Ch-ch-ch-ch-Changes

The word “flexible” is such a cliché word to use right now, but Peace Corps definitely wasn’t lying when they said volunteers needed to be it. So many things have been changing for me lately which has required a lot of flexibility. Where shall I begin?

To sum up, I had to get a site change.

This means that I had to leave the place I’ve been living for the last year (and where I thought I’d be living for the next year) and move to a new place. This might not seem like a big deal, but it really interrupts a PCV’s service. Things move slowly here and it takes a long time working with your community for things to really stick and become “sustainable” (another PC cliché word). Not only did I have to leave the school I’ve been at, but also my village, district, and even region. I’ve been moved to a place that speaks a different language than I learned and with a different culture. The worst is that I had to leave the good friends I made and now I’m surrounded by a bunch of strangers like how it was when I first arrived. I have to relearn where everything is and meet everyone all over again.

But I make it sound all bad when it’s really not. There are actually A LOT of pros to where I’m going (the east) as opposed to where I was (the southwest).

I’m now very close to many other PCVs so I won’t be the only mzungu around. I’m also very close to a big touristy town where I can get a lot of ingredients and even milkshakes. It’s also closer to the capital so I won’t have to be stuck on a bus for as long when I need to go there. Speaking of transportation, they tend to not overfill the vehicles as much in the east (no more squeezing 10 into a 5 person car!). Also the school I’m going to had an awesome volunteer there before so they know what to expect and the teachers seem to be more eager to work with me. This also allows me to meet new people and experience a whole new culture and part of the country to broaden my scope of Uganda.

Site changes are never ideal for PCVs, but they happen. Mine was because of housing issues that couldn’t be avoided. I was sad that I had to leave, but I’m also excited for the new adventure waiting for me this upcoming year! I will miss the cool weather and hilly landscape of the south west, but I’m next to Lake Victoria and the River Nile now, so it’s not a bad trade (even if it is a little hotter).

Tonight is my 1^st night in the house. Fitting since it’s also the 1^st day of the year :P I felt a bit overwhelmed by the amount of things I needed to do when I arrived, but thankfully, my neighbor is awesome and helped me out by getting some girls to move things around, sweep, and mop the whole house! They also lent me some curtains and a jerry can full of water since I didn’t have any.

Info about the house: It’s big! 2 bedrooms, toilet room, bathing room, kitchen, and living room. It has electricity but no running water. There’s a nearby tap though so I don’t have to go far to fetch it. So it’s funny to have a toilet inside because it requires a manual flush by pouring water into the bowl, so the pit latrine outside might be easier at times. It also doesn’t have a ceiling so bat droppings, bugs, and dirt fall from the roof onto everything. I *might* be installing a ceiling (at least in the living room) but we’ll see. I live in a teacher’s house right behind the primary school I’ll be working at so I’m a bit nervous about the noise and privacy levels when term starts (but really, when is it ever quiet or private here?) I’m near a trading center so I can buy small things I need and also near the road so I can catch a taxi to town very easily to buy the bigger things.

Tomorrow will be a busy day of organizing, buying, meeting people, and learning where everything is again, but it’s nice to finally be at a place I can really call “home” and get settled into permanently.

My new place!

Some other changes have been the education group who arrived a year before my group are leaving! This is very sad because I’ve made really good friends with some of them and we saw them as “the old wise ones” who could always help us out. Now the new group of education volunteers has arrived and we’re the old ones! I still feel like I’m learning so much more every day, so it’s a weird feeling. It’s never fun saying goodbye to people who’ve been with you through so much during the last year, but it’s also been very refreshing to meet the newbies. Their enthusiasm is contagious.

And then there’s the holidays.

My second Christmas in Uganda has come and gone. I enjoyed it very much. How could you not when you’re surrounded by great friends and wonderful food? But of course I was also really missing home. To make up for all we’re missing, about 15-20 of us PCVs got together at a friend’s place, got a tree, decorated it with lights and snowflakes and even a popcorn string, watched “It’s a Wonderful Life”, sang Christmas songs, read the Christmas story from Luke 2, exchanged gifts via White Elephant method, ate Christmas candies (p-nut brittle, pies, caramel, etc) and dinner food stuffs (slaughtered chickens and duck, mashed and sweet potatoes, green bean casserole, broccoli salad, etc), and even had a “snowball” fight which consisted of filling nylons with flour and throwing them at each other! I even treated myself and got a jar of Nutella ;)

Happy holidays!

All these things combined with the “one year slump” many PCVs experience, have made me feel a roller coaster of emotions. It’s been a rocky last couple of months, but it’s getting better every day. I’m getting settled in and have a lot of things I want to try out at my new school. Not only that, I’ve set a lot of personal goals for myself that I’m ready to start working on. 2015 will be full of ups and downs, but I’m ready and excited for everything it brings with it.