Wednesday, September 9, 2009

Eby'okurya= food

Some people might ask. . . . what do you eat??? Well the most common staple food is matooke (or eby’tooke) which is green bananas peeled and cooked in wrapped banana leaves. There is also a lot of rice, cornmeal, potatoes, sweet potatoes, cassava, and pasta. In short, there is a lot of starch. Actually, anything not starch (and for some, anything not matooke) is not actually food. There is no actual word for the group of foods called vegetables in my target language (although there are words for individual types of vegetables). Instead vegetables and proteins are all just “sauce” to make the actual food go down easily. The numerous and abundant fruits ( the best pineapple, the ripe bananas, the mangos in their season, the jack fruits, the papayas) are all seen as a type of candy. For this reason malnutrition more than under nourishment is an issue.

Big visit!

Hi everyone—it is a bit difficult to upload pictures right now, but words are a bit easier.
I returned Monday from a trip to my future area of service. After training, I am going to the southwest of Uganda. We went with our language teacher and visited a city there and were able to speak the local language, etc. We visited many happy, productive peace corps volunteers, a fact that encourages me in relation to my future site. They also had found ways to make chili and cornbread, pizza, and guacamole of local ingredients.
Some were in cities; one volunteer was a project development/ reporting officer for a city NGO, while others are in villages; one built a library and taught in a village. Some have structured project: as a volunteer working on water and sanitation projects Mon- Fri from 8-6; while others do not; as a volunteer living and working on a school compound. Many volunteers have secondary, tertiary, and even more projects that they develop to supplement their work. The volunteer working at the NGO in town was also teaching baking to a chef, teaching arts and crafts at a school, and working with HIV/AIDS counselors at a local center. I don’t know what I’ll be doing but it will be unique, I am sure.
Our teacher was a great guide and answered our many questions, such as “How many cows did you pay for your wife?” with great answers, such as “Ten, but it was too much : )”. Others included “So… it is ok for anyone to walk around hand in hand, regardless of gender, as long as they are married?” which was answered with, “Sure, I love to hold the hands of friends or co- workers, but why would I hold my wife’s hand?” In actuality, he is amazing, and I am blessed to have such wonderful trainers.

Big visit!

Hi everyone—it is a bit difficult to upload pictures right now, but words are a bit easier.
I returned Monday from a trip to my future area of service. After training, I am going to the southwest of Uganda. We went with our language teacher and visited a city there and were able to speak the local language, etc. We visited many happy, productive peace corps volunteers, a fact that encourages me in relation to my future site. They also had found ways to make chili and cornbread, pizza, and guacamole of local ingredients.
Some were in cities; one volunteer was a project development/ reporting officer for a city NGO, while others are in villages; one built a library and taught in a village. Some have structured project: as a volunteer working on water and sanitation projects Mon- Fri from 8-6; while others do not; as a volunteer living and working on a school compound. Many volunteers have secondary, tertiary, and even more projects that they develop to supplement their work. The volunteer working at the NGO in town was also teaching baking to a chef, teaching arts and crafts at a school, and working with HIV/AIDS counselors at a local center. I don’t know what I’ll be doing but it will be unique, I am sure.
Our teacher was a great guide and answered our many questions, such as “How many cows did you pay for your wife?” with great answers, such as “Ten, but it was too much : )”. Others included “So… it is ok for anyone to walk around hand in hand, regardless of gender, as long as they are married?” which was answered with, “Sure, I love to hold the hands of friends or co- workers, but why would I hold my wife’s hand?” In actuality, he is amazing, and I am blessed to have such wonderful trainers.

medical officer visit!!!! : )

Yesterday at training, the nurses from the Peace Corps Medical office came for their weekly visit to our training site. There are two of them and they give us vaccinations very efficiently, one on each arm. They also conduct educational sessions. After expounding upon the dangers of schistomiasis worms extensively, one nurse talked about the mango fly. She explained that after this fly’s maggots are laid in damp clothing, they penetrate the skin and live in a growing lump on the skin. They are identified by the opening in the top of the skin that they use for air. No worry, however, when you feel them wriggling in your skin, wait for them to grow for about a week. Then cover the hole in the lump (in your skin) with a bit of Vaseline to suffocate them. After about a minute they will have risen to the surface, and you can squeeze them out. We asked which clothes they like the best and the answer was--- underwear!!