Update from Zanzibar!

It's been a while since I last posted so I just wanted to give a quick update...Paul arrived on the 21st and we spent the following week in Uganda traveling out west to his PC site, Ibanda, doing a day trip in Lake Mburo National Park, and then wrapping up in Kampala spending time with our old Associate Peace Corps Director, Conche, and some old PCV friends.

We've now been in Zanzibar for 2 days and we're loving the island life! We spent yesterday doing 2 dives out on a reef about 30 minutes off of stone town. I have a new underwater casing for our little canon snap and shoot and that kept me very busy during our dives, but you will have to wait for the pictures!

Today we are going out for some touring and snorkeling, and tomorrow we head to the east side of the island for some more diving and beach time.

I'll put up lots of pictures once I'm back in the states the second week of July! Until then...Jambo!

Meet Milly

This is Milly. She’s 9 years old, likes to eat powdered sugar, and absolutely adores Margret. Milly was born with HIV and lost both her parents to AIDS. She is currently living with a caretaker from her village but is unfortunately a low priority as the caretaker has a number of her own children she has to provide for. Milly has been very sick for a long time but about 4 months ago she was enrolled as a patient in the Anti-Retroviral Research for Watoto (ARROW) clinical trial. Milly is much healthier these days, but she is going to have a very tough life.

Pictures from the Village

Today I visited the Government clinic where Margret works as the in-charge nurse. It is in a village about 45 minutes outside Kampala on a hellish road!

Bowling in Uganda

Even though Kisubi is only about 30 minutes from Kampala, the capital of Uganda, it’s very common for those from the village to never go. When I was here as a PCV I took Majo to the big city for her first time. Today it was Lukwago’s turn, although Majo got join as well for her second time! Margret’s son, Allen, also joined us. He currently lives in Kampala and is finishing up his Bachelor’s degree at Makerere University Business School where he received a Government scholarship for his studies. This is an amazing accomplishment. Those scholarships are extremely competitive and typically go to kids from the city, just the fact that he received this scholarship proves what a bright young man he is, although it is also obvious just by talking to him.

So upon arrival in Kampala we headed to Garden City, which was the new, swanky mall when I was here. It’s grown, but has also gotten a little run down. But, most importantly, the 6 lane bowling alley and arcade are still there. What fun that was! Trying to show Margret how to roll the ball and not lob it half way down the lane was a challenge. Majo though was quite a natural! I can say though after observing all of them play the race car arcade game, I will never be riding in a car that any of them are driving!

Waiting for the lanes to open up and looking at pictures I brought!

Drive Majo! Drive!

Lukwago practicing the boda-boda moves

Learning how to bowl...roll it don't hurl it!

The bowling party!

One of Kampala's hills. View from Garden City.

The Garden City dinosaurs

View of the new Serena Hotel from my hotel room.

The one thing about being back here though that I’m having a really hard time dealing with are the people on the street with horrible disfigurements. I really don’t remember seeing this many when I used to live here. I really hope I didn’t just get used to it and become blinded. As I was waiting for Margret and the kids to arrive in Kampala this morning a young boy came up to me leading a man with his face covered in a kerchief. As the boy came up to ask for money the man lifted the kerchief and I saw the most horrible thing I think I’ve ever seen. I don’t want to describe it, but this poor man had no hope for a future of any sort. My automatic reaction to the people asking me for money is to tell them to go away, and this I immediately did. The look that poor kid gave me just stopped me cold, it was the look of pure desperation. It took me a minute to collect myself, but I chased the kid and man down and gave them some money. So now I’ve made myself feel better, but for them, what? I hate this.

Back in Kisubi!

It’s amazing how easily I can slip back into the rhythm of Uganda. I feel just like a Peace Corps Volunteer again, although this time with quite a bit more money, which does make it that much more enjoyable! I love being able to spend money on my friends and treat them to things that they don’t normally get to experience.

Although I’m staying at the swanky Sheraton, once I’m back outside walking the streets of Kampala, and especially walking around Kisubi, I feel totally at home again. It’s wonderful!

So after sleeping 11 hours last night I headed to the crazy Kampala taxi park and hopped a matatu to Kisubi. It’s been a few years, but I remembered it all perfectly. Kampala is definitely growing and it’s starting to look like one big urban sprawl from Kampala to Entebbe. Although once I was back in Kisubi it was village life again.

I met Margaret for lunch (rice and salty beans – yum Ugandan food) and then we walked through my old trading center on the way to the village where Lukwago lives. For those that don’t know, Margaret was my nurse counterpart when I was a PCV. She, her daughter, Majo, and our little adopted brother, Lukwago, are my family here. Margaret is one of the most amazing women I have ever met.

It’s amazing being back here. I can’t explain how wonderful it is to be remembered by people from my village. Everywhere I was going I heard “Nakamate”, my Ugandan name, or “Dawna” my other Ugandan name! People were recognizing me and running up to hug me saying “You’ve been lost” – a standard greeting here when you haven’t seen someone for a while. 

Lukwago had absolutely no idea that I was here in Uganda so when we found him at his home in the village he ran up and would not stop hugging me. He’s gotten so big, he’s 16 now, when I left he was only 12. He’s doing so well too, he’s in grade 5 and knows so much English now. He’s even a prefect (a high honor in the primary schools here)! I am so proud of him. He’s had a tough life. When I met him at Kisubi Hospital he was a house boy for one of the nurses, he had never been to school, his parents died from AIDS, he lived with his little old Auntie (who is also HIV+), and he was just the sweetest, kindest boy you have ever met. One day, he was sent home from being the houseboy because he was spending too much time over at my house. So to make a long story short, I went and found him in the village and we put him in school, and he is doing so well now! He is a foot taller than all the other 5^th graders, and quite a few years older, but it doesn’t seem to bother him at all. He’s a great kid!

After picking up Lukwago (you think he was going to just say hi and let me leave? Oh no, he’s going to be by my side every second I am in Kisubi!) we walked up to my old hospital, running into so many people that I know. How fun it is!

Tomorrow, Margaret and Lukwage are picking up Majo at her boarding secondary school and they are coming into Kampala for an adventure! We might do a little bowling, maybe a movie, good lunch, some ice cream, we’ll see what the day brings! I can’t wait!

Here is a picture of Margaret (left) with the owners of a shop I used to go to!

We bought some meat! We took a bag full of groceries (bread, sugar, biscuits, and meat) to Lukwago's aunt.

These children live at Lukwago's place (not sure of the relation) and I thought it was adorable that the little one in the back was copying his big brother and carrying firewood on his head.

Lukwago's aunt and his cousin, Sarah.

Lukwago and Margaret - striking a pose!

Me with Lukwago and some of his family.

Mr. Prefect in front of his school!

Lukwago and his favorite teacher (Math).

Me with my jja-jja (on my right) and Auntie Carol (on my left) and her daughters. She owns a small store I used to go to all the time.

Big Lukwago with Little Lukwago. Little Lukwago is one of the orphans I used to work with, he is HIV+ and was started on ARVs a little over a year ago. Margret says he is doing well now!

Uganda! Uganda! Uganda!

I'm back! I arrived this evening to a newly revamped Entebbe Airport. It's quite nice now, no more swarming lake flies in the baggage claim area!

I'm here for a Reproductive Health in Complex Emergencies Conference in Kampala which starts next week. This weekend I'll be visiting old friends from Kisubi (my site during Peace Corps) and after the conference Paul is flying out and we are taking some holiday time to visit our old Peace Corps sites and then heading for a week in Zanzibar!

Stay tuned for lots of stories and pictures!

The Ann Arbor Half Marathon

Pictures of Paul and his brother Bob running the Dexter to Ann Arbor half marathon – 13.1 miles!

Also meet Ogg the Dog!