Internet Cafe!

Hello to everyone! I wish I had time to write everyone emails, but this will have to suffice. Apologies in advance for spelling and grammar....

We've been in Uganda almost 4 days now, where we've been living at a sort of conference center just outside of Kampala. It's quite posh with dorm-style living, electricity, and showers. We get 3 delicious meals a day, plus morning and afternoon tea. I'm quite enjoying trying all the new foods. We get bananas at least once a day, and fruit with every meal. The main starches are matooke (fried? bananas - sometime with veggies, sometimes mashed) potatoes, rice, noodles, and chapatii (I think that's the Swahili spelling, I'm not sure what it is in Luganda). Topings are meat or curry vegetables (which are my favorite). Oh, or this delicious sauce that's made from g-nuts (ground nuts, but very similar to peanuts) and mushrooms. Tastes very much like peanut butter, and is very yummy. I most certainly won't go hungry here :).

There are 32 PCVs (Peace Corps Volunteers) in my group. We're from all over the US, all different ages, backgrounds, and interests. For anyone who says they're too old to do the Peace Corps I know at least 6 people who would disagree. And two are RPCVs (Returned PCVs) who were previously stationed in Africa. Everyone here is very nice, and I've really enjoyed the last week getting to know everyone. Tomorrow we're off to our homestays in a town outside of Kampala (see my mom's post...sorry).

The last couple of days we've been getting lectures about Uganda, the culture, the language, PC goals, the thousands of acronyms that seem to be a part of daily life here.

So, as I can't share it all - here's what I found most interesting:

in 1996 Presedent Museveni (sp?) announced UPE - Universal Primary Education for all Ugandana. But, there was no funding...so, in 1997 he said 4 kids from each family could go. Now, with familys of 8 this seems slightly unfair. now imagine a husband with 4 wives, or a husband with 5 wives. needless to say, before the year was out, all Ugandan children could go to Primary school. This caused a huge influx of students, and the teachers didn't know how to deal with it. The end result was a lot of students, few good teachers, and even fewer teaching materials. The primary ed volunteers are working with local teacher colleges and coordination centers that organize training for teachers in 15-45 primary schools each. They'll be helping come up with innovative teaching methods.

That started in 1997, in 2004 those students graduated and wanted to go to secondary school, so in 2007 secondary school was opened to all Ugandans. Secondary schools now face a serious shortage of teachers, esp. in math/science/IT. So, Uganda asked the Peace Corps for teachers. and that's why I'm here :). I still don't know what I'll be teaching, or where, and probably won't for a while, but it's nice to know more about the school system. Of course, this being the PC, it's all subject to change and I could be at at teacher's college...who knows!

I've got to run, so sorry for any and all grammar mistakes. Hugs to all from Uganda!

Becky has landed!

Becky had three minutes this morning to call home and say she had arrived in one piece. Sounded cheerful. News acquired (not bad for three minutes) includes:

• The training goes for ten weeks, until April 22
• For now, she's in [a town 12? miles from Kampala...apologies, I sense that the PC doesn't want us to give out locations, I'm not really clear on why]
  
• The food is good -- bananas, rice and veggies and eggs for breakfast
• Lots of birds (including black kites and ibis) and cool plants
• Becky has already gone for a run, and loves the climate
• Language training has begun, and she's learning a lot
  

Barbara (Becky's Mom)

My job and other such details

So, I don't know much about my official placement yet. What I do know is that I will be teaching math/science at the secondary level where I will be paired with a counterpart assigned by the Ministry of Education. I will also help with teacher training programs, leadership/life skills education, and AIDs education. I will be living in a rural area, somewhere in the southern part of the country.

I leave on February 12th for 'staging' in Philadelphia. This will include signing forms, and a 4 hour welcome including:
• Background to Peace Corps history, mission & goals
• Anxieties and aspirations for service
• Managing Risk (personal responsibility for safety)
• Policies
• Reflection on commitment to service
• Logistics and departure/arrival information

We'll then have the rest of the evening to get to know each other before we begin the 36hr journey to Uganda at 10 the next morning. (we have a 6:15pm flight out of JFK, which I know is a ways from Philly, but I'm still puzzled by the 10am departure).

Once we arrive in Uganda, an intensive 9-10 week training program begins. I'm not sure what this will include, besides learning a whole new language.... I'm hoping for Ugandan history/politics/culture, teaching strategies, the Ugandan math/science curriculums I will be teaching, personal safety, and what ever else comes up.

During training I will be living with a host family, which I'm really looking forward to and should help with learning the language. I'm also hoping to pick up some good recipes. From what I've heard there are a lot of bananas, beans, rice, and a bread called chapati (sp?). Bananas are already one of my staple foods, but I rarely do more than put them on granola, or eat them with peanut butter. Learning how to cook them will add some needed variety.

Once we've been there a while they'll decide who's going where, so I'll get more details about my specific placement and job then.

I do not know whether I'll have water/electricity/internet. I do know that I will have limited access to any form of communication during training. (I think this is more due to the intensity of training then the actual lack of internet access)