Last week we got to hike Fort Baker, which was once a site of slave trade. It was beautiful and I took some great photos I will upload as soon as I find a usb cord.
We've been spending our weekend nights at BJz, a local Gulu bar. It's a mix of munus and Ugandans and generally not very sketchy. They play really old pop/rock as well as more recent dancy stuff. We went for Quiz night last Thursday but didn't win. Ugandan beer isn't bad, and you can buy little two-shot bags of gin from corner stores. I'll be sure to bring some portable gin home.
We've been playing a weekly game similar to secret santa called Secret Munu with all the Montreal CVAPers. The first gift I got was coffee! I was thrilled and I think my secret munu knew it would benefit all of us in the end (as I won't be going through coffee withdrawal). Unfortunately, our prized french press that was bought in Kampala broke so I've been surviving on cowboy coffee, which is still a lot better than instant (the coffee of choice here).
Our cooks are fantastic! We eat a lot of g-nut sauce which is basically a nut butter that tastes like a cross between tahini and peanbut butter. When it's cooked it turns purple and tastes great with rice or posho. Chapats, similar to chapati, are another favorite of mine. We've had Ugandan style fish and chips, too. I tracked down dairy milk chocolate because I was really craving sweets, and pop just wasn't cutting it.
Most of the girls have gotten clothes tailored already. I'm waiting to go pick up my skirt, but due to a freak ankle sprain on a frog, I haven't been able to hobble to town. Ugandan cotton is nice and comes in a range of beautiful colors, but you have to track down the right tailor to get a good price.
Final Orientation:
On Tuesday and Wednesday we had our last orientation session with the local CVAP volunteers. We had a development workshop where human rights based and conflict sensitive approaches to development were discussed, and applied to our placements. It was a great chance to analyze our projects and organizations and explore strategies for how future development projects could be established. On Wednesday we had a health talk from TASO on malaria and the epidemiology of HIV/AIDs. A drastic proportion of HIV infections are in Sub-Saharan Africa, with a prevalence rate of around 6% in Uganda and 9.2% in Gulu. The TASO staff explained how these rates have negatively affected GDP, rural households, and industry in Uganda. They also brought up the issue that doctors in Uganda focus on receiving more clients/day rather than having fewer, but of greater quality appointments. They emphasized that this epidemic is NOT under control, more people are becoming infected, and HIV/AIDs is preventable.
Today I worked at the TASO Gulu centre with a PMTCT doctor. Again the language barrier was a difficulty for interacting with patients but I leared a lot. The doctor explained that if a program is followed closely, babies born from HIV+ mothers have a high likelihood of not contracting the disease. While it was difficult to see the number of (HIV+) women with babies that came to the clinic today, it was also very inspiring to see how many are seeking help.
I'm thrilled that work at TASO is finally progressing! We are still living without power but kind of enjoying it? Tomorrow we are all going to Coach to farm with the children from St. Jude's. I'll update more as soon as I can!
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