How much do Ugandans eat? Seriously, they eat a lot. For example, today's conversation:
V: Tiffy, I am eating lunch now. T: That's a lot of food Vincent! V: Really? No! It's only one kilo of pork! T: Yea...just 1 kilo (2.2 pounds) The dark brown thing is the pork, the lighter thing is matooke (bananas). 
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I think. I'm starting to get busier. I think.
Ugandan Quote of the Day: "God created all of us. He started on Monday and went to Saturday. On Saturday, He was VERY tired . . . that is why see you people who are VERY ugly." So...this past week: I went to the dentist! And I have to say...it was good! Cost of a cleaning: $38 Cost of teeth whiting take home kit: $204 Cost of laser whitening teeth treatment: $260-408 depending on the number of sessions Cost of an xray: $12-18 depending on location of xray Cost of them having newer equipment than my dentist at home: priceless Sorry! It's lame. I know but I just had to write it......... Not so lame news...I was on the radio! Promoting my upcoming 5k/10k for charity. It was interesting! Of course no one understood me cause I spoke in English on a Ugandan station and probably spoke too fast but hey! I made it on the radio =) O. And this conversation: -Sat- Tiff: I'm sad, I wasn't chosen as a trainer for the new group. Man, I really want to be part of some PC group. LOL Friend: Same. -times skip to Wed- Tiff: Hi. I'm Tiffany. In for dental work. Joanna: HI. Joanna. O! You're Tiffany. Have you been contacted about being a trainer? Tiff: ??? My name wasn't on the list. Joanna: Ya. Things changed. Someone was supposed to contact you 2 days ago. You have to be at the training center this Sunday. Actually, let me reconfirm that you're a trainer. Tiff: Okay? -10 mins later- Joanna: Yup. It's all good. You're in. Tiff: Cool. See you Sunday. -----so I go home on the 5-6 hours bus Thursday morning and tomorrow get to catch another bus to Kampala and then another matatu to the training center. Nice. Other news. I think I may try to help at one of those children's camps we do....even though I don't like children. Hopefully, I'll get an easier slot. Bleh. + 3 koreans moved into town--they make AMAZING korean food and homemade kimchi! I guess that's more or less it. Pool table is still doing very well YAY!
Hello!
I got the opportunity to hang out with a Ugandan women from the Northern region of Uganda (Gulu) thanks to couchsurfing (of all things!). She ended up telling me about her past, growing up during the time when the rebels still ran freely around Uganda. She talked about walking pass land mines (set to go off for heavy vehicles) on the way to school and other horrible things. This was my story... “When I was a young girl living in Gulu, my family had dogs. During that time, the rebels were still around. Sometimes, the dogs would start barking. Whenever the dogs started barking, the people in my village would hurry and escape to town. The dogs were right, when they barked, the rebels were around. They protected us. They saved our lives.” After this conversation, we got to talking about dogs in general and I told her that there was a shelter nearby. So we decided to go check it out and she adopted a puppy! So Tiff’s good deed of the day: helped rescue a puppy. Ps. I feel like we have the most ginormous flies here...they buzz SO LOUD and are probably about a centimeter wide and long. Char tries to eat them but she always fails.
Hello! No. I am not lost. Or well maybe I was but now I'm found. <--When you haven't been around for a while here in Uganda, people tell you you've been lost. This past weekend, I went to Lake Kyninga, a nearby crater lake with some germans for a swim. The water was super clear! and the lake was a couple hundred yards wide and doubly long. It was great! Char liked it too...sort of. She doesn't actually like water. She did get in though, although I'm not certain if that's because she slipped in or jumped in. I seem to be accumulating more and things. Someone gave me an iron yesterday. It came with a toaster oven. hmm... and of course I have a fridge too but I must say, does keep me eating healthier! I'll have to post a picture of the contents of my fridge =) www.tibbyme.tumblr.com I feel like I spend a ridiculous amount of time thinking about my next meal. Which leads me to browse the internet (when I can) for simple and Uganda-feasible recipes. I think I'm going to come out of Peace Corps either 1. MUCH more conscious of what I'm eating and therefore healthier or 2. can cook but still choose not to or 3. cooking more. I'm not exactly sure which of the 3 I want lol. Tried this one today (without mangoes) and it was really good! Thought I'd share. Asian Cabbage Mango Slaw: 2 cups shredded cabbage.5 cup shredded carrots1 mango, not yet ripe3 med scallions chopped (if you want, I have green onions)3 tbsp rice vinegar (I used regular).5 lime, juiced1 tbsp soy sauce1 tbsp sesame oil1 tsp sesame seeds (opt) Peel mango and cut into strips. Combine with cabbage, carrots and scallions. Toss in large bowl. Prepare dressing by whisking together vinegar, soy sauce, and the lime juice. Slowly whisk in the oil. Pour dressing over the cabbage mixture and toss to coat. Let sit 15-20 minutes for dressing to coat. Sprinkle with sesame seeds. Servings: 6 Serving Size: .5 cup Cal: 62.9 Fat 2.7g Protein 1.1g Carbs 10.1g Fiber 1.9g Sugar 6.3g Sodium 114.8mg +quarter chicken. Viola! Lunch. Pool table is still doing fabulously! Carrots and peas are now out of season =( and green peppers are fading. My org is taking a 2 week break so my supervisor can finish his coursework at the university where he is pursuing a certificate in special needs. Fun..break after break it seems. Anyhow = Char gets her pin removed! I'm utterly bored right now. I should probably go study my GMATs or learn Rosetta Stone French or something. But I'm going to town in 30 minutes and I don't feel like working. In town, I'll be working on Fort Portal's First Annual Tour de Charity. It's a 5k run/walk and 10k bike ride for CA Bikes (they build bikes for orphans and disabled children) and it's on May 26th (dad's birthday!).
So this is actually a post from a couple weeks ago. I tend to email rather than post these days... but please do check out pics at www.tibbyme.tumblr.com
-- I'm completely and utterly boggled. Seriously. How can a whole country of people survive off of debt? I have to say, it seems almost every person in this country owes more debt than they can repay. And somehow, they are all still surviving...with possessions! Okay, yes I have been raised to never have debt (or avoid it whenever possible- Thanks Mom!) but how do people survive off deficit? If someone was to collect on their debt, does that mean either you'd run someone out of house and home or just consider that debt a loss? Today, I asked someone, how do you survive? His reply: credit. So apparently everything is sold on credit and your line of credit will never be fully paid off... Moving on...one thing that frustrates me and two things that amuses me: Frustration: Tiff: What do you do in a worse case scenario about [insert situation]? M: There is such thing. Tiff: Okay. Then imagine if this should happen [insert what I think will be the worst case scenario]. What would you do? M: It cannot happen. God is with us. He will not allow it. Tiff: Okay. Can you just possibly think about about the situation and if it happened and God is not with us, what would you do? M: No. It will not happen. We will be lucky. Tiff: What if you are unlucky? M: No. It will not happen. Tiff: Can you just please tell me, IF just if, this happened, what would you do? M: It will not happen. God is with us. Amusement #1: Tiff: I met a Ugandan the other day who told me he did not believe in God. Sister: He said that to you? That is not possible. Tiff: ? Sister: No Ugandan will admit that the does not believe in God. That means he is a traditionalist. Tiff: Ok? Sister: Traditionalist kill children. If he admits that he does not believe in God, then he admits he is a traditionalist and people will think he kills children and may cause him harm. Tiff: Oh. So if you don't believe in God, you must be a traditionalist and are probably killing children. Sister: Yes. Amusement #2: Tiff: I want to lose weight. Chinese Construction Worker: I know a good way but you'll think I'm crude. Tiff: Oh. Ya please don't say. --small time skip- CCW: Be my mistress. Tiff: No. CCW: Why not? Tiff: I'm not available. CCW: So? I have a wife at home. It's okay. She's not here. Tiff: Uhh...I don't know how it works there, but for me, commitment means somthing...you know like love/loyalty or something... CCW: Lust and Love are different! Besides, I see on TV that Americans have extramarital affairs all the time! Tiff: Okay. TV isn't the truth. CCW: Well, I heard that if you haven't slept with your spouse in 6 months, you can get a divorce. Is that true? Tiff: I doubt it. Bye! That is all! PS...anyone feel like purchasing craft to support us in paying school fees (part of paying off that line of credit/debt thing I was talking about...)? www.twerwaneho.etsy.com
Thanks George for my 7AM morning wakeup call.
Seriously...that's what I woke up to this morning at 7am. Oh well, could be worse! I've somehow survived to IST (can you believe it's been 7 months?!). It was cool to see everyone again. I really did miss talking with all those people in Arua (my original site). So we were compiling notes on how you know you're in Peace Corps...and the most memorable one (for me) was: You know you're in Peace Corps when you compare the duration and quality of toilet paper.
Hello!
I can't believe it has been almost 6 months. As we prepare for IST, I thought it would be fitting to go over what I've done/accomplished in the last 6 months (in no particular order or format really--I'm lazy). -setup website www.friendsoftoci.org -set up uniform emails for all staff -setup social media site www.facebook.com/twerwaneho (please go and like it!) -setup basic system of documentation -created profiles for each child -revamped and digitalized the TOCI logo -reconfirmed commitment of TOCI committee members and established board of directors -implemented IGA- pool table (projected to bring in 1 million UGX/year...that's like a 1 million % increase!) -broke even on Day 1. Hit target income in within 1.5 weeks. -as of this week, we have been able to consistently stay above our original daily target income. -procured a computer for the organization -started basic computer lessons -wrote and submitted 1 grant proposal while teaching supervisor how to write grant proposals -supervisor is currently working on writing his own grant proposal -set up craft shop www.etsy.com -have made $200 in sales -increased the number of guided hikes provided each month to visiting tourists -made a new record in Dec 2011 of number of clients who received guided tours -development of partnerships -worked with Ugandan Safaris to create partnership so that TOCI benefits when toursits participate in tours -worked with CA Bikes to get OVCs (orphans and vulnerable children) bikes so that they can attend school ...not bad I think! Still more work to be done. How is everyone at home? PS. Special thanks to Pamela for posting a video about TOCI and for your assistance. =) W E B: www.friendsoftoci.org S H O P: www.twerwaneho.etsy.com F B: www.facebook.com/twerwaneho
skype convo about Cali:
Z - Zack - Z: but the dog is cute tiffany: lol Z - Zack - Z: you should make his dark spots bigger tiffany: lol Z - Zack - Z: and call it CalCow Z - Zack - Z: California Cow, Happy cow 
Meet California "Cali". The newest addition to the TOCI family (and my Christmas present to my supervisor). Name courtesy of said supervisor who wants something to remember me even after I'm gone...in 2 years. LOL
Meet California "Cali". The newest addition to the TOCI family (and my Christmas present to my supervisor). Name courtesy of said supervisor who wants something to remember me even after I'm gone...in 2 years. LOL
Sorry. I meant just a bunch of discs! I'm not having good sex, I mean success this week. I've seriously been having freudian slips - A LOT. No fun! Don't laugh! Sucks when people are laughing at you!
Anyhow, BEYOND my week of freudian slips, I've had many a visitors in the area and have been playing host. I've gotten opportunities to watch movies, drink, exercise and drama. I've also met so many people from the previous group and got to meet my future Tech Committee Members (we are trying to reestablish the tech committee for Peace Corps Uganda). New pics uploaded on my facebook! O! And of course...THANK YOU AMY AND CHRIS! I got the care package today =). I love it and the little touches you put in it. I cracked a tear when I saw the pictures and a laugh when I saw the dog tag ("return to tiffany"). Purrrfect! All that's left is to pick up the new short term volunteer I had recruited to help us with bookkeeping (since I lack the skills...good time to learn too!) and help her settle in. Hope you guys all had a merry christmas! And a happy new year! --
Coming to Uganda, I had always assumed I would do a secondary project. And actually, I did have many ideas in mind before arriving my (current) site. However, after arriving and assessing my situation, I came to realize that most of ideas wouldn't pan out (man, I had really wanted to start a swim team too!).
So over the past few weeks, I've still been contemplating what extracurriculars I could undertake and make my secondary projects. This week, I had a breakthrough... As you know, corruption is common all over Africa. Earlier this week, I had met up with some friends who were volunteering here short term (meaning no more than 6 months, usually 1-3 months) and they were in a dilemma. They had just found out that the organization that they were working for was corrupt and were understandingly upset and looking for alternative options during the rest of their stay here in Uganda. Three of the volunteers had found the organization through another one at home and one through couch surfing. One of the volunteers and I discussed this issue and realized that this could have been avoided had there been proper (or any) research done on the organization before placement (for the ones who went through another org). So together, we decided the following: There are so many people looking for short term volunteer assignments in developing countries all over the world. But selecting an ethical and legitimate organization to work with can be a difficult choice. Having seen first hand, volunteers affected by corruption, we want to help volunteers make good decisions and have wonderful experiences. Our goal is to identify good organizations in need of volunteers and help connect volunteers to these organizations. As of now, two of the four volunteers have been placed another organization of their choice and two are currently undecided on where they would like to go. There is also one other volunteer coming back from the US to work with me and my organization for a short time. I really hope we can help people who are interested in volunteering connect with good organizations who really need volunteers. We'll be working more on this idea over the next couple of weeks to further develop it. But..uh first, Christmas! So in case I forget to write all of you... Merry Christmas!!! Cheers, Tiff
Wow! My first marriage proposal at the age of 23. LOL. Lucky for Jon,
I turned the guy down. Background: Me and Jeanne were swimming at the pool (Saturday). Jeanne chats up two locals. Apparently, one of them needs to learn to swim for a job (and was only given 2 weeks to learn to swim!) so she volunteers me. He agrees to pay for my transport and pool fee to teach him. As of Saturday, the man, Simpson, just learned sort of breaststroke. On Sunday, I teach Simpson the basics of flutter kicking and freestyle. We met again today, which by the way, the swim session was successful. He can now swim freestyle enough to get him to a nearby boat and tread/float enough to get someone's attention. Here was today's conversation: S: Tiffany, can I ask you two questions. T: Sure. What's up? S. Have you ever thought of having Ugandan citizenship? T: No. I'm happy with my American citizenship. S: Well, would you ever consider having a Ugandan man? T: I have a boyfriend I'm happy with. Sorry. S: What about children? T: I'm not interested in having kids. S: I just want to have one. I make enough money to support a family. 1 million shillings a month is good enough to support a family in Uganda. And the lifestyle here is good and easy for you, not like America where the cost of living is high. T: ehh..No thanks! S: Well I pray God will bring us together and answer my prayers. ...(later when we parted) S: I love you. T: -___-- bye! Also... There are a ton of Chinese workers here in Uganda. They build the roads, put in the complicated electricity stuff and do construction. So this one Chinese guy, whose name I cannot pronounce and I had become acquaintances over the last couple of weeks as he always passes by where I am and we've talked once or twice (I really can't understand him. His Chinese is countryside and he mumbles). So anyhow, occasionally when he sees me these days, he'll stop and say hi. Earlier this week, he had asked if I needed a ride to town. I didn't so I said no thanks, but thanks anyways. Yesterday, I did need a ride into town. And I happened to see him and he had asked me if I needed a ride (nevermind that it was out of the way for him...which I pointed out to him). So I said, I would call him in about half an hour for a ride and he agreed. So later, he picks me and a couple friends up and takes us to town. On the way, he asks me what my Christmas plans are. Apparently, many of the Chinese people are gathering in Kampala for Christmas. He invites me to come. We also pass by another Chinese guy on the way. Minutes after we pass the other Chinese guy, my Chinese friend's phone rings. He picks up and answers the phone in Chinese: "No, she's not Chinese, she's Taiwanese." -____- I'm still in the car you know! LOL anyways...I think all the attention I receive from Chinese people in my area is because all the workers are guys and I'm probably the only young Chinese female around. I have yet to see a female Chinese except for other volunteers (only 1) and the lady who works the Chinese supermarket in town. Man. And my house smells like smoke. I went outside to make sure it's not a fire. Apparently, my neighbor is burning something to chase mosquitos away. It smells more like burnt food/wood to me... And sadness...I weigh 134 tonight x[p Although it is after dinner...(fajitas yum!)
Hello Everybody!
So since I have the week off, I decided to visit Tomas in Katwe, which is out in the middle of nowhere and at the entrance of Queen Elizabeth National Park (where you see lions). Here are the 4 biggest realizations that happened to me today: 1. I live in Uganda, Tomas lives in Africa (just like what you think of when you think Africa). 2. Wow, my place is actually pretty great! 3. Thank you lord that Fort Portal is where I ended up. If I think it's hot here in Katwe, what in the world would I have thought in Arua (it's one of the hottest regions). 4. Char is a great traveler! She likes the different modes of travel and she (currently) fits in my bucket, making traveling with her a breeze. (I'll upload some cute pics of Char tomorrow x]p) So today...I discovered how Tomas is REALLY REALLY REALLY busy. There's so many meetings and traveling around...oh! it makes me tired just thinking about it, let alone tagging along. But his office is pretty awesome! They're all super chill, love Char, there's an really cold fridge AND an amazing banda (outdoor sitting place kind of like gazebo) that is really awesome to sit around and relax on. I won't lie. His current "temp" place sucks balls. Fortunately, they're building him a whole new house...which should be done around Christmas. And the view at his office is FANTASTIC. Today, I saw gazelles, warthogs, antelopes, elephants, and hippos. Awesome! Okay. It is ridiculously hot here...if it wasn't because there are mosquitos here, I would totally open the doors and windows. O and I had home made (goat) fajitas and flour tortillas for dinner. =) Good stuff! Okay, I'm off to try to somehow sleep in the hot weather. Toodles =)
Good evening everybody!
So today, I went to very first Ugandan funeral. It was the funeral of my counterpart's brother who died yesterday of HIV + malaria. Ugandan funerals are 1. long and 2. a very communal thing. Everyone from the community turned out for the funeral. I came later in the day so I missed a good part of the funeral but here's what did happen while I was there: When I arrived, everyone turned around to stare at me (and Devon), the only two non-Ugandans present and kept staring at us. The casket is brought out and there was some singing. About 10 minutes later, everyone starts moving towards the casket. Apparently, you have to go pay your respects all at once. After everyone is done, there's more singing/praying/chanting? and the casket is moved to the burial location(?), somewhere in the backyard. It was kind of a surreal moment because all of a sudden everyone starts moving through the banana trees and you hear the wailing from the family and I definitely felt like I was in a movie, following a crowd to exodus or something like that... After more singing and wailing, while I can't see anything except for people and trees, people started moving back to their seats. So back we went. Then came speeches, dad, siblings, best friend, motorcycle club, member of parliament, another friend, an in law?...lots of speeches. And in between speeches came people with baskets asking for offerings for the church, the family, the widow, etc. multiple times. It was weird too because all the speeches were kind of directed toward us non-Ugandans, who couldn't understand what they were talking about anyways. Then, after the speeches, Micheal (my supervisor and husband to my counterpart) pulled this aside and said it was time for dinner. Oh, by the way, all Ugandan celebrations and not so celebrations include a meal. So we had a quick meal using our hands (first local meal using my hands!) and then we headed back. O. And I pretty much get the whole week off because Ugandan custom is that when there is a funeral, the organization/business/people stop working for 3-4 days. So what did I learn about Ugandan funerals? 1. Unless you're with Micheal (my supervisor) funerals are all day events. 2. Show up late. 3. Never leave early. 4. Prepare to give money...a couple times. 5. Always eat some of whatever they prepare and drink if there are drinks present. It would be rude not to. 6. Bring a snack. 7. Prepare to eat with your hands = bring wet wipes or something to clean hands with after eating 8. Ugandan mourning is 3-4 days, so be prepared to either not show up to work or have the workers not show up to work...so essentially, the business shuts down. So that was the first Ugandan funeral. Devon says watching a circumcision event is even more surreal, like seriously out of a movie. I think I may try to skip that... But really, events seriously do take a LONG time here. And since I have the week off, I'll be headed to visit Tomas in Katwe, where I should have good internet. So hopefully, I'll have pictures and be able to chat with everyone!
Today was quite an eventful day!
Starting at 8:30 this morning, I made rounds around town to meet all the officials. Some seemed nice, others not so much... One guy asked us some appropriate questions (how to you sustain the org? what programs? etc) and then turned the table on us by asking my supervisor if he had kids. When my supervisor said that no, he did not, the official said, "that's why you are helping others? because you don't have one? why make yourself suffer or pretend under the illusion that you're happy? you need to get yourself checked out. at least that way, you can know scientifically that you can't have kids. You're making your wife suffer by not having a kid. she should have been pregnant within a couple months of marriage. that's why you marry, so you can have kids. you can't be happy unless you have your own child." My poor supervisor looked so uncomfortable! How inappropriate was that? Then we went to see the popo and he said cool and asked me for my number, which I obviously did not give out. After visiting officials, we went to see the vet. Apparently, there are no dogs that want to get rabies shots...so in order to vaccinate my dog, I have to buy 10 dogs worth of rabies vaccine (or 1 bottle). Lame. I'm going to have to see about maybe generously offering to vaccinate my next door neighbors dogs...Since I'm buying the whole bottle, might as well put it to good use. After the vet, we visited the Bank of Africa which has AC but does offer any debit/credit cards (other banks in Uganda do). Interesting. Finally, we went to visit another craft association. This lady had some cool natural seed beads that I liked and made some good clutches and cute bracelets. I'll upload pics when I can. And hopefully, I will have a crude etsy shop up tomorrow so you can see the craft and (hopefully) donate! And the awesome news of the day: mmm... I made dumplings today! FROM SCRATCH!! I found a recipe online for the dumpling skin so I decided to give it a go! That and there's no take out here...The easier thing to have made would be eggs or potatoes etc. but 1. im tired of potatoes 2. im out of eggs 3. i had some time and finally 4. I WANT CHINESE Food. For the inside I used spinach and the awesome shitake mushrooms my family sent me =). Meat is too disgusting to cook. That, and it's difficult. I can't exactly ground my own meat... How do they taste? I have absolutely NO idea! I won't be cooking them until tomorrow. I'll let you know how they turn out. I'm going to hope for the best. Although I will admit, usually when I make things for the first time (usually baking), they don't generally turn out too well. BUT...I've technically made dumplings before (not quite from scratch). Those did have meat in them but somehow turned out very tough. Jon can confirm this. LOL and the not so great news... Char stinks! She decided her new nap spot is on top of my bag of charcoal. So now she stinks and she's dirty. I see a bath coming in the next couple of days... I hope to learn to cook in Uganda. I've scouted a bunch of recipes and hopefully will get a chance to make all of them. On my list of things: -brownies -lemon sugar cookies -mochi -mochi cake -man tao/buns -tang yuan -dessert: paste and non-paste form: red bean, green bean, taro -cinnamon rolls -granola -jerky -quesadilla Sweet! Okay. I'm go watch more tv shows now. Or maybe do some more work. Cheers~ Tiff
Hey!
So I finally met Devon, the closest volunteer to where I live (about 2 miles or 40 minutes walking) and we had a blast at her house last night! Other first of the week...I burned my first pair of undies trying to iron them. Anyhow, for any of you interested in helping out, I will be setting up an etsy shop with some of the handmade crafts. So if any of you need Christmas presents, gifts, or just something nice for yourself, please do take a look and if you like it, support us by purchasing some of the pieces =). All the proceeds will go directly to TOCI. Custom colors can be done (within reason). I'll try to have that site up soon. In the mean time, here's a picture of an example of one of the necklaces (or in this case, 3 bracelets I connected together to make this cool necklace). Here's the link to the pictures: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10100104288062744.2365334.6313191&type=1&l=80ee255c27 or there's also a couple on tibbyme.tumblr.com (craft pics) the craft pics were just some I took briefly on my phone but I'll upload better pictures as soon as I take them.
Hello everyone!
So let me tell you about what I will be doing...(sorry, it might be a long and possibly boring email) W O R K Twerwaneho is an community initiative/sort of orphanage that helps not only orphans but also HIV/AIDS affected children, children with disabilities and children who are the main providers for their households. For all children, TOCI aims to teach them the skills to sustain themselves through income generating activities and technical training. There is also a focus on bridging the gap between parents and disabled children and they have been quite successful in this area. Before TOCI started, disabled children were often abused, isolated and feared. After working with parents, the children became more accepted and part of the family. They were being fed regularly and included in family activities. These children are also taught skills to help them become successful in life. TOCI, as the organization is called, is currently supports the children through donations of school supplies and basic needs, implementing a (seemingly) sustainable animal rearing project, medical supplies and treatments, and actually the list can get quite long. The organization is currently funded by donations. A few generous individuals were generous enough to help donate a little over $100 a month for the next year. This happens to cover their administrative costs (barely). The rest of the money comes from the community and the volunteers who founded the organization (my supervisor and counterpart). Work done by the organization is based primarily on the volunteered time of its members. --if anyone wants to donate, and every little bit helps! let me know. From my first week here, the following became apparent to me: 1. TOCI is spending much more money than they are brining in. One of the first tasks we will need to do is to determine a possible source of income. At this time, we are examining multiple leads in income generating activities. 2. The paperwork, although there, is unorganized. Once the paperwork is reorganized, we will be able to determine budgets for the upcoming year, figure out their assets and liabilities, etc. 3. The organization is spread way too thin. They are trying to do many more projects and assistance than they are currently capable of. TOCI will need to prioritize and determine where to use their resources. This may mean cutting back on existing projects and a temporary halt on any new projects. 4. There is a need to determine and create a clear outline of the organization's vision and mission. As they have grown over the past year or two, they have expanded and have gotten sidetracked from their path. -So basically, we're doing to be focused first on getting up organization self-sustaining before continuing its outreach assistance programs. Beyond the above listed, some other things that the organization needs is a motocycle (~$500) for transportation and outreach, and a computer. If anyone has a used laptop they are planning to get rid of, please consider donating it to us! If not, a cheap netbook is about $260. Donations are welcome! As soon as I can, I hope to list some crafts that are made by the children and villages here that may interest you guys. They'll make great gifts! *wink* The website for the organization (and still a work in progress) is www.twerwaneho.wordpress.com. There's actually quite a lot to do at this organization and I'm very happy to be here. I do feel like I can actually contribute =). However, I will admit, it will be necessary for me to establish boundaries with my counterpart and supervisor lest I burn out because they are so eager to do so much so soon. H O U S E My house is a single room with a bathroom (shower and porcelain toilet that doesn't work unless I manually flush cause there's no running water inside) and a small hallway where I have my cooking set up. I live adjacent to another family (my landlady). There's a nice driveway from the main road to the house. Very pretty, makes me feel like I'm living on a farm. The family also raises cows here. There's still work to be done on my place (closets, mosquito screens, etc.) but it's not bad. I've installed some stuff already and I do have electricity. Hooray! E T C Also, sorry for the lack of information. The area I'm in (called Karago) has absolutely TERRIBLE phone and internet reception. As town is not that far away, I will try to get into town once a week to use the internet. But town is wallet killer so we'll see...
Naka's currently in the process of losing her teeth. So I asked Jaja if they had tooth fairies here. Apparently, they have rat presents instead. You put the tooth in a hole and a rat will come take it and leave you a present...I think I like the happier American version.
So remember how I wrote about cooking? Well I had actually separated the meat from the bones and left the bones. Jaja was like oh! you didn't use the bones. So the next morning (today), she cooked the bones...without washing them. There were ants ALL over the bones. So she dumps the matooke in there and cooks it all together. Finished product included visible dead ants. Terrible.
Update!
So Female Jaja didn't make it home for dinner either....and Male Jaja told me I had to cook the meat or it would go bad. Obviously, it doesn't occur to the male centric culture that they could possibly cook. Especially if they know I can't/suck at it. Anyhow, so once again, I touched the meat. This time, I pulled out of the knives I brought from home. WOW what a difference it makes! Regardless, I gave up on the soy sauce. I just used salt. Naka seemed to really like it. That's good, cause whenever I cook, I end up not wanting to eat anything I make. Hmm...maybe I should consider this my weight loss method. Cook, see my food, and not be hungry but still able to feed others =). And unfortunately, my luck ran out again today. The water stopped coming! I don't know if it means the pump broke or the well is out of water or what. All I know is that meant I had to take a bucket bath, no more toilet tonight, and no more washing hands from a sink =(. O well, best wishes for tomorrow!
Okay. That is a raunchy title. And no, the post is absolutely not what you're thinking. I just couldn't resist the title =).
As many of you know are familiar with me know, I abhor touching raw meat with my bare hands although I have no problems eating meat (sorry!). I'm one of those retards that either gets someone else to handle the meat or I'll have gloves on or use another utensil to avoid direct contact. Anyhow, today, Female Jaja decides to go to Kampala to visit her sister. She tells me around 10am, "oh, you'll have to cook lunch". !!! I'm sure most of you know I don't exactly cook either…and the last post about cooking was about a sigiri I lit on fire trying to cook eggs -____--. So my brain starts running in a million different directions thinking about what I could cook them, if they had food in the house, or if maybe I should just go out and buy food and bring it back (which would cost way too much). Well, I saw that they had some left over matooke and Male Jaja said he would bring meat so I decided to make a matooke burrito for them. I intended to just get some fries in town but of course they were not cooking yet (people eat lunch between 1-2pm at the earliest it seems and dinner between 8-10pm). So I come back with chapatis as my tortilla. And saw the meat. BLEH. It's a couple HUGE chunks. After staring at it for about 5 minutes, I acknowledge with a reluctant sigh that yes, it needs to be cut…and yes, I will have to do the cutting… SIGH. Naka brings me a dull knife and slowly initial contact is made. O-M-G raw meat feeeeeeeeels soooooo DISGUSTING! Squishy and slimy and still with tons of fat on it, too bad you couldn't have seen my face. I'm sure you would have laughed your ass off at me. Mama, I'm sure you're proud--I've finally touched raw meat. Anyhow, back to it. So I somehow manage to slice into smaller pieces (very difficult1) and decided to try to marinate it as I had no idea how to cook meat as I usually avoid cooking meat altogether. I dumped some soy sauce in the pot, some sugar, and some onion because I didn't have garlic and let it sit for about 30 min. In the meantime, while waiting, I realized that the matooke I had seen was the bottom burnt pieces and not really all that much. So I added some water, got as much of the unburned parts as possible, warmed it up over the sigiri and mashed it up. Turns out, it's only enough matooke for one burrito. Not that it mattered anyways, as Male Jaja disappeared (he came back later at 4pm to eat ) and Female Jaja took Masa with her so it was just Naka and I. So Naka got a matooke burrito! Ingredients: left over matooke recooked, chapati, and some slices of raw tomato. LOL And then the meat was cooked. Naka said she liked it. I thought it tasted exactly like soy sauce…so I tried sprinkling some sugar on it. Which now in hindsight, seems stupid after I've already cooked the meat. Anyhow…results: mixed. I think food looks terrible, I don't know about the taste as I didn't eat it besides trying a bite of meat. Naka ate all of it and said she liked it (I'm not sure if she ate all of it just because I gave it to her…), and finally, when Male Jaja came home, he ate just a piece or two max of the meat. Awwww man. I really need to work on this cooking thing. Maybe after I find my stove as I've seem to have lost it. Sigiri cooking is not a great method for me unfortunately. Oh, and my hands still stink of meat. I've washed my hands about 6 times now with soap and it's no use. I have meaty hands =(.
https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/?ui=2&ik=432f6289a6&view=att&th=13301d02e500c9cb&attid=0.1&disp=thd&zw
I'm not sure if the link will work. If it doesn't let me know! I'm wearing the most traditional outfit of them all...only old people wear these here! LOL but I like it. and it was a gift from my host family...and I had packed my other dress away. O! In the 3 days I've been away from my host family, they managed to get the running water working! So now I can take hot showers =)
Updates!
Losing a site sucks but I can flow with that. After all, I signed up to go to Africa =). So I do not have a site yet. They are still working on it but I will most likely not be placed in the same language area. The reason I had to change sites was because one of my language trainers who also happens to live in my region called me a couple times and some inappropriate questions were asked. I have been asked to move back to my homestay family until they find me a site. Unfortunately, my homestay family isn't too keen on having Charizard there for another 2 weeks and have asked if I could keep her elsewhere. Lucky for me, Tomas is a lifesaver and has agreed to take care of her during the time it takes for me to locate a new site. This makes me really sad that I can't be with her during this critical growing period of her life, but she's in great hands! In the meantime, I may be a sitting duck in Wakiso twiddling my thumbs. We'll see... I have high hopes for my new site and some awws to be had. My previous site was a direct shoot by bus and I was actually in town. The chances of this being the case again for the new site are not likely and transportation in Uganda is TERRIBLE so that's a bummer. I had a great house in Arua too--electricity, toilet, running water, etc. Hopefully, my new place will have AT LEAST a toilet or porcelain pit latrine. I can live without running water (although that sucks!) and I would like electricity but that's not a necessity either. I'll keep my fingers crossed!
Well my world got turned upside down today.
Today we're supposed to swear in, which is super exciting as we have been working towards this for the last 2 months. However, I also learned today that I will no longer be moving to Arua. There was a situation that I had to file an incidence report and they decided it was unsafe and have pulled me from the region. So I get to learn a new language and move to a new area. I'm of two minds about this. On one hand, I'm like shit happens, move with the flow and I get to learn another language! I scored intermediate-mid of Lugbarra fluency by the way =). On the other hand...I really liked my organization! I liked the values they had and the work I was going to do. And the fact that it was in town =) I really was looking forward to working with them and had set up some goals and a skeleton of a strategic plan that included creating a sustainable market cycle between the nearby areas/districts. Oh well...guess I'll get to do that over again. So as of now, they said that they will notify me later tonight about what is going to happen while I wait for them to locate me a new site. And in the mean time, I need to figure out what to do with Char! She's being picked up as I write this and will be brought to me. I hope I can keep her with me! I'll keep you posted!
So today was shopping day--ie. the day we go to the capital to go shopping for site.
I left the house this morning at 7:10am. I have somehow become the dog lady...usually there's one dog following me around. Today there were two. Bert (another neighborhood dog) and his friend. So they follow me all the way to town. After we cross the street, other dog gets chased by random dog and Bert barely misses getting hit by a van. We (Tomas and I) can't catch a taxi near the road so we head to the taxi park. There, we saw everyone else (other "muzungus" white people =) ) and decide to get a taxi together. Somehow we end up paying 3000 shillings for a trip that should have cost us at most 2000 shillings because of their bargaining. Anyhow, so we're finally on our way...and we hit traffic. Then we hit another taxi but of course we just keep driving after waving at the other taxi driver. Finally, we made it to our destination--Garden City. We shop shop shop and had korean food!!!!! And then I bought out the noodle and sauce section at the Chinese supermarket =). The preserved vegetables were all expired =( too bad! I wanted some lotus roots and bamboo shoots. Anyhow, back home now. Super tired, hence this terribly written post. And power's off again x[p. PS. Im sorry to hear about Bacchus. She was a great cat. TTYL!
Hello!
OMG. I got a puppy! Female, about 4-5 weeks. Funny story actually. I wasn't planning to get a puppy for another two weeks but then Charizard appeared. As I was walking home earlier this week, I spotted a litter of puppies playing with their parents. I played with them and spoke to the owners and they offered me one. Originally, I had planned on waiting but it turns out the puppy I was waiting for at my site fell through. So I talked to my current host family, talked to my ride up to my site, talked to my supervisors and everything was cleared. So Charizard came home. I have done a lot of research on potty training, crate training, feeding, etc. and done all the lists of things I have to buy and do and what not but it's definitely one thing to research and plan it out and a whole other thing to have Charizard here. I was so nervous about it! Fortunately, Tomas (fellow trainee) is a life saver and managed to calm me down and we got everything settled, ready, and Charizard is lying next to me comfortable and happy. I'm nervous I'm not prepared enough...but I figure no one ever feels 100% prepared for their first kid (essentially, this is what my puppy is LOL). Anyhow, I will keep you updated and hopefully post pics soon. In the mean time...I will take all dog/puppy raising tips I can get. So write on! PS. Feel free to send me dog treats/toys etc. The selection in Uganda is supremely limited. Cheers, Tiff
So…it's been a crazy week!
We had tech immersion this week and I was sent to Kyrumba, which is a small village 1-1.5 hours from Kasese (which is 1 hour from Ft. Portal, which is a huge town). So here's the low down… -went to Kasese via link/charter bus which was filled with over 50 chirping chicks -after arriving in Kasese, had to hail a taxi to shove the 10 of us in a 7 (minus the driver) seater car. -after 1-1.5 hours on a bumpy road being squished through potholes and mud and the driver stopping every 10 minutes to check his water level, we arrive in Kyrumba -we meet the town drunk -our new accommodations have no electricity, cold water only, and features 4 beds per room -Kyrumba is BEAUTIFUL!!! check out some of the pictures I posted on www.tibbyme.tumblr.com -2 days of learning about the organization there -- Bukonzo Co-op (they do coffee…www.bukonzocoop.com), hiking the steep hills, and meeting people -we decide to move back to Kasese for night 3 -ride back was a tight squeeze as I sat with one butt cheek on plastic cup holders and the other butt cheek on chair -got back early to take a shower… -got stuck in the shower. had to bang and yell and more pounding for 15 minutes for some local ugandan lady to come and ask me if I was stuck. -found a bed bug in my bed and then some other bugs -got scared so I only got an hour of sleep -woke up at 4:30am to get on the bus back -got back to Kampala and had a good time eating sandwiches, coffee, etc. -back to Wakiso The org was fabulous! Best trip I've had during training BY FAR. Learned a ton and it was really motivating =) Today…I saw a puppy! That just happened to be female and about 4 weeks old. Maybe… Also, what else did I learn? Apparently, when we teach Ugandans about safe sex, we should make sure they actually understand. Here's what one of our health groups said today during processing today: They teach Ugandans how to put on condoms using a banana. Ie. slide the condom on the banana. The Ugandans learn and can correctly put on a condom. Then girl gets preggers. Why? Because the man thought safe sex meant putting the condom on the banana. So he put the condom on the banana correctly and then put the banana on his night stand and slept with the girl without the condom because condoms go on bananas. Nice. -___- Okay! Anyhow, not my best post but will have to do for now. Cheers! Tiff
I went to the market today and bought water and they gave me 2 bags of instant noodles which came in super handy!
Apparently, my jaja wasn't feeling well so I was like how about I cook for you. So I made 2 bags of instant noodles. Then, I decided...eggs would be awesome with instant noodles! So as I was preparing a new pan for eggs, somehow I caught my sigiri and eventually the pan on fire. I have no idea how that happened -__--- there was nothing in the pot! Anyhow, ends up jaja cooking the eggs and putting out the fire. I did manage to make toast too! So that's my story of the day. And new lesson learned: charcoal catches on fire!
So...I had the best weekend everrrrr~ (in Uganda).
I had Asian food!!!!!! We had met a lovely Japanese JICA volunteer named Miko and she invited Mami (a private Japanese businesswoman), me and Tomas to go have her home made japanese food. Actually, it was more like a japanese cooking lesson. But it was asian and good! We made okonomiyaki, oyakodon, tsukemono, and avocado sushi. Can you say YUMMMMMMY?! Ahh...it was sooooo nice! We talked all about Korea, Japan and China and alll the wonderful food we've had before..and to top it all off, I had fabulous chocolate milk and delicious eggs for breakfast. Apparently, there's a Korean restaurant in Kampala I need to check out and a Chinese supermarket that has EVERYTHING (almost). Ohh...AND Miko had a scale! I plan to buy one before site =). I weighed in at 127. Woot~ Today...I gave my host family a solar lamp as a gift for hosting me. They were ECSTATIC! I think that was the most excited and happy I have ever seen anyone react to me giving them a gift. Made me feel Oh So Good! =) They really needed a solar lamp too...they've been using crappy battery operated flashlights. And I did a good deed yesterday! I was walking in the rain (to Miko's house) and I saw a local Ugandan girl who was on her way to church. I decided to walk/talk with her and shelter her from the rain. LOL Have funnnnnnnnnnn folks~ Tiff
What a crazy weeek!
So site visit was interesting! And we went to the US embassy for a 50th anniversary party for peace corps! Okay, site visit first… I am working with ACORD (Arua Rural Community Development)--yes, I know it doesn't quite spell ACORD but they pronounce the org as that. There was some problems in the beginning because apparently they are my second site. My first one fell through but no one updated the contact info so I had contact info for other people that were not my supervisor or counterpart. But it all worked out in the end. =) ACORD is a community based organization that is headquartered in Arua but works in the Arua and Maracha Districts--more specifically, the most rural county of Maracha and Arua, Tara. Including me, there are 7 full time staff (4 men, 3 women) and some other sort of staffs located around the districts. The office is a rented room from the local red cross and the size of a closet =). I will be mostly working with the women's groups, 27 to be exact in Tara county (which is 1.5 hours ish away by car -_______-- think bumpy/terrible roads, mud and flooding, etc). My job is to help the women's organizations develop sustainable and replicable income generating activities (IGA) based on the activities they are currently doing, which is awesome! What's not so awesome is that most of those women work around subsistence agriculture and uh…I don't know anything about agriculture, but I'm excited to learn and work with others who do) and also, Tara county is so rural I have no idea how I'm going to get there to integrate with the community as I have not seen taxis go there and I'm not allowed on boda bodas (motorbike). We'll see how it goes. About housing…I have a TINY place but it's definitely better than I was expecting at first. I have 2 rooms total and the bathroom is in the 2nd room making it a even smaller room. I do have a toilet and shower but the drainage system looks like it could be an issue. There's a small little porch(?) area outside as well. It's about 3 feet wide. And then the community latrines are right outside my door. Those are for my neighbors, I do have a couple of them. So…when I first saw my house, I was excited about it. I was like nice! 1 bedroom and a living room and a toilet and shower! Than…I heard others got 2 bedrooms and a sitting room and I was like poo! But then I realized that it was better than I had been expecting so I'm okay with it. I'll make it work. They even teased me with the possibility of moving me to a bigger house if I shared with Betty (another volunteer) and I was all excited cause it was BIG! and had a stove and a fridge and an oven! Oh wells…. About everyone else in my group? George is at St. Josephs Arua with a nice gig, I forget what. Marcy is working with Arua Hospital as a nurse teacher. Laura is at Kuluva Hospital as a nurse teacher. Brady is now the new director of the St. Josephs Maracha hospital--he was only supposed to assist with the hospital but somehow because of someone quitting somewhere he ended up with no counterpart and is now the new director in charge of the future health program of the largest hospital in Maracha District and responsible for a ton of stuff. And Tom is working with NACOLA, a women's group. Oh Ho! On the way back from Arua, I saw...elephants, baboons, antelope, etc. And it HAILED....in Uganda. Crazy. And poured, and flooded. It was like a river of mud gushing from the hills. Crazy. Anyhow, for any of you with whom I have considered doing muddy buddy with...there is no way I ever want to see or touch mud after these next 2 years. I will have had enough mud to last a lifetime. Sorry! Moving on…today we went to the US Embassy! OMG… Can I say Air Conditioning? and ICE! It was amazing--like I just stepped back home for a minute (which technically I did as the embassy is considered US soil). The buildings, the toilets, everything felt like home. It was soooooooooooo nice! The food was amazing, and we danced and ate and drank and it was great! And now I'm home…one more day of school then I can do laundry. Can't wait. My family did do some laundry while I was gone (nice of them!) but my 3 articles of clothing now smell like raw meat and had a bug on it. So I'm definitely rewashing! Okay. That's it for now folks. Cheers, Tiff
Tiffany Tai
PO Box 933 Arua, Uganda Please use the same instructions for mailing as before. Be sure to write "par avion" on the package and whenever possible, please put jesus stickers and or bible quotes on the package. It is more likely to arrive intact that way. Thanks! Tiff
Why hello everybody!
I know it's been awhile but...1. I needed to gather info to talk about and 2. my internet does not seem to want to work in the West Nile region. So here's the low down~ Tiffany is now (*subject to be changed) Project Advisor for the Arua Organization for Rural Community Development (somehow it becomes ACORD). -the organization apparently works with red pepper farmers (co-op?), other agriculture projects, and education. All this I got from a third party source as both my counterpart and supervisor apparently live and work in another major city more than 5 hours away by bus... --anyhow, I'm still not 100% positive who my counterpart is now or where I will be staying except that it should be in Arua. ---I know nothing about agriculture!!! =( I thought pineapples grew on trees. Apparently, they grow from the ground. And there are no coconuts in Uganda. And strawberries spread across the ground. Yata yata yata...you get the point. I don't know agriculture. Unfortunately, I don't have a green thumb either...I killed the poor orchid Jon gave me in a week even though I followed mom's instructions of care (sorry Jon!). But I am excited to be working with farmers on co-ops (and getting red peppers!) and I have ideas in mind for the education aspect and hopefully can introduce some marketing concepts among other things. Also, one of the women in my group has work that's given me plenty of ideas...and the women in town have given me plenty of ideas. So about Arua... 1. Arua= prison? Apparently, Arua hill used to be a place to keep prisoners or something like that 2. ...it's beautiful! 3. There's electricity (sometimes), running water, a golf course, and a HUGE marketplace where I can get a ton of stuff. 4. certain streets here make me feel like I'm walking around an American town 5. I met a Chinese lady who runs a grocery store here. But I don't think she'll give me any discounts =( Damn Chinese and their money... And on the way up to Arua... 1. I saw elephants!!!!! 2. I saw huts! 3. There was an amazing set of rapids, a waterfall, the Nile river, etc 4. Let's just say public toilets are uhh...really public and not so sanitary 5. The terrain changes so many times! From plains to rolling hills to brush etc (and all currently green thanks to rainy season) 6. oh, and it's a 7.5 hour bus ride from the capital to Arua So today, I got a new name! I went to the bus station to buy a bus ticket home. As I write down my name for the ticket and greet the guy. He says to me, "I give you a new name, Lugbarra name. Ayikoru. Means happy." LOL, so I am now Ayikoru. Cool! Earlier in the day...as we were walking to town, I saw bow and arrows! Here's the conversation: Me: What are the bow and arrows for? Vendor: To shoot birds, animals, and thieves in the night. Me: To thieves in the night? Like security? Vendor: Yes, intruders. Me: -___- Great, so security in Arua are bow and arrows and dogs (and the occasional night guard) Brady: And machetes! Laura: Ya, we saw lots of machetes in the market. Soooooo... that has been the last couple of days. Tomorrow I should hopefully meet with my counterpart and figure everything else out. We'll be here until Tuesday and head back to Wakiso on Wednesday. Embassy party on Thursday and more training. Thanks for staying tuned! Tiff -- Tiffany Tai www.caldigit.com www.tibbyme.tumblr.com
I think I'm better off not looking at the food I eat/have prepared for me…
There are flies all around…red stuff in the eggs, a spider crawling around the watermelon…'nuff said. JUst eat it. don't look and I'll be happier. So yesterday we went to check out this farm. It's supposed to a high tech farm in Uganda. What it REALLY means…is that they: 1. Sort their crops on tarps and not on soil 2. Practice composting 3. Try to grow organically…everything is grown together rather than in separate fields 4. They have animals too 5. They utilize some newer techniques 6. They have more than an acre or two of land. What did I get away from the session? 1. I can be a advanced farmer if I learn to sort my crops and make use of shared space farming 2. Every plant is useful, I just have to open my mind to the possibilities 3. They are not making the most use of their land (mostly due to lack of funding) and not maximizing their potential in selling their yields (both crops and animals) 4. I have now seen a pig castrated and a dog eat said pig's scrotum -___--. AND I have the neuter on video if anyone's interested (I shot it while looking away) 5. Farming's not my thing…I don't think I have a green thumb anyways (hence my poor orchid died in a week--my bad). The farm we went to is really cool though. They're doing things that are advanced for Ugandan society and I do see a lot of potential. They spend a lot of time training people from all over Africa about better farming techniques for sustainability and quality. They have a bunch of programs to better agriculture in Uganda. You can check out their website at www.kulika.org. Moving on…as some of you may know, I'm interested in getting a dog here (and taking it home)! I've looked up a bunch of stuff regarding how to take a dog home and how I will take care of one here. I've also spoken to a bunch of people that have pets here. It's not a light matter and it is a ton of responsibility but I am willing! I'm currently debating between a male/female and would love advice on whether I should get a male or a female. Right now, I'm leaning more towards a female. I will be meeting vets next week in my region to pick a good vet and I'll probably go look at some puppies if I can. If not, puppies will have to wait until Oct. I currently also REALLY like the name Charizard (Char for short)…but I do feel like I should have a Ugandan name. LOL. We'll see…. hmm.. I don't really have much to update. I'll go back to watching my host sisters exclaim (very loudly and excitedly) over the game of snake on my cell phone they're playing with. O, btw…did I mention the era Ugandan things are in? Dollies are so in here! My house's electric iron looks like it came out of the 60s. Backstreet Boys and Mariah Carey (when she was skinny!) are super popular. So is R Kelly and News Kids on the Block. Everything's pretty old school looking here. It's kind of cool and kind of weird. At least, I'll be able to relive my boyband years all over again =). I really liked the era of BSB and NSYNC and Britney etc.--I like the choreographed group dancing =)
Weather in Uganda currently:
When it rains, it's SUPER muddy. When it's dry, the dirt is cracked. Average temp over the last couple days? About low to mid 70s. MUHAHAHAHAHAH.....It's hotter in California than it is in Africa! So here is some Uganglish I found funny: Pants = underwear Hotel = restaurant Mariah (pronounced malayah) = prostitute Chai = coffee or tea. Usually tea and no it's not chai tea. Rolex = rolled egg. say rolled eggs fast and it sounds like rolex. Also, if you ask for an egg roll, they literally roll an egg and give it to you. And funny/annoying things in Lugbarra (my dialect): 1. e'fu is pronounced F-U and means morning. 2. like chinese, lugbarra is a tonal language. So I can say ti ti and mean the cow hanged itself. there are a ton of tongue twisters... 3. mi = you, ma = me 4. to tell time: 7am = 1, 8 am = 2, etc. then... 7pm = 1, 8pm= 2, etc. -___-- Oh! what time is it? It's 2 (8 am/pm). On a side note... As I was walking down the street, some local girls started asking me questions. Religion, of course being the main topic. Local girl: "TIffany, did you know that the bible says it is wrong for men to wear women's clothing and for women to wear mens clothing?" Me: "Does it say that? I don't recall anything in the bible saying women can't wear pants or men skirts." Local girl: "Yes it does. I will show you the verse." Me: "Please do." Local girl: "Women who wear trousers are prostitutes." Me: "I've seen many local women wear trousers." Local girl: "At night?" Me: "No, during the day." -she didn't really respond after that. Finally...I GOT SOY SAUCE!
okay….
ugandan tv is…uh interesting? Most drama shows seem to feature about 3 not great actors (usually 2 girls and a guy) in one room and the whole story happens in that room in luganda (which i don't understand so I can't tell you about what's going on). Then there's news, which can be quite graphic and of course the Spanish novellas. Wait what? Yes, Spanish novellas. But wait! There's a twist. It's a Spanish soap opera featuring a Spanish title but the actors (who are terrible- worse than Kristen Stewart) speak in English. But that's not the worse part…there's a male voice over in luganda that is sometimes on top of the English, sometimes behind it and sometimes in front of it. And of course, the male voice is monotone for every line of the script, whether male/female, happy/sad/angry, etc. And he's loud -__-. Bottom lime…I've given up on Ugandan tv. Not that I'm much of a tv lover to begin with. But I did see an interesting ad on tv tonight while waiting for dinner (which was french fries and a scrambled egg courtesy of the family as they know I don't eat matooke). Here's the ad: "Raising voices--because a violence free childhood is every child's right." I'd love to hear your thoughts on the above ad/quote. -And yes, child abuse/domestic violence (and even more animal abuse) happens here. But there are TONS of organizations working on fixing these issues. Moving on… Yesterday, I went to a Japanese orphanage here in Wakiso. FYI, most organizations here are based on foreign funding and will fail without it. Somehow, it seems like it hasn't occurred to them to actually try to become financially sustainable? Anyways, I've posted a picture of some paper beads the orphanage is making to help raise a tiny bit of funds. They cost about $10 and are made by the workers/kids of the orphanage. These bead necklaces are common here and if you are interested in ones that are cheaper and don't help the children, I'd be happy to find some for you too. Let me know! Picture of the beads is on tibbyme.tumblr.com. Today, we checked out a restaurant owned by a local female. The restaurant was started by her mother 25 years ago. Uganda has a high rate of startups and failures in businesses so we went to the community to talk to them to figure out the motivation behind the businesses and how the business is run. So apparently, as a single mother, the only option you have to make money is to own a business. However, owning a business appears to be a last resort? At least, that's what the staff made it sound like. So for this particular business, which sells traditional food, they were one of the first restaurant (if not the first) in that particular location so they managed to develop a loyal customer base. I did ask whether they ever do any type of advertising or marketing or anything to attract new customers. Answer: no. Has it ever occurred for them to? Answer: no. Okay, record keeping? She (the owner), like many Ugandans, keep the figures in her head. Nothing is ever written down. However, she did know the exact number of plates she sold today as of the exact time I asked her (69 plates). Cool? So…lessons learned from today's business training session: 1. Ugandans love to copy and paste. Ex: that business works, lets move across the street and make the exact replica. Obviously, their in business, they must be making money so I will too. 2. Feel free to take any knowledge you learn and make your own shop. Who cares if you steal someone else's recipes and use them for yourself. 3. Ugandans are afraid of change…hence copy and paste. 4. In the area I am to be posted, most likely the people have yet to learn algebra and have limited reading skills. 5. Everyone wants to start a business but no one thinks the idea out thoroughly. There may be 8 people who want to open the same thing in the same place at once. Or the ideas aren't feasible or sustainable. 6. I have ALOT of work cut out for me. Fun stuff! Other facts I've learned about Uganda: 1. I live in a petri dish. Seriously, everything's here…Everything. And everything grows here. 2. For a place that can pretty much grow anything, they have seriously bland food. They have avocados, tomatoes, and tons of other veggies but it has never occurred for them to mix stuff together to make new foods instead of eating everything separately. So salads are an introduced item. And for a place that produces a ridiculous amount of bananas and pineapples, I have not seen any dried fruit… 3. If you figure out where Peace Corps or other foreigners live (not in Kampala), you can make a killing selling them American food/items. Seriously, in Wakiso, where I am right now, all someone has to do is rent out a store 2x a year (when the volunteers come in) and sell non Ugandan items and they'll make a ton (in Ugandan standards). 4. Don't touch the water. Seriously, you'll most likely get shiest if you touch any lake water. However, it doesn't mean you shouldn't go water rafting on the Nile. Apparently, that's worth it. You can self treat afterwards anyways. There's no need for prescriptions in Uganda. Everything's over the counter. 5. Oranges here are green! Try explaining to someone why oranges are called oranges =) 6. Greetings are VERY important. They can determine whether someone will help you if you ever need help. 7. If someone calls you fat here, it's a compliment. Following that line of thought, skinny is an insult! 8. Don't talk about homosexuality. 9. Prepared to be asked a million times about your religion by everyone. 10. Now I know how famous people feel when they have fans all over the place. Little children LOVE to yell and wave and jump up and down when they see foreigners. They usually say "see you muzungu (white person)" or "how are you china". I do get tired of waving at every single kid though… Finally…I think I'm broke (unless I change money or wait until next week when I get allowance). I spent my funds on…Head and Shoulders Shampoo! Cost me 15000 Shillings!!! (divide by 2701 to get USD) But totally worth it over some generic brand here. I should still have enough money to get a coke or a chapati or other small snack (like popcorn). If not, well…hello friend! Thank you for sharing =). (Don't worry, I'll share back too…) And that's all folks! For now…. -and I did post some pictures today (www.tibbyme.tumblr.com). It cost me $2-3 to post those pictures! That's how much uploading kills my air time. I'm going to have to find a better method to post pictures.
at least it took this long for them to bite me!
and from my group....George says hello! O, and im eating way too much potatoes and bread/rice. i eat: breakfast: egg, bread, tea, banana, maybe a bite of cookie or energy bar tea time: samosas lunch: rice, beans, veges, meat, fruit snack: potatoes or chapati (thick tortilla) dinner: rice, veges, meat (lately), theres also another tea time in there but i usually dont eat that... here's a picture of matooke (steamed banannas): matooke and rice posho: posho and chapati: chapati
2 observations:
1. I have been eating a ridiculous amount of starch. I need to watch my diet 2. my computers getting slow…start up is taking much longer than it used to. Today, we went to the market. I learned a couple new vocab words.The locals were delighted when they saw that I had purchased a pineapple. So as I walk home with a pineapple, I hear "muzungu/china nanas!" (white person/chinese pineapple). And so I replied to their laughter, "njagala nanas!" (i like pineapples). There also happened to be someone playing American country at the market place. So of course I had to sing along…= laughter abound. what is a typical day during PST? -wake up at 7 -breakfast and walk to school, arriving at 8 -8-5 is class with 1 tea break (which serves food) and a lunch break -after school, hang out with friends at the bar or another gathering spot until just before sunset (around 630) -arrive at home at 7. optional tea time (they serve it but im excused from eating/drinking if I don't want to) -dinner between 8-830. I am usually served rice (omuchere), cabbage/vegetables (enboga/nakati) and lately I have been getting some meat, which is great. -bucket bath at 9 and then bed whenever I decide to sleep. I get to go to immersion for language in my region in 2 weeks so that'll be exciting. on a side note….someone please help me think of tips to stay awake! As I'm sure many of you know…I'm terrible at staying awake during lessons/lectures/anything that requires a lot of other people talking and me listening with no interaction. I have tried 1) counting tiles 2) doodling 3) sitting up front 4) paying attention and nothing seems to work! Everytime, I end up dozing for a couple minutes. It sucks! And everyone seems to think it's because I'm on medication or something. So por favor… lol please help me think of ideas to stay awake. -I have no coffee here. It's either too weak or nonexistent so that's of no help. okay. that's all the down low for now. I did get a chance to use a swimming pool today which was nice but pricey (we were charged muzungu pricing). Cheers, Tiff
please send to me here:
Sister Tiffany Tai-PCT PO BOX 29348 Kampala, Uganda my chances of receiving the package completely intact are better if you put pictures of jesus on the package and bible quotes.* *no one wants to cut through jesus' face to get to the items. they're very religious here....
Today we did an exercise on life cycles…basically a chart that shows who we are with words. So I started out with three regions to my name…
ASIA Tiffany USA AFRICA After doing the associations and creating a more detailed chart of my life, I realized that everything I have done has been connected and led to this. And I feel that as I continue on in life, everything will stay connected. Ie. My family came from Asia to the US. Growing up in the US, I picked up Chinese and Spanish (reading mostly). I returned to Asia to study. From there, I made amazing new friends and connections. Coming home, family and my experience in Asia helped me land a job. During that job, I worked with our Asia office as well as customers all over the world including Africa. Applying for Peace Corps, it was those job duties and past experiences in other countries and languages that gave me the qualifications to become a Peace Corps volunteer. Those qualifications led to placement in Africa. After service, I will return to the US, likely find a job/go back to school relating to something I found of interest here and eventually make my way back to Asia as well. Geez. Anyhow, I finally borrowed a charger to charge my laptop. Tomorrow, hopefully I can hit the Apple store in Kampala (or someone will go for me) to get a most likely over priced Apple charger for my laptop. And I have an field training tomorrow =) so I'll be out trying something new (PACA). If you want to send me packages….please do! Talk to Jon, James or my Mom. I want food items! Haha, and t-shirts or skirts (below the knee) I guess. I hear old navy has some good yoga skirts *wink* Onwards, language training is good, although it's frustrating that meanings keep changing…I should have an immersion week and site visit in a couple weeks which will help. quick answers: 1. host family is great. american names are common 2. weather has been rainy (rainy season) on and off but relatively nice. not too hot or cold 3. primary food...matooke (steamed and nutrientless bananas, rice, potatoes, cassava (starch), pocho (starch), beans...so basically starch! 4. yes i plan to get a dog... 5. currently with other volunteers at training. after a couple more weeks, we will separate to site which may then be either one or two of us by ourselves or possibly with others. they're still deciding. And I will try to upload pics! ale emi saaru (i love you all! - i think that's how you write it…the pronouns lose me occasionally) Cheers, Tiff
Mi ngoni! (hello- this time in lugbarra, the language I'll be learning)
I'm now at my homestay family who I call jaja (grandparent) and their three grandchildren- masa, nakabundascovia, and Stellah. I have a toliet, shower and sink! But no running water :(. Lol so they built a well and are working on getting all the pipes connected. In the mean time, there's a pit latrine outside ( or my night bucket inside) and basin showers using my hand. Electricity is sporadic but I have it! They even have tile floors! I'm so happppppppy to be here and not on dirt floors surrounded by animals like others are. Lol. I'll be here for 3 months :) and I've fully recovered. :) :) So far, ive learned how to wash dishes and get water from the well. O...and their pit latrine hole is the size of a brick :(. Better aim well... Double o! Airline Brussels stole my laptop charger!! They told me at the gate that I had to check my backpack cause the plane was "full" And when I got it back, the charger was gone. Good thing I took everything else valuable out of there. But shout out to flight attendant Carlos who gave the best service I've had on a flight in 5 years. Internet? Not really. I got a sim card that works the Internet on my phone. Anyhow, sorry this post is so unorganized. It's hard to type on a phone. I'll try and upload pics to tibbyme.tumblr.com. Wish me luck on the night bucket tonight! Cheers, Tiff Sent from my iPhone On Aug 9, 2011, at 9:18 PM, Tiffany Tai wrote: Well hello there! Nsanyuse okukulaba (it's nice to see you!) It's been a coupe days and I'm happy to say...I've made it to Uganda! We left Philly on the 3rd and arrived here on the 4th. Thank you to everyone who wished me a happy birthday :) it was very memorable birthday! My training group sang me happy birthday at the airport. Everyone stared... =) We arrived in Luganda thursday night and are currently staying in banana village. This little resort (I guess it's a resort?) is quaint and great. It's got monkeys, horses, cats, dogs, and a rooster that wont shut up. So far, the weather has been a constant and extremely nice. But that may be just this little area im in as it seems to have a micro climate. LOl. So far...I've met 45 other people and have had my intro interviews, started survival Luganda language lessons, and have been in lectures from 830 am to 7 pm. Anyhow, I now have a phone (cheap to call back to the US!) and data plans arent currently working on my iphone....I'll just have to wait to get a internet modem. We leave this week for homestays for the next 9 weeks before we see our potential site. I will be located in the West Nile region (next to congo and sudan border) and will be learning Lugbara, which has arabic influences. So if anyone has the Rosetta Stone for Arabic, please send it to me! Some facts about my current training group: -16 males and 30 females -ages: 19 between 22-26 years, 12 between 27-32 years, 1 between 33-50 years, and 14 over 50 years old. We have the most diverse group they've had in terms of ages. -there's 5 couples serving together, one of which actually met when they served as volunteers in another country a couple years ago. -Cali is representing! lol. We have the most volunteers with Texas coming in second and than Florida. Moving on, I also met my new country director. A very nice armenian woman. Thank you to the Helmich Family for the Armenian phrases. Not that she won't remember me...I'm the only Asian in my group. Shout out...Hey Alex! there are no starbucks currently in Uganda. Final note...I think I'm on sugar withdrawal =(. I'm definitely not feeling 100%. And I've got the runs... sorry if TMI! But some people here are actually sick! And I have no jet lag. So currently participating in the following: bucket baths pit latrines night poo poo buckets tons of starch (that I've not been eating...) cold showers good news...I have SOME electricity here. and occasionally warm water. Who knows after this week. Alrighty, I'm off. I'll try to update as soon as I can. Cheers, Tiffany
Well hello there!
Nsanyuse okukulaba (it's nice to see you!) It's been a coupe days and I'm happy to say...I've made it to Uganda! We left Philly on the 3rd and arrived here on the 4th. Thank you to everyone who wished me a happy birthday :) it was very memorable birthday! My training group sang me happy birthday at the airport. Everyone stared... =) We arrived in Luganda thursday night and are currently staying in banana village. This little resort (I guess it's a resort?) is quaint and great. It's got monkeys, horses, cats, dogs, and a rooster that wont shut up. So far, the weather has been a constant and extremely nice. But that may be just this little area im in as it seems to have a micro climate. LOl. So far...I've met 45 other people and have had my intro interviews, started survival Luganda language lessons, and have been in lectures from 830 am to 7 pm. Anyhow, I now have a phone (cheap to call back to the US!) and data plans arent currently working on my iphone....I'll just have to wait to get a internet modem. We leave this week for homestays for the next 9 weeks before we see our potential site. I will be located in the West Nile region (next to congo and sudan border) and will be learning Lugbara, which has arabic influences. So if anyone has the Rosetta Stone for Arabic, please send it to me! Some facts about my current training group: -16 males and 30 females -ages: 19 between 22-26 years, 12 between 27-32 years, 1 between 33-50 years, and 14 over 50 years old. We have the most diverse group they've had in terms of ages. -there's 5 couples serving together, one of which actually met when they served as volunteers in another country a couple years ago. -Cali is representing! lol. We have the most volunteers with Texas coming in second and than Florida. Moving on, I also met my new country director. A very nice armenian woman. Thank you to the Helmich Family for the Armenian phrases. Not that she won't remember me...I'm the only Asian in my group. Shout out...Hey Alex! there are no starbucks currently in Uganda. Final note...I think I'm on sugar withdrawal =(. I'm definitely not feeling 100%. And I've got the runs... sorry if TMI! But some people here are actually sick! And I have no jet lag. So currently participating in the following: bucket baths pit latrines night poo poo buckets tons of starch (that I've not been eating...) cold showers good news...I have SOME electricity here. and occasionally warm water. Who knows after this week. Alrighty, I'm off. I'll try to update as soon as I can. Cheers, Tiffany
I flew into Phily for staging which happens today and tomorrow. Mmm...I had my first Philly Cheesesteak! Actually...it was only so so to me. Maybe I should've gone to another place?
Anyways, staging starts at noon and then tomorrow we fly! I'll miss everyone! Thank you to everyone who came out to say goodbye! Also, thank you to the following: Alex Chen and CalDigit (www.caldigit.com): VR mini, cake, card and flowers Pamela (www.bebreathtaking.com): Kindle Amy Dear: Extra battery and dinkie dino Jon: knife (lol) Jie: books Mrs. Z: amazon mom/dad/agon/tsai family! ...and everyone else!
Looking for me?
You can find me at the following locations: present - July 14: Los Angeles July 15 - 19: New York July 20 - 24: San Francisco July 25 - 31: Los Angeles Aug 1 - 3: Philadelphia Aug 3 - 2013*: Uganda *sometime between or after this date I will visit... Israel HK Europe Turkey Morocco Egypt and whatever African country Sarah has been invited to for PC. =)
We all have questions...fortunately, there's a couple of great people to help answer them! I've compiled my answers for you =) So thanks to:
Sara S. Josh Mask Jacque Jennifer Harkins S and others! Q1: Do I need more Passport photos? -Sara S: So far I have only used 2, but it never hurts to have extra so I would bring 3-5. -S: Bring at least 8 passport size pics. You'll need them for Peace Corps stuff and for opening a post office box in town. Q2: Do I need a water purifier/filter? -Sara S.: You don't need a water filter. Peace Corps Medical (PCMO) can give you one if you want or some people use a thing called water guard. It’s kind of like bleach and it kills things in your water. I personally just boil all my water. -Josh M.: Peace corps will provide you with water purification stuff and a solar charger for a lamp (it also charges cellphones) so I wouldn't worry about that. Most people in my group have electricity at site, albeit only for a few hours a day. -Jacque: I brought a steripen with me, and I've used it a few times, so it's definitely handy. Medical gives all of the volunteers this stuff called waterguard for purifying your water too (I haven't tried it yet, but I heard it tastes kind of funky). But like at homestay and during training the staff and your family will boil water for you, so it's all good. -Cormac M.: dont bring a router and dont bring anything for water purification. you really dont need them. Q3: How much money should I bring? -Jacque: I brought $300 and my debit card. USD are pretty much useless here unless you can make it to Kampala or a big city to exchange it (exchange rates are better in kampala) but I've used my debit card a few times now. -Cormac M.: $200-300... I think I brought 250 and it was fine -Josh M.: And save up money (be sure your ATM card is VISA), because you'll wanna travel and see things. -S: Bringing cash is fine, but make sure it's in 50s or 100s AFTER 2004.You'll get a MUCH better exchange rate here. You will need to bring about 50$ for a cellphone if you don’t’ unlock yours before you get to Uganda. Peace Corps requires you to purchase a cell phone, but doesn’t give you the money for it. Q4: Can I ship animals back? I've heard a lot of volunteers have pets. -Sara S.: You can ship dogs back. I think they just need to have all their shots and everything before you ship them back. Right after I got here there was a girl leaving taking two dogs home, in fact. As far as having a pet, for some people, it is a nice companion, but for many, it is just a hindrance when you want to travel. I thought I really wanted to get one, but now I don't think I will. -Josh M.: Not sure about pets, but I think this one volunteer paid around $300-400 to ship her dog back. -Jacque: Yeah quite a few volunteers in my group already have pets! It's pretty common, you just have to feel out your community because in some rural areas people do not think dogs should be pets, and they will throw rocks at them and such. Most of the volunteers that adopt animals over here, take them back home with them. I don't think it costs that much, 50-100$ so it's definitely worth it if you're used to having a pet. Q5: How hot is it really? -Sara S.: The weather really depends on where you are. I am in the southwest and it is much cooler here than in the north. I hear that the north can be very hot and dry, but here in the southwest (although it does get hot) it is much cooler. It seems kind of crazy because this is the region that is on the equator. The Ugandans think it is very cold here and even colder in Kabale (near the Rwandan border), but I try to explain to them that it snows where I come from and they still think it’s colder here. I would say at night, it can get down into the 50s (in this region). I have one good hoody and one lighter jacket and I'm fine. I also have a rain jacket, which has been really helpful. It can also get really hot, but shorts are almost never appropriate. Overall, I really enjoy the weather, because it is like eternal summer. -Jacque: i honestly can't even tell you what the temperature is... it's freaking hot. it's not so bad like in the buganda region, but up here in the north, holy man it's hooot! it's not humid really, just dry...and hot. haha. Q6: The bugs? and Mosquitos? -Sara S.: The bugs aren't that bad. PCMO gives you bug repellent (which I have never used) and a mosquito net. The mosquitoes are only really out after dark anyway. On the other hand, I do have my fair share of ants and the occasional roach or two. Most of my bug problems are at night, but really, it isn't that bad. -Jacque: Okay... honestly, the bugs aren't that bad, especially in the buganda region, which is really surprising. There are a lot of termites especially in the rainy season, and mosquitos (a given) but aside from that I have yet to be totally freaked out by any abnormally large bugs. I'm going to knock on wood now. I think it depends on what region of the country you are in. I'm moving to the North and the last time I was up there I saw some pretty huge spiders, but yeah. There are snakes, but from what I hear it is EXTREMELY rare to see one. luckily you can buy intense bug spray in the country. Q7: Shipping packages? -Sara S: My mom sends everything USPS (U.S. Postal Service). It is a lot more expensive to send it UPS or Fedex and they often times won't deliver to a P.O. Box. She also doesn't usually send me boxes, she sends padded envelopes. I think one large padded envelope may cost her around $15 or $20. -Jacque: yeah i would suggest getting your packages together and shipping them before you leave, i mailed packages before staging and they haven't made it to me yet! But i would say the average amount of time for a package to reach uganda is more like 3-5 months. -S: I've gotten about 4 or 5 packages from home since I've been here. They tend to take 3-5 months in average. Make sure your parents (or whoever) really tapes up the ENTIRE package well. They get roughed up a lot in transit and can split open if not taped well. Q8: How's in country traveling? -Jacque: I'm not gonna lie, traveling in the country is a little bit of a nightmare, but that's all part of the adventure. Traffic is really bad in and around Kampala so it takes a long time to move through that area. The buses are pretty crappy and dirty, but they get you to your destination, so that's really all that matters. Also it takes a long time to get anywhere in this country. Q9: Anything else you'd recommend? -Sara S.: As far as packing goes, I would say don't bring too much stuff. For clothes, bring what makes you happy. Don't bring too many shorts(as I said before). One or two pairs are more than enough and make sure they are on the longer side. When I teach, I can't really wear pants at all, but I wear them all the time when I go to town. Capris are usually good and if jeans are what make you happy, bring them. For women, I've found that a pair of closed-toed shoes is never really necessary. Chacos or Tevas are always appropriate. Don't bring too many shoes. I brought two pairs of sneakers (running-shoes and skater shoes) and although I find occasions to wear both, I don't really need both. You can also get an endless supply of flip flops here. Try to make sure all your skirts and dresses are below your knee especially when you sit down. You can also get dresses and skirts made here. For training, most of this doesn't matter, but when you get to site, it really does. As for other things, you can get things like shampoo and toothpaste everywhere, so don't worry too much past the first few days. Some people like to bring a good kitchen knife...that's not really necessary. Any kitchen supply or utensil you need, you can probably find here. One thing that you may want to bring, that I can't find here are ziploc bags and pot holders. I have not talked to anyone that has been able to find either. I had my family send me both. For books, don't bring too many, because everyone is always swapping books and there is an entire room of books that you can take from in the Peace Corps office. I have a Kindle, which I've found to save a lot of space. I've also found that you can easily swap Kindle books as well (so I wouldn't suggest spending a fortune on buying books for your Kindle). Many people in my training class have Kindles. Overall, just make sure that you don't have more luggage than you can carry, because it makes things challenging. And Peace Corps will end up giving you much more than you can fit in your bags. -Amanda W: Just wanted to add that you really only need to worry about having enough stuff to last you 3 months and you will definitely be able to find just about anything here. I would recommend trying to fit everything into 1 large hiking backpack and 1 big duffel on wheels and use a small backpack as carry-on. And ladies - skirts just need to hit the knee but don't worry so much about tops being "acceptable". -Josh M.: Here's a list of things I'm extremely glad I brought: *Chacos sandals (they're all I wear except when I'm working) *MSR travel towel *external hard drive with lots of music and movies (other volunteers will love you) *guitar (you can buy guitars in Kampala but they're not of any quality) *leatherman tool *vacuum sealed bags from walmart, get the kind that you just roll up and push air out. They save space on packing and you'll use them when you travel *smartphone if you have one (everyone in my training group thought I was crazy for bringing an iPhone but it's been absolutely one of the most useful things i have. Cellphone service is everywhere and mobile Internet is really cheap) * pictures from home * prescription sunglasses * map and travel guide of Uganda (they're really expensive here) -Jacque: pc provides a solar lamp, and it has another connection to charge a cell phone, but that's it. i lucked out and have power, but if you really like listening to music and all that, i would definitely bring a solar charger! Kindle recommended. 
I do pay attention to what everyone's been posting. Bland food = need to bring flavor. Everyone's been recommending that we bring sauces...so today I went to taco bell with a friend who happily scooped me a box worth of packets. =) Thanks...
I will be going go Uganda this August (on my birthday actually) as an economic development volunteer. Peace Corps sent me my intro to Luganda (one of the languages spoken in Uganda) this week. Time to start practicing!
Hip hip hooray! 
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