Learning Tour, BAMM, Rain+Gardens, Work Update, Wedding, Poetry

Care International Learning Tour

Village Women in VSLA

Last week I was selected to be one of two Northern Uganda Peace Corps Volunteers to travel with a Care International Learning Tour. “These high-level delegations include members of Congress, the U.S. Administration, corporate partners, donors, celebrities and other influential individuals. Members of the media have often joined Learning Tours, and CARE brings a photographer and videographer to capture the experience. “ (http://www.care.org/getinvolved/learningtour/learningtours.asp) .

Happy Kids in Awach

This program connects policy makers and thought leaders with the issues facing development across the world. I traveled with Senator Johnny Isakson and Congressman Jack Kingston, both from GA; Congresswoman Barbara Lee from CA; Helene Gayle President of CARE USA; Former Ambassador to Uganda Jimmy Kolker, Jim Coughlan President of UPS Customer Solutions, Catherine Conners, a Social Media Maven and important person at Babble, a Disney Company (http://www.babble.com/); Bo cutter of the Roosevelt Institute; and several members of Care’s Staff…including Christina Santos who rode in my vehicle and manages their annual advocacy conference.

Ambassador, Senator, Business Man!

I was taken by vehicle to the Gulu Airport to meet the plane as it landed. Waiting with me were the Gulu District Chairman and the Gulu Resident Commissioner along with several USAID staff. A medium sized UN plane landed and off came about 20 people. We boarded 13 vehicles, I was assigned #6, and off we rode to a Village Savings and Loan group in Awach that uses the group meetings to facilitate social services for its women and their men. We also observed bead making, tailoring projects, and agricultural items they raise for sale.

Happy baby!

Next we attended a Pathfinder International program (http://www.pathfind.org/site/PageServer?pagename=Programs_Uganda) where they are working side by side with the National Community of Women Living with HIV/AIDS (http://www.nacwola.or.ug/) Here we witnessed how community volunteers visit people in their huts and discuss their family needs and challenges and develop plans forward for reproductive health and family planning. Our sample family was comprised of 2 parents with HIV and their 4 children…all HIV Negative to date!

On this one-day tour, I gave my poem American Skin (Posted on this blog on March 25^th) to Senator Johnny Isakson to thank him for passing the Kate Puzey Peace Corps Volunteer Protection Act of 2011 http://www.gop.gov/bill/112/1/s1280. As a token of thanks, he had his photo taken with me and promises to send me a copy! I also met both his staff members – the dynamic duo of Chris Squared! My nick-name for the 2 men named Chris. I was impressed with them all. Congressman Jack Kingston was an easy to like, direct and intelligent man, who shared several book titles with me and gave me a name for my husband to contact about his business ventures.  I admit I was glad to see our elected officials in a more personal and less divisive setting than shown on TV. They are real people! Really!

Mommy's helper

Congressman Kingston in hut with kids

Congressman Kingston and friend

Mommy Blogger and friend

Riding in vehicle #6 were Karla (Me), Catherine and Christina. We traveled in a 13 car convoy with security men checking each vehicle after every stop before moving to the next destination. I felt like a celebrity with all the cameras (both video and still photo), security and media people in “My entourage”I hope Christina sends me some photos of me with the big wigs!! AND Catherine works for Babble.com and may check out my blog (She at least asked for it). I may be “Discovered!” ....finally, ….or not!

Paper Beads

BAMM – April is Blog About Malaria Month (BAMM) for PCVs in Africa. This is connected to a new initiative in Peace Corps called Stomp Out Malaria in Africa that unites the efforts of the volunteers across country lines.   “Peace Corps Volunteers have been working in malaria prevention since the agency’s beginning in 1961. Now, through Stomping Out Malaria in Africa, sub-Saharan Africa’s 3,000 PCVs and 25 Peace Corps posts will be sharing ideas, best practices, and information about projects they are working on in malaria prevention. “

So my best practices are – I sleep under a mosquito net every night, I take my malaria medicines every day, I wear bug spray and long sleeves to thwart the dreaded mosquitos, I get rid of standing water, and I hope to make mosquitos nets as an income generating activity at my school and distribute them across Uganda! THAT’S MY BLOG AND I AM STICKING TO IT!

Agriculture Student Seed Beds

RAIN – the day after the group tour left, the rainy season set in. Temperatures dropped to the low 80s and moisture returned to Northern Uganda. In today’s blog, in the poetry section, is my response to this welcomed event. Rain means I can begin my gardens…Flower and Vegetables. On Saturday I hired several young male students to clear some of the bush for me – This is still in process. I think the plot will be approximately 40 feet by 40 feet. I will definitely take seeds (placed in a ziplocks) if you want to send a package. Our Agriculture students already began their seed beds and have been working outside my house for several weeks now. My flowers are already planted around my home – though I plan to plant many around our office building next weekend.

My latrines and bathing area and my supervisor's chicken house

WORK Update In pursuit of a brick making machine, I traveled to Gulu and walked to the District Engineer Offices. I waited in the lobby on a Friday morning for over an hour for someone to accept my written letter requesting information of assistance on locating these machines donated back in 2009. Finally a helpful gentleman who is the Engineer for Schools invited me to his office. Upon reading my letter he said the district had 4 such machines and all I need to do is write a letter to the Chairman’s Office and the Chief Administrative Officers Office and they will inform him to release them to our school. He said none were being used at this time, so it is likely I will not have to wait for them.  So the process has begun – stay tuned.

Dressed for the wedding - in front of fields near my home 

Traditional Marriage – Yesterday, Easter Sunday, I attended a traditional marriage. I attended with several members of the school staff and we decorated a goat to take as a marriage gift. Yes I said decorated a goat…it was alive and we wrapped it in vinyl wrapping paper and decorated its horns and tail with ribbons and placed a garland around its neck. At the marriage there were traditional dancers and speeches and many local dignitaries. I even dressed up for the event. What is funny is the range of attire. Fancy Ugandan dress as well as Corona T-shirts were de rigueur!

One great wedding gift!!!

Traditional Dancers

Girls in Courtship Dance

Drummer 

Australian Volunteer Dancing in Courtship dance 

Poetry

Rejoicing Earth                                 April 6, 2012

Glorious Rain

Begins with a scent

Faintly blowing across the fields

Intermittent caresses

Of cooler thickening air

Strengthening winds

Warn of the approaching symphony

Clashing cymbals of lightning

Followed by thunderous bass drums

Building into the percussion crescendo

Millions of tiny droplets

Punctuated by the torrents

Racing off the roof

Slowly retreating into softening stanzas

Of a soothing steady drizzle

Fading into gentle drips and drops

Which lessen

Until it is gone

And the earth

Rejoices

Anew

Toughest Job                     April 6, 2012

In Peace Corps I learned

It was The Toughest Job You’ll Ever Love

But I disagree

Parenting, by far

Embodies that phrase

The most beautiful, awe inspiring entities

You will ever encounter

Are your children

The weight of the responsibility

Of being their guardians

Is overwhelming

Rearing children looks easy, obvious

Until you are blessed with the job

Then the crushing uncertainty enters in

When to hold on, when to let go

When to protect, when to let fail

When to correct, when to keep silent

When to engineer, when to sit back and observe

The magnitude of the consequences

Of your actions & decisions

Can paralyze

For your children

You will give everything

Money, time, your life

Unfortunately

The process is not offered as an exchange

It is a continuous commitment

To think & re-think

Test and observe

Trust and verify

Changing your tactics

As best you can guess

Based on reading the tea leaves

Rarely knowing

The outcome

Until 20-30 years pass

And they welcome their own

Miracles into the world
Taking on the Toughest Job
Themselves

Anxiety                                March 27, 2012

In the grip

Pressure like a python

Squeezing my chest

Racing heartbeat, rapid breathing

Stemming from

Anxiety

Seeming to come from nowhere

Trying its best

To instill panic

Feeling the need to run

Anywhere

To escape the weight on my breastbone

Deliberately taking deep breaths

Forcing my thoughts

On the positive
Blessings

Recognizing it will pass

As it always has

If I can repel

The overwhelming wave of

Anxiety