I'm Alive

So been a little slow on the blog recently due to the lack of internet. Needless to say I'm in Kampala this weekend having one hell of a high school reunion, hence the writing but I should have internet in the next few days so that means soon there will be a massive massive blog entry to catch you all up on the recent goings on b/c there's lots of stuff to say but need to stop mooching free internet off the Kampala office..... Loves

headaches, heartaches and painkillers

summary of life right now as internet time is short
Headaches
- No gas in the stove = eating out or boiling with kettle/toasting dinner when there is power
- dry season and the dust everywhere
- difficulties communicating with the pader office to get them on the same page and get them cooperative. they claimed to have no knowledge of the project despite one of the team attending most meetings we've had and a number of emails detailing the project as far back as november. forced me to go to pader and find that they hadn't even mobilized the people i wanted to interview
- the trainers - between not returning phone calls/not showing up for meetings, handing me about 15 pages to type up for the training manual (just in case i wasn't busy enough), and beeping me at 9 pm to discuss their contract (something that we were scheduled to meet about but didn't respond in anyway to my text message), these three men may be directly responsible for me going insane.
- the number of activities to be done in an ever shrinking amount of time
- all of the organization going to loro for a retreat while i stayed behind and got a crash course in project implementation.

Heartaches
- how lonely it's been to move 4 hours away from all my friends and not have internet access except at cafes and not know more than 15 people in town
- meeting so many young people who have so much potential and education, who could do amazing things if only they had the opportunity. so many educated people who volunteer b/c nothing else to do.
- jess going home

Painkillers
- seeing the impact eg. suzie using a computer for the first time and then the next day winning at hearts
- adelaide trying to marry me off and the rest of the coalition offerign to pitch in for my high bride price
- hearing that youth want to volunteer with us b/c cpar does good work
- meeting and selecting these really cool and capable youth for the project

Overwhemed

So in Gulu now and feeling completely overwhelmed by the new job. I have no idea what I'm doing but seem to be getting stuff done. Well I was feeling good about the whole thing until my meeting today with the trainers. Seriously left thinking I was so incompetent and didn't actually have a clue what I'm doing which I don't. Just hope I've been able to fool people other wise. It seems as though I'm going to be very very busy in the next couple of weeks.
Anyways about my life up here not too stellar at the moment. There's no gas for the stove and we can't buy any til Friday or Saturday so haven't been able to cook at home really though learned you can make pasta with a kettle..... classy eh? the internet is down at the office so i have to use the internet cafe and only have a couple of minutes left..... been whining my ass off at kampala to get the internet up and running but no action yet. going to head to the nicest hotel in town for dinner tonight but that means eating dinner out by myself which i'm definately not a fan of at all.
Really have to work on the whole making friends here in Gulu - I think it's time to call up the one other expat I know in Gulu Marcos (AVSI mine action coordinator) but i was really hoping to be able to make friends on my own. But maybe he can help me figure out where everyone goes in the evenings.
it's dry season so it's hot and dry... haa ha amazing eh.
going to kampala this weekend to say bye to jess which will be hard, it's always been the two of us in this whole crazy experience so it'll be really weird to be here without her. better start calling around and finding myself a couch to sleep on for the weekend.
talk to you soon

Christmas and New Year's Photos

There are new photos posted at:
http://uvic.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2023962&l=959e9&id=122501036
I will put a link at the side there soon but the taxi is on it's way to take me to the bus park. So gotta jet (or bus???)

Moving day

So it’s my last morning living in Kampala. It was actually quite good to be back into the chaos, ok maybe it’s just good to be back to see people. This morning I finished packing up my apartment, load it into the car that is going up to Loro tomorrow and am heading to the bus park to hop on a bus to Gulu with some of my stuff. At the moment there are a huge number of questions on my mind.
What the hell was I thinking, agreeing to stay longer, agreeing to move away from the friends I’ve made here, away from my support structure and good restaurants, to do something I have no experience in?
Can I do this job? I have no idea how to implement a project and I no longer can just pop my head into the next office to ask Evelyn or else just look up and ask Keith. I don’t even really know how to start this up but I know I have to and fast.
How the hell am I getting on the bus with the amount of stuff I want to bring up today?
How are people going to react when they see what they have to bring up country to me tomorrow?
How did I accumulate so much stuff? Seriously it’s ridiculous.
Am I going to be lonely? I don’t know anyone outside of the office, the internet up there has been sketchy to say the least (ok non-existent for most of the last month and a half) so I won’t be able to get through to my friends at home very easily and texting (both to people at home and to my friends in Kampala) is one thing but I don’t know.
Is it feasible to come down on most weekends? Will I be able to couch surf my way through the weekends?
Will the youth, the local officials and other stakeholders take me seriously with the super young age and the aforementioned lack of experience?
Will I get along with Kevin, the volunteer who has been shifted from random office work to focus on peacebuilding? She seems pretty nice but has been very quiet the times I’ve met her.
How will I be able to relate to people whose major concern at age 16 was whether or not they would be abducted or shot at while mine was whether I would get a scholarship and whether or not I had good plans for the weekend?
How long is it going to take for me to clean up that damn kitchen?
Which bedroom do I get?
Is the hot water working up there yet?
Do I really want to hire Mercie’s wash lady who one day saw me on the veranda and walked up to me and proceeded to ask for money?
What am I going to make for dinner tonight?
Am I going to be able to handle the heat? Apparently rainy season will eventually end and it’s going to get HOT, I’m a west coast girl I don’t do too hot or too cold.
Why won’t that damn rooster shut up?

Jo'burg

So in Jo'burg and staying in the suburbs but still walked around and all that. Couldn't believe the size of the fences around even the littlest houses.

I have never been so excited in my life as when Meg and my laundry showed up, machine washed and dried.

Strange South Africa

Things that have surprised me about my vacation to South Africa:
- the amount of culture shock experienced - ppl in jo'burg must think that there was something wrong with the girl that spent her layover there wandering around the mall with her jaw wide open in awe.
- how accustomed i was to being a minority, actually lost Meg in a store because i usually just look for the white person and that doesn't work here.
- the level of organization on the roads - cars drive in their lanes, street lights work, ppl yield to pedestrians, it's insanity
- how cute penguins actually are - visited a penguin colony
- how damn cold this country is, seriously freezing my ass off
- the number of tourists in town, only one hostel (the nicest but most expensive one) had beds avaliable, we couldn't get tickets to do the tour of robben island (huge bummer there) before jan 9th.....
- sim cards for the cell phone cost about 50 cents
- that i can go on a wine tour that starts at 9 am on new years eve and still somehow make it to 430 in the morning that night
- the national museum was free!
- how good cheese actually is
- the amazing views from the top of table mountain
- the mixture of people in the city
- the number of security guards and fences everwhere
- the number of germans here
- how amazing it is is to be able to find almost any food you want.

There are a ton more but internet time isn't cheap so that's all for now.