Abeka Bali Batya?

So everytime I get to the internet cafe I get a huge blank about what I should write. I guess I will begin by teling you a little bit about Kampala to give you an idea about a big city over here in Uganda. Kampala is Ugandas largest city and reminds me of what I imagine Detroit would be like. HA. Sort of run down, crammed full of people, really busy, and really dirty. Exciting ya? The strangest thing about Kampala is that there are these Massive birds that have come from some forest and set up camp in the trees there. This might not be so strange if they didnt have nests the size of bathtubs. And if they didn't rummage through garbage like vultures. And if they didnt swoop unbearbly close to your head. The are stork-like birds with a pouch under their beak, presumably for catching fish though I think they only eat rubbish. I would put their wing-span at atleast 6 feet. Bizarre.

Last weekend was my first of three birthdays in Africa :) My mom here asked me to invite all of my friends over so we had a big get together in my "backyard". We made pasta, fruit salad, and this wonderful creation called Chipati Delight which consists of chipati, bananas, sugar, peanut butter, and chocolate. Basically the most calorie laden thing per bite that you could possibly eat besides straight lard. And it was delicious. Friends made me no bake cookies and my family here got me flip-flops and earrings, so sweet. It was nice to be able to celebrate here, but I never really saw myself turning 23. It just seems too old! Thanks for all of the birthday wishes! On my actual birthday we got to go to the American Ambassadors house here in Uganda. He has a pool and connections with the local pizza place, so I was in heaven.

Anyways, I have started running here after taking a four week hiatus. I was a huge crab apple during that time and realized that I should have never taken the break in the first place, but now I am back on track so no worries. This leads up to my next story about running on the road near my house. Everyone here thinks running is rediculous, and technically for them it is because they expend so many calories hauling water, walking to school, etc. that they can barely make up for it, but for me it is obviously my sanity. So I was running the other day with my ipod in trying to stay in the zone and came upon a group of high school boys who were walking home from school. I had been harrassed, made fun of, and screamed Muzungu at for the first 15 minutes of my run without cracking my focus but these boys were being especially obnoxious. Then one starts running in front of me acting like a high-schooler (of all things) and then runs with me. At this point I am a fairly frustrated but keeping my cool by jamming out to Beyonce. I pass him, but at some point am forced to turn around and head back to my house. As I pass him on the way home he does the same thing and refuses to stop immitating me so I made a swift push with my left shoulder that left him stunned (and maybe faltered his step a bit). :) He was embaressed by this, so he got up and began chasing after me in a dead sprint. I bolted and managed to outrun him until he gave up. I then realized that I should probably not let things get to me as much and letting things go is a positive thing, especially in a country in which one is trying to assimilate... but atleast it was a good sprint workout.

We spent this morning learning how to make a fuel-efficient cook stove. It is a possibility for a secondary project and it was very interesting to learn. We started by gathering dirt, water, grass and the stem of a banana tree and worked diligently for 4 hours to create a fuel efficient cook stove for one of the host families. It was so rewarding to actually use our hands to create something that will be useful in the community.

Things are beginning to wrap up in training. We find out our sites in about 10 days, then take our final language test and swear in as official Peace Corps Volunteers. I am so excited to find out where my final placement will be, but a bit hesitant because it will mean leaving all of my amazing friends and really being on my own for the first time. They tell us that we will spend the first couple of months in our community just simply getting our bearings and meeting people. We will have our house to clean, organizations to meet, and people to visit. I cant even wait! What I also can't wait for is MAIL?!?!?!?! Though it may seem small to all of you people with regular internet access, electricity, running water, TV, Newpapers... Let me assure you it is not. Send me mail! Send me an empty letter for all I care, just so long as I know that you took the time to spend 94 cents and think about me :) But, if you do get the urge I updated my wish list with some really cheap things you can send me that I can't get in country.(Actually my list wouldnt update on this slow internet so here are some other things I would love to get: GUM (anykind), Ketchup packets, Mustard Packets, Ranch packets, Velveeta shells and cheese cheese, News, Crosswords, etc.) This entry is entitled "Abeka Bali Batya?" Which means "How are the people at home?" I would love to hear how you are all doing, what life is like at home, and what new things are happening, or what is not changing at all. Thanks and I love you all.

Oh, and by the way, if you want to write me an e mail please dont write it to my school account anymore because my password expired and I can't reset it from here. The e mail address that I check is as follows:

ambercommer@gmail.com

Thanks

Mazungu

In Kampala for the day and decided to hit up the internet cafe. We got permission to stay here for the weekend so it seems that we may get to live a normal life for 2 days... one that includes electricity and running water. First things first we went to Owino, which is a huge clothes market in central Kampala. I think it is basically where clothes get sent after they don't get sold at Goodwill in the States, but you can actually find some decent stuff there! I got a few shirts because my clothes are not going to hold up much longer with how often I am wearing them and the fact that I am hand washing them/ sun-drying them.

We took our language mock-tests this week which are supposed to prepare us for our real test in 5 weeks. By the time our intensive language training is finished we are supposed to be at an intermediate-low level of speaking, which equals talking for thirty minutes about whatever it is we can say. Right now, I am at novice-high, which is encouraging considering it is only one step below intermediate-low, but that step seems to be a rather high one. I guess we will see in the coming weeks.

I finally got a bike, which excites me even more than when I got my tri-bike in the states. This bike has only one gear, but is very nice by Ugandan standards. The roads on the other hand are the hard part. None of them are paved, and not only that but they are not gravel but a mix of red-clay and gravel. When they said "must be able to ride long distances over rough terrain" I laughed at the rough-terrain part. I mean, how rough could the terrain be really?? Well, my friends, let me tell you a little something about rough terrain.... we dont have it in the states. My sic bones have never hurt this bad in my entire life. You know in the states when you see Mormons riding their bikes together, and you make a note that it is strange and that they really don't need to be wearing those obnoxious helmets. Well, thats exactly what I look like here. We travel in pairs, with helmets that are whiter than anything in this whole country. Add on to that the fact that women don't ride bikes in Uganda because they think it is unpure, and we are a sight for sore eyes. The kids scream Mazungu as we ride, which means white person and we have named the road up to my house mazungu alley because there are so many kids that chase us as we ride. The reason I ride my bike is because not only is a FANTASTIC workout, but it also cuts my travel time in half. Its amazing how long it takes to do anything or go anywhere when you have to walk there. Be thankful for your car, for your paved roads, for your stoplights. Be thankful for your 21 speed bikes, your trails and your scooters for god sakes. Be thankful.

I got letters in the mail the other day and freaked out. It was so nice to hear about home. Even a little snippit of news is more than I get here, so it was amazing to read about what is happening the in the states and in the world in general. Send me mail. ha.

I am continuing being a vegetarian here. Its interesting for those who do eat meat because no one was ever taught how to properly butcher a cow in this country. They end up hacking the cow into 20 pieces, with each peice being full of bone, and rib, and gut and meat. Sounds appetizing I know. And after having seen a motorcycle drive by with five live chickens tied to each handlebar, I re-dedicated myself as a strict vegetarian. ha. The next day I saw the way they keep the chickens at the market, which I assume is somewhat similar to the way they keep them in the states, crammed 20 to a small cage, with each bird pecking the other ones eyes out and half of them featherless because they are sick or dying. Yes, I think I will stay vegetarian and enjoy the fact that I can cut pineapples off of the trees in my backyard and pick avacados the size of pumpkins from my garden.

So now I have got to be going. Hope life is good for everyone. I miss you all a ton.

A Little Update

We spent this week visiting PCV's (Peace Corps Volunteers) at their sites to see exactly how they live and what we can possibly expect for living conditions. It was incredibly enlightening to visit organizations that are affiliated with the peace corps and to be able to see just how volunteers are living. The volunteer I visited has electricity and running water (only cold) but her living situation seemed luxurious compared to what I have been living in for the past month. It was wonderful to be able to eat American food, and even more wonderful to know that we will be able to get/make most of the ingredients necessary for Quesadillas... as we all know I am obsessed.

The volunteer I visited was working with an HIV/AIDS organization and stayed very busy at her site. I am excited to see where I will be placed and whether I will have a lot to do or will be scrambling to find work. We got to talking about the trips she has taken etc. and it got me very excited about the prospect of traveling. I would love to do Kilimanjaro within a year, and anyone who is interested should definitely book a plane ticket and come on the adventure. I am also aching for a trip to Zanzibar over Christmas so save up your tip money and come with!!

Other than that, not much is new. Life is good and I am learning a ton, though the language is exponentially harder than I expected. Hope KC is treating everyone well. Miss you like crazy.

Osiibye Otyanno

So I am finally back in Kampala again! Internet is glorious, although I specifically remember it working faster than this when I was in 5th grade, so consider it a major act of patience for me to update my blog. (And we all know patience is my strong suit) I am starting out this blog with all the information to contact me so here it is:

To call me use the following number:
0011-256-075-272-6203 (I am not positive about the 0011, but I think that is how my mom called me. If that doesnt work, call her. Ha. 816-510-3623 and ask her how she did it... sorry mom)

To send me a package use the following adress:

Peace Corps Uganda
P.O. Box 29348
Kampala, Uganda

Send it via Airmail (write that on the package)Apparently letters only take 2 1/2 weeks, and they can be full of wonderful things as follows:

Ranch packets (singular that last a while, or dry ones)
Interesting Journal articles
Interesting Education articles
Interesting NEWS articles (I have not read international news in almost a month and I am itching to do it, but have to update my blog first, so consider it your gift to me to send me news)
Taco seasoning
Any other delicious seasonings
Stretchy headbands (like the ones you work out in)
Seeds
The cheese that is in macaroni and cheese

I know this all seems like trivial stuff, but let me assure you it is not. So... onto the real stuff.

I moved in with my homestay about 3 weeks ago. They are a wonderful muslim family. There are 7 children, ranging in age from 7-25. But 5 of them are right around my age and very fluent in english as well as educated. My mother here is 42 and has so many of the characteristics that my real mom has that it is scary.

Exhibit A: Today she told me to leave my laundry out because she wanted to do it for me.
Exhibit B: When I came home sick the other evening, she boiled some water and made a home remidy which she soaked a warm cloth in and then put all over my head and shoulders
Exhibit C: We played cards for hours the first night I moved in.
Exhibit D: She makes me eggs every morning for breakfast.

The list could go on, but for times sake I will stop. Either way, the family is amazing. I live in a house with no running water and no electricity. It is made of concrete and has a corregated tin roof. There is no furniture to be had, but there is a table and chairs in the "dining room". I shower from a bucket, and actually have gotten my showers down to about 2 liters, so I am pretty darn proud to say the least. We have a spiget close to our house to use water, but we also catch it in buckets when it rains and use that water to bathe and wash our clothes. All of our water must be boiled before we drink it which at some point will become a nuisance, but right now there is always someone to do it so its not a problem. It gets dark at 730 here, so I have to be home by then at the latest. Then we light our lanterns and hang out around the house. I am really lucky that I live with locals my own age because oftentimes as we are dancing around the house barefoot, or sipping on a cup of tea I forget that I am 5000 miles away from home.

In the morning, I wake up around 6 and take a bucket shower, then walk the three miles to our training center. If I could only justify the African sky with words. The nights are endless with no city light to obscure the mottled sky. You have no concept of how many stars exist until you can see an African night. The road I walk on to training runs east to west, so the sun rises perfectly over it. It illuminates the sky with streaks of orange and red and takes my breath away.

Training begins at 8, and starts with langauge. I am learning Luganda and am getting much better at it than I thought I would, although I am constantly pulling up the french word for a particular item instead of the Lugandan. Osiibye Otyanno means "How is your day going?" And I probably use it 100 times a day. In Uganda it is very important to greet everyone that you see on the street and know or they may get the impression that you are mad at them. In collectivist communities like this, you know basically everyone so I find myself spending a lot of time greeting. After language we have medical and technical training that goes until 5 pm. Although I thought I was good to go with all of my shots, it has not been the case and every week I find myself being poked and prodded. I really think I could go anywhere in the world and not get sick (I hope I am not eating my words later).

At night we walk the three miles home or go and just get a beer to relax. There is a really good one here called the nile special :) I have to be home by 730 because it gets dark, and I mean pitch dark. They like to make sure we are safely home by then. My nights are spent studying, reading, and talking to my family. For dinner we eat matooke (which is boiled plaintains), cabbage, potatoes, avacado, rice, and greens. Talk about eating local... We cut down the greens from outside and then tear off the leaves to cook. My sisters steam it and then we eat. Rice is purchased, but almost everything else is from the land behind our house. We even grown our own jackfruit, which is really yummy. After dinner I spend about an hour reading before I blow out my lamp and crawl under my mosquito net to go to bed. Life is simple. Good but simple.

It still blows my mind that the world I currently live in and the one I was raised in can exist on the same planet. It does not seem humanly possible. But the thing that always frightens me so much more than that, is how much happier people here are. I wonder how many americans can truly grasp what happiness is when there is so much stuff blinding them. It is funny how accustomed we get to the things that we think we need, but it has become blatently clear that the line between want and need does not exist in America. It merges into one...

I am learning so much here. About patience and gentle strength. About finding the best in people. About acceptance and understanding. I am learning to stop talking and start listening. I am learning to slow down. Walk slower, talk slower, think slower, eat slower, breath slower.... in luganda they say Mpolla mpolla "slowly slowly". And slowly but surely I am blending into this new Ugandan life.

Hello from Uganda!

Hey everyone!!
So I knew internet would be scarce, but I assumed that it might be a little less scarce then it actually is. :) I am in Kampala at an internet cafe, but tomorrow I head to my homestay wher eI will be place for 2 months.

There are 32 Peace Corps Volunteers (PCVs) in my group. Ranging from my age to their mid 60's. It has been great to get to know everyone so far. It seems that we all enjoy many of the same things, reading, running, playing cards, so I don't feel too far from home. The weather here is beautiful... all day... everyday. 75 degrees with a mild amount of humidity today. The Peace Corps coordinators are great and they seem to be very excited to have us here. The Ugandans themselves are incredibly hospitable, I can't even wait to get into my homestay to be able to see what it is really like to live here.

I dress in long skirts everyday, much longer than at home. Today I put on a dress that is right at the knee and felt immodest, I really dont think I will wear it teaching. I specifically remember my mom buying this dress for me and complaining that I looked homely because of its length. Funny how perceptions change. The food here is wonderful and it is not difficult at all to be vegetarian. There are tons of fresh fruit and vegetables and they are served at every meal. Fish is offered about once a day. Tilapia from Lake Victoria! Yummy.

Well, my time is almost up here at this internet cafe. Please stay in touch, it means the world to me. I will try to update this as often as I can, but I forsee many challenges.

I love you and miss you all.

Beginning the Journey

I left this morning, early. I knew it would be difficult to leave everyone, but puking before I got on the plane was the red flag for my true emotions. Bleary-eyed I stepped into this new life. Hope it goes well.

Last week was a blast. Everyone that I am close to came into town for one last good-bye. Its funny how people make time for you when you are leaving, comforting at least. I said goodbye to Alicia and she asked to borrow a few things while I was gone, Winter things of course. I didn’t think it would be a problem considering a majority of my friends have called dibs on my leg warmers and Gap blazers. Sayonara cold weather. She came down the stairs with my 4 favorite scarves wrapped around her arm, and my stomach dropped. I stood their contemplating whether I could see her walk out of the house with the things I “loved”, and decided that it was a little too much to bear. She took two and will come back for the others later, when I am not there to blubber-on about how they are my favorites and I loved wearing them. Hope I get over that while I am here. The whole loving things act doesn’t do too much for me, but it is still something that I am working on.

I love doing my hair. I love going out for Pad Thai. I love putting on make-up and heels, and getting a drink with friends. I love going out for coffee. I love getting new jeans. But how much love can you put into things? And how important is it to give those things all away to see what you are capable of becoming? I guess by the end of this I will know the answers to both of those questions.

I am sitting in Philadelphia right now, getting ready to meet the people who I will be friends with for the next two years. It’s a strange mix of excitement and hesitation, wonderment and fear. It’s sort of a beautiful thing that I love to feel.

Thank you to everyone who has helped me along the way, supported me in this decision and aided me in getting ready (both physically and emotionally)! I wish you all the best of luck in these next two years, please stay in touch. I love you all.

Facts

Not many people know much about The Republic of Uganda, so I plan on using this blog to enlighten you all. ha.

The links on the upper right hand side of this blog will take you to some wonderful web pages overflowing with facts.   For those of you who are super eager here are some interesting things about Uganda:

* Uganda is about the size of Oregon, but is home to about 9 times the number of people with a total population of around 31,000,000.

* According to the World Fact Book, the life expectancy of a Ugandan is around 50 years.

* The average Ugandan woman is mother to 7 children.

* The GDP per capita is $1,100. (compared to $48,000 in the US)