Sunday, May 29, 2011

New Address and Wish List!!!

So I finally stopped forgetting to ask my head teacher if I could use the P.O. Box for the school so now I can get mail in LIRA! So please please send me stuff.  I know it seems crazy but i love getting mail whether its a package with goodies or a letter letting me know how people are doing! Seriously it brightens our day more then you can imagine.

My new address:
St. Katherine's Secondary School
Nicole Dunn
P.O. Box 255
Lira, Uganda

My Wish list:


Practical Things I Need that I can't find in Uganda
- duct tape (seriously the possibilities are endless)
- push pins
- Deoderant (i have been using old spice bc it is all i can find haha, i like dove!)
- razors (i haven't given up on shaving yet and I won't quit if I can get more!)
- a pack of toothbrushes...i only brought 2 I don't know what I was thinking.
- detangler... my hair is getting longer and conditioner, if i can even find it here, sucks!
- PICTURES!!! (this applies a lot to my family becuase I know they have most, but I forgot ALL my pictures at home and it makes me sad I can't see everyone's beautiful faces in my house so please make copies and send me pictures of yourselves! This is def my number one request!)
- a pair of hair cutting scissors (MOM....)

Things I want because they are either fun or yummy!
- anything that has cheese that can be sent in the mail (when you do find it here it is usually disgusting)
- seeds (particularly cilantro, basil, oregano.... things like that.... things grow like crazy on the equator)
- colorful pens! (we do everything by hand so don't underestimate my new found love for writing utensils)
- granola bars (I hate having to actually cook breakfast every morning)
- FLASH DRIVES (with music, movies etc.) I steal a lot from other volunteers but it keeps me sane to have new things to watch and listen to
- posters
- books (I have a kindle and we circulate books here but you go through them fast)
- JEANS! (if someone could send me a new pair of jeans I would love them... I have lost a considerable amount of weight and my jeans are falling off me and I wear them in all my spare time)
- pajama pants... I can't believe I didn't bring any to lounge around in... thin ones cuz yes it is hot here
- VISITORS! ( I realize this is a large request... a trip to africa is neither cheap nor fun but once you get here I promise to show you the best time this continent can offer I swear!)
- habenero hot sauce! I don't know how practical this is but I put hot sauce on everything now and I can't seem to find anything spicy enough!

I know there are a 100 more things I am forgetting so I will add more to this list when I think of them but to get anything at all would be great... feel free to stray from the list since I'm not known for being the most practical person.

Things are still great here... my mind is not up to writing a long post just now about work since I just spent the past four houses doing laundry and cleaning my house...

Until next time

Nik

Sunday, May 22, 2011

The Monotony of Everyday Life

So I know it has been awhile since I posted anything but to be honest I have just gotten into so much of a routine I haven't felt like I had much to say.  Last I wrote anything  I was staying in a hotel in Lira Town.  Now I am in my house and I must say I am quite set up.  Electricity has been working quite consistently and it's becoming cozy as I add more furniture and furnishings to the place.  I have been playing hostess quite a bit and I don't mind at all, I actually quite enjoy it.  The volunteers in the area came to stay with me and there were 8 of us crammed in my home.  I bought a 5x6 bed that 4 of us crammed in it and I have another bed in the sitting room with 2 extra mattresses and a couch so it wasn't too bad.  I have a pretty large kitchen as well which we utilized to make some of the best meals I have had in Uganda thus far including beef stir fry and tacos with homemade seasoning!  The water isn't working in my house yet but there is a tap right in my yard so at least I don't have to hike to a borehole to collect water which is convenient.

So I am going to start teaching next week.  S2 math and S5 organic chemistry.  I will also be helping out with computer training since my school has acquired 10 new systems this year and they want to learn how to use email and microsoft programs.  I am going to be officially "teaching" 12 hours a week which isn't so bad and I have thursdays and fridays off which is nice for traveling.

I had my first staff meeting which was.... exactly what I expected.  Full of protocol and overall filled with unnecessary conversation.  For example... "Councilman I believe we should change the word in the notes to "led" and not "said"..." yeah they love to debate miniscule issues like this for hours.  But we only started 2 hours late and met for 4 hours which is more successful then some meetings I have heard about from fellow volunteers thus far.  They did serve some amazing pork, rice and cabbage after so it wasn't so bad.  Then I caught a ride into town to meet up with rachel so I could stay with her for the night.  There was a ridiculous storm that day and when we got back the house was FLOODED!  I haven't seen that much rain since I've been here but thankfully nothing was ruined and she was able to sweep most of the water out.  I proceeded to make completely over salted refried beans for us with guacamole... SORRY RACH! but at least now we know to take it easy with the salt :)

I wish I had more exciting tales of life in africa but honestly I get up each day.... clean my house (because there is a ridiculous amount of dust here) clean my clothes, cook food for myself, walk around my village greeting people and pick up eggs and tomatoes and such at the dukas and small market.  By the time you are done doing what you need to accomplish just to get by everyday it takes up a lot of time.  I am excited to start teaching and soon I plan on traveling to see other volunteers sites and more of the country.

Overall I have gotten used to life here for the most part.  Bugs are ridic, so therefore I don't mind the lizards in my house that eat those little bastards because hey they don't bite me... it's quite hot in the north and I am adjusting to that slowly. I lock my doors by 7-8pm which means I start cooking early since my kitchen is detached from my house (I'm thinking of asking them to cut a door jam from my bedroom to my kitchen to avoid this annoyance) The roosters wake me up by 7am everyday.  I bought a huge bed so I sleep pretty comfortably through the night aside from the bats that are in my roof ... which reminds me I also need to make them board up the 3 holes in my ceiling left open for possible electrical wiring needed in the future...

In the end, living in Uganda is becoming less of a novelty and more of a normality but I still love it here. Sometimes I wish for a laundry mat so I don't have to spend 2 hours cleaning clothes and sheets by hand but it's becoming something you plan for.  It's less exciting but becoming more comfortable.

Until the next boring updates of my life here in the bush!

Nikki