One Week Down!

Hello Friends!

It’s been a long time, I know. I would say I’m sorry, but I’m not. These past few weeks have been a blur of activity and training and all of a sudden training ended and now I’m at site and everything has stopped. There aren’t many highlights from the last couple of weeks of training. I worried for a little bit about passing my language test, but I passed and I was officially sworn in as a Peace Corps Volunteer last Thursday.
Now I am at site and everything is completely different. I have gone from structured days in a bubble full of Americans to having to figure it out in rural Uganda. I am not alone though; there are three other volunteers close by, which I am happy about. The way that Peace Corps operates in Uganda is that they place volunteers with a local organization or school so that there is more work and less time figuring it out. Some volunteers are placed in larger, well structured organizations with a clear mission and lots of work to do. Others are placed in organizations that are less structured and the work largely depends on the volunteer’s initiative. I’m in the second type, which means that sometimes there is something to do and other times no. I have spent the last week introducing myself to important members of the community and visiting schools. I have some ideas about work that I want to do but they will take some time and planning. I think, with time, I will be able to do some good work here.
My village is beautiful. It’s in a valley between two mountain ranges and it looks like a mix between Northern Georgia and Northern Spain. The weather is cool and the air is crisp and the villages and schools that I will be working in are in the mountains so I will be doing a lot of trekking into the hills. I feel very lucky to be here. My house has been cleaned up a bit and I am getting furniture made. It is becoming more and more mine soon enough I will have a comfortable routine.
So far, being at home a lot I have been feeling a little lonely at times. Last Monday and Tuesday I did not see any Americans and I think that is the longest I have ever gone without seeing any. It’s a strange feeling and it makes me homesick for the comforts of my culture. But, that is in part why I am here is to immerse myself into another culture. I think the adjustment is going to be harder than I thought it would be.
Lastly, my village is in the mountains and there is hardly any power and definitely no internet. My only connection is when I go into Mbale and that will be once or twice a month. I will try to update the blog then and send some emails, but it will definitely be less often then before. At the same time please keep sending me emails because it would suck if I came into town twice a month and my only emails were from my parents and spam. I’m out. Later.

I am in Mbale for the day. I have a new address now. Send me an email if you want it.