Sorrow at a Funeral

This post is for Dr. Kalanzi Isiah, a counselor at TASO, who died in a car accident over the weekend. This Doctor worked in the headquarters of TASO and visited each center all over Uganda to ensure that the counselors are working to the best of their abilities. Over the weekend, Dr. Isiah and a few other staff members were driving in a TASO truck to a community when a boda driver (the motorcyles) crossed in the middle of the road and made the car spin out of control and flipped. Dr. Isiah was killed instantly but the others are in the hospital. I had never had the opportunity to meet him but he was on his way to our center and his family lives ten minutes down the street from the Masaka center; he is very loved by the whole community. 

With all that said, TASO was full of grief on Monday morning and all the interns were soon informed of the sad news. Death in Uganda, like everywhere else, deeply hurts all. Everyone at TASO, including the patients, could not function on Monday and had everyone thinking about the value of life. Joyce, the lab tech that is a really good friend of mine here was full of sorrow. She could not imagine and kept repeating how fragile life is and how easily it can be taken away. It really made me reflect on life as well. Death has a funny way of having people reflect on where they are at and what would happen if that were them. It was a freak accident that is all too common here. 

The next day was the burial and ALL are invited. Upon arrival there were three VERY large tents with soo many chairs. I could not imagine all of them being filled. I was very wrong. By the time the ceremony began, the seats were not only filled but there were people all lined up around the tents, sitting on the hills, or trying to find a space on the ground between the chairs. The casket was then brought out to the middle of the three tents with his whole family following. There is this humming noise that is very hard to describe but it was a sad hum; it was from all the women humming their sorrows. Everyone, even the men, had tissues to wipe away their tears and no one was afraid to show their emotions. The crowd makes a ‘tsk tsk’ noise basically a ‘such a shame’ exclamation. Funerals here start at 12 and end at 4 or 5. It is a time where anyone who feels moved to come up and give a speech about what they remember about Dr. Isiah. Watching his brother followed by his wife was truly heartbreaking. They then explained that he was the only source of income for his young family (two babies) and now that he left unexpectedly with no savings, the mother must find a means to support all three of them. 

I could not imagine being in that situation. Having to deal with the sudden loss of your husband and father to your children and then having to worry about the future. Your children had a bright future ahead of them with school and activities, but all of that was taken from them if the wife is not supported. That is way too much to deal with. Life should be respected, loved and cherished. We are all not here forever. Make sure that what you do now is how you want your life to be and determines who you are. Everyone has different callings and none are better than the others, but make sure you do it. Be happy! Life is too short to say “what if” or “I should have...”. Celebrate your life because it is beautiful.

The Ugandans know how to celebrate the life that he lived and his dedication to people with HIV/AIDS. Although sorrow filled the tents, people appreciated and acknowledged what he had accomplished. The Ugandan smile still shone on all the faces of the people that thanked us for attending and showing our support for the family. Although death is way too common here, people cherish the time the have, and respect when their time is ready. These past couple of days were unintentionally moments of reflection and reality. I love you all and miss everyone at home, or wherever your summer plans have brought you! Sorry this was sad news, but you must always take the good with the bad. Not everything in life is perfect and easy. Enjoy!

Second Week: Eight More To Go

Hello Everyone! Sorry it has been awhile, and plenty has happened, so this will get long. This past Tuesday I went to Kiwangala Village (the “K” is pronounced “ch” so phonetically spelled it’s Chiwangala). It is called a CDDP (Community Drug Distribution Program) and the people of that village who are HIV positive come to get a nutrition talk, their CD4 cell count is told to each one, and then their drugs are distributed. TASO only asks that they pay a 1,000 Shilling membership fee (equal to about $0.50) so that they have this sense of obligation and they are not seen as taking charity; it is a maintenance of pride in a time where they feel they have none. On our ride there, two of the men told Maggie and I that we needed to get African boyfriends. The ironic thing is that Maggie does have an African-American boyfriend. They told her she was off the hook but that I wasn’t haha. Anyways, the people we work with love to joke around and mess with us. When we finally made it, the people there are extremely grateful for the time that the counselor gives them and they all respect him. Jukko, the counselor, is this lively man who captivates everyone when he speaks. He has this tone that makes you want to listen because he is friendly but maintains a severity so you still respect him. One concern is the nutrition of the people. Matoke, the staple food, resembles a banana in not only appearance and how it grows, but it turns out to have the same nutritional value. It appears to be starchy and full of carbs but is actually a filler of the stomach full of potassium. Jukko told me that some people only eat Matoke and do not maintain a balanced diet. He encourages beans and avocados.  After that, he tells them their CD4 cell count. Everyone only speaks Lugandan, so about half-way through he turns to me and the other Maggie, he told us in English that everyone in the village has lower cell counts. He is extremely upset and confused about this. No one improved! He becomes apathetic to it especially because he cannot personally watch everyone take their pills at the right time every time. As the drugs were distributed, people started to leave. It was a long day yet very rewarding. Maggie and I (you can only imagine the laughs we get when we tell groups of people that two white girls come from the same University have the same name) did not realize that if you didn’t bring food with you, you have no food. When we got back into town, we ate a Rolex in a matter of seconds. A Rolex is a street food they have here that they hand make in front of you. So they make a Chipate (basically a tortilla but with chopped onions in it) make an omelette and then put fresh cabbage, tomatoes, and carrots inside and roll it up like a wrap. It is actually delicious and very cheap (1,200-1,800 shillings = almost $1). 

On Wednesday I worked in the pharmacy. I counted pills all day to make sure that the proper dosage was there. The pharmacy is literally stocked up with medications for all ailments. I can’t say I had the most thrilling day but I knew what I was doing needed to get done and was important in the grande scheme of things; sometimes you have to do the boring stuff. After work, Maggie and I went to go meet our friends at a local bar because it was Ciara’s (another USF student on the trip) birthday! The bar is so cool, it is in a ditch-like spot where you walk down the stairs to get in but it is still outside. There is a pool table and tv playing as well as lukewarm beer. In Masaka, there tends to be a lot of power outages so you have to cope with warm beer. It was a lot of fun but I don’t like getting home when it is dark so I left earlyish before the sun went down completely. By the time I was 4-5 minutes away from my house, the sun was down and it was pitch black. By this time I know how to get to me house like the back of my hand so I wasn’t worried, plus I was in my village so I knew the people. The next day there was only one group going out on a CDDP which meant only one out of the five interns could go (there are three girls from the University of British Columbia, Canada). After a coin toss, It was decided I stayed and didn’t get to go. I did, however, get the opportunity to distribute drugs on-site which was equally as rewarding and not as tedious as counting pills in the pharmacy. By the afternoon, the pharmacy needed everyone to count pills as a stock check they do at the end of every month. So four of us counted endless amounts of pills until they were all done. 

When I got home from work, I began to feel extremely tired. As the night was going on, I began to feel nauseous and weak. I didn’t want to get off the couch and the thought of eating made me feel even more sick. I then realized something was wrong when I was dripping sweat but had to put a sweatshirt on because I was so cold. I told my host mom that I couldn’t eat dinner and I wasn’t feeling well. I went to bed but I could not sleep. I was sweating but cold but then I would get hot. I had the worst headache and nothing I did made anything better. The next morning I sat down with my host mom for breakfast. It was pouring rain out and the wind was cold but I sat there sweating in a tank top. She then touched me and goes, “you have Malaria. You are not going to work, go to the clinic.” I asked her if she was sure because I am taking anti-malaria pills and she told me that Malaria is so common and she sees it everyday that she knew what she was talking about. Instead of going to the clinic, which is supposedly notorious for saying everyone is positive with Malaria so they pay money for the pills, I went to TASO to go to the lab there and get pills at the pharmacy there; I knew all the people and I could even do the test myself because I was taught the Monday before. When I told people I think I have malaria they kinda laugh and asked if I ‘feared’ Malaria because it is something silly to fear. The medication is easy and manageable. This was the Friday we were leaving for Jinja so I wasn’t going to stay home while everyone went away. 

While the rest of the group paid 110,000 shillings (around $40) to get a private driver to drive them there, Maggie and I decided to be adventerous/save money and take their public transportation system for 18,000 shillings (about $9). That meant take a Coaster Bus to Kampala and then walk from the New Taxi Park to the Old Taxi Park and jump in a 15 passenger taxi car to Jinja and shout your destination. It was an experience to say the least. When we got to Jinja, Maggie and I asked a Boda Boda driver if he could take us to backpackers. After he dropped us off at a backpackers hostel, we realized that we got lucky he took us to the right one because there are a bunch in Jinja. It is exactly like a hostel in the States with a communal bathroom and shared rooms with bunk beds. There were so many other travelers that were there and you almost forget that you are in Africa because you become surrounded with so many white people. The worst was the pricing of everything. Here it is what we call Muzungu prices when we know it is cheaper, especially in Masaka, but they are charging us what we would pay for it in the states. An example, in Masaka a Boda ride costs 1,000 shillings but in Jinja they wanted to charge us 5,000 shillings. Laugh all you want because 5,000 is still not a lot BUT it becomes principle. The next day 5 people went rafting while three of us went horse riding along the nile. It was such a beautiful trail with amazing views and they even allowed us to trot and canter! After two hours of riding in the dead heat, we were ready to get off and shower. We walked to a bar and had a Nile Beer right on the Nile (yeah it was corny but I had to do it). To end our lovely weekend in Jinja, everyone decided this was a good place to experience a Ugandan club. It was interesting, to say the least, but nothing that is shocking that I had never seen in the States. They are extremely similar. I must say though, I was looking good in my moccasins, running pants, and long baggy red shirt with a sports bra on...classy club attire right there. The ride back to Masaka seemed faster than getting there (probably because I didn’t feel like death). Getting back to Masaka was nice because it made me realize how cute, tiny, and safe it is compared to Kampala. It did also make me realize that it was not as exciting as Jinja. 

Something interesting that I have been slowly picking up on is that Uganda seems to be a decade behind. Just the other night there was a news report that smoking is bad for your health. There was also a preview for the news and it said, “Watch tonight to see if swimming is actually good or bad for your health.” My initial reaction was like, oh no, what study came out saying its bad?? But when the news came on it had these two ladies saying that they try to swim for fun and they feel healthier....BAM breaking news that exercise increases your lifespan. In the newspaper, they call it something along the lines of “Lazy Lifestyle Syndrome.” It explains how you can prevent yourself from falling into the trap and you must eat less fried foods and start exercising. They said that diabetes was called the ‘rich people disease’ but is not creeping up on Africans who use fats to cook their food. I wonder if running will soon be ok and people won’t be laughed at? 

I am sure I am missing some interesting stuff but I don’t want you all to get bored. I will be a lot better at writing throughout the week so I can avoid these large chunks. I am fine though everyone, I am feeling 100%. I really appreciate everyone’s love and concern for me. I hope everyone knows that if there were anything terrible to happen that is not manageable, I would contact all my loved ones. I did get a spider bite last night that swelled up like a baseball on my arm, seriously the worst luck here. Well I hope everyone had a nice weekend and continues to relax. I miss you all and love you more!! I will put pictures up very soon!

All My Love from Masaka,

Maggie

TASO: Day 1

So much to tell in only a short period of time! My first weekend in Masaka at my host family’s house at its high points and its interesting points. First, my host dad comes home on the weekends and the whole dynamic of the house changes. My host mom becomes a lot more quite and reserved, the children eat on the ground on a mat, and when the house-girl wants to speak to him she kneels until he tells her she can approach him. He is very serious and demanding. He slept all day Saturday and I only really saw him when it came to eating or watching tv (maybe Uganda isn’t too different from America? haha). On Sunday I went for a very long walk because I decided to find a secluded route away from the main street before I start running, of course I was with another girl. We ended up doing an interesting hike through this humid bog and up this high hill. I came home muddy and red as a tomato! I keep forgetting that not only does my Malaria medicine make me more susceptible to the sun, but the sun here is so strong because we are on the equator. Lesson learned. I am farmers tan central over here! My family ended up not going to mass because they held this very intense business meeting in the barn while my host dad was home. They spoke about prices and what not, they wouldn’t tell me anymore than that. The house-girl/manager of the farm then asked if I wanted a tour around. FINALLY! She let me walk through ALL of the chicken coops and told me I could touch them. I kindly refused having images of homeland security asking me if I was around a farm at all during my trip...of course I wasn’t! Then we went to see the 59 pigs, normal. But holding a one week old piglet was something I couldn’t refuse! There is also a farm of beans, matoke, maize, eggplant, and potatoes. Oh they also sell their eggs, make their own wine to sell, make sweaters for school uniforms, and everything else you can think of. However, today is the most exciting news to report. Please parents, family, and friends don’t freak out. My first day at TASO they asked if I wanted to work in the lab. I thought maybe to do paperwork. No. They actually gave me gloves, a lab coat, and a mask to handle the blood samples. I was taught how to do HIV testing, Malaria, TB, Pregnancy, and Syphilis testing. They gave me so much responsibility within thirty minutes. As excited as I was, the strips coming out positive brought me back to reality. To me, the strips and tubes just had numbers on it but I couldn’t help but to think of the person whose life is about to change forever. I wanted to know what they looked like, if they had a family, how old are they, etc...We then had to fill out the paperwork corresponding with the results and I was able to see. Some were old but some were very young. It really put everything into perspective of where I am coming from and how different my life could be if I was born into their reality. When one is HIV positive, their CD4 cells have to remain above 200, but if they fall below they contract AIDS and their body is no longer able to fight off simple illnesses. One of the tests came out with a CD4 cell count of 12. It is all so exciting and exhilarating to be here but more of a humbling, reality check. The lab techs really liked me and requested that I not be moved around to another area but my boss wants me to visit every office in TASO to see which I prefer. Tomorrow we do community outreach to rural villages that are too far for people to walk. They are soo remote that we have to travel by motorcycle, which iv heard is an experience I can’t pass up on these dirt roads. I am sure there will be soo much excitement this week and I will write soon. I hope everyone enjoys the holiday and relaxes a bit! I miss everyone and love to hear your kind words/comments (shout out to Mom, Dad, Shannon, and mystery writer?). 

Ahhh they also made me eat three grasshoppers!! Not too bad but not good. 

At the Equator!

WATCH THIS VIDEO

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xyT_bYUUG6o

Starting My First Weekend!

Hey Everyone!

I feel like there is always something new happening here in Masaka that I find interesting! On Wednesday we went to a farm that is a sustainable organic farm that not only creates/thinks of new ways of sustainability and practicability but they teach the local farmers what they discover. It was literally the largest piece of land that was not flat but dropped down deep into a jungle-like pond area. It was extremely beautiful and they grew anything and everything you could think of! An example was that they had chicken coops that were lifted from the ground and they used the droppings to be put in the pond for flies to go to where they would put their larva in the water and act as food for the fish which then reproduce and create more fish to sell! That was just one example of how everything they did there was connected and had a purpose. They also had a HUGE herb garden for not only cooking but for herbal remedies that they would teach people about. I have never seen more rosemary in my entire life! 

Then on Thursday we had to make dinner for all of our host families. One request (really a requirement) is to have matoke with dinner (it is a banana-like food that is hard but you boil it and then mash it). So everyone was helping out in the kitchen, but in true Maggie fashion, I became a control freak and took over on most of the items. So I prepared the Matoke with the director of FSD in Masaka who showed me the proper way to cut it and then mash it. It was a huge success and allowed for me to meet everyones host families. The people here are soo friendly and they laugh so much whenever a Muzungu (white person) tries to speak their language. I am trying to learn Lugandan and use every opportunity to practice, which usually ends in lots of laughing at me, but what else is new? ha 

I am really starting to feel comfortable here and my family is warming up to me. I sat in the kitchen today to watch them cook dinner (they won’t let me actually help yet, but maybe soon) because I wanted to show them that I want to be treated like family. Even though the women spoke Lugandan back and forth and I could not understand them, I think they appreciated that I took the initiative to join them. This is my first full weekend in Uganda where I have so much free time so it should be interesting to see what the family does. My host father works for the government, so he lives in Kampala during the week and comes home on the weekend, so the whole dynamic of the house might change. I will update everyone about my weekend on Monday. So far my family wants to take me to church on Sunday (apparently it lasts 2 hours!) and maybe visit my host brother at his boarding school. Other than that I will be working hard on my research proposal, thesis, and development project for my HIV/AIDS organization. Have a nice LONG weekend everyone, and I am sending my love from Masaka!

Sula Bulungi (Good night!) Here is a photo with my Housegirl's (the maid) daughter, Brbra. She never leaves my side, I love it!

My First Days!!

May 20

This is the first time that I have had a chance to blog, sorry everyone! The flight over was normal, nothing too crazy happened. Some minor mistakes include standing in line for a terminal in Heathrow for an hour to realize that I was in the wrong terminal line, I left my passport at the security check point in Doha, and I sat in the Entebbe airport for 7 hours waiting for everyone else to arrive. At the airport I became very good friends with the taxi drivers and little children running around (mainly because they loved my Phillies pillow pet). The first night in Uganda we stayed in Hotel Zebra. I was alone in my own room and had to take a sleeping pill to fall asleep because of a football match between two Ugandan districts was on and everyone was out celebrating the Masaka district winning. The next day we we were going to meet our host families. So there is another Maggie intern in the group and we knew having the same name would cause some sort of problem. So when we arrived at the first house they told me that it was my family. I got out of the van, met my family, sat down and talked, gave them my thank you gifts, and even unpacked when the FSD workers came back with the van. They told me that they had mixed up the Maggies and I was with the wrong family. It was a very stressful moment when they gave me 2 minutes to pack everything back up, say goodbye to the woman I already loved, and had to meet my new family. When I finally met my family, I was tired but still excited. My host family has a chicken coop bigger than most houses back in the United States! It holds over 8,000 chickens and is three stories high and I can’t even see where it ends. They were very shy and barely spoke to me, it was extremely awkward. I do have two little kids that are fsacinated with everything I have and what I do. The little boy insisted that he tried everything (so he had to eat a tum, some gum, use deodorant, put on sunscreen and hydrocortisone, look at my earrings, and drink some Vitamin C). They LOVE my pillow pet and want to play with it all the time but I had to explain that it cannot go outside because I sleep on it. They are adorable! My host father immediately asked me questions about my studies at the University in America and told me I probably had a lot of money. I then tried to explain to him how the government and universities help students to pay for tuition if they are smart and showed that they needed assistance. He still insisted that I needed to change studies to be an engineer or an economist and that because I was rich, I could get all of those degrees. My parents then wanted to take me to town so shop at the market for food. They own a car so they decided to drive but said they had to get something fixed on the car real quick. We left at 4 and I sat in the car at this repair place until 10. It was interesting and exhausting. I was not only tired and on the verge of falling asleep but I was sweating to death in that car! When we got home I could not even think about eating dinner but they insisted I watch tv and drink coffee until food was ready. They turned the tv on to an African version of American Idol where one of the contestants sang Thriller but instead of singing the line ‘Thriller’ he sang ‘Save Life’. Right when I thought I could not keep my eyes open any longer, dinner was ready. We sat down and the Ugandan’s LOVE their carbs! They have Matoke (mashed banana like plants), Irish Potatoes, pasta (which they call something else but I can never remember), beans, maize, chopped cabbage, avocado (which they do all the time because I told them how much I love them). For breakfast though, there is fresh Mango, Pineapple, and bananas because they are all in season! When I told my host family that I was a vegetarian they looked at me like I was crazy and said ‘well, at least you eat chicken.’ When I told a family that owns 8,000 chickens that I still don’t eat chicken, they insisted that I MUST try their chicken eventually because it is the best without any ‘bad things’ in them. I have been thinking about it, but its a tough decision to eat meat after not eating it for so long. 

Monday, the 21st, was just an orientation day into Ugandan culture and language. We also had to purchase cell phones and Wi-Fi (which is kinda expensive so I still will not be on the internet a lot unless I buy more minutes). I also experienced my first Boda Boda ride! They way that People in Masaka travel is through a Boda Boda which means motorcycle. You sit on the back and have to balance yourself to not fall off and you must never grab the driver. I was terrified, especially because it was raining very hard, but it was actually very easy because they drivers are sooo good at balancing and driving. I did, however, walk home because one Boda Boda ride a day is enough haha. Today I played Soccer, or Football, with a bunch of guys and they just laughed at me the whole time. We were playing chicken but the Muzungu (white person) was never allowed to be the chicken because it wouldn’t be fun because I was so bad. I thought I could keep up and when I did something well they would all make fun of the kid that I was playing against. Dinner is always the same and my host mother insists that I eat everything. She tries to stuff me full of carbs all day! I REALLY need to figure out a running route. 

So far everything has been a little stressful and awkward moving in and meeting my family for the next 2 months. Everyday it is getting better and I am sure by the end of the trip I will feel totally comfortable. I will blog more when I can. I hope everyone at home is safe and having a nice summer. I miss you all and love you more!

Hey Everyone!
You may or may not know this by now, but I will be traveling to Masaka, Uganda leaving May 17th and arriving back in Philadelphia July 29th at 8:10 p.m. (MOM TAKE NOTE). I will be going through the University of San Francisco's Leo T. McCarthy Center for Public Service and the Common Good with their program and collaboration with the Foundation for Sustainable Development. I have been given the opportunity to work at an HIV/AIDS organization called The AIDS Support Organization, or TASO for short. TASO "strives to improve the lives of HIV-infected or affected persons as part of the larger effort to address the world’s AIDS pandemic. It promotes prevention, hope restoration, and general support physically and emotionally to its clients." While there, my main focus of study will be education of HIV/AIDS. I am writing my thesis on what information is being used to increase understanding of HIV, how this information is being taught (pamphlets, group meetings, theatre, art, etc..), and most importantly, how much of that information is retained and seen as important to the people of Masaka. Sorry, that was a lot of information...


Now for what I am excited about: my Ugandan family. I will be doing a home stay and living with a large Ugandan family and immersing myself in their daily lives. Here is where I will be living:


Their home is located in Kijjabwemi village, which is about 20 minutes walk from Kijjabwemi Town. The mother and father have six children and they live in what is described as a permanent house. I will have electricity and running water, but I have been told it is prone to have a lot of blackouts so bring flashlights. They have three bedrooms with one living room as well as poultry houses in the backyard (maybe I should eat meat again?...hmm).

Father: Senya Joachim. He is an Auditor.

Mother: Tumusiime Norah. She is a Businesswoman dealing in milk sales, sweater knitting and poultry rearing. 
Children:
Kansiime Claire 20 years is in senior five in boarding school at Gombe S.S.
Mugisha Gerald, 17 years, is in senior two in boarding school at Gombe S.S.
Muhwezi Chris, 13 years, is in primary six in boarding school at Bishop Dungu S.S.
Muhirwe Daniel, 5 years, is in nursery school at katwe.
Muchunguzi Julius, 21 years, is in vacation. Working and staying in Kampala.
Muhawe David is in senior four, in Boarding School at Masaka S.S.

I requested a large family because it will make me feel like I am back at home. The only problem is now I have eight welcome gifts I need to think of to bring from the States (suggestions?).

Now that everyone knows what I will be doing and where I will be, I just need to get there and will fill you all in along the way. Feel free to follow me, I will be posting once a week (not going to lie, this is part of my class requirements while I am there, I am not someone who usually blogs).

I will miss so many people (shout out to all of my family as well as my friends that are GRADUATING!) I am so sorry that I did not get to see all of you before I left but know that I will think of you guys often! Also, feel free to leave any comments or questions, it is always nice to hear from the people I love!

I love you all and will miss you! 6 MORE DAYS AHHH!