It's been a while...

It has been ages since I last blogged, and mostly its because of the total lack of predictability of when we're going to get electricity. Every time I sit down to write an important e-mail or blog, the power decides to shut off. The joys of living in rural Uganda. On the bright side, at least I can try to focus on the most exciting happenings of the last month.

On the second week of October, we went on a "field trip" to Alliance School in Kyazanga - a village about 10 km away. We (at least 40 of us) piled into the back of a pick up truck and the kids played drums and sung songs the whole way there. Although I was scared for our lives, it was one of the most fun things we have done with the kids thus far. It reminded me a lot of my global ed trip to Thailand when we all got (the power went out immediately after writing that sentence and only JUST came back on...see, I wasn't lying!). Anyways, as I was saying, the drive reminded me a lot of our drives out to Mae Kong Pae in our global ed trucks. So many memories!! The actual purpose of the field trip (from my understanding) was essentially to compete against Alliance to see whose better at life (well not really life, but singing/dancing, debating, netball, and soccer...the basics that make up life). They kicked our butts at dancing, and soccer (although they had a bunch of ppl from other schools on their soccer team...cheaters) and we schooled them at debate and netball. It sounds like it could have been a tie, but we had a MUCH better school anthem (verses and all) and theirs was just the name of their school ("Alliance School") in a high pitched voice. That definitely put us over the edge!

Other than that, things have been pretty uneventful at Hope Academy. Over the past 3 weeks, we have been dealing with some frustrations with things at URF. We seem to be in a weird situation as volunteers because we are not exactly sure the best way to help. Since I am considering staying here until April, I really want to make sure that
a) I am useful in someway that a Ugandan won't be (I don't want to be taking a job away from someone that could be needing one) and
b) That I am actually doing something useful and sustainable

Both of these are things I have been thinking a lot about lately while finalizing my decision to stay until April. I have been assured by many that not only is it difficult to find Physics and Math teachers (seems to be a problem worldwide) but also I would be doing them a huge favour by saving them money on a salary while the school is still young and can barely afford to pay the teachers they already have. Sounds good, but then there is the problem that I sometimes feel like the kids aren't learning anything! For the last couple weeks I was feeling really hopeful...the kids were doing MUCH better and they all earned the sugar I promised them if they could get a class average above 60%. But I just got back from marking a bunch of their midterm math exams and they're pretty much back to where I started. I can't begin to explain how frustrating this is!! I have been trying so hard to move slowly through the material and not to rush them, but I'm not sure that it even makes a difference.

Then there is problem b). As much as I do love teaching, there is a bigger goal in what I hoped to accomplish here. I would like to be able to help URF so that once I leave, they are better able to help the people of Masaka. Many of the previous volunteers who have come and gone have started projects that either don't get finished or are just not sustainable. It is so aggrivating because we have to spend a lot of time finishing or sometimes even cleaning up their "messes". There are lots of little improvements URF needs to make, mostly caused by the large distance between the people in charge and the projects. Daniel, Caroline, Jessie and I have been talking incessantly about this for the past 3 weeks and none of us really know how to approach this. We have been having meetings with John Mary (who is in the States), Fred and Adrian (who are in Kyetume with us) and Peter (who is in Kampala) trying to figure things out.

A couple weekends ago, I went to visit a Ugandan from Vancouver who I met through my dad - Justus. His family happens to be from a small village called Ndgeya which is right in Masaka district!! I got to eat amazing food - Tilapia, pork, posho and even the Matoke was delicious. (More and more, I am convinced that it is Hunny Bunny who is giving me a bad impression of the food.) Not only was the food good, but I got to meet his entire VERY lovely family. He is staying in Kampala for most of his visit and so along with a couple business related meetings, the volunteers decided to make a trip out to Kampala this weekend. Partially to celebrate my birthday and partially because we all needed to let loose a little bit. It was definitely a much needed break. Kyetume and Kampala are like night and day (and the weirdest part is that they are only 2.5 hours away from each other). It was the best Ugandan birthday celebration I have had in my life :) We stayed at a cute guesthouse that had flushing toilets and HOT, RUNNING water. It was the first time in 2 months that I felt REALLY clean. We ate lots of delicious food - of course there was cheese and salads and burgers, but the most exciting thing consumed was SUSHI!!! We went to a restaurant called Wasabi (which is owned by a Canadian...yea Canada!!) and it was actually very good (no Eatery, but beggars can't be choosers). They even sung me happy birthday and had a roman candle to go with the banana crepe. If you don't believe me, look at the bottom right of the picture!!

We spent an afternoon at a mall called Garden City Shopping Center (mostly in the food court where we indulged in pizza and ice cream) and then we went swimming at the International Hotel which had a gorgeous view. We took Fred's youngest son who is 5 with us (he goes to boarding school in Kampala). It was the funniest thing I have ever seen in my life. He had so much fun, and was so determined to swim but I'm pretty sure he drank at least half the pool's water before he got out.

We spent a couple late nights out with Justus and Kirsty a friend of his that was visiting from Vancouver. Justus definitely knew where all the hot spots were and hooked us up for future visits in Kampala. We even had a very fun adventure on the way back home. A semi truck had filpped on the only road that leads to Kyetume and was blocking the ENTIRE road. Our taxi driver decided he was going to try and find a shortcut through the tiniest, crappiest road of all time. A couple cars got stuck in the mud or maybe just died trying to make it through. I was pretty sure we were going to tip over with all the bumpiness...Caroline even has a bruised arm from the ride.
Other exciting happenings...I tried the white ants (or enswa as they call them) and ensenene (which are grasshoppers). Definitely preferred the grasshoppers...not only do they look less like bugs, but they are also much tastier. I won't be making a habit of eating either, even though they are both high in protein and protein is something my body is in dire need of.

We are going to be beginning training for the Women's Crafts project next week. I hope the women are as excited as we are. There is going to be a "disco" at Hope Academy which I figure is kind of like a school dance and we're going to visit another school in Kinoni. I will keep you posted!

Thank you everyone for all your birthday wishes and birthday calls. It wasn't easy having all my family and friends so far away, but it did mean a lot to hear from all of you. I love you and miss you. Please continue to keep me in your thoughts and prayers,

Love,
Missy

PS. We just finished watching the elections on TV. The power went out last night (again while I was in the middle of blogging) and we were all worried it wouldn't come back in time, but we got to watch Obama become the 44th President of the United States in a Landslide. Everyone (including all the Ugandans) are excited. It's amazing to see how much this means to people in ALL corners of the world. All I have to say is...It's about time!!!

Jonah not sure what exactly to do on a piggy back ride.


Hours before turning 26...on the phone with A. Veron & accepting flowers stolen out of someone's garden from Justus


Jessie and Caroline devouring their delicious pizzas at Garden City Shopping Mall

Mostly pics

Hello!

Life seems to be getting pretty monotonous...sometimes I feel like I'm back at home with all the teaching, marking and tutoring that goes on. I really do love it, but sometimes I get envious of Daniel who gets to get his hands dirty doing all sorts of odd jobs! I try to do as many different things as possible in my free time so I don't feel too left out.

The biggest happening of the week was when I had to watch a handful of kids get caned for uniform violation at last Monday's morning assembly. I was really worried about this before coming to Uganda (many people mentioned that caning still happens) but after being here a month, I had never witnessed it and couldn't imagine it happening. I had pretty much forgotten it existed...until Monday. It wasn't a light caning either...it looked like it hurt!! Part of me wanted to grab the stick out of their hand but I knew that wasn't the best way to deal with it so I just walked out of the class. That evening, I had a good talk/argument with Fred and although we agreed on many things, the verdict was that we agreed to disagree. I have told them that I'm going to try it my way (escalating punishments which do not include caning) and if it works they have to stop caning! We'll see how that goes.

Last weekend we went to dig at Deo and Zaitun's as planned. It was really fun to spend time with them and "help" them out (don't know how much of a help we really were). Today Deo was doing impressions of us digging and everyone thought it was pretty funny. We dug for about 2 hours (which felt more like 5) and I got to plant some 'lumonde' (sweet potato) since there weren't enough hoes for everyone. After digging/planting, we went back to their house where we cooked lunch together. They insisted that we eat with them, even though they hardly have enough food for themselves. We got to carry water from the well, make a fire and cut and peel cassava. As fun as it was, I can't imagine having to do all those things everyday!!! We were all SO pooped by the time we got home after lunch.
Sunday, we went to visit Regan who is one of the boys that was here the first few weeks but is now away at boarding school a couple villages over. It was really nice to see him and even greater was seeing his face when Nicole (one of the volunteers from San Fransisco) gave him an inhaler for his asthma. He has really bad asthma brought on by allergies and often has to miss school because of it. We sent an email to the incoming volunteers asking if any of them have access to an inhaler and we were in luck! I hope that the inhaler works for him because I think it can be very frustrating for him.

That night, we went to a "sports bar" to watch a soccer game. What I was expecting and what I got were definitely two very different things. There were 2 15inch TVs with no sound and a bunch of wooden benches. You could buy your own beers and bring them in (which we did), but other than the TV and benches, nothing else was provided. It was still really fun - the Ugandans get really into the game. One of the boys from Hope Academy, Silver, works there and is in charge of keeping them all under control. Not a job I would want.

We also bought 7 bicycles this week for the school so that they can lend them to the students who come from really far away. They give one bicycle to 2 students and they have to "bike-pool" to school. They will be having a ceremony tomorrow (parents are even invited) where they will announce the kids who will be getting bikes. The kids are really excited and I'm excited for them! Some of them walk over an hour to get here in the mornings and then another hour and some to get home. A bike would definitely give them more time to sleep and study after school!

Let's see what else has happened this week...oh yea! The white ants!! On Sunday morning it there was a torrential rainstorm. That night, out of the blue, Fred just said "the white ants are coming". Obviously that made NO sense to me and mostly just creeped me out, but what happens is that once it starts raining in the morning they know its time for the white ants. These bugs with big white wings come in the middle of the night(from where I don't know) and there are thousands of them...Jjajja leaves the lights on outside because they are attracted to the light and then they die on the front steps and their wings fall off. She wakes up in the middle of the night and collects them and then they get fried up and eaten! I haven't tried one yet, but I'll definitely let you know when I do. When you come out of the house in the morning the ground is covered in white wings. I will take a picture next time.

Since it has started raining, there have been nillions of ants EVERYWHERE. Yesterday night, the new volunteer from Omaha (Caroline) found a big trail of them in our sitting room. She bug sprayed the place and they scattered...they better not be back tonight. I'm pretty sure that if ants got their shit together they could take over the world.

Anyways, the volunteers are having a night out in Masaka tonight...dinner at 10 tables - the best restaurant in Masaka!! I have been thinking about what I'm going to order all day...and obviously cheese is on the list.

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone!!
Missy
xoxo

I never knew Nando's tastes that good!

Its amazing how much happens in one week! We went into Kampala on Friday to drop off Renato and meet with Uganda Crafts (an NGO that is going to help us sell the stuff the women's group is making). Our first stop was Nando's where I ate a chicken pita (with CHEESE) and fries and had an ice cream cone for desert. I have a love/hate relationship with Kampala. It has all the ammenitites you could ask for, but it is by far the most chaotic city I've been to.

After lunch, we met with Betty and Kakende from Uganda Crafts. They have a little store where they sell some of the crafts right on site and I couldn't stop myself from buying a couple really cute cards and a scarf so that I could tie it on my head like a real Muganda! The meeting was very successful and we decided that we will have them come to Kyetume in 2 weeks time to train the ladies. Training takes 6 full days, and the women will learn not only how to make baskets, but also how they can go about finding other ways of selling their crafts and how to keep track of their costs and profits. After they finish the training, Uganda Crafts will be able to give them orders to fill and they will get paid for each basket they make! This is an awesome opportunity for the women; for many of them it will be the first time they will be able to make their own money!

We spent the night in Kampala in the most beautiful area ever! We were a 2 minute drive from Lake Victoria and Fred's cousin Frank found us a guest house just a few houses away from his. When we arrived, he had tons of luxurious food waiting for us (hard boiled eggs, fruit, avocado, fried chicken, sugar cane). We were treated like kings and queens! We watched some music videos (mostly Boney M - and no one knew who they were except me) and drank some wine and got ready to go out that night! Capitol Pub was bumpin...we had some drinks, played some pool and danced a lot. The club was in a building with an open-air center where the dance floor was. So far the 2 clubs I've been to in Uganda have both been bigger and better than any club I've been to in Vancouver...although I don't know if that's saying much...sorry Tonic :P

Coming back to Masaka wasn't exactly easy...it's a totally different world here. We left Fred in Kampala to rest for a few days (probably the first days off he's gotten in months) and Daniel and I got back on Saturday afternoon. We went straight to the women's empowerment meeting and gave our talk on women's health. The women showed me how to tie the scarf I bought on my head, and were really excited that I wanted to wear it like them. On the way back we found the shedded skin of a cobra which we kept and I got to hold a baby chick that was just one day old! Its those kinds of things that make it really easy living in the village.
We are back at school this week, although today is a public holiday! It is the end of Ramadan and last night someone (still not sure who) declared it a public holiday in Uganda. I always thought those things were decided ahead of time, but apparently not! I am going to use the day to finish a bunch of chores...like doing laundry, cleaning up my room and of course lesson planning. Next weekend we are going to head to Deo and Zaitun's (two sibling orphans) to help them dig! I am really looking forward to that. Its a huge learning experience and eye opener to participate in the daily lives of the people here. The kids especially have gone through so much in their lives and yet they are the most resilient people I have met in my life. They are genuinely happy, even with the little they have.

Last night I had my first real feelings of being homesick. It was all brought on by some nasty termites that keep trying to build their house right outside my room. Everything about it gives me the heeby jeebies and makes me itchy all over. I think Jjajja is going to buy some chemicals to get rid of them. I feel really bad being grossed out by something so petty, but I really can't help it. Maybe in time I will just get used to them, as I have to spiders, geckos and all the other creepy crawlies in my room. I'm also really frustrated with the school system here and don't know how to approach the millions of problems with it. If any of you...especially all the teachers have any advice...please please let me know! Can't believe its been a month since I've been here and almost 3 months since I've been home. I can't remember what its like to smell good and look nice. That's mostly why I have avoided posting too many pics...but I will put a couple up for your enjoyment :) Miss you all soooo much!

Missy
xoxo

Lesson Plans, Teaching and Marking...I feel right at home!

Can't believe it's already been three weeks! I have been especially busy the last week and a half because classes started last Monday and I have six different preps (Math for S1, S2, and S3 as well as Physics S1, S2 and S3), not to mention all the other things that are going on around here.

The kids I teach are really great kids. Most of them, as I think I might have mentioned before, are drop outs....not the North American kind, but the Ugandan kind...meaning that they haven't been going to school because they haven't been able to afford it. URF works really hard to find them sponsors or allows them to stay at the school through cost sharing. The students are really motivated to learn, but at the same time they really don't have it easy. A bunch of kids come here from Mbirizi a village at least an hour's walk away. All the kids have to wake up really early to get water and firewood and then be at school by 7:45am. School gets out at 4pm and then the after-school program goes until 6:30pm. The after-school program is from my understanding, supposed to be a chance for the kids to review what they learned at school since as soon as they go home they have to start doing their chores again. By the time they are done, it is dark and they don't have electricity in their homes so they can't really study. I know this sounds a little depressing, but when you see the kids you don't necessarily think about these things because they are all so happy to be there.

The best part about teaching is that the students call me Master Marissa! How cool is that. In Uganda the men are called Master and the women Madam. But really...how much cooler does it sound to be called Master?? The kids laughed hysterically the first couple days, but know its known...I am Master Marissa, Uganda's first female master! We write on chalkboards...really old crappy chalkboards which drive me crazy with all the dust...not sure if there is really an alternative. I think I'm going to go into Masaka sometime this week and make some handouts for the kids instead.

One last point about teaching...the curriculum here is a crazy mess. They learn all sorts of things and the strangest order. They learn about Forces in three dimensions and Brownian motion! before they have even learned any trigonometry or calculus...in fact, to put things in perspective, they are teaching this to S1 - S3 kids (which is the equivalent of grades 8-10). In addition, all the teaching and testing is done in English, even though a huge percentage of the kids don't understand a fraction of what's going on. I had to give my kids a beginning of the term test and the results so far have been miserable! I'm going to really have to think of a strategy to help these kids. That is pretty much my mission for the next couple weeks.

So what else have we been up to here in Masaka?? Well we had a mzungu night out last weekend! It was amazing...Renato, Daniel, Fred and Charles (a Waliggo brother) went into Masaka and went out for the most amazing dinner of all time. Butternut squash soup, a toasted piece of bread with MELTED CHEESE (one thing that I crave sooo much is cheese), fried chicken and fries...oh and don't forget a delicious bottle of french white wine! If I can do that once a month (maybe twice...who am I kidding) I will be a happy camper. AFter dinner we went to a club called 'ambiance'. Yep, that's right...a club in Masaka. It was really fun, although we didn't stay too late since we were all pooped from the week's work.

We (and by we I mean 4 ridiculously great guys) finished paving the school this week. Abdul was the "boss" and he was such a kind gentle soul. He and his friends worked so hard to finish the school. It is so much better now that everything is paved. Hopefully no more jiggers for the students (and teachers) at Hope Academy! They also gave us some tips on digging as we tried to make a garden outside of the school. Abdul came down and in 2 minutes he had dug up more than the 5 of us had in 20 minutes. It was sad to see the workers go, but they said they would come back this Friday to play soccer with us. It will be nice to see them!

Another great thing are stars...there are millions in the sky. I can't begin to tell you how beautiful it is. The other day while I was on the phone with Chris, I saw the most beautiful shooting star of all time. Oh then there's the calf who we've named Darla. The other day I was walking up from the school and Darla started following me up to the house...right into the house! She is a cute little thing.

On Saturday evening, we went to a "Nigiina" which is kinda like a birthday party for a woman in a village (meaning she gets presents) except its not really her birthday. Every month the women in the village pick a different lady and they all buy her presents. We ate food, played with kids and danced until it was dark. The Ugandans certainly know how to dance and party!

Another couple projects that we have got going are we put up some tarps at one of the child-headed families houses because they had a HUGE hole in their roof over their bedroom and seeing as though rainy season is well underway, this posed a big problem. We have yet to see if the tarps have helped, but hopefully we'll get to go to check it out later this week.

At the same time, Dan and Chris have started a campaign to build a new boy's dormitory for the kids at Nazareth Orphanage because the structure is literally about to fall. If it sounds like there are lots of projects on the go, it is because there are! Daniel and I have been discussing some of these issues, because it seems like everyday someone (usually past volunteers who are now back at home) wants to start a new project. The big problem is that there are only really two people here (Fred and Adrian) to implement the projects and their plates are more than full. They don't like saying no to any of the projects because they want to help as many people as possible, but at the same time I am sure they will burn out if they keep this up.

Anyways, we will be going to Kampala this weekend for a mixture of events. We will be dropping Renato, Dan and Chris off to the airport, meeting with an NGO called Uganda Crafts (they are going to sell the crafts that the women in our empowerment group make so they can generate income), take the empty water bottles to be recycled, oh yea...and go clubbing and eat some good food. I will add some pics later.

Miss you all
Misss
xoxo

Oh yea...there was a mouse running around the house last week and Renato bought some rat poison and well...the picture pretty much tells the rest!

A week of many firsts...

It took me a couple days, but I can officially say that I am settled in...not only settled in but loving it here. I have decided that I will stay until the New Year (and will have to stick to that commitment since I told Erika she can come visit for Christmas).

I'm gonna try my very best to describe what its like at the Waliggo's (the family's house where we stay). There are animals EVERYWHERE! There is of course the rooster, a bunch of chickens, goats that constantly fart (or shart), a huge cow with giant horns who just had a baby calf, a couple huge pigs and their little piglets, and best of all are the ducks. I got to see ducks have sex for the first time. but not the last. The ducks have sex ALL THE TIME and just yesterday we got to see the outcome when one of the ducks walked around the back of the house with 8 little furry ducklings following behind. If that wasn't enough commotion, there are also people coming and going at all times. Jaja (which is Luganda for Grandma) is the head of the household. She has 7 children, all of whom we have met, except John Mary who is the founder of URF and lives in the states. She also has 7 grandkids around that sometimes sleep in our house and if the roosters don't wake us up, its the kids that usually start screaming before 7am. If you were deaf, they'd be really cute kids :P

I wasnt sure what to expect for temperature, but I am glad that I brought lots of warm clothes because it is pretty cold at night and first thing in the morning. It is the start of the rainy season, so for the past couple days it has rained in the morning for and hour or so (which is good, because that's how we get water for showering, washing clothes etc.) and then it clears up and gets really hot. This weather should continue like this for the next couple months, which doesn't bother me...it almost makes me feel like I'm back in Vancouver.

As to what a typical day looks like, I can tell you what its been like so far although I'm sure that will change once school starts tomorrow and I actually start teaching!! We wake up at around 7am and relax (Chris or Daniel will play guitar while we journal or read). By 9am we start running errands (we have bought food and clothes for a couple child headed families in Rakai, we have taken 3 women to the clinic in Masaka to get treatments for HIV, vaccinated chickens - that was all Daniel, set up a library in the school, and supervised the workers who are currently paving the inside of the school). When we are not running errands, there are constantly kids from the school and the after school program that come around to talk to us or get us to help them with their schoolwork they don't understand. They are for the most part really great kids...although there are a couple that you just can't help feeling like they have an alterior motive. Some of them think that we are super wealthy and able to help them each individually, which would be nice, but realistically an impossibility.

This weekend we held a Youth Camp at the school. When I say youth camp and you think youth camp those are 2 totally different things. Had this camp occured in North America, I am pretty sure there would have been at least a couple law suits. About 45 kids showed up although only 20 had registered. The kids were split up into 4 groups (Canada, US, Brazil and Uganda) and we painted their faces and I of course tatooed my team with my dollar store tattoos. They made their own dinners, collected their own firewood and water and did all sorts of chores. The boys all slept in one of the classrooms while the girls slept in the other. We had a couple seminar/discussion groups where we taught them to use the library we set up, talked about recycling (and not littering which is a huge problem here) and career options. The best seminar had to be the one where we had to show them how to use an actual toilet! The school has 2 "toilets" meaning they have put a seat over the latrine. Unfortunately the kids are not familiar with how a seated toilet works, so some of them stand on the seat and squatting and therefore end up pooping and peeing all over the seat. Gross, I know. We played a soccer game against the boda-boda drivers in Kyetume (motorcycle taxis) and watched "educational videos" with them. It was really fun and to top it all off, we (Daniel, Fred and I) slept down at the school on the floor in sleepingbags...just because we weren't roughing it enough already ;)

A big first this week was my first jigger. I'm not sure what exactly it is, but it is some sort of parasite or worm-like creature that buries itself into your feel and then grows and itches like crazy. Fred said it feeds on your blood although I have heard different things from different people. He took it out with a safety pin while I bit Daniel's shoulder and Renato commented on how disgusting it was and took pictures (which I havent uploaded yet). I hope that was the first and last time I'll have to do that!

This evening we went into Kyetume (pronounced chetumeh) to lead a session with the women about women's health. Seeing as though I am the only female volunteer here at the moment, I had to do all the talking. I think it was fairly successful. We talked about the conditions in which they cook (over a fire in a closed room with no ventilation for the smoke which is incredibly bad for their lungs), anemia and menopause (which most of them had never heard of and knew nothing about it). Daniel and I have been brainstorming and talking about the possibility of installing chimneys into the kitchens, to solve some of these problems. So if any of you have any expertise on chimney construction, please let me know!

I will try to write again sometime this week once school gets going and I settle into the groove. I am really nervous about teaching here! Part of what I think makes me a good teacher is my ability to relate to my students and I wonder if I will be able to do that with the kids over here. I'm sure I had more to say, but its late and I should get to bed. Goodnight!

Missy
xoxo

PS. I also got my first letter in the mail this week from Francesca (my cousin from England)! It was exciting to receive a piece of mail...hint hint!

They really meant Rural...

So here I am...in Masaka, 35km outside the city center of Masaka in a village (from my understanding) called Kyetume. I have only been here just about 36hours although it feels like weeks...not in a bad way though.

We (Daniel and I) spent the first night in Kampala with a friend of my dad's. This was a really nice transition for us. We got good meals, a nice shower and a good night's sleep. Fred came to pick us up from Delia's and we were on our way (4 and half hours) to Masaka. I'll start by giving you a low down on the people around, since I'll probably be mentioning them a lot. These are really only first impressions since I have only known them 36 hours!

Fred and Adrian are the project co-coordinators who have pretty much dedicated their lives to URF. They are both incredibly kind and funny and have made my first few days more enjoyable. Fred is really knowledgable on the political history of Uganda and is in the middle of writing a book about politics in Uganda since the 1980s. I have already spent a couple hours picking his brain on lots of different things. He will have to deal with my millions of questions for the next few weeks/months!

Dan and Chris are from Boston. Chris is a psychotherapist and Dan is a retired history and socials teacher. Dan is 79 years old! Isn't that great?!?? He taught for a couple years in Zambia and Zimbabwe.

Then there is Renato from Spain (although he is orignally from Brazil). He is CRAZY...its not the rooster crowing in the morning that wakes me up, its Renato mimicking the rooster that does the trick! He is full of energy but unfortunately only here for a month.

Then of course there is Daniel, the southern guy from Alabama who says "yes sir" and "no ma'am". That is pretty much the only southern stereotype that he fits - thank goodness hehehe. His plan is to stay until December.

So by now you guys are wondering what exactly it's like out here in the bush...well it is a lot more rural than I expected. If it weren't for the amazing people (especially children) I don't think I would be able to handle the living conditions. Its not that they are all that bad, they are just not what I expected. I thought that they were preparing us for the worst on the website, but they were pretty much dead on.

My bedroom is very small. It has a bunk bed in it and a dresser and that's it! Well not quite...three spiders live with me, a baby ghecko and LOTS of flies. I have made a decision not not go out looking for creepy crawlies because I WILL find them. What I don't know can't hurt me. The only time I really spend in my bedroom is when I sleep.

The bathroom is a room with a drain. I took my first "shower" today and it was difficult. I am thinking of cutting my hair because it is impossible to wash. I'm pretty sure I used just about the same amount of water today than I would at home. Hopefully I'll get the hang of it soon or I may just end up shaving my head :)

"Washrooms" are latrines...meaning a hole in the ground. I was really scared the first time I had to pee, but Renato gave me really good advice. Don't think about it...just do it! And just my luck, since I have been here I have had to pee wayyyy more than I ever go at home. The good thing is that I am almost used to it. Pooing in a hole...I don't know if I'll ever get used to that. Its funny how many things we take for granted at home.

Meals here are bland compared to what we are used to back home. Nothing like goan curries or sushi that's for sure. I miss the eatery more than words can describe!!! Breakfast consists of tea - just tea! Lunch and dinner (so far) have been the same. Matoke (which is pretty much squashed, heated bananas), potatos, sweet potatos, rice and some goat. We were lucky one meal and got an avocado and watermelon...but for the most part we are only eating startch. The goat is soooo tough, I can't even chew through the pieces.

Goodness I could talk forever. Nothing is anything like it is at home. Yesterday I told Daniel that I almost stepped on a chicken on the way to the bathroom yesterday and we laughed thinking about what an outrageous sentence that would be back home. Anyways, I will get going and send you guys an update next time the internet and electricity is working (so far 1 for 3).

Thank you for all the messages and if you have any specific questions let me know. I love getting updates from you all. Lots of love,
Missy
xoxo

My first blog...counting down the hours!

I have been thinking about the best way to keep all my family and friends informed about my whereabouts and my adventures and many ppl suggested a blog, so here it I go! This may be a dull one...

As most of you know, Chris and I have spent the past 6 weeks in Italy and the UK seeing many cathedrals and castles as well as catching up with lots of family members. Chris went home on Thursday :( and I will be on a plane this time tomorrow heading to Uganda.



Plans have changed since I left Vancouver...I was supposed to be going to an orphanage called Kinship House where I was going to teach at the primary school in the village but a week ago I received an e-mail from kids worldwide (the organization that sets up the volunteering) saying that they had decided to "withdraw support from Kinship house due to a lack of financial accountability as well as strained relationships between the director and the volunteers". Although I was completely shocked when I found out, I finally decided that it is probably for the best. When you are investing so much time and energy into something like this I wouldnt want it to be ruined by a shady director.

So the new place I'm going to is called Uganda Rural Fund (URF). It is based in Masaka which is fairly close to the Tanzanian border and as many people have told me supposed to be an incredibly beautiful district! What will I be doing there??? Well I guess we'll find out soon. But from what I've been told and what is posted on the website, URF helps co-ordinate and run several different programs such as an orphanage, a women's empowerment group, after school lessons for child-headed families (families that have no parents and the oldest child, usually a young teenager, is in charge), feeding animals (I think they have a some pigs) and gardening. Most exciting is that a couple months ago (in May) they opened a secondary school and I can do some teaching there!!!


From my understanding, all children in Uganda are given a primary school education, but only those who can afford a secondary education get one. (not only because you usually have to pay fees, but also because they often can't afford the time which could be spent working). This leaves many children with only a grade 6 level education. The school they have opened called Hope Academy. Although it is just in its beginning stages it has about 40 students, half of which are orphans or returning drop outs.


So tomorrow evening I'll be getting on my air Emirates flight to Dubai (7 hrs) and then another 7 hours to Entebbe (2:45pm local time). GROSS! Hopefully I can sleep most of the way. A friend of Papa's from Kampala will meet me at the airport (which I am really grateful for) and then I will return to the airport at 8pm that night to meet Daniel (another volunteer from Alabama) who will be arriving that night. We are both spending the night in Kampala with Delia and then Fred or Adrian (project co-ordinators) will take us to Masaka where we will be staying at a family (the Waliggo's) house. A bunch of other volunteers will come later.


Alright, think thats a pretty good intro to what's going on. I am so excited...kinda feel like puking, but that might just be the malaria tablets. For those of you wondering, I still don't really know how long I'll be away. To be perfectly honest, I don't know how I'm going to cope with the huge change in, well, everything. I know that I am going to be open minded and try to be as flexible as possible. Maybe I'll see you all in a month, maybe a year. Who knows?!? I kinda like the flexibility.


I know how hard it can be to keep in touch, but I get so happy when I have emails in my inbox and even more excited when they're not airmiles updates!! I will have a cell phone number once I arrive, and if anyone wants to write me a REAL letter (remember those) there is even an address you can send it to! I dont know how long it will take, but I sure am curious to find out.

c/oThe Waliggo Family
Kyetume, Kyawagonya-Lwengo.
35KM Masaka - Mbarara Road
Masaka, Uganda.
P.O.Box 1220 Masaka.


Thank you everyone for your support, thoughts and prayers. Wish me luck!

Missy
xoxo