I Get By With A Little Help From My Friends

I just returned from a week long conference where the 160+ PCV’s gathered to share concerns, ideas, thoughts, and reflect on their service.  It was a great opportunity to network and meet those who live across the country.  It has also been a great reunion with my besties, who I have failed to write about so here is a little bio about them.  In no particular order.

Sophie:  Hailing from Tucson, Soph was my roomie back in Philly during Staging.  In she walked with a MacBook Pro, TOMS, and equal amounts of luggage.  At that point I knew we’d be friends forever and everything would work out.  She is incredibly intelligent, passionate, and eager, all of which are awesome characteristics to hang around.  We like to make up rhymes about ourselves, watch episode after episode of New Girl, and indulge in a caramel Cadbury chocolate bar every now and then.  When we moved to Kulika, our room was the gathering spot for everyone and we soon moved the two beds together to create the Honeymoon Suite.  Kulika loved the idea so much than when we returned, our room layout remained the same.  Call us trendsetters.     

Caitlin:  Coming from the state of The Great Lakes, Caitlin is also apart of the quarter century club with me.  She is one of the most down to Earth people I have met and has the ability to calm someone down, even on their most stressed out day.  Which let’s face it, over here that can be quite frequent.  Our conversations tend to centralize on rodents and our fear of them, family and friends, and chocolate.  A lot of chocolate.  According to Sophie, “Caitlin isn’t our funny friend.  She is our fun friend.”  Well, after a couple Ugandan Warigi and Pineapple Juice drinks later, she is both. 

Julia:  Also from Michigan, Julia is my little sister in the Southern Hemisphere.  She reminds me of my Bestie from home (love ya Em!), which is one of the best feelings in the world when the days get rough.  She is super, duper smart, gave her University of Michigan class speech during graduation, which at the end she unzipped her gown and was wearing a unitard in the school colors.  You can watch it here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-f2d0VPU3Zg. She is all about Thanksgiving, is ready to kill the turkey with me, and together we will take Uganda by storm.

Kat:  Big, bad kitty Kat.  Meow!  Her previous profession before Peace Corps?  Facebook stalker.  During Staging, I walk out of the elevator and Kat proceeds to say, “Hi Tara Matthews from Novato, California.”  I was a little weirded out.  Then during Training she told me, “I figured that we’d become friends here because on your Facebook page you said that you like to run.  So do I.”  After this, I finally asked her name and her prediction was right.  We did become great friends. 

Patrick: Personally, I think Pat looks like Edward Cullen, with golden locks and a better sense of fashion.  He is the only male of the group and let’s face it, he is one lucky duck.  He is a witty character whose texts have me scratching my head for an equally clever and entertaining comeback.  Unfortunately that thought happens to come about 20 minutes too late.  A Game of Thrones enthusiast, dark chocolate aficionado, and a proud Cheesehead/Wisconsinite, Pat is pretty cool. 

A fellow Chaco lover and owner of a sweet hammock, I have no doubt about our friendship.  Plus we both have French Presses.  Hello coffee! 

Our name: The sexy 6.

Left to Right: Kat, Julia, Sophie, Pat, Me, Caitlin

The other group of friends I want to mention are those from my training class who are living in the Southwest Region with me for the next two years.  Again, in no particular order.

Michelle:  First off, she is more commonly known as Meish.  During satellite training, we lived close to one another and spent every morning walking to class while children lined the streets yelling, “Mu-zun-gu” at us.  It was like we were at the center of a parade.  For 4 weeks.  And we loved every moment.  Meish became my study buddy for language and soon thereafter we discovered we both had an equal obsession for chapatti, milking cows, and The Hunger Games.  She can rock out to the ukulele, draw awesome drawings, and make some bomb tortillas.  Also, be on the lookout for her new book, No Dice.  It will be full of her brilliant, random, amazing ideas.  For example, what do you do when you don’t have any dice. 

Candy:  A fellow Guatemala invitee, we are now taking Uganda by storm.  One American meal at a time.  By popular vote, Candy is the best cook in our group.  In no time she can whip up some banana fritters, candied g-nuts, breaded eggplant, and a ridiculous pot of macaroni and cheese.  No only does she keep our bellies full, she will have you laughing in no time with her bowl of nouns game.  Candy is passionate, ambitious, and I have no doubt she will do an incredible amount of work while here. 

Robyn:  “Are you Tara?”  “Yea.  Robyn?”  “Yup.”  “Awesome!  Can you believe that in just a couple days we’ll be in Africa?”  “Maybe we should get a drink.”  This was our first conversation back in Philly after I found out that she was in the hotel.  Thanks to our Facebook group.  Robyn loves to go boneshaking (dancing), travel, and speak the local language.  Her confidence is exuberant and she is ready to tackle the next two years. 

Patrick:  This elusive and rarely seen out and about danger Panda roams this hills of Kabale.  He is innovatively building a plethora of food apparatus’ with just piles of bricks and sticks.  The hills are alive with Patrick’s eclectic music that gets the Southwest in the dance mood.  This avid Friday Night Lights fan supplies all of Peace Corps with his extensive external harddrive.  (Input given by Murph).

Clair:  My only other California girl in my group… So Cal that is.  She is our go to medical guru in the Southwest being that she is a nurse.  Incredibly intelligent and intellectual, we have awesome conversations.  We live close in terms of Peace Corps, 2 hours that is, so we spend our weekends cooking, hanging out, and hitting up the gym in Ishaka.

Brittany:  A 10-minute taxi ride and 1,000 Ugandan Shillings later, I can be at the front steps of Brittany’s palace.  Her 3-room place, fit with running water, electricity, and a toilet is my go to place when I need a getaway.  Brittany is a hoot and keeps every gathering lively.  She introduced my liking to guacamole and can down a whole bowl of the stuff for dinner.  It’s impressive. 

Eric:  The tallest man in his pygmy village, this quiet but loveable Michigander is surrounded by the beautiful landscape of the impenetrable forest of Bwindi, where gorillas and red tail monkeys dwell, frequent his house, and stroke his head.  Eric is living the true essence of Gorillas in the Mist.  (Again, all Murphy).

Mary:  This bird loving woman has spread her wings many times and traveled all over the world from Navy posts in Maine to the west coast in Oregon.  Her Icelandic mother should be thanked for the many packages and generous distribution of Mac and Cheese and tootsie pops.  This fellow muzungu blends in among a scenery of lush greenery and international tourists from every corner of the world.  (Courtesy: Murphy).

Murphy:  Sick since day 14 with diarrhea, back spasms, and suspected worms, giardia, amoebas, and tropical spores, this Bostonian has been a trooper.  Even with the above, we can boneshake the night away with his signature move.  The seagull.  Book a flight and you can see this happen in person.

Kendra:  Our designated regional social chair and hair cutter, she too can boneshake til the early morning.  A fellow Rolex enthusiast, this lively Wisconsinite with a Minnesota accent, is a central part of our Southwest nucleus.  Our friendship was destined from the beginning since we were meant to be in Guatemala together.  Now we’ll take on Africa. 

Jim:  This beautiful Ginger from Colorado (via Santa Barbara) is an awe-inspiring photographer and a wooden but magical dancer.  This Buddhist with a heart of gold is a favorite among our Peace Corps group.  Actually, among Peace Corps Uganda.  Due to his winning personality, even in times of pantless-ness, he will overcome any obstacle.  (Again, written by Murph). 

Front Row, From Left to Right: Meish, Mary, Robyn
Back Row, Left to Right: Murph, Jim, Clair, Candy, Me, Kendra, Brittany, Pat, Eric

I should also give a shout out to the other PCT’s in my group who have been an awesome support system, a wealth of information, and a group of amazing people who I anticipate will remain in my friend group long after this experience.  Love you all more than the Ugandans love their matooke!