Positives and Expectations

“Focus on the positives.” –A Youth Center Leader
“Set your expectations low.” –A Former APCD

So should I have POSITIVE EXPECTATIONS or should I ALWAYS EXPECT THE POSITIVE? Ok, maybe both.

So, keeping those 2 statements in mind. Here is a quick re-cap of an activity that I had the chance to plan, implement, and evaluate. Finally! A good use of my degree in Health Education. Ok, I will leave the sarcasm behind and stay focused on the positives.

We planned an intershool debate involving 5 secondary schools. The major focus was about adolescent reproductive health and HIV/AIDS. The activity was a success. We had over 300 students attending the activity. We paired the debate with an opportunity for the students to test for HIV and showed a series of films about sexual reproductive health that led to great discussions on various topics.

I was impressed at how involved all the students were in the debate. We only had 10 students on the panel, but the audience was full of eager participants to offer comments. The debate went so well, the students were upset when we had to end and begin the films.

Afterwards, many students and teachers were asking when we would do another debate and hoping that their own school would have the chance to host the function. I am excited about their enthusiasm and see this as a great way to educate on all sorts of issues facing youth. HIV, Violence Prevention, Sexual Harassment, Career Goals, and even Lifeskills.

I will post pics from this activity at a later time. And as more activities come…I will post info and pics. (Ok, that wasn’t too sarcastic was it?)

Peace

Renee

New Address

I FINALLY have a new address:

Marquita Renee Johnson
P.O. Box 379
Kamuli, Uganda

I can't wait for all the lovely packages and letters!!! Thanks ya'll!!!

Renee

Long Awaited Update

I have nothing to say and lots to say. Things are going well. A special thanks to all those who helped me out with my wish list. Even a few simple comforts from home can make a person happy. So my wishes have been granted.

Pictures: I added more pictures!!! Check out my house, my work, and wildlife!

Frogs: I am walking around at night like I would in the US. No major frog scares. It helps that it's the dry season now.

Bike: I have not fallen off anymore. I would like to attribute that to my superior skill in riding, but it's probably because I lend my bike out more than I ride it. People love it. Not me. So I give the people what they want. Ride On!

Weight: I am still losing weight. Haven't weighed in a while, but my clothes are loose. But, I have a confession. I love meat. I had committed to cooking veggies and fish, but the people here can roast a mean kabob! So, if I buy food already prepared on the roadside or in a restaurant I choose meat. Beef, Goat, Chicken, Fish- U name it. I love it. However preparing meat myself- I only prepare fish and pork. Yes, I said pork. I like the pork butcher shop, they are nicer than the beef butcher shops. Now I couldn't leave North Carolina and deny myself some good old BBQ!!! I made some BBQ today for my counterpart and my nearest neighbor, Zach. I topped it off with macaroni salad and a mean coleslaw. Thanks for the recipes mom!! And for Christmas and Thanksgiving I fried a turkey. That is my confession.

Job: I have a lot of work. Which is an anomaly for the first 3 months in Peace Corps. They told us all during training that we would have a lax time at site for the first 3 months and we would probably have to make work for ourselves. After swearing in on a Thursday I was in the office bright and early at 8am on Monday. No lax breaks for me or the other volunteers in my group. We all have plenty of work. So, when our Christmas break came- We broke camp!!! I will tell you abut my Christmas vacation adventures in another blog. Back to the job. Computer classes aside, I love it. I am going to try to get out in the field more. Organizing sports games, film shows, and outreaches. Language is most of the volunteers barriers here, but we get by pretty well. It's sometimes difficult to go out in the field with our small grasp on the language. But, I am ready and willing. The times I have gone- I have loved it. So prayerfully this new year will provide more opportunities in the field for me.

Thanks for all the prayers and well-wishes. Things are going well. I promise to update more soon. Check out my pics, they will tell you more!



~Renee