Solicitation!!

Okay folks, today’s update is going to be pleading for funding….

Right now we are running an after school program, which is essentially a place for children, ranging in age from 5 to 20, to come for additional schooling in various subjects. These are basically full blown classes lasting from 5:00pm to 6:30pm and right now we are running a month long crash course in English, as the comprehension is far from acceptable. All schools teach in English, therefore making English comprehension (both reading and writing) a high priority! The difference between regular school and the after school program is cost. The after school program is free, so many kids that cannot afford school fees attend this program and are very eager to learn!

This then leads to my initial reason for writing today. There are SEVERAL children who need sponsors in order to pay for school, uniforms, lunch, books and the like. We’ve come up with a dollar figure for a year’s worth of schooling (encompassing ALL costs) and it comes out to be $150 US per child. Now, that said, some of you may think that might be a bit too high, so we’ve also broken it down by semester (3 semesters per year), which is $50. The great thing about this program is that all donated money goes straight to the kids. There are no overheads or other payments taken to supplement other costs. So, if you are interested in donating any amount of money, please contact me directly at alyssadrew@yahoo.com and we can work out the logistics and discuss the easiest way of donating. I can also be sure to direct your funds to a deserving child and send you photos of the child that you are impacting! Please find it in your heart to give up that latte for a couple months and make a difference!

Thanks MUCH!!

First Days

Hello from Uganda,

Sorry it has taken me a couple days to get on here... The Internet isn't exactly the speediest and I haven't really had a spare moment to jump on!

First few days:
Well, my flights went quite well, and I think the compression socks worked like magic (good thing because they were almost $40)! I arrived in Entebbe around 8:15 and was picked up by my "hotel" liason. Said "hotel" was quite a site!! They then told me that they would be taking me elsewhere...which I was a little nervous about since I was traveling alone, but I was taken to a bungalow type hotel that worked out OK. Some folks from URF picked me up in the morning and we drove approx. 4 hours to Masaka. Meanwhile I had my first Ugandan meal called a "rolex" which is a fried egg rolled up in chapati (flat) bread. It was delicious!

The landscape here is quite stunning with all the lush greenery, and words cannot do it justice. I’m taking as many pictures as I can, but unfortunately will probably not be able to upload them from here. Perhaps I will get into the city and give it a whirl.

There are 5 other girls here, 2 from Vancouver BC, and the rest from the states. All of them seem to be great people, however most are in their early 20’s, which makes me feel quite old! The 2 Canadian girls are 24, and the others are 19, 20, & 21. We are located about 1 km to the nearest small village and about 30 km from Masaka, which is the nearest large town. There is a brand new secondary school on site here (comparable to 7th, 8th, and 9th grades, I think) and the first day of operation was Monday. Interesting to say the least…all the teachers have yet to arrive, but will hopefully do so in the next few days (I believe there will be 4 total). I’m not really sure what I’m supposed to be doing quite yet, but I suppose time will tell as I get more comfortable with my surroundings.

Some interesting occurrences/observations:
1) I’m not quite sure what the use of the blinker entails here, but drivers tend to use them often!
2) Meals consist of rice, noodles, plantains, sometimes beans/beef, and cabbage…carbs, carbs, carbs! -- Good thing I brought a jump rope and we do a lot of walking!
3) Pit Latrines are most difficult! We all know that I have bad knees, which makes squatting to go to the bathroom quite a site (especially when you have to aim!).

More to come later!

Testing the Waters...

Just trying to get the hang of this. Above are some pictures I took while in Victoria BC a couple weeks ago... I've also set up a website where you can view all the photos I take:

http://community.webshots.com/user/alyssadrew.

I'm not sure what will be easiest. I guess we'll wait and see. All for now!

Does the Sun Shine in Uganda?

Goodbye Seattle....Hello Uganda.

This is a test of sorts, as I'm new to this site! AND, yes, I think the sun just might shine in Uganda!

Well folks the countdown has begun I suppose. Today marks the first day of May so that gives me 23 more days of preparation before I board the longest plane rides of my life. I will depart from Seattle on a direct to Amsterdam (8 hours) and then a direct from Amsterdam to Entebbe, Uganda (9 hours). The thought of these flights have begun to give me nightmares already, but not for the typical reasons one might assume. No, I'm not worried about claustrophobia or horrible accidents, but rather my body's reaction to being 30K feet above the ground for an asinine amount of time. Yes, I'm worried about my appendages swelling, dammit!

Anyway, enough of that. I know a lot of you have been questioning my choice of travel destination, but let me assure you that I have spent hours upon hours thinking about it, and I'm absolutely sure that Africa is the place for me at this point in my life. I'm breaking away from the preverbial "rat race" of this materialistic society in order to gain a fresh perspective on life. While I did contemplate several other locales for the beginnings my travel itch, Africa feels right.

So, having said that, "voluntourism" has crept into my vocabulary! Not only will I be emmersing myself in another culture and seeing the sights, I will be challenging and educating the locals as well as myself along the way. I have been asked to lend a hand developing a leadership/entrepreneurship program for women, town council, and teenagers. Yes, I've just quit my job to pay to work in Africa. Sounds fairly crazy...stay tuned!