dance like everybody can see you

Hitting up the world from Jinja. It's a calm day on the mainland, with some clouds but plenty of heat. Paul and I went to the central market in town and did a little shopping for some new threads and novelties. I managed to leave with a few bags of loose leaf tea and a new rolling pin for baking. Not the expected bounty, but a good one that cost me less than two bucks. There were plenty of second hand shirts that one would find in the overstock racks of ragstock (I have a new appreciation for their choice of . The thing here, though, is that people who shop for these clothes aren't going for the hipster/vintage/traditional swag, but more of a basic-need-for-clothing look.

Over the weekend, on the island, our friends from AGYA visited the secondary school. AGYA, which is a Luganda acronym ending with Youth Association, focuses on after school programs for children that invoke creativity, which lacks in the public school system. Last year, Abraham, the head of AGYA, came to the island for a few days and did some programs with the boys. This year he managed to bring eight other children from Kampala whose skills ranged from poetry and drawing to rapping and break dancing. On Saturday we set up a morning and afternoon program that allowed the kids to choose which class they liked the most. We were able to include the girls this year, which was nice because we didn't have anything planned for them during our stay on the island.

Much of the day was spent taking video and cheering the kids on, but Paul and I managed to get our groove on in the boys dance class. It was a total throwback, learning to the eight-count from a choreographer. It made me realize how much I miss dancing at Larkin and how free it made me feel. I thoroughly enjoyed the movement and have to say that many of the children were quite surprised to see a mzungu getting down and rowdy on the concrete dance floor.

After lunch, Abraham and the boys held a sexual education class in the room to talk about HIV/AIDS and give the chance for the children to ask questions of their own. In a christian founded school, the concept of sexual education is completely shutout to the point where kids only have a chance to learn from their parents. This would be fine if Ugandan parents talked to their children about sex, but that doesn't happen either. Friends are the only place where a child learns, which tends to be construed and filled with untrue rumors. Abraham had a talk with the headmaster before doing the class. Headmaster basically said that he doesn't want any sort of sex ed class happening, but liked the "idea" of an HIV/AIDS awareness class. Thought process: HIV/AIDS is disconnected from sex. The new study from YWAM, a health organization in Uganda that has a base on the island, shows that 8 in 10 people on Lingira island have AIDS. An absurd statistic that absolutely cannot go unnoticed. Abraham, because AGYA is his profession, obviously had to comply out of respect.

Headmaster actually left the island after their talk because of meetings somewhere else, and failed to mention any of their talk and produced guidelines to the teachers. This was a small blessing in disguise. The teachers, who seem very aware of the necessity of a sexual education class were in charge and Abraham basically let the children lead the class. I managed to have a sit-down with a teacher and politely ask if the teachers could be absent from the sex ed class so the kids could feel comfortable. After some hesitation of the teacher and perseverance on my part, he finally agreed. Paul and I decided to be absent from the class as well. We basically sat with the teachers in the break room keeping them occupied with some drawing and guitar playing so they didn't go into the classroom.

After the class, the groups met for a little while longer and then we had a showcase for everyone including the teachers. Paul and I made fools of ourselves on the dance floor, had some laughs, and listened to a lot of poetry and rap. It was all in Luganda, so we didn't understand anything. Listening to the flow of the language was enough to entice my ears, though. Overall, it was a fantastic day that the children thoroughly enjoyed. I even got a chance to play a couple songs on the guitar in front of the kids! Their talents go mostly unnoticed at the school. Football and netball are the only activities that the children participate in on the regular. This was chance for them to personally grab an opening and find their way out of the box. Abraham and the AGYA guys were impressed with the kids' talents and interest in the classes. They listened intently and participated entirely. For a school that has scheduled, mandatory study sessions and classes on Saturdays and Sundays, it was a very well deserved day of fun and awareness.

Our last week in Uganda is looking quite busy. Our work on the fence is basically done, except for Fred's art class painting the sign for it. We have a lot of talking to do with some of the community members and a lot of friendships to say goodbye to, unfortunately. Our time here, other than working on the fence, has mostly been used for establishing and continuing relationships for ourselves and for the EDGE project. Since Paul and I are basically a power team, we have also started some things that need to be completed for next semester. We had Kenny, Abraham's assistant at AGYA, design the new EDGE t-shirts. They are bomb.com with a little slice of hip and a bite of spice. The shirts he has made for AGYA are absolutely amazing, so we are having him actually screen and print them before we leave. An investment that will eventually pay for itself, these t-shirts are half the price they would be in the states. Plus, we have a design from a good friend in Uganda so our connection to the shirts can be much greater.

Somebody get some chocolate on the ready. My body is weak from the lack of sugary, mouthwatering goodness. I miss you all, as always when I'm away. Much love,

AGYA


ps: this is my 50th post!

this post measured in inches. not word count.

6/13/11
We purchased the fence. I wish that's where I could move to another topic. After blogging and doing coffee in the morning, Paul and I moved down to the hardware area of Jinja, where there are stores and stores of metal, lumber, and what have you. We monetarily purchased what we knew we needed for the fence from a store. It was quite expensive, but about what we expected. Our purchase was large enough to allow us to go behind the counter and pull out our money (all in cash) so we didn't have to count it at the counter. It was ridiculous having a total bill in the multi-millions of shillings. I felt like a big spender. Ow ow! Unfortunately it was for a fence and not a Lamborghini. We waited around for Oryagi (sp?) and headmaster so they could come help us figure out what else we needed and how we were going to cut our pole lengths and get them welded into the right shape. Thank goodness they showed up and knew what they were doing. What was originally going to cost us 25,000 UGX to cut each pole and shape them was reduced to 3,000 UGX per pole because of Oryagi knowing a guy who had done some good work previously. Yikes! Oryagi and headmaster, the Ugandans, were a big help in the afternoon. Many people were surprised to see two mzungus dealing down in the hardware/dock area. We were helping life supplies and even riding in the back of the truck we hired! We got a lot of looks, to say the least. Our original departure time from the port was 2pm. Our actual departure time was around 7pm. We took the boat across the lake under a pretty moonlight and finally set foot on Lingira around 8:30pm. After unloading all of the supplies, including 7 chain link rolls, 54 poles, 10 bags of concrete, barbed wire rolls and other wire rolls, Paul and were pleasantly surprised to see dinner still out and waiting for our return. I slept hard. Real hard.

6/15/11
After days of "negotiating" with headmaster over a fence plan, we finally have one figured out. We were able to make the fence entirely focused on the garden area. It doesn't have anything to do with any school buildings and separation of the sexes. I think we wore him out with our continual list of pros and cons for the respective plans. We finished digging all of the holes with the help of some classes during their breaks. The teachers have been bringing the kids out for half-hour-long periods to till and dig, which has been great! The kids keep in high spirits and are always laughing and having a good time. Some have even said they are excited for the garden!

6/15/11 - 6/20/11
The following is a random series of things happening. There is no order. Enjoy your b-sides and rarities…

The food is becoming monotonous here. It's tough to get through a day when you can know what to expect for lunch. Posho and beans are a regular, which I wouldn't mind but posh is really getting old. It's especially bad when you find the greens seasoned with plenty of good, natural dirt and sand that give it a nice crunch. Thankfully there is regular rice at dinner time, which I have been eating religiously knowing that I won't have it for another 24 hours. My bottle of Siricha hot sauce that is in a landfill somewhere sounds really nice right now…

I am almost done with my second book here. I am rereading the Golden Compass series, thanks to Erin Christmas and her quick thinking before leaving from Chicago. They are simple to read and are good for keeping my mind off of real, stressful things. I plan on finishing the second one in the next few days so I can start reading anotehr book I found in the library here. It is "The Geography of Bliss" which is written by an author who travelled around the world in search of what happiness is. I am excited to have a new book, plus I have heard some really good things about this one!

My video camera, yes the one that has been filming for the new EDGE video, decided to stop working. Along with my headphones and my new camera, my electronics have decided that they are best used as bookshelf ornaments. Thankfully Paul's camera takes some good video so our project isn't lost! Silver lining: the 160 videos that I did take on my camera were uploaded on the computer before I lost them. Paul and I have been continually buying soda from the shop in Lingira camp, which requires us to return our bottles before buying some new ones. It's a nice way of making sure we get over to the camps when all of our work is basically at the school. We made mandaziis with Mama O the other morning. Mandaziis are similar to donuts except they have much less sugar. They are sold and consumed all throughout the day on and off the island. Since they are super cheap, we have learned to enjoy them quite a bit! We spent a Sunday morning, after learning and while the entire island was at church, making a batch and ate the entire amount. Time well spent. We even got Papa O to miss church, which is a rarity, because we made them so well!

Robert, the man from Jinja who wants to design the garden, came to Lingira over the weekend to do a primary assessment of the land and the school. Basically, he said that if the school becomes invested with purchasing the necessary seedlings and tools (which are surprisingly cheap!) he promised to have a flourishing garden that could even begin to make a profit for the school. He has set up 98 school gardens in the Jinja area, which is incredible! This guy really knows what he is doing and has some great initiative. His knowledge of Ugandan soil and growing is rare to have with a man who is entirely devoted to making people's diets better. He also is really invested in this one on Lingira, because he wants to use it as the primary demonstration garden for the surrounding Buvuma islands. Since Lingira Living Hope Secondary School is the only one in this region of islands, it would bring in a lot of people and hopefully money for the school to start more projects and begin expanding for the children who aren't going to school. Eventually (this is ideal and long-term) it could lead to more looks from the government to provide more funding for the school, which has been coming in more steadily in the past year or so. EDGE has to work with the school to keep Robert coming. It is going to require a lot of talking from Paul and I, trying to get the school to begin budgeting for the garden. But I think we have started what can be a very good, sustainable project by putting up the fence to ensure crops growing.

Warning: Venting. Blowing off steam.

Paul and I were hauling aggregate from the front of the school to the other side where the fence is, when the children started to gather near the entrance. We were interested to see what was going on while people formed a semi-circle around an area when headmaster began to speak. There was a child next to him. He went to the secondary school but was recently suspended for a number of things. Pretty high crime such as yelling for a teacher in the middle of the night to get inside his dorm because it was locked; having a love letter from a girl in the school, and accused of stealing a book. It was pretty blatant that the headmaster and the teachers were enforcing their control by making a public case for this kid. He had served two weeks of suspension at home without being able to attend school. Paul and I were still taking in the information but found it interesting that the kid stole a school book. Yes, one to read and to study for class. Presumably he wasn't able to afford them or had lost his but the fact remains that he was stealing for his own education. I'm not advocating thievery at all here, but find it wholly screwed up when a kid has to steal from someone or someplace to be able to read a book for classes to a school that he is attending. An interesting and ethically confusing irony.

So, here we stand, taking a break from our work and all of a sudden the head master has a teacher whip out a couple canes (basically branches of a tree) for a good ol' genuine caning. It brought a crowd, to say the least. It was the epitome of humiliation, which is probably one of the least successful forms of punishment. His mother, the teachers, and the headmaster were all included in the lineup for a whack at the kids lower back and bottom. First, the mother. In a place where family relationships are utterly mixed up and family planning is a key source of domestic healing on the island, the school just lost 40 points in their attempt to fix domestic violence by making a game out of the caning. Next, two teachers. Probably the most influential people for this kid, next to his family. The people who he has the chance to learn from are now associated with pain and humiliation. I can't imagine wanting to go to class after having my teacher whole-heartedly smack my backside. Finally, the headmaster. After having the child stand up, the headmaster made him say in front of everyone watching, "I want to be caned again." Well, why not?! Bam. Caned. In a school that is so completely ambiguous and conspicuous about its vision and drive, they didn't didn't take minute to even consider the fact that pain as punishment cannot equate to authority. All respect in authority is lost when the authority has to resort to a means of caning to get a point across.

His next form of punishment, which was not at all brought up to Paul and I beforehand, involved having to hoe part of a termite mound in the garden. Yay, now the garden is associated with pain and punishment for this child. It is no longer a new, exciting project for him to learn and prosper from. Thanks a lot headmaster for finally taking some initiative in the garden. I'm glad the EDGE project could invest enormous amounts of money in an area where manual labor will come in the form of naughty children and unhappy work.

(Sorry. I needed to put that somewhere.)

6/21/11
Our work on the fence has been quite difficult, but consistent. We finished digging all of the holes and cementing the poles. Saturday was our first day of pouring concrete. We had the help of two students, Moses and Henry, who worked for four hours. They did some pretty laborious work for a handsome 10,000 UGX total. This is what the teacher bargained for them to work for. It was originally 3,500 UGX each, which is near $1.50. Paul and I felt weird only paying that much for tough work, so we increased it to $2.00 each… Ugh, sometimes it's so weird following the normal flow of money here, where that work wouldn't have been done for anything less than $30.00 in the states. We have been working from around 9am till lunch around 1pm, then go back to work for four more hours until 5 o'clock rolls around. It's like a full work day, but filled with dirt and rust and metal and cement. The levels (for making poles straight) that we have been using, or used, are completely off level. The couple guys we hired to help build the fence are persistent on using them, when the bubble level is noticeably tilted and the poles themselves are as straight as spaghetti. It has worked better to eye out the poles and make sure they are in line. Concrete has been quite difficult to work with. I never knew how much stuff goes into making the binding concoction. I know the difference between cement and concrete, and the types of sand and aggregate that should be used for different projects. I'm a grind working man with a killer farmer's tan. We have been dirty. And it has been awesome. No showers. Grizzly hair. Bruises. Cuts. Sore backs. Toes that want out. It's all for the fence. Which will be finished. Just you wait.

Paul and I have been working well with each other. Unfortunately, we are the only ones we can really vent and complain to, so sometimes we are at each other's throats. We both like to do things our own way, which can be arguably different sometimes, but we make sound and productive decisions for the EDGE project. We have talked about this, which was good, because we are seriously the only people who we can really talk to about anything that is annoying us. It would be nice to have a few more people travel next year, just so one can spread out their time to not have to continually go to the same person for ventilation. At days end, though, we enjoy each other's company and take comfort in the fact that we are both doing this together. Not to mention our tradition of watching a bit of Lord of the Rings on the computer before sleep. It's another way of taking our stressed minds off of the island before resting. Upon our return to Madison, I think our partnership will work quite well within the EDGE project as co-directors. A little bit of the old mixed with a little bit of the new. Some sugar and spice. It's a concoction meant for glory.

After another long day by the school, Paul and I are sitting on the front porch of the shim building, listening to Sharon Van Etten (thanks to the lovely Livy Baldwin and her musical addition to my life). Overlooking the lake. The sunset. The birds. The watermelons. The marigolds. The children running down the path. Termite mounds. Dirt. Trees. Haze. Dragonflies. Breeze over our sunburn skin. It's a very romantic scene to say the least.

To end on an entertaining note, here are some questions that Paul and I have been asked about America:

Can everyone walk around with guns?
Is rambo living there?
Do people actually get killed in movies? I was always confused when I saw a man die in one movie and then alive in another.
How do you know if Osama is dead?
Won't people look for his body in the ocean anyways?
There can't be poor people in America, can there?
Why do taxes exist?
Does everyone have a car for work?
Have you heard of swizniga - i heard he's the governor of california…
Has Ghadaffi been attacking people from where you are from? Why does Obama want to attack Libya then?
Can the military jets brought over to Libya flip a car over?
Are there forests in America? Green space?
Do you have goats and cows? How do you get the cows so big?
Do you have pigs? (laughing hard when asked)
Did Vietnam happen?

Sorry for the delay in posts, and the incredible length of this one. I promise that I will do it again.
Love. Laughs. Bagels. Cheese.

(ps: someone, please have a cold spotted cow ready for when I get back. You will be my best friend for it.)

ogamba chi?

What up? Paul and I have been working on our soccer skills ever so slightly during our free time when the secondary school gets out around 5pm. Paul, the first day playing, managed to find the right spot for tearing off his pinky toe nail. It is quite the sight, seeing tall Paul surrounded by a bunch of people helping him to the point where he just ripped it out. OUCH! Some days later, I managed to find the biggest rock on the field, which is most likely part of the lava flow of the island (aka, not moving at all) and kicked it instead of the ball. Surprisingly, I managed to not break anything, but it sent a shattering shiver up my entire leg. One player, from the other team, came over and gave me a foot massage, which was quite nice! I managed to play a little more and even score a goal on adrenalin, but the pain became too much. I have been hobbling for a couple days now but should be back on the pitch in no time. The next day, literally 24 hours at most, it seemed like everyone knew about my hurt foot and people were coming up to me in Lingira village, which isn't close and asking me how my leg was. Even people who were calling Karla were asking how I was doing. Ha! Apparently my soccer skills are so noteworthy that an injury results in a public scare. Right...

We spent an afternoon with Faith, a lovely woman at SHIM, placing large orders for crafts for the EDGE project to sell back in Madison. Our goal, other than supporting the women who have taken the initiative to make better crafts to sell to market, is to be able to show people at home actually WHO made their item. This involved taking their photo and getting names and a few facts about them to put on a tag attached to the item. It should be a good connection for EDGE members and followers to see where their jewelry is coming from. We purchased necklaces, bags and baskets, all made from papyrus and banana plant leaves on the island.

We proposed our fence plans (there are three) to the headmaster (Sam Okelo) of the secondary school the other day. He is excited for the fence, although he thought we were planning on doing the entire school. The feasability of fencing the entire school is completely out of EDGE's budget because of the cost of fencing here. It would be in the 5,000-7,000 dollar range, which would all have to be withdrawn as cash. Our primary focus for the fence is the garden. We want to fence in the whole area of the garden so the school can finally get a grasp on the growing season and produce food for consumption and demonstration. Headmaster seemed a little skeptical and tried making the plan to fence off the school boys from the girls. They want to do this anyways (you know, because a chain-link fence will stop boys and girls from interacting) but the EDGE project wants to stray from aiding in the separation of sexes. A compromise will be hard fought for them, as Paul and I are both strongly advocating the simpler, less expensive plan. It's nice being on the side who is paying for the fence. A strong advantage, I must say so.

Apart from EDGE focused stuff, we have been having fun with all of the livestock on the island. Paul and I, mostly Paul, have been running around the goats and picking them up, chasing turkeys, and playing with Honey, SHIM's dog. We (Paul, Karla and I) hiked up the mountain one morning to watch the sunrise. It was a gloomy morning after I hurt my foot, so it was slow moving. Despite the lack of direct sun, it was quite beautiful and pleasant. I was able to look south to the openness of Lake Victoria and see an extravagant lightning storm occurring. It never managed to hit Lingira, which is unfortunate because rain storms are few and far between. Faith taught us a dance that Papa O loves doing. It involved some steps and chest movements and head movements that were all tough to do simultaneously. We were lucky to witness Papa O do this dance the other day and to our delight, he really followed through. It was fantastic and had everybody laughing! Our boat ride to Jinja on Saturday morning reminded me of sailing on Lake Superior. Water was slightly coming over the railing with each wave, but I was up front in my raincoat loving every minute of it. I'm really happy to have spent so much time on the water to not worry about getting seasick anymore.

Jinja is quite a funky town. It's pretty and well established, but completely hopping with missionaries. It's weird being around so much religion when I myself don't really associate. I have nothing against it at all, but it's a totally different lifestyle when every positive event is equated to divine intervention. Despite the awkwardness, many missionaries are giving up a nice lifestyle in the western world to work on many great community development projects around the area.

Karla, our beloved leader, left us this morning to fly back home only to fly to South America a week later. She has helped Paul and I acclimate to the life of an EDGE member in Uganda. Our jaja (grandma) was a great person to travel with and really knew what she was doing. Karla, Paul and I thank you for being great and always laughing at our jokes about you and your lack of coolness. It's only because we love you even more. I'm going to miss my sister look-a-like.

Now, it's time for Paul and I to buy a fence. Hire someone to drive the materials to the port. Then find a big enough boat to ship it to Lingira. Then find people to help us unload. Then build the fence. Just like any other day. No big deal. Over and out my fellow readers. Wish us lots and lots of luck, we will undoubtedly need it.

IF anyone is interested in supporting the fence (bad fence joke) go to the EDGE project blog and follow Paul's most recent post here (EDGE Project).

Pop it. Lock it. Drop it.
Sam

an island, its people, our place

6/3/2011
Jinja:
We arrived in Jinja around mid-day on Friday with a driver who picked up two others from the airport who plan on doing some things around the islands as well. After a very nice lunch in Jinja, we went to the mainland SHIM office. Basically, we met tons of really awesome people who I have heard about for two years, but never really had any physical connection to. We met Andy and Keeky, Amanda, Julius, Ruth and their son Andrew, Papa and Momma O, Robert, Oryagi (sp?) and many others. I'm absolutely in love with Papa O, who cannot get over the fact that EDGE boys actually exist. "You are most welcome" is a common phrase to hear him say every single time you see him. He and everyone are so gracious to have guests in their homes, especially people (Karla and the EDGE project) who return.

Jinja is a very interesting city, relative to Kampala. It is a completely different feel because of it's location on the water but also its higher standard of living. There are actually houses with huge front lawns and fences, compared to the many small clay-brick and wood homes that cover Kampala. It reminds me a lot of my neighborhood in South Africa, Observatory, because of its hip downtown main drive with many cafes and shops. It was a nice change of pace from the busy Kampala. The air is much cleaner and my boogers are no longer black.

In the afternoon, we met with Andy and Keeky as a smaller group at the house where Keeky is staying, since she recently had a new baby. It was really nice to meet such great people and nice to be able to talk about EDGE and what we are going to do on the island this month. They seem very optimistic about our fencing project around the secondary school, as well as some of our assessment projects focused on the Lingira Women's soccer team and the grain mill.

Afterwards we met with Rose, one of the heads of an NGO based in Jinja, Women's Rights Initiative (WORI). Karla and her mother did a week long internship with WORI last year when Cathy visited. The group is focused on empowering women through many different programs focused on rights awareness campaigns. Many focus on domestic abuse and family-based situations. Anyways, EDGE is hopeful to get her to come to the island with her coworkers and hold some focus groups for the women around the three camps. We talked with SHIM, as it is a religious based group, to see what they think and they wholeheartedly believe that the programs are beneficial. Ideally we could get Rose to come sometime while we are here, but she and WORI have been doing these things for quite some time so we wouldn't provide much service to the programs.

Tomorrow morning we plan on going to the island.

6/5/2011
The island is everything and more than I expected. Surprisingly (and creepily), I know my way around because of my work on the map. It's funny though, because there are new buildings from the photo on Google Earth that was taken a few years back. We are close to the secondary school, which has around 120 students right now. The term recently started again, which is why so many of the students are wandering around the area most of the time. Paul and I played some soccer with the boys yesterday only to get our ankles broken. We didn't play too badly but damn these kids are fast! Paul ran into a little problem when he ripped off his pinky toenail on a rock. Trying to fit in without shoes is difficult, especially when you look really out of place because most kids have shoes on and some even had track cleats. Despite our skin color, we looked about as mzungu (white person) as you can get.

The many double takes and total stares have become a normal part of walking around because we look totally out of place. I can imagine it would be quite surprising to see people of a different race on an island that is totally isolated in the middle of a continent that is almost entirely black. The ocasional screaming child running to his or her mother is quite an interesting response to the mzungu. It is common to stop and say hello to everyone you know and greet everyone you don't as you walk around. This, along with the African internal clock, makes getting things done on time almost impossible. Even church on Sundays is three hours long, with many people showing up an hour and a half into the service. We went to the church service today mostly to get a feel for what a christian Sunday is like for Ugandans. Despite it being incredibly long, the music was sung by the secondary school girls choir accompanied by a couple drums. It was beautiful to listen to and most of the time the speaker had a translator from either Lugandan to English or vice versa. At one point I think there was a three way translation going on from Swahili to Lugandan to English. I'm pretty sure the EDGE project was welcomed four or five times throughout the whole service, including a portion where we had to stand in front of everyone and introduce ourselves and give greetings from Madison, Wisconsin, America and my personal favorite, Michelle and Barack Obama.

The food we have been eating has been simply amazing. Every meal involves copious amounts of fruit, no exceptions. Pineapple, passion fruit, papaya, watermelon and mango mango mango! We have been eating posho (which is basically a dense, starchy filler that resembles pop from South Africa; not soda pop). Beans, rice and greens also seem to appear at most meals. Mamma O and Ruth have been treating us so kindly and have been throwing in some extra special entrees such as beef and chicken. Meats are usually reserved for celebration so they will stop soon. I guess they are excited to see us!

We measured the total distance of fence needed to surround the entire secondary school, which is quite a bit. It's going to cost a fair amount of money, so I don't know how much EDGE can complete in this trip. There is a section of 100 meters that we are for sure going to start and finish, but there is another 120 meters (220 total) that is needed for the other side of the school. We hope to have the garden area, which is WAY larger than we originally thought, fenced in so the school can start growing the area. Tomorrow we plan on beginning the slashing process and digging of fence posts. Fred, the fine arts teacher for the secondary school, is hoping to get many of the students to help clear the area and put up the fence. It would be highly beneficial to have the students help build the garden because they will have a stronger connection to the land and their crops if they put the work into getting them harvestable. Exciting stuff over here!

I thought I was going to have to go over a month without playing the guitar, but Andy actually has one at SHIM! I got it tonight with his permission and he said I can keep it in our room while I am here to play when I want. It will be nice to have some music to play during down time.

6/8/2011
Paul and I walked up the mountain the other day. It is super rocky and difficult to find a good foot hold. I'm surprised we didn't roll our ankles! The top of the hill (a MN mountain) provides a brilliant view of the surrounding islands and mainland. I have seen so many photos of this hill and people looking out over the lake for the past two years, I can finally say that I have been there too. Unfortunately, but not surprisingly, my camera that I purchased the day before flying out is already broken, with sand in the lens and a screen that freezes. I have been taking plenty of video though, and plan on using Karla and Paul's cameras for the rest of the trip. We descended the hill near the secondary school and to my surprise and content, we saw children slashing away the weeds and plants where the garden is going to be. After talking to the teachers and having them announce in class about the garden, the secondary school boys and girls were excited about the project and wanted to help! Although the project is nowhere near complete, it was very rewarding seeing them focused and interested in having a place for hands on agricultural learning. In the end, I think we had 10 or 12 slashers (bend blades for cutting grass) and about 60 students. Despite our lack of tools, many of them were having fun watching Paul and I make fools of ourselves trying to use these things. Our hands are full of blisters; good, rewarding, hard-working blisters.

We have drawn out plans for the entire fence area in the secondary school. Right now, we have three possible plans. The first being a fence around the entire school, which is not really possible considering how expensive fencing is here. The other two are more focused on fencing in the area where the garden is going to be. They are much cheaper (though not as cheap as fencing in the states) and use some of the school buildings to cut down on total distance. It's unfortunate how expensive basic fencing is here. It's actually quite absurdly priced considering the poor quality. Once the garden actually begins to produce crops, which could be a year from now, Paul and I are thinking that the school could set up some sort of nursery program to grow seedlings for sale to the rest of the island. They would be a lot cheaper because of low transport cost and would provide income to the school while providing sustenance other than fish to people living in the camps. This seems to be an end goal for the garden. A sustainably growing seedling population to slowly lean away from reliance on fishing to being able to grow in small places with poor soil quality. Obviously a lot of work has to happen before this, though.

I'm getting used to sleeping here. Its always quite at night except when Honey, the dog, sees something at three in the morning and barks for a while. Mosquito nets are annoying, although entirely necessary, and the bathroom situation is… well… not as relaxing as most, to put it subtly. As I type this, I'm pretty sure an ant just crawled inside my computer. That's comforting.

After some talks with Robert, one of the heads of SHIM who seems to be very acquainted with the island and focused on working for the needs of the island, we still find ourselves running into dead ends. He, along with everyone else who knows about Lingira that I have talked to, sees a lack of community on the island because of its high turnover rate from fishers. There is relatively little land considering that we are on an island for people to entirely focus on farming and little in market resources for people to sell goods that they produce or create. It's quite demoralizing seeing someone who lives on and knows so much about the island run into the same problems that EDGE has continually had to work around. Lingira Island is such a confusing place for establishing sustainable programs. Robert also seems concerned about EDGE as an organization. He has noticed the drop in numbers of people coming to the island and since Paul and I are the new directors, his initial contacts with the project are changing drastically. The only way of making him feel better about this is continuing contact with him and showing that Paul and I are able to run the organization with the same vision and initiative as the original ladies. I find myself continually trying to self-motivate to push on with our programs. After such a long time of seeing little response and impact from the island, one has to find motivation from within. Working here is the first time where my mind and body have struggled to keep up with what needs to get done. Though there is a lot of down time, thinking about our projects and their probability of working is overwhelmingly tiresome.

Despite all of this though, I am enjoying actually doing something. Everything we do is for actual people. It's not a research paper or a case study in lab, it's real life with real consequences. Taking action here is much more difficult, but has to be done. We're learning how to make the best choice when all choices are difficult to make. This idea in itself is what keeps me going. It's an obsessive rush to think that something that I think and do could help someone else.

We plan on going to Jinja on Saturday to bring Karla back to mainland for her departure. On Sunday, Paul and I are purchasing our shopping list from around the area and it all back to Lingira. This includes chain-link fence, barbed wire, fence posts, concrete, paint, and wood boards. Quite a list! But one that is required for any of this garden to work.

Will try to update more frequently from here on out. I miss you family, friends, Madison. I'm so happy to have such wonderful people in my life to think about when I'm away. Thanks for being. Cheers, folks. Bottoms up.

oliotya!

5/31/2011

Paul, Karla and I sat around the backpackers tonight waiting for dinner and completely stressing about the EDGE project on the island and as a whole. It's incredible how multi-layered the island is and how difficult it is to implement a project without having been there or understanding the community. Our frustration was high and morale was low throughout our talk. It's just so confusing how keep motivated on a project that will inevitably falter without having a person consistently living on or visiting the island. We toughed through the difficult conversation of optimistic idealism struggling against a pessimistic distopia. Holy big words batman! Reality is a difficult thing to accept, coming from an established university where we are given the opportunity to find all sorts of paths and ways of connecting ourselves to the world around us.

Our basic ideology is to be able to provide a gateway for people on Lingira, which is so isolated from not just the world, but even their own government. There is a complete lack of primary school funds said to be provided by the government and an empty abyss of sexual and civil rights knowledge. As students, we struggle to understand what is of the utmost importance to the community for the EDGE project to focus on because there are so many things that we think we can help with. With time and money, large goals can be met, but for now our efforts need to focus on very focused and pinpointed projects that we can try and stress through education. Eventually, we can begin to use these projects as means of leveling gender differences or empowering people using their community. With this, we continue to find it difficult to not provide the community with money. It continues to be evident that our educational impact will only have influence if EDGE is to provide something to the community that brings people together. Right now, I can only see this as some sort of community center, or in our case right now, the demonstration garden. I think it would be quite cool if we made the garden more than just that. Something of a gathering place where the EDGE project and community could convene for public awareness campaigns and agriculture/environmental demonstrations.

We have discussed much about beautifying the area, to make Lingira feel more like a community instead of a temporary place for fishers and emigrants. From there, people living on Lingira will care more for their land and hopefully get more out of EDGE's research and projects. This summer, I envision this "beautification" happening in the garden. Karla came up with a solid idea that involves the primary school children, at least a handful, painting part of the fence and naming the garden. This painted area will face the public path that people walk between Kyoya and Lingira village (see map in past post).

Tis all for now my lovelies.

If the world is our stage, why watch from the audience?

6/1/2011

I seem to have spotted a pattern in my personal way of thought that cycles throughout the years. Through university I have learned and learned to the point where I find no black and white in any situation and endlessly research the grey. Understandably many assessments and observations must be taken in order to choose sides or implement projects. One does not want a project to end up a disaster because of a missed calculation or detail that they may have overlooked.

Throughout the last four years, that is what I learned. In the last two months, I have almost completely switched ideologies. Through work with the EDGE project and final research papers, I now understand the need for action. Sure, you could visit Lingira island for four years straight, figuring out what the community seems to most need, but by implementing projects right off the bat, you are able to evolve and modify works to the point of highest impact and where they resemble what people truly need. I go back and forth; research, action, assessment, implementation, research, action. Now I realize that both of these are necessary for one to work and the other to prevail but when it comes down to the nitty gritty, too much research and assessment can reach the point where it is a waste of time and resources.

Kampala has been fantastic these past couple days, as have our travels. We traveled to an area near Mityana to visit a girl in secondary school that Mr. Atwell sponsors. The driving has been incredibly intense around Uganda, mostly consisting of pot holes (more valley-like) and gravel. The driving is so intense (how intense is it?), the driving is so intense that we even happened to find a connection between the front of the car and a large tree (womp womp). Joseph, our driver, started to answer a phone call and completely veered off the "road" into a tree. Despite Karla almost crapping herself, we were plenty fine and keen to continue traveling without worrying too much. It made me think of how often car crashes would occur in the states if people were to drive on these roads and talk as much as usual on their phones.

Sarah, who goes to Kitizo Secondary School for girls, was very excited to meet us (mostly Paul) and finally have a physical connection to the Atwell family. Accordingly, Dennis and Ester were (siblings) were just as excited when Paul and I went to a secondary school in Kampala area later in the day.

6/2/2011
The Suubi Center

We travelled too a place in Lubanda (near Masaka) that deals with community development through training and teaching in a community center. The place began with a woman, Helen from Australia , and a friend, David from Uganda, who developed a demonstration garden to show new farming techniques and a training hall to have a place for women in the area to sew, knit, and weave products for selling. There is also a library attached that a couple women run that includes reading and computer lessons.

Recently, a group of men from the surrounding area has been gathering weekly to coordinate a soccer tournament for the local teams that is presented through an environmentally educational lens to teach people about climate change and other conservation efforts. Also, with a grant from Lonely Planet, Helen has begun the implementation of a reliable health clinic that will eventually be the place for everyone to get medicine, health information, and have the chance to see a doctor or nurse in case of emergency.

Basically, this place is the epitome of community development. It's running at full throttle because of the desire of people around the area to help and run the place. Helen is only here for three months every year, while David and others run and take care of the place all year round. Suubi center, which means hope in Luganda, is able to run so smoothly because of the dedication from the Ugandans working here. They see the benefit of having this center, because everything that is implemented here is through ideas and opinions of what they need the most. It's a collaboration of efforts off-site, back in Australia where much of the fundraising takes place, and on-site, where all of the physical and educational work is completed.

Volunteers are more than welcome, which is why we were able to spend the evening so easily. There are so many places that allow for volunteering that cost absurd amounts of money, which is entirely useless when most people volunteering have very little money. Helen sees this and acts accordingly. Staying here is cheap and the work a volunteer can do here is entirely up to him or her. Flexibility is a necessity, considering the changing community structure, which allows for projects to best fit the needs of people instead of being rigid and forcing people to change parts of their life to try and fit the projects in.

Suubi center is all located within one complex, or at least on one plot of land, so when people from the surrounding area come for one thing, they leave seeing the rest. The training center and health clinic are beside one another and out front is the demonstration garden and mushroom house. All in all, the Suubi center is a highly successful organization because of the effort given by Ugandans here and the intense fundraising done in Australia. The EDGE project is humbled by the work here, and has learned a lot through being here for just one night. Hopefully we can continue the vision of Suubi center onto Lingira, to try and find community members that want to help year round, making our projects much more sustainable that the annual visits that we do now.

After a boda ride (motorbike) back to the paved roads, we took a taxi (exactly like a minibus in Cape Town) back to Kampala, which only took a couple hours. We are comfortably back in the hostel we originally stayed in and plan on traveling to Jinja tomorrow morning. Learning Luganda (language) has been quite difficult. Most of our words are simply saying oliotya (hello/how are you?), webale (thank you) [webale nyo (thank you very much)], sula bulungi (good night), which all can be connected to gender - sabo (sir) and nyabo (madam). The flow of Luganda is incredibly difficult to grasp but I find it quite interesting and enjoyable to try and speak. I'm keen on learning more in the next few weeks!

Stay tuned... farewell folks...