Three years, six original paintings, 36 amazing Small Grantees in rural development, several exotic vacations and safaris later...I come back to this blog journal. I guess in some ways the need to get it down is in the transition into-and now-the transition out of my Africa. I don't know why we need witness to movement, but there it is. Maybe we are afraid of losing ourselves in the rapids and just need to be sure someone on shore knows we are entering a vortex of humongous, churning change.
And I am. The end of four years of gifted experiences living in Uganda. The termination of my work with diverse local community based organizations trying to do right for themselves. Pentimento-ed on to the immediate, is the end of international living, most of it in the Foreign Service diplomatic community. Twenty four years of living in other countries at various levels of their economies, and a full 16 of those years in Africa. It has been such a core piece of who I am since the age of 20....who will I be without it? Does it really have a permanent effect, or does it evaporate like a vapor?
I am interested to find out.
Sunday, January 15, 2012
Friday, September 26, 2008
An Abundance of Creativity
I have a tiny art workshop set up in a storage area in the back of our house. I am surrounded by cases of brownie and blueberry muffin mixes, with treasures of pecans and Trader Joe's olive oil. The consumables, luggage, and Christmas holiday ornaments share this space.
Amongst this abundance, I hope to keep my creative spirit well nourished. There are two windows for light, and a workbench that was made for me by my grandfather. It was originally a dresser and toy chest in my childhood, and has migrated to other family priorities. My young husband tried to dress it up in our early married years by stripping the paint...so we now have an exposed plywood top. It circumnavigated the globe with us, serving as the perfect diaper changing table for three kids, then a board game/supply repository, and finally a workshop bench for David.
It has come home to roost. Back to being mine, and dedicated to serving my needs and sense of play. I love the fact it's known me through all the phases of my life; gouged and banged, sturdy and honest. It inspires me to be the same.
How nice to walk out of the house, round the corner in the garden, into a secret courtyard where this little realm awaits me and my creativity.
Friday, September 19, 2008
Window on their World
(See slideshow at top right.)
My first two weeks in country found me on the road north, to Gulu area where the Lord's Resistance Army had been reeking havoc for over twenty years. Thirty thousand abductions to supply Cony's army with adult and child soldiers have fueled nightmares for years. People left their villages and farm lands to be concentrated together in community camps the government said it would protect. Except, the soldiers were often housed in the center of the village, leaving the raids to hit the villagers and protect the army instead. Children were sent walking every night to nearby Gulu to sleep on the street and anywhere there was shelter, because it was safer than remaining in the camps at night. These "night trains" returned in daylight to the huts in camps.
Gradually, the threat has receded in the last two years, but the tremendous job of rebuilding lives has just begun. How do you return to land you've left a generation ago? How do you welcome back and forgive neighbors who were forced to commit the acts that cost you family members? How do you give back humanity to those forced to do inhuman things?
A generation of being confined to camps and powerless without their traditional roles has left the men pretty focused on alcohol. The women have had to pull it all together, both to find food and funds for supplies and schooling fees for their children. There is tremendous heart and effort in a local cooperative of women's income generating projects. Each is led by a handful of women, who teach each other how to manage and produce products or services. A handful of retired civil servants are volunteering to guide them in this community development effort. But it is born of their own will to survive.
I traveled with Kampala resident Cory Harris and her daughter, both working on PhDs. The mom's degree is on "Extraordinary Ordinary Women" and she was connected to this local non profit group called WOUGNet (Women of Uganda Network). While the official USAID contingency met with local leaders, we were given our own private tour of these programs, visiting 12 different sites (forestry, fish farms, dairy produce, bakery...all on a nano scale). At each stop, women danced and sang and greeted us, complete with an explanation and tour of their project and a handout of what they are doing and what they need to achieve the next step. At end of the day, there was a huge festival and meal and entertainment to show hospitality for our visit.
Over 300 project sites affect 18,000 individuals in the northern Gulu area. This is real community development, by the community members themselves. They are below the radar screen of most NGOs and foreign assistance. But I don't think it gets any purer than this.
I've posted some mini slide shows to show some of the projects. It was a wonderful introduction to the bounce back of the human spirit and possibilities worth supporting.
My first two weeks in country found me on the road north, to Gulu area where the Lord's Resistance Army had been reeking havoc for over twenty years. Thirty thousand abductions to supply Cony's army with adult and child soldiers have fueled nightmares for years. People left their villages and farm lands to be concentrated together in community camps the government said it would protect. Except, the soldiers were often housed in the center of the village, leaving the raids to hit the villagers and protect the army instead. Children were sent walking every night to nearby Gulu to sleep on the street and anywhere there was shelter, because it was safer than remaining in the camps at night. These "night trains" returned in daylight to the huts in camps.
Gradually, the threat has receded in the last two years, but the tremendous job of rebuilding lives has just begun. How do you return to land you've left a generation ago? How do you welcome back and forgive neighbors who were forced to commit the acts that cost you family members? How do you give back humanity to those forced to do inhuman things?
A generation of being confined to camps and powerless without their traditional roles has left the men pretty focused on alcohol. The women have had to pull it all together, both to find food and funds for supplies and schooling fees for their children. There is tremendous heart and effort in a local cooperative of women's income generating projects. Each is led by a handful of women, who teach each other how to manage and produce products or services. A handful of retired civil servants are volunteering to guide them in this community development effort. But it is born of their own will to survive.
I traveled with Kampala resident Cory Harris and her daughter, both working on PhDs. The mom's degree is on "Extraordinary Ordinary Women" and she was connected to this local non profit group called WOUGNet (Women of Uganda Network). While the official USAID contingency met with local leaders, we were given our own private tour of these programs, visiting 12 different sites (forestry, fish farms, dairy produce, bakery...all on a nano scale). At each stop, women danced and sang and greeted us, complete with an explanation and tour of their project and a handout of what they are doing and what they need to achieve the next step. At end of the day, there was a huge festival and meal and entertainment to show hospitality for our visit.
Over 300 project sites affect 18,000 individuals in the northern Gulu area. This is real community development, by the community members themselves. They are below the radar screen of most NGOs and foreign assistance. But I don't think it gets any purer than this.
I've posted some mini slide shows to show some of the projects. It was a wonderful introduction to the bounce back of the human spirit and possibilities worth supporting.
Saturday, September 6, 2008
Mental Math
5000 lbs of household effects + 5 days minus cardboard and boxes = one new house set up.
Now to make it a home.
Stuff. Defining our past and orienting the future. Less stuff than we normally take; certainly less than we live with under one roof in America. Interesting to see what we chose to launch us into this new world. The memories of other happy places; the functionality for a lifestyle filled with entertaining; and the creature comforts and creative aspirations. Funny to look at it and project how this chapter will interplay with the objects of history.
It's like arranging a doll house; anticipating guests/family who might come. Carving out a space for new friendships to be nurtured by. Learning to live with mementos that stimulate, but don't stab the heart at the reminder that the people involved are far away. I am a little sad, and daunted, to realize that the house may come together quickly, but the home can only be assembled one select piece at a time. It's going to be a big job.
Now to make it a home.
Stuff. Defining our past and orienting the future. Less stuff than we normally take; certainly less than we live with under one roof in America. Interesting to see what we chose to launch us into this new world. The memories of other happy places; the functionality for a lifestyle filled with entertaining; and the creature comforts and creative aspirations. Funny to look at it and project how this chapter will interplay with the objects of history.
It's like arranging a doll house; anticipating guests/family who might come. Carving out a space for new friendships to be nurtured by. Learning to live with mementos that stimulate, but don't stab the heart at the reminder that the people involved are far away. I am a little sad, and daunted, to realize that the house may come together quickly, but the home can only be assembled one select piece at a time. It's going to be a big job.
Monday, August 18, 2008
Shopping at the Friend Mart
Gathering the needed supplies from foreign shelves, one discovers you are fresh out of friends. Time to find some:
Two different expat events this weekend afford the opportunity to shop around. From the vantage point of being new, you have no idea the history in the room and it's like crunching through new snow. Your brain whirls and clicks, trying to place this new face with a favorite familiar personality, beginning to zone in on who you feel an affinity with. There's a wonderful mix of kids of all sizes and co-parenting going on, long timers and those who are counting the minutes. Good food, good libations.
There is an expat ritual: the instant networking of geography, and who you know in common from other posts. Playing this part of the game is like a litmus test for your own legitimacy. Satisfied that you have some information to build opinions on, you chat at home about the hits and misses. And all the while you realize, people are doing the same window shopping of you.
Two different expat events this weekend afford the opportunity to shop around. From the vantage point of being new, you have no idea the history in the room and it's like crunching through new snow. Your brain whirls and clicks, trying to place this new face with a favorite familiar personality, beginning to zone in on who you feel an affinity with. There's a wonderful mix of kids of all sizes and co-parenting going on, long timers and those who are counting the minutes. Good food, good libations.
There is an expat ritual: the instant networking of geography, and who you know in common from other posts. Playing this part of the game is like a litmus test for your own legitimacy. Satisfied that you have some information to build opinions on, you chat at home about the hits and misses. And all the while you realize, people are doing the same window shopping of you.
Thursday, August 14, 2008
Empty Nest
The youngest is leaving this new African nest. In the belly of a 747, but really, on his own wings-- which he's been testing for quite a while now.
I watched him gravitate with ease towards a gaggle of village kids yesterday and negotiate a transportation glitch at night and I've heard the stories of Nile River rapids and bungie jumps and crawling through Egyptian catacombs on his own. I believe he has caught up with his inner wisdom and I am pleased for him. What is a beginning for him is supposed to be an ending for us. Except I know parenting follows the curve of a 3D spiral, not just a circle. So I am not so sad.
I'll just feel a chill without his warm feathers around me.
Sunday, August 10, 2008
Bird in a cage
Ah, yes. Back to security bars on the windows; encased by high walls and a 24 hour guard. A safe spot to incubate in for 24 hours and then to peel away at the layers, one at a time. Our house is beautiful, and friendly, and open. The garden is manicured to within an inch of its life...literally. I noticed a lovely clump of flowering shrub the first day and watched the gardener prune off all the foliage and flowers the next morning, down to 4 " of twigs. Moses is his name and he is happy to know I am Christian. Could be because the cook is Muslim, although her name is Christine, which I find ironic.
I am amazed at all that is available here; trying to find the Africa I resonate with, the one I feel "prepared" to live in. My skill set has no need here in the capital city. All the items I brought to be treasures are available here. Makes me feel a bit in a time warp, like the thrice lived in Africa is old world. I can walk to a South African version of K Mart from my house. Electricity seems to be prevalent in this upscale quartier (where government officials live). Restaurants are plentiful and varied. Crazy drivers are about the only recognizable part of the scene.
But I will travel to the north this next week and then discover what Uganda is really like. Meanwhile, it is a very pleasant entry. And my life is remarkable in that I have no I.D. badge defining me and I do not possess a working timepiece...so the days are wonderfully languid and controled by me, not by a to do list. I love it.
I am amazed at all that is available here; trying to find the Africa I resonate with, the one I feel "prepared" to live in. My skill set has no need here in the capital city. All the items I brought to be treasures are available here. Makes me feel a bit in a time warp, like the thrice lived in Africa is old world. I can walk to a South African version of K Mart from my house. Electricity seems to be prevalent in this upscale quartier (where government officials live). Restaurants are plentiful and varied. Crazy drivers are about the only recognizable part of the scene.
But I will travel to the north this next week and then discover what Uganda is really like. Meanwhile, it is a very pleasant entry. And my life is remarkable in that I have no I.D. badge defining me and I do not possess a working timepiece...so the days are wonderfully languid and controled by me, not by a to do list. I love it.
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