I would like to report a few vast modern improvements made in the village in the past few weeks. Our lives have been drastically revolutionized by such modern amenities as a running shower and toilet in the guest house, improved power supply from UMEME, the power company, and most significantly by internet at the school!!!!! Yes, you heard me, I'm writing to you from the comfort of our school's new library. Our service is provided by a fancy cell phone device that gives us slightly better than a dial up stream of access to the world wide web. This afternoon, I showed some students the AAH website. I'm not sure they fully comprehended that the rest of the world could also look at their pictures on computers. But these kids are bright and will catch on in no time. We are working feverishly to set up 8 school computers to the net, and we have a wireless router for all laptops that come this way. Seriously, I feel like this is the first time I've seen internet. It's funny though - my dependence on the net has completely abated. When I finally have the chance to use it, I don't really have much to do. I definitely don't feel like spending too much time blogging, and emailing is a waste of my time. I'd rather read my book, which requires less patience.
So today I took a shower after doing "road work" (running). I enjoyed electrical lights and hot water from our electric kettle, and now I'm on the net. The next thing I hope for is a paved road to the school. It's rained for almost 3 days straight now and the trek up the road this morning was a doozie. I didn't fall today, but I did last week. It was 6 am in Bupoto and I was catching the first matatu out. The steep hill from the clinic to Matuwa proved merciless as I slid, sloshed, and slipped to a stop on my trash!
Tuesday, April 22, 2008
Monday, April 21, 2008
Murchison Falls Safari
Scott Torres gets the gold star of the month award. His job takes him to Kampala so we've done some adventuring together.
As you can see, I really enjoyed myself!
We went on safari in Murchison Falls, which is in western Uganda (You can see Congo). Scott also invited our coolest friends to join us. Meet some of my Ugandan safari friends: 
Left is our driver, Fred. Then Esaw, Nambi, Me, and Jeffar
Left is our driver, Fred. Then Esaw, Nambi, Me, and JeffarMurchison Falls is in the book, 1,000 Things You Should See Before You Die. It truly is incredible! Take a look:
As you can see, I really enjoyed myself!Sunday, April 13, 2008
Take a look!
This is a typical trading center store/home
I'm surrounded by mountains - I love climbing
View from Mt. Nusu
Going up!
View from the topFriday, April 11, 2008
African Afternoon
4-10-08
I walked from Matuwa to Magale today. I went to Magale on a boda earlier this week. Magale is far. However, Peter asked me to go visit some of his family and he wanted to show me the market. When I asked him about getting there he said, "I know a short short." Haha! Note to self - short short equals totally ambiguous distance which is likely to be long. And long it was. We headed into the countryside on foot trails early in the morning. Little did I know that I was embarking on an adventurous day filled with hours of hiking, meeting family and friends, motivational speaking, pouring rains, smelling flowers, and cultural exchanges.
Shortly along the way we greeted friends at home where I learned about masonry. Most homes in the country side are mud huts with tin roofs and dirt floors and walls that are smeared with a mixture of manure and dirt. The people of this home were building an upgrade and were happy to explain firing and laying bricks. Fascinating, but I'll save the details for now.
Now, I want you to imagine rolling hillsides checkered with fields of matooke trees and beans and occasional dwellings. The soil is reddish and like clay. No power lines or roads. Listen and hear the occasional bhaaa from a goat and mooo from a cow. The place you're imagining is where we were hiking. OK, it's hard to imagine and I'm really sorry that my camera ran out of batteries.
A little further down the hill, we happened upon a primary school in the middle of nowhere - literally. As we approached the dilapidated buildings (the classroom for P-1 and P-2 was a skeleton of a building with corrogated tin siding that reaches only halfway up with a tin roof), I saw children poking and craning their heads to see their unexpected visitors. I wish I could explain the Ugandan child's smile and facial expressions. They're priceless. Now, whenever a visitor comes to a classroom the students stand up and in unison say, "You are most welcome, our visitor, this is P-two" (or whatever class). Then the visitor is expected to give a speach. So I did. In all seven classes, I told the children how special they are and how wonderful it is that they're going to school. I told them they should go everyday and learn as much as they can so their futures will be bright. Those smiling faces are so appreciative - it humbles me to realize that my presense is such a big deal to them.
Have you ever played the Ipod car game? On your next road trip try this. One person listens to the Ipod and is supposed to sing the song as loud as possible. It's hillarious. On our walk, I let Peter take the Ipod. I cracked up several times as he zoned out and started singing outloud to Frau Frau, Regina Spektor, Snow Patrol, Raindeer Section, Usher, Rianna, Immogen Heap, One Republic, Gnarls Barkley and yes, the Mo Tab Choir! Hahahaha!
The first thing I did in the morning was peak out the window to see the weather. Darn it - the clouds hovered low and promised rain. Peter and I were far from everything that is already far from anything when the rains started. We found shelter in a small mud hut home where three children were in the front room.
We visited Alice and Robert's home also. Peter told me Robert is his dad and Alice is his mayi. However, family relations are always confusing - everyone is everyone else's mayi or papa and everyone is everyone's cousin or brother or sister. Ugandans are given two names. Their first name is usually an African name that is from an ancestor or famous person. Their second name is usually their English name. Last names don't exist so siblings all have different names. As you can see, it's hard to tell who belongs to who. Alice and Robert served us soda and glucose bisquits and we were on our way again towards the Magale market.
Unfortunately the market closed down because of the rains. So we turned around and started walking back. We walked for hours already. Africa has taught me the lesson of going with the flow. I might have a plan but the likelyhood of it not working is extremely high. Flexibility is essential. I wanted to catch a matatu to Bubulo rather than go back to the village - I needed to go to Kampala the next day, but the rains guaruntee muddy roads and difficult options for transport. I quickly learned that communicating and executing this plan simply wasn't going work. Oh well, we headed back - I could leave in the morning.
We returned to Alice and Robert's where we were stuck because of rains once again. Initially I was annoyed and tired; however, I started paying attention to something that I'm so glad I was able to experience. That something is the African art of doing nothing. I saw how people spend their time and how they spend time together. It's hard to explain, but it was fascinating to just observe an afternoon of life in Uganda.
They served chicken and rice for lunch, which we ate alone - families wait in the back room while their guests eat - it's kinda awkward really. Then we spent the afternoon hanging out. Before long a few neighbors came by and we started chatting.
Communication is limited. I wasn't sure what to do or say. So I pulled out my computer. For the next hour and a half we watched slideshows of my photos. They saw my family, NYC, holidays and tons of Uganda shots. A few children were around so I made paper airplane and boy oh boy were they a hit. My Ipod was passed around the room with amazement. I also had a Rolling Stone magazine from March. Ha! I loved listening to two men read about Obama from one of the most liberal arts magazine in America. I wish I had more wholesome reading material to share, but this family and their neighbors were completely mesmorized by the things I shared with them. And I had so much fun sharing it!
We finally started back in the early evening. At one point, I smelled the most pleasant flower and Peter stopped to find it for me! I love that we stopped to smell the flowers! We reached back just in time for a beautiful sunset over the broken clouds in the horizon.
This was a cool day! I love my life!
I walked from Matuwa to Magale today. I went to Magale on a boda earlier this week. Magale is far. However, Peter asked me to go visit some of his family and he wanted to show me the market. When I asked him about getting there he said, "I know a short short." Haha! Note to self - short short equals totally ambiguous distance which is likely to be long. And long it was. We headed into the countryside on foot trails early in the morning. Little did I know that I was embarking on an adventurous day filled with hours of hiking, meeting family and friends, motivational speaking, pouring rains, smelling flowers, and cultural exchanges.
Shortly along the way we greeted friends at home where I learned about masonry. Most homes in the country side are mud huts with tin roofs and dirt floors and walls that are smeared with a mixture of manure and dirt. The people of this home were building an upgrade and were happy to explain firing and laying bricks. Fascinating, but I'll save the details for now.
Now, I want you to imagine rolling hillsides checkered with fields of matooke trees and beans and occasional dwellings. The soil is reddish and like clay. No power lines or roads. Listen and hear the occasional bhaaa from a goat and mooo from a cow. The place you're imagining is where we were hiking. OK, it's hard to imagine and I'm really sorry that my camera ran out of batteries.
A little further down the hill, we happened upon a primary school in the middle of nowhere - literally. As we approached the dilapidated buildings (the classroom for P-1 and P-2 was a skeleton of a building with corrogated tin siding that reaches only halfway up with a tin roof), I saw children poking and craning their heads to see their unexpected visitors. I wish I could explain the Ugandan child's smile and facial expressions. They're priceless. Now, whenever a visitor comes to a classroom the students stand up and in unison say, "You are most welcome, our visitor, this is P-two" (or whatever class). Then the visitor is expected to give a speach. So I did. In all seven classes, I told the children how special they are and how wonderful it is that they're going to school. I told them they should go everyday and learn as much as they can so their futures will be bright. Those smiling faces are so appreciative - it humbles me to realize that my presense is such a big deal to them.
Have you ever played the Ipod car game? On your next road trip try this. One person listens to the Ipod and is supposed to sing the song as loud as possible. It's hillarious. On our walk, I let Peter take the Ipod. I cracked up several times as he zoned out and started singing outloud to Frau Frau, Regina Spektor, Snow Patrol, Raindeer Section, Usher, Rianna, Immogen Heap, One Republic, Gnarls Barkley and yes, the Mo Tab Choir! Hahahaha!
The first thing I did in the morning was peak out the window to see the weather. Darn it - the clouds hovered low and promised rain. Peter and I were far from everything that is already far from anything when the rains started. We found shelter in a small mud hut home where three children were in the front room.
We visited Alice and Robert's home also. Peter told me Robert is his dad and Alice is his mayi. However, family relations are always confusing - everyone is everyone else's mayi or papa and everyone is everyone's cousin or brother or sister. Ugandans are given two names. Their first name is usually an African name that is from an ancestor or famous person. Their second name is usually their English name. Last names don't exist so siblings all have different names. As you can see, it's hard to tell who belongs to who. Alice and Robert served us soda and glucose bisquits and we were on our way again towards the Magale market.
Unfortunately the market closed down because of the rains. So we turned around and started walking back. We walked for hours already. Africa has taught me the lesson of going with the flow. I might have a plan but the likelyhood of it not working is extremely high. Flexibility is essential. I wanted to catch a matatu to Bubulo rather than go back to the village - I needed to go to Kampala the next day, but the rains guaruntee muddy roads and difficult options for transport. I quickly learned that communicating and executing this plan simply wasn't going work. Oh well, we headed back - I could leave in the morning.
We returned to Alice and Robert's where we were stuck because of rains once again. Initially I was annoyed and tired; however, I started paying attention to something that I'm so glad I was able to experience. That something is the African art of doing nothing. I saw how people spend their time and how they spend time together. It's hard to explain, but it was fascinating to just observe an afternoon of life in Uganda.
They served chicken and rice for lunch, which we ate alone - families wait in the back room while their guests eat - it's kinda awkward really. Then we spent the afternoon hanging out. Before long a few neighbors came by and we started chatting.
Communication is limited. I wasn't sure what to do or say. So I pulled out my computer. For the next hour and a half we watched slideshows of my photos. They saw my family, NYC, holidays and tons of Uganda shots. A few children were around so I made paper airplane and boy oh boy were they a hit. My Ipod was passed around the room with amazement. I also had a Rolling Stone magazine from March. Ha! I loved listening to two men read about Obama from one of the most liberal arts magazine in America. I wish I had more wholesome reading material to share, but this family and their neighbors were completely mesmorized by the things I shared with them. And I had so much fun sharing it!
We finally started back in the early evening. At one point, I smelled the most pleasant flower and Peter stopped to find it for me! I love that we stopped to smell the flowers! We reached back just in time for a beautiful sunset over the broken clouds in the horizon.
This was a cool day! I love my life!
Saturday, April 05, 2008
Pictures!
I know everyone likes to see more pictures. Don't worry, I'm taking tons of
snaps; however, they're not easy to upload. Enjoy...
Last night's adventure
Two nights ago, we were stargazing. Last night, we performed surgery. Ruth had a worm in her foot! SICK! But it was taken care of. That's the risk we're willing to take when living here.
Stargazing: Uganda's HUGE sky
I read an article in the New Yorker Magazine a few months ago about light pollution. Quite interesting. I learned all about a non-profit organization in New Mexico that advocates for more efficient use of lighting in cities and neighborhoods. In a rather dramatic way, the article emphasized the scarcity of places in the world where the night sky is uninhibited by the haze of electric lights. The night sky in North America is particularly diminished by this problem.
Then I suppose the sky I see in village I live in is a rarity these days. Let me just say that Africa sky is HUGE! The stars are incredible here – especially when the power is out and out neighbor’s high beam light is not on. The moon cycles catch my attention more vigorously in Uganda. Probably because I wander to the latrine every night and notice how dark or light the night is.
There’s no moon this week and the rains haven’t been too bad, so last night, David, Ruth and I went stargazing. David has a program on his computer that shows us exactly what the night sky should look like on any given day and from any given location. We typed in Kampala (oddly, we had no luck when entering Bumwalukani). Suddenly, our big big and dark dark sky became a game of dot to dot. I was in complete awe! We spotted all sorts of stars, constellations and planets. By finding Mars, we found Gemini. Then we connected to Sirius, the brightest star in the sky. Before I knew it, I saw Taurus, Cannes Major and Minor, the Southern Cross, the Milky Way, Orion, and so much more. Best of all, we found Cancer. It is best because it is my sign. Oh what a lovely evening we had in Africa!
Then I suppose the sky I see in village I live in is a rarity these days. Let me just say that Africa sky is HUGE! The stars are incredible here – especially when the power is out and out neighbor’s high beam light is not on. The moon cycles catch my attention more vigorously in Uganda. Probably because I wander to the latrine every night and notice how dark or light the night is.
There’s no moon this week and the rains haven’t been too bad, so last night, David, Ruth and I went stargazing. David has a program on his computer that shows us exactly what the night sky should look like on any given day and from any given location. We typed in Kampala (oddly, we had no luck when entering Bumwalukani). Suddenly, our big big and dark dark sky became a game of dot to dot. I was in complete awe! We spotted all sorts of stars, constellations and planets. By finding Mars, we found Gemini. Then we connected to Sirius, the brightest star in the sky. Before I knew it, I saw Taurus, Cannes Major and Minor, the Southern Cross, the Milky Way, Orion, and so much more. Best of all, we found Cancer. It is best because it is my sign. Oh what a lovely evening we had in Africa!
Thursday, April 03, 2008
People and Problems
While the western world is debating important topics like should NYs governor go to jail, should prostitution be legal, and when is The Office coming out with new episodes (Nathan updated me on current events) the villagers worry about things like what they're going to eat for breakfast. They usually compensate by eating a huge dinner in case they won't get another meal until dinner the next day. They also worry about paying school fees, which are a joke considering that Universal Primary Education is a program the government boasts of. Education is available to all, but not without cost. Mostly, the "fees" consist of bags of cement and $30,000 shillings per term.
But I like the kids. They bring me the most perspective. They don't worry too much. It's pretty normal to see little ones with no pants on - not a worry. I'm sure they actually have pants, but their one pair is likely hanging on the line to dry. The kids don't really worry much about getting dirty either. Staying clean is not an effortless task in this place, so the kids forget trying all together. It cracks me up. However, one disconcerting picture you'll frequently see is one of these children without pants on carrying a panga about the size of his or her torso. A panga is like a dull machete useful in the fields.
I'm also learning lessons about child rearing here. Kids are treated much like adults. It's not unusual to see a four year old carrying a baby on her back like mothers do or to see a young child carrying a 10 liter jerry can full of water on his or her head. I tried to carry a 20 liter can with my arms and didn't even make it more than 50 yards. These kids also tend to act and talk like adults at very young ages - rarely bashful or fussy and always willing to shake a hand. They have the best carefree smiles! Muna muna - that means smile like when you take pictures. I think the way these kids are treated makes them behave alarmingly well and independent. They don't get spoiled or overly protected so they learn to fend for themselves. There are thousands of them everywhere (most women have 6-12 children) so they learn to get along with others. And they are expected to work as soon as they can walk so they never complain about having to do chores because it's just part of life.
In many ways, life is peaceful here. Villagers seem happy and have a good sense of humor. But I can't help noticing an undercurrent of conflict and violence throughout peaceful daily life. Yesterday, I was in a matatu (a taxi) riding back to the village from Mbale (the nearest town) and the lady next to me, with her son, was not able to pay the conductor for the ride. I was zoned out listening to my Ipod when the next thing I know, she flung her body over the seat at the man and started attacking him. She even ripped the shirt off of his friend. She settled down a bit, but the entire taxi was in uproar regarding the situation. She attempted to get out at the next stop, but the conductor wouldn't let her. So she tried to force her way out while he was slamming the door on her over and over again. Then she tried to get out through the window. I have this image in my mind of a woman's body half way through a van's sliding door window flailing back and forth as the conductor and others from the crowd that had gathered tried to force the door shut while her arm was in the way. It was horrific. As soon as she began to scream and cry I couldn't take it any more. I asked the woman behind me what the problem was and found out she wasn't going to pay the 2,500 shillings she owed. That's like $1.50 and I just went on a souvenir shopping spree and spent $45,000. I felt horrible and reacted without thinking. I suddenly was yelling at the conductor, "I will pay." He saw and heard me, but the violence didn't stop. At this point she was out of the car, but the gathered crowd was dense and didn't allow her escape. She was screaming and crying and everyone was yelling at each other. Her poor boy, 3 years old, was balling. I threw myself half-way out of the matatu between the woman and the conductor and took her face in my hands. In attempt to calm her, I told her to settle down over and over again and that I was going to pay. The conductor then said, "you pay - you give me the money." I grabbed my purse and gave him 5,000 for me and for the woman with her boy. That's all it took. The man drew back and the woman was free. A minute or two later, we're on our way. I was outraged! I can't imagine what was going to happen to that woman if I hadn't intervened. The rest of the ride was rather sober. Sensing a bit of cold shoulder from the rest of the car, especially the driver, I wondered if I did the right thing. Every one of those passengers could have used my assistance legitimately. I'm frustrated that people aren't good to each other. I'm frustrated that clearly that woman has more problems than just a lack of money - if everyone lacks money, what made her react violently? I don't know.
Life seems cheap here (I'm not the first to think that - Bono points it out in his foward to The End of Poverty by Jeffrey Sachs). The fact is people die a lot here. They die from curable and preventable diseases every day and they still kill and hurt each other. I saw 2 men arguing on the road while another lay on the side in immense pain. Would people quit arguing and help the man! Anyway, I'm rambling now and you are lucky we have power because this is turning into a long blog. (Having power is a simple joy in my life these days - when it's around, I'm especially happy.)
But I like the kids. They bring me the most perspective. They don't worry too much. It's pretty normal to see little ones with no pants on - not a worry. I'm sure they actually have pants, but their one pair is likely hanging on the line to dry. The kids don't really worry much about getting dirty either. Staying clean is not an effortless task in this place, so the kids forget trying all together. It cracks me up. However, one disconcerting picture you'll frequently see is one of these children without pants on carrying a panga about the size of his or her torso. A panga is like a dull machete useful in the fields.
I'm also learning lessons about child rearing here. Kids are treated much like adults. It's not unusual to see a four year old carrying a baby on her back like mothers do or to see a young child carrying a 10 liter jerry can full of water on his or her head. I tried to carry a 20 liter can with my arms and didn't even make it more than 50 yards. These kids also tend to act and talk like adults at very young ages - rarely bashful or fussy and always willing to shake a hand. They have the best carefree smiles! Muna muna - that means smile like when you take pictures. I think the way these kids are treated makes them behave alarmingly well and independent. They don't get spoiled or overly protected so they learn to fend for themselves. There are thousands of them everywhere (most women have 6-12 children) so they learn to get along with others. And they are expected to work as soon as they can walk so they never complain about having to do chores because it's just part of life.
In many ways, life is peaceful here. Villagers seem happy and have a good sense of humor. But I can't help noticing an undercurrent of conflict and violence throughout peaceful daily life. Yesterday, I was in a matatu (a taxi) riding back to the village from Mbale (the nearest town) and the lady next to me, with her son, was not able to pay the conductor for the ride. I was zoned out listening to my Ipod when the next thing I know, she flung her body over the seat at the man and started attacking him. She even ripped the shirt off of his friend. She settled down a bit, but the entire taxi was in uproar regarding the situation. She attempted to get out at the next stop, but the conductor wouldn't let her. So she tried to force her way out while he was slamming the door on her over and over again. Then she tried to get out through the window. I have this image in my mind of a woman's body half way through a van's sliding door window flailing back and forth as the conductor and others from the crowd that had gathered tried to force the door shut while her arm was in the way. It was horrific. As soon as she began to scream and cry I couldn't take it any more. I asked the woman behind me what the problem was and found out she wasn't going to pay the 2,500 shillings she owed. That's like $1.50 and I just went on a souvenir shopping spree and spent $45,000. I felt horrible and reacted without thinking. I suddenly was yelling at the conductor, "I will pay." He saw and heard me, but the violence didn't stop. At this point she was out of the car, but the gathered crowd was dense and didn't allow her escape. She was screaming and crying and everyone was yelling at each other. Her poor boy, 3 years old, was balling. I threw myself half-way out of the matatu between the woman and the conductor and took her face in my hands. In attempt to calm her, I told her to settle down over and over again and that I was going to pay. The conductor then said, "you pay - you give me the money." I grabbed my purse and gave him 5,000 for me and for the woman with her boy. That's all it took. The man drew back and the woman was free. A minute or two later, we're on our way. I was outraged! I can't imagine what was going to happen to that woman if I hadn't intervened. The rest of the ride was rather sober. Sensing a bit of cold shoulder from the rest of the car, especially the driver, I wondered if I did the right thing. Every one of those passengers could have used my assistance legitimately. I'm frustrated that people aren't good to each other. I'm frustrated that clearly that woman has more problems than just a lack of money - if everyone lacks money, what made her react violently? I don't know.
Life seems cheap here (I'm not the first to think that - Bono points it out in his foward to The End of Poverty by Jeffrey Sachs). The fact is people die a lot here. They die from curable and preventable diseases every day and they still kill and hurt each other. I saw 2 men arguing on the road while another lay on the side in immense pain. Would people quit arguing and help the man! Anyway, I'm rambling now and you are lucky we have power because this is turning into a long blog. (Having power is a simple joy in my life these days - when it's around, I'm especially happy.)
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