The Good and The Bad

The Rift Valley in Western Uganda

Thankfully after two horrible weeks of I would say depression and not great thoughts, life has taken a turn for the better. I really had a hard time coming back to Uganda after my time in the USA, I do not know why but it was hard. I didn’t want to be in the USA but I also didn’t want to be in Uganda either – a hard place to be when the two places you call home do not feel like home at all. Coming back everything seemed to be falling a part from ex-pats heading home, to fellow PCVs having to leave, myself having a few accidents and other people getting hurt, people you trusted stealing things, it was starting to really freak me out. However, this past weekend that changed YAY! I am the Satellite Liaison for the West, which means I get to hang out with the new group of soon to be PCVs in the West and do some language and cultural information sessions. The group is wonderful and I am very excited to hopefully see them swear in as PCV Health and Ag Volunteers in August and move to their sites and I cannot wait to see them grow over the next 24 months (there is a lot of growth during the 27 months in country – sometimes it is hard and hurts but mostly it is good growth). The PCT’s Peace Corps Trainees have been staying in Kyenjojo, which is about a 45-minute drive East of Fort and this past weekend they got to come to Fort Portal for the day. Oh the bright and alive faces ready for an adventure – takes me back down memory lane the time before I received my permanent coating of red dirt on my feet. We started the day off at the Tooro Palace.

The Tooro Palace

The view from the Palace looking down towards Fort Portal

The history of the Tooro Palace and the Kingdom is really fascinating, dating back many centuries. The current king has been king since he was three years old and is the youngest ever monarch in the world – down side of that is he lives in Kampala, speaks very little Rutooro as he was educated in the United Kingdom and hardly every comes to the West. I read an article about how he wants the West to be the best and prosper and his people be the best – wellllll I’ll believe it when I see it. He cares more for his money and not smiling then his people – oh I said it. The Palace is run down and if I were Queen, man that place would be looking smart and in fab fashion but it is currently lacking the Katelyn flare where palaces go but anyways the tour was nice but we did not even get to go inside the palace and see the thrones which was disappointing. Our next stop on Tour De Fort was Sweet Aromas for brownies and cookies (for course come on you cannot go through Fort without getting sweets from Sweet Aromas those who miss it are really missing something in their lives), this brightened everyone’s mood and fight off the hangrys (hungry and angry people). About 15-20 minutes West of Fort Portal are the Rwenzori Mountains, also called the Rain Makers, they stretch high into the sky so we put 15 people in a nine passenger van in true Uganda fashion, they were complaining and I was like ‘another day in Uganda’ and we heading West to the Great Rift Valley where two different lines of mountains are parallel to each other and create a valley.

The Rift Valley!

It was amazingly beautiful and reminded me so much of Kisoro and parts of Colorado. We goofed off there for a while as kids from high up in the mountains yelled ‘Muzungu’ at us and we had a fun time spotting and waving to them. Then we climbed back in the van and headed back to Fort for Pizza and Croc Burgers at Duchess and they got to explore Fort, buy some fabric, and ended the day with ice cream at Gardens. It was such a wonderful day and I had such a good time getting to know the soon to be volunteers. So I am inspired to finish these last 12 or so months with fire and energy. It is always good to check in on if you are making an impact or even should be in the place that you are and I have spent a good amount of time checking if I should be here or if I should move on but I am going to stay I want to and I want to keep doing what I am doing.

On Sunday night, I pulled my first jigger out of my right big toe – yes I did it all by myself. As a PCV, things that used to make you squeamish now you just shrug and go okay lets just get it over with. The only thing that makes me squeamish is coming across a large snake on my way to the pit latrine at 4AM or finding large spiders in my bed net – okay and also needles being stuck in between my toes. I have made it 13 months without a jigger and I was proud going that far as another PCV has had like four or five but I think I got it while I was in Kyenjojo where it is very dusty, and there is trash lying around. Fort Portal can be dirty but there are sidewalks and the trash is kept to a minimum. Jiggers are little bugs that borrow into your skin and lays eggs – gross right? If you are feeling brave feel free to google them. They are just one of the many things you can get while living I here in Uganda. I just stuck a pair of tweezers in and grab the black dot and pulled the sack out – yes a sack of white small eggs they looked like tiny dip and dots. Okay I’ll stop grossing you out. Oh wait here is a photo...

The little white and tiny black dot is a Jigger

This week is a busy week for the org as we are running around going to dress rehearsals at seven of our 14 schools for the Music Dance and Drama Competition or MDD on Saturday. Each school will present a Dance, Song, Poem, and Skit during Saturday’s competition and these schools get crazy competitive so it should be fun! 

 

Girls and Boys dancing during a dress rehearsal for the MDD

I will leave you with this quote by Kevin Kruse which I think sums up life as a PCV rather well… 
“Life is about making an impact, not making an income.” 

 Have a wonderful rest of the week dear readers!