The Finished Product

Joshua and I finished our Hand-washing Station Project and I wanted to share the pictures with you. The stations were given to Kayunga District Youth Center, Mukono District Youth Center, Kayunga District Hospital and other smaller Health Centers around the District. We distributed 12 in total. It was a small project, but hopefully it will have a large impact in the health and hygiene of health care professionals and clients at the health centers.

I'm happy Josh got to see his idea come to fruition and have such a great impact.

A Season of Birthdays

The past three weeks have been filled with lots of birthday wishes in the Kayunga/Jinja area. My PCV friend Lisa celebrated her 24th birthday in style at a lovely pool in Jinja while my friend Maggie had a visitor from the States who celebrated her 24th birthday in Jinja as well. Work has been so busy for me lately that these birthday days have been a breath of fresh air not to mention a whole truck load of fun.

Pool day for Lisa

Natalie's Birthday - NRE Sunset Cruise

The third birthday we celebrate was mine! Birthdays were always very special in my family growing up and my parents always put a lot of effort into making them into amazing birthday seasons for my brother and me. Last year it felt strange being away from my family and friends back home for my birthday, but this year all I felt was love from my friends and family here in Uganda and from everyone back home near and far. On my birthday my PCV friends and I had a wonderful pool day on Bujigali Falls overlooking the Nile and had a fabulous lunch. After traveling back to Kayunga that night (with a delicious pizza in hand from Jinja Town) I got to Skype with my family and best friend for hours. Needless to say I feel very blessed to have had such a wonderful birthday.

Birthday lunch at The Black Lantern on Bujigali Falls

I even got to have a birthday sundae with real ice cream (real ice cream is hard to find here)!

Mom even sent me cake - yummy! They were almost to good to eat, but you can't keep a Maine girl away from mini whoopie pies!

Then a couple days after my real birthday I got to have a second party with my Ugandan family. We celebrated at their favorite spot, which is the local pork joint in town. I love it there too - it has the most beautiful field to watch the sun set. All the people I love in Kayunga were there to celebrate with me and filled my night with fun and love. [Sorry for the blurry pictures - my camera is old and doesn't shoot well in the dark...oops.]

Chris and Francis - double trouble

Susan <3

Best Friends

Three Best Friends (Side note: I played them the song "Three Best Friends" from The Hangover and now it's their favorite song. Definitely my kind of people.)

Shafeke - Alisat's son who is super shy, but just started to like me. I guess I was to scary for the first 18 months - ha!

My Ugandan Family

Former PCV Blog

"He gave me more than a bracelet. He gave me HIV."

When I got back to Uganda after a holiday home I felt out of place assimilating back into my community. So as most PCV's do I started spending my nights watching many tv episodes, movies and surfing the internet to try and stay connected to the world at home that we are so distant from. I found this PCV blog entitled No Going Back. There Is Only Forward while I was surfing one night and have been following closely since then.

This blog is written by the last PCV who was medically separated from her service. To be medically separated by the Peace Corps a PCV must have a condition that cannot be corrected by treatment within 45 days. This treatment can take place in the host country, the medical evacuation of that geographical area (for Uganda it is South Africa) or the United States. This PCV was medically separated in December 2011 when she acquired HIV during her service in Zambia.

I strongly urge people to read her blog. Her story is sad, but provoking. She is a strong, resilient and articulate woman who has been through a life changing event and decided to share her story with anyone who will listen. Her blog talks about her infection and treatment, as well as sharing information on HIV/AIDS that everyone should either know or have access to.

Please take the time to read her blog and send her positivity. She is an inspiring young woman who speaks for so many people who cannot.

Recent Fun Photos

Peek-a-Boo

I have the habit of giving sweeties to the children in my village neighborhood of Nakarilo on a regular basis. For the most part the children are respectful and thankful for the time I spend with them so it makes me bend to their constant asking for candy. However, one thing that has started because of my candy dealings is the children are coming to my windows and doors all the time if the curtains are pulled back asking for me to come to them. I love seeing their little faces every day, but sometimes they are relentless with their asking and I just have to laugh ... and give in to their requests.

On Valentine's Day we celebrated my girlfriend Lisa's birthday at a beautiful pool in Jinja. While hanging around the pool Lisa and I decided it would be great fun to shave a heart in honor of Valentine's Day in our friend's absurd amount of chest hair. Success is sweet.

One afternoon in Kampala I went chameleon hunting with my friend Nat - we found two in the bushes around his house. I had never held one before and the grippies they have on their feet are super ticklish!

Comfort's Birthday

Comfort turned 5 this past weekend! She's a wonderfully funny, smart and beautiful little girl who I am blessed to have in her life. I found out she had never celebrated her birthday because her adoptive mom (my friend Cathy) did not find out their birthdays until late last year. So we threw her a party and at first she was stunned - she had no idea what was going on! After her mom explained it was a party for her, her face lighted up with joy and delight.

Mom and Daughter <3

Sisters!

Funny faces - Cathy, Comfort and I got the message!

Peace Corps 3 on 3 Basketball Tournament

I've been excited to get some serious basketball action on the court here at the Youth Center since it was built. We definitely have fun with the few adults in Kayunga that know how to play, but I was craving a legit tournament. So this past weekend I put together a Peace Corps Uganda 3 on 3 basketball tournament. It was wicked fun and my friend Matt's parents even got to spend the weekend in Kayunga and be a part of the fun!

Walking from my house to the Youth Center

The kids came and stayed all day

The 'Smiling Towers' were all business...til they lost to my team...

Unnecessary Violence

The other day I was walking to work when I saw a bicycle taxi coming towards me with two little boys on the back on their way to nursery school. These boys live near the Youth Center and almost always come to play in the afternoon here. The bike operator was a man a little taller than myself and lean. As I took my headphones off to greet them I noticed that the littlest boy (who is no more than three years old) was having a temper tantrum over something while riding on the back of the bike. The man riding the bike was furious and preceded to dismount the bike with the utmost purpose. At that moment I watched him repetitively hit this little boy across his face and on the top of his head. I walked right over to the man and grabbed his arm to make him stop. I yelled at him in Luganda and English that he had no right to do what he was doing and to stop hitting this little boy. He turned to me and said sometimes children just need to be hit.

I was stunned. He had at least stopped beating the child and they continued on their way to school, but I was sick at the fact that this man thought it was perfectly okay to do that to a defenseless child. Now, I know this happens in America as well and when I have seen it happen in public I step in a say something always. However, in America I guess I just don't see the lack of remorse, anger and stupidity that I saw from this man.

Here in Uganda children are subject to corporal punishment in their schools and homes due to the fact that they are caned when they behave badly. I don't want to say I've become sensitized to seeing and/or hearing this happen in my community, but it is something that I have grown accustom too. It is difficult to explain to a parent here that beating their child is not the most effective way to teach them to behave a different way. Depending on who you're talking to some parents won't even take the time to listen.

It is hard to accept the fact that while you are here as a volunteer to help with behavior change that most people do not see caning or beating their children as a negative. Therefore the behavior sadly will not change. It is something I have a hard time with on a day to day basis, but hopefully with time people will see that there are other ways to discipline.