My seventh week in Uganda!

This week has just been your ordinary I’m living in Africa week- no naming ceremonies or tree house but plenty of memorable moments.

1. Mail from home- I got three letters from the states this week! It’s my first real mail since I’ve been here. Thank you!!

2. Avocados make great gifts- I have found Ugandans to be so generous. I went to visit a friend in his store and he gave me an avocado to take home. I have been given sugarcane, pineapples, potatoes, and avocados as gifts! Tinka says he’ll send me out more often to do “food-rasing” for the family.

3. Training, Training, and more Training- This week I trained 6 staff at one of the local science centers which bought back memories of working in museums in the states. Than this weekend, I trained over 60 teachers from 11 schools surrounding Kibale National Park. It is challenging to train in another culture as my accent is new to them and my approach is different than what they are used to but we had a great time learning new environmental education activities that they can use in their classes. Halfway though day 2, I twisted my ankle so I had facilitate the rest of the training from a chair!

4. Not as sweet as you once were- I had my first candy bar in seven weeks, not only was it not as good as I remembered but it triggered a migraine!

5. Yoga- Leon and I have discovered a new game. He likes to mimic all of my “yoga” moves- so there I am lying on my mat waiting for dinner (we eat outside on the ground) and Leon is doing yoga with me. Too cute!

6. Rain, rain go away- I don’t mind the rain so much, so far during rainy season we only have one or two storms a day. What I do mind however is typically that means the much of the day is cloudy so we don’t get any solar power. This means I can’t charge my computer! I’m okay not having air conditioning, TV, a refrigerator ( i.e. no cold drinks), lights, etc.. but I do like to have a charged computer.

7. Debate-This week I attended a debate between two of the schools I work with on a conservation topic. I was very impressed with the 7th graders passion for the subject and their ability to articulate their views in their second language, English.

8. Family planning- Over drinks one of the teachers that I work with asked me about family planning or contraceptive use in America. It is seen as the woman’s responsibility here and there are not many good options. Of the few options that are available to women here, most have unpleasant side effects. She thought since I came from America, I could train the woman in the villages on better family planning. I however, am not a health educator- just an example of one of the needs in this area of the world.

9. Creepy Crawlies- After being here almost two months, I still hate bugs, spiders, lizards, geckos, moths, and other creepy crawlies. As an Environmental Educator trainer here, I know that they all serve their purpose in nature. However, I hate having them crawl across my plate when I’m eating, climb the walls in my banda, waking up with bug bites, and always hearing things buzzing!

10. No more bathing out of a bucket- I got home today and Tinka has rigged up a shower for me !!! There is a large container that water will be poured into then gravity will pull the water into the shower head. For the last seven weeks I have been taking a sponge bath using a basin and two gallon jugs- this will be a nice treat.