New Arrivals and Fond Farewells

This past week I was in Arua meeting with the new Peace Corps trainees.  I actually only met the 4 that will be moving to Arua, not the whole training group.  Arua will be getting 2 health volunteers and 2 economic development volunteers.  (No one is coming to Kuluva, oh well.)  I was at their training as a mentor to answer questions they had - anything from buses to bugs.  It was a strange experience to be giving advice and tips - I remember being the one in training with all the questions.  Where did the time go?  When did my group become the "seniors"??

I also assisted the trainees with the community assessment protocol the Peace Corps uses.  We went out to a village and gathered a group of 20 local people (of various demographics).  The assessment includes four sections: daily activities schedule (for each age group and gender), seasonal calendar, community mapping, and needs assessment.  Every time there is a meeting in a village, it’s usually held under a mango tree.  Sure enough, we arrived and took our seats under this mango tree.  :)

 (Community Mapping)

The same week that the trainees came to visit Arua, the last of the education volunteers finished their service and left Uganda.  So Arua lost half of its PCV population (for now).  On Friday, we had a farewell party for Chelsea who is leaving Uganda next week.  I didn’t realize how long it’s been since I went to a social gathering like that – it was so nice to cook, drink some wine, and hang out with my PCV friends (and trainees too!).  I spent the night at Betty’s house and enjoyed some good coffee with her in the morning.

Then we heard the thunder rolling in. (Uh oh.)  I jumped on my bike and tried to make it home but got caught in a torrential downpour.  When the rains come, people get off the road and take shelter until it passes.

 

We were huddled there for about 1½ hours.  Then the rain stopped and I continued my bike ride home.  With the rain, came a 20-degree temperature drop.  I curled up on my couch, ate some leftover vegetable curry, and watched “Cloud Atlas.”