So, I was going to post about my research trip to Gitarama that I have done this week. I started writing about it but I am just too distracted to write about it. As of today, I have just 17 days left in Africa! I cannot believe that in just a little over 2 weeks I will be boarding a plane for the U.S. I am going to miss a lot here but I am definitely looking forward to being home. In fact, in this moment I am so excited to be home that while I try to write about my wonderful experiences I have had here this week, all I can think about is being home. So, instead of trying to force an entry about the wonderful little village of Cyeza that I am working in, I am going to give you a list of things I can't wait to experience when I get home. Maybe I will tell you about Cyeza another day.
Here it is, my list of things I love about our country and can't wait to be home to. Please keep in mind that it is by no means comprehensive, nor is it in any particular order.
text messaging
paved roads
traffic laws
hot showers with movable shower heads
Maple, Oak, and Pine trees
bubble baths
Gavin
baking
American enthusiasm
snow
sermons from pastors with a seminary background
Hunnybunch and Shasta
being able to blend into a crowd
snowmobiling with my Daddy
the rest of my clothes in my closet
sledding
comfy pillows
watching movies with my Messiah friends
drinking from a faucet
cars driving on the right side of the road
board games with my family
Christmas cookies
walks by the Yellow Breeches
driving
I think food should have a section all on its own.
Foods I miss and look forward to:
french toast
stir fries with yummy sauces
pierogies
shrimp
honey mustard sauce
Quaker's instant oatmeal
cream of wheat
granola bars
wheat bread
strawberry milkshakes
veggie burgers
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
Sunday, November 16, 2008
Genocide
I need to apologize for how long it has been since my last update. I know there are many people who want to know what's going on in my life so I should be updating more often. I haven't written partly because I have been busy with classes but also because I haven't known how to write about a lot of what has been going on. More specifically, a huge part of all that I've been learning and thinking about has to do with the genocide and I just don't know what to write about it. I think I am ready to try though. I want to tell about two genocide memorials we visited. Both were at churches, where people went fourteen years ago to seek refuge from the mass killings that were happening all across the country. They went there thinking it was the only place they could be safe. Even in a church though, there was no refuge.
The first church we visited is called Nyamara. I had fallen asleep on the ride there and woke up groggily to some children running alongside our van yelling and waving as we arrived. We all smiled and waved at them. We climbed out of the van and sauntered towards the church building. We had been told that at this church 3,000 people were killed. I definitely was not prepared for what I was about to see.
My first sight as we walked into the church was skulls--hundreds and hundreds of human skulls lined up on shelves that went all the way up to the ceiling. Some of them were so tiny, the remnants of small children who were killed mercilessly along with their innocent parents. Many of the skulls had holes pierced at the temple or back of the head, likely deadly machete blows from their murderers.
After the initial shock of seeing the skulls of thousands of murdered people, I looked around the rest of what was once a sanctuary. The pews were still there and untouched. In a few places in the walls, there were huge holes from grenades. The murderers and victims alike were from the Nyamara community. They were neighbors, some friends even. They had once lived, worked, and worshiped alongside one another. But the labels of Hutu and Tutsi became lines of division and of hatred, and Hutus murdered their Tutsi neighbors. They had entered the church with machetes and clubs to beat and hack thousands of people to death. Then to finish them off, they threw some grenades into the sanctuary.
The walls were covered with the clothing of the victims. There was nothing separating us from the realness of what we were seeing. There were no glass encasings, no plastic sheets with facts written on them. We could walk up to the walls and touch the bloody, decomposing clothes of the people killed there. We could smell everything--the thick, old smell of blood and dirt. At the front of the sanctuary were shelves of the people's belongings. Books, blankets, and shoes were separated and thrown into heaps of similar items. I stood and stared at all the shoes for a while. There were so many of them--sneakers and converse and heels and flats. I saw a little girl's black buckled dress shoe strewn across the shelf with hundreds of others. A little girl who could fit that shoe was probably about six years old. Six years old and murdered because she bore the ethnic label of Tutsi.
The lady running the memorial told us about how many of the killers still live right in the community. Many of them were never convicted and many of them have already served their jail time and have been released. We asked if they ever visited the memorial. She said they did not. As we got back into the van, the same children we saw upon entering ran from their homes to wave at us again. This time some of their parents came to the road too. I couldn't help but wonder where they had been fourteen years ago. What part did they play? And what did those kids know about the genocide? What did their parents teach them about it?
We drove right from there to Nyamata, another church. We were told that this area was one of the worst areas for the genocide. Over 10,000 people were killed. Still today they are finding the remains of people who were murdered and left on the side of the road, in a ditch, or in a pit latrine. In the church, victims' clothes were everywhere. They were piled two feet high on every pew and two feet high on the floors along the walls. Sweaters, coats, jeans, skirts, blankets, shoes, and tee shirts were all thrown together and heaped around the room. Some of them were covered in blood and again, the smell was overwhelming. Looking at all the clothes I learned from the number or coats and blankets that it must have been a cold April that the genocide happened during.
I felt so overwhelmed by the death around me. Not just death though, but innocent death caused by the hatred of humanity. How could one group of people dehumanize another group of people to the point that they could think it their duty to exterminate them? How could anyone have such a sense of superiority over another human being? How, when we are all God's children, beautifully made in His image, can we deny that beauty in a group of people? As I tried to take everything in, I leaned up against a column in the sanctuary. I pressed my cheek up against the cold stone and wondered who, fourteen years ago, huddled up against that same column as the killers barged into the church yelling and waving their machetes. Was it a mother holding her children against her, trying to shelter them? Was it an old man terrified of what had come of his community? Was it a little boy filled with dreams of the future? I can only imagine the terror the people must have felt when they realized death was upon them.
Learning about the genocide is a lot to take in. I don't understand how humanity is capable of such evil, because I believe we are all essentially the same. We are learning a lot about the hatred and evil of humanity but we are also learning about reconciliation and hope. I would write about those things but this entry is getting really long. So I will save that for another day. Maybe I shouldn't leave you with only dark thoughts and stories, but the Rwandan genocide was undeniably a very dark time, surely one of the darkest points in our human story.
The first church we visited is called Nyamara. I had fallen asleep on the ride there and woke up groggily to some children running alongside our van yelling and waving as we arrived. We all smiled and waved at them. We climbed out of the van and sauntered towards the church building. We had been told that at this church 3,000 people were killed. I definitely was not prepared for what I was about to see.
My first sight as we walked into the church was skulls--hundreds and hundreds of human skulls lined up on shelves that went all the way up to the ceiling. Some of them were so tiny, the remnants of small children who were killed mercilessly along with their innocent parents. Many of the skulls had holes pierced at the temple or back of the head, likely deadly machete blows from their murderers.
After the initial shock of seeing the skulls of thousands of murdered people, I looked around the rest of what was once a sanctuary. The pews were still there and untouched. In a few places in the walls, there were huge holes from grenades. The murderers and victims alike were from the Nyamara community. They were neighbors, some friends even. They had once lived, worked, and worshiped alongside one another. But the labels of Hutu and Tutsi became lines of division and of hatred, and Hutus murdered their Tutsi neighbors. They had entered the church with machetes and clubs to beat and hack thousands of people to death. Then to finish them off, they threw some grenades into the sanctuary.
The walls were covered with the clothing of the victims. There was nothing separating us from the realness of what we were seeing. There were no glass encasings, no plastic sheets with facts written on them. We could walk up to the walls and touch the bloody, decomposing clothes of the people killed there. We could smell everything--the thick, old smell of blood and dirt. At the front of the sanctuary were shelves of the people's belongings. Books, blankets, and shoes were separated and thrown into heaps of similar items. I stood and stared at all the shoes for a while. There were so many of them--sneakers and converse and heels and flats. I saw a little girl's black buckled dress shoe strewn across the shelf with hundreds of others. A little girl who could fit that shoe was probably about six years old. Six years old and murdered because she bore the ethnic label of Tutsi.
The lady running the memorial told us about how many of the killers still live right in the community. Many of them were never convicted and many of them have already served their jail time and have been released. We asked if they ever visited the memorial. She said they did not. As we got back into the van, the same children we saw upon entering ran from their homes to wave at us again. This time some of their parents came to the road too. I couldn't help but wonder where they had been fourteen years ago. What part did they play? And what did those kids know about the genocide? What did their parents teach them about it?
We drove right from there to Nyamata, another church. We were told that this area was one of the worst areas for the genocide. Over 10,000 people were killed. Still today they are finding the remains of people who were murdered and left on the side of the road, in a ditch, or in a pit latrine. In the church, victims' clothes were everywhere. They were piled two feet high on every pew and two feet high on the floors along the walls. Sweaters, coats, jeans, skirts, blankets, shoes, and tee shirts were all thrown together and heaped around the room. Some of them were covered in blood and again, the smell was overwhelming. Looking at all the clothes I learned from the number or coats and blankets that it must have been a cold April that the genocide happened during.
I felt so overwhelmed by the death around me. Not just death though, but innocent death caused by the hatred of humanity. How could one group of people dehumanize another group of people to the point that they could think it their duty to exterminate them? How could anyone have such a sense of superiority over another human being? How, when we are all God's children, beautifully made in His image, can we deny that beauty in a group of people? As I tried to take everything in, I leaned up against a column in the sanctuary. I pressed my cheek up against the cold stone and wondered who, fourteen years ago, huddled up against that same column as the killers barged into the church yelling and waving their machetes. Was it a mother holding her children against her, trying to shelter them? Was it an old man terrified of what had come of his community? Was it a little boy filled with dreams of the future? I can only imagine the terror the people must have felt when they realized death was upon them.
Learning about the genocide is a lot to take in. I don't understand how humanity is capable of such evil, because I believe we are all essentially the same. We are learning a lot about the hatred and evil of humanity but we are also learning about reconciliation and hope. I would write about those things but this entry is getting really long. So I will save that for another day. Maybe I shouldn't leave you with only dark thoughts and stories, but the Rwandan genocide was undeniably a very dark time, surely one of the darkest points in our human story.
Saturday, November 1, 2008
Kigali
Settling into Kigali, Rwanda has been going quite smoothly. The place we are staying at is wonderful and my first impressions of this city are very positive. We are staying at the compound of FH's regional director, who is also one of our professors. I am staying off of the main house in a guesthouse. We have electricity, wireless internet, a flushing toilet, and American food, so we are all quite comfortable. We also have two big dogs and four puppies to play with!
So far I like Kigali better than I liked Kampala. One of Rwanda's national languages is French so it's fun being able to use my French. Today I got to have a few conversations in French with vendors at the market. In Kigali, people don't yell out at us and harass us like they do in Kampala. They stare at us because we are different but they are respectful. This city is clean and less chaotic than Kampala. It's so much less stressful walking around Kigali than Kampala. Kigali is also more developed, with more businesses and nicer architecture. Don't get me wrong, I loved my time in Kampala, but I feel more comfortable here.
I am looking forward to spending time and learning in a city that has overcome a genocide to grow into a beautiful and thriving place. Before coming here I wondered about how prevalent talk would be about the genocide, with it now being fourteen years since the 800,000 people were murdered. In many ways, the country is hush hush about their dark past. Talk of Hutu/Tutsi identification is a social faux pas and everyone is just considered Rwandan. It seems like the genocide isn't brought up much but there are reminders here and there. There are genocide memorials, a time of memorial in April, and lots of NGOs with words like "peace" and "reconciliation" to remind everyone of what Rwanda has survived. There are also still some buildings with bullet holes that still have yet to be repaired.
While we are here we will be taking a class called Issues in Peacebuilding, in which we will study the genocide. We are also taking a class on Community Development. Both should be really good classes.
I know that the violence taking place in the Congo has worried some people about my safety. I want to assure everyone that we are very safe here in Kigali. The things happening in the Congo are really bad. If it gives you any idea of the security of Kigali though, the expatriates who are being evacuated from the Congo are being sent to Kigali. Rwanda won't get involved in the fighting that is happening, so Kigali will be safe. If somehow things did become insecure here, there is an airport right in Kigali and FH would have us leave at the first sign of danger.
The fighting occurring in the Congo is not something to be glossed over though. While we are not affected here in Kigali, thousands of people are being affected. I have been amazed and disturbed by how little attention our media gives to countries who don't have direct relevance to the U.S. I have been convicted to learn more about what is happening to people around the world, because everyone's humanity is sacred regardless of nationality, ethnic tribe, or social class. I don't know what we can do about these huge problems like what is happening in the Congo, but I know that it starts with being aware that there is a problem.
So this is the next part of my adventure. We will be here in Kigali for five weeks. Our time will mostly be spent taking classes, visiting genocide memorials around the country, and exploring Kigali.
So far I like Kigali better than I liked Kampala. One of Rwanda's national languages is French so it's fun being able to use my French. Today I got to have a few conversations in French with vendors at the market. In Kigali, people don't yell out at us and harass us like they do in Kampala. They stare at us because we are different but they are respectful. This city is clean and less chaotic than Kampala. It's so much less stressful walking around Kigali than Kampala. Kigali is also more developed, with more businesses and nicer architecture. Don't get me wrong, I loved my time in Kampala, but I feel more comfortable here.
I am looking forward to spending time and learning in a city that has overcome a genocide to grow into a beautiful and thriving place. Before coming here I wondered about how prevalent talk would be about the genocide, with it now being fourteen years since the 800,000 people were murdered. In many ways, the country is hush hush about their dark past. Talk of Hutu/Tutsi identification is a social faux pas and everyone is just considered Rwandan. It seems like the genocide isn't brought up much but there are reminders here and there. There are genocide memorials, a time of memorial in April, and lots of NGOs with words like "peace" and "reconciliation" to remind everyone of what Rwanda has survived. There are also still some buildings with bullet holes that still have yet to be repaired.
While we are here we will be taking a class called Issues in Peacebuilding, in which we will study the genocide. We are also taking a class on Community Development. Both should be really good classes.
I know that the violence taking place in the Congo has worried some people about my safety. I want to assure everyone that we are very safe here in Kigali. The things happening in the Congo are really bad. If it gives you any idea of the security of Kigali though, the expatriates who are being evacuated from the Congo are being sent to Kigali. Rwanda won't get involved in the fighting that is happening, so Kigali will be safe. If somehow things did become insecure here, there is an airport right in Kigali and FH would have us leave at the first sign of danger.
The fighting occurring in the Congo is not something to be glossed over though. While we are not affected here in Kigali, thousands of people are being affected. I have been amazed and disturbed by how little attention our media gives to countries who don't have direct relevance to the U.S. I have been convicted to learn more about what is happening to people around the world, because everyone's humanity is sacred regardless of nationality, ethnic tribe, or social class. I don't know what we can do about these huge problems like what is happening in the Congo, but I know that it starts with being aware that there is a problem.
So this is the next part of my adventure. We will be here in Kigali for five weeks. Our time will mostly be spent taking classes, visiting genocide memorials around the country, and exploring Kigali.
Lions and Tigers and Bears-Oh My!
First, I would like to say that the title of this post is for the enjoyment of my mother, who is quite the Wizard of Oz fan. That being said, last week we all went on a safari for three days in Queen Elizabeth Park in Western Uganda. We saw so many animals and it was so much fun. We didn't even need to leave the hostel we were staying in to see mongoose, wart hogs, monitor lizards, and a wide variety of birds. At dinner one night a mongoose tried climbing up my chair to beg for food! One of the wart hogs in our yard seemed especially friendly so my friend Meghan and I pet it. Pumba from the Lion King may give an adorable portrayal of wart hogs but they are really pretty ugly animals. Their skin is so rough and their hair is like wire. They are the sort of animal that is so ugly that it's endearing.
At dawn and dusk we went on game drives, where we piled into a bus and looked at all the animals. We saw Ugandan cobs (which are like antelope), waterbuck, elephants, buffalo, spider monkeys, baboons, wart hogs, hippos, and lions. We saw a whole family of elephants at one point and they were pretty close up. One day we saw three lionesses with four cubs and the next day we saw a lioness eating a cob. We also saw some male lions and they were the most beautiful animals I have ever seen.
We also went on a boat ride through a channel connecting two lakes and saw hippos, water buffalo, crocodiles, monitor lizards, and lots of birds. We got soooo close to the hippos! It was kind of scary because hippos kill more humans than any other animal does. I really like the hippos though. I think they were my favorite. They live harmoniously with the water buffalo, which I thought was very sweet.
We had some interesting, and maybe a little scary, run ins with the animals. A couple of us decided to go for a walk one day. We were walking like ten minutes into the park and saw a herd of buffalo. We were enjoying looking at them at first but then they started acting threatened and came toward us. We walked very briskly in the other direction. Buffalo apparently are very territorial animals and we were in their territory. It was pretty intimidating.
One night all of us were in the hostel watching a movie. We kept hearing something moving outside the window but decided it was just the wart hogs. Eventually one of us stood up and looked out the window, to see a whole family of elephants just five feet from the house! We had been watching our movie while all along, elephants were traveling right past our house to go get water. It was one of the coolest things that I've ever experienced. Unfortunately, the story ends with some of my friends getting charged at by a mother elephant because they went onto the porch to see them closer. Everyone was fine but the moral of the story is to stay inside when your house is surrounded by elephants.
Our last night on safari, we went out to eat dinner at the fancy lodge in the park. It was sooo nice and I felt sooo spoiled. The place was gorgeous, complete with a terrace outside and a private bungalow. We had a buffet, with a dessert bar! I know it can't sound too exciting from home but let me tell you how exciting it was to see so many pastas and sauces and seven dessert options after spending a month in the middle of nowhere.
We left for Rwanda on Tuesday morning. It was quite a long drive but the view was breathtaking. Rwanda's green, rolling hills are gorgeous. Tuesday night we arrived at the next stop in our journey--Kigali, Rwanda.
At dawn and dusk we went on game drives, where we piled into a bus and looked at all the animals. We saw Ugandan cobs (which are like antelope), waterbuck, elephants, buffalo, spider monkeys, baboons, wart hogs, hippos, and lions. We saw a whole family of elephants at one point and they were pretty close up. One day we saw three lionesses with four cubs and the next day we saw a lioness eating a cob. We also saw some male lions and they were the most beautiful animals I have ever seen.
We also went on a boat ride through a channel connecting two lakes and saw hippos, water buffalo, crocodiles, monitor lizards, and lots of birds. We got soooo close to the hippos! It was kind of scary because hippos kill more humans than any other animal does. I really like the hippos though. I think they were my favorite. They live harmoniously with the water buffalo, which I thought was very sweet.
We had some interesting, and maybe a little scary, run ins with the animals. A couple of us decided to go for a walk one day. We were walking like ten minutes into the park and saw a herd of buffalo. We were enjoying looking at them at first but then they started acting threatened and came toward us. We walked very briskly in the other direction. Buffalo apparently are very territorial animals and we were in their territory. It was pretty intimidating.
One night all of us were in the hostel watching a movie. We kept hearing something moving outside the window but decided it was just the wart hogs. Eventually one of us stood up and looked out the window, to see a whole family of elephants just five feet from the house! We had been watching our movie while all along, elephants were traveling right past our house to go get water. It was one of the coolest things that I've ever experienced. Unfortunately, the story ends with some of my friends getting charged at by a mother elephant because they went onto the porch to see them closer. Everyone was fine but the moral of the story is to stay inside when your house is surrounded by elephants.
Our last night on safari, we went out to eat dinner at the fancy lodge in the park. It was sooo nice and I felt sooo spoiled. The place was gorgeous, complete with a terrace outside and a private bungalow. We had a buffet, with a dessert bar! I know it can't sound too exciting from home but let me tell you how exciting it was to see so many pastas and sauces and seven dessert options after spending a month in the middle of nowhere.
We left for Rwanda on Tuesday morning. It was quite a long drive but the view was breathtaking. Rwanda's green, rolling hills are gorgeous. Tuesday night we arrived at the next stop in our journey--Kigali, Rwanda.
Friday, October 24, 2008
Leaving Kyoga
Wednesday afternoon I came back to the world of consistent electricity, hot showers, and the Internet. I was very surprised by how overwhelmed I was to be back. Maybe it was the hundreds of emails and the dozens of facebook notifications I had to sort through, but being on the Internet after so long was so overwhelming. Not having to think about charging my phone and laptop because of power shortages is strange. I got so used to my rotation of 4 skirts that now my eight skirts and three pairs of pants seem completely excessive. It is wonderful though to be allowed to wear pants again! It is very nice to have a shower and feel like my hair is actually clean for the first time in a month. I never did end up taking a shower when we visited Kampala. It is also so nice to be back with everyone else on our program. I missed them all a lot and it's wonderful to hear about everyone's experiences.
The rest of my time on practicum was extremely challenging, but overall good. It was definitely a great experience, but also one of the most difficult experiences of my life. It was really hard feeling like all anyone saw when they looked at me was that I am a muzungu. Having flocks of children screaming "muzungu, muzungu!" and crowding around me to touch my hair and feel my skin wherever I went just became too much at times. Allison and I were the only white people in the community, so it was pretty alienating. We felt misunderstood, and even disrespected, most days. Some of the living conditions were also challenging. I was perfectly content without electricity and whatnot but our freedom was very limited in Kyoga. We weren't allowed out much at all and feeling so confined was really hard for me.
I definitely take away some amazing lessons and memories from my time on practicum. I met people that I will never forget and heard stories of struggle that will stay with me for the rest of my life, I am sure. I was welcomed so warmly and enthusiastically into the communities I worked in. Many of the people I met send their greetings to everyone I love at home. The homes I visited often gave me gifts of eggs, jack fruit, milk, and sugar cane. These gifts were not just simple gifts for them though, but sacrifices of their only sources of income for their families. Their sacrificial generosity was so moving. One lady even tried giving me her kitten because I liked it so much but I had to say no since I wasn't sure how bringing a pet back to the guesthouse would go over.
Throughout the month, I visited officials at the district and county levels, held three community meetings, visited many families' homes, led a couple of children's Bible clubs, visited schools, and led a career guidance session for high school kids. Still my favorite thing to do was visit people in their homes, where they felt comfortable and were more open to share with me about their lives. It's a bit intimidating after meeting with so many people and being in the community for so long to now be writing a report on what I think the greatest needs are and how Food for the Hungry can meet those needs. It's no longer just writing about community development but my report will influence how FH will affect families I know and have come to love. FH is leaving Mukono in 2012 and I worry about how families will do after that. I don't know how parents will put their kids through school or bring in enough money to sustain their families. I pray that a lot of change happens in those communities by 2012, so they will be ready to function without FH.
It's weird to be leaving that part of the semester. It was such an intense experience that most days I couldn't remember life before Kyoga and couldn't imagine leaving. So it's strange to be moving on to something new, though I am ready. Tomorrow we leave for a safari in Queen Elizabeth Game Park then we will head for Rwanda. I will be in Rwanda for 5 weeks taking classes on community development and peace-building. We will be living in Kigali, the capital city, and will be staying at a guesthouse similar to the one we stay at in Kampala. I will have Internet much more consistently again and will update my blog more regularly. Thank you so much to everyone who leaves me comments on here. They are so encouraging and it helps to know who is reading. In case anyone wants to send me anything, I will have a new address in Rwanda. It is:
Rachel Kleinow
P.O. Box 911
Kigali, Rwanda
Well, I need to spend the rest of the day working on my needs assessment. Hopefully I can finish today so I can just enjoy Kigali when we get there. I hope all is well at home!
The rest of my time on practicum was extremely challenging, but overall good. It was definitely a great experience, but also one of the most difficult experiences of my life. It was really hard feeling like all anyone saw when they looked at me was that I am a muzungu. Having flocks of children screaming "muzungu, muzungu!" and crowding around me to touch my hair and feel my skin wherever I went just became too much at times. Allison and I were the only white people in the community, so it was pretty alienating. We felt misunderstood, and even disrespected, most days. Some of the living conditions were also challenging. I was perfectly content without electricity and whatnot but our freedom was very limited in Kyoga. We weren't allowed out much at all and feeling so confined was really hard for me.
I definitely take away some amazing lessons and memories from my time on practicum. I met people that I will never forget and heard stories of struggle that will stay with me for the rest of my life, I am sure. I was welcomed so warmly and enthusiastically into the communities I worked in. Many of the people I met send their greetings to everyone I love at home. The homes I visited often gave me gifts of eggs, jack fruit, milk, and sugar cane. These gifts were not just simple gifts for them though, but sacrifices of their only sources of income for their families. Their sacrificial generosity was so moving. One lady even tried giving me her kitten because I liked it so much but I had to say no since I wasn't sure how bringing a pet back to the guesthouse would go over.
Throughout the month, I visited officials at the district and county levels, held three community meetings, visited many families' homes, led a couple of children's Bible clubs, visited schools, and led a career guidance session for high school kids. Still my favorite thing to do was visit people in their homes, where they felt comfortable and were more open to share with me about their lives. It's a bit intimidating after meeting with so many people and being in the community for so long to now be writing a report on what I think the greatest needs are and how Food for the Hungry can meet those needs. It's no longer just writing about community development but my report will influence how FH will affect families I know and have come to love. FH is leaving Mukono in 2012 and I worry about how families will do after that. I don't know how parents will put their kids through school or bring in enough money to sustain their families. I pray that a lot of change happens in those communities by 2012, so they will be ready to function without FH.
It's weird to be leaving that part of the semester. It was such an intense experience that most days I couldn't remember life before Kyoga and couldn't imagine leaving. So it's strange to be moving on to something new, though I am ready. Tomorrow we leave for a safari in Queen Elizabeth Game Park then we will head for Rwanda. I will be in Rwanda for 5 weeks taking classes on community development and peace-building. We will be living in Kigali, the capital city, and will be staying at a guesthouse similar to the one we stay at in Kampala. I will have Internet much more consistently again and will update my blog more regularly. Thank you so much to everyone who leaves me comments on here. They are so encouraging and it helps to know who is reading. In case anyone wants to send me anything, I will have a new address in Rwanda. It is:
Rachel Kleinow
P.O. Box 911
Kigali, Rwanda
Well, I need to spend the rest of the day working on my needs assessment. Hopefully I can finish today so I can just enjoy Kigali when we get there. I hope all is well at home!
Saturday, October 11, 2008
Rural Uganda
Yay for the Internet!! As Gavin wrote, the conditions in Mukono have been a bit different from what I was expecting. Our electricity was broken for the first week. We still have shortages and only have electricity about 50% of the time. Right now I am writing from the Kampala guesthouse I stayed in last month. Allison, the other student I am working in Mukono with, and I are visiting for the day. We have only had the Internet in Mukono once since we have been there. We decided to come back here for the day to use the Internet, take a real shower, and do some shopping. We are doing fine without the power but it is nice to have a little break from that.
In Mukono, we are living at the FH office with a couple of other staff members. Allison and I have our own bedroom, which we also often share with a gecko we named Frank. The guard and his two sons, Stephen (age 8) and Moses (age 7), live here too. Allison and I are completely in love with those boys. We play with them most days when we get home from work. We let them play with our cameras, draw and color with them, and have showed them my Disney DVDs on Allison's laptop. They really liked watching Peter Pan. They couldn't understand a lot of it because English isn't their first language but they loved the idea of kids being able to fly.
The food here is surprisingly good. We have not had to eat much matooke so I am pleased. They also are surprisingly okay with me being a vegetarian. We usually have rice for every meal with either beans, peas, peanut sauce, or fish. We also usually have white potatoes and cabbage. Sometimes we have spinach or sweet potatoes instead of white potatoes. The only bad thing about the food here is that we have milk tea about three times a day. It wouldn't be so bad if it wasn't so hot outside and if the milk wasn't often chunky. We have tried explaining that Americans don't drink so much tea but they just can't believe that is possible, so they keep making it for us. They also can't believe Americans could possibly dislike Wheatabix, this cereal that tastes and looks exactly like cardboard that we are expected to consume each morning. Our supervisor was appalled that we don't like the stuff, because a couple from England who visited before liked it. Allison tried explaining that America and England are vastly different but she didn't seem to think that was possible either.
Since we often don't have power, Allison and I have gotten used to using a lantern at night. We also don't have running water so we are getting used to bucket bathing. I never feel quite as clean as I would like to, but I'm getting used to it. We have a Western-style toilet out back but it just drops into a hole in the ground. The toilet is usually covered with a couple dozen little black flies, and toilet paper is hit or miss, so we use it as infrequently as humanly possible.
The work I have been doing so far is really good. It is really challenging, but it's good. I am doing a needs assessment so I have mostly been interviewing families in their homes about their struggles, and meeting with community leaders to talk about community needs. I have also spent some time at one of the schools. My favorite is visiting people's homes and talking with them. I prefer talking one on one with people who are living in poverty rather than either meeting with lots of people at once or talking with community leaders who are middle class. Most of the families I talk with have up around eight kids and maybe two or three are sponsored by FH. The sponsored ones go to school but the families usually struggle to send the others. Finding clean water and finding work to do are also common struggles for people here.
We will be working in three communities for practicum: Kyoga (the community we live in), Musombwa, and Namasumbi. Mostly I will be continuing to do home visit interviews, interviews with community leaders, and working on the actual report for my needs assessment. I will also be doing some children's Bible clubs and women's Bible studies here and there. Last week, Allison and I went to a chapel at school and were asked fifteen minutes beforehand to speak. It was kind of hilarious. We were expected to speak for an hour about values and goals. I think we made it for about thirty then the guy in charged expounded on what we said for another half hour. We have already been forewarned that this Sunday we will be expected to preach, so at least we have the chance to prepare this time.
Well that's all for now. Allison and I are going to go enjoy a day in the city. We are going shopping and will go to an Indian restaurant for lunch. I have no idea when I will be able to post next. Hopefully sometime this week I can get on the Internet though. I hope all is well at home!
In Mukono, we are living at the FH office with a couple of other staff members. Allison and I have our own bedroom, which we also often share with a gecko we named Frank. The guard and his two sons, Stephen (age 8) and Moses (age 7), live here too. Allison and I are completely in love with those boys. We play with them most days when we get home from work. We let them play with our cameras, draw and color with them, and have showed them my Disney DVDs on Allison's laptop. They really liked watching Peter Pan. They couldn't understand a lot of it because English isn't their first language but they loved the idea of kids being able to fly.
The food here is surprisingly good. We have not had to eat much matooke so I am pleased. They also are surprisingly okay with me being a vegetarian. We usually have rice for every meal with either beans, peas, peanut sauce, or fish. We also usually have white potatoes and cabbage. Sometimes we have spinach or sweet potatoes instead of white potatoes. The only bad thing about the food here is that we have milk tea about three times a day. It wouldn't be so bad if it wasn't so hot outside and if the milk wasn't often chunky. We have tried explaining that Americans don't drink so much tea but they just can't believe that is possible, so they keep making it for us. They also can't believe Americans could possibly dislike Wheatabix, this cereal that tastes and looks exactly like cardboard that we are expected to consume each morning. Our supervisor was appalled that we don't like the stuff, because a couple from England who visited before liked it. Allison tried explaining that America and England are vastly different but she didn't seem to think that was possible either.
Since we often don't have power, Allison and I have gotten used to using a lantern at night. We also don't have running water so we are getting used to bucket bathing. I never feel quite as clean as I would like to, but I'm getting used to it. We have a Western-style toilet out back but it just drops into a hole in the ground. The toilet is usually covered with a couple dozen little black flies, and toilet paper is hit or miss, so we use it as infrequently as humanly possible.
The work I have been doing so far is really good. It is really challenging, but it's good. I am doing a needs assessment so I have mostly been interviewing families in their homes about their struggles, and meeting with community leaders to talk about community needs. I have also spent some time at one of the schools. My favorite is visiting people's homes and talking with them. I prefer talking one on one with people who are living in poverty rather than either meeting with lots of people at once or talking with community leaders who are middle class. Most of the families I talk with have up around eight kids and maybe two or three are sponsored by FH. The sponsored ones go to school but the families usually struggle to send the others. Finding clean water and finding work to do are also common struggles for people here.
We will be working in three communities for practicum: Kyoga (the community we live in), Musombwa, and Namasumbi. Mostly I will be continuing to do home visit interviews, interviews with community leaders, and working on the actual report for my needs assessment. I will also be doing some children's Bible clubs and women's Bible studies here and there. Last week, Allison and I went to a chapel at school and were asked fifteen minutes beforehand to speak. It was kind of hilarious. We were expected to speak for an hour about values and goals. I think we made it for about thirty then the guy in charged expounded on what we said for another half hour. We have already been forewarned that this Sunday we will be expected to preach, so at least we have the chance to prepare this time.
Well that's all for now. Allison and I are going to go enjoy a day in the city. We are going shopping and will go to an Indian restaurant for lunch. I have no idea when I will be able to post next. Hopefully sometime this week I can get on the Internet though. I hope all is well at home!
Thursday, October 2, 2008
Practicum
So, due to Rachel's current situation, I am writing this entry for her.
On Sunday she moved to Kyoga for her practicum. In stark contrast to Kampala, Kyoga is very small and rural town. (So much so, in fact, that you can't really even tell that the town exists though a Google search.)
Currently, the house that she is living in is not connected to the power grid. Until today, they ran a generator for 2 hours a day, but now they are out of gas indefinitely. The lack of power doesn't bug her (she actually likes using a lamp for light), except for the inability to communicate with us here. For a couple of days (hopefully that's all) her cellphone is going to be dead until they have more gas for the generator, and until the house's connection to the power grid is fixed she will have no access to the internet. Hopefully the fact that others living in the house are hopeful that the connection to the power grid will be fixed soon is indicative that this predicament will end soon.
The whole situation in this practicum should be interesting. She and a fellow student that she was with in Kamapala (Allison) are the first U.S. students to be sent by Food for the Hungry to this location. Because of this, there have already and will continue to be some struggles. But, the food is more diverse there (she was getting really tired of matooke), and she needed to get away from the city.
They are living in a building with a couple of other people with Food for the Hungry. The building serves not only as living quarters for these workers but also as the main location for Food for the Hungry's work in the area, so it also contains offices and a school.
Already she has started in her research. Today she held a meeting with many parents of the students who attend the school to talk to them about the greatest needs in their community and how an organization might help meet those needs. She was quite apprehensive about it, as she had only an hour allotted of their time and there could have been anywhere from 30-100 parents, most of which can not read and write, and many of which speak only Luganda. She said that the meeting went well. (I don't know any more because she had only enough power left in her phone to have the quickest of conversations today).
In addition to her research, part of her job is to help Allison in teaching, and doing activities with the kids at the school. Part of their "orientation" was doing this. On the spot they were asked to give them a message for "only an hour", but ended up talking for about half an hour. They were instructed to lead the kids in playing sports, which Rach wasn't exactly excited about. But overall she's really glad to have the chance to work with the kids and is quickly falling in love with them.
Well that's about all I know about how things have been going so far in her new location. Hopefully soon she'll be able to update this herself.
-Gavin (her boyfriend)
On Sunday she moved to Kyoga for her practicum. In stark contrast to Kampala, Kyoga is very small and rural town. (So much so, in fact, that you can't really even tell that the town exists though a Google search.)
Currently, the house that she is living in is not connected to the power grid. Until today, they ran a generator for 2 hours a day, but now they are out of gas indefinitely. The lack of power doesn't bug her (she actually likes using a lamp for light), except for the inability to communicate with us here. For a couple of days (hopefully that's all) her cellphone is going to be dead until they have more gas for the generator, and until the house's connection to the power grid is fixed she will have no access to the internet. Hopefully the fact that others living in the house are hopeful that the connection to the power grid will be fixed soon is indicative that this predicament will end soon.
The whole situation in this practicum should be interesting. She and a fellow student that she was with in Kamapala (Allison) are the first U.S. students to be sent by Food for the Hungry to this location. Because of this, there have already and will continue to be some struggles. But, the food is more diverse there (she was getting really tired of matooke), and she needed to get away from the city.
They are living in a building with a couple of other people with Food for the Hungry. The building serves not only as living quarters for these workers but also as the main location for Food for the Hungry's work in the area, so it also contains offices and a school.
Already she has started in her research. Today she held a meeting with many parents of the students who attend the school to talk to them about the greatest needs in their community and how an organization might help meet those needs. She was quite apprehensive about it, as she had only an hour allotted of their time and there could have been anywhere from 30-100 parents, most of which can not read and write, and many of which speak only Luganda. She said that the meeting went well. (I don't know any more because she had only enough power left in her phone to have the quickest of conversations today).
In addition to her research, part of her job is to help Allison in teaching, and doing activities with the kids at the school. Part of their "orientation" was doing this. On the spot they were asked to give them a message for "only an hour", but ended up talking for about half an hour. They were instructed to lead the kids in playing sports, which Rach wasn't exactly excited about. But overall she's really glad to have the chance to work with the kids and is quickly falling in love with them.
Well that's about all I know about how things have been going so far in her new location. Hopefully soon she'll be able to update this herself.
-Gavin (her boyfriend)
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