Gertrude and other Suubi stuff

It’s hard to believe that I left home 4 weeks ago today! The time has been flying by, and I feel so lucky to have been introduced to so many amazing people so far.

The past week has been busy with Suubi stuff. Rachel and I started the English class this week. It went fairly smoothly, and I think it will get even better when we’ve had a little more experience and can determine what is important for the women to learn. There were about 15 women there, which was the perfect amount. A few of the Suubi women are very proficient in English (reading, writing, and speaking), and they were nice enough to help us translate. The women that came were so excited to be there, and really enthusiastic about learning not only how to speak, but also how to write, which is great! We also go to Walukaba every Tuesday afternoon for Luo (I've been spelling it Lual...that's embarassing) literacy class, which is what the picture of the women sitting in a group is.

Rachel and I were able to spend a few afternoons with a lady named Gertrude (the woman in the picture...it's not very good, so I'll try to get a better one soon). She took us around Walukaba to 8 or 9 of the women’s houses to visit. It was so neat to see where they live and to spend a little time with each of them. The plan is to spend more and more time with the women in Walukaba and Danita (the villages where they live) for the rest of my time here, which I am very excited about!

I want to share a little bit of Gertrude’s story with you. She is probably in her 40’s and has 6 kids. Her husband died of AIDS about 9 years ago, and she has been responsible for all 6 children since then. In many cases when a husband dies, the husband’s brothers will take in the widow and her children, but that didn’t happen in this case because all of Gertrude’s husband’s brothers have also passed away (most from AIDS). Before her husband died, he was able to buy a house for his family. I have not seen the house yet, but from hearing Gertrude describe it, it sounds like it’s pretty big and in good condition, which is kind of rare for here. Shortly after he died, a tree fell onto the house and completely demolished it. She and her children are now living in a room that is about 10 feet by 8 feet. She has been trying hard to get her house repaired, but has not gotten far. Based on what I’ve observed of Ugandan efficiency, I would guess that it will be years before she will be able to move back in. Her children should all be in school, but she can only afford to send 4 of the 6 because school fees are so expensive (probably about $100-$200 per kid per term, and there are 3 terms per year) and she has a limited amount of income. Suubi provides a consistent income for her, and she is able to sell some of her crafts in stores around town, but it’s still not quite enough. Stories like this make me want to withdraw all of my money from my account and give it to these people (until I remember that I wouldn’t be able to eat for the next 2 months if I did that), but pity is the last thing that these women want. They are so incredibly talented, giving, and hopeful in the face of such difficulty…it’s really amazing and very humbling! For me, these women are unknowingly giving me such great things, simply by being so generous and joyful, and allowing me to be a small part of their lives!

Safari pictures

These are 3 of the 4 lion cubs and a huge male elephant that was just hanging out by himself eating away. It was so awesome that we were able to get so close to all the animals! That was definitely a highlight of my trip so far!
I wish I could upload more, but I would have to hang out in the internet cafe for about 4 hours, so if someone really wants to see more, I can email them or put them up when I get home!!

So, this one time in Uganda...

I feel like I'm starting to accumulate lots of stories that will start with, "So, this one time in Uganda," so I thought that would be an appropriate title!

This past week has been a week full of relaxation and very touristy things, but it's been great! I went on a 2-day safari at Murchison Falls National Park with 3 other girls (Rachel, who I live with and is another Suubi volunteer, and Jody and Tracy, who are Amani volunteers). We left Jinja at 4am on Wednesday, and finally got to Murchison at about 1pm. The roads here are paved (sort of/sometimes), but most are FILLED with potholes the size of a small car, so it was a rough ride. I took a lot of dramamine, so I slept most of the way! The first activity was a boat ride along the Nile. We saw tons of hippos, some elephants, and crocodiles, along with various species of birds and antelope. We slept in a campground near the river, and were woken up by the sound of hippos munching on the grass right outside our tent. It was cool to see them so close, but I was glad when they moved on! There were a couple really big ones, and a couple babies. One of the big ones was about 3 feet away from our tent at one point...we all agreed that they smell pretty bad! The next day we went on a game drive and saw tons of animals, and most were really close to our van! We saw a big herd of elephants that crossed the road right in front of us, several giraffes, lots of antelope, water buffalo, warthogs, a couple monkeys, and best of all, lions! We were able to get really close to a female lion and her 4 cubs, which was amazing! After some minor car repairs (a dead battery and a flat tire), we headed home. We stopped at a rhino sanctuary on the way and walked right up to 3 rhinos. Apparently they were killed off in Uganda in 1982, and they're slowly trying to reintroduce them. As of now, there are 8 rhinos in Uganda...6 in the sanctuary and 2 in a zoo. Since there are so few, I feel lucky to have seen them!

I also went on a day long rafting trip down the Nile with a bunch of people from Amani! There are 4 or 5 class 4 rapids, and 4 class 5 rapids in the stretch that we rafted on, so it was really fun! It wasn't quite as scary as I thought it was going to be, so I might go again later on if the rapids get a little bigger!

The rainy season has just started, which means that it almost always rains at night and usually rains for a while in the afternoon. Yesterday (Easter), it rained all day, which put a damper on the Easter egg hunt at Amani. When it rains here, it pours, and everything kind of shuts down. No one goes anywhere, and if you're on your way somewhere, you have to stop and find some sort of shelter to wait under. Other than the occasional rain, the weather here is always about 75 or 80 degrees, so it's pretty hot in the sun, but very nice in the shade. People here move really slowly with everything they do (and therefore don't really do much), and I always have to laugh at the huge groups of Ugandan guys just sitting under a tree. They'll be there in the morning when I leave the house, and they'll be there in the afternoon when I come back.

Rachel and I have been working on getting the English program for Suubi started, and our first class will be this Thursday. Neither of us has taught before, so it should be interesting! Betty, who is our Ugandan house girl has been helping us translate words from Luganda to English, which is going to be a huge help! We will have a translator, but it will be nice to at least attempt to communicate with the women in Luganda! They are very excited to start the class and learn how to speak and write, and we're excited to be a part of it! We have been going to visit the women during their Luel literacy program, which has been fun. A group of women meet every Tuesday afternoon and work on reading and writing in Lual, which is the native language for many of the Suubi women. It's fun to sit with them and have a glimpse into their lives for a while!

I was going to upload pictures, but I can't get it to work today for some reason, so I'll try again sometime in the next couple days!

Week 2

Hello! It's hard to believe that I've been here almost a week and a half! The time is flying by. I have been staying very busy at Amani Baby Cottage...I'm volunteering there every morning, and I usually hang out and play with the kids in the afternoon as well. They are all so fun to be around. Some of the other volunteers and I took 4 or 5 kids swimming yesterday, which was so much fun! The picture is of Nathaniel, one of the boys...both of the pictures look kind of dark, sorry!

I was able to go to the village of Walukaba last weekend and buy a bunch of necklaces from the Suubi women. It was so great to get to meet them, and I'm so excited to interact with them more over the next couple months. A new Suubi volunteer, Rachael, is arriving today, so I am hoping that we will be able to spend several days in the village with these women visiting their homes and learning about their lives! A few of us are starting to put together an English program for the women, which I'm excited about. They all came from northen Uganda, so they speak Lulal as opposed to Luganda and/or English, which are the languages spoken in this area. I will definitely keep you updated on how things are going with that!

Renee took me to the hospital a few days ago...that was pretty interesting. We took some food to the patients in the maternity ward (which is what the picture is of) and the accident ward. Since it is a government run hospital, the patients must bring their own sheets, clothes, food, etc. Such a difference from hospitals at home where the patient's every need is met! There is virtually no privacy, with the exception of the women about to have their babies. We were able to go into the room where they keep the premature babies, and it was so sad. There were crates (my first thought was, "These look like something chickens would be transported in") that the babies were lying in, and there were definitely not any of the fancy incubators or monitors for them to use! It was pretty unbelieveable.

That makes it sound like this is a really sad place, but all of the Ugandans that I've met are so incredibly happy and hopeful, that I feel gulity for feeilng sorry for them! Many are very curious about America and what it is like, so it's kind of fun to tell them and see their reactions.

I hope you are all doing well, and I'll write again soon!

I made it!

So, after two 8 hour plane rides, a 9 hour layover/whirlwind tour of London, and a death-defying drive from the airport in Entebbe to our house in Jinja (there are about 5 times too many people on the road...it's crazy), I arrived at my home for the next 2 months! At the moment, I'm living with 3 other girls in a VERY nice house. The girls are all awesome, and have made me feel very much at home. They have been very patient the last few days as I have been tagging along with them everywhere they go, and have been so nice to show me all over town. Jinja is actually a fairly modern/large town. There are quite a few resturaunts, shops, grocery stores, and internet cafes all along main street.
The past few days, I've been going to Amani Baby Cottage, which is one of the orphanages in town. It has been great, and I love being able to spend most of every day playing with all the kids. I think I'm going to try and stay involved there, and possibly at another orphanage, as well as working with the Suubi project. Within the next week or so, I am going to start working with another volunteer on organizing an English program for the Suubi women. These women live in a village outside of Jinja, and I will be going there to buy necklaces from them on Sunday. I'm very excited to see the village and to get to know the women.
The past few days have been amazing, and I can't wait to learn more about this great place and the amazing people that live here!