The Bradt Guide Book for Uganda, 5^th Edition (2007), is definitely worth picking up and skimming through before you come. You should be able to find this at Borders, or any big bookstore. It offers travelers A LOT of information about coming to the country, what to bring, and places to visit. You can also try them online at www.bradtguides.com, or get country info from the Lonely Planet agency at lonelyplanet.com. I told my mom about the Bradt book as well, and it would probably be worthwhile to get and share. Very useful. I’ll make a bulleted list of must-brings in another email, but check out the book first.

Some Packing Tips

Overall, I think most important when you arrive will be to just feel comfortable carrying your luggage and moving around. Try not to over pack and dress in comfortable clothing you won’t mind getting dusty. I would carry a backpack and a bag you can carry by hand or shoulder strap. It’s also nice to have a smaller day bag you can use later for short trips. It’ll always feel good to have one or both hands free. I wouldn’t even be afraid of carrying a rolling suitcase on the plane, they are very common here, and I feel easier to open and organize as we move around. Really, whatever, you’re comfortable with, and not afraid to get a little dirty during travel. I have a lot of the things we’ll need at home, and at worse, we can find almost anything we need here in country, though usually, the good stuff is at an inflated cost, and may be harder to find.

Money

I’ve given you some tips here about money, but please, don’t take this as me expecting you to pay for everything. These are only things which I feel you should know about money in Uganda. First off, I would bring your ATM card and have cash ready to exchange. Visa access is available throughout the country and will be good for emergencies. Using a Visa card casually in Uganda, outside ATMs, nice hotels, big super markets, and tourist destinations, pretty much doesn’t exist. Just let your bank know you’re coming to Uganda. I haven’t had any issue with using my ATM card, though Summit Credit Union does charge a 1% surcharge on the money I take out at an ATM. Not much. I did have some trouble with a credit card I used for a conference and hotel, but we were able to straighten things out the same if I were in the US. That said, most people don’t use credit here at all, as stores are usually very small, and we’ll buy a lot of our food at site in a market. I only know of a few stores in the capitol you can use a card, and still, I use cash. Just make sure you have cash available in a crunch, but carrying a lot won’t be necessary, since we’ll be able to stop in towns with banks and ATMs. When you arrive at the Entebbe airport, I’ll be there with a taxi and will have already paid. When we get to Kampala, we can exchange money at a private forex bureau, which provides the best exchange rates. I carry a wallet just like I do in the US, though I just use cash instead of my Visa card. You’ll get the best exchange rate with newer $50 and $100 bills. I would never exchange anything less than a $20 bill, unless I really had to. The exchange rate is anywhere from 1800 to 2000 Ugandan Shillings (Ushs). If you want to know how much money you’re spending in Uganda, it’s very common to just divide it by 2000. So, that dinner for 25,000 Ushs at a restaurant in Kampala costs around $12.50. Lunch in Rakai costs about 1,500 to 2,000 Ushs (yes, that cheap) at a local “restaurant”. I’m not sure what the tourist places will be like, but definitely more expensive than that. I’ve also heard it’s not good to compare Ugandan costs to what you’d be spending in the U.S., because, things ARE typically cheaper here.

Clothing

I realized the whole clothing thing wasn’t as difficult or different as I thought it would be…but I’m a guy, and it’s noticeably more difficult for women. Peace Corps staff told the female volunteers to wear long skirts every day, and that pants were not allowed. They did end up wearing pants, and I definitely wouldn’t tell you not to bring any, especially since we’ll be in the capitol, other tourist destinations, and people will know you’re visiting from abroad…exception made. I actually think too much emphasis was put on this, and volunteers have obviously loosened and “styled” up a bit. Go ahead and bring pants which are light and comfortable. As for shorts, I think the only place you could wear these would be on the safari, but even so, women really don’t show their legs here. It will just be important to bring clothing which is easy to wash, not too heavy, and you’re comfortable in at “work”. If I were coming for a month, I would probably bring a week’s worth (or maybe just a little more) and plan on washing clothing once a week. A rain jacket or light fleece would be adequate for “cooler” nights or rainy days. I do most of my washing by hand, which saves a lot of money, but you can pay someone to do it, especially at the hotels. Ugandan’s also like ironing everything. It’s easy to say that dress here is fairly conservative. Men polish their shoes as if they didn’t walk on dusty roads every day, or maybe that’s why they do. If, and when you do dress nice, people will say you look very “smart”. You’ll notice that people do try to dress nice, and some do, just most clash stripes, colors, or really anything, together. Material is obviously a bit cheaper here, but good, because it’s light and cool.

Footwear

You won’t need big hiking boots. Definitely bring sandals. Maybe two pair. One pair which are comfortable for walking around in throughout town, and the other, you’ll just wear around the house and slip on and off. I would also bring a pair of walking shoes for the capitol and the safari. It’s very common for women to wear nice dress shoes or sandals everywhere. In our definition, these would still be somewhat casual. I wear a pair of Birkenstocks almost daily now…and a brown pair of loafers or fake black leather shoes for work…sometimes. I am probably also underdressed…but I don’t feel too bad about it. I have a pair or running shoes for sports and have a pair of slippers around the house and even sometimes for short trips into town. People here have very rough feet and are not afraid to show them. There are also some people who wear sandals which have been made from old rubber tires. These are awesome. Since we do get a lot of rain, people also wear rain boots, or “gum boots” when it’s muddy, and maybe out farming. Just make sure you bring something that you can wear in the rain. I’ve noticed though, it’s much easier to clean a pair of sandals and your feet, over a pair of heavy shoes and white socks. Try not to bring white socks, I brought close to 6 pairs (dumb), because they will get dusty and dirty. A load of dirty white socks is not fun to wash by hand, though, can be rewarding as they slowly turn white again. I’d recommend bringing 5-6 pair of socks, ones that are light, allow your feet to breathe, and are dark or tan in color.

Perspective, etc

So, some perspective, Uganda is still a developing country, with its traditional way of life and dress still very present in its rural areas (80% of 30 million or so people live in rural areas). We’ll see much more of this than the capitol way of life. You’ll notice though all people that have the capacity (or capitol) to dress nice, do. In the capitol and other bigger cities, and very likely in the tourist destinations we visit, we won’t dress that much different than what we’d wear in a “warmer” US city. I don’t say hot, because I don’t believe Uganda overall is very hot, but this is my Rakai perspective, not safari perspective, and the highest I’ve felt is probably in the 90s. BUT, Uganda is still a very dusty and muddy country, and it’s hard to stay clean for long. Definitely bring a handkerchief to carry in your pocket, they’re nice to have to clean up a bit, dry your hands, and maybe cover your mouth when driving on dusty roads. Also, every Ugandan carries one.

Norms about My Home

At site, I live in a connected two room flat within a shared U-shaped compound. I have one door that looks out into the grass compound, and I have neighbors which live to the side of me. Most of my neighbors are educated women who work for World Vision. Overall, it’s a nice compound, and our landlady Prima will definitely make an impression. There are a very few children who live here, and most of my neighbors are gone over the weekend. More kids are around now since on their school break, but will be back in school when you visit. There are no crying babies or big families that live in the compound, but we will still see our fair share. Prima also has a lot of visitors, mostly older men and women, as she heads a local organization called Rakai Women Against Aids and Poverty (RWAAP), and is also running for Town Mayor. In the compound, there are “maids” or “housegirls”, or young girls, who are in school, and do a lot, or all, of the housework around the compound. This includes cooking, cleaning, washing, ironing, getting water, or anything their moms ask. This is normal in Uganda and very acceptable. Town is simply a 5 minute walk, and consists of 1 paved road. Rakai is actually where the paved road ends, and is where the District offices are held. If these offices weren’t here, there wouldn’t be much going on.

My Cooking

I cook on a 2 burner gas tank stove and buy all of my vegetables and fruit at the local market. I stock up on rice in Kampala, which lasts a few months, and pick up pasta, macaroni shells, or anything else I can boil. I usually make a mix of onion, garlic, green pepper, tomato, spices, salt, pepper, and vegetable oil with either rice or pasta. There are also very traditional dishes here using bananas you’ll definitely get a chance to try. As for snacks, I pick up biscuits (crackers), peanuts, and small, ripe, “sweet” bananas. Tea breaks are very normal in the late morning hours and afternoon, so at some point, we’ll be expected to sit down and have tea with people. Coffee is usually instant, but I’ll have much better coffee, and a filter. I have no refrigeration, though I do have power, most of the time, for lights, charging phones and a computer, a razor, radio, small things. I usually don’t store any cooked food or dairy, though sometimes choose to in the few Tupperware containers I have. With that said, some people and stores do have refrigeration in town and we’ll be able to find milk and yogurt. I’ll also have powdered milk, though I don’t like it as much as getting the fresh milk. There are a number of bakeries in other nearby towns, so I usually buy bread when it’s driven in, and still somewhat fresh. I always have flour, vinegar, sugar, peanut butter and jelly, and sometimes a jar of Nutella. The biggest thing about cooking is the cleaning I have to do afterwards. Instead of a sink, I use two plastic basins, one for soapy water and one for rinse water, which I set out on the stoop of my flat. After cleaning, I let the dishes dry overnight inside my house, and stock them in the morning. For breakfast, I have oatmeal, eggs, toasts, French toast, bananas, tea, coffee, or nothing.

Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene

Don’t be too afraid…I think it’s fairly easy to stay healthy and clean in Uganda. It just takes a bit more effort, and you’ll notice you’ll be using a lot less water in doing so. As for water, we have a shared and metered compound tap stand, which provides water from a nearby lake. I pay 200 Ushs per 20-L “jerry can”, which are what most people store their water in. I pay this to Prima who pays a monthly water bill to the local water authority. The lake water must be boiled and usually contains some visible and floating particles. I have been working on a filter and treatment system for this at my house instead of using fuel to boil every time. If you don’t boil, there’s a solution called WaterGuard, which treats 20-L of water per cap full. A lot of volunteers use this, but Ugandans will say the water tastes funny, or rather, like chlorine. This is a sure way to clean your water, but getting locals to believe it is a challenge. Water is available almost all the time, but it’s good to have storage in jerry cans, just in case the tap is “out”, which usually doesn’t last more than a day. Bottled water is very available and sold in 0.5-L or 1.5-L containers at any store in town. These are very okay to drink, though their costs will add up. Recycling plastic also doesn’t exist here, and most people just burn them to dispose of them, so I try to limit myself. Rainwater use is becoming more common, we just don’t have a tank within our compound. Sanitation at our compound consists of 4 pit latrines, which shares 1 single vent. I have my own “locked” pit latrine, so it’s not shared with anyone else in the compound. People are unfortunately not the cleanest, or even conscience what an uncovered, dirty, pit latrine attracts…flies! I hope you don’t mind reverting to a squat latrine pit while you’re here in Rakai, though, throughout Uganda, flush toilets are common. Toilet paper is also common, cheap, and okay to flush, as compared to Guatemala. Flushing won’t be an issue at my home in Rakai…sorry! Since we don’t have running water, “showering”, or bathing, takes place bucket bath style in a closed door stall outside. I also have my own private stall for showering, and usually just do this in the morning. It’s sometimes nice to wash the feet at night, since they can get dirty wearing sandals around the compound. We’ve made a hand washing station outside the bathrooms, and this has improved the way people wash up after using the bathroom. Soap is very available at stores, and I always keep dish washing soap, laundry detergent, bleach, shampoo, toothpaste, and bar soap around the house. My Peace Corps medical kit carries a number of emergency type supplies, but I really haven’t had to use any of it. It does cool down at night to about 60, so I’ve gotten a few small colds…I think because of the weather, dust, or pollen. Bring any medication you think is necessary, but don’t go overboard… I have a lot of the basics.

Housing Conditions

Since my house is fairly small, there’s a possibility we can get one of the extra empty rooms Prima has here in her compound. This room would also have electricity, some furniture, a mosquito net, and bedding. I think if we do this, I’ll stay in the empty room, and let you stay in my homier room(s). My living room (remember, my 2 room flat) is what opens up to the compound, and is basically my only sitting and guest room. I have a nice wooden framed couch and chair with cushions. This room is also where I do my cooking…so if I were to stay in the empty room, we’ll still spend most of our time in this “living room”. Don’t worry about bringing a mosquito net, we’ll have one for you, and most places we’ll stay will have one, or you won’t need one. You may want to bring mosquito repellent, or a roll-on stick you can use at night. I often keep my door open in the evening before bed, and sleep with my windows cracked open. I feel I do not have a problem with mosquito’s, but it’ll be better to be safe than sorry, so, remember to take the malaria medication. Bedding, sheets, a pillow, and a spare towel will all be here. Overall, I think you should “feel” comfortable in Rakai, though the town is rural and has a lot of farm animals (goats, cows, chicken) running around.

Transport

I’ll try to keep this part short, because in theory, it’s easily available throughout the country with taxi’s and buses, it’s just a bit chaotic and probably better to just experience. The things you should be ready for are fast drivers, packed vehicles, exhaust fumes, dusty roads, and crowded streets. Streets in the capitol will be crowded with other vehicles, including cars, trucks, mini buses, buses, motorcycles, bicyclists, and a crap load of pedestrians walking roadside. These all exist in rural areas as well, just fewer in number, with more animals, and still a lot of people walking around. Fitting 9 people into a small 4-door Toyota Corrolla is not abnormal around Rakai, and most of the time the taxi drivers won’t leave for their destination until the car is COMPLETELY full. They’ll usually also put a ton of stuff in the trunk, and sometimes utilize the rolling start if the car’s not in good shape. This is probably by far the unsafest thing I do in Uganda, but, really, there’s not much way around it. As a volunteer, we are not allowed to drive a vehicle or ride on a motorcycle. I try to tell my co-passengers they don’t have to deal with this, that they can complain, but the usual answer is, this is Uganda, and how do you drive in the US? Most of the time this happens because people don’t have a lot of money, and they feel that cramming people in a car is the cheapest way to get around…and really, it does maximize fuel use. I just don’t get taxi drivers driving all around town trying to pick up people, may as well stay still and leave with one less person? I could go on… But I don’t think we’ll have to deal with this much. We’ll have transport around Rakai with the Fathers at the Catholic Church and also out to Queen Elizabeth trip national park. I also think taking public transportation is one of the things to experience here in Uganda anyway.

The Call of the Muzungu

You’ll undoubtedly be called “muzungu” while you’re here. Probably every day, you’ll have a group of very young kids calling out “muzungu, muzungu, how are you muzungu?” It’s sometimes actually pretty cute, the kids do get very excited, and is harmless. What’s sweeter than kids jumping up and down, getting more excited than I will all week, just for a quick hello and wave? I’ve tried to teach some of the kids I don’t always see my name…but I’m not sure if it’s working. I don’t think you’ll hear any educated or older person call you muzungu, though some of the motorcycle (boda-boda) drivers in town may call this out to us. They are usually a harsher bunch in general though, and are the cause of a lot of harassment, especially towards our female volunteers. I don’t think this will be any issue for us, it hasn’t for me, I just thought I would say it. The meaning of muzungu basically translates to “white foreigner” to Ugandans, though someone from anywhere but Africa, including some of our African American volunteers, get it. Again, it’s not used in a derogatory way, and shouldn’t be taken to be offensive. It can just get annoying sometimes.

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I hope I haven’t ruined any of the surprises you were looking forward to. I think most of the things I mentioned will be helpful in hearing, but better to just experience when you’re here, and go with it. I’m very excited with sharing all of it with you, and really appreciate coming all the way here to do it, Titia! Thanks! I’m looking very forward to seeing you. Please email or call me if you have any questions, concerns, or need anything. Hope all is well, and good luck getting ready. I often realize that I over prepare the things I bring with me, and realize, that I could have done with the things which are already very normal and comfortable to me at home. Hope this has all helped

Take care,

Colin

Phone: 011.256.702533609

Email: cmcasey@mtu.edu

Friday, April 30, 2010: Rakai Morning

Well, if I had to call this morning anything, it would be a mix of “relaxing” and “lazy”. Quite a mix. Usually not my cup of tea, but I think we all apply those feelings differently. My “relazy” morning consisted of waking up at 9am, which I convinced myself ok because it was raining hard earlier. Joseph told me he got up at 10am today. I started with the normal routine, wake up, stretch a bit while sitting on my bed, open the windows and prop the door open, which makes it look like I’m about to go out to the people in compound…but I’m not..not yet! I then took the clean dishes which dry over night in my plastic bin, and put them away on the shelf where I always put them, literally, same place. I then start boiling some water for coffee or tea. I boil enough water for bathing, which I add to an almost full plastic bin of cold water, grab my towel, go outside and get ready for the bucket bath in my stall. Somewhere in there I make it to the bathroom (two doors down from my bathing area), this just depends how long I actually laid in bed holding it. There’ll definitely be someone in the compound, if it’s in the middle of the week at 9am, the ladies which work at World Vision have already left, making me feel relazy…but it’s Friday and people only work half days, because everyone heads to Kampala, where they’re actually from, or where there family is. I don’t feel bad this morning…I’m feeling good about it, because I’m also convincing myself that I’ll be able to a lot of work done at home today. Noelina, lives here in the same compound, orphan taken in by Prima, will definitely be out doing something; she is, this morning she’s doing some washing. All the kids are on their break after the end of the first term, so a lot of them stop by and see what I’m up to. Noelina’s, maybe 13 yrs old, has probably been up since 7 doing chores. So after the “shower”, greeting the folks in the compound, my 30 pushups, I started getting ready for breakfast. I started cutting onion, green pepper, and 1 tomato for scrambled eggs. Even have some bread with strawberry jam this morning, along with some sweet bananas, so this made for a very balanced way to start my day. Ahh, I love mornings like this, sit down for a big breakfast, read for some time, drink my tea, be relazy…I just wish it wasn’t 10am, I wish it was more like 8am. So it goes.

Water in Uganda

A little more about water here in Uganda. Where to start? I’ll try not to make this too long. Country wide, Uganda does have a very proactive and responsible National Water and Sewerage Corporation (NWSC) that is doing a lot to improve access clean water and sanitation to urban and rural populations. I just got back from a conference the NWSC held in conjunction with the African Water Association (AfWA) in Kampala about Africa’s water and sanitation problem, with emphasis on prospective threats to water and sanitation from climate change and energy issues. A lot of international water suppliers, governing boards, and environmental interest groups were present to discuss these issues, including the keynote speaker, Wangaari Mathai (Nobel Peace Prize winner from Keyna) who talked about the importance of conserving Uganda’s natural environment. Got a picture with her at lunch, it was great! It was also reinforcing to see that there is that structure in place in Africa, though most the work discussed was directed at much larger scale than which the Peace Corps volunteer works at. Oh well, interesting nonetheless.

At the district level in Uganda, there’s a lot of talk about what the government is doing to improve access to safe drinking water and sanitation in the area, you just don’t see them much. Again, a lot of talk, not a lot of money, and still a lot of rural populations lacking access to safe water and sanitation. In my particular area in Rakai Town, most people do have piped water from a nearby lake available at community or compound owned taps (very few, if any, individual taps) which are locked and metered, and bills paid to the local water office. Outside town, there are “free” boreholes which people use and “maintain”. Though, as the story often goes, there’s actually little maintenance here and user ownership attached, so when a borehole does break, or no longer produces water, they often wait for someone else (the government) to take the initiative to fix it. There a number of local organizations, including PC volunteers, trying to increase the formation of water committees for proven water sources. There’s also a major push for rainwater collection, which is improving, and provides a much cleaner source. Money is still the issue. When these options aren’t available, people revert back to open sources, which happens probably more than I see.

As for treating, the most common method people use to treat water is by boiling it. People here are well educated in that area (and have been for some time)…so much they almost neglect to think about other methods. I don’t think there’s anywhere in Uganda I’d feel safe even drinking tap water without treating it first, including the capitol, Kampala. I haven’t gotten much into water quality testing out in Rakai yet, but there is a volunteer nearby, who just attended a training which organized and provided WQ equipment to Ugandans to go out and test its water sources. Since most of our local water sources in Rakai come from deep boreholes, people here seem to accept that it’s relatively clean, and then still boil. As for slow sand filters, I’ve seen them built and sponsored by some of the aid organizations, though I really haven’t seen them used by anyone locally. I believe they definitely could be used at the household level in rural areas, but I don’t think people have a lot of trust, the proper training, or even the patience for it yet. I also notice that a lot of people don’t actually drink a lot of water. Rather, Ugandan’s drink a lot of tea (former English colony), so they boil anyway. I imagine I still don’t see the whole picture.

As for SSF with biological treatment, I think it is something which could improve here. The Centre for Affordable Water Supply (CAWST) provides trainings and has developed some promotional materials…check out their website if ya haven’t already. Otherwise, people that have the money and access have no problem just buying bottled water. So…the number of water bottles in this country, or plastic in general, with no readily available method of recycling or disposal, is just as important of an issue.

Another method of water treatment here in Uganda, which is very inexpensive and available throughout the country, is the use WaterGuard or PUR. Both are chemical solutions which are put directly into a filled water container for treatment. Water containers, 20-L “jerry cans”, are the most common water containers used in Uganda. They are also usually not very clean. After 20 minutes or so in these containers, both of these solutions do produce safe drinking water. Unfortunately though, people, and especially kids, will say they don’t like the taste of this chemically treated water, and that they prefer boiled water. One kid told me he rather likes to use the bleach like solution for cleaning his cloths. So continues boiling over charcoal stoves and the destruction of Uganda forests.

To wrap this up, I don’t believe Uganda lacks aid organizations trying to improve this situation, though it is hard to reach all 32 million people in the country, most of which are in rural areas and below the poverty line. If there’s anything else you’re interested in hearing about, I’m happy to share, and very excited about being in a place where I can relay this information to someone. Again, I appreciate your response to the email, it’s great to hear from friends and how things are back home. Drink some tap water for me!

Tuesday, April 27, 2010: Recent Rakai Business

Hi all, got some thoughts and updates again to send out. Hope it’s going well! Here we go.

I bought some local honey at our recent Peace Corps Life Skills training from fellow PC volunteer and Masters International student (UC Davis) Zach Bagley, who works in Kitgum (northern Uganda) with a women’s bee keeping organization. This has made my tea, and even French toast, very enjoyable the last few weeks.

I spent Sunday moving around with Prima, as my last email said, and Monday and Tuesday around Rakai, also with Prima, with short trips into Kyotera. Along with Joseph and Prima, I went to a microfinance bank in Kyotera which provides loans for both groups (i.e. local women’s groups), and individuals, for say, starting an income generating activity (IGA) or school, respectively. Joseph was very excited about this, and is planning to go pick up his secondary school records for an application at a small local University. I’m just going to remind him that he needs a plan to pay back this loan, and to make sure it’s really a good offer. The information I got from the microfinance bank was much better (i.e. does not have 30% interest charges, or putting your house up) than the bigger banks. Joseph lost his father when he was 7, has 1 younger sister, 1 younger brother, and a Mom who is HIV+. Joseph has been working, or rather volunteering, with me at Red Cross. He is 22 years old, just as old as Nick, really wants to go back to school, and has been a good friend in Rakai showing me around and meeting people. I’ve even been doing some farming with him on his Grandfathers land. He has something like 5 grandfathers (who are actually just Uncles) here in Rakai. I hope I can advise him in this decision…people getting excited prematurely about things happens a lot here (actually, probably everywhere).

In other news, I stopped by the Catholic Church last night, 3 Fathers live there at the church, 2 (Father Joseph and Father Charles) are younger, or middle aged, and very kind. Father Charles is who I had a beer with last night, and has been to Minneapolis! He went on an exchange visit a few years ago with a Church up there, and got quite a tour of Minnesota…even wears a Twins baseball cap. I went up to the Parish tonight with Prima so she could ask for Father Joseph to review a proposal she wrote for her organization, Rakai Women Against Aids and Poverty (RWAAP). I went so I could ask them about working in the Church’s primary and secondary school, and make sure it was ok to do Life Skills with the youth. Younger Joseph (counterpart) and I are planning on calling this, Life Skills with Red Cross, so Red Cross becomes more active in our community. We figure we’ll also throw some Red Cross info in there. I also wanted to talk Father Joseph about my Aunt possibly volunteering at a school when she comes to visit. Titia gets here on July 7, and leaves July 28. Other than a few days in Kampala right after she lands, and a day or two before she leaves, 3 days at Queen Elizabeth National Park for a safari, she wants to spend her time in Rakai and volunteering at some local schools. The Fathers sound like they’re really going to hook it up, with visits to multiple schools and some exchange with teachers. We’ve even been invited to a wedding, so Titia will get to witness that. Fun, right? It will be held nearby, and we even got a personal invitation from the groom, who works at the Hospital, and was also up at the Parish this same night.

I know the Church is looking for more help in fundraising (donations) and I think by taking visitors around to show them what it’s like in some areas to see what’s actually like out there, is a way for them to get this support. In a lot of Ugandan eyes, I am that connection between US donations and them getting money. In truth though, there are a lot of people, and a lot of youth, living in severe poverty and highly affected by HIV/AIDS here. Rakai is the district where HIV/AIDS was first identified in all of Uganda. I was thinking about this today, and some other things I’ve see which have become “normal”, such as mud houses with bamboo reinforcing, cattle herded thru town and down busy streets, goats tethered up everywhere and anywhere, salesman carrying all their merchandise to the market on a bike, 10 people piled into a small 4 door Corolla (man I can’t wait for this when I’m back), people burning bricks for homemaking along the roadside, are probably what visitors will perceive as being very dysfunctional. I’d love to name more… and will. This was definitely all a bit strange for me, but my point is here, like the dysfunction, the same goes with for what it actually means to be “poor” here. Driving down the paved highway to Rakai (think rural highway and large farms in the US), you pass many small 1 to 2-room poorly built brick homes, most falling apart, large families, lot of animals around, you would think everyone here were living in poverty, and no doubt many are. I guess what I was trying to say, though, was you’d be surprised by what you thought was poor, wasn’t, and what you would think would be unbearable, is also comfortable. It’s hard to explain, better to see, and easier to understand after you’ve been here for a while. Now think of the people who have always lives here. Very normal. The phrase that kept coming to mind in the car was “in the eye of the beholder” as corny as that sounds. Unfortunately though, just like in any other cash based economy, people need money, and in this country unfortunately, a lot of people just don’t have it.

Hope I didn’t end on too sour of a note…I know I’ve changed up some ideas quite a bit, but… so it goes. Look forward to hearing back and always glad to catch some of you guys up, though I haven’t been doing it enough.

After all that I said, I think I’ll be able to get wireless internet at my house soon. So again, take care and keep in touch!

Sunday, April 25, 2010: Field Work with Prima

So, as I said, I promised myself that I would do a better job capturing my days and some of those can’t forget experiences. This whole day has been an experience, something I know I’ll think about when I’m back home and won’t ever be able to fully describe. In fact, I think it’ll even be hard to explain to people here. Well, here’s my shot at it…and probably with too much detail. I must preface this post will the following. Though this day may seem just as annoying as it does memorable, I had a great time. Hope you can enjoy it too.

It started out by waking up early Sunday morning at my home in Rakai Town, say around 7 am, which is early for me on a Sunday morning, nonetheless, it felt like a good way to start the day. I went to Church with Prima and a gang of kids crammed in the RAV 4, getting there about 8 am, looking smart (dressed nice), pocket full of change for the church donation basket, and ready to not understand (Luganda) for more than half the service. Going to Church is something very custom here in Uganda, and I’m finding myself appreciating what the Church is able to provide for people in the country. It’s definitely a very powerful tool to use for effective community work, something I don’t mind being a part of. Simply being at Church also allows a majority of people from town to see me, and for me to share something in common with them. Sitting there, I always think that it’s one of those things most people (Americans) would really like going to once or twice, experience it, hear the singing, feeling the energy, realize you’re in Africa, stand out and maybe feel a little special. Not sure about that last part…but it does feel unique, and fun, even if it is just sitting in a Church for 2.5 hours not really understanding everything in another language.

After Church, around 11 am, Prima, a bunch of kids, and I packed again into the RAV 4 and went back to the compound, where I thought I would spend the rest of the afternoon washing some cloths (by hand), listen to my iPod, and read a book. Well…Prima’s had other thoughts. She was already late for her scheduled field work activities and practically leaving the compound once we got back from Church. Her fieldwork consisted of taking a local women’s group to provide HIV/AIDS sensitization at another Church some 2 hours south of Rakai Town, toward Tanzania, in much more rural areas. Well, cutting to the chase, she asked me to come at the last minute, maybe just as the token white guy, or the nice lady she is, who knows? Well, with only 2 sweet bananas (much smaller in size than normal bananas) for breakfast at 730 am that morning, and a relaxing day ahead of me, I really wasn’t too excited for a full day of field work with no lunch in site. But, being the nice guy I am, I said yes, happily, which in turn made her happy, which also turned out to be the best decision I could have made that day, no question about it. Read on.

Field work with Prima is something else. She is really loved by a lot of people, and has a sort of connection and draw to a lot of people. The way she describes it as, is she has dedicated her life to serving others, this after being infected by HIV/AIDS some 15 years ago, being a widow with 3 kids (2 in college right now, 1 of those in the US) and making her purpose everyday to help those more in need than herself. She does this volunteer work very well by consulting through World Vision, again, as a volunteer, and only paid through the activities she does in the field, which she does very effectively. She’s also got a brother and sisters who have faired off pretty well in Uganda. I also don’t want to give the impression that she doesn’t want money, because she does, but the work she does she enables herself to reach a lot of people, most in very rural communities, and in a way that I don’t believe any PC volunteer could ever come close to doing. She also writes all her proposals to World Vision by hand. As I said earlier, people love her, she’s one of them, is an outspoken women with HIV, a counselor for many many widows, is running for Mayor* (who still cooks over a charcoal stove for meals), is very lively, and just a very unique person. This is also my landlady in Rakai, or the way she describes it sometime, my mother in Uganda, as her son’s in the US (Boston area), is the same age as me, and his birthday is only 5 days after mine (May 25, 1985, seriously). She and I talked about the switch him and I unknowingly made a few days after I arrived in Rakai. To say the least, I feel happy living here.

Ok, I realize I got off topic there for a bit, probably will again, but will now try to get to the main reason why I’m writing you this, and why this was a memorable day. I even think I can make this part shorter than what I imagined.

So, along with Prima in the RAV 4, and another van driven by another driver, we went to a village just outside of Rakai town to pick up 15 women from a local women’s group. I met these women once before when I had just arrived in Rakai, to figure out how Red Cross could get involved in the community, and to perform my own community “needs assessment.” These women have organized themselves well and written songs and plays about the problem of HIV/AIDS in Rakai, how it’s directly affected them, and the message the wish to send others. They’re great songs, very traditional, use a few drums, and what you’d imagine from a rural women’s group in Africa. Again, I feel lucky being able to hear this very openly, causally, and live! The group also has a few songs about hygiene and sanitation, family planning (why men ruin things and women lack empowerment), and how girls in particular are dressing very inappropriately these days. So, today, this women’s group services, with the help of Prima and World Vision, was being requested some 2 hours away at another Church to help sensitize the people of this area on HIV/AIDS. In other words, this is an exchange program supporting local women’s groups in Rakai, and then outreaching to other communities teaching about HIV/AIDS. Prima organizes these, enables World Vision to reach these people, writes the reports, and donates a lot of time and effort providing people the right message. I personally think the more people talk about HIV/AIDS, have the right facts, and send reinforcing messages; Uganda will continue reducing new HIV cases.

So, we picked up the 15 women just outside of Rakai, crammed again into the RAV 4 and the van, and headed south in very rural, hilly, beautiful Rakai district. We had 2 boys in the boot (trunk area of RAV 4 open to the rest of the car), 5 grown women in the back seats, myself and another women in the passenger seat, and our driver in the RAV 4. That makes 10 in a 5 person (seatbelt) car. We were on our way…

Shortly after taking off, these women (in both cars) were obviously very excited about the trip, and wanted to, well, do what they were good at…sing! For roughly the next 2 hours, my group of women sang song (and chant, repeatedly) about leaving their home (we’ve gone), arriving in new places, caring for people, how I was their “muzungu” (white person, or foreigner), and their appreciation of Prima. Unfortunately, due to my lack of Luganda, I was not able to translate everything they were singing, though I could pick up the gist of it. Nonetheless, it was something I don’t think I’ll ever forget, a group of 6 Ugandan women singing in a car, 2 boys playing a big drum in the back, listening to very traditional live Ugandan music.

At the actual Church service (remember, 2^nd one for the day, still no lunch), Prima and I were welcomed as the guests of honor (and they didn’t even knew I was coming, but were happy I was there), seated at the front of the Church (mud building about the size of a classroom), and were asked to give introduction speeches. I did my typical Luganda introduction speech, which always helps to establish the mood and relationship, and shows a bit of care, no matter how short it actually is. It’s always fun to see the faces of people listening to me speak Luganda, and since the building was small, a lot of kids stood outside the building and looked through the windows. Even after the speech, especially in crowds like that, I can always catch one of the Ugandan youth staring at me, or sometimes, even petting my arm to feel the hair. I think my head was even patted a few times by the women sitting behind me in the car.

Part of the Church service was dedicated to fundraising so the group could build a new building for the Church. For the fundraising, many of the local people brought food(s) with them to auction off. Prima and our other driver bought most of these things (at deliberately high prices), kept some of the food to bring home, and then gave most of it back to people in the crowd. Interesting… I did bargain for some avocados, with Prima, but we just ended up splitting the winnings. The people here were again very welcoming (as most Ugandans are, especially at a function like this) and excited for their day. The women’s group we brought along with us performed their song and dance at the end of service and was very well received. This mode of community work continues to prove to be a very effective way to reach people, especially on HIV/AIDS sensitization, even if you are a few hours late for your own field work activity. A lot of people will wait just to watch women perform songs or act out an educational drama show.

The Church provided all of us with lunch around 4 pm, again, very hospitable and welcoming, which is still probably an understatement. As I sat on the wooden bench in the mud building looking through the wood framed door at the banana plantations and rolling hills, I just reminded myself to appreciate the things I’m able to do and places I’m able to go. The thing I haven’t mentioned is the poverty these people live in, though don’t always act like it, and which becomes very relative in time. I’ll talk more about this later.

On the way back from Church and to Rakai, our women’s group had not tired, and again, sang the whole way back. I think this time they even more used of the names “Colin, muzungu, Prima, etc.”. Actually, I think they sang more in the car (really, about 1.5 hours each way on a very hilly, bumpy, dirt road) than they did at the Church. Either way, I’d say they definitely had a good time by the way they were singing, and the greeting they got back in their Village from their kids and family members. For their day’s activities, roughly 8 hours of work, they made just about $25 for 15 people. I imagine most of this money will just go directly to their women’s group bank account (they use a community based savings account). Though to the women’s group this day was rewarding, it’s not that much money (standards…), and I know they could still use the support. This is something I’m continually working on with Red Cross.

After dropping off the still very excited group of women, Prima and I stopped by a local bar to have a beer with Father Charles, from the Church we had been to in the morning. Father Charles is a good friend of Prima, a very nice man, and even bought both of us a beer. We talked about the day, as I’m doing here, and about some volunteering at the Church’s primary and secondary school. We got back home around 9 pm, came back to write this, and realized that this day was been much better than if I were to have sat here all day and washed cloths. I’m tired, I realize that I will probably never again have this experience again, unless they’re sung by very young kids in a crowded minivan, and obviously, wouldn’t be the same. For one, the scenery in Rakai District is beautiful…I hope you are all able to check out some of the photos I’ve recently posted. The combination of family owned banana plantations, rolling hills, the greenness, mud houses, loosely built brick houses, kids screaming muzungu with a big smile on their face, is almost unforgettable. Try not to cry…jk.

So, I hope you’ve all enjoyed this… I’m sorry for my long explanations. Know that I’m always excited to hear back and how things are going in the US. We do get news here in Uganda, I just don’t always have the mean to check it. I do have a phone though, and calls and texts are highly accepted. Oh well, Hope everything is well for ya and take care!

Wednesday, August 16, 2009: Homestay in Wakiso

I didn’t think digging the garden yesterday at training was any harder than shoveling snow, and I really enjoyed the laborious work over some of our past lectures. I’m looking forward to living here in Uganda and learning from the people and hopefully seeing a lot of work in action (not inaction). Things here have been coming easy so far, and I’m trying to keep a level head through everything. While language is tough, I’m enjoying the challenge.

I think by the time you read this post, I’d have long left training and my homestay, but I thought it would be a good idea to get this info on here anyway. I’m definitely not taking the time to write a lot on my blog at this point, but I’m feeling the time I’m spending time with my host family has been much more important. The lack of internet during training, and the amount of time I actually want to spend on the internet are both very minimal. I’ve actually just brought back my laptop home Week 4 to write some journals (yes, journals!) and teach one of my host brothers how to type.

We got a pretty nice set up here, much more than I was expecting, and would love to tell you about it, although it may be impossible to express the feeling of the cool morning breezes, a scrambled egg for breakfast with tea, sitting on the front lawn with the 3 boys and granddaughter my first day here, and the beautiful sunsets over the hills of Wakiso.

FYI, while we have electricity at the home, it shuts off periodically throughout some days without warning…like, wait a second, ok it just happened now. Ironic, eh…no really, it just happens a lot. We probably won’t have electricity for the rest of the night, but that just means the kids won’t watch Spanish soap operas dubbed in English on TV. And out comes the kerosene lanterns… The family also loves to laugh a lot, which makes everything much more comfortable.

Now to my home stay family…=]. My original host family was unable to host me. All 43 of the volunteers are placed with host-families here in the Wakiso Town, which is roughly 45-minutes by taxi ride from Kampala. I haven’t seen many other cities, villages, etc. in Uganda, so I don’t know how to compare it to other cities here, but it’s a mid-size town with a decent market. A lot of people, including our host mom, live here in Wakiso, but work in Kampala, since we are so close. Most stores here are street side venders or small 1-room stationary stores throughout town. There are some very poor families, while there are also some ppl relatively well off. While I never got the chance to meet my original home stay family, I suppose its best I didn’t. I think that changing or leaving after a few days if something came up would have been much tougher. I’m thankful for that, and the chance to stay where I’m currently at. Although there are two of us PCT’s here, the family was reluctant to even let me think I would be leaving. The hospitality of everyone here has been great, and I’m feeling a bit spoiled.

Here’s the new family…

Steve. Steve is another MI student from the South Florida Masters International program with Jim Milhelsik whom I am sharing a home stay with here in Wakiso. Since my family was unable to host a PCT, Steve’s family stepped up and brought me in. I don’t think I could have asked for a more comfortable setting than this one. Steve is also a relaxed guy, very realistic, and will also eat all the matooke we’re served. Steve’s definitely an outdoor guy, would off for sure liked the U.P. and is easy to get along with. While we talked about the experiences both of us thought we’d have at our home stay, and that having a roommate does feel like cheating, both of us have decided we’re okay with it as long as the family was...And…They were more than willing, and we’re even confused why I’d even ask. Again, very welcoming response to say to least.

Now to the family members and home. Steven and I were invited to live with Ms. Kalinda Betty and family. While direct relationships within the family can be tough to identify sometimes, our family is pretty straightforward and close, although it did take time. Ms. Kalinda Betty has 4 boys, 2 of which with live at home, 1 daughter who works away from home but comes home on the weekends, 1 adopted son, and a 7 year old granddaughter, which both live at home. Most families have what they call house-boys or house-girls, maids if you will, which help take care of all the chores, and may or may not go to school. Grandkids often also commonly live with their grandparents, as their parents may be away for work, or have passed away. We have a well educated family here, and the home is comfortable. We have electricity, most of the time, although no running water, but very nice ventilated pit latrines (VIPs). The showering (bucket) area is in the bathroom inside, but I’m beginning to notice most of us just bathe outdoors in other bathing areas. There are a total of 8 of us in the house, including Steven and myself, split between the main building (home) and the other boarding rooms split between a courtyard and kitchen. The compound is then enclosed by a concrete wall which separates it from the surrounding neighborhood, but keeps kids from running in and out of yards. The family has a number of rainwater tanks connected to the rain gutters from the roof, which store a significant amount of water. While we do have piped water (metered) into the compound, we don’t use it much since we do get so much “free” water from our tanks. Water is then used out of jerry-cans for all our uses.

William. By far one of the nicest, kindest, and hardest working persons I’ve met here. He’s one of my home stay brothers, 16 years old, and on school break right now. The friendship we have over this short amount of time is definitely something I’ll remember and miss. It’s amazing what he does for us, along with all the other chores like cooking, washing, cleaning, getting water (from their rainwater tanks), and going to school. I’m not exactly sure what happened, but I think William’s parents died from AIDS when he was younger, and has since been adopted by this family. He’s got two older brothers, both which live on their own. I’m not sure of the family’s connection, but he’s lived here for a few years and is treated like all the others boys. Unfortunately, his story is a common one here in Uganda. Nearly 50 percent of the population here is 15 years old or younger, mostly because of the impacts from HIV/AIDS. There’s been a lot of talk about the missing generation in Uganda, like his parents, at our training and it really shows in the community. William has become very interested in learning how to use a computer, so I’ve brought my laptop home with me so he can practice. While they have a theoretical section of computers in secondary school, he has not been able to use one himself. Don’t feel too bad for the family though, because it seems as though most of them have, or the older ones, know how to use a computer just fine. While I’d like to say Williams learning about the power of the computer, we seem to most enjoy just sharing music and just looking at pictures. With no internet access, there’s not much he can get in trouble with either. William also greets us when we get home, and since the family speaks the language I’m learning, Luganda, he is more than willing to help me practice. I usually do ask a lot of questions, but I don’t always right them down…

David is the oldest of the brothers at age 23, or so, I’m not sure. David has gone through all his teaching requirements to teach Economics at a local Primary school. He’s a great guy, dresses well, laughs a lot, likes music and dancing, and commands respect well. He’s very interested in learning, and almost reminds of me of the friendship I have with Edgar. David was the one who picked up Steve and I from the training site and does most of the work thru PC since our mom works in Kampala and is busy. It’s been great having David around and his brothers around to relate to at the house makes everything a little easier. Some things seem to relate no matter where you’re from. While he’s just the older brother, he plays a pretty prominent older male role, since there’s no Dad is around.

Achilles is the second oldest son, who is currently on break from his University. He definitely is the “cool” brother in the family, and probably most athletic. It’s great that all these guys speak English, because they all ask a lot of great questions. Achilles has been recently asking about NBA Basketball players taking medicine which makes them taller, or if the U.S. has also been affected by HIV/AIDS. I think he’s excited about heading back to school, but also glad to be around the family. We’ve been exchanging music a lot with one another, but I did need have to limit the amount of American R&B he wanted to share.

Joan. I’ve been really excited to talk about her, and can’t believe I haven’t yet. Joan is 7 years old, and living with her uncles and grandmother. She is amazing, and by far calls for most of the attention, and energy in the home. She’s incredibly well behaved, smart, and curious. I’ve seen a lot of kids her age here, and other places, very shy, but not her. She was playing Steven’s banjo within the first 15 minutes of us arriving. I don’t think I could say enough about her, or describe how cute she is in this post, and it’s already getting pretty long. I’ll definitely make sure to send some pictures of her along as well. And actually, her First Communion (Catholic family) is coming up on Sunday, so I’ll make sure to get some then. I’m planning on giving her some chocolate and other gifts I brought along, so I’m sure she’ll have plenty of energy. Maama Joan is Joan’s mother. I’m not sure of the age, but she works outside Wakiso during the week, and makes it back home with the family over the weekends. It’s short, but also precious to see how excited Joan gets when Maama Joan arrives. Overall, great family.

I’ve had my laptop at home this week and actually wrote this email over a 2-day period. The battery life has been good, but Steve and I have both blown out power transformers, which are used to convert the difference in electricity Uganda and the U.S. run on. Last thing I want to do at this point is fry some electronics, which I guess has already happened. Little things.