This is the end of the first week of In Service Training (IST). Essentially it’s an opportunity to learn some new skills, share initial experiences about our home sites and orgs, and provide feedback about our needs to our supervisors. Some requested to learn some Income Generating Activities to teach in the villages,so, as you will see below, we learned how to make Passion fruit and pineapple juice, and environmentally friendly cooking briquettes.
I’ve been watching the World Series via the internet. I get up at 5 a.m. and join Scott on the right, at about the 5th inning. He worked in the marketing department for the Mets and is a huge fan, tortured until today His roommate Nick, not pictured, is from Kansas City. A real test of their friendship. Reeves on the left is a sports fanatic from Georgia. During the first game he was on his computer conducting a 13 round NBA fantasy draft with 9 friends in the USA. The first game went 14 innings and we had to leave on a bus. Scott was able to carry his computer and continue watching en route. This morning the power was out, so when Scott’s battery died, we switched to my laptop. Monday morning at 3:30 a.m. I’m hosting Packers fanatic Becky and anyone else who cares for the live Broncos game. She is looking forward to trash talking me, but she will have to do it quietly. I have the ability to replay it after Monday sessions too, for the ones who don’t want to get up early.
We are staying at a place called Ulrika Guest House, on the road from Kampala to Entebbe. It’s part of a pretty large complex, and run by nuns, who are pretty cool. They sell us beer. There are crucifixes everywhere. I don’t think I am ever out of Jesus’ eyesight. The nuns gave us older guys and a few others single rooms.
Using different colored yarn we learned how to show the spread of the HIV virus. AIDs has left many orphans in Uganda. We drew cards to determine our risks, such as “Married with three wives, using condoms”, “Player who is unprotected”, “Loyal to single spouse” etc. I took this picture outside the circle because my card said “Abstinence” and the trainer told me to get out. Big laugh when that happened, Art imitating Life.
It’s been great seeing everyone in my cohort for the first time since our August swearing in. Training activities in the day, soccer or volley ball late afternoon until dark, and social stuff or relaxing in my room after dinner. We’ve had individual meetings with the PC supervisors, during which I indicated no real problems for me. Compared to stressors of the past two years, and my tired old law practice, I continue to view the Peace Corps as a long adventure vacation. I think I have the personality, skills, stamina and attitude to be a good volunteer. With 22 months to go, I only worry about my job getting boring, so I will try to keep it interesting. Of course I do miss my “family life” in the evening, but with grown kids leading their own independent lives, it wouldn’t be that much different in Denver. Lately I’ve been watching Game of Thrones at night on my computer.
We took a field trip and learned how to make juice from these passion fruits.
Here I am, ready to go to work making passion fruit juice and pineapple juice, while David photo bombs me.
It cures ED within an hour without any complications. generic viagra sale They include: Low sexual drive or low sexual libido are suffering from Hypoactive cheap viagra price Sexual Desire Disorder (HSDD). Actually, in this way cialis from india tadalafil you pay less money but you receive more quality. All of the reputed companies provide a lot to ads for getting the respective market in competitive market. uk generic cialis
You scoop out the passion fruit and then put it through a sieve and cook it,
We also learned how to make cooking briquettes (Ugandans pronounce it brick’- its) out of banana peels, cassava peels and husks, and maize cobs. In the background is a barrel contraption to turn it into char, which is essentially covering the flames so no oxygen, and then it caramelizes.
Harmony holds a small briquette
A larger briquette which custom fits their stoves which the NGO also makes. After the waste is turned into char, it’s mixed with cassava porridge for binding, and 1/10 clay dirt for filler.
It really glows when it cooks. These briquettes cook faster, burn longer, and are smokeless, so you can cook indoors.Using bio waste reduces the number of trees cut down for charcoal and firewood..It’s an easy sell as the word gets out about this process.
I’ve learned other PCVs have counterparts that don’t give them the time of day, NGOs that are running out of funds or don’t have challenging work, or there is too much work. It has really hit home how many of these PCVs plunged into the Peace Corps immediately following their college graduations, so probably it’s a bit of a jolt. The main psychiatrist for the Peace Corps visited us. He said last year 4,000 were chosen from over 20,000 applicants. He said when employers look through submitted resumes, they all show similar backgrounds but the fact you state you were in the Peace Corps will always stand out and give them something interesting to discuss in your interview. Not taking anything away from my own children, who could easily fit in, I continue to be impressed with the quality of the kids I am serving with.