OPEGO!

Look. How. Adorable.

This one oinks with happiness when you rub her head

This gem is Sparkles. She has one blue eye and one brown eye.

This one grunts back when you talk to her.

Two pigs (opego) gave birth this week. One had 3 piglets, and the other 7. And they are SO CUTE!!!

I'm very seriously considering taking one of the babies home once it's been weened, to keep in my compound. These stupid pigs are really growing on me...they really are lovey animals. The boy boars are a bit terrifying, but the ladies are nice and have distinct personalities.

PTU plans to sell some of the babies once they're old enough, but keep a few of the lady pigs for breeding. I couldn't be happier that one of our projects is finally paying off, and that we'll soon be able to generate some funds on our own.

HOA

Last night I hosted what was effectively a 'home owners association' meeting on my porch. My landlord approached me 30 minutes before the meeting to ask if all the tenants in the compound could gather in my yard to discuss 'current issues plaguing the compound.'

During the meeting we discussed the cleanliness of the compound, the construction of the new latrines (really hope they're finished soon!!!) and the issue of dividing the power bill.

Somehow, over the course of the hour and a half long meeting, I agreed to host a compound party in my yard sometime next week. I wonder what the protocol for hosting a gathering is.... no chips and dip to be found here!

Rubbish

I just caught a bunch of kids in the yard, again. This time they jumped over the short wall that delineates my yard to dig through the rubbish pile. As in, my trash pit that was freshly burned last night. Don't think they found anything good.

Not sure what my reaction should be to this...

Tractor!

PTU was approved for the PEPFAR grant we applied for back in January! Denis is in Kampala today picking up the check. Thank you US government!

Now the real fun will start. We'll be setting up farmers groups- first a 'PTU' group comprised of the guardians to our beneficiaries, then ten community groups, one for each parish of Pajule and Lapul sub counties. They'll need to be self-formed, with a bit of oversight, and need to develop a constitution for each group. They'll have to agree on the land to be opened/plowed, what will be planted and when, who will maintain the crops, and what will be done at harvest time.

PTU will subsidize the tractor rental costs for these groups, but will rent the tractor to non-group members and local businesses at a fee. The money raised from the tractor rentals (and profit from the sale of increased cassava and maize production on PTU's piggery land) will help support the academic scholarship program for the OVCs (after a portion is saved for tractor repair and maintenance).

I have high hopes for this project. Before I leave Uganda, I want PTU to internally generate enough funds each year to pay the school fees for our 20 orphans, and to use the outside donations for admin/additional program costs. We'll see...

It'll probably be a few months before the tractor is purchased and makes its journey from Kampala to Pajule, but I'm looking forward to riding on it once it arrives!

Rwanda

Rwanda is a breath of fresh air compared to Uganda. I'm sure its 'the grass is always greener' syndrome, but it sure was beautiful and clean. First, some facts...

Rwanda, popularly known as the land of a thousand hills, is home to five volcanoes and twenty-three lakes and is landlocked by Uganda, Tanzania, Burundi and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. It's a Presidential Unitary Republic based upon a multiparty system that deals with corruption seriously.

With it's paved roads and traffic lights (and driving on the right-hand side!), helmets and limits to one passenger per moto (boda/motorcycle), beautiful terraced hillsides, availability of good food and new beer, and great company, I'd definitely visit again.

Got a ride over the border with a guy that delivers Ugandan newspapers to Kigali, Rwanda's capital

Made it to my seventh African country

From the window of the car

Outside the taxi park in Kigali. Paved roads, stoplights and crosswalks!

Our 'breakfast beers' were bigger than we bargained for

Made it to Lake Kivu in Western Rwanda

 

And we made it back to Kigali. Yum... this had real cheese

Rice fields

We visited the Kigali Genocide Memorial museum where over 259,000 people are buried. Mass graves are still being discovered and bodies are laid to rest here.  One million people were murdered during the genocide with little to no aid from the international community. The cruelty that people can inflict on one another is unfathomable to me. Even young children were not spared. The museum did highlight a few stories of those that risked their lives to harbor Tutsi families. 

Some of the stories recounted at the museum were similar to stories I heard at Peace Camp in Northern Uganda. These aren't easy topics to learn about or understand, but important to be aware of in order to prevent them from happening again and again. Rwanda's genocide occurred in 1994, and the violence in N. Uganda ended in 2007. It's terrifying to know that this is still happening in modern times.

Mass graves at the memorial

The wall of names that's still unfinished 

After that super depressing leg of our vacation, we decided to visit Hotel Des Mille Collines, better known as 'Hotel Rwanda.' During the genocide, over a thousand Tutsi people were hidden here and saved from the violence going on all over Kigali.

All Vol

Enjoying spending time with the other (150?) volunteers at the 'All Volunteer Conference' in Masaka.

On my way through Kampala the other day, I was able to welcome the new Ambassador to Uganda, Mr. Scott DeLisi, to the Peace Corps office.

After the conference, a few of us will be heading to Lake Kivu and Kigali, Rwanda.

All Moved In!

I've settled in to my new house (room) after a pretty easy move. Thanks to the help of a few friends, I was moved out of my old place and into my new one within a few hours. And there was no drama with my previous landlords, despite letting them know that I was moving out on the very day I moved (I was worried about that, but apparently that's how things are done here).

The ladies helped me organize before I packed

My moving help- in my new living room!

The quail grass spinach is flowering

The only flowers in Pajule are at my house :)

When I get back to town, this bushy mess will be cleaned up

Still getting collards and kale!

View from the yard

Today I'm off to Gulu, then to Masaka and finally Rwanda. Travel pics to come!