Monday Evening Post - Bonus Egg!

This past weekend was wonderful!

On Friday, I traveled to Alyssa's site with perfect transportation from Bukedea to Nyondo. Perfect transportation! That never happens. At Alyssa's I met up with Smiles, Elizabeth, and Brennan and we had a great night catching up with Meat Spaghetti Sauce. Meat!

The next day we ran sessions at Alyssa's Health Day. She began an Orphans and Vulnerable Children program with Sister Rose and we presented on water and sanitation, dental hygiene, malaria, moringa (look it up!), and reuseable menstrual pads. It was great. MK's students presented and Tony's joined us that night after he had a successful workshop himself. More catching up with Green Jello from Elizabeth.

Sunday started off with Blueberry/Banana Pancakes! Heck yes people, Blueberries! Then we went off to the pool where we were joined by Caleb and Cassandra. A very cheesy cheeseburger put a smile on my face as well as a birthday massage at the spa! Thanks Alyssa =) A glorious afternoon finished off with C and C visiting us in Bukedea for the night telling us about their trip to Kenya / Hell's Gate / Lamu.

But I forgot to mention that on the taxi Sunday, we met up with Tony's school Bursur. He didn't know it was my birthday, I didn't really tell people, and he began singing to me on the taxi. A chicken would come tomorrow he said and I would slaughter it myself! People think it is hilarious that I slaughter chickens. “Oh Madam Asio, she knows how to slaughter!”

Anyway, Monday went along well and at 5:30 in the evening Tony got a call from Mr. Oriokote saying the chicken was there. Five minutes later Tony rode up with a chicken hanging off his handlebars. It was funny to see but a very thoughtful gift. In many ways I love Uganda and our Ugandan friends. And in many ways Uganda is just ridiculous.

In the process of cleaning the chicken we realized that the cock was actually a hen. I thought I was taking out the gizzard when a fully formed egg plopped onto my hand. A Bonus Egg! It was crazy. Not only am I slaughtering chickens in the banana plantation but I am getting eggs! Life is so silly.

While turning the “Big 2-5” this year I reflected on my life thus far. I decided that I wasn't going to view it as getting older (as all my friends kept calling me) but to look at it as growing up. What else am I going to experience? What else is going to come my way? No idea. But it is exciting to think about.

The Saturday Evening Post - March 19th 2011

Who is Stacey F-Markon?

I hate running.
Well, I hate running without a purpose, like catching a frisbee.
Uh, why do I hate running?
Maybe one day I will go for a run.
Tomorrow I am going for a run.
I like running.
I really like running!
What? Who am I?

I swear, someone must have spent millions of dollars to perform “inception” on me to get me to like running. Did you know I am even thinking about training to run the Kampala half marathon in December? Since when?!

It is crazy what you feel in Peace Corps service. You have good, bad, angry, giddy, etc days. But you don't necessarily open yourself up to change.

This past week I was talking with my friend Kiera about Peace Corps service. You know everyone is different and everyone is going to experience service in a different way. You change with service. I told her I couldn't believe myself that I am running. Yep! You surprise yourself she said.

What else will change? What else will I open myself up to while I am here? I mean really, this is the only time in me and Tony's lives that we will ever be separated from life in the states. It's like going away to college but to the extreme. People change in college but they still have influences around them. We don't have those influences in Peace Corps.

It is a time of freedom really. Freedom to really explore yourself as a person and what you want to become. This new Stacey, I have no idea where she came from but she is there. Its weird and scary in a way. You think you know yourself and then Bam!

But what am I so afraid of? Why not grow and change? Why hold anything back?

I have another year in Uganda to surprise myself. Who knows who I will become. Its shocking and intriguing. It makes me wonder what I have been missing all these years.

I don't know! It's crazy. I am still flabbergasted at the idea of running but I am still going to get up in the morning, plug in my ipod, and run.

I am going to run past my Deputy Principal (who looks at me like I'm crazy), past Peter pushing the water cart, past the Bore Hole, down to the old railway station built by the British, along the tracks, past the brick-makers, wait for the cows and goats to cross the path, run up to the mango tree, turn around and run towards the sunrise over Mt. Elgon and home again.

Website Unveiling

So I finally have become satisfied with where I have gotten the website. As I sit in Kampala using free internet I am letting the news out. So here it is, the new and improved life monitor of Tony Markon.

www.amarkonabroad.drupalgardens.com

See you there.

Don't Call it a Comeback...

Well, maybe you can. I am not going to lie, it has been entirely too long since either Stacey or I have posted anything on this blog. There has been a reason though. Actually many reasons, but one of the largest has been the website I am working on. Another reason is we simply have been lazy. Ultimately there are really no excuses.

But, now that the holidays are over, school is back in session and we are finally settled into our new schedules the posts will come back. And so will a link to my website. For the most part the blog will be Stacey's while I will use my website to keep people up to date.

Welcome (a little late) to the new year.