Hey friends! I'm assuming this will be my last post here on the Africa blog. Thanks for reading and keeping up with my big adventure. My appreciation for your support and prayers during that time is absolutely without measure!!
First, I want to invite you to think about supporting the children at the Kibuye Primary School by buying some jewelry. Every day after school, the 7th grade children, Deepa, and I would sit and make beads out of recycled magazine paper and posters. The process is tiring, but the results are beautiful. The school sent me back with a lot of jewelry to sell, all of which was handmade and hand-strung by the students at the school, as taught to them by an HIV+ woman named Madam Sara. The jewelry is beautiful and lightweight, and you would never know that the beads are made from paper after they've been rolled and lacquered. Please consider making this investment. I'm selling necklaces for $5-$10, and $10 is enough to buy 10 students' lunches at school who normally wouldn't have anything to eat!
As for concluding thoughts, I'm still just as conflicted as before with the problems of processing this experience. It's like I don't know how to believe that my life here and their life there can coexist. The two lifestyles and resources and cultures are just so different. The problems over there are SO big. There is so much factoring in to the problems that abound in Uganda and all of Africa: poverty, hunger and malnutrition, a history of war and governmental corruption, the presence of diseases that are easily treatable and eradicated with very little money (tuberculosis, cholera, malaria, polio...), and those that are easily treated with money to enhance quality of life and prevention of transmission-- namely HIV. I can see now why people choose to just ignore it. It's easy enough to go on living in our priveledged bubble and to leave "them" to solve "their problems." The problems are too much anyway, right? My 4 weeks or my $100 donation or my prayers...none of that is big enough to even create the smallest dent in the problems there. For every kid we feed there are millions, tens of millions of others who are still hungry. I now know that this kind of thinking is absolutely unacceptable on our part. Every single person is a child of God and turning our backs on one person due to our inability to help them all ridiculous. That one person or child, while part of an overwhelmingly big statistic, is still a human being with needs and wants. They didn't ask to be born into a village in Africa, to an HIV+ mother as the 6th of 8th children any more than I asked to be born to a wonderful family in America with a competent, hard-working father and loving mother. The people of Africa should not have to accept the consequences of the situation that they were born into as "luck of the draw."
My experience has taught me the true meanings of the ideas, "We have been blessed so that we may be a blessing to others," and "To whom much has been given, much is expected." I just cannot believe that God has given me all of these blessings so that I may stockpile them for my own comfort and contentment while others of his beloved children go hungry and without basic health care. That certainly wouldn't be a depiction of the all-loving God I claim to serve. And therefore, something must change: either my definition of who God is and his claim to love every one of us, or my belief about why God has blessed me with so many gifts.
I've realized that I really do not need 95% of what I surround myself with. Is it realistic to live in America with 95% less? Not really. This is the crux of the issue and the heart of my difficulty since returning to the states. I know how to live in Africa the way that I lived (with maybe 20% of the material comforts I experience here), and I know how to live here with 100% present. I don't know how to merge the two in order to live more minimally here so that others may live more fully there. The difference between wants and needs has also been clarified for me.
I hope this isn't coming off as a guilt trip. I'm just sharing the thoughts I've had about the ways this trip has impacted my life and thinking. I'm certain this will be the beginning of a few rolled-eyes and "Oh Mallory"'s and "You can't save the world"'s. But consider this:
A mother brings her baby into the hospital. The mother is HIV+ (most likely due to her husband having an extra-marital affair and bringing the virus into their marriage), and she was lucky to receive ARV drugs so that the virus was not transmitted to the baby during birth. However, breast-feeding the child will give the HIV to the baby, and she does not have enough money to buy infant formula. Does she give the baby HIV or allow the baby to starve?
This is one of the many, many, many situations that happen EVERY SINGLE DAY over there. I can't save the world, but maybe I can save that innocent, guilt-free baby.
And if that's all I can do, saving "just one life" isn't too bad for my life's work in Christ through the blessings he's given me.
Tuesday, June 9, 2009
Friday, June 5, 2009
Pictures!
Here are a few favorites. You can see almost all of the rest by going to:
www.kampalamal.shutterfly.com
Hopefully the fact that the address is nearly the same makes things easier and less confusing!
Sunday, May 31, 2009
Final day!!
Hey friends! Mallory again. I'm back at the mall, trying to kill some time. We had to move out of our flat today, but our flight doesn't leave until tomorrow night. We're staying at a very sketchy hotel until then, so I'm not sure what we're going to do to occupy ourselves given our very little money remaining. We're going to see another movie ("I love you, man" which i've already seen once!) and that should be good.
After spending a month here, I am certainly ready to go home. This experience has been one of the most challenging and eye-opening things I have ever done, but I am more physically, emotionally, mentally, and spiritually tired than I have ever been in my life. I think after awhile you get saturated with everything and you just can't hold any more: the HIV+ patients and orphans, our favorite waitress who works 16 hours, 7 days a week for only $2 a day, the lack of reliable electricity (ours went off twice yesterday and we're in the nicest part of town!), the constant stares and drama of being a white person in this town/country/continent. I'm not looking forward to the crazy flight home (Entebbe to Nairobi to Brussels to Newark to Columbus!), but I AM looking forward to seeing my family, Tyler, sleeping in my own bed, having a hot shower, and eating soooo much good food.
Our last day at the school was absolutely amazing. It was obvious how much of an impact we've been blessed to have on the kids. More than our teaching, the kids were touched by our willingness to come to Uganda and care for them. So many of the kids here are one of many (average household has 7 kids!), many are orphaned, and most are put to work as soon as they can walk to the well to fetch water. Our ability to dole out hugs, bring them balls, and give them time to make story books with colored paper and crayons returned a sense of childhood that most of these kids had given up years ago. I think the simple fact that they know we care about them is really important in this "every man for himself" kind of country. Arafat, the boy we are sponsoring, started crying as we left. He is 12 and hasn't seen his parents in 2 years. It feels good knowing that, more than anything else, our presence has given the kids hope about Americans, and a renewed sense of why it's important to do well in school.
Yesterday we went to a birthday party!! Brian Derek, who is Centurio's son, turned 6 years old. We arrived and he was dressed in a little pin striped suit!! It was PRECIOUS!!! There was eating and drinking and dancing, and it was such a great finale to the trip. Seeing Brian's excitement upon opening his gift was amazing. Most days, Brian runs around the school with the wooden stick to push around a bicycle tire. Deepa, Ally, and I got him a race track from the mall which has a few battery-operated car. I don't think I've ever had the experience of giving a gift to a child to who has never had an actually toy before. His face lit up brighter than anything I've ever seen. At $25 US dollars, his gift was FAR more than anything he would ever recieve otherwise, and his excitement was vibrant. It was a really happy moment.
I had a very interesting meal the other day that the teachers made me at school: 8 or 10 unripe bananas covered in kidney beans! Eek! I ate about a 1/4 of it and had to quit.
On thursday we had a big end-of-project party where we got to invite all of our favorite people we've met. Deepa and I invited Centurio (the project coordinator who works at Kibuye school), our favorite waitress Doreen, another teacher Mzee Zeddy and his wife, and Peter who was our fearless tour guide for the first week. It was SUCH a good time. Being able to sit back and think about the relationships I've formed and how far I've come was awesome. Without a doubt, God has blessed me with courage, strength, and patience for this journey, and I am infinitely thankful for the experience I've had here. You guys have been a great support, and I'm looking forward to seeing you again soon!
Welaba!! (Good bye!)
After spending a month here, I am certainly ready to go home. This experience has been one of the most challenging and eye-opening things I have ever done, but I am more physically, emotionally, mentally, and spiritually tired than I have ever been in my life. I think after awhile you get saturated with everything and you just can't hold any more: the HIV+ patients and orphans, our favorite waitress who works 16 hours, 7 days a week for only $2 a day, the lack of reliable electricity (ours went off twice yesterday and we're in the nicest part of town!), the constant stares and drama of being a white person in this town/country/continent. I'm not looking forward to the crazy flight home (Entebbe to Nairobi to Brussels to Newark to Columbus!), but I AM looking forward to seeing my family, Tyler, sleeping in my own bed, having a hot shower, and eating soooo much good food.
Our last day at the school was absolutely amazing. It was obvious how much of an impact we've been blessed to have on the kids. More than our teaching, the kids were touched by our willingness to come to Uganda and care for them. So many of the kids here are one of many (average household has 7 kids!), many are orphaned, and most are put to work as soon as they can walk to the well to fetch water. Our ability to dole out hugs, bring them balls, and give them time to make story books with colored paper and crayons returned a sense of childhood that most of these kids had given up years ago. I think the simple fact that they know we care about them is really important in this "every man for himself" kind of country. Arafat, the boy we are sponsoring, started crying as we left. He is 12 and hasn't seen his parents in 2 years. It feels good knowing that, more than anything else, our presence has given the kids hope about Americans, and a renewed sense of why it's important to do well in school.
Yesterday we went to a birthday party!! Brian Derek, who is Centurio's son, turned 6 years old. We arrived and he was dressed in a little pin striped suit!! It was PRECIOUS!!! There was eating and drinking and dancing, and it was such a great finale to the trip. Seeing Brian's excitement upon opening his gift was amazing. Most days, Brian runs around the school with the wooden stick to push around a bicycle tire. Deepa, Ally, and I got him a race track from the mall which has a few battery-operated car. I don't think I've ever had the experience of giving a gift to a child to who has never had an actually toy before. His face lit up brighter than anything I've ever seen. At $25 US dollars, his gift was FAR more than anything he would ever recieve otherwise, and his excitement was vibrant. It was a really happy moment.
I had a very interesting meal the other day that the teachers made me at school: 8 or 10 unripe bananas covered in kidney beans! Eek! I ate about a 1/4 of it and had to quit.
On thursday we had a big end-of-project party where we got to invite all of our favorite people we've met. Deepa and I invited Centurio (the project coordinator who works at Kibuye school), our favorite waitress Doreen, another teacher Mzee Zeddy and his wife, and Peter who was our fearless tour guide for the first week. It was SUCH a good time. Being able to sit back and think about the relationships I've formed and how far I've come was awesome. Without a doubt, God has blessed me with courage, strength, and patience for this journey, and I am infinitely thankful for the experience I've had here. You guys have been a great support, and I'm looking forward to seeing you again soon!
Welaba!! (Good bye!)
Monday, May 25, 2009
Week 3 down!
Hey all, it's Monica again.
Mal has been on a safari this weekend, so she hasn't been able to make it to the internet cafe at the mall. She has some very exciting updates, though, so I hope I do them justice!
After a rough couple of days (understandably!) Mallory was very happy to get out of the routine and the city for this weekend's safari! She left first thing Saturday morning for about a 5-hour drive across Uganda, to a state park that had lodging, a "game reserve" (where the safari was), and one of Africa's tallest waterfalls. Upon their arrival, they hiked to the top of the waterfall, and then headed to bed for a good sleep before the big safari! Before Mal left, she said the lodging options were either 1) a hut, or 2) a "permanent tent"... we couldn't figure out what the difference is between the two! I'm not sure which one Mal ended up staying in.
On Sunday morning the whole group wokeup at 6am for the sunrise over the Nile(!!!) and then they began their safari. Mal said that the sunrise was "beautiful!", the Nile was "ridiculous!", and that the only bad part so far was that she had a bad breakfast and puked on the bank of the river shortly after sunrise. We told her that that was okay because one time Aunt Penny puked on a landmark too... she promptly replied with "Hobo's!?!?!" - a "seedy" restaurant that we always pass on the way to Grandma's house. That was the correct answer. haha I guess that's an inside joke.
During the safari, Mal got up close and personal with a lot of different wild animals. I will try to remember a good portion of them:
-zebras
-lions
-tigers
-giraffes
-gazelles
-wart hogs
-crocodiles
-hippopotomuses... hippopotomi?
-spider monkeys
-elephants
There's probably a lot more... I'm sure Mal will clarify and/or let you see for yourself when she posts pictures when she gets home!
This morning (Monday) Mal was able to do something that truly was like a dream come true for her... Now, I don't know how many of you know this, but part of Mallory's desire to go to Africa was instilled in her by her 5th grade teacher, Mrs. Murphy. In her 5th grade class, Mrs. Murphy taught extensively about chimpanzees and gorillas, and the work of Jane Goodall in preserving the natural habitats of these primates and in saving them from extinction. Well, Mal was hooked then, and has been ever since. Approximately 12 years later, Mal entered the Jane Goodall Institute of Uganda this morning and spent 3 hours "chimp tracking." They followed a trail of partially-eaten fruit and "fresh stool" (gross!) to a clearing where there were a handful of chimps. Mal said she took a ton of pictures, and that the whole thing was kind of an out-of-body-experience. All of a sudden she found herself literally crawling through the African jungle, wishing she had one of those large machetes to cut through the bush. Who would've thought!?
One more cool tidbit: Something that is interesting about Uganda is that 84% of the population self-identifies as Christian. Mal said it's cool because many of the "matatus" (little taxis) have sayings on the back like "God is good!" or "Jesus is Lord!" or simply "John 3:16". So, Mallory has enjoyed being able to talk to the Ugandan children about her faith and their faith, and has also enjoyed seeing (black) Jesus icons all over the place. This weekend, however, she got an opportunity to share her faith with two people who aren't believers in Jesus. On the safari she met a 22 year-old guy who was from Amsterdam, and a woman in her 20s from London, who is Hindi, as she is of Indian descent. They were talking about religion, and Mal felt like she really should jump in and tell them what she believes, especially since the rate of atheism and agnosticism in Western Europe is staggering. (The guy from Amsterdam said he thought it was about 80%). So, she started talking to them, and they eventually asked her what her thoughts and beliefs were. She took the time to tell them all that she could (she said she really wished she had the "knowing God personally" book- for all you campus crusaders! haha), and they were really intrigued. Both mentioned that they had never heard before about why Jesus had to be sacrificed, and thought it was "really cool" and "made a lot of sense" how everything fit together. Nothing radical happened, but Mal was happy that she took a leap and shared with them. She was also shocked and surprised that two people from first world countries had never had the opportunity to hear the GOOD NEWS, since it's easy to assume that those areas have been reached and to concentrate on much of the third world instead. Mal has certainly experienced quite the opposite in her time in Uganda. Interesting.
So, I guess if you've been praying for Mal, you might want to consider adding the Dutch guy and the English girl to the list, along with the orphans, the AIDS women, and the patients at the convent, if you're keeping track! Whew!
Well, that's all for now. Mal comes home a week from tomorrow and none of us could be happier! Thanks for prayers and thanks for checking in!
Mal has been on a safari this weekend, so she hasn't been able to make it to the internet cafe at the mall. She has some very exciting updates, though, so I hope I do them justice!
After a rough couple of days (understandably!) Mallory was very happy to get out of the routine and the city for this weekend's safari! She left first thing Saturday morning for about a 5-hour drive across Uganda, to a state park that had lodging, a "game reserve" (where the safari was), and one of Africa's tallest waterfalls. Upon their arrival, they hiked to the top of the waterfall, and then headed to bed for a good sleep before the big safari! Before Mal left, she said the lodging options were either 1) a hut, or 2) a "permanent tent"... we couldn't figure out what the difference is between the two! I'm not sure which one Mal ended up staying in.
On Sunday morning the whole group wokeup at 6am for the sunrise over the Nile(!!!) and then they began their safari. Mal said that the sunrise was "beautiful!", the Nile was "ridiculous!", and that the only bad part so far was that she had a bad breakfast and puked on the bank of the river shortly after sunrise. We told her that that was okay because one time Aunt Penny puked on a landmark too... she promptly replied with "Hobo's!?!?!" - a "seedy" restaurant that we always pass on the way to Grandma's house. That was the correct answer. haha I guess that's an inside joke.
During the safari, Mal got up close and personal with a lot of different wild animals. I will try to remember a good portion of them:
-zebras
-lions
-tigers
-giraffes
-gazelles
-wart hogs
-crocodiles
-hippopotomuses... hippopotomi?
-spider monkeys
-elephants
There's probably a lot more... I'm sure Mal will clarify and/or let you see for yourself when she posts pictures when she gets home!
This morning (Monday) Mal was able to do something that truly was like a dream come true for her... Now, I don't know how many of you know this, but part of Mallory's desire to go to Africa was instilled in her by her 5th grade teacher, Mrs. Murphy. In her 5th grade class, Mrs. Murphy taught extensively about chimpanzees and gorillas, and the work of Jane Goodall in preserving the natural habitats of these primates and in saving them from extinction. Well, Mal was hooked then, and has been ever since. Approximately 12 years later, Mal entered the Jane Goodall Institute of Uganda this morning and spent 3 hours "chimp tracking." They followed a trail of partially-eaten fruit and "fresh stool" (gross!) to a clearing where there were a handful of chimps. Mal said she took a ton of pictures, and that the whole thing was kind of an out-of-body-experience. All of a sudden she found herself literally crawling through the African jungle, wishing she had one of those large machetes to cut through the bush. Who would've thought!?
One more cool tidbit: Something that is interesting about Uganda is that 84% of the population self-identifies as Christian. Mal said it's cool because many of the "matatus" (little taxis) have sayings on the back like "God is good!" or "Jesus is Lord!" or simply "John 3:16". So, Mallory has enjoyed being able to talk to the Ugandan children about her faith and their faith, and has also enjoyed seeing (black) Jesus icons all over the place. This weekend, however, she got an opportunity to share her faith with two people who aren't believers in Jesus. On the safari she met a 22 year-old guy who was from Amsterdam, and a woman in her 20s from London, who is Hindi, as she is of Indian descent. They were talking about religion, and Mal felt like she really should jump in and tell them what she believes, especially since the rate of atheism and agnosticism in Western Europe is staggering. (The guy from Amsterdam said he thought it was about 80%). So, she started talking to them, and they eventually asked her what her thoughts and beliefs were. She took the time to tell them all that she could (she said she really wished she had the "knowing God personally" book- for all you campus crusaders! haha), and they were really intrigued. Both mentioned that they had never heard before about why Jesus had to be sacrificed, and thought it was "really cool" and "made a lot of sense" how everything fit together. Nothing radical happened, but Mal was happy that she took a leap and shared with them. She was also shocked and surprised that two people from first world countries had never had the opportunity to hear the GOOD NEWS, since it's easy to assume that those areas have been reached and to concentrate on much of the third world instead. Mal has certainly experienced quite the opposite in her time in Uganda. Interesting.
So, I guess if you've been praying for Mal, you might want to consider adding the Dutch guy and the English girl to the list, along with the orphans, the AIDS women, and the patients at the convent, if you're keeping track! Whew!
Well, that's all for now. Mal comes home a week from tomorrow and none of us could be happier! Thanks for prayers and thanks for checking in!
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
Mwagalanega: Love One Another
It's Mal again!!!
Today I experienced one of the hardest moments of my life. Instead of going to Kibuye to teach, Deepa and I went to
The first two home visits were ‘typical.’ The first was a woman in the Nsambya slums who was 70 years old. She complained of gastrointestinal pain and general weakness. Her daughter in law was caring for her, and therefore was up to date on her ARV (anti-retroviral) treatment. She was given some vitamin A and magnesium to help with her ailments. Her house was maybe 8’x8’ big.
The second woman was in worse shape. She was only 29 years old and has been living with HIV for 5 years. She has a daughter in 5th grade and was moved to HAART (highly active anti-retroviral therapy) shortly after her diagnosis which means a cocktail of three drugs. She was feeling pretty bad so Sister Joy (the nurse) decided to put her on a glucose and saline drip. She got the IV bags out of the car and I watched her carefully string the IV bag through a gate covering a window so that it hung at an appropriate height using a piece of cloth. It was truly surreal the need for proper medical equipment here.
The 3rd visit was sooo intense. We arrived to find that the woman who needed medical care had passed away on Friday from complications from AIDS: only 4 days ago. The grandmother insisted that we see the daughter of the recently passed woman. As a young cousin brought the girl out, she started SHRIEKING. Sister Joy explained that she was scared as she most likely recognized the “ambulance” (the van we were riding in) as the vehicle that took away her mother’s body only 3 days ago. She was only three years old and absolutely inconsolable. Then sister Joy informed us that “you are nurses now” and that we are not allowed to cry because it is not allowed to show sorrow in front of the family. The young cousin, a girl of only 12 years old, is now the caretaker of the 3-year old orphaned girl. Her mother died at age 26, while waiting to start the ARV therapy. It is unknown whether or not the 3 year old, Angel, is positive because they are scared to test her for fear that she will be positive as well. Eek.
After that we went to the Good Samaritan Sisters Convent and home for the destitute. I thought things couldn’t get any more intense…then they did. The home is run by Catholic nuns who care for the orphaned, the disabled, and the elderly. Here is a sampling of the people we saw:
-A man with no lower body. He was covered in a sheet, and Sister Joy thinks he was either malnourished in the womb and didn’t develop properly or was in an accident and had to have his legs amputated
-2 children with (I’d guess) Cerebral Palsy and malnutrition who were so badly contorted that they could barely move their heads. They were laying on mats on the floor, covered in flies as they could not move their bodies to shake the flies off of them. I talked to one girl, Dora, and she was cognitively sound. It was the hardest thing I’ve ever had to see.
-An old African man who spoke to us in french…yeah, I don’t really know about that either.
-Tons and tons of people in worse shape than you could imagine, living in spaces smaller than dorm rooms, with absolutely no family or support.
Overall, the experience was incomprehensible. I was taken aback by the tremendous need but also by the tremendous love and support given by the sisters in the face of such little resources. I literally wanted to fall to the ground and pray and ask for God’s blessing on these people…I’ve never felt such a strong feeling of helplessness in my life.
So, please count your blessings today. Your life is absolutely full of them—head to toe, inside and out, backwards and forwards full of blessings. And pray for these people: for Mary and Zaituni, the two women with HIV, for Angel the 3-year old recently orphaned toddler, and for the women and patients at Good Samaritans Convent.
Thanks, and know I love you all sooo much.
Saturday, May 16, 2009
hey all!!!
hey!!! It's actually Mallory this time!! I'm sitting in an internet cafe at a place called Garden City, which is a mall that's heavily frequented by foreigners (muzungus aka white people). I had a pretty decent pizza for lunch, got a great new purse made out of gorgeous african fabric and life is good. I really appreciate all of the support I've received through your comments on the blog! Here are some thoughts about my experience so far:
-This is, by far, the craziest thing I've ever done. Deciding to spend a month on the other side of the world, in a developing country, where I don't know the local language and am separated from just about every material comfort I've known has to be the craziest decision I've ever made. That said, I'm growing in unbelievable ways as this trip has challenged me more than anything else in my life.
-The city is NUTS. There is no order to anything. I told Monica that every day is a survival of the fittest challenge. There are no road signs, no real police...just straight natural law and a few soldiers walking around omniously with machine guns. Eek. The idea that pedestrian has the right of way is absolutely foreign. If you are in the street, they will hit you. If you're not paying attention, you will be pick-pocketed. It's been tiring being brave and on alert all the time. Your prayers have certainly been helping1!
-The kids here are so joyful. Over 70% of the population here lives on less than $1 a day, and you see these kids with no shoes, no lunch, no school books and yet they are excited, joyful, and full of life. It's been a great lesson in contentment.
-For $80 you can sponsor a child for a YEAR's worth of primary school, including lunch, school fees, and school materials. Please consider making this investment. I'll have information when I get back.
There is a lifetime's worth of stuff I could write about my experience here but my time is running short (50 cents for 20 minutes of time!!) so here's a list of things I'm looking forward to upon returning to America:
-Dependable and easily accessible indoor plumbing everywhere
-Having hair that's under control
-Food that is not made from plantains, corn meal, or sweet potatoes
-Seeing your beautiful faces!!!! HUGS!!!
-CROSSWALKS
-Having a car
-Not sleeping under a mosquito (or mos-kweee-toe, as they say here!) net
Things I will miss about Africa:
-Buying a week's worth of grocerys for 15 dollars
-the kids!!
-The mystery rash I currently have going on my right arm...jk.
-Passionfruit juice
-Handmaded beaded necklaces for $1.50
-Centurio, Brian-Derek, Brenda, Isaac, and Peter
-Dancing!!
And a bunch of other things. Hopefully I can update again next weekend. Miss you all SOOOOOOO much and love you all MORE. Keep the prayers coming! Webale and welaba (thank you and goodbye)!!!
-This is, by far, the craziest thing I've ever done. Deciding to spend a month on the other side of the world, in a developing country, where I don't know the local language and am separated from just about every material comfort I've known has to be the craziest decision I've ever made. That said, I'm growing in unbelievable ways as this trip has challenged me more than anything else in my life.
-The city is NUTS. There is no order to anything. I told Monica that every day is a survival of the fittest challenge. There are no road signs, no real police...just straight natural law and a few soldiers walking around omniously with machine guns. Eek. The idea that pedestrian has the right of way is absolutely foreign. If you are in the street, they will hit you. If you're not paying attention, you will be pick-pocketed. It's been tiring being brave and on alert all the time. Your prayers have certainly been helping1!
-The kids here are so joyful. Over 70% of the population here lives on less than $1 a day, and you see these kids with no shoes, no lunch, no school books and yet they are excited, joyful, and full of life. It's been a great lesson in contentment.
-For $80 you can sponsor a child for a YEAR's worth of primary school, including lunch, school fees, and school materials. Please consider making this investment. I'll have information when I get back.
There is a lifetime's worth of stuff I could write about my experience here but my time is running short (50 cents for 20 minutes of time!!) so here's a list of things I'm looking forward to upon returning to America:
-Dependable and easily accessible indoor plumbing everywhere
-Having hair that's under control
-Food that is not made from plantains, corn meal, or sweet potatoes
-Seeing your beautiful faces!!!! HUGS!!!
-CROSSWALKS
-Having a car
-Not sleeping under a mosquito (or mos-kweee-toe, as they say here!) net
Things I will miss about Africa:
-Buying a week's worth of grocerys for 15 dollars
-the kids!!
-The mystery rash I currently have going on my right arm...jk.
-Passionfruit juice
-Handmaded beaded necklaces for $1.50
-Centurio, Brian-Derek, Brenda, Isaac, and Peter
-Dancing!!
And a bunch of other things. Hopefully I can update again next weekend. Miss you all SOOOOOOO much and love you all MORE. Keep the prayers coming! Webale and welaba (thank you and goodbye)!!!
Friday, May 15, 2009
Week 2
I hope you all enjoyed the pictures in the last post! I wish I had more to share; Mal said she's been taking a lot of pictures, but just hasn't had the computer or internet access to upload them. So, prepare for many picture updates when Mal returns in a little over two weeks!
If you recall, I mentioned a story about Alfred the rat in the last post. Well, I am pleased to inform you that Alfred met his maker soon after my last posting. Unfortunately, Alfred breathed his last breath in Mallory's UNDERWEAR DRAWER!!! Mal sent me a text message to my phone and it said (direct quote) "I found Alfred dead in my drawer and all of my clothes REEK now. Sick nasty doesn't even begin to describe my feelings. I am so skeeved out. Upside is that he is dead!" Apparently Alfred bit his way through the back of the drawer and then probably suffocated in the African heat... then layed there for hours until Mal discovered him late that night. GROSS! Someone kindly removed Alfred from his resting place and Mal has since washed all of her clothes, and refrained from opening the drawer again.
As it is Friday today, Mal has finished her second week of school... she is halfway done! Most of her days are kind of the same, but she wanted me to tell you of some new "friends" she has made.
Apparently there are a couple of teachers at the school who live in the school's compound, and as a result, their kids (who are too young to be in class yet) just kind of run free while school is in session. Well, the kids discovered Mallory and Deepa a couple of days ago, and they are FASCINATED. They haven't seen anyone who's white (or Indian, for that matter) before and they just LOVE them. Mal has started referring to the kids (who range in age from 1-4 years old) as "the ducklings" because the kids just follow Mal wherever she goes. Today a couple of Mal's friends from the program at Vandy were able to come to the school, and they played with the "ducklings" while Mal and Deepa were teaching. She said it was SO cute because Mal's friends were running around and about 30 seconds after they would pass, all the ducklings would come toddling behind them. Adorable!
This weekend Mal is kind of laying low... she's going to the mall again, and I think her group is going to see a performance at Uganda's National Theatre tomorrow evening. She's really excited! On Tuesday she's also going back to the mall to see Angels and Demons. Who knew that they have first-run movies in Uganda!? That's weird because it often takes months for movies to come to continental Europe... Mal's excited for a little taste of home, though, being able to see Tom Hanks on the big screen!
That's all for now! Thanks for checking up on Mal!
If you recall, I mentioned a story about Alfred the rat in the last post. Well, I am pleased to inform you that Alfred met his maker soon after my last posting. Unfortunately, Alfred breathed his last breath in Mallory's UNDERWEAR DRAWER!!! Mal sent me a text message to my phone and it said (direct quote) "I found Alfred dead in my drawer and all of my clothes REEK now. Sick nasty doesn't even begin to describe my feelings. I am so skeeved out. Upside is that he is dead!" Apparently Alfred bit his way through the back of the drawer and then probably suffocated in the African heat... then layed there for hours until Mal discovered him late that night. GROSS! Someone kindly removed Alfred from his resting place and Mal has since washed all of her clothes, and refrained from opening the drawer again.
As it is Friday today, Mal has finished her second week of school... she is halfway done! Most of her days are kind of the same, but she wanted me to tell you of some new "friends" she has made.
Apparently there are a couple of teachers at the school who live in the school's compound, and as a result, their kids (who are too young to be in class yet) just kind of run free while school is in session. Well, the kids discovered Mallory and Deepa a couple of days ago, and they are FASCINATED. They haven't seen anyone who's white (or Indian, for that matter) before and they just LOVE them. Mal has started referring to the kids (who range in age from 1-4 years old) as "the ducklings" because the kids just follow Mal wherever she goes. Today a couple of Mal's friends from the program at Vandy were able to come to the school, and they played with the "ducklings" while Mal and Deepa were teaching. She said it was SO cute because Mal's friends were running around and about 30 seconds after they would pass, all the ducklings would come toddling behind them. Adorable!
This weekend Mal is kind of laying low... she's going to the mall again, and I think her group is going to see a performance at Uganda's National Theatre tomorrow evening. She's really excited! On Tuesday she's also going back to the mall to see Angels and Demons. Who knew that they have first-run movies in Uganda!? That's weird because it often takes months for movies to come to continental Europe... Mal's excited for a little taste of home, though, being able to see Tom Hanks on the big screen!
That's all for now! Thanks for checking up on Mal!
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
Photos!
Here's Mal with a member of the Kika Dance troupe learning some new moves!!! She looks like she's doing it right, doesn't she? Below are a couple more pictures of the dance troupe experience... there aren't too many that show Mal specifically, but it's nice to at least see some of the surroundings. These pictures were posted on a different blog from Mal's Kampala Project supervisor. If you want to see more, you can find them at: http://www.vanderbilt.edu/oacs/kampala/gallery/
There's Mal on the right in the brown!
The band that played for the dance troupe!
A couple of other updates:
-Mal has had a new friend join her in the apartment she's staying in, along with 6 other girls... a rat named Alfred! He has only been spotted once, but he's been leaving Mal and the girls gifts of droppings and helping himself to their food! Mal said that the maintenance people came and set a trap today, so hopefully he won't be their roomate much longer!
-Mal wanted me to tell you all the breakdown of what she's been doing at the school.
-The first part of the day, she and Deepa work with special needs kids (about 10 of them) for an hour on learning to read and speak english
-After that, Mal works with 3 more special needs kids who need even more attention, including a 12 year-old boy who was never taught to read, and a 29 year-old woman who got West Nile Virus/Encephalitis and is developmentally delayed as a result.
-Next, they work with a whole class (of about 65 students!) teaching them for 2 hours... english, health, and social studies mostly.
-Lunch! Mal and Deepa normally go to an Irish pub that serves fried chicken!
-After lunch they are off of teaching duty, and in the last couple of days have been learning to make beads. Mal has been enjoying this time a lot!
Mal also wanted me to tell you a funny story, which is that she got proposed to at lunch today! The place that they go is very crowded, and apparently once all of the tables become occupied, it's not uncommon for strangers to come up and sit beside you if you have empty chairs. So, this man joined Mal and Deepa for lunch, and he was very interested in talking to them about America... he asked Mallory, "If I move to America, will you marry me!?" and Mal said "well... I'm actually already married" (HA!) because that's what she was told to say if anyone asked. She flashed her fake wedding ring too for emphasis. And the guy said "Already married? What are you, 17?" and Mal said "No, actually I'm almost 23." haha So then he got the hint and backed off. She thought it was funny.
Also, she told me yesterday that she had the kids at the school guess how old she is, and they guessed... 14!! hahaha she was like "You guys are 12! You're crazy if you think I'm only 2 years older than you!" So that was funny too.
That's all for now; I will post more updates as I get them!
Friday, May 8, 2009
One week down!
Hi all!
Monica again; I think I will be updating the blog from now on, just so you all know. I've also been reading the comments to Mal over the phone (aka Skype) so keep them coming! She enjoys hearing from everyone!
Well, Mal has survived her first work week in Kampala and at the Kibuye school! She is THRILLED that it is the weekend and that she'll have some time to get organized, relax, and do some exploring outside of the city!
This weekend she's doing a couple of things:
-going to a "mall" to pick up some of the items that she's still missing from her missing luggage (hopefully some food, as well as shampoo and conditioner, face wash, etc)
-Visiting some tombs... I didn't write down which tombs she said they were, but she said it's a pretty big deal and supposedly really cool...
-Going to see the Kika Dance Troupe! She is SO excited about this, as her group will get to watch a performance AND have a lesson in native Ugandan dance! She's been learning a couple of steps from her kids at school, but this will be great to be able to put them together!
On Friday, Mal had a great experience during her lunch break from the school. Instead of going out to lunch, she (and her partner at the school, Deepa) were picked up by two women from Vandy and brought to a place called the NACOA center, which a center for the National Coalition of Women with AIDs in Uganda. The center was set up with the financial support of Vanderbilt University, so Mal and her friend were able to take a little tour of it. One part of what the NACOA center does is provide space for these women to make homemade jewelry, which they are then able to sell to support their families and pay for their medical costs. The group from Vandy that goes to Kampala every year also picks out and buys A LOT of jewelry and then sells it on campus throughout the year at various festivals and such. Well, today Mal and her friend got to be there when the two women from Vanderbilt presented the NACOA women with the money they raised for them thoughout the year by selling of the jewelry at Vanderbilt... It was only about $500, but that's the equivalent to 1 million Ugandan Shillings. Mal said that the women were crying and singing and raising their hands in praise for this donation, and it was so beautiful for them to be a part of it. One million shillings can go FAR in Uganda, as Mal said her 1/2 hour taxi ride each day costs 700, which is the equivalent of about 30 U.S. cents. CRAZY.
Something else Mal wanted me to tell you is that she peed in an African toilet yesterday. That means it was a hole in the ground. She was traumatized but also proud of herself for doing it.
A couple of funny stories from her school:
-Mal has a favorite student named Arafat, who is actually an orphan who lives at the school. Because of this, he's really smart because he listens in on all of the other classes. Well, Arafat likes to talk to Mallory about America (he's 12)... yesterday, he said "Mallory... do you know Obama is like the son of Martin Luther King, Jr.?" and Mal said "Really, why is that?" and Arafat said, "Well, Martin Luther King said that he had a dream... that one day there would be a president from Africa!" and then Mal said "Um, well, kind of..." haha!
-Another day, Mal was showing the kids some of her U.S. coins, and she had out a penny, a nickel, and a dime. Apparently all of the kids were intrigued, but Arafat was the most intrigued... he pointed to a penny and said "who's that on there...? ...Bill Clinton?" HAHA
-All of the kids also have a funny obsession with Arnold Schwartzenagger and Michael Jackson... one of the kids told Mal "Miss Mallory, if I go to America, I'm going to meet Michael Jackson... I'm going to ask someone where I can go to meet him and shake his hand." Mal said none of them seemed to have ANY idea that he's not black anymore. Haha!
One final note... on her way to the NACOA center today, Mal was able to get outside of the city of Kampala for the first time. She said it was obvious that the kids in the villages that she traveled through had never seen a white person before in their lives. First they stared, then they started to follow her wherever she went. As they were leaving to go back into Kampala, one of the little kids waved goodbye and said to Mallory, "bye bye muzungu!" "Muzungu" is the word for "white person" in a lot of different African languages. Because Mal's partner Deepa is Indian-American, Mal gets a lot of the stares on her own. Funny.
Please keep praying for Mal as she goes into her second week. She's adjusting to the food, the weather, and the sleeping arrangements, but finds the experience of getting to school (the taxi park... I'll explain later) to be intimidating and scary. She certainly appreciates your prayers! Thanks!
Monica again; I think I will be updating the blog from now on, just so you all know. I've also been reading the comments to Mal over the phone (aka Skype) so keep them coming! She enjoys hearing from everyone!
Well, Mal has survived her first work week in Kampala and at the Kibuye school! She is THRILLED that it is the weekend and that she'll have some time to get organized, relax, and do some exploring outside of the city!
This weekend she's doing a couple of things:
-going to a "mall" to pick up some of the items that she's still missing from her missing luggage (hopefully some food, as well as shampoo and conditioner, face wash, etc)
-Visiting some tombs... I didn't write down which tombs she said they were, but she said it's a pretty big deal and supposedly really cool...
-Going to see the Kika Dance Troupe! She is SO excited about this, as her group will get to watch a performance AND have a lesson in native Ugandan dance! She's been learning a couple of steps from her kids at school, but this will be great to be able to put them together!
On Friday, Mal had a great experience during her lunch break from the school. Instead of going out to lunch, she (and her partner at the school, Deepa) were picked up by two women from Vandy and brought to a place called the NACOA center, which a center for the National Coalition of Women with AIDs in Uganda. The center was set up with the financial support of Vanderbilt University, so Mal and her friend were able to take a little tour of it. One part of what the NACOA center does is provide space for these women to make homemade jewelry, which they are then able to sell to support their families and pay for their medical costs. The group from Vandy that goes to Kampala every year also picks out and buys A LOT of jewelry and then sells it on campus throughout the year at various festivals and such. Well, today Mal and her friend got to be there when the two women from Vanderbilt presented the NACOA women with the money they raised for them thoughout the year by selling of the jewelry at Vanderbilt... It was only about $500, but that's the equivalent to 1 million Ugandan Shillings. Mal said that the women were crying and singing and raising their hands in praise for this donation, and it was so beautiful for them to be a part of it. One million shillings can go FAR in Uganda, as Mal said her 1/2 hour taxi ride each day costs 700, which is the equivalent of about 30 U.S. cents. CRAZY.
Something else Mal wanted me to tell you is that she peed in an African toilet yesterday. That means it was a hole in the ground. She was traumatized but also proud of herself for doing it.
A couple of funny stories from her school:
-Mal has a favorite student named Arafat, who is actually an orphan who lives at the school. Because of this, he's really smart because he listens in on all of the other classes. Well, Arafat likes to talk to Mallory about America (he's 12)... yesterday, he said "Mallory... do you know Obama is like the son of Martin Luther King, Jr.?" and Mal said "Really, why is that?" and Arafat said, "Well, Martin Luther King said that he had a dream... that one day there would be a president from Africa!" and then Mal said "Um, well, kind of..." haha!
-Another day, Mal was showing the kids some of her U.S. coins, and she had out a penny, a nickel, and a dime. Apparently all of the kids were intrigued, but Arafat was the most intrigued... he pointed to a penny and said "who's that on there...? ...Bill Clinton?" HAHA
-All of the kids also have a funny obsession with Arnold Schwartzenagger and Michael Jackson... one of the kids told Mal "Miss Mallory, if I go to America, I'm going to meet Michael Jackson... I'm going to ask someone where I can go to meet him and shake his hand." Mal said none of them seemed to have ANY idea that he's not black anymore. Haha!
One final note... on her way to the NACOA center today, Mal was able to get outside of the city of Kampala for the first time. She said it was obvious that the kids in the villages that she traveled through had never seen a white person before in their lives. First they stared, then they started to follow her wherever she went. As they were leaving to go back into Kampala, one of the little kids waved goodbye and said to Mallory, "bye bye muzungu!" "Muzungu" is the word for "white person" in a lot of different African languages. Because Mal's partner Deepa is Indian-American, Mal gets a lot of the stares on her own. Funny.
Please keep praying for Mal as she goes into her second week. She's adjusting to the food, the weather, and the sleeping arrangements, but finds the experience of getting to school (the taxi park... I'll explain later) to be intimidating and scary. She certainly appreciates your prayers! Thanks!
Tuesday, May 5, 2009
Hi everyone! This is Monica, updating on behalf of Mallory. She hasn't had as much access to the internet as she thought she would, so she asked me to put an update on here so her loyal followers would not be disappointed! Here are a couple of noteworthy things:
Okay, so I got one of those on there twice and I'm not sure how to get it off. Oops.
-She arrived in Entebbe, Uganda approximately 24 hours after her scheduled arrival time. She and the two friends that were also on the later flight were picked up in Entebbe and driven to Kampala, where they will be staying for the remainder of the trip! She got in at about 8:30pm local time and ended up going to bed (under a mosquito net, of course) at around 11:00pm.
-She had to wake up on Monday morning and go straight to work at the Kibuye School... not the best situation, but she's been managing. She said there were two funny things about the school. 1) There is a giant picture of Barack Obama and "Yes we can!" outside the front gates, and 2) there is a giant picture of a black Jesus hanging on the cross. She said she took pictures of both. I told her that I guess Jesus was closer to black than he was to white, so maybe they aren't any more far off than we are! haha
The Kibuye School has been "a piece of Heaven" for Mal in Kampala, as she says that she really feels that her presence there is needed and appreciated. The kids just stare at her because she's white, and today they thought she was the coolest thing ever because she taught them how to play hang-man. HA! She's teaching 7th graders (how's that, Meredith!?) and has gotten feedback from her superiors at the school that the kids are really learning and enjoying what she's doing.
-Something else that's really cool is that one of the teachers was talking to Mal about how they have some African children in the village who are blind and who have been unable to go to school... he asked Mallory what children in America do if they are impaired, and she explained to him about Braille and about special education courses and things. He told her that he had heard of Braille but that no one in the community knew it, so the kids could not learn it. GOOD THING MALLORY KNOWS BRAILLE! She told him that she could teach them, and the man was so excited. It is so funny how Mallory just felt this random calling to learn braille a couple of months ago, and now here she has a chance to use it. God works in mysterious, awesome ways!
Here's a chart of braille letters and symbols for your reading enjoyment... Actually, Mal wanted me to put it on here so she could access it for a refresher. But you can look at it too; it's pretty interesting. 
Okay, so I got one of those on there twice and I'm not sure how to get it off. Oops.
-Mal has been struggling a little bit with getting organized, getting used to the living arrangements, and (as expected) getting used to the food. She would like your prayers for these things, and also that the other students over there will be supportive of her in some of her "neuroses" (her words) such as her anxieties, her food issues, her sleep things, etc. Overall, she is enjoying her experience at the school, and it is the other "living" things that have been kind of challenging and getting her down. So, prayers are greatly encouraged!
That's all for now. I will update more if and/or when Mallory wants me to!
Saturday, May 2, 2009
Amsterdam!
Hey friends! I'm currently in Amsterdam on my layover between flights. I should be sleeping but unfortunately the booth I found in the food court was apparently not comfy enough because I couldn't fall asleep. Here's an update on the last 24 hours:
-My flight was delayed FOUR hours in columbus, and then we sat in the plane for another 3. Because of this, I missed my connecting flight to Brussels and got to spend a night at the Holiday Inn. I was rebooked on a flight to Amsterdam, and will leave here at 11am our time to arrive at Entebbe at 8:15pm their time.
-Dad came up to visit me this morning in Newark and that was GREAT! After dealing with luggage issues (we think one of my bags headed through to Brussels...eek!), we got to go into the city and see a Broadway matinee, eat at Sbarro, and get some Jamba Juice! It was a great break from the airport drama of the day before.
-I'm excited to get to Africa eventually but I'll tell you what, this whole "travel halfway around the world" thing is really draining! I'm exhausted already and still have a 9 hour flight ahead!
-Luckily, 2 other people from my trip were on this flight as well so I did not have to make the trip alone. This is another huge blessing!
Well, I guess that's about it for now. I look forward to updating you all later from Kampala! Thanks again for your prayers and support: I can assure you that I've felt it in my heart so far!!
-My flight was delayed FOUR hours in columbus, and then we sat in the plane for another 3. Because of this, I missed my connecting flight to Brussels and got to spend a night at the Holiday Inn. I was rebooked on a flight to Amsterdam, and will leave here at 11am our time to arrive at Entebbe at 8:15pm their time.
-Dad came up to visit me this morning in Newark and that was GREAT! After dealing with luggage issues (we think one of my bags headed through to Brussels...eek!), we got to go into the city and see a Broadway matinee, eat at Sbarro, and get some Jamba Juice! It was a great break from the airport drama of the day before.
-I'm excited to get to Africa eventually but I'll tell you what, this whole "travel halfway around the world" thing is really draining! I'm exhausted already and still have a 9 hour flight ahead!
-Luckily, 2 other people from my trip were on this flight as well so I did not have to make the trip alone. This is another huge blessing!
Well, I guess that's about it for now. I look forward to updating you all later from Kampala! Thanks again for your prayers and support: I can assure you that I've felt it in my heart so far!!
Thursday, April 30, 2009
22 Hours!
Hey friends and family! I'm now in the final stages of preparation for the trip! I still have a lot of things to get done and I've been procrastinating like mad. I don't know why, I guess because my emotions about this trip have been changing every few minutes. I'm happy, then I'm nervous, I'm excited then I'm homesick already, I'm content and then I'm exhausted-- makes it hard to get motivated. I've packed all of my school supplies, snacks, and toiletries, and have yet to pack my "new" clothes and some other random stuff. I'm going to pack a little tomorrow morning after I (hopefully) can find somewhere that offers a Friday morning church service.
I had a FABULOUS going away lunch with Mom, Dad, Grandma, Grandpa, Aunt Penny and Elizabeth and Isaiah Hartwell. It was unexpected seeing all of them today, especially with a few of them coming up just for the lunch, but it was great to be surrounded by so much love and support. I was seranded (led by Grandpa...twice) to the tune of Happy Birthday but as "Happy Trip," and then some other song. It was classic Preston stuff and I loved it.
I got my phone number!!!! It is my impression that if you're calling from the U.S. you should dial:
011-256-78-360-0658
There is a chance that there should be another zero "0" before the "78," but I believe it's only needed when calling within the country. Be advised that there is a 7-hour time change from Eastern time to Kampala time, and that therefore you should not be calling me (due to my work and sleep schedule) between 5pm and 10am YOUR time. Please feel free to call between 10am and 5pm eastern time, as that should be 5pm to midnight my time and I will be home from work.
I also have my address! I don't really intend for any of you to send me anything, as I don't know when or if it would arrive, but just in case:
P.O. Box 24555
23B Acacia Ave, Kololo
Kampala, Uganda
Other than that, I leave the US tomorrow at 1pm. I'll fly to Newark, and then I'll leave there at 6pm for Brussells, to arrive at 8:30am. At 10:30am I'll leave Brussells for Entebbe, with a stop in Rwanda, and will arrive in Entebbe around 8:30pm that night. I know I will be exhausted and am not looking forward to the crazy flight and sleep schedule.
I AM looking forward to meeting up with my friends tomorrow and I feel so, so blessed that I am going through this experience with people that I know already.
I will hopefully be able to update this blog periodically, but I will probably not be able to upload photos until I get back to the states since I can't upload the software to a computer in an internet cafe. Thanks for your patience!
You guys (whomever you may be!) are great and I am thankful for your support, prayers, kind thoughts, donations, hugs and just about everything else. Thanks!! See you in KAMPALA!!!!
I had a FABULOUS going away lunch with Mom, Dad, Grandma, Grandpa, Aunt Penny and Elizabeth and Isaiah Hartwell. It was unexpected seeing all of them today, especially with a few of them coming up just for the lunch, but it was great to be surrounded by so much love and support. I was seranded (led by Grandpa...twice) to the tune of Happy Birthday but as "Happy Trip," and then some other song. It was classic Preston stuff and I loved it.
I got my phone number!!!! It is my impression that if you're calling from the U.S. you should dial:
011-256-78-360-0658
There is a chance that there should be another zero "0" before the "78," but I believe it's only needed when calling within the country. Be advised that there is a 7-hour time change from Eastern time to Kampala time, and that therefore you should not be calling me (due to my work and sleep schedule) between 5pm and 10am YOUR time. Please feel free to call between 10am and 5pm eastern time, as that should be 5pm to midnight my time and I will be home from work.
I also have my address! I don't really intend for any of you to send me anything, as I don't know when or if it would arrive, but just in case:
P.O. Box 24555
23B Acacia Ave, Kololo
Kampala, Uganda
Other than that, I leave the US tomorrow at 1pm. I'll fly to Newark, and then I'll leave there at 6pm for Brussells, to arrive at 8:30am. At 10:30am I'll leave Brussells for Entebbe, with a stop in Rwanda, and will arrive in Entebbe around 8:30pm that night. I know I will be exhausted and am not looking forward to the crazy flight and sleep schedule.
I AM looking forward to meeting up with my friends tomorrow and I feel so, so blessed that I am going through this experience with people that I know already.
I will hopefully be able to update this blog periodically, but I will probably not be able to upload photos until I get back to the states since I can't upload the software to a computer in an internet cafe. Thanks for your patience!
You guys (whomever you may be!) are great and I am thankful for your support, prayers, kind thoughts, donations, hugs and just about everything else. Thanks!! See you in KAMPALA!!!!
Sunday, April 26, 2009
THIS WEEK!!
That's right, friends-- I am leaving for Uganda this very week! I have four and a half more days in the states and then my adventure in Africa really begins. Time has flown by, and I can't believe that it's here!
I just finished exams and left Vanderbilt yesterday. It was a CRAZY week with tests and papers and packing and moving and driving, but my junior year is finally over. Even though I've been in college for 4 years now, it's still weird that I'm finally going to graduate next year. With losing so much credit coming into Vandy, I kind of felt like I'd never really see the day when I'd be done. Turns out, 2 years later, I am 5 classes and 1 internship away. There is a light at the end of the tunnel after all! This is also a big milestone because I've now been at Vandy longer than I was at OU. Coming to Vanderbilt has still been the best decision of my life and I feel soooo blessed for all the great friends and memories I have there.
To be honest, I'm super scared about this trip. I'm trying really hard to trust God and His provision and yet this is the biggest risk I've taken since the transfer. I'm trying to put into perspective how well that risk worked out, and I know that I'm going to come back from the trip with a renewed and greater picture of what Faith is, and for that, I'm excited. Nevertheless, there is a part of me that thinks, "Seriously?! I may be the least qualified person ever to spend a month in Africa." I am such a picky eater, I have high maintenance sleep habits, I worry about everything, I am a totally homebody, I hate change and have a tendency to make awful transitions, and I will miss everyone (and miss Tyler already!). I guess there is a part of me that has just recently admitted to myself what a big deal this is for me. Maybe for someone else this would be 4 weeks away from home and whatever, get over it. But, making this decision to go pretty much goes against everything I normally want for myself: security, control, people I love surrounding me, comfort.
So...why am I going? I guess I just feel called to go. I can't explain it but I've felt for a long, long time now that I'm supposed to go. I feel it's time for me to go out and test myself, to put myself in a position where I have to trust God and His provision for my life, and do His work. I feel like I have so, so much love to give and I'm excited to have the opportunity to pour it out on people who desperately need it. I can't wait for the life-changing experiences that I know I will have, and I can't wait to share my stories with you guys and hold some little African babies and take lots of pictures and GROW.
So...I'll update again before I go with my cell phone number so that if you guys want to call me (between 10am and 3pm Eastern time!!!) you can do that.
Please pray for me, my trip, and the people over in Kampala who I will be meeting so, so soon!
I just finished exams and left Vanderbilt yesterday. It was a CRAZY week with tests and papers and packing and moving and driving, but my junior year is finally over. Even though I've been in college for 4 years now, it's still weird that I'm finally going to graduate next year. With losing so much credit coming into Vandy, I kind of felt like I'd never really see the day when I'd be done. Turns out, 2 years later, I am 5 classes and 1 internship away. There is a light at the end of the tunnel after all! This is also a big milestone because I've now been at Vandy longer than I was at OU. Coming to Vanderbilt has still been the best decision of my life and I feel soooo blessed for all the great friends and memories I have there.
To be honest, I'm super scared about this trip. I'm trying really hard to trust God and His provision and yet this is the biggest risk I've taken since the transfer. I'm trying to put into perspective how well that risk worked out, and I know that I'm going to come back from the trip with a renewed and greater picture of what Faith is, and for that, I'm excited. Nevertheless, there is a part of me that thinks, "Seriously?! I may be the least qualified person ever to spend a month in Africa." I am such a picky eater, I have high maintenance sleep habits, I worry about everything, I am a totally homebody, I hate change and have a tendency to make awful transitions, and I will miss everyone (and miss Tyler already!). I guess there is a part of me that has just recently admitted to myself what a big deal this is for me. Maybe for someone else this would be 4 weeks away from home and whatever, get over it. But, making this decision to go pretty much goes against everything I normally want for myself: security, control, people I love surrounding me, comfort.
So...why am I going? I guess I just feel called to go. I can't explain it but I've felt for a long, long time now that I'm supposed to go. I feel it's time for me to go out and test myself, to put myself in a position where I have to trust God and His provision for my life, and do His work. I feel like I have so, so much love to give and I'm excited to have the opportunity to pour it out on people who desperately need it. I can't wait for the life-changing experiences that I know I will have, and I can't wait to share my stories with you guys and hold some little African babies and take lots of pictures and GROW.
So...I'll update again before I go with my cell phone number so that if you guys want to call me (between 10am and 3pm Eastern time!!!) you can do that.
Please pray for me, my trip, and the people over in Kampala who I will be meeting so, so soon!
Sunday, April 12, 2009
Sorry for the delay!
Wow, I didn't even realize it's been almost a month since I've updated this thing! Thanks to Grandma for calling me out on my lax blog posting skills. So what's new...
Basically everything is crazy right now. I only have 12 more days at school, which is a fact I'm currently ignoring due to the overwhelming amount of school work, preparation for the trip, and packing and moving that is yet to be done. I leave for Uganda in less than 3 weeks and I can't even believe it!!
A great update is that Carolyn Audet, who was the director of the program last year, will be accompanying our group for the first 2 weeks of our trip. This is great because she is super knowledgeable about the area and is also well-versed in the cultural norms of the country.
I ate dinner at an Ethiopian restaurant 2 weeks ago and I seriously couldn't eat any of it. Apparently the food in Uganda is really different (as spoken by a man who moved to Nashville from Uganda this year), and that's lucky because I really could not survive on that stuff. I will apparently be eating lots of peanut butter in the next coming weeks!
Another exciting thing is that we're raising money to reform the music program at the school I will be working at! We're currently trying to raise $1000, which should be enough to cover the cost of new choir robes and some new instruments and music for the program. Should any of you feel led to donate to this endeavor, send me an e-mail at mallory.a.morse@vanderbilt.edu. And just in case (here's me being hopeful!), checks should be made out to "Vanderbilt University/OACS" with "Kampala Project" in the memo line. If you want to send a check (to help the children of the Kibuye Primary School continue to raise money for their tuition through music performances!), please send it to:
Mallory Morse
2301 Vanderbilt PL
VU Station B #6286
Nashville, TN 37235
So..no pressure. I hate fundraising and this is short notice, but it's for a good cause. In fact, I'll even learn some African dance while I'm there and if you donate, I'll give you a private performance upon my return to the states. (Quality of performance and authenticity of movement not guaranteed, lol).
Other than that, I'm having a great time here at the end of the school year and trying to keep my head on straight as everything gets crazy. Please be praying for me and the kids at the school if you would! Thanks! :)
Basically everything is crazy right now. I only have 12 more days at school, which is a fact I'm currently ignoring due to the overwhelming amount of school work, preparation for the trip, and packing and moving that is yet to be done. I leave for Uganda in less than 3 weeks and I can't even believe it!!
A great update is that Carolyn Audet, who was the director of the program last year, will be accompanying our group for the first 2 weeks of our trip. This is great because she is super knowledgeable about the area and is also well-versed in the cultural norms of the country.
I ate dinner at an Ethiopian restaurant 2 weeks ago and I seriously couldn't eat any of it. Apparently the food in Uganda is really different (as spoken by a man who moved to Nashville from Uganda this year), and that's lucky because I really could not survive on that stuff. I will apparently be eating lots of peanut butter in the next coming weeks!
Another exciting thing is that we're raising money to reform the music program at the school I will be working at! We're currently trying to raise $1000, which should be enough to cover the cost of new choir robes and some new instruments and music for the program. Should any of you feel led to donate to this endeavor, send me an e-mail at mallory.a.morse@vanderbilt.edu. And just in case (here's me being hopeful!), checks should be made out to "Vanderbilt University/OACS" with "Kampala Project" in the memo line. If you want to send a check (to help the children of the Kibuye Primary School continue to raise money for their tuition through music performances!), please send it to:
Mallory Morse
2301 Vanderbilt PL
VU Station B #6286
Nashville, TN 37235
So..no pressure. I hate fundraising and this is short notice, but it's for a good cause. In fact, I'll even learn some African dance while I'm there and if you donate, I'll give you a private performance upon my return to the states. (Quality of performance and authenticity of movement not guaranteed, lol).
Other than that, I'm having a great time here at the end of the school year and trying to keep my head on straight as everything gets crazy. Please be praying for me and the kids at the school if you would! Thanks! :)
Friday, March 13, 2009
Paul Farmer
I was asked to update my blog, and was also notified that another follower has been added to my list, bringing the official total to 2: my aunt Penny and my boyfriend Tyler. Thanks to both of you for being supportive, and especially thanks to Penny for being the only one who ever comments on my thoughts, haha, although I know there are more people out there who might be reading, and for that I'm thankful.
I just had the priviledge of attending a lecture by Dr. Paul Farmer, who is a complete rock star and visionary in the arena of global public health. He's a Harvard Med professor and grad, and founder of the Partners in Health organization, which now operates in 10 countries around the globe including Haiti and Rwanda. I've had to read several of his articles in preparation for my Kampala trip, and have a copy of one of his best selling books, "The Pathologies of Power: Health, Human Rights, and the New War on the Poor," if anyone wants to borrow it.
The medical model that he promotes is one of community-based health care and accompaniment. One of the major problems in treating HIV/AIDS is the level of commitment required for the Anti-retroviral drugs to work. If taken regularly and according to protocol, nearly 98% of patients experience a reduction in their viral load and an increase in their CD4 T-cell counts. However, if taken sporadically, the virus becomes resistant to the ARV drugs and becomes even more powerful, and people with higher viral loads are more contagious than those with lower, and even nonrecognizable viral loads. Dr. Farmer argues that in addition to pouring money into getting drug treatment for infected people both here and abroad, we have a responsibility to make sure that the patients are taking the drugs regularly, are experiencing follow up care, and are being surrounded in a social network of support and understanding. He gave a comparison between rural Haiti and inner-city Atlanta, and found that in Haiti, with the community health workers checking in on their patients frequently, only 2 out of 233 patients became resistant to the first line treatment of ARV drugs in the 10 years following treatment. In Atlanta, however, only 13% of patients being treated recieved any sort of reduction in viral load or increase in T-cell count, and became drug-resistant very quickly.
It was an interesting picture of our instant gratification society, and how much we value independence and autonomy to a fault at times. These patients did not want people "looking over their shoulders," but in the absence of very frequent follow-up care, more than 3/4 of them where unable to stick to their prescribed regimine.
Dr. Famer talked a lot about the need for advocacy, the problem of "brain drain" in developing countries (native citizens who become educated and then leave their native countries to practice or work elsewhere do to insufficient salaries, lack of resources/medicines/equipments, etc), and how some faith-based organizations are hurting the cause by discouraging the use of condoms (in supporting abstinence instead), and needle-turnover programs.
All in all, it was very interesting and I'm super glad I had the opportunity to hear him speak. I was pleased to see sooo many of my friends and classmates there who also have a passion for the poor, especially overseas.
Other updates include that my flights are officially booked! I leave from Columbus on May 1st and leave Entebbe, Uganda on June 1st! I'll start work at Y Camp on June 8th so it'll be nice to have a week to recover from jet lag and culture shock. I got the second dose of my malaria pills, and have now met 2 people who contracted malaria while in Africa...and it doesn't sound like fun! I'll be taking them regularly, wearing DEET insect repellent and will have a misquito net over my bed. I'm hoping to take a trip up to Gulu in Northern Uganda during one of the weekends in order to visit the Village of Hope Orphanage and Gladys, who is the 6 year old girl I'm sponsoring at the IDP camp up there. We will also be taking a trip one weekend to go rafting down the Nile! It should be quite the experience.
Well, that's enough for now. More updates later!
I just had the priviledge of attending a lecture by Dr. Paul Farmer, who is a complete rock star and visionary in the arena of global public health. He's a Harvard Med professor and grad, and founder of the Partners in Health organization, which now operates in 10 countries around the globe including Haiti and Rwanda. I've had to read several of his articles in preparation for my Kampala trip, and have a copy of one of his best selling books, "The Pathologies of Power: Health, Human Rights, and the New War on the Poor," if anyone wants to borrow it.
The medical model that he promotes is one of community-based health care and accompaniment. One of the major problems in treating HIV/AIDS is the level of commitment required for the Anti-retroviral drugs to work. If taken regularly and according to protocol, nearly 98% of patients experience a reduction in their viral load and an increase in their CD4 T-cell counts. However, if taken sporadically, the virus becomes resistant to the ARV drugs and becomes even more powerful, and people with higher viral loads are more contagious than those with lower, and even nonrecognizable viral loads. Dr. Farmer argues that in addition to pouring money into getting drug treatment for infected people both here and abroad, we have a responsibility to make sure that the patients are taking the drugs regularly, are experiencing follow up care, and are being surrounded in a social network of support and understanding. He gave a comparison between rural Haiti and inner-city Atlanta, and found that in Haiti, with the community health workers checking in on their patients frequently, only 2 out of 233 patients became resistant to the first line treatment of ARV drugs in the 10 years following treatment. In Atlanta, however, only 13% of patients being treated recieved any sort of reduction in viral load or increase in T-cell count, and became drug-resistant very quickly.
It was an interesting picture of our instant gratification society, and how much we value independence and autonomy to a fault at times. These patients did not want people "looking over their shoulders," but in the absence of very frequent follow-up care, more than 3/4 of them where unable to stick to their prescribed regimine.
Dr. Famer talked a lot about the need for advocacy, the problem of "brain drain" in developing countries (native citizens who become educated and then leave their native countries to practice or work elsewhere do to insufficient salaries, lack of resources/medicines/equipments, etc), and how some faith-based organizations are hurting the cause by discouraging the use of condoms (in supporting abstinence instead), and needle-turnover programs.
All in all, it was very interesting and I'm super glad I had the opportunity to hear him speak. I was pleased to see sooo many of my friends and classmates there who also have a passion for the poor, especially overseas.
Other updates include that my flights are officially booked! I leave from Columbus on May 1st and leave Entebbe, Uganda on June 1st! I'll start work at Y Camp on June 8th so it'll be nice to have a week to recover from jet lag and culture shock. I got the second dose of my malaria pills, and have now met 2 people who contracted malaria while in Africa...and it doesn't sound like fun! I'll be taking them regularly, wearing DEET insect repellent and will have a misquito net over my bed. I'm hoping to take a trip up to Gulu in Northern Uganda during one of the weekends in order to visit the Village of Hope Orphanage and Gladys, who is the 6 year old girl I'm sponsoring at the IDP camp up there. We will also be taking a trip one weekend to go rafting down the Nile! It should be quite the experience.
Well, that's enough for now. More updates later!
Sunday, March 1, 2009
So Soon!
I'm on spring break right now in lovely Orlando, Florida and have realized that I leave for Kampala in just 2 months! I only have 7 weeks of school left before this big adventure begins!!
I've been lucky that my professors have let me bump up my exam schedule so that I should be able to spend a week at home before I leave for Africa. This means I should be leaving Vandy on April 24th...which is a heck of a long time before anyone else. I know I'll feel weird about leaving with all of my friends still there but it'll be a blessing to see my family and get ready for Africa while decompressing from school.
Recently we've been learning a lot about the cycle of poverty and the catch-22 of being poor and being sick. Especially harmful is the malaria problem on top of the HIV/AIDs problem. While malaria is about $15 to prevent or treat, millions of children in sub-Sarahan Africa die every year from it. Sad, sad stuff.
A new update is that I might be able to work with some special needs children while I'm over there. This was suggested to me by Mark Dalhouse and would be amazing if it could work.
Almost got my flights booked...Penny, I think I'll be going through Brussells! I'll think of you when I'm there!
Also, you all will be able to call me when I'm there! The best option is if you download Skype and call me through your computer. It's much cheaper than calling from a landline. I will not be able to call you frequently as it's SUPER expensive, but I will have an international cell phone that can recieve calls from the U.S. I'll let you know when I get my number!!
That's all for now...just a couple of random updates. Love you guys!
I've been lucky that my professors have let me bump up my exam schedule so that I should be able to spend a week at home before I leave for Africa. This means I should be leaving Vandy on April 24th...which is a heck of a long time before anyone else. I know I'll feel weird about leaving with all of my friends still there but it'll be a blessing to see my family and get ready for Africa while decompressing from school.
Recently we've been learning a lot about the cycle of poverty and the catch-22 of being poor and being sick. Especially harmful is the malaria problem on top of the HIV/AIDs problem. While malaria is about $15 to prevent or treat, millions of children in sub-Sarahan Africa die every year from it. Sad, sad stuff.
A new update is that I might be able to work with some special needs children while I'm over there. This was suggested to me by Mark Dalhouse and would be amazing if it could work.
Almost got my flights booked...Penny, I think I'll be going through Brussells! I'll think of you when I'm there!
Also, you all will be able to call me when I'm there! The best option is if you download Skype and call me through your computer. It's much cheaper than calling from a landline. I will not be able to call you frequently as it's SUPER expensive, but I will have an international cell phone that can recieve calls from the U.S. I'll let you know when I get my number!!
That's all for now...just a couple of random updates. Love you guys!
Thursday, February 12, 2009
A new photo!
This is the apartment where we'll be staying! As I said, it's in a gated community in the Kololo district which is, by far, the safest part of town. We'll have electricity and running water for cold showers, and will be drinking/brushing teeth/cooking with boiled or bottled water. There is apparently some sort of disco/dance club nearby where we may or may not hang out (relatively early in the evenings and in big groups!!). It is also right across the street from a fancy hotel where we can get relatively expensive, more familiar food (aka more than $2 a meal) and wireless internet!
Centurio!
Hey friends! So it's clear that I'm already behind on this "every wedneday" update plan. Oh well, at least this is a start!
So yesterday I had the priviledge of meeting Centurio Ballikowa! He lives in Kampala and is a teacher at the Kibuye School where I will be working. He is our in-Kampala chaperone and it was good to ask him questions. I was astonished both by how well he spoke english and how hard it was so understand him with his very thick accent. He taught us some cultural differences, such as the prevalence of extremely long hand shakes every time you meet someone new or if they agree with what you're saying. He also taught us some Lugandan which is the slang dialetic in Uganda. The official languages are English and Swahili, but it was fun to learn some basic phrases such as "hello," "how are you?" and the always important, "Can you help me?". The problem is that I already forget how to say them! It's become apparent to me why other nations think American's have "lazy tongues"...I just can't pronounce certain combinations of letters at the speed at which is customary. I guess I still have time to work on this!
We also had a speaker named Henry who moved to Nashville from Kampala 9 years ago, and two speakers, Rusty and Josh, who spent a year traveling to 3rd world countries (India, Khazkstan, Ethiopia, Uganda, and Brazil), and each of these men had great advice to give. I am very certain that I will come back from this experience a changed person!
Here are some quick facts about the AIDs epidemic. While I will not be working predominately with the HIV/AIDs population, the majority of my friends will.
-While Sub-Sarahan Africa accounts for only 10% of the global population, it houses over 70% of the global HIV-positive population.
-Unfortunately, it is estimated that 9 out of 10 HIV-positive women in developing countries DO NOT know that they are infected
-An average of at least 1 american under the age of 22 becomes infected with HIV every hour of every day.
-The median age in Uganda is only 14.9 years old, and the life expectance is 51 years.
-According to the Ugandan Ministry of Health, it needs approximately FOUR U.S. dollars a year to adequately deliver drugs to those in need (for TB, malaria, Antiretrovirals for HIV treatment, diarrea, etc), and currently can only spend about $1.67. In comparison, Canada spends about $3037 per person, per year on health.
-The average yearly income in Uganda is $240 U.S. dollars.
-Uganda and Thailand are the only two developing countries that have been able to halt the prevelance of new HIV diagnoses since 1986.
-In Uganda, this halt has been attributed to the ABC campaign: Abstinence, Be faithful, use Condoms.
-This last one is for grandma! There are currently 16 million children orphaned in Sub-Saharan African, and due to the cultural value of family, most Africans are more likely to take care of their own than support an orphanage. Because of this, most of the burden has fallen onto grandmothers, who are becoming responsible for their grandkids, many of whom are HIV-positive, after their children succomb to AIDs. This is why grandmothers are known as the unsung heros of the fight against AIDS.
Hope you found this information helpful and shocking, and that you take a moment to realize how blessed we all are to simply have been born in this country. More updates to come later!
So yesterday I had the priviledge of meeting Centurio Ballikowa! He lives in Kampala and is a teacher at the Kibuye School where I will be working. He is our in-Kampala chaperone and it was good to ask him questions. I was astonished both by how well he spoke english and how hard it was so understand him with his very thick accent. He taught us some cultural differences, such as the prevalence of extremely long hand shakes every time you meet someone new or if they agree with what you're saying. He also taught us some Lugandan which is the slang dialetic in Uganda. The official languages are English and Swahili, but it was fun to learn some basic phrases such as "hello," "how are you?" and the always important, "Can you help me?". The problem is that I already forget how to say them! It's become apparent to me why other nations think American's have "lazy tongues"...I just can't pronounce certain combinations of letters at the speed at which is customary. I guess I still have time to work on this!
We also had a speaker named Henry who moved to Nashville from Kampala 9 years ago, and two speakers, Rusty and Josh, who spent a year traveling to 3rd world countries (India, Khazkstan, Ethiopia, Uganda, and Brazil), and each of these men had great advice to give. I am very certain that I will come back from this experience a changed person!
Here are some quick facts about the AIDs epidemic. While I will not be working predominately with the HIV/AIDs population, the majority of my friends will.
-While Sub-Sarahan Africa accounts for only 10% of the global population, it houses over 70% of the global HIV-positive population.
-Unfortunately, it is estimated that 9 out of 10 HIV-positive women in developing countries DO NOT know that they are infected
-An average of at least 1 american under the age of 22 becomes infected with HIV every hour of every day.
-The median age in Uganda is only 14.9 years old, and the life expectance is 51 years.
-According to the Ugandan Ministry of Health, it needs approximately FOUR U.S. dollars a year to adequately deliver drugs to those in need (for TB, malaria, Antiretrovirals for HIV treatment, diarrea, etc), and currently can only spend about $1.67. In comparison, Canada spends about $3037 per person, per year on health.
-The average yearly income in Uganda is $240 U.S. dollars.
-Uganda and Thailand are the only two developing countries that have been able to halt the prevelance of new HIV diagnoses since 1986.
-In Uganda, this halt has been attributed to the ABC campaign: Abstinence, Be faithful, use Condoms.
-This last one is for grandma! There are currently 16 million children orphaned in Sub-Saharan African, and due to the cultural value of family, most Africans are more likely to take care of their own than support an orphanage. Because of this, most of the burden has fallen onto grandmothers, who are becoming responsible for their grandkids, many of whom are HIV-positive, after their children succomb to AIDs. This is why grandmothers are known as the unsung heros of the fight against AIDS.
Hope you found this information helpful and shocking, and that you take a moment to realize how blessed we all are to simply have been born in this country. More updates to come later!
Friday, January 30, 2009
More Kibuye Photos!
More photos from the Kibuye School! 
The entrance to the school!
The entrance to the school!
Some dancing for my advisors when they visited!
More dancing!
A very nice classroom below!
Hopefully videos to come soon!!
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
Kampala Photos!
The kids at the Kibuye School welcoming the Kampala Project group 2 years ago!
Some dancing at the Kibuye school!
The Kampala taxi park. I will be here often.
There's where I'll be! Kampala is in the Southeastern portion, bordering the lake.An introduction to the Kampala Project!
Hey friends! Mallory here. The Africa countdown is officially 91 days. You might be asking, "Why, isn't it a bit soon to start an Africa blog?," and the answer is no! As part of my Kampala Project class I am asked to keep a journal of my reflections about what I'm learning, and thought it might be nice to keep my thoughts together in one place. I figured it will also help to keep you informed of what I know as time progresses. Check back on Wednesdays for new updates!
Some important info:
What: Kampala Project 2009, organized by Vanderbilt University
When: April 30-June 6, 2009
Where: The Kololo section of Kampala, which is the capital city of Uganda
My site: The Kibuye Primary School
I will spend my time working at the Kibuye School, which is one of 7 primary schools established in Uganda in the 80s by a married couple of British missionaries, serving 900 children ages 6 to 13. In the mornings I will teach (most likely English), and in the afternoons I will work with the Pearl of Africa children's choir. The choir and drama program at Kibuye is the best in the country, and those children who are selected for the choir apparently tour the UK during the summer, raising money for the school. I have been told that I will be learning a lot of traditional African dances and I'm very excited about it!!
Most of my comrades from school will be working in HIV/AIDS or TB clinics. Many of them are future doctors and are excited at the prospect of working in the clinics. Glad it's not me, but exciting for them nonetheless!
We will be staying in the Kololo area of Kampala which is "where the diplomats stay." We will be living in apartments with running water, a functioning kitchen, and individual beds (misquito nets included!). The community is gated and has a security guard at the gate, and is by far the safest place to be in the city.
I have now been officially vaccinated for (hold your breath!): typhoid, hepatitis A, meningitis, flu, polio, and yellow fever, and have a prescription for malaria pills for a total of 10 weeks (I have to take them every day for 4 weeks upon my return to the states). I've been briefed on malaria prevention, how to make sure my water and food is safe to consume, and advised to bring lots of sunscreen since Kampala is right above the Equator! Safe to say, I'm trying my best to be as prepared as I can be in theory.
Pictures to come soon!!
Some important info:
What: Kampala Project 2009, organized by Vanderbilt University
When: April 30-June 6, 2009
Where: The Kololo section of Kampala, which is the capital city of Uganda
My site: The Kibuye Primary School
I will spend my time working at the Kibuye School, which is one of 7 primary schools established in Uganda in the 80s by a married couple of British missionaries, serving 900 children ages 6 to 13. In the mornings I will teach (most likely English), and in the afternoons I will work with the Pearl of Africa children's choir. The choir and drama program at Kibuye is the best in the country, and those children who are selected for the choir apparently tour the UK during the summer, raising money for the school. I have been told that I will be learning a lot of traditional African dances and I'm very excited about it!!
Most of my comrades from school will be working in HIV/AIDS or TB clinics. Many of them are future doctors and are excited at the prospect of working in the clinics. Glad it's not me, but exciting for them nonetheless!
We will be staying in the Kololo area of Kampala which is "where the diplomats stay." We will be living in apartments with running water, a functioning kitchen, and individual beds (misquito nets included!). The community is gated and has a security guard at the gate, and is by far the safest place to be in the city.
I have now been officially vaccinated for (hold your breath!): typhoid, hepatitis A, meningitis, flu, polio, and yellow fever, and have a prescription for malaria pills for a total of 10 weeks (I have to take them every day for 4 weeks upon my return to the states). I've been briefed on malaria prevention, how to make sure my water and food is safe to consume, and advised to bring lots of sunscreen since Kampala is right above the Equator! Safe to say, I'm trying my best to be as prepared as I can be in theory.
Pictures to come soon!!
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