Budadiri Unleashed

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HL1hpAbniwk&feature=channel

My latest video of me teaching, my river, a traditional african ceremony, and much more...

MALARIA has struck!!!

I went to teach at my school today and I told some of my fellow teachers my symptoms and it was confirmed by three of them I have malaria….

Malaria is very common here in Eastern Uganda. It kills people on a daily basis, mainly children and the elderly. It actually kills more people than AIDS here in Uganda and most of Africa for that matter. Malaria is spread by mosquitoes. Considering there are hundreds of mosquitoes in my house at any given time it would makes sense I would get it. I hate those little guys…

But one thing I failed to mention is that my symptoms were that I had a headache and felt tired. One of the things that is hilarious is that whatever symptoms someone has it is automatically diagnosed by everyone and their mother that they have malaria (our medical staff warned us of this). Didn’t sleep well last night, must be Malaria. Feeling tired (even though you walked 10 miles the day before), it must be Malaria. Anything and everything results in Malaria… So Mom, don’t worry as I am confident I don’t have Malaria despite what everyone here says.

My new video is out... MTV cribs... Uganda Style...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A7jHe2C6R_A

Muzungu

In my last blog I briefly mentioned being called “muzungu” by everyone and anyone here in Uganda. I hear muzungu at least 15 times every day. Whether I am walking down the street to the market to buy some eggs or just playing football (soccer) with some local kids they point at me and call me muzungu constantly. Where ever I go I am noticed by everyone along the way...

Ugandans define the word muzungu as a white person. The word muzungu originates from Swahili and is defined as a world traveler but most Ugandan’s don’t know this. White people don’t live here and aren’t seen often so they have a name for us. The good news is Ugandans hold muzungu’s in high regard. Without even knowing me they think I am really smart and show me a lot of respect. When passing old women on the street they greet me using the name “baba” which means respected father, which is a very privileged name. When children shake my hand they bow down on one knee and put direct their face to the ground as a sign of respect.

On the other hand, there are a few downfalls of being a muzungu. I frighten my neighbor’s 3-year-old daughter. Anytime I get within a 4-foot radius of her she starts to cry. She is scared because she has never seen anyone like me before. Another downfall is they associate that all muzungu’s have a lot of money so they will beg from me as well. When they beg for money from me I also beg for money from them in the local language to catch them off guard. They generally get a kick out of it because they have never seen a muzungu speak their local language before.

Overall it is fun being the muzungu in my village. I am looking forward to seeing how they respond the longer I am here. They still treat me different and probably always will but I still anticipate some type of change after being here two years…

Don't steal anything in Uganda...

3:32 pm. Thursday afternoon. I am sitting on my front porch talking to Marcos, one of my students, about what he has been doing during the break. I hear loud screaming by the river near my house. As we stop talking to listen to the noise, it is getting louder. The screaming and yelling is now coming from a group of people that must be getting closer to us because the volume is constantly increasing. Marcos and I get up to look at what is happening behind my house and we notice a group of about 30 people all running in the same direction making lots of noise. I look at Marcos in confusion and he explains to me that they caught someone stealing from their garden. He went on to explain that if someone steals they first catch them and them beat them. Beat them to death. Even if it is just a stem of bananas I asked? Marcos went on to explain that it doesn’t matter what you steal… If you are caught you will be beat to death. Uganda Lesson 101: Don’t steal anything.

I have been here in Budadiri for about two weeks. I have finally moved into my house and truly love it. I am going to share some of the details of my house in the next video so stay tuned… The neighbors have been so welcoming to me and inviting me over to share meals with them all the time. Sure it is always rice and beans but they still share all they have. The hospitality of everyone here is amazing. I have received numerous house warming gifts and I just moved in…

I start teaching on May 24^th and am really excited to do it! It is going to be a challenge to manage an average class size of 100 students but I am excited and ready for the challenge. I never really understood Physics that well but it is never too late to learn it since I am going to have to teach it in 2 weeks! Everyone I meet in town asks them if I am going to be their teacher and are super excited if I am and if I am not they ask why I don’t want to teach them? They are all excited for the “muzungu” or “white man” teacher so I am just hoping I don’t disappoint them…

I am a murderer.... What did I kill???

Please see my most recent update!! It includes me killing something I never killed before and which city I am going to spending the next two years at...

There is one thing you most do. If you watch this video you must put a comment on this blog posting. Let me know you are watching! Give me an idea for my next blog. Anything at all... The comments make my day so please comment!!!! If you watch and don't comment... shame on you!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zQIrqox4NNw

Sending some love your way!!

MJ

Meet the other volunteers I am with!!! - video blog #1

here is the 3 minute video of all the other volunteers I am with...

http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=352321707975

Coach Carter in Uganda...

Two nights ago I was went to a friend’s house to hang out and watch a movie on his computer. We decided on “Coach Carter” because he had never seen it and it is one of my all time favorites… It is about a coach that is coaching an inner city basketball team in life and basketball. It is based on a true story and the athletes in the movie live in the ghetto of Richmond, California and come from broken homes. Most of the athletes came from broken homes that were struggling to financially survive each week. Coach Carter went on to explain how they opportunity to do whatever they wanted despite their background. If they went on to get an education and worked hard to pursue their dreams they could. Your probably thinking typical feel good movie … SO WHAT???

Here in Uganda my “sister” in the family I am staying with during training has graduated from University which is a rare and an honored accomplishment here. She is very smart but due to the 60% unemployment rate here in Uganda there isn’t much opportunity for her to get a job. There isn’t a middle class here either. 90% of the working Ugandans who do have jobs are farmers. It is no wonder that the moral in the schools (and the country for that matter) are low and the students don’t have a desire to learn.

I write all this to remind myself how fortunate I am to have been born and lived a country that I was able to go to college and get a job right after because of my “hard work”. Many people here compare it to winning a lottery… and I hit the Jackpot by just being born where I did. I also write to this remind myself of the amount of work that is ahead of me. I can’t get overwhelmed by what Uganda doesn’t have but just focus on my small part. Any change or progress that is made anywhere is made one step at a time. I can’t wait to get out of training and into my community!!

My Video Blog has arrived!!!

My Video Blog has arrived!!! I hope you enjoy it!!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SWopzxDE9eQ

Mbale here I come!!!

March 5, 2010

These weeks go by so fast. It is already Friday night and it felt like the week just started… The training is starting to become more enjoyable because current volunteers are presenting to us and also we are doing more activities during the day. So after this week I will have 7 more weeks of training before I am sent off to my village to start teaching. It was pretty sad this week because there was a large landslide in Mbale which killed hundreds of people. That is the city I am moving to and I want to pray for these people and their families during this time of hardship.

One part of the Peace Corps I was not looking forward to was learning the local language! Many people come in looking forward to it but not me. I hated learning new languages because of my bad experiences of 5 years in Spanish. So when we started daily language classes on the language of Mbale, Lumasaba, I was not excited. I felt bad for my language teacher, Mango, because he was going to have to deal with my lack of ability to learn a language…

To my pleasant surprise Mango is one of the best teachers I have ever had in my 17 years of schooling. His enthusiasm for the language and us learning is contagious. Lumasaba is hard because it has a lot of sounds that we don’t have in English. But fortunately I am picking it up and enjoying it as well. Every Peace Corps Volunteer tells me that the better they know the local language the easier it is to get plugged into the culture. Even though they speak English most places many of the uneducated don’t. Regardless I am hoping to continue to enjoy it!

Finally, I am so thankful and feel so fortunate for this opportunity to be here in Uganda. My mom called me and I was explaining to her that I really feel like I am meant to be here. God has granted me a peace within my heart that he wants me here and I praise Him for that. I am getting more excited about getting my own classroom and building relationships in my community I can’t wait!

February 23, 2010

So our medical staff always told us that everyone has ups and downs while here in the Peace Corp. Many of my friends here are having a tough time and Peace Corps is wearing on them. The sadness of the poverty, the questioning of what can I really accomplish, reminding yourself it is two full years away from life in US… all these things are kicking in for many people. It wears on me a little to hear everyone complaining of what we don’t have and why they are thinking about leaving. Training is tough because we came here to change the world and we just sit in a room all day listening to boring lectures (not all of them but many are…). We have to do this for 10 weeks so that is tough.

I got a few friends to write out why they came to P.C. I also did it to help me remember that I felt God calling me here. I believe he has many lives he wants me to affect and he wants to change me even more. I must continue to remind myself this and I will continue to get my strength from God.

I was going over 2 Corinthians 12: 5-10 and sharing it with a friend. “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness” “That is why, for Christ’s sake I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.” I remember when Pastor Terry talked about this at the Men’s retreat and Paul having his Thorn that kept bothering him but it reminded him of God and God’s greatness. Certain times in my life I felt I could relate to that so well especially with my back stuff. I want to make sure I always come back to that.

February 17, 2010

Well here I am in the dark in my host families bedroom writing on my computer. Today is Wednesday and I got here two days ago. My host family is wonderful. They live in a really nice house for Uganda standards but it has no running water and electricity about 6 hour a day. Good luck on planning which 6 hours they are. Mr. and Mrs. Katamaba are so hospitable it is amazing. I am going to save most of the stories for the Video blog but overall it is great! I have been trying to get used to showering with a bucket filled with water. You would think pouring it on over your head would be most logical but it isn’t. It wasn’t the water and you don’t have much… The most efficient (so glad I am an Industrial Engineer) is to put your hands in the bucket and grab some water and place a little on you at a time. Rub it around and then do it all over again in another spot. Most Ugandans use soap but I am trying not to use much because I don’t have enough water to get it off. I guess my method isn’t the most efficient because Ugandans use the soap and get it off while using less water.

In my family there is Mr. and Mrs. Katamba, Faith and Caroline. Faith is 22 years old and graduated high school. Speaks relatively good English and does most of the chores around the house. Caroline is 14 and in school right now. I thought I had it hard but she goes to school for 8 hours initially and then goes back for a 3 hour study session after doing some chores around the home… I thought I had it tough growing up… Not to mention she does that 6 days a week!!! In addition to learning Ugandan do’s and don’ts the kids will answer my questions pretty honestly, which is nice. Especially because it is rude to be direct here. I hope I don’t make too many people mad…

The food we eat is wonderful. Matokee is the main Ugandan dish and it is a plantain/banana dish that is mashed like mashed potatoes. We normally put beans on it to add some flavor because it is bland by itself. Ugandans normally eat a huge lunch around 1 and a huge dinner at 10 pm… No breakfast. What! That goes against my 5 small meals a day to keep my metabolism down. Fortunately for me Mrs. Matamba wakes up early to make me a Pourage (really thin oatmeal style dish). I really like it and she has lots of fruit too. Lots of fresh flavorful bananas and also Jackfruit which is a juicy fruit that I can only relate to something like cantaloupe but more flavorful.

February 12, 2010

I am sitting here in my bedroom. We have had a long day of training in our compound that we eat, sleep, play soccer, and learn. It doesn’t feel like we are in Uganda because we haven’t gone outside these walls since we arrived from the airport last night. The entire staff of Peace Corps Uganda overwhelmed us with their greetings at the airport. It was really nice to see so many smiling faces greeting us and made us feel special.

We are really bonding with the all of the volunteers. There are 29 of us and everyone gets along really well. Even though it is only 3 days into this we are with each other every hour of the day so I feel like I know them better than that. A few of us were talking about how it is going to be sad when we have to go to our posts because we won’t be together and it will get real lonely. Since we are all together all the time my extrovert qualities are coming out more because towards the end of my time in San Fran I felt like I was becoming more of an introvert. I guess I was just ready to come to Uganda.

I learned that as of today I am going to be a Secondary School Math Teacher. I am going to be teaching math to kids that are in 6^th – 8^th grade. The class sizes are anywhere from 60 – 100 students! When I originally applied the Business Development Program of the Peace Corps and was accepted to Teach math I was not excited and almost didn’t accept my invitation because I was set on business. But now I am here I am set on teaching and more excited about that. Supposedly Business Development doesn’t have much structure and with teaching math I will have spare time to do business development on the side. I can’t wait to get out there.

Finally one thing I heard is the if you aren’t emotionally unstable coming into the Peace Corps you definitely will bee going out… Right now is an emotional high with meeting all these like-minded individuals that want to change the world. I look forward to what God has for me next….

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