Birthday Blog

In the days leading up to my birthday I was extremely homesick and because of that some horrible and unnecessary worrying about having a terrible birthday plagued my mind. I didn't know what to expect (that's true most days), but I knew I didn't have anything to worry about, because in the least it was going to be an interesting birthday since I am in a strange place with wonderful people.
I made sure my birthday started on a good note, by making myself a typical "American" breakfast. I got some help from Mike and our housekeeper Justine. We traded in running water and electricity for a housekeeper that does everything a dishwasher, washing machine, dryer and cook does, and she does it for 7 of us that live in the guest house. It feels a bit ironic for me because (1) I am so used to doing everything myself and (2) we came here to help them, and it feel like the other way around even thought she probably wouldn't have any income if she didn't work for us. Anyway the menu for breakfast was absolutely delicious; scrambled eggs with cheese, banana pancakes, Canadian bacon and coffee. Most of these foods are special but in general we eat very well because we can afford to go into the city of Mbale and buy it.
After breakfast to my surprise I was given several presents. I got a beautiful pair of earrings that I wore all day long, some fabric to have a dress made out of, a notebook, some pens and batteries. (I guess you only have to know me ten days to figure out that I like jewelry and practical gifts.) One of the nicest gift though was from Sabia, she let me borrow a gorgeous blue dress to wear all day long.
During the day I spent a few hours helping in the school office and a few hours making beaded bracelets with Mark and Florence. Florence is the matron of the girls hostel, where some of the girls in the vocational school board because they live far away. I am hopefully going to start a girls club for the girls in the vocational school to help provide some counseling for them so they can make healthy and informed decisions. Mark used to be in the Children of Peace Program but now he is too old and he comes to the school everyday and makes beaded jewelry to sell. Barbara buys a lot of his stuff and brings it back to the US to sell, and before I leave I am going to buy a few things from him too.
In the afternoon all the students gathered for an asembly. A few general announcements were made but it turned out that Barbara told the teachers it was my birthday and they put together the asembly in my honor. To say they sang and that it was beautiful is such an understatement. Rhythm, beat, song and dance run through their veins like it is blood, that is keeping them alive and smiling. They sang a happy birthday song but with added lyrics, most of it I couldn't understand because of their accents, but they did sing "you look like an angel" over and over again. They also sang a song call How Wonderful Is A Woman, which the students learned to celebrate International Woman's Day, and boys and girls were singing it. Later in the afternoon, since it was Wednesday, a few younger girls from the Children of Peace come to have Girls Club. Along with tea and mandazees (the African version of a donut) they come to talk about challenges in their lives and receive counseling. It is good that they come because they may not receive that kind of advise from family members, teachers or peers. Most of them are between the ages of 12 and 18 and most of their questions are about sex and relationships. On one hand it is great that they are talking about it, but on the other hand it is sad because I worry that no matter how good these girls are at asserting themselves, they are always going to face pressure to have sex.
After the girls club I had about an hour to relax and drink wine, while the sun was setting and dinner was being made. I also had a chance to call my family, which was really nice and my sister promised to drink a beer for me. (There is beer in Uganda but it doesn't taste anything like the microbrews of New England that I am used to, plus it is usually warm.) Right before dinner I went down to the school's cook house, because that is where Mike and another volunteer Jordan, were attempting to bake a cake without an oven. I was impressed by their efforts even though at first glance and smell it seemed to be a little over done. For dinner we had goat stew with veggies and potatoes, which was absolutely mouth watering. We also had fresh pineapple, papaya and mango, which we have with almost every dinner and it is always delicious. The final course was the chocolate fudge brownie cake, and with nutella as icing I couldn't tell that it was burnt in a few spots.
Overall my birthday was full of glorious unexpected surprises and the laughs far out numbered the disappointments and tears. All day long I felt like a queen (and several times Mike told me I looked like a queen, he is wonderful). This community made me feel so loved, celebrated and appreciated on my birthday that I feel somewhat indebted to them. I hope I can put enough energy forth every day for the next three months to repay the loving kindness they have shown me.
Thank you Mom, Dad, Rachel, Wade, Luke, Eva, Carawyn and Gareth for being part of my family! Thank You Mike for being a loving partner and a pillar of support! Thank you to Barbara and the other volunteers for going above and beyond to make my birthday a joyous one! Thank you to the Bududa community for all the singing and for making this an unforgettable birthday!

I survived the first week!

So far we have been in Africa for almost a week and I have learned and seen so much I could write a mini novel. We left my parent’s house last Wednesday at around 3pm then spent the next 48 hours either in a car, taxi, airplane or airport. It was a whirlwind of airplane food, new sites and some intense new smells. Traveling for that long is stressful for me, so I am not surprised I broke down in tears the first night, but stress was not the only emotion that was ripping through me then. I am beginning to feel a little settled in but occasionally it is hard to wrap my head around the fact that I will be living here for over 3 months, mostly because I have no idea what is going to happen during those three months.
Every new day I learn more and meet more people and have crazy new adventures. We spent the majority of last Friday in a private taxi, which drove us from Entebbe to Bududa, a trip that normally takes 6 hours but it took us 10 hours because we made so many stops. There were six of us in the van: myself, Mike, Barbara (the director), Sabia (the Peace Corp volunteer), Danielle (the intern) and Rasheed (the driver), along with 180 mosquito nets, all our luggage, and groceries. Needless to say that is how you travel in Uganda, pack in a lot in little spaces. The other way we get around, besides on foot, is on a pikipiki or boda-boda, which is a motor bike, which is a little scary because the roads are so bad and they drive fast. It amazes me that all the local women ride on them sitting side saddle without falling off, one day I will try that but I am a little scared to. Mike and I went for a quick run through the village today and I think it was the best entertainment the locals had seen all week. Everyone looked at us, some people said “mulembe” (hi) and a couple kids found it exciting to follow us for a bit. It felt like a trail run because the road is dirt with tons of little rocks jetting out of it, but you also need to be careful about getting out of the way when the pikipiki come by.
One of the best parts of living in this area is the local cuisine. The land is so fertile everything grows well here. We eat pineapple, avocado, mango, papaya and passion fruit almost on a daily basis and it is all fresh, local and probably organic.
That will be all for now. I will soon write again and I will include more of our adventures and more about the culture here. I am doing my best to take it all in, but it is hard to find the time and the words to write it all down, (good thing Mike is also contributing, he is a bit more eloquent with words and he has different adventures than me).

Miracles

I am not sure which is the bigger miracle, Africa's rich culture, Bududa's beauty, or the fact that I finally figured out how to blog! Of course we would learn that particular skill in a remote Ugandan village without electricity or running water. Therese should get all the credit. There is so much to say about our experience so far that it is a little overwhelming. The house we stay in is built with brick and mud. It has no electricity or water. We use a latrines and cook with a small gas stove you would take car camping. Barbara, the school director, had it sent here, but most families cook over a fire. Our house has a small solar charged battery and there is wireless internet and phone connection. Although it is somewhat limited it allows us to check mail and post. It is an interesting juxtaposition of old and new. There are few land lines here if any.
Life here is very simple. Almost all of what they need comes locally. Most walk from place to place and some ride "matatus" (buses), "Pikipikis", (motor bikes). There are virtually no personal cars. I rode my first pikipiki today and it was very exciting. Barbara wants me to get a license but driving here is scarier than Boston! There is really no law and they drive on the left side of the road.
I played my first soccer game on a huge field covered with rocks, holes, chickens, cattle and shit! It was quit a spectacle! It was also about 20 vs 20. All were orphaned children under 18 and I was the only "muzungu" (white person). Therese and I set up a volley ball net and she set up a very intense match between the boys and girls. We eat well and laugh often. We often wonder how long it will take before we get sick. We have beautiful little children clinging and coughing all over us.
Well, I am running out of battery and dinner is almost ready. Until next time.

The Beginning of Our Journey

Who knows when our journey actually started... some might say it started when we first come up with the idea to travel a year ago, or when we bought our plane tickets a few months ago and got the preparation under way, or in two days when we step foot onto the airplane.

Right now is an important beginning, this is the first post of a blog that is going to document our stories, experiences and journey for the next 4 months, while we are in Uganda. Personally I feel like this journey started a long time ago because we have been talking about this trip and getting ready for it for almost a year. And it is really exciting that it is right around the corner, but I am also anxious because I don't know what to expect and it is hard to prepare yourself for w trip like this when you don't know what to expect.

I am a little proud of myself for creating this blog (it's a first for me) and hopefully this will be a much better way of keeping in touch with all the people we love, rather than mass emails. We will miss you all and I look forward to keeping you posted!