One Month In

I’ve been in Uganda for almost a month now and already there is so much to report. I have learned so much and yet I still experience both excitement and frustration. I’m anxious to begin my assignment as a secondary education math and science teacher.

Picture of the airplane the day we left JFK

Exciting news this past week! I have learned that I will be assigned to the Teso Region of

Uganda. The Teso Region includes the districts of Soroti, Katakwi, Kumi, Pallisa, Amuria, Bukedea, Tororo, and parts of Kaberamaido. A few of the cities are Soroti, Kumi, and Katakwi.

So…come April 21^st, I could end up in any one of these districts/cities. I likely won’t know any more information about my assignment location until mid-April.

This picture to the left is of John and I after we just got done riding to the training center at Wakiso.

I have also found out that I will be teaching specifically. I have been selected for mathematics and biology. I will be teaching to S1 and S2 (secondary one and secondary two students). Ideally the students should be between the ages of 14-16. However, the age range in reality will likely vary more between 13 and 18. I’ve been thinking lately that it might make more sense for me to teach physics instead of biology, since I have at least had some college level physics. The last time I took a biology class was in high school. I guess in the end it is all about the prep work anyways. I will probably talk to our secondary education coordinator this week about it.

But back to my experience in Uganda so far, it has certainl

y been an unpredictable and revealing month. To go into this experience with an open mind is certainly one of the wisest approaches to take. I really had no idea what to expect and it has been very entertaining.

I took this next picture on my walk to the training center last week. There was a great layer of fog settling in on the field.

I am currently living with a home stay family in the Kisimbiri neighborhood of the greater town of Wakiso, which is located just northwest of Kampala, t

he capital city of Uganda. I have a home stay mother, Dorothy, and am surrounded by her MANY children and nieces/nephews/extended neighborhood kids who float in and out of the house throughout the entirety of the day and evening. I am still trying to keep all of their names straight.

There is Justine, Fina, Sala, Godfrey, Maricho, Winnie, and many others. Joseph, Dorothy’s 28-year-old son, lives with the family still and takes care of the animals and crops. He is a good man and fun to talk to.

The food has been quite good. I especially enjoy the fruits and vegetables the most. The pineapple here is absolutely amazing, same with the avocados, sweet bananas, regular bananas, and watermelon. There is also a local food they call Jack Fruit that is very good. Everything I eat is grown literally a few feet away, so fresh and natural. I think my body enjoys the change, however I do crave a juicy cheeseburger or some Chick-Fil-A just about every day. The good news is I’m starting to forget about those things now.

Picture on left: Eating Uganda style pizza! Chipatti with tomato paste, mozz. cheese, and veggies.

Living conditions…the electricity is off during the day and sometimes the night too. Most nights we do have power and I’m able to charge any electronics I need. No running water or indoor plumbing. I take my bath each morning out of a bucket of boiling water mixed with cold water; both come from two huge tanks of collected rainwater from the roof and other surfaces.

Short call and long call (#1 and #2) are done via a shoebox-sized hole in a concrete slab, pit latrine. This has been an interesting feat to master. There are all kinds of bugs and other small creatures that crawl around the latrine at night so I avoid using it and use other “holding devices” for my nighttime activity. I avoid the long calls at night. No emergencies bowel issues yet. I’m happy I made it this far. I’m told it is only a matter of time.

I feel like this next picture pretty much paints an awesome picture of a typical road in Uganda. Congested, cattle, and crazy skater kids using trucks to pull them at 30+ MPH.

Typical day…I wake up around 6-6:30 in the morning. I usually get up, do some morning exercises or hit the batheing area right away. Take my bucket bath, get dressed, pack my bag for the day, and eat breakfast. I jump on my back around 7:10 and bike the 4-5K to our training center. I usually get there around 7:30. I spend about 30 minutes changing out of my riding clothes and into our “smart” dress as well as reviewing any material from the previous or current day. I’m in training from 8-5. Between 5-7:30 I’m either in town taking care of errands, playing volleyball or jogging or some other activity, or just chilling with some other PCTs having a beer.

All of us must be home before sunset, around 7:30-8. After that we are told it is too dangerous to go outside, especially for white people. I wonder all the time just how dangerous it is, but best to be cautious I guess. Dinner is at 8-8:30, then down time to read, write email, study language, journal, etc. Bed around 10 or 11. Rinse and repeat.

Initial capstone thoughts…Uganda is crazy! I had no idea what to expect! And I still don’t even really know what I’m seeing. I never imagined the level of poverty that most people here endure. They are truly magnificent at making the best out of what they have. It is pretty undescribable for the most part.

The muddy dirt roads are checkered with potholes and rolling trenches. The streets are lined with piles of garbage and substances I can’t even identify. And the smells are truly unique. But the people are friendly and manage to get by. Though I can’t help but feel like an alien sometimes.

I’m anxious to see what the next month brings. If any of you would like to mail anything, please send it to the following address:

Joe Mathias

Peace Corps

PO Box 29348

Kampala, Uganda

P.S. – Don’t send anything valuable or perishable, I have no idea how long it will take to get here but it will likely be weeks if not months.

Thanks everyone for your emails and support! I will write again soon!