bustling African Schedule

I have been totally slackin in regards to my blog, but surprisingly enough I have been super busy. Although the things which seem to fill my schedule are funny in the American context for sure.

Lets see...so when you first get to training and you are itching to actually do something, help somewhere, get your hands dirty, they tell you, don't do ANYTHING at all the first three months you are at site. Just give yourself time to settle in, meet people, and understand your environment. However, after two months of training and not working, our American work ethic ignores all that sound advice. Most just jump in. This however, can be dangerous because we are still not used to the new culture we are now immersed in. I say this now because I am finally getting to know my site, and my work, my neighbors, the people, and a bit more about the culture. With all of that being said, I have less to offer, and less to say. Coming in one may believe they have so much to share, but in reality much more is happening than can be seen at the service.
I have learned that the more friends I make and the kinder I am to people the more work I find myself having. I was just thinking to myself that I cannot afford any more friends because I have little free time.
Recently, I got approved for a small poultry project with my teachers. We just bought 100 month old chicks and will now raise them for their eggs. The eggs will not only enrich the diets of the students who eat posho (step down from rice) and beans daily for every meal but also provide the teachers with an additional source of income. Often they are forced to go to their villages to harvest and make money. The thought is that this will help reduce the movement away from the school, allowing them to focus on the school and their teaching. This way there will be money available if there happens to be any deaths or marriages or sickness which happen all of the time. In the future they will also set up a food stand to sell goods to the students.
I also am teaching chemistry to 120 freshman girls! Yikes, its a lot of girls. But they are really good actually. They love to have a muzungu teaching them, and are super respectful. This is the first time they have been introduced to the concept of chemistry, but they are eager to learn. I am also extremely lucky because my school was given a projector so it makes the accent disparity much easier to overcome. I wouldn't say I am passionate about teaching, but the amount of happiness I seem to bring to them erodes any aversion I may have to being stuck in the classroom too much.
I was also asked to come help build a well out in the village. I of course have not a great deal o f experience with such but because I am a muzungu they think I can do anything. I visited the village with another PCV, my favorite man in the world! This is his third PC stint, but I think they were allowed to have a lot more fun in the 70s when he was with PC before. Anyways, he was out in west Africa and his main assignment was well digging. Going to that meeting was like a PCV's dream. They had already formed a committee, and had registered 500 members who are interested and willing to help in any way possible so that they are able to have clean drinking water all year round. We assessed the land and were shown their current "wells". Essentially they are just shallow holes that fill up with dirty water during the rainy season. Their dirtiness is further exacerbated by the fact that they are also shared with the livestock... The next step is a bit of research about the cost of various types of wells, and to see if we can also get some funding from some of the local NGOS. I'm looking forward to the project a great deal.
Next week I was also asked to help lead the lifeskills workshop for the group of volunteers that have been here for about 6 months, but before I do that I have to make a church appearance this Sunday at our school Bursars village...I was already informed that I will have to give a speech...when you are informed of such, you know it will be a big deal...I have to learn to say no one of these days. Any ideas on sermons for the non-religious sermon giver? I think Ill talk about love, that's usually pretty universal.
I have also been traveling to Bududa to continue helping there with everything. There is currently 4000 people displaced right now and they are living right next to one another in a tent village. We recently set up about 300 tents, from a Switz company called tent in a box, and they are incredible. Within the box is not only a tent which can accommodate a family, an African family, but also comes with a stove, a hoe, water container, and utensils. They are awesome and now the families are able to be back in their family units and out of the large tents that would pack close to 150 within one tent...The government has talked of forcefully resettling these people elsewhere, but I don't know what will happen. land to people this way is apart of who they are. Removing them from the only home they have ever known, the only home their pat generations have known, and placing them in a new plot, which comes with a new language, new culture, and new weather patterns which they are not accustomed too... It will be interesting to see what happens. My heart is with them and I always have a hard time leaving my work up there.
Easter is also a big deal around here and I helped slaughter more animals then seems ok. The school slaughtered a massive bull, my neighbor and I slaughtered two chickens...No going to to grocery store here and picking out a seran wrapped package of meat over this way. No, everything is done that day, you know where your meat came from over here. In fact you were walking it that very morning. I think I will be pretty efficient at slaughtering and preparing chickens by the time I get back. Not sure that skill is terribly marketable down any avenue...
Personal news...nothing really much to share here....I wish I had something exciting but nothing, the typical marriage proposals continue, but such is life here. I am planning on coming back for a month in August to take the MCATS which I have begun to study for. Its hard to believe I have been out of school for nearly 4 yrs...Despite being as busy as I have been Ive been homesick as of late. I think most of this can be attributed to the fact that I have begun reading 'the good life' which takes place in rural Vermont. I think their descriptive powers of NE would make anyone homesick for the area so I'm not taking the issue too seriously, although I am contemplating putting the book on hold for now...
I will say that the longer I am here the more I love it, and the more I love the people.

I will write more soon
thinking and missing you all cant wait to see and hug you all when I'm home<3