I hope everyone had a Happy Thanksgiving! Unfortunately, we don't have Thanksgiving here in Uganda so we didn't have Thursday and Friday off. Instead, we have been in meetings for the last 2 days. We had our monthly regional staff meeting yesterday and everyone came to Sembabule, even the guards from Mubende. Only a couple of people were missing; unfortunately one had typhoid! I spent my Thanksgiving day sitting in different meetings until 11:30pm. As fulfilling as it was to be with all the WellShare staff, I couldn't help but miss turkey and pie. We had chicken and matoke instead. I did receive a beautiful gift from the WellShare staff, some gorgeous African fabric. Now I have something to remember everyone by, other than by all the pictures I took.
Then today we had another meeting, and I said good-bye to some of the Mubende staff. I can't believe I'm leaving in one week! Time has really flown. I am so thankful for the time I was able to spend here in Uganda. I came back to Uganda because I love the people here. I haven't changed my mind at all, actually my stay here has solidified my love for this country even more!
I am currently a bit depressed because I'm missing one of my favorite days of the year, Black Friday. For those of you in the US, do some shopping for me!
Friday, November 26, 2010
Wednesday, November 24, 2010
You're Twins?!?!?! Nope, Just Married
One of the TOTs told Claire and I that we were twins this week during the TOT training. As funny as that is, we look nothing alike. She's blonde, I'm Asian, she's a Gopher, I'm a Badger... Pretty sure it's as far from twin status as you can get. But honestly, I couldn't have asked for a better roommate here in Uganda. (Though I'll admit when I first heard I was getting a roommate, I was a bit worried that we'd hate each other and one person would smother the other in her sleep.)
Essentially we've become partners in crime, Siamese twins (attached at the hip, though not identical), and an old married couple. We live, work, cook, breathe, and function together, essentially 24/7 for 2.5 months by the time I leave. There are only the rare occasions when she or I go to do an activity for work without the other person. We have fallen into regular, predictable routines:
Essentially we've become partners in crime, Siamese twins (attached at the hip, though not identical), and an old married couple. We live, work, cook, breathe, and function together, essentially 24/7 for 2.5 months by the time I leave. There are only the rare occasions when she or I go to do an activity for work without the other person. We have fallen into regular, predictable routines:
- We always sit in the same spots
- I shower first in the morning, then she showers
- When we cook, I usually cook and she usually washes the dishes
- We floss together before going to bed
- We pick up after each other
- We have our home theater and have the hardest time picking one movie to watch
- We hang out by reading together on weekends spent in Sembabule
- She likes pink and red Starburst, I like yellow and orange.
- She likes red and purple Skittles, I like yellow and green. There's no fighting over colors!
- We both share an insane addiction to Haribo, VitaSnacks, Sea Salt and Vinegar chips, and chapati
- Gilmore Girls, amongst other TV shows and movies we like
Monday, November 22, 2010
I ate a Grasshopper
This weekend was my last trip into Kampala before I leave the country! It’s rather depressing to think about but don’t worry, the trip was very memorable. We got a matatu Friday morning to do the first leg of the trip to Masaka. I was sitting in the last row of the matatu. We’re speeding along; this matatu driver was a bit of a crazy driver. Eventually I notice the lady sitting to my left is holding the hood of a jacket. I then saw that she had vomit all down the front of her shirt. Oh boy… It looked like she was trying to vomit into the hood and somehow I didn’t think the hood would be that effective for holding her vomit. I always carry spare plastic bags with me (you never know when they’ll come in handy) and pulled one out for her. She then proceeded to vomit the rest of the trip to Masaka (she started really early on in our matatu ride). The entire time I was praying that 1) we wouldn’t get into an accident or else the bag of vomit would probably spill everywhere; 2) she wouldn’t accidentally let go of the bag and get vomit on me which I would have to live with for another several hours until we got to Kampala; 3) she would focus on getting the vomit in the bag and not on me; 4) we’d get to Masaka ASAP. TIA. We arrived in Masaka without any of the above mentioned issues. Woohoo!! Then Claire and I had to wait for 2 hours on a bus for it to fill before we started off toward Kampala. So I sat and waited forever. TIA.
After getting to Kampala, we (being very, very naughty) took one last boda boda ride to get to Haandi’s for lunch before it closed. It was worth it, but I admit, the entire time I was hoping this wasn’t the one occasion we would get into an accident. Don’t worry, we made it in one piece and no more boda boda rides for me. Lunch at Haandi’s was phenomenal as always. Afterwards, we headed to the country office for Claire to do some paperwork for her visa and to drop off something for the country director. Then we stopped at Game (a big grocery store) to pick up some snacks, including Oreos and Salt & Vinegar Pringles. We also got some red and silver tinsel for the room! We’re trying to make it very festive for Christmas. Later, we made it to our hotel and dropped all of our stuff off. Then we were off to Garden City. We went looking for a salon that our program manager told us about, Sparkles. We found it, and Claire got a haircut. While she was getting all her hair cut off, I went on a little shopping spree at Banana Boat. It was rather fun! After we met up again, we went to a small restaurant called New York Pizza Kitchen. It sells pasta, pizza, etc, but it ALSO has cupcakes, bagels, and legit malted milkshakes. Claire had a birthday cupcake, while I tried a milkshake. Yum! Since our trip into Kampala took almost 6 hours, we were both exhausted and headed back to our room. My friend came over later and we watched part of Sex and the City, the movie, and eventually went to bed.
Saturday was another long day. While Claire went to the post office, I headed to the African Craft Market to continue to do some shopping. We met up in Aristoc, the bookstore, and I restrained myself from buying any more books. It was really painful, but there’s no way I can carry any more books back to the US with me. Then we ran some errands and ended up at Café Java. Claire had lunch and headed to Sparkles for a pedicure. I stayed and waited to have lunch with a few friends. It was so nice seeing people in Kampala and enjoying a nice lunch. Later, Claire and I went to see Unstoppable at Garden City. What an intense and stressful movie! But I liked it. After the movie, we met up with some friends, had pizza for dinner, and then headed to the Sheraton Hotel to enjoy some of the lower key night life. We enjoyed the band outside again. Their songs included Toto’s Africa and Bob Marley’s One Love. Very fun. It was a long day but I got everything done that I needed to get done and was able to see some friends!
The trip back to Sembabule was a little less eventful than the trip into Kampala. BUT I did buy a grasshopper to eat while sitting on the bus, waiting for it to leave for Masaka. (I will post a picture when I can.) I tried a grasshopper the last time I was in Kampala so I thought it would be fitting to eat one this time too. The longer I stared at it in my hand, the less appetizing it got, so I tried not to think about it and popped it in my mouth. It was salty... and crunchy...
It was my last time sitting in the New Taxi Park, my last taste of the organized chaos. I'm going to miss walking through the insane maze of matatus to hunt down a mini bus to Masaka. Then the Masaka to Sembabule leg of the trip made me smile since they stuffed 5 adults into the backseat of the car per usual and the fuel gadge sat at empty the entire time. TIA!
It was a great weekend, and I’m really going to miss everything, from the ridiculous trips into the city, the crowdedness and pollution of Kampala, and so much more. Less than two weeks left in Uganda!!!
After getting to Kampala, we (being very, very naughty) took one last boda boda ride to get to Haandi’s for lunch before it closed. It was worth it, but I admit, the entire time I was hoping this wasn’t the one occasion we would get into an accident. Don’t worry, we made it in one piece and no more boda boda rides for me. Lunch at Haandi’s was phenomenal as always. Afterwards, we headed to the country office for Claire to do some paperwork for her visa and to drop off something for the country director. Then we stopped at Game (a big grocery store) to pick up some snacks, including Oreos and Salt & Vinegar Pringles. We also got some red and silver tinsel for the room! We’re trying to make it very festive for Christmas. Later, we made it to our hotel and dropped all of our stuff off. Then we were off to Garden City. We went looking for a salon that our program manager told us about, Sparkles. We found it, and Claire got a haircut. While she was getting all her hair cut off, I went on a little shopping spree at Banana Boat. It was rather fun! After we met up again, we went to a small restaurant called New York Pizza Kitchen. It sells pasta, pizza, etc, but it ALSO has cupcakes, bagels, and legit malted milkshakes. Claire had a birthday cupcake, while I tried a milkshake. Yum! Since our trip into Kampala took almost 6 hours, we were both exhausted and headed back to our room. My friend came over later and we watched part of Sex and the City, the movie, and eventually went to bed.
Saturday was another long day. While Claire went to the post office, I headed to the African Craft Market to continue to do some shopping. We met up in Aristoc, the bookstore, and I restrained myself from buying any more books. It was really painful, but there’s no way I can carry any more books back to the US with me. Then we ran some errands and ended up at Café Java. Claire had lunch and headed to Sparkles for a pedicure. I stayed and waited to have lunch with a few friends. It was so nice seeing people in Kampala and enjoying a nice lunch. Later, Claire and I went to see Unstoppable at Garden City. What an intense and stressful movie! But I liked it. After the movie, we met up with some friends, had pizza for dinner, and then headed to the Sheraton Hotel to enjoy some of the lower key night life. We enjoyed the band outside again. Their songs included Toto’s Africa and Bob Marley’s One Love. Very fun. It was a long day but I got everything done that I needed to get done and was able to see some friends!
The trip back to Sembabule was a little less eventful than the trip into Kampala. BUT I did buy a grasshopper to eat while sitting on the bus, waiting for it to leave for Masaka. (I will post a picture when I can.) I tried a grasshopper the last time I was in Kampala so I thought it would be fitting to eat one this time too. The longer I stared at it in my hand, the less appetizing it got, so I tried not to think about it and popped it in my mouth. It was salty... and crunchy...
It was my last time sitting in the New Taxi Park, my last taste of the organized chaos. I'm going to miss walking through the insane maze of matatus to hunt down a mini bus to Masaka. Then the Masaka to Sembabule leg of the trip made me smile since they stuffed 5 adults into the backseat of the car per usual and the fuel gadge sat at empty the entire time. TIA!
It was a great weekend, and I’m really going to miss everything, from the ridiculous trips into the city, the crowdedness and pollution of Kampala, and so much more. Less than two weeks left in Uganda!!!
Thursday, November 18, 2010
Sticky Keyboard
Our program manager brought oranges from Kampala to Sembabule and was kind enough to share with Claire and me yesterday. Claire, being the smarter of the 2 of us, didn't do anything else while peeling her orange and eating it. I was typing on my laptop and peeling the orange at the same time. Needless to say, my keyboard is now extremely sticky and no amount of wet wipes seems to be helping the situation. The orange was great though! We definitely don't get enough produce out here in Sembabule, so any kind of fruit is amazing.
Since Eid was on Tuesday, it was technically a national holiday. Because Claire and I worked the holidy, we get a compensation day which we are going to take tomorrow. So we'll be heading into Kampala for the weekend tomorrow morning. Sadly, it will be my last trip into Kampala before I leave for home!!
Since Eid was on Tuesday, it was technically a national holiday. Because Claire and I worked the holidy, we get a compensation day which we are going to take tomorrow. So we'll be heading into Kampala for the weekend tomorrow morning. Sadly, it will be my last trip into Kampala before I leave for home!!
Wednesday, November 17, 2010
Board Games are Fun
On Monday and Tuesday, the International Director for our organization visited our Sembabule office and the program manager (and her husband) is here all week We spent some time discussing the M&E tools with the ID, explaining to her the changes, M&E data flow process, etc. The organization is so small that the ID is the only one working on the international programs at the Minnesota headquarters office (the org has domestic programs in the Twin Cities too) and when she visits Uganda, she has to have a lot of meetings to catch up with what’s happening on the ground. The ID had visited when I first got here at the beginning of my trip and now she comes at the end of my trip. So I’ve come full circle with her.
Having important visitors at the office means breakfast and dinner are made for all of us, along with the usual lunch. So Claire and I are living a life of luxury this week. Also, the PM also brought us brownies and bagels from Kampala on Sunday and they were finished by Monday night. Wow, I never knew how much I’d miss bagels! And I don’t even like chocolate, but the brownie was still delicious. In the evenings, we’ve been playing board games with the PM and her husband. They brought them from the States and it’s been really fun! I’ve learned how to play Ticket to Ride- Europe and Farkle. Last night, I dominated at both games. WOOT! (Noooo I don’t have a competitive streak at all.) Now I wish we had Bananagrams…
As for work, I am trying to work on getting the M&E tools translated into Luganda. Hopefully we can get those printed ASAP and ready to be used! I had arrived in country when the first cycle of M&E tools were printed. Now it’d be awesome for the edited tools to get printed as I leave. It’s also rather important to get these printed so we can train the new TOTs (that are being trained this week and next) on the newly edited tools during the M&E component of the training next week. We’ll also need to retrain our old TOTs on how to use the edited tools. Only a little over two weeks left for me to get everything finished before I head home!
Birthday shout-outs to JS, turning 24 today, and Claire, who turns 23 tomorrow! And yes, I do plan on providing Claire with birthday chapati and lighting a match to serve as a candle to stick in the middle of it.
Having important visitors at the office means breakfast and dinner are made for all of us, along with the usual lunch. So Claire and I are living a life of luxury this week. Also, the PM also brought us brownies and bagels from Kampala on Sunday and they were finished by Monday night. Wow, I never knew how much I’d miss bagels! And I don’t even like chocolate, but the brownie was still delicious. In the evenings, we’ve been playing board games with the PM and her husband. They brought them from the States and it’s been really fun! I’ve learned how to play Ticket to Ride- Europe and Farkle. Last night, I dominated at both games. WOOT! (Noooo I don’t have a competitive streak at all.) Now I wish we had Bananagrams…
As for work, I am trying to work on getting the M&E tools translated into Luganda. Hopefully we can get those printed ASAP and ready to be used! I had arrived in country when the first cycle of M&E tools were printed. Now it’d be awesome for the edited tools to get printed as I leave. It’s also rather important to get these printed so we can train the new TOTs (that are being trained this week and next) on the newly edited tools during the M&E component of the training next week. We’ll also need to retrain our old TOTs on how to use the edited tools. Only a little over two weeks left for me to get everything finished before I head home!
Birthday shout-outs to JS, turning 24 today, and Claire, who turns 23 tomorrow! And yes, I do plan on providing Claire with birthday chapati and lighting a match to serve as a candle to stick in the middle of it.
Friday, November 12, 2010
PIZZA DELIVERY and some hail
Earlier yesterday we had the closest thing to snow I’m ever going to get in Sembabule: hail. There was an intense hailstorm for about an hour. It was intense! Lots of wind, pouring rain, and small, pebble-sized hail! While my reaction went something like “Oh cool!”, it is actually very unfortunate because the hail kills many of the crops. My reactions are often the opposite of what people feel here. When it rains, I go: ughhh rain; everyone else says: hallelujah the crops will grow. When it’s cool, I love the weather here. It feels like fall weather in Midwest or New England, but everyone else mentions how cold it is and gets bundled up. Looks like I'm still a snow bunny from Wisconsin!
The most exciting news: PIZZA!!! My supervisor and the operations officer went to Masaka in the afternoon to do some banking and a few errands. They got back to the office after dark, and we got an incredible surprise delivered to our door: a small veggie pizza!!! My dream came true! Literally. I had dreamed about Pizza Hut delivering to our room door here in Uganda the other night. They were so sweet and bought us a pizza while they were in Masaka. It was amazing. Thank you Beatrice and Rose; you made our night!!! It disappeared in approximately 3 minutes.
The most exciting news: PIZZA!!! My supervisor and the operations officer went to Masaka in the afternoon to do some banking and a few errands. They got back to the office after dark, and we got an incredible surprise delivered to our door: a small veggie pizza!!! My dream came true! Literally. I had dreamed about Pizza Hut delivering to our room door here in Uganda the other night. They were so sweet and bought us a pizza while they were in Masaka. It was amazing. Thank you Beatrice and Rose; you made our night!!! It disappeared in approximately 3 minutes.
Wednesday, November 10, 2010
Daddy's Girl
Recently nothing I eat is appealing or satisfying. So when we were trying to think of what to make for dinner last night, nothing sounded good. We looked around at what we had in the room to cook with and I decided I would give my dad's specialty dish a shot. My dad makes a version of chapati that includes green onions and doesn’t require a rolling pin because it’s a more liquidy batter. Think of it as salty, thin pancake-crepe thing. For as long as I can remember, my dad has made this for us. He’s the pro at making them thin; he may not be Iron Chef or anything but when it comes to this dish, he is master. Well I managed to make it last night without too many problems, so I’m claiming “master’s apprentice-daughter status”. Yes, the first one broke in half when I tried to flip it. And perhaps they weren’t a perfect circular shape. But I did it! I think they turned out rather well (a picture will be forthcoming) and we had a satisfying meal by pairing it with fresh tomatoes and green peppers. It was a cultural fusion of a dish of Chinese origin (I'm not sure it's of Chinese origin but since my dad's Chinese and all, I figure the Chinese part applies) that was made by an American in the middle of Central Uganda.
Speaking of parents, I have to say that being a parent is probably one of the most underappreciated jobs imaginable. At least it is if you are anything like my parents. Claire and I were discussing budgets, bank accounts, money in general, applying for grad school, etc when we marveled at how much tuition for college is and how many parents manage to pay their child’s/children’s way through school. (Just some background if you’re wondering why we were discussing this: I am looking to finish up a semester at BU and the cost of tuition made me want to have a heart attack, while Claire just submitted her grad school application.)
So if your child (say someone like me) goes to a state school and pays in-state tuition, let’s estimate a year of tuition to be at $10,000 (give or take a few thousand). The typical four years of undergrad would equal $40,000. That’s tuition alone. Then tack on rent and living expenses, if the parents are generous and willing to provide for their child… so we estimate $800 a month total. Then with 9 months of school, you’re looking at $7,200 a year (not including insurance, etc). After 4 years, you’ve spent $28,800 by needing a roof and food. In the end, parents are spending around $68,800 for 4 years of college and this wonderful piece of paper called a diploma. Can you imagine what the parents COULD be spending around $70,000 on? That’s about 35 round trip tickets to Uganda or 787,500 chapati or 196,875 Rolexes or over 7,500 dinners at Haandi’s or a brand new car or a luxury cruise vacation to all 7 continents… the list goes on. And I’m only talking about college!
At the same time, you have to consider the gas for the car carting us to tennis practice, piano lessons, friends’ houses… buying birthday presents, whether it was for you or for the friend’s birthday you attended… the braces that straightened your teeth… the multiple retainers you accidentally threw away with your hot lunch trash… and not to mention all the pain and suffering we children put our parents through when we hit puberty (and oftentimes beyond)… it’s a wonder my parents didn’t drown me at birth or accidentally forget me in the middle of a corn field when I hit puberty, and spared themselves a lot of pain.
In conclusion, I dedicate this post to my parents. I am extremely grateful for everything they do for me. And especially for their support, in every way, on this trip. I’m sorry for all the pain and suffering I have caused you over the years. And I profusely apologize for being such an expensive kid! I love you!
Speaking of parents, I have to say that being a parent is probably one of the most underappreciated jobs imaginable. At least it is if you are anything like my parents. Claire and I were discussing budgets, bank accounts, money in general, applying for grad school, etc when we marveled at how much tuition for college is and how many parents manage to pay their child’s/children’s way through school. (Just some background if you’re wondering why we were discussing this: I am looking to finish up a semester at BU and the cost of tuition made me want to have a heart attack, while Claire just submitted her grad school application.)
So if your child (say someone like me) goes to a state school and pays in-state tuition, let’s estimate a year of tuition to be at $10,000 (give or take a few thousand). The typical four years of undergrad would equal $40,000. That’s tuition alone. Then tack on rent and living expenses, if the parents are generous and willing to provide for their child… so we estimate $800 a month total. Then with 9 months of school, you’re looking at $7,200 a year (not including insurance, etc). After 4 years, you’ve spent $28,800 by needing a roof and food. In the end, parents are spending around $68,800 for 4 years of college and this wonderful piece of paper called a diploma. Can you imagine what the parents COULD be spending around $70,000 on? That’s about 35 round trip tickets to Uganda or 787,500 chapati or 196,875 Rolexes or over 7,500 dinners at Haandi’s or a brand new car or a luxury cruise vacation to all 7 continents… the list goes on. And I’m only talking about college!
At the same time, you have to consider the gas for the car carting us to tennis practice, piano lessons, friends’ houses… buying birthday presents, whether it was for you or for the friend’s birthday you attended… the braces that straightened your teeth… the multiple retainers you accidentally threw away with your hot lunch trash… and not to mention all the pain and suffering we children put our parents through when we hit puberty (and oftentimes beyond)… it’s a wonder my parents didn’t drown me at birth or accidentally forget me in the middle of a corn field when I hit puberty, and spared themselves a lot of pain.
In conclusion, I dedicate this post to my parents. I am extremely grateful for everything they do for me. And especially for their support, in every way, on this trip. I’m sorry for all the pain and suffering I have caused you over the years. And I profusely apologize for being such an expensive kid! I love you!
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