Malaria Time!

Take anti-malaria regularly
Sleep under mosquito net
Apply mosquito repellent
Try not to stay out when is "mosquito time"....
And Bla bla bla....all very true and useful...and all good...but I'm SO "lucky" that I got malaria nonetheless....and THE STRONG TYPE!
Of course if I'm writing is because I made it very  much alive! :)

Tuesday I thought I wouldn't make it to the next day. I know it sounds like an exaggeration, but it wouldn't if you could have seen me.
However, medicines make miracles and I jumped from hell to heaven in 24 hours!
Yes you do feel weak and all that (I honestly would be surprised otherwise!) but they allow you to put one foot straight in front of the other (it was an impossible task on Tuesday) and it feels like you are re-born!
Rosa, the other volunteer, was really nice and she bought for me few little treats. Sweety!

So, changing subject, here the rainy season is not that rainy after all....and I keep getting darker on my arms, whiter on my belly. What a nice combination :)
As some of you already know, I'm anticipating my return home.
I won't say the exact day (cheeky me :P) but it's definitely sooner than it should have been.

That's it for this week. Not much else as the main focus was on getting better.
I know some of you may think that it serves me right because I always want to challenge myself instead of going for something easier, but hey, I still love Africa! :) Hope you still love me :)

Hugs and love

Fede

Kampala :)

Hello hello!

Last week was great!
After saying Anna goodbye (always sad when someone leaves), me and Rosa got ready for our 4 days in Kampala. We name them our S.p.a. holiday, as we decided to stay away from carbs as much as possible and have a full immersion of vegs and fish (OMG Talapia is SO good!).

Monday we just chilled out at the Shopping Mall and went at the cinema (Oh yes!!!)...a little treat.
Tuesday we walked like madwomen. After spending the morning at the Sunyo Baby Orphanage, we crossed Kampala (literally) and went to the National Museum.
The experience at the orphanage reminded me of South Africa a lot, even though the children here were all younger than 4, and many!!
These women work tirelessly and the result is amazing! It's not easy to keep a place like that clean, with all those babies and without washing machine!
Wednesday we had a lazy day visiting the African Craft Village and the Gaddaffi Mosque (named after him as he financed it), the second biggest in Africa, after the one in Marocco. Never been into a mosque before, and it was a really interesting experience (they also veiled us properly).
Thursday we moved to Entebbe, which is lovely and welcoming, clean and quiet. We went to the Wildlife Conservation Centre and had lunch in an Italian restaurant....feeling home already!!! :P

Unfortunately time flies when you have fun, and the 4 days were soon over :(
It's hard to believe this is week number 8!

Hope everything is  good for you guys.

Hugs from a still hot Uganda

Fede

Snakes...argh...

Ciao!

Rainy season has started. Not much rain up to now, but more cloudy and definitely cooler!

Last Sunday a new volunteer arrived: Anna. She'll stay a few weeks.

I have to say that being here made me realize how precious the access to health care is. Of course we all realize that, even though we often forget, but being here leaves you endlessy grateful for the health care we are provided with back home. As a woman I'm particular touched by maternal mortality during child birth: here is a gamble, and way too many times a gamble which women lose.

On a more cheerful note, two Saturdays ago me and Rosa decided to go to Jinga and it was a great day!

We had lunch at Flavours and for couple of hours we were far away from dust and beans (you would understand after more than a month eating them almost daily!!)

I had a moka and its taste reminded me of Oxford SO much.

I also saw my first (and second after few days) snake. No worries. Small one. After making sure that having baby snake didn't mean that mum snake was around (apparently they are not too keen on motherhood, which is great news to me!) and after having killed them, I regain my normal heart beat (after all...one was in the backyard...but the other one was in my bedroom!!!)

I'm also enjoying interesting conversations with my colleague Robert.

As old as me and very smart, he was brought up as traditional Ugandan, so he can gives me the best insights about Ugandan culture. For example, did you know that the in laws (wife's side) are not allowed in the house? I know few people back home who would be happy to take up this tradition :)

We also went to a quiz night on Thursday where we were amongst all Mzungus (whites) and I met a girl from Oxford who lives almost next door to where I lived and, funniest of all, she works in Oxfam in the Oxfone team! We could almost be interchangable, if it wasn't that she is 10 years younger (yes I know...feeling old!!!)

That's it for now.

Hope you are all well.

Love

Fede

The new volunteer is here!!!

Hi all!!

So this was the week of the 'first times'.
My first time chewing a sugar cane...which I really enjoyed because the first bite released something really similar to fresh honey :)
My first time in Jinga, the closest big city. I went to the source of the Nile and I had a really nice day out. On my way back, on the 'taxi', I realised that for the first time I was relaxed....I wasn't clunching my teeth as I do most of the time.
Another first time was when I realised that maybe..after all...I'm gonna make it! :) Such realisation came after seeing Rosa, the new volunteer, walking through the gate where I live. She'll stay 3 months, working on HIV.
She is a really nice 20 years old American, from Washington D.C (I see a pattern here...Grace, Danielle? :P)
So, it's like if all of a sudden the place has brighten up...and me with it!
Last night we didn't have power, but we chatted until 10...LOVELY!!

News also on the workside.
Now I'll be working at the Integrated Disabled People (IDP) SACCO every Mondays and Tuesdays, and in Baitambogwe the rest of the week.
IDP SACCO is planning to organise the official launch of the Sacco with a trade fair, and I'm the organiser. Cool!!!
So...all good! I still dream of cheese and fresh tomato on fresh baked bread...but you know me....:P

That's it for now.
Good week-end guys!!!

With love

Fede



Third week....

Hi all!

As usual my luck didn't work and the volunteer who was supposed to come this week...postponed two weeks!!!Now...that makes 1 month and 4 days of me alone here. You can't really say I'm not making the effort!!

So, after a day spent in a miserable mood because of the news...I pulled myself together and here I am...end of my 3rd week!

I got used to some things, but still struggling with others.

For example I can't help it but get upset when they pack you in a taxi meant to drive 14 people...but if you count you see 26 heads...26! A bit too much I think! It also looks that I'm not getting used to the tireless and endless request of money/sweets/balloons from children, everywhere you go. Yes I know...I do love children...and I still do. I don't dislike them...I dislike the attitude that they have been 'thought'.

Religion is another difficult issue...especially because I'm always speechless when I find myself in fornt of a poster about a crusade (I didn't know it, they are like collective moment of prayer and singing in the name of God)...and the poster reads: 'Bring along oppressed, sick and Demon possessed...God will heal them'....(a bit too much for me, but I carefully avoided to discuss about it).

Also, people here don't smile (exception made for children). If you go in a supermarket, office...you name it...people don't smile. Not just to me...they simply do not smile.  Tough!

The real positive note, which is also what is really pushing me to go ahead, is the work at the Baitambogwe SACCO. Slowly slowly we are putting together a business plan (can someone explain the manager that no, it's not ready yet because doing it properly it actually takes some time AND the fact that they have almost nothing saved as soft copy doesn't help?).

I also went for my first appraisal, which means going around the village on the boda-boda (motorbike) assessing whether the conditions are positive or not  for a loan.

The biggest issue at the moment is the repayment rate, between 49 and 51%. So this is what I'm working on: to find a way to improve the pay back percentage. However, changes happen slowly and the attitude is difficult to fight, amongst the community and the SACCO itself.

The common perception is that they ask a loan, they get it, and IF they can, they pay it back...if not...not a big issue. No further action had never been taken anyway until now....(of course they are not so worried to pay back...would you??). It's a bit like fighting against the windmills...but still, we must try.

At times I feel a bit stronger and more capable of coping with the whole situation....some other times I'd like just to be on a plane, heading back home.

Anyway, a lot depends on the other volunteer's arrivale. So I just wait and see...

In the meantime, I send you a lot of hugs.

And a special thanks to Arjuna. Your Christmas present is revealing itself as a real blessing :)

Love

Fede

'Freedom has a high price, as high as that of slavery; the only difference is that you pay with pleasure and a smile, even when that smile is dimmed by tears'

 (The Zahir: a Novel of Obsession-P.Coelho)

Settling down...

I know that my last post wasn't too cheerful. Sorry guys! It has been quite overwhelming, but it is getting better.
For example I now have a room with private toilet (plastic box) :P a blessing so I don't have to go out when it gets dark eh eh.
I also got myself some coffee for breakfast (even if it really tastes ginger, because they use the cups to drink tea, which is mixed with ginger. So...a ginger coffee...o well...could go worse...no coffee at all :)

Tomorrow I will start working in a new microfinance institution, as the other one, IDIWA, has little to do. However, in this week I managed to finish thei business plan, which was on a draft, and create a brochure :)

So yes, I just wanted to let you know that is getting better. It takes time, but it gets better.
And...as it looks like I, too, have a good star, apparently another volunteer is coming to stay with us at the end of Jan...for 4 months!!!!

Thanks for all those sending me nice messages. They really help :) so does my diary which I write every morning and evening (Thanks Arjuna!!).

Love

Fede

PS: I was working on the business plan in the office, and from open window I heard the first few notes of "Sign of a victory"...I thought was really funny...as it is the song that became the symbol of the time spent in South Africa..and it always gives me a good kick :)

Hi everyone. I'm alive ;)

Hi everyone.
I'm here...The  flight was ok and by Friday morning I was at the village.
Ok..so this is my current situation...let's forget about the lack of facilities and the mices getting around the household...I'm actually getting used to the pit latrine (when you need it, you need it) and the fact there is little water...but let's talk about the fact that I am  THE ONLY WHITE in the whooooooooooole village. No. I'm not jocking.  I actually wish I was. And I actually wish I knew.
Here bedtime is about 9.30, as electricity is off most of the time and when is dark, is really pitch dark.
So yes, it's tough.

Food is good. Well, actually whoever knows me  should know I have no problem with food :) the only issue is that since I arrived I had rice or pasta with beans. Alternatively posho (maize flour cooked with water and resulting in something similar to polenta. It's what in  South Africa was called pap) with beans. As other choice you can have potatoes or cassava, either fried or, guess what? With beans!!
The skirt is already getting toooo tight!!

Yesterday I started at work. I walk from home to the office by myself for 15 minutes, trying to pretend that people are not staring at me as if I was an alien...
I'm not entirely sure how it will go because my role within the organisation is not define yet.
In the meantime I started to define the draft of their business plan.

I hope you are all fine. Miss you.

love

Fede