Back on track

Hello everyone!- Just now realizing that I never sent this update! Sorry for the delays, I'll try to be better. Again, it feels like years since I have written all of you! Part of me wants to say that life here in Uganda is normalizing, but in truth I think that I am just adjusting to the lifestyle that is required here. Life is anything but normal, from an American’s perspective at least. I am becoming used to daily life in the Ugandan village setting. Time is different here. Travel is way, way different. Communication is another entity, verbal and nonverbal alike. Business relationships, social norms, life priorities, cultural practices, religious beliefs, family behavior, and an array of subtleties underlie this land and its peoples. There is much, much more than meets the eye, and one must have good senses and the ability to read between the lines in order to gain some understanding of what life is like here in Uganda. After four and a half months, I feel like I am only beginning to scratch the surface of all of this.
Last time I wrote, I told the story of how I lost nearly everything I had brought with me in coming here, as I was carjacked at gunpoint. It was a major setback to my level of comfort at the time, as lots of these things were essentially my connection to family and friends back home. It also made me think twice about my ability to serve here for two years, knowing full well that this kind of threat can be reduced, but not eliminated for the future. It could happen again. However, everyone around me has rallied to help, and this includes the police forces here in Uganda. The thieves have been caught, trying to do the same thing at the same place, just days after I last wrote you. Many of my things have been returned to me, and I am assured that the rest will be found and returned as well. This is the first time in over five years that anything this serious has happened to a volunteer in Uganda, and from the response from Peace Corps Security, Ugandan security, and all police and intelligence forces at work, I can see why. I have also received the care package from the fundraiser that was done back in the States, with a new laptop, camera, and ipod. This will help keep me sane and allow me to send pictures to you!
I have included this story not to frighten people, or to receive sympathy. I have told it in an attempt to help paint an accurate picture of the state of affairs in some of the so called “developing nations”. In times of desperation and greed, in areas where there are limited human resources and a lack of infrastructure to patrol rural areas, to communicate, or respond to emergencies, people can take advantage of those who find themselves in precarious situations. If there were not these kinds of problems and underlying issues here, there would hardly be a need for volunteers to come. The more I see of the conditions and the ways of life here, the more I realize the need for people all over the world to understand what is happening and to become a part of the solution.
Okay, so what have I been up to lately, you ask? Well, since you asked, quite a bit! I have been getting to know the community more and more lately, including attending some church services, going to the monthly markets, and simply being out and about, talking and making friends. I have started a garden, beginning with some rainwater harvesting earthworks, and also including the planting of strawberries and a couple of fruit trees. I have been experimenting with different ways of keeping perishable food items cool, without the convenience of a refrigerator in a land that generally stays within three degrees of eighty, year round. If I succeed with this, I’ll be able to explore a great many other ideas I have about utilizing traditional methods of preparing food, in order to bring about improved nutrition for the community and possibly some ways of adding value to some market items. I’ve also built three different models of rocket stoves, two for cooking and one for the burning of trash. This is a type of stove that reaches very high temperatures resulting from a high quality draft, and producing an incredibly clean burn, so that there is almost zero smoke emitted. It also requires drastically less fuel to operate than any other type of burn system. And, it’s fun! We have also been improving the sanitation of the place through improvements in the pit latrines, and by adding hands-free washing stations next to the latrines. My fellow staff and I have also been talking a great deal about starting a HIV/AIDS Post-Testing Club, in order to sensitize the community about the importance of knowing one’s status, to de-stigmatize living with the virus, to create positive ways of life for the infected, to bring attention to the health centre, create income generating activities for the community, and to have something fun to do as a community. I’m really excited about the possibilities of this club!
For Christmas, I’m staying at my organization and helping to prepare the feast! I think we’ll have chicken (enyama y’enkoko), Irish potatoes (emondi), matooke (ebitookye), and, if I can manage a pie crust, apple pie! Without an oven, this will be tough though. Hopefully the pan in a pan method will work for us. On the 27th, I’ll be going to the district that is the furthest southwest in Uganda, Kisoro. It borders the Democratic Republic of Congo and also Rwanda, and contains Gorilla National Park, where we are going to hike up one of the volcanoes. Then later, after In Service Training in mid-January, we are going to go white water rafting on the Nile! It is Class 5 rapids, as treacherous as it gets, and I have never done it before. Shortly after, if I survive, I’m going bungee jumping over the Nile with some friends! I’ve gone sky diving before, but this should be a whole other ball game. I’ll be writing you again immediately after, so stay tuned!
I also feel like I am really becoming a part of the community here. Nearly everyone in the village knows my name, and as I walk through ‘town’, there are countless waves, smiles, greetings, and at least a few short conversations. They have given me a name in the local language, Kanyankore, meaning one who speaks the language. It feels great to have gained the respect of this community, it is important to develop relationships here, and I think it will set the stage for lots of productive work to be done.
Thanks for reading, I hope all of you are doing well this December! Happy holidays to you all, a safe and enjoyable New Year too. Stay warm, drink lots of hot chocolate by the wood stove, and make sure your teachers give you enough homework to keep you busy during the break! Until next time, take care. -Jesse