Camp GLOW East Through Photos

I know it's a little delayed, but here are photos from Camp GLOW East!

Literacy hour

Playing telephone and learning that spreading rumors is hurtful!

Teaching the girls the "Little Sally Walker" game, which is about copying other people's crazy dance moves!

Red Light Green Light.  It was a hit!

Pilates

My hip hip HIPPOS!

My co-counselor, Josephine

Relay races

Kickboxing

Baking a cake

Painting a world map

Tug of war!

This is a complicated game to explain... needless to say Josephine was all alone!

Filling in the Blanks

"Tiebreak: name as many family planning methods as possible.  You only have one minute.  GO!"

Five teachers put their heads down with their pens racing.  Two teachers to my right are whispering.  "DISQUALIFICATION!  DISQUALIFICATION!" someone yells.  The two gossipers did not score high enough to participate in the tiebreak, so no one is disqualified, but thereafter, everyone remained silent.

"TIME!  Pens down!"  I walked around the circle of 13 primary school teachers collecting the tiebreak papers.  Quickly, I mark the submissions.  "And we have a winner with nine methods!"

Abstinence

Pills

Injections

IUDs

Contraceptive jelly

Vasectomy

Withdraw

Tubal Ligation

Condoms

The triumphant teacher approaches my desk to claim his prize: a Fanta soda.  The air under the mango tree is abuzz with excitement of competition, disappointment of losing, but above all else, curiosity.

Over the last four months, I have visited twelve schools to supervise the roll-out of my RUMPS program.  It was the perfect opportunity to reach out to the teachers, who are community leaders, often sought for advice and answers.  In order to get them engaged, I developed a simple questionnaire about family planning and HIV/AIDS, which is out of 26 points.  The teachers get about 10 minutes to fill it out, they switch papers, and we mark together.  The top scores are rewarded with airtime (minutes for a phone) or soda.

Initially, the science teachers boast that "they'll crush the paper," and that no one else has a chance.  The P1 teachers get nervous, and the Social Studies teachers swear if there were history questions, they would easily score the soda.  At every school, there is always one teacher who finally says, "This isn't just for science teachers.  It's common knowledge."  At that, everyone is ready.  Once the papers are passed out, I watch everyone's face morph from pride, to curiosity, to shock, to determination.  The teachers get insanely competitive, shielding their paper from everyone's eyes.  I always know when someone gets to number 11 or 16 because I hear a faint chuckle.

To everyone's surprise, it usually isn't the science teachers that score the highest.  Usually, it's the younger teachers who benefited from the HIV prevention programs in schools, the empowered female teachers who know the ins and outs of the health clinics and the headteachers, who attend public health workshops to ensure the health and safety of their pupils.  At my last school, the P6 and P7 science teachers were the ones with the lowest scores of the group.

Although the information on the questionnaire is necessary to make good decisions about preventing HIV and planning for a family, I have yet to award a perfect score.  Even the teachers that were trained at my RUMPS workshop struggle and do not always qualify for the top three scores!

Regardless, the questionnaire is only a jumping off point.  By being able to think about these extremely taboo issues privately while answering the questions, hearing the answers from me and marking together, the highly built conservative walls start to crumble.  After handing out the prizes, I sit back down and face the circle of teachers.  "Are there any questions about what we talked about today?"  Without a doubt, there always are.  And the questions are usually complicated, clouded with cultural beliefs and misconceptions.

Sample questions:

Why do women get their MPs (monthly periods)?
Why do some women produce many twins, while others never do?  (Having twins is an honor in Uganda)
Why do women bleed so much when they start (Depo) injections?
What causes an ectopic pregnancy?
Why are there programs encouraging male circumcision if it doesn't protect you from HIV?
Why do some women bleed during pregnancy?
What causes women to no longer want sex if they are on the pills?
Why isn't withdraw 100% effective?
What are hormones?
If they tell you to avoid kissing someone who is HIV positive, then why do you say that saliva doesn't transmit HIV? 
Don't condoms damage a man's urethra because the rubber blocks the fluid?
What are the benefits of masturbation?
What is an IUD?
Why are some babies born with deformities?
How do I use natural family planning?

At my first sessions, I struggled to answer the questions accurately and professionally.  I had done research to write our manual for teachers and to facilitate our workshop, but some of the questions were throwing me for a loop.  Some teachers refused to be convinced by my explanations!  I needed be absolutely sure, no wavering.  For my Kindle, I downloaded Our Bodies, Ourselves, a 900 page textbook for women's reproductive health.  And I started reading it cover to cover.  Even though sometimes I'm still blown away or stumped, I feel confident and comfortable answering most questions.  I may only spend their lunch break with them, but I hope that my little activity encourages men and women to take charge of their health, right the myths floating around and teach accurate information in school.


Interested in taking my quiz?

FILL IN THE BLANK

1.     What four fluids transmit HIV? [4 MARKS]

a)____________________________                        c)____________________________

b)____________________________                       d)____________________________

2.     Name three fluids that DO NOT transmit HIV. [3 MARKS]

a)____________________________                        c)____________________________

b)____________________________                 

3.     What are the ABCs of prevention in full? [3 MARKS]

A______________________________________

B______________________________________

C______________________________________

4.     Of the ABCs, what is the only method that is 100% effective? [1 MARK]

_______________________________________________

5.     Name two things that someone who is HIV positive needs. [2 MARKS]

a)________________________________________________________

                      

b)________________________________________________________

6.     What is the only method of knowing your or someone else’s HIV status? [1 MARK]

_____________________________________________________

­­­­­

7.     HIV attacks white blood cells.  What is the purpose of white blood cells? [1 MARK]

­___________________________________________________________

8.     Name one reason why women are more likely to contract HIV. [1 MARK]

___________________________________________________________

9.     What two things should you check before opening and using a condom? [2 MARKS]

a)________________________________________________________

                      

b)________________________________________________________

10.  In our region, where is the best place to dispose of a used condom? [1 MARK]

________________________________________________________

11.  What substance is in PilPlan and InjectaPlan that stops a woman’s body from releasing an egg every month? [1 MARK]

_________________________________________________________

TRUE/FALSE

Write TRUE or FALSE for each statement.  Each statement is worth 1 MARK.

12.  You cannot have HIV if you are a virgin.

________________________________

13.  You can still contract or transmit HIV if you use a condom.

________________________________

14.  Circumcised men cannot get HIV.

­­­­­­________________________________

15.  A woman using PilPlan only takes the pills on the days she has sex.

________________________________

16.  If the man removes his penis from the vagina before releasing his sperms (ejaculation), there is no chance of pregnancy.

________________________________

17.  The days that a woman is menstruating are considered “safe days.”

________________________________

 

The Ugandan Drive Thru

Traveling in Uganda is a pain in the... well I think you know what I mean.  All of the buses and taxis are decrepit and likely to break down.  You have to argue with the conductor on the price before getting in.  It takes hours to travel 50 miles.  It's hot, stuffy and crowded.  Dust blows into your eyes.  The protruding metal bars from the seats in front of you will dig into your knees, leaving bruises.  Needless to say, it's no one's favorite experience.

But, I get excited for the "Ugandan Drive Thru."  Of course, it's not like McDonalds.  Hundreds of people wait at road side markets where they BBQ meat, prepare chapatti, roast bananas and chill sodas.  Once your vehicle starts to slow down, these attendants rush to the windows, thrusting meat on a stick into the windows, yelling prices and pestering you until you've been satisfied.  Yesterday, we bought chicken on a stick- the best!  Here's some photos from the experience.

The chicken is pressed up against the window because no one is opening it....

Yum!

Surviving Sans Skype

Disclaimer: Nathan read this post prior to publication and approved its contents.

When people find out that I’m in a long distance relationship, the reaction is very predictable.  First, shock.  Second, poorly masked pity.  Third, a compliment: “Wow that’s impressive.” Finally, a misinformed question: “How have you guys made it?”  Correction: we haven’t made it yet.  We’ve still got at least fifteen, twelve, nine, seven months to go!

In the wandering international traveling/volunteer society, long distance relationships are common enough, although the survival rate is under 10% to be sure.  I can only imagine the kind of reactions Nathan encounters.  In America, how often do you hear of someone in a long-term transcontinental relationship without a reliable Skype connection?  Let me tell you, it’s rather rare.

In this post, I’ll attempt to address the inevitability asked question, with a modification: “How have we made it this far?”  I’m not sure the answers will be one anyone expects.  Everyone thinks this post is going to be rambling confession of love.  To all the romantics, I apologize.  To all the pessimists, don’t get me wrong- Nathan and I have an amazing relationship.  But how has that made us different from everyone else?

Many of you may not know: Nathan and I met six months before my departure date at a concert that my brother took me to.  My introduction was summed up in just a few sentences: “I’m John-Paul’s little sister.  My name’s Chelsea.  I just graduated.  I moved to Newport two weeks ago.  And oh yeah, I’m leaving in six months for Africa.”  After that night, we didn’t talk about me leaving for a long time.  In the beginning, Nathan and I thrived on denial.  Although it may be a negative coping mechanism in certain situations, our relationship grew deeper by consciously refusing to discuss or acknowledge my upcoming Peace Corps stint.  If we allowed an expiration date to hang over our heads, we would have never made a real connection. 

As much as I hate confrontation, I couldn’t actually leave until we had that conversation.  We both dreaded it and talked about it to everyone we knew, except to each other of course.  On my end of things, my biggest problem was the commitment because it isn’t just two years (and three months).  If you’re staying together throughout that torturous time apart, you better be together after it too!  It’s a minimum of a three-year commitment, but it should be even more than that!  Big surprise, to those of you that don’t know me very well: I’m a little commitment-phobic.  I’m sure Nathan’s laughing at the qualifying phrase “a little.”  Needless to say, I wouldn’t call him my boyfriend until well after he had met my whole family.

Less than two weeks before I left for Uganda, we finally had that conversation.  It wasn’t some hysterical conversation.  No one cried.  It was just a rational conversation about our future- ironically, this relationship conversation ended, without a doubt, in separation.  Neither of us wanted a long distance relationship.  Nathan’s not a phone person.  I’m not a commitment person.  But, neither of us wanted to stop talking to each other.  In the end, that was the decisive factor.   We still want to talk to each other, we didn’t want to be with anyone else, so why not?  If it didn’t work out, it didn’t work out.  Of course, an “I love you” was thrown around in there, but our attitude was very relaxed.  An outsider would think we were talking about a three-month internship in Ohio, not a two-year post in Africa.

I did have two rather weird, and probably selfish, stipulations: 1. You can’t expect me to move back to wherever you are.  I have to go where I have an opportunity to pursue whatever career I want.  2. You can’t expect me to call you before or more than I call my mom.  Nathan must have known me too well, even by that point, because all he said was “I know.”  I was granted my first phone call during our first week of training.  We could call anyone for two minutes, just to let them know we were safe and sound.  I called my mom.

In this beginning, in the Peace Corps beginning, our relationship survived on expectations, or lack thereof.  We hadn’t let ourselves spend months wondering what would happen.  We had less than two weeks to come to terms with our newly established long distance endeavor, and I spent most of that time worrying about what I was packing- the origin of Nathan’s hate for my packing methods.  When I started Peace Corps, we didn’t expect anything of each other, which is exactly what we needed.  It’s very difficult to be disappointed if no promises were made.

On the foundation of no expectations, we built our expectations.  Eventually, we fell into a routine.  Sundays and Wednesdays are my Nathan days.  He calls me at 9 pm, not earlier or later.  We both look forward to those appointments.  If we talked everyday, there would be nothing to say.  But leading up to our phone calls, we both try to stack up things we want to tell each other: funny stories, disappointments, gossip, accomplishments, challenges, family (almost any word fits here- problems, issues, disasters, successes, activities- you get the point).  Of course that doesn’t mean we can only talk on those days.  If something comes up or someone’s had a bad day, we’ll talk.  But we still keep our Sundays and Wednesdays.

Other expectations?  I’ve learned that Nathan doesn’t respond to my emails, even if it would save him money on texting.  Apparently if he responds, he worries he wouldn’t have much to say on the upcoming Sunday/Wednesday.  Nathan never says good-bye; I always have to be the one who ends the call.  We don’t hang up angry- we usually just waste minutes not talking until someone gives in.  Nathan indulges me by telling me all the delicious food he eats, and I get to be jealous.  Nathan then willingly listens to me babble on and on about all the food I miss.  For the most part, we don’t exchange gifts.  Well, he tried to send a birthday present, and it never showed up.  That was the end of that.  And, we’re completely honest.  Sometimes, it seems like it would be easier if we weren’t, but that’s just us.

When I have blank moments, traveling in a taxi, stuck in a meeting, running, I have a horrible tendency to measure my time, in four ways.  How long have I been in Uganda?  18 months and three weeks.  How long have I been at site? Sixteen months and one week.  How much longer will I be in Uganda? No more than eight months.  Probably about seven. (You can do it!)  How much longer until I see Nathan again?  Four months.  Depending on the level of my boredom, I’ll let the cycle repeat again and again.  The first two questions help me feel accomplished.  The last two are the ones that keep me going.

In no way, shape or form will I ever preach long distance relationships to anyone.  Especially this kind of long distance- no Skype, expensive phone calls, limited vacation days, visiting once per year, a 10-hour time difference.  It hasn’t exactly been a walk in the park.  We have our fair share of bad days, or even weeks.  But, our relationship hasn’t just survived.  It’s grown a lot stronger.  Imagine, our only choice is to communicate- that’s all we have.  Unlike normal couples, we don’t have the luxury of spending time together without talking- silently watching movies, jamming out in the car, strolling on the beach, hanging out at a friend’s BBQ.  We have to talk, twice per week.  Well, we were never that normal of a couple anyway.

Last Friday, Nathan and I celebrated our two-year anniversary.  Needless to say, Nathan overcame my commitment-phobia.  Or helped me overcome it.  So, yes, we’ve made it this far.  Eight months maximum, probably seven more months.