Hello everyone!
So let me tell you about what I will be doing...(sorry, it might be a
long and possibly boring email)
W O R K
Twerwaneho is an community initiative/sort of orphanage that helps not
only orphans but also HIV/AIDS affected children, children with
disabilities and children who are the main providers for their
households. For all children, TOCI aims to teach them the skills to
sustain themselves through income generating activities and technical
training. There is also a focus on bridging the gap between parents
and disabled children and they have been quite successful in this
area. Before TOCI started, disabled children were often abused,
isolated and feared. After working with parents, the children became
more accepted and part of the family. They were being fed regularly
and included in family activities. These children are also taught
skills to help them become successful in life.
TOCI, as the organization is called, is currently supports the
children through donations of school supplies and basic needs,
implementing a (seemingly) sustainable animal rearing project, medical
supplies and treatments, and actually the list can get quite long.
The organization is currently funded by donations. A few generous
individuals were generous enough to help donate a little over $100 a
month for the next year. This happens to cover their administrative
costs (barely). The rest of the money comes from the community and the
volunteers who founded the organization (my supervisor and
counterpart). Work done by the organization is based primarily on the
volunteered time of its members. --if anyone wants to donate, and
every little bit helps! let me know.
From my first week here, the following became apparent to me:
1. TOCI is spending much more money than they are brining in. One of
the first tasks we will need to do is to determine a possible source
of income. At this time, we are examining multiple leads in income
generating activities.
2. The paperwork, although there, is unorganized. Once the paperwork
is reorganized, we will be able to determine budgets for the upcoming
year, figure out their assets and liabilities, etc.
3. The organization is spread way too thin. They are trying to do many
more projects and assistance than they are currently capable of. TOCI
will need to prioritize and determine where to use their resources.
This may mean cutting back on existing projects and a temporary halt
on any new projects.
4. There is a need to determine and create a clear outline of the
organization's vision and mission. As they have grown over the past
year or two, they have expanded and have gotten sidetracked from their
path.
-So basically, we're doing to be focused first on getting up
organization self-sustaining before continuing its outreach assistance
programs.
Beyond the above listed, some other things that the organization needs
is a motocycle (~$500) for transportation and outreach, and a
computer. If anyone has a used laptop they are planning to get rid of,
please consider donating it to us! If not, a cheap netbook is about
$260. Donations are welcome! As soon as I can, I hope to list some
crafts that are made by the children and villages here that may
interest you guys. They'll make great gifts! *wink*
The website for the organization (and still a work in progress) is
www.twerwaneho.wordpress.com.
There's actually quite a lot to do at this organization and I'm very
happy to be here. I do feel like I can actually contribute =).
However, I will admit, it will be necessary for me to establish
boundaries with my counterpart and supervisor lest I burn out because
they are so eager to do so much so soon.
H O U S E
My house is a single room with a bathroom (shower and porcelain toilet
that doesn't work unless I manually flush cause there's no running
water inside) and a small hallway where I have my cooking set up. I
live adjacent to another family (my landlady). There's a nice driveway
from the main road to the house. Very pretty, makes me feel like I'm
living on a farm. The family also raises cows here. There's still work
to be done on my place (closets, mosquito screens, etc.) but it's not
bad. I've installed some stuff already and I do have electricity.
Hooray!
E T C
Also, sorry for the lack of information. The area I'm in (called
Karago) has absolutely TERRIBLE phone and internet reception. As town
is not that far away, I will try to get into town once a week to use
the internet. But town is wallet killer so we'll see...
Thursday, October 27, 2011
Monday, October 17, 2011
Tooth Fairy or Rat Present?
Naka's currently in the process of losing her teeth. So I asked Jaja if they had tooth fairies here. Apparently, they have rat presents instead. You put the tooth in a hole and a rat will come take it and leave you a present...I think I like the happier American version.
So remember how I wrote about cooking? Well I had actually separated the meat from the bones and left the bones. Jaja was like oh! you didn't use the bones. So the next morning (today), she cooked the bones...without washing them. There were ants ALL over the bones. So she dumps the matooke in there and cooks it all together. Finished product included visible dead ants. Terrible.
So remember how I wrote about cooking? Well I had actually separated the meat from the bones and left the bones. Jaja was like oh! you didn't use the bones. So the next morning (today), she cooked the bones...without washing them. There were ants ALL over the bones. So she dumps the matooke in there and cooks it all together. Finished product included visible dead ants. Terrible.
Sunday, October 16, 2011
Update
Update!
So Female Jaja didn't make it home for dinner either....and Male Jaja told me I had to cook the meat or it would go bad. Obviously, it doesn't occur to the male centric culture that they could possibly cook. Especially if they know I can't/suck at it.
Anyhow, so once again, I touched the meat. This time, I pulled out of the knives I brought from home. WOW what a difference it makes!
Regardless, I gave up on the soy sauce. I just used salt. Naka seemed to really like it. That's good, cause whenever I cook, I end up not wanting to eat anything I make. Hmm...maybe I should consider this my weight loss method. Cook, see my food, and not be hungry but still able to feed others =).
And unfortunately, my luck ran out again today. The water stopped coming! I don't know if it means the pump broke or the well is out of water or what. All I know is that meant I had to take a bucket bath, no more toilet tonight, and no more washing hands from a sink =(.
O well, best wishes for tomorrow!
So Female Jaja didn't make it home for dinner either....and Male Jaja told me I had to cook the meat or it would go bad. Obviously, it doesn't occur to the male centric culture that they could possibly cook. Especially if they know I can't/suck at it.
Anyhow, so once again, I touched the meat. This time, I pulled out of the knives I brought from home. WOW what a difference it makes!
Regardless, I gave up on the soy sauce. I just used salt. Naka seemed to really like it. That's good, cause whenever I cook, I end up not wanting to eat anything I make. Hmm...maybe I should consider this my weight loss method. Cook, see my food, and not be hungry but still able to feed others =).
And unfortunately, my luck ran out again today. The water stopped coming! I don't know if it means the pump broke or the well is out of water or what. All I know is that meant I had to take a bucket bath, no more toilet tonight, and no more washing hands from a sink =(.
O well, best wishes for tomorrow!
I popped the cherry and feel so dirty!
Okay. That is a raunchy title. And no, the post is absolutely not what you're thinking. I just couldn't resist the title =).
As many of you know are familiar with me know, I abhor touching raw meat with my bare hands although I have no problems eating meat (sorry!). I'm one of those retards that either gets someone else to handle the meat or I'll have gloves on or use another utensil to avoid direct contact.
Anyhow, today, Female Jaja decides to go to Kampala to visit her sister. She tells me around 10am, "oh, you'll have to cook lunch". !!! I'm sure most of you know I don't exactly cook either…and the last post about cooking was about a sigiri I lit on fire trying to cook eggs -____--.
So my brain starts running in a million different directions thinking about what I could cook them, if they had food in the house, or if maybe I should just go out and buy food and bring it back (which would cost way too much).
Well, I saw that they had some left over matooke and Male Jaja said he would bring meat so I decided to make a matooke burrito for them. I intended to just get some fries in town but of course they were not cooking yet (people eat lunch between 1-2pm at the earliest it seems and dinner between 8-10pm).
So I come back with chapatis as my tortilla. And saw the meat. BLEH. It's a couple HUGE chunks. After staring at it for about 5 minutes, I acknowledge with a reluctant sigh that yes, it needs to be cut…and yes, I will have to do the cutting… SIGH.
Naka brings me a dull knife and slowly initial contact is made. O-M-G raw meat feeeeeeeeels soooooo DISGUSTING! Squishy and slimy and still with tons of fat on it, too bad you couldn't have seen my face. I'm sure you would have laughed your ass off at me. Mama, I'm sure you're proud--I've finally touched raw meat.
Anyhow, back to it. So I somehow manage to slice into smaller pieces (very difficult1) and decided to try to marinate it as I had no idea how to cook meat as I usually avoid cooking meat altogether. I dumped some soy sauce in the pot, some sugar, and some onion because I didn't have garlic and let it sit for about 30 min.
In the meantime, while waiting, I realized that the matooke I had seen was the bottom burnt pieces and not really all that much. So I added some water, got as much of the unburned parts as possible, warmed it up over the sigiri and mashed it up. Turns out, it's only enough matooke for one burrito. Not that it mattered anyways, as Male Jaja disappeared (he came back later at 4pm to eat ) and Female Jaja took Masa with her so it was just Naka and I. So Naka got a matooke burrito! Ingredients: left over matooke recooked, chapati, and some slices of raw tomato. LOL
And then the meat was cooked. Naka said she liked it. I thought it tasted exactly like soy sauce…so I tried sprinkling some sugar on it. Which now in hindsight, seems stupid after I've already cooked the meat. Anyhow…results: mixed. I think food looks terrible, I don't know about the taste as I didn't eat it besides trying a bite of meat. Naka ate all of it and said she liked it (I'm not sure if she ate all of it just because I gave it to her…), and finally, when Male Jaja came home, he ate just a piece or two max of the meat.
Awwww man. I really need to work on this cooking thing. Maybe after I find my stove as I've seem to have lost it. Sigiri cooking is not a great method for me unfortunately.
Oh, and my hands still stink of meat. I've washed my hands about 6 times now with soap and it's no use. I have meaty hands =(.
As many of you know are familiar with me know, I abhor touching raw meat with my bare hands although I have no problems eating meat (sorry!). I'm one of those retards that either gets someone else to handle the meat or I'll have gloves on or use another utensil to avoid direct contact.
Anyhow, today, Female Jaja decides to go to Kampala to visit her sister. She tells me around 10am, "oh, you'll have to cook lunch". !!! I'm sure most of you know I don't exactly cook either…and the last post about cooking was about a sigiri I lit on fire trying to cook eggs -____--.
So my brain starts running in a million different directions thinking about what I could cook them, if they had food in the house, or if maybe I should just go out and buy food and bring it back (which would cost way too much).
Well, I saw that they had some left over matooke and Male Jaja said he would bring meat so I decided to make a matooke burrito for them. I intended to just get some fries in town but of course they were not cooking yet (people eat lunch between 1-2pm at the earliest it seems and dinner between 8-10pm).
So I come back with chapatis as my tortilla. And saw the meat. BLEH. It's a couple HUGE chunks. After staring at it for about 5 minutes, I acknowledge with a reluctant sigh that yes, it needs to be cut…and yes, I will have to do the cutting… SIGH.
Naka brings me a dull knife and slowly initial contact is made. O-M-G raw meat feeeeeeeeels soooooo DISGUSTING! Squishy and slimy and still with tons of fat on it, too bad you couldn't have seen my face. I'm sure you would have laughed your ass off at me. Mama, I'm sure you're proud--I've finally touched raw meat.
Anyhow, back to it. So I somehow manage to slice into smaller pieces (very difficult1) and decided to try to marinate it as I had no idea how to cook meat as I usually avoid cooking meat altogether. I dumped some soy sauce in the pot, some sugar, and some onion because I didn't have garlic and let it sit for about 30 min.
In the meantime, while waiting, I realized that the matooke I had seen was the bottom burnt pieces and not really all that much. So I added some water, got as much of the unburned parts as possible, warmed it up over the sigiri and mashed it up. Turns out, it's only enough matooke for one burrito. Not that it mattered anyways, as Male Jaja disappeared (he came back later at 4pm to eat ) and Female Jaja took Masa with her so it was just Naka and I. So Naka got a matooke burrito! Ingredients: left over matooke recooked, chapati, and some slices of raw tomato. LOL
And then the meat was cooked. Naka said she liked it. I thought it tasted exactly like soy sauce…so I tried sprinkling some sugar on it. Which now in hindsight, seems stupid after I've already cooked the meat. Anyhow…results: mixed. I think food looks terrible, I don't know about the taste as I didn't eat it besides trying a bite of meat. Naka ate all of it and said she liked it (I'm not sure if she ate all of it just because I gave it to her…), and finally, when Male Jaja came home, he ate just a piece or two max of the meat.
Awwww man. I really need to work on this cooking thing. Maybe after I find my stove as I've seem to have lost it. Sigiri cooking is not a great method for me unfortunately.
Oh, and my hands still stink of meat. I've washed my hands about 6 times now with soap and it's no use. I have meaty hands =(.
Friday, October 14, 2011
Swearing In Group Photo
https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/?ui=2&ik=432f6289a6&view=att&th=13301d02e500c9cb&attid=0.1&disp=thd&zw
I'm not sure if the link will work. If it doesn't let me know! I'm wearing the most traditional outfit of them all...only old people wear these here! LOL but I like it. and it was a gift from my host family...and I had packed my other dress away.
O! In the 3 days I've been away from my host family, they managed to get the running water working! So now I can take hot showers =)
I'm not sure if the link will work. If it doesn't let me know! I'm wearing the most traditional outfit of them all...only old people wear these here! LOL but I like it. and it was a gift from my host family...and I had packed my other dress away.
O! In the 3 days I've been away from my host family, they managed to get the running water working! So now I can take hot showers =)
Thursday, October 13, 2011
Update
Updates!
Losing a site sucks but I can flow with that. After all, I signed up to go to Africa =).
So I do not have a site yet. They are still working on it but I will most likely not be placed in the same language area. The reason I had to change sites was because one of my language trainers who also happens to live in my region called me a couple times and some inappropriate questions were asked.
I have been asked to move back to my homestay family until they find me a site. Unfortunately, my homestay family isn't too keen on having Charizard there for another 2 weeks and have asked if I could keep her elsewhere. Lucky for me, Tomas is a lifesaver and has agreed to take care of her during the time it takes for me to locate a new site. This makes me really sad that I can't be with her during this critical growing period of her life, but she's in great hands! In the meantime, I may be a sitting duck in Wakiso twiddling my thumbs. We'll see...
I have high hopes for my new site and some awws to be had. My previous site was a direct shoot by bus and I was actually in town. The chances of this being the case again for the new site are not likely and transportation in Uganda is TERRIBLE so that's a bummer. I had a great house in Arua too--electricity, toilet, running water, etc. Hopefully, my new place will have AT LEAST a toilet or porcelain pit latrine. I can live without running water (although that sucks!) and I would like electricity but that's not a necessity either. I'll keep my fingers crossed!
Losing a site sucks but I can flow with that. After all, I signed up to go to Africa =).
So I do not have a site yet. They are still working on it but I will most likely not be placed in the same language area. The reason I had to change sites was because one of my language trainers who also happens to live in my region called me a couple times and some inappropriate questions were asked.
I have been asked to move back to my homestay family until they find me a site. Unfortunately, my homestay family isn't too keen on having Charizard there for another 2 weeks and have asked if I could keep her elsewhere. Lucky for me, Tomas is a lifesaver and has agreed to take care of her during the time it takes for me to locate a new site. This makes me really sad that I can't be with her during this critical growing period of her life, but she's in great hands! In the meantime, I may be a sitting duck in Wakiso twiddling my thumbs. We'll see...
I have high hopes for my new site and some awws to be had. My previous site was a direct shoot by bus and I was actually in town. The chances of this being the case again for the new site are not likely and transportation in Uganda is TERRIBLE so that's a bummer. I had a great house in Arua too--electricity, toilet, running water, etc. Hopefully, my new place will have AT LEAST a toilet or porcelain pit latrine. I can live without running water (although that sucks!) and I would like electricity but that's not a necessity either. I'll keep my fingers crossed!
Well there goes that!
Well my world got turned upside down today.
Today we're supposed to swear in, which is super exciting as we have been working towards this for the last 2 months. However, I also learned today that I will no longer be moving to Arua. There was a situation that I had to file an incidence report and they decided it was unsafe and have pulled me from the region. So I get to learn a new language and move to a new area.
I'm of two minds about this. On one hand, I'm like shit happens, move with the flow and I get to learn another language! I scored intermediate-mid of Lugbarra fluency by the way =). On the other hand...I really liked my organization! I liked the values they had and the work I was going to do. And the fact that it was in town =) I really was looking forward to working with them and had set up some goals and a skeleton of a strategic plan that included creating a sustainable market cycle between the nearby areas/districts. Oh well...guess I'll get to do that over again.
So as of now, they said that they will notify me later tonight about what is going to happen while I wait for them to locate me a new site. And in the mean time, I need to figure out what to do with Char! She's being picked up as I write this and will be brought to me. I hope I can keep her with me!
I'll keep you posted!
Today we're supposed to swear in, which is super exciting as we have been working towards this for the last 2 months. However, I also learned today that I will no longer be moving to Arua. There was a situation that I had to file an incidence report and they decided it was unsafe and have pulled me from the region. So I get to learn a new language and move to a new area.
I'm of two minds about this. On one hand, I'm like shit happens, move with the flow and I get to learn another language! I scored intermediate-mid of Lugbarra fluency by the way =). On the other hand...I really liked my organization! I liked the values they had and the work I was going to do. And the fact that it was in town =) I really was looking forward to working with them and had set up some goals and a skeleton of a strategic plan that included creating a sustainable market cycle between the nearby areas/districts. Oh well...guess I'll get to do that over again.
So as of now, they said that they will notify me later tonight about what is going to happen while I wait for them to locate me a new site. And in the mean time, I need to figure out what to do with Char! She's being picked up as I write this and will be brought to me. I hope I can keep her with me!
I'll keep you posted!
Monday, October 10, 2011
I guess this is Africa...
So today was shopping day--ie. the day we go to the capital to go shopping for site.
I left the house this morning at 7:10am. I have somehow become the dog lady...usually there's one dog following me around. Today there were two. Bert (another neighborhood dog) and his friend. So they follow me all the way to town. After we cross the street, other dog gets chased by random dog and Bert barely misses getting hit by a van.
We (Tomas and I) can't catch a taxi near the road so we head to the taxi park. There, we saw everyone else (other "muzungus" white people =) ) and decide to get a taxi together. Somehow we end up paying 3000 shillings for a trip that should have cost us at most 2000 shillings because of their bargaining.
Anyhow, so we're finally on our way...and we hit traffic. Then we hit another taxi but of course we just keep driving after waving at the other taxi driver.
Finally, we made it to our destination--Garden City.
We shop shop shop and had korean food!!!!! And then I bought out the noodle and sauce section at the Chinese supermarket =). The preserved vegetables were all expired =( too bad! I wanted some lotus roots and bamboo shoots.
Anyhow, back home now. Super tired, hence this terribly written post. And power's off again x[p.
PS. Im sorry to hear about Bacchus. She was a great cat.
TTYL!
I left the house this morning at 7:10am. I have somehow become the dog lady...usually there's one dog following me around. Today there were two. Bert (another neighborhood dog) and his friend. So they follow me all the way to town. After we cross the street, other dog gets chased by random dog and Bert barely misses getting hit by a van.
We (Tomas and I) can't catch a taxi near the road so we head to the taxi park. There, we saw everyone else (other "muzungus" white people =) ) and decide to get a taxi together. Somehow we end up paying 3000 shillings for a trip that should have cost us at most 2000 shillings because of their bargaining.
Anyhow, so we're finally on our way...and we hit traffic. Then we hit another taxi but of course we just keep driving after waving at the other taxi driver.
Finally, we made it to our destination--Garden City.
We shop shop shop and had korean food!!!!! And then I bought out the noodle and sauce section at the Chinese supermarket =). The preserved vegetables were all expired =( too bad! I wanted some lotus roots and bamboo shoots.
Anyhow, back home now. Super tired, hence this terribly written post. And power's off again x[p.
PS. Im sorry to hear about Bacchus. She was a great cat.
TTYL!
Sunday, October 9, 2011
Saturday, October 1, 2011
Hello Charizard!
Hello!
OMG. I got a puppy! Female, about 4-5 weeks. Funny story actually. I wasn't planning to get a puppy for another two weeks but then Charizard appeared. As I was walking home earlier this week, I spotted a litter of puppies playing with their parents. I played with them and spoke to the owners and they offered me one.
Originally, I had planned on waiting but it turns out the puppy I was waiting for at my site fell through. So I talked to my current host family, talked to my ride up to my site, talked to my supervisors and everything was cleared. So Charizard came home.
I have done a lot of research on potty training, crate training, feeding, etc. and done all the lists of things I have to buy and do and what not but it's definitely one thing to research and plan it out and a whole other thing to have Charizard here. I was so nervous about it! Fortunately, Tomas (fellow trainee) is a life saver and managed to calm me down and we got everything settled, ready, and Charizard is lying next to me comfortable and happy. I'm nervous I'm not prepared enough...but I figure no one ever feels 100% prepared for their first kid (essentially, this is what my puppy is LOL).
Anyhow, I will keep you updated and hopefully post pics soon. In the mean time...I will take all dog/puppy raising tips I can get. So write on!
PS. Feel free to send me dog treats/toys etc. The selection in Uganda is supremely limited.
Cheers,
Tiff
OMG. I got a puppy! Female, about 4-5 weeks. Funny story actually. I wasn't planning to get a puppy for another two weeks but then Charizard appeared. As I was walking home earlier this week, I spotted a litter of puppies playing with their parents. I played with them and spoke to the owners and they offered me one.
Originally, I had planned on waiting but it turns out the puppy I was waiting for at my site fell through. So I talked to my current host family, talked to my ride up to my site, talked to my supervisors and everything was cleared. So Charizard came home.
I have done a lot of research on potty training, crate training, feeding, etc. and done all the lists of things I have to buy and do and what not but it's definitely one thing to research and plan it out and a whole other thing to have Charizard here. I was so nervous about it! Fortunately, Tomas (fellow trainee) is a life saver and managed to calm me down and we got everything settled, ready, and Charizard is lying next to me comfortable and happy. I'm nervous I'm not prepared enough...but I figure no one ever feels 100% prepared for their first kid (essentially, this is what my puppy is LOL).
Anyhow, I will keep you updated and hopefully post pics soon. In the mean time...I will take all dog/puppy raising tips I can get. So write on!
PS. Feel free to send me dog treats/toys etc. The selection in Uganda is supremely limited.
Cheers,
Tiff
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