Hello from Jinja. I'm not really sure where to start with the blog post this time. I've been like a yo-yo over the last few weeks-very up and down. It's all part of the Restless Development experience but for the last couple of weeks I've been like one of those fancy yo-yos that stays down longer than usual...... I'm feeling better now but it is always hard to write an interesting and exciting post about the lows without sounding like a big whinge!
It is funny how quickly things can go from amazing to really negative. After a fantastic weekend in Kampala where all the internationals made my Birthday really special, we had lots of fun and were able to relax I headed back to placement with a spring in my step. Ben came back from his weekend at home with a Birthday present for me- a fluffy bunny rabbit! He thinks I'm a big kid as I have Barry the lion Mugs gave me and in fact the present was very appropriate given mine and Alexis obsession with soft toys when we were young! (Sure enough the Birthday package from my awesome sister contained another teddy bear and other kiddie goodies!) I was really touched he had got me a present and we were all getting on really well in the house after a refreshing weekend.
That didn't last however as the sports event was looming and the stress levels and sickness levels were rising. I was healthy but am limited in what I can do without the language. This limitation is often exaggerated which is frustrating but it meant I wasn't able to help to reduce the stress and the atmosphere in the house was tense. I've also learnt I have slight control freak tenancies and like to know what is going on so I found not knowing what was going on all the time a real challenge!
There have been other difficulties in the group and I am struggling to adjust to many of the cultural differences. My obscenely polite British-ness is finding the lack of thanks and constant criticism hard. This is all part of the challenge I signed up for though so I'm developing a thick skin and have decided I just have to keep positive and pick myself up and get on with it. There is absolutely no point in dwelling on the problems.
As I said previously though these highs have been interspersed with some fantastic highs. I am really really enjoying the facilitation in the class room. The students are really engaged and have been asking me loads of questions. It is really encouraging that they feel comfortable to ask me about these issues, many of which are about sensitive issues. Some of the questions are text book myths around sex eg. "can a girl get pregnant if she has sex standing up?" Hearing their eagerness to ask these questions and the fact many of these myths are so well known reinforces that we need to be here and that it is important. One of the greatest challenges for the young people is having people to ask about these sensitive issues so I feel I have a great opportunity to answer their questions and provide them with the knowledge they need to stay healthy. Now I'm teaching alone I'm enjoying utilising all the non-formal education techniques (doing role plays and games) and get a real buzz from the sessions we do. I would happily do sessions all day every day but sadly that is not feasible. We have limited time in class and soon there will be exams and the Easter holiday so there will be more free time. I feel I need to find something to fill this free time so I feel like I have achieved as much as I can during my time here. My constant need to be busy and productive is still really strong so free time is a real challenge.
Filling the free time with productive stuff is easier said than done but we'll soon be setting up our youth resource corner (a place for young people to come and speak to us for advice and support) which should give us something to do and we're hoping to grow some food on the land behind our house to use as an example for the livelihood sessions (and ease the food budget).
Currently we have just over 40 pounds to feed the three of us for a month (we also feed the community volunteers for lunches). Our group have been really good at budgeting and we haven't struggled so far but inflation is huge in Uganda. Rice which we were getting for 1,800 Ush is now 2,300 Ush for a kg....this increase has been for everything. Needless to say our budget doesn't allow for much luxury or waste. We're eating rice and beans for most meals. Sometimes rice and cabbage and once a week we have meat or fish (the fish from the river, tilapia, I think it is called is really really good). This diet is probably the reason why I have lost 8kg! I saw myself in a long mirror for the first time in weeks here in Jinja and I was shocked! I haven't been this slim for a long time! Don't panic though I've been very healthy and it is just beer and Jon cooking deprivation which has led to the weight loss not sickness. And as Mummy Ness told me in India "well at least you had some stores!"
There have been some other fun moments for example the International Women's Day celebration was held on the site where I live. I came back from teaching and there was a brass band playing outside my house. They weren't bad but it was really surreal hearing a brass band in Uganda! I ended up having a really interesting chat with the teacher leading the brass band. He had a really interesting life story starting in a really poor family. He is now a very successful man working in a variety of NGOs in Kaynunga and Kampala. His outlook on life was really inspirational and it was really interesting to hear his perspective on development in Uganda and the contrast in donors. I asked him about Global Fund funding (one of the things I was campaigning for in Stop AIDS before I left) and was reassured to know he felt the funding from Global Fund was effective and he praised the funding body. He also compared funding from UK donors and US donors which was interested and I felt encouraged to be working for Restless Development. That is one thing which has really kept me going -I really believe in the Restless Development method of development. Yes their are faults and sometimes things don't go to plan but on the whole the way in which we work in communities is, in my opinion, more beneficial than other NGOs. It has however led us to be nicknamed the "broke NGO" in our community but I am proud we are able to achieve big impact with a small budget. For example we reached over 100 students with our health talk for less than three pounds and we held a whole day sports gala with around 30 pounds. It means these activities have a better chance of continuing without us here which is the ultimate aim-sustainability!
The best thing is certainly the community. I feel at home now in Busaana. I stop and chat to a lot of people in the community. Th health centre staff always ask me how I am (and spend a lot of time discussing what is causing my spotty face!) and are interested to hear about me and the UK. They struggle to grasp the concept that most families only have 2 children (the fertility rate here is over 6, 2nd in the world) and laugh about how we have machines to do everything-even a doctor diagnoses you using a computer. The kids from the schools know my name and stop to talk to me in the trading centre and the shop where I buy my sweet buns from are really welcoming and smiley!
This weekend has been a relaxed one in Jinja-no RnB videos this time! We've had plenty of time catching up with the other volunteers and eating dairy! Went for a swim yesterday (but it clouded over and got really cold just as we got there so didn't stay long!), ate a yummy curry and found an arts festival (little bit disappointing).
Keep emailing with your news and gossip-it is always nice to keep in touch with what is going on back home.
I hope this wasn't too negative a blog. Despite the ups and downs I have no regrets about coming, I am learning a huge amount and discovering a lot about myself (some good some bad!). I'm now looking forward to getting back to placement tomorrow and doing what I'm here to do.
Love to you all
xxx
No comments:
Post a Comment