Worst Christmas Tree Ever!

I know I shouldn't criticize... but seriously, have you ever seen balloons as Christmas ornaments? 

These are pictures from the children's Christmas party hosted by the tea estate for the families of the company's management class (there were more parties in the worker camps but I did not go to those; I'm sure there were no balloon trees in the camps so I should feel quite privileged). 

It was a cute party, and all of the kids were dressed up and excited to see Father Christmas (they don't call him Santa Claus over here). 

So, this is a strange custom. Myself and this man (I have no idea who he was) were the guests of honor of this children's party. Of course, I had no idea I would be the guest of honor. I just stopped by the party to watch the kids for a minute or two; you know, get a little holiday spirit. Anyway, when I showed up I was asked to say a few words to the kids. Yikes! What the heck am I suppose to say!!! Well, rather than talking, I launched into a round of "If you're happy and you know it," and the kids knew the song! Yeah, I was a hit, thank God. Anyway, being the guest of honor also meant I couldn't skip out nonchalantly, I was stuck for the duration. After the meal, this man and I had to cut the cake with the youngest child at the party. This picture makes me think of a wedding picture of a couple whose child came before the "I do's". Hahaha, and the frosting on that cake was so hard that we could not even cut into it, what a mess!

After the party it was time to teach the kids the fun of "selfies". They loved it!

Happy Holidays!

Merry Christmas from Uganda

Merry Christmas!

Obviously I am not having a white Christmas, but the reds and greens on the tea estate are amazing. 

I am truly thankful to find myself in such a beautiful location and surrounding by such a kind and welcoming community. I am also blessed to have the love and support from my family and friends back home. Thank you for the care packages, gifts, emails, and text messages. I miss you all. Happy Holidays! I wish you an abundance of joy and peace in the New Year. 

Side note, canna lilies are planted in the tea fields to correct the acidity in the soil. Any place the tea bushes are not growing well, they plant canna lilies. You can see the fields in the background have many patches of these flowers. To have a field full of red flowers is a bad sign for the tea company, but for me, they are gorgeous. 

World AIDS Day

December 1st was World AIDS Day. The day is dedicated to HIV/AIDS awareness, trainings on prevention, strategies for mitigating the effects of the virus, and sensitization to eliminate discrimination against those infected. Prior to coming to Uganda, I did not know such a day existed! I am extremely thankful that HIV/AIDS has not been an issue in my life. I simply never gave it a second thought. However, it seems everyone over here has, in some way, been touched by this deadly virus. They either have it themselves, or they have lost a parent or loved one to it, or they know of someone in such a situation. It is sad how common place HIV/AIDS is in this country. Much of my time here will be spent teaching adolescence the importance of abstaning from sex, being faithful to one sexual partner, and consistently adhering to condom use (the ABC's of HIV prevention). 

In this picture, two of our Peer Educators are demonstrating the proper use of a condom by putting one on the handle if a pair of leaf clippers (these are the clippers the tea pickers use in the field, they are just like regular hedge trimmers but they have a plastic box attached to the blades that collects the leaves that have been cut). I can't believe that on  World AIDS day we came to the event with hundreds of condoms to distribute to the audience, but we forget the penis model for demonstrations. Yes, we have penis models carved out of wood to show young people how to properly put on a condom. I'm so glad our Peer Educators are inventive. They did not miss a beat when a person from the audience asked to be shown how to use a condom. 

My Bike

I bought a bike and have started riding around the tea estate and out to our closest village, Kyarusozi. This will definitely give me a little more freedom and independence. I can only move about when the weather is nice, and I have to be home by dark, but I'm much happier. Relying on your feet as your only mode of transportation is quite limiting. I have a new found appreciation for my car and miss it terribly, even though I know the evils it causes to our environment. 

My new bike! It's really too small for me but I am getting used to it. There are no gears so rather than biking, I am coasting down the hills, pedal like mad at the bottom, then walking up the other side. It still cuts my commute times in half. 

Yes, I ride in dresses, and remember, showing your knees is taboo here, so I must be careful the wind doesn't blow up my skirt! I have not seen any other ladies riding bikes, only the men have bikes out here. I'm afraid I'm making a spectacle of myself, but I'm showing them that women can do anything men can do, including riding a bike. I should just wear pants too! Ah, maybe I'll be a rebel in baby steps. They still freak out at seeing a white person. Now they all stare in amazement at the white lady on a bike (they really can't believe I know how to ride). In a few months they can gasp in shock at the white lady on a bike wearing pants. Oh my, what will be next!

Oh yeah, that picture was taken at Hamukuku Primary School where I have started giving Life Skills lesson to the oldest classes of children. It is a very nice school, they keep it very clean. It is small, only about 30 students per grade at the P6 and P7 level (equivalent to our middle school). The kids in school grades here are all ages. Many children either start late or drop out then restart, so you'll find kids as old as 17 or 18 still in the primary levels. Sadly, that means that the majority never finish secondary school (high school), only 30% finish for boys and 12% for girls. It is no wonder there is a perpetual cycle of poverty. Only 12 out of 100 girls finish high school!!! The country needs to invest more resources into its youth and make school mandary and free. 

Back to the bike story... on my second day of riding my brakes were jangling and my seat fell off. Yeah, quality products are hard to come by in this country. Thankfully, there is a bike repair shop in Kyarusozi. It cost 500 shillings to tighten the brakes and 3,000 shillings to put new screws on the seat, totally about $1. Hopefully my bike will hold together and I will not have to give this guy too much business, but at least his prices are good. 

Of course, everywhere I go I am flocked by kids. I wonder if I will miss the attention when I get back to the states. Here, I am a celebrity... or an oddity. Either way, the kids are always happy to see me and that makes the rough days a little better.