I'm here!

I’m in Uganda! After a long and sleepless two days of travel, including a 13-hour layover in an architecturally impressive and drippingly humid Dubai, we arrived in Jinja for a packed week of orientation. I learned so much, both in and out of scheduled orientation workshops: how to take bucket baths, that pineapples and bananas from home are never going to taste the same way again, that minutes here can seem like hours, how to barter at the market and avoid the “muzungu” (white person/foreigner) price for everything, basic greetings and vocabulary in Lugandan, that where I’m being placed I’ll actually need to learn Lusoga instead (!!), and, most importantly, that one must always carry toilet paper. Then, our happy unit was split apart as we traveled to our respective towns, host families, and organizations.

I live in Iganga, which is a small town about 40km from Jinja. Within my host family, I have a mother who works long hours in a pharmacy, a sweet and elderly father, and three sisters around my age. I’ve also made friends with a neighbor who has been an absolute angel-making sure I eat if I miss lunch, showing me how to peel plantains, teaching me how to do laundry by hand, helping me learn important Lusoga phrases, introducing me to friendly acquaintances-too many things to list!

My host organization is called IDIWA, or Integrated Disabled Women Activities. They work in several different areas: health, sustainable livelihoods, vocational skills training, education, rehabilitation, human rights, micro finance, and institutional development. I’m currently working on developing a small sustainable project within one of these components, which must be decided upon within the next few days.

Highlight of the Week!
Yesterday (Saturday), I went on a rickety boat ride down the Nile River! We went to a small island that used to be a resort but is now run down and inhabited by a sole caretaker. There were hundreds and hundreds of birds filling the tiny island to the brim, and so many insects it was like a dust storm of flapping winged creatures all over our faces and bodies. The vegetation was extremely diverse, ranging from plantain and mango trees to cacti and tall grasses. Then we stopped off at a small fishing village before heading to the source of the Nile. Overall, it was a beautiful trip and incredibly relaxing!