Goodbyes Are Not Easy

Well my adventure in Uganda has basically come to a close…the only event left is the drive to the airport and the long flights home. Whenever I travel…it doesn’t really hit me until the actual day of my departure…well today is the day of my departure…I will be leaving for the airport in about 7 hours. This past week has been good, however, somehow surreal…for it is interesting to look back at my time here and realize that I have spent half a year in Uganda! Anywho, work was pretty simple Monday and Tuesday…then Wednesday came…and oh boy was it a celebration and a half…hehe! The day began with all us PROMETRAns meeting the community of healers at a local church near Buyijja Forest. The church was reminded me of the Methodist church I grew up in back home in Sheridan, MT. All the healers and us PROMETRAns squeezed into the church…music began and prayers were announced…it was a very beautiful service that gave me a feeling of comfort as the healers prayed for my safe travel and happiness. After the church service ended, all us PROMETRAns and the healers journeyed back to Buyijja to then venture down into the forest. This day there was to be no training…instead, the day turned into a going-away celebration for me. At first, healers began reminiscing about my past six months with them…the words they spoke were so thoughtful and kind! Then music and dancing began as I received gifts from groups of healers. In Buganda culture, when someone receives a visitor, it is a belief to value that visitor and a blessing to provide the visitor with any type of gift. I had been the visitor for the past six months, and now that I was returning home, people wanted to give their blessings :) It was a day of thanksgiving and blessing! The entire day touched me to my very soul. After enjoying my last forest meal, it was my turn to speak and address the healers. All I will say is that it was not easy and brought tears to my eyes. I will never forget that forest day when such thoughtful words were spoken and blessings were given. In the middle of the whole day rain came and caused all of us to run for protection with a smile on our faces…for rain brings good luck! The Wednesday forest day was brought to a close, evening came, and us PROMETRAns journeyed back to Kampala. Thursday and Friday I prepared my things for the journey home…for sure I pack too much…hehe! Then Saturday came and it was another day of goodbyes. One of my PROMETRA colleagues invited me to his house to have a small but significant going-away party with him and his family. We basically ate and lounged around, while watching music videos of local Ugandan artists. It was a nice and relaxing day…that once again brought tears to my eyes…for sure goodbyes are not easy! Saturday then ended with me giving my farewells to a few more of my PROMETRA colleagues. Now it is Sunday and I am bound for home in some few hours. Once I have processed my entire stay here in Uganda I will write more…but for now I can say…when I came to Uganda back in January, I was welcomed with open arms by beautiful, caring, loving, and honest people. I was then cared for as though I was part of everyone’s family. This experience has taught me so much about not only the world and Uganda and traditional medicine, but also about myself. I came to Uganda a young woman, senior in college, simply looking for an adventure and hoping to discover my path for the next few years…I will return still a young woman now graduated and now knowing some of the path my heart and soul will take. My experience in Uganda has been one I will never forget…and I know I will return when the time is right! Thank you all so much for your love and support throughout this journey…without you this adventure could not have been possible! Wish me a safe journey home…I shall be seeing you all very very soon! :)

Keep the spirit alive – Ann Kyamulabi

My Ugandan Made Dresses

My adventure in Uganda is coming to a close…I have about a week left before I will begin my long journey home this coming Sunday evening. I must admit, it will be a long flight full of two emotions…I will be so happy to see my family and friends that I have been away from for six months, but I will be very sad to leave the life I have created for myself in this beautiful country of Uganda. It’s a very surreal time right now. Today is my last official day volunteering for PROMETRA Uganda. Thankfully today completed one of the steps we were taking in formulating a 5 year strategic plan…so I believe it is a pretty good note to end on. I know I will keep in touch on some of these projects that will continue in my absence…work must go on…hehe. Later this evening, all us PROMETRAns will venture out to Buyijja…for my last visit to the unique and powerful traditional healer forest school. I have been told that tomorrow will be my going away party…in some sense…hehe. It won’t be easy to say goodbye to a community of people who have inspired me beyond expectation…I am truly blessed to have had this opportunity for the past six months! Well before I officially do return home, I should give you all an update on what I have been doing these past few weeks. So two Thursday ago I spent the entire day roaming around Kampala city on a bodaboda with my PROMETRA Uganda colleague in order to find information on how to register an institution. We first began by visiting Kyambogo University at the Commission of Higher Learning. After gathering some information there, we journeyed to Kololo and spent almost an hour driving up and down streets in search of the Center for Basic Research…an intense ride in the heat of the day! We finally decided to let the search go, for the Center was not a top priority place to visit…so we then journeyed to the Ministry of Education and Sports. Come to find out when we arrived there, we were actually in the wrong place…yes it was the Ministry of Education, but it was not the right building…there are actually two separate buildings, streets apart, that both perform similar activities but yet different at the same time. So we got directions to the proper building…we found ourselves in the city center pulling up to a building that towered over us and every other building in site. When we made it to the entrance, I handed over my ID and received a visitor’s badge that ‘must be visible at all times’…hehe. We then worked our way up twisting-winding stairs to the 3rd floor, which I think was actually the 4th…hehe…to then walk down a long hall-way to the office of the Commissioner. After finally arriving at the right location, we sat and waited for some time…I was kept amused by the ladies in the office eating away at their delicious smelling lunches. After almost an hour, we were called into to visit with the Commissioner. The short but sweet meeting went well…we received the information we were looking for, only after waiting about another half hour for copies of documents. The time spent there was very successful…no matter the wait. So we journeyed back down the twisting-winding stairs, I returned the visitor pass, collected my ID, and hoped back on the bodaboda with my colleague. The regular work-day was almost over, so we decided to end our day’s search there…for now. The next program scheduled for the day was for me to pick-up my dress! :) I was really quite excited to see the final product. So I and one of my PROMETRA colleagues ventured through heavy traffic and crowds of people, finally ending up at the proper location and greeting the woman we were looking for. She pulled my dress out of a small bag and held it up for me to observe! I was awed by how beautiful it looked! She asked if I wanted to try it on…I responded “Yes Please!” So we weaved our way up some narrow stairs and simply found a corner for me to quickly slip into the dress. Unfortunately the first attempt was somehow unsuccessful…I couldn’t get the dress pulled over my chest…hehe. So she decided the best solution was to sew a zipper in the side. My friend and I decided to sit and wait. The working environment we were in was quite interesting. In this building there were probably 30 or so seamstresses huddled together…each in their own corner or spot…there was simply one little walk-way path down the middle. My friend and I found a place to sit on two little benches that was just barely out of the way… still right in the middle of the all the commotion. Forty-five minutes later the zipper was sewn into the dress, and I was set for round two of trying it on for size. This time the dress slipped over my head…and my chest…successfully…she zipped me in and there I was in my own unique fitted dress…just for me. The dress was very comfortable and fit me perfectly…I must say I am very happy and satisfied with the final product! :) After the successful fitting, I quickly changed out of the dress and back into my regular clothes. I thanked her so so so much for doing such a wonderful job…it was getting late, so my friend and I began the journey back to Kawempe after a long day’s work. The following day, on Friday, events were quite different…I attended my first African burial…I wasn’t sure quite what to expect other than the fact that burials in Uganda are very very important and many people always attend and they are most often conducted outside at the respective burial grounds. All us PROMETRAns ended up traveling to a near-by village and spent time eating, conversing, singing, praying, then conducting the actual burial ceremony. Before sunset, we were all headed back to Kawempe…the day was over and the weekend had arrived. As for the weekend, Saturday was a fun day of roaming around Kampala city center once again in search for fabric for my second tailored made dress…this time traditional Ugandan style! Days before, I had seen a woman wearing a traditional dress…the exact style I was looking for. I snuck a picture of her and her dress…hehe…then brought it to the woman who had sewn my previous dress. That Saturday we picked out the perfect fabric…with yellow, white, and blue…she took my measurements and told me to return the following week to pick up the dress :) I left full of anticipation! On Sunday, I decided to attend a church service at an infamous Born Again church within Kampala city center…one that many people constantly talk about. The service was literally all day long…from early in the morning till late in the evening. I must say it was the most intense church service I have ever attended…there were literally HUNDREDS of people, music pounded the atmosphere, and the sermons were preached with a certain power no one could explain! All the hundreds of people were completely mesmerized throughout the entire service. The pastor for the church is well known throughout Kampala has having special healing powers…and let me tell you…massive crowds of people come to observe and/or experience the healing powers of the ‘Man of God.’ It was an extremely intense service…after leaving the church service later that evening, I remember feeling completely exhausted both mentally and physically…but for sure it was an experience to remember…a very unique one! So the following week soon arrived. The only really exciting event that took place was on Thursday when I went to pick up my dress…once again…hehe! This time when I arrived, the talented seamstress asked me once again whether I would like to try the dress on for size…I responded with a very enthusiastic, “Absolutely!” So we found our way up the same winding, twisting stairs as before, where I simply stood in a corner and tried the dress on. This time the dress slide onto me perfectly…and fit me just perfectly!!! I was oh so happy as we weaved up the stairs to find a mirror. The dress turned out exactly as I imagined…and even better! I must say, she is a very talented seamstress! After Thursday, the weekend came and went pretty quickly. Now it is Tuesday and I am slowly, but surely preparing for my long journey home. Oh, but before I forget…hehe…yesterday coming home from Wandegeya, I caught a ride on a bodaboda. It was quite an interesting ride, for the gentleman driving me was wearing the most peculiar bright orange felt hat…cowboy style…with strings to keep it on the head…hehe! He was a character and half…even with the way he acted…hehe…the most interesting bodaboda ride I have had thus far…a lot of fun and quite entertaining :) Well that’s about all I have to say right now! My time here in Uganda is ending one day at a time…causing me to reflect on my past six month experience! What I can say right now is that I have had an experience of a lifetime and regret absolutely nothing. I can also send a big THANKS to all of you out there who supported me at any time during my adventure…Thank you so very much…I am truly blessed! I look forward to seeing you all very very soon!

Keep the spirit alive – Ann Kyamulabi

The Perfect Fit

Well excitement is still in the air…the World Cup games are narrowing down to the championship game which will be this coming Sunday on July 11th. I am quite excited to see who will be battling each other for the Cup! Games have definitely been more intense lately and people’s enthusiasm has been reaching its climax…everyone watches the games…people even take time off from work and events to find a television, sit down, and enjoy the thrill of the game! Well anywho, things here in Uganda are still going really really well. My time here is narrowing down…sad but true. All I know is that I must take in as much as possible and live every experience to the fullest. So last Thursday completed my field research…and the day was beyond successful. I had three interviews scheduled, but ended up conducting four separate interviews with a total of seven people. I was so happy and satisfied! My PROMETRA colleague and I only had one minor “road-block,” when we discovered the front bike’s tire was low as we reached our last interview site in Kibibi Sub-county. We first decided to complete the interview and eat lunch before venturing to the nearest mechanic to fix the tire. The interview was successful, the food was delicious, and the mechanic was ready and waiting to fix the tire. Good enough we had been to this same mechanic before a couple weeks back when we had a similar bike problem. It’s funny…as I sat there waiting for the tire to be fixed, I realized that every time I ventured to Kibibi Sub-county on the bike, something happened to the bike…first time the bike ran out of fuel, second time the bike’s back tire broke some spindles, third time the bike’s back tire went flat, and fourth time the bike’s front tire went flat. Each time I traveled to Kibibi during my research excursions I experienced a bike problem…how ironic…there must be something in the air at that sub-county…hehe! So the tire got fixed just in time for us to cruise the last leg of the journey to Kampala arriving home at a decent hour. The weekend soon came and brought relaxation and a fun journey. I have realized during my stay here in Uganda that many women at one point in their lives end up having a or many dress(es) of different styles made for them. So I decided I wanted to have that same experience for me…especially since it is much much cheaper here and truly an amusing experience, where you spend time gazing at all kinds of fabrics from high class silk traditionally reserved for Gomez to simple cotton…hehe. So on Saturday I spent part of the day roaming around Kampala town center trying to find the perfect fabric for making me the perfect dress. I initially went with ideas in my head, but ended up changing my mind many times. I had originally thought of a style slightly more traditional but while shopping around with the help of one of my PROMETRA colleagues and his sister, I came to realize I wanted something a little more fancy…like a party dress…in some sense. So finally after journeying from store to store to store and looking at various fabrics, I found the fabric that would be perfect for me…a soft blue color, like ocean blue, with shapes of sunflower-like stitching on it. After finding the ideal fabric, I began explaining to the seamstress the dress style I had in mind. We decided to journey across the street, through an ally-way, and up the road a bit just to show her a dress hung a manikin that was of the style I desired. The seamstress looked it over and agreed it would look good and work well with the fabric. So we journeyed back down the road, through the ally-way, across the street and into the store to purchase the fabric we had put on hold. We made the purchase, then found our way to the seamstress’s area of operation, where she measured me from shoulder to toe, and told me to return next Thursday…this coming Thursday…to try the dress on for size :) I left feeling quite satisfied and full of anticipation. It’s funny how the ideas we plan for can change instantly in the midst of progress depending on the materials and time available. My dress idea turned out not quite as I originally planned…but I believe the final product will prove to be very nice and stylish…and a nice dress to wear to some kind of event in the future. In the end, it’s all the about the experience. So that has been the excitement of my past few days. This coming weekend I hope to journey to Entebbe and visit its Botanical Beach/Gardens…we shall see how time permits itself. I hope you all are enjoying the nice summer weather…OH and I hope you all back in the states had a wonderful 4th of July celebration! I hope the fireworks displays were just fabulous! :) Shall be seeing you all soon!

Keep the spirit alive – Ann Kyamulabi

Excitement Is in the Air

Excitement has been bubbling all over the place!!! The FIFA World Cup has begun and in no other place than Africa…in South Africa. This is the first time ever for Africa to host the World Cup…excitement has spread clear across the continent. Everywhere you go, you hear people, radios, TVs, etc. talking about different matches…plus the World Cup theme song plays every hour and during every commercial break…thankfully it’s a REALLY GOOD song! Other than that excitement, my herbal garden is continuing to flourish. I tended to it the last two Wednesdays and even spread more seeds of the bugga plant around to re-fertilize. We shall see how it continues. I have been told I must decide upon who I shall leave it to to take care of it once I journey back to the states…I’m thinking…hehe. So the past two weeks have been good…not too busy, not too lax…excluding Thursday! Two Thursdays ago, one of my PROMETRA Uganda colleagues drove me to five different sub-counties to complete my health center interviews and to make contact with sub-county officials. It was a busy day…and too too too sunny. I put sunscreen on regularly…but managed to get sunburned even still…and it doesn’t help that the wind even burns my face some. It was an experience and half…hehe…but I can’t complain too much because it was a successful day. When I was done with my activities in the field, we drove back to Buyijja to pick up another PROMETRA Uganda colleague and journey the rest of way to Kampala…so once again there were three of us on the bike…I sat in the middle this time, but surprisingly enough was still just about as sore as when I sat on the back…hehe! We arrived back in Kampala safely…I showered and went straight to bed. Friday then came and went with simple work at the office. Once the weekend came, I first rested…as usual. Then Sunday came and I was invited to visit a PROMETRA Uganda colleague at his home to meet his fiancé and to have a feast of food and fabulous tea. So I journeyed there in the late morning on Sunday and was greeted by a warm welcome and then become a greeter for more guests who arrived shortly after. We all sat and conversed while watching the World Cup match between Algeria and Slovenia. In a short while food was served…yum yum yum! The food was delicious and there was lots of it! We all filled our bellies then sat and relaxed…waiting for the next match between Ghana and Serbia. Tea was then served with bread and the match began. The evening came and the visit concluded with our bellies full and our bodies relaxed. I made it home just in time for the last match of the evening between Germany and Australia. I must say I have enjoyed the football excitement…I never thought I would be into football/soccer…but with the excitement all the people have, you can’t help but join along and enjoy the thrill of the games! :) As for the following week, Wednesday was an interesting day. I was asked by one of my PROMETRA Uganda colleagues to help in facilitating the Spiritualist class…I happily accepted. It turned I researched some information on palm reading, for that was the subject to be discussed. So on Wednesday the time came for me to facilitate the palm reading session. I requested the assistance of a new intern for PROMETRA who spoke Luganda…she did all the translating and was very good at it…the lesson went off with a bang! At first we simply discussed openly with all the healers what they thought of palm reading and how they interpreted it. Then we dove into the research I had done. My research consisted of information detailing how certain palm readers literally read palms, i.e. the lines on the hands, shape of the hand, texture of the hand, etc. All the healers were so interested in the information…in the end we all learned from each other…better understanding different ways to use the hands as forms of healing and as ways to read about the life of someone. It was very enjoyable, and I only hope to get the opportunity to do it again! :) After Wednesday came and went, Thursday appeared with the sun trapped behind clouds…thank goodness! That day, my PROMETRA colleague and I were to visit four different sub-counties on the bodaboda to conduct interviews with local government leaders for my research. It turned out two interviewees cancelled that day, so we were narrowed down to two. The journey was interesting! First we traveled to Ngando where we did not find the Chairman…we waited just for bit, then decided to journey a some-how short distance to another village where he lived to gather him. We got there speedy speedy on the bodaboda to find him in the trading center…I hopped on his bike, while my PROMETRA colleague followed, and we cruised down the road back to the sub-county to conduct the interview…a fun journey indeed! :) After completing the interview at Ngando, we then traveled to Kituntu. While journeying there, we passed a massive truck…only to find (shortly after passing truck) a man running down the road after us. My colleague stopped the bike and the man approached us quickly saying, “Hi Ann, how are you? I am Chairman LC III Kituntu sub-county. I am running home quickly, but will arrive back at the sub-county shortly!” Then he ran back to the massive truck and finished his journey home. My colleague and I then finished our journey to Kituntu…all the while recapping what had just happened, while I examined the initial thoughts that ran through my mind…hehe. When he first approached me by my first name, the thought that ran through my mind was ‘how did this random man know me…the only Mzungu for miles’…hehe…I thought to myself ‘wow word spreads fast from Buyijja Forest’…hehe! It’s just funny how our minds can race in just a few minor seconds…hehe! But know worries, he had every right to know who I was…it’s just funny that out in the middle of nowhere he saw a Mzungu on a bodaboda and just automatically knew it was the researcher from America coming his way…hehe! So after finally interviewing him, we ventured back to Buyijja for a short while to pick up another PROMETRA colleague to then journey the rest of the way home to Kampala. This journey also turned out to be very interesting! About 45 minutes into our journey the back tire of the bike went flat…blah…so we began walking and walking and walking until we reached the next village of Kibibi. The walk was actually quite nice…it was dusk, so not too hot, and the scenery surrounding was absolutely stunning! Uganda really is a beautiful GREEN place! After reaching Kibibi we got the bike fixed after about an hour and half and finally re-continued our journey around 7:30 p.m. We ventured the rest of the way home in the dark…by the light of the bodaboda…making it home safely a little after 10 p.m. I went straight to bed! Friday then came and went along with the weekend, which turned out to be quite relaxing. Now it is Tuesday and we are about to venture to Buyijja! As usual I am excited for the stop-over at Kyengera, where I always get my gonja (smoked bananas)…yum yum!!! :) So I think that is about all for now! Hope all is well for you…wherever you may be! :)

Keep the spirit alive – Ann Kyamulabi

Star Spotting

Well the month of May is over and June has begun. Time sure flies by! Last week I finally visited my garden at Buyijja…oh boy was it overgrown…hehe! One of the healers even approached me to inform me of the overgrowth! I think almost the entire month of May I had not visited my garden to do serious work…and serious work it needed. So I began clearing it of weeds with the help of one of my PROMETRA colleagues…we pulled pulled and pulled some more. It finally got clear…I then took a hoe and mixed up the soil some, then left it to become bountiful once again. No matter how bad the overgrowth of weeds was…I was happy to find my herbs to be doing really well…they looked extremely healthy and lively! One of the plants is even a brilliant red from the roots to the stem to the leaves…really quite beautiful!…you can automatically assume that it treats anemia…lack of blood. It is interesting to note that many medicinal plants have physical characteristics that match their particular treatment, as well as local names that basically describe what they do. Also on Wednesday, I decided to attend the spiritualist class. I had been absent for quite some time the previous two months. On this Wednesday the spiritualist class studied about Emindi…in Luganda meaning pipe. In spirituality there is the frequent use of a traditional pipe. In class the healers discussed the different types of emindi, the uses of emindi, and the significance of emindi. The main purposes of emindi are that it is a medium for communication between humans and spirits, it is a source of nutrition, and it is a symbolic fireplace for spirits. I was told by one spiritualist during the May workshop that fire has great significance in spirituality. He asked me why that would be…I responded that fire represents a central location…when a fire is present, people gather near or around that fire for many different purposes. He told me that was correct…a fire represents light and life and a central area for communal gathering…never knew fire had such meaning! Anywho, the class ended shortly with the bell call for lunch. It was agreed upon that the following Wednesday the class would finish discussing about emindi and then move onto discussing palm reading…should be very interesting! After lunch all healer trainees gathered for an afternoon meeting. The day in the forest ended after the meeting…all healers and PROMETRA Uganda staff journeyed out of the forest to then see healers head their respective directions home on two buses/trucks packed with people passionate about traditional medicine. So Wednesday ended…two of my PROMETRA colleagues and I stayed behind at Buyijja in order for me to ‘re-begin’ my research that had been put on hold because of all the excitement encompassed in the month of May. That following day on Thursday, we ventured around Mpigi District to four different sub-counties in search of contact information for sub-country officials…lastly visiting Kalamba Health Center to conduct my second to last research interview. Upon finishing…I and two of my PROMETRA Uganda colleagues journeyed all the way back to Kampala on the bodaboda. I sat at the back…and let me tell you…I was so sore by the time I arrived home…I hadn’t ridden on the bodaboda for such a long distance in over a month, so my body was unprepared for the stamina it takes to sit on the bike for so long. Once we arrived home, I washed the dirt/dust off my body and clothes and went to bed! The following day was to be a day of celebration! Earlier that week I had finally decided to schedule a little graduation party/event for the coming Friday…well Friday came and we celebrated. Five of my PROMETRA colleagues/friends, one of my friends from Bulondos, and I gathered late in the evening to journey into town and dance the night away at Ange. By the time we arrived not many people were there…slowly but surely they trickled in and people began to dance. Let me just remind you…the music in Uganda is sooooooo GOOD! The local modern music has a distinct beat you can always dance to…then many songs from American artists are locally remixed with an added twist…eh it is good good good music. When the music surrounds you, you can’t help but simply dance. Oh and people can dance in Uganda…men, women, children, elders…they all can dance and love doing it! Oh and one other exciting thing took place that night…Chameleon, a local artist (one of the first to introduce the Ugandan modern hip-hop/raggaeton music) appeared at Ange. It was interesting because people kept about their business…simply pointing him out as he passed by…there were no fan swarms that you would expect when someone famous enters a room full of people. But I guess he frequents Ange so maybe people were used to it…either way it was neat to witness a Ugandan star in person and in natural circumstances. So basically we danced the night away…lasting into the early morning. I had a lot of fun and enjoyed having at least a little graduation celebration :) The rest of the weekend I simply rested to both catch up on sleep and relax my body from the stress of the bodaboda ride and the late night dancing. Monday soon came and we all returned back to work. Now it is Tuesday and about time to venture to Buyijja to prepare for the Forest School. I’m not sure which class I will join…we shall see how the flow of the day goes. Well that’s all I have for now! Greetings to everyone…wherever you may be!

Keep the spirit alive – Ann Kyamulabi

May 'Mayhem' :)

To put it simply, I am in a state of recuperation…hehe! Since the first of May, life here in Uganda has been a whirl-wind of events. To begin, that first week in May was the last day of classes back home at The University of Montana…which meant for me, I had to get final reports submitted for the 12 International Studies and International Internship credits I was registered for…then I could graduate on May 15th. Also the first week in May began the long-awaited workshop PROMETRA Uganda was to host on training in documentation, assessment, and promotion of traditional medicine. Also that first week, I was in the process of changing my airfare ticket in order to extend my stay here in Uganda into July of this year! For sure the month of May began with a hectic schedule on the agenda! First thing first, I was able to submit all my paperwork back home at The University of Montana…on time…only after late nights of writing and waiting for internet connection to be good. Then I moved on to extending my airfare ticket. What I have to say about that is…the cell service situation in Uganda is completely different than that of the United States. You pay for airtime as you go, which is kind of like paying for minutes, but not on a plan. You can buy anywhere from 500 to like 5,000 Ugandan Shillings worth of airtime at a time…so then your phone has that amount of airtime for each call you make. Depending on the network you are using, your calls can cost like 200 to 600 UGSH for like a two minute call (maybe I am exaggerating…I don’t know…hehe). So imagine a 10 minute call costing you at least 5,000 UGSH (about $3.50)…it can add-up with time. There are little ways around the system…for example the Warid network does a pakalast thing where if you have 1,500 UGSH you can send in a text that then activates your phone for 24 hours of free calls to other Warid customers. Now I will stop rambling and get back to the issue of changing my airfare ticket…hehe…the process entailed making an international collect call to Orbitz…I made the first call/attempt…after 10 minutes my phone cut-out on me…not enough airtime. I quickly bought more…redialed the number and made the second attempt…this time the number was not going through…I was being told ‘this number does not exist.’ Now it was getting close to the time for work, so I put the call attempts on hold. Half the day passed…I decided to make another attempt…after having stocked up on airtime to be sure I would have enough this time…expecting to be on the phone for at least an hour. The call went through to the teller…he began looking up airline schedules and such…like always putting me on hold for 10 minute (plus) increments at a time. After having decided on the best ticket/date/time…I was about to confirm the change when I ran out of airtime once again! So I decided to wait till the evening to try again…being sure this time I was I would be fully stocked up on airtime! The evening finally came…to make a long story short…I made the call and was to the same point as previously when the phone cut-out on me again! This time it was not because of airtime, but rather the service just decided to end…blahhh! So basically in the end…I was unable to finalize the transaction from my end in Uganda, but rather had to have someone from back home do it for me! It all turned ok…I am now to return July 26th! After that little mobile adventure, I turned to focusing on the workshop that began officially on May 7th. To give a little background…PROMETRA Uganda hosted a nine day Workshop and Training on Documentation, Assessment, and Promotion of Traditional Medicine at Buyijja Forest School. International delegates from India, Sri Lanka, Japan, Kenya, Ghana, South Africa, Zimbabwe, Tanzania, Netherlands, and United States as well as over 20 local traditional healers from within Mpigi District (all trainees at PROMETRA’s Buyijja Forest School) all attended the workshop/training. The workshop/training consisted of learning exchange visits to traditional healers’ homes, training on documentation and promotion of traditional medicine, a visit to PROMETRA Uganda’s traditional healer forest school and a graduation ceremony for over 50 traditional healers, meetings with the Ministry of Health, National Drug Authority, THETA, Makerere University Botany Department, and the High Commissioner of the Indian Embassy, a visit to Msindye Hill (Dr. Sekagya’s spiritual hill…there was lots of dancing dancing dancing…all Buganda style :)), policy briefing for traditional medicine and practice, and lastly a press release. In short, the workshop/training was a BIG success and helped mobilize advocates for traditional medicine throughout Africa and beyond. Throughout the workshop my job, along with one of my PROMETRA colleagues, was to report on all activities/events daily. It turned out we did that and much much more…but all in the success of the workshop and PROMETRA Uganda :) All us PROMETRAns ended up being very very very busy throughout the entire workshop…running here, running there, fixing things, setting things up, organizing, documenting, preparing, etc. etc. etc.! After those nine days at Buyijja and the workshop mainly ended, all us PROMETRAns along with the international delegates traveled back to Kampala for the press release, which marked the official end of the workshop! Early early the next morning delegates flew home…while us PROMETRAns began a short period of rest and recuperation before going back to work the following Tuesday…to then travel back out to Buyijja for the weekly forest school training. As I think you all have seen, the entire month of May…so far…has been full of hustle and bustle, hard work, some stress, but excitement and huge amounts of success! The workshop was a big accomplishment, I have officially graduated from The University of Montana with a bachelor’s degree in Anthropology, and now I am staying in Uganda until July 25th. Things are GOOD! As of today, work has calmed down some…just finalizing reports for the workshop and deciding on the right time for me to start-up my research again…as well as planning a little graduation party for me! In two of my previous blogs I described graduation parties for two of my PROMERTA colleagues and explained how excited people here in Uganda get when someone graduates from a University…well when everyone found out about my graduation, they said we must must must have a party and CELEBRATE!!! The plans are not yet finalized, but brainstorming is in full swing…hehe! I will be sure to keep you all posted! Well I think that is all I have for now. Until next time! Oh and sorry for the delay in posting!!! Hope all is well back in the states and anywhere else you may be!

Keep the spirit alive – Ann Kyamulabi

Go With The Flow

Ehh, things have been crazy busy lately. The Afro-Asian Learning Exchange and Training Workshop PROMETRA is hosting is beginning May 7th with guests arriving by the 5th …next week! And I think us PROMETRAns will be venturing out to Buyijja either Sunday or Monday to prepare for the arrival of the guests! Though it has been busy, it has definitely been a good experience planning for it! :) As for about two weeks ago, PROMETRA hosted guests from BioVision, an organization based in Switzerland that focuses in Africa and promotes environmental conservation. The guests came to visit PROMETRA Uganda to see how we are promoting traditional medicine as well as conservation of the forests that house those medicinal plants. During that week, us PROMETRAns escorted the BioVision guests around to different traditional healers’ homes and traditional healer groups in order for them to gather information and capture photos for making a documentary and writing an article in BioVision magazine...pretty sweet! They mainly wanted to capture how people in Uganda use the environment for health related purposes, as well as inform the general public that people here are very well educated on the importance of the land and that conservation is key in order to keep forests for years to come. BioVision seems like a good organization with a good purpose! On that Wednesday, the BioVision guests were able to see Buyijja Forest School and understand better how healers learn about the medicinal importance of the forest as well as methods for conserving the natural environment. Thursday was also a pretty neat day…at about 5 a.m. we were all…those who wanted…woken up in order to venture to the top of Doctor’s Msindye Hill to watch the sunrise over Mpigi District. The BioVision people, after visiting traditional healers, wanted to capture images of the environment and the landscape…so we journeyed to the hill! :) Unfortunately, the morning was quite cloudy, so the sunrise was not seen very well…but to give credit to nature, the clouds were beautiful in the way they molded shapes and light-up with various colors. It was like the sun was battling the clouds by trying to break through…off in another direction, there were dark dark dark clouds that hovered over the hills, and every once in a while we caught a glimpse of lightening! Just being on top of the Hill and looking out over part of the Ugandan landscape was breathtaking and worth the early morning wake-up. After the early morning, it was back to visiting traditional healers. Once that Thursday ended, we ventured back to Kampala after having spent a pleasant week in Buyijja away from the hustle and bustle of the city. And let me tell you, that journey was actually quite interesting…the land cruiser first had to be loaded with lumonde (sweet potatoes), then a few of us and our bags were to be loaded on top of the lumonde! Three people laid on top, while I squished down in between two sacks. Our BioVision guests and Doctor squeezed together in the front, while the rest of the PROMETRA staff loaded themselves into yet another packed vehicle…that one full of office equipment and bananas! Once we were on the road and could no longer just sit/lay there, we decided to pull out a deck of cards and play in order to ease an awkward, lengthy journey :) So out came the cards, and we played all the way back to Kampala finally reaching around 9 p.m…just enough time to get a good night’s sleep! Overall, I think the visit of BioVision guests went really well, and they got the information they were looking for! Now as for today…it has been an interesting day! I woke up early this morning to prepare for a journey into Kampala city center to retrieve my new visa. Well…one of my PROMETRA colleagues and I arrived at Immigration early and had to wait about 45 minutes to see someone. I then got my passport and was directed to the cashier’s office. Once there, he wrote up a quick receipt type thing and directed me to Diamond Trust Bank. So my colleague and I hailed a taxi bus and ventured down the busy road to the bank where I was to get a money order for paying for my new visa. Once at the bank, I waited only about 15 minutes to find that I must return in two hours to pick up the money order. So…my colleague and I found breakfast at a little spot near the big ‘old taxi park’ (Paka Kadde). After eating, we still had some time to waste so we walked around inquiring about poster printings for PROMETRA. After two hours, we ventured back to the bank, I picked up the form then we journeyed back to Immigration. Once there, I roamed around shortly to get a copy of some documents…then went to the office hoping to simply get my visa stamp and be done…instead I found I must return again in another two hours to pick up my passport with its new visa stamp. So my colleague and I moved down the road a little to a nice grassy area at a nearby Institution where we simply relaxed for a bit. After about an hour and half, we returned to Immigration… waited some more…then, with no further problems, I obtained my passport with a nice new visa stamp. Ehh, it was a process and half…hehe! Now I am back at the office about to continue working on video scripts for the workshop…I think it will be a long night again…last minute preparations! But it’s all in the name of the workshop…It’s going to be GOOD! :) Sorry for the delay in blogging!!! Hope all is well wherever you may be! Oh I almost forgot…my garden is doing wonderful! My bugga is growing really well, and the other herb…not sure its name yet, but it’s good for anemia…is so bushy and healthy looking. Unfortunately, the third herb dodo is not coming up…maybe it’s just being stubborn..hehe! :) Either way, yayyyy for my herbal garden!

Keep the spirit alive – Ann Kyamulabi