It’s been eight months since we left the Pearl. I really miss Uganda. I miss our host family. I miss the beautiful birds. I miss g-nut sauce. I miss my counterpart and the people who supported my projects. I miss going to schools reading to the kids. I miss Peace the duck we adopted. I [...]
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Fractal’s folks came to visit us in Uganda on Dec 21. We picked them up from the airport in Entebbe and made a slow trip through Kampala back to site. Crazy traffic! The 3-hour journey took about 4.5 hours. They stayed on the other side (in the guest house part) of our paper thin wall [...]
An article I wrote for PC Uganda newsletter to share with fellow PCV’s what I do @ site to preserve my sanity. __________________________________________________________ When people ask me what my religion is, I sometimes tell them that it is running. When I don’t practice this religion that I discovered three years ago, I feel pretty discontent [...]
I spend September 19th visiting chimps on Ngamba Island. One of the staff members at the Wild Life Club Office asked me whether I had a chance to visit them; when he learned I hadn’t, he offered up his seat to me as he had been there numerous times. I was super excited and arrived [...]
I left site on Sept 1st to attend the All Volunteer Conference held over the next two days. Before I got to the hotel, I stopped by the Wild Life Club Office. Procured a permit card for the college. Yay! Now we officially have a live Wild Life Club at the college partnered with a [...]
Due to the recent email from my brother about his limitations in reading my “philosophical jaunts,” I promised him that I would stay relatively level-headed and include the daily life events at my site. I’m working on an entry about the All Volunteer Conference that was held in Kampala from Sept 2nd to 3rd. I [...]
This morning I found out that a PCV was fatally shot in Lesotho. The news was shocking. The Inspector General’s(Lesotho’s police force) response was not surprising where he indirectly blamed the victim for walking out on the street rather than choosing a private car. Yes, the victim chose to get killed because he decided to [...]
I was saddened by the cabinet’s recent decision to give away part of Mabira Forest to sugar cane plantation owners. Mabira Forest is the only standing forest in central Uganda. It is home to diverse species of birds, mammals, and insects. A few years ago there was a huge outcry when the cabinet made the [...]
Running is my religion. I find it mentally and physically challenging. It pushes me out of my comfort zone. When I pay attention to my breathing to keep track of my heart rate, I focus. I feel happy. I feel fit. The most important reason why I continue to run in Africa is for the [...]
Lately I’ve been wondering whether I want to return to an America that bleeds religious intolerance. Sure, we also struggle with other forms of intolerance. Religious intolerance is of particular concern to me since it violates one of our fundamental rights. When I read about fellow Americans protesting against their fellow (Muslim) Americans’ right to [...]
You take a group of people who lived in a developed western country for most of their lives and enjoyed comfortable lives with plethora of conveniences. Send them to live in a developing country anywhere in the world where they learn to live a new way of life, learn to cook using local means, get [...]
PO Box ___ ______, Uganda Mr. Farouk Abd El Aziz Housny Ministry of Tourism Kit Kat, in front of Khaled Ibn El Waleed Mosque Cairo Egypt Dear Mr. Housny: I am a volunteer in Uganda who recently visited Cairo several days between June 13 and July 3, 2010. I am writing this letter due to [...]
PO Box ___ _______, Uganda August 12, 2010 Jerry P. Lanier, Ambassador to the Republic of Uganda ______________ Kampala, Uganda Dear Mr. Ambassador: Thank you for all the important work you do in representing our nation in Uganda and in protecting American interests. The purpose of this letter is to bring to your attention both [...]
“J. Larry Brown to Join World Learning, Expand SIT Programs in Oman BRATTLEBORO, VT (August 4, 2010) — World Learning is delighted to announce that prominent educator Dr. J. Larry Brown has accepted a position as the new director of the World Learning Center in Oman. Brown most recently served as Peace Corps country director [...]
Last week I went to a volunteer’s site to observe her teach. Even though I didn’t see her actually teach (because the schools changed their schedules), I learned a lot from her. She’s the kind of teacher who gives her all to her students. She overlooks no student. Using different hands-on teaching aids, she makes [...]
Sexual harassment in a serious form of discrimination (violates Section VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 in the US) that happens worldwide. Sexual harassment is commonly defined as unwanted sexual attention which include unwanted comments, inappropriate sexual advances, and unacceptable physical contact. It affects both men and women even though in most cases [...]
The last several weeks I have been thinking of Mr. Rau, one of my favorite teachers from Norcross High School, who was killed in a robbery in 1999. Mr. Rau’s classes were enjoyable. He made the subject matter relevant and interesting. He also believed that one can change the world by working really hard. That’s [...]
Aggression is not necessarily bad even though it stems from impatience. The desire to do things NOW. The NOW. I noticed many people I encounter from my generation, the Me generation, who most likely got instant gratification when they were younger seem to exhibit this trait more than people I meet from other generations. Some [...]
There are men in Uganda who have machismo tendencies–those who have a sense of entitlement. They’re more likely to get into aggressive confrontations with others. I encountered one in a matatu(taxi) I took yesterday to get from the nearby town to our house. A guy came in and sat next to me and ended up [...]
Has it really been 10 months since my last entry? It’s been too long. Many things have happened since last September –for better or for worse. New country director, Thanksgiving brunch in Tororo, Kenya trip, starting up projects in the 3rd term (life skills, reusable menstrual project, & girls’ football team), traveling in eastern Uganda, [...]
Subject: Not junkmail; from a member and friend of Peace Corps
To:
Cc: awilliams@peacecorps.gov
Date: Tuesday, September 22, 2009, 6:17 AM
Dear Director Williams:
You might have received my letter, or my e-mail. I hope you take a moment to read my e-mail.
Greetings from Uganda! I am a Peace Corps Volunteer in Uganda. Uganda has [...]
He asked them
to get along
they killed him
He asked them
to love another
they killed him
She asked them
for another chance
they killed her
He wanted change
they called him names
He made change
they fired him
They kill the Prophets
kill the Just
kill the Truth
But what the Prophets say
Live
what the Just say
Live
Love never ceases to live
transforms
endures
many forms
In the beginning, there was love
In the end, amor [...]
Dear President Obama:
Greetings from Uganda! I hope this note finds you well.
I am a Peace Corps Volunteer. I am writing this letter to bring an action taken by Peace Corps Washington to your attention. You might be under enormous stress to make some positive reform in our nation’s health care, but I hope you take [...]
A few days ago I was at a supermarket. Waiting at the counter for my turn to pay for the 500 mL Dairy Fresh strawberry yogurt. As soon as the South Asian supermarket lady saw me, she acknowledged my presence and focused her attention from her musoga customer to me. Not knowing how to effectively [...]
“Speak when you are angry–and you will make the best speech you’ll ever regret.” (Laurence J. Peter)
Many people are guilty of speech under the influence of ANGER. On numerous occasions I’ve opened my mandible and allowed words to come out my mouth while my inhibitions were lowered under the influence of ANGER. After some time [...]
Last Tuesday we moved to the village. Canceling was almost unavoidable, but the chairman of Fractal’s NGO saved the day. We’re home after more than three months of swearing in as Peace Corps Volunteers. We’re glad to be home. We discovered along the way that it takes a village, a town, and folks across the [...]
This is my dream that one day I’ll have a passport that says just “Earth.” People of all colors join hands and live in peace and harmony. Humans pledge allegiance to protect all other species and the planet. No, I’m not high on any substance. Of course, this is my personal opinion and not the [...]
My in-laws first caught a glimpse of the fruit of their endeavor twenty seven years ago. July 13. Fractal’s birthday. Back in the USA, we would have brunch in suburban Atlanta, or stay at a North Georgia cabin. His family and my family would get together. His mom would bake Syrian nutmeg [...]
June 20, 2009
Seated under the luminous afternoon sky on the woven pink palm mat, my neighbor Diana sat across her friend Sandra rocking little Pam on her lap near the thatched gazebo. I stood on the grass near the intricately handcrafted mat looking through the Minolta binoculars eyeing the Broad-billed Roller perched high on the [...]
A couple of weeks ago we took our first trip to the intoxicating capital city since our arrival at site, the first real break since trying to move to the village for the last two months. Determined to make the most out of the trip to the All Volunteer Conference in Seeta, about 10 miles [...]
We had been planning for the big day for the last month. We rescheduled the work day at least three or four times in the last week. After using much airtime & SMS the previous night to confirm that the people and the tools were available, we kept our fingers crossed hoping the welder, the [...]
June 18, 2009
As I walk past six-year old Paulina who is bent over the sink in the middle of her second load of dish washing, she smiles pleasantly and replies quietly, “I’m fine,” when I greet her. Her ebony skin glistens in the splashes of sun-lit soapy water and her small hands work methodically as [...]
June 12, 2009
Having lived outside the US, moving to a different corner is not a new experience. Assimilating to a new culture in the company of a family member makes those few frustrating times a lot bearable. When the matatu driver slyly assured us that the taxi was directly going to our destination, I was [...]
June 5, 2009
No one would faintly consider from Peter’s innocent smile that he’s in his terrible two. The smile that instantly melts even a person who isn’t fond of toddlers. The kind of smile that makes one forget that Peter can be a rambunctious and mischievous little person. The morning alarm who would easily get [...]
As we walked towards the concrete house that sat behind a mostly manicured lawn, I asked the chairman how one greets in Lugisu, the local language spoken in the slopes of Mount Elgon.
May 26, 2009
When the folks back home inquire about the climate here in Fractaville, Uganda, I’m quick to point out that the temperatures soar far less than in the summers in Georgia. The climate is moderate despite our location on the equator. Warm. Not HOT. A good bargain with the Sun. The lush elevation. The [...]
Setting up shop in a new town, or even a different state is stressful. Yet manageable. Making a home in a new country in the Old World is another story. Different language. Unfamiliar rules. Running a marathon seems easier than finding the 30mm long bolt. One could live without power, but drilling a hole in [...]
April 12, 2009
I sit patiently in the front office of Fractal’s NGO in the heart of Fractalville. We dropped in for a few minutes to ask some wholesome advice into turning the depressing dump into a habitable home. We’ve a grand vision for our 3-room iron sheet-roofed concrete home: energy-saving solar panels that power [...]
I’m reading Hari Kunzru’s Transmission. Amazing. I’m not referring to just the content of the book. Six months ago, I probably could give ten reasons why I was incapable of reading a book in three days. You know, the ADHD makes me do things. Maybe, I’ll read after just another 10 minutes of online video [...]
Hearing “muzungu,” can fill some people with dread. MUZUNGU. FOREIGNER. Calling someone muzungu isn’t insulting. Stating the obvious (physical attributes) isn’t offensive here. People generously use words like fat, thin, small, big, tall, short, black, white, and red to describe others. Once I was taken aback when someone refered to the person standing next to [...]
April 30, 2009
I didn’t think much of it till this evening. I am seated in the thatched gazebo engrossed in Tess Holthe’s When the Elephants Dance. I am momentarily distracted when I hear some soft footsteps. I look around and see our neighbor Diana with her placid infant. I greet them, “Kuli Kayo,” Welcome Back. [...]
April 26, 2009
I left the US reassuring myself that I would have fewer number of choices to make in the Old World. I wouldn’t have to choose among the myriad brands of cereals, flavors of soymilk, and distinctions of cheeses. Shopping would be easy in Africa, where I envisioned a virgin land free from the [...]
April 23, 2009
We were sworn in as Peace Corps volunteers yesterday at the Pope Paul XIV Memorial Guest house by our Country Director. After eating a light snack and waiting for couple of hours for a ride, we headed to our home for the next two years. Fractalville (name changed for security reasons) . The [...]
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April 17, 2009
The marathon’s almost over. I presented my qualifying project on Wednesday. I worked on it till the very last moment; it probably wouldn’t be the last time I procrasinate. Fractal who helped me organize the logistics [...]
April 12, 2009
Many Ugandans were in high spirits on Easter Sunday, but it was still a laundry day for me. Doing laundry is a big deal when one doesn’t have a washing machine. My fingers feel as rough as sandpaper after spending couple of hours washing our clothes. I volunteered to wash my husband Fractal’’s [...]
Less than two weeks to go before the end of training. We were pretty close to losing our site because we played a joke on some of the trainers and the country director on April Fools’. We told them that we were expecting a child. Our Ugandan trainers were pretty excited about it and hugged [...]
April 11, 2009
Seated on a cushioned chair leaning against a pillow, I’m thinking about the myriad of things I should be doing: washing our clothes, learning Lusoga, and preparing for my final qualifying project. Instead of doing any of these useful activities, I’m reveling in the satisfaction of finishing Philippa Gregory’s The Other Boleyn Girl–the [...]
I finally sent off my paper. We’ve just two more weeks. We got to move. I’m sitting here in the midst of boxes. In a few days, we’ll give this desk (where I’m sitting at) away, pack the computers away, load the beds, move the multitude of boxes filled with books, gadgets either to my [...]
As we get ready accruing electronic gadgets (like little connectors, adaptors, wires), socks, backpacks, stuffsacks, I wonder what I would be doing around this time next year in Uganda. Would I know how to cook some Ugandan foods, speak in the local language, know how to do laundry (without getting infected with putsi maggots), and [...]
Hey there!
Welcome to my Peace Corps Uganda blog. I created this blog to record experiences that I have as a Peace Corps volunteer in Uganda f’rom 2009-2011. We’ve another month before we head to Philadelphia, Pennyslvania for staging (a brief orientation) and then board the plane to Uganda. Serving in the Peace Corps is my [...]
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