Saturday, December 29, 2012

Where Did December Go?


Well, the first week of December was spent in Zanzibar (see last blog post).  :)  What about the rest of it?

I returned to Uganda to find a slew of emails about all of my committee meetings.  The Gender and Development Committee met to elect the next Camp GLOW and Camp BUILD directors.  There have been two new groups of volunteers in Uganda since I arrived, and we try to get a mix of people from all training groups involved with camps.  The hand-over (of camp direction) is going very smoothly.  The GAD Committee also did a significant amount of fundraising and we’re able to help several volunteers with their local projects promoting gender equality.  One project is the Uganda Youth Newsletter; the other is a softball camp for girls!

A few days after the GAD meeting, I attended my first Volunteer Advisory Committee (VAC) meeting.  This is where 2 representatives from each training group meet with Peace Corps Administration to discuss current policies and issues that volunteers are having.  There were many topics to cover and the meeting ended up going for 4 hours.  But I can’t say that we got a whole lot accomplished – there was a lot of discussion and not much action.

So I’ve been in Uganda for 17 months now (crazy!).  Halfway through our service, we get a medical and dental check-up – it’s very basic, more like a consultation.  I just wanted to let you know that I’m healthy and my teeth are very clean again.  :)  At the end of our service, we’ll get the full exam (blood tests, dental x-rays, etc.).

By the time I returned back to Kuluva (after all of these Kampala visits), the nursing school was closed for Christmas break.  So I’ve been hanging out with other PCVs for the holidays.   


To sum it up:
  • Ate lots of pizza
  • Read The Hunger Games trilogy
  • Went for a hike
  • Made paper snowflakes
  • Went swimming in a pool at the hotel nearby 
  • Had a Christmas movie marathon: Elf, A Charlie Brown Christmas, It’s A Wonderful Life, National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation, and Love Actually
  • Christmas dinner included wine, stuffing, deviled eggs, green bean casserole, pesto pasta salad, pumpkin pie, and brownies
  • White Elephant gift exchange
Have a Happy New Year everyone!!!

5 comments:

  1. Hi Laura, It was great talking to you today! I'm glad to hear you had a Merry Christmas with your PCV friends, and Grandma will be happy to see you put up your Christmas tree again! We look forward to having you home with us next Christmas. We miss you a lot and think of you all the time. Have a Happy New Year and know that we are counting down until Oct. 2013.
    Love, Mom

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  2. Hi Laura,

    I love your Christmas movie marathon!! I tried to get the kids to watch It's a Wonderful Life with me but they wouldn't :(We did watch Elf though:) Wishing you a very happy new year!!

    jennifer

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  3. Happy to hear you had a great Christmas! I was thinking about you. We didn't make it to Chicago this year but we did go to Wyoming to see Josh, Kelly, and Brynn. We had a great time. Can't believe it's the countdown until you get home....so exciting! Love you and Happy New Year!

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  4. I just watched It's a Wonderful Life for the first time this year. Not too shabby. I always perceived it as a dopey Xmas movie so I never bothered with it.

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  5. Laura~so sorry way behind this year! with Jer's mom passing Nov.9th...everything seems like a whirlwind.....Did get to WY for Christmas and back....thinking of you...love you! Bray is 17 mths...so you two are on the same schedule!..Countdown 2013...9 mths and counting....is that right?

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