Saturday, December 14, 2013

Winter WonderLeeds

      
(Christmas decorations in Leeds City Centre)

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas!! (although the weather is still very mild - in the upper 40's).  In Leeds City Centre, there is a large outdoor German Christmas market with shops selling candy, food, ornaments, and other pretty little things.  I stumbled upon it one night (not knowing it was there) and took some pictures.  Very festive!

     

     

     

My classes finished yesterday (hooray!) but I still have a paper to turn in on the 19th and a statistics exam in January that I need to study for.  Last night, the Health Sciences Department held the annual holiday party.  It was a great way to end the semester - we learned traditional Ceilidh dancing and had live music by 'Gaelstrom.'  Now many of us are returning to our home countries (or traveling around Europe) for the break.  :)

     

     


HAPPY HOLIDAYS!!!

Saturday, November 23, 2013

Work Hard, Play Hard

Epidemiological statistics is kicking my ass.

It's been a while since I've had any kind of math class - so learning statistics for 8 hours each day, then working on case studies at night is a lot to handle.  But I knew this master's programme would be intense, since it's only one year.

I changed my mind about which optional modules I'm going to take: instead of courses focused on health policy design, I'll be taking Communicable Diseases, Non-Communicable Diseases, Sexual and Reproductive Health, and Monitoring and Evaluating Health Programmes.  I think it's more important to get a background in diseases and health topics, since international policies will be covered in those modules anyway.  I've also submitted my proposal for a dissertation topic about food security and malnutrition in Sub-Saharan Africa and am waiting approval.  In the meantime, I can start researching the background information.

As for my class assignments, I've completed a critical analysis of a study on mental health in four African countries and I wrote a 20-page project proposal for diabetes intervention.  My next assignment is to prioritise health services (specific to STIs, pregnancy and sexual violence) in a refugee camp.

I'm in class from 9:30am-5:00pm, Monday through Friday until next semester - but I still try to make time for fun.  :)

International Potluck Dinner at the Health Sciences Centre

Visit to Leeds Medical Museum

        
Day trip to Warwick Castle and Oxford

Out to dinner at Thai Edge with my classmates

Now that it's getting colder, there are fewer opportunities for excursions.  When spring comes around, you can expect more travel blog posts.  ;)

Sunday, November 3, 2013

Darkness Has Fallen

For the past two years, I lived in Uganda just near the equator.  That means there was virtually no change of seasons (except for rainy or dry) and no change in daylight hours.  Every day was always 12 hours of sunlight (sunrise at 7:00am and sunset at 7:00pm).  The seasons were in limbo and time stood still for two years - May and November felt exactly the same.

Now I'm living in Leeds, United Kingdom which is located at +52 degrees latitude.  It's farther north than Calgary, Canada.  Being that it was just daylight savings a few weeks ago (it's different dates than the US), I'm now thrust into darkness for the majority of my day.  And it's going to get worse until we reach December 21st.  I am told that on the shortest days of the year the sun will rise at 8:30am and set at 3:30pm.  Yikes.

And come June, I will experience the other extreme - sunrise at 4:30am and sunset at 9:30pm.  Yikes again.

I will cope with the time changes (and take some vitamin D supplements this month) because I realized that I'm much happier having four seasons in the year.  Fall has always been my favorite time of year and it just doesn't feel like Christmas without winter.  :)

(Only 6 more weeks until I'm back in Chicago for the holidays!!!)

Friday, October 18, 2013

Programme Coursework

(I changed the spell check on my computer to the U.K. version.  Get used to it.)

Now that I've written a little about my life in Leeds, you may be interested in the actual Master of Public Health (MPH) coursework that I'm doing.  The first module that I'm taking is Foundations of Public Health.  It's a two-month course that covers a variety of topics:
  • Determinants of health
  • Gender and health
  • Health systems
  • Health policy
  • Resource management (time, policy processes, information, medicine, human resources, etc.)
  • Financing for health
  • Hospitals in health systems
  • Project planning
This may seem incredibly boring to you, but I like it.  My two favorite topics so far have been International Trends in Health Policy and Planning for Health.  It was interesting to learn about public health policies from around the world [which was a particularly interesting discussion during the U.S. government shutdown over the Affordable Care Act] and also learning how to prioritise health programmes.  How do you make budget decisions that will help one group of people (e.g. HIV/AIDS patients) but will take away from another (e.g. mental health patients)?  *Discussions are always in the context of developing countries' health systems.  I finally understand the process of lobbying to stakeholders and why the U.S. government takes forever to pass legislation.  And incredibly, I still want to work in the government - because I feel that I can work with the system and create policy changes that will make a difference in healthcare (internationally and in the U.S.).

The next module is Principles of Public Health, which starts mid-November.  This course will cover:
  • Epidemiology
  • Health promotion
  • Health statistics
  • Non-communicable diseases
  • Water and sanitation
  • Communicable diseases
  • Service delivery systems
The two modules, Foundations and Principles, provide the basic knowledge of the health topics.  In January, we begin the optional modules which go more in depth about the issues.  Right now, I'm leaning towards choosing Communicable Diseases, Monitoring and Evaluating Health Programmes, Health Management Information Systems, and International Health Policy.  Health Systems Research Methods is another compulsory class that starts in January.  And of course, there's the dissertation research paper that's due in August.

I think it's safe to say that my blog posts are going to become very sporadic soon.  We've already finished one paper (a short 6-pager) but tomorrow we're getting assigned a major project (worth 70% of our grade).  After researching and writing all day, I don't really feel like blogging.  Plus, my blog posts topics are running a little thin.  Anyway, I'll definitely write if something exciting happens, i.e. social gatherings (not snakes).


Went out to eat for Chinese food after submitting our first assignment.  Good times.  :)

Tuesday, October 8, 2013

Culture Shock . . . Again

I spent seven weeks in the US before I came to Leeds - I figured that was enough time to adjust back to modern society.  And I knew there would be some cultural differences between the US and the UK, but not as much as living in Uganda.  I was unprepared for the level of culture shock that I am experiencing here.

Part of it may be the transition between (non)work in the Peace Corps and becoming a full-time student; part of it may be that many of my classmates are from Africa and I'm falling back into my Uganda tendencies (e.g. speaking broken English); part of it is definitely the fact that I don't have any American friends here.  (At least in Peace Corps, I frequently got together with other people experiencing the same level of culture shock as me.)

This chart explains the emotional ups & downs of culture shock.
*Weird observation: #1 starts relatively high and after the whole experience, #9 is much lower.  So you'll never be as happy as before you left your country. (???)

Specific instances of culture shock:
  • Getting laughed at by British classmates for my American accent and the mispronunciation of words like Yorkshire.  They pronounce it York-shir, as in 'Yeah sure' - not 'shire', like hobbits are from the Shire.  Edinburgh is pronounced Edin-bra, not Edin-boro or Edin-bura.  Shopping carts are 'trolleys' and paper towels are 'kitchen rolls.'
  • Getting used to British money.  They have a ton of coins - this picture is still missing the big £2 coin piece.  I hate holding up the line at checkout when I'm trying to figure out the difference between a 10 pence and a 20 pence.
 
  • Almost getting hit several times by oncoming traffic.  I learned the hard way whether pedestrians or cars have the right of way.  I know that cars drive on the left side of the street, but crosswalks and traffic lights are very confusing.  Maybe I should just sit at an intersection one day and figure out the order of light changes and turn arrows. 
  • Getting back into school mode.  I'm having a hard time getting motivated to study and write papers.  I have a paper due Monday and I haven't even read the article yet.
  • Getting used to flatmates.  I've been living on my own for over 10 years, and my living space is always neat and orderly.  My tolerance is being tested by the sharing a kitchen with 4 other people.
Dirty and clean dishes are piling up because no one will put them away.  
(We each have separate cabinets for our own dishes.)

  
Five people, five shelves in the refrigerator.  No room for leftovers.
Even though I struggle with the culture sometimes, I'm not hiding out in my room (which is a common habit of people living in a new environment).  The university always has events going on, so I've been going out a lot ( . . . maybe that's why I'm procrastinating on my homework).  In the past 3 weeks, I've been to:
  • Tour of Leeds city center
  • Kirkstall Abbey outdoor market
  • Afternoon tea at Grayson Heights
  • Grayson Heights residents' dinner at Trio
  • International Students Welcome Dinner
  • Leeds Lights Night
  • Hike at Golden Acre Park
Another positive note: 
The other day I saw a big black fly in the vestibule near the elevators.  It occurred to me that that was the first insect I've seen since arriving in the UK.  Crazy!!  Also, it's been amazing weather so far.  There have been a few days of rain, but for the most part it's sunny and upper 50's.  My flatmate (from the UK) says it's never like this in October (or September!).  I am extremely grateful for a proper autumn.  I'm also grateful that even on rainy days, there's no lightning here.  Uganda had extreme lightning during each storm - so much so, that I was scared of leaving the house if I saw dark clouds coming.  My nerves were completely shot (from lightning, critters, strange noises, etc.)  I am far less stressed here.  ;)

Saturday, September 28, 2013

All Around Leeds

It came to my attention that people may need a visual of where I live in regards to the university, Leeds city area, etc.  This is the best I can do: a photo of a school map.


The "O" on the left side is my dorm; the brown area in the middle is the university; and southeast of the university is the city center.  It's about an hour long walk to get from my dorm to the city center (or I can take a 10-minute bus ride).  The "D" at the top of the map is a town called Headingley (a 15/20-minute walk from my dorm) - it's the closest place for me to go shopping (lots of thrift stores!) or eat out (coffee shops, Subway, Pizza Hut, Thai food and more).

A notable observation about the UK:
In America, there is a plethora of fast food restaurants.  McDonald's, Burger King, Wendy's, Taco Bell, Subway, KFC, Panda Express, Chipotle, Quizno's, Noodles & Company, Jimmy John's, Arby's, White Castle, just to name a few.  While the UK also has some of these options, they are only located in the city center.  There aren't any fast food restaurants near campus or my dorm.  Instead, the British love sandwiches.  There are sandwich shops on every corner and in every cafe on campus.  I'm talking plain old egg salad, tuna salad, ham & cheese sandwiches.  This is what they eat every day for lunch.  We've also had a few catered lunches during orientation - yep, all sandwiches.

Leeds city center is one giant shopping emporium, with stores ranging from the Pound Shop (aka The Dollar Store) to Louis Vuitton and Vivienne Westwood.  I went a city tour with a group from school and tried to learn my way around. 



Other than shopping, clubbing, or going to the train station, there's not really much else to do in the city center.  And since I am on a strict budget (with no income), my time in the city will be limited.

Thursday, September 19, 2013

Grayson Heights

When I received my accommodation assignment, I saw it as a good sign, since my nephew's middle name is Grayson.  It's a post-graduate dorm for international students.  Perfect.

Grayson Heights is a tall high-rise building - I took this picture on a typical cloudy day.  There are 3 flats per floor, each with a locking outer door in the vestibule near the elevator.  My flat is on the second floor and has 5 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, a kitchen and a lounge area. 

Want to see the tour???  Here's the video link.  (I'm all high-tech now with my new iPod Touch.)

As mentioned before, my dorm is a 40-minute walk to campus with a lot of massive hills.  (There are buses that run to campus but I don't have a bus pass yet.)  The major grocery store here is called Morrisons and it's a 10-minute walk, which is really nice.  There's not a whole lot of restaurants or cafes around, but I figure that if I eat out, it will probably be on campus anyway and I'll just cook back at my flat.



These are my flatmates: Shu Ping from China, studying marketing; Seinya from Sierra Leone, studying bio-conservation; me from the USA, studying international public health; Eunice from Zimbabwe, studying sustainable development; Louise from the UK, studying conference interpretation (French & Spanish).  I love the fact that the 5 of us are from 5 different countries.

Funny story: Before we moved here, Louise googled "Grayson Heights" to get more info about the dorm and she found my blog!!  I had already updated my page and included my new mailing address, so it came up in her search!  She told me that she read a few of my entries and recognized me when I was in the lobby on moving-in day.  Ha ha, too funny.

Wednesday, September 18, 2013

I thought this week was going to be easy.

Last night after I blogged, I decided to look through my orientation binder for the public health program.  I found that there is a schedule printed out for the entire first semester.  To my surprise, classes are starting tomorrow (Wednesday) - not September 25th like the rest of the university.  I guess it's a good thing I got here early.

During orientation this morning, we were given our first homework assignment (due on Friday) and we were informed that there is a statistics test on Thursday.  It's more of an assessment - but either way, I need study up a little on health statistics.

I'm slightly overwhelmed with school at the moment, probably because I'm also dealing with cultural adjustment and jet lag.  I have had no time to open a bank account, get a bus pass, register with a doctor, or look into phone services; I still haven't even registered yet (so no student id).  My room is a disaster and I haven't even unpacked the box of kitchen utensils/cookware that I ordered.  I'm completely scatter-brained from all of the chaos around me right now.  And all I want to do is watch a movie and sleep.

If I can manage to complete all of the previously mentioned tasks by Friday, then I'll be fine.  That's my goal.

Monday, September 16, 2013

Orientation

I fell asleep around 8:30pm last night - then woke up at 3:00am.  Stupid jet lag.  I forced myself to go back to sleep but got up around 5:30am anyway.  I took a nice hot shower and enjoyed some coffee before heading off to school for orientation.

It turns out my dorm is much farther from campus than I expected.  The school website said it was a 30-minute walk - it's actually closer to 45.  With the wind and rain, it makes for a miserable start to the day.  Not to mention the enormous hills to climb (comparable to San Francisco).

The orientation for the Leeds Institute of Health Sciences began at 9:30am.  I thought it was just be a quick meeting, maybe one hour.  It lasted until 1:00pm and tomorrow we have another 9:30-1:00 orientation.  I'm a little overwhelmed by all of this immediate information, but it was really nice to meet the people in my program.  We were also introduced to the teaching staff and got to talk with some former students.  Then there was a lovely catered lunch for us after the session.  It was a really nice surprise.

Here's the breakdown of everything I learned today:
  • The department has 4 sections: Masters of Public Health (MPH) - International Health; Health Management, Policy and Planning; Masters of Science (MSc) - International Health; and Hospital Management.  I am in the Masters of Public Health (MPH) - International Health.  There are about 65 people total in all of the programs - the MPH section is the biggest with 33 people.
  • In all of the programs, I am the only American.  And there are only 4 students from the UK.  The over half of the students are from Nigeria.  For the MPH program:
    • Nigeria - 17 students
    • Saudi Arabia - 2 students
    • Kuwait - 1 student
    • Zimbabwe - 1 student
    • Ghana - 2 students
    • Kenya - 1 student
    • Uganda - 2 students
    • Taiwan - 1 student
    • South Sudan - 1 student
    • Thailand - 2 students
    • Namibia - 1 student
    • UK - 1 student
    • USA - 1 student (They had me listed as "Uganda" but I explained to everyone that I'm American.)
  • In the other programs, there are also students from India, Afghanistan, China, Italy, Pakistan, Sudan, and Vietnam. 
  • The majority of students (in all the programs) are doctors.  Many of them got frustrated only treating one person at a time and have decided to go into public health to treat society as a whole.
  • This year is going to be intense - classes run 9:30am-5:00pm Mon-Fri.  Yikes.  (But there is a 1 1/2 hour break for lunch.)  With this kind of schedule, there's not much time for a social life, working part-time, or even going to the gym.  (Of course walking 4 miles a day with all of these hills is a pretty damn good workout.  If only I wasn't a hot mess when I arrived at class.)
  • The first semester for the MPH is only 2 courses: Foundations of International Health and Principles of Public Health.  The reason I chose this university is because of the way they present the core courses.  Other universities have separate classes for epidemiology, biostatistics, health systems and research methods.  The University of Leeds blends all of those into Foundation and Principles.  For me, it a easier way to learn and apply the concepts.
  • So at this point, I don't have to register for my electives.  That will happen later and give me some time to think about my thesis.

I spent the rest of the afternoon running around trying to submit paperwork and get my student id, but there are a few hiccups in my account and I can't pay tuition yet, which means I can't register yet.  Hopefully it will all be resolved tomorrow.

Planes, Trains and Automobiles

And I'm off again!!

I took a non-stop flight from Chicago to Manchester, got a on train from Manchester Airport to Leeds Train Station, then took a cab to my dorm.  Unfortunately, I missed my stop to transfer on the train and had to backtrack a little.  It never fails that I get lost the first time I try a new public transit system.  The train system here is enormous - I can't even find a systems map because there so many trains going to so many different cities.  Slowly, slowly I will learn.

I had arranged a meet & greet at Leeds Train Station with the university welcome team.  It worked out perfectly.  They had a little booth set up and I walked right over after getting off the train.  I received a welcome packet (which I have not looked through yet), and they arrange for a taxi to take me to my dorm for a fair price.  After I got to my dorm, I met a few of my flatmates and promptly passed out for a 2-hour nap.

I didn't want to sleep all day (since it was noon when I started my nap) - I decided to go walking around for a bit.  I took a wrong turn somewhere and never found the supermarket that near the dorm.  Instead, I walked all the way down the main road (called Commercial Road) and found another supermarket.  It was kind of small (compared to US grocery stores) but I picked up some fruit, cookies, soup and sandwich for dinner.  Other than the supermarket, there is really nothing else around.  It's very residential and virtually no restaurants or shops nearby.  (But I've seen a map and there's plenty of cafes on campus.)

The weather here is WINDY!!!  It was cloudy and rainy this morning, now it's cleared up.  Temperatures are in the 50's, so it's not too bad, but the wind is crazy.

Now I've got a massive stack of welcome letters, university events, maps and brochures to sort out.  And I need to figure out my walking route to school tomorrow.

Tuesday, September 3, 2013

Under Construction

I'm currently in Chicago making the transition from a Peace Corps Volunteer in Uganda to a grad school student in Leeds.  Stay tuned for a new adventure in the UK . . .

Thursday, July 25, 2013

I'm Officially a Peace Corpse.

Add It Up:
How many months I’ve been in Uganda: 24
How many months without running water: 15
How many liters of water I need to bathe: 4
How many books I’ve read: 53
How many movies I’ve watched: 510
How many TV shows I’ve watched: 55 seasons of shows, 4 miniseries
How many computer cables I have replaced because of unstable electricity: 3
How many nursing students I’ve taught: 11 in Social Psychology, 144 in Computing
How many camps I participated in: 5
How many trips to the Peace Corps Medical Office: 6 (mostly dental appointments)
How many times I shit my pants: 0 (there were a few close calls, but it never happened)
How many parasites I’ve had: 2 (Giardia at the beginning of my service and now again at the end)
How much weight I’ve lost or gained since arriving in Uganda: +10 pounds
How many snake encounters in my house: 4
How many other vermin I’ve had in my house: too many to count [various spiders, ants, termites, cockroaches, wasps, mosquitoes, flies, beetles, millipedes, moths, silverfish, misc. African bugs, lizards, and 2 mice]
How many towns/villages I’ve stayed (overnight) at in Uganda: 26
How many African countries I’ve visited: 4 (Uganda, Tanzania/Zanzibar, Rwanda, Egypt)
How many care packages I received: 38
How many pictures I’ve taken: 2,827 (plus 2,334 from other people)


Adventures:
Safari in Queen Elizabeth National Park
Two nights on an island on Lake Bunyoni
Safari in Murchison Falls National Park


Hiking at Sipi Falls
Camping and safari at Lake Manyara, the Serengeti, and the Ngorongoro Crater (Tanzania)
Two vacations in Zanzibar: snorkeling in the coral reefs, parasailing, spice tour, swimming in the Indian Ocean
Gorilla trekking in Bwindi Impenetrable Forest


Visited Rwanda: saw Genocide Museums, Hotel de Mille Collines, hot springs, Lake Kivu, and an active volcano at night (from far away)
White water rafting on the Nile River
Egypt tour: 6 pyramids, the Sphinx, 5 temples, the Valley of the Kings, snorkeling in the Red Sea, Egyptian Museum, Khan El Khalili bazaar


Kuluva Accomplishments:
Created a school brochure
Created lesson materials and taught Social Psychology to Diploma students 
Taught computing to Diploma students (Sets 1 and 2), Certificate students (Sets 9 and 10)


Created 2 different inventory databases (because the principal didn’t like the first one)
Created exam questions database
Wrote a grant for computer technology upgrade and internet connection (but it was denied)
Typed 30 pages of notes on Disaster Management for the principal


Peace Corps Accomplishments:
Was elected Secretary of Gender and Development Committee
Was a Camp Counselor at Northern Camp GLOW 2012, Girl Tech, Eastern Camp GLOW, and Northern Camp GLOW 2013


Taught nutrition at Eastern Camp GLOW
Taught nutrition to women’s group in Adumi
Was group representative on Volunteer Advisory Committee
Completed 5 trimester reports (with limited electricity and internet)
Wrote grant for Girl Tech (and was approved)
Co-Director of Girl Tech 2.0: coordinated staff and camper applications, created budget spreadsheet


This is Africa (TIA)


Monkey at my back door



Stuck in the mud


Snakes - one more time for your viewing pleasure
 

A small child with a machete - this is a common sight in Uganda 

Me on a boda in Rwanda (where helmets are required)

PEACE OUT!

Wednesday, July 17, 2013

E.T. Phone Home


In the Peace Corps, E.T. stands for “Early Termination.”  There are three ways to terminate your service:
  • A volunteer can resign
  • A volunteer can be administratively separated (i.e. kicked out)
  • A volunteer can be medically separated due to illness or injury
My training group started with 46 people – 14 have ET’ed.  I will be number 15.  I have chosen to resign from my service (as opposed to officially closing my service) because of grad school.  I have been desperately trying to get my UK Student Visa processed in Uganda, but due to lack of printers/scanners in my village and restricted Kampala travel (where the Visa Application Center is), I cannot get my student visa here.  Since it takes 8 weeks for the visa application to be processed, I have to return to the U.S. as soon as possible in order to have my passport returned to me before school begins.

I am slightly stressed out because I have to leave Uganda in a bit of a rush.  I’ve been traveling for the past month (for meetings, conferences, and vacations) and have to pack up my house and say goodbye to everyone this week.  I’ll be leaving Kuluva on Friday and having a farewell dinner with the Arua PCV’s on Saturday.

The past two weeks have been an emotional rollercoaster, saying goodbye to my training group at our final conference and preparing to leave Uganda.  Mom and Dad have received many phone calls with me freaking about student visas, grad school, and early terminations.  They were very understanding and offered sound advice when my head was spinning . . . (albeit they’re slightly biased for me to come home early).  :)  And my PCV friends have been extremely supportive of my ET, reminding me that grad school is the next step and that should be my focus (not closing my service with Peace Corps).

Now being back at Kuluva, sitting in the computer room, typing this blog (because there’s nothing else to do), I am reminded that things at site are not so great and it’s okay to leave.  I found this quote on the blog of another PCV who also left early:

“Respect yourself enough to walk away from anything that no longer serves you, grows you, or makes you happy.”  -Robert Tew

Instead of sitting around site (possibly just watching movies and reading books), the next four weeks could be better spent preparing for Leeds, readjusting to modern civilization, visiting family, and decompressing from two years in the Peace Corps.

So that’s my decision to ET and come home. 
(In case you’re wondering, my arrival back in the US will be sometime around July 27.)

 The remaining 32 people in my Peace Corps training group

Monday, July 8, 2013

Pondering Thought #5: Food Habits


PCV Binge Eating
For some reason, PCVs consume copious amounts of food when we go to Kampala (or on vacation somewhere, or back to the States, etc.).  Sure there are limited food options in the village and going to “the city” offers a wide variety of cuisine, but why do we feel the need to gorge ourselves beyond capacity?  I would never eat an entire pizza by myself in the U.S., so why do I do it here?  Yes, it tastes amazing and I don’t want to stop eating it.  And I know people don’t keep leftovers here because there are no refrigerators or microwaves (for the most part).  But seriously, after stuffing my face with a vegetable pizza, someone suggested we go out for ice cream.  “Why not?!  I can’t get ice cream in the village!  Better have it now.”  Right?  Wrong.  I had a stomach ache for two days.

           
Jinja binge: My roasted vegetable sandwich w/ fries, my friend's meatball sandwich with fries, my mint chocolate chip milkshake, and my friend's chocolate peanut butter milkshake 
= stomach ache and indigestion.

Care packages are another binge opportunity.  I love everything I receive.  And I can easily ration granola bars and rice packets, but somehow the chocolate never lasts more than a week.

Produce vs. processed food
I thought when I came to Africa I’d be eating fresh fruits, veggies, and grains all the time.  What I didn’t realize was how much preparation everything takes.  In America, you can buy a can of beans and just heat them up on the stove.  Not here – beans are raw and take about 4 hours to cook.  I’m too lazy for that.  Fruits and veggies need to be scrubbed thoroughly (to get the dirt off) and then soaked in diluted bleach water for 20 minutes (to kill any bacteria).  Manure is used as fertilizer here, so if the animal had bacteria or parasites, then their manure will have it too.  Again, it’s a lot of work just eat a few tomatoes (not to mention the hour bike ride to town and the hour ride back).  And sometimes, I’ll buy a heap of tomatoes only to come home (wash & bleach them) and cut into them to find they are rotten on the inside.  Aargh! 


The risk of getting sick is very high, so I choose to make the majority of my meals from packaged foods (even though it’s much pricier than fresh food).  Ugandans can’t usually afford things like noodles or cereal, but my Peace Corps allowance is a lot more than what the locals earn.  And sometimes the supermarkets have some American goodies in stock. 


Yes, Heinz Ketchup is a special "treat" here.  The local "ketchup" is neon red and tastes like candy.

Animal slaughtering

I have not participated in any slaughters in Uganda, but I have witnessed many.  It’s the way of life here, even for PCVs.  In the market, there are many butcher stands with animal carcasses hanging and I frequently see boda drivers with cow/pig/goat parts (legs mostly) on the back of their bikes – one time it was a cow’s head!  Since living in Uganda, I have become much more sensitized to slaughtering and meat preparation.

(No photos available)

Insects
There are 2 local delicacies in Uganda: fried grasshoppers and fried white ants (aka termites).  Ugandans will collect grasshoppers in the fields, fry them up, and sell them by the bag on the side of the road.


During the rainy season, white ants will swarm around the outside house lights (after the rain has stopped).  People come with buckets to collect the termites after their wings have fallen off.  Then the ants are fried or mixed in with the beans and enjoyed.

 Pot full of cooked termites, mmm . . .

I have not tried either of these.  Am I still a vegetarian if I eat insects?

FYI – the WHO suggests adding insects to our diet for more protein and to reduce the environmental impact from cattle/animal farming.   


Eh! You are fat!
In Uganda, being fat is a good thing.  It shows that you are not sick (AIDS is 'the thinning disease') and that you have enough money to eat well.  It’s a sign of health and wealth.  But I’m from the US – so when the school attendant told me, “You have become very fat since coming to Uganda!” I was still offended.


Yes, I have put on a quite a few pounds during my service (*please refer back to PCV Binge Eating).  Although I ride my bike to Arua twice a week, that’s the only exercise I get.  Most days I just sit around my house or the computer room at school.  My life here is extremely sedentary compared to life in the US.  Oh, how I miss 24 Hour Fitness centers.


When we (PCVs) first arrived in country, we were warned about the phenomenon that girls gain weight in Peace Corps and boys lose weight.  It’s so true.  Boys lose a lot of muscle mass, but we girls put on the pounds due to all the carbs, sugar, and lack of exercise.


So yes Helen, I have become fat in Uganda.

Saturday, June 29, 2013

10 Days in Egypt: Reflections

I am extremely grateful to have had the opportunity to travel to Egypt during the small window when civil unrest was at bay.  As a Peace Corps Volunteer, we are required to get approval from a long chain of command before traveling: site supervisor, program manager, PC medical office, PC safety & security, and the country director.  If the country of destination is experiencing any political or health issues (e.g. Ebola), then our request is denied.  Egypt has been on the restricted list for almost my entire service, and was finally approved just in time for my last vacation. 

While Dorothy and I were there, our tour guide informed us of the mass protests planned for June 30th to remove the current president from power.  (*Our trip was June 14-24.)  If you read the international headlines today, the protests and violence have already begun.  While we were in Cairo, I took a picture of the fire damage (from the 2011 revolution) to the building next to the Egyptian Museum, which houses 120,000 ancient artifacts.  It’s scary to think that the political unrest came so close to destroying the irreplaceable remnants of history.



Aside from protests, I have several impressions from Egypt’s culture – the first being modern conveniences.  When coming from a village in Uganda, the first thing I notice when I travel is the availability of electricity & running water and paved roads.  But more than that, Egypt has fast food, a shopping mall with stores I recognize (Claire’s, Toys R us, Starbuck’s, Motorola, H&M, etc.) air conditioning, new cars, and high-rise buildings.  This is not to say that there still aren’t slums, insane taxi parks, and trash everywhere.

The good: modern convenience


 The bad: poor housing and trash

Upon arriving in Cairo, you will immediately take note of the number of smokers in Egypt.  Everyone smokes!  We saw kids as young as 14 or 15 years old smoking.  And you can smoke anywhere!  Restaurants, bars, airports, hotel lobbies, even the inside the mall!    After a few days I accepted the fact that the week was going to be filled with second-hand smoke – my clothes still reek.

 Dorothy (and the man in red) smoking inside a mall.

As a part of every culture, food and meal times take some adjusting.  The food in Egypt is classic Mediterranean (falafel, hummus, eggplant, etc.) – I was in heaven.  :)  And because we were in a tour group, a lot of the hotels had American cuisine too.  One thing that Dorothy and I noticed was the lack of fruit on the menu.  Fruit stands are everywhere in Egypt and yet we never got fruit with our meals (or even in the buffet line?!?!) and we couldn’t figure out why.   

In Uganda, leafy greens are considered a ‘poor man’s food’ because it grows on the ground – so it is not part of daily meals.  I wondered if it was the same way in Egypt with fruit.  One of the most difficult culture adjustments I had was with the meal times.  It’s true that I usually like an early dinner, but Egyptians take dinner from 9-11pm.  Yikes!  Breakfast between 9-10am and lunch around 3-4pm.  Luckily, Dorothy and I bought a bunch of snacks to carry with us and hold us over until the next meal.

It has been my experience that in most African countries, vendors hassle tourists.  It’s just their way of business.  “You come and buy from me!  How much!!  How much do you want to pay!!  I give you good price!  Very nice!”  Egyptian vendors seemed particularly aggressive shoving items in your face and not taking ‘no’ for an answer.  They followed us all the way to the bus, and even then stood in window and tried waving items in front of us.  One man gave Dorothy a “gift” of a scarf and put it around her neck.  She started to walk away and he demanded that she pay for it and came after her.  She threw it back at him.  Also, local people offer to take your picture in front of the pyramids or temples, then hold out their hand for payment.  We learned early on not to fall for the gimmicks.

Souvenir stand - every temple had them and they all sold the same things. 

Obviously, tourism is at a low point right now for Egypt.  That meant our tour group was on the smaller side (only 18 people instead of 40+) and the historic sites were virtually empty.  This was good and bad.  I loved walking around the temples without bumping into people or waiting in line, and I was able to take loads of pictures.  But after the first day Dorothy and I realized we need people in the pictures to give some perspective to the sheer size of the monuments.  Otherwise, the carvings look small, and the walls of the temples appear the size of an average building.

         

Tourism was low because of civil unrest, but also because it was the end of June . . . summer in Egypt.  Ouch.  Cairo temperatures were in the 90’s, but traveling south to Aswan and Luxor got us 100+ degrees everyday.  In the hot desert sun, we were dusty & sweaty by 10:00am.  Every place we walked, shade was essential and we couldn’t stay in the sun for any extended period of time.  Heat exhaustion hit me quickly and I was drinking twice as much water as I normally do.  But I still got light-headed and fatigued until we were back in the air-conditioned bus.

 Taking a break in the shade

Since living in Uganda, I’ve become to used animals everywhere, street food vendors, various vehicles for transportation (lorries, matatus, bodas, buses, and bicycles), and the open markets.  But here are some pictures of “Egypt Moments” that came as a surprise, even to me.

 A fresh juice stand (set up right next to traffic)

Donkeys!  (We don't have them in Uganda.)

First camel sighting - a man riding a camel down the street.

It's hard to see but the silver machine is for people to get drinking water (because it's so freakin' hot there).  These can be found in remote areas that don't have stores around to buy anything.  Local people set up these "drinking fountains" out of the goodness of their heart.  But, as a tourist, I still wouldn't drink the tap water.

 Fat man on a donkey near the pyramids.  Classic.