Sipin’ and Slidin’

Throughout Uganda one can find a plethora of hidden gems… Gorillas in the southwest, the Source of The Nile and milkshakes in the East, katenge fabric in the northwest and waterfalls that straddle the Kenyan border.

As my time in the UG as a Peace Corps Volunteer is quickly winding, there was one more thing I had to do… Waterfalls.

Well thanks to a couple days escape from the concrete city, I was able to take in series of falls just north of Mbale.

Sipi Falls is a series of three waterfalls that bring many people out to the remote Kapchorwa District for hikes, breathtaking scenes, and the opportunity to find them one with Mother Nature.

Originally the falls were called Seb, which in the language of Kupsabiny that is spoken in that area means the flow of water in large quantities.  A very fitting name for the place.

Well then story goes that an American man was then visiting the area and he was from Mississippi and the people enjoyed the name that they decided to shorten it and rename the falls Sipi!

The Sabiny tribe, who resides in the area surrounding the Falls is the only tribe that speaks the Kupsabiny language in all of Uganda but they have associate tribes in Kenya. 

Sipi Falls is approximately 432 kilometers from the border.

Heights of the various falls are as follows…

Top fall is measured at 78 meters.

The second fall, which cannot be seen in the picture is behind the white house in the middle of the picture towards the left, is measured at 60 meters.

The last and longest fall, all the way on the left is measured at 99 meters.

My extension has been everything and more but it has also emotionally and mentally drained me.  I have not had many days off and when I do, I am usually spending it with my youth in some capacity.  Now I am not working 40-hours a week but it always seems that I have 40-hours of work to complete…. From Peace Corps mandated reports to program planning and getting in moments with my youth, there never seems to be a free day to myself.  For my sanity and in order to end on a high note, I needed to rejuvenate. 

This sparked my trip to Sipi.

With my iPod in tote and all other technological contraptions at home, I was ready for a 2-day escape.

After making it to my accommodation at Crow’s Nest, which was started by a Peace Corps Volunteer some years back, I was able to soak in my surroundings with a walk around the place.  I saw the ominous clouds roll in over the mountains and decided to make my way back, in which I was awe struck by the rainbow that encompassed all the waterfalls.

While captured on film, there is no justice that this picture does.

My two days were spent with Malisha, one of the staff employees who shared the above information with me, Antonio, my new 2-year-old friend, flocks of chickens, tea accompanied with rice cakes topped with odii and dates, and reading a book on creative facilitation written by the organization that In Movement bases its work off of.

The days spent amongst the trees and cooking fires were well enjoyed. 

The hours spent on the bus and taxi allowed for me to reminiscence.  As landscape passed me by, I found that I was moved to tears knowing that these were the final moments. 

Moments that will last a lifetime.

Thanks Sipi for a great beginning to my final chapter as a PCV in the UG.

A Whole New World

With 43 days left in country, I was unsure if I would have any new perspectives of Uganda.

I look at Kampala as a hustling and bustling city, fast paced with little time just take in ones surroundings.

I look at the surrounding towns and trading centers as laid back with little motivation to complete things… Especially when the rains come.

Well, it just took an adventure with my iPod to get a new perspective.

The other morning I was walking through the one part of Kampala I used to loathe the most. 

The taxi park.

While vital to the infrastructure of Uganda, the taxi park takes people all over the country, from the cool southwest to the arid north.  The taxi park is crammed and jammed with matatus waiting for passengers eagerly wanting to go to their destination.

This crowded place is where many Volunteers credit their missing money and phones. 

While it is essential to Uganda, it is a place we often avoid.

At least I do.

Or I did.

Recently as I venture into town, I simply bring the essentials. 

Money in my bra and my iPod strapped in my armband or also taking residence somewhere alongside the money.

Back to the other morning… There I found myself, outside the taxi park.  The sun was still rising, unveiling the hidden layer of smog.  The park was quiet.  The engines were barely humming.  Matatus were in organized rows, of which I am assuming function for the first thirty minutes before chaos and jams take over.

While I usually find myself preoccupied with cat calls and men pressuring me about my destination, even though I know exactly where I need to go, that morning I felt like that scene in Singin’ in the Rain where Gene Kelly is just doing his own thing.  Or like the scene in Big Daddy with the invisible sunglasses.

With my ear buds in place, no one or nothing was going to stop me or stress me out. 

Listening to Britt Nicole rock out to her song, “Safe” or having Ed Sheeran serenade me with “Thinking Out Loud” put me in such a calming mood in what can quite frankly be one of the busiest and most stressful places.

As I meandered in the middle of the streets watching bodas zip by and people hurriedly moving to their taxi, I was in my own world.  My euphoric state could not be brought down and if someone dared, Sam Smith was singing in my ear to bring me back up.

It has been 887 days since I first laid eyes on the taxi park and I remember being overwhelmed and thinking to myself, “How will I ever manage this on my own.”

Oh that’s right.

With my iPod.

A Cinderella Story

The more I have open and raw conversations with my youth; I realize that many have had difficult childhoods and upbringings.

Many are like Cinderella.

Many have lost their parents at ages much younger than the average American.

Many end up living with their Aunties who beat them for no apparent reason and refuse to send them to school, meaning they become the houseboy or house girl.

Many miss the norms of childhood play, such as pushing a tire with a stick or kicking the football made out of plastic bags and held together with banana fibers.

Some even have mice as friends and fellow housemates.  Or that could just be me at the moment.

Cinderella’s story is the ultimate tale of good and evil, tragedy and triumph.

We learn that life is not always fair and that difficult circumstances befall good people. 

We learn that we can make good choices even when faced with tough circumstances.

We choose to remain kind and thoughtful to even those who may not support us.

We choose optimism and hope rather than despair.

We choose to take responsibilities.

We choose to step forward and redirect our path for a new life.

From the northern hemisphere to the southern, persons across the globe experience hardship... Children are defiled and people are beaten.  Some starve while others walk countless miles to fetch water.

To anyone out there who has experienced any such adversity like Cinderella, keep your head up.  The light is there.  I am not saying you will marry someone of royalty and that your pumpkin will turn into a magical carriage pulled by horses white as snow.

And let’s be honest… At times, independence can bring its own hardships.  This is what makes us stronger though, makes us put into perspective everything we need to prosper, including a clear vision and a supportive network.

With perseverance and tenacity, you can make anything happen.  

If after years of abuse and neglect my 18-year-old youth can go to university, volunteer at In Movement, lead leadership classes, teach dance at one of the international schools, sell secondhand clothes, and be happily living independently in the slum, anything and everything is possible.

Anything and everything.

Halloween Carvings

As a Peace Corps Volunteer you have various indicators that have to be reached through your primary project…

“Number of pregnant and lactating women reached regarding the importance of IPTp: Intermittent Preventive Treatment in Pregnancy.”

“Number of persons who gained five new methods of malaria prevention.”

“Number of youth reached concerning the preventative measures for HIV/AIDS.”

“Number of youth able to demonstrate teamwork.”

This data then goes back to Peace Corps and they are able to quantitatively show the impact we have in numbers.

For example, “1,079 community education activities executed on the prevention and treatment of diarrheal diseases, including use of oral rehydration solution and prevention and treatment of intestinal worms.”

In my opinion, there is so much more behind the numbers and indicators.

There are raw conversations and deep understandings of oneself and others.

There are realizations of society and the future.

Peace Corps recognizes this and thus created three overarching goals.

Number two being my favorite: "To help promote a better understanding of Americans on the part of the peoples served.”  Simply put it means sharing America with the people of your host country.

I have done this through conversations, pictures, Skyping with my family, Easter egg hunts, and Christmas traditions among others.

Today I added another to the list…. Halloween carving!

Uganda is full of fresh produce and my youth and I decided to experiment with not your stereotypical pumpkin but also peppers and pineapples.

I made a big book about the story of the Jack O’Lantern, accompanied by my own stick figure illustrations, which we read together and then carved away.

The youth loved it. 

The idea of transforming an everyday item to a piece of art was exciting. 

Plus they got some delicious pineapple juice after.

I love facilitating workshops that help the community’s understanding of safe water practices and food handling.  

I love working with youth on self-esteem and communication.

But I love these moments even more.

And don’t worry America.  Peace Corps has a whole goal set aside for you.

Goal three is all about helping promote a better understanding of other peoples on the part of Americans.