Boot Camp

I am typing this post from my phone because even after I paid 60,000 UGX to have my Droid unlocked my phone refuses to recognize the new SIM card enough to give me a wifi hotspot.  It's a pain but it is the least of my worries in this country.

For those of you who are not familiar with the term "boot camp", I'll have you know that it is not a vacation.  In fact, it is the opposite and not intended for the weak of mind.  We wake up at the crack of dawn to start our day with one of the many personal tasks we have to take care of and then move on to a hearty breakfast consisting of a slice of bread with a spread, egg, and a fruit.  After that we proceed with a long serious of training on the many topics such as medical, safety and security, cross-culture, language lessons, teaching strategies and expectations, and admin. 

The orientation was cake because we hardly had any assignments to submit but that has changed starting this week.  Now we have lesson plans and materials coming out the wazoo.  So if you don't get replies from me it's probably because I'm busy or ... I'm not getting signal.

Outside the trainings we still keep busy.  This group I have the huge honor to be a part of has got to be the most active, fun-loving, and friendly bunch the country had to offer.  Peace Corps volunteers generally are pretty cool people.  They have to be if they want to integrate into a new community with a very different culture.  With that said, we have people of all kinds of backgrounds and walks of life here.  I've been able to continue my yoga lessons and pick up some capoeira.  I even learned how to play Settlers of Catan (Andres, we need to play some time!)  Ultimate Frisbee, touch football, and volleyball came up too.  I've met people who speak Finnish, have taken a roadtrip through Central and South America, are returned volunteers, and even someone who was struck by lightning twice.  There is never a dull moment in this group and I am humbled to be a part of it.  Expect a YouTube video about our experience at training.

As for the living experience, I can't really comment yet since we're still in transition.  We've been sheltered in our training center.  It is fully equipped with toilets that flush, working showers with occasional hot water, and prepared meals.  That will be changing soon when we move to our new training location and then homestay with a local family prior to our swearing-in ceremony.

Attached to this post is a picture of my side of the room.  That mosquito net and green tub are staples of my life here.  Not a day goes by that I don't have to look through the holes of this net and I picture all the malaria-filled mosquitoes hitting a force field.  Then the green tub allows me to collect water for my baths if the hot shower is not available and also to hand wash my laundry.  Without the green tub, I would be one dirty Mzungu.

Jenna, my roommate, has turned off the lights now.  This woman cracks me up every night and knows how to hold a headlamp under special circumstances. (Lol)

To my friends and family, I have received my site location and I have a phone now.  I'll be close to Jinja.  If you love me, you will find it on a map and then research flights options to come visit me.  :)

Tomorrow is another day to learn some more about Uganda.  "Nsoma mpola mpola Luganda."  Goodnight!