And by a Nearly Unanimous Decision Vance Brown = Biggest BS'er of PST Class Feb 2008 .... Did you really expect anything less ; )

I passed my language exam!!!!! Which I have to say is quite impressive
because my luganda is terrible. It however was kind of miraculous so
allow me to share the story if you will. I showed up for the test
expecting that I wouldn't pass and would have to be tutored for the
next few months like 90% of the other volunteers. Let me further add
that prior to this the longest conversation I've had in Luganda was
some where in the ball park of 3 to 4 minutes. So I walk into the
exam and what do I find out but she asks me to a T every single
question I was prepared to answer! I ended up having over a half n
hour conversation in Luganda with her and if anyone ever asks you are
a professor at college teaching business and dad is a doctor (its much
easier to say these things than it is to say a construction company
owner and the head of IT). SOOO YEA!!!!

I know that you wanted a little more on my day to day so let me do my
best to explain the past week and then I will probably copy and paste
that to the blog ... sorry everyone reading the blog but mom's wishes
come first. So last weekend was the end of our time in Luweero, a
small village about 2 hours drive north of Kampala the capital city.
I had been staying there with the Semuganyi family. Mr. Semuganyi was
a former chair of the local town council and he and his wife have 8
wonderful children whom I've grown quite close to over the last 8
weeks. I had been livings in a small one room guest house in the
Semuganyis backyard about a 10 minute walk from the training center
that peace corps had rented out for our training.

The training site was about a 4 acre plot of land bordered by a
concrete wall. The compound itself is actually a diocese which houses
some missionaries, a hotel, conference area, and now a restaurant
which was completed during our stay. The vast majority of the central
region of Uganda which is refered to as the Buganda region because of
it's tribal affiliation is lush and tropical. It's more like a hilly
oasis of spralling banana plantations than anything else. Truly what
San Diego dreams itself to be. The compound throughout training had a
unique Berekely esq., Berekely of the 60's and 70's that is, feel to
it. Now that we have bit of a scene set let me commence with a
typical day in Luweero during the last 8 weeks of training.

Right around the ass-crack of Allah a rooster would crow remind me
that sleeping-in in this country is truly not an option. This was
typically around 6:30am though most mornings I was already awakened by
the early morning rustling of 8 children somewhere near 5 or 5:30 am.
So there I would sit under my dark green mosquito net in my room,
books pilled to the side of the bed, ipod somewhere amongst the sheets
and blanket which were to cumbersome to use in the heat of the night
(I've always wanted to use that in a semi-serious context ... check!)
a pile of dirty laundry in the corner and some clothes which were
washed the day before hanging from the window adjacent the door. It
was comforting, it was home and I really shall miss it. When the
rainy season set in around the beginning of March most nights I would
be kept awake well into the night by the drumming of rain on the thin
tin roof. Despite the lack of sleep the rain was a welcomed relief
from the typical African night. Its not unbearably hot but at times
it is uncomfortably warm. My new home where I shall spend the next
few years is however bit of a different story which for time sake I
shall touch on in another entry. So I would wake much earlier than
any self respecting college student every would and do a bit of
streching before unlocking the pad lock from the large steel door
which sealed my security and most surely would have confrimed my end
if a fire were to start .. though I'm not so sure what in my concrete
cage could or would have burned. From there I would grab my 4 gallon
bright blue, peace corps issue bathing bucket and would head to the
spicket next to the house. Most mornings I would fill it head back to
my room grab my soap and shampoo greet whom every was in the yard by
saying Wasu' otya? which translates how did you (how well) spend the
night. It is actual culturally taboo to use a cup our pitcher to splash water on yourself once you find your self squating beneathe the African sky in a concrete square which is your shower. It is also apparently quite appropriate to throw shampoo bottles at any large creature which might also be lounging in the shower area. At this point you cup your hands and in a freakish sort of convulsion throw water at random parts of your body. After you find yourself coated by an mm or so of water you grab a bar of soap and begin only to return to the bucket for more vigorous splashing ... typically this last for or 5 or 10 minutes and the brisk morning air makes you wish it was more like 5 or 10 seconds. Finally in true muzungu fashion you lift the bucket above your head and allow for the remaining bit to act as a small bucket waterfall. At this point grab the closest shirt (I've stil yet to purchase a towel) and there you have it an African shower. Soo from here its back to the room perhaps an awkward exchange in the yard and time to prepare for breakfast and the day.

Dress is a big thing here in Africa and if you don't look "smart" someone will give you a passive agressive retort you may take days to recover from. It's not in anyway that the people are rude here in Uganda its just that the are a very indirect people who spend there days trying to tell you rather directly things that are indirect. At any rate I can't emphasize enough how well dressed Ugandans are! They truly make us look like slobs in America which again to be honest isn't that difficult. The women all wear dresses or skirts with blouses all conservatively cut. The men are all in trousers with belts and dress shirts tucked in .... its truly the society of business casual.

Alright on that note please stop reading this email between me and my mother and go do something productive with your life .... And here is my address just incase you feel inclined to send mild taco bell hot sauce packets or a badmitten set .... its big here ... reeeaaalll big

Vance Brown
Community Based Rehabilitation Alliance (COMBRA)
PO BOX 708
Kampala,Uganda