Updating the Resume

I realize I’ve only been at site for 6 months and I won’t actually need my resume for at least another 12 months.  But I wanted to write out what exactly my job entails at Kuluva (and figure I would just cut & paste it into my resume).

This week I had very successful meeting with my Peace Corps Program Manager, Shiphrah, and my supervisor, Sister Anne.  I had emailed Shiphrah a couple of weeks ago stating my concern that I’m teaching all the time.  It is not sustainable work, nor do I like it that much (I do not know anything about sociology in Uganda or in nursing).  When I first arrived at Kuluva, Sister Anne gave me a long list of various projects to do while I’m here (create databases, assist with report writing, community outreaches, etc.).  At this point, I've hardly done any of it – there’s just no time.  Between lesson planning, teaching class, and working on all my other Peace Corps projects/trainings (including all the days I have to travel), there is no way the student records database will ever get created.

Shiphrah came to clarify that I should not be teaching students – I should be teaching the staff how to improve school programs (something they can continue with after I leave).  We revisited my list of projects, and when I emphasized that I can complete the databases if I stop teaching, Sister Anne was very supportive (she really wants the databases).  The three of us worked together to redefine my role in the office administration, instead of the classroom. 

I am very happy with the outcome of the meeting.  Office administration work is experience that I can use back in the states – database management, IT staff training, project proposals, etc.  And it will certainly be sustainable for Kuluva and will greatly improve the quality of the school.  I feel so much better now.  :)

And tomorrow I’m traveling to Gulu for Camp GLOW!!  (So I will be offline until May.)

Pondering Thought #3: Don't Plan On It

Anyone who knows me knows that I’m a planner – I’m extremely organized and like to follow a schedule.  So of course, I try to have a routine in Uganda.  I like to plan out my work week, since I have a variety of tasks to do at school (lesson plans, community outreach, inventory database, student records database, etc.)  And I pick a day during the week to ride to town to check the post office and do a few other errands (plus I like the exercise).  On Saturdays, I wash my clothes, go to the market to buy my fruits & vegetables for the week (and store them in my fridge), and sometimes meet up with other PCVs for lunch.  It’s a pretty flexible routine – there’s no real commitment to anything.

Yet somehow, everything still gets screwed up.  The culture here is the complete opposite of a routine – things happen at a moment’s notice; meetings/events have a tendency to start several hours late; and when it rains, nothing gets done (i.e. no one goes to work).  My greatest challenge of living in Uganda is adapting to the total randomness of daily life. 

For example, this is how my day started today:

The power has been out for the past 4 days (another random factor that greatly affects my life).  My computer battery is dead (because I used it over the weekend); the food in my fridge (that I bought on Saturday) is spoiling; and I can’t iron the clothes I just washed.  The school has a generator that they use when the power is out (so I can at least charge my computer at school) – but today there is no generator.  I can’t charge my computer and I can’t work on any databases in the computer room.  Well, at least I’m scheduled to teach Social Psychology in the morning, so I have something to do.   That is . . . until I find out that all of my students left for the day to go to a funeral (someone from Arua Hospital passed away).  This was supposed to be my last class with them.  I guess we’re just going to skip the review session before the exam. 

And now I have absolutely nothing to do – maybe I’ll go home and read a book.

[*I wrote this during my 5 hours of boredom this morning using the school's laptop that had a fully-charged battery. The generator came on around 1:45pm, but by then my day was shot.]

[**This is not just one crazy morning – this kind of stuff happens all the time.  You can't plan for anything.]

A Good Laugh

A few of these have been going around Facebook, but I wanted to share it with everyone.  So I handpicked these photos to describe the work of a Peace Corps Volunteer:

What my parents think I do

 

What my friends think I do

What the government thinks I do

What the host country thinks I do

What I think I do

What I really do

It's so funny, and so true!

GAD Activities

We had our first Gender and Development (GAD) Committee meeting last week.  It is a relatively new committee and the roles were never clearly defined before, so not much happened last year.  At the meeting, we discussed how to support PCVs working on projects related to gender equality and what each of our specific job duties is.  We came up with a variety of ways to aid current PCVs, to introduce GAD to new training groups, and to work with local government officials on initiatives for gender equality and women empowerment.

And as the GAD Secretary, I will assist in training and functions, and maintain GAD documents (e.g. calendar of events) and resource materials (e.g. records of past gender-related projects).  We are starting from scratch here and the committee hopes to complete all of these resource documents (during our one-year term), in order to pass on to future Peace Corps groups.

The biggest initiatives for the GAD Committee are Camp GLOW (Girls Leading Our World) and Camp BUILD (Boys of Uganda Leading In Development).  Each year there is a National Camp GLOW and BUILD for youth (usually ages 15-18 years old).  The week-long camps have sessions and activities on topics such as life skills, sports, critical thinking, and health.  Also, campers are taught skills such as tailoring, improved farming techniques, and good business practices to allow them to start income-generating activities when they return to their communities.

And because there was such a high demand to be a part of the national camps, Peace Corps Uganda decided to start doing them regionally as well.  This year there is a Northern Camp GLOW and Camp BUILD, which will be held in Gulu, April 24-30.  And I have been selected to be a counselor at Camp GLOW!  This means I will work with a group of 10 campers and build relationships with them, make sure that they participate, understand the meaning/importance of all the lessons, and lead group reflections about women’s empowerment.

Every time I sign up for a new project, it renews my energy.  :)  I am thrilled to have the opportunity to work one-on-one with the girls at Camp GLOW.  Expect a long blog post and lots of pictures in May!  :)

Introspection

A few days ago I met with Barbara, the Peace Corps nurse, to talk about the stress of cultural adaption.  She was great – very supportive and super easy to talk to.  She explained why the 6-month mark is the low point for PCVs, and all of sudden my emotional rollercoaster made sense.

After six months of service, the ‘newness’ of the experience has worn off and I have to deal with unfamiliar problems every day.  The comforts I had in the US have been stripped away: family and friends are on the other side of the world; there is no 24-Hour Fitness Center, movie theater, Ben & Jerry’s, or Comedy Central here; even just leaving the house causes a good deal of stress, which gives me agoraphobic tendencies.  When I signed up for the Peace Corps (and even throughout training), I had an image of what I wanted to do in Uganda.  Now those projections are clashing with reality.  I realize that I do not enjoy teaching Social Psychology as much as I’d hoped.  And when I’m not teaching, I sit alone in a computer room working on databases – which adds to the isolation of being at site.  It is natural to feel some disappointment, and when that’s weighed against everything that I’m missing at home (Christmas, Ainsley’s soccer games, weddings & babies, etc.), sometimes it doesn’t seem worth it.

In order to get past this point on the U-curve of emotions, I have to really consider what I want out this experience.  What am I learning here?  What do I want to leave behind?  How will this experience help me grow as a person?  Barbara was impressed that I’ve starting making goals for myself, that I got involved with the Gender and Development Committee, and that I’m aware of what’s bothering me and figuring out ways to move past it.

We also discussed the possibility of my malaria medication might be causing my mood swings.  I have been on Mefloquine (Lariam) since I arrived in country – it is the most effective malaria prevention medication, but it also has the most severe side effects.  While I only had one night terror (a hallucinogenic dream usually violent in nature), Barbara and I both suspect it contributed to the extreme emotions I’ve been experiencing – (it wasn’t just frustration at site, it was anger with a tinge of rage).  Mefloquine also causes insomnia - I have only had one or two nights of solid sleep per month.  (*And then this story was floating around the PCV's Facebook pages – http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/03/25/robert-bales-malaria-drug_n_1378671.html

Mefloquine was linked to the soldier in Afghanistan who snapped and went on a rampage.)  So, now I will start taking Doxycycline as my malaria prophylaxis - it's an antibiotic with minor side effects.  *But just so you know – Mefloquine is the best anti-malaria drug for short-term use.  So if you visit or vacation somewhere for a couple of weeks, Mefloquine is ok.

I’ll write about my GAD Committee meeting in the next post – but while I was in Kampala, I went to the grocery store and found SOY MILK!!!  Ah-yeah.  :)