Poem

Christina read this poem as part of her speech at the swear-in today… I loved it, and maybe you will too:

Desiderata

Go placidly amid the noise and haste, and remember what peace there may be in silence.
As far as possible, without surrender, be on good terms with all persons.
Speak your truth quietly and clearly; and listen to others,
even to the dull and ignorant; they too have their story.

Avoid loud and aggressive persons, they are vexations to the spirit.
If you compare yourself with others, you may become vain and bitter,
for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself.
Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans.

Keep interested in your own career, however humble;
it is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time.
Exercise caution in your business affairs, for the world is full of trickery.
But let this not blind you to what virtue there is;
many persons strive for high ideals,
and everywhere life is full of heroism.

Be yourself. Especially do not feign affection. Neither be cynical about love;
for in the face of all aridity and disenchantment it is as perennial as the grass.
Take kindly the counsel of the years, gracefully surrendering the things of youth.
Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune.
But do not distress yourself with dark imaginings.
Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness.

Beyond a wholesome discipline, be gentle with yourself.
You are a child of the universe no less than the trees and the stars;
you have a right to be here. And whether or not it is clear to you,
no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should.

Therefore be at peace with God, whatever you conceive Him to be.
And whatever your labors and aspirations, in the noisy confusion of life,
keep peace with your soul. With all its sham, drudgery and broken dreams,
it is still a beautiful world. Be cheerful. Strive to be happy.

-Max Ehrman

Official

And today is the day / We break free / Its clear in my mind / After all of this time / What I feel my love / There are so many times / That the sun doesn’t shine / But I’m here my love / And today is the day
-Poe, "Today"


So, today was the big day! We’re OFFICIALLY volunteers! We had a really nice swearing-in ceremony!

First- the past couple of days- Monday we said goodbye to our host families and shopped in Kampala. Monday night we hung out at our guesthouse…our accommodations weren’t the greatest, but the bar was super nice. I would go back for the bar. (But not for the 3 bunkbeds in a super-small room and a generally non-functioning common shower and toilet.) Anyway, Monday night was fun. But, by “night” I mean we left the bar at maybe 9:30 or 10… super late, I know. But, it was late, for us.

Tuesday was the most inspirational day ever! First we got up early and went shopping, and we also stopped at an internet café- that’s the last time I posted. I wanted to write about who I was getting ready to go see, but I can’t really write about important places I’m getting ready to go to… security reasons. But, I think writing about it afterwards is okay. (Wow, I just sounded waaaaay cooler than I actually am.) So, in the afternoon we went to the American embassy! Several really cool people talked to us- many were RPCVs- that’s what they call people who have completed Peace Corps service- “Returned Peace Corps Volunteers.” Anyway, they all have super cool jobs now with various agencies of the American government, and were just really encouraging. Encouraging because they used to be just like us, encouraging because they told us what a great place Uganda is, encouraging because they have continued to do awesome things with their lives, and encouraging because they made us feel the same way you feel they day you get your official Peace Corps invitation in the mail... amazing and excited and idealistic. (And, it was just exciting because maybe we could BE them, someday!?!) So, after meeting everyone, we headed to the US Ambassador’s house!! We had a nice tour of the house by the ambassador’s wife- really cool lady, I’ll definitely be seeing her again. In their house they have shelves full of all my favorite books and all of the books I really want to read… they could be my personal library for the next two years. Anyway, we hung out for a little while and then headed to my Country Director’s house for dinner. Now, my Country Director (she’s my highest-up boss), is from The South, and her cooking is everything you would expect and more. It was SOOOOO good. My favorite was the sweet potatoes… oh man. (When I was a waitress at a southern cajun restaurant in Chicago, I used to eat mashed sweet potatoes literally every time I worked- we got free side dishes. Herberto, my favorite cook, knew of my obsession and would always give me an extra large helping. Yum.) Anyway, my Country Director’s sweet potato casserole tasted like… America. And the gravy for the chicken- wow. This lady needs to teach cooking classes or something. Not like she has time, but you know, you’re only allowed to work for the Peace Corps for five years, so it’s a possible future career option for her. So, Tuesday we were stuffed, went back to the guesthouse and hung out with some current PCVs who were also there. We went to bed very full and very happy.

Wednesday we had a “Supervisors Workshop”- it was an all-day thing for us and our supervisors, just reviewing rules and stuff, nothing too exciting, but really helpful for our supervisors. Wednesday night the volunteers all went out for Italian food! It was so good! Nora and I split spinach ravioli, a veggie pizza, and a bottle of pinot grigio, and it was great. Mostly we’re continually shocked by what things can be found in Uganda… things like halfway decent Italian restaurants. These past couple of days have been days of good good food. So, we hung out more, went to bed late, and got up early for….

Today! Today was our swearing-in ceremony. So who is now protecting and defending the Constitution? Me. (haha, just what you always thought I’d be doing, right?) Me and 11 other amazing women- we ALL made it through training! It’s really unusual for a whole group to all stick around- usually at least one person, or two or three, decide that the Peace Corps is not for them and head home. But, not us!! We’re all here, and we are ready to go! Our ceremony was really nice, and we had a great lunch afterwards. Then, we headed to the office to pick up our luggage, and parted ways… it was really really sad.

The new volunteers! Erin, Hannah, Nora, Brett, Me, Courtney, Tiffany, Amanda, & Christina; Alexis, Sarah, & Carrie:

The Luganda language class- Alexis, Erin, Sarah, Nora, Me, Irene (our AWESOME teacher!), and Amanda:

McGrath (my country director), Me, Jeffrey (my assoc. director- he's my most immediate boss)

With the flags... Erin, Nora, & Me; Hannah & Alexis:
There were several tears, but I think that we took comfort in the fact that we’ll all see each other for Christmas- they’re giving us special permission to be away from our sites so we can get together! The timing of our service is a little unusual because we miss two really big American holidays right off the bat- Thanksgiving and then Christmas! And when you’re already missing home, it just makes things extra hard. My family had a good Thanksgiving and they all called me (thanks guys!), but talking on the phone and having a huge meal with your family is not quite the same thing. This is the third Thanksgiving in a row that I haven’t spent with my family, which is sad because Thanksgiving is my all-time favorite holiday. My family has never celebrated Christmas, so it’s not as big a deal that I’m not home in December, but everyone else is pretty sad about it. It’s really cool that they’re letting us get together though- I can’t wait to see everyone again in three weeks!

Most people are traveling to their sites this afternoon, but I’m not heading out until tomorrow!

And this is all I have left to say:
Tomorrow, tomorrow, I love ya, tomorrow, you’re only A DAY AWAAAAAAY!

Soon!

I'm in Kampala for the next few days, shopping and having meetings before we swear-in on the 30th!

Swearing-in is definitely going to be one of the most important days of my life thus far. I know that, to everyone back home, the day that I left for Africa was the day I became a Peace Corps Volunteer. But, that's simply not true. The day I left for Africa was the day I became a trainee. Now I've been through training, and swearing-in day is a little like a graduation, but about 100 times more important. Not only does it mean I'm finished with training, it means I'm starting what I came here to do! It's basically your graduation and the first day of your really awesome dream-job, combined into one!

Sad

Today was a really sad day because I had to leave my host family. My host family is so amazing, and we were all crying so much! A couple things that illustrate how amazing they are:

They bought me fruits and vegetables to take with me to my new site!
Ok, first you need some background info- my host mom knows that, in America, I really like salad, so for the past several weeks she has been fixing me “salad” at dinner- shredded cabbage, carrots, and green bell pepper. This is waaaay more amazing than in probably sounds. No one really eats fresh vegetables here- everything is always cooked cooked cooked, so having 'salad' is really unusual. Also, we always have juice with dinner...
So, yesterday she bought me cabbage, carrots, lemons, tangerines, and eggplant to take with me to my site so that I can make salad and juice... so incredibly nice!

This morning, they cooked me a WHOLE chicken, FOR BREAKFAST. Ok, this also probably does not sound very amazing, but it is. Chicken is only eaten occasionally for dinner, except on Sundays, when it is eaten for both lunch and dinner. When it is eaten not on Sundays, the whole chicken is never cooked for one sitting. I left early this morning, so my last meal was breakfast- and what was served? Chicken (they had seriously cooked the whole thing- no small undertaking when cooking takes hours and hours), salad, and juice.

I can't really explain how special they are to me, and I'm realizing as I'm writing this that how nice they are isn't really coming across... but trust me, buying me vegetables and cooking me a chicken... I can't believe how incredibly giving these people are.

I'm coming back to visit as soon as I can.

Thanksgiving!

Singing "Lean On Me"-- Sarah, Me, Alexis, Hannah, Erin, Nora, Courtney, Brett, Christina, Amanda, Carrie

Today we had our "Homestay Thank You and Thanksgiving!" As the name suggests, it was a day to say thank you to our homestay families, and to share a bit of our own culture with them. We had skits, songs, and lots of good food. Sarah and I played the Ugandan national anthem on our oboe and flute, respectively. I gave a thank you speech in Luganda, and we all sang "Lean On Me" while a couple of us played drums. We also did a traditional Baganda dance, and well as a traditional American dance... the electric slide. Oh yeah we did. And it was awesome. After all that, we had a big huge Thanksgiving meal- delicious! I think everyone had a great time.

Dancing! Merica (guesthouse employee), Alexis, Erin, Me in traditional Ugandan dress, Sarah:

Back: Christina, Nora, Amanda, Erin, Me, Courtney

Front: Tiffany, Brett, Alexis, Sarah, Carrie

I hope everyone back home had a great Thanksgiving- I am thankful for YOU!

Murder She Wrote

Today I slaughtered a chicken! My family raises chickens, and every Sunday, one is slaughtered for our Sunday lunch and dinner. Two weeks ago, Brett (fellow trainee) came over and we watched a chicken be slaughtered; last week, Brett came over and slaughtered the chicken; this week, it was my turn... yeah.

You can't buy a dead chicken here, you can only buy a live one and kill it. Chicken is pretty much my only meat option, as I have no interest in going to the market and having beef hacked off of a hanging fly-covered cow carcass. Anyway, whether or not I will actually kill a chicken at my site, I guess I feel like I should know how a chicken is killed for ideological reasons- if I'm going to eat a dead animal, I should know how it came to be dead and on my plate. (But, my ideology only goes so far... there is no way I could ever kill a cow, haha)

So, the particular chicken that was chosen for this week's meal happened to be a particularly huge chicken- definitely the biggest one so far! It also happened to be a particularly active chicken... most chickens don't seemed to mind being killed, but this one did. But, I did it- I killed the chicken, and I'll spare you the details. It was kind of horrifying and kind of okay. The anticipation is always worse than the actual.

Censored

I'm back from my site visit! The site visit is a couple days where you leave training and go visit your site, meet all the people you're going to be working with, see where you're going to stay, and talk about what you're going to do for the next two years.

And, man, there are so many things I could say. But, I need to wait a bit before I write about it- I just got off of the bus, and I haven't really processed anything yet. Having a blog is great, but it's also completely public- I can't say everything that happens. I can't talk about specific people, and I can't say things that reflect badly on Uganda, the organization I'm working with, the Peace Corps, the US government, etc. If I wrote now, it would just all come pouring out. Until now, I haven't really been censoring; I haven't really had any big frustrations, and I have loved every minute. And, I'm still really enjoying it, just not every single minute. (But, definitely the majority of minutes!)

So, my site- I like it, but I don't love it. Yet. But, love comes in time. What you can know for now is that, in the past couple days, I have cried hard, I have laughed hard, and I am in for a challenging and amazing two years! :)

Now, I'm headed back to Luweero for a couple more weeks of training. We officially swear in as Peace Corps Volunteers on November 30th, and then head to our sites for real!!!

More next time, I promise!


ps- Today I'm posting stuff from Oct. 29th, Oct. 30th, and Nov. 4th too, so scroll down!

I love MILDMAY!

Things are going great- training is speeding by! As part of our training we take field trips to various health organizations- Wednesday we went to the Mildmay Centre Uganda, which is managed by Mildmay International (based in the UK). Mildmay is the most awesome place ever! It’s a full-service HIV/AIDS care provider, plus they do tons of workshops and training for healthcare professionals. They have mobile teams that do outreach, treatment, and palliative care, and they also have lots of different clubs for kids dealing with AIDS. They have women’s groups that get together to do income-generating craft activities, and, they have a laboratory that actually looks like a laboratory! This place was light-years ahead of all of the other health facilities I have seen thus far- I was seriously impressed! Everything was so organized, so practical, so user-friendly, it was amazing! The people that showed us around were super nice, and we also got to talk to a really great doctor about issues surrounding palliative care. I wouldn’t be surprised if this is the best health care center in Uganda. YAY Mildmay!