The week of the 2 year anniversary of my class & mine’ s
time in Uganda was especially memorable for me.
The journey started with news of meeting Hillary Clinton and ended with
the successful staffing of 1st annual GirlTech Uganda Camp.
News that I had been selected amongst PC-UG to meet and talk
with Hillary Clinton during her visit to Kampala, Uganda was made quickly, and
required commitments even faster. In
preparation for Madame Secretary’s meeting, I had the kids of the NPHC make a
special hammock combining the American and Ugandan flags. The fabric for the American flags came from
nowhere else but my Grandmama’s basement, where I had so generously been
allowed to snoop around and take fabrics.
Thanks Grandmama! Hope you enjoy,
Ms. Clinton!
Before I knew what was going on I had signed up and was in a
private car with Peace Corps Staff towards KLA.
As we traveled up, we learned that Madame Secretary aimed to have a
30-45 minute sit-down with selected Volunteers about service within Uganda. When I got there, we didn’t have time to find
an iron, and I realized I forgot my socks---PTO (Program and Training
Officer--#2 of PC UG) Paul Sully was generous enough to solve both of these
issues personally. When the official
time came for the Secretary to arrive, we were given word that she was going to
be “detained” for some time. I late got
some inside information that it would be 2+ hours before she arrived.
Before the eventual arrival of the Secretary of State, I was
received quickly by the acting ambassador and the small grants
coordinator. I was given news that in my
email inbox was a congratulatory email for the NPHC; we have made it to the
final round of our Grant!!! It is now
all about receiving Pro-forma invoices and getting organized for the money to
be sent; in Mid-October we will then receive the first phase of our 60,000,000
Uganda Shillings. I couldn’t help but
excuse myself out of earshot, once I had been told, to call Obote (the project
manager) and Fr. Ecogu (the parish priest) and give them the great news. That phone call will forever remain in my
mind as one of the best moments in Uganda.
Finally, at 8:25, she
made her appearance to those at the U.S. Embassy who had not given up hope. Our sit-down had been cancelled due to the
extreme delay of schedule, but we were still able to shake hands and take a
quick picture. It was certainly an
honor, if not exactly what we’d been hoping for.
After the meeting, I was privileged enough to get to go out
and enjoy dinner with workers from the U.S. Embassy. I taught them about village life while they
taught me about living in the capital city under the government. This Venn diagram didn’t need much space in
the middle, but was great to get some perspective. Hopefully it will not be the last of these
interactions.
The next day, it was off to Wanyange Girls Secondary School
for GirlTech. A quick internet search
will land you with a youtube video summary of the camp---unfortunately my
internet speed is too slow to reach it without me pulling my hair out in the
process. If someone finds it, perhaps
they could attach it as a comment below this post. Anyway, the camp was a great success,
especially considering the experimental nature of its design. The camp was designed specifically for those
who have excelled in the sciences at their respective secondary schools within
(but without regard to location otherwise) Uganda. My role in the camp was general camp
logistics/runner/hype-man. Basically the
guy no one has to feel bad about making do “THAT” job, because it’s what I
signed up for in the first place. I was
honored to do two different “Tower of Strength” challenges piggy-backed off of
Odyssey of the Mind Spontaneous problems and one night of teaching
astronomy. On the next to last day, I
stayed up all night working (while dancing around to music) on a Rube Goldberg
machine to help me crack my hard-boiled egg.
The contraption took 7 hours to create, lasted about 25 seconds from
start to finish while incorporating 12 different mechanical contraptions. I was
pretty proud of it, even if it did require some subtle (or not so subtle)
nudging when it was show-time. In the end, a swinging hammer suspended 12 feet
up knocked a tower of bottles holding my breakfast, conveniently breaking my
egg in a platter with some buttered bread.
On Saturday we were able to celebrate a camp well done. Only
the subsequent day (yesterday) did I realize my anniversary had already
passed. Time continues to travel at
speeds so unbelievably slow on the day to day level and yet mystifyingly quick
on a grander scale; it is no surprise that my two years anniversary was spent
as such.
And so, on to the future.
I am securing my place in Uganda for up to another year, with renewed
fervor for the project that got me through most of my service. My understanding of Uganda has only continued
to increase my potential within it, and currently it seems foolhardy to leave
such opportunities that exist all around me.
Timing is a tricky little fellow. I will continue to search for my place, and
more so for what makes a place THE place (despite the search’s seemingly
impossible nature).
No comments:
Post a Comment