One Month In!

Written On September 3, 2014

What to write! So much has been happening here it is amazing to think I have been at my organization a month already and in Uganda for four months! My organization Kibale Forest Schools Program works with 14 different schools around the Kibale Forest working on enrichment, environment conservation, health, and many other programs for the pupils. I am helping Eve, a 21-year-old just out of Nursing School who is the Schools Nurse and my counterpart and in case you are wondering – I tower over her and I am just 5’7”

Our Great Awkward Shot

I tower over everyone here in the West... I miss being with my tall friends and being the short one. Eve and I work in seven of the 14 schools providing basic care, health education, and distribution of sanitary pads and other activities. I am helping with the health program going to the different schools and talking with them about health issues and educating them. Eve is a real chatter box when it is just her and I but when other people are around she is quiet and sometimes I cannot hear anything she is saying but every other Ugandan can. Ugandans will answer your questions sometimes by raising both of their eyebrows and she loves doing that to me. “So have you done this?” Eyebrow raise “Are we going to be doing this?” Eyebrow raise “Do you have brothers and sisters” Eyebrow raise. I have started doing that to answer people’s questions now and sometimes I just start laughing because it is so not the norm in America. The school year here runs February to December so right now on Monday we will be starting the 3^rd term. We start on Monday! I am so excited to see the kids come back to school. It will be a busy couple of weeks starting next week. Lots of meetings and activities - so exciting.

I received my first care package from my mother and father on Saturday! It was nice having some junk food that I can’t get here in country. After eating organic somewhat healthy food my body had an interesting sugar high and crash eating that stuff. FYI I LOVE Peanut M&Ms so if you want to send me something send me Peanut M&Ms!

Yesterday, I got to travel into the Kibale Forest heading to one of the Makarere University’s Field Station in Kabarole to have dinner with some of the Board of Directors, Staff members and some of the people I will be working with for the next two years. The FOOD WAS AMAZING! I had the most amazing chicken since getting here in country. Oh and I guess the company was good too. We arrived just as it started to rain… now this is not normal rain this is African forest rainy season rain which comes down in buckets full. We again had some lightening high very close We met the director’s son David and his new wife Martha, they were on their honeymoon returning to where he spent much of his childhood with his parents doing research on the Chimps in the forest. They both are wonderful and heard some amazing his stories about growing up at the field station with his family. To grow up spending eight to ten months a year in Uganda in the forest explore their greatness, living with monkeys, and being chased by forest elephants… okay not fun but still I never thought of doing something like that but when I heard about the forest elephants in the Kibale Forest, I was like okay dropping everything we are going to go track them! I hope to go with some of the researchers on a chimp trek or elephant trek. Looking back on my life wow my childhood was boring. I found another library at the field station and raided it and took a massive stack of books back with me to read. I was worried I would not be able to find books here to read well, I have a legit library in Fort Portal and other small libraries around the communities usually where white people are or have been. One good thing we have done for Africa – we brought books with us. 

I finally got a gas stove which is amazing! And seem to be pretty much moved in minus needing a desk, and a small table and chairs for my kitchen to eat on but I am surviving and really enjoying my home. Here are a few photos of my living situation. I live with currently four other volunteers (Max, Jim, Oliver, and Sarah) that will change in a couple months as they move out and go back to America. Max is here for a year as a Princeton in Africa volunteer and my roommate on my side of the house, Jim is the new Field Director from Canada, Oliver is doing odd jobs, and Sarah is doing research on Bees and Elephants and is a crazy bug nerd. The freezer is full of dead bugs she has collected and is going to bring back to the United States. She is doing research on the bees here by the Kibale Forest and possibly using them at the edge of the forest to keep people out and animals in as well as producing honey. (Side Note from 9/17) I went with Sarah the other day to a local honey producer in Kiko and went out to his bee apiary and received a nice kiss from a bee on my cheek. I'll post photos soon!