I heart Gulu!

See you on the flip side peeps!!

2009-08-06T06:27:00.000-07:00

Ok all,

I think this will be my last chance at internet before we leave Gulu. These last days are just packed with things to do! We will leave Gulu Saturday morning, drive to Jinja and spend the night at Adrift. It's a hostel-like place with a bar overlooking the Nile...doesn't get much better than that! Sunday we will raft and bungee and then drive back to Kampala. Once we shower the Nile off of us we'll head to Sam's for our last dinner in Uganda. One group will leave at 9 on Monday and the rest of us get to make one more trip to the craft market and then at 10:20 we board the plane back to the US.

I can't believe it's over already... felt like the blink of an eye this year! As Jill said today at our school goodbye... "we are leaving with full bellies, great memories and new friends". I have tons of pictures for anyone who wants to see them and even more stories for those who love the sound of my voice! Can't wait to see you all.

It's been grand people!
Love you,
Jo

4 more days in Gulu!!

2009-08-04T00:32:00.000-07:00

Hello all –

In exactly one week we will all be boarding a plane and heading back to our separate lives. It is strange to be leaving again this year. I know that I am ready to not be teaching anymore – that two week break at the beginning of summer was not enough of a break! I also know that I’m not ready to leave Gulu and the friends I have made here. This year the parting is even harder, without the culture shock I feel like I got an extra two weeks to enjoy Gulu life and find my place. I will always be a foreigner here, but I this is as home as it can be to me.

I saw Sarah (my teacher from last year) on Sunday… I went at 10 and stayed until 4. I saw baby Jolene, who was terrified of me, and Winsey who walked right up to me and said hi. Such a big difference from last year where she gave me the evil eye for the first two days I spent with her. She is so grown up and talking like crazy though it is in Lwo, which I don’t understand! Baby Jolene is amazingly cute… though I may be a little prejudice. She was ok with me if she stayed two feet away and wasn’t left alone in the same room as me. Right before I left she had warmed up and from the safety of her mother’s arms she high fived and took some pictures with me. She was very curious and interested in everything we were doing. She kept pulling herself up on the table and spilt passion fruit juice all down her dad’s legs. Charles and Sarah just laughed it off and after we were done eating Charles went to shower. My bota came before he could get started so we said our goodbyes and he took some pictures of us girls while he was wearing a long, striped towel. One of the reasons I love this family so much is the way they take everything in stride and love to laugh. I feel a kinship because my family is the same way.

Sarah and Charles moved about a month ago. They used to rent two rooms in a noisy courtyard full of small children and neighbors who all shared the area for cooking, laundry and playing. They had very little space for themselves outside of those two rooms. They also were taking care of two of Charles’ uncle’s kids and had a friend, Leonard staying with them. 7 in two small rooms. Their kitchen was a small charcoal camping-like burner that they pulled out to the courtyard and a small rack of dishes right inside the door.

Their new place is three huts on a plot of Charles’ family’s land just outside of town. The family and one of the uncle’s kids live in one hut, Leonard stays in his own and the third is the kitchen. Their hut is quite large and has three rooms. One small bedroom they sleep in, one storage area and one sitting room. It was a pretty hot day but the hut was nice and cool with a breeze coming through the door. They are so much happier now that they have space. Sarah plans to start a garden soon and there is a foundation for a cement house, three bedrooms, that will be built when the money is there. Charles says he will keep the larger hut as a place for guests to stay in once the house if finished.

It was not easy to leave Sarah’s family on Sunday and I think it will be harder to leave Gulu this year. I’ve had an amazing time this year and am beginning to wrap things up. Last Trivia night, last time at St. Judes, last bota ride to the market, last day at Gulu High, last dinner at the house, last trip to Jinja. I’m really looking forward to the Jinja trip because our whole group will be together again and it’s such a relaxing place. Rafting and Bungee are the perfect way to end another summer in Uganda!

I’ll see you all soon!
Jo

BEST SAFARI EVER!!

2009-07-29T05:49:00.000-07:00

So Safari started a bit rough. We woke up Saturday with 4 green-looking sick people who were frequenting the bathroom to either puke or 1.5 (not a 1, not a 2, basically diarrhea) We were a rugged-looking bunch and I honestly questioned whether or not we would all make it to Murchison Falls. We loaded into two Mutatus and drove out to Anaka... this is about an 1 1/2 drive on dirt roads that have crazy potholes and ditches from the rain and it's insanely bumpy! We were so happy to see them all... and get out of the Mutatu!

Anaka was amazing – Pope Paul is a school that was displaced to Gulu 16 years ago. Earlier this year they moved the school back to the original location. It’s been an interesting transition as many teachers still have their family located in Gulu and travel back on the weekends. This transition has caused many teachers to have to balance teaching responsibilities in Anaka with household responsibilities in Gulu. Many have missed classes on Monday and Friday since they are still traveling back and forth. This has been frustrating for our Anaka people, who hurry back Sunday night only to be met with no teachers on Monday morning.

I cannot imagine how hard it must be to be forced to move from your home, settle in another for 16 years, and then have to uproot yourself again to move back to a home that is no longer yours. Some of the students at Anaka would have been small children when the war displaced them. They are moving back to an area they have no memory of. I often wonder if they are resentful of leaving Gulu town or if they are happy to return to their smaller village.

Awere is another school that is planning on returning to its original village next year. Awere is located right outside of town and the students live very close to town center. They will be moving back to a village smaller than Anaka’s. (Anaka’s main street is one dirt road block with all the shops on it… there is also a hospital and a parish and that’s pretty much it!) I am interested in seeing how their transition plays out next year.

But wait… back to Safari!

After the Anaka visit, we then piled back into the Mutatus…sigh. (plus our Anaka peeps) We continued on for another 2 hours on much the same bumpy roads until we came to the Nile in Murchison Falls National Park. We dodged the aggressive baboons looking for food while we waited to load onto a two-story boat and cruise the Nile for 4 hours. It was so wonderful to be on the water… so relaxing and lovely. (some of us were downstairs throwing up over the railings…maybe not so relaxing or lovely for them!) Those of us feeling well sat on top and some of us even napped after a while. Apparently there is a limit to how many hippos you can get excited over.

The boat ride felt a little like the Jungle Boat ride at Disneyland, except the animals were real and no one was telling those amazingly unfunny jokes that I used to be able to repeat from memory!

After the boat ride we climbed back into the Mutatus and drove to Red Chili campground. They are about a kilometer from the Nile and we were warned about warthogs roaming and searching for food. I thought they meant it was a possibility until we saw three hanging out as we ate dinner. Warthogs were more of a guarantee. We ate dinner, had another one of us go down with the sickness, and turned in. We slept in tents with cots. They were great until we realized that the mosquito nets were so low they grazed our faces and feet. It completely defeats the purpose of the nets to keep the malaria mosquitoes away from you if they can still bite you through the net!

I found a three by three foot square that I could curl up in and actually had a really nice night of sleep. Despite the net and the shower cap… oh yes, we all slept in shower caps that night. There was a small lice outbreak after safari last time. We aren’t really sure where the lice came from, probably not even there, but we were not taking any chances. Shower caps for all! I also slept through the warthogs grunting around our tent for about 40 minutes. Though I’ll take the warthogs over the hippo that was outside Brit and Sarah K.’s tent any day! They described the noise it made eating as a trash compactor outside their tent. They peeked out the window only to see a broad back and two tiny ears. They both jumped back into one bed and whispered scared nothings into each other’s ears until it moved away. They then watched as it crossed over to Eric’s tent and ate some more (Eric slept through this!) and then as it walked away. I guess that’s what we get for sleeping so close to the Nile!

The next morning we woke at 5:20 and stumbled down to the Mutatus. We had to get up early in order to get a good spot in line for the ferry across the Nile, which is where we had to pick up our guide. We watched the sunrise-ish over the Nile. I say rise-ish because it was so overcast it rose behind the clouds… still beautiful. We finally picked up our guide and climbed on top of the Mutatus. This involved climbing up, using the window ledge, onto the luggage rack, sitting on a pillow and holding on for dear life as the Mutatu bounced over rugged dirt roads. Dust and wind numbing your face, your hair whipping around your head, and you can’t shake the giant smile that spreads from ear to ear. It was breath-taking to see the landscape and animals from a luggage-eye view. We saw elephants, giraffes, tons of deer, (Kobe, Club, Heart beasts etc.) warthogs, (and then promptly sang Hakuna Matata) birds in amazingly bright colors, water buffalo, and of course LIONS!!! It is actually rare, at least for Teacher Exchange peeps, to see lions on Safari. We missed them the first time, but our guide, Simon, took us back and we were about 50 feet from them. I have to say that I suddenly felt very exposed, perched up on that luggage rack. There were two females who promptly flopped down and napped and one male hiding in the bush. The safari was amazing to begin with, we so close to so many different animals, but somehow the lion made it complete. We were all silently cheering and trying to snap pics before our batteries ran out. Mine ended just as we left the lions and it was my last shot. It was a great way to end the day!

After that we climbed back into the Mutatu and reversed our drive from the day before. We sadly left our Anaka peeps and tried to sleep on the bumpy road back to Gulu. We showered, ate, watched a movie on Brit’s laptop and crawled into bed. A successful Safari, but I woke up sore from trying to keep myself upright and unbruised on the luggage rack. Totally worth it!

This weekend is our trip to Fort Patiko with our teaching partners. Irene and her husband are coming so it should be great fun. I also saw Charles (teacher’s husband from last year) on the way to school today and we have tentatively planned to meet up some time on Sunday. It’s been a pretty good week! My time here this year is flying by so much faster than last year, though they days seem so much more full. Can’t wait to see you all, but don’t want to leave yet!

But Maber,
Jolene

I like to Bota Bota!! (I really do'!)

2009-07-21T00:17:00.000-07:00

I am so busy, yet I only teach three double blocks a week! Here’s the run down of my last five days. Thursday we did not have class because we had the Prefect ceremony. Friday I was running around trying to organize a belated birthday party for Morgan, my roommate from Elephant Graceland. She and 4 others (Eric, Sarah Rainwater, Sarah Klinger and Kelly) live out at an IDP (Internally displaced person) camp called Anaka. They come home to us every Friday and it’s always a celebration to have the group back together. We got cookies, a piece of cake and beer to welcome them home. Morgan’s friend sent along a secret package of birthday decorations, but Morgan didn’t give it to us until after her birthday.

The beer was an experience, I actually took a bota (motorcycle taxi) back to the IC house with the beer. They reuse the bottles here so I had to take the empty bottles back to the bar the next day… again, on a bota with the crate between my legs. It was hilarious to me and I do not have pictures. I’ll draw you a stick figure drawing when I get back! We also had a sing-a-long. Our group loves to sing stupid songs about our week. We have sung about teaching, poo, cultural mistakes, more poo, puke and most recently we tried to see how many songs we could add bota into. Our favorites were:
Sweet bota bota, (Sweet Caroline)
Ain't no bota back girl! (Ain't no holla back girl)
Bota! bota! (Beat it)
I like to bota bota! (I like to move it move it!)

...these are the things that keep me from blogging more.

Saturday was our free day and I spent it picking up a dress I had made in town, swimming at the Acholi Inn (then quickly showering!), bota-ing the beer back into town and finally another Texas hold-em poker game with group 2. Sadly, I was the first out this time. I didn’t feel that bad though, last weeks winner was out second… I blame the cards, not my skill!

Sunday was packed as well. We had a book discussion on Confessions of an Economic Hitman (a very enlightening book), a trip to St. Judes Orphanage and then dinner at Apollo’s Farm. It was a great night, but I will have to save that entry for another day. I have to print out a presentation schedule and then bota back to school. I miss you all and will be back on the 11th …though I will probably not be mentally able to hold a conversation until the 12 or 13th!

HALF WAY GONE!

2009-07-18T02:51:00.000-07:00

Hello All!!!

I finally broke down and bought a phone... haven't called anyone yet, but it is quite useful for texting and finding everyone else in town. I got it in the hopes that I will get to meet up with Charles and Sarah now. (teacher from last year) It's also quite uselful for harrassing John and Matt! I missed three calls from group 2 last night telling me to get my butt to Bambu- but yesterday I was a group 3er. Just sat and gossiped with everyone.

Amy returned from sending off group 1 with husband and Hero in tow. Such a great family! The power went out for the first time since I’ve been here this year. Which is amazing here! It rained last night which we needed so very badly. Everything was covered in red dust – including me when I walk anywhere. Maybe I’ll make it to school today without feeling gritty and sweating through my shirt! We have a 25 minute walk to school and it is lovely. We pass many houses, a primary school, many small stands where women sell vegetables and right outside the gates of Gulu High is a place where they make desks – yesterday the smell of laquer was overwhelming and reminded me of home for some reason! I’m heading in now to teach with Irene at 12:10, then lunch of posho and beans and then roundtable discussion. Hope to talk about our research project so that I can get started on that.

Have been spending more money this year than last. Being in town is great though. We’ve actually developed hang outs this year. Bambu (Fuglies as of Thursday) has a Trivia night every Tursday. The questions are designed to make you feel bad… they start out easy and end up hard as hell! Always lots of remote African knowledge, which us Muzungus suck at. We’ve also been back to Elephant Graceland a bit and of course Da Pub. Cold beers, good music and great company! Cafe Larem (Larem = friend, where I am now, actually sells cookies and coffee. However, their power is not working and I have a limited battery life, so I will post two blogs in one and keep it a bit short today. Miss you all, but can't believe that it's half over already!

GULU HIGH PREFECT CEREMONY
Gulu High had a ceremony on Thursday for the in-coming/out-going prefects. It had all the regular things that make a Ugandan celebration unique. It started 3 hours late, which is actually just on time here. While we were waiting the students entertained us by dancing and lip syncing to American hip hop/ Ugandan songs mashed together with hip hop beats. The performers lip sync and if he/she is pleasing to the crowd they will come and slip money into the performer’s pockets. Sometimes tying bandanas around their necks. Then came the speeches… the long, long speeches that are so eloquent, yet repetitive. I heard 9 different versions of the same 30 minutes speech. It was interesting. (From a shirt that Brit and Melody bought here that reads, “We saw fisherman, it was interesting.” So poetic and has become our response to everything. It was interesting.) After that was the actual hand over ceremony in which the same 4 minute song was on repeat while 40 students were sworn in. (40 or so minutes) It was great, but after 6 hours we were done!

Miss you all!
Jo

Backlog, Ugandan date July3/4, Conference

2009-07-13T09:01:00.000-07:00

This year’s conference had quite a different feel than last year’s. I was so excited to see many of the same teachers as last year, both American and Ugandan. Including Sophie from Pope Paul and Anne from Sacred Heart. We have been having many discussions, and did last year as well, about what our purpose is here in Gulu. We certainly don’t want to be the Westerners coming in to “show the Ugandans how it’s done right”. Who is to say that our way of teaching or educational structure is any better than theirs? What I always try to remember is that I’m here to share ideas. We’ll pool some ideas about teaching and anyone can take what they want. Some will take nothing and some will take the ideas and run. That goes for Americans and Ugandans.

What made the biggest impact on me this year was the change in the way that the Ugandan and American teachers talked of education. There was a shift in the dialogue, it was much more positive this year. The overall question still seemed to be “What can we do?” Last year the question was asked with a defeated shake of the head and frustrated hands thrown in the air. This year the question was asked as an honest inquiry with heads huddled together and ideas flowing. It gave me chills and I wonder if it is a foreshadowing of what is to come. Follow through is always a tricky thing.

As Amy has said many times, the relationships we form here are the important things. We will not be what changes education in Uganda, but maybe we can inspire each other to take a closer look at our own educational systems and change them ourselves for the better. Maybe the goal is just to achieve an open dialogue about education between teachers. Maybe that should always be a goal! It was an amazing conference and I could write about it for days, but if you're really interested, just ask me when I get back... I have copious notes!

Love Jo!

PS - Who got the fake tan?? I'm pretty sure it was Jenn, but hoping it was David... and that someone got pics!!!

Rhinos Rock!

2009-07-13T08:51:00.000-07:00

Ok peeps, I am finally completely unpacked and feeling at home… only two weeks into my trip. Group 1 has left Gulu and the IC house. We are now three to our room and it is wonderful. Maybe now I can stop my spastic writing and give you a better idea of what’s been going on.

Last week was great. My teacher Irene has co-taught twice before and is really easy to work with. We only teach three double classes a week to one class of Secondary level 2 (S2) kids. There are 3 classes or streams of S2 kids, each class has 70ish students. S2 A and C have been taken by student teachers so we only teach S2 B. This means I have a lot of down time, but I think I can keep myself busy with our research project. Our task this year is to research about the services offered at Gulu High. So far I know that they have 24 clubs, a Blind Annex, and an armed security guard 24 hours. I’m actually looking forward to starting the research, because much of the time at school is spent sitting in the staff room watching Nigerian soap operas. They are intriguing at times… the acting is what we would classify as extreme melodrama – even more so than our soap operas! I actually enjoyed the one where a man killed his co-worker and his girlfriend helped him hide out by dressing as twin girls. He was a horrible looking woman, but it did keep me entertained for an hour!

It’s Sunday night here and I just got back from a group two Texas Hold-em game. 12 people played and I made it to the top 3! I even took Big John out (the host of the game!) I’m so proud! People are starting to drift out to bed and I’m sitting fat and happy typing here. I took a night Bota home and it was amazing to look at all of the stars as we were driving home. I actually saw the Southern Cross, Milky Way and Northern Star in the same sky last night.

We were out at Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary for the weekend and got even closer to the Rhinos than last year. At one point they started toward us and the guide told us “This is almost dangerously close, move back.” He told us that White Rhinos will kill accidentally, Black Rhino’s, Hippo’s and Buffalo will kill just to kill, and they’ll all kill to protect. They were definitely curious as we had to move back about 4 times.

It was a great day and night until the dreaded Mutatu ride (mini van). How many Munus can you fit in a Mutatu? 15… and the driver… and about an hour into the 3 hour ride home you can squeeze one of the driver’s friends in and make the total 17 people in a mini van. We looked like a freaking clown car when we pulled off the side of the road for a “short call” (pee break). There are only so many ways to adjust your knees in a 23inch by 23 inch space! My hips hurt like an old lady’s when we got back. Guess that’s what happens when you’re 31. sigh.

I don’t have class tomorrow until 2:30, though I will go in around 1 to eat lunch with the staff. Posho and beans have some of our teachers here gagging, but I’m ok with it. The texture can be off-putting and there is little flavor, but it’s free and a time to socialize with the whole staff. Andrew Zimmerman (TV travel guy and eater of weird things) described it as tasting like a flavorless, mashed-up powerbar. It’s a really good description!

Think I’m going to head to bed now. Been a great weekend and I’m damn tired from almost winning at the poker game! Stupid Ryan… he wore sunglasses at night, which we all mocked, but apparently it worked!

Apwowo!
Love Jo

P.S. I was given a new name here by the Bavabuka people. Hmmm - I haven't told you about them yet have I? They are a group of young people from Kampala who run a community center for local kids. (Bavabuka means youth in their language - Lugandan) They gave me the name Nakimuli, which means flower...which is the only thing I will answer to when I return!

...ok, not the only thing - you can also call me Aber or Nimaro - my names from last year!

I am a sardine!

2009-07-08T02:42:00.000-07:00

I am a sardine. (Emma – Faulkner, My mother is a fish.)
We are now 25 in a rather small 6 bedroom house. (two bathrooms and a latrine)
I am now one of six girls in a 12x12 room with two bunk beds, three bunks high. Luckily I’m on the top bunk, which means I get to perch on high and observe the chaos below… and make people hand forgotten things up to me! On Saturday group 1 will head back to the states and we will be 11 lighter in the house. It’s strange to be just coming in as they are preparing to leave. Though it is nice to always have someone to talk to! Phil is another person that is staying with us for now. He is an assistant professor at Boise University and is writing a book on Secondary school in Gulu and his experiences with the Teacher Exchange. He came in 2007 with the very first group of American teachers. When he returned home he arrainged a scholarship to Boise for a Ugandan student named Nancy. He’s been a great person to talk to and has a wicked sense of humor, which we all know I appreciate!

Ok, here’s what different this year. For the first week I was the only year two-er. So I was deemed “know-it-all” and spent most of my time answering questions with “well, last year” Though I have been assured I wasn’t too annoying with it! We are much closer to town so I will be able to visit more often. I actually remembered where things were and haven’t gotten too lost yet. I did lead our group up two wrong streets before finding Kope café the first night. I’ve had a lot of the same food: Matoke, chapatti, posho and some new – a rolex (chapatti with egg rolled up like a burrito) delicious! There is a trivia night at Bambu every Thursday night and I plan on going often! MAC food is gone and there is a new internet café that serves actual brownies and real coffee! There are more Muzungu (white people) than last year. Gulu is growing up. It’s crazy to see the change.

I started school on Monday at Gulu High, it is quite different than Sacred Heart. They are both boarding schools, but Gulu High is home to both boys and girls and much bigger. I met my teacher in the staff room. Her name is Irene and she lives in a teacher’s house just outside of the Gulu High compound. She is married and has two young children (boy and girl) that I hope to meet soon. I walked to her house and saw her garden but they were still at school. She has grown a ton of maize – well, it’s a ton to a suburban girl like me.
Irene is great to work with. We have already planned for the next two weeks and she is very open to sharing teaching responsibilities. She has been involved in the exchange longer than I have. She was one of the original teachers in 2007 and worked with Margot for the last two years. I am excited to get the chance to teach throughout with one teacher this year. We don’t have very many classes, so I am trying to find other ways to be involved at the school, either with another teacher or some after school clubs.

We have been invited to the National Athletics Tournament this Friday - All Star teams in track and field come from all over Uganda to compete in Gulu at Pece Stadium. I’ll take lots of pics – should be a fun day! We also have the Rhino Sanctuary trip this weekend, which should be lots of fun. I can’t wait to hear how our Anaka family is. They are teaching for the first year back at their original site. The school has been displaced for many years and was being taught in buildings made of reeds here in Gulu. They have moved back to the original site and I’m curious to see what the village is like.

We took a tour of the IC offices near Pece Stadium and I saw Charles! (my teacher’s husband from last year – he works as an engineer for IC) I was so happy to see him, he said that Sarah still works at Sacred Heart and is doing well. Their daughters are doing well, but baby Jolene had spent a week in the hospital recently. I am hoping to visit them soon on one of my free days.

Again this week has been crazy busy – but now that we are at the house I have power to charge my computer and time to write – I think I’ll be writing more and posting three entries at a time. Sorry this one was spastic! I love you all - miss you a bit and will talk to you soon!

Jo

Uganda misses you too Jrob!
Liss - sad to be missing wedding stuff! will be there soon!
Em - still working on the Elephant research... will report back soon.

Elephant Graceland!!!

2009-07-03T07:31:00.000-07:00

Hello all!
I apologize for the lack of communication, but they have kept us crazy busy the past few days! I have many stories to tell, but not much time to do so. We have just finished day 1 of our teaching conference and it was wonderful – as Kevin said, there was much wisdom in that room! Looks like I will be back-blogging for a while over the next few weeks!
The one thing I must tell you about is Elephant Graceland! Raise your hand if the image of an elephant decked out in gold glasses, sideburns and a white sparkly jumpsuit just jumped into your head! Elephant Graceland is the name of the hotel we will be staying at until Sunday. (The high school kids from Schools for Schools are visiting here now and the Invisible Children house will only hold so many. Last night Doreen had to cook for 39 people!) I wish I could tell you there was a velvet picture hanging on the lobby wall, but alas! I cannot!
What I can tell you is that I have never stayed anywhere this nice in all of Uganda… scratch that. Adrift in Jinja was amazing! It over looked the Nile, how do you beat that? Maybe this is the second nicest. I am rooming with Morgan and we each have our own beds. (not even bunk beds!) Our bathroom is in our room! We have a flushing toilet (long and short calls!) and a running shower! It is amazing! (who sucks now Jrob?!?!?!)
The only slight problem, well – for poor Darren it’s more like a nightmare! Is the Nightclub down the street and crying dog Skippy. The Nightclub blares music as if it were coming from a radio within your room until 4am every night of the week. The dog, Skippy (as we “affectionately” call him) cries all night long. It has driven even our best animal right’s activist to wish that someone would “JUST SHOOT SKIPPY!” I don’t think Darren has slept all week. Which is only adding to an already shitty week! 8 of our 14 people arrived sans luggage on Sunday. And we have gotten word that it will be here by Friday night! I have to say that our group rocks, not one freak-out and many mishaps over the last week! We are all strong-like-bull! (Joann are you laughing lady?) Will tell of the craziness soon, but must run back to the hotel and head off to dinner! Love you all! Apwoyo! Jo

PDX (Portland Airport!)

2009-06-28T10:26:00.002-07:00

Hello all!

I am wandering around Portland airport and love it! Free WIFI! food! interesting people! (aka crunchy granola natural people in big floppy pants and strange body odors) and it's eco-friendly as well (there's even a food scrap section next to the recycling and trash bins!)

I have also had no sleep after Jenn and Bryce's wedding last night and just downed a coffee... hence the over use of the exclaimation point!! The wedding was wonderful - Jenn looked beautiful, good music, great people, amazing time.

Decided to stay up all night as my shuttle was coming to pick me up at 5am and now I'm quite shaky and tired. I just have to keep myself up for another hour until I can collaspe on the poor person sitting next to me and drool down his/her shirt. It's a 10 hour flight, I'm sure it'll dry!

Ok, I'm losing concentration and the ability to spell the longer I'm on here. I think I'll go wonder around Powell's books for a bit! Talk to you all once I'm in Kampala!

Jo

PDX (Portland Airport!)

2009-06-28T10:26:00.001-07:00

2009-06-28T10:26:00.000-07:00

Away I go! (which was a great movie btw!)

2009-06-24T22:51:00.001-07:00

Ok all - it's 11:00 Wednesday night. My bag zipped up without me having to sit on it, my wedding gift is wrapped, my bridesmaid dress and shoes are waiting by the door... something isn't right. I'm ready ahead of schedule. This is so weird.

I'm off tomorrow morning to enjoy Jenn's wedding in Woodland Hills and will be boarding the plane entirely too early Sunday morning for Uganda. (by way of Portland and Amsterdam!) Seriously, my plane is leaving at 7am the morning after the wedding... which means my shuttle comes at 5am. UGH!!

I'm getting excited to meet all the newbies and just had a text conversation that made me miss some of the oldies. It just won't be the same without jrob and phil picking on me. sniff!

Ok off to bed, have to get up early tomorrow and figure out what I forgot and try to cram it into my bag.

See you all on flip side!

Jo

RESCUE video

2009-06-20T01:06:00.000-07:00

Hello all! I'm getting ready to depart again to Uganda - details of the trip will come soon, but I wanted to follow up with my last post and the RESCUE event.

As part of the RESCUE event that I was involved in, in April, Invisible Children made a video. The words below are part of the poem we created spanning across our country and into a few others. I think the message is a powerful one for the youth of today and those who teach them. Every voice counts, find yours and use it!

You can see the video here:
RESCUE VIDEO

There are those who expect the unexpected.
Those who cast their vote for hope.
Those who believe that good will triumph over evil.
We are those people.
We are the masses.
Misfits.
Moguls.
Media.
We are abducting ourselves to pose the question to our leaders:
Is an Ugandan life as valuable as an American life?
We are shaping human history by closing the divide between awareness and action.
This is about redefining our role in the world, putting purpose before profit.
It's about ending the longest running war in Africa, setting precedent for justice and finishing what was started.
We are here to amplify the chorus of their cries.
Rescue Joseph Kony's child soldiers.
Deliver your voice and discover how it ends.

San Diego RESCUE!

2009-04-26T15:20:00.000-07:00

It took me until the wee hours of Sunday to realize that the San Diego RESCUE was a success...

My day started at 10:00 when all volunteers, sporting their bright blue “Here to Help!” shirts, started setting up. At 1:00 my team hiked up to Horton Plaza and set up the Abduction Site. All was quiet at 2:30 when we were ready, clipboards and ropes in hand.

At 3:00 people started showing up and for the next two hours we frantically circled the fountain answering questions, reassuring parents, signing waivers and promising that we would be leaving in 10 minutes, then 20 minutes, then within the next 45 minutes. Finally, over an hour later, we got the signal to send our groups lead by a volunteer, hanging 40 deep on a rope, to Embarcadero Marina Park South. We marched down 5th and wrapped around the Convention Center. It was quite a site to see and I missed it… I was back at Horton Plaza packing up supplies and taking down signs. I’m so happy Michelle took pictures!

Once we returned (5:30 – 6:00ish) to the park we were meet with the sight of 1000 people setting up sleeping bags and tents in front of a well lit stage while music played, video cameras taped and blue-shirted volunteers dotted the crowd. We gathered together for a mass picture, which had us acting serious, then excited, then serious with fist in air, then fist in air and unrolling sign, then redo, hold it for 30 seconds, just one more shot, just one more shot, ok last one, ok this is the absolute last one, Oh! Just had a great idea, one more and break!

Around 7:00 I finally got some much needed food – in the form of two lovely Pat and Oscar breadsticks and a Powerbar. I enjoyed some greatly appreciated down time while chatting with new fiends and then on to the speeches. This is where I thought the RESCUE would feel like a success! And it did to a point – we had two Ugandans, one was the mayor of Kitgum, two marathoners, a hotel owner and San Diego Charger, Vincent Jackson all give amazing speeches. It was inspiring and reassuring that this event had a good purpose and gained the attention of such a variety of people.

After that we were technically rescued and people were free to go, some did, but many stayed. I hung around, chatted with some volunteers and almost left. I’m so glad I didn’t. A bit after midnight we heard screams and looked up to see sprinklers shooting water onto the sleeping abductees. We stared as they scrambled to move their sleeping bags and supplies. A few minutes later the sprinklers in front of us shot on and throughout the crowd, they kept sprouting up like that stupid gopher game I always see at arcades and never win!

People rushed in with overturned buckets to stop the spray, and we made a mad-dash to save the letters we wrote to our lawmakers, the sound equipment and the merchandise! Unfortunately there was an oversight on someone’s part to turn off the sprinklers and they continued their cycle, completely soaking the grass. Many people decided that their night was through and left – I do not blame them for a minute!

For me the best part of the RESCUE happened next. A large group of dedicated people decided to stay; they dragged their belongings across the parking lot to a basketball court and returned to the wet grass in a giant, dancing line singing about peace. Staying on the hard, cement basketball court was dedication. They could have chosen to go home, and no one would have blamed them. Someone got on a megaphone and reminded us to think about what the abducted child soldier goes through, that comparatively this was cake. Those who stayed took that to heart. After the sprinklers ran their course a small group of volunteers and I waded through the soaking grass to clean up, laughing to keep ourselves awake. Around 2:30am I laid my sleeping bag down on the cement and joined the last of the Abductees. As I snuggled into my sleeping bag and tried to warm my soaking wet socks I took a look at about 100 very dedicated people and three very tired volunteers who made me extremely happy that I chose to stay. That is when, in the wee hours of Sunday morning, I knew that the San Diego RESCUE had been a success.

International Aid - the right way!

2009-03-22T15:33:00.000-07:00

Hi all!

I had an interesting conversation with a friend the other day. I mentioned watching a video of Kenyan man’s negative take on International Aid. My friend asked, “Why would anyone think that international aid is negative?” After watching the video and being in Uganda I actually have an answer.

The man in Kenya has watched the children of his village grow up in a time where war and climate forced people to rely on aid. This is fine in the short run, but can have dire consequences over long periods of time. The children of his village are now used to living on the aid and do not possess the skills necessary to survive, should that aid stop. I too have come to the conclusion that aid, when possible, should be provided in a way that encourages and enables the people of that region to provide for themselves. It is much like the “give a man a fish, he eats for a day; teach a man to fish, he eats for a lifetime” saying.

This is just one of the reasons I support the IC. They work with the people of Gulu and help provide programs that are focused on long-term goals and programs that encourage the children to take responsibility for their future. They do not hand out money or clothes or food. They hand out scholarships to schools for students who are motivated. The money was raised by American high school students who are in turn learning to see a world bigger than themselves. They provide self-sustaining jobs, such as bracelet makers, where the selling of one bracelet provides the worker’s wages and materials for more bracelets. They provide saving and investment programs so that employees can save for the future of their children. They are three kids from San Diego who wanted to see a change – and instead became one.

“ In education we develop a whole human being into a full participant in the development of their country. It is only through education that we can be able to raise the next generation that can become self-reliant…”

April 25, 2009: The Rescue!

2009-03-15T23:48:00.000-07:00

Hello all!

Invisible Children has held what they call "Big Events" twice before. In April 2006 they organized 80,000 people who slept in the streets to gain awareness of the children of war in Northern Uganda. In April 2007 they organized 68,000 people to displace themselves from their homes for the night to gain awarness of the people living in internal displacement camps (IDPs) for more than 10 years.

This April they are organizing again. This time in 9 countries and 100 cities. This time in an effort to gain awarness and support to help free the child soldiers of the Lords Resistance Army (LRA).

Watch the video.
Watch the big event on April 25th.
Spread the word.
Help get these children home!

Jo

ROUND TWO!!

2009-03-09T22:08:00.000-07:00

Inspired, amazed, exhausted, anxious –

4 feelings that instantly ran through my body when I realized that I was going back to Uganda. I think I tried to talk myself out of it for a bit, but that was a lost cause. I talked about returning even before I left!

This past summer was an life-changing experience. It opened my eyes not only to another world, but to the amazing things that we can accomplish if we try.

Even if we are few.

Even if we are only one.

All we have to do is try! (tri)

Famous Last Words!

2008-07-25T02:15:00.000-07:00

Ok, not really... but this will be my last blog before coming home. I seriously cannot believe that this is my last full day in Gulu. I am quite sad. We leave for Murchenson Falls tomorrow at 2:00, will safari on Sunday morning and drive the dreadfully bumpy road back to Kampala in the afternoon. It's gonna suck! We will spnd one night in Kampala at Backpackers Hostel and then off to Jinja where we will raft down the Nile and for the brave - bungee jumping! I will be brave that day as it is one of the few (three?) places in the world you can still legally jump and touch the water.

I am wondering around the town on Gulu for now quietly reflecting and sucking down a Splash juice box - orange flavor. I'm not sure what to write about my time here... I'm much better at storytelling in person. Besides, the power is not here, hasn't been here for two days and internet is expensive because it is being run by generators. I will tell you this:

My trip here has been amazing and I have found myself comfortable here, even developing a routine that will be hard to shake. I will miss my school, my American roomates that are now my family and my new Ugandan friends. There is a happiness here that seeps into you - even through the stories of war and troubled times. I'm excited to come back and find a new place to live and start the school year, but this place will not be easy to leave. I will see you all soon with tons of pics and stories enough to drive you nuts. (750 at last count - but i won't make you sit through them all - I'll give you the 'good parts version') Wish you all could see the sky here today, it is open and full of cotton clouds like the ocean after a storm. I will see you all soon, hopefully over margaritas and mexican food! love you all! Jo

Dave - I would love to discuss the crazy arabic keyboards here and the trouble with typing at an internet cafe in Uganda, but I only have 6 minutes left. I can't wait to see you and exchange stories, hope Ireland and rugby were grand! WE need a dive bar hop soon!

oh... i have a confession

2008-07-21T03:20:00.000-07:00

Ok... so I posted my last blog and a few days later I was looking through my pics and realized I lied to you all! I wasn't actually wearing my crocs for the big hike... I forgot I changed right before we went up. I wore my running shoes instead. Don't hate me... I still wear my crocs on a daily basis. They still rock.

Today is Monday and we got back yesterday from a Rhino Sanctuary. We hiked out to stand 35ish feet from 5 of them! It was like the Wild Animal Park with no gates, bars or being in the tram. It was kinda awesome, but hte ride was about an hour and a half longer then we expected. My butt was so numb! I am walking into the market to pick up a few things and my skirt i had made. I am not teaching this week because the Senoir 4 girl have O level exams. I am going to sit in on some other classes, observe the teaching college and primary school. (i feel like i wrote that last time?)

I joined our girls today to wash clothes and last night a few of us helped make chipati (like tortillas!) I can't believe it's only 10 days left. My tile is quickly running out yet again and i want to post a few pics. Love you all! Joyce, I had a stand up shower yesterday and actually used conditioner! You're right, can't wait for the bath... I'll be washing red dirt off of me for weeks!

See you in 10 days! love jo

It's raining!!

2008-07-18T00:49:00.000-07:00

Hello all!
I just took my first bota ride in the rain! I had to sit side saddle because I'm wearing a skirt so my right side is soaked and my left is quite dry. It rocked! I was done teaching at 9:00 today so I am spending the rest of the day wandering around town... in my crocs! OH, and if you look closely at the pic of me and the Sacred Heart girls you will see my crocs in all their glory! I am wearing them now... in fact they are all that I wear. Last week I hiked up 3,000 feet in them and only slipped once! At one point I was pulling myself up the side of a rock with a vine. I wanted to do the Tarzan yell, but I feared I would fall.

We have only one week left here in Gulu and next week is the O level exams for Senior Four girls so I will not be teaching much. I am hoping to observe at the primary school and the teaching college on our compound. I have also volunteered to take pics of others teaching, which means I get to see them in action. I'm looking forward to that. We will be leaving tomorrow to visit a rhino sancuary 2 hours from here. We get to hike out and "find" the rhinos. They will point us in the right direction and we will walk up to them... we are so adventurous!

I got to meet my namesake on Wednesday... she looks just like me!!! (hehe) Actually she is quite beautiful, though I am biased. I cannot post pics very easily because my flashdrive had gotten a virus. I can post when I am with someone who has their computer with them, but today I am working formt the internet cafe's comp. I will try to post some before I leave, and I will be sharing them all when I get home.

I am going to the market today if the weather clears a little. I am looking for fabric to get a skirt made. They have so many tailors here, it was a program to train Ugandans, but now there are too many tailors and not enough business!

We are having a party at our house tonight with all of the teachers. It was going to be a small little meeting, but Sister offered us the dining commons as a dance hall. Should be fun!

I must run. Keep the comments coming, I love them! Can't wait to see you all in two weeks or so! Love Jo

I'll try to fix Casey's link! thanks Joann!

1/2 Way Gone!

2008-07-14T07:10:00.000-07:00

AHH!!! My time here is 1/2 way gone and I'm sad to think of leaving. My apple pie came out pretty good! I've promised to make another before we leave because not everyone got to taste it. Yesterday's BBQ was great! We improvised Enchiladas, antipasta, guacamole (the avocados here are amazing!, hot dogs, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and mac and cheese. We played volleyball and the dance group Heals came to perform traditional dances for the high schoolers! It was a pretty great day! I've got to run now, my time has slipped away from me and we are eating dinner at the Acholi Inn tonight with the high schoolers from America. Love you all! Aber Jolene

Crazy Strange Newness!!

2008-07-11T07:53:00.000-07:00

Oh! I just linked the blogs of my fellow travelers so check them out. Many of them make it to the internet much more often then I do... some are even better writers, hard to believe, I know!

So I mentioned that my teacher, Sarah, had a baby girl, but here is the crazy news... she named the baby Jolene. So very cool, and strange and awesome! I have yet to meet this mini-me, but I will this weekend. I don’t know her Acholi name yet either. Everyone here has two names, their Acholi name and their Christian name. We were given names on our first night in Gulu, mine was Aber (pronounced Abay). It means pretty one or good one. I’ll take it! My teacher’s first daughter Winsey shares my Acholi name. Sarah says this makes us twins... except that I’m seven years older!

Tomorrow our school, Sacred Heart, is having a Homecoming celebration. Old students will be coming to celebrate and check out the school. The girls spent all day cleaning and getting the school ready. It is a boarding school, so all of the students live there as well. My new teacher Rosemary is a dorm teacher so she invited me to come and inspect the dorms. The dorms are basically one big airplane-hanger like building split into four sections by a wall that reaches ½ way up. Each section houses 36 bunk beds pushed two together, with trunks lining the walkway and mosquito nets and laundry hanging from the rafters.

Rosemary was not happy with the way that it looked because there were towels hanging from the end of the beds and the cobwebs had yet to be swept. She said she will come in early tomorrow to check again. We have to report tomorrow at 9:00 am for prayer. Christianity is taught in most schools here and is talked of often socially. It is assumed that everyone is religious here, most are Christian of some sort or Muslim. It is so strange to here it referenced in English class!

We have eaten a feast tonight... let me tell you about the food I have eaten! Tonight we ate a fish, I think it was Tilapia? I asked Nancy how she prepared it and she said they just set it out in the sun for a day or two and then salt and fry it. Picture the fish in piles, drying on the side of the road with the eyes blankly staring at you. It is so freaking good!! We ate this mixture of g-nut paste (peanut butter-ish) and vegetables, which was strangely good! Kasava, a bland version of potato, but really good warm with butter or hot sauce. Bo, tastes like spinach and other greens mixed. Rice and beans, rice and beans, rice and beans.... forever rice and beans! And not refried beans either – just beans. Of course, that is dinner. For lunch everyday at school we are offered Posho and beans. Posho is a mixture of millet and maize. It’s like a really thick, bland porridge. Today I had a peanut and jelly sandwich back at the house! It was soo good!

Actually, people keep feeding us here so I’m certainly not starving! Who ever said I would be loosing weight here was so very wrong. I’m going to come back heavier, gasier and smellier! I average one bath every three days... don’t get me wrong, I do baby wipe off every morning!! I also usually wash my feet every night before bed. Last night my roommates laughed at my feet because the bottoms were so red they looked black!!

Oh and for those of you who mocked my crocs, they rock!! I wear them everywhere and my feet are nice and comfortable... I do think they may be starting to smell a bit though. I can’t tell, the common smell is a mixture of baby wipe, deet and sunscreen. In fact we are going hiking this Saturday afternoon and I will be sporting my rocking crocs!! Those, and a long sleeve shirt and pants. I only have four bug bites and I got three in the last two days. I think it was from playing volleyball out on the lawn out front.

We are having an American picnic on Sunday and we invited all of the Ugandan teachers to come. We will be trying to make American food in Uganda which is not always easy! Most of our food is cooked over a wood fire out back. Bre made Chipati (like a thick tortilla) yesterday morning for breakfast. I took pics! I’m going to try and make an apple pie. I don’t even know if we have a pie pan! This should be an adventure!

I miss you all, but am enjoying my time here! Can’t wait to share stories with you all!
Love and apwoyo!
Jolene

Happy 4th of July!! (belated)

2008-07-07T07:35:00.001-07:00

It is Sunday!! Happy belated 4th of July all! We all almost forgot here, until we saw Aaron’s nametag at the conference which had the message along with little fireworks drawn in. I missed celebrating on Friday but we had the teaching conference with all of the American teachers and Ugandan teachers that morning and an article review discussion right afterwards at 5, we were all talked out and just ended up coming home and playing cards. I don’t even miss tv here because it feels like we are camping. There are 11 of us staying here and we are getting along pretty well for people who have been out of the dorms for quite a few years!

We ended up having a mini-celebration Sat. afternoon after the 2nd day of the conference. We all went over to the IC house, where everyone else is staying and played volleyball, cards, hung out, napped in front of the fan! (We don’t have one and it gets pretty humid here right before the rain… at least for the west coast people it’s humid!) We looked into buying one, but it was going to cost around 50,000 shillings which is like $55.00 for a really basic fan. We decided against it.

My teacher, Amono Sarah, gave birth on Wednesday night to a baby girl! Which is awesome and not. This means that I will have to find a new teacher to work with. So far I plan to stay with one of Sarah’s classes, work with another geography teacher, and hopefully get involved with the teacher training college that we live next door to. I observed on of their classes last week and I am going again on Monday. I really would like to know how teachers are trained here, because what we IC peeps have noticed is that lecture is the main method of teaching.

Most of our teachers lecture and give notes and the students copy notes, there is very little participation from the students in most classes. The students are extremely respectful to all teachers but the student-teacher relationship we enjoy in the states is lacking in the classroom here. It will be interesting to see how this develops as I get to work more with all of the teachers. I miss you all, but am loving it here! I will have so many stories to tell when I return I will bore you all to tears!

By the way!
I haven’t showered in three days… you’d be surprised how fresh you feel with a baby wipe bath! Jealous I couldn’t hang out with you all for July 4th! Love the comments! Will answer the questions as I can, but I’m on Allison’s computer and she is waiting for it back!

Talk soon!
Apwoyo!
Jolene

Happy 4th of July!! (belated)

2008-07-07T07:35:00.000-07:00

8 days in Uganda!

2008-06-30T06:57:00.000-07:00

Irii Maber! (good afternoon!)

It is Monday now and I’ve been in Uganda for an entire week now! I’ve been so busy it seems like I’ve been here for 6 weeks already! We watched Spain vs. Germany last night at a café in the center of town. We had to leave early in order to catch our ride, but we got to see the only goal scored in the game. Rock on Spain!

I’ve just finished my first day of observing in class. It is much like observing during student teaching. I am sitting in the back and falling asleep while trying to look awake and interested! My classroom is slightly smaller than a portable in CA and has a chalkboard across the front and cement floors. The rest of the room is filled with desks. We had 82 students in class this morning and will have 84 in class tomorrow.

It is strange, but sometimes I forget that I’m in Africa. Last night we watched a movie at the café owned by an Invisible Children worker. (Charlie Wilson’s war) We bought the town out of popcorn and had slightly cool beer. It was awesome! Other times, like in the shower it is hard to forget. Our shower is a tub, a bucket of sometimes warm water and a cup to throw it over your head. I’ve washed my hair only three times since I have been here, and I don’t even care! (Emma think of the shower in Paris, but without running water!)

The eleven of us staying at Christ the King, or C the K, (Joann don’t you love it?!?!) consider ourselves quite lucky. We actually have a working toilet! At the IC house where some of the others are staying, they have a toilet but you cannot flush the paper. So it ends up in a bucket that sits on the side of the toilet. Of course we both have the option of the latrines, the kind with the hole in the ground that you squat over... it’s harder than you think!

Why is it when you travel you always describe the toilets first?!

My schoolmates Wendy and I are resting now, but plan to go into town later so that we can use the internet and find a few things we need. It costs us 1,500 shillings to get to town, which comes out to about 90 cents. We ride on the back of motorcycles, called botas... I think I already wrote that didn’t I! If we ride in skirts we have to ride side saddle, not an easy thing to do with a heavy backpack on. It’s all about balance!

It looks like my other teachers Sarah and Ashley are home now and we will be heading into town so that I can actually post this and say hello to you.

And now I will say goodbye to you, until next time!

Apwoyo matek,
Jolene

Let me catch you up!

2008-06-30T06:55:00.000-07:00

Ok people, I have just arrived back home from a graduation party that a bishop threw down the way from Christ the King where we are staying. We danced for a couple of hours with the Ugandan children, were invited in to a hut for dinner (my fifth meal for the day!) and now we are relaxing at home and sharing all of the pictures we have taken over the past week. I honestly cannot explain this experience so far. I will do my best, but bear with me if I am leaving gaps... I will fill them in when I return and make you sit through the thousands of pics I am gathering. I’m going to break this into a few entries, so check to be sure you have read them all!! You will be tested on this!

Made it to NY just fine. Waited for far too long in JFK with my 45 pound bag, little packpack and purse. Imagine trying to fit that and myself into an airport stall! I did it three times... cause I rock!

I spotted an amazingly tall man wearing an Invisible Children shirt. I followed him throughout the airport and met up with the IC peeps. Seriously, John is 6 foot 11 inches... amazing!

We boarded the plane, which was decorated nicer than some hotels I’ve stayed in, and settled in for our the painful 13 hour flight. They fed us three times, I watched two movies (Jenn I finally watched Vantage Point... it was ok) and the stewardess changed outfits three times as well. It was so surreal... but not as surreal as the fact that when we landed in Dubai five of our group went skiing in the mall. They actually built a ski slope inside the mall!! It only cost around 30 dollars to ski for 2 hours. I did not ski. Last time I hit a tree. I didn’t feel like starting off my vacation with broken bones.

We spent the night in Dubai and then boarded a short 6 hour flight to Entebbe. Then we hopped on a Mutatu (minivan) for the 30 minute drive to Kampala. We stayed at the Backpackers hostel for two nights and on Wed. left for Gulu.

Kampala is the capital city of Uganda, so it is like any city. Busy and full of cars, mutatas, bota botas (motorcycles) and bikes. Dirty and crowded, but as we drove around I loved to see all of the colorfully painted houses and storefronts.

While we were there we visited the U.S. Embassy, a school that had a nicer computer lab than my old school, though the dorms were so overcrowded. Students lived in bunk beds that were three high and hung their stuff from the rafters. They slept with their suitcases/trunks on their beds due to lack of space. We visited a mall that was strangely similar to American malls. Our last morning was spent at a wonderful place called Buvubuka. A Ugandan rapper named Silas started Buvubuka as a community center to teach music, dance and knitting to children from the local community. Such a good vibe to the place!

Gulu –
We have been really busy here. Every day seems to be full of new and ever-more eye opening experiences. I have met my teacher, she is called Amono Sarah Priscilla and just about to pop a baby out... like in 4 weeks! I spent the day with her and she took me to her house and her in-laws house, fed me three times and wouldn’t let me leave without taking 4 ears of maize.

Ok peeps, my brain is drained for now. I will continue later.
Apwoyo matek. (Thank you very much in Lwo, the local language)
Jolene

Greetings from Gulu!!

2008-06-26T08:05:00.000-07:00

Hello all!!!

I'm actually in Gulu!! It is amazing here. i feel that i will be at a loss for words to describe this experience so far, but I am in an internet cafe so my time is money!!

We arrived in Gulu last night after a 6 hour ride on a bus with 24 of us 4 to a row, over the bumpiest rodes you have ever seen! We are staying at a place called Christ the King compound. It is made up of a primary school, secondary school and to our surprise a teacher training school. Everyone is Uganda is so kind to eachother, sying hello to everyone you pass. And yes, Kathie the dirt is quite red! It hasn't rained in a week and a half, a record for this time of year, and dust is everywhere. I was beginning to think I actually had a tan until I took a shower! I can't write much more because we are ex[ected at dinner soon. My cheeks hurt from smiling so often here, but yes, I do miss you all too... a bit!

I promise to write more soon, now that I have found the cafe.
I'm off to enjoy my first bota ride. (it's a motorcycle that we ride onthe back of)
Talk soon! JO

11 more days!!!!

2008-06-09T20:43:00.000-07:00

Holy Crap!!

I only have 11 more days until I jump ship!

I'm feeling pretty good about being ready. I still have to fill my malaria prescription, but it's on my list for tomorrow!

New fun fact about Uganda. Clothes.

The way Ugandans percieve clothing is vastly different than Americans do. We view clothing as a way to express ourselves. You can dress up to be anyone, preppy or goth or laid back or skater. When Ugandans dress they have others in mind. Ugandans view the way they dress as a reflection of respect for those they are visiting. It is considered inappropriate for women to show their underarms in formal situations. (school is considered a formal situation, as is visiting anyone's house) Women may NEVER show thier thighs. The men were asked to bring slacks and polos for school, the women skirts and leggings.

I think I will be dressing better for work in Uganda than I do here!

Many thanks again to those who donated! I cannot express how amazing you all are!

I leave on the night of the 21st and won't arrive in Uganda until the 23rd. I have no idea when I'll be near a computer so give me about a week to check in! I'll post again before I leave. Till then! Jo

Exactly one month!

2008-05-21T23:54:00.000-07:00

Exactly one month from today I will be sitting on a plane... well, actually I will be getting off a plane in New York at 6am, wondering around JFK for 12 hours or so, making my way through security, customs, screening and whatever else is required before settling in for my second-in-a-row, overnight flight to Dubai. I've got to find room for a couple of good books!

Point being - Only one month until I leave. This both excites me and makes me break out in a panicky sweat. The good thing is that I am swamped at work right now, so my mind is occupied for the first half of the day. However, at night I start to think about all of the things I still need, how on Earth I'm going to fit all of my stuff into my backpack, and most of all the African animal planet programs my roommate seems obsessed with lately. Lions and crocodiles fighting over land near a river. Hyenas searching for food during the dry season. As if the mosquitoes weren't scary enough!! Mostly though, I'm just excited! I can't wait to pack my bag and get this adventure started!

You rock if you read this!
Jolene

OH, I almost forgot the joke for Joann.
I'm sorry for this:

What has antlers and sucks blood?
A moose-quito!

7 more weeks!

2008-04-30T20:10:00.000-07:00

EEEKK!!! only 7 more weeks until I leave!

I have way too much to do.

So my shots went well. 3 in the left arm and 2 in the right. I had a sore arm for two days, a slight fever for a night. On the whole not a big deal. However, when my doctor offered me a cheaper and longer lasting pill version of the Typhoid shot, I was singing "Oh, Happy Day!" I will choose a pill over a shot any day! Then she told me that it was a live vaccine. I shrugged, who cares? It's still one less shot in my arm! Then she explained that they (4 pills) had to be kept refrigerated, I had to take them with cold liquid, I couldn't eat for 2 hours before and 2 hours after and remember to take one ever other day. It's still better than a shot!

Or so I thought... I took my first one with ice water and for some reason all I could think of was tiny little Typhoid bugs crawling around in my empty stomach. I almost threw up. repeatedly. Tonight I take my third out of four pills. I'm willing myself to picture happy Typhoid bugs. Ones that are wearing full Roman battle gear and are ready to fight any angry African Typhoid bugs that get into my system. I'm not normally squeamish, but this has been the hardest part of the shots. Can't wait until I try the local Ugandan food!! I'm screwed!

On my list of things to do that I never thought I would do:
buy travel toilet paper
buy crocs (Don't mock me!)
register with the American embassy
wear leggings under my skirts (woman are not allowed to show thighs, EVER!)

Off to take my Roman-clad Typhoid protector bugs. Wish me luck!
Jolene

AAHHHHH!! needles.

2008-04-17T23:12:00.000-07:00

Ok. I finally shceduled my shots. I have to get 5 shots and take malaria pills. I'm going next Tuesday and I'm a little nervous about how I'm going to feel afterward, I use my arms a lot and i like them to be pain free!

I realize that I didn't give a lot of detail last time. Here are the basics:

Fly to New York on June 20th. New York to Dubai on the 21st. Dubai to Entebbe on the 22nd. Then to Kampala. (the capital of Uganda) We stay there for a few days at the Backpackers Hostel. ( http://www.backpackers.co.ug/)

We then travel up North to Gulu, which is where we will be teaching. There are about 25 of us teaching. We will be split up between 10 different schools and three different dwellings. Most have generators, and pit latrines... the one I'm sceduled to stay at has a bore-hole shower and a generator in the front room. The assignments could change, but I've been placed at Pabbo School. (http://s4s.invisiblechildren.com/school/pabbo-secondary-school) Sorry, I'm not sure how to add links yet!

We live and teach up north until the last week-ish. I think 4 days. We will take a day safari to Murcheson Falls (you can see pics on the backpackers website) and a river rafting trip down the Albert Nile. Then we reverse our trip back thorough Kampala, Entebbe, Dubai and New York. I land in New York on the 31st and then back to lovely San Diego!

Ok, peeps. Hope that was enough for tonight. It's late and I've got to get to bed, tomorrow I'm playing a penguin in the talent show and I need my beauty sleep!

Wish me luck! Jo

Dude! What am I doing going to Uganda?!?

2008-04-13T17:53:00.000-07:00

This is the thought that has been sneaking into my brain more and more as June nears. I'll be at the copier, staring at the OSHA poster and there it is. I'm in the middle of the leg press at the gym and there it is. I'm researching places to get my travel shots and it popped up in big, screaming letters. (five large needles and a bottle of Malaria pills)

So yes, I would say I'm a bit nervous about going, but the amazing thing is that after that thought pops up it's followed by this: Dude! That's so freaking awesome! I'm going to UGANDA!!! (yes, in my head I'm still a blond Valley Girl)

So if you think you might enjoy reading my insane inner monologue, by all means come on back! I'll share with you all my thoughts as I prepare to go to Gulu, and internet cafe willing, my thoughts as I learn to bathe in a bore-hole shower!

even I think I'm insane, Jolene