Mzungu Privilege

I’ve been thinking about this topic for awhile and now that I’m riled up, I thought I’d try to put it into words. Let's see where it goes!

Mzungu=the name everyone in Uganda calls you if you’re a foreigner, most especially white.

Surprisingly enough, the game of counting how many times that name is shouted at you on your walk somewhere, isn’t actually that fun. In fact, it’s really, really annoying.

(I don't know why this picture won't turn the correct way,
and maybe it proves my idiocy with technology,
but I tried! Just turn your head :D please)
Some lovely notes I got this week
from some lovely pupils <3

But there are a lot of perks to being one here.

Examples:
*During the Christmas madness, me and almost everyone else were trying to get a bus. When it arrived, the mob started pushing and fighting for a seat. The conductor saw me and pulled me through the crowd to ensure I would be leaving on that bus instead of waiting for the next one.  

*There’s sometimes a large crowd at the tap where I fetch my water. But when they see me approach, they take my jerry can and fill it for me before everyone else’s so I don’t have to wait.
*Meeting people is so easy! Everyone wants to greet and talk with you. Some just want money, but a lot of them are genuine and just want to be your friend. After which, they will do anything for you.

*A constant state of appreciation can be nice. It makes you feel good when fellow teachers and other adults constantly tell you “well done” and pupils bring you notes that say “I lov you techr Anna”.

Today alone I really felt the “mzungu privilege” I have.

1^st: One of the student teachers requested me to observe his lesson because he wanted to hear my different ideas on how he can improve instead of the Ugandan method of having the pupils memorize everything. I also invited all of the student teachers over for a pancake lunch next week as a way to say “thank you for the hard work” to them.

2^nd: I was able to bring the idea of celebrating birthdays to my school to make individual teachers feel recognized and appreciated. This is something they don’t do, so when Tr. Mary walked into the staff room and everyone stood up and sang “Happy Birthday” to her, she jumped with surprise. Then we gave her the card everyone had signed and the chocolate chip cookies I’d made. She was so happy and said she had never felt so loved and that no one had ever celebrated her birthday before.

3^rd:  I made a friend a few weeks ago who is a baking fiend. He’s been inviting me over to show me his kitchen area with his oven and talk about the business. Today he was mingling some batter for a watermelon shaped cake he’s making for a wedding and gave me buns and scones he’d made earlier.

4^th: I went to town to have a nice lunch with a fellow “mzungu” friend at a “mzungu” restaurant. Then went shopping for some goodies like cheese and soy sauce on my grocery run.

5^th: Once home I was able to fall over on my couch and watch some TV shows on my computer. Then exercise and read a book.

6^th: After losing motivation to fetch water because the nearby tap is broken, a pupil came by to offer if he could bring me some from the far away borehole.

7^th: A friend came by because I’d mentioned how I wanted to plant some flowers now that the rains have started and he wanted to know what kind he could bring for me and where he could plant them.

8^th: A friend came by just because he wanted to talk to me. He’s a student in secondary school and is currently facing a lot of hardships concerning money. He’s one of the most honest, forward thinking kids I’ve ever met in this country and it’s so sad because my suggestions of how to fix certain problems might work in the states, but this is Uganda and things aren’t so easy as that.

9^th: I just got home from returning a dish a neighbor had let me barrow. I ended up sitting and talking with her until it was too dark to see. We discussed how hard working the women in this country are and how the men have such nerve to say and ask what they do of them. We discussed everything from how men have their wives take their basin to the bathing area for them to trading them for livestock when they get married to circumcising the women so they get no enjoyment out of sex so they won’t cheat (even though they could have 4 wives if they wanted).

10^th: And now, here I am. Sitting in my own house comfortable, satisfied, and expressing my views freely.

WOW! Something I don’t think I’ll ever take for granted again is how lucky I am to be a “mzungu” born in America. Uganda is a wonderful country and I’m loving my time here, but it’s made me feel a little weird. How is it possible that I can be SO blessed when so many others are facing such difficulties?

I was able to receive a great education to think outside the box.
I’ve felt so much love from so many people on so many occasions.

I have the knowhow to make a variety of foods using a variety of ingredients.

I have the funds to enjoy the more “luxurious” things in life.

I have resources that people here would do almost anything for.

I live in a community where people are concerned about my wellbeing.  

I have people willing to help me out just because they want to make me happy.

I’ve never faced such financial struggles where I didn’t even have shoes for school.

I haven’t ever had to worry about marrying a man as fowl as that.

I’ve never gone hungry or been unable to express myself as I please.

Yeah, these are things we all hear from parents all the time, but it holds such a different weight when you’ve been living it for the last 16 months. I didn’t really know how the post was going to go when I started writing, and I’m sorry if you didn’t enjoy, but I’m happy with it. Mainly for my own sake. Because even though the words can be read to get the point across, the feeling comes from the experience and it’s something I think I finally, truly understand.

And I’m so grateful for it. 

Riddle me this:
What's better than "Adventure Time"
and cookies??
Basically nothing is the answer I was looking for

Invited some teachers for pot stickers.
They loved them!
Also, super pro at chop sticks

These girls are boarding pupils.
They wake up at dawn to do chores,
sit in a stuffy over crowded classroom all day,
and then come home to do more chores before bed.
So I invited them to make banana bread,
color, paint our nails, and take silly pictures.

I gave a lesson about teaching letter sounds
which lead to a very long (& funny) discussion
about spelling and pronouncing words

Random guy runs up to me as I'm walking by his house.
"Wait! *catches breath* Do you like baking?"
Instant friendship

"You are welcome our DEAR visitors"

“We are happy to see you here”
“Something…something else something…”
“I don’t remember the rest of the song”

^A song that Ugandans sing all the time to visitors they receive. (so maybe I should remember the lyrics..??)

Anyway, today was DEAR Day.

“WOW! Like, OMG! WHAT DOES THAT MEAN??!?!?” <-your reaction

Reading culture isn’t here and most of my pupils can’t read anyway because of how little it’s emphasized on in school. So, PCVs all over the country organized so that we would all Drop Everything And Read (acronym making sense now?) on this day to encourage reading. My awesome fellow PCV who was in charge of the whole thing organized it so my school would get a visitor from the US Embassy, which was a huge deal! Also, a Peace Corps staff member came to visit. Needless to say, that really pumped up my school for this event and I think we all had a great time.

The assembly

We first held an assembly where our embassy visitor read a short story called “The New Ball” in English to the 900 pupils. Two other teachers translated into the local language and 15 other teachers acted out the story in the background. Lots of laughs were had at watching the teachers trying to get a hold of the ball. Then everyone went back to their rooms and the teachers conducted a reading activity with their own class. They really enjoyed having the visitors and showing off their reading skills. It was nice to see the eagerness and hear kids telling me they wanted books when it was all over. Yay reading for fun!

Some teachers had their pupils write
and read their own stories

Some teachers had their pupils read
together in groups

And some teachers did old fashion
read to the class :)

Today really made me appreciate my teachers, pupils, and school in general even more so. I really am in love with these people and this place and I feel very lucky to be here. Makes me sad to think I only have 9 months left... It's really gonna fly!

When it rains, it pours

There are two seasons in Uganda: rainy and dry. Dry season is no fun, but I didn’t mind it so much last year because it would still rain a bit and be somehow cool where I had been living. Here in the east, it’s a different story! I haven’t seen rain since Christmas… until today! It’s amazing how you can feel the dust being beat to the ground by each drop that falls. The loud crash of water hitting my tin roof is music to my ears! And I’m in love with the whole “not sweating in my house all the time” thing. Let’s raise our glasses to bid farewell to the constant dust layer covering everything and welcome instead, the muddy shoes and never dry laundry!

*clank*

It seems that bad things always happen in clusters. Let’s review the following week:

1. The nails in my back door hinge came out of the frame as I was closing up for the night.

2. The water was out from the tap I fetch from when I was having people come the next day.

3. My computer fan died and then my screen went totally black…

But with every negative there is always a positive. Let’s review the outcomes of each:

1. I got to feel awesome by balancing the door on a rock as I nailed my door back in.

2. My pupils were nice enough to fetch water from the borehole at the college until the water came back to the tap. Then my friends who came helped me fetch even more water from that.

3. My faith and confidence in Ugandans was restored by meeting Fred, who took apart, cleaned/fixed, and then reassembled my computer like it was nothing. It’s now working better than it has in a long time. Also, he only charged me half price!

Probably the most terrifying moment of my life,
but a job well done!
Also, disgusting dust clog.
Yuck.

Speaking of books,
my pupils keep bringing me them
because they 'love me' and
they saw me reading at school.
Oh Uganda... :P

Tomorrow starts the 3^rd week of school. I’ve had a good 1^st two weeks at the new place. I like all of my teachers and it’s very convenient living so close. My counterpart was assigned a transfer to another school, but we went to talk to the district education officer and she got to come back! I hope she can stay all year because she is AWESOME. There are a lot more pupils at this school than at my last which is a little overwhelming, but I’ve begun doing reading assessments with the P4 pupils so I can start reading groups. There are a lot of other things I’m ready to get into motion as well. Like on Tuesday, some teachers and I are taking 2 pupils from each class on a field trip to the library in town. They’ll learn how to use a library properly so they can share that knowledge with their classmates for how to use our school library.

The P4 class. Wow.

So cuuuute!

Fun story: Bats live in my roof. Usually they don’t disturb me other than dropping things and making noise. The other night I woke up to one of them being stuck on top of my mosquito net. (I work up a bit later to a mouse with the same problem) Then a couple nights after that, the bat somehow managed to get stuck under my bed. Friday, I walk into my room and there he is, just chillin’ on my bed post. So my friend helped me scoop him up in a can and release him outside. I’m sure he’ll find his way back and I can still hear a lot of creatures up there, but it was a total TIU (This Is Uganda) moment.

As I’ve mentioned, my new place is in a very convenient location so I’ve been having a lot of visitors. I had a very nice birthday lunch last week with my PCV neighbors and some more came this weekend for a Chinese New Year/Valentine’s Day celebration. Involved lots of good food of course. My house is finally all organized and I’ve also been keeping busy with other personal goals I’m wanting to work on this year.

Happy (late) Valentine's Day &
Xin Nian Kuai Le (next week)!

This year has started out really well and I’m feeling very happy to be here. Now, I’m going to go enjoy this rainy Sunday by drinking some tea while snuggled up on the couch watching a movie. Chocolate will probably be involved as well. As always, thanks for the love and support <3 <3

Life is Better When You're Laughing

Kuseka=to laugh. We definitely did a lot of that at the Camp Kuseka! Let me tell ya about it.

PCVs (Peace Corps Volunteers) put on camps for different groups of students during the school’s term breaks. This particular one focused on special needs children in the western part of Uganda. It was a smaller sized camp, only about 40 or so kids, but each camper had their own counselor and every counselor had a max of two campers. That was nice for developing a really good relationship during the week they were there.

Me and Sharon

The kids ages ranged from 5-27. Some had physical disabilities, some had mental, some a bit of both. They were broken up into 3 different groups with their counselors. I was in the Orange team and my camper was super cute! She has a limp and is so so soooooo shy. She’s 12 years old and understands a bit of English. It took her sometime to start talking, and even then she still didn’t say much, but her smile! Oh my gosh! When she was happy, she had the biggest smile and most adorable laugh. She liked to play and dance a lot. When she first arrived she was very quiet and didn’t play with any of the other campers. By the end of it, she was running around and participating with the others. It was a really great thing to see!

Spending all day everyday for a week with a bunch of kids is definitely tiring, but it was tons of fun! It was so nice to see these kids who have such a hard time here because of their disability, light up and be seen as themselves instead of “what’s wrong with them”.

Most counselors were PCVs but some of them were HCNs (host country nationals. Aka: Ugandans). Even some of the directors were. They also invited the parents to come for two of the days to attend sessions to learn more about how to empower their child. Most kids with disabilities get beat or neglected because of it. Seeing all the adults come together to stand up for their children was really moving. They even had a Special Olympics winner come as a guest speaker!

Camp is a lot of work. The days are hot, you always need to be on, and sometimes your camper just doesn’t want to participate, but it was all worth it in the end to touch the lives of these kids in some small way. Change is a very slow process, but I can already see that Uganda is heading in the right direction. I know that someday the stigma of disabilities will be eradicated! It’s just gonna take some time and a lot of work. I’m thankful to the people who do that :)

(Camp was from January 12-16^th so it’s been over a week since I wrote everything above. Now I want to say a short few words about more recent things.)

The week after camp, the new education group swore in as new Peace Corps Volunteers. I went to their ceremony and it felt very, very strange to reflect back on what I was feeling a year ago when I was in their shoes, what I’ve done/learned in the year since, and where I am now. It was refreshing to see their excitement, but also made me a little sad to think about the hardships they’re going to face. But they’re a great group of people and I’m very happy to have them here!

My poster for the gallery walk at MSC.
It's been a good year!

My cohort (group I came with) just got home from our MSC (Mid-Service Conference). It was the first time we had been together as a cohort without any other PCVs since our IST back last April. It’s truly amazing to look at how far we’ve come as a group and as individuals. MSC felt so far away this time last year when we had just arrived. Now it’s come and gone and COS (Close of Service) Conference will be here before we know it. It made me a little emotional to think about how quickly this second year will go and how we’ll then have to say goodbye. These people have become my family and show a huge support simply by being here and experiencing all this with me. You can talk about it all you want to friends back home, but they’ll never fully understand it like your fellow PCVs do. All of this hit me at MSC and I feel very blessed to have such an amazing group of people to share these two years with.

We’ve all been through a lot of ups and downs this past year and we’ll continue to go through more. That’s just life. Tomorrow is the first day of the new school year. I’m settled into my new house and now I get to settle into my new school. Getting a site change was no fun, but from it, a new motivation has grown in me and it feels amazing! I have lots of ideas I want to try out and am SO ready to take on this year!

I’m thankful to all of the people who have shown me non-stop love and support during these last few months when I was going through a difficult time. I feel like I’m in a really good place now and I’m looking forward to what lies ahead :)

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. 

Closing Time

My 1^st school year teaching in Uganda has come to a close! I want to talk about school only in this blog because I feel I’ve briefly mentioned it every now and again and I’d like to have one spot dedicated to only this topic.

The school year is divided into 3 terms. Term 1: Feb-April. Term 2: June-Aug. Term 3: Sept-Nov. I work at a Primary school which is like an elementary school. Classes are from P1-P7.

I spent this year trying to figure out how the academic system works here and what I want to do for next year. In the mean time, I taught my P4 class of about 50 pupils ranging from ages 9-13 English. They begin learning English in P1, but start being taught in it in P4. Since they’ve only really spoke and been spoken to in their local language, it makes it difficult when I know very little of the vernacular and I have a different accent than them. But some of them could pick me very well. Some unfortunately, did not. But they would have help from their friends.

My P4 class with my two co-teachers

During Term 1 and Term 2, student teachers come and teach for about a month. I would observe the ones in P4 during this time. I also gave a reading assessment to all the P4 pupils during term 1 and found out their reading level is VERY low. So I choose 10 that I could work with and did reading intervention groups with them during term 2. Term 3 was a little chaotic with things so I wasn’t able to continue this. But, I still taught letter sounds and how to blend and segment words in English class so everyone could get some tips (they all need it).

A school day looks like this: Assembly at 8, classes from 8:30-10:30, break 10:30-11, classes 11-1, lunch 1-2, classes 2-3:30, games 3:30-4. Some of them come in early and stay late for remedials. This schedule isn’t always so structured. Assembly can go over, maybe the pupils are asked to clean the compound (by slashing grass or picking up debris), staff meeting and going for mass can also interrupt classes. There is a time table for all subjects to be taught to each class (English, Science, Social Studies, Math, Religious Studies, Local Language, PE, Art, Library) but only the 1^st four “core” subjects are taught because those are what’s tested on.

Pupils pay school fees. A lot of them can’t afford it though and are sent home because of this. If they do manage to cough up small amount of shillings (a few dollars) for fees, then they might not be able to buy a uniform or shoes so they come barefoot and in their holey everyday clothes. The schools are also poor so their buildings are old, have holes in the floors and walls, doors and windows that don’t close or are broken, and aren’t able to provide lunch for the pupils. Teachers are sometimes not paid because of corruption in the government and usually they only became primary teachers because they didn’t have enough money to continue to university to get a degree so there is a strong lack in motivation by the primary school teachers. Only some of them really like their job.

It’s hard to get a lot of work or change to happen at schools, but here are some small things I was able to try out this year:

Positive Behavior System (PBS)

P6 student teachers rewarding their
"Pupil of the Week"

            My co teacher and I came up with a list of behaviors we want to see in our pupils. Every time a pupil shows a behavior in class, we gave them a paper to put into a bottle. At the end of the week, the pupils with the most papers was rewarded “Pupil of the Week”. We called it CRANE for Cooperation, Respect, Attentiveness, Nice manners, and Eagerness. Corporal punishment is still a big problem here, so this was to help reduce that happening and make school more enjoyable.

Base Pack Training

            A backpack full of fun games will make any pupil or teacher happy and motivated. So as an incentive to pupils showing good behavior, I taught the teachers how to play some fun games with them as a reward. They really enjoyed it too!

Everyone loves the parachute!

My Language Spelling Bee
            Some other PCVs partnered with the Ministry of Education or hold a Spelling Bee in most districts in Uganda. Since it was the first time this has ever been attempted, it was a bit difficult, but it was somehow managed. We held a spelling bee with the P3 pupils at my school. The top 5 winners got to attend the regional level spelling bee in another district. This was exciting because a lot of people never have the opportunity to leave their district and see other places. They got to meet pupils from other schools and have a nice lunch. The spelling bee was also in the local language so they got to learn how to spell in Runyankore which isn’t really ever written so it helped promote the value of their vernacular!

My school's P3 class
getting the top 5 Spelling Bee winners!

The regional spelling bee finalists! 

ReUsable Menstrual PadS (RUMPS)

            As I’ve mentioned, lack of money is a problem. So girls out in the village sometimes miss school one week every month because they can’t afford to buy pads. I held a workshop at my school with the P5, P6, and some P7 girls to teach them how to make cheap, reusable pads out of local materials. Not only do they save money, but they keep girls in school. Woman already have such a disadvantage over men in this country so this gives them the chance to stay ahead!

P5, P6, & P7 girls making RUMPS

Other Things

            I like to have fun so I also taught my pupils some games to play like Duck, Duck, Goose. I invited some of them over to my place as well and made them pancakes, watched cartoons, and had a dance party. In return, they have shown me their traditional songs and dances, brought me food items, and drew me pictures as a sign of appreciation. I also had a great time talking with the other teachers and getting to know more about them and Uganda. One of them even had me be her bridesmaid in her wedding! (Refer to my previous blog post from May)

Things might be slow going and very frustrating at times working in a school environment in Uganda, but all in all, I’d say I had a good year. It was difficult at first because I’m seen as a white person with a lot of money and was expected to hand it out, but that’s not the point of a Peace Corps Volunteer. Now that I’ve gotten used to things here and they’ve gotten used to me, I’m even more excited for next year. I have so many ideas of things I want to do and I’m much better prepared to make sure they actually happen! Or at least I’ll try ;)

And that’s just it. A lot of things fail for a variety of reasons here. Whether it’s because teachers are unmotivated to cooperate or they disassemble what you’ve done for purposes they deem more important, you definitely will have more failures than successes. But it’s important not to become discouraged, because even in failure, there is success. You’ve now learnt what’s realistic and what’s not possible. You’re not a super human and aren’t expected to change the world All you can do is your best and if you do that, then you should feel accomplished. 

One Year Down- Half Way Home

Nov. 10^th 2013: Left home

Nov. 11^th 2013: Staging

Nov. 12^th 2013: Left America

Nov. 13^th 2013: Arrived in Uganda

Now here I am. One year later. So much has happened in what seems like such a short time. I've learned so much, and consider it good or bad, but I've definitely changed. That’s what I’d like to focus on in this blog. All the good things and all the bad things. Because life is full of both of them and you can’t have one without the other.

***Please don’t think I’m being bitter in the “bad” parts. I just want to be has honest as possible about my time here. And who’s to say its “bad” anyway? Maybe it’s less preferred, but that doesn't always mean negative.

I’d now like to describe a day here.

You wake up to the bright sun shining through your window. When you pull back your curtain, you stand in awe for a moment admiring how beautiful the world around you is. The various hues of green on the trees and grass, the deep red of the soil, the rolling hills off in the distance. This all set to the backdrop of a gorgeous blue sky with big, puffy, white clouds. After going outside, you hear birds of all kinds calling. Again, you’re amazed how a creature could be so diverse in size, color, and sound. While walking, you take a deep breath and feel the clean air filling your lungs. A child runs up and hugs you with the biggest smile on his face. He’s this happy simply because you’re his friend and he’s so excited to have gotten to see you today. He takes your hand and leads to you his home where his family eagerly welcomes you with the most heartfelt greetings. They offer you a seat and tea as you chat about nothing in particular, just enjoying each other’s company. They wish you a safe journey as you ride your bike to the market. On your ride, you wave back to the people smiling and waving to you. Maybe you pass some children playing and laughing. Maybe you pass a monkey jumping through the trees. You’re happy to reach the market and see the lady who always gives you a bit more for your money. She asks how you are and how your family is as she fills up bags of freshly picked fruits and vegetables for very little shillings. At work, your coworkers are excited for you to be there. They are eager to see what fresh new ideas you can show them so that they may improve their situation in the best possible way. At your local shop where you go to pick up other items you may need for the next few days, you see a friend who invites you for lunch. They invite all their family as well because they want you to meet everyone and feel part of the family. They have cooked more than enough food that they have spent all day preparing over a fire with ingredients they picked from their own plantations. You laugh and share stories before thanking them and heading home. You relax outside reading a book as the sun is setting. You once more admire the beautiful array of colors emitting from the sky. Before it becomes too dark, you go to a celebration you were invited to where there is loud music, a lot of dancing, and people dressed up in dazzling outfits. A friend gives you a ride home because they want you to be safe. After washing off, you lay down in bed with a smile on your face, happy to be in such a wonderful place.

You wake up to roosters crowing and children screaming far too early for your taste, but it’s impossible to go back to sleep so you force yourself out of bed. You see that it’s pouring down rain outside which means that the dirt roads have now turned into mud rivers. Not only that, but now you can’t wash and dry your clothes that are covered in dust and sweat from the previous week. So you put on the least smelly outfit you can find and trudge through the muck to get to work. It doesn't surprise you that hardly anyone has shown up for the event you've been planning for the last month. You rush off to a mandatory meeting only to find it starts an hour late. The first three hours are spent discussing last meeting minutes and what should be talked about during this meeting. When you finally free yourself from the uncomfortable wooden desk you’ve been forced to sit in, you struggle to walk 30 minutes on the uneven road with cars coming within inches to hitting you to the nearest market. Turns out there is still a lack in the variety of vegetables you can purchase there and the lady is trying to charge you an outrageous amount for a couple of tomatoes soon going bad. As you’re walking home, a swarm of children with snotty noses, dirty hands, and hardly any clothes on surround you. They are grabbing and yelling ‘MZUNGU!! Give me money!’ You fight them off only to then be harassed by some boda men cat calling you and a taxi driver pulling on your arm because they want you to be their passenger. You’re frustrated and just want to be home, but you have to get some supplies from the shop. The salesclerk fights with you trying to haggle the price which you know to be too much. It takes five or ten minutes of arguing to finally get your bag of rice at the regular price. When you leave the shop, you start coughing on the foul smell of trash burning, pit latrine, or both. Finally you make it home to peace and quiet when your neighbor knocks on your door. He asks if you can lend him some money. Or your computer. Or the food you just bought. You begin to prepare your dinner with what’s available. Some bland, mushy, bland, boiled flour with beans. You pick the roaches and ants out of your food and eat. You want to relax and watch a movie on your computer, but power is out. So you wash off with water you have to fetch from a nearby borehole that may have debris of some sort in it. You’re left to sit alone in the dark accompanied by candle light until it drives you crazy so you get in bed. Your headache is worsened by dogs fighting outside, but you stick in your ear plugs and think how it’s one more day down… Until you’re later awoken by loud music blaring from the nearby bar.

Either of these scenarios is possible. Usually it’s parts of both throughout each day. Maybe one is less desirable to us than the other, but it’s still the way of life for many people in this country and who’s to say its better or worse than ours in the states? It’s just how it is.

Now, I’d like to share how I feel about certain things.

I’m more appreciative for the opportunities I have been given as an American citizen. I can travel almost anywhere I want. I have a right to vote and speak freely. I received a good education and was able to continue that in university if I wanted. Almost anything is possible if I work hard enough for it. I never went hungry. I always had clothes to wear. I can read and write.

My life isn't valued in how many children I produce and how many cows I can give to my father as a bride price. My fate isn't to become a housewife who spends every day cooking and cleaning for her family.

I admire many Ugandans so much because they put up with a lot of crap and still remain very happy and positive. They have very little opportunities, but they make the best of everyday. Some are so motivated. They know what they want and work hard to try to get it, even if the chance is a lot lower of them succeeding than it is for us.

A strong sense of community is good. Everyone knows and works together with everyone here. They all pitch in when there’s a celebration such as a wedding or a tragedy such as a death.

A simple life can be a good life. Most go without running water and electricity. A lot have phones, but a lot also don’t. They spend their time working hard from sun up to sun down. Usually tough, manual labor. They eat the foods they grow and they teach their children how to do those tasks themselves. Children are definitely not lazy and spoiled here.

I feel since I've been here, I've become a bit more numb. Seeing a child getting beat at school doesn’t make me cry anymore. I don’t think twice about a naked baby sitting in the road eating dirt. Pupils come to school without shoes, holes in their clothes, and not enough money to pay school fees? It’s all just another part of the day.

Money and power can be a disgusting thing. Corruption is so ingrained in this country, it’s hard to see how it could ever function without it. Why would it ever be ok to fill a 5 person car with 10 people? The traffic police might stop the taxi, but they let it pass without any trouble if the driver bribes them with a bit of money.

I've began to see how important it is to be here long term. So much stuff is donated or given to the people here, but they aren't properly trained on what to do with it or how to use it effectively so it goes to waste. They don’t know how to maintain it in a sustainable way. Short term volunteers do some good yes, but it makes it difficult for us because we aren't here to give them things. But when they see a ‘white’, that’s what they expect to get. Stuff. Not help and teaching techniques.

It’s hard to live in a developing country. Everyone’s hurting for money. They think you have it. They want it. It’s hard to make true friends here because they might only talk to you to get something out of you. I’m tired of always being harassed anywhere I go. I’m tired of not being able to walk down the road without being noticed. This ‘celebrity’ life is not for me.

I’ve become angry with Americans at times. Thinking about how much we waste and complain. How little education is valued when children here are dying just to get their hands on a book. It makes me sick to think about how much we have and how little we value it.

If I’ve learned anything here, it’s that I’m a conflict of emotions. Sometimes I’m very happy to be here and some days are super awesome. Other days are the exact opposite. I wonder why I’m here and I just want to go home.

Now that a year has passed, I look back and think of the difficult times I had. How I got through them with the support of friends and family. How fast this first half went. And now that I’m becoming more used to the place, I think the second year will go by even faster. I know that there will still be hard times. It’s guaranteed to happen here. I’m going to be depressed. I’m going to get frustrated. I’m going to want to leave. But I’m also going to have great times. I’m going to laugh. I’m going to make good friends. I’m going to have lots of funny stories.

Day to day life may be slow and difficult to get through at times, but life can be this way anywhere you are. We’re all living one day at a time. It might seem rough at the moment, but looking back, usually it’s the good times we remember. Memories get sweeter with age and I’m already finding this to be the case here now. I miss all of my friends back home so so much! But I also miss all the friends I made in Finland. And I’m going to miss all the friends I made here.

It might not have been all sunshine and bubbles here, but I’m glad I came. I've learned a lot and met a lot of really great people. Of course I’m nervous about what’s in store for next year, but

I’m also very excited to see what life brings.

Living abroad definitely comes with its struggles, but it’s worth it in the end to see it through. Usually you’re happier with your decision to do it than your regret of not trying.

last meal in the states!

ready to depart!

How we spent our 1st day!
We look so fresh

Can't believe it's already been a year...

HAPPY ONE YEAR!!!!!! Cheers, Uganda ;)