Happy Thanksgiving!!!

I apologize that it's been a while since I last posted something. The powers that be seem to block certain types of blog access. But I have finally invested in a way to circumvent the system so I'm back!!!

I want to wish everyone a HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!! It's crazy to think about all the different kinds of Thanksgivings I've had recently.

• Uganda- eating chicken by head lamp
• Nigeria- 2 different Thanksgiving meals and the most ridiculously rich red velvet cake ever
• This year- I will be having turducken tonight and then another Thanksgiving dinner on Friday at my boss's

And since it is Thanksgiving, it's time to reflect on things I'm thankful for:

• My family
• Amazing friends
• Having a washer and dryer in my new apartment
• The opportunity to work at CDC- first in Nigeria and now in China
• The chance to travel
• Not dying in a car accident
• Being healthy (relatively- since I seem to be stuck with a cold at the moment)
• Peking duck (because it is delicious)
• Flushing toilets (I appreciate the small things)
• There is so much more... but that's the gist of it

I hope everyone has a wonderful day celebrating. And though I can't be with my family this year for Thanksgiving, I hope they know how much I love and appreciate them. Maybe next year I'll be home for the holidays (and maybe we can eat the cat rather than eating turkey... JUST KIDDING). 

Weeeeee BEST CHINESE FOOD

Imagine a really full, satisfied, happy four year old. Squeals, rolls around on the floor, clapping, giggling. Yes, that would be me. Pretty much had a winning weekend here in Abuja. We kicked off Friday with the best meal I've had in Abuja yet. A woman I met at yoga brought Teresa and me to an undisclosed, pseudo-restaurant. It's an impressive place, but not open to the public. You definitely have to know someone to get lunch or dinner: my friend from yoga knows the manager of the restaurant- Uncle B. Wow... pretty much got our socks blown off. Potstickers, chow mein, short ribs, fresh homegrown Chinese veggies, CHICKEN FEET, & SQUAB. It was like I died and went to heaven. This meal was probably the first time I've been totally satisfied and full since I've gotten to Abuja (not saying I don't like Nigerian food or subsisting on crackers, but there's something to be said about eating the foods that you are most familiar with and associate with home). After a faaaaaantastic meal (and not having to pay because everyone is way too nice), Teresa and I went to our first US Marine party. The US Marines have a house here where they used to throw parties every other Friday night, or so, for the US embassy people and pretty much the whole expat community. However after the UN bombing, security was heightened, curfews were enforced, and the parties were cancelled. When Teresa and I first got here, all we heard about were these parties- great place to go, relax, meet people in a secure environment, etc. This Friday, they held their first party since the bombing. It was good to meet new people. The music was a bit loud, so it was hard to actually get to know anyone as you're screaming into their ear. But it was fun. We even spotted our mentor that evening. And don't worry, the Marines were true gentlemen. After kicking everyone out (cuz the party ended at midnight due to curfew still being enforced for the Embassy employees), they drove Teresa and me home in their armored SUV to ensure that we didn't get into any trouble on our way home.

Saturday was our weekly run to Wuse Market with the guy from the Taiwanese Trade Mission (same guy as last week). He's so nice to be willing to drive us to the market and accompany us as we attempt to haggle our way around. We managed to buy a Sam's Club sized amount of toilet paper, so hopefully we'll be set for a while on the TP front. We also got some more fabric to make curtains for our bathrooms. We didn't have curtains before, and I'm pretty sure our neighbors from the penthouse could see into our bathroom... Not exactly ideal. At the market, young boys try to follow us around with empty wheelbarrows. They want to wheel your stuff around for you while you shop for money. As a true Midwesterner, I think I can do it myself and can never bring myself to actually hire someone. I know it'd be nice to help them since they want to earn some money, but the independent, I-can-carry-this-myself, I-could-use-the-workout mindset takes precedent. So imagine me, lugging my Sam's Club, almost as big as me thing of toilet paper around. Probably should have gotten someone to take a picture... I'm still trying to figure out if I can become truly African (because I saw this in Uganda also) and carry stuff on my head. I've only gotten as far as walking 5 feet with a notebook on my head. I think I have a ways to go before I can carry a giant thing of toilet paper on my head.

This morning, Uncle B invited Teresa and me to breakfast at the Hilton Hotel. Pretty upscale eating. We had pastries, fruit, and slices of salmon, duck breast, roast beef, prosciutto, and cheese. Very delicious. Afterward, Uncle B brought us back to his place at the hotel. We hung out, took a nap, and watched some TV, while Uncle B did some work. After Uncle B drove us home, we just spent the afternoon relaxing. I read a bunch of stuff for work and played on the internet. It turns out 5GB of data is actually a lot more than I thought it was, so I have quite a bit of data for internet left before the month comes to a close and I have to buy more internet. Tonight, Teresa and I went back to eat at the restaurant. Potstickers and tofu. Nom nom nom. My belly is so happy. Uncle B also gave us 40 frozen dumplings to take home and make on our own. He's been so kind and willing to help us out. My stomach is forever grateful to him.

Nigerian Language Lesson:
Oyibo (which originated from Igbo which is pronounced Ee-bo, not Ig-bo) = the Nigerian version of Mzungu = White Person

This Isn't Good-Bye, Just See You Later

Last night, the staff made me an epic "last supper." It was complete with fried chicken. Everything was delicious. It was awesome having everyone together. It has been an amazing 5 months. I cannot reiterate that enough. I'm so grateful to everyone who made my stay here so wonderful. Sembabule has become a home away from home.

And in true Sembabule style, we had no power for the last day, so I got to pack the last of my stuff by lantern light. Then as I was packing, we were visited by a grasshopper in our room. Thus my last encounter with nature involved me trying to catch a grasshopper. I'm going to miss Sembabule a lot!

Favorite memories from my trip:

• My first trip using public transportation from Sembabule to Kampala. I still feel incredibly sorry for the chicken in the trunk of the car. And I definitely lost some brain cells when I hit my head on the ceiling of the van.
• Talking to my parents while trying to get Bob out of my room
• Lake Bunyonyi… almost like paradise
• Watching a chicken get slaughtered
• 10 mzungus getting onto bodas in Kigali
• The bus trip back from Rwanda: nothing beats a blow out and then thinking the bus will tip over and kill us
• Jamming out to Top 40 tunes at work in Mubende with Claire
• Game nights in Sembabule
• Running to Haandi’s for a meal immediately after arriving in Kampala
• Learning to fry matoke
• Making awesome friends in Sembabule and Kampala
• Not getting malaria
• Being attached at the hip to Claire

No words can describe how much I cherish all the memories I’ve made on this trip. There aren't enough Thank Yous to pass around, but I'll say it again. I'm so thankful for this trip, for everyone I've met and gotten to know, for everyone who has helped remind me why I fell in love with Uganda. I hate good-byes. So I'm serious when I say this isn't good-bye. Two years ago, I told myself I'd find a way to come back, and I did. This time, I'm saying it again. I love Uganda. I will be back.

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?

Hello Bob Junior

Yesterday, Claire met Bob Junior while she was bathing. He jumped out of an empty jerry can that was sitting in our shower area. After keeping her eye on him and finishing her shower, we used a plastic bag to remove him from our room. Then Bob Junior proceeded to have a photo shoot with me outside our room.

It has been exceedingly difficult to wake up since we got back. I don't know why but I'm definitely dragging my feet every morning to get ready for work. The office is really quiet with half the staff in Mubende for a training, which makes it difficult to concentrate in the afternoon when all I want to do is to take a siesta.

I bought some Twix bars this weekend and I have to say, I think they taste better in Uganda. Maybe it's because they're not as sweet or sugary (they're imported from the UK). Or maybe it's because I've been away from America too long. But I do think they are more delicious here than when I eat them in the US.

I'm currently finishing up Dark Star Safari by Paul Theroux. It's such an interesting book. He goes by land from Cairo to Cape Town. I've heard stories of people who've done this trip, but it's really interesting reading it from a perspective of someone who lived in Africa in the 60's. He talks about how things have changed, how things are rather similar, and how sometimes things are worse than they were before. This isn't a happy-go-lucky safari book about the Big 5 and his fun experiences on safari, but it is an interesting, thought-provoking read that I am really enjoying.

Yesterday was election day and I only get to read about the results online. I'm kind of sad I missed such an interesting point in American politics, especially now with the House being controlled by the Republicans. Since I'm leaving in December, I'm also going to miss the Ugandan elections that will be held in February. There's a lot of campaigning going on and a couple months ago, there was major drama in Sembabule involving the primary elections for candidates in the NRM party (someone was shot). I kind of wish I could be here to see what happens in February. The US embassy in Uganda is preparing for any possible problems that might arise during or after the elections. I just got an email from them. All the organizations are developing or have a contingency plan if things go poorly and all ex-pats need to leave the country.

I'm sitting here this morning, rather sleepy and thinking about politics, waiting to take chai. Every morning at the office, around 9:30-10, we have a tea break. Chai = tea. Everyone gets a short break to drink chai together. Ugandan tea is not what tea drinking is like for me in the US. Back home, I would use a tea bag or tea infuser and add hot water. Tada! I'd have my tea. Sometimes I'd add sugar or honey, but usually I drink it plain, without anything added. In Uganda, tea is made by adding some water to milk and some ginger, boiling it, adding tea leaves for people to drink. People usually add quite a great deal of sugar. I've rarely seen Ugandans drink coffee. It's always all about the tea. Sometimes they make things more exciting and add more ginger (when I say more ginger, I mean A LOT more) or cinnamon. It's quite nice, being able to take a tea break every morning. There's often also something to eat with the tea. Bread with Blue Band (the scary, non-refridgerated margarine), chapati, samosas, or fried cassava. I love our morning tea breaks. Speaking of which, I'm going to go enjoy right now!

Just A Small Town Girl...

Last night, my roommate and I set up our small home entertainment system (which involves a tiny Netbook screen on a stool and the volume cranked up) and watched several episodes of Glee. LOOOOOVE!!! The title of this blog post is a shout-out to the Glee rendition of the Journey song. Now if people here would just break out into song randomly with a band playing in the background, they would make my trip THAT much more fun… Sadly, I am missing the beginning of the new seasons of all my favorite shows while I’m here… Does someone want to DVR my shows for me??????

I have reached the half-way point of my trip!! It’s so insane that it’s already the end of September. Part of me feels like I just got here yesterday, then the other part feels like I’ve been here way longer than under 100 days. In summary, thus far I’ve:

• Tried sugar cane and jack fruit for the first time
• Eaten more chapati than is probably healthy for any human being
• Learned that I am still rather inadequate at lighting matches
• Ridden my fair share of bodas and have not gotten into an accident yet
• Read about 20 books
• Watched a chicken get slaughter for the first time
• Saw a live praying mantis for the first time, only to turn around and accidentally step on it
• Dreamed about pizza at least twice
• Had one nightmare about falling into a pit latrine
• Ridden in a 5 person vehicle with 8 passengers and a driver
• Spent time in 5 different districts of Uganda
• Managed to keep up with writing in my journal
• Mastered washing my hair in a basin
• Stayed within the budget I made for myself before coming to Uganda
• Made some awesome friends
• Not gotten MALARIA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I wonder what adventures will be in store for me the second half of my time here in Uganda!

I think my new roommate is good luck because we haven’t had any major electricity issues all week. Pretty impressive since I have never had the electricity be this reliable since I arrived in July. For those readers in the USA, please enjoy the fall farmer’s markets for me (apples, zucchini bread, pumpkin bread, banana bread, apple cider, pecan pie, pumpkin pie, everything autumnal…).

Ugandan Animals are so Smart

I am the silly American. I like to watch bugs crawling on the ground. I find frogs jumping around the office amusing. Then I ask random, strange questions, like “why are all the chapati stands manned by guys?” Then the other day I added another question that added to my “I’m a weird American” status. It goes something like this:

Most animals roam freely around Sembabule. You see the random chicken walking the same path you are down the street. There’s the random pig and her piglet crossing the road. There’s the occasional goat trotting up the hill. I ask my coworkers, “How do you know who each animal belongs to?” To me, this seems like a fair question. There is no ID collar on every chicken, no identifying mark on every cow. The animals just roam freely, not tethered to something by the house of their owners. The answer I got was “just watch and see what house each animal walks into at night.” My reaction was a cross between “Huh?” and “WOW REALLY?!” Thus continuing to fuel my coworkers’ amusement. It was explained to me that in Uganda, animals know where home is. So during the day, they wander around, eating, living happily, and wandering through town. Then at night, they turn around and go home. Hmm I don’t know if animals, other than dogs, do this in the USA, but maybe Ugandan animals are just smarter… AND my last question is what happens when your pig doesn’t come home at night? What if someone steals it? Are people more trusting of their neighbors here in Uganda?

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!

Lake Bunyonyi Weekend

I was able to spend the weekend in Southwestern Uganda, specifically at Lake Bunyonyi. Bunyonyi means "the place of many little birds" and is almost 2000 meters above sea level. No one seems to know exactly how deep it is. My favorite aspect of this lake is that it is only one of the few lakes in Eastern Africa that is schistosomiasis free! Which translates into: the water was safe to swim in. If Lake Bunyonyi is not schisto-free... too late now and hello Praziquantal!

Sunset over Lake Bunyonyi

My friends and I took the overnight bus from Kampala to Kabale (not to be mixed up with Kibale which is a completely different town). It gets pretty cold at night and none of us packed accordingly. Consequently the bus ride was rather cold as we climbed to higher altitudes, and the bus windows next to me continuously rattled open ever 10 meters or so. Needless to say, we didn't get very much sleep during our 8 hour bus ride, which included mysterious stops in the dark and strange sounds coming from our bus. We sleepily arrived in Kabale around 7am and managed to secure a driver who drove us to the dock of Lake Bunyonyi. From this dock, we then got into a dug-out canoe, hoped we didn't capsize, and rowed to the island where we would be spending the weekend. Rowing a dug-out canoe is much harder than one would assume, but we safely arrived at Itambira Island.

Our dug-out canoe

We stayed at Byoona Amagara Island Retreat this weekend, which is a not-for-profit establishment which supports education and sustainable community development at Lake Bunyonyi. They have GeoDomes you can stay in, which were beautiful. But we opted for the cheaper dorm stay. Upon arrival, we indulged in breakfast and then napped for the better part of the afternoon. We were exhausted from all the traveling. The rest of the day was just spent relaxing and enjoying the view.

The food was fantastic; if you ever go there, I recommend the Crayfish Avocado Meal for dinner. I had one friend order it for breakfast on Sunday because he insisted on having it one more time; it's that good. The rest of the weekend was spent hiking around the island, enjoying the fresh air, sun, and clean water, and in the company of friends. Over the weekend, I spent quality time with many British girls and was able to learn many new vocabulary words, including:

Jumper = Hoodie

He's fit = He's hot (the Brits never describe someone as cute, I'm told)

It was an amazing and relaxing weekend away from dust, pollution, noise, and motor vehicles. I really didn't want to leave this little paradise, but hopefully someday I'll be able to visit again.

On our hike around Itambira Island
(The island behind us is Bwama Island which was formerly a leprosy colony but now is the location of a school)

Mosquito bites from the island = 0Total bites to date = 19 (I'm losing track)I do have one very strange bite on my arm. Not from a mosquito. It makes me think of the girl from my Uganda trip 2 years ago we had a bump on her arm, which turned out to have a maggot-like thing inside of it. Sure hope that's not what mine is!

Off to Mubende

The Ugandan countryside never ceases to take my breath away. It's amazing and beautiful. It's something I highly recommend that you see for yourself and then you'll know what I mean. AND you just have to learn to ignore the terrible roads that give you fantastic ab and butt workouts and that are for stomachs of steel.

Today I traveled to Mubende (District and town), where our regional office is. I will be here for a few days, training people to do data entry in order to help with the monitoring and evaluation of different programs the organization has going. It's a much bigger town than Sembabule; it was one of the original Ugandan Districts before they created new district lines. I'm staying at the office and I am delighted to announce I have running water, a porcelain toilet that flushes, AND a fridge. It's only for a few days, but hey, I'll take what I can get.

Observations of Uganda

Since I have been to Uganda before, some of the cultural differences between here and the USA are not as shocking to me. But they still take a little getting used to. I spent my entire day with American students yesterday, and the topic of different frustrations and marvelings of Ugandan culture came up.

An example:
People here do not use future tense. It seems like there is no differentiation between the future in one hour or the future in one day. For example, if you ask a taxi driver how much farther your trip will take before arriving at your desired location, they will either be confused on what you are asking or the answer will be a random amount of time "20 minutes." Whether that 20 minutes is a true 20 minutes or 1 hour and 20 minutes is left to be discovered. I have always been taught to set goals for the future and work slowly to reach those goals. That mindset does not seem to exist here, at least I have not seen it. It can be rather frustrating when you are trying to make plans. As an American, I have to remember to exercise a lot of patience.

Ugandans are, for the most part, very helpful to foreigners. When I'm wandering around lost, people will kindly give me directions. When a taxi driver tries to rip me off, other passengers will tell me how much they're paying so I can pay the same amount. I really appreciate it!