A bit from TK…

Briefly, After 1 Week in Uganda

I am well.  The Ugandans have given me the name Mzunga Mwanda (white prince), which is very flattering.  They call Erin Naruquagu (of the “chima” or monkey clan) and Laura Nmanda (of the “ente” or cow clan).  The people are very nice and welcoming – the ones that don’t use it as a guise to screw you out of money.  As it turns out $1 USD is ~2500 UG schillings, so the math can get confusing.The accommodations, though modest, suit our needs.  We have seen a type of poverty that I seldom see in Cleveland (not to say the states are without it), but here in certain areas it definitely seems to be the norm.

I feel like I have subconsciously created a psychological buffer (and a physical one – the camera) that is keeping me from experiencing this like a missionary or Peace Corps person would.  I am working.  And I am working in much the same way as I do at home, the obstacles and sites are different, but problem solving TK gets into action and dilutes my sense of sympathy.  It’s easy to lay in bed at night; write in my journal and freak