My dear dear friend from home, Caroline, has a father that teaches Religious Education in Florida. He's currently focusing on Catholic social justice teachings and asked me a few questions. I thought I'd put the questions and answers here to give everyone an update on where my head and heart are at the moment. I hope everyone had a delicious Thanksgiving!

1) why would a catholic student serve the poor when they graduate college?

In St. Luke's gospel it says that much will be required from everyone to whom much has been given. I have been given so much in my life and wanted to give something back. Throughout my years of Catholic schooling, service had always been a major part of my education. I was given opportunities to step outside of my comfort zone, give witness to the less fortunate, and learn something about the world. More often, however, I was learning something new about myself.

My Catholic education also exposed me to the social justice teachings of Pope John Paul II. One of my favorite quotes by the late pope is, 'Social justice cannot be attained through violence. Violence kills what it intends to create.' I joined the Peace Corps because it is a real part of United States foreign policy that tries to develop countries through personal relationships and grassroots, community-led programming.

2) why did you give up the opportunity to go to work as an architect and build up your career?

I love architecture, but I knew from pretty early on in college that I needed to get out and see the world in a real, intense, challenging way before settling on a career. Architecture has always been a passion of mine, but I didn't want my life to be spent designing penthouses for the wealthy. This experience so far has shown me so many different ways in which I can use my skills (as a builder, counselor, taxidermist...whatever) to help others and attempt to bring them out of poverty.

3) is it hard to be away from your family and friends?

Being away from home is one of the hardest things about living abroad. It's not easy to hear about my friends getting married or graduating college without me there, but I think it's even harder when they're going through tough times and you cannot be there to support them. I'm very lucky that Uganda is a developed enough country (although it's still third world). I'm also blessed to be living near a large town where I can access internet and buy airtime to call home.

4) what is life like for the people who live in your village?

I live at a secondary school for girls in a village about 2km outside of a large town. Our school has 900 students. The school, St. Theresa's, was founded on the principle that poor girls need to receive an education. Most of our students are less fortunate, many have lost their parents to the war with the Lord's Resistance Army, to complications from HIV/AIDS or other diseases, and other tragedies. Our school fees are some of the lowest in the country, and we strive to provide the girls with a decent education. We have students from all over Uganda, but most of the teachers are from the district where I live, Masindi.

The rainy season has just ended, and it was awful. We had El Nino wind and rain which ruins crops, floods communities and destroys buildings. Two of the buildings, a classroom block and our library/student chapel at St. Theresa's lost their roofs. When the roofs came off, bricks and timber fell onto the students and teachers in their classrooms. Fifty were brought to the hospital and thankfully all recovered. Sister Daisy, who is the Head Teacher at St. Theresa's, tells everyone how grateful she is that God is so faithful and did not give us the burden of a death in our community. Through all of the tragedy the school is facing, we are still strong in our faith that God would never give us anything we couldn't handle. Now that the rains are over and they have destroyed many people's farms, the dry season is here. Famine will soon take over Masindi and surrounding districts. Food prices will increase, and many families will suffer.

5) what do you do as a peace corps volunteer to help the people there?

I teach classes at St. Theresa as my main project. I teach computer basics and health. I also teach woodworking at the boys' secondary school. I spend some time with the widows' group in the Nyamigisa parish, making charcoal from banana peels. And I do HIV/AIDS education with the primary schools in Nyamigisa, my village.

6) what is the most difficult part of your work? what's the most rewarding part?

The most difficult part of my work is finding people to work with me in order to make a project sustainable. There's an incredible amount of money being poured into underdeveloped countries from the West. As a white person living in Uganda, I am seen as a walking dollar sign. People often expect me to come into their community and just start giving things out. It's not their fault, however, since this is how the culture has developed to view a Westerner. In order to make a project sustainable, it needs to come out of the community and they need to be responsible for all aspects of its execution. It's sometimes difficult to convince Ugandans of this fact.

The most rewarding thing about my experience in Uganda has had nothing to do with my work. The personal relationships that have been created are so much more important. I've been able to become friends with many of my students and listen to their struggles. I've also spent a lot of time with myself, which I know sounds boring, but God has truly brought me to my face while in Uganda. Most of my life has been spent within a fellowship of Catholics and Christians, and sometimes I feel like this is my time in the desert. I've not been able to rely on others for support and have instead had to find it within the Word and personal prayer.

7) what do you miss from home the most?

I don't go a day without thinking about my family and friends at home. They are my support system, and some days are really tough not having them next to you. Also, one of the hardest things is not having mass in English. I've been a Catholic my entire life so I know the order of the mass by heart, but I really miss being able to connect to the Gospel as it is spoken by the priest.

8) what is your fondest hope for your students?

Life for a woman in Uganda is so different than an American's. Women are second class citizens here. My hope for them is that they defy this rule and disregard any person who would tell them they are worth less than a man. I hope that they can walk with the Lord, live healthy and happy lives, and believe in themselves even when all of the odds are against them.

Omugisha,

Tori

Mukama gyendi! (God is good!) In case you haven't googled "Uganda" lately, there's been a bit of civil unrest. I was kind of caught up in it last Thursday, but thanks to my guardian angel (a man named Tom Luwega), I am safe and with all of my body parts in tact. I was very lucky that he was around the taxi park when I almost walked right into a violent mob. He got me to safety and I am praying for him and his family- I would ask that you do the same! Uganda is back to normal now. (I would like to point out that Peace Corps Uganda did an excellent job through out the weekend and week after. I am proud to be a part of this post and feel safe and blessed with the staff working with so much dedication to ensure my safety and success in Uganda.) Please pray for those Ugandans who were not as lucky as I was. I've begun praying for the unemployed as well. Much of the violence was caused by unemployed young men. Uganda has a gigantic unemployment rate. The riots gave them opportunities for looting, taking advantage of women, and acting violently towards one another. It's really sad to see. Well, I'm back at site now and am busy with the last term of the year. I'm also doing a few projects with the boys' schools and am looking forward to widening my scope in Nyamigisa. God bless you all. Thanks for the concern, prayers, and well wishes. I miss you all so much, but am very happy now in Uganda! One year left! Love, Tori

On the walk from my house to Masindi town, I pass by a small pair of homes where a few families live together. From what I've seen, these families consist of three mothers and about sixty-five children. I've been in Uganda for a year and in Masindi for about ten months, and everyday the children still freak out, start screaming and running towards me only to hug me and ask me for money, bananas, sweets, anything they seem to think that I just carry around in my pockets. I usually greet them in Runyoro, ask how their days have been, and move on quickly to town. I got into the habit of bringing them a few bananas so they would let me walk in peace back and forth from my house.

My friend Peter came to visit my site a few months ago. While we were on our way to town, those same kids freaked out, started screaming, and running towards us. They asked for bananas again, and I thought I'd bring some back. On the way back from town I saw the kids and immediately reached into my bag for the bananas. I gave them to the kids and they ran back down the path to their houses. Peter immediately said to me, "You know, Tori, there are other ways of loving those kids besides just giving them bananas." I've been dwelling on this statement ever since Peter said it to me. I've been trying to figure out how to love people and have realized it cannot be in just giving them things. I began sitting down with the mothers of these households and having actual connections and exchanges with them instead of just waving and passing them by. I started teaching the kids songs and playing duck duck goose and tag with them. Our relationships are all we have. Our money, our things, our ideas, are all transient, but our relationships are what last. Sister Marie O'Hagan told me that my senior year of high school, and I have never witnessed it so much in my life as I am now in Uganda.

I have considered this on a macro level, too. It made me disappointed in the way development is done in Uganda and other developing nations. Most[certainly not all] of what I've seen over the past year is the following: 1-Someone has a lot of money and a feeling that there are things in Uganda/Africa/Wherever that need to change. 2-They believe that their way of doing things is absolutely right. 3- They pour astronomical amounts of money into a project that is completely top-down with no recognition of or consideration for culture, long-term effects, and community needs/priorities/capacities. 4- Everything is done in an office in Kampala and the village or individual person scale is never addressed. 5- The appeasement of the wealthy consciences is taken into consideration but not the actual development of the country and it's PEOPLE. These ingredients plus a few others lead to disjointed development, a lack of understanding on the part of country nationals about what is happening and why, and information is passed on but no skills are acquired.

Hand outs are not sustainable. Love is. [I know that's the corniest thing ever, but it's true! I also know that this post may sound negative, but these are my experiences and I have created this blog so that a piece of this can be shared with you. Anyways...] The whole reason we are here is to glorify God and love His creations! The way I was treating those children and the way some development organizations treat Uganda is the opposite of love. It's just doing the minimum to appease ourselves and feel good about doing something to help all of those poor people out there. I have to give the children more than bananas. I have to give them sacrifice, time, and love. And development orgs have to give more than money. They have to at least give cultural considerations and at most make their projects sustainable and make themselves self-eliminating. NGO's should not last forever. If their missions are completed, it should mean that they close up shop. I'm definitely not a development expert, and not all development orgs are doing it wrong. However, some of the patronizing, corrupt, insensitive work I've seen being done here really makes me sad. If love is what we've been given, then love is what we must give!

I am probably the most loved person on Earth, because today I'm getting on an airplane to see my family in Italy. After a year without them (and without decent wine and cheese) I know it will be such an amazing time! God Bless you all!

Webale! Mukama Akuhe Omugisa!!

The rainy season has absolutely come in full force this year. It rains for about one or two hours everyday very heavily. Almost everything in Masindi shuts down. Except for our school. When the rain is pounding on the corrugated metal roofs, it can almost drown out the bellows of thunder. However, you can always hear a teacher yelling their lungs out so that the students don't miss an entire hour of class just for the rains. The rain gives satisfaction to the thirsty soil, and everyone can begin to plant their crops. Also, spring wells and rain tanks will fill up making it easier for people to find water. The down side of the rainy season is the mosquitoes. They mate in standing water, and during the rainy season that is not difficult to find. Malaria kills about 320 people everyday in Uganda alone. When a student at St. Theresa gets Malaria, she can be out of school for weeks, rendering her basically incapable of passing her already difficult end of term exams. I'm trying to raise money now for mosquito nets to protect every student from Malaria. We have 900 students at St. Theresa School. A net in Uganda costs 6000 shillings. That is for a Long Lasting Insecticide-treated Net. (LLIN) Most nets that people buy are cheap and untreated. With an LLIN, the net will last around ten years, and! it will kill a mosquito that lands on it. These nets are easy to care for, will last long, and will save lives. In my project to obtain enough nets, I would also like to provide for the staff who live on the school compound with the students. There are about 30 staff members, and most of them have small children who are the most vulnerable population to die from Malaria. The need at our school is genuine and immediate. Thank you so much for your prayers and well wishes.

God Bless You All!

Mukama Akuhe Omugisa!

I have a small piece of paper that stays in my Bible. It's a Lenten reflection from EWTN that I've picked up somewhere along the way... This is what it says:

Give up complaining- focus on gratitude.

Give up pessimism- become an optimist.

Give up harsh judgements- think kindly thoughts.

Give up worry- trust Divine Providence.

Give up discouragement- be full of hope.

Give up bitterness- turn to forgiveness.

Give up hatred- return good for evil.

Give up negativism- be positive.

Give up anger- be more patient.

Give up pettiness- become mature.

Give up gloom- enjoy the beauty that is all around you.

Give up jealousy- pray for trust.

Give up gosspiing- control your tongue.

Give up sin- turn to virtue.

Give up giving up- hang in there.

I LOVE this reflection. It basically goes through all of the things I do multiple times on a daily basis and gives me better options. How many times a day do I become discouraged when one of my students has to drop out of school and go back to the village? How often do I gossip about others? How often am I jealous of the volunteers whose sights have pools and golf courses (yes, they do exist, and yes, I visit them a lot)? How often do I pass by an unfortunate man on the road and judge that he must be an alcoholic? How often am I annoyed or angered with the little children that just won't give me five minutes to myself to read a book? I do all of these things constantly (sometimes all of them in a single day).

I do think, however, that Lent in Uganda is getting me closer to giving these things up. After reading St. Theresa of Avila's Interior Castle, I've tried to be less focused inwardly. She tells us that we should not focus on how sinful we are, but instead consider the great humility, glory, and power of God. Through this lense, we can offer praise to God for all His greatness, and consider how prideful and small we are.

I've definitely been able to focus more on gratitude here. I have a little dance that I do whenever power comes back from being out for days at a time. I'm also extremely grateful now that it is the rainy season. It's a perfect 80 degrees now as opposed to the 125 degree peak of the dry season. It's very easy for volunteers in Uganda to become cynical or pessimistic towards their work. After witnessing this attitude in too many people, I made it a personal goal of mine to always focus on the good things about being here.

All of these things are daily struggles, and they don't only exist during Lent. I'm so blessed to have come to Uganda. They are certainly an Easter people. They don't bother with the insignificant details. They care about their families; they worry about school fees and making sure their children get something to eat. Many of my concerns become fairly ridiculous when I reflect on the struggles of my friends in Uganda. May Easter be a time of rebirth for all of us!

On a lighter note, my language learning has hit a hilarious point. I'm actually learning a lot, and asking questions I've found is a great way to get answers. ;) When I greet someone, I usually say, "Oli ota?" It means, "How are you?" People either respond with, "Ndi kirungi" which means, "I am fine." Sometimes, thought, I'll find someone who becomes very excited (and usually very grateful) that I've took the time to learn the language. They'll answer happily, "Eh! Omanyire Runyoro!" ("You know Runyoro!") I would respond, "a little" by saying "enkaito". I recently discovered that "kataito" means "a little", and "enkaito" means "shoe".

God Bless You!

Mukama Akuhe Omugisa!!

Ntugonza!

-Tori

Today was the first meeting of first ever St. Theresa Secondary School for Girls student newspaper. First on the agenda was to get to know all about newspapers. We learned about headlines, bylines, captions, how to write a lead, and the 5 w's and 1 h questions. After all of the boring stuff, we got to name the newspaper. Some of the suggestions included St. Theresa's International Newspaper, The Winner's Choice, The New Vision (the exact name of one of the top two newspapers in Uganda), and The Courageous Vision. The girls were stuck between The Winner's Choice and The Courageous Vision. We eventually got into a Thesaurus (one of those giant ones that takes up two laps), and looked up 'winner'. Once the girls heard the word "Conqueror", they were absolutely sold. The Conquerors' Voice will be the student run newspaper at our school. I couldn't be more proud today. They expressed their opinions, they compromised, they discussed, and they eventually came to find that when they all work together they'll find better ideas than they could have alone. Beautiful. The newspaper is made up of girls from all years of secondary school, from all walks of life, some are orphans, some have parents who work for oil companies, and some live in horrible conditions and are receiving an education out of the courageous and merciful hearts of the Sisters of St. Theresa who run the school.

The amount of students was incredibly underestimated this term. We thought we would be receiving 700 students, and we're about to round 900. Beds were scarce in the beginning, but as more school fees are coming in, we are slowly able to board every girl who wants a bed. These beds, however, are in Uganda where about three hundred and twenty people die of malaria each day. It is the number one killer in the country, and it has devastated countless families and villages.

My hope while I am here is to see that each bed at our school can be equipped with a mosquito net. I am currently organizing my application for a grant that will help us purchase 800 nets for all of the students who sleep in our dormitories. So far, my incredible mother has been slowly collecting money for us from my amazing friends and family at home including Jim and Pat Padula, Uncle Billy, Aunt Linda, my cousins Johnny and Nicole, Aunt Emma and Uncle Jack, Diane and Aunt Eileen McNellis and my faithful Nana. The grant that I'm applying for will allow even more people to help. It's called the Peace Corps Partnership Grant and it sets up an account online where people can donate money to this immediate need at our school. As soon as I hear about the details, I will be sure to post them here. Even if you cannot donate anything, know that prayers are just as important and equally needed here. God is most definitely here in Uganda, and as many of us know, when He is here, the devil is not too far behind. I've started some one on one counselling with some students, and I'll only say that some of their burdens are unfathomable.

God Bless You All, and please pray for all of us in Uganda.

Love,

Tori

As I approach the half-year mark in Uganda, I'm also beginning to actually teach my computer classes at St. Theresa's. Classes are going to be interesting since this is my first classroom experience, and it will be an especially huge struggle to teach 80 girls at a time with 20 computers. Last term, I arrived towards the end of the year and couldn't be placed on the class schedule, so I was substitute teaching and I had the lab open in the morning if any teachers wished to come by for semi-private lessons. Many teachers took advantage of this, and I think they benefitted from having my full attention. I wouldn't call myself a computer genius by any means, but all of the teachers and students here have either no experience at all or their computer knowledge is extremely limited.

I also know that the only reason that I am good at anything is because I have flat-out failed at it at one time or another. I had a professor in architecture school who always told me that I'll never learn anything by getting it exactly right, that I'll learn the most about my project and about myself if I completely make a disaster out of it, figure out what went wrong and why this particular system didn't work, and move on from there.

My first day of substitute teaching was something like a complete disaster. All of the students were yelling, no one knew how to turn on a computer let alone open a program, I still had teachers in the room from the morning lesson asking me questions about font color, and I hadn't known that I was going to teach until about five minutes before. I pretty much had a small break down, called my counterpart, Christine- the other computer teacher at school whom I will be leaving to continue all of my work after I leave in 2010- and told her that I couldn't handle it and needed help. She came, made everyone be quiet, and also made about half of the girls leave the room. Even with her help, I still managed to mess everything up pretty well. Now that I've already made a disaster of one day's work, hopefully I can end up being a successful facilitator by the end of my service.

Tomorrow is my first official day on the class schedule. I keep hoping that the power will be out so that I won't have to do anything with computers. I know I've got a good amount of failure left to do here, and I'm really okay with that. The only way I'm going to figure out how to teach 80 girls in a space the size of my family room is to completely mess it up, reconfigure what I'm doing, and move on. I've got my lesson plans ready, but no matter how prepared I am, I know it will still be a big challenge (and that's the whole reason I wanted to come to Africa in the first place!)

Please, send any prayers you can towards my students and fellow staff members.

Love & Prayers from Masindi,

Tori

String Theory basically** says that for everything that happens in your life, every rock you trip over, everytime you take a cab instead of driving yourself, each bite of food you take, there are an infinite amount of other ways that moment could have happened. Each "other way" is a different "string" or dimension in which another Tori made a different decision and her life continued in a different direction than mine, everytime this other Tori makes a decision, another string or dimension is entered into and so forth. That's a ton of strings.

Who cares?

There is also a theory that I read in a fortune cookie a few years ago that told me- You are always exactly where you are supposed to be. I subscribe to my fortune cookie's wisdom. I know that no matter what happens or has happened, or will happen, it's not up to me- God is the piece of paper on which the line of my life has been drawn. He is in every single moment as every single moment is in Him, and He is in the past, present, future, whatever other dimensions of time someone could think of, He is there. One Way. One Truth. One Life. One String.

Wishing something had happened another way is useless. It happened. Not only can we not change it, but it happened for a reason. I know I'm not aimlessly, hopelessly floating around Africa. I feel such a beautiful purpose here in my community, and I know that many of my fellow PC volunteers feel the same way about theirs. Christmas in Kabale was incredible, the time I spent with my friends on Lake Bunyonyi was refreshing and relaxing, and although I'm back in Masindi earlier than I had planned, I know that it wasn't ultimately my decision, and I have no regrets.

I'm praying extra hard that my 2009 (my only full year in Uganda) will be challenging, successful, and fun! My resolutions are to be Hardworking, Understanding, and Humble. Yes, I realize that my year will be confusing since my resolutions spell out "Huh"? But what new thing isn't confusing? And what's the use in my trying to figure it all out when I could be spending my time having a full Runyoro conversation with a woman in the market, or showing a globe to my neighbor and having the children in my village point to me where we are on it? I would rather make a true personal connection with a Ugandan child than waste my time worrying about which steps to take when. I would rather love than fear.

We are always exactly where we're supposed to be. May we always strive for that place to be in the Lord's love.

God Bless You all from Masindi, Webale Noeli, and Happy New Year,

Tori

**(like, super basically- string theory talks way more about black holes, subatomic particles, and quantum mechanics than I could ever hope to understand)

Tomorrow, December 8th, marks two months at site and four months in Uganda. Tomorrow is also The Feast of the Immaculate Conception, celebrating the sinless conception of Mary, the entire reason we can refer to our Mother as "full of grace". Mary has been such a wonderful Mother to me throughout my life, as I've often called to her to remove my burdens from my own shoulders and carry them a while. It's kind of funny, because I usually call to her during boy troubles... I think that she, as the perfect woman, would probably understand exactly what I was going through and have the best advice on how to be a good gracious servant of the Lord in all kinds of situations. It's also making me think about what it means to be a woman in general, but especially in Uganda. The idea of a woman is so interesting in this country. As an American woman, I have always felt very empowered, valued, and advantaged. Women of the Western world, we have been incredibly blessed by our births into societies where woman have fought to receive the equality we deserve. The situation in Uganda confuses me. In The Philippines, I met so many women who were doing amazing things, and they gave me a beautiful image of a woman in a third world country working hard and seeing the fruits of their labor. These women were strong, and they were truly making a difference for the squatters of the Payatas area. The trip there was life changing, and I'll never forget it as a huge turning point in my own life. The women in Uganda are a different story than the ones I met last summer with the Opus Prize due diligence trip.

Women in Uganda work so hard for their families. If they aren't cooking, they're digging or washing clothes, fetching water (sometimes miles away), carrying God knows what on their heads to sell at the market, or caring for their children. These women work! In addition to the regular day to day labour in the garden and around the house, they're active members in their churches, schools, health centers, and regular jobs in town. They love their God, their children, and damn, they love to laugh. Spending some time with them reveals an extremely laid back, let's save tomorrow's troubles for tomorrow, attitude. Despite their dire and difficult situations- sick children or a poor crop yeild, they are joyful and extremely grateful for life itself. Their days are long and their lives are hard enough without an odd placement in the societal ladder. I don't think I'll ever understand all of the complexities of this culture, especially the way women are viewed and treated.

Thank God they have a woman like our Mother Mary to look after them. Thank God we had women like Susan B. Anthony looking out for us. Tomorrow, as I pray in thanksgiving for all of the women in my life, I'll also be praying for my new friends- the women of Uganda. May they always know that they are under Mary's care.

I love you, Mom, Nana, Kelsey, all of my wonderful aunts, cousins, my best friends (from Ecuador to DC/DCish to Jersey to California, back to Uganda), and all the men back home who love them!

Prayers and Blessings from Masindi,

Tori

Strange how your body will adjust... Speaking of adjustments- I went to bed two nights ago thinking to myself that I had really started to get the hang of it here. I'm managing my money better, I'm cooking healthy meals, and I'm staying in touch with everyone I love. I woke up the next morning to a bunch of giant ants/mosquitos/unidentifiable creatures in my bedroom and my stove still firing away from dinner the night before. Yea... I'm pretty sure I won't have the hang of this for a while... Hopefully, I will learn to turn off things that could burn down my house, though.

I've been thinking about pride a lot since I've gotten to Africa, and I know it has a lot to do with the St. Francis class I took at CUA during my last semester there. Fr. Armstrong taught me so much about Francis and the lengths he would go to to humble himself for God. Francis saw that Jesus suffered so much for us, and in considering God's great humility and God's great mercy, he saw just how prideful and wretched he was. This happens to me a lot here. I consider God's majesty everyday just by seeing the sky or the hills around the school, and I'm overwhelmed. It's so humbling to see what incredible things God has given all of us and done for all of us, and it's a wonderful encouragement to do whatever I can to help his people here in Uganda.

The other volunteers here are making me so happy I chose to do the Peace Corps. The more I get to know all of them, the more I like them. I've always thought of myself as a good judge of character, but I'm learning that there are so many more layers to people than you can know by just looking at a snapshot of who they are. If it weren't for the volunteers here, then I definitely would not have made it through training. I am so grateful to all of them, and I'm so happy to know them because I know that back in the states I would have written many of them off and never have been friends with them or even given them a chance.

On Sunday, I'm going to visit another volunteer in my district after mass. I'm really excited to find some people I can relate to around here. The teachers and my neighbors are absolutely wonderful, and I know I'll become close friends with many of them, but having another volunteer who can sympathize with the daily frustrations would be invaluable.

The daily frustrations are interesting... I'm having trouble figuring out what I need to be direct about and what I need to chalk up to cultural differences. I think what I'm doing is addressing the things that continually make me uncomfortable, but letting a lot of things go, too. I'm laughing at myself way more than I ever have, and that's one of the greatest gifts I can receive from this experience. If I couldn't laugh at myself, then I could never last.

I'm really happy here, and I feel like a lot of my life has led me to this point. I'm seeing many past experiences as steps on a ladder to lead me here. Praise God for giving me this beautiful place.

I love you all and miss you so much.

Prayers & Blessings from Masindi,

Tori

Ahhh- Sweet life. Almost two weeks here and I'm so happy and content. Last week was settling in time and this week I'm starting to get down to work. Each day at a different time, I'm meeting with a different grade level to do my PACA (Participatory Analysis for Community Action). It's pretty fun meeting with all of the girls doing little ice-breakers (what will my life be like when I finally have a real job that won't begin with an ice-breaker?). They seem receptive to me, but they keep reminding me that I'm 'a white', so that's interesting. Some of the tools that PACA uses are drawing community maps, doing daily schedules, seasonal calendars, and priority ranking. All of the information you receive comes from your community so that you're not attempting to implement any programs that don't match what the community needs or wants. It's really interesting work, and I'm learning so much. For example, by having them do their daily schedules for the school day and the weekend I was able to find out when they have free time on the weekends for me to do a program with them, and through the community map I learned that they are doing pretty much everything in their dorm rooms. Eating, sleeping, studying, etc, but they really enjoy the green area in front of the school, so hopefully we can do something to pull some of their daily activities out there and break up the massive amounts of time they spend in their cramped dorms. All of the pictures I put up are from training and I haven't had much time to take any while at site, but I'll try to take some of my house and the school (and me) and put them up soon. Also, sorry, but I still don't have a mailing address. It's making me crazy because I want to get letters from home so badly, but the post office is pretty far away and I keep forgetting to bring enough money or passport pictures or other random things the teller decides I need to bring that day.

I'm living very well and last night I even made homemade lime chips! I'm having such a great time cooking new things here and experimenting. I made guacamole last week and shared it with my neighbors. They freaked out; they loved it so much, even though they keep calling it kwachamoolia. Oh well... :)

I hope you enjoy looking at the pictures as much as I enjoyed taking them.

Blessings and prayers from Masindi,

Tor

Tess is so pretty.

The other day I fell down looking at the sky it is so beautiful.

Melissa and I.

Greg David and Heidi mixing mud and grass and clay to make an oven.

Laura and I not mixing mud.

I wish blogger would let me post more than four pictures at a time... Sarah is adorable.

My house in Uganda.

So happy to have found good people :)

Frog on my notebook

My beautiful field I was blessed enough to walk by everyday during training in Wakiso, Uganda.

The US Ambassador to Uganda.

Mark helping out with the guacamole.

Greg eating a live white ant.

Loved ones,

Praise God!!! I have gotten my assignment, and tomorrow afternoon I'll be going to Masindi, Uganda to St. Theresa of the Child Jesus Secondary School for Girls. Oh, hello, Jesus, I think you heard me praying to you and you pretty much responded with a big old Y-E-S!!

My first site was a pseudo-disaster, but it didn't help that I had reached maximum dehydration at the hospital the day before I left and almost lost one of my dear kidneys.

My supervisor's name is Sister Daisy and she is positively wonderful. She laughs with her whole body, and she is so on fire with God's love. I had a rough go a few weeks back, and I'm happy to say that Africa, Uganda, and this beautiful school with 700 girls will hopefully be my home for a long time.

I'm about one kilometer from a big town so I'll be able to walk in and go shopping for food and other stuff.

I'm really really going to miss the 23 other trainees that made it through with me, but they are all going to be amazing at their respective sites and we'll be visiting each other often.

Thank you all so much for the letters, e-mails, facebook messages, etc. I cannot tell you how much it means to hear from you.

The language I've learned is called Runyoro. About 2 million people speak it. I was the only person in my class to pass our qualifying test. I studied my butt off, and I'm pretty proud to be able to say that I passed.

I'm praying so hard for all of the folks back in the states, and I'm quite looking forward to hearing from you!

Mukama Akume Omukisa! (God Bless You!)

Love,

Tori

Hi everyone :) We just got a long letter from Tori. She's currently without internet so we figured we would put it on here so everyone could see what she's been up to. God Bless! -Kelsey Engelstad

8/10/2008

I can't believe that I am in Africa!! The flights here were long and tiring and the jet lag is still making me a little sleepless at night and tired during the day It probably doesn't help that we all stay up late talking and have to wake up at 6:30AM...

There are 27 volunteers in my group. Most people are from the MidWest. Ohio, Illinois, Montana, Minnesota, with a few from California, Philly and upstate New York. Training in Philly was fun. We learned very general Peace Corps rules and approaches to development. The flights were fun because we all knew eachother but were still getting to know each other so everyone was telling really amazing stories and joking so even though we were tired we still had a good time. We arrived in Banana Village around 10:30 on Thursday night and we were introduced to the Country Director who is basically our overseer for the time we are here. The training staff is four Ugandan women who have worked for the Peace Corps for years. The're amazing and kind and have been a great resource.

Training in Banana Village was fun because it's like a small resort. we lived in little huts (with electricity + running water!) and we had the whole place to ourselves. We've gotten a few shots and some current volunteers came in and spoke with us about their experiences and they answered our millions of questions. On Saturday, we went to language training in the morning and spend the afternoon on a tour of Kampala. Lugandan is pretty easy (although I won't be speaking it. I'm assigned to the west where they speak Runtoora..I'll explain later)

Kampala was an insane experience and the city is very interesting. "Uptown" is clean and has big buildings. "Downtown", the roads aren't paved and it is incredibly crowded. It was really overwhelming and to be honest, I hope I don't have to go there too often. Whoa, I can't believe I forgot about the craziest thing ever. While im Kampala, we were instructed to buy a bucket. This bucket is for one purpose only. In Ugana, they've named it "the long call." When you are in your host family's house or your house and it is the middle of the night (too dark/dangerous to go outside and use the pit latrine) this is the bucket you have to use. Mine is blue.

So today, Sunday, we packed up our things and left Banana Village for Wakiso where our training center is and wehre our host families live. My family is the Semugera family. They have four children. Their oldest daughter Martha is in Washington state working in advertising. Their second daughter Rachel is applying to medical schools and their two sons, James and Fred, are at home for the holiday. What holiday? Who knows. Both of them are Ryan and Brendan's age!

They will be leaving in two weeks so it will just be me and Mr. and Mrs. Semugera. He is a government inspector and she is a vet. I actually haven't met them yet because they've been at an event all day watching their close friend become ordained. (They are Anglican)

There is a Catholic church down the street and I'm planning on going to mass (in English!) next week.They all speak Lugandan and English in the family so that's nice but I will say I'm the luckiest girl in the world because they have electricity AND running water. Only 1/2 of the homestay houses have electricity and all this talk of poop buckets and bucket baths made me think no one in Wakiso had running water. They seem to be a very well off family and their sons have been very nice to me and have been talking to me all day. Mr. Semugera has another wife in another district. Polygamy is legal in Uganda, but homosexuality is illegal...interesting.

The food in Uganda has been ok...they eat a lot of starch and not much fruits or veggies. I think they are very expensive. When I move to the west I'm going to be exited to be able to cook for myself and buy things I think I'll like.

So, like I said, I'm assigned to the West. They haven't told us exactly where we'll be staying or working, but they put up a map outlining which langugaes are spoken in which regions and I was placed into the Rutoro group (with 9 other volunteers) so we will be moving West. I'm really happy because those Ugandans I've talked to have all said the land out there is beautiful, the people are friendly, and that life moves a little slower out there. Perfect. Plus, it is not in Kampala where there are a billion people are you have to make sure you don't get run over by a matatu or a boda boda. They say there are cities/towns in the West where you can get most everything you need, but it just won't be in a supermarket. (BTW-their commercial grocery stores are called ShopRite!)

The weather out West is supposedly cold which I believe because it is definitely a lot cooler here than I thought it would be. If I just sleep with a sheet, I'll wake up freezing and grab a blanket. Sleeping under a mosquito net is fine, although only three of my four corners can be tied up tonight so that will be kind of awkward. There are two girls here who I am becoming really fast friends with. One of them is in my language group and the other is in the region right South of us. They're really sweet and funny and they're supportive when I got sad on Friday.

Anyways, I'm feeling much better now and I'm really loving it here in Uganda. I'll be getting a cell phone on Tuesday so you'll probably hear from me before you get this letter in the mail!

You're all in my prayers and I'm sure we'll talk soon!

Love you,

Tori

If we get any more letters before Tori gets internet we'll be sure to post them!

I am sitting anxiously in JFK airport right now listening to two of my fellow PC trainees play their guitars and sing songs. David & Melissa have such great voices! How amazing is it to be surrounded by all of these people. Everyone has incredible stories. Everyone has travelled so much. And they're all so humble! I'm so blessed to be surrounded by such kind, supportive, hilarious, and talented people. I've not even known them for three days, and I like them all so much already. I'm feeling a little nervous right now, but we board soon so it's more excitement than anything.

I miss everyone so much, and I'm praying for all of you. Thank you so much to my family and friends who came to my house this weekend to wish me goodbye. It meant a lot to see all of you, and I hope to hear from you soon! To those of you who really wanted to come but couldn't, your phone calls meant so much, and I'm so happy you made the effort to contact me before I left.

God Bless you all & please pray to our Mother Mary and St. Christopher that I have a safe journey to Uganda!

(I love you so much- Mom, Dad, Ryan, Kelsey, and Brendan. Talk to you soon!)

I'm leaving for Uganda in about two weeks. July 30th will be (hopefully) the last time I will ever waitress. Waitressing has been a love-hate thing because I loved the people I worked with, but sometimes a disgruntled customer or two can really put you in a sour mood. All in all, I think it taught me patience, humility, how to not sweat the small stuff, and how to put on a smile when you really just want to punch someone in the face. The money I've made will all be used for travelling over the next two years. I want to see some gorillas.

My motivation to go was totally rooted in the things I learned and saw and the people I met while I was at Catholic U. My Habitat trips showed me the joy and rewards of physical labor, the Opus Prize opened my eyes to service abroad, and Mission Jamaica encouraged me to make a real connection with the poor and vulnerable. I'm called to service. I'm called to dive in head first and give my whole life to others.

If anyone has ever been in my room at school, I hope they saw my HUGE Barbara Bush poster. My favorite quote of hers is this: "Giving frees us from the familiar territory of our own needs by opening our mind to the unexplained worlds occupied by the needs of others." Not only is Barbara Bush sexy, she can articulate so perfectly my feelings for service. When I am performing service, whether it's building a new house for someone who has never lived in one or teaching a Jamaican child to read using my Scrabble letters, I feel closest to God. I feel totally myself. I feel home.

I'm going to miss everyone a lot, and at times throughout the last year I was tempted to give it all up and find a job in DC or something. However, through all the preparation, I've never felt so right about something, and I know I'll see all of those whom I love when I get back (or when all of my gorgeous friends get married & I have to fly back for their weddings). I love you all so much. It would be impossible for me to do this without knowing how much support I have from you.

It doesn't interest me what you do for a living. I want to know what you ache for, and if you dare to dream of meeting your heart's longing.

It doesn't interest me how old you are. I want to know if you will risk looking like a fool for love, for your dream, for the adventure of being alive.

It doesn't interest me what planets are squaring your moon. I want to know if you have touched the center of your own sorrow, if you have been opened by life's betrayals or have become shriveled and closed from fear of further pain!I want to know if you can sit with pain, mine or your own, without moving to hide it or fade it, or fix it.

I want to know if you can be with joy, mine or your own, if you can dance with wildness and let the ecstasy fill you to the tips of your fingers and toes without cautioning us to be careful, to be realistic, to remember the limitations of being human.

It doesn't interest me if the story you are telling me is true. I want to know if you can disappoint another to be true to yourself; if you can bear the accusation of betrayal and not betray your own soul; if you can be faithlessand therefore trustworthy.

I want to know if you can see beauty even when it's not pretty, every day,and if you can source your own life from its presence.

I want to know if you can live with failure, yours and mine, and still stand on the edge of the lake and shout to the silver of the full moon, “Yes!”

It doesn't interest me to know where you live or how much money you have. I want to know if you can get up, after the night of grief and despair, weary and bruised to the bone, and do what needs to be done to feed the children.

It doesn't interest me who you know or how you came to be here. I want to know if you will stand in the center of the fire with me and not shrink back.

It doesn't interest me where or what or with whom you have studied. I want to know what sustains you, from the inside, when all else falls away.

I want to know if you can be alone with yourself and if you truly like the company you keep in the empty moments.