Happy Independence Day, Nigeria!

On October 1, 1960, Nigeria gained independence from the United Kingdom. Happy Independence Day! Actually in Abuja, it's technically the 2nd. However it is still the 1st in the US, so I think it still counts.

Hello from Abuja! I arrived late on Wednesday night and was met at the airport by someone who works at the CDC and the driver. Teresa and I were picked up by an armored SUV, bullet proof glass and everything. Security measures have been heightened since the UN bombing, so any time US Embassy personnel (the CDC person who picked us up) leave the city center, they are required to go in armored vehicles with an armed escort. So along with our armored SUV, we were also followed by another armored SUV with a man with a gun in it. Pretty intense for a very peaceful 30-45 minute drive into the city of Abuja. I did not get much sleep on the plane rides here, so I slept pretty well my first night. It felt great to be horizontal again after 20-some hours of travel. Our flights here were pretty smooth. The only hitch was that our actual flight from Amsterdam to Abuja was delayed by an hour. When Teresa and I were standing in line to go through security again in Amsterdam (which by the way, I don't understand why they do it this way in Amsterdam, but that's neither here nor there), people kept asking us if we were sure we were going to Abuja. "Yes, I am going to Abuja. I'm sure I'm in the right line. I know where I'm going. Yes, I want to get on this flight. My ticket says I am going there." Was not sure why people kept asking.

I am currently staying in a hotel room with Teresa. Our apartment is not ready for us yet, so we will be here until next Wednesday. Not much to report about the hotel... just a hotel room with a giant bed for 2 small Asian girls to sleep in. Nothing too fantastic or interesting.

We have not done much work-wise. On Thursday we went to the CDC office but other than that, we have not seen much of the office. I think we'll start working on Tuesday. I got to go into the US Embassy for the first time Thursday, which was interesting. I have never been inside an embassy. Pretty strict security rules. They wouldn't even let me bring my pack of gum with me that was in my purse. We went to the embassy to get some money exchanged. So rather than having to find a For Ex, we were able to get Nigerian Naira at the embassy.

I don't have too much to report. Our hotel is kind of on the outskirts of town, so we haven't gone into the city too much. Abuja is definitely different than Kampala.

• The roads are nicer, there seems to be less traffic (that remains to be determined), and there are no boda bodas. I guess boda bodas (or whatever they call motorcycle taxis here) are banned inside Abuja. This makes traveling a little more inconvenient because you have to hunt down a taxi. The official taxis are green, while there are also unmarked taxis you can take. Same policy as Kampala for taxi riding tho- haggling the price of the taxi ride.
• It's hotter here. Right now we're on the tail end of one of the rainy seasons, so it's rather humid and warm. Next up will be the dry season, which I have been told by expats here is like scorched earth, deathly hot. That should be joyously fun. The great thing about Ssembabule was definitely the weather. Warm during the day, cool at night. It was rather perfect. 
• There is no chapati here. I'm going to have to find some new substitute for chapati. Or just figure out how to make my own. Or make a special trip back to Uganda for chapati. And rolexes. I cannot tell you how much I crave a good quality rolex. 

Those are my only comparisons as of right now. I haven't seen very much, nor have I experienced too much of the city. Jet lag and lack of transportation kind of hampers my movement. But have no fear, I'm moving to my new place on Wednesday. Whether or not I have a bed to sleep in Wednesday night remains to be seen. But I'll be able to explore much more after Wednesday.

The last few nights, Teresa and I have been meeting different people who live in Abuja. It's been really nice to meet new people and to get their perspectives on the city and the country. I'll keep those observations to include as commentary when I form opinions of my own. I have to confess that I know absolutely no Yoruba, Hausa, or Igbo. Every time I jump in a cab, all I want to do is speak Luganda. WRONG language. I'm going to have to work on that.

Oh, to help clarify, Teresa is my fellow fellow (yes that's what we say) and is doing the same fellowship as I am, except different programs. She's in Epidemiology while I am doing Program Management. She is also Chinese and hails from LA. We'll forgive her for her West Coast tendencies for now. And for probably one of the only times ever (other times are when I stand next to 2 out of 3 sisters), I am taller. Hehehe. 

Anyway, I'm here. I'm safe. And I'm happy. This may sound like a stereotype but I walked outside on Thursday night, took a deep breath, and sighed, "Mmmmm smells like Africa." It smells wonderful. I'm excited about my new adventure. It's just beginning!

PS Mosquito bites = 1, Bouts of malaria = 0.

Everything tastes better when it's Fried

To add to my last post, after the band marched through town, we had an entourage of cars and trucks pull through Sembabule also. People were standing in the trucks, waving tree branches and yelling out things that I couldn’t understand. I was told this was the way people were expressing their support. I took a few pictures but internet’s been terrible so I’ll have to wait to upload those. The guy who is running for chairperson in Sembabule District was responsible for the vehicle parade and I managed to get a peek at him, standing up in a car, waving at people in town. Later on in the day, we saw a political rally in the middle of town for one of the men who are running against Museveni for president. He hung a huge banner in town and talked to a big crowd that had gathered. Since I can’t understand Luganda, I cannot tell you what he was saying. I have to wonder at how good someone’s chances are who is running for the presidency. I’d think not very good. Museveni is pretty much in control, and it doesn’t look like that’s going to change any time soon… Presidential elections are February 18th. Let's hope they go smoothly!

This past weekend, we didn’t have power during the day so I managed to read a lot AND we cooked. Again, I reiterate that frying anything makes that food taste better. Claire and I fried some matoke on Saturday. It was quite a process. We were taught a technique by our program manager’s husband, who is Columbian. I think it's called patacones? Don't quote me on the name. And we decided to try it out. Peeling matoke is way harder than all the Ugandans make it look. Well it’s either that or I am just inept in the kitchen. I’m pretty sure I wasted a significant amount of banana flesh. We fried medium sized pieces of matoke until they were soft enough to squash flat with a bowl, then refried them, and finally seasoned with Claire's seasoning salt. They were sooooooo good. If matoke was served this way to me all the time, I’d never get sick of it. I'd also have serious health issues from so much fried food... but it'd be worth it. A picture will be forthcoming, I promise.

I just finished reading The Shattered Continent and really enjoyed it. It’s another book on economic development and aid in Africa but it was pretty easy to read and straight forward. Another interesting book I've finished is The Caged Virgin, written by the same woman who wrote Infidel. I think she has a very interesting opinion on Islam and women's rights. She questions why the West is so afraid to criticize Islam, calls for Muslims to look critically at their own religious beliefs, and advocates for better women's rights for Muslim women. Definitely a must read if you're interested in the Middle East, Islam, fundamental Islam, and want to see it from the perspective of a woman who was raised Muslim.

I have about a month left here and I desperately need to find a way to bring a chapati/rolex stand back to the US with me…

PS Did you know that the FAO reported that Uganda was the top producer of plantains in 2005?

A little about my work and my weekend

We have done a survey of private practitioners who offer family planning services in hard-to-reach areas in the Sembabule District and I have been compiling all the information to write a report about it. It's been awesome to find that though most of these practitioners are not licensed by the District Drug Authority, they still make services available to people in their areas, and though many of the nursing assistants don't have formal training, they do have experience on the job and can still help women with family planning services.

I have also participated in a few supervision support visits where the Nutrition/OVC and HIV/AIDS officers go out into the community and talk with the community caregivers and their supervisors about the paperwork they are filling out to track the number of PHAs and OVCs they are offering services to. Unfortunately, my Luganda is horrible so I cannot understand any of their conversations. But the car ride brings me to remote areas of our district I have never been to. And I once again have to say, Uganda is amazingly beautiful. The countryside is so gorgeous, and now that the rainy season has arrived, everything is green and lush. While we were driving, I even saw 3 crested cranes. The crested crane is the Ugandan national bird and is even included on the Ugandan flag. Actually, the three colors of the Ugandan flag (black, yellow, and red) are colors found in the bird's plumage. It's a beautiful bird.

This past weekend, I went to Kampala. I made a few new friends and said good-bye to one (the awesome British girl who is in the picture with me and Lake Bunyonyi in the background). It was very relaxing to just hang out with non-Africans, speak real American English, and eat some delicious food. I was introduced to Cafe Pap, which is this fantastic cafe in the city center. The food is amazing. They have REAL tortillas for burritos and fajitas, which I have never seen in Uganda yet, so I was impressed. I really recommend this place if you're ever in Kampala.

PS Cafe Pap serves real Heinz Ketchup! If you've ever tried to use the other ketchup or tomato stuff the restaurants give you when they serve you chips here, you'll understand why this is so awesome. I've never been a total fan of ketchup but mmmm I do appreciate it here!

Rains Down in Africa

We had a light thunderstorm today, which was a very pleasant change from the intense dust we experience in Sembabule. Any time a car or a boda flies down the road, it is followed by a large cloud of red African dust. It is a delightful experience to walk in, especially when you're wearng white. Now with some rain, the temperatures have noticeably cooled and there is less dust!

Instead of having the weekend off, we trained community health workers on how to use M&E (Monitoring & Evaluation) tools that were created. 40-some community health workers squeezed into a primary school room with their tiny desks for several hours of training. It was fun watching how my supervisor keep people engaged and participating throughout the day. There are rhythmic clapping sequences and stretching exercises. This was especially helpful after lunch! I was mostly an observer, since my grasp of Luganda is limited to "Hello, my name is... Welcome home. Thank you very much. How much is this?" But it has been a very interesting learning experience; I only wish I understood what people were saying. Then I could be of more help.

MILK. If you want milk here, you get it straight from the cow. Well actually it’s straight from the cow shack. There is a white shack here that has the words “FRESH MILK” painted in black on it, where you go to buy your milk. It is fresh cow’s milk; no skim, 1%, or 2% here! When you take the milk home, you have to boil it multiple times to ensure that you don’t get brucellosis (which by the way, presents much like malaria- fevers, headaches, etc). Bring your milk to a rolling boil at least three times: boil, lift off heat, cool a little, boil again, lift off, cool, boil, lift off, and cool. No brucellosis here!

Settling In

(Written July 22) About an hour after I posted on the blog yesterday, the power went off. So much for the electricity excitement. Actually it’s not too bad. It kind of comes and goes. Sometimes we have power. Sometimes we don’t. Hey, it’s better than no power. I just know to charge the necessary items whenever I know the power is going.

Last night, I was kindly invited to my supervisor’s home. She is staying in a house here in Sembabule, but she also has a home in Kampala. It seems like many of the people who work out here have similar living situations. My supervisor has a daughter staying with her who is only a little older than I am. She is about to enter her fifth and final year of medical school (the medical school system works differently in Uganda than in the US). She was a lot of fun to talk to. She taught me a little Ugandan geography, discussed the process of how Ugandans get engaged, and shared how Ugandans love to party and enjoy life. We flipped through pictures of her family and friends on her laptop, listened to some fantastic South African music, and watched a Tyler Perry movie. I really enjoyed getting to know her.

As for the work I am doing in Uganda, it’ll be constantly evolving. But as for right now, I will be working on a PEPFAR (President’s Emergency plan for AIDS Relief) funded grant that is meant to improve HIV/AIDS care, prevention and testing by increasing the capacity of local organizations to reach people living with HIV/AIDS (PHA) and orphans and vulnerable children (OVC). If there’s one thing I need to do while I’m here, it’s to learn many, many acronyms. My project is just starting to collect baseline data, so we have lots of paperwork that has been translated from English to Luganda. These forms will be distributed to community caregivers (CCGs) to help use collect information from the PHAs and OVCs in the community. Later I should be working with a family planning/ child spacing program that is aimed to increase information, knowledge, and access to family planning methods in rural Uganda. “Family planning” has a certain stigma attached to it when discussed in the community, so we use the phrase “child spacing,” which seems to be better accepted.

The day has started here in Uganda with no power, but I learned my lesson and charged everything last night that needed electricity. Now I never know if I should end this saying good night or good morning, but I guess it all depends on where you are reading from. So, to those on the other side of the Atlantic, sula bulungi!!!

Maganda Uganda

As a tribute to my almost trip to the Philippinnes, "maganda" means beautiful in Tagalog. And it is true. Uganda is beautiful. Yesterday I traveled to the site where I will be living from now on. The drive passed through the Ugandan countryside which is amazing. Green trees and rolling hills make for gorgeous scenery. The drive was typical of Africa, but brought a smile to my face anyway. Most of the way, we traveled on a one lane, dirt road that fits a vehicle comfortable. Now if you see another car coming at you from the other directions, it is quite a squeeze to bypass each other. There are bumps and then there are speed humps. Yes, humps. They are American speedbumps on mega steroids. They are intense to drive over and make sleeping nearly impossible unless you can sleep like the dead. Also there are holes everywhere. Therefore drivers swerve to miss the giant ones and just drive over the small ones. Drives here are always an adventure. I have learned this: drink as little water as possible- bathroom breaks are difficult to come by; try not to eat anything- better to feel hungry than to get carsick and vomit on the side of the road. I finally arrived at Ssembabule last night, a fairly remote town about 4 hours away from Kampala that sits at the top of a hill.

I have my own room in the enclosed office compound, which is rather nice because I got to truly unpack for the first time since I've been here. I finally dug out my sunscreen! And impressively nothing exploded in my bags except for my shampoo. Good thing my mom was smart and wrapped everything in individual plastic bags! Thanks Mom!! We don't have a refridgerator, so I drank an entire quart of juice last night that needed to be refridgerated after opening. Finding out how to live without a refridgerator will be quite interesting. I'll just have to be creative! There is no running water here, but I got a jerry can full of water to bathe with and to use for any other needs. We have pit latrines to use, which make me smile. They are an adventure to use. The ones here are pleasant smelling, which was a fantastic surprise.

Today is Day 1 in Sembabule. I had chapati and fresh passionfruit for breakfast. Chapati is just fantastic. It's essentially dough that is rolled flat. Sort of like Indian naan but thinner. Fresh, hot, and delicious. I sat at the front of the office and ate. I got to watch all the children walking to school and became the main attraction. "Mzungu mzungu mzungu!!" I just waved and smiled. Today at the office, I have been copying Luganda by hand on about 100 sheets of paper. We printed about 700 registration sheets for OVCs (orphans and vulnerable children) to be used for our project, but they didn't print correctly. Thus I am filling in the missing information by hand. I have severe writer's cramp, so I'm taking a break and am able to use the internet.