TIA

TIA (This is Africa) has become a common comment between some friends and I whenever anything doesn’t go quite right – stores close early, power goes out etc. Last week I truly experienced TIA!!!

I left Kampala on Friday October 2 and headed east towards Kenya. I had two RTP drivers take me to Sironka Town where we met one of the facilitators for the training I was there for. She accompanied us for another 20km down dirt roads to Budadari and the Waggaigai Hotel where I would stay for the week. I was a bit surprised to find out I was not with the rest of the participants – they stayed in Sironka Town. I was the only guest at the hotel.

Robert, the hotel owner, arranged transport for me to get to and from the training…..the transport was a boda (motor bike)!! On Saturday morning I was a bit nervous but ready to make the journey along the dirt roads on the back of a boda. When the driver arrived (about 20 minutes late of course) we set off. He drove quite quickly and when we reached the tarmac road I glanced at the speedometer and realized he was going 90km/h – I panicked a bit and tried to figure out how to get the driver’s attention and have him slow down!! I managed to get him to slow to 60 and was feeling much better – but also realized he did not know where we were supposed to go. He thought he found the school and rode into a middle of a field. We spoke to a school boy that was able to direct us –the next thing I knew I was the meat in the sandwich on the boda – the school boy hopped on behind me and the three of us road to the school. TIA.

The school was what you would imagine a rural school in Africa to be – a number of small buildings, none with power and Latrine style ‘hole in concrete’ toilets. TIA

The training itself was quite interesting. I was one of 18 people participating – we played games and learned about HIV and AIDS. The goal of the training was to educate new RTP Volunteer Coaches on how to use sport and play to educate children about prevention and to deal with the stigma of being infected. I learned that there are many different cultural differences between the way I, from the Western World and the other participants looked at certain issues.

On Monday the students returned to the school – apparently some had never seen a Mzungu up close and I think my presence was a HUGE distraction. I had children peering out of classroom windows to catch a glimpse of me. It was entertaining and amusing at first but by the end of 5 days it was starting to wear a bit thin – Mzungu….how are youuuuu??? TIA

The hotel I stayed at was nice and I was well-taken care of. Most evenings I just watched a movie on my laptop. There was of course some excitement. When the power went out I experienced darkness like I do not recall being in – I was really in the countryside and there was not a light to be seen. I also shared my room with a mouse – TIA.

Highlights of the week – outside of the training were a quick visit to Sipi Falls and finding Coke Zero!!! Of course the fact that my blackberry functioned almost the entire time was also exciting.

Overall it was quite an experienced, which at times pushed me outside of my comfort zone…..but that is what I am here forJ

TIA

From East to West

I have learned that many decisions are made at the last minute in my office. Yesterday morning I was told that today I would head to Sironka (not in tour books but near Mt. Elgon National Park on the Kenya border) to participate in a training on our Live Safe Play Safe resource. This is our program that focuses on HIV and AIDS. While I will inevitably learn a lot and will be able to better understand the programs, I must admit I was a little distressed to cancel weekend plans and a, a bit nervous about the week – the place is not even in my tour book so what will the accommodation be like?? Luckily I will have my MEC silk sleep sac to give me some comfort while I sleep.

I will return to Kampala next Thursday night. The Friday is a holiday and I will head to Fort Portal, on the Western Border of Uganda near DRC for a weekend with friends. According to what I have read there is some great hiking and swimming is bilharzia free water.

I will try to blog remotely to keep you posted on my progress, but if I am unable to, Happy Thanksgiving!!!

Also a big congrats to Em who managed to get all of her Ontario med school applications inJ

Time flies!!

I arrived in Kampala 2 months ago!!! In some ways it feels like I have been here forever and in others like I just arrived.

This week I managed to find the worst Indian food in Kampala - if you ever happen to visit I do not recommend Indian Summer. It is really a shame to eat bad Indian Food when there are so many fabulous options (my fave so far is Khana Khazana where I think I have been 4 or 5 times!).

I also attended a going away party for someone I have never met. I hear that this becomes a common occurrence. It was definitely an interesting evening as most of the people that were had some US Embassy affiliation (CDC, Embassy, Army, USAID etc). It really is a whole new world to be exposed to.

This week we are trying to finish off a proposal with a consultant visiting from Toronto. It has been a bit of a challenge as there are so many different perspectives on what the proposal should be! I think it is quite frustrating for some, but for me it has been a good learning.

The running office joke has been about my inability to cook - after two months I have mastered chicken fried rice, plain pasta (with parmesan cheese) and tomato salad. I am sure I am able to cook more - just haven't tried - it is cheaper and easier to eat out! I really do love the tomatoes and hope I don't get sick of them. If you are reading, and have any easy recipes, please send them my way.

Happy Birthday to E&C today!!!!

odds & ends

Last week things really slowed down - after a week at the ECD workshop & having a Shona here to visit - things seemed slower than they actually were.

My big accomplishments of last week were:

• realizing that much of what I learned at Rotman, especially in my market research class, could be transferred to the work that I am doing here. We are preparing to do a Baseline Evaluation for our programs in Burundi, and as I talked through the process with our Monitoring & Evaluation (M&E) officer it dawned on me that it is really just market research in a totally different context! This was a big relief for me, as M&E has been the areas that I felt that I least understood.
• I rode a boda boda!! These are the motor-cycle taxis that fly all around Kampala. They are a bit terrifying to see and up until now I have avoided them at all costs. Friday night, however, I was trying to get from one bar to another and there were no taxis anywhere....walking just didn't seem like a sensible choice as it was nearing 11pm and I was by myself, so I hopped on the boda! I must admit, it was actually kind of fun, but I don't think I will make a habit of using them. (Time will tell, as they really are the most efficient mode of travel barring their safety record!)
• I booked my Christmas adventure - 3-weeks of Overland Travel in a big truck, from Victoria Falls, Zambia through Botswana and Namibia to Cape Town. After reading a whole lot of reviews I finally decided to travel with Intrepid/ Dragoman travel. Fingers crossed I will end up with a good group of people as I will be spending a ton of time with them!

This week, a 4-day week due to a holiday for Eid Celebrations, has once again picked up. Everyone is back in the office after various work trips and there is a ton to be done. I am sensing that the next few weeks will be a bit chaotic - but that is the pace I like to work at:)

Bankrupt for berries

I just found berries - raspberries, blueberries and strawberries....frozen and fresh!!! While this may not seem so exciting, it made my day! There is tons of fruit and veg available here in Kampala but I love berries and had not seen them before. Even though they were crazy expensive I caved an bought frozen blueberries and strawberries (cost around $20) - I am looking forward to a smoothie for breakfast tomorrow!!

Must admit, I was going to buy the fresh ones as well - but when I went to check out the store did not take credit cards and I did not have enough cash for all those berries! Lesson learned - I must carry more cash when heading to the grocery store as I never know what I might come across!

Workshop, visitor & riots

Well the past week may have been the busiest yet! I participated in a workshop on Early Childhood Development, had my first visitor (Shona came from DRC) and spent some time following security reports during the 2 - 3 days of riots!

The ECD workshop was amazing. The participants, a combination of RTP staff/ volunteers, teachers and Ministry of Education staff, were incredibly enthusiastic, warm and friendly. The week involved a lot of group work, playing games, singing and dancing. not like the workshops I am used to! Overall I think that the group really understood the importance of ECD and the week was a big success.

On Tuesday my friend from MTA, Shona arrived. She has been working in DRC for the past year with Save the Children. It was so nice to have a familiar face around and company at home. She is much more adjusted to life here than I am. She found a tailor around the corner from me and for about $3 I had two pairs of jeans patched!!!

The riots really did not affect me much. We first heard a little bit about them on Thursday afternoon while we were at the workshop. Many participants were staying at a hotel near the workshop venue but those that had to travel were quick to leave at the end of the day. On our drive home (we did not have to cross through downtown, where the major issues were) we encountered one burning tire but got through before the road got blocked. I got my first embassy message from the US around 10pm. On Friday morning I received a message from the Canadian Consulate and another from the US warning us to stay inside and to avoid certain parts of town. The workshop carried on without worry.

By the end of day Friday, the sense of alertness had increased. People were concerned but there was no panic. The RTP office did close and from what I gather many other NGOs did as well. We closed the workshop with a BBQ and ceremony but the party did not last long as people rushed to get home before dark. There was virtually no traffic on the way home and we had no problems at all. The Uganda Country Manager kept me up to date on the situation through the day Saturday and advised me where it was safe to go.

By Saturday night all was calm - we were able to go out for dinner and do a bit of a pub tour! There were fewer people out than I was used to seeing but I assume all will return to normal by this weekend.

new apartment, power outages & other updates

It has been a while since my last post (well at least according to my mom!). This is in part due to a lack of internet at the office, since August 28, and various power outages.

Last Tuesday I moved into my new apartment. I am in the same complex, but now in a 2br unit on the 4th floor. I am very happy up here! I decided to celebrate the move with a beer - when I went to buy it (you can buy just one), they asked when I would return the bottle....a new experience.

The work week itself was insanely busy as we tried to finalize all of the country 3 year plans. The regional team all sits together and looks through them projected onto the wall. I have said it before but wow - an immense amount of work goes into those documents. I am slowly but surely starting to pick up on what it is that we look for as we review them. We also reviewed my South Africa plan and it wasn't as far off as I thought it might be.

The weekend was pretty good - went out Friday night, to the gym Saturday morning followed by a mani/pedi and then a ton of watching tennis! I also received my first package from home when some Early Childhood Consultants arrived in Kampala. Thanks for the treats Dad & Care:)

Early Sunday morning the power went out....a good reason to get some more sleep! The outages are funny as at times certain outlets will work. For example, the outlet where I plug in my computer works for most of the day (but not the internet). Around 430 I received full power for about an hour and then it was gone again! Upon waking up this morning....I discovered there was still no power. Not only was there no power but no water!!! Thank goodness for all the wet wipes that I brought and the bottles of water that I had.

After the first day of a 5 day workshop on Early Childhood Education I returned home fairly exhausted to discover there was still no power... except for the odd outlet. Lucky for me that it cam back on about 30 minutes ago and I have my fingers crossed that I will have water tomorrow morning.

Congratulations to Denise & Kevin!! Thanks to Paula for posting some great pics!

Looking forward to my first visitor this week!!! A friend from my MTA days, Shona, who works in DRC will be here for a few days prior to her trip to South Africa:)

Happy Labour day to all!