Naggalama Best-o-rama

Wassasotia. Meaning Good Morning, How are you?

Down here in Africa Global Warming is sending a hit. Hmm crazy how that works eh? I am here during the rainy season but it is about 40C plus everyday. And no rain. None. But I do have a mad tan already so maybe that’s okay…

The internet and power has gone out everynight this past week so I hope very much that this makes it. Okay here we go…

This week was absolutely amazing. I went up (finally) to the village of Naggalama. It is super small but on the side of the main road… which is weird.

I am staying with this girl Yvonne and she is really stupendous. We sat all day on Sunday and talked for about 12 hours, exchanged life stories, and now we are quite close. I think she was getting lonely because she had been their for a month by herself. I will be to, but at the end of my placement, which won’t be so hard.

As we were driving into Naggalama I felt so overwhelmed with a feeling of belonging. I knew I would love it and I do. This week was really intense. I went around to all the different programs that MUMYO runs. Trhey run a nursery. It is for babies (3 and 4), top class (kindergarten) and P1 and P2. There we jut take a few kids out from the Top class and help them with shapes and ABC’s and so such. They are really good at repeating because that is how they are taught… but not so good on the whole thinking for themselves idea. They look at me like I’m crazy when I sing or laugh… its just not how they are taught. But they are really good to hang out with. Get this. The teacher who teaches them has 50 kids, in a classroom half the size of those at home, all ages 3-5, enough for 1 pencil a kid and 1 note book for all top class students. She also brings in a new kid every few hours to the office to let them sleep (they have malaria and have some of the scariest malaria dreams) and has about 3 kids clearly suffering from HIV but not brought in for testing, therefore not actually being treated.

Then twice a week Yvonne and I bring about 5 kids back from the P1 and P2 class (because they are ignored all day by their teacher who could care less) to our home. Feed them lunch and let them colour and be creative. One day we walked them home since we had nothing for the afternoon. These kids walk probably about an hour to get to school. They live in literally mud huts with straw roofs. Some lucky ones have homes of brick with tin roofs. They don’t have clean drinking water by any means. The last girl to go home lived way way out their. We were invited in. Her brother was clearly dying of what seemed to be malaria. It looked like the absolutely most painful thing in the world. He was about 4. The mother was going to feed them this soup they make from boiling roots and giving what comes out. It has no nutrition whatsoever. They lived with the moms brother who was crazy. And very old. Everybody here is old or very young. About 70% of the pop is under 15. What Stephen Lewis says about grandmas taking care of everybody is true. They are everywhere. They are the strongest.

I went to the hospital and was introduced to about a billion people. All in Luganda, most suffering from HIV. You don’t know life until you see someone who is about to die from the most life sucking disease I have ever witnessed. I hope to work with the Hospital more when my placement is over. It will be councelling, meaning filling out paper work in English for the councelors. Also they have 2 years of data none of which is organized. I might immersme myself in that and get a proposal started for the hospital. It is a very sad place to work but I know I will learn so much. Especially on the day when they do free HIV testing and I will get to hand out condoms and mosquito nets that’s always fun!

Then there is the Youth Group. A group of well meaning youth (youth here means anywhere between 13 – 30). They cant afford to go to school and want some income generating projects. Eventually they want to open up a tailor shop but to do that they need initial projects. Yvonne and I were thinking about a Chicken Coup but their might not be a market for that. Any ideas? I would be desperate for any… e-mail them to me please (life_z_good@hotmail.com). This is going to be my biggest project, but I don’t have much info yet. Although we did spend the afternoon doing condom demonstrations on a wonderful wooded penis. It was really fun. … Plus its cool being the Muzungu that can get rid of beliefs like “can I get rid of HIV if I have sex with a virgin?” Ahh breaking down myths.

Then there is a school with Child Rights debates on Tuesday afternoons. I look forward to those. P6 and P7. Apparently we also participate in the debates! Im really excited to see how they picture their rights. I know there are insane propoganda posters everyone depicting their rights… but its all in Luganda, so I can only understand the pictures. Wonder if any stories will come out of this… wouldn’t be surprised.

Finally Ndese. It is a school, private, for older kids. Their I hope to teach some English and Reproductive Health. I’m super excited about that but I know it will be hard since most don’t know the western teaching method, and I certainly don’t know theirs! It will be good to learn about both and maybe combine the two? I really hope to do some in class discussions to get some people thinking for themselves. This will be my Mondays, and if I love it I’ll go twice a week until term ends on April 20^th.

Loving the village. Go to the store to get Passionfruit juice and its great. Rode the bike we have around and got hit on more then usual (Ugandan men are very unashamed/friendly). But suddenly it wasn’t “how are you? Can I get your phoneee number?” but “oh what a pretty Muzungu. What a lovely girl… look at you” sort of stuff. It took me a while to realize that here girls DO NOT ride bikes. So I am a girl/Muzungu riding a bike. People went crazy.

Also, my name is Ally. When I am introduced people look at me funny and start talking to each other in Luganda. Blah blah blah Ally, blah blah blah Ally. I couldn’t figure out why. Actually had one guy look me up and down and say Neda (no). Then, upon looking at the sign for the Islamic quarters of Naggalama (a huge part of the population in our village) I realized. Ally, or Ali is a very Islamic name for boys. Hahahaha!! Now I have to introduce myself and be ilke “I swear I’m not a muslim boy! I swear!” It doesn’t help much that nobody knows the name Alexandra, so its not like explaining that it is a nick name really clears things up.

I’m sorry I didn’t upload any pictures this week. I forgot my USB cord in the village. But I can tell you about an epic picture I took…

School where the debates will be (st josephs). They put up these weird motivational sayings like “keep your virginity” or “repent now and you will be forgiven” or “girls are too young to have sex.” Anyway…

On the side of one building was a saying “I want education give me chance.” What is so beautiful is that in the picture is a little boy looking through the window into the classroom. Ahh priceless. I’ll post this and others soon.

Up to Jinja tonight for a volunteer goodbye party and some traditionally African dancing from the north.

Oh must pardon what I placed last time. Kony’s men are actually in Sudan, so yeah Sudan should make a militia. Also it has been debated… to give Kony pardon or not? Answer, people of the north just want peace. That’s all they want. Now you know what the people think, what do we in the West think? To punish this man properly as no true African leader has been? But does western justice even translate into their society? I do not know.

Keep sending the comments. Loving them always.

And Dano:

Ally MacAdams

C/o Leslie Weighill

637 Mukono Town, Uganda, East Africa

I think…

Africa is beautiful. I fall more in love everyday.