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Wednesday, August 30, 2023

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News of the week is that I decided to end my Peace Corps service in Uganda before embarking on my Ugandan home stay.  I returned to Minneapolis Saturday afternoon. There were many reasons to stay; however, the primary driver for returning was that my work had changed and, as important as it all is, I just wasn't excited about it.  I had originally been hired as a business or economic development advisor (I don't recall which exactly) and that kind of morphed to Agribusiness and then hands-on agriculture.   The Uganda Peace Corps staff was quite understanding and supportive.  In fact, the entire experience left me feeling better than ever about the Peace Corps -- I'm just sad my assignment didn't work out for me. So what's next?  I need to put on my thinking cap and get back to you.  Peace Corps is still on the table (in addition to 2-year assignments there are 6- and 12-month assignments) as is full or part time volunteer or non-profit work.  Who knows? But enough a
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Saturday, August 19, 2023

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No use in burying the lead this week:  I found pretty good pizza a short walk from where I'm staying!  Along with a solid glass of red wine, a shot of Bombay Sapphire and the company of a few new friends, it really hit the spot and was a rare reminder of home! US taxpayers please take note.  We just finished 12 1/2 straight days of training.  (Thank goodness we get Sunday off.) It's been more mentally and physically taxing than I anticipated.  Rewarding and tiring all at the same time. On top of that, most of the cohort, including me, has battled GI issues on and off the past two weeks.  It runs the gambit in terms of severity but when it's always there it affects your attitude. It's really hard to stay focused and positive when you feel somewhere between crummy and rotten much of the time.  The Peace Corps medical staff refers to it as an "adjustment period." Ugh! I'm happy to say, I feel like I'm past the worst of mine.  Also, as I mentio
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Saturday, August 12, 2023

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Greetings!! I'm afraid this week's post is going to be a bit of stream of consciousness.  Unlike last weekend when we had a good amount of free time, we have a full schedule this weekend.  We start intensive language training Saturday and learn to use local transportation Sunday. Speaking of language, today I found out I will be learning Lusoga.  While I don't have details on my assignment yet it stands to reason I will be somewhere in the Bosuga region as that's primarily where Lusoga is spoken.  From what I understand the region has wonderful weather year round (so long as you don't mind a rainy season) and is best known as the source of the Nile. As for the transportation on Sunday, there are 15-passenger vans (that appear to hold many more) the locals call "taxis."  There is a driver and a "conductor" who collects the fare and keeps track of everyone's desired stop.  I took one with a local last weekend but it was not clear to me how he k
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Sunday, August 6, 2023

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Greetings! Never in my wildest dreams did I imagine starting a blog.  Yet so many of you have asked for updates as I spend the next 27 months in Uganda.  Thank you!!  It's so helpful to have moral support from friends and family back home. As a side note, I'm blogging from my phone so it's going to be basic black and white with a few pictures.  If there's such a thing as an "old school blog," this is it. I flew to Washington, D.C., Thursday, July 27, to meet my cohort and for some basic training. I managed to make it well under the Peace Corps limit of 100 pounds of checked luggage.  I weighed in at 67 pounds for 2 years, including enough gear for a basic kitchen setup. The Peace Corps was established in 1961 by John F. Kennedy and its purpose is clear. To promote world peace and friendship by fulfilling three goals: To help the countries interested in meeting their need for trained people. To help promote a better understanding of Americans on the
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