Around The World Slideshow: Jessica’s trip from Kampala, Uganda to 15 cities Costa Rica, Budapest, Ukraine, Lima, Zihuatanejo, Bolivia, Cusco, , Puno, Iquitos, Odessa, Chisinau, Entebbe, Machu Picchu and Jinja was created by TripAdvisor. See another Mexico slideshow. Create your own stunning free slideshow from your travel photos.

Somewhere along the way I have lost my inspiration to write. I am not sure why. Maybe it’s because I am living life, I’m lazy, or to busy. I don’t know, but in reading some of my friend’s blogs I realized anew that I need to keep up with my blogging and journal writing. Some of the experiences I have will be lost and forgotten if not jotted down somewhere. So, in another attempt at reviving this blog I have brewed some coffee, put on some music and am nestled next to my space heater ready to jot down some words about my Peace Corps experience!

Last time I posted anything of substance was when I still lived with my host family. Oh my, how long ago that seems. In actuality I realize it was not long ago at all. These days life seems to be a whirlwind of adventure and new experiences. To begin, I did finally move in to my own place. I live in a small Dacha less than a block away from my host family’s house. I call it my secret garden as the yard is completely unruly filled with grapes, pear trees, apple trees, walnut trees, a picnic table nestled under an overgrown canopy of grapes, chickens, and a number of other plants and weeds that I have no clue about. The house is the last one on the street. Next to my house are fields of wheat, greens, sunflowers, onions, carrots, tomatoes, and a variety of other gardening plants. As you can imagine, the primary source of income in a community so small is farming. In fact, today there was an entire concert put on by the school to commemorate all the farmers and their work. Several people in the farming community received awards. I was put in charge of taking pictures and the concert was one filled with music and dancing about harvest time.

Sunflowers Near My House

My dacha is four rooms. The first room is a kitchen like room with a sink, a table, a hotplate, and Petchka. The next room has a refrigerator, the entrance to the creepy cellar, my water storage, and my clothes line. The next room is basically my living room. It has a couch, desk, and book case that I store my clothes and books in. The last room is my bedroom complete with you named it, a bed! Oh, the toilet is outside next to the shed. When I first moved in I didn’t have a refrigerator or running water. I have a sprocket outside that I would fill buckets with every day and use for my water supply. Apparently the city turns the water on during the winter so as of the last few weeks I now have running water in my one sink. Mind you, the water is only turned on during the day. The times change but usually it is turned on around 9:30 a.m. and shuts off somewhere between 5:00 and 6:00. I only purchased food that was non-perishable for the first few weeks but now I have a refrigerator and it is splendid!

My kitchen in all its glory!

School started on September 1st. The first couple of weeks were relatively mellow with me doing my clubs and observing classes. As of current I usually teach about 8 English classes a week, hold two clubs, tutor a variety of kids, and are currently in the process of writing a grant. My leadership club and I were able to successfully put a small Halloween party together. My friend Anne came to help which I am eternally grateful for! We had about 40 kids show up which is a significant amount considering there are only 80 students total that attend my school. In fact, I was recently having tea with another teacher and her family. Her daughter speaks English and attends the University in a nearby city. As we were speaking her daughter informed me that in reality only about 300 people live here. The “census” reports 554 people, however a great deal of that number is kids who leave for the University or work in the city. Anyway, my point being that the kids enjoyed the Halloween party. A few of my regular kids even glued (literally glued) jewels to their nose to look like they had nose piercings like me. I should feel like a bad influence but I don't. It was adorable!

A couple of my regulars in my English club for Halloween

My clubs seem to be going well although not exactly as planned. Things are hard to plan in advance here because things never turn out exactly as expected. Sometimes I have 4 kids show up to my clubs and sometimes I have 10. Sometimes teachers are really involved and sometimes they are not. Sometimes the school needs money so we spend the first two weeks of school harvesting onions in a nearby village. Sometimes the school schedule is rearranged because there are things being fixed. My point is that I never really know what is going on so I am often just shooting from my hip. Of course I try and prepare some stuff, but often times it falls through or I am asked to do something different 5 minutes before they expect me to do it. My big goal currently is to write a grant to build new sports facilities and purchase more sports equipment for the school. I would like my leadership club to be involved in the project management portion of this; however they are a bit young so we will see how that goes!

Kids visiting me at my house

In other news I recently took a trip to Moldova with some close friends. It was a quick trip full of adventure! I almost got detained on the border of Ukraine and Moldova and was bailed out by the only man I would ever compare to God, the Peace Corps security officer Sergei. We got to go on a wine tour and eat Mexican food which was amazing! On our way back in to Ukraine we got stranded in a random place called 7 kilometers from Odessa which we later learned is one of the largest bazaars in Ukraine. Anyway, it was 4 in the morning so it was just an empty parking lot when we were there. We found a kitten that looked more like a rat because she was so small and ill. I couldn’t turn her away so my friend Jess lent me her scarf and we wrapped her in it and carried her on the bus for an additional 5 hours to Kherson. We then took her to the vet, got her all patched up and then I trekked the remainder of the way home alone with her. She is a welcome addition to my house in Chervoni Promin. Soma is now somewhere in the vicinity of 5 months. Not really sure as we found her and she was malnourished We thought she was more like 2 weeks old however the Vet informed me she was more like 2 to 3 months old.

Some of the Moldova Crew (Anne, me, Val, and Jess)

Soma (Сьома) all wrapped up in a scarf ready for the journey home

Alright, now that I have written a novel my new goal is going to be to update this blog at least once a week as to not have to write a novel and hopefully get back some of my lost inspiration to write. Thanks for reading!

A friend of mine had this quote posted on her facebook profile and I really liked it, so I thought I would post it here!

to win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children;

to earn the appreciation of honest critics and endure the betrayal of false friends;

to appreciate beauty, to find the best in others;

to leave the world a bit better, whether by a healthy child, a garden patch, or a redeemed social condition;

...to know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived.

This is to have succeeded.

-- Ralph Waldo Emerson

My first month at site was spent adjusting to doing nothing. Sounds kind of strange I know. I live in a village of less than 600 people and I can’t even buy bread or phone credit in my one store. People in my village survive off of the land. Every day my host family gets up at around 4:00 a.m. to go feed the animals and farm. Being that it is summer, people are either doing this or on vacation thus although the school is open every day no one is working. I watched the entire series of Gillmore Girls and countless other movies. I have read three books, wandered through fields of sunflowers, caught up on the sleep I have missed out on the past 10 years, and yep that about covers it.

During the second week of July I took a bus to the Western part of Ukraine to participate in an English Summer Camp. It was like doing a complete 360! I went from having little to nothing to do to being busy for 12 or more hours a day. I had to get up at 7:30 for morning exercises with the kids. Breakfast at 9:00 and then I would teach 5 lessons a day starting at 10:00 a.m. and ending at 6:30 p.m. Usually in the evenings we also did some sort of evening activity with the kids. I really did enjoy the camp though. Most of the classes were fun classes such as how to make lemonade, teaching them songs, watermelon seed spitting contest, basketball, and capture the flag. I did get to teach a couple of real classes on gender empowerment which was awesome and probably my favorite part of camp. I got to work with a variety of American teachers and Ukrainian teachers as well. I had a really great time and was sad to leave. I was only supposed to be there for two weeks but my friends talked me in to staying an extra two weeks to help with another session of camp. I’m pretty easily talked in to doing things.

After camp ended I stayed with my friend Valerie for a few days. We then took a train to Kyiv for a Peace Corps sponsored training. It was a pretty cool training. I met my director of the school there and we worked together to put together an action plan for a project. I will be starting an English based Leadership club. My hope is that within a few months the kids will primarily write a grant to fund a community project of their choosing and implement it. I will be working with a few of the teachers at my school so that the project will hopefully become a sustainable club at the school.

After the training I spent the night in Kyiv with a few other Peace Corps friends and some American’s that were visiting them. I got to stay in an amazing apartment in downtown Kyiv which would be the equivalent of Time Square in New York. We all went out and saw the city and danced the night away. The next day I hung out with one of the Americans. We went to a shooting range where I shot an AK47 and some sort of other Russian pistol. Later we went and got Indian food which is a huge treat here. Afterwards I booked it to the train station and made it just in time. I took the overnight train to Kherson and now I am home. School starts tomorrow and although I am not entirely sure what I will be doing aside from my club I am pretty excited to get things going. I will also be moving in to my own house very quickly. I looked at it yesterday and the repairs are almost done. I am waiting on them to fix the toilet (which is outside) and get me a refrigerator. Life is pretty great!

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I have been in Ukraine for just about five months. My daily routines are starting to set in. The shock of the complicated transportation system is weaning. Not hearing anyone speak English for weeks at a time has become a norm. Walking 2 miles in a day just to get home is not a big deal. Every once and a while though, a moment of clarity encompasses me, and I remember that I am living in a village of less than 600 people in Ukraine and I have to say that it is pretty fucking cool.

I don’t really know what I want to do when I get out of Peace Corps. The opportunities are endless and I revel in that fact. I’m ok with not having a set plan at the moment. My whole life has been a whirlwind of maybe’s, last minute adventures, and doing a ton or random things. I have intentionally planned my life around the ability to be unpredictable and I can honestly say that I love my life. This isn’t to say I don’t have my rants, upsets, and improvements to be made, but overall I have had some pretty awesome experiences and met some pretty cool people along the way and I wouldn’t trade any of them for anything.

Caveat, I had a bit of a nostalgic moment today. They are frequent these days as I have a lot of time to think and ponder. Sometimes I get in the mode of I need to do more, I need to plan, and I haven’t done enough. I need to step back and realize that I have actually done a tone and experienced so many things that many people never will. I have friends all over the globe, I have swam in the Amazon and Nile river, I have seen lions in the wild, I have taught classes on gender empowerment in Russian to kids who have never met an American in their lives. I have worked countless hours for causes that I believe in and have seen tangible changes occur. What I am getting at I suppose, is I love life and I am really excited to continue having experiences throughout life. I am particularly grateful that I have been able to have these experiences and meet the people I have. So for those very few people that read this, I hope that you love life and if you don’t change what is missing so that you do!

I am a bad blogger, it is official. Now that I have much more free time I am presuming I will automatically get better. Here is for an optimistic outlook on upcoming posts! I arrived in Ukraine at the very end of March. It's crazy to think that training is already finished and I have officially been sworn in as a Peace Corps Volunteer. I was placed in a town of 16,000 people called Миронивка. I grew to love this place and my host family and already miss it. I lived with a Бабушка named Вира in a small but nice apartment. Near my house were several ponds and a river. Every day I would walk to my language instructor's (Лариса) apartment along with four other fellow trainees. We had Russian language class every weekday for four hours. After this we would often meet at our Technical Trainer's (Оксона) apartment to learn things such as classroom management, working with Ukrainians, needs assessments, English clubs, cultural differences, and so on.

After three weeks we began teaching healthy lifestyle courses at the school in Russian. This was probably one of the more difficult things for me. Preparing a lesson plan in another language and co-teaching it with other trainees is stressful at minimum. We also co-taught a couple of English classes. Most Saturdays we would meet a bunch of kids near the school and play soccer, basketball, Frisbee, kickball, and whatever other games we could think of. At the end of training we conducted a three day summer camp and a festival to raise money for sports equipment for the school. Both were very successful.

My Бабушка and her family were amazing. They took me in as family immediately and I foresee a relationship with them for years to come. The night before I left they all came over and we had a big dinner and party. They gave me some going away gifts and I said goodbye. The following day we were bussed to Кyiv where we got to see the other 70 some odd volunteers we hadn't seen in over two months. We had our site announcements and got to meet a colleague who we will be working with very closely over the next two years. There was an official ceremony where the United States Ambassador spoke along with a variety of other people. Following that we said our final goodbye to those we had spent every day with the last two months and hopped a train to our new home. More to come on my new home in my next post!

Some of my Host Family

Woman Walking Her Goats

Church

Training Group

More of Host Family

So I have been receiving many inquiries about my journey and being here in Ukraine. I don't have much time left, however for those of you actually reading this here is a quick update!

I arrived in Ukraine and spent my first two days at an old Soviat Retreat with the remainder of my Peace Corps group (75ish). We were split in to clusters of 5 people. So far, everyone in my group seems really cool. We are learning Russian! On April 2nd we were bused to our communities with our cluster mates. I am in a decent sized town called Myronovka. I am very lucky and currently have access to any amenity I may need or want. I live with a very kind Babushka (Vira)in an apartment not far from my language instructors home. I have about a 20 minute walk to an from class everyday. Thus far, we are primarily working on language. I have four hours of language training a day, 1.5 hours of personal tutoring a week, several hours of technical coaching a week, and many hours of studying afterwards!

I am supposed to begin teaching classes in 4 weeks, eek! I will also be doing some sort of community project and summer camp for kids during the next three months. After these three months are up I will be moved to my permanant placement somewhere in Ukraine. Everything is still very new, however when I have things figured out more so I will be posting pictures and write more about my experience!

Before I left Salt Lake City I had a goodbye party. Most of the people that I cared about coming did, and I really enjoyed myself! Below are a few photos from the party.

Natalie & I

Power Trio (Casandra, Joshua, and I)

Brad & I

Group Photo

Not-Natalie, Natalie, Jenny, & Me

Jack, Muyly, & INatalie, Doreen, Dijean, and Me

Naomi, Theresa, & I

Brad & I

I moved from Salt Lake City and am now a temporary resident of Colorado. Most of my time spent here will be organizing, packing, and buying a few necessary items. I will be visiting Boulder for a few days and then be leaving to staging which will be in Washington DC. My address for the first three months is listed below. Please, only send letters. No packages or boxes will be accepted. After I move to my official placement then I will have a new address and the availability to receive packages and such. I do not have a phone number yet. I am hoping within a week of moving to Ukraine I will get a cell phone. I am also looking into Skype but that is yet to be determined. Hope to hear from everyone!

U.S. Peace Corps/Ukraine

PCV Jessica Jackman

P.O. Box 298

01030

Kyiv, Ukraine

Or, if you need a physical address

U.S. Peace Corps/Ukraine

PCV Jessica Jackman

111A Saksahanskoho Street

01032

Kyiv, Ukraine

Since receiving and accepting my official Peace Corps invite I have stayed very busy! Its amazing how much you realize has to be done to prepare for moving across the world when you actually have to do it! The sheer amount of paperwork it requires to cancel memberships, power of attorney for financial affairs, student loans, passport, visa, resume, questionnaires, letters of resignation, life insurance, and packing lists is exhausting.

Secondly, the actual packing part is equally as annoying. Figuring out what to do with your stuff for over two years is a pain. Luckily, I don't have that much stuff. It makes me curious about how people who own much more than I do (which is most people) handle packing. Also, I am leaving Salt Lake City for two years and truthfully will probably never come back other than to visit; there are a lot of people that I want to spend my time with before I leave. I am also working until the end of the month and it therefore takes up more of my time that I would like to give. I suppose it is a necessary evil as this job was necessary to enable myself to do the Peace Corps.

On top of all of those things (as if they are not enough) I rolled Djibouti and he/she (haven't given a gender to the name yet) didn't survive. I, on the other hand, escaped relatively unscathed! Not sure how I managed to walk away from rolling my car twice, however I am grateful non-the less. My parents were kind enough to let me borrow one of their cars for the remainder of the month that I stay in Salt Lake City. As I am leaving in less then two months, it seems silly to buy a new car. Renting one for that time frame would be far more expensive than it is worth. So, although I rolled Djibouti (my car if you have not figured it out yet), I did walk away with extra cash for my travels. A blessing in disguise I suppose.

Anyhow, not much more is going on except the above mentioned items. I am leaving Salt Lake City on March 4th. I will post my address and contact information for Ukraine about a month prior to departure (just in case it changes). Thanks for stopping by!

It has been an inordinate amount of time since I last posted. Again, my life has fallen into something of what I deem a boring routine. This is all about to change very shortly however. After having spent the last 18 months as a corporate drone, I am finally leaving! The following lyrics drummed through my head for the last few months. I think that it sort of pertains. Map of the World By Monsters of Folk There's a map of the world

on the wall in your room

Green pins where ya wanna go

White pins where ya been

there isn't even ten,

you're already feeling old

Pretty faces stare back

from a magazine stack

that you read when

you're feeling bored

Look through a telescope lens

it doesn't make sense

you think you've been there before

Some far off feelings

Some up close kind of ache

White screen reason to

look the other way

There's a place by the lake

that you go when it's late

it was summer and the crowds were gone

and you sit all alone with

With your thoughts, gettin stoned

just waitin for some peace to come

Like the thing thatcha

tried that you thought that you liked

for a minute then it all felt wrong

So your changing again

All your clothes, all your friends

It's the same as it ever was

That far off feeling

That up close kind of ache

Some white screen reason to

look the other way

It's a road that you've paved

over Indian graves and

you wonder why your dreams are crazed

So you cling to your wife,

your kids, and you life

There's nothing that you're gonna save

Put the razor to your face,

Hot water for a shave

Kill the shadow of yesterday

Clean shirt, clean pants,

clean slate second chance You're going by another name

Some far off feeling

Some up close kind of ache

That instant karma

That always comes too late I applied for the Peace Corps in July of 2009 and recently received/accepted my invitation to serve in Ukraine. Barring some unforeseeable disaster or something of the like, I will be leaving March 29th. The time it is taking to depart seems to be idly pacing itself at the slowest possible rate. Looking back however, the application process seemed to fly by! The time frame in which I submitted my application and received my actual invite was approximately 7 months; it will be a total of about 9 months from the click her to submit and the “I’m Leaving On a Jet Plane” outcome. Apparently the 9 months it took me is about the shortest time it takes most volunteers. Many of the other upcoming volunteers I have spoken with applied 1 to 2 years prior before actually receiving their invite! I am thankful it did not take me that long. My job title will be Youth Developer. I’m still not really sure what that means. The Peace Corps tends to be very vague in almost everything. It could range from working in secondary schools teach HIV and Drug Abuse Prevention, creating outside activities for kids to be involved in, mentoring at risk youth and orphans, to maybe teaching some English. I don’t even know where in Ukraine I will be! The first three months will be living with a host family while I train. After that I will be sent to my placement site for the remainder of the two years. I will be learning either Ukrainian or Russian. I am hoping to pick up both. I have recently started to study Ukrainian in an attempt to not sound like a complete idiot when I move in with my host family. Yes, it is true. I will spend only 2 days at “staging” in the US. I will then immediately fly to Ukraine and be placed with my host family. I would like to have at least a few necessary words and phrases down before I arrive. Anyhow, I will likely be making my blog private shortly. I have been told that this might be necessary with being in the Peace Corps. Let me know if you will want to be added. I will post again soon with updates on things like address, finalized items and whatever else may be of interest. Cheers!

Looking through my photos I came across a bunch of portait type of photos and thought they looked really cool. People facinate me and I really like portraits, so I decided to post some of my favorite portraits of friends, people I have met traveling, and just fun ones.

Recently I was chatting with a friend about how things have changed and stayed the same. Many of my good friends and I met my freshman year of college, and although that is a relatively short time frame for many, it is a long time for me. Generally speaking, I would argue that most people change and come in to themselves the most between ages 18 and 25, thus the time gap we have known each other seems quite significant. Getting back to the point, there have been a lot of great times. Casandra found a document, or whatever one would call it, describing a party that a Casandra, Bri, and I had gone to freshman year. Although we have been to plenty since, this party has sort of gone down in the books as famous. I don't know if it was because we were so young, if it was the crowd that was throwing it, or if it was purely one of the first parties we had ever attended; but it was a phenomenal party at the time. With that being said, after reading the document about our experience I find it amazing how much can be lost or forgotten if not recorded. Casandra sent me this, and there were so many things on there that I had totally forgotten about, and I remembered anew the utter excitement of attending that party. So, without further adieu I have posted the document. I hope everyone gets as much entertainment from this as I did! Outline of Party Piracy Mayhem October 25 – 26 I. Casandra’s Horrible Lie (4: 10 am) II. The “Yelling in the Background” phone call III. Shopping: A. Toys ‘R’ Us B. Pary Land (Better swords) C. Shopko D. Closed DI E. Pib’s exchange (costume was too expensive, but ended up less expensive than outfits: Casandra = Fashion Diva) F. Walk back from Pibs.... “ok RUN!!!” IV. Called Kelly (alcohol v. freeloading) V. Drove past house and Jesse looked out the window @ our car (9:20 pm) VI. Called Dustin and asked about the 7 ppl who were there/costumes VII. The Impossible Crush VIII. Got Dressed (took forever) IX. Goal to go to car to get boots. X. Andrew stopped by to ask Bri out on a date. XI. Call Dustin and find out it’s a big party XII. Go to party and there’s this peeing guy outside...Casandra threw a fit...and a new wave acid boy who told us our costumes were underdressed. XIII. Found Dustin, (Casandra got cherries and a coke). Darren had a mind of his own with Bri and the Beer. XIV. Everything runs together – different stories. XV. Casandra went outside to get Twister and Robin saw a police car go by...she said it was fine. XVI. We all met in dance room and somebody said there was a cop. We took off through the back and tried to convince Spencer/John (aka hot blonde boy) not to drive drunk. XVII. Bri changed in the middle of the sidewalk. XVIII. Walked home....fought about whether to go up or down on Virginia St...Matt’s Frat House. XIX. Ran into a bunch of guys in ties (Jessica thought they were from the party). XX. Bri peed in the OSH building bushes. XXI. Stole treats from Pyjama Party XXII. Visited Kelsy and Joshua. XXIII. Called Dustin & Alex. XXIV. Alex and friend came to dorms (got a speeding ticket on the way). XXV. Went back to house to get twister, sword, camera, and keys...Dustin waiting on couch with only twister. XXVI. Sneaking through naked bodies looking for keys...look for keys at car, but get locked out of house. Call Alex, but no answer. XXVII. Snuggle up on couch and alex calls us. Jessica doesn’t know what he said...we’ll just wait for everybody to wake up. XXVIII. Alex took us home. (5:40 am)

Friday night Casandra, Natalie, and I attended a mutual friend of ours "non-baby baby shower." One might question what sort of party that is. Too shed light on it, he was having a vasectomy the following day. I won't go into the details surrounding his decision but will state it was/is a positive thing for him. Anyhow, when we arrived they were playing scrabble. It was not the normal scrabble however it was speed scrabble with a twist!

Those of you who are not familiar with speed scrabble it is a version not including the board. All of the scrabble pieces are placed in the middle of the table. Everyone picks five pieces and has to try and create scrabble with the five pieces. When one person has accomplished using all five pieces he/she yells go! Everyone then continues to pick two more until again someone yells go. When all of the pieces are done, rather than count words everyone creates a story using their board.

I thoroughly enjoyed playing this. I generally like normal scrabble, however the time it takes to play makes it a bit taxing at times. This version is quick and the story adds a lot of humor. Following a few glasses of wine the stories become pretty hilarious. I thought I would add this snippet of information on to everyone in case someone wants to give it a try. It is my new favorite game and I could not be more thrilled. I am planning on going home to Colorado tomorrow to visit the family for a bit and fully intend on introducing them to it as well. Cheers!

I recently went to Mexico with my friend's Juliann and Chelly. Shirin also came for part of the time. I had a fantastic time. Our fun ranged from beach hopping, disco, horseback/donkey rides, fishing, and having a generally good time. Below are some of the photos from the trip.

While Casandra and I were in Costa Rica we went surfing. It was one of the highlights of the trip. Casandra had most of the surfing photos on her camera for some reason. She has been a bit of a slacker uploading them and sending them. Although they are difficult to see, the little specks are us! I thought I would share it because I'm not very modest and very proud of the fact I can surf!

I just got back from Mexico and will update my blog about the trip soon. In the meantime I have uploaded a short clip of Shirin and I rafting the Nile from last year. Shirin came to Mexico with me and informed me that her mom uploaded a youtube video on it. Here it is!

Those of you who know me probably know that I am involved in several organizations in support of gay rights. The most recent being Marriage Equality Utah which has been involved in Equality Utah to launch the Common Ground's Initiative in Utah. The goal of the initiative is to give gay couples medical and housing rights. The first leg of the initiative got shot down at the legislature. It would have allowed a gay partner already on the will to sue in wrongful death cases.

What is this diatribe of mine coming down to? The Sutherland Institute (a right wing think tank) and the Eagle Forum have banned together to start their own campaign against the Common Ground Initiative. They claim that it is a ploy to eventually fight for gay marriage to be legalized in Utah or at least will pave a path in which it is possible. The Sutherland Institute was holding a press conference/meeting to launch its campaign. It was set to be open to the public as long as you reserved a seat. Casandra and I did so in hopes of listening to what they had to say. Granted it would not change our minds but we were still interested. We showed up only to be escorted out by security!!! We didn't even make it in the doors. Apparently they connected our names to the organizations we are involved in and black listed us from attending the event. To add to the humorous and slightly offensive action, the person at the door is someone I work with!

I am a little proud that I am involved in a group that is so well known that we can't attend our oppositions events. I am a little annoyed by their tactics. I could understand if we were to be disruptive and rude inside the event, but to not even let us in and claim it is a public event is a bit absurd. It only makes me strengthen my beliefs. It is clear that these people don't want anything to do with civil communication or even understanding where others are coming from. It was my hope to understand them a bit more but I leave with more of a biased opinion against them and their goals.

After having been back from Costa Rica for over a month now, I have decided to post a blog about the trip. I recently realized that I post much less frequently than I used to. The primary reason for this is that now that I am not living abroad I have much less interesting experiences. If I post they are usually rants of mine which likely very few people even care about. For those of you who bug me to update my blog (Casandra) here you go. By the way, Casandra almost died following our trip because she caught a disease. The entire time we were in Costa Rica she kept having medical mishaps (mosquito bites and faulty ankle). We joked that she would catch something more serious…and low and behold she did. It was not really funny when it happened though!

Casandra and I started off on our adventure by arriving in San Jose. San Jose was not that exciting aside from some of the clubbing and people we met. I am not going to go into lots of detail about the trip because people seem to respond better to pictures. I will say that while in San Jose we met Michelle from New York whom ended up backpacking with us for at least half of the trip. I had a random Rasta take a picture of me while I was sleeping on a hammock. I woke up and yelled at him. This was after he had made the rounds of hitting on Casandra, Michelle, and I. Casandra hooked me up with some guy (in a not so conscience state) whom followed me the entire evening we were clubbing. We went to the Arenal Volcano in which we didn’t actually see it because clouds covered the WHOLE things. Casandra was upset because we chose Costa Rica primarily because she has always wanted to see it. In that same day I discovered I get car sick, or rather bus sick. We also went on a canopy zip line tour through the jungle in which was a blast! We met a few friends from San Jose as well.

After leaving San Jose we met up with another backpacker Charlie. He traveled with us to Manuel Antonio Park. We stayed at a hostel with a spectacular view. We went on a hike through the park and saw a whole slew of wild life. Casandra had a run in with two coconut guys. We went white water rafting and hiked through a spice garden in the jungle. The river rafting was fun, but nothing compared to the Nile. I found myself a little nervous every time I went through the rapids because of my experience on the Nile. We had a bonfire and party on the beach in which we went night swimming. Casandra lost her first pair of flip flops there. Her second pair of shoes (along with mine and Charlie’s) mysteriously disappeared from the balcony of our hostel. We hypothesis it was monkey’s because who would want soaking wet shoes? Casandra and I split up for a couple of days. She went to Mal Pais while I stayed with Michelle and lounged on the beach.

The next day Charlie, Babtist (another hostel friend) Michelle and I took two buses, a taxi, a speedboat, and two more buses to Mal Pais. When we arrived it was a little surfing town and no one seemed to know where the hostel in which Casandra was staying was. We spent at least an hour wandering on the dirt road looking for it. When we saw her she and this Austrian guy were walking bear foot up from the beach. This is where she had her third pair of shoes stolen!!! Oh yea, we also met a couple of Swedish guys that traveled with us there. Michelle and I left Charlie and Babtist in another town. Mal Pais was great. We spent most of our time surfing. I really love surfing now!! Casandra and I rented bikes one day and rode a couple of miles to find a hidden beach. We almost got stuck on it because the tide came in. The guy whom owned the hostel we stayed on was a German Rasta. He was very cool and had a pit bull named Lilly whom did not like Michelle. Mal Pais is where we hypothesize Casandra caught her disease that hospitalized her for several days.

When we flew home we almost missed our last leg of the flight in Vegas because we were drinking in the airport. We were both very depressed to be coming home to snow. Plus, I only had my flip flops because my other pair of shoes got stolen! Over all it was a great trip and I would love to go live in Mal Pais for a summer and surf!

Recently I discovered my friend Kathy's blog. Being the internet stalker I am i was browsing through her blog. One of her posts I thought would be a fun game to play at work while I was bored. I have to admit that it was pretty entertaining to play. My answers however makes me seem like a bit of a emo kid. Maybe I should evaluate my music choice! Here are the results.

1. Put your music listening device on shuffle.

2. For each question, press the next button to get your answer.

3. You must write that song name down no matter how silly it makes you sound.

4. Title this post what the answer to your last question is.

* If someone says 'Is this Okay' you say

You May Know Him (Moon Pix)

* What do you like in a guy/girl?

Fucking Boyfriend (Bird and Bee)

*How do you feel today?

You Know I'm No Good (Amy Winehouse)

*What is your life's purpose?

Minus (Beck)

*What do your friends think of you?

Good to know that if I ever need attention all I have to do is die (Brand New)

What do your parents think of you?

Nickel Bags (Digable Planets)

*What do you often think about?

When you say nothing at all (Alison Krauss)

*What do you think of the person you love?

Crosses (Zero 7)

*What is your life story?

Heaven and Hell (Opium Jukebox)

*What do you want to be when you grow up?

CMYK (Ladytron)

*What do you think when you see the person you love?

Left and Leaving (the weakerthons)

*What will they play at your funeral?

Slow Company (American Analog Set)

*What is your biggest fear?

Lonesome Tears (Beck)

*What is your biggest secret?

Astronaut (Shy Child)

*What do you think of your friends?

Friendly Ghost (Unknown)

*What are you going to name this post?

This Red Book (Pinback)

I was chatting with a friend today. Amongst the discussion was her utter disappointment in mankind. I have to admit I agree with her. With the mass amounts of hate and sheer disregard for our fellow human beings that exist it is hard not to become disenfranchised from wanting to be a part of the world. It is hard enough to reconcile the fact that people actually believe and think some of the things they do. It is out right shocking at times that people have the audacity to say and act on those things and are not embarrassed by their disregard for their fellow human being. Yes, I say human being specifically leaving out “American”. The United States so often put itself on a pedestal of moral superiority, however rarely exhibits any of the traits in which I would deem as moral or even decent. It seems that we forget that we are a human race, not an American race. Even within the “American” context, we divide ourselves from each other using our moral complex as justification. Ultimately we are going to destroy ourselves however. Not in the milieu that is often thrown about (due to our straying from morals and traditional beliefs). No, it will be in our lack of respect for each other. It will ultimately end in blowing each other up over some fairy tale stated in the bible, Koran, or any other book.

I find it hard to understand or even relate to thinking it is ok or somehow right to treat people with so much contempt. As a kid I always clung to treating people well and loving them because they are a person. Walking past someone that is homeless and thinking “that bum should get a job” never even crossed my mind. Being able to reach out and help someone in need was just what you did. Having respect for the life and rights of someone else was expected. I take a look at the world around me now, some people I know, things being published in the media and it brings a great sadness to me. When did people become so mean and hurtful towards each other? I guess people have always been this way, I just chose to stay in my oblivious bubble that people are generally good. I find it an absolutely offending concept that people excuse their actions though “god” or religion. I refuse to live a life of excuses.

With that being said, I refuse to believe that the human race as completely disappeared. I believe there is good in the world if only for my own selfish reasons of having a purpose to get up in the morning. A friend of mine once said something to me that struck a chord in my being. She had eluded to the fact that for a long time she was trying to figure me out because there was no way anyone would be so nice with out having some ulterior motive. This was a person that had lived a fairly dismal existence in drugs. Her surroundings were drug users and people that always wanted something. She said it dawned on her that maybe there were people out there that just cared and were actually good people. I have thought about that conversation a lot, especially recently with the mass amounts of disheartening things that seem to be coming to a forefront. My conclusion is that yes, there are good people and good things. The media has a tendency to throw about all of the bad things going on in the world, and the good things and people are often overlooked and overpowered by the bad. With that being said, a few of the things I am going to list are what I see as being good and give me hope.

1.) Recently I have been involved in protests urging for marriage equality for our fellow human beings. Shortly after the disappointing passage of proposition 8 in California there was a rally in SLC. I was not expecting many people to show up. When I arrived there were over 3,000 people at the rally fighting for humanity. It was an amazing thing to be apart of.

2.) When I was in Uganda there were so many sights of sad things. The people there however, were happy, friendly, welcoming, and surprisingly uplifting. There were people from all over the world giving their time to help whether it is volunteering in an orphanage, teaching school children, or giving money. There are people all over the world sacrificing to help others.

3.) I worked in drug and alcohol treatment and foster care for a while. While there were a lot of hard things to see, I found there to be even more inspirational things than bad. There were people accomplishing things (being clean, caring for their kids, graduating high school, coming to terms with abuse) that they never thought they would, and frankly not many people believed they would either. I saw amazing strength in kids whom had experienced things no adult should and not only survive, but thrive.

4.) Aside from witnessing some amazing things, there are also amazing little things in life that many of us take for granted. Things that I love doing or seeing that often times seem trivial. Coffee, cheese, fall leaves, warm fires, good friends and good conversation, guitar, reading, having a job, red wine, the ability to travel, and generally good times.

Rather than focus entirely on the bad, I am going to try my best and focus on the good. This is not to say that I will not be furious and disappointed with many of my fellow human beings. It is saying rather that I will continue to look for the inevitable good in people and things that I truly believe exist. I will continue to fight for a world in which I am not disheartened and that I can be proud to call my neighbor my friend and not foe. I will ultimately cling to my childish/naïve belief that the world is indeed a hopeful bright place and continue to turn over the rocks that seem to be burying much of its beauty.

In 1967 the Supreme Court ruled on Love v. Virginia overturning a law prohibiting marriage of different races. The following is an excerpt from the ruling. This excerpt is why I believe that Proposition 8 should be overturned and that it is unconstitutional to prohibit anyone from marrying.

"Marriage is one of the "basic civil rights of man," fundamental to our very existence and survival.... To deny this fundamental freedom on so unsupportable a basis as the racial classifications embodied in these statutes, classifications so directly subversive of the principle of equality at the heart of the Fourteenth Amendment, is surely to deprive all the State's citizens of liberty without due process of law. The Fourteenth Amendment requires that the freedom of choice to marry not be restricted by invidious racial discrimination. Under our Constitution, the freedom to marry, or not marry, a person of another race resides with the individual and cannot be infringed by the State."

The Equal protection clause under the Fourteenth Amendment prohibits discrimination by state government institutions. The clause grants all people equal protection of the laws, which means that states must apply the law equally and cannot give preference to one class of persons over another.

With this being said I find it odd that proposition 8 does this exactly. It is applying laws to only one class of persons and refusing to apply the same laws to another (gay and lesbians). Regardless of how one feels about the "morality" of homosexuality the constitution states that these basic rights cannot be taken away. How is it that 52% of Californian's (in the most recent election) and many other states have chosen to ignore this factor? Even more disturbing, how is it that it has been allowed?

In response to some of the feedback I received after posting my last blog, I have written a few more things on the subject matter. One response in particular sited sources of people or institutions being sued due to their choices in association or rather choosing not to associate with individuals that are gay and lesbian

Adoption services: Catholic Charities in Massachusetts refused to place children with same-sex couples as required by Massachusetts law. After a legislative struggle — during which the Senate president said he could not support a bill "condoning discrimination" — Catholic Charities pulled out of the adoption business in 2006.

Housing: In New York City, Yeshiva University's Albert Einstein College of Medicine, a school under Orthodox Jewish auspices, banned same-sex couples from its married dormitory. New York does not recognize same-sex marriage, but in 2001, the state's highest court ruled Yeshiva violated New York City's ban on sexual orientation discrimination. Yeshiva now allows all couples in the dorm.

Parochial schools: California Lutheran High School, a Protestant school in Wildomar, holds that homosexuality is a sin. After the school suspended two girls who were allegedly in a lesbian relationship, the girls' parents sued, saying the school was violating the state's civil rights act protecting gay men and lesbians from discrimination. The case is before a state judge.

Medical services: A Christian gynecologist at North Coast Women's Care Medical Group in Vista, Calif., refused to give his patient in vitro fertilization treatment because she is in a lesbian relationship, and he claimed that doing so would violate his religious beliefs. (The doctor referred the patient to his partner, who agreed to do the treatment.) The woman sued under the state's civil rights act. The California Supreme Court heard oral arguments in May 2008, and legal experts believe that the woman's right to medical treatment will trump the doctor's religious beliefs. One justice suggested that the doctors take up a different line of business.

Psychological services: A mental health counselor at North Mississippi Health Services refused therapy for a woman who wanted help in improving her lesbian relationship. The counselor said doing so would violate her religious beliefs. The counselor was fired. In March 2001, the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit sided with the employer, ruling that the employee's religious beliefs could not be accommodated without causing undue hardship to the company.

Civil servants: A clerk in Vermont refused to perform a civil union ceremony after the state legalized them. In 2001, in a decision that side-stepped the religious liberties issue, the Vermont Supreme Court ruled that he did not need to perform the ceremony because there were other civil servants who would. However, the court did indicate that religious beliefs do not allow employees to discriminate against same-sex couples.

The examples listed above are just a few that were cited but reflect the general purpose of the point. Other points brought up were freedom of association, the role of government, and imposing values. My reaction to these points brought up is as follows.

First off, I would like to address the myriad of examples cited as being unintended consequences stemming from this matter. I would argue that these “consequences” are actually intended. These consequences stem not from the proposition but rather laws already on the book. The avenues in which all of the subjects in the examples were allowed to sue were not due to proposition 8, rather anti-discriminatory laws in one form or another. These laws have been in place for a long time and are not set for the sheer purpose of gay and lesbian people. Rather they are set to protect discrimination in all faucets (sex, race, religion, and yes sexual orientation). Whether or not these people win is a different story and reflects the justice system but not the actual law that allows them to sue. I would argue to remove that law would be detrimental to society as a whole.

I would ask you to consider why these laws were placed in the first place and whether you think it a good idea to remove them? If this be the case, think of the unintended consequences here. The intended I imagine would be to allow personal freedom in “association.” The unintended would be the blatant discrimination of people in all walks of life. I would certainly like to think that we have moved pass discrimination in our society but the truth of the matter is we have not. Whether it is race, gender, religion, or sexual orientation, people face discrimination everyday and I would ask what your solution would be to the matter if these laws were not on the book? I would also ask you to consider the event that you were turned down for a position because of your Religious leaning. Should you have the right to sue the company? If so, how does this differ from the subjects in the examples right to sue?

Second is the matter of ideology and whether ideology should have a place in our laws and constitution. Laws are meant to be objective and neutral and when specific ideologies (values) are placed in the construction of laws they swiftly become un-objective. Our entire justice system is based on the concept of ruling on not opinions rather evidence of the effect on society as a whole. Regardless of a personal value, our laws and regulations should be based on what is best for society. Unfortunately everyone’s ideas based on their own morals and values differ, thus decisions should be based on not personal ideology and antidotal evidence but rather carfully studied facts and statistics.

I would ask everyone to consider what are the ramifications to our government, justice system, and foundation of this country if we are to begin making judgments based on our own ideologies? I would argue that passing proposition 8 is a terrifying step based what it begins to say on the role of government and people’s basic assess to fundamental rights. My last question is, if we do not protect fundamental rights of people, whom will protect mine or yours when it is attacked? If we begin to erode making sound logical decisions based on facts and statistics for decisions based on “morals and values” then none of us are really protected are we?

In light of the upcoming initiative to make marriage defined as a man and a woman in California, I felt it my duty and obligation to post the following. Although I did not write it I believe it to be completely true. My friend Casandra posted this on facebook and I could not have expressed my own sentiment about the issue any better. So rather that write my own I have posted hers. I encourage all those who read this to take it in to consideration and welcome any comments as it is an important issue that will likely effect society any way that it turns out this upcoming election.

I think it is an important question to ask whether this means that marriage is an open institution. First of all, I'd like to say that I believe that "civil unions" (the legal unions of people) should be a government contract and that "marriage" should be a religious contract. I think that would really solve much of the problem. But my ideas are neither here nor there 'cause nobody is ever going to get rid of marriage as a government institution. I think that regardless of how we try as a society to keep things the same, marriage will continue to change. It was only 40 years ago that interracial marriage was illegal (see Love v. Commonwealth of Virginia), and I would argue that very few people today consider interracial marriages a problem. Furthermore, I would argue that interfaith marriages are a pretty recent phenomenon. So, does opening marriage to same-sex couples open a can of worms? I would argue that it is the worm of a previous can.

Unfortunately, I think there's little anybody can do about being called a homophobe or a bigot if they support Proposition 8. Again, I refer back to the civil rights plight of African-Americans. It was commonplace only a few decades ago to view blacks as inferior in every way, but that idea is now shunned and those who support it are ostracized as racists. Less than 40 years ago, it was uncommon to see women in "the workplace" and they were not welcome there, but people who feel that way today are considered sexists. So, I would say that there isn't really anything anyone can do. Society changes (for better or worse) and those who don't change with it are rejected.

I would argue that the "institution of marriage" has already lost all of it's reverence. I think that the divorce rate is a clear indicator that our society's reverence for marriage has been lost. I would argue that gay couples are no less fit to be married and raise families. I think about my family (and the large number of degenerates within it), and then I consider my gay friends, which makes me realize that my degenerate family is far less qualified to (or deserving of) being married and raising a family. If there are going to be qualifications on who can be married, I think there are better benchmarks than gender. This, of course, segues into a much larger discussion about the change in the nuclear family and whether it's been better or worse for society =D.

For those that support Proposition 8, I would invite you to consider how much (or how little) your concerns about gay marriage mirror concerns about interracial marriage. I would invite you to consider the implications of the similarities and whether the concerns are something with which the government should intervene. And I would invite you to consider the role the religion in marriage versus the role of the state in marriage and whether the state can allow something that a religion does not. Please consider where "the church" stands on interracial marriage:

As evidenced by the ever-increasing divorce rate, marriage is simply a difficult process in the best of circumstances. When the complexities and stresses of race differences are added to the situation, it is far more likely that divorce will occur. Therefore, interracial marriages are discouraged by [the Church]. -Bruce R. McConkie, Mormon Doctrine, p.527) and contemplate how similar or different it is from same-sex marriage.

I would also invite you to consider the implications of not legally protecting same-sex families. For example, what happens to the children if the biological parent dies—is it really fair to not allow their other "parent" to raise them. Or, if a same-sex couple splits, it is really fair to not protect the visitation rights of one of the "parents." If a same-sex couple is raising a family where one "parent" is a home-maker, is it fair that because they are making the sacrifice to care for their family, they should be denied health insurance coverage through their "spouse." The government has placed so much on the marriage contract, that the legal protections and economic benefits are huge. Is is really fair to deny those benefits based on gender?

To those who say, "I believe in equal rights. Just don't call it marriage," I would ask if you would say the same thing in reference to race. Would you feel okay allowing black people to marry, but classify it as "black marriage?" My guess is that most people would find this notion offensive, if not just a little bit silly. I contend that to make this distinction for gay people is no less silly or offensive.

I suppose it is time to update those few readers I have on my life as of late. In my last entry I mentioned that I had just gotten a job. I started working at Fidelity in May and it has been a roller coaster of events since. One of the requirements of the job is to get licensed. I have spent the last several months studying and taking exams. It was a bit of a challenge for me being that I have no industry experience. It was an exhausting and exhilarating experience studying and passing. Yes, I did pass both the series 7 and 63. It was interesting studying for it because I don’t think in my entire college career I ever put as much effort in to something as I did this. It was not difficult material per say but an extreme amount of learning new things. I am pleased to announce though that I did pass and am very much relieved.

Currently I am also studying for the GRE (Graduate School Examination). It has been a goal of mine for a long time to go to grad school. I fully expect this experience to also be an uphill battle but am looking forward to the challenge. I take the test in a little over a week. Depending on how I do I will either re-take the exam or begin applying for graduate school. I am looking at a few International Affairs programs in Seattle, Portland, and Boulder. I will let everyone know how this goes when I have some news.

I recently took a road trip to Boulder to visit my good pal Shirin. Boulder was a beautiful area. Even more spectacular were the things that we did and the people I met. Shirin just started law school thus I had the privilege of meeting most of her law school pals through a party that she and her roommates hosted and going camping with the same bunch of people. Along side those people I also met a few other friends from the past and was able to spend some time with them also.

Within this jumble of events my parents finally sold their house. They are in the process of moving this week to Canon City Colorado which I understand is near Pueblo. It seems my family is swiftly migrating to Colorado. I say this because my younger sister Sabrina recently moved to Grand Junction for school and my grandparents are also attempting to sale their home with the prospects of moving to Colorado also. Who knows, depending on how things go I may move to Boulder in the near future. When I say near future I mean a year or so. It will definitely be Boulder, Portland, or Seattle. Any how, these are a few of the events as of the last couple of months. I am also planning a trip to Costa Rica this upcoming December with my friend Casandra and expect there will be pictures and stories from that adventure also.

I have been back from Uganda a little over one month now, and well as busy as I have been the things I have been doing have been drastically less exciting then my prior six months in Uganda. For those of you who are mysteriously interested in my not so interesting life as of current, this is for you!

When I arrived in Salt Lake City, my good friend Taralee and Brendan were kind enough to let me stay with them in their recently purchased house. I am currently still residing here probably for another month of so until I start my job and can find my own place. Being the great friend Taralee is she also recommended that I work with her at Fidelity. At first I was a little put off by the idea being that I hate math and finance has never been my forte. After some though however, I decided that it would be a good challenge for me. On a personal level I am pretty stoked to learn about investments and finance and the company seems to be a really great place to work. Needless to say I start my new job on Monday as a financial advisor. The first four months however will be training to learn the ins and outs of a completely foreign field.

The second week I was back in Utah I decided to drive to Vernal to visit the family. On the way back I hit an elk totaling my car. It was sad being that 1.) I killed the elk, and 2.) My ever so dandy car is gone. On the upside I did get a new car. Although it is not my dream car (hybrid) it is a very nice car that I hope will last me a few years until I have the finances to buy my hybrid. The car I currently has is a green Saturn Ion. Although I have not finished a full tank of gas yet, it is appearing that it is getting at least 35 miles to the gallon and possibly a bit over.

Another busy thing I have been doing is dental work. When I was in Uganda one of my tooth implants came out!!! I had it temporarily fixed in by which I mean glued to my other teeth. When I came back I found out that it was not as easy of a fix as I had hoped. I had to have surgery because the screw had broken off of the cap and part of it was stuck in my implant. After going under the “knife” so to speak it was found that not only was the screw stuck in there it was not possible to remove. This left me with the option of having to replace the entire implant!!!!

I am still in the midst of figuring this situation out being that it is a very expensive procedure that really should not have happened in the first place. We will be negotiating with our dentist whom I believe was negligent in placing the crown causing the tooth to come out. Although he is a very nice man I don’t believe I should be responsible in paying for a mistake he made. When he originally screwed the crown in it was loose. He never took it out. At the time he said he was worried it would ruin the entire implant so he thought we should wait for it to come off by itself. Little did he know that by leaving the tooth loose it would break the screw causing much more damage than he thought. In retrospect and speaking with a couple of specialists, he should have actually taken it out in the fist place.

On top of trying to replace my tooth, getting a new car, and starting a new job I have mostly been wondering around visiting friends and family. Although I have had nothing to do I have stayed very busy doing “nothing.” I am, however, looking forward to starting my new job and will hopefully be moving in to a new apartment shortly. For those of you who don’t care about these things (which I imagine is most) sorry its not more interesting. For those of you who do care I will try and write more another day!

While in Uganda my good pal Josh and I e-mailed frequently. Amongst our conversations of politics, world events, and random banter we decided it was past due for a visit. When I booked my flight home I decided to stop in DC for a week for the purpose of seeing Josh. It was a spectacular time of pure laziness and relaxation.

My flight from Uganda to Washington DC was surprisingly very pleasant. While waiting in the Entebbe airport I noticed that the girl sleeping across the way was indeed one of the acquaintances I had met on my river rafting trip three days prior. When she woke we did a bit of seat swapping and sat next to each other on the way to London. It was a lot of fun. In the meantime I met one of her acquaintances whom were stopping in London for a couple of days. Lorinne was also stopping in London for a day. Both of them tried to talk me in to changing my ticket and spending at least a day touring with them. Although I was tempted, I opted out wishing them both the best of luck.

When I arrived in DC Josh was there waiting. I spent the next week catching up with him and getting to know his wonderful girlfriend and friends. They were all very welcoming and a blast to be around. Most of the trip consisted of playing Wii, Guitar Heroes, Sing star, and general bantering. We went on a hike which was also a lot of fun. Overall I thoroughly enjoyed the visit and can not wait for Josh and Abby to come visit SLC in which I hope I will be as great a hostess.

Generally speaking taking Taxi's and especially Boda's in Uganda require the skill of bartering. It goes a little like the following:

Boda/Taxi Man: “Hullo Madam, we go?”

Jessica: “ I need to go to….how much?”

Boda/Taxi Man: “4,000”

Jessica “No no, what is your lowest price?”

Boda/Taxi Man “Madam you give 3500.”

Jessica “I’ll give you 2500”

Boda/Taxi Man “3000”

Jessica “I want the non-Mazungu (white) price. I know.”

Boda/Taxi Man “But madam gas prices.”

Jessica “Gas prices haven’t gone up. I can go find another boda.”

Boda/Taxi Man “Ok Madam, we go.”

Bartering is a skill that I use daily. Generally speaking the taxi’s and boda men will stop at nothing to get me to pay higher because I am white. They assume that I have money due to this fact. The prices they quote are generally double! The other day I was taking a taxi from a place that I frequent. The taxi drivers were new to that area and had not seen me before. They quoted me a price almost double the real price. I laughed and said I have been here a while, I know the price. They laughed and said oh, so you know the real price. I guess one can’t blame them. When the average income of a Ugandan is less then $1.00 a day it is not surprising that they try and ring money any where they can. Whites are an easy target because generally we actually do have much more money than any one of these boda drivers will ever begin to imagine.

Secondly, in order to get to your destination safely you must tell the boda man to drive safely and slow down. Frequently I will make a deal on a price and then offer them more if they drive safely. They usually laugh and agree. Bodas can be dangerous due to the mass amounts of traffic and no traffic rules to boot.

Today I approached a boda man and told him where I was going. I expected him to quote me around the 3500 shillings range. I generally end up paying 2500 after bartering. He looks at me and quotes me 1000. One can imagine my shock when he quoted a lower price then what was actually fair for him. I looked at him and said, no I will give you 2000. He laughed. Granted, I believe that he didn’t know the place I was asking him to take me. He said, “Ok, madam” with a smirk on his face. I was especially surprised when I got on. I didn’t even have to ask the boda man to slow down or drive safely. He did it all by himself!!!! I couldn’t believe it; an honest safe boda man. What are the odds in Uganda?

As I descended the boda I thanked the boda man for his honesty and safety. He again laughed thinking that I was a crazy Mazungo. I could easily have accepted his original offer of 1000 shillings for the ride and got away with cheating him. Over all I had to write a blog thanking the Mr. Boda man for my likely one honest experience with a boda man.

While driving down a highway on Sunday I saw a billboard that read, “Don’t Over Speed.” Does the term speed not denote going over a limit already? Why then would anyone throw the term over in if speed is already there? Don't speed should be sufficiant. It sounds a little like “its ok to speed as long as you don’t over do it." What does over speed mean if one is already speeding? Where is the cap?

The sign made me chuckle a little being that I have never really even seen a speed limit sign in Uganda. I wondered to myself whom was the advertising company placing this billboard? I would have taken a picture of it but did not have my camera with me.

I realize this is not a blog of great substance or length, but I had to write it. I’m no grammar guru by any means as evident from this blog. I do know however, that two words placed together signifying the same thing (that of which I’m pretty sure over speed does) is not correct. I would expect an advertising company to realize that before placing the billboard. Just so everyone remembers though, “Don’t Over Speed!”