Thanksgiving, a half-marathon, end of an academic year, Camp GLOW, and coming soon…Tanzania/Zanzibar!
I’ll start with Thanksgiving. The plan was to go camping. However, here in the UG things happen. We think we have no control in the states, but we have even less control here. One of my friends to go camping came down with a “touch of malaria.” That is how Ugandans tend to refer to it anyway. But we newbies to the disease might consider it “death by malaria.” She was bed-ridden for days, but thankfully it wasn’t bad enough to need an IV like usual. Yup. Anyway, had a great day. Went for a long run in a new region, which is one of my favorite things to do here, and then spent the remainder of the day hanging out with awesome people. Couldn’t complain! Next day, celebrated post-Thanksgiving with a bunch of other PCVs. Feast we did. Bought, maintained, slaughtered, prepared, and (some) enjoyed turkey at its finest. How many people can say they enjoyed turkey they slaughtered themselves? Well, I sure can’t. Haven’t eaten meat since I stopped cold-turkey (pun intended) two and half years ago. Regardless, a great experience. I brought cheese and crackers to the Thanksgiving potluck, which was a huge hit since good cheese is hard to come-by/expensive in this country. Depressing, I know.
So this brings me to the Kampala marathon. I signed up for the half-marathon, which took place the weekend after Thanksgiving. Lots of stored carbs for the run—yeah! I’ve started running a lot since September and a couple weeks before the marathon I decided to just do it. One of my favorite experiences by far! Not for the organization of the event, of course. Uganda has a long way to go before creating an internationally competitive marathon. I don’t want to focus on that though—no one was hit by a car or anything...to my knowledge anyway… Just some of the full-marathoners lost and running an extra 8km or so. No biggy. Right…well, anyway. One of the most challenging things I’ve ever done. Not only mentally, but running over 13 miles in hot and hilly Kampala isn’t the easiest thing on the body either. Regardless, I feel only positively about the experience and realize that it has created a monster. Taking one week off from running felt like way too much. I’m addicted! Running anything less than 45 mins feels like a warm-up. I always travel with my sneakers now… I’m going to run all over Uganda! Every time I travel and visit other PCVs I’ll test out the terrain/climate in their area. Love it! If my addiction keeps up and Kenya becomes safer to visit I plan on running the full marathon in Nairobi next October. If I’m going to run a full marathon, I might as well run with the Kenyans!
The third and final term of the school year here ended the following week on December 2. My students performed okay. It’s funny to be on the other end of education. I’ve always been a student and now being a teacher puts a whole new spin on everything. I always envied teachers throughout large assignments and during exam time, but now I know what it is like on the other side. Always making lesson plans, struggling to get as many students as possible on board with the material, finding the best way to measure comprehension, writing a reasonable exam, feeling anxious during the exam because you pray your students will be okay, and finally grading the exam and seeing how each student understood the material. The stress can build when you have about 800 students. Caring for that many individuals is tiring! I honestly feel a deep and sincere compassion for each and every one of them because I want nothing more than for them to have a bright future and I feel partially responsible for that. I know that might sound cheesy but I don’t care—I can’t help that I love my students. Being a student in America is a piece of cake in comparison to what these students have to deal with. They are forced through a weak education system, taught in English as a second language, have little outside support, are poor, hungry, have no time for extracurriculars… just to go home (maybe 5 miles away on foot) to dig, fetch water, cook, clean, gather their animals from grazing and if time permits, study by candlelight before bed. I know this is not the same for every student in this country, but I know for a fact it is true for most.
Having said all that, I feel this is a great time to bring up Camp GLOW (Girls Leading Our World). 2011 is only the second year for GLOW in Uganda, but has been around since 1995. This year we had about 150 girls from all over Uganda for a weeklong camp in the beginning of December. We make it a cross between a traditional summer camp back in the states and some more structured learning as well. Basically, these girls are nominated due to their already apparent potential to be very influential in their own future as well as the future of Uganda. The more women that are empowered, the more successful Uganda will become. We enhanced their confidence and tools to lead healthy and productive lives. Another favorite event in my service here and can’t wait to participate again next year and even bring some of my own brightest girls! You should really check out more info and pictures on the website: glowuganda2011.drupalgardens.com.
So now here I am. The holidays are fast approaching; 2011 is coming to an end. Hard to believe! I know I can’t be home for Christmas, but I’m not about to sit around and mope. Nope! I’m heading out on my great Tanzanian adventure next week! I’ll be trekking across the country from West to East. I head down to Bukoba Dec 21 and from there hit Mwanza, Tabora, and finally Dar es Salaam (that’s just for mainland Tanzania anyway). I’ll be with four other PCVs up until this point. We’re celebrating Christmas in Dar, which I never thought I’d say (like most things since I’ve been in Peace Corps). Then, Dec 27 I hop on a ferry to Zanzibar! We’re spending a couple days in Stone Town, the historical city and once hub of the Arab slave trade. Finally, we head to the east coast to celebrate the New Year with more of our PCVs until the 4th! Ahh, can’t wait! And thennnn I’ll have to endure (recover over) the next 6 days until Sarah comes to visit!!!!! Before I know it, February will be here and I’ll be celebrating my one year anniversary since being in Uganda. Wow. I should end here. I don’t want to get any more ahead of myself!
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