yay! Thanks for commenting Robyn! I was thinking about ending this whole blog thing because nobody ever comments so I didn't think anyone was actually reading it and I felt kind of silly like I was just talking to myself, but then lately a couple people told me that they're reading it...some comments would be nice though!
I started volunteering at the Kamwokya Christian Caring Community today and my first day there was awesome. I worked in the Child Welfare Department and got to go to a couple home visits with Pamela, who works for KCCC and with this woman named Olivia who is a community volunteer trained by the KCCC to lead support groups for children. Afterwards, they had me write up a report on the different families and their situations and what I reccomend for KCCC to do to help them. It was nice because I didn't expect to feel useful, but I actually did.
The second family we saw just broke my heart. It was a 20 year old girl who has twin girls who are 2 months old, and her boyfriend left her once he found out that she was pregnant with twins. Her family is from the Western part of the country so she is trying to raise these kids alone but can't make enough money to pay her rent. Her landlord has been lenient the past couple months because he knows her situation, but now is saying that if she can't pay the 35,000 shillings (about $18) for July rent then she has to leave. KCCC was going to pay for her transportation to Western Uganda so her relatives could help her care for her babies, but her families culture believes that twins have to be raised where they were born or with their father's family, so they won't help her...even though she has nowhere else to go. Her boyfriend's family won't help her because they can't be sure that their son is the father. She really has no options, but she is healthy and hard-working so I'm really hoping that the KCCC will pay for her rent for a couple months until her children are a little older and she has more time to earn a living. It was really, really sad to see.
The other families were also sad...the whole community is really. The dirt roads are absolute crap so after it rains there are huge puddles everywhere, (it rained last night) and during the rainy season all the little shops alongside the road flood, as do the houses. There is no drainage system, and no garbage disposal system, so you can try to imagine what it's like.
The rest of the week I will be going to a different part of the KCCC everyday to learn about what they do, and then I'm hoping that I can volunteer for one more week in one specific area that I liked the most. I moved out of the hostel and am now staying with Angella, a Ugandan girl that I met while I was on the nursing program. She is really great and I love hanging out with her, but her house is very tiny so I don't know how long it's really appropriate for me to stay. I am totally fine there, but I don't want to be a burden for her.
The title for this post comes from her. I asked someone at the post office the other day where the bathroom was and he started laughing and looked really uncomfortable and like he didn't know what to do. He told me to ask this other guy, so I did and he pointed me in the right direction. I told Angella this and she would not stop laughing! She said the guy probably thought that I wanted to take a shower. From now on I need to always ask for a place to go for a "short call." I knew that already, I just feel weird saying it, but now I will.
Ohh...there's so much else I could write about, I just don't even know what to say really. Lake Mburo was really nice. We went on a guided walking safari and saw zebras and antelope and buffalo. Our guide was really cool and told us really great stories and little tid bits about animals which was neat.
Another little note on Uganda: the only thing I like about taking the buses here is that when you stop along the way to drop people off or whatever a bunch of people will come RUNNING up to the bus with meat on a stick, roasted plaintains, water, roasted maize, soda, chapati, bananas, etc. etc. to try to sell it to you. Then people on the bus open the windows and lean out of the bus to get what they want and give money. Sometimes the bus will start moving in the middle of this transaction and the person selling stuff will have to run to get his money or to give you your food or whatever. It is a really entertaining thing to watch and to be part of. I looove the roasted plantains.
okay toodles. I'm going to try to cook for Angella tonight but I have no idea what to make! I haven't cooked in so, so long! I am going to go to the grocery store and take a looksie.
comment people! especially if you want me to keep this thing up!
love, shelly
Monday, June 29, 2009
Thursday, June 25, 2009
Mazungu! Where are you going?!
Hello!
I'm sorry I haven't posted in while. You see, after Gulu I kind of lost momentum because I know longer had a plan. There are still places that I'd like to go and see like Sipi Falls and Lake Mburo, and I still wanted to volunteer at the KCCC but I was waiting for Marissa and Kelsi to come and I had NO idea what we were going to be doing for the next THREE weeks until the rest of the EDGE people come. It's not very easy to be in a very foreign place alone and not know what you're doing for the next three weeks, so it was a funky time and I didn't want to post and worry anyone. :)
I am fine though. I actually had a fabulous day today. I finally feel like I can get around this city! I'm not even really that scared to cross the roads anymore, and I'm getting much better at ignoring the cries of Mazungu! How are you? Where are you going? I love you! Give me your number! etc. It's pretty funny really. But I was so, so proud the last couple days at how well I've been able to get around using only public transportation and walking.
I met with Godfrey from the KCCC today and we made a plan for me to volunteer there starting Monday next week until Friday. Marissa and Kesli plan to go to the island July 1st (although this hasn't exactly been confirmed yet) so I'll meet them there. If I am absolutely loving it at KCCC I can stay longer, they are very flexible. I'm really excited about the chance to spend a week there. I'll be rotating around to see all the different programs they do, so I'll really be more of a shadow than a volunteer, but I am totally okay with that. I think I'll learn a lot and hopefully get some ideas for Lingira (the island).
As for updates since my last post I went to Gulu to visit my friend Boaz who I met two years ago when I did the Ulpan in Israel and haven't seen since. It was fun to see him and I got to hang out with him and the five other Brown students he's with. I also got really lucky because they had a trip to Murchison Falls planned and already had a van and a driver that their NGO provided, so I got to go with them and a trip that usually costs about $200 was only about $50! The best part was seeing giraffes!!! We got really close to them too...I really, really love giraffes. The rest of the trip was pretty similar to Queen Elizabeth National Park - we did a game drive and a boat ride and saw elephants, hippos, antelope, waterbuck, water buffalo, etc. It was really cool.
After that I spent two days in Gulu just sort of hanging out, walking around, and meeting people. I made one friend named Tony who is a nurse at Gulu Hospital and who invited me over and told me his whole amazing life story one afternoon. Gulu was very, very different then Kampala. It felt MUCH smaller and easier and more laid back.
So anyways, that's bascially what's going on. I accidentally drank coffee today so I'm wired out of my mind and probably won't be able to sleep at all tonight, which is not very fun when you're sleeping in the dorms with like 15 other people...
OH! Also, we don't really have plans for the weekend. The organizations that the other girls want to meet with will be out of comission for the weekend as well the KCCC, so I am trying to plan a little weekend trip for us. I am hoping we can go to Lake Mburo where you can do forest walks and see zebras!! I'm not sure though, it might be a little too far. There is a different forest reserve called Mpanga which might be more realistic. We'll see. Okay! well I hope that all is well with all of you!!
Love!
Shelly
I'm sorry I haven't posted in while. You see, after Gulu I kind of lost momentum because I know longer had a plan. There are still places that I'd like to go and see like Sipi Falls and Lake Mburo, and I still wanted to volunteer at the KCCC but I was waiting for Marissa and Kelsi to come and I had NO idea what we were going to be doing for the next THREE weeks until the rest of the EDGE people come. It's not very easy to be in a very foreign place alone and not know what you're doing for the next three weeks, so it was a funky time and I didn't want to post and worry anyone. :)
I am fine though. I actually had a fabulous day today. I finally feel like I can get around this city! I'm not even really that scared to cross the roads anymore, and I'm getting much better at ignoring the cries of Mazungu! How are you? Where are you going? I love you! Give me your number! etc. It's pretty funny really. But I was so, so proud the last couple days at how well I've been able to get around using only public transportation and walking.
I met with Godfrey from the KCCC today and we made a plan for me to volunteer there starting Monday next week until Friday. Marissa and Kesli plan to go to the island July 1st (although this hasn't exactly been confirmed yet) so I'll meet them there. If I am absolutely loving it at KCCC I can stay longer, they are very flexible. I'm really excited about the chance to spend a week there. I'll be rotating around to see all the different programs they do, so I'll really be more of a shadow than a volunteer, but I am totally okay with that. I think I'll learn a lot and hopefully get some ideas for Lingira (the island).
As for updates since my last post I went to Gulu to visit my friend Boaz who I met two years ago when I did the Ulpan in Israel and haven't seen since. It was fun to see him and I got to hang out with him and the five other Brown students he's with. I also got really lucky because they had a trip to Murchison Falls planned and already had a van and a driver that their NGO provided, so I got to go with them and a trip that usually costs about $200 was only about $50! The best part was seeing giraffes!!! We got really close to them too...I really, really love giraffes. The rest of the trip was pretty similar to Queen Elizabeth National Park - we did a game drive and a boat ride and saw elephants, hippos, antelope, waterbuck, water buffalo, etc. It was really cool.
After that I spent two days in Gulu just sort of hanging out, walking around, and meeting people. I made one friend named Tony who is a nurse at Gulu Hospital and who invited me over and told me his whole amazing life story one afternoon. Gulu was very, very different then Kampala. It felt MUCH smaller and easier and more laid back.
So anyways, that's bascially what's going on. I accidentally drank coffee today so I'm wired out of my mind and probably won't be able to sleep at all tonight, which is not very fun when you're sleeping in the dorms with like 15 other people...
OH! Also, we don't really have plans for the weekend. The organizations that the other girls want to meet with will be out of comission for the weekend as well the KCCC, so I am trying to plan a little weekend trip for us. I am hoping we can go to Lake Mburo where you can do forest walks and see zebras!! I'm not sure though, it might be a little too far. There is a different forest reserve called Mpanga which might be more realistic. We'll see. Okay! well I hope that all is well with all of you!!
Love!
Shelly
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
Rwanda and things
Hello!!! (to the maybe four people reading this :) )
I can't believe it's only been a week since the group went home, I feel like I've done a lot in a short amount of time. Jessie and I rode with the group from Kampala to Entebbe where the airport is, but got out at this cute little hostel and then the next morning we took a ferry to the Ssese Islands which are a cluster of touristy, beach islands in lake Victoria. The place we stayed was just wonderful, it was called Camp Hornbill or something like that and was owned by this German and Dutch couple were just total hippies. The place itself was so, so relaxing and such a welcome break from Kampala. There were hammocks hanging everywhere and it was right on the beach, which the forest on either side, which meant that there were a lot of monkeys and birds around. I literally spent like half a day one day sitting on a hammock watching this family of monkeys play and bathe and stuff. There wasn't a whole lot to do besides walk around the island and explore and read and watch monkeys. You can't go swimming in the water because of bilhazia. But there was this other girl staying there who was also traveling alone and we had a really good time together.
I decided to take a different ferry to leave the Ssesse Islands and go to Masaka, where I stayed for one night and then went farther west on a 6 hour bus ride to Kabale, then I took a motorcycle to Lake Bunyonyi, and THEN I took a dugout canoe to the island that I was staying on. This place was amazing!! SOO beautiful and peaceful, and the food is probably the best that I've had the whole time that I was here, and the best part was that the water is bilhazia free so it's safe to swim. I planned on staying here for a couple days, but the truth is that after spending a couple of days just sort of relaxing and hanging out at the Sesse Islands, I was feeling a little bit restless, and then I met this couple that had just come back from Rwanda and they were talking about it with me and a couple other people, and saying how amazing it was. So me, a young couple from the UK, and another English woman in her 50s decided we just had to do it! I had just enough time at Lake Bunyonyi to take some pictures, go for a swim, eat some yummy food, and relax on the dock before we took a motorboat back to the lakeshore and then a taxi back to Kabale. Then the next day we crossed the border into Rwanda and made our way to Kigali, the capital city.
I don't even know how to describe how amazingly wonderful our short two days in Kigali was. I was so taken aback by how completely different it was from Uganda, and especially from Kampala. First of all there's the roads which are so good! They are paved as opposed to the red dirt roads in Uganda, which make Kampala a horribly dusty city which is very unpleasant to walk around in. Also the motorcycle taxi drivers all wear helmets AND have helmets for the passengers, there were also sidewalks...yeah, you get the idea. There is actually a ban on plastic bags in Rwanda, which also helps make things cleaner. It is also such a beautiful country. It's known as the land of a thousand hills and you can really see why. It is so, so green and hilly and it's really beautiful. Even in the city which is really densely populated and it looks like houses are just on top of each other, they are all kind of like terraces into the hills and it's really lovely.
Anways, we really had a jam packed two days. After checking into our hotel, (Rwanda is going for low density, high class tourism so there are no hostels or campsites, only hotels) we went to the Genocide Memorial museum which was really, really good, but obviously very sad. That night we went to this really yummy Senegalese restaurant for dinner. The next day we went to two different churches where massive massacres occured and that have been preserved as memorials. It was so chilling and awful really. Both of them were full of the clothes of people who were killed and also had the skulls and bones on display. It was very hard to see. Afterwards we went to the actual Hotel Rwanda (the movie itself was shot in South Africa). The hotel is really, really expensive so we each split a passionfruit juice, got a feel for the place, took some pictures and left.
The best part of the experience we fell upon by pure luck. In one of the taxis, this guy with really good English asked where we were from, and when I said I was from the U.S he started listing off all the differet cities he's been to in the U.S. When I asked what he was doing traveling around so much there he started telling me about the incredible work that he does and he could tell that I was really interested, so he invited us all to his house to talk about it more. Later in the day he met his at the hotel and then walked with us to his home where he showed us the powerpoint that he presents in the United States. He is working with a couple different organizations that are doing work for genocide survivors - both the victims and the participants - helping them get over the trauma and fear that they have so that they can not only move on with their lives, but so that they can forgive the people that have done these horrible atrocities (which are often their neighbors and sometimes even relatives) so that Rwanda can move forward. It is so hard to believe, but he talked about and showed us pictures of people who had experienced awful things and then met and forgiven the same people that had caused them so much harm and suffering. The program is all based on living in the present and eliminating the damaging thoughts from your head. He said he talks to people and says, "what would it be like if you didn't have this horrible thought about your neighbor killing your husband." And the people then respond, well then I could carry on with my life. Then he talks to them about how everytime they think about their husband getting killed, they are killing their husband in their minds. Then he talks to the participants of the genocide and asks about their biggest problems and they say that they are living in fear because they are neighbors with this person whose husband they've killed, and so they may be just hiding out in their house and not living at all. Anyway, through a long process, he helps these people meet and forgive each other so that they can get on with their lives. Usually this also will involve the participant doing some huge favor for the person whose life they harmed. Like one man burnt down the house of this woman and also killed some of her family members and is now building her a new house. It was really, really moving to talk to this man. It's also so amazing how the genocide was only 15 years ago and Rwandans are already not identifying by Hutu and Tutsi anymore but just Rwandan. They just seem so determined to put that horrible time in the past, and they really seem to be succeeding.
It's funny, I've been in Uganda for a month now and it's been really great and I've really enjoyed it but I still don't LOVE Uganda. I think I could have really loved Rwanda if we had been able to stay longer. I will have to come back...
Tomorrow morning I am in for another horribly long bus ride from Kabale to Kampala. 9 wonderful hours on bumpy roads. can't wait! After that I have to get to Gulu, so I'll spend the night in Kampala and then go for another 4 hours to Gulu.
I miss you all!!!!
lots of love!
shelly
I can't believe it's only been a week since the group went home, I feel like I've done a lot in a short amount of time. Jessie and I rode with the group from Kampala to Entebbe where the airport is, but got out at this cute little hostel and then the next morning we took a ferry to the Ssese Islands which are a cluster of touristy, beach islands in lake Victoria. The place we stayed was just wonderful, it was called Camp Hornbill or something like that and was owned by this German and Dutch couple were just total hippies. The place itself was so, so relaxing and such a welcome break from Kampala. There were hammocks hanging everywhere and it was right on the beach, which the forest on either side, which meant that there were a lot of monkeys and birds around. I literally spent like half a day one day sitting on a hammock watching this family of monkeys play and bathe and stuff. There wasn't a whole lot to do besides walk around the island and explore and read and watch monkeys. You can't go swimming in the water because of bilhazia. But there was this other girl staying there who was also traveling alone and we had a really good time together.
I decided to take a different ferry to leave the Ssesse Islands and go to Masaka, where I stayed for one night and then went farther west on a 6 hour bus ride to Kabale, then I took a motorcycle to Lake Bunyonyi, and THEN I took a dugout canoe to the island that I was staying on. This place was amazing!! SOO beautiful and peaceful, and the food is probably the best that I've had the whole time that I was here, and the best part was that the water is bilhazia free so it's safe to swim. I planned on staying here for a couple days, but the truth is that after spending a couple of days just sort of relaxing and hanging out at the Sesse Islands, I was feeling a little bit restless, and then I met this couple that had just come back from Rwanda and they were talking about it with me and a couple other people, and saying how amazing it was. So me, a young couple from the UK, and another English woman in her 50s decided we just had to do it! I had just enough time at Lake Bunyonyi to take some pictures, go for a swim, eat some yummy food, and relax on the dock before we took a motorboat back to the lakeshore and then a taxi back to Kabale. Then the next day we crossed the border into Rwanda and made our way to Kigali, the capital city.
I don't even know how to describe how amazingly wonderful our short two days in Kigali was. I was so taken aback by how completely different it was from Uganda, and especially from Kampala. First of all there's the roads which are so good! They are paved as opposed to the red dirt roads in Uganda, which make Kampala a horribly dusty city which is very unpleasant to walk around in. Also the motorcycle taxi drivers all wear helmets AND have helmets for the passengers, there were also sidewalks...yeah, you get the idea. There is actually a ban on plastic bags in Rwanda, which also helps make things cleaner. It is also such a beautiful country. It's known as the land of a thousand hills and you can really see why. It is so, so green and hilly and it's really beautiful. Even in the city which is really densely populated and it looks like houses are just on top of each other, they are all kind of like terraces into the hills and it's really lovely.
Anways, we really had a jam packed two days. After checking into our hotel, (Rwanda is going for low density, high class tourism so there are no hostels or campsites, only hotels) we went to the Genocide Memorial museum which was really, really good, but obviously very sad. That night we went to this really yummy Senegalese restaurant for dinner. The next day we went to two different churches where massive massacres occured and that have been preserved as memorials. It was so chilling and awful really. Both of them were full of the clothes of people who were killed and also had the skulls and bones on display. It was very hard to see. Afterwards we went to the actual Hotel Rwanda (the movie itself was shot in South Africa). The hotel is really, really expensive so we each split a passionfruit juice, got a feel for the place, took some pictures and left.
The best part of the experience we fell upon by pure luck. In one of the taxis, this guy with really good English asked where we were from, and when I said I was from the U.S he started listing off all the differet cities he's been to in the U.S. When I asked what he was doing traveling around so much there he started telling me about the incredible work that he does and he could tell that I was really interested, so he invited us all to his house to talk about it more. Later in the day he met his at the hotel and then walked with us to his home where he showed us the powerpoint that he presents in the United States. He is working with a couple different organizations that are doing work for genocide survivors - both the victims and the participants - helping them get over the trauma and fear that they have so that they can not only move on with their lives, but so that they can forgive the people that have done these horrible atrocities (which are often their neighbors and sometimes even relatives) so that Rwanda can move forward. It is so hard to believe, but he talked about and showed us pictures of people who had experienced awful things and then met and forgiven the same people that had caused them so much harm and suffering. The program is all based on living in the present and eliminating the damaging thoughts from your head. He said he talks to people and says, "what would it be like if you didn't have this horrible thought about your neighbor killing your husband." And the people then respond, well then I could carry on with my life. Then he talks to them about how everytime they think about their husband getting killed, they are killing their husband in their minds. Then he talks to the participants of the genocide and asks about their biggest problems and they say that they are living in fear because they are neighbors with this person whose husband they've killed, and so they may be just hiding out in their house and not living at all. Anyway, through a long process, he helps these people meet and forgive each other so that they can get on with their lives. Usually this also will involve the participant doing some huge favor for the person whose life they harmed. Like one man burnt down the house of this woman and also killed some of her family members and is now building her a new house. It was really, really moving to talk to this man. It's also so amazing how the genocide was only 15 years ago and Rwandans are already not identifying by Hutu and Tutsi anymore but just Rwandan. They just seem so determined to put that horrible time in the past, and they really seem to be succeeding.
It's funny, I've been in Uganda for a month now and it's been really great and I've really enjoyed it but I still don't LOVE Uganda. I think I could have really loved Rwanda if we had been able to stay longer. I will have to come back...
Tomorrow morning I am in for another horribly long bus ride from Kabale to Kampala. 9 wonderful hours on bumpy roads. can't wait! After that I have to get to Gulu, so I'll spend the night in Kampala and then go for another 4 hours to Gulu.
I miss you all!!!!
lots of love!
shelly
Saturday, June 6, 2009
The end of the course
Hi everyone,
okay...so I know that this is a blog and not e-mails so it's pretty impersonal, but I feel so disconnected from everyone and I would love to hear what is going on in your lives and how your summers are. please e-mail me! :) I will e-mail you back, even if not right away.
So the group trip is wrapping up, everyone leaves tomorrow! It's hard to believe, but I am SO happy to be staying here for the rest of the summer. I feel like I am only just beginning to understand how to get around. Since getting back from our trip out west things have been much more low key. We've had our first couple days of free time which has been a nice change. We had a visit to KCCC - the Kamokwa (sp?) Christian Caring Community which is an unbelievably amazing place that you should google if you are interested. They are in the slums of Kampala and have an incredible amount of services available that are very organized and very well run. They have a school which is mostly for street children and orphans, they have a vocational school for people from the ages of 15 to 30 to learn either tailoring, construction work, shoe making, etc. They also have a PEPFAR clinic, youth outreach which includes sports teams, a micro-finance place, and a mental health clinic. It's amazing! I am planning on going back there to volunteer for at least a week and maybe longer.
Other than that, things have been pretty relaxing. We had a party last night at the house where we're staying and all the people that have helped us out along the way came. It was catered by KCCC (part of their vocational school includes catering), and the food was really good. Oh, let me update you on my travel plans which are constantly changing. haha. Jessie, a friend who I met here, is leaving on the 10th for Kenya, so the two of us will travel together until she leaves. We plan on going to the beach of Lake Victoria in Entebbe and possible to Sesse Islands which are supposed to be pretty and relaxing. As soon as she leaves I am getting on a bus and going to Lake Bunyoni. Look up pictures! it is supposed to be SO beautiful. I am really excited. I will probably head back to Kampala around June 20th to meet Kelsi and Marissa and help them out with EDGE stuff, and then volunteer with KCCC.
So yeah, that's about all I have for now. I can't wait to hear from you!
lots of love,
shelly
okay...so I know that this is a blog and not e-mails so it's pretty impersonal, but I feel so disconnected from everyone and I would love to hear what is going on in your lives and how your summers are. please e-mail me! :) I will e-mail you back, even if not right away.
So the group trip is wrapping up, everyone leaves tomorrow! It's hard to believe, but I am SO happy to be staying here for the rest of the summer. I feel like I am only just beginning to understand how to get around. Since getting back from our trip out west things have been much more low key. We've had our first couple days of free time which has been a nice change. We had a visit to KCCC - the Kamokwa (sp?) Christian Caring Community which is an unbelievably amazing place that you should google if you are interested. They are in the slums of Kampala and have an incredible amount of services available that are very organized and very well run. They have a school which is mostly for street children and orphans, they have a vocational school for people from the ages of 15 to 30 to learn either tailoring, construction work, shoe making, etc. They also have a PEPFAR clinic, youth outreach which includes sports teams, a micro-finance place, and a mental health clinic. It's amazing! I am planning on going back there to volunteer for at least a week and maybe longer.
Other than that, things have been pretty relaxing. We had a party last night at the house where we're staying and all the people that have helped us out along the way came. It was catered by KCCC (part of their vocational school includes catering), and the food was really good. Oh, let me update you on my travel plans which are constantly changing. haha. Jessie, a friend who I met here, is leaving on the 10th for Kenya, so the two of us will travel together until she leaves. We plan on going to the beach of Lake Victoria in Entebbe and possible to Sesse Islands which are supposed to be pretty and relaxing. As soon as she leaves I am getting on a bus and going to Lake Bunyoni. Look up pictures! it is supposed to be SO beautiful. I am really excited. I will probably head back to Kampala around June 20th to meet Kelsi and Marissa and help them out with EDGE stuff, and then volunteer with KCCC.
So yeah, that's about all I have for now. I can't wait to hear from you!
lots of love,
shelly
Wednesday, June 3, 2009
ah!
Oh my gosh, I have so much to say I do not know where to start.
So, I will start with a very overdue apology: I am so sorry to everyone that I didn't get a chance to say goodbye to, AND also to say congratulations on graduation! I was so overwhelmed with exams, subletters, moving out of my room, and packing for this trip that I was totally in my own little bubble and I'm sorry about that. So, CONGRATULATIONS!
okay. so now an update.
The group of 13 of us students split up for a week to go to more rural sites and work in the health center which was a great experience. I was with three other girls and we bonded so much and just had a blast together. The best part was that we stayed with a wonderful Ugandan family that cooked really yummy food for us, and really welcomed us into their home. It was nice to see how Ugandans actually live, although they were pretty wealthy compared to the average Ugandan. The work we did at the health center was eye opening, frustrating, and very sad. It is absolutely impossible to compare the clinics here from the ones in the US. The system is: first you wait in line to see the "clinical manager," (I don't think we had any doctors there, I think they were all nurses). Three or four people are in same room with you while you then have your "exam" which is not an exam. They don't even take vital signs, it was basically a verbal report of signs and symptoms, and then the nurse prescribes your drugs and injections, and maybe blood or urine tests. so then you wait in line for the lab for your tests. then you go back in line to see the doctor again, then you go back in line for your injections, and then back in line again for your medications. AND, maybe you need gloves? or a special syringe? You have to go buy it somewhere and come back and wait in line again. Also, we didn't have enough medication to give everyone there full doses, so we gave what we could and then they have to go buy the rest.Of course, many of them won't....antibiotic resistance anyone?
It was very hard to see.
But being in Ndejje was great! We made friends with a shop keeper and had lunch at his shop everyday, we went out to the one bar in the town, and hung out with the family a lot. The family was all women - the mom, her three daughters, and then two granddaughters. One granddaughter was named Shellina and was about 4 and very cute. The other was a little baby named Frank.
When everyone came back from their communities, we went on a little "vacation" to the Southwestern part of the country, which was an 8 hour car ride on some very bumpy roads. Adi, you would've yakked. :) First we went to Kibale National park which was sooo beautiful. We saw lots of different kinds of monkeys and heard about really cool research happening there that has to do with the links between animal health, human health and conservation. Then we drove to Queen Elizabeth National Park and went on a boat ride where we saw hippos, water buffalo, waterbuck, crocodile, and elephants! the next day we went on a game ride and saw babboons, elephants, antelope, waterbuck, waterhogs, guinea fowl, AND a lion!! it was so nice to get out of the city for a while and relax in beautiful places. I am taking a lot of pictures, but so is everyone else, and when they get back they are going to make a website to post all the pictures on. I will share that link so everyone can see those pictures before I come home! Kibale also felt very luxurious because we had hot showers (not buckets) and flush toilets!
For my "travel time" I am planning on going to Sipi Falls and Mount Elgon in the east,and I also want to go to Lake Bunyone (I'm spelling that very wrong), and to Lake Mbonge (also spelled wrong) where there are supposed to be zebras. But then there's also this international music festival in Kampala, and Linda (my professor) wants me to work for a couple days at the diabetes clinic where she is doing her research, and said that she'll pay for me to do that, AND I also want to see Gulu in the North, which every Ugandan, including our high-strung professor here says is extremely safe now. As expected, I have tons of options and am getting really excited to explore on my own, although I will miss this group. Kenya is looking less likely because Jesse can't figure out her plans..but we'll see, everything is open!
All in all, I am having a great time here. It is hard to feel so disconnected from everyone at home, and unlocking my phone is proving to be extremely unsuccesful, which is frusterating. If it doesn't work soon, I will buy a new phone here. Okay, that's all for now.
I love you all, and I miss everyone a lot!!
love, shelly
So, I will start with a very overdue apology: I am so sorry to everyone that I didn't get a chance to say goodbye to, AND also to say congratulations on graduation! I was so overwhelmed with exams, subletters, moving out of my room, and packing for this trip that I was totally in my own little bubble and I'm sorry about that. So, CONGRATULATIONS!
okay. so now an update.
The group of 13 of us students split up for a week to go to more rural sites and work in the health center which was a great experience. I was with three other girls and we bonded so much and just had a blast together. The best part was that we stayed with a wonderful Ugandan family that cooked really yummy food for us, and really welcomed us into their home. It was nice to see how Ugandans actually live, although they were pretty wealthy compared to the average Ugandan. The work we did at the health center was eye opening, frustrating, and very sad. It is absolutely impossible to compare the clinics here from the ones in the US. The system is: first you wait in line to see the "clinical manager," (I don't think we had any doctors there, I think they were all nurses). Three or four people are in same room with you while you then have your "exam" which is not an exam. They don't even take vital signs, it was basically a verbal report of signs and symptoms, and then the nurse prescribes your drugs and injections, and maybe blood or urine tests. so then you wait in line for the lab for your tests. then you go back in line to see the doctor again, then you go back in line for your injections, and then back in line again for your medications. AND, maybe you need gloves? or a special syringe? You have to go buy it somewhere and come back and wait in line again. Also, we didn't have enough medication to give everyone there full doses, so we gave what we could and then they have to go buy the rest.Of course, many of them won't....antibiotic resistance anyone?
It was very hard to see.
But being in Ndejje was great! We made friends with a shop keeper and had lunch at his shop everyday, we went out to the one bar in the town, and hung out with the family a lot. The family was all women - the mom, her three daughters, and then two granddaughters. One granddaughter was named Shellina and was about 4 and very cute. The other was a little baby named Frank.
When everyone came back from their communities, we went on a little "vacation" to the Southwestern part of the country, which was an 8 hour car ride on some very bumpy roads. Adi, you would've yakked. :) First we went to Kibale National park which was sooo beautiful. We saw lots of different kinds of monkeys and heard about really cool research happening there that has to do with the links between animal health, human health and conservation. Then we drove to Queen Elizabeth National Park and went on a boat ride where we saw hippos, water buffalo, waterbuck, crocodile, and elephants! the next day we went on a game ride and saw babboons, elephants, antelope, waterbuck, waterhogs, guinea fowl, AND a lion!! it was so nice to get out of the city for a while and relax in beautiful places. I am taking a lot of pictures, but so is everyone else, and when they get back they are going to make a website to post all the pictures on. I will share that link so everyone can see those pictures before I come home! Kibale also felt very luxurious because we had hot showers (not buckets) and flush toilets!
For my "travel time" I am planning on going to Sipi Falls and Mount Elgon in the east,and I also want to go to Lake Bunyone (I'm spelling that very wrong), and to Lake Mbonge (also spelled wrong) where there are supposed to be zebras. But then there's also this international music festival in Kampala, and Linda (my professor) wants me to work for a couple days at the diabetes clinic where she is doing her research, and said that she'll pay for me to do that, AND I also want to see Gulu in the North, which every Ugandan, including our high-strung professor here says is extremely safe now. As expected, I have tons of options and am getting really excited to explore on my own, although I will miss this group. Kenya is looking less likely because Jesse can't figure out her plans..but we'll see, everything is open!
All in all, I am having a great time here. It is hard to feel so disconnected from everyone at home, and unlocking my phone is proving to be extremely unsuccesful, which is frusterating. If it doesn't work soon, I will buy a new phone here. Okay, that's all for now.
I love you all, and I miss everyone a lot!!
love, shelly
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)