Coverdell Worldwise Schools Program

Since 1989, Peace Corps has had the Coverdell Worldwise Schools Program in place, which allows current PCV’s to connect with classrooms back in the States to share their experience.  One of the main purposes of this program is to meet goal number three: “Helping promote a better understanding of other peoples on the part of Americans.”  I knew I wanted to partake in this awesome, experience-sharing program so I contacted my wonderful second and third grade teacher, Mrs. Boerio and she was in!  Below is the letter that her second grade class should receive in about a month.  I am excited to continue communicating with them throughout the year!  And when my little sister Lexi successfully finishes her credential program in May, I hope to begin communicating with her future class.

Without further a due…

Dear 2^nd Grade Cheetahs,

Hopefully this letter made its way across Africa and the Atlantic Ocean and is now finding itself in the hands of the wonderful class that I will have the privilege of corresponding with over the course of this school year.  If not, I hope whoever is reading this will forward it onto the address on the envelope.  It’d mean a lot!

I should begin by introducing myself since chances are the only person who knows me is Mrs. Boerio.  My name is Tara Matthews and I am a Peace Corps Volunteer in Uganda.  Peace Corps is a part of the U.S. government that sends volunteers all around the world to developing countries for two years to help others less fortunate than us.  What this also means is we do not get paid during the time we are helping.  I get a monthly budget, which comes out to about $6USD a day.  No Starbucks coffee or movies and I walk everywhere since I do not have a car. 

I have been in Uganda since May and since my arrival I have studied Runyankore/Rukiga (a local language), learned about the local culture and history, and met the President!  I am now working as a health volunteer at a local hospital where I go out into the villages - with no running water or electricity - and give health education talks while the doctors administer shots to babies and tablets (medicine) to adults.  I also hope to work in the primary schools with children your age to do health-related programs, like Happy Handwashing Hour!  If it works out, maybe I will come to and do it with you all when I get back in 2014. 

So.  You are probably wondering where Uganda is.  Well, have you heard of Africa?  Cue the map.  It is a big continent that has 54 countries and Uganda is located in the East, in between the Congo and Kenya.  Uganda is located on the Equator, which means that the weather is like summer year round.  It also means that there are not four seasons.  Instead we have two, a rainy season and a dry season. 

The people of Uganda are incredibly humble and welcoming.  People will invite me over for tea (and do not make me pay!), the women at the market will give me extra tomatoes, and children will come up and hug the muzungu (white person).  The scenery of Uganda is very lush and green with hills, trees, and fields filled with tea plants.  The weather is a comfortable 70-80 degrees but you must always remember to bring your rain jacket because you never know when a storm will happen!

What has surprised me the most since living in Uganda is that the people eat the same food for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.  Seven days a week.  Can you imagine eating Mac-n-Cheese or PB&J sandwiches for every meal?  It would get boring!  There’s one more thing that has surprised me… About one hour, imagine two episodes of “Shake It Up” on Disney Channel, from where I work is Queen Elizabeth National Park.  I can see elephants, kob, baboons, water buffalo, and many other wild animals living in their natural habitat.  No fences or zookeepers to feed them.   

Here is an idea… I want you all to think about the similarities and differences that exist between America and Uganda.  What I mean is what do you think you have in America that Uganda has and what do you think you have in Novato that is not available here in Uganda.  Maybe you all can make a list and Mrs. Boerio can send them to me.

When I was in second and third grade, I attended Lu Sutton and guess who my wonderful teacher was?  That’s right.  Mrs. Boerio.  You are all very lucky to have such a fabulous teacher.  I miss her!  She will make you love school! 

Welbale kushoma!  (Thank you for reading!)

Tara

P.S. Maybe some of you do know me… If any of you ever visited 5 Little Monkeys, I worked there with my sister.  I was also an umpire for Novato Girl’s Softball so if you played, chances are we met. 

Notes to Mrs. Boerio:

- I have a blog (http://whatareugandado.blogspot.com/) where you can enter your email address and get updates when I post.  Feel free to share with the class!

- I have a Skype account (tara.ann.matthews) so maybe we can arrange a video chat or phone call…

- I also have a phone that I could call you on and I get a good deal to call the USA so we can arrange something through that!

- Each time I send a letter, I will send you an email with the content just in case something happens on the way.

- I recently sent some letters to my family and it seems to take about a month to get to California… That’s Uganda’s “postal service” for you!

- If the students have any questions, let me know and I am more than eager to answer!

- Feel free to write if money and time permits!  It is best to number letters (to keep track) and to use a lot of tape.

P.P. S. I am excited to communicate with you and the your class!  Hopefully your students are equally (but not more) awesome than your students of 1995-1997!

Things I Am Learning

Where to begin?  I guess an apology to all of my dedicated readers who eagerly sit at their computers, awaiting an email update or new Facebook status when I make a new post.  I know it has been awhile and I made a promise to my family that once a week I would update them through this ever-exciting blog.  Well, this is where that promise begins because I have a feeling that things are finally start to pick up at site.

I have been relatively busy at site attending outreaches that go deep into the outlying villages.  There are anywhere from two to four outreaches a week and include immunization and antenatal to diagnosis and treatment.  Essentially this means lots of babies being weighed under trees, shots, and HIV tests galore!  I have been learning how to conduct counseling to the patients and how to work alongside my Ugandan staff members.  My organization wants me to start conducting health education sessions at the beginning of the outreach, which is exciting and nerve-wracking at the same time.  I have asked our lab technician to assist me with this, as he will serve as my translator and will be able to continue this after I leave in two years.  Peace Corps is all about sustainability! 

I have been networking more with the schools in my town so I have the ability to initiate secondary projects that I have in mind.  I do not anticipate beginning anything until the next school term to give myself time to do a need assessment and see if any other PCV’s would be interested in working with me.  We shall see…

Recently there have been many opportunities within Peace Corps for me to get involved in projects and areas that will help me expand my service.  I have applied to be a counselor for National Camp GLOW, Girls Leading Our World, which takes place in the beginning of December.  Camp GLOW gives the attendees an opportunity to learn about healthy living, money saving, goal setting, leadership, HIV/AIDS and life skills.  Most importantly they get to have fun and possibly for the first time realize that they are special, important, and unique.  Sounds awesome right?  If you want to donate, please do so here: www.peacecorps.gov/donate and search by the project number 617-057.  Bonus: It is tax deductible!  I have also applied to be on the Malaria Think Tank, which essentially is a group of PCV’s who have decided to dedicate some of their service to the fight against this deadly, and very much preventable, disease.  It is my understanding we will collaborate project ideas, work with other PCV’s, conduct trainings, and make malaria one of the forefronts here in Peace Corps Uganda.  Finally, I am sitting on the Volunteer Action Committee (VAC), which means I, along with seven other PCV’s, meet with the Peace Corps staff to bring up areas of concern, praise, and what we can all do to continue to enhance the program. 

What else have I been learning?  How to cook!  Let me tell you, cooking for one is one of the most difficult things I have ever done, especially without a refrigerator.  This means that my weekday meals are limited to popcorn, eggs, cabbage, beef jerky (from America, thanks Mama and Dad!), apples, and protein shakes.  But come the weekends and you have entered Restaurante A La Tara!  Since there are many volunteers living around the area, we are able to come and cook together.  We make Mexican.  A lot of Mexican.  Homemade tortillas, my incredible salsa, guacamole, and cheesy taco meat with American seasonings.  Macaroni-n-Cheese.  With bacon.  Shepard’s pie.  Potato soup.  Chicken flavored noodle soup with mozzarella grilled cheese on multi-grain bread.  It’s delicious. 

My best friend Emily and I were talking on Facebook some time back and she asked me what I have learned.  I thought I would share…

“I have learned to appreciate every single thing that crosses my path… People, places, and opportunities.  I have been able to simplify my life to the important things that help me get from each day to the next.  I have learned how to recognize how important the small accomplishments are and not necessarily the large ones. 

After everything from the past, I have realized how important every relationship is that we make with others.  You never know when people will no longer be in your life and so it is so important to cherish, learn, and connect while we can.  This goes with my family, my friends, God, Ugandans, and myself. 

The best part?  I only anticipate learning more and more over my time here…”

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!