First Week at Site!

I have officially been at my site for one week. And I love it. I don't have too much to say in this post other than I'm doing very well. My house is great - brand new, really nice; there's still work to be done on it that they're currently doing, but it's definitely liveable. I don't have electricity or running water yet (hopefully soon, especially the electricity), but it's a clean, nice, safe and rather large house. I have 3 rooms, all about the same size - 2 bedrooms and one living room. Oh, and there's a kitchen room attached to the porch. I'm starting to get it all set up. Furniture is in the process of being made - will have most of it by next week. Thus far, I have a bed, dresser to hang all my clothes, dining table, 2 chairs and carpet that I bought. I am still waiting on a nighstand, real dresser, sofa, coffee table, bed for the spare bedroom and two tables for my cooking area. The problem with having a large house is there's a lot to furnish, but it's okay. I really just want to get my house set up sooner rather than later. In the last week, I've been shopping in town, getting all the cookware, dishes, etc that I need to live. About every other day, I see my friend, Amy, who lives 11 miles from me out in the village. We also hung out with our other friend, Adam, who is the next town on the main road. My supervisor has also been taking me around town to meet everyone - police chief, LC (Local chairperson), church, schools, etc. He's really been great in helping me to acclimate to my town. My counterpart has also been great. She lives just diagonally from me so she brings me water, cooked me breakfast on my first day (since I didn't have any dishes or food or gas for my stove) and just helps me get my house set up.

I've had some really good discussions with my supervisor (the Executive Director of the NGO) and my counterpart about what they see me doing with the organization, what they want me to get done in the next couple months, and it all sounds amazing. The organization is still very, very new, but it seems to have good funding, lots of interest from others, great goals. I'm still waiting for the catch...I feel this is just too good to be true, at times. We also have a lot of people from abroad coming in the next few months to work with us - 13 from the Netherlands in July, a consultant from Boston in June and some other Americans, I think, in August. It should be a fun summer! I really have no complaints. Ask me in a few more weeks.

What else?? I am about a 10 minute walk from town - the perfect distance - away from the commotion, but close enough to walk and be able to carry things I buy home. I am in a double house, but my neighbors who were living in the other half moved out to the village this past weekend so someone from my NGO will be moving in there soon. I will appreciate having the company; it is a bit lonely at times since I have to be in my dark (7pm). To everyone reading this, my life probably sounds pathetic at this point...I am in my house with doors locked by 7, asleep by 8 (I have no electricity or furniture so what else can I do!?), and awake by 6:30 to go for a run. I wash dishes, clothes, go to town, eat one meal a day, visit with friends/people in town. Yeah, that's my life for now. Next week, I will be at the office more so I'm looking forward to getting started.

Oh, and it is much hotter here than in the central region where we were for training. I knew it would be, but woah. The sun is so much stronger; I am getting a good tan - of course, only on my face and lower arms, but still. It is hot. It's hard finding a time during the day to even go running. I go early in the morning as soon as the sun rises, but it is still brutal.

Tonight, I am cooking dinner for a couple from State College, PA, who are here in Uganda for a few weeks to work with local farmers. They are retired farmers themselves and travel around the world, helping others. Amy and I met them randomly at a restaurant last weekend and since, have seen them about every day. They are leaving on Sunday so I decided to have them over for spaghetti (the only thing I can cook right now). And this weekend, I am going to Mbale with some others from my group. Mbale is about an hour south of me - very fun town - clubs, bars, pool and a lot more stores to get things I can't get here in my town.

I keep forgetting to get my new address from my boss. I will be using the post office box for my NGO so I will post that next time - I promise! Thanks for all the e-mails and calls this past week - they've been great! Miss you all - come visit!

I made it through training!!

I am officially a PCV now, no longer a PCT. Today was our swear-in ceremony. I have some pictures from it but don't have time to upload them now. We only lost 2 people along the way during training - and that was after the first weekend at homestay - one older couple. So we are a group of 30 and hopefully, it will stay like that for the next 2 years. It was quite a sad morning, saying goodbye to everyone. There are 10 of us (all going to the north and northeast) who are staying until tomorrow so we can leave early in the morning, first thing, since it will take us longer to get to our sites than most people. So we said bye to all our friends, helped them pack up and do some last minute shopping and then we are spending the rest of the day in Kampala, using internet, eating good food and doing getting some essentials for our new home.

Now, what everyone is really waiting for....I found out on Wednesday lats week, finally, where I'll be living for the next two years. I'll be living in Kumi District. It's in the east on the way to Lira, Gulu (the farther north). My town is not very big, but it's big enough that it has some supermarkets (not like the ones at home, but bigger than the one where I'm living now - which means it'll have pretty much everything I want, I hope) and a hotel, etc so it sounds good. My organization is very new, but it was started by a Catholic priest who was the counterpart (mentor/supervisor) for another PCV last year. He was moved to another town and then started this organization, which the other PCV has been working with as her secondary project. Now, I will be there official PCV. Normally, PC has a rule that organizations must be in existence for at least 1 year in order to receive a PCV, but they really felt good about this organization and its people. Basically I will be working with VSLAs (Village Savings & Loan Associations aka a form of microfinance!), small enterprise development, agribusiness and some other things as I'm sure the job description will change...but all in all, it's exactly what I wanted.

I met my counterpart for the first time yesterday during our PCV/host organization workshop, and she's great! Very intelligent, very hardworking, meticulous, a leader - I think we will work really well together. She has over 10 years of experience working with similar NGOs, and her position now w/ this NGO is "Program Manager," and I will be working with her on most projects so I'm sure I will learn a lot from her. I haven't met the Executive Director, the priest, yet, but I will meet him tomorrow when I arrive at my site.

Since the organization is so new, I came at a really good time. They are currently doing training for their volunteers for the VSLA groups and the field officers so I will be able to participate in these trainings, as well. Also, in June, a French man is coming to the organization to help us write our strategic plan so I will be a part of that, as well. I am really excited to start working (which will be on Monday). Although I technically don't have to work for the first three months at site, I want to. I'm a workaholic, and I can't wait to start working with them.

As for my house...it is brand new, just built. In fact, it's still in the process of being built. The info I received last Wednesday about my house included electricity, running water, toilet, 2 bedrooms, a living room, bathroom, shower, a fence. I'm not going to lie - I was quite excited. However, when I talked to my counterpart yesterday at the workshop, I found out a little different information. It doesn't have electricity, toilet or shower now, but it will. Maybe electricity in 1-2 weeks (that's on the hopeful side), and the tile for the bathroom is currently being laid down as well as the hole being dug for the toilet in the bathroom - which is all fine, I have no problem with it. It's just funny how things change. I think almost all of us found out some differences between what was written on paper about our houses last week and then what we actually heard from our supervisors yesterday. Some houses aren't ready, and my friends have to live in rented houses until they are completed; others found out they have to share a latrine and bathing area with their neighbors. Oh, it was interesting! But still, I'm keeping a positive outlook on the housing situation. The house will be great once it's all completed, and until then, I will be living just as I have been for the last 2 months - bucket baths and no electricity - I can do it, no problem!

So all in all - I'm in a good-size (small, but big enough) town, great organization/job and great house when it's all done. Oh, and two of my good friends will be living near me. One of them, Amy, will be in a village just 11 miles outside of my town - she will have to come to the town for any shopping, etc. And my other friend will be about 30 mins or so far from me in another town. And then there are 3 more people in another, larger, town about an hour north of us. This is just PCVs from our group - there are a few others in the region. Most of my other friends from my group are in the central region, around Kampala, and some a bit further east.

I think that's about it...I want to go buy some new books now, meet my friends for lunch and do some shopping at a Target-like store! Tomorrow morning at 7, 6 of us have rented a matatu (taxi van that fits 14 people) to take us and all our luggage to our houses. It will be about 5 hours for me, I think. And it's only costing us each $18! Now, let's just hope our taxi driver shows up tomorrow!

People have been asking me for my new address - please just wait a few more days. I forgot to ask my counterpart about it yesterday so I will find out tomorrow and try to get back on internet. I'm not sure if I will just use the organization's address or get a mailbox to share with my friend in town.

Hope you are all doing well! E-mail me with updates! I am sure I will have internet in my town.

One more week of training!

So it's been awhile since I last posted. I am entering my last week of training. On Tuesday, we will give a final "Qualifying Presentation" and then on Friday is our language exam. If we don't pass, we only become a "provisional volunteer" and then have to re-take the exam after 3 months at site and pass then. Hopefully, I'll pass it the first time. I feel as if I'm doing okay - just need to get some vocab memorization done before the test. On Wednesday, we finally find out our site placements. Usually, this is done about half-way through training or a little after, but this is the first time they're waiting until 1 week before we swear-in to let us know where will be living for the next 2 years so needless to say, we are all very anxious to find out our sites. I will post on the 20th or 21st where my site will be, since that will be the next time I'll have internet.

As for how the last few weeks have been - they've been good. Nothing too exciting to report. We went to the U.S. Ambassador's house two weekends ago for the day to go swimming in his pool and to meet him, which was great. Yesterday, we went to Jinja, the source of the Nile. The town is so nice - very western, lots of foreigners (everyone goes white water rafting there - can't wait to try it out!). Other than that, I've just been in training, spending time with my homestay family and hanging out with my friends. No big sickness/diseases to report - thank goodness! There have been days where I was not feeling well, especially in the last couple weeks, but nothing major at all - no throwing up or diarrhea.

I am definitely getting tired of training; we all are, but that's to be expected. To help us get through it, us girls have been having sleep overs at each other's houses - it definitely helps to just get together, cook good food, watch movies, etc. It only hit me a couple weeks ago that I really want to move to site, live on my own, have a bit more freedom and start working instead of sitting in "class" all day. But it's finally almost here. We leave our homestays on the morning of the 20th, go to Kampala for a few days and swear-in on the 22nd! It will be sad to leave all my fellow trainees, but we will be able to visit each every so often in the first three months. We don't have any vacation time during the first 3 months, but we still have our usual 2 weekends off/month so we'll be able to visit each other then. I will also miss my homestay family, especially the 2 little kids. I really enjoy them - they're so well-behaved. I think they're taught to not "annoy" visitors so they would always leave me alone, say hi when I came home, but not much else. But when I initiated always playing with them and making time for them, that's when they really warmed up to me. It's the little boy's birthday on Monday so I got him a piece of cake and a present, a number "5" candle and a party hat - they don't really celebrate birthdays here, but I wanted to do something special/American for him. They're just so adorable!

I don't have much else to write, I think. I heard there was a stabbing/killing at my college a couple days ago, which is sad to hear. As for Easter, I won't be doing much of anything except studying for my language exam and preparing for my presentation. My host family isn't very religious, I think, so they're not going to church or doing anything major for the holiday, which is okay with me, since I really haven't celebrated Easter in years. But Happy Easter and Passover to everyone! And Happy Birthday to my sister, Wendy! Hope everyone is doing well!