I’m a volunteer! I’ve Completed Training!

23 Oct 2010 2 Comments

by danrennt98 in Uncategorized

Perhaps you are there? I am there. How are you sir? Good. How are you madam? Good. I’m happy to see you. and you as well. How is there? great. How is there? great. thanks for asking. — a traditional greeting translated here

So. before leaving Wakiso for Kampala for the counterpart-supervisor-volunteer workshop.. I decided I needed a backpack. Because the PC has given us so many papers and books that I needed to use my old backpack to carry them in. And the backpack I had from home (the camo one) was so thin that I couldn’t even pack an over night bag with it. So on the night before I left my homestay family, I had given them my thank-you gifts (thanks aunt ruthie and aunt sharon — mamma loved the necklace from j-crew and they also LOVED the nyc shirts and postcards–pictures on facebook of that) and I went out with my host brother to town to buy a backpack. The only place with backpacks only had Chinese backpacks (brand name Li-Ning); Chinese products sent to America aren’t terrible, but not amazing either. Chinese products sent to Africa are horrible. Anyways, I bought the backpack for 12,000  shillings (about 5-6 dollars).. bartered down from 16,000 (about 7 dollars). So I packed it up that night with somethings.. Then, the next morning I was finishing packing it and the zipper was closed and then it just split open. Semi-easy fix just unzipper the open part and re-do it. Note: on the straps usually towards the end of the adjustable part, it’s thick so that the straps don’t slip though the buckle. Nope. Not on chinese backpacks. So every time I would put it on the straps would just slip though the buckle and the bag would be on the ground. On my way out the door, after the driver picked up other backs, it was slipping through and the entire strap just came off the bag, rendering one strap useless. and of course the other one couldn’t support all the weight so it slipped off. Lol and then one of the zippers comepletely fell off one the way to the taxi park. I didn’t even have it for more than 13 hours lol. Case in point: Chinese products are not great, especially when sent to Africa. Well, rant over.

Anyways some funny tidbits about life here, before I go rambling on about the past week:

Chickens cross the road all the time. And every single time I think about the joke.

People have satellite tv, but still use pit latrines.

Taxis are all named and have lettering across the top, some examples: “Puff Daddy”, “Injury Time”, “Florida”, “God is great”, “Allah Akbar”… etc.

Rs and Ls sound exactly the same here.. instead of saying “village”, my host father would say “virrage”. I also saw a sign that said “Restaulant”. And if I want people to understand me I’ll just switch alound the retters.

The cell phone system actually works better than America’s most of the time.

People don’t mind fitting 27 people, 3 chickens, a goat, and some luggage inside of a 14 person taxi. (In this case there was some guy pretty much sitting on my lap.)

I’m still not sure whether or not taxi drivers all have a mutual agreement to play chicken against each other on the wrong side of the road.

After entering your pin on the ATM, it says “Please wait a while” instead of “one moment please” … at least they’re honest.

Soroti town actually looks pretty close to me… but because of the road system.. It’s actually more like 7 hours away. Jinja is now the closest town. and I’d have to go to Jinja to Mbale to Soroti.

The temperature rarely fluctuates more than 10 degrees.. from about 68-78 degrees F. But when it’s 68 it’s too cold to ugandans and when it’s 78 it’s too hot.

It’s inappropriate to wear shorts/pants for girls, but women breast feed openly everywhere.

It’s impossible to sleep later that 7 am here.

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Entonces.. We go. So this past week was pretty happy, awesome, sad, intimidating and scary and fun. I was sad to leave my host family and they were wonderful. I didn’t think my host father would be that upset, but he was so upset he didn’t even go to church! And he’s the pastor! Well, I spent a good time there and I will definitely be going back and having my real parents visit them. I started hanging out and going out with my host brothers a lot, which was cool, so we got pretty close recently. And I taught them how to play Rummy, Spit, Hearts, Uno, Blackjack, and Solitaire. Some of which they adopted to ugandan rules which I then had to re-learn how to play — their way. And my host bro Isaac’s wife is really competitive and plays Uno exactly like my real mom plays Scrabble. She dishes out the “Draw FOUR”s like it’s her job.

We had a homestay thank you party, which was fun, but really embarassing. All the trainees and homestay families were there and my Lusoga group sang the Basoga anthem, and made it sounds like nails on a chalkboard.. hilarious but embarrassing and probably offensive to some. Then, I gave a speech in Lusoga and we sang the 50 states in Alphabetical order. Semi-embarrassing but fun.

Then, we went to a hotel outside of Kampala, which is where PC does all of the trainings. There we had the supervisor-counterpart-volunteer/trainee workshop. This was pretty good. Being in the hotel was fun and great to be around everyone and not have to worry about getting home before dark. Spent sometime with my supervisor and counterpart.. then went to the US Ambassador’s house (beautiful) to swear-in as volunteers (pics on facebook). This was a really important event for all of us in the PC family. This means our graduation as trainees and surviving training, the realization that we are all separating and moving to our different towns and districts, and actually beginning the work that we came here to do. We’re all very proud of ourselves, and I think we’re a wonderful group that gets along really really well. 45 of us came into the country together.. and in most groups at least one goes home, but we all stuck it out and made it through and I’m really glad that we all could do that. Congrats guys! We got sworn in by the ambassador/country director and the country director made a spectacular speech.. where half of the group was shedding tears. Then, my good friends, [semi-]neighbors, and fellow Lusoga speakers, Christie and Nick, made really impressive, heartfelt, and funny speeches (which I have on video for the future, it takes too long to upload here). Props to them! Then we had really good chicken, beef, and fish sticks (I know, it took 23 years,  but I now like fish sticks and tomatoes). Had a really fun last night with all my Americans all got together and voted on superlatives for each other! And just enjoyed ourselves before we left.

Yesterday.. I got up early, packed, and left on my journey to Kamuli. Yesterday wasn’t the best day. I was tired and sad to leave everyone, pack up my bags for a 3rd time, and take a 4 hour ride on a taxi, then unpack and buy things. I left at 9 and got there at 11, travelling with my counterpart Isaac. The people from my organization presented me my house, brought me to the office and then I went out trying to buy things for it. I got some things.. but I’m still waiting on a wardrobe and a table. The floors are cement It’s two rooms.. each about 8′ x 8′. the latrine is nearby outside and the bathing area is next door. Once I can unpack my bags I will be feeling a bit better about the situation. If anyone can send framable pictures.. I found a place in town where I can buy frames so I can put stuff on my walls. My address is now “Dan Popielarski, PO BOX 177, Kamuli, Basoga, Uganda” if anyone wants to send stuff this way. I live near a group of secondary school students.. and they’re pretty nice. I’m really going to try and learn as much Lusoga as possible once I get settled in because I hate being in a room with 10 people and I’m the only one who can’t understand. There was no electricity when I came in last night.. so my phone was dead, computer dead. The gas stations here didn’t have the piece I needed for my stove so I have to buy made food until I can go travel to get it. I got really frustrated because I was walking to the restaurant and one of my co-workers stopped me and told me to go to the office so I could go get electricity put in at my house, since it was locked. So then I waited there for 2 hours until it was closed (during which I could’ve eaten.. and hadn’t in 9 hours). Then we went to my dark house where they put electricity in for at least two more hours. I was really frustrated because it was a really long day.. but I would’ve been more pissed if there was no electricity now — I know that sounds bratty. But they had told me it was going to be there so I was expecting it, rather than not expecting it. But I ended up going to eat after and I ordered chicken and chips (fries).. “the chicken is not there, sorry”.. ok.. samosas and chips, “that is there” — note: everyone in the restaurant is staring at me, becuase of my mzungu skin. And I got samosas and “chaps” – which is a weird mixture of meat and eggs that tastes like pot roast. I was pissed but chaps are actually kinda good. I went back and took a long nap and am chilling on the internet/getting my house settled/buying things for the house and I’m feeling much better about the situation. I’m not quite sure where to begin here. But.. I’m happy to be here nonetheless. And my better mood today is allowing me to speak to people more easily and feel okay walking down there street while everyone stares at me.

I’m glad to be at my site finally and not feel like I’m in someone else’s space and have to be careful with whatever I do. Also, the rain is considered a blessing here if it rains during an important event. And for our group and myself.. It rained when we arrived in Uganda, it rained on the first day of training in Lweza, it rained on the day we moved to Wakiso, it rained on my future site visit to Kamuli as soon as I entered town, it rained during swearing-in, and it rained on my final trip to Kamuli. I hope that is a good sign for me and the other 44 volunteers that have come with my group.

Damn… that was long.

Updates will be more frequent.. now that I will be not as busy as training.

From Uganda with Love,

Dan