Saturday – I’ve been up officially since 5:30 AM having been tripping in and out of sleep most of the night. That’s why I love Costco’s Sleep Aid (which I brazenly declined last night) – I can sometimes get through the night without hearing each new chorus of activity from God knows where – that’s … Read more
I think I’m slipping into the abyss… I am beginning to enjoy – or a least be able to laugh about – some of the chaos of Kampala. Help me. It must be the Stockholm Syndrome – isn’t that the one where abductees begin identifying with their captors? I’ve been working at PC HQ … Read more
In the absolutely random world we know as Peace Corps the odd or merely unusual is not far from our doorstep. Sometimes, it is ON the doorstep, but not this time. These are mostly tales of cows with a rooster thrown in for good measure. The cows here in Uganda are unusual; except for the … Read more
Yes – I know a long silence. I have returned from Kampala where I spent almost a week organizing PC headquarters after attending a Train-the-Trainer workshop. Arranged the Country Director’s Office, Reception and the PCV lounge, where volunteers do research, have access to computers, generally hang-out when they’re here for medical or anything administrative. … Read more
Hi folks – Happy Mother’s Day! Sitting in a web-cafe in Kampala and have – at long last – been able to get sufficient internet connectivity to upload some new pictures. These are of the Gulu house, accessed through this heavy gate, which is locked at night. I know some of you are picturing me … Read more
Aaaaah – rain AND real Mexican food. Life is sometimes good in Uganda. Tonight several of us were invited to dinner by an ex-PCV, returned as a USAID employee. We suggested our version of Mexican food: you know beans cooked by Happy Nest (none of us has enough propane to cook beans for 4 hours), … Read more
No travel log today, unless one considers this a travel log of the nooks-and-crannies of my mind. Could be dangerous going there. Reminds me of a time when a client of mine in West Virginia, living at the edge of an old, flooded quarry invited me to go canoeing with her into the partially flooded … Read more
Raining…. Glorious long, slow rain foretold by black skies and great gusts of wind, accompanied by rolling thunder. We’ve had a lot of this and at some point I will tire of it, but it takes me back to the excited anticipation of hurricanes in Louisiana and the quickening of my pulse when the … Read more
Early morning here. This one is quiet – oh so blissfully quiet. The rainy season does that. Since I was able to sleep without earplugs last night, I can awaken to these subtle sounds as slow drips become a soft patter on the tin roof. Jenna (housemate) is away and the young PCV who was … Read more
It’s been one of those “interesting” days. Just about the time the unusual (hauling water, living by candle light, smacking white ants, flushing with bath water…) becomes usual, something comes along that tweaks the senses – or the sensibilities. A little of both drifted by today. The first came after picking up a package at … Read more