HI FROM UGANDA!

Hi everyone!
You can probably tell that I arrived in Uganda because there have been no new posts for awhile. We arrived in the evening, where we were taken to a conference and retreat center for the first six days. This was a time of getting used to food, jet lag, each other, classes, and Luganda. Now, we are in training. During training (for 10 weeks) we stay with host families and attend classes from Monday- Friday or Saturday.
About Uganda: It does have perfect weather! From the mid 70’s to the mid 80’s, but the rainy season is starting and there will be a lot of mud. People here describe the place as a type of garden of eden. The land is very fertile and close to 90% of the population subsists on agriculture. Despite the wide variety and availability of multiple fruits and vegetables, heavy starches are most commonly eaten, leading to many vitamin deficiencies in children and adults. Malaria and diarrhea are the biggest killers and education about sanitation, hand washing, waste disposal, water drainage, mosquito nets, etc. is in order. We have also been learning about several new agricultural methods and I am excited to try them out when I get to my site in mid- October.
About Peace Corps Uganda: It is very well organized. Peace Corps has been here since the 60’s, was kicked out during Idi Amin and came back in 1991. The current president had a peace corps science teacher in high school and felt that the Peace Corps was effective, so they were invited back to Uganda. Training so far is very well organized and the staff, many of whom have been doing this since 1991, are knowledgeable and organized. I am quite impressed by the thorough nature of our sessions and language classes. I think this site is better than many others partially because it has been selected for growth by headquarters in Washington, DC.
About me: I am doing well. I am staying with a well educated host family (both parents are accountants and the father has been working for American NGO’s for 17 yrs.). They have three children and an extended family living on their small suburban farm. They speak Runyankole/ Rukiga, the language that I am learning. In Uganda, English is the official language, besides which 56 languages exist. The language I am learning, thankfully, is a Bantu language, and shares structure and some terminology with languages from here down to South Africa. I see some similarities with Sesotho, and I am told that learning other Bantu languages will become much easier after learning this one. My schedule is a bit hectic; I usually wake up at 5:45 or 6:00; enough time to bathe, have tea, get dressed, use the outside bathroom, pray, and leave by 7:20. I then ride my bike through 4-5 km of hilly, holey roads to the training site, where I attend classes with the 44 other Peace Corps volunteers in my cohort. Afterwards, I ride home, sometimes stopping in town for internet (which is SLOW) or shopping and arrive home by 6:30 or 7:00 at latest. Sunshine is from 6:30 AM to 7:30 PM and it does not vary much throughout the year, as we are on the equator. Sunrises and sunsets are also much faster than I am used to. Anyway, I am home well before dark, where I have my own room and freedom to bathe again, study my language notes, have some tea, and wash clothes etc. Dinner is at about 8:30 or 9:00 (Ugandans like to eat dinner late!) after which I talk or help the girls with dishes, do some more studying, and go to bed.
Thank you for your prayers!
Sarah