Weraba!

7/25 

My last day in Uganda!  I can’t believe it’s already here.  Today went too fast.  It started off with me without a voice and not being able to breathe. Lovely.  But, as a woman on a mission, I shlepped my sick self downtown to get some last minute items and bum around.  I wasn’t going to waste the entire day inside!  I have plenty of time coming up that consist of me sitting in a seat for hours on end.  So as I was shopping around, I noticed that a Ugandan woman had a small cough as well and I told her that I had a chest congestion.  She was like “yeah, I have malaria and Typhoid.”  Ummm you can imagine my face at that moment.  So in a state of panic, Polly accompanied me to Lori’s house to track down Vanessa (our nurse.)  Unfortunately she was out giving a seminar but she was home a bit later to diagnose me and start handin’ out the drugs.  Apparently, I’m feeling some major side effects from my anti-malaria medication as well as a 

b!&$* of a sinus infection from all the dust, diesel fumes, and dirt.  She didn’t want to make me take my cipro or levoquin so thus began the frantic search for a Zpak.  And after a while, one was found.  So hopefully I’ll be mostly cleared up by the time I get home.  Although, with all the meds I’m on now from this trip and sickness that accompanies it, don’t expect to get a sober response regarding anything for a while.  :) 

We then headed to my last supper where I was debriefed.  We talked about how I will handle things when I get home, what I will miss, what I was most surprised by, and what were my main highs and lows of the trip.  I think it’s one of those experiences that virtually indescribable.  I recommend that everyone do something like this that’s out of their comfort zone and forces you to look at life and the world in a completely different light.  This has truly changed and shaped me for the better.  Uganda will always be part of me and half of my heart will stay here with FOM, the women and the country.  Sorry to say this, Mom, but I can’t wait to come back.  Hopefully one, some, or all of you will join me!    

Carly- Your love for life has inspired me. The beauty that you see in EVERYTHING is a quality that not many possess.  I will remember and keep this with me always.   You are the sweetest and I know we will remain friends.  

Polly- The care and passion you have for sewing and teaching the students brought with it an incredible energy.  You make me want to keep learning and enriching my skills as a designer.  Thanks for always being there to chat about anything that I was nervous about.  From what the “embassy recommends” to my constant issues with the hole in the ground, I know I can always be open with you.  I’ll miss you tons and PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE come visit Wisconsin! :)

Bobbi- Your willingness to try something new and be adventurous was invigorating.  You are truly an amazing role model for any young independent woman.  I’ll miss our early morning breakfast and you picking on my extreme dislike of all insects.  If costumes don’t work out, you may want to think about a career in extermination.  You’re a life saver! 

Tara- Thank you for being such a wonderful leader and friend.  You always made me feel at ease and welcome.  I was 100% confident that you would steer us in the right direction no matter what the issue.  Your vision for Sewing Hope is and will continue to be a major success.  You should feel very proud in the work accomplished already this summer.  You have had a direct impact on me catching the “Africa bug.” (And no, I’m not talking about malaria.)  Thank you for helping me be a better person and giving me the honor of playing a small role in your organization.  I will never forget this mission.  Much love to you, FOM, and the people of Jinja and Uganda. 

For all you reading this that aren’t in Africa, thanks for following.  I hope you’ve enjoyed it and I can’t wait to show you all more pics and tell you more stories!  See you Badgers in Madison!

My Paradise: DeNile

7/24

I got up early to get a belgian waffle breakfast with Carly at Ozzie’s this morning.  I have been craving something other than watermelon and passion juice for a week now!  After, we were taken to Bujagali Falls for ATV-ing.  It was great to get on that thing! All I could think was how badass I looked with my black bandana and silver goggles.  jk :)  We were paraded (literally) through the villages which I stopped and asked Stephen (our guide) about.  I felt really ridiculous whizzing through these small towns waving at the kids on my ATV; it was like I was saying “look at my American money.”  He assured me that they like to see people driving because part of the proceeds go back to building schools in the local area.  That eased my mind a bit but still, I don’t think I’ll be doing that again for that exact reason.  We finished the tour after 2 hours of looking around at the amazing jungle flora and fauna, beautiful children smiling and waving, and thinking to myself “this is now a part of me.”  Part of my heart will forever be here; I am so lucky to be experiencing this now.  Seeing Bobbi also inspired me in the sense that just because I grow up and age doesn’t mean that I can’t travel and experience things like this again.  I admire her sense of adventure and her willingness to always join the “young-uns” on our crazy ideas.  It’s funny; I found out that she and Polly are both Aries along with myself (adventurous by nature.) Coincidence? I think not...

After that, Carly and I did some shopping in the ‘hood which may or may not have included a stop at the nutella/banana/chapatti or honey/banana/chapatti stand.  (Why do all of my great stories involve food?!) We then headed to the bar for a drink and decided we should hike down to the Nile to see the water.  We saw some crazy beautiful flowers, butterflies, and even a tiny snake that looked like graphite.  Amongst the beauty of the land we came to the mecca of it all: raft river guides from all over the world.  ha! They were setting up a slip and slide on a stone cliff and we got very interested.  Carly was brave enough to go on it at the last minute and I was the photographer.  Our ride was waiting for us so we are planning to head back later for some more swimming and slip n' sliding!  Good times good times.

Vroom! I look like a tool...

So excited to be four wheeling!

Only one word to describe this: Gangsta'

The King of Beers... in Africa.

Mmm mmm... Yeah. About this.  So this man preaches that if you have morning sex you will be lazy and unproductive all day long.  We all thought this was the craziest billboard.

Mid flip on the slip...and slide.

A view from above!

Go Dougie!

"Tsamina mina zangalewa This Time for Africa!"

7/23

Last day of class with the ladies! I can’t believe that it’s already finished! As the women finished their shirts, we gave them some other jewelry making projects to do which they loved. For lunch, we had a local restaurant cater in some delicious African food: poshu, rice, beans, avocado, and greens.  It was so good. The African appetite is insane. They literally pile their plate up with food and devour.  Peter said I was being rude since I didn’t take much and left a “disgraceful” amount on my plate.  After, we had a small ceremony in which we presented the women with certificates of completion and accomplishment as well as “Sewing Hope” necklaces. They really loved them.  We went through some basic business skills with them especially in regards to how to make a profit. We regularly see these women charging only the amount that they think a person can pay.  We taught them how to take pride in their work and not judge one’s income based on the color of their skin or what they look like.  The understood and were interested in hearing how much they could charge for a quality garment like the one they made in class.  They said such beautiful words of thanks to us and told us that we have changed their lives immensely in finance and knowledge.  I am so honored to have been a part of that.  We also had a small “fashion” show in the back.  Tara brought in the garments that were shown at the fundraising fashion event in NYC this year.  She bought fabric here and designers design garments for the show.  Everyone hammed it up and we all had such a good time!  

These people LOVE Obama! 

Everyone enjoying our catered meal!

Peter's ginormous mountain of food!

Maxmilla rockin' her outfit

Peeeeeeta (that's how he says his name.) He loves havin' his pic taken. What a fashionisto!

Rehema's workin' it.

Victoria and Salah posing.

Miss Thang, Olivia!

 

Graduation Picture!

Breaking Point

7/22

After lunch today, I was asked if I wanted to conduct the demographic questionnaires to all of the students.  This entailed talking 1-on-1 with the women (and one man) about personal information including questions like, “Is anyone in your household affected with AIDS/HIV?”, “Are you married?”, “What is the highest level of schooling finished?” and “What is your age/religion?”  Some of these  questions are a bit difficult to talk about but I think that I was successful in getting information from them that we can use to better the class in the future.  We also asked things like “when was the first tailoring class you took?” and “what is your favorite thing to sew?”  The last question was “is there anything else that I need to know?”  This left it quite open and I was happy to hear that not only did the women want more DESIGN in their classes but also business skills.  Many of them said that they simply could not afford to even start a business much less make any garments to start with.  They didn’t have enough for tools/fabric to start but all of them were really eager to sew.  

The one interview that sent me over the edge was Victoria.  My sweet Victoria... ah yes, the second we sat down, she started talking to me and reading my lips like she had perfect hearing! I was SHOCKED and quite frankly a little annoyed that finally after the 2 weeks of writing a novel to her each day, she shows me that she’s completely able to tell what I’m saying and that I didn’t really have to write everything down for her! lol I just had to laugh.  But on a serious note, I asked at the end if there was anything else left for her to tell me and she said that she needed our help with materials at the school where she teaches.  To make a long story short, she teaches the deaf children at a normal school.  She told me she makes 100,000 shillings a month (about $50) which was the most that any of the women made in the group so I thought the school paid her a very fair amount.  When she mentioned she needed materials, she said that she gets paid from the U.S.A. and that the school didn’t provide her with anything.  I was very confused but then discovered that the school, as well as Ugandans in general, don’t recognize people with any disability as a member of society. For instance, parents that have, say 4 children total (1 disabled child,) may say that they only have 3 kids.  It’s absolutely heart wrenching to hear that.  She and I had a really long talk about everything; I had to try the hardest I’ve ever had to to hold back the tears.  But the second she got up and left, I grabbed Tara and broke down. I just can’t fathom that a society just completely disregards children and adults with disabilities.  Luckily the main organization that we’re working with seeks out these people and helps them with learning vocational practices so they can make a living for themselves.  Anyway, today was a really great day and I’m glad to have learned so much from my sweet, sweet Victoria. 

(N)emey

7/21

Some members of my group have come down with something but are still able to work.  I, fortunately, have dodged that bullet so far so I’m keeping my fingers crossed that I can make it through the next 5 days unscathed.  Work was great until the last 30 minutes when it decided to downpour for 45 min. and the rooms flooded!  Rain is like a blizzard here. Literally no one goes anywhere when it rains.  So we had about 15 bodies crammed into one and a half rooms.  We fed them bananas for a snack...worst. idea. ever.  The room stuck like rotting bananas for about 2 hours.  As usual, I channeled the “Dorcas” side of the family and was running around trying to make sure all of the electrical things were off the ground. We got everything cleaned up quickly after so it wasn’t bad.    

We didn’t know if our language instructor would show up but lo and behold, in waltzed Ali Said in his black cap, Tom Selick moustache, and blue aviator shirt at 5:47pm.  So the learning continued.  I can officially put sentences together! Tu liku ega Lusoga mangu mangu.  (We are learning Lusoga quickly!)  I am actually quite impressed with Ali Said, our teacher.  He, apparently, was also impressed by how quickly I caught on and said that he hopes I come back so I can continue with my Lusoga.  Sorry Mom! :)   We learned that the letter "n" is the most difficult letter because it changes the sound of the word in a very irregular way.  For instance, "n" (the sound as if you were saying "never") is the personal pronoun "i."  But when you want to say "I am" (N Liku)  it actually sounds like "n diku."  Weird.  Hence the title for today's post which Tara coined yesterday (Tara I'm giving you credit for this ingenious pun!) It is quite an easy language to pick up and I’m really glad that we’re taking the lessons! 

Saturday we were supposed to go to the blind/deaf school to do a project with the kids but it got moved to the following Saturday.  Instead I’m going on an ATV tour through some villages and Bujagali Falls; I’m really looking forward to that.  Then packing and off I go on Monday. I better enjoy my last days here! 

I love their carved doors here!

Internet cafe. 

Jack Fruit: tastes sweet but the texture is like seafood or squid specifically.  I couldn't choke it down.

FLASH FLOOD!!

Tara freaking out in the corner because we were trying to move everyone into one room. MASS CHAOS! Polly and I tried to move what we thought was a cardboard box until we saw a baby under a bunch of blankets on there! It was so funny! Thank God we didn't pick it up too high! 

Only 5 more days until something other than pineapple, watermelon, and bananas for breakfast!

7/20

Officially less than a week until I am back on soil other than red clay! I can’t believe how fast the time has gone here!  Work was really good today. We had a great breakthrough.  One of our women really stands out from the crowd and is a great leader so the last lesson of the day we were able to have her give the demo! It was so wonderful to hear her speaking Lusoga to the women, explaining what to do, and seeing the others listen and follow her.  On a small scale, this is our goal: to teach teachers.  So that was pretty cool.  

My major low for the day was at about 10pm as I was dropped off at my hotel by the boda boda driver.  He literally drove me 1 block and demanded 500 shillings (I gave him 300.)  It normally is 700 to get downtown.  I know it’s not a big deal but it’s the principal: they always charge mzungus WAY more than Ugandans and I can speak for our group by saying it is extremely annoying.  If we want to donate money to you, we do, but otherwise we want to be treated the same.  So to get back on track, I, along with two guards from my hotel, had a screaming match with the boda driver.  They agreed that the bodas shouldn’t be charging that much.  I ended up giving the guy an extra 100 shillings but firmly placed it in his hands, looked at him in his crooked eyes and said, “you know you’re overcharging me because of my skin.” He sped off into the night after that one.  Jerk.  I thanked the guards, after, for having my back.  The thing is if some mzungus give in and give them what they want, then they end up charging those here year round that high price.  It’s not fair.  So as word to all you traveling to 3rd world countries out there, don’t give money to those who are purposely overcharging or begging.  It doesn’t help either party.  Ok... that was my rant.  p.s. I still love Uganda and all of you should still visit! :)

My sidewalk that sometimes exists as I walk to work.  I walk in the street a lot too!

Speed bumps to slow down traffic.  Speed limits don't exist here.  Scary!

One of the million chickens clucking around here...talk about free range!

This is a very small pothole in the city.  I should've taken some pics when I was in the village.  They are crazy big!

Main St.  The road is being repaved. I think this gravel may potentially be the final product not sure though...

Grace's shop.  If you enter in the front, walk through the store, we are in the back.

Corner of the Source cafe.  My hang out for lunch most days and delish coffee and church coincidentally.

Tires tires and more tires

Victoria working on the cuff of her sleeve.

Sewing on the front pocket.

Miriam's adorable baby that we all hold and hug. She's the cutest.  Baby's don't wear diapers here so that's been fun...but they wear bracelets and beads around their waist to make them "beautiful."  Yesterday Tara accidentally undid the beads and I was like, "get them back on there! She won't have a defined waist; she'll have a potbelly!" This is what the women say.  Quite funny.

This is how the women hold their baby.  No Baby Bjorns here just a sheet and 2 knots in the front.  I can't imagine that's comfortable.  You should see them put the babies on this way; it's quite incredible! 

I just in a fight with a boda driver...

I'm leaving it at that for now.  I'll write more tomorrow.  Literally screaming match in front of the hotel. Crooks I tell you...crooks! Just because of my snowy white skin! haha lol