Happy Birthday to America and Me!

Well, for all of you who have missed my posts dearly (i.e. my sister and betsy's parents) I thought it was finally time to post something.  Mostly because it would be nice to organize my thoughts and goings on the past 6 months.... so enjoy my rambling!


America celebrated it's birthday last week, and I, my second one since being here! That got me thinking... what the HELL am I going to do when this is all over.  It's easy to lose time here.  You look forward to events like the 4th where you have an excuse to meet up with a bunch of people and act a little crazy.  Then before you know it life comes knocking with plans and expectations.  Things have always had a way of falling into place for me but now I feel that I need to get a little more proactive.

One thing I realized I needed to do was travel! I have lived here for almost 17 months and I haven't left Uganda.  So in true college cramming fashion, it's all going to get done at once at the tail end of my service.  So if you are reading this and you want to jump on the bandwagon for any of these trips hit me up!

The family is coming and I am sooooo stressed about planning their trip so nothing goes wrong! First, I need to tour them around Uganda, which even I haven't explored enough of.  That means checking out my site, hanging with some gorillas in the southwest, rafting the nile AGAIN, hitting up Murchison falls, and getting in a little luxury time in Entebbe and Kampala.  I also am planning a trip to Tanzania with them to check out Serengheti, Tarangire and Ngororo Crater.  YAY!

Then literally the day after they leave it's off to South Africa.  Five days in Capetown, then to Zanzibar and finally to Ethiopia.  Christmas on the beach in a bungalow.... be jealous!

Finally, it's time to start looking at the COS trip.  The countries I am planning to go to (and hopefully I will have enough time) are India, Cambodia, Thailand, Vietnam, Sri Lanka and South Korea.

What will I do after all this crazy adventure you ask? Well I am taking three tests in order to keep some options open.  The GRE, the GRE subject test (psyc), and the FSOT (foreign service officer test).  I've been studying and it's super strange I must say.  Do I really want to go back to school? Or do I just think it seems like the sound and responsible next step?  Who knows!  Maybe I'll find a job in Indonesia and continue to live on a dollar a day for a little longer.   Either way.... the future freaks me out!

Site is the same as always.... teaching, counseling, running clubs, coaching softball, having fun and feeling lonely.  I can't believe I only have two more terms left.  I am also working on writing a manual for teaching sexual education in East Africa.  It looks like it may be over 100 pages (yikes!).  When I started teaching this at my school I found that peace corps didn't offer a lot of resources.  I had to do my research and also keep in mind of WHERE these topics are being taught.  Uganda is very sensitive to a lot of subjects like virginity, HIV and other things that are probably inappropriate to put on my blog.  So I wanted to compile all this information and other references for volunteers who may have wanted to talk to youth about these issues but don't know how to.  This includes lessons, activities, physical resources in different regions, cultural approach to topics, content, helpful websites and books and  strategies for starting a program.  I'm considering calling it "The Birds and the Bees and Much Much More...".  Hopefully it will be published by the end of my service!

So that's the haps with me! Here are some entertaining pictures for you to enjoy as my words this time are not so inspiring.  As always miss and love EVERYONE!

xoxo

Nik

Teaching girls how to play rock, paper scissors at Camp GLOW North

My absolute two favorite students Ritah and Sandra.  They made me a disney princess drawing, wrote me a song and even bought me dairy milk chocolate for my birthday... so friccan sweet!

Fourth of July! I found that shirt the day of... Jacque and Liz went with the All American JORTS! also found and cut the same day!

Geared up for softball! Minus the shoes

Ziplining and Recreation Project in Gulu

Fourth of July 2012... will henceforth be known as.... The best dance party EVER!

Soccer players after winning the district tournament!  After was the most insane celebration at the school I have ever seen and wish I had had camera battery to document.

Teachers from the school helping in counting ballots for student elections

Me teaching reproductive health and safe sex at Camp GLOW North

One year Down.... basically

SOOOOOOOO I am back visiting in America and all I am hearing is.... "you haven't posted anything in a LONG TIME!" so here is a recap and reflection of my first 11 months of service! Enjoy!

Well I am sitting here at my mom's house right where i was almost exactly a year ago, packing clothes, frantically downloading books and music, trying to eat anything and everything and soaking up last moments with friends and family.  The actions are the same but the feelings are completely different....

* One year ago.... I was packing long skirts, collared shirts and essentially anything i thought was appropriate and professional
~ Now.... I HATE ALL THOSE CLOTHES.... therefore i was wearing the same pair of jeans and 3 shirts for a year so I went shopping for things that I actually wear!

* One year ago... I thought I would be lost without a solar charger because I assumed I would be living deep in the bush without electricity
~ Now... I am getting a new camera, new movies, new speakers because GUESS WHAT! i have electricity and it is nice to be entertained when the village gets old.

* One year ago... I was seriously concerned I hadn't started a malaria prophilaxis (sp?) before leaving
~ Now... My malaria pill is the last thing on my mind and I am having trouble remembering to take it

* One year ago... I thought I would miss snow
~ Now... I am ecstatic I didn't really have to see any and remember the east coast fucking SUCKS in the winter

* One year ago... I thought ugandan children would be adorable, innocent and inspiring and teaching them would be a joy.
~ Now... I have realized for the most part ugandan teenagers are emotionally very similar to american ones and therefore they can suck just as much (i.e. not paying attention, sleeping, rude, making jokes, mean to other girls, sneaking alcohol, dancing like little hoes..... ) okay that is a bit of an exaggeration they are usually sweet and manageable... to my face anyway!

* One year ago... I thought it was kinda neat, well interesting at least, when I heard that ugandans call white people mzungu
~ Now... FUCK THAT! my name is not mzungu or munu!  if you don't know it you can call me miss or madam like every other woman you see who is not white! (oh and screw that muchina and muhindi shit too.... RUDE!)

* One year ago... I thought that Ugandans would be doing traditional dances, wearing stereotypical "african clothing" and probably wouldn't be too concerned with hygeine
~ Now... I feel that Ugandans are cleaner and more obsessed with looking smart and westernized then any peace corps volunteer I know (aside from the lack of education concerning deoderant) They bathe TWICE a day... and I have friends who are trying to remember if they washed their asses 2 weeks ago...

* One year ago... I was excited but also scared and nervous about what I was going to experience and how I would get along there without anything I was accustomed to
~ Now... I am happy to say that while I loved visiting the states and seeing people I love, I am looking forward to returning to Uganda, getting back to work, having fun and being generally ridiculous more then I could ever have afforded to be in America.  Don't get me wrong the food sucks, the power shuts off EVERYDAY for hours, transportation of a 100km can take 5 hours and people stare at me sometimes like I am from the moon but I love my job, my friends, my home and the life that I have created over there.

I have some new projects I am starting next year including a health and sexual education program, possibly coaching baseball and participating in some camps designated for children from northern uganda... in addition to the work I already do which includes a counseling program, lifeskills club and occasional reproductive health seminars... oh yeah and teaching!

Hilites from the first year include: 1. rafting the nile in jinja 2. halloween and thanksgiving madness in gulu 3.drinking and dancing in lira one day/night after accidentally taking a muscle relaxer... 4. starting the lifeskills club at my school with some of my fave students 5. being a counselor at camp GLOW 6. doing condom demos for men who were total strangers 7. finding Sankofa... our american sanctuary to get away from all that is africa and... 8. when Derrick, a teacher at my school who used to try to defend caning, stood up in front of 200 primary teachers and asked them to promise to never hit a child again!

So I suck at posting so I am not making any promises... but I hope this satisfied those of you who have been waiting for one! And now for some pictures....

xoxo

Nik

Us about to flip over on a class 5 rapid on the nile.... terrifying (I'm the 2nd one back on the left)

Bernadette and I being silly in a hotel room in Gulu before going out to a club

The road from my house to school

Sarah... the sweetest girl I have met in Uganda thus far

Nile booze cruise... pretty rainbow!

My faves... steve and eliza being their usual silly selves dancing at All Vol... and jacque off to side with one of her usual fabulously awkward poses

Me doing a condom demo at world aids day for a bunch of ugandan strangers

playing baseball with JICA volunteers (the japanese peace corps) in Mpigi

girls at assembly.. on the right is Jane another one of my students that I took to camp GLOW

Me and RACHEL! my equally ridiculous and silly partner in lame crime

Me in a creepy african mask from a shady store we found in an ally in Jinja

Steve and I cramped in a matatu... per usual

Stella walking ahead in the market in Gulu