The PCV Visit

This week my language group went to Masindi district in the Mid-West. The goal was to experience the general routine and living conditions of current volunteers, and to immerse ourselves in our language (mine is called Runyoro-Rutoro, a Bantu language related to Swahili). The bus ride from Kampala to Masindi took around 3 hours, and while there were no chickens on the bus, we did make a stop about half-way in on the side of the road for a pee-break (which is why, ahem, women here wear skirts). The bus did play a NAZI concentration camp movie from the 60s with Alan Arkin, though it was dubbed into Luganda by one guy saying everyone's lines while the background noise is muted, a very common practice with movies here. And yes, it was bootleg.

My group of 4 stayed with 2 volunteers currently serving in the area. We had 2-hour language lessons in the morning, then managed to do several local activities, like meeting the LC1 (equivelant of the mayor), touring a nun-run health clinic (90% of their patients come in with malaria, and it costs about $1.25 - $10 to treat each case), toured a girls school, and met with the leader of a local microfinance NGO.

We also had to go to the market each day to both practice our language, and buy food for dinner. Dave is an excellent cook, so we made tomato soup and grilled cheese sandwiches, chili and corn bread, roasted peanuts, and sauteed green beans. Food was one of the highlights!

Also, on Friday morning, Will and I woke up at 5:30 and made our way up a hill. It took an hour, and considering that 6-foot tall elephant grass and biting ants were the worst encounters, it was well worth the adventure. (Oh, I also learned that some of Will's people back in the states have found this and have been reading this, so hello to you!).