A New Pet at the Mission
His name is Fugoso, named after the dog on the Phillipenese soap, Marimar, on Ugandan TV. He currently is 7-weeks old, just received his rabies vaccine and tick/flea repellant shampoo (there was a flea outbreak at my site), likes to bite (we're trying to train him not to), and inadvertantly scares away all of the curious children passing by at the end of each schoolday. As long as I see that he will be well-cared for and looked after at the Mission - in Uganda, pets are often ill-treated, neglected, and malnourished - I do not plan to bring him back to the States. Pictures of Fugoso are on facebook.
Nearly August?
PCV's often remark on how slow the days go by, but on how fast the weeks and months fly by. Nearing almost a year in-country, I have found this to incredibly indicative of my time in Uganda. I've found that the days seem to prolong because I've been constantly thinking in the short-term and employing a one-day-at-a-time mentality. What health topic will I teach at the dispensary today? What food do I need to buy in Mbale today? What day should I wash my clothes? Furthermore, days seem to lag because there is little work and because people generally remain within the confines of their home/area around their compound. Reoccurring boredom sets in. Communication with other PCV's and the outside world remain difficult. Before you know it, 3 weeks...5 weeks...4 months pass, and you wonder incredulously where/how the elapsed time went/could have gone. For me, I still can't believe that it's nearly August, nearing the end of summer (in U.S. seasons), and nearly 9 served months at site.
A Reoccurring Frustration
Since returning to site from my awesome vacation with Julie and Fiery in late June, I've had a great couple of weeks. One reoccurring frustration I've been having, however, is the amount of time (days, weeks, months even) it often takes for a simple task to get done in Uganda, notably when I'm being lied to about it. For example, it took the veterinarian in my district 8 days, and probably 12 phone calls, to come to Kachumbala to administer the rabies shot to Fugoso. The veterinarian told me he would come to Kachumbala the day after I initially called him, not a week later. Rightfully, this pissed me off. I confronted him about his lateness. His reply? "Well, I'm here now." Don't get me wrong, I don't mind waiting a week for my dog to receive his rabies vaccine. I understand that the veterinarian had plenty of patients and work elsewhere. I understand that I'm living in a culture that has more of a it-can-wait attitude than a let's-get-it-done-now attitude. What I don't understand, however, is being straight-up lied to (no remorse), multiple times (this is the third instance of being deceived this month), either just to appease me or to avoid confrontation. I will never understand this.
Health Group Update
My Health Group at the dispensary has been going well the past couple of weeks. With the assistance of Emma and Betsy, both new staff, sessions on Typhoid Fever, Cholera, STD's, and Cancer were taught to varying numbers of patients. To the staff, the group has become something they've taken ownership in. Still, I'm not sure whether the group is empowering attendees to utilize and implement the skills/knowledge they learn, or if they're even understanding the information at all. Before every session concludes, for instance, we briefly review the information that was taught. Only a few of the attendees (those whom, typically, were the ones participating) raise their hand, while everybody else just keep quiet. When Emma, Betsy, or I ask if there are any questions, or if they understood the material, the attendees often just dismiss the question by saying, "No, I understand," but we can tell otherwise. I never previously understood why my high school teachers and college professors became so frustrated when students didn't ask questions/raise their hands/participate in their classes. Did my students understand what I was teaching them? Do I need to reteach or review the material? Were they even paying attention? Now, I understand their frustration firsthand.
Begging
Every time I travel to Kampala, I feel like I am in two seperate worlds, simultaneously. Upon arrival to Uganda's capital city, I am reminded by some of its wealth (estates, big houses) and western luxuries (three-story malls, a movie theater, expensive restaurants, luxurious hotels), until I quickly see firsthand its extreme levels of poverty and homelessness. Indeed, the economic disparity between the wealthy elite and the working class/the poor is staggering. To me, the widespread frequency of begging, children as young as 5-years old, often barefoot in ripped clothing, is particularly bothersome. On a personal level, even more bothersome is just how desensitized I've become to begging in Kampala. Begging is very common, but I rarely, if ever, stop to give money, nor do I ever think twice to stop; giving money is not why I came to Uganda. It's ironic that I was sensitized about many issues by Peace Corps staff my first two months in-country as a PC trainee, but now that I'm a PC volunteer almost at the 1-year mark, I've become somewhat desensitized to many commonplace things such as begging.
That's all for now. Only 12 days until I leave for Zambia-Kenya with Mom and Dad!
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