Tag Archive: host parents

Seeds of Opportunity, Seeds of Conflict

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These ladies are one of the new youth groups we are taking on. learning how to style hair at “Brego’s Saloon”. (sic 😉 ) They can run this business from their home. Their little town is west of Bugiri and a popular night stop for truck drivers, with all that entails.

I am sitting in a hotel in Seeta, just outside of Kampala. It is time for a week of Mid-Service Training (MST). I haven’t seĂ©n most of my cohort since January. We are going to get re-tested on our language skills! I brought my notes from last year to study on the taxi ride to Seeta. I will flunk for sure. Sorry sorry.

Apparently the accommodations get upgraded for each training of the cohort. This place has a gym and a pool, and free wi-fi. I’m low on data, so I am taking advantage of the free wi-fi for today’s posts.

They say it takes a year for a PCV to get established, then you can get more things done the second year. I have some new optimism about my work in the next year. ATEFO just entered into a contract to work with an NGO which has purportedly established 110 youth groups in Bugiri and Iganga during the past year, teaching various occupational skills. This NGO wants ATEFO to take on these groups and teach record keeping, leadership, marketing etc. Another part of the curriculum is teaching household gardens. I have lobbied Adams to allow some PCVs to come out to Iganga to help me teach the trainers how to dig and teach permagardens. He seems agreeable, but in Uganda they always seem agreeable. We will also probably teach sack gardens. The contract runs through next July, shortly before my service ends. I am being pretty aggressive about getting some good roles to play in this project in the next year. While I am away this week, ATEFO has hired additional trainers for the project, and they are to mapping out the youth groups to confirm they are there, and establish rapport.

In the meantime, I am also working with the Bugiri Rotary Club to obtain grants from Rotary International to assist two projects. The first is the “Love Project”, boosting a primary school for disabled students. They are blind, deaf, handicapped, and autistic. The campus needs some minor renovations, including a wall for security around the school compound, and equipment and materials, such as braille machines, glasses, hearing aids, tactile globes, white canes, text books etc. I am also desirous of putting on a camp for these kids with my follow PCV, Becky, with the assistance of another PCV who has experience with camps for disabled kids..

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A room at Hindocha Primary School.

The second project is to aid renovations of Hindocha Primary School, which is located right behind my  office at ATEFO . A tour of Hindocha revealed terrible conditions at this 70+ year old school. Every room has a leaky roof for example. I will go into more detail as these two projects develop.

A graduate of Hindocha is member of the Riverside California. Rotary Club. He runs a technical training school here in Bugiri and goes back and forth between the two countries. He has asked for forms to request a new Peace Corps volunteer. He has chided the Bugiri Club for identifying the two projects a year ago and making no progress. I am his ally now to push things along. I have told my club I have a year left and the grant process takes a while, so we have to push push push. I have tentatively recruited my home Northglenn-Thornton club to be an International partner for one or both of these projects. I can be their boots on the ground to ensure the money is spent properly.

Endocrinology treatment in Australia costs very less and the best results that viagra purchase on line this medicine gives. Extrovert type of see content buy cheap cialis people can openly describe their problem to intercourse partner, doctor, physician but the introvert type of people will not even feel to tell their erectile dysfunction problem to his partner as well. Daytona International Speedway implemented a text messaging system this season to push out weather updates to cialis properien fans’ cellphones during race weekends. Coffee: Packed with caffeine, coffee not only serves as an eye opener every morning, it also boosts the stamina. generic levitra In the meantime, Azedy my landlord, has been struggling to get full-time work. Fortunately, his wife Margaret is teaching full time. To make extra money, Azedy and Margaret are working on the field behind their house to grow sweet potatoes and a few other crops, which I have written about in recent posts.

In a newer project, Azedy is growing 20,000 orange tree seedlings. You start with lemon seeds, which grow into a very hardy tree, but then graft orange buds on to the seedlings to produce hardy orange trees. Can you imagine doing that 20,00 times? I can’t wait to see this, and will try to learn how, mainly just out of curiosity,   He believes the government has programs to buy these seedlings or direct certain suppliers to him. He is hiring some boys to help him put the seedlings in little bags of fertilized dirt. The other day, Margaret discovered that these boys had dug up some of “her” recently planted dirt for the seedling bags. Voices were raised that night!

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Azedy is able to use his neighbor’s half built walls to get protection from goats and thieves.

Recently, I went to visit my home stay parents in Iganga, Hellen and Simon. Much to my surprise, Hellen has embarked on an identical orange seedling project, including the grafting of orange buds to lemon trees. She is making 30,000 seedlings and has plans to get up to 100,000 of them. I was sad to point out to both Azedy and Hellen that they were doing identical projects, but hated not to say anything.. I am worried about an over-supply, and now so are they. If I know two people who are doing this, how many others are there? Margaret and Simon are friends too, through their teaching careers. The seedling sales will probably occur January through March, I will keep you posted.

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These are Hellen’s seedlings. Some relation told her about this opportunity and she has jumped right in. At least both of the seedling projects are hiring some boys to do most of the work.

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You might recall Adrian had a close brush with mortality. As he struggled, an uncle asked him what he would want if he got better. Adrian said a bicycle. The uncle had just delivered it, sparking a round of sibling jealously. I remember my first picture of these kids a year ago. They were playing with rocks!

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Adams is getting married! The normal way to raise money for your your introduction ceremony is to hand out a budget. I’ve been given budgets for graduation parties too. This one was accompanied by a pledge card. If you care to blow this photo up, you will see on the first two lines that Adams is contributing 7 cows and 4 goats as the dowry he negotiated with the bride’s parents.

 

Just Breathe (A Close Call)

Last week, I visited my Home Stay Family from Iganga. They will be hosting their fourth Peace Corps Trainee in a few weeks. The new Agriculture/Health cohort arrived a few days ago. The schools are on holiday, so it was great to see Innocent, Peace and Adrian, and the dependents, Sharon and Esther. Sharon has completed her first semester of nursing school and I obtained information about her billing for the next semester, to pass on to my home Northglenn-Thornton Rotary Club for their continued support. Sharon has done well so far and feels she is pursuing a good path. Right now, she thinks she wants to be a mid-wife. In Uganda there will be no shortage of work for her. She is going to do a practicum for a month with dozens of other students at Bugiri Hospital. They will all live together in a house. She requested Bugiri since I reside there, but unfortunately for much of her time in Bugiri I will be gone on vacation.

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Adrian with a banana

Visit sexologist to know about your health status and discount tadalafil enjoy a healthy and safe motherhood. Then, slightly jiggle the stick, release pressure and slide the drumstick out to complete massage. 100mg viagra online Natural cures for impotence include treatments that will quit hair loss along with cheap levitra purchasing this recover head of hair securely along with effectively. The herbs present in herbal pills are effective in treating sexual dysfunction include the generic version of cialis uk called Kamagra, cialis, and cialis uk with these 10 foods that help improving erection-quality naturally. 1. Simon and Hellen told me about a scary event the previous week with Adrian, their youngest five year-old. boy. I have met many cute kids in Uganda, but Adrian is one of the cutest. He had contracted mumps. When I mentioned there is a vaccine for mumps Simon was surprised and a bit irritated the government had not implemented a vaccination program. There were others in Adrian’s school who also had mumps. They had to take Adrian to the Iganga Hospital. At some point, the hospital informed them that Adrian’s condition had worsened, and they needed to take him to another hospital, in Jinja. On the way there, they thought Adrian had died. Simon pulled over in grief, but then they decided to press on. It turned out he was just unconscious; he remained in a coma for twelve hours. The Jinja doctors said a review of his chart they brought with them from Iganga indicated he had been improperly medicated. Simon was unhappy about the money he had spent at the Iganga Hospital, but there is no recourse for malpractice here. Adrian seems fine to me now, but I worry if the coma had an impact on his mental state. It was a good ending to a potentially tragic story.

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Four of Azedy and Margaret’s boys, Ayman 5, Azedy 13, Imran 1, and Ahmed 7

The Currents Will Shift

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This is the front of my new place, with the traffic of pedestrians and untethered goats.

In Uganda when you move to another house, you “shift”. I shifted this past weekend.
Typically, a tenant here pays three months rent in advance. I was just completing my third three month term at the end of April. There had been some break-ins in my neighborhood, and Matthews was always concerned I could be a target. Both Matthews and my Iganga father Simon did not like the low easily accessible walls around my compound. Adams was also unhappy with my landlord. When I arrived in August, Adams wanted a written lease. My landlord is illiterate, however, so he refused to sign (put his thumbprint on) anything. He recently decided to raise my rent when Adams felt he had it fixed for my duration.
While I was at Youth Technical training, Matthews called to say he wanted to show me a new place to move. I also received an email from my language tutor Azedy, who has become a good friend, and he mentioned he had available separate living quarters with three rooms at his home compound. It turned out to be the same place Matthews wanted me to see. It looked good, and was the same rate, but needed the cement flooring to be finished and smoothed out along with paint and varnish. A previous tenant had lived there for awhile in its roughed-in state. So after being a bit indecisive, I gave the word Thursday, a Peace Corps representative inspected it on Friday, and I shifted Sunday afternoon. While before, I was about a kilometer north of my office, now I am 1/2 kilometer, at most, west of the office. In fact, when I go about 100 yards from my place to the road, you can see my office. This place is also near the Gilgard Guesthouse, where Bugeri Rotary meets, and Bukooli College, where my Educate Club Youth Group meets.
On Saturday, with Azedy’s help, I wrote a little speech in Lusoga on a card to explain to the mothers on my route I would not be passing by any more and fist bumping and swinging their kids who run out to the road to greet me. But I will try to come by every so often. I told my next door neighbor kids I would pay 5,000 shillings if they were ever able to find and corral Meowri for me. I will probably return this weekend to say good bye to my bore hole manager, and also to Godfrey, the preacher at the church across the street. I will miss Godfrey and his efforts to save me. I will miss the church music on Sundays too.
Last year, I had moved out of my suburban home into a two bedroom Denver condo, so this was comparatively easy, yet somehow it still was a full weekend getting ready. Simon and Hellen came with his truck Sunday afternoon to help out. I brought Faizal along and Simon brought two boys with him. My carpenter Mwando kindly took apart my bed and and then reassembled it for me. We were finished in two trips. I even took all of my vinyl flooring along. The cement needs more time to dry, so I have stuff all piled up off the floor as much as possible. It might be at least a week like this. I’m going to stay home as much as possible so I can open the windows to help the drying. But once it gets dark, you have to close up due to the mosquitoes. It gets humid then. The first night I laid in bed and thought it seemed really strange. No wonder, I realized I hadn’t installed my mosquito net! That reminded me to also set up my middle of the night pee bucket :-). Nicer house, but I am still in Uganda.
As the pictures show, this is a pretty nice property. Almost “Posh Corps”except I still don’t have running water. Azedy is a teacher working part-time at the moment, while his wife Margaret is a full time teacher. Simon recognized Margaret from grading P-7 final exam papers together in Kampala. They have five boys. Margaret said they gave up trying to produce a girl. Three are in boarding schools outside of Bugeri. Living at home is Aiyeman Fayed, soon to be six,starting P-1 in January, and one year old Aimre. The only other resident here is Maria, who acts as a nannie and helps with various chores.
The family invited me to a “welcome” dinner Tuesday night. I heard the chicken getting slaughtered so it was pretty fresh meat! I realized later I should have volunteered to help pick out the feathers. In Uganda they will offer the guest of honor the gizzard, but it is OK to decline, which I did. I learned that Azedy, who was raised as a Muslim near Iganga, was the 8th of his mother’s ten children and the first male. His mother was one of five wives of his father, who ultimately produced 50 children. Ugandans always point out the easy acceptance and frequency of divorce in America, but are never too disconcerted about polygamy.

Over all, I think this was a good shift.

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On the left side of Azedy’s home is the door to access my place, A thief would need to scale that wall too.

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The front of my place with doors and windows open to help the cement dry.

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Azedy and Margaret’s place. There are unfinished rooms inside. Slowly but slowly. The garage has no car, but it is Azedy’s next dream. He also has needed a computer since we met. He would send me emails from an internet cafe in town.

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This is Aiyeman Fayed, who is very curious about his dad’s friend. He’s wearing a Denver Nuggets t-shirt. I met him last fall while Azedy tutored me, and he had a Hooters t-shirt, with the famed “Owl Eyes.” I thought it was amusing anyway.

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This is a small courtyard in the back with several things to note. Bottom left is a water tap. No more lugging Jerry cans from a public bore hole. Margaret says it holds steady during dry season but doesn’t work when the power is out. I still need my Jerry cans,  but I just carry them about thirty feet. Above the tap are clothes lines with the first clothes pins I have seen in Uganda. The tree is one of two lemon trees and I may help myself. Behind the tree is a wall in front of an open bathing stall with no door (I have my own in my home). To the right of the stall are three pit latrines. I get my own padlocked pit latrine! On the rear left is a deep hole to receive water from the bathing stall. I’m not sure if this is a good situation for the one year old as he starts to wander.

 

Father Christmas Came to Bugiri

Father Christmas and his helper.

Have yourself a merry merry Christmas
Have yourself a good time
But remember the kids who got nothin’
While you’re drinkin’ down your wine

–Father Christmas, The Kinks

Father Christmas is the British version of Santa Claus, adopted by its former colony. Yesterday, he came to the road I walk to work.  This little visit was something we planned for a few months. I found a costume in October (Yes, even in Uganda they start with the specialty Christmas stuff in late October- I wore it for the video we made during In Service Training). I wanted to dress as Father Christmas and give toys to the kids who run out to greet and fist bump me every day .

Sample selection of a gift package.

After my own children chided me about being the “white gift-giver”, the culture of dependency etc., and after a few other PC volunteers predicted I would be tormented by gift requests hereafter, I asked my counterpart Matthews to be Father Christmas. I had an extra Santa hat, and would be his helper.

When my Rotary Club back home started organizing a care package, I requested they send little toys, and ultimately received two packages. Included were about 65 little wind-up robots that I believe were table decorations for a CASA fundraiser. I also received two big bags of Tootsie Rolls and Whoppers. My Aunt Shirley from Laramie sent a nice box of toys and Wyoming-themed Christmas decorations. Unfortunately, three boxes of donations from my siblings did not arrive on time.

Matthews as Father Christmas.

Matthews as Father Christmas.

I had not anticipated that many Bugiri families would be going back to their home village for Christmas this week. In fact today, Christmas Eve, there are not many children around. I also knew that Matthews wanted to get to his own home village. So after we confirmed the post office would not be receiving any more packages until after Christmas, we decided to have Father Christmas come on the 23rd. We assembled 65 little baggies, each with a wind-up robot. We added 48 pencils, and separated from the pencils, about 15 little stuffed animals similar to beanie babies for the smallest kids, and added an assortment of plastic whistles, tops, and other items.

We started from my home and things went well for awhile. Then we got a section where generally about ten children greet me. Chaos ensued. In a flash there were about 50 kids clamoring around poor Matthews. Some of the moms tried to organize the kids into lines, as you see in this video, but it was hopeless. We ran out quickly and I still did not reach a few other clusters of kids further down the road. I apologized to the moms profusely for running out and hope they are not upset.

Matthews was pretty tired trudging back to my compound.


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When the delayed boxes finally arrive, I will try to distribute those toys to the neglected portion of my road. Maybe next year I will solicit all my readers to send toys. I am reluctant, because the postage is extreme, probably well in excess of the cost of the toys. We’ll see.

I spent Christmas with my host family in Iganga. Lots of friends and relations enjoyed an afternoon in the courtyard, It was so nice to see Sharon in good spirits after her hospitalization only a few days before. I met George, an education trainee staying with Simon and Hellen in my old room. He is learning Lusoga much more easily than I.

I spent Christmas with my host family in Iganga. Lots of friends and relations enjoyed an afternoon in the courtyard, It was so nice to see Sharon in good spirits after her hospitalization only a few days before. I met George, an education trainee staying with Simon and Hellen in my old room. He is learning Lusoga much more easily than I.

 

 

Simon's two wives and oldest son.

Simon’s two wives and oldest son.

Like all of you, I reflect on many Christmas memories.  Jan’s favorite song, Christmas or not, was John Lennon’s “Happy Xmas”.

A very Merry Xmas
And a happy New Year
Let’s hope it’s a good one
Without any fear

War is over, if you want it
War is over now

Happy Xmas

—Lennon

She will, rise above

We finished In Service Training, spending the last week with our counterparts. Good to be home. (“Charley! You were lost!”)

My counterpart Matthews showed the Agri-Business cohort how to make an elevated garden and a sack garden. There was a great session on Climate Change as it relates to Uganda. I am backed up on things I want to blog about! I also came home to new neighbors, a seemingly large family. It doesn’t appear they speak English. The mom put up extra lines, thankfully, as we both did a ton of laundry.

Matthews and I put together a one year action plan to present to our supervisors in the Peace Corps and ATEFO. More on that when it is reviewed and approved.

Today I’ll talk about gender equality, plunge into some depressing statistics, but end on some high notes.

Gender Equality in the developing world is a major issue, which is why Peace Corps puts so much effort towards empowering women. Michelle Obama started “Let Girls Learn” which is directed at improving the educational opportunities for women throughout the developing world. I will be honest and say that my own reaction initially to all this gender stuff was that boys seemed to be getting ignored, so I would strike a balance. But the culture and evidence demonstrates a disparity. I won’t neglect the male gender which is also needy, but the imbalance has changed my attitude. I seek truth, sometimes it requires a change of mind.gender cartoon

Looking at women in agriculture,
‱ 90% of rural Ugandan women work in agriculture, and are the backbone of the rural economy.
‱ The UN estimates that African women contribute an average of 70% of food production, and over half of all farm-related labor.
‱ Women typically work much longer hours than men:
‱ “paid productive” and “unpaid reproductive and domestic” duties
‱ Women in Africa typically earn about half of men’s wages, and are more likely to be paid at a piecemeal rate.
One of the fastest and broadest ways to improve rural livelihoods is to increase women’s share of household income
‱ Encourage female participation in cooperatives and farmers orgs
 Economies of scale
 Building of confidence, skills, leadership, and security

An increase in a woman’s income of $10 achieves the same improvement in children’s nutrition and health as an increase in a man’s income of $110.

Notwithstanding these stark statistics, Female Farmers receive only 5% of all Agricultural Extension Services from 97 countries. Only 15% of the world’s extension agents are women. Only 10% of the total aid for agriculture, forestry, and fishing goes to women. (Many thanks to Katie J, who presented a program with her counterpart which presented the above)

I can say that ATEFO has encouraged leadership positions for women in our VSLA farmer groups. Matthews is on board with the idea of one program of our package for the farmer groups be devoted to gender. I keep thinking about how permagardens would help the women too.

Can you? 4.Money burning You know when to raise eyebrows if a product viagra professional price description tells a story of old Jeff and Leena. The pill likes cialis 5mg australia would work finest if guzzle using water. Takes the blood from the this link sildenafil pills patient’s own body and segregates the plasma, which is applied onto the roots of hair via injection using micro needles that cause little or no discomfort. Nitroglycerin, isosorbide dinitrate, nitroprusside (any “nitric oxide donor” medicines), cimetidine, canadian viagra generic erythromycin, azole antifungals (e.g., itraconazole, ketoconazole), mibefradil, rifamycins (e.g., rifampin) or high blood pressure in lungs then it’s safe otherwise it can be harmful. Now for some really brutal statistics:
HIV/AIDS is the second leading cause of death among adolescents, (trailing malaria).
66% of all new HIV infections are contracted by adolescent girls.
78% of primary pupils and 82% of secondary pupils have experienced sexual abuse in schools
58% of girls aged 15-19 have experienced physical or sexual violence
49% of girls are married by age 18
25% of girls age 15-19 have had a baby or are pregnant; compared to only 2.5% in America
45% of uneducated girls are pregnant compared to 16% with secondary educations.

Girls are traditionally taught the facts of life by an “auntie” (Ssenga), boys by an “uncle”. They are fonts of misinformation.

I have heard about the spread of HIV through the boda guys and truck drivers, but the shocking amount of sexual abuse suffered in school is the low point for me. It’s not hard to project my own children in these situations and get enraged. Schools should be safe. We get our predators in America but it is comparatively rare. And let’s not forget the abuse outside of school walls. Sadly, when parents learn about abuse to their children they are often mollified by a payment of money, and if their girl is pregnant, a marriage can be arranged.

These sessions make me think of the great work of the Blue House in Kazo Uganda, the girls orphanage supported by my sister Karen from St. Paul Minnesota. They have successfully raised funds to support their girls even at the university level. These orphan girls, clearly a vulnerable class of people, are getting protection, a more normal childhood, and a boost in life. Learn more about it here: http://www.hopemultipurpose.org/

Speaking of empowering women, this is a good spot to update everyone about Sharon, my home stay “sister” whom my Rotary Club is supporting for education. The High School did not work well for her. We did not know that “Victoria School” was Muslim. Sharon, a Catholic, was required to attend morning prayers in the mosque starting at 4 a.m., each day, plus the other calls to prayer. It was really distressing to her. Further, there was a misunderstanding about how much the funds we provided was going to cover, since it had been my intent to pay all the way to completion and they were telling me I was a year short.

So I told Sharon it would be OK to quit and we got a refund for about half the money. We looked for alternatives. She was invited to be an au pair for a Ugandan woman in Denmark (“Charles will that be close to your home in America?”) but decided against it. Then she successfully interviewed for the Iganga Nursing and Midwifery School pretty close to Simon and Hellen’s home. Only 25% of applicants were accepted. She shared that hearing about Jan’s nursing career is one of her inspirations. I really like the potential for this. Even if Sharon had completed Senior level, there would be a continuing need for University. And there are millions unemployed graduate at both levels. I have been encouraged with the potential nursing offers her for stable future employment, though nothing is guaranteed.  The program is five semesters, and my Rotary Club has stepped up again to pay her fees and boarding, starting with a guaranty for the first two semesters. There was also enough to cover her initial uniform and equipment costs. My heart is so gladdened by my Club’s generosity.

The school has me listed as her guardian, and Sharon wants me to take her to her first day of school and moving in on November 16. Like when I took my own kids to college! My host family is going to host another volunteer in December. A large cohort of education volunteers arrive in Uganda on November 11, and six will be placed in my eastern region. We won’t be the new guys any longer. Further, I understand that my town of Bugiri will host the Lusoga language cohort in the near future. In a year, my “celebrity” here as the only Muzungu will be diluted, at least for a month.

 

 

 

School’s Out For Summer! / Future Days II

Yes, I even borrow from Alice Cooper. Pull up a chair, this is a long one. Two for the price of one.

IMAG1233The photo was taken today at a local hotel with a pool after our Language Proficiency Interview (LPI) Friday morning. To my friend Jay: You have a similar photo that inspired thisl My stomach doesn’t really look that way, I was trying to look skinny. Beer and swimming!

I needed to score Intermediate Low to avoid a requirement to hire a tutor in Bugiri for 14 hours (at Peace Corps expense) I have already decided to hire a tutor anyway, which also permitted. In the next three weeks I’ll forget half of this stuff anyway!

My LPI was a one-on-one dialogue with Ken and a recorder. I had to 1) exchange greetings; -it’s always important to exchange a few greetings or you are considered rude. (How was your night/day? Thanks for the work you do. How’s the family back home? What’s news? How is your health?) No one wants to hear anything except OK, thank you , not much etc. It’s a ritual. 2) Introduce myself, where I am from, what I did for work in America, why I am in Uganda, what work I will do, what does the Peace Corps do. 3) Talk about family, in my case, including my two children, wife, mother, four brothers and sisters- where do they live, what work do they do. I lied and said Mark was a cook because his real job was too hard to remember. I also added that Karen helps orphans in Kazo. 4) Answer questions: How old I am, what are foods I like/dislike in Uganda and America; What do I like about Uganda, and 5) Do a Role Play- what do I say in a restaurant, including bargaining, assuming they don’t have a menu. The interviewer asks harder and harder questions until he breaks me and thus establishes my level. I broke pretty early, but the bar is sort of low for Intermediate Low- Be able to greet and tell about your background.

Ken makes his own determinations and sends off the tape to a third party somewhere, who listens and draws his conclusions. Sometimes he consults yet another person if it’s borderline. Then they read Ken’s conclusion and see if there is a consensus. So I won’t know for sure until later but I am expecting to pass with Intermediate Low. Not bad for someone with only two years of Latin in 1968-69. Also not bad for three weeks plus one week to review. It was said we did the equivalent of a a semester and a half in college. I probably put excessive pressure on myself, because the brains of my younger mates are much more “spongier” and I hated being the worst student. Of course my classmates also passed, and two are in the running for Intermediate High. I called my fellow “fossils”, ages 66 and 56, in other parts of Uganda. They are less optimistic than I am. We fossils all had the same problem: we could understand it as presented, but had problems making it stick.

Here is the thing (Sorry Peace Corps if you reads this): I learned today that we will be tested two more times, in a year, and right before end of service (EOS). Apparently 90% fail their LPI’s at EOS. This because 90% of the time, all they do is exchange greetings. Ugandans, who learn English all through school, are excited to speak in English to Americans. Plus I will usually have an interpreter, such as my counterpart. When volunteers came through our training site and seemed so fluent, all they were doing were repeating numerous greetings. I didn’t know that then. So I guess I will see.

I will miss the fist bumps at the fence as they shout in unison "Charley, Charley"

I will miss the fist bumps at the fence as the kids shout in unison “Charley, Charley”

Before getting to my future schedule I wanted to interject a couple of comments about appreciation. First, I appreciate so much the efforts of Sharon, the 18 year old orphan who is a dependent in my family. She does so many chores, yet always was available to help me with my language training. She played the role of my interviewer all week as I endlessly repeated various statements I knew I needed to memorize. Sharon is smart as a whip and the exact type of person who deserves to be empowered. Unfortunately her schooling has stopped for now, two years short of finishing the equivalent of senior high, because they don’t have enough school and boarding fees. Innocent and Peace are starting to require fees, and Adrian is not far behind. The young ones go to Simon’s school across the street, but get no break. The Headmaster is Simon’s first wife and she wants the children of the second wife to pay. Hmmm. The victim of this family dynamic is Sharon. She wants to eventually study engineering but is stalemated at this time. I think of Cinderella. She is overqualified to be just washing clothes and cooking. I gave out gifts to my family tonight and gave Sharon the only paperback I brought, and wrote a dedication to her thanking her.

The second comment is the way Ugandans appreciate us. I am not shy about interacting, particularly when I am approached (“Who are you who walk by my stand every morning?”) Sometimes I’ll go up to a couple of men lounging around and tell them I am working on language. Just greeting them in Lasoga blows them away. (Then it’s often “Are you a missionary/preacher?”) Not all have heard of the Peace Corps, but I represent an country that they love and appreciate for what we have done for them (unlike the Chinese, who are also a presence in Uganda- maybe worthy of an another blog post). When they understand that an old greybeard actually wants to help them for two years, they thank me profusely. This is very fulfilling to me, and motivates me to represent my country well.

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Future Days II

Saturday there will be tents at our learning site for our Home Stay farewell party. Our Home Stay families and Iganga dignitaries will attend. We will throw out some Lasoga lines at them and each of us will make a little speech.

My Home Stay Family was terrific!

My Home Stay Family was terrific!

Sunday we go to Jinga for a day to present programs and act as counselors for a “GROW and BRO” camp (Girls Leading Our World/Boys Reaching Out) at a large local school that is the base for an Education volunteer, Vanessa. Nick and I will do a program about saving money. After the stress of the language test Friday, and the farewell party for our Home Stay families on Saturday we had hoped for a last day off before our busy weeks ahead, but it was not to be. I don’t think I have had a complete day off since I got to Uganda.

Our “Future Home Visit” begins on Monday, for four nights. Simon and Hellen insist on taking me- Bugiri is only about 1/2 hour east with no traffic. I have a lot of stuff to lug, so I appreciate it. The organization (ATEFOUG) will supply the bed frame but I will have to buy a new mattress the first day, since my home will be ready for me then. Many volunteers will stay at hotels because their homes are not yet ready.

Here is the website of the organization , African Trainers & Entrepreneurs Forum (ATEFO) I will work with. My Supervisor is Adams and my counterpart will be Matthews. Both plural first names. My PC supervisor Maitel met them recently and says they and their staff is very energetic. They were supposed to have a big staff meeting this week but it was postponed until next week so I can attend. Maitell thinks Adams has most of my time planned. Maitel also told me that my place will have electricity, but in Uganda sometimes it can go out, even for a week or more. But I am on the town’s grid. I will not have running water, but the tap is nearby. That’s the same situation as I have had at home stay. It just means I have to boil or filter the water first, and I have gotten used to bucket bathing. (With the so little rain lately, the tap in our courtyard went dry tonight. Simon went somewhere else for water.- Maybe an issue in Bugiri too?)  I won’t have any cooking stuff until I return for good on August 14. So I will be getting acquainted with the local restaurants. Adams probably will also take me to dinner.

During the next two years, my counterpart Matthews will be allowed to drive a Boda Boda with me on it. Carson’s counterpart is a progressive woman who will be permitted to drive him. I have yet to see a woman driving a Boda Boda in Uganda.

After I am at my future home for four nights, its off to Kibali, on the western side of Uganda, for a week of something called “Tech Immersion”. PC is very vague what this means. It’s whatever the volunteer in charge decides. I will be with three from my language class (all the guys, not Becky) plus two other guys and one of the Katies (There are four Katies in my PC class). All Ag volunteers. We will stay in relative comfort in a hotel or guest house. So I can leave my mosquito net and bathing bucket in Bugiri. After the tech immersion, all 46 of us will be reunited with our org supervisors for three days of “Supervisor Workshops” at some location between Entebbe and Kampala. Then we all get sworn in at the US Embassy on August 13 and disperse on the 14th to our new homes.

So, the adventure continues….

Rearviewmirror II

My latest round-up of the miscellaneous. My brother is on vacation so my less skilled photo posting is back this week.

Thanks for your kind words about my blog. I enjoy writing it.

We are in transition from rainy to dry season. It hasn’t rained more than a smidgeon in three days. The red clay roads get dusty from passing motokas (motor cars) and boda bodas (motorcycles). We were told not to wear contact lenses, and it’s easy to see why. It’s in the low 80’s and seems pretty hot to me, but it will get much hotter. An electric fan is on the top of my list of acquisitions when I move to my place in Bugiri.

My home stay father Simon’s school is across the road from my home. Last week I told the kids in the playground “I am Charley” (not “muzungu” -what Ugandans, especially children, call strangers, usually white strangers). Now when I go by, the kids in the playground run to the fence calling “Charley, Charley” and I am obliged to go to the fence and give each one a fist bump (bonga). Sometimes I cross paths with one of the kids walking outside the school yard and they’ll say “Charley”. Nick says it’s like I’m like a rock star! Sadly, in America, old men interacting with children on the playground are not considered rock stars.

Innocent sometimes ties dead leaves around a wadded up plastic bag to use as a soccer ball. The other day I brought out a yellow tennis ball I’d picked up at the market. Now about every other day I will bring it out to bounce back and forth with the three kids and Jordan, a neighbor, on the newly cemented courtyard. They don’t catch it well, so usually there is a mad scramble after a miss. The one who misses retains the privilege of throwing it back to me, or there will be crying. They all actually throw it pretty well. Sometimes I sit in the shade and let them play among themselves. Almost immediately it turns into soccer.

There are some real environmental issues here. They cut down lots of straight timber to help with construction, supporting new roofs or floors, but don’t re-use them, choosing instead to burn them for cooking. .Here is an example of the use of timber in a building in Jinga (source of the Nile), where we went Saturday.

Jinga construction

Jinga construction

Kids bring branches to school to contribute to the kitchen

Kids carrying sticks to school

Kids carrying sticks to school

I met Trevor, 18, one of Simon’s sons from his other wife. Trevor remembers when it was cooler. It’s not just from climate change, it’s from the deforestation to support the construction and cooking (which of course does contribute to climate change). He tells me there used to be thicker forests in our neighborhood as recently as ten years ago. Ken from the Peace Corps, who is handling language teaching this week, tells me that Iganga is every bit as hot a my soon to be new home in Bugiri, but in Bugiri they have cut down even more timber. Hard to find shade he says, but similar heat when you are walking down the road.

There is trash everywhere on the roads. It’s far worse than my daughter’s room back home :-). Actual trashcans are non-existent, even for my room.I use the flat lid from my bathing bucket and take my trash to a refuse pile about thirty yards away.

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Trash along the road

Trash along the road

Pickers come through and pick up what they can, especially the plastic water bottle. Eventually the rest is burned.

Refuse Pile

Refuse Pile

Could I get my new neighbors to use trash cans? Where would it go then? Probably another refuse pile, but at least the streets would be cleaner. They were burning refuse at our school today and the smoke was finding its way inside. I was breathing through a neckerchief.

There is a TV in the living room. Hellen, Sharon and Edith enjoy watch soap operas from Uganda, India, The Philippines and apparently Mexico, though I have yet to see a Mexican soap opera. When Simon is here, he watches a little BBC but mostly local Ugandan news and Al Jezeera. I had liked watching Al Jezeera’s coverage of the Arab Spring a couple of years ago. It’s pretty good, sort of like CNN used to be. Much coverage last week about the Greek financial crisis, From the U S we got coverage about the Confederate flag controversy. When he flips through the channels I see Fox News float by. Is it an international version? I guess I don’t care to see.

Uganda TV is in the middle of transition from analog to digital. Last week a court enjoined shutting off analog because not enough people had purchased the converter boxes. There are 3.2 million TVs in Uganda, 70% in Kampala and its surrounding communities. Simon has a pay TV arrangement, receiving his signal via a tall antenna pole, not a dish.

I’ve been using cursive when I take notes in language class. My fellow trainees tell me they were never taught cursive. I had no idea, I guess it makes sense in the world of the internet. I have had Ugandans help me with language who read my notes and do not know cursive either. They re-write my Lasoga words and they are often the same as my cursive.

When we went to Jinja on Saturday, a local volunteer took us to a Mexican restaurant. They had a well-stocked all-you-can eat Taco bar for 12,000 shillings (about $3.45 US). Our gluttony was disgusting. While the Ugandan food is so repetitive, so is Mexican food, and frankly the food in most of the world I suppose. We do agree the white rice here is the best we’ve had. They sort it on a plate before cooking to remove pebbles. I have developed the habit of smashing everything carefully with my tongue, as chipped teeth are an unfortunate hazard here.

Before I move out on Monday, my family wants to go downtown for a portrait of all of us to hang in their living room. They are already saying they will miss me. The feeling is mutual. They have been fantastic.

I will post more about my upcoming schedule soon….

Tunawayonga (We shall chat again).

Village

I got the opportunity to weigh myself a few days ago. I weigh 75 kilos which is 165 pounds, a loss of 10 pounds since arriving in Uganda and a total of 47 pounds since January. I feel great and eat plenty.

Two weekends ago (July 5), my host father Simon took us to his home village, Kawanga, about an hour north of Iganga, although it took longer due to mechanical difficulties which caused us to stop several times. Simon’s brother, Emma, his oldest daughter Sylvia, a teacher, and her child Immaculate went with us. At times we had 12 in the vehicle, including his truck bed, going over bumpy rutted roads. He is licensed to carry up to 13.

I met Simon’s mother Beatrice there. She is 84. When she was young, Beatrice was not allowed to get an education. Simon’s father died when he was very young. Simon’s mother was determined her children get opportunities, and she took on farming, chopping wood, and making the village hootch, whatever it took, to raise the fees needed for her children’s education. Simon reveres her for her efforts.

Simon’s village is the most remote in the district. He is determined to raise the standard of living. He helped raise funds for a four room school house in the village. It attracts about 400 students from all over. Classrooms with 100 student are common in Uganda.

As you will see, Simon built a shed with corn (milling?) and rice processing machinery that helped the local farmers add value to their crops. As I have learned in training, most farmers are sustenance only, meaning they only raise enough to support themselves. But that is often insufficient when you encounter a dry spell, or unexpected family illness, not to mention keeping up with the school fees. So we look at opportunities for value-added products. Unfortunately after a year of operation, a big storm blew off the roof and wrecked the equipment. It has not been repaired since. So many pieces of equipment do not stay maintained in Uganda.

Simon’s “target” is to introduce goat farming as a viable business for his community. He wants to start a demonstration project on his land. He produced a business plan and budget for my review. Looks like he needs about $4500 US.

Incidentally, my photos are sharper because now I email them to my brother with the text and he does the blog from Colorado. This uploading process consumes a great deal of data, which is expensive on my Peace Corps stipends. So I waited to transmit until we went to the “Sol Cafe” on Saturday (a foreigner hang-out) and took advantage of the free wi-fi. My brother is also more skilled on WordPress. I wish I could upload some video, but it times out and sucks up the data.

Our first stop on our tour was a house that Simon recently built that he wants to retire to when he starts up his demonstration goat farm. It is empty right now, his mother refuses to live in it. She lives in the house you see slightly to the left and behind it. We ate lunch on the floor of this house.

Our first stop on our tour was a house that Simon recently built that he wants to retire to when he starts up his demonstration goat farm. It is empty right now, his mother refuses to live in it. She lives in the house you see slightly to the left and behind it. We ate lunch on the floor of this house.

This is the building which housed the corn and rice machinery with the roof blown off.

This is the building which housed the corn and rice machinery with the roof blown off.

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This is taken from the back of Simon's house. The boy is his cousin's child.

This is taken from the back of Simon’s house. The boy is his cousin’s child.

The young man from the neighborhood who Simon hires as caretaker in his absence. He is carrying sweet potatoes. Simon and his truck are behind him.

The young man from the neighborhood who Simon hires as caretaker in his absence. He is carrying sweet potatoes. Simon and his truck are behind him.

Simon's mother, Beatrice, and daughter Sylvia, and Immaculate

Simon’s mother, Beatrice, and daughter Sylvia, and Immaculate

We saw little compounds like this scattered about. Simon claims that up to ten people sleep in each hut. Takes up the whole floor as you might guess.

We saw little compounds like this scattered about. Simon claims that up to ten people sleep in each hut. Takes up the whole floor as you might guess.

Various crops are drying on the ground. If they would just use a tarp, less would go to waste. Even better would be secure storage/drying bins. You don't need to be trained by the Peace Corps or have an Ag background to know this! They need capital to have better storage and thus more income. PCVs would hope to introduce other income generating activities to raise such capital. Hey Peter, these are not ideal roofs for a Perma-Garden!

Various crops are drying on the ground. If they would just use a tarp, less would go to waste. Even better would be secure storage/drying bins. You don’t need to be trained by the Peace Corps or have an Ag background to know this! They need capital to have better storage and thus more income. PCVs would hope to introduce other income generating activities to raise such capital. Hey Peter, these are not ideal roofs for a Perma-Garden!

This is Simon's cousin and two of his children. They sleep seven in his hut. He was showing me a snake bite on his leg. Simon is disappointed his cousin refuses to send his children to the school Simon helped fund. He won't even take a tour of it.

This is Simon’s cousin and two of his children. They sleep seven in his hut. He was showing me a snake bite on his leg. Simon is disappointed his cousin refuses to send his children to the school Simon helped fund. He won’t even take a tour of it.

We had the occasional animal delay besides mechanical delay.

We had the occasional animal delay besides mechanical delay.

We made a few stops within the village neighborhood, always attracting hordes of kids. They literally backed away upon seeing me come out of the car, then stampeded me when I showed them their pictures on my smart phone. These kids make the kids in my host family seem privileged by comparison. But they don't know how poor they are, so they are happy as kids will be.

We made a few stops within the village neighborhood, always attracting hordes of kids. They literally backed away upon seeing me come out of the car, then stampeded me when I showed them their pictures on my smart phone. These kids make the kids in my host family seem privileged by comparison. But they don’t know how poor they are, so they are happy as kids will be.

You can see Simon holding his phone on the lower right. He hardly knows how to use it without Hellen's help. I'm not much better.

You can see Simon holding his phone on the lower right. He hardly knows how to use it without Hellen’s help. I’m not much better.

Home Stay II

0702-RoomforHomestay

My room for home stay

First, an embarrassing correction. Innocent, age 5, is a boy, not a girl. Both genders wear their hair short, and I thought he had on a dress when we met. He didn’t. I thought he was plain as a girl, but he is handsome as a boy! I confessed my error to Simon and Hellen and they laughed. Innocent leaves at 7 a.m.to school, comes home for a brief dinner and then back to school until 9 p.m. I’ve hardly been able to get acquainted with him. He has his addition tables down cold.

Every morning I walk 2/3 of a mile up a dirt road with a fellow trainee, Becky (30) from Wisconsin. She is staying only a few houses away. She has her own little cottage, hot running water, toilet, and a bath tub. I have small room with a bed, a chair I use to hold all my “stuff”, a bucket to bathe, and a pit latrine.

The courtyard of my home stay when I arrived. Like all the parts of Uganda I've seen so far, red clay everywhere.

The courtyard of my home stay when I arrived. Like all the parts of Uganda I’ve seen so far, red clay everywhere.

We spend most of each day in intensive language training. By all estimates, we have covered 1/2 a college semester in four days. It is brutal on my brain. The other four Kids are doing much better than me. I understand concepts, but my memory of words and proper grammar rules is very weak. This afternoon the instructor, Mango Francis, played on his laptop in the back, while the others drilled each other but mostly worked on me. I am not used to being the class dummy. But Mango says my progress is fine. I called my fellow Fossils and they are also the laggards in their classes.

My host family is just starting to throw their language at me. Sharon is wonderful, teaching me to wash my clothes better tonight, and going over my verbs. She is very smart, but there is not enough money yet to send her to Senior 6, the last step before University.

View from my room during a rain shower

View from my room during a rain shower

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Every day I come home to see more progress in cementing in the courtyard. They started Sunday. The three men work really hard. It would be a swampy red clay mess after rains until now.

We are planning a 4th of July celebration with our host families at the Learning Center. We hope to get together the ingredients to make hamburgers, which my host family has never had. We will also eat Ugandan food. Matooke (Banana casserole) is served at every lunch and dinner. You can’t escape it. I asked Mango if it was big in other African countries, but he says it is unique to Uganda.

0702-WorkersinCourtyard

Workers covering the courtyard. Two of them worked barefoot. It took them all week. They were a jovial crew, saying their muscles were as good as American machines. At the end of the day they would bathe and leave on their bikes wearing pressed shirts and trousers. Looking “smart”. My permanent press shirts are not smart enough according to Hellen and Sharon.

0702-ChickensonCementCourtyard

The chickens liked to do their own cement work

Sunday, Simon and Hellen are driving me to his childhood village, where his mom still lives. It is 1 1/2 hours north. It is very primitive, with no electricity. I will likely be the first white person most of them have ever seen (Not even TV of course). He says they will be excited by my smart phone, especially looking at their pictures after I take them.

Stay tuned…..

Home Stay

Five agri-business trainees, including myself, arrived in Iganga Saturday. Two of the five will be stationed in Iganga, which is centered among the remaining three sites. We were taken to our learning center, where we will intensify our language study and learn more about Ugandan history and culture while staying with our host families for four weeks.

Hellen

Hellen in her kitchen

Hellen and Simon

My host parents Hellen and Simon

A nun greeted us at the training center, which is owned by her order, and next door to a convent. Francis Mango, our language teacher, will stay in a little cottage on the grounds of the training center. We piled out of the van with about half of our luggage (the rest is stored at PC headquarters) supplemented by the Peace Corps with a new pillow and blanket, a wash bucket for bathing, and a solar charger. On the way we stopped for sheets for Nick and a pot for me to pee in during the night so I don’t have to leave my room.

Our host parents began to arrive to take us to their homes. Comedy ensued. The name I had been  given as my host father was “Simon Peter”.  I walked to the first arrivals and asked his name- “Peter”. I asked if he was Simon Peter, and I thought he said yes. I introduced myself and met his wife. They were the only ones there for awhile, so we just stood outside chatting while the other four trainees awaited their parents. Long story short, we eventually figured out I had the wrong parents. Three of the five fathers were named Peter. My real host parents were last to arrive, and he prefers to be called Simon. My host mom is Hellen.

Peace

This is Peace

Innocent and Adrian

Innocent and Adrian

Simon (50) and Hellen (30) are both teachers, but Simon has more on the ball than that. His home property is U-shaped around a red clay dirt courtyard.  He rents other rooms that surround the courtyard to other teachers.
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Simon owns a local school, different than the one he teaches at.  It adjoins his first house, where the school was started, and is across the road from the second house, where I am living. I toured the school briefly with Simon on Sunday during classes. There are 450 students in nursery through 7th grade including many boarders. The boarders who stay for the weekend take classes on Sunday morning. The school is administered by Ann, who lives in Simon’s first house, and is also Simon’s first wife. (Yes, Simon has two wives!- more on that later)  Hellen also has teaching certifications but works part time for now. She has been sick with a recent bout of malaria.

Sharon and Edith

Sharon and Edith

Simon and Hellen have three children. Innocent is 5, Peace is 4, and the only boy, Adrian, is 3. They have no toys and amused themselves Sunday morning with the water from the spigot, dirt, rocks, and loose bricks.

Simon and Hellen also care for two “dependents” Sharon 18, and Edith 17, who do many household chores. Sharon has finished Primary (elementary) school, Edith has never attended school.

At first these kids knelt before me when they greeted me, but as we get comfortable the kneeling has stopped..

I am getting the same foods as training, but it’s way better tasting. My plates are often too full, but I am getting them to adjust it.

The language classes this week have been difficult. I understand the concepts, but I do not memorize as well as the the younger trainees.