I’ve been awful about posting, and I’m sorry. This whole thing has been a whirlwind, and luckily, I don’t have much time to sit around and feel lonely. I’ll try to separate posts so there aren’t any that are too long.
I arrived in Poipet on January 21, about eight weeks ago. Unbelievable – it has absolutely flown by! Matt and Nori Turinski, Tear Australia staff working at CHO for the past year, were kind enough to let me live with them in their house on the outskirts of the business district of Poipet, in a development named Borey San Ho (“House San Ho” – San Ho is the former mayor of Poipet and owner of the development). We have a nice little apartment with an open lounge room and kitchen downstairs, two rooms on the second floor (mine and Emily’s rooms), and 3 bedrooms upstairs with a little balcony. All of our neighbors are Cambodian, so I’m happy that we’re not hiding away somewhere. It’s much nicer than I was expecting – they rented it because it was so much cheaper than renting a tiny apartment right in town. Seems like a good deal to me! Still, it’s pretty basic. None of our toilets flush, so we have buckets in every bathroom that we fill with water to flush. (I do miss flush toilets sometimes, though CHO was kind enough to install a few at the office (so many foreigners!) so us “barangs” wouldn’t have to navigate the squat toilet for staff.) There is no hot water, so all of our showers are cold. Truthfully, it’s so hot that it doesn’t matter. I hate cold showers with a passion, or I thought I did, but I don’t mind it at all – what a pleasant surprise! There is also no air conditioning, and it’s at least 85-90 F most of the time. Basically, if you’re not in the line of a fan, you are sweating! I’ve gotten used to it, though sometimes in the office it seems unbearable when I’m trying to get work done or there are 60 of us in the conference room sweating together. Our house also has a little half-size oven, a bitty stove (or “hob,” as they apparently say in the UK!), and a 4-foot fridge. It’s perfect!
Getting around has been fairly easy. Emily has a motorbike that we use to get around town, and if she’s not available, I can flag down a moto driver to take me around. We have a bike I can use as well, but I haven’t been brave enough to face the crazy driving as a slow bike rider. I’m sure I will soon, but it hasn’t come to that yet!
Emily and I are pretty much inseparable, since we share an office, a house, and everything else. She has been such an amazing blessing and has become a good friend. She first came to Cambodia about a year ago through TearFund UK on a 6-month trip with three other girls and has since returned for several months to work on CHO’s School on a Mat program, funded by Hope for the Nations, an organization based in Canada. She’s lots of fun, adventurous, spontaneous, hilarious, a little crazy, selfless, humble, and very caring. Who couldn’t ask for a better person to spend 4 months with? We’ve already planned out several weekend and holiday trips, the last of which will hopefully be right before I leave – a trip to Thailand’s southern islands. (I can’t wait !!! Except that I can – I’m dreading leaving here. I want to go home and “grow up” and be near Chris and my family, but I really like it here….)
Well, that’s it for now. I’ll write more in a few days! Sorry again!
Sunday, April 4, 2010
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
Sohm Toh for Not Writing!
Hello everyone! I am so sorry for being such an awful blogger. I had no idea how slow my internet would be and how tired I'd be at the end of every day! I am hoping, however, to catch you all up slowly. I won't be able to post any pictures until I get back home, since there is no hope of doing that with my internet!
I am now officially at my halfway point - very strange. Definitely not a long enough time.
Anyway, I will try to post a little bit every day to catch you all up on my life these past few months!
Thursday, January 21, 2010
In Cambodia!
I'm in Poipet, Cambodia, now! That means several things ....
1. I won't have great internet access from now on, I think.
2. I get to start working tomorrow!
3. I'm going to take Khmer lessons ... how awesome is that?!
So, to stay in touch, you can always email me, or here is my mailing address ...
Sarah Wineland
c/o Cambodian Hope Organization (CHO)
House 168A Group 01
National Road 5
Poipet City, Banteay Meanchey Province, CAMBODIA
Please don't send packages to this address ... they almost definitely won't reach me. So if you reallllly want to, email me and we can figure something out :). Thank you !!
Please don't send packages to this address ... they almost definitely won't reach me. So if you reallllly want to, email me and we can figure something out :). Thank you !!
I also have a Skype number that you can call to leave me voicemail: (804) 435-5190. For now that's all it does but I may be able to expand that in the future ... or you can always get on Skype and see if I'm on (which I probably won't be!): belikethestars.
We crossed the border into Cambodia from Thailand, and immediately there is a big difference. The people are much darker (they work in the sun more) and it is evident that they are poorer. Most of the people I see were affected by the Khmer Rouge in some way or another, especially in that most of them probably had family killed by them. The director of CHO himself worked in a labor camp under the Khmer Rouge, as most people his age did. And many of the families served by CHO are former Khmer Rouge, as Poipet was one of the last provinces to be involved in the civil war. Pol Pot's wife lives here. Crazy. But what a neat opportunity to be here. I hope I can be helpful in some capacity!
Also ... I want to apologize to everyone who tried to fit in a phone conversation or dinner before I left. I was sick the two weeks before I flew out and spent most of the time in bed feeling awful. I wasn't ignoring you! And I want to stay in touch!
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
Sawat Dee Kaa, Thailand!
Well.... I am in Thailand!! I keep putting off posting already because I want to go out and do things. But it's 5:50 pm, and I'm meeting Matt & Nori and some boys from TearFund UK for dinner at 8, so that's not much time to do anything, really. So I will post!
I have no idea where to begin. I've only been here two days, dazed with jet lag, and it feels like it's been a week! I suppose I'll start from the beginning ...
My parents and Chris were nice enough to drive me up to DC Saturday to spend the night at Aunt Lizzie's, which was the biggest blessing, considering she's right next to Reagan airport. (I might add that my brother Robert kicked butt in his wrestling meet on Saturday and pinned all 4 guys he wrestled. Heck yeah!) We got to the airport the recommended two hours early, but it was practically empty, so Dad parked, and they spent about an hour and a half with me in the airport just hanging out. I can't tell you how much that meant to me!
I flew two hours to Chicago, then 12 hours to Tokyo with a 2 hour layover. By the time I got to Tokyo, I felt completely awful. My head hurt, I was congested still, I'd gotten hardly any sleep the past few nights (about 2 hours - no kidding) and my stomach felt weird. Just as we started boarding, I realized I need to vomit, so I ran to the bathroom, got it over with, and ran onto the plane. I slept for almost the entire 6 hour flight to Bangkok. The entire trip, I felt so nervous, perhaps because I've never been to Asia and didn't know what to expect, and partly because I hate being away from Chris. But as soon as I landed, I felt at peace. Matt & Nori Turinski, Australians who work at CHO, picked me up at the airport around midnight and we took a taxi about 30 minutes to the center of the shopping district (near MBK and Paragon and other malls - it is HUGE), where our hotel, Bed & Breakfast Inn, is located. It's only 600 baht a night ($18.18). Pretty basic, but clean, and right next to all of the hustle and bustle - perfect!
On Tuesday, Matt & Nori took me around the shopping centers to pick up a few necessities that we won't find in Poipet as it's a small town. In the evening, I met up with Rolf Kleinfeld, a former Nazarene youth pastor who's lived in Thailand with his wife Debbie for the past four years (and Cambodia before that). It was so crazy to see him here - I think he felt the same way! I love how small the world is - I feel like God is very much taking care of me in the small things. It was fabulous to spend the evening catching up and getting tips for living in Cambodia. He's fluent in Thai and Khmer ... totally jealous :).
Today (Wednesday) we tried to buy a Thai phone for me so I can have internet at home, but apparently the prices have gone up (they are asking $100 at least), so we are going to try to find older (cheaper) models in Cambodia. I have to buy a Thai phone for internet access (but totally worth it, I think) and a Cambodian phone for practical use. But the good news is that this means I can text Rolf and my friend Annabelle (also a global BC student) in Thailand AND my friends Susie (Rolf's daughter) and Cheryl (another global BC student) in Cambodia. So fun!!! :)
I feel like I haven't done anything exciting yet. The past two days, I've really just been taking it easy and getting small things done to make life easier in Poipet (grocery shopping, phone stuff, buying a belt because my pants are falling down ... awesome). But Matt & Nori have offered to let me rent a room in their house, which is so wonderful! I am completely ecstatic about that. This means that I won't have to live in a hotel, that my housing/food costs will be very cheap, and that I won't be living alone. AMAZING. That was the biggest thing I was worried about. Rolf mentioned last night that something like 70% of the things we worry about don't come true. And so far this trip has proved that over and over. Perhaps there is a big lesson to be learned here (Chris is probably agreeing to this out loud as he reads it!).
This afternoon, I decided to do a bit of exploring and go visit the Jim Thompson house. Turns out it's about a ten minute walk from my hotel. So much for venturing out!! Jim Thompson, in short, developed the Thai silk industry in the 40s through the 60s and is the most famous "farang" (foreigner) in all of Thailand, according to the guidebooks. Everyone here knows who he is. (See this website for all of the details! It's very interesting - look at the pictures and "The Life and Legend" section. http://www.jimthompsonhouse.org/) He built a huge, very beautiful home (he was an architect) composed of six separate buildings right on the canal. Anyway, he just so happens to be my grandfather's uncle as well, so I've grown up hearing stories about this mysterious and adventurous man. Needless to say, I was so excited to finally visit his house! He disappeared in Malaysia in 1967 and no one knows what happened to him. I was surprised to realize how big of a deal he is here, still.
I am so incredibly excited to be here. I feel like my heart is going to burst because I just can't believe that I am here in Asia, and that it is so beautiful and exciting and completely different than anything else I've experienced. I'm still pretty sure I'm dreaming. I've learned "hello" (kind of spelled saswat dee in English) and "thank you" (kind of spelled khorb koon in English) (http://www.learningthai.com/useful_phrases.html - you can hear them here!). I have to put a "kaa" at the end of both of the phrases because I'm female (haven't figured out why yet). I think about six Thai girls today told me I was very cute. Funny ... they are so beautiful!
The most difficult thing about traveling for me is that I experience such amazing and life-changing things, but no one I love is with me to experience it as well. It completely kills me that I can't share this with any of my friends and family (though I of course make new friends on the way). So ... people, start traveling with me!!
By the way, I am reading A Million Miles in a Thousand Years by Donald Miller, and it's AMAZING. SERIOUSLY. Go buy it right now.
I think that is it for now. We are heading to Poipet tomorrow, and I will probably move into the Turinskis house sometime this weekend (I cannot believe my luck!). I miss you all - thank you everyone for being so wonderful about staying in touch and letting me know that I am loved. It means a lot when I am on the other side of the world!! (7,000 miles away, to be exact!)
I have no idea where to begin. I've only been here two days, dazed with jet lag, and it feels like it's been a week! I suppose I'll start from the beginning ...
My parents and Chris were nice enough to drive me up to DC Saturday to spend the night at Aunt Lizzie's, which was the biggest blessing, considering she's right next to Reagan airport. (I might add that my brother Robert kicked butt in his wrestling meet on Saturday and pinned all 4 guys he wrestled. Heck yeah!) We got to the airport the recommended two hours early, but it was practically empty, so Dad parked, and they spent about an hour and a half with me in the airport just hanging out. I can't tell you how much that meant to me!
I flew two hours to Chicago, then 12 hours to Tokyo with a 2 hour layover. By the time I got to Tokyo, I felt completely awful. My head hurt, I was congested still, I'd gotten hardly any sleep the past few nights (about 2 hours - no kidding) and my stomach felt weird. Just as we started boarding, I realized I need to vomit, so I ran to the bathroom, got it over with, and ran onto the plane. I slept for almost the entire 6 hour flight to Bangkok. The entire trip, I felt so nervous, perhaps because I've never been to Asia and didn't know what to expect, and partly because I hate being away from Chris. But as soon as I landed, I felt at peace. Matt & Nori Turinski, Australians who work at CHO, picked me up at the airport around midnight and we took a taxi about 30 minutes to the center of the shopping district (near MBK and Paragon and other malls - it is HUGE), where our hotel, Bed & Breakfast Inn, is located. It's only 600 baht a night ($18.18). Pretty basic, but clean, and right next to all of the hustle and bustle - perfect!
On Tuesday, Matt & Nori took me around the shopping centers to pick up a few necessities that we won't find in Poipet as it's a small town. In the evening, I met up with Rolf Kleinfeld, a former Nazarene youth pastor who's lived in Thailand with his wife Debbie for the past four years (and Cambodia before that). It was so crazy to see him here - I think he felt the same way! I love how small the world is - I feel like God is very much taking care of me in the small things. It was fabulous to spend the evening catching up and getting tips for living in Cambodia. He's fluent in Thai and Khmer ... totally jealous :).
Today (Wednesday) we tried to buy a Thai phone for me so I can have internet at home, but apparently the prices have gone up (they are asking $100 at least), so we are going to try to find older (cheaper) models in Cambodia. I have to buy a Thai phone for internet access (but totally worth it, I think) and a Cambodian phone for practical use. But the good news is that this means I can text Rolf and my friend Annabelle (also a global BC student) in Thailand AND my friends Susie (Rolf's daughter) and Cheryl (another global BC student) in Cambodia. So fun!!! :)
I feel like I haven't done anything exciting yet. The past two days, I've really just been taking it easy and getting small things done to make life easier in Poipet (grocery shopping, phone stuff, buying a belt because my pants are falling down ... awesome). But Matt & Nori have offered to let me rent a room in their house, which is so wonderful! I am completely ecstatic about that. This means that I won't have to live in a hotel, that my housing/food costs will be very cheap, and that I won't be living alone. AMAZING. That was the biggest thing I was worried about. Rolf mentioned last night that something like 70% of the things we worry about don't come true. And so far this trip has proved that over and over. Perhaps there is a big lesson to be learned here (Chris is probably agreeing to this out loud as he reads it!).
This afternoon, I decided to do a bit of exploring and go visit the Jim Thompson house. Turns out it's about a ten minute walk from my hotel. So much for venturing out!! Jim Thompson, in short, developed the Thai silk industry in the 40s through the 60s and is the most famous "farang" (foreigner) in all of Thailand, according to the guidebooks. Everyone here knows who he is. (See this website for all of the details! It's very interesting - look at the pictures and "The Life and Legend" section. http://www.jimthompsonhouse.org/) He built a huge, very beautiful home (he was an architect) composed of six separate buildings right on the canal. Anyway, he just so happens to be my grandfather's uncle as well, so I've grown up hearing stories about this mysterious and adventurous man. Needless to say, I was so excited to finally visit his house! He disappeared in Malaysia in 1967 and no one knows what happened to him. I was surprised to realize how big of a deal he is here, still.
I am so incredibly excited to be here. I feel like my heart is going to burst because I just can't believe that I am here in Asia, and that it is so beautiful and exciting and completely different than anything else I've experienced. I'm still pretty sure I'm dreaming. I've learned "hello" (kind of spelled saswat dee in English) and "thank you" (kind of spelled khorb koon in English) (http://www.learningthai.com/useful_phrases.html - you can hear them here!). I have to put a "kaa" at the end of both of the phrases because I'm female (haven't figured out why yet). I think about six Thai girls today told me I was very cute. Funny ... they are so beautiful!
The most difficult thing about traveling for me is that I experience such amazing and life-changing things, but no one I love is with me to experience it as well. It completely kills me that I can't share this with any of my friends and family (though I of course make new friends on the way). So ... people, start traveling with me!!
By the way, I am reading A Million Miles in a Thousand Years by Donald Miller, and it's AMAZING. SERIOUSLY. Go buy it right now.
I think that is it for now. We are heading to Poipet tomorrow, and I will probably move into the Turinskis house sometime this weekend (I cannot believe my luck!). I miss you all - thank you everyone for being so wonderful about staying in touch and letting me know that I am loved. It means a lot when I am on the other side of the world!! (7,000 miles away, to be exact!)
Sunday, November 2, 2008
Asi es la vida ...
I have to be honest here; I had forgotten how difficult it is to live in a foreign country, especially because I'm female. The independence one has when living in the US is taken for granted. And the little things, like being able to drink the water, or walking down the street without watching every step to avoid stepping in something disgusting ...
And especially being able to communicate well! I guess I was assuming my Spanish would take off where I left it three years ago in Costa Rica. It just takes time, but wow, is it ever frustrating to try to sound like an intelligent human being! I get so tongue-tied! I can read Spanish wonderfully. Listening to it, however, is another story, and speaking it well (with all the vocabulary that I know) is so difficult. I know I have a lot in the Spanish compartment of my brain, but darnit, it just won't come out sometimes (ok, a lot of the time!).
I'm fine. I like being here. I just hate the loss of independence. I guess I don't always do well with situations that humble me without my consent. :)
Pray for my comprehension and ability to learn fast and to communicate. And for my drive to continue to study and my energy. Thinking and communicating in Spanish zaps me!
Off to go be with the girls :) ...
And especially being able to communicate well! I guess I was assuming my Spanish would take off where I left it three years ago in Costa Rica. It just takes time, but wow, is it ever frustrating to try to sound like an intelligent human being! I get so tongue-tied! I can read Spanish wonderfully. Listening to it, however, is another story, and speaking it well (with all the vocabulary that I know) is so difficult. I know I have a lot in the Spanish compartment of my brain, but darnit, it just won't come out sometimes (ok, a lot of the time!).
I'm fine. I like being here. I just hate the loss of independence. I guess I don't always do well with situations that humble me without my consent. :)
Pray for my comprehension and ability to learn fast and to communicate. And for my drive to continue to study and my energy. Thinking and communicating in Spanish zaps me!
Off to go be with the girls :) ...
Thursday, October 30, 2008
Ir de Compras y La Puerta Cerrada
Marta y yo - finally!!! Mom and Nana have sponsored her for years.
This is Heidi ... at least that's what her name sounds like!!
Still raining ... well, hay muchas lloviznas (drizzle). Not really the warm tropical weather I was hoping for! Classes were good today as well. We went over indefinite articles and things like that. Argh, it's so detailed when you really start to study. Que frustrante. Hondurans seem to talk much faster than I remember Costa Ricans doing ... oh well!
After classes, Ashley and Valerie, volunteers at the Home, took me to the mall to get a cell phone and to the grocery store (food!!!). We had to take a taxi there and back. I forgot how frustrating it is to feel trapped by being an American (it's unsafe to travel alone). Really funny: Ashley went to college with and is friends with John Nunn, a guy I kinda grew up with. Small world....
Tonight the group from Alabama made spaghetti and garlic bread. I think I'm eating more American food than Honduran! I have had my share of refried beans, tortillas, and mantequilla (kind of like sour cream).
The girls are so wonderful. Three more came to the Home today and they are expecting two more soon. Wow. I wish you could all come and just be with them. I'll have to post some pictures. :)
OH ... I locked my keys in my room today, too. Wonderful. I think it took eight people, Honduran & American, to open it!
Word of the day: hipo - hiccup
Marta y Heidi on the soccer field/gym
Marta and her sister, whose name I've forgotten...
And I am having an awful time trying to arrange the pictures on here! I don't remember how I did it! From L-R: Fanny, me, Marta, y Sondra.
Sondra, Marta, Fanny, y Melissa ! I am learning names slowly ... when there are sixty girls it takes some time!!
Vanessa!
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
Little Girls and Language School
Day 2 of Honduras! I arrived yesterday completely exhausted but without problems. Kevin Perez, director of the language school, picked me up at the airport and took me to meet Julia Ortiz, one of our sponsored girls, at her house. She's 23 and done college, so she's working as an accountant of sorts. It was so wonderful to meet her after almost ten years of writing letters and seeing pictures. I couldn't believe it! She's beautiful and shorter than even me. I'm looking forward to being friends.
Kevin showed me around the compound, but I'm still lost somewhat. There is a school here and a bilingual school as well (Holy Family Bilingual School - for the Honduran kids). The girls of Our Little Roses (Nuestras Pequeñas Rosas) live downstairs in dorm-type rooms. Tias ("aunts") come and take care of the girls (I'm not sure if they live here or just have specific hours), but they all watch out for each other as well. There are 60 girls here now, from a 1-year-old to the twenty-year-olds in the transition houses down the street. I'm living on the second floor in the building next to the girls' dorms. Next door are houses upon houses (well, tin shacks) of squatters. The difference between those who have enough and those who don't are stark.
The girls are wonderful, loving, and so happy. This is the way it should be. This is what Christians should be doing more often.
A group from Alabama (I think) is here for a week. They come at least once a year, and they just adore the girls. They made us a dinner of hotdogs and chips last night, and we played soccer and a type of dodgeball. Oh! I met Marta as well! She's our other sponsored girl. She's 11 and very friendly. She dragged me around everywhere last night and sat next to me at lunch today and made me read several children's books to work on my Spanish.
I started classes with Kevin today - just the basics to review. It's wonderful! I have four hours a day of classes by myself. I think I'm going to learn a heck of a lot here. I met several volunteers from the US and one from Holland today as well - they're here teaching classes in English at the bilingual school.
I think I'm falling in love already ... though I'm frustrated that none of my friends or family is here to share it with me. I'm sure I'll be back.
Ok, I'm off to unpack and go tutor girls in English. Go look at the website of the school: www.ourlittleroses.org.
Palabras del día (I like random):
Estrellar - to crash into
el arpa - the harp
resaltador - highlighter
Chao y Dios les bendiga :)
Kevin showed me around the compound, but I'm still lost somewhat. There is a school here and a bilingual school as well (Holy Family Bilingual School - for the Honduran kids). The girls of Our Little Roses (Nuestras Pequeñas Rosas) live downstairs in dorm-type rooms. Tias ("aunts") come and take care of the girls (I'm not sure if they live here or just have specific hours), but they all watch out for each other as well. There are 60 girls here now, from a 1-year-old to the twenty-year-olds in the transition houses down the street. I'm living on the second floor in the building next to the girls' dorms. Next door are houses upon houses (well, tin shacks) of squatters. The difference between those who have enough and those who don't are stark.
The girls are wonderful, loving, and so happy. This is the way it should be. This is what Christians should be doing more often.
A group from Alabama (I think) is here for a week. They come at least once a year, and they just adore the girls. They made us a dinner of hotdogs and chips last night, and we played soccer and a type of dodgeball. Oh! I met Marta as well! She's our other sponsored girl. She's 11 and very friendly. She dragged me around everywhere last night and sat next to me at lunch today and made me read several children's books to work on my Spanish.
I started classes with Kevin today - just the basics to review. It's wonderful! I have four hours a day of classes by myself. I think I'm going to learn a heck of a lot here. I met several volunteers from the US and one from Holland today as well - they're here teaching classes in English at the bilingual school.
I think I'm falling in love already ... though I'm frustrated that none of my friends or family is here to share it with me. I'm sure I'll be back.
Ok, I'm off to unpack and go tutor girls in English. Go look at the website of the school: www.ourlittleroses.org.
Palabras del día (I like random):
Estrellar - to crash into
el arpa - the harp
resaltador - highlighter
Chao y Dios les bendiga :)
Tuesday, April 3, 2007
Week of March 26-April 1
A famous American journalist and author, David Lamb, said in his book The Africans that the only time an African is in a hurry is when he is behind a wheel. The Ugandan is no exception. Little wonder then that in spite of having the lowest vehicle per capita ratio in the world, our continent also lays claim to a fatal accident rate that is ten times higher than that of London and New York. Sensible car driving has simply refused to blend with our culture….
Once on the road, what matters most is confidence. Learn to sneer at other drives and in a traffic jam, ask the fellow disputing the lane with you if he just bought his license, unlike you who passed the driving test. When you approach a junction, never leave any empty space in front of you. Whether you can clear the junction or not, enter it anyway. A thick jam will build up on your side. Regard it and nod with satisfaction. Then look behind you in the rearview mirror and behold the nice, long snakelike jam growing longer by the second. Savour this all, take a deep breath and smile. Roll up your windows to close out the impatient hooting as the fellows you have blocked build up blood pressure like yours.
Like the British, we keep left while driving. But that is only while driving on a straight stretch. At junctions, left and right stop making sense – just take the shortest straight line to your objective. Jam on the breaks when you are almost head-on with the fellow from the opposite direction who insists on keeping left. What are brakes for, anyway?
- From How to be a Ugandan by Joachim Buwembo
I thought I would offer you Ugandan insight into the insanity that is called driving in Uganda!
This week was slow; we attended two days of child counseling classes with TASO counselors and then were taught the basics of counseling. On Friday, however, an American study abroad group visited TASO from Kenya, and one girl went to high school with a friend of mine from ENC, Amanda Fish. Another guy in the group attends Boston College, so he promised to show me around when I start attending in the spring. How funny!
On our walk to TASO, Aubrey and I pass a mosque. We’ve heard rumors about camel sacrifices there but had never actually seen the camels. Well, this week we lucked out and got to see two of them! After taking pictures from the road, someone inside the mosque grounds invited us in to take pictures, and the camel graciously slobbered Aubrey’s face.
Since Charles is back home in the States for a few weeks, Aubrey and I have become better at using boda bodas (bicycle taxis with an extra padded seat on the back) and picky-pickies (motorcycle taxis) to travel. We’ve definitely decided to stay away from the boda bodas in town, however, because they don’t have as much control in traffic (yikes!). Don’t worry, all you parents; we’re fine and we don’t travel after dark. We’re taking a mini spring break this week after TASO since we don’t have many practicum hours left and are traveling in two weeks to learn about counseling for LRA returnees in Lira.
Aubrey and I are currently house-sitting for the Howards, mostly so we can have a break from the nonstop flow of guests in the CURE guesthouse. Right now, two Welshman, Rob and Aowyn, are living there. Both of them are great and are working with a community development organization. Across the street for the next two months is Justin, a British medical student from the University of Edinborough. I’ve finally found someone to accompany me on Mt. Elgon!
Two American guys who’ve been living across the street since mid-January, Nick and Patrick, are leaving soon to head to Kenya, Tanzania, and Egypt (and who knows where else!). I wish I could just travel like that! They organized a boda boda race on Sunday, complete with cash prizes and a new bike for the winner. Patrick insisted on slaughtering a cow for a barbecue afterwards. Ha! The head was just sitting in a room next to their apartment yesterday. Gross. Apparently a Muslim has to cut the cow’s throat facing Mecca to make it acceptable for Muslims to consume.
Well, there’s last week for you! I’m sitting here trying to finish all of the papers for my practicum portfolio. I have two more papers, two revisions, and three reports. I will be ecstatic when I’m done; I had no idea it was going to be this much work!
Once on the road, what matters most is confidence. Learn to sneer at other drives and in a traffic jam, ask the fellow disputing the lane with you if he just bought his license, unlike you who passed the driving test. When you approach a junction, never leave any empty space in front of you. Whether you can clear the junction or not, enter it anyway. A thick jam will build up on your side. Regard it and nod with satisfaction. Then look behind you in the rearview mirror and behold the nice, long snakelike jam growing longer by the second. Savour this all, take a deep breath and smile. Roll up your windows to close out the impatient hooting as the fellows you have blocked build up blood pressure like yours.
Like the British, we keep left while driving. But that is only while driving on a straight stretch. At junctions, left and right stop making sense – just take the shortest straight line to your objective. Jam on the breaks when you are almost head-on with the fellow from the opposite direction who insists on keeping left. What are brakes for, anyway?
- From How to be a Ugandan by Joachim Buwembo
I thought I would offer you Ugandan insight into the insanity that is called driving in Uganda!
This week was slow; we attended two days of child counseling classes with TASO counselors and then were taught the basics of counseling. On Friday, however, an American study abroad group visited TASO from Kenya, and one girl went to high school with a friend of mine from ENC, Amanda Fish. Another guy in the group attends Boston College, so he promised to show me around when I start attending in the spring. How funny!
On our walk to TASO, Aubrey and I pass a mosque. We’ve heard rumors about camel sacrifices there but had never actually seen the camels. Well, this week we lucked out and got to see two of them! After taking pictures from the road, someone inside the mosque grounds invited us in to take pictures, and the camel graciously slobbered Aubrey’s face.
Since Charles is back home in the States for a few weeks, Aubrey and I have become better at using boda bodas (bicycle taxis with an extra padded seat on the back) and picky-pickies (motorcycle taxis) to travel. We’ve definitely decided to stay away from the boda bodas in town, however, because they don’t have as much control in traffic (yikes!). Don’t worry, all you parents; we’re fine and we don’t travel after dark. We’re taking a mini spring break this week after TASO since we don’t have many practicum hours left and are traveling in two weeks to learn about counseling for LRA returnees in Lira.
Aubrey and I are currently house-sitting for the Howards, mostly so we can have a break from the nonstop flow of guests in the CURE guesthouse. Right now, two Welshman, Rob and Aowyn, are living there. Both of them are great and are working with a community development organization. Across the street for the next two months is Justin, a British medical student from the University of Edinborough. I’ve finally found someone to accompany me on Mt. Elgon!
Two American guys who’ve been living across the street since mid-January, Nick and Patrick, are leaving soon to head to Kenya, Tanzania, and Egypt (and who knows where else!). I wish I could just travel like that! They organized a boda boda race on Sunday, complete with cash prizes and a new bike for the winner. Patrick insisted on slaughtering a cow for a barbecue afterwards. Ha! The head was just sitting in a room next to their apartment yesterday. Gross. Apparently a Muslim has to cut the cow’s throat facing Mecca to make it acceptable for Muslims to consume.
Well, there’s last week for you! I’m sitting here trying to finish all of the papers for my practicum portfolio. I have two more papers, two revisions, and three reports. I will be ecstatic when I’m done; I had no idea it was going to be this much work!
Tuesday, March 27, 2007
Pictures!
new pictures!
http://enc.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2005622&l=9ee66&id=149000028
And I got into Boston College for grad school!!!
http://enc.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2005622&l=9ee66&id=149000028
And I got into Boston College for grad school!!!
Monday, March 26, 2007
Uganda Makes Me Laugh Part 3
1. Eating with your hands is common. Even at a wedding reception, we were given beans, matooke, posho, meat, etc., and expected to eat it and not make a mess.
2. Cheese here tastes awful. That’s all.
3. Oranges are green.
4. We have two chickens in a plastic bag in the back of the hospital ambulance we’re currently riding. This is probably one of my favorite pictures because the chicken looks so ridiculous.
2. Cheese here tastes awful. That’s all.
3. Oranges are green.
4. We have two chickens in a plastic bag in the back of the hospital ambulance we’re currently riding. This is probably one of my favorite pictures because the chicken looks so ridiculous.
Oh look! I'm in our ambulance. And there is a chicken sitting on some cassava next to Christine's backpack. 5. Eight people fit quite comfortably on a four-person bench in the taxi-vans (matatus).
6. In our hotel room a few weeks ago, the first rule of hotel conduct on the door was, “Esteemed guests: Please do not throw your used condoms out the window or on the floor. Use the wastebasket provided.”
7. Potholes are everywhere. You just drive through them. Seatbelts? What? (these are some serious potholes. They're not even potholes...they're like ditches. But they're not meant to be ditches.)
6. In our hotel room a few weeks ago, the first rule of hotel conduct on the door was, “Esteemed guests: Please do not throw your used condoms out the window or on the floor. Use the wastebasket provided.”
7. Potholes are everywhere. You just drive through them. Seatbelts? What? (these are some serious potholes. They're not even potholes...they're like ditches. But they're not meant to be ditches.)
8. The innards of animals are delicacies – the gizzard, liver, kidneys, the neck ….
9. The showers in hotel rooms are simply a shower head in the bathroom. It makes for quite a wet bathroom floor and toilet.
10. They like to eat whole fish. The eye is the favorite part. Mmm.
11. Cars have right of way, not pedestrians.
12. It is common to say, “Well done,” not necessarily as a response to anything. I don’t fully understand it yet. The proper answer is “Okay.” I still get flustered because it throws me off.
13. “You are lost” = “Where have you been?” We spent a few weeks trying to tell them we weren't lost and then realized what they were saying.
14. “Where are you from?” = “Where did you just come from?”
15. They pick their noses in public. No big deal.
16. Seeing squirrels is a big deal. I don't get it. There are lions and hippos and giraffes here. And squirrels are a big deal.
17. They say, “Yes, please” in response to everything. We haven’t really figured out why. It’s polite.
18. Cows roam the streets all the time. Goats climb trees. (These ones are just hanging out on the side of the road, which is quite common.)
19. We are celebrities everywhere we go. Why? We're white. (Kids are chasing our van here.)
Awful Roads and Cow Hoofs: Week of March 19
This is me not standing out in the crowd. 
Melissa (Charles' wife) and Breanne
Melissa, Aubrey, Elyse (their daughter), and me before they left for the States this weekSunday, March 18
I just learned that my friend Grace here is from a polygamous family. It’s funny when you learn all these crazy (to me) things about a different culture and then separate those you know from it. Her grandfather had 30 wives.
Monday, March 19
We went out into the field for home visits again today. We only connected with one client, however. Several were out, and one had died the previous day, which was sobering. The one client we talked to asked Aubrey and I for our clothes. There it was, the biblical commandment to give your shirt to the person who asks. The problem was, I wouldn’t be wearing much if I gave her my shirt. If I was a guy, I don’t think it would matter, but somehow I didn’t think it was a good idea!
Monday, March 19
We went out into the field for home visits again today. We only connected with one client, however. Several were out, and one had died the previous day, which was sobering. The one client we talked to asked Aubrey and I for our clothes. There it was, the biblical commandment to give your shirt to the person who asks. The problem was, I wouldn’t be wearing much if I gave her my shirt. If I was a guy, I don’t think it would matter, but somehow I didn’t think it was a good idea!
We passed a beautiful two-story house surrounded by a large wall and intricate gate on our way back from the village. One of the Ugandans said, “In Uganda, if you have such a house, you must have deprived many people of resources.” They seem much more aware of injustice and inequality than we are sometimes.
Tuesday, March 20
ELISA HIV tests After a talk about STIs and STDs (I have the worst time trying to pay attention to Ugandan preachers and speakers. I zone out because I can’t understand them half the time), we went out into the villages for HIV testing. Aubrey and I each went to different sites with a counselor on a TASO boda boda (bike with an extra seat on the back or motorbike). Visiting the home of a current client, the counselor explained HIV and its transmission and then offered to test those who were willing. Altogether, he tested 21 family members (and this was not a polygamous family!). After the results were in, the counselor talked to each person away from the group.
HIV testing in the community I held a one-month-old for a bit while his mother was in counseling, and they asked if I would feed him since he was hungry. I said I hadn’t had children yet and therefore was quite unable to feed him, and they were shocked. I guess it’s just normal to always have a breastfeeding infant around, so if you’re holding a hungry kid that’s not yours, no big deal. Haha.
I think I want a motorcycle.
Thurdsay, March 22
The executive director of TASO Uganda came to our site today with a group from SIDA (Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency – http://www.sida.se/), most of them Swedish and one from Kenya, one from Zimbabwe, and another from Senegal. SIDA funds the TEACH (TASO Experiential Attachment To Combat HIV/AIDS) program.
We visited seven different sites with successful interventions. Most of the projects were similar to the ones I’ve described previously. Two of the clients today, however, were orphans. Kelly Flamos (http://blog.case.edu/kellio/), who worked with TASO last summer through Case Western Reserve University, helped build a house for a family of five orphaned children. The oldest is seventeen; both parents died of AIDS a few years ago. Only the youngest, who is probably about five, is HIV positive. TASO provides him with ARVs and other medical attention when he needs it. They also gave the children a bike so the oldest could more easily bring the youngest to the TASO center for ARV refills and any other services. Before they got the bike, the boy would wake up very early, skip school for the day, and carry his brother to the center. It takes about 20 minutes or more to drive to their house from the center.
The boy in the paragraph above TASO is really doing wonderful things for the people of Uganda.
Friday, March 23
What a day! We drove out to Sironko district (almost to Sipi Falls) to visit clients in the mountainous region. As we got in the car, I asked Aubrey, “Is this the guy who drives way too fast?” She said, “No, I think the other guy is worse.” Boy, were we wrong! After leaving the main road, we began to bump our way up the switchbacks. They were probably the worst roads I have ever seen, and I promise you I have experienced some awful ones! Our driver seemed to think that racecar driving was the way to tackle these barriers, so we flew/jostled/tumbled up the mountain. I yelled, “What is wrong with you?” one time. I don’t think he heard me, but everyone else laughed. Needless to say, that was our last day in the field at TASO, so it looks like that driver won’t be responsible for my life anymore!
The mountains were breathtaking. I wish my camera could capture them, and I wish my words could describe them. I don’t even want to try!
We probably stopped at six different homes today; we were out in the field for seven hours. At most of the homes, we simply dropped off ARVs, but we did HBHCT (Home-Based HIV Counseling and Testing) at two of them. At the first house, we met a widower who is HIV positive and lives with his two boys. We tested the boys; all I could do was hold my breath. You can’t help but hurt when you have to test a six-year-old for HIV. But they were both negative!
The second household we tested had about 14 family members; two of them were HIV positive. The counselor said that one of the HIV positive clients was shaking and could not believe the news. I think we are too quick to separate ourselves from things like this. Especially when we only have to read about them. I try to place myself in their shoes, in their fears and challenges, and imagine what they must feel. I know I fail miserably, but it helps me remember that this is real life, that people all over Uganda are facing this awful reality every day.
On the way back, we stopped to drop matooke off at a counselor’s house and even took a 45 minute detour to a market to buy molokonyi. Cow hoofs. Disgusting. This culture is worlds away from my own!
My time here is coming to a close. I have about four weeks left, and I don’t know what to do with myself! I have 348 hours, so I only need to work for about two more weeks, and then Aubrey and I are hoping to head out to Kenya for our long-awaited spring break.
I want to make sure I get everything I can out of being here, though. I’m trying hard to focus on Uganda and the present instead of getting excited about graduating and being on a Summer Ministry team for ENC.
Friday, March 23
What a day! We drove out to Sironko district (almost to Sipi Falls) to visit clients in the mountainous region. As we got in the car, I asked Aubrey, “Is this the guy who drives way too fast?” She said, “No, I think the other guy is worse.” Boy, were we wrong! After leaving the main road, we began to bump our way up the switchbacks. They were probably the worst roads I have ever seen, and I promise you I have experienced some awful ones! Our driver seemed to think that racecar driving was the way to tackle these barriers, so we flew/jostled/tumbled up the mountain. I yelled, “What is wrong with you?” one time. I don’t think he heard me, but everyone else laughed. Needless to say, that was our last day in the field at TASO, so it looks like that driver won’t be responsible for my life anymore!
The mountains were breathtaking. I wish my camera could capture them, and I wish my words could describe them. I don’t even want to try!
We probably stopped at six different homes today; we were out in the field for seven hours. At most of the homes, we simply dropped off ARVs, but we did HBHCT (Home-Based HIV Counseling and Testing) at two of them. At the first house, we met a widower who is HIV positive and lives with his two boys. We tested the boys; all I could do was hold my breath. You can’t help but hurt when you have to test a six-year-old for HIV. But they were both negative!
The second household we tested had about 14 family members; two of them were HIV positive. The counselor said that one of the HIV positive clients was shaking and could not believe the news. I think we are too quick to separate ourselves from things like this. Especially when we only have to read about them. I try to place myself in their shoes, in their fears and challenges, and imagine what they must feel. I know I fail miserably, but it helps me remember that this is real life, that people all over Uganda are facing this awful reality every day.
On the way back, we stopped to drop matooke off at a counselor’s house and even took a 45 minute detour to a market to buy molokonyi. Cow hoofs. Disgusting. This culture is worlds away from my own!
My time here is coming to a close. I have about four weeks left, and I don’t know what to do with myself! I have 348 hours, so I only need to work for about two more weeks, and then Aubrey and I are hoping to head out to Kenya for our long-awaited spring break.
I want to make sure I get everything I can out of being here, though. I’m trying hard to focus on Uganda and the present instead of getting excited about graduating and being on a Summer Ministry team for ENC.
Monday, March 19, 2007
Uganda Makes Me Laugh - Part 2
1. They MUST iron their clothing. When Aubrey and I stopped by our friend Sam’s house to pick him up for church, he came out, saying, “Oh, I’m sorry, the power was out last night so I couldn’t iron. You will have to continue without me.”
2. “You are smart today” = “You look nice.”
3. Just because the receptionist said there are rooms in the hotel doesn’t mean they really have available ones.
4. They have wedding introductions AND wedding ceremonies, both of which involve lavish ceremonies, receptions, and dresses. Sometimes the wedding introduction is the day before the wedding. My goodness.
5. They pronounce words very differently. Leopard=lay-o-pard, Giraffe= gea-raf, divorce=die-vorce, Deuteronomy=due-tronomy, wafers= wah-fers
6. They’re blunt when describing people. “That old one over there,” “the fat one here,” etc.
One of the ladies in administration looked at me one day and said, “Oh, you are doing well in Africa! You have gotten fat!” (note to self: start running)
7. There was a patient named Cinderella.
8. Short call= going #1 and Long call=going #2
9. shift=move, pick=pick up (“I’m going to pick you at four.”)
10. If you’re new, expect to introduce yourself to the entire crowd and make a speech.
11. Men can have as many wives as they want.
12. “Happy New Year’s” wishes last at least a month after New Year’s.
13. To fund weddings, they hold weekly wedding meetings to get money from friends and relatives. The concept of the bride’s parents paying for the wedding is quite foreign.
14. Speaking softly is a sign of respect. However, it’s really annoying because I can never hear what they’re saying.
2. “You are smart today” = “You look nice.”
3. Just because the receptionist said there are rooms in the hotel doesn’t mean they really have available ones.
4. They have wedding introductions AND wedding ceremonies, both of which involve lavish ceremonies, receptions, and dresses. Sometimes the wedding introduction is the day before the wedding. My goodness.
5. They pronounce words very differently. Leopard=lay-o-pard, Giraffe= gea-raf, divorce=die-vorce, Deuteronomy=due-tronomy, wafers= wah-fers
6. They’re blunt when describing people. “That old one over there,” “the fat one here,” etc.
One of the ladies in administration looked at me one day and said, “Oh, you are doing well in Africa! You have gotten fat!” (note to self: start running)
7. There was a patient named Cinderella.
8. Short call= going #1 and Long call=going #2
9. shift=move, pick=pick up (“I’m going to pick you at four.”)
10. If you’re new, expect to introduce yourself to the entire crowd and make a speech.
11. Men can have as many wives as they want.
12. “Happy New Year’s” wishes last at least a month after New Year’s.
13. To fund weddings, they hold weekly wedding meetings to get money from friends and relatives. The concept of the bride’s parents paying for the wedding is quite foreign.
14. Speaking softly is a sign of respect. However, it’s really annoying because I can never hear what they’re saying.
TASO & AIDS: Week of March 12-18
one of the beautiful little girls who is HIV positiveMy favorite quote of the week: “Laundry is not one of my greater talents, but I do love ironing.” – Brian, 24-year-old employee at CURE. (I told you they like to iron!)
Monday, March 12 – Tuesday, March 13
Monday, March 12 – Tuesday, March 13
We began our first full week at TASO (http://www.tasouganda.org/; my site is www.tasouganda.org/mbl.php). I was surprised to learn that many TASO employees are HIV+ themselves and even more surprised to realize that people with AIDS have a lot of hope for the future. Living positively with AIDS is one of their goals.
They start the patients off with septrin, a drug that basically wards off sickness since their bodies’ immune systems are weakened by the HIV virus. HIV attacks the body’s CD4s, which are part of the immune system (they call them “little soldiers” when talking to the children). When the person’s CD4s go below 200, they are put on ARVs (antiretroviral drugs) that cause the HIV virus to become dormant, allowing the body’s CD4s to rise again. Otherwise, the person would get sicker as opportunistic diseases continue to manifest themselves in the body.
Here’s Wickipedia’s explanation: “CD4 is also a primary receptor used by HIV-1 to gain entry into host T cells. The HIV-1 virus attaches to CD4 with a particular protein in its viral envelope known as gp120. The binding to CD4 creates a shift in the conformation of the viral gp120 protein allowing HIV-1 to bind to two other cell surface receptors on the host cell (the chemokine receptors CCR5 and CXCR4). Following another change in shape of a different viral protein (gp41), HIV inserts a fusion peptide into the host T cell that allows the outer membrane of the virus to fuse with the T-cell membrane. HIV infection leads to a progressive reduction in the number of T cells possessing CD4 receptors and, therefore, the CD4 count is used as an indicator to help physicians decide when to begin treatment in HIV-infected patients.” (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CD4)
TASO works with clients to counsel them throughout the entire process, from pre-testing to death. They provide clients with food, ARVs, septrin, support, and income-generating projects. They work to sensitize the communities, dispelling myths about the disease.
On Tuesday, they held a general health clinic, so Aubrey and I took down the information of about 150 patients. Some of the names of their hometowns are crazy: Budaka, Namakwekwe, Bukedea, Sironko … you get the idea. Now try only hearing the names and figuring out how to spell it!
Wednesday, March 14
We played with the kids in the Children’s Play Center today. Most of these kids are aged 3-12, and most of them look fairly healthy. Trained counselors work with them, going through their ARV regimen and making sure they are taken care of. They read a comic book of sorts to the children that explains HIV, CD4s, and ARVs. It breaks my heart to see these happy children, knowing they are HIV positive through no fault of their own.
The first client we saw was a thirteen-year-old girl who attends boarding school in town and travels to TASO alone. She’s been on ARVs for about four years and has consistently attended TASO workshops and counseling by herself. I don’t understand.
these boys were goofballs. they don't look like they're HIV+, do they?
The funny thing is, I thought at first I would be uncomfortable working with so many people who have a fatal and somewhat contagious disease. But knowing that I can’t get it easily (you can only contract it through sex, sharing infected needles, receiving an infected blood transfusion, etc.) means that I don’t mind being around them at all. In fact, I feel very lucky to see their struggles and victories with this disease. It’s very encouraging in light of the disheartening situation.
Sarah, age 12, wrote this poem.
AIDS! AIDS!
Who created you?
You are finishing us all
You kill the young and the old
You are finishing our lives
What is your mission?
You are a threat to the population
Why do you rob a man of his good life?
Last week you killed our father
The other month you killed our mother
Now you are killing our brother
Leaving us orphans
We wish we knew where you live.
Where are you, AIDS?
The old and the young have died
The poor and the rich have vanished
The handsome, the beautiful, the ugly have disappeared
Because of AIDS, the killer.
Thursday, March 15
We did intake again today with a TASO employee and client named Doka. He’s 47 and was diagnosed with HIV a few years ago. At that point, he had two wives (remember, polygamy is not a big deal here), and one was HIV+, the other HIV-. The uninfected one left him. He went from 77 kilograms (170 pounds) down to 49 (108 pounds), and his CD4 count dwindled to 43 (a healthy person has about 800-900 per cubic milliliter of blood, I think). However, he began taking ARVs, and his CD4 count went back up. I honestly had no idea he even had HIV; he looks very healthy and happy. Again, it was so encouraging to see that life does not have to stop when someone is diagnosed with HIV.
We traveled to Mbale Progressive School (a secondary school) for a school outreach in which we showed two videos to a group of about 300 in a small room. They didn’t seem to pay attention very much. I guess it was a typical high school crowd, but it was frustrating.
I did see an ostrich across the street in someone’s yard, though! I’m going to go visit it before I leave.
Friday, March 16
I did see an ostrich across the street in someone’s yard, though! I’m going to go visit it before I leave.
Friday, March 16
These goats and the cage were given to clients to generate incomeFriday we went into the field for follow-up again. We drove out of Mbale into the villages to check on a few income-generating projects involving goats, chickens, and cages for them. Driving through miles of lush green rice fields to reach the towns was amazing. I love driving through Uganda. I never get bored.
a home visit with the group. Seated L-R is Dennis from Malawi, Prisca from Zambia, a TASO employee, a member of the client family, and Aubrey. Dennis and Prisca are part of our TEACH group.
We also went to another outreach in another school, though this one was intended for the entire community. A singing and drama group from TASO presented songs and skits to explain AIDS, and several HIV-positive clients shared their stories.
Barbara, our supervisor at TASO, relayed two stories of confusion about transmission of HIV. One drug user was using needles without fear, and when asked why he wasn’t scared of contracting HIV, he replied, “Oh, I’m safe! I have on three condoms!”
Up north in Karamoja, there is a group called the Karamojong. I haven’t visited them, but they seem quite interesting. They hardly wear anything except for their AK-47s, and they believe that all the cows in the world belong to them (don’t ask me why). So they often raid villages and take their cows.
Anyway, apparently the Karamojong were given condoms as well so they could practice safer sex. So what did they do? They put on the condoms and wore them all day, took them off to pee, and then put them back on. They would take them off to have sex, and then put them back on (remember that these guys are in the nude most of the time anyway). Oh my.
Saturday, March 17
Saturday, March 17
A friend here at the hospital visited today (Brian, the one who gave me that wonderful quote about ironing). He believes that there is not one person in Ugandan unaffected by AIDS in one way or another. “I personally have lost count,” he said. He has lost two brothers and a sister to AIDS as well as countless aunts, uncles, and cousins. This is a man from a well-educated, seemingly well-off family, and they are still suffering from this disease. I didn’t realize how much it has affected this country.
Saturday, March 10, 2007
Uganda makes me laugh
Aubrey and I made a list of things about Uganda that don't quite fit with our own culture. It was really long, so I'll post it in segments.
1. Guys hold hands in public. It’s normal. However, guys and girls cannot hold hands. In fact, the bride and groom do not even kiss at their wedding. They just hug. “We would never kiss in church!”
2. Some of the appliances are European and therefore have European plugs, which are two thin, round prongs instead of the three large, rectangular prongs on the African appliances. To plug in these European appliances, I have to switch off the outlet and stick something into the extra hole so I can plug in the appliance. It cracks me up every time.
3. "That's okay" means "yes."
4. They all carry handkerchiefs.
5. We eat bugs in our food all the time and we just don’t care anymore. This is our closed butter dish. (Don't worry, we don't eat them in excess. haha.) They like to eat food in our fridge, too. Jerks.
6. “You are lost” means “You haven’t been around in awhile.”
7. They complain about it being hot all the time but put on sweaters, scarves, hats, and winter coats when it gets below 70 degrees Fahrenheit. (It is hot in this picture!!!)
8. “You are welcome” means “I’m glad you’ve come. Welcome.”
9. Ugandans speak really, really proper English.
10. To communicate, I have to slow down and enunciate every word, emphasizing the t’s and d’s.
11. To say yes, they often just raise their eyebrows.
12. Anything and everything can fit on the back of a bicycle: mattresses, bedframes, chairs, several chickens, several people…. this goes for cars, too.
13. The same rule applies to their heads. I’ve seen a man carrying at least 10 foam mattresses on his head.
14. Out in the village, the local bar is a pot of local brew surrounded by men with 6-foot-long straws.
15. Circumcision is a really big deal here. They have public ceremonies for them. When we went out to Sipi and walked around the villages, a friend of our guide actually had a whole roll of pictures of circumcision ceremonies and tried to sell them to us. I am glad to say that all three of us girls were able to pretend that this was normal. A few days ago, one of the two national newspapers featured a cover photo of circumcision. Wonderful.
(this guy is really whacking that meat ... you should have seen him. can you see the splatters on the wall? mmm....)
1. Guys hold hands in public. It’s normal. However, guys and girls cannot hold hands. In fact, the bride and groom do not even kiss at their wedding. They just hug. “We would never kiss in church!”
2. Some of the appliances are European and therefore have European plugs, which are two thin, round prongs instead of the three large, rectangular prongs on the African appliances. To plug in these European appliances, I have to switch off the outlet and stick something into the extra hole so I can plug in the appliance. It cracks me up every time.
3. "That's okay" means "yes."
4. They all carry handkerchiefs.
5. We eat bugs in our food all the time and we just don’t care anymore. This is our closed butter dish. (Don't worry, we don't eat them in excess. haha.) They like to eat food in our fridge, too. Jerks.
6. “You are lost” means “You haven’t been around in awhile.”
7. They complain about it being hot all the time but put on sweaters, scarves, hats, and winter coats when it gets below 70 degrees Fahrenheit. (It is hot in this picture!!!)
8. “You are welcome” means “I’m glad you’ve come. Welcome.”
9. Ugandans speak really, really proper English.
10. To communicate, I have to slow down and enunciate every word, emphasizing the t’s and d’s.
11. To say yes, they often just raise their eyebrows.
12. Anything and everything can fit on the back of a bicycle: mattresses, bedframes, chairs, several chickens, several people…. this goes for cars, too.
13. The same rule applies to their heads. I’ve seen a man carrying at least 10 foam mattresses on his head.14. Out in the village, the local bar is a pot of local brew surrounded by men with 6-foot-long straws.
15. Circumcision is a really big deal here. They have public ceremonies for them. When we went out to Sipi and walked around the villages, a friend of our guide actually had a whole roll of pictures of circumcision ceremonies and tried to sell them to us. I am glad to say that all three of us girls were able to pretend that this was normal. A few days ago, one of the two national newspapers featured a cover photo of circumcision. Wonderful.
16. Meat (think entire skinned animals) just hangs out in the market and wherever else a butcher decides to open up shop. When you buy a piece, they just whack off a chunk with a big knife. Check out this very nice goat below. At least he still has his tail. I think the other one is a cow.
(this guy is really whacking that meat ... you should have seen him. can you see the splatters on the wall? mmm....)
March 7-10: Trip to Gulu & Lira
Journal – March 5-12, 2007
Tuesday, March 6, 2007
Driving up through Lira onto Gulu reminds me that four months is a very short time in which to try to understand a culture and fully appreciate its beauty and its hurts. Simply watching the breathtaking landscape bump by as we ride in our little ambulance reminds me I have so much yet to see. Broadway’s version of the Lion King is the perfect soundtrack …. Africa is so beautiful and so wounded.
Right now we’ve just entered an IDP camp. The bandas (thatched-roof mud huts) are so close to each other you could reach into your neighbor’s window. I can’t imagine the frustrations of living in temporary housing in such close quarters for decades. We’re in northern territory now, where the LRA has ransacked and killed over recent decades. Who would have thought I would be driving here when I watched “Invisible Children” almost exactly a year ago?
Wednesday, March 7, 2007
Yesterday we actually got to visit the Invisible Children office (check out www.invisiblechildren.com). Adam introduced us to James, who gave us a tour through the buildings. There are sixteen mentors who act as role models for about 600 children who escaped from the LRA (Lord’s Resistance Army), and IC has started a Schools to Schools program through which American schools sponsor Ugandan schools. It was crazy to finally see the programs born out of all the hype about the Invisible Children in Uganda.
Justin Onen, one of CURE’s doctors, said that children still travel from the villages to the towns to sleep in safety away from the LRA. The numbers have diminished, but it still happens. I didn’t know how to feel last night when I looked out the window of my secure hotel room, knowing that there were children sleeping in the streets alone.
Tuesday, March 6, 2007
Driving up through Lira onto Gulu reminds me that four months is a very short time in which to try to understand a culture and fully appreciate its beauty and its hurts. Simply watching the breathtaking landscape bump by as we ride in our little ambulance reminds me I have so much yet to see. Broadway’s version of the Lion King is the perfect soundtrack …. Africa is so beautiful and so wounded.
Right now we’ve just entered an IDP camp. The bandas (thatched-roof mud huts) are so close to each other you could reach into your neighbor’s window. I can’t imagine the frustrations of living in temporary housing in such close quarters for decades. We’re in northern territory now, where the LRA has ransacked and killed over recent decades. Who would have thought I would be driving here when I watched “Invisible Children” almost exactly a year ago?
Wednesday, March 7, 2007
Yesterday we actually got to visit the Invisible Children office (check out www.invisiblechildren.com). Adam introduced us to James, who gave us a tour through the buildings. There are sixteen mentors who act as role models for about 600 children who escaped from the LRA (Lord’s Resistance Army), and IC has started a Schools to Schools program through which American schools sponsor Ugandan schools. It was crazy to finally see the programs born out of all the hype about the Invisible Children in Uganda.
Justin Onen, one of CURE’s doctors, said that children still travel from the villages to the towns to sleep in safety away from the LRA. The numbers have diminished, but it still happens. I didn’t know how to feel last night when I looked out the window of my secure hotel room, knowing that there were children sleeping in the streets alone.
Aubrey with Weston Hall, a Salvation Army worker, at a preschool in an IDP camp
Today CURE held a clinic at the Gulu Regional Hospital; about sixteen patients came for follow-up. Aubrey and I wanted to see what other NGOs (nongovernmental organizations) did in the area, so we called Weston Hall of the Salvation Army, and he kindly picked us up and let us follow him around for the day. We visited UNICEF to discuss in-kind donations and funding proposals and then headed out to the IDP (internally displaced persons) camps. These people had to move out of their villages because of attacks by the rebel Lord’s Resistance Army a decade or so ago, and conditions in these makeshift villages are awful. If you’ve seen the Invisible Children update DVD, it shows a shot of IDP camps outside Gulu. Bandas are everywhere, and up to ten people can sleep in each one. I’m sure there is no privacy, not to mention nothing to do other than school and the occasional football (remember, that means soccer here!) game. The social worker there said that GBV (gender-based violence) is a huge problem there.
We visited a preschool, a tin roof with no walls. These children truly are poor. We see the poor at CURE, but these children’s clothes were completely brown and ragged. Their stomachs are bloated from worms and almost all of them have runny noses. But they happily sang us songs and eagerly reached to shake our hands: “Hello, mzungu!” The teachers encouraged them that someday that might achieve great things like us. I didn't know what to say.
Thursday, March 8, 2007
Carol Higgins picked us up this morning to take us to PATH ministries’s Okino-Waa (“Our Children” in Luo), an orphanage started by herself and her husband on the outskirts of Lira, a town a few hours south of Gulu. It was so encouraging to walk through their community and see the amazing opportunity given to orphans who were abandoned, whose parents died, or whose families were attacked by the LRA.
Aubrey and Christine walk into one of the homes at Otino-Waa.
We ate lunch at one of the houses. I'm here with Mama Florence and her "kids."
Saturday, March 10, 2007
Aubrey and I started our first day with The AIDS Support Organization (TASO) yesterday. We’re enrolled in their TEACH program (I can’t remember what that acronym stands for!) for the next three weeks to learn about community support and programs available for AIDS clients here.
We spent yesterday doing home visits and discussing options for tackling problems that come with AIDS in Africa. We spent a few hours bumping through “roads” (dirt with lots of potholes; sometimes, it’s only a dirt path, and we just drive through the bush!).
One of the men told me to write about it so I could tell everyone in America “what the rural people live like.” He said, “We’re not sick, we are only suffering. We hope to live many more years.” His wife and four-year-old son are also HIV positive. I could barely look at the boy without a lump forming in my throat and tears blurring my vision of the hot African landscape. Sometimes I wonder if I can handle working with the disadvantaged.
Monday, February 26, 2007
Hydrocephalus 101
With Elizabeth at the Mbarara clinic. You can see a dent in the middle of her head where the CSF has drained. She's happy and recovering, though!
Here's where the hospital comes in. There are two surgical procedures currently available to treat hydrocephalus. The first is the ETV (endoscopic third ventriculostomy), in which the surgeon uses an endoscope to create a small hole on the bottom of the third ventricle to allow the CSF to drain. This has the highest success rate and requires less maintenance. However, an ETV does not work with all cases.
I've been wanting to explain hydrocephalus to everyone so they can better understand the conditions the hospital treats, so here's my unmedical attempt to do so!
Hydrocephalus basically means "water on the brain." There are four ventricles (cavities of sorts) in the brain, the two lateral ventricles, which are on top, and the third and fourth ventricles.
The choroid plexus produces cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), which flows around the brain and down the spinal cord (the arrows below show flow of CSF). CSF is a good thing, but sometimes one of the ventricles become blocked (usually between the third and fourth ventricles, I hear), preventing proper drainage of the CSF.
With nowhere to go, the CSF stays in the ventricles, causing them to swell with the fluid and putting great pressure on the brain. Since babies' skulls are still forming (remember the soft spot on their heads?), they grow with the increasing pressure, resulting in abnormally large heads.
Most of the hydrocephalus we see here occurs after the babies are born (PIHC - post-infectious hydrocephalus); it is mostly preventable. Hydrocephalus can be caused by blockage from tumors, cysts, swelling as a result of infections like meningitis, and other reasons.
Many babies born with spina bifida develop hydrocephalus as well. Here's where the hospital comes in. There are two surgical procedures currently available to treat hydrocephalus. The first is the ETV (endoscopic third ventriculostomy), in which the surgeon uses an endoscope to create a small hole on the bottom of the third ventricle to allow the CSF to drain. This has the highest success rate and requires less maintenance. However, an ETV does not work with all cases. The second option is to insert a shunt. Basically, a system of tubes with a valve is inserted into the right lateral ventricle, travels out of the brain between the child's skull and skin down into the abdominal cavity, where the CSF can drain. Other types of shunts may empty into the heart or the lungs, but CURE mostly uses VP (ventriculo-peritoneal) shunts.
This baby looked a lot happier before this picture! You can see that his skull is slightly malformed. The surgeons were able to perform an ETV on him (you can just barely see the bandage on the top right section of his head).
After the ETV or the shunt is placed, the CSF begins to drain, sometimes resulting in a large valley on the child's head. Eventually, this soft spot will close on its own, though it is at a very slow rate and the sides may overlap. However, the head size generally does not change, because the skull has formed as such, and bones do not change shape easily.
That is hydrocephalus in a nutshell. I am so thankful to be at a place that can repair these babies' heads and lives and give them hope.
further reading: www.hydroassoc.org, www.ifglobal.org/hydrocephalus
This baby looked a lot happier before this picture! You can see that his skull is slightly malformed. The surgeons were able to perform an ETV on him (you can just barely see the bandage on the top right section of his head).
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