So fresh and so clean!

This year I got to spent the holidays at home with my awesome family! As much as I enjoyed spending the holidays in Uganda last year, I was so happy to get to go home for a bit, and especially to see my adorable niece and nephew! When I got back to Mayuge, everyone exclaimed that I was SO fresh and clean and smart. They said America had treated me well, but I told them to just give it a few days, and I would again be covered in the thick layer of dust that makes Mayuge home :)

The kids wanted to teach me how to play baseball... it was interesting

Adorable!

With the great dane puppy, who is now bigger than them both

Making rum balls! (rumbles, according to Vika)

Paddle boating on the lake

Sorry, I apparently only took pictures of the kids, and not of my aunt and uncle. I love you guys too! Now back to the dust...

P.S. I posted three entries at the same time, since I have good internet today. Scroll down to see the previous two new entries.

How I spend my time while waiting for a new home

As I mentioned previously, I'm currently in a state of limbo while I wait for a new site. I will (hopefully) be moving soon, so I'm not starting any new projects (which would inevitably take months to get running), and since the schools are still on break, things have been a bit slow lately. Here's how I've been spending my time:

Yummy pancakes!

Thank you to my wonderful aunt who sent me an awesome camping oven, allowing me to bake without burning holes in all my pots! It has given me even more ways to kill time while waiting around at site :)

Homemade pizza

Delicious!

M&M cookies! Thanks Hope for sending the M&Ms!

On a slightly more productive note, I have still been working with Soft Power Health to organize community malaria events around Mayuge, with the help of some awesome health workers. Here are some pictures from the latest event at Kaluba Health Center II:

With Sarah - the best malaria educator ever!

Teaching at Kaluba

So true!

I know I promised some pictures of my ridiculous adventure to create kits for 3,500 girls to make re-usable menstrual pads, but I keep forgetting to take the pictures! I promise to rectify this soon! :)

World AIDS Day 2011

World AIDS Day is commemorated on December 1st each year, with the mission of raising awareness about the HIV pandemic. This year, several PCVs around Uganda held World AIDS Day events in their communities, and I participated in two of them.

World AIDS Day 2011 - Soroti (Socks 'n Sacks!)

The event on Soroti was organized by the fabulous PCVs Chelsea Milko and Joanna Groepper. They organized a booth in collaboration with TASO (The AIDS Support Organization) within a larger event organized by the District Health Office. They made signs about HIV prevention in English and the local language (Ateso), which were placed around Soroti after the event. Ugandans educated others about creating sack gardens, an easy way for people sick from HIV to still grow some of their own food. In addition, we led condom demonstrations for the crowd and handed out free condoms, rice sacks, and seeds. It was crowded and crazy (like any Ugandan event), but it was a lot of fun.

HIV prevention sign

Preparing for seeds and rice sacks to give away

Condom demonstration co-led by a PCV and Ugandan

Sack garden demonstration

World AIDS Day 2011 - Lira

The event in Lira was organized by the lovely Liz Skeris and Jacqueline Demko. It started with a 5 km race and was followed by a health fair. Booths at the health fair included what is HIV, prevention, STD's and sexual health, condom demonstrations, and a quiz about HIV.

The race begins!

The prevention booth

Condom demonstrations 

Quiz time - what do you know about HIV?

Two great, successful events! Thanks ladies for organizing! :)