I'm HOME!!!

In case you were wondering whether life is better in Uganda than it is here...it's not. We have washing machines! And dish washers, and grocery stores that actually carry what you're looking for. 'Course...I'm currently unemployed and merrily putting my house together and trying out new recipes from all those SWAS (amalgam of "sweet ass." Ask Brent.) cookbooks y'all gave Gabi and me before I left. (Erika, the Chez Panisse book is amazing! Weebale inho!) So maybe after I re-enter the true daily grind of western life, I'll find dust-laden, white-people-gawking rural Africa more appealing. And when all's said and done, they have hippos!!

I'm not going to delete this site until I've posted all my pictures on Kodak for at least two weeks, to make sure everyone can see them. As I wrote, I idiotically deleted my Murchison Falls pictures, so those won't come until until one of my travel mates sends me their copies. I hope they remember. Otherwise, it looked about like this: http://www.galenfrysinger.com/murchison_fall_national_park.htm.

As I'm typing, Joe is sticking his snout on the keyboard in an aggressive bid for attention. For those of you who haven't seen him, he looks about like this:
























He's cute, small, stocky, friendly, and in everyone's face. Very much Gabi's dog.

I'm trying to decide if I should start a daily life blog at home, too. What do y'all think? I might even one day learn to use a camera! I could introduce you all to beautiful, quaint, industrial, earthy Atlanta - such a great town.

Thanks for traveling with me. Pictures will be up either this week or next. Take care, all.

Kirstin

Homeward Bound

I'm leaving Uganda in 6 hours, Africa in 10. This has been one crazy trip! Once home (and with access to high speed internet), I have pictures to post and stories to tell. One story is about the time, when, in the middle of my trip to Murchison Falls, I realized that my camera memory card had filled up. Gabi had showed a me a way to erase one picture at a time directly from the camera (or so I thought), so I tried to select a picture and erase it. And there went the contents of the memory card. I just sat there on the boat, simmering at myself and fate.

But you'll all be relieved to know that the Jungle Cruise ride is accurate - the hippos really do wiggle their ears exactly just so. Elephants fan out their ears, and crocodiles sit with their mouths wide open. But Murchison Falls was the most spectacular waterfall I've ever seen, after Niagara. Basically, the whole of the Nile is pushed through two 6 meter openings. It's huge, billowing, and binary.

Thanks for keeping up with my adventures. Pictures will be up soon! (whatever I can scrounge up.)

Much love, Kirstin

Uganda Signage

1. Beware of the Falling Debrises!!
2. Anti-natal Care Clinic
3. Small produce stand selling "ova," and
4. "Do you have any function? (Best Big Brass Band is ready to serve you!)"

I am now free and clear of project work - meaning that Brent is swamped. We got through our hygiene promoter training more or less unscathed. We were working from dawn till 1am for about six days, but we did it!! The community members were supposed to obtain local materials for building latrines, plate stands, etc. They assured us many times that they had these materials. The afternoon of the second day rolled around and 'lo and behold...they had been lying through their teeth. Or perhaps not: the conversations would go something like this, "Us: Are the poles there? Them: Yes, they are there. In the garden. Me: "What...growing?!!!" Yes, dear friends, every single local material was gathered on the spot, except for the long nails that Brent and I purchased. The Life Lesson is, when it comes to other people providing you things of importance, if you can't see it, it's not there. In general, training was busy, rushed, hurried...not the right way to help people learn how to teach other people. This means that Brent is going have a lot of catch-up work to do at the promoter meetings. This is in addition to the nearly 80 surveys that remain to be entered, setting up a WaterGuard distribution system, making sure the hygiene committees and promoters know how to monitor, and all the other crazy stuff that kid gets up to. I'm a bit worried for him - it seems like it's too much for one person, and I feel guilty leaving mid-project. Having said that, we accomplished two baseline surveys, created a dedicated core of hygiene promoters, conducted training, and have created promotional and monitoring materials. All with severe power outtages, partners who don't show up to meetings, and a staff of two. We haven't done too badly.

As for me, I'm heading up to Murchison Falls and the elephants tomorrow morning! I'm so excited I could spit. Okay, well maybe not that excited. Part of me even wonders if I shouldn't have gone home a week early...now that I've left work, I don't know what to do with myself. But it feels right to see a bit more of the country and I'm looking forward to being a tourist. Also, I hosted a dinner party last night at our guesthouse. I wasn't sure if anyone would actually show up, but they did! The guest list included: the water engineer we work with, our copy lady, our translator/interviewer trainer/friend, the boyfriend of an ex-volunteer, a doctor UVP has worked with in the past, and our current partners at JIDDECO. The boyfriend is the owner of a posh local guesthouse, and I asked him to bring some music, thinking he'd take a couple of cd's I could play on my laptop. He brought a whole soundsystem and a DJ!! It was a weeknight and we ate too late to get a lot of dancing in, but I was so impressed. (Andrew, you rock!) It was a rather dull party, but a wonder expereience for me to be able to say goodbye to all the people who had kept me sane over the last few months. They probably didn't even know they were doing it, but each of them treated me like a real, normal person, and I loved them for it.

Equally heartwarming, the women who work at my guesthouse cooked all the food (I paid them, but still...they handled everything, even when I did my best to insist to help. I think they were afraid I'd hurt myself.). And I purchased two chickens for slaughter. I told them that I agreed that I should probably serve my guests chicken (meat is very big here), but that there was no way I would be able to buy live chickens. The boy who works at the guesthouse, Alpa, actually accompanied me to the market and did all my grocery shopping with me. You should have seen him, dead-serious, lifting these chickens by the legs in each hand to weigh them. Apparently he's the one who later slaughtered them; I didn't watch. And then today, the two Mombasan girls who befriended me gave me a beautiful wrap-around/shawl thing that (allegedly) says something like, "I'll never forget you, our friendship means too much," in Swahili. I was almost crying. This place would be quite livable if: a) it weren't so damn hot all the time; b) I spoke the local language; and c) Gabi were here. Despite all the annoyances, people are generally very kind and I'm grateful.

So I'm leaving a week from yesterday, arriving a week from today. I'm looking forward to going home, though it's hard to leave the people that I've come to care about. I hope the world continues to shrink smaller and smaller.

Thanks for reading, and Uganda's great! Visit if you get a chance.

Kirstin

Luke, ndi baabawo!

(see bottom for translation)

Ah, I'm coming along so well with Lusoga. Yesiree. The workers at our guesthouse now frequently speak to me in Lusoga, to which I invariably respond with "kale," meaning "fine," "thank you," or "you're welcome," depending on the context.

The hygiene promoter training was postponed, which means both that Brent and I have more time to get everything together and that I'm not going to Zanzibar. Instead, I'm going on a ">Red Chilli trip up to Murchison Falls, where the Nile river is pushed through a 6 meter gap of rock. The trip includes a game drive (elephants, antelope, giraffe), a cruise up the Nile (hippopotamuses, crocodiles, storks), and a chimpanzee trek through a rain forest. All in about two days, excluding travel time. It's under $200, 3-days long, and with a company I know and trust, so I'm sure it'll be a good time. Of course, my rechargeable batteries for the camera aren't working.

And now I have a shameless plea for y'all. Brent and I are missing a few key hygiene promotion flashcards, e.g.: cup, ladle, flies, kid crawling on ground, person sick with stomachache, handwashing sequence, etc. Does anyone want to do some pro bono art work? We're having a devil of a time tracking down local artists for some reason, and since training is starting the Monday after this coming (Jan. 30), I'm beginning to panic. The pictures would need to be scanned and emailed to us, but while we can cover all costs, we can't pay much more than that. But let me know if you're feeling charitable or need community service hours.

Take care!
K.

Translation (though honestly, who doesn't know what comes after, "Luke..."?):

Ndi = I am baaba = father wo = your

4 more weeks! 4 more weeks!

You know, if you think that I just sit in front of a computer and type on this blog, with no premeditation whatsoever...well, you'd be right. What can I say? Spontaneity lends flava.

So what's new with me...

Brent and I found a new restaurant, Oman's. He is a mixed-race muslim, and is the only person in town to serve traditional Ugandan food with Asian spices. At African prices!! This means that the rice is fried with cloves, the beans are spiced, and the food in generally cheap and wonderful. You have to understand that here, people eat lots of carbohydrates with no spices and very little meat, beans, or vegetables. Oh, and 5 people now have told me that I've gotten "big," which is exactly what I like to hear 3 months before my wedding. Our partner in the community, Banuli, cheerfully informed that if I keep this up, I'll be leaving Uganda as "a giant." har har har. He and Brent had a good guffaw over that one.

Brent and I are scrambling to create the curriculum and materials for the hygiene promoter training. It's challenging because we're trying to: a) train people about how diarrheal pathogens are spread; b) train them to become health promoters; c) train them to monitor their work; d) train them to lead 10-hh groups in construction and create work plans; and e) train them to build: latrines, tippy-taps, plate drying racks, rubbish pits, and bath shelters. A latrine takes 6 hours to build (if the pit is already dug), while a drying rack takes 4 and a rubbish pit takes 2. All over a 4-day period. I have no idea how we're going to fit it all in, but it should be fun watching the trainers laugh when we present our curriculum. Furthermore, this training was supposed to take place the week after this coming, Jan. 23-27. However, the trainers may not be available so soon, and the training may need to take place the following week, Jan. 30-Feb.2. Which means I may not be able to go to Zanzibar. Okay, I realize that children chronically getting sick with diarrhea because a family has no safe place to poop is on a different order of priority than laying out on white beaches that abut aquamarine water - I really do. But take a look at these pictures!! http://zanzibar.net Brent tempted me by saying that if I get the curriculum together, and the hygiene promoter packet, and the evaluation materials, then it isn't absolutely necessary for me to attend training. But I'd be so disappointed to miss it; this is when we'll finally get to see all the lightbulbs go on. I'm conflicted, though I probably shouldn't be. I dunno, friends, what would you do?

So I have either one more week of work (plus training) or two more weeks of work (plus training) left. I'm beginning to prepare myself to leave. My suitcase ripped so I bought a small duffel bag in Kampala. I bought rechargeable batteries for my camera, so that should work now. I'm thinking about where to leave my books and any extra clothing. I'm all of a sudden making an effort to hang out with some of the wonderful people that I've met here: Robert, the District surveillance worker; Tehzeb the Mombasan girl; Andrew the owner of EastView guesthouse; and all the workers at my own guesthouse. (These women are a riot, btw. On New Year's, one of the, Namatov, got wasted and went around town screaming aggressively at people, "Haappy New Yiah!!" Brent and I were laughing our pants off. And then we went dancing in the local club, which, surprisingly, had a painting of Kermit the Frog in gimp get-up with a chain around his neck, being held by Missy Piggy wielding a whip. Iganga never ceases to amaze me.) The truth is, as uncomfortable as this place can sometimes be, it's become my home over the past few months. I've even found a neat jogging route around the perimeter of a (rather picturesque) swamp. I know I'll be sorry and relieved to leave, all at once. But Gabi, if you ever decide you'd like to see this place, there are people here who'd love to meet you.

Take care, all. Btw, my cousin, Monica, is getting married tomorrow!!! CONGRATULATIONS! I so wish I could be there. Have a wonderful wedding and honeymoon.

Kirstin

No camera!!!

I know, I know, it's my own fault. I should have bought a new one before I left. Still planning to go into Kampala for repairs. But I will continue to pathetically describe what I saw yesterday in words; fortunately, Brent found a villager with a camera and paid him to take about ten pictures.

Yesterday was our first community-wide meeting. This is significant, because until now, we've been working only with the most interested and active individuals in both communities. We hadn't tried to reach out to or convince the average villager that hygiene is important, or that they should do anything about these issues. I'm not sure yet how successful we were yesterday; Brent and I tried to keep as low a profile as possible. But the drama group we hired kicked ass! They are a group of young twenty-somethings who have been performing for ten years. They are from a nearby village within the same sub-county (<15 mi radius), and have become so good that they've won national awards and even won a trip to perform in Sweden. It turns out that drama (and singing and dancing) is taken quite seriously in Uganda. You can major in it at the university, and people will respect you. (!!!) The national government values it sufficiently that each primary school is REQUIRED to have a drama group which is REQUIRED to perform at a national competition. Sort of like a mandatory spelling bee. Of course, drama groups here mix entertainment with social messages. Before Gabi gets his tidy-whities in a knot, I want to say that the group yesterday was VERY accurate in portraying village life. The performances seemed much less like proselytizing than humorous self-deprecation. People were are giggling, covering their faces, shaking their heads, laughing and craning their necks at their neighbors. The skit was about a couple who had no latrine, and when their in-laws visited, they sent the diarrhea-struck male in-law to the neighboring coffee plantation to defecate. He was apprehended by the owner of the plantation, and hauled off to jail. (yes, folks were laughing their tails off at THIS.) The male head of the compound just made excuses like, "Our latrine recently failed," and the wife made excuses, "You don't do any work at home, we work in the fields together, so why should I do more work than you?" and the kids just ignored their parents' orders to work altogether. Brent and I sat there, bewildered at why this was so funny to everyone, and terrified that these were the attitudes we were about to encounter.

The group finished by dancing and singing. They were awesome; I felt like I was watching National Geographic. Sweat poured down their faces, they danced so hard. I should explain that dancing here is part vigorous hip motion, and part running-in-place. Put them together and you have a nice, fast hip-leg roll. The women especially do this movement, and one of them was the little slutty girl who danced for us at the celebration we attended while on the JIDDECO field trip. She's an amazing dancer; it's just that she rolls her eyes up into her head and opens her mouth at the men she's dancing near. (I have a picture; will do my best to post it to the blog.) One of the (elite) Jinjans who were working with JIDDECO that day later told me she was scandalized by this girl. I was, too, but I wasn't about to admit it. I was too amused by the thought that a village girl had upset a university-grad girl.

At the end of the meeting, we had intended to have a community-wide discussion about the project, what to do about these problems, etc. Riiight. They were outta there. So the plan now is to have the hygiene committee designate the ten-household groups, and chat with the folks living in each one about who would make a good hygiene promoter. I know I keep saying this, but this community-based stuff is inspiring, fun, sluggish, tedious, and suffers from a lack of comprehension on both sides. Throw bizarre skin color and only speaking the language of the former colonial oppressors into the mix...In any case, even if our intensive promotional method completely falls through, the community will have: a) KAP (knowledge, attitudes, and practices) info on hygiene, sanitation, and diarrhea; b) a hell of a drama group performance; c) a hygiene committee; d) trained promoters/community resource people to whom they can turn if they're interested, and e) access to WaterGuard (sodium hypochlorite) solution. These aren't small things.

Life otherwise is just going on. It is very hot here. Abdul of Hot Chick, the local Pakistani restaurant, has recently gotten engaged to Maryam, the elder sister of Tehzeb, my little Mombassan friend. Word on the street is that Tehzeb herself (though only 18!) will soon become engaged to Abdul's good friend. The motorbike I used to ride out to the village yesterday broke down, and the second one barely made it in. Data entry in another language is difficult (but a great way to learn).

I miss you guys. I am going to drink coffee when I get home. (The beans are grown here, but not much processing.) And eat proper chocolate.

Love, Kirstin

Bienvenue, l'Annee Nouvelle!

Hi guys. I haven't written in so long, I don't even know where to start this post.

1. Rwanda
Brent and I went to Rwanda for a week over Christmas. I wasn't that interested in going because I figured that Kigali would be just a smaller Kampala. and in some ways I was right. It was still pretty dirty and crowded, and much harder to get around by local transport if you didn't know what you were doing. But by the end of the week, I too had fallen in love with the place. Why?

a) We visited the genocide memorial that opened last year. It was both glossy and raw. Beautiful exhibits inside detailing the history of this genocide and others around the world; mass graves amidst rose gardens outside. I don't know what I expected, but I was struck by the nature of the genocide, that neighbors rose against neighbors. Even a priest caused a church to be bulldozed, murdering over a hundred of his own congregants. In Germany, the Nazis did what they could to hide the death camps from ordinary Germans, but in Rwanda, everything happened in plain sight by the people themselves. I doubt I'll ever understand that. I was also shocked to learn that Germany and Belgium (Rwanda's former colonial masters) are responsible for the rift between the Tutsis and Hutus. Belgium has apologized; Germany has not. France also supplied the Hutus with arms and training prior to the genocide and provided "safe spaces" for fleeing Hutu genocidaires. France has not yet apologized. Finally, the UN decreased the number of peacekeeping troops in Rwanda after the genocide had begun. God only knows why. All in all, it was one of the the most disturbing stories I had ever heard, the Holocaust notwithstanding. They had an exhibit on the children who were killed, and I started bawling at that point. The final words of two of the children reportedly were, "Don't worry, Mommy, the UN will come save us," and "Why are you doing this to me, I played with you yesterday!"
b) But given that horrific history that happened less than 12 years ago, Rwandans are great. They dislike disclosing whether or not they're Hutu or Tutsi, and I think that's probably a healthy attitude. They all seem to like the Tutsi president and seem to think he's doing a good job at reunification. They have nice restaurants, hotels, and there was a lot of Christmas shopping. People there were more reserved than in Uganda, but never impolite. They even put up with my terrible French, bless them. I've never been so impressed by people wanting to recover and build a nation they feel safe in and proud of.
c) Brent and I traveled with his friend, Angela, who had family in Kigali. After learning that our hotel room didn't have running water (so the toilet didn't flush!), her family put us up. It was fantastic staying at that house. Her aunt cooked us amazing food (cabbage, beans, and a breakfast porridge that takes 2.5 hrs to prepare), they took us out dancing twice, and I watched enough Nigerian movies that I have actualy come to like the genre. (Always, someone is bribed or exploited, and usually there's a murder.) In addition, Angela's friend from Jinja had moved to Kigali, so we were able to spend time with his friends. One guy had survived the genocide (was in hiding for four months, had actually outrun would-be murderers, and once went a week without eating) and he was our official Rwanda tour guide. Another chatted with Brent about Christian meditation, and still another told me about Rwandan gender issues and divorce laws, and proved an excellent dance partner. These were the first Africans my age I had met without children, and it felt great to be in the presence of ... friends.
d) I splurged and went to see the gorillas in the Parc National des Volcans on Christmas Day. The little ones were so cute! They do half cartwheels down the hill rather than just walking straight. Yes, we had to hike up a huge mountain on a path that was freshly cut by a machete, and yes, it almost cost as much as a kidney (j/k), but it was a great experience and I'm glad I got to do it.
Plus, the roads in Rwanda are fantastic. I wish the US would do as well.

2. In other news, Brent and I have finished our baseline survey in Budoma, meaning we are now done with preliminary surveying!! We still have to celebrate, though; we were so exhausted last night that we each slept ten hours. I'm not sure what we'll do for New Years. The local club is having a party but again, we'll have to muster the energy. Next, we'll have community meetings for each community, where we hope to select the hygiene promoters. Then we're planning a joint training session for the hygiene committees and hygiene promoters of both communities.

We're trying to finish all this before I leave the last week of January. My flight doesn't leave Africa until Feb. 8, but I was hoping to continue my tourism a bit. I met a British female overland truck driver (of tourists, in case you're like me and had never heard of overland trucking) who said that the three things one must do in East Africa are: 1) mountain gorillas, 2), Zanzibar, and 3) a Kenyan safari, preferably at the Masai Mara. #1, check! I'm checking out plane prices to Zanzibar or Dar es Salaam, since I can't imagine that it would be worth three days of bus travel alone.

Sorry for no pictures. Gabi's camera has died. I'm going to try to fix it in Kampala maybe the week after next. I photographed the mountain gorillas with a cheap regular film camera, so at least I'll have pictures, but not great ones.

I hope you all had a wonderful holiday. I didn't celebrate it in the most conventional way, but then, how could I without you? Christmas is about family and food, so I thought that the last remaining mountain gorillas on Earth would be the closest substitute for those two essential things. I hope you're well.

Love,
Kirstin