Day 1
Well I’m sitting in my new apartment on grounds at Kasiisi Primary School to begin my first paid field job, with The Kasiisi Project. www.kasiisiproject.org. This is the same project I worked on for 6 months at 2 weeks per month, May-Nov 2011. This is the first moment in at least 3 months that feels like life just slowed down for a few hours. Although I feel somewhat lonely, I am actually not really alone. There are crickets, a local street dog that ran through the field, and plenty of other flying invertebrates, a.k.a bugs. And I can’t forget the two night watchmen who are in charge of the grounds; one has an AK47.
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| This is the yard in front of the house that I can't wait to landscape. |
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| From the porch; this is where I am emailing you now. |
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| "My side" of the duplex that I share with other volunteers |
My new home is a basic staff house for the school, but due to the raised tariffs to live in Kibale National Park at the research station, we are transitioning this housing into volunteer quarters for the foreseeable future. Right now it doesn’t have running water, so that is a bit tough for me but I will get used to it in a week. We have put up two new rain barrels, but seeing as it is the dry season, water coming out of those taps will wait until March-ish. So right now we “fetch” water from the rain barrel next door. Luckily we have electricity and a travel gas stove to boil water, plus a filter. I was assigned a cook, that’s just how it is done here, his name is Richard, and he will also help with sweeping/mopping and laundry along with another hired hand because, in 4 days, 6 volunteers are coming to the house, so we will all be mighty busy. It is an exciting time and I feel so lucky and happy to be here!
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| Do you like the colors that the painter picked out in our living room? |
I have told myself, now that I will be able to have a routine for the first time in over a year, that I will run on the main road every morning. In fact I want to run to the project’s 20 acre farm, which we use to sustain the Porridge Project. I want to learn as much as I can about farming, and I can’t wait to get started. My boss also told me I could landscape the front lawn of the house, I’m so excited that I call this “my house”. It is a wonderful and much awaited feeling being able to call a field site my home. I feel blessed. All that is needed is a puppy, which will come in time when everything is settled.
Day 2
I went for my first jog up the road for 30 minutes. I didn’t make it to the Kasiisi Farm, but I made it into the turnoff branch towards the farm. The weather was perfect of course, the only complaints are the dust and exhaust from cars/motorcycles/big trucks passing. It kinda feels like you are smoking a cigarette while running, ok not that bad, but my lungs probably feel that way. I might start running with a scarf to be honest. The other complaint is: being stared at by everyone, but I smile and wave and greet them in Rutooro, “Ori ota?” Good morning, how are you? or, “Muli muta,” How are you (to more than one person)? And they laugh back in disbelief. We will quickly get used to each other.
All the staff worked today even though it is a Saturday, to help finish what needs to be done in the house for the 6 volunteers that are coming in 3 days. The electrician, another Kasiisi Scholar graduate put more circuits in the bathroom, kitchen, and outdoor kitchen and latrine. Tomorrow he will do the same in the apartment next door, plus fix the outlet in my room. I had a meeting with Mathew, Assistant Director of the project, to discuss details on the housing and the next steps to finding money to finish everything. Francis, Conservation Education co-director, was also kind enough to help, and we discussed details on how to landscape the front yard. The main thing is, we need to wait for rains, but we must be ready when they come in 1-2 months. That means that all holes and trenches are dug for each plant and plants are bought and cared for inside their containers until ready to be planted. The ground is really hard right now, however, so that will be a good challenge and exercise. We want to make a fence called a live hedge around the property since we share the space with 1200 students of Kindergarten through seventh grade at Kasiisi Primary school – who by the way came in at 745 place out 11,500 schools in the country! Maybe when I get a dog, it will tend to stay inside that barrier, but we’ll see! The hedge will be planted by burying branches of an adult hedge in the ground. Sounds simple, but we’ll see. As far as other vegetation, I was thinking of planting indigenous trees with the Wildlife Clubs, for them to see how they will grow on their own turf.
I also started planning out where to dig two pits behind the latrine. One for compost, the other for non-biodegradables, like plastics and cans of DOOM – my fumigator in a can. It’s really interesting to see how you are ruining the environment when you have to find a place for your own waste! The US hides it from us! I have a debate question for you – should you bury your non-biodegradables or burn them? Everyone here burns. I believe in burying. We’ve been very lucky the last two days; the electricity has been on in our area! However, the internet stick that I use in my USB port (Orange it’s called) was out for 24 hours… At least the music that is pumping from the trading center only comes on the weekends. I completely forgot it was a Saturday. I slept like a baby last night, maybe tonight too? I love my new place!
Day 3
It is now Sunday and a bit hotter today than yesterday –no clouds. I went for my second run, on the same road, and said hello to even more people today because I left later in the morning and it is church day so people are walking everywhere. Half way through my run a young Ugandan man asked if he could run with me, with his jeans and sandals on. I said sure, thinking he would not make it so far (believe it or not I have noticed people here are in great shape, but lose their breath easily when running; this is not the first time a person has run next to me…). So he went as far as to the place where I turn around and he continued with me back to his house. Then he asked for my name and phone number. I gave him my name, plus my pet name, Akiiki. Maybe by the end of my time here I will have a running group. Wouldn’t that be fantastic?!
Well I got home just in time to not get undressed for showering, and the electrician was at the door, a young man who just graduated through the Kasiisi Scholarship Program. He needed to fix the two outlets in the bedrooms, but it was not an easy fix, so Mathew will have to get another wire from town tomorrow and Joseph will have to come back yet again. Then the carpenter came by to finish nailing wood strips to the walls for hanging things, and especially for the laundry clothesline. I can’t do laundry yet because I need to buy a clothesline! Fort Portal Town is 35 minutes away and chaotic, but a nice place to find everything you need and even order pizza! This project is very nicely located.
I picked up the 4-wheel drive project vehicle today, now I really feel like a project director!
And the best part of the day was when I found a new, more convenient place to get an internet signal, on my own porch! Halleluiah! This morning I was in the hot sun walking around the big field in front of my house holding my computer above my head.
I am enjoying and taking advantage of the quietness of the area right now, because in a week school begins and there will be 1200 primary school kids on grounds. I think school starts at 8am, which means I should leave for my jog exactly at 8 and the roads should be a bit cleared of people walking in the hundreds, we’ll see how my theory goes…
This blog just took longer to post than if I had dial-up to post. Remember those days of dial-up? Yeah I'm back there now.
Thanks for tuning in to The Akiiki Kasiisi Blog!
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