Where did June go?

I haven't felt particularly inspired to write about Uganda. I feel like I should be writing something profound about this place; how the children have moved me, how poverty cripples infrastructure, how inspired I feel by the people I've met, and other things of that nature. And although all of these things are true, I have no desire to write about them. I think I have had no time nor need to process my experiences yet and that is why I can't really write. I am just really content living them.

But because I am an avid blog reader, I recognize the ridiculousness that is to have a blog and not update it. Therefore, I will catch you all up on some things from the last few weeks.

I visited the Nile River. You know when denial is not just a river in Egypt? Turns out it isn't just a river in Uganda, either. It starts here and we took a little boat and got to go around it for a little while. Very cool!

In children news, I've made no attempt to steal any. Most of the children here are in boarding school, so we spend most of our time with the youngest kids who are here. They are full of happiness and joy despite coming from awful circumstances. Many of them were abandoned at BKU from families who could not care for them for some reason. Many are orphans from HIV/AIDS or from the war. Most have seen and experienced things that no one should. I can't imagine watching my parents be murdered or surviving on the streets with my siblings begging for food. Although these are facts that one does not think about all of the time, every once in a while you hear more details of a kid's story and it takes you down. In the land of I know the importance of grief counseling, I wish I could talk to them more about that stuff. But most of the kids here are more concerned with being swung around and looking at videos on volunteers' computers, and I can't blame them for that.

Some pictures around my hood

Sondra

Not been posting as much as I'd like. Busy week. One of our kids had severe malaria and it was a bit dicey for a bit. She is better now but only because she was able to get treatment here quickly. Infrastructure is bogus here and a poor African child under 5 doesn't tend to survive malaria. It is a terrible statistic I've read a hundred times, but putting an actual little person that likes to be spun around in circles next to it is heartbreaking

One Week In

I've been in Uganda for a little over a week. It feels like I've been here for much longer. Perhaps because the other interns had been here for a few weeks when I arrived, there has been less time for adjustment and more encouragement for diving right in. Victoria, the head of Bright Kids is a mastermind. I wish she would teach all things international development. She gets it in every aspect and it is amazing to see it in practice and not just in theory.

I feel like we've done so much this past week. The Florida State interns are building a health clinic for the orphanage and we visited another health clinic to get some ideas of supplies and things we will need.  There is 1 doctor and 1 nurse assistant who do everything. It is crazy to think how much is outsourced in the US. The doctor does all of the lab work as well as regular GP stuff, minor surgery, and labor and delivery.  The picture below is some dude named Stanley. I'm not totally sure what he does there, but he told me how he is a faith healer on the side and blessed me in Luganda and told me I was in for a miracle. We were also blue polo twins. Win.

We also went to a parent teacher assembly this weekend. I hadn't met the girls who went to the school yet, so it was a bit odd to think I'd be representing the 'parent' portion. The meeting was very US-like in the together we will make a difference aspect. The starting over an hour late and running for 3 hours aspect was definitely very Ugandan. And exhausting.  I was excited to meet the girls. When we got home we got to hang out with these guys.

Bright Kids Uganda

I'm volunteering at a place called Bright Kids Uganda. The first picture is of the volunteer house where I am staying. It is also the BKU office. I have my own room, sleep under a mosquito net, and share a bathroom with two other interns.

When I arrived at the orphanage, a good chunk of the kids had already left for boarding school. I have spent most of my time with the smallest kids and those that go to school nearby. From left to right: Faith, Issac, Kato. I would snatch Issac up in my pocket.

All of the kids need sponsorship. BKU's goal is to get all of the kids in good schools in order to break the cycle of poverty.  Check out their website and make a donation if you can!

Some Catch Up

21 May 2012

In typical Ugandan fashion, the power went out when I was going to start this entry. It is my fourth day in Uganda and the lights have gone out every day at an unannounced time. My travels here went relatively smoothly. A red-eye from Newark to London. A sleeping pill which helped me be awake and alert for the 10 hour layover in London. During the layover, met up with my study abroad BFF Soma for some major catching up over cocktails (not sure if that went well with the malaria pills I was starting that day, but whatevs).  Boarded another red eye to Uganda. With amazing luck, managed to be seated in the seat in front of a mentally unstable woman.  She yelled at the flight attendants about what she wanted to eat (I WANT RICE!), not putting her seat belt on, and accusing them of stealing her luggage. She was angry at the man sitting next to her because she wanted to sit near the window, and punched the back of my chair 3x because I was invading her space. When she wasn't doing this she was talking in Luganda (Uganda's native language) to herself in a melodic, rhythmic way the entire time... for 8.5 hours.....awesome. Although making all of us feel a bit crazy, the flight arrived safely which what was most important.

Fast forward to the regular settling in stuff, I learned that my iPad plan did not match up with Uganda's internet plan.  Everyone here carries little flash drive modems that calculate personal use.  The iPad doesn't support USBs and can only pick up wireless signals. So I pretty much bought the most expensive book on the planet.  Oh well! Instead, I will be using Kim's donated laptop for my time here. Thanks Kim!

Just wanted to catch everyone up as I've been a bit MIA. Will write more about everything soon!

Uganda Eve

I leave tomorrow! I'm totally not freaking out or at a panic.

If you know me at all, you know that I'm a big fan of doing random things that I probably have no business doing.  I have a lot of "There was this one time I did this..." stories.  They usually start off innocently enough and end up involving flying an airplane or leading an anti-war protest in Europe.  I was able to pick up another one of these stories since I've been back in New Jersey.

I am a big believer in being prepared for terrible situations.  Past work experience has showed me the value of knowing CPR and First Aid.  Since I knew there was a clinic with not a lot of staff at the orphanage, I thought it would be a good idea to learn how to take blood pressure as well.  Not that I thought I would necessarily use this skill, but I think it's a good thing to know how to do in general. What started off as a request to learn how to do this ended up in riding on a 12-hour shift with Paramedics.

I wanted to say a huge THANK YOU to Sean and Jim for letting me ride with them.  I had no idea what this shift would be like other than me trying to get out of the way.  I was able to get up close and personal with real people in need, digested lots of medical terms, and learned some more about the ins and outs of first response. You guys are awesome, and I know all 'no big deal' about what you do, but please know it was very much appreciated.  Also, a thanks to St. Joseph's Healthcare System and to Sonia S. for making this happen.

Also thank yous are in order for: Kim S., Sonia F., Dianne F., Jodie J.,  The Bickmore family, the Santos family and my brother for making some in-kind donations to the orphanage.  The kids are getting some school supplies and the orphanage is getting some working laptops and a camera because of them.  Thanks again!