Tag Archive: living site

Welcome Back! You are most Welcome.

Author: September 2, 2017

My home town for the next year. Idi Amin came from Arua, and I saw a street named for him, which is quite exceptional because street signs are rare..

When you return from any sort of trip, people will always say “Welcome Back.” Matthews used to say it every time we dismounted from a trip to a village. When you arrive in a new environment such as a village or a store or even a meeting, people say “You are most welcome.”

Casper was very accommodating for the eclipse tourists with a town square full of booths selling t-shirts, caps etc. It was like a county fair. People stuck pins showing where they came from into a world map. Since I am considered a resident by the Ugandan government (and a shorter line through immigration), I felt justified in sticking the first pin into Uganda, second pin in Africa. Denver didn’t need another pin. Quite a few pins in Europe..

I certainly enjoyed many activities during my month leave, and visiting friends and family, culminating the last few days with all five siblings in Casper, WYO to see the total eclipse.

However, the complexities of my Western life also intruded. A pile of mail from the last year took me two days to deal with. Heh- the IRS gets pretty threatening if they think you are ignoring them (My CPA is fixing it now, I should not owe what they claim). My HOA is replacing my building’s HVAC system, including asbestos remediation (it was the first ‘high rise’ in Denver, built in the late 50’s). My assessed share will wipe out a significant chunk of my investment income the last two years, without adding value. Ugh.

I got my overdue colonoscopy, and some minor dental work. I tuned up my hearing aids. I don’t think I had mentioned, I bought them two years ago, the week before I left. This was probably due to a combination of age, and 45 years of amplified rock concerts. FYI Costco has free exams and it’s aids are waay cheaper than anywhere else. Only the VA distributes more than Costco. I also brought back about 150 new batteries for them too.

After being stymied by a May blizzard two years ago, we finally could take Jan’s ashes to mountain meadow called the Valley of Flowers, just west of the Eisenhower tunnel. Clark came home for a long weekend. He has a new accounting job in New York, working for the Education Alliance, a 127 y.o. charity to boost the underprivileged on the lower East Side of Manhattan.

I bought a new laptop and smartphone. Blair teased that my Ugandan smartphone (brand name “iDroid”-although it is a U.S. company) was worse than the cheap phones her homeless clients utilize for job searches!

During the month,some of the gloom I left behind for the Peace Corps had returned. So many reminders…. Could I have a bit of mild PTSD? Perhaps if I had stayed in Denver it would have dissipated, but it seemed like it was just arrested for two years.

There certainly was no nostalgia about my earlier profession, after listening to my ‘old’ lawyer friends talk shop. The turmoil and direction of my country continues to distress me. My conversations in ‘mixed’ company were like walking on egg shells, because no one changes their mind, no matter the evidence. I found myself watching too much cable news (like… “How will FOX excuse this?”). I don’t watch much TV in Uganda, but when I do, Al Jazeera’s depth and variety of coverage puts American news outlets to shame. I salute Qatar’s courage to stand up to the rest of the Middle East, which is demanding Al Jazaeera be shut down.

Finally, Blair had an “ambiguous” CT scan soon after I arrived. It cast a pall over my stay, but a subsequent PET scan last week was more reassuring.

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The Nile is quite active here (lots of connected lakes and tributaries) and my region is called the West Nile Region.

After spending a full day in Kampala, CARE flew me in a little plane (23 passenger seats) to Arua. If I have to commute to Kampala by bus on non-CARE business, it will take 8-10 hours. It’s maybe 7 hours in a CARE vehicle. So, after 11 hours in traffic returning to Denver from Casper, and then flying to Entebbe for another 26 hours, this one hour flight was most welcome. We landed on a muddy, red clay runway, something new for me. My bag which Brussels Air had lost was delivered a few days later.

I have settled into my new home, finally overcome my jet lag, and started to acclimate to Arua town. I need to learn the greetings, and other phrases in a new local language.

The CARE office is a bustling place compared to ATEFO. One year ago, there were three CARE workers in Arua. It has now reached 34 and by next month it will be 56. Unlike me, new hires arriving in Arua are given a stipend and they must fend for themselves to find a place to board. 30% of hires must come from the local communities. Most staff spend all day at the refugee settlements of course, not at the office. I anticipate going to the field a few days a week myself.
Uganda recently took in its One Millionth refugee from South Sudan. She was symbolically identified by name, but I don’t think she received a special prize.

 

Interior view of my CARE office. I just grab a spot along the wall on the left.

This is Carly, from Australia, the temporary team leader in Arua and my local supervisor. She has worked most of her career for Oxfam, all over the world. All other staff are Ugandan,with a few Sudanese and Kenyans.

I live in this annex, as viewed from the kitchen of the CARE Guest House. The door on the left goes to my toilet and shower. The shower is not heated so I continue to heat water and bucket bathe. It gets real hot here, so there will definitely be cold showers in my future. It is too stimulating to unlock my door and go next door in the middle of the night, so I still use a bucket next to my bed (TMI?). Door on the right is a storage room. We have 24 hour guard who flips on a generator for the compound when the power goes out. Posh Corps!

My bedroom

My living room. It’s nice to have a sofa to watch movies on my computer. Eddie Bauer kindly replaced my lifetime guaranteed backpack, which had broken zippers, with the new one you see on the couch. Yes I played my Peace Corps card to get it approved.

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Wind Up

Author: June 1, 2017

This is the first of my many goodbyes. Azedy and Margaret’s four boys just went back to boarding school after the holiday break today. This is Aymed and Ayman. Margaret says they won’t be back until September. Most Ugandan students and parents of middle class means and above prefer boarding to what they believe is a the stigma of being a “desk scholar”. I struggle with this a bit. I couldn’t imagine sending my kids off to boarding school while they were so young. Well, I guess I did ‘imagine’ it a couple of times when Blair was a teenager.

Wednesday this week marked the two year anniversary of my Peace Corps service, when I arrived in Philadelphia for staging. This Saturday will be two years in Uganda. I am really winding down what I now consider the first “phase” of my Peace Corps service. My org ATEFO still goes out to youth groups but I haven’t been much of a participant lately, and that project has been winding down too. My supervisors at Peace Corps are starting pre-service training with a new batch of 53 Health and Agri-business volunteers. Nobody expects much from my cohort now as we wrap things up.

A few weeks ago, I agreed to “vet” a couple of NGOs who are expecting to receive new volunteers. I interviewed the CEO of the org and the prospective counterpart and took a few pictures of the office and the potential housing. It appears not only ATEFO will get a replacement, but another org in Bugiri will get a new volunteer. So if things work out, after I leave, the Muzungu population in Bugiri will double from one to two.

I spent last week in Kampala for the medical tests all departing and extension PCVs must undertake. I was a bit nervous, since the last time I had an extensive physical I learned I had diabetes. But after giving up some blood, piss and three different stool samples (they look for parasites) I got a clean bill of health. My blood sugar is absolutely normal notwithstanding I am struggling to keep my weight down. Ironically at the end of my week, I came down with a terrible cold, which I had avoided up until now.

The United Nations said that $ 1.4 billion was needed this year alone to help the nearly two million people who have fled war and famine in South Sudan.So far, only 14 percent of the initial $781 million appeal for 2017 has been provided. More than 100 lone children cross into Uganda each day as they flee conflict. Delphine told me the camps are 86% women and children.

While I was in Kampala, I visited the offices of CARE International, and enjoyed a visit with the Country Director, Delphine Pinault, who is French. We hit it off pretty well. She said as part of my job I would get a lot of opportunities to write about the CARE programs in the refugee camps, and will visit them with a team in a vehicle. My motorcycle riding days are coming to an end. Arua is a long eight hour bus ride from Kampala, but there is a UN plane that goes there every Monday. My CARE PCV mate Ruwani met with Delphine this week and informs me our orientation and training for two days is likely July 10 in Arua and we will likely take that plane. If so, I am excited I will get a preview of Arua before I come home for my one month leave. Hopefully I can drop off a box of my stuff then. It now appears I will be able take my month leave starting in mid-July after this orientation.

I know you are sick of permagardens, but this one from the other day is notable because I taught it by myself. Matthews needed to pick up some charcoal for it, so I said, we’ll just get started, and it was nearly finished by the time he returned.

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I was in Iganga the other day and peeked in at what I first thought was a presentation about nutrition, but I was only partially right. This was a classic multi-level marketing pitch with supplements as the main product. The presenters told me that Amway and HerbaLife is alive and well in Uganda too.

That calculates to $14,000 US per month

The is the product, made my Natures Way a U.S. company. Is MLM a sign of development in a country?

Lady jammed on a taxi with me, feeds corn to her hen in a sack at our feet.

A large structure was begun next to my compound. It is intended to have shops in it. That would be annoying for Azedy and Margaret, but who knows when it will be finished. There are a million roofless, uncompleted, structures like this all over Uganda. It’s a way people here invest.

This was a photo I posted on the blog in July 2015 of my Lusoga language cohort, during language training, still the most stressful part of service for me… Becky, Nick, Carson, Will and myself. We were so neat and clean.

Here we are recently at a mini reunion in Iganga. Missing is Will, who went home in January under the classification of “Interrupted Service.” I’ll leave it at that. He expects to attend law school at Florida State University. Due to a wedding, Nick was the first of the cohort to leave and become an RPCV after the COS conference. Becky and Carson (obscuring his man bun) will COS and come home about the same time I do. All three of them will be hunting for jobs. I have reviewed and edited about twenty resumes for my cohort.

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Visiting my Town

Author: March 29, 2017

My sister Karen and her husband Dave started their two week visit to Uganda after a 20+ hour flight. We hired a driver, John, recommended by other PCVs, and drove through the night to Bugiri, about a half a kilometer from my home site. After getting in a bit of sleep, we checked out my office, walked around town, and I introduced them to some of my friends.

Karen and I stand in my kitchen. To Ugandans, the water filter taped to the upper bucket is still the most impressive thing there. I am impressed with it too.

 

Where I get my mail. It’s a box rented by the Bugiri Rotary Club. I’ve received about Six care packages from my family and home Rotary Club, a motorcycle jacket with pants and rain jacket from my old friend Mike, a few Christmas cards and a wedding announcement. The Rotarian magazine is also delivered here and I grab an issue sent to an inactive member.

The welders near my office are always happy to pose. Always cheerful, always working seven days a week welding those doors you see behind them. They get paid by the piece of course.

 

Matthews did a great job mobilizing a nearby village for a financial literacy session. It’s a pretty big deal when I visit a village, but three Muzugus in a Safari vehicle was really an event!

No one is sleeping!

The chairman of the village savings group had walked into our office to complain we never came for a promised teaching. It was because ATEFO had moved on to a new contract with youth groups. But I said I knew just the day we would come. Here he talks about his sack garden. to Matthews and me

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David goofs with the village kids. After my session, which emphasizes keeping track of expenses to control spending, David told them he is a Christmas Tree farmer in America and he does the same types of record keeping to manage his farm. The tree farm has been in his family for decades. A few years ago he installed a drip irrigation system. It is 40 acres, and they gasped when he told them that. Here, they have have subdivided their land many times for their children.The farm is a couple hours north of St. Paul and makes Karen is a year-round weekend widow.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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I get the heat, heat

Author: January 16, 2017

The occasional cloud is sweet….

The heat has been unrelenting. Every day has been in the low to mid 90’s. This week my weather app is predicting the high 90’s for Bugiri. (Kampala and this blog’s weather app are cooler) It has been the hottest since I have been here, and Ugandans tell me it is exceptional. Usually it was not higher than the high 80’s. The last rainy season was pretty sparse too, compared to the fall before, which totally confused me about when the rainy seasons and dry seasons are supposed to be. The heat is not intense like Phoenix or Vegas, nor humid like Chicago. It mostly compares to …Denver! Since moving to my new home in May, I have had access in the courtyard to a tap, and so far it has held up. I have little doubt they are restricting water at my old bore hole. When I am with Matthews on the motorcycle on a dirt road, and a truck goes by we often pull over until the dust settles. I will be grateful for at least a little bit of rain to tamp down the dust, but its not in the forecast. Meanwhile I understand Denver and the rest of America (Trumpistan? per Krugman) has been getting more snow, thanks to the warmer North Pole.

The other day the taxi I was in nearly rolled off the road. Everyone pushed to get out to the right, which I feared would finish us. It doesn’t look too bad here.

Ahmed and Aiman play with toys sent by my brother for Christmas

Little Emron comes in when I leave the door open. He’s trying to shut out his brother. Poor guy got circumcised last week, very painful, had to wear a skirt for a few days!

My org ATEFO continues to work with youth groups and their businesses, which were each provided the equivalent of $100US working capital in two installments. Last week the funding conduit, Bantwana World Education, sent representatives out with the ATEFO trainers to see how the groups were doing. ATEFO is supposed to be sure each group has a constitution registered in the District (amazing how important this is), a business plan, adequate record keeping, and a viable business. These are 15-18 year old village kids, many with little education. Girls are often married with children. I think this is a pretty serious challenge for ATEFO. Problems include attrition in the membership; inadequate support from caregivers; not following the rules in the constitution (but many can’t read English); not changing written business plans; caregivers or patrons actually running the business; and “eating the capital” and/or disappearing. Groups who wanted to grow and sell vegetables were damaged by the drought. Not to say there weren’t successful groups. A few groups have successfully changed their business midstream. Besides growing and trading vegetables, businesses I saw included rearing poultry, pigs, or goats, candle making, soap making, brick making, and rice selling,
I was pleasantly surprised that the Iganga trainers took my simple model for a cash book and printed out pages to give to their groups. But a couple of groups were making the same recording error, leading me to suspect their trainer didn’t quite have the handle on it.
This project also had a requirement to dig 600 backyard gardens. They are not digging drought resistant permagardens however, so they are struggling in the drought. Too bad. I am quite anxious to see the permagarden I dug with Carson and Becky in our efforts to recruit them to “our way”. Hopefully, I’ll get to see it this week. Here is an article citing a UN report which argues small scale organic farming is the best hope to feed the world in the future. Monsanto has other ideas.

Dusty feet of the village kids

This girl borrowed funds from her chicken rearing youth group, started selling second hand clothes and paid back the loan. That’s her inventory after reinvesting proceeds.

Adams poses with a group showing off the soap bars they made.

These boys are showing the three goats they are rearing. Makes me think of 4-H.

Freshly made clay bricks on the ground, drying in the sun

The number of inspectors seemed excessive to me.


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This is about 200 yards of shucked maize (corn), drying next to the main road through Bugiri. They are not using a tarp underneath. Not good post-harvest handling, although that would be a lot of tarp.

A little bit further up the road is rice, with a tarp

Even further up the road are coffee beans, no tarps.

Matthews and I are also checking out places where we taught sack gardens as I close out my grant.. We are seeing how many new ones are being made. I knew the used sack this village donated would have trouble lasting.

This storm sewer is full of trash and moldy sludge. A good rain would push it somewhere.

The inner sanctum of Wiltech Computers, a rare place with wi-fi. The picture doesn’t do justice to how cluttered it is. Wilber has been there 20 years.

This is behind my compound. Rats live in the brick pile in the rear of the photo, and they like to feed on the refuse in the foreground, which is frequently burned.

I spent a good part of Saturday night chasing this guy in my place. He was rather sluggish, having been poisoned by Margaret, but ultimately I recruited the oldest son, Juma to help catch it. I am too much of city boy, I guess. I miss ol’ Meowri at times like this.

Azedy has to water his orange seedlings twice a day. He has 18,000 of these seedlings, I hope he can sell them.This his son, also named Azedy. They don’t call him Junior.

Azedy has hired people to “bud” the seedlings, grafting orange buds onto the lemon seedlings. They are doing 6.000 grafts per week for three weeks. The leaves at the top are still lemon, providing nutrients until the grafted orange buds produce their own leaves. Then the lemon leaves are removed. This makes hardier orange trees.

Chicken vendor at the market

The three older boys are all home from boarding school for a month, They are bored, and it’s so hot, I let them watch some of my movies on my computer.

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Swapping Spit with the Neighbors

Author: August 23, 2016

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Mine is the pink one.

When I shifted to my new site last May, I soon noticed, at the huts right next door, a nightly gathering of people who partake in the Ugandan cultural social tradition of sipping from a communal pot with long straws. This was something I just had to try, though the practice certainly contributes to the high rate of alcoholism in this country. Joining my new neighbors helps me integrate too.

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Some of the straws are like rigid aluminum. Mine is a flexible rubber tube attached to bamboo.

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After the initial tastes, I generally faked sipping to avoid the inevitable sharing of saliva.

Other prostate cancer signs include; Erectile dysfunction (trouble getting an erection) Painful ejaculation Blood in semen Swelling in the cialis viagra generico face, lips and tongue. This fungus is gaining quick popularity because of its strong good anti-inflammatory action. cialis professional india It’s all about how much and what online viagra mastercard you weighed. You are not alone in fight buy tadalafil in australia against diabetes. So the other night Azedy took me over and introduced me, and I joined the group. Azedy, as a practicing Muslim, did not participate. There is a lady who makes the brew in her hut and replenishes the pot throughout the evening. It is made from fermented millet. The taste is warm and kind of bland. I don’t think it is very high in alcoholic content, though you can taste it. If you sit there continuously for hours I’m sure it will have an effect.

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There is a metal filter attached. The participants just take and return a straw to a barrel. I suppose they might be identifiable. I took mine home and boiled it in the rice cooker.

A sound system plays music to lend itself to a party atmosphere and there is a bit of dancing, I watched a mother suckle her child while she indulged (ugh).

It was interesting, but not something I would do too often. Azedy tells me there is another regular group next to the hospital composed of doctors, engineers and other professionals. He says I might find the conversation with them to be more stimulating, so I hope to give my straw another workout in the future.

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Ambassador Malac Visits Bugiri

Author: June 30, 2016

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Ambassador Malac Addresses the gathering at ATEFO. John (seated) and Adams from ATEFO

On Tuesday June 28, Ambassador Deborah Malac made a quick one hour stop in Bugiri town and visited my org, African Trainers and Entrepreneurs Forum (ATEFO). There were about 20 office and field staff from ATEFO, and also some local dignitaries. Then a few of us walked to my home. I will let the photos (most of them purchased a local photographer) tell the story.

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Watching a power point briefing about ATEFO in Adams’ office, with Mark Meassick, USAid Mission Director, my Peace Corps supervisor Meital, and Margaret, Resident District Commissioner.

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i am explaining about how to make a sack garden. We have received approval for a Peace Corps grant to allow Matthews and I to teach sack gardens to the farmer groups and youth groups. The grant will pay for the seedlings, while the community donates the remaining materials.

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Every visit from a dignitary gets a tree planting. She said she is used to this. This is an umbrella tree. near my permagarden. I am concerned a goat will get to it unless we can protect it. Matthews says it will be taller than me before I return to the USA next year.

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This is a ceremonial cake cutting. As you can see, I grew out my beard, it came in brown, whereas the goatee is (annoyingly) all grey. I think the two tone looks like Lassie, or old time ball player with mutton chops, so I might go back to just the goatee. Opinions?

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Here we are taking the five minute walk to my home. Note the cowboy boots worn by Ambassador Malac. Before she arrived, I walked the route with the local police, and then two more times with Embassy advance security personnel. Neighbors must have wondered what was going on. Meital came early with her driver, and the Ambassador had six vehicles in her entourage. I generally wear my backpack most of the time, and a Rockies or Avalanche cap.

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In my well swept and organized abode (I still haven’t got that mouse though). It was hot that day, I look sweaty. Ambassador Malac said she isn’t used to seeing a PCV in a jacket and tie. But Adams and the rest of the org hierarchy were in three piece suits, so I had step it up. Unfortunately, they don’t fit well, made for a heavier man. 🙂

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Local police who provided some security gave me permission to take their picture (this time).

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Gratuitous selfie

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Andrew McCown with USAID staff. He served with with my niece as a PCV in Bolivia. Small world. Invited me to dinner with his wife and 8 month old the next time I am in Kampala.

 

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Author: June 3, 2016

Selfie June 3

June 3, 2016. A bit older, grayer, but lighter.

Selfie October 2014

October, 2014, soon after submitting my Peace Corps application

Today is June 3, 2016, Martyrs Day, a Public Holiday. While most Ugandans understand the martyrs died for their Christian faith, the story is a bit more involved than that, as you will learn if you follow the link. It might explain a huge cultural bias here.

Today also marks the one year anniversary of my cohort’s arrival in Uganda. So much has transpired, and there is more than a year to go. When my USA Rotary Club hosted exchange students, I would always ask: What are the most surprising things you did not anticipate? The whole cohort arrived thinking they would live in mud and grass huts with no utilities; but Peace Corps has housing standards to provide security. It is easy to imagine break-ins without such secure housing. Most of us have utilities, they are just not consistent. Power goes out a lot and water has to be boiled or filtered. Of course many of the villages I visit to teach are indeed compounds of mud and grass huts, with no utilities. Some don’t even have pit latrines (they just go out to the bushes).

I naively imagined at least few more wild animals, but my environment is too urban. I see baboons on the road sometimes. Also not anticipated: Even more kids than I imagined; the surprising sameness of almost every town; and the lack of food variety.
The medicine is available in a viagra samples australia soft-gel capsule. Our conversion capabilities are extensively allowing us to convert to and from virtually any format, including: Kindle, Mobipocket, MS Reader, ePUB, OCR for printed book. generic viagra ED is also a kind of side effect linked with specific medications, such as including antihistamines, antidepressants, antihypertensive, antipsychotics, beta blockers, diuretics, tranquilizers, diet pills, cimetidine cheapest levitra generic (Tagamet), and finasteride (Propecia). Most men will have run into cialis cost low the uncomfortable situation of purchasing it over the counter at your local pharmacy. What has been the hardest part? The most stressful time was trying to master Lusoga language to pass my exam, but ultimately Lusoga has mastered me. Sorry! I thought I would be working harder. After getting assurances last week I would be back on track teaching in the villages, Matthews was gone most of the week for a burial of his neighbor and former boss (cause of death at age 54- diabetes!). Adams planned to take me with him to some towns to monitor our new maize collectives, but then he came down with typhoid and his medication prevented him driving long distances. The education volunteers have a school to go to, and the health volunteers work at hospitals or clinics. My experience is similar to many agricultural volunteers. The sponsoring NGOs struggle. The two other places I considered working a year ago stopped paying for their PCV’s rent, forcing their relocation to other towns last week. So I have spent more time with my Youth group, and trying to work up other projects via the local Rotary Club. Bottom line, I don’t think I suffer much hardship, there are just inconveniences I have gotten used to.

Some of you ask if I am homesick. I use WhatsApp here, which is way bigger here than in the USA. I communicate in a group with my four siblings way more than I ever did at home. I can’t imagine it changing when I return, and recommend it to you. Besides a siblings group, I have a group with my kids of course, a sports teams group, my Lusoga Language Group, and the Bugiri Rotary Club. Of course you can also WhatsApp individually too. So this stunts any homesickness. I have lots of imaginary conversations with Jan. She would have been annoyed by a mouse who has eluded me. He/she has eaten two pieces of expensive cheese right off the trap. I am switching to a sticky book.

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There used to be a big chunk of cheese there. Where is Meowri?

I’ve had very little to worry about healthwise. I’ve had some foot issues that now appear under control. Recently, I’ve had a spell of dizziness starting Sunday. It started when I blew off dinner on Saturday night, and I forgot my malaria drug needs me to eat steadily. I remember when Jan would get hungry; eating would become the number one priority because she would get dizzy. The Peace Corps doctor requested I get a glucose test, and while I was at a local clinic, they also tested for Malaria and Typhoid, Everything was good. Azedy accompanied me to his clinic and negotiated a good price for my three tests, because the technician had been one of his students in primary school. I am going to be examined at headquarters before heading to Entebbe for my vacation flight to meet my son at the Seychelles.
I don’t anticipate blogging again until I return after the 19th. I don’t think Seychelles vacation pictures are appropriate for this blog, but we’ll see.

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Just Breathe (A Close Call)

Author: June 3, 2016

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

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The Currents Will Shift

Author: May 4, 2016

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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.

 

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A Song is not a Business Plan

Author: January 20, 2016

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A Farm Cluster meeting. There were four farmer groups represented. Men sat on one side, the women on the other.

Recently I have been working on drafting a template for business plans to be used by clusters of farming groups. The clusters register themselves and use their larger membership to try to leverage better prices, share resources, improve their marketing, and decrease the cost of inputs.A business plan is something the cluster can show a bank. Individuals will still get the loans.

I travel with members of ATEFO to meetings to obtain information that will go into the business plans. I was given a nice business plan for a maize cluster to work from, and I’m converting it to rice farmer clusters. It’s mostly the same issues. It’s a little too much like legal work than I prefer.  I am a little weak on Word skills for things like tables and templates.

I don’t know if I will get back to a program of teaching farmer groups. I would prefer that. It is tough giving a bank a business plan when the farmers don’t keep records. In the cluster meetings I remind the farmers of that.

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I came home early one afternoon and the kids next door where cleaning my windows. They said they were too smudged. I pointed out it was because they kept pressing their faces up against them.


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Medira reading my book to me on the front porch. She starts Senior-1 at the local Islamic school when it goes back in session.

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This what Meowri eats. Silverfish. Also the occasional hard boiled egg. She is a voracious eater, really growing.

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Sometimes Meowri starts staring at something intently and I know she has spied a bug or lizard. Male on the left was tapping his tail. He climbed up to “tap” the female on the right. This is better than when Meowri wants to get at a bug on my computer screen.

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This rooster always enjoys standing on top of a 10 foot mound of sand near my compound.

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