Attempting to Cook...

The staple foods here are awful matooke which is an unrippened banana that is steamed for hours on end until it becomes the texture of glue,  posho which is boiled water and flour mixed until it becomes a solid and tastes like a rose art crayon (yes it does not even make crayola status), rice (you all know what that is) and beans.  That is what every Ugandian eats for every meal, sometimes they throw in a potato. I wont even begin to discuss the food we had at training for lunch everyday...beef slop (i might actually be missing that beef slop as of today) I have been craving American food since I stepped off the plane (which my mom can vouch for giving the middle of the night texts saying send me combos, the long list of foods requesting to be sent in an email, and even looking up little debbies website to find out where she can get pumpkin delights from since she was unable to find them at Target). I had been counting down the days when I could cook for myself…more like attempt to cook for myself as I found out today. This week I have made grilled cheese sandwiches using laughing cow cheese, even had one for breakfast today, French toast, mac and cheese and rice crispy treats. I thought I was becoming the next betty crocker until today when I attempted to make french toast again.  I was so excited that I finally learned how to make it, only after texting my mom as to what exactly is put into the stuff you dip the bread into. Todays attempt was a miserable fail and I don’t think I will be attempting it again for a very long time. The french toast was so bad I had to throw it away, I most likely could have put it on the ground and the bugs would turn it down. I blamed it on the different type of bread I used from the last time until I tried to make scrambled eggs out of the left over eggs, which I failed miserably at and they ended up being a juicy disgusting mess. Today, I have realized just how much I suck at cooking (who cant cook scrambled eggs??) I also realized how much I miss being able to go to pick someone up quick to eat (mmmm panera) or call my mom in the middle of the day telling her what shes making for dinner or even just pour myself a bowl of cereal. From now on I am sticking to things I just have to add water to, are already cooked or a peanut butter and jelly sandwich…Feel free to send me anything that you just add milk or water to…mac and cheese (just the cheese I can get noodles), soup packets, tuna salad packets, big macs, snack foods, etc (please see detailed list under address page J) or better yet please feel free to come be my live in cook I am willing to pay 20,000 shillings a week!!!

Traveling in Uganda

My first weekend at site has been interesting I have been going to nearby towns shopping for things for my house, well more like attempting to purchase items since they are trying to charge me way too much for most items and I am not paying 25,000 shillings (approx $8.92, I know it does not seem like that much when you put it into us dollars but it should only cost about 5000 shillings or $2 here) for a basket to keep bread in. Other than people trying to rip me off traveling as been my most hated experience thus far. In the past 2 days I have gone to 2 different towns on the first trip to kyotera I was lucky enough to find a matatu that was coming from Tanzania (which charged me double the price that it should have cost) but on the way back it was a different story.  It began with a Toyota corolla with 7 adults and a baby in the back seat and 3 adults and a driver in the front. This is the norm here in Uganda, if you don’t have something on your lap why not put a person there?? I will admit I have rode in cars with this many people in the states but the difference is I know those people and they do not smell like they have never showered in their entire lives. I keep hearing people saying that Ugandans are very clean and bathe in the morning and at night…I am still waiting to find out what they do in their bathing areas because most sure as hell do not wash…or at least don’t wash the right places.  Today on the way back to site from shopping in Masaka with other volunteers I was lucky enough to have to transfer cars in Kyotera once again and was stuck in a car with my bags and 6 others in the back seat (one man was also holding a computer tower) plus 3 adults and 2 children plus the driver in the front of the car making the grand total in the Toyota corolla 13 people and I had to hold my breath the entire way because smell that was coming from some of the others in the car…if I didn’t know better I would think that I was the one who would smell considering the trend in the cars but it def is not me I may be in Africa but I didn’t give up showering all together!!!

We also had the best burgers and brownies today…Dorothys supervisor is from the US and had all of us that were in Masaka over for lunch and we had a cook out…I don’t think I need to eat again for a week!!! When i got home from Masaka i found my neighbor whom i had yet to meet sitting on the steps in front of my house cleaning my shoes that i had sitting on the steps...next time i think i may leave my laundry outside maybe she will do that also!!

Officially a PCV

The newest group of PCV's in Uganda...

So i will fill everyone in on the rest of training another time but want to get up to now and what i am currently doing...

Training in finally over and I am officially a Peace Corps Volunteer...

We moved out of our homestay families houses Tuesday morning (630 am but ended up being more like 730 since some people thought that was the time we were supposed to meet) we headed to the US embassy where we listened to people talk about various things that are happening in Uganda and how the US aids Uganda. We then proceeded to the Peace Corps office all starving since we had left early and could not get breakfast (i did get the most amazing brownie at the embassy it tasted like heaven). We proceeded to listen to various people talk and sign way to many forms (i think i may have signed my life away to the peace corps). We got a tour of the office (yay we got to see some offices...once you see one you have seen them all. Lunch was the highlight of the day a sub sandwich with ham cheese and mayo. They also told me i have a package at the post office and would go get it and deliever it to our hotel (they never did that now i am still without my packages). We also lost a volunteer and became 45 while at the peace corps office, i wish our group was still intact and we had the full 46. We went to our hotel and rested for a bit (by rested i mean drank) until it was time to meet our supervisiors. Mine did not come the first night since she was not staying at the hotel like the others. That night we all sat around talking, drinking and drinking. The next day we sat thru boring sessions that we had already heard before wth our counterparts...mine actually fell asleep during one of the sessions. The counterparts/supervisors were dumfounded to find out we were not allowed to ride bodas (motorcycles) and faught in every way possible for us to ride them...they failed we still cant ride them...they tried their hardest tho...we also had a session on sexual assult and what it means to sexually assult someone...one of the supervisors did not like this and asked what he should do if he was assulted by the volunteer (i dont think he has anything to worry about since his volunteer is a male and is also married). That night Bryan and i began playing beer pong while waiting for the others we decided it was a good idea to play 1 on 1...3 games later i won 2-1...then others finally came to play as well...8 games later i had only lost the one game...yes i am that sweet at beer pong. The next mornign was rough as i had called every american that is in america and in my phone the night before. The next day was rough to say the least and we sat thru more sessions all waiting for the time to get ready and head to our swearing in ceremony. At the ceremony we had the deputy embassitor, shirley our wonderful training manager, the program manager and country dirctor as well as 3 pct's make speeches. We swore in and officially became volunteers. (hard to believe i made it thru 8 weeks and no longer think anything of going to the bathroom in a hole, batheing in a bucket or seeing a cockroach, as long as its not on my face i am fine...that story will come with the part 2 of training post). The night after swearing in we all recieved awards (i will describe mine in next post) and all broke out of our shells (i think i have been out oif mine way longer than others) and had a blast, many of us even swimming fully clothed...the next morning it was on to site where 6 of us will be in the same district so we rented a costa bus (yes this seems like a very large bus for 6 people but we couldnt have dont it any other way, we had the bus full of our things who knew we would have accumulated so many things over the 10 weeks.) and it was official i am now at site and living in ssanje officially on my own in africa and ready to get to work.

oh i almost forgot...i received a certificate for failing my language test...i received a score lower than what i needed to pass so now i will get a tutor work on the language some more and hopefully pass in 3 months (i will say i had a very bad day that day and messed up on things i actually know but i wouldnt have passed me either with the things i messed up on....so...only in uganda will you still receive a certificate for failing something with your failing level printed on the certificate...looks like i will frame it and hang it next to my door...

The First 10 Weeks (Part 1)

So i have been here for 10 weeks now have have finally decided to start my blog...i decided that i will catch everyone up on some things that have happened in the past 10 weeks...(*disclaimer- my blog is not nearly as funny as Khayla or Aditi's so if you have read their please stop reading this one now...)

Peace Corps Uganda Group

Our group consists of 46 individuals (should have been 47 but one person dropped out less than a week before leaving) from all different backgrounds. There are15 people over the age of 50 (Bryan you will be in that age group soon too dont worry) and 11 married people (yes 11, Karla was smart and left her husband at home as I like to tell her).  2 of the married couples are young married couples, one of which actually met while previously serving in the Peace Corps. The rest of the group is in the 22-49 age group most of whom are in their 20's.We have people ranging from having their PhD to coming straight out of college. We have been told we are one of the most experienced groups to come into the Peace Corps and many say a majority of people are over qualified.  We also have the oldest group to serve in the Peace Corps (maybe we should apply for a world record with that, iv always wanted to be in the record books). 

Philly and on to Uganda

We all met in Philly and began our peace corps adventure full of paperwork to be filled out and boring ice breakers to get to know one another. We were randomly assigned a roommate for the couple of days we were in Philly, mine was Griffin who happened to be the first person I found online that was going to Uganda as well. After the training sessions had ended we all searched the city for where we would have our last American meal for a long time (since I am writing this late I can say I wish I would have eaten more that night). A large group of us decided to go to an Italian restaurant (it had nothing on Bravo or Olive Garden but I would eat it again right now if I could). A small group of us went out to the bars for one last night of drinking and enjoying ourselves in America. My last drink in America was a captain and coke and my last shot was a Washington apple (I wish they would have known how to make a bomb pop I would have been much happier). The next morning the 46 of us heading to JFK airport to travel 17 hours on a plane to Uganda we arrived almost 6 hours before our flight since there were 46 of us that had to go thru security and check luggage (I can tell you we did not stick to the packing list at all and all brought way more than what was recommended to bring although there were a couple of people who made it with only one bag…and of course those were guys). We finally left JFK after having our official last meal (mine was Mcdonalds and I never enjoyed it more knowing I wouldn’t have it again for a long time, I kind of wish I would have packed a couple of burgers with me for the road cuz I sure do miss them). We headed from JFK to Brussels, where we were all very upset that our se3ats did not have individual tv’s to watch. I slept the entire way to Brussels thanks to Dorothy giving me a Tylenol PM. From Brussls we were headed to Uganda with a quick stop in Rwanda to pick up and drop off some people. The food on the plane was Brussels to Uganda was much different to say the least, we have a couple volunteers with us who have to eat glutton free well we have heard that someone called to check that Peace Corps had ordered the glutton free meals which turned into us needing 46 glutton free meals (I was not a happy camper and actually yelled at the attendant that the meal was not mine and I needed a regular meal, since I had just woken up and did not know what had happened). I never got my regular meal and gave my glutton free meal to john who was sitting next to me. I think the attendant "mr goodlooking" as he called himself felt bad for us so he offered us some icecream bars. He came down to the last 4 and there were still some people who wanted them so he asked us to pick a number 1-4..i proceeded to yell 5...thanks again Dorothy for the drugs (it was the Tylenol i swear not my stupidity :) )  I also slept the entire way on this plane ride thanks to the Tylenol PM making my total time being awake the entire trip 2.5 hours (erin-1 awful long plane ride- 0)