Hi Everyone,
Does anyone want to study Ateso language for me? I mean come on, learn a language in 10 weeks, that sounds reasonable right? =) haha
How are you all? I am very well! Right now Tony and I are on our technical immersion training. I am in Iganga, Uganda with Alyssa, Bernadette, and Siong. We are staying with Dylan and job shadowing him as he works at a college. It is great to get experience here and get away from the typical training days. Also Dylan has electricity, Internet, and a waffle iron! You can't complain about that.
Tony is off in Soroti for immersion training. Can you find that on a map? Cause the Soroti area is likely where we will be placed for two years after training. He has running water that lucky dog! Also he has tried the Ateso beer. I have forgotten the name of the beer right now but you drink with a group of people out (whoo power just went out at Dylan's...its a trend) of a clay pot and through long straws. Sounds fun doesn't it? =)
So what comes next for us? We have immersion training until March 27th (my b-day). Then we have 3 more weeks of training before we are sworn in as volunteers. It is crazy that time has gone by so quickly. I need to study for my language test and finish preparing my project. Ahh...so much to do so little time.
But since the power is out I don't know how much I'll be getting done tonight =)
All my best. Love and miss you family and friends!
Stacey
PS Call me +0785751348
Thursday, March 18, 2010
Monday, March 8, 2010
Updates! One Month In
Blog post from the Lutaaya household - Stacey’s entry, because I got to last time.
I am sitting at the dining room table of the Lutaaya home in complete happiness. Tony and I have just spent the day doing our laundry, swimming at a pool, eating French Fries (little different – Uganda style) and Jack Fruit (Google it those of you with working electricity!), and enjoying the company of our host family and friends. Not to mention it was 82 degrees and sunny.
It is hard to imagine that we have been in country for 1 month already. I guess it is easier for the time to fly when you are going to be there for 27 months. Overall, the experience has been good. Ups and downs always come with culture shock but I think that we have adjusted pretty well so far.
Here are some highlights:
A 15 hour plane ride isn’t that bad when the plane is only 50% full – lots of leg room
Uganda at the peak of dry season is still more lush than any place I know on earth.
Monkeys learning language with us
Washing laundry by hand makes you more flexible
Learning how to survive traffic and taxi’s
Tony and I have cell phones – Our numbers are… Tony +785.751.349 and Stacey + 785.751.348 – Call us or text us – You know you want to!
Jack Fruit and Popcorn
Our Home-Stay family is awesome although the kids are very clingy
Warm water bucket baths can turn your day around
We can conduct “DIY Malaria Blood Slides”
Biking is a necessity and I am getting more endurance everyday
Beer
At the end of training we will be going to the Ateso region! Look up Kumi Uganda and you will have an idea of where we are. We won’t know our exact location until early April.
Getting paid 35,000 Sh a week! Also known as $18
Cows with horns, huge horns, freely walking down the street
Getting huge fresh and ripe pineapples for 50 cents.
Teaching our host family how to make scrambled eggs
Collecting cool bottle caps
Learning how to wash shoes “correctly”
Eatting fried bugs! They are really good with onion mixed in.
Bartering
Talking with real people about real problems.
Cake
Building a community garden with all local materials
Getting more comfortable walking around the capital city
Aloe Vera
Homemade Sesame-Peanut Butter Sauce
Fresh squeezed Passion Fruit Juice
Bubble Gum Flavored Milk
Most likely having electricity at our future site
Having a tailor made dress
Homemade Pizzas
Meeting my meat – Learning how to butcher chickens
Remembering why I am here
Here are some lowlights:
Matoke – Its steamed and mashed plantains and every Ugandan loves it! - But we can get away with not eating it
Mosquito nets can be too small and are always hot
One bad day I tried to call home with a grasshopper in my shirt
Getting Colds on the Equator
“Yes, it will be a 15 minute walk” although actually driving there is 30 minutes
The phrase “Hi Musungu” from every child we pass
Biking and your petal falls off 4 times in 5km
Cockroaches in the pit latrines
Not having time to write
A one hour walk in the rain to get to training
Rain = Mud = Such a mess!
Sweating
Lots and lots of carbohydrates
Some Hopes:
I actually have lots of hopes but it’s to articulate them now (too hot under the mosquito net)
Maybe working in a secondary school / primary school teacher college
Maybe you all will write to us or call =)
Maybe some of you will even send us a letter =)
Maybe brownie mix will wander my way =)
I know this probably leaves more questions than answers about what Tony and I are doing…however you can be assured that overall life is very good right now. We are healthy, well fed, and helping each other adjust. It is great to have Tony.
And you know even on the difficult days I consider myself luck to be living in Uganda. It is a beautiful country with beautiful people.
We’ll try to write more when we can =)
Until then – All My Best,
Stacey
I am sitting at the dining room table of the Lutaaya home in complete happiness. Tony and I have just spent the day doing our laundry, swimming at a pool, eating French Fries (little different – Uganda style) and Jack Fruit (Google it those of you with working electricity!), and enjoying the company of our host family and friends. Not to mention it was 82 degrees and sunny.
It is hard to imagine that we have been in country for 1 month already. I guess it is easier for the time to fly when you are going to be there for 27 months. Overall, the experience has been good. Ups and downs always come with culture shock but I think that we have adjusted pretty well so far.
Here are some highlights:
A 15 hour plane ride isn’t that bad when the plane is only 50% full – lots of leg room
Uganda at the peak of dry season is still more lush than any place I know on earth.
Monkeys learning language with us
Washing laundry by hand makes you more flexible
Learning how to survive traffic and taxi’s
Tony and I have cell phones – Our numbers are… Tony +785.751.349 and Stacey + 785.751.348 – Call us or text us – You know you want to!
Jack Fruit and Popcorn
Our Home-Stay family is awesome although the kids are very clingy
Warm water bucket baths can turn your day around
We can conduct “DIY Malaria Blood Slides”
Biking is a necessity and I am getting more endurance everyday
Beer
At the end of training we will be going to the Ateso region! Look up Kumi Uganda and you will have an idea of where we are. We won’t know our exact location until early April.
Getting paid 35,000 Sh a week! Also known as $18
Cows with horns, huge horns, freely walking down the street
Getting huge fresh and ripe pineapples for 50 cents.
Teaching our host family how to make scrambled eggs
Collecting cool bottle caps
Learning how to wash shoes “correctly”
Eatting fried bugs! They are really good with onion mixed in.
Bartering
Talking with real people about real problems.
Cake
Building a community garden with all local materials
Getting more comfortable walking around the capital city
Aloe Vera
Homemade Sesame-Peanut Butter Sauce
Fresh squeezed Passion Fruit Juice
Bubble Gum Flavored Milk
Most likely having electricity at our future site
Having a tailor made dress
Homemade Pizzas
Meeting my meat – Learning how to butcher chickens
Remembering why I am here
Here are some lowlights:
Matoke – Its steamed and mashed plantains and every Ugandan loves it! - But we can get away with not eating it
Mosquito nets can be too small and are always hot
One bad day I tried to call home with a grasshopper in my shirt
Getting Colds on the Equator
“Yes, it will be a 15 minute walk” although actually driving there is 30 minutes
The phrase “Hi Musungu” from every child we pass
Biking and your petal falls off 4 times in 5km
Cockroaches in the pit latrines
Not having time to write
A one hour walk in the rain to get to training
Rain = Mud = Such a mess!
Sweating
Lots and lots of carbohydrates
Some Hopes:
I actually have lots of hopes but it’s to articulate them now (too hot under the mosquito net)
Maybe working in a secondary school / primary school teacher college
Maybe you all will write to us or call =)
Maybe some of you will even send us a letter =)
Maybe brownie mix will wander my way =)
I know this probably leaves more questions than answers about what Tony and I are doing…however you can be assured that overall life is very good right now. We are healthy, well fed, and helping each other adjust. It is great to have Tony.
And you know even on the difficult days I consider myself luck to be living in Uganda. It is a beautiful country with beautiful people.
We’ll try to write more when we can =)
Until then – All My Best,
Stacey
Saturday, March 6, 2010
OUR FIRST REAL POST!!!!
So we have been hard pressed to get consistent internet do anything, let alone write an email, so finding a way to put in our first blog post has been tricky. Today, however, I find myself tagging along with others from our Training group walking into an internet cafe in Kampala.
So, WE ARE HERE! Training has been flying by and our limited time with technology has prevented communications with the masses. We have been busy since arriving in Entebee. We flew in and stayed for 4 nights at the Lweza Training and Conference Center not too far from the airport. There we received some initial training and adjusted to life in a hot, dusty, yet lush green and humid environment. We started to bond as a group and anxiously awaited getting to our host families.
Stacey and I have been placed together for our homestay. The bulk of our training takes place in the town of Wakiso which is the capital of the district of the same name just west of Kampala. Stacey and I live in a section called Kisimbiri near many other PCTs. Our host family is named Lutaaya and are amazing. Our father is Henry, mother is Imelda, and there are four children; Ruth, 10, Joel, 7, Grace, 5, and Jesse, 3. We have a room to ourselves but share the rest of the house. We are usually busy from the time we leave the house at 7 in the morning until late in the evening. Training ends around 5 pm, but we will have other work or want to practice language with our group members. Our training center is on the other side of town which is a minimum of 20 minutes on bike or an hour walking as well.
About two weeks ago we found out we will be speaking Ateso. Uganda has three major language groups and over 50 regional languages. We are going to be in the East in a region called Teso which includes the districts of Kumi, Soroti, Pallisa, Tororo and a few others. Right now we are learning in a group of 5. Joe, David Chi, and Brennan are the others in our group in case we reference them later in our posts.
I don't want to speak for both of us, but there are some challenges that we have come to face in our first month here. First and foremost: PIT LATRINES. I have gone camping, I have used outhouses, I have simply taken a crap in the woods, but all are more preferential to using a squating pit latrine. First off you have a small target with a steep level of punishment for inaccuracy. I have been fortunate with perfect aim to date, but I know others who haven't been as lucky. Stacey and I have both had colds since we have been here, but others have already gone through bouts of stomache bugs and I do not look forward to a latrine session with one. Second, since we are not used to the position I find my legs becoming numb and sometimes falling asleep which then affects your balance. Between the biking and the squat pots I plan to come back with some killer quads.
Keepping time is another challenge here. Life moves slow, but training sessions move ssssllloooowwwwweeerrr. Couple that with fourty people sweating together in a hall and you are just chipper at the end of the day. Also our only challenge at the homestay is the children. They are awesome and great to play with and can speak English well, but they always want to be on our hip. We try to study or take notes at the dining room table and they always want to be there. It is nice and cute sometimes, but when they are always asking you to help them with there 'homework' which is really code for drawing pictures or playing games we really can't be productive unless we move to our rooms.
I do not want to lingure on the bad because there is so much good. Our training group is awesome and there are a lot of people here from so many backgrounds it will take two years just to get everyone's stories. I think many of us have bonded well and we are ready to get down to the dirty work.
In the middle of March we will be doing immersion training where we will spend two weeks living with a current volunteer in the region in which we will be placed and shadowing them at their job. For me I will be staying with a volunteer who is teaching classes at a secondary school and Stace will be following a primary teacher trainer or center school cooridnator. That will be an awesome training experience and we are very much looking forward to it. I wish I had more time to talk, and I already know this is a rediculously long post and I know I didn't even begin to talk about the country, but I will have to leave it for another time. Stacey will upload pictures soon, I think we will try to get back here on Monday.
Peace.
So, WE ARE HERE! Training has been flying by and our limited time with technology has prevented communications with the masses. We have been busy since arriving in Entebee. We flew in and stayed for 4 nights at the Lweza Training and Conference Center not too far from the airport. There we received some initial training and adjusted to life in a hot, dusty, yet lush green and humid environment. We started to bond as a group and anxiously awaited getting to our host families.
Stacey and I have been placed together for our homestay. The bulk of our training takes place in the town of Wakiso which is the capital of the district of the same name just west of Kampala. Stacey and I live in a section called Kisimbiri near many other PCTs. Our host family is named Lutaaya and are amazing. Our father is Henry, mother is Imelda, and there are four children; Ruth, 10, Joel, 7, Grace, 5, and Jesse, 3. We have a room to ourselves but share the rest of the house. We are usually busy from the time we leave the house at 7 in the morning until late in the evening. Training ends around 5 pm, but we will have other work or want to practice language with our group members. Our training center is on the other side of town which is a minimum of 20 minutes on bike or an hour walking as well.
About two weeks ago we found out we will be speaking Ateso. Uganda has three major language groups and over 50 regional languages. We are going to be in the East in a region called Teso which includes the districts of Kumi, Soroti, Pallisa, Tororo and a few others. Right now we are learning in a group of 5. Joe, David Chi, and Brennan are the others in our group in case we reference them later in our posts.
I don't want to speak for both of us, but there are some challenges that we have come to face in our first month here. First and foremost: PIT LATRINES. I have gone camping, I have used outhouses, I have simply taken a crap in the woods, but all are more preferential to using a squating pit latrine. First off you have a small target with a steep level of punishment for inaccuracy. I have been fortunate with perfect aim to date, but I know others who haven't been as lucky. Stacey and I have both had colds since we have been here, but others have already gone through bouts of stomache bugs and I do not look forward to a latrine session with one. Second, since we are not used to the position I find my legs becoming numb and sometimes falling asleep which then affects your balance. Between the biking and the squat pots I plan to come back with some killer quads.
Keepping time is another challenge here. Life moves slow, but training sessions move ssssllloooowwwwweeerrr. Couple that with fourty people sweating together in a hall and you are just chipper at the end of the day. Also our only challenge at the homestay is the children. They are awesome and great to play with and can speak English well, but they always want to be on our hip. We try to study or take notes at the dining room table and they always want to be there. It is nice and cute sometimes, but when they are always asking you to help them with there 'homework' which is really code for drawing pictures or playing games we really can't be productive unless we move to our rooms.
I do not want to lingure on the bad because there is so much good. Our training group is awesome and there are a lot of people here from so many backgrounds it will take two years just to get everyone's stories. I think many of us have bonded well and we are ready to get down to the dirty work.
In the middle of March we will be doing immersion training where we will spend two weeks living with a current volunteer in the region in which we will be placed and shadowing them at their job. For me I will be staying with a volunteer who is teaching classes at a secondary school and Stace will be following a primary teacher trainer or center school cooridnator. That will be an awesome training experience and we are very much looking forward to it. I wish I had more time to talk, and I already know this is a rediculously long post and I know I didn't even begin to talk about the country, but I will have to leave it for another time. Stacey will upload pictures soon, I think we will try to get back here on Monday.
Peace.
Sunday, January 31, 2010
Contacting Us
There have been a few questions before we leave about contacting Stacey and I while we are abroad and we haven't been able to answer everyone directly so I thought I would post an entry to help explain while a slight bout of insomnia prevents me from sleeping. When we leave for Peace Corps there is actually a two month home stay/training period before we start our assignment. This will take place just north of Kampala and will be a temporary stop. Since it is not a permanent stay and mailing can take a couple weeks Peace Corps provides an address at their main office for our mail when we are training. Because we won't know how much communication we will have about when we move or where our next address is we are going to have people funnel mail through our parents.
We will stay in contact with them as well as possible and they will have our temporary address. We will also let them know when they need to hold mail while we move so letters aren't on hold for 6 months when we don't have time to go to Kampala to pick them up. Depending on our scenario we may or may not give out our address later, but there are a couple things you can do to help with this process.
Please number your letters to us so we can inquire if there seems to be a gap in communications. Also add dates so we can roughly check how long it takes for delivery and we can give you a warning about how long it may take. If you want to send us something besides a letter, put it in a mailing bag. Mailing bags are less likely to be searched than boxes which means things are less likely to be stolen. If mailing seems to difficult, use the computer!
On this blog you can post comments or get our email addresses to talk to us directly. We also have the facebook group and we have skype as well. Skype is under Stacey's name and you can do a search for her in the program after you download it. We do not know how frequently we will have internet, but we will update as often as possible.
We will stay in contact with them as well as possible and they will have our temporary address. We will also let them know when they need to hold mail while we move so letters aren't on hold for 6 months when we don't have time to go to Kampala to pick them up. Depending on our scenario we may or may not give out our address later, but there are a couple things you can do to help with this process.
Please number your letters to us so we can inquire if there seems to be a gap in communications. Also add dates so we can roughly check how long it takes for delivery and we can give you a warning about how long it may take. If you want to send us something besides a letter, put it in a mailing bag. Mailing bags are less likely to be searched than boxes which means things are less likely to be stolen. If mailing seems to difficult, use the computer!
On this blog you can post comments or get our email addresses to talk to us directly. We also have the facebook group and we have skype as well. Skype is under Stacey's name and you can do a search for her in the program after you download it. We do not know how frequently we will have internet, but we will update as often as possible.
Friday, January 8, 2010
Who wants to take a 15 hour flight?
Yesterday we started receiving information about our staging!
What is staging? Well, before Peace Corps volunteers leave the US they all meet in a major city to have a brief orientation. You go over Peace Corps information, expectations, and receive any vaccinations you may need. It’s also to make sure everyone gets there.
We were excited to learn that we will be staging in Philadelphia! So on February 8th we will fly to Philadelphia and go through staging. Then at 2AM on the 10th we will take a bus to New York City and fly to Johannesburg, South Africa. Does anyone want to take a 15 hour flight? After that we will take a 4 hour flight to Entebbe, Uganda.
It was great to hear about our staging. We are getting closer to our Peace Corps service and it’s awesome!
What is staging? Well, before Peace Corps volunteers leave the US they all meet in a major city to have a brief orientation. You go over Peace Corps information, expectations, and receive any vaccinations you may need. It’s also to make sure everyone gets there.
We were excited to learn that we will be staging in Philadelphia! So on February 8th we will fly to Philadelphia and go through staging. Then at 2AM on the 10th we will take a bus to New York City and fly to Johannesburg, South Africa. Does anyone want to take a 15 hour flight? After that we will take a 4 hour flight to Entebbe, Uganda.
It was great to hear about our staging. We are getting closer to our Peace Corps service and it’s awesome!
Is there butter in Uganda?
Back in December, Tony and I were moving out of our apartment. As we were packing I looked through my recipe box for any recipes I wanted to take with us to Uganda.
While looking over the ingredients for Ham Pie I asked Tony if there was butter in Uganda. Now, I know this sounded naïve even when I was saying it. I am sure they have butter in Uganda.
A more appropriate question would have been how often is butter available? What about vegetable shortening to make the crust? How about shredded Swiss cheese for the filling? I have doubts that I will be able to find Swiss cheese. Oh well. We will learn new recipes in Uganda and that sounds pretty tasty too.
This experience has been one of many fun packing events. It’s like going on a vacation and not knowing what the weather will be like or what you will do; except quantified.
While looking over the ingredients for Ham Pie I asked Tony if there was butter in Uganda. Now, I know this sounded naïve even when I was saying it. I am sure they have butter in Uganda.
A more appropriate question would have been how often is butter available? What about vegetable shortening to make the crust? How about shredded Swiss cheese for the filling? I have doubts that I will be able to find Swiss cheese. Oh well. We will learn new recipes in Uganda and that sounds pretty tasty too.
This experience has been one of many fun packing events. It’s like going on a vacation and not knowing what the weather will be like or what you will do; except quantified.
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