I Have Been Lost!

When you go away for an extended period of time, Ugandans will say to you (upon your return), “Eh! You are lost!”  Meaning: “I haven’t seen you for a while.  Where have you been?”

After I returned from Rwanda last month, I had to hang out Kampala for a dentist appointment.  I’ve had tooth pain in one of my molars for the past few months – it turns out I needed a root canal.  Thankfully, the dentist here is pretty good (he graduated from Northwestern!).  He did the majority of the root canal, but I still have to go back in a few weeks to finish, and then again to get a new crown.

So I got back to Kuluva a little over a week ago.  It’s always a surprise to go into my house after being gone for a while: there are lots of spiders to kill, lots of lizard poop to clean up, and dirt & cobwebs everywhere.   This time there was the added bonus a dead mouse decomposing in my sitting room.

I was just starting to get back into my routine (bike ride, market, school, etc.), when last Saturday, there was a tragic accident in Gulu and a PCV lost her life.  We received notification from Peace Corps Security that three girls were hit by a truck as they walked to the bus park early in the morning.  I didn’t know the girl who died (she was from the new group that I haven't met yet), but I was emotionally crippled at the thought of losing a member of my Peace Corps family.  It’s been very difficult to deal with this incident, and the thought of her family constantly brings tears to my eyes.  I send them strength and love every time I think about what happened.
(*My friend Nancy is a PCV in Gulu, and posted a more in-depth blog about Danielle's accident.  http://atexangoesquesting.blogspot.com/2013/05/the-loss-of-sweet-spirit.html?spref=fb ) 

I’ve been able to keep busy at school this week, typing notes for the principal and preparing the Computing exam for the diploma students.  I never been so grateful for secretarial work to keep my mind occupied.

May 1^st was Uganda’s Labor Day and I was invited to a picnic in a town called Rhino Camp (about 2 hours east of Arua).  It would have been a lot more impressive if there were actual rhinos there, but sadly they have all been poached or moved to the Rhino Sanctuary in Masindi.  (The Ugandans kept reminding us [the PCVs] that Teddy Roosevelt came here and hunted rhinos.)  Anyway, the picnic was lovely – we were on a hill overlooking the Nile River, and enjoyed local food (beans, potatoes, cabbage, and pineapple for me, everyone else indulged in chicken and pork).

 

                

But now, after one week at site, it’s time to leave again.  I’m going to be a counselor Northern Camp GLOW (again)!  I’m really looking forward to another camp – it's my favorite part of Peace Corps.