POOP!

I'm no Laura Dern, but seems there is a sick triceratops around...
I've been round Africa and back again from South Africa to Mozambique to Swaziland and back. I hope to post some pictures soon of my travels to the Indian Ocean as well as touring Uganda with the fabulous Jaime Burke who recently visited.
I'm also coming up on my one year of service mid service training which means I've got a year under my belt and a year to go! Hope to write more soon when they restore the powerlines in my town!
Until then, I'll here in Ibanda saving lives.

It's All On the Line

Yep, there they are- 18 pairs of panties, and leaving you to guess what I'm wearing now! I'm back at site, back to reality. And the reality is that I left a giant pile of dirty laundry. So I started with the basics, as Gap suggests, thus making my Panty Prayer Flags.
Getting back into the swing of things has taken some readjustment after my luxurious stay in Kampala regrowing my collarbone. The biggest adjustment was not being able to do all the things I could when I had the power (sorry, couldn't resist). But needing to rely on neighbors and the community to help with small things, such as fetching water, cooking and cleaning, going to town. All of these required assistance, or a large consumption of energy on my part. But the community has been more than welcoming and assisting, bringing by fruits, offering prayers and masses, all because I went too fast over a hump. I've been doing physical therapy to regain strength and doing some housework- as proved above.
Just as I started to get used to site, I'm leaving again tomorrow to go on a long planned trip with my fellow PCV's to Mozambique for 2 weeks- just as soon as my panties dry....

I did it speed humping

So, there I was (yes Brent, i owe you for that line)... flying on my pcmobile- aka Japanese made bicycle that's indecently small for my frame, think Josh Brolin biking in The Goonies on a kids bike. As I flew through trading centers, enjoying the day, I hit a speed hump and caught some air. "Weee!" I thought and imagined myself looking rather badass, in my white PC issued helmet and mini bike. I approached the second hump and as I accelerated up the hump, realized the other side of the hump was missing, creating a ramp which launched me into the air. I'm sure I at least threw a hang 10 mid air, but the next thing I remember was being pulled off the road and 30 some faces staring down at me and "muzungu yaafa" being mumbled- translated: The Muzungu died. Then more pain and the realization that I couldn't move. When I came to again, it was to see my good nun friend and nurse- Sister Venny, standing over me, calling my name.

Sister Venny happened to be passing on the road on her way to an outreach with the students and was horrified to find me lain in the back of a vehicle, and my bike on the road. She quickly moved me to the hospital vehicle and transported me to the hospital I volunteer and teach at. There, I was given multiple shots, an x-ray taken to determine my left collarbone was broken, and i received approximately 75 visitors in the next 12 hours. In fact, the whole left side of my body felt rather broken. But I was lucky for many reasons: 1) I lived, thanks to my helmet 2) I'm right-handed 3) Only my ipod headphones were stolen 4) My bike is just fine 5) Peace Corps whisked me away to Kampala where slowly by slowly, I'm healing. After a few weeks, I hope to, well, get back on my bike and ride. But maybe I'll slow hump instead.

Ain't No Mountain High Enough

... or continent far enough to keep my brother and Kim from visiting me! After a delayed flight and much anticipation, Dave and Kim touched down to Uganda and where thrown into a 12-day Uganda-stravaganza. A whirlwind tour of the national parks with giraffe, elephants, hippo, crocs, and cranes, time at my site teaching kids ultimate Frisbee and bead making, hiking some waterfalls, partying in a cave and getting waterboarded by the Nile- ok, rafting, I sent the kids exhausted and likely smelly, back on a plane to the states. It was a blast having them here to show off this amazing country and its highlights and challenges. After they got over the culture shock, they picked up on all the local culture, and hopefully are still annoying you all back in America with calling everyone "muzungu" and demanding "you come", passive eye-brow raising, hmmming and "Ah HUH!" exclamations.
A common question that other volunteers pose to visiting family and friends is "Has he/she changed at all?" Dave's response: "Nah- she just thinks she knows more" Thanks bro- right back at ya! Save up for Africa Round II!

A Day in the Life... of a PC Superhero!

First put on your lifesaving uniform

Then hop on your PCmobile and you're off to save the world!

Through Health demonstrations

And Nutrition presentations

At times, it requires tricky disguises to blend in

Sometimes it works!

Other times, its obvious you're a superhero

All of this can be quite exhausting, even a superhero needs a rest

But soon you're on your feet again, nothing can hold you back from saving the world!

Am I part of the cure or am I part of the disease?

My PC friend, Kate, just returned from a state-side visit and admitted she was excited to get back to Africa. “America’s weird” she confessed. We half joked about a few cultural adaptations we’ve adopted, accepted, and adhered to here in Uganda that may get us on the Miss Manners hit list, if not several traffic/civil responsibility violations in the states
- Public nose picking: perfectly acceptable
- Cellphone ettiquitte: definitely acceptable to answer your phone during a sermon…. That YOU'RE giving
- Power outages: power is a gift that the gods can take away at any moment, no need to worry, just continue your dinner by light of your cellphone
- Littering- no fines, just toss it out the window of the moving bus
- Bargaining over 10 cents: it’s the “principle” of the matter, really
- A compact car seats 11 comfortably: Laws of Quantum Physics are constantly tested as we attempt to defy the theory that no 2 things can exist in the same place at the same time
- A simple nod to indicate yes- too much work, just raise the eyebrows

And while much of PC is about adapting and “cultural integration”, it leaves me wondering how “used” we are getting to life here. Am I accepting even the complacency, the apathy that this is just how life is here? Have I become ok with littering just because there are no trash receptables? Why do I just shrug when the power goes out because Uganda first sells its power to neighboring countries for a profit prior to meeting its own countries needs and demands?

Sarah and I recently traveled from the local large town, Mbarara, where we watched with annoyance as our 4 door manual Toyota filled from 6, to 8, to 10- 4 of us in front with the driver sharing the seat and reaching over a passenger to shift, and 6 people in back. As we bargained the driver down since he was overcrowding the car, a woman in back offered “You see how we suffer here? Now when you go back to your country, you will ask for more funding, more aid to help us”

If Sarah and I had room to reel around and face the woman we would have. Exhausted, squished, our heads bouncing against the roof and windows, we yelled over the blown out stereo blasting, “We’re suffering with you. Why don’t YOU demand more from your government, we do provide aid, but it lands in the pockets at the top.” The car ride was silent then, except for the blaring of the radio.

But our outburst left me thinking , if 75% of Uganda’s budget is foreign aid, people here are used to receiving handouts, aid, grants with little community participation. But what is the answer as Americans? To borrow from a cheesy Coldplay song, are we part of the cure, or are we part of the disease?

As a “development worker” I may continue eyebrow raising for passive agreement, and enjoy the freedom of public nose picking, but the real disease- the apathy, complacency and helplessness that exists with extreme poverty, is something I think we’re all here to eradicate. And just maybe our enthusiasm, awareness and support can be part of the cure.

Dance Yo Pants off!

Of the many many differences I encounter here, one of the most beautiful is the traditional dancing- the costumes are the traditional wear of a married Bankole woman, and their dance moves reflect the movement of the large-horned cows (Ankole cattle) moving through the fields. They're dancing the Bishop who visited (one would have thought Jesus was coming the way they prepared) But it was an amazing thing to be a part of. I was able to help the girls into the traditional wear of a married woman as well as learn the songs. They tried to convince me to learn the dance, but I didn't want to steal their thunder with my amazing dance moves.... or not so much- Mom, remember the time you tried to take me to step areobics, definately got Dad's sense of coordination, and I apoligize to all other past dance partners whose toes I've clomped or knocked down on the dance floor. Yeah, no traditional dance for me, but here it is for you to enjoy.