Happy Independence Day!

Thursday was Uganda's Independence Day. So, no school and lots of celebrations. I spent the day with three of the teachers who stayed around, John, Abraham, and Morris. In the morning we took a walk into the village, a neighbor had slaughtered a bull and so we went to buy some meat. We came back and I headed home for a bit, relaxing in my hammock and reading. Then the wife of one of the local government officials sent her son with gifts for me! She sent me a basket of oranges, a tin of rice, 4 eggs, and a chicken for celebrating the day. Saying thank you is just not sufficient for those big gifts, I'm continually amazed of all the giving that happens on a daily basis.
So in the afternoon I was invited to have lunch with the three teachers, eating the meat they bought earlier. I took my gifts of food I had just received to share with them and offer something to the meal. It was a feast, complete with fried pork....so so goood!! After that they had been invited to a celebration out in the community and asked me to go along with them. John said he would carry me on the back of his bike and Abraham carried Morris on his...so off we went! It was about a 30 min bike ride, deep into the bush. When we got there they were setting up a small generator they had to play huge speakers and blast some music! It was just the family and then us. We all sat around the big pot of ajon (local beer) with everyone sharing from the six large tubes. They provided me with bottled beer, and every time I finished one, another bottle suddenly appeared. Trouble, let me tell you! When it started to get dark they wanted to do introductions. So everyone had to stand and say who they are and what they are doing. After we all went around, I was asked to give a little speech again. I cannot escape from giving speeches, even at burials (it's happened twice). After that we went back the music except now the older woman was requesting that I dance with her. We'd been there for a few hours and a few beers, so I had no hesitations getting up and getting my groove on with her. After that the rest of the family got up and danced with me and then the older man managed to get in a slow dance with me. Meanwhile, the teachers are sitting there laughing. Then out of nowhere a man appeared with a camera and before I knew it, each member of the family wanted a picture with me. I'm all hot and sweaty, not to mention the few beers. I cringe to think what those pictures must look like. But I had a great time. We left around 9, right before the storm started. I was on the back of John's bike (thank goodness I didn't bike...no drinking and biking!) and he was biking like there was no tomorrow...it was also starting to rain. We left Abraham and Morris far behind...I have yet to see them, I'm assuming they made it back! haha. John dropped me off at school and ran home and into my house right before the downpour! And then I immediately fell asleep. Needless to say, it was a rough morning. But it was a good independence day! And somehow the celebration went up to today, since there were only about 50 children at school, out of over 900. So, I jumped on a taxi and headed to town for the day. It will be another short week again. On Monday I am going to a wedding that I was invited to, and then at the end of the week I am off to Kampala for a Peace Corps workshop.

Twins, dance, and another drink gone...

Another Monday and I'm spending the day in town! I've been at site for awhile so it was time to spend the day elsewhere. But last week was not so bad. Teaching HIV/AIDS to primary six girls was good--we played some games and talked about different issues. This week I'm teaching the rest of the p.6 girls and then next week it's on to the boys!
Yesterday I went to the hospital to visit one of the teachers in my school who just had a baby. We were in the maternity ward and I can't remember ever seeing so many newborn babies. I went with some of the teachers and girls at school. When I first saw the baby, I said, hey he looks like me! Actually I'm darker than that baby! I think they definitely get cuter after a couple weeks. So they were all talking about giving birth and I'm just sitting there and apparently I had a "scared" look on my face. So they all began teasing me and then Silver said he's going to start praying that I get twins. I immediately said, Silver! don't you dare! And he laughed and said, you will call me one day and tell me that you are having twins. That's not something I want to think about right now, especially after spending all day in the maternity ward at the hospital. Not to mention, earlier this week I was in a taxi and we had to pull over because the woman behind me went into labour because we were hitting so many bumps. I'm surrounded by pregnant women. I think they were 20 in church yesterday...no joke.
Saturday was a great day. In the morning I went to Kumi to check my mail and I had a package from my sister with new music!! I spent the rest of the day in my house rockin out. It was perfect because it rained alllll day, so it was my excuse to stay in and write letters, listen to music, and have some alone time. Although, I did have people coming to my house to hang out and see if I was okay. Alone time is nonexistent here, if you're spending time alone, something must be wrong. However, I try and tell people I need it for my mental well-being! And then last night I had my own little dance party for 2 hours. Just me, my ipod, my candles, and the mosquitoes. I danced until my legs hurt and then I collapsed in bed, read awhile, and fell asleep. A good night. I must say, I really enjoy hanging out with myself, whether I'm cleaning (yes, I know, cleaning!), cooking (an even bigger shock), and doing some work in my house...it takes my mind off of everything and a good way to just be...if you know what I mean :)
Thursday is Uganda's Independence Day, I don't have any plans, maybe I'll spend the day at the pool? Or just hang out at site. I'll see what the Soroti gang is up to today. But most of the teachers are going to their villages so not many people will be around at home. I've got some work to do anyways, starting a poultry project, working with the married couples' group, and teaching the teachers computers...which is always a good time.
I have also been watching movies with all the children in the orphanage. When the group of Americans came in June they brought a projector so we've been showing some movies. We watched The Chronicles of Narnia this week (without sound) and the children loved it. They were cheering and yelling at the end, we had a good time!
And before I sign off on this blog...I would just like to tell you about what just happened. Adam and I were sitting at a table outside, having a cold beverage, when a man comes walking up to us and saying, etenge etenge (hungry hungry). Adam and I just shake our heads no so then the man proceeds to grab my drink (beer) off the table and starts running to the street and then throws it against the pavement...he didn't even drink it. All I managed to yell was, "hey! I wasn't finished with that!" Then we looked at each other and said, ok, it's time to go.

Emun (SNAKE!)

Yay for Fridays! It was the first week of the third and final term for the year. It’s good to have all the students and teachers back. I’ve been feeling pretty good throughout the week. I had a couple meetings and gave a few computer lessons, which made me feel productive, a good thing. I did see my life flash before my eyes once, yesterday, okay not really, but it was scary! Yesterday morning I’m sitting on my couch, doing my crossword puzzle book (I got it last week from my mom’s package…it’s almost finished, if that tells you anything about my super busy days), when I see something out of the corner of my eye. So I turn my head and there moving right along my living room floor is a snake with half of it’s body straight up. My immediate reaction: scream. And then I start yelling TOTO (mom), while I am frozen to my couch. She comes to my door and says, Sarah what is it? Ummm there’s a snake in my house!! Sarah, you come out! So I leap off my couch and run through the door and keep running until I’m a good distance from my house where I proceed to do my “spider” dance, although now I guess it’s my “snake” dance. Thank goodness the kids weren’t on break to see me freaking out. Meanwhile toto went and found the two biggest sticks, half the size of my body, and is standing in the doorway to my house. She looks hesitant. So I say, should I go get someone? That’s a yes, because she is even fearing snakes. So I run to school, walk up to the group of teachers and spit out, can someone please come with me and get the snake out of my house! So, two teachers, Alex and Francis, come with me to get the snake out. I stand on my porch peeping through my window. It is hiding behind the door. I have to walk away when they grab the sticks and start hacking at it in my house. Needless to say, the snake is a goner.
So, later that night I’m laying in bed, ready to go to sleep, when my dad calls. I’m talking to him for a bit, telling my snake story. And he says, well you know what that means right? Umm, no, what does it mean? When there’s one snake, there are always more. Dad?! Here I am lying in bed, already afraid that a noise means a bat flying in my room and now I have to worry about it being a snake! I don’t know which is worse. I didn’t sleep very well that night.
Work is going well…I’m teaching HIV/AIDS to the primary school kids on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays. The rest of the time I’m putting together our chicken IGA for the school! We’re planning to get 200 chicks! I’ve actually been studying up on chickens…fascinating creatures, let me tell you. And they are needy! I’ll be sending out an email with more details and a request for help with the chicken thing. Alright, gotta go, Adam and I just booked our room for Zanzibar and now it’s dinner time…pool time tomorrow! Lots of love!

It's been awhile...

So, I should start off by apologizing for not updating my blog like I should be doing, for those of you who are actually reading it! I could blame it on the internet being far away, but it’s also out of laziness and not knowing where to begin.

I can’t believe it’s September!! The time is really flying by, which makes me excited and nervous at the same time. The kids are on holidays again, they come back in the middle of this month for one more term before the long holiday. I think this consists of December, January, and some of February. I also hear this is the hottest part of the year in the Teso region…no work is done and people just lay around. I’m already a sweaty mess everyday, so I can’t imagine what this is going to be like. You might just find me lying naked on my floor, surrounded by a puddle of sweat. I’ll let you know what happens when the time comes.

Last week we had a workshop in Kampala, the first for our group since training. It was really great to see everyone and share our stories, excitement, and frustrations. But by the end of the workshop I found myself looking forward to getting back to site and my routine that has become normal and comforting to me. I find it so strange how we can easily adapt to a certain way of life. For example, multiple times I have found myself forgetting to flush the toilet (when I’m in town and have access to a toilet) because that’s one thing I don’t have to do anymore! Although…sidenote: for those of you who heard the prior lizard story: I went into my pit latrine this morning and freaked out a lizard which started to run all over the place. I tried to kick it out the door but it freaked and ran towards the hole, after which I heard the plop. I found myself saying, well, another one bites the dust. Poor little lizard. Yesterday evening I went into my room and found two chickens hiding under my bed and had to chase them out, the whole time I was fearing that they would shit in my house.

OH! And I have found an easier way to get my water; I don’t know why I didn’t think of this before. So my jerrycan is 20 liters, that’s a lot of water and heavy. The women here just throw it up on their head and carry it back like that. It never fails, someone always says, Sarah, you put that on your head…in which I respond that I will break my neck. Impossible. So I have started to fill it ¾’s full from the borehole. I can manage that amount of water…no one knows that it’s not full (I put the lid on) so they all believe that I am egogong (strong). And I don’t have to ask for help, thank goodness. I think slowly I will be able to carry it when it’s full, but I need to start working on these muscles, I can already tell a difference. No joke!

I should also mention that while I am writing this I am sitting on the floor in my house, using my new laptop that Father Charles has allowed me to use. It’s about 6:30 in the evening, raining, and getting dark (it gets dark every night at 7). I truly believe that this laptop has really improved my life here. I am able to charge it in the school’s office (which has solar power) and sometimes at night I watch movies that other pcv’s have put on it. Not to mention I’ve watched Sex and the City a million times…thank you Emily for leaving that with me!! A couple of the teachers saw the case in my house and said they wanted to watch it. I put it off as long as I could, until they wore me down. They used the excuse that they should know what it’s like in America as well. So one afternoon I watched Sex and the City with 5 of the male teachers--hilarious. Before I pushed play I told them that America is a bit more liberal than Uganda, and that they were not allowed to judge me on this movie. They really enjoyed it and now other teachers are asking to see it. Nothing like spreading American culture! Haha.

Okay, so you might be interested in what work I have been doing the past few months. By the way, I’ve been here for 7 months…crazy. I can’t believe it.

So I mostly work with Silver who is the catechist for the church. He’s great and I am so thankful that he is the person who I get to work closely with. For the past couple months we’ve been doing family visitations, we’ve actually visited over 100 families in the community. We talk about the health and sanitation situation of the family and what the family needs. Actually, over half the families I visit do not have pit latrines so they go to the bathroom in the bushes or swamps, which is damaging the water sources. I’m trying to figure out how this can be fixed. I need to find a way to get slabs for the community…then they can dig their own latrine and provide the building structure. Its just that slabs are expensive because the concrete is so expensive. I’m brainstorming on it. I have also started to work with the married couples’ group that is through the church. We are going to start a village savings and loan group and I will be doing workshops with them on family planning, saving money, hiv/aids, and other health issues. I’m looking forward to it…a little nervous. But the first meeting we had went really well. Also, when the term starts again I will be doing HIV/AIDS education for those students in primary 6 and 7. OH! And how could I forget…I’m also working with the school to develop a chicken project for an IGA (income generating activity) for the school. We are really experiencing the rise in food prices and the school does not have enough money to support and feed the children, so hopefully once this gets rolling the school will have some money to put towards food and school fees for the orphans. So that’s more or less the work I’m doing. It’s hard though, I don’t have a defined work schedule, so some days I find myself hanging out in my house all day reading (like today).

The wind is really picking up out there, I can see the rain in the distance, over by the mountains. Yep, I can see mountains from my house, Mt. Elgon to be exact, which is along the Ugandan and Kenyan border. The ones I see are smaller and located by Mbale. People are talking about flooding again this year around Soroti. Last year they had these freak floods that completely isolated the Soroti area, you had to take a boat there and they completely washed out the crops. There’s a chance it might happen again, I hope not. I got to Soroti often to check my email, buy food, and see Adam, Chad, and Marcy (my support system here). Chad and Marcy are both working in schools in Soroti. Adam lives in Serere…him and I have similar situations as to living in the bush without water, electricity, etc., he’s a life saver. We are all keeping each other here on those rough days when we just want to pack up and go home. Sometimes I wonder if I would still be here if they weren’t here. We’re just so far from Kampala and everyone else it seems that we really rely on each other.

Wow. This is long. I’m sorry. But if you’re still reading, thanks for continuing on! I’ll try to keep this updated, especially now that I have a laptop. So stay tuned…

P.S. my language skills aren’t too bad, I can understand a great deal! In Kampala I got frustrated because I don’t know Luganda and couldn’t understand what people were saying…it was definitely time to come back home to my Ateso land!

hello my loves!

first let me start with my new address:

sarah hampton

st. charles borromeo

p.o. box 338

kumi, uganda

send stuff.

so, three weeks and i made it into soroti...i'm here to spend the day with adam and stock up on some supplies. not to mention i needed to get away from site for the day and spend some quality time chatting it up with my fellow muzungu!

site is okay, a bit boring and lonely right now. all the students and teachers are in their villages for holidays until the end of may. and then everyone around me goes to work in the gardens since the rainy season has just begun. but there are some people around me, i'm excited for the teachers to come back though...there are about 20 teachers, 14 of which are men. so i mostly hang out with them...we've had some interesting conversations in the teacher's office, i was going there just to hang out with them and get to know them...and then we play cards. now that they know i drink beer (and are astonished) they are going to be coming over to have beers at night...which makes me happy, nights are when it gets pretty lonely.

so i'm just hanging out, i need to buckle down and study my ateso though...i can understand a lot now, it's just speaking it which proves to be a problem. but by the end of two yeras, i really think i will be fluent! (i have no choice)

i have many stories and i wish i could sit down with all of you and share them over a COLD beer. but alas, no can do. unless you come visit me, which i think you should.

let's see, i was kept awake the other night by a bat in my room that kept flying into my mosquito net, after which i woud smack it with my pillow. i finally got enough guts to race out of my room, hide under the blanket on my sofa and wait for the headmaster's family to wake up and come outside. i then ran outside, wrapped in the blanket and told them to please remove the bat from my room. his wife, who i love, i call her toto (mom) laughed so hard she was crying. she got the bat out and then her daughter beat it with a stick. so that was solved.

the other morning i went searching for white ants with some of the students. they only come with the first rains...and they fly and are HUGE! but we caught thousands of them...and then fried them. and yes, i ate them. they actually tasted a little like popcorn.

so when the new term begins i'm supposed to start a drama group wiht the students..we're doing songs and skits about hiv/aids which we will then present to the community. tomorrow i'm supposed to give the headmaster a one on one lesson on the computer. the last one i gave, when she tried to move the mouse over the to the start button, she would move her entire body. and i've learned that i must be Extremely patient. but it will be good in the end.

alright, time's up. adam and i need to do some shopping!

send me stuff! letters, food, games...you name it.

love you all and miss you more than you know!

awanynos bobo! see you again!

sarah

st.charles

heeey everyone,

so i'm back in kampala and then off to luweero after my internet time. last night i got in from kumi after staying at my future site for 2 days. crazy!! the past fews days have been a rollarcoaster of excitement then followed by the thought, i can't do this. day by day.

so here's the lowdown on my site:

i'm in the middle of nowhere. seriously, i'm in between villages, off the main road a bit. then you come to the school compound, which is where some of the students live (the orphans) and the 20 teachers and me. i can walk to the classrooms from my house in 30 seconds...their playground is my backyard. there is also a church on the grounds too which is very beautiful. they have daily mass/prayers and i went on thurs. Father Charles (who is my supervisor) dedicated the mass to me and my family in america, which was very nice. He's awesome, I really like what he's doing and he has a great vision for the place. He really wants me to work with the orphans and the children. the orphans that stay on the compound are from the north. father charles worked in the camps in the north for 5 years and then started st. charles borromeo. he brought the orphans here and he said he wants me to work with them because they are traumatized from the wars. so i will be doing counseling and building self confidence and the like with them. he wants that to be my primary focus i think. but then they also want me to be a drama teacher/art teacher/health teacher and apply for grants to get new classrooms and then teach all the teachers there to use computers. so i think i'll be doing a little of everything....oh and he also wants me to travel out to the villages and do family visits and teach the community about sanitation and personal hygiene and hiv/aids. i'm a little overwhelmed right now, to say the least. but the students were adorable...960 of them welcomed me with a song and speech and then i had to give a little speech as well. this much is for certain...i will definitely be fluent in ateso.


my house. i share a "duplex" with my counterpart, who is the headmaster, and his family. he's really nice and so is his wife. i think they will act as my "parents" while i am there...although, he's already mentioned a few times he has a son my age who will be staying with us during the holidays. multiple people have told me that i must get married to an ateso man and stay for at least 4 years....but i'm straying from my house. i do not have water or electricity, which is kind of a bummer. i'll have to take my bike to the bore hole and carry the water back on that. i have a pit latrine that is far enough from my house that a few times i had to literally run there and almost didn't make it. my bathing area is awesome though! except that it doesn't lock. but there is no roof and it's outside...so the first night a took a bucket bath under the stars and there was a storm in the distance so the sky was lit up with lightening...that was awesome. and in the morning i took one while the sun was rising. and if it rains, i can just take my soap out and shower in the rain. so yeah....i'm pretty rural, as rural as we get. oh and there are about 100 cockroaches living in my house....they said they would fix that before i come back...ummm yeah, cause i can't live with that. adam is in the same situation as far as housing goes. the people in soroti (an hour away from us) are running water, a toilet, and electrictiy. i think i'll visit them a lot.

so we have one week left in luweero with our families and then we head to kampala next week to visit the embassy and then we are sworn in as volunteers on thurs, april 10th.

i miss you all like crazy....i'm buying an extra bed for my house for visitors....that means you. so please come.

"shake your body"

HAPPY EASTER!

I just got back from mass and an easter breakfast (of eggs and chips-french fries) with 6 others. the mass was very beautiful and in english-granted we got up and went to the one at 7 in the morning. but the priest told us today we must all shake our bodies for jesus because he is alive today! it was great. It feels like easter without the chocolate bunnies and eggs...i still wanted to have an easter egg hunt,but that's a no go.

last night i explained to my mom about our family easter traditions...the egg hunts, coloring the easter eggs, and just spending the day with family...i'm excited to get a call from all of you today though...i'm currently charging my phone just for that!

we got done with training early yesterday so i went home and took a nap. it was a rough night 2 nights ago...i woke up at 1 in the morning and had to run for my bucket in the room. going pee is called a short call here, and pooping is called a long call. well, it was my first experience having a long call in a smallll bucket, in my bedroom. you know the movie dumb and dumber...the scene with jeff daniels on the toilet...that was me, except i was on a bucket and probably waking up the whole house. when i left in the morning my mom said "i wish you a fast recovery." oh goodness. but i'm all good now...i'm sure you all wanted to know about my bm stories.

so it's officially the rainy season..and we don't have water, go figure. and the power has been gone for days. BUT it's COLD!! and by cold i mean it's in the 70s. it's amazing...but i still manage to sweat. my mom is constantly complaining about the cold and that she can feel it in her bones. the baby is wrapped up like it's ready for a winter blizzard. the other night she's telling me that she sleeps in a sweatshirt, blankets and a towel over her head. i'm thinking, woman, it's still freaking hot here! but instead i told her she would not survive in america...she just laughed.

adam and i are the highest in our language class! woot..we're kicking ateso's butt! i leave for my future site visit on wednesday...terrifying.

i'm already nervous about going through muzungu withdrawal...today we talked about how excited we are to plan our parties in different parts of the country and to visit each other. and in the beginning of july we will all be getting together for some more training after three months at site. then someone brought up our site visit this week and actually having to work...looks of terror and nervousness came across our faces but it will be interesting/good to get to site and figure out what work to do!