the inexplicable dismissal of our country director

our peace corps post in uganda was thriving under the direction of larry brown, someone who is sincerely concerned about the safety, support, and effectiveness of each and every volunteer in the field. he is the best example i can imagine of a country director acting in the best interest of volunteers in the country he was serving. it certainly felt like he was indeed here to serve us. larry understood his reason for being here as a commitment to support each and every volunteer living and working in uganda and, by doing so, better serve the communities in which we live. put quite simply, he was an enthusiastic, outspoken advocate for us.

it was energizing to have an administration encourage us and pledge support so seriously. under larry's leadership, we felt empowered. not in a rebellious way, but in a positive way, we were urged to take personal responsibility and be proactive. he believed, quite correctly, that this post wouldn’t exist without the volunteers. larry gave us a voice, compelling us to personally invest in the future value of peace corps uganda. in my opinion, this is exactly the role a country director should play.

it is extremely disappointing to know that his efforts were not only ignored by those in a higher position, but that they may have ultimately lead to his termination. if the peace corps administration in washington does not exist for the purpose of supporting posts, volunteers, and the communities in which we live and work, then what purpose does it serve? i cannot imagine. but i do know that the decision to remove larry brown from his position as country director was not made in the interest of supporting myself and my fellow volunteers here in uganda. in fact, it has been a significant disservice to us.

although there has been a fair amount of speculation about larry brown’s removal, we volunteers have received absolutely no official explanation for the decision. perhaps more disturbingly, for three weeks we had not received a single piece of correspondence from peace corps administration, washington or otherwise, informing us that any decision was made at all. we all learned of the momentous development through a haphazard string of volunteer-to-volunteer cell phone calls, text messages, and speculative emails. as i write this, my country director has left uganda for his home in the us, and no one knows why. all signs on the ground suggest that the situation was severely mishandled and should be investigated.

i am confused and saddened by the departure of such an energetic and inspirational country director and disappointed in those who made this bewildering decision. the responsible person or group of people has clearly lost sight of the peace corps agency’s purpose – to act in the best interest of volunteers serving worldwide, and the communities in which we live. peace corps was created for that purpose and in this case i feel that it has failed. we deserve better.

transportation III: two wheels go a long way

carrying what... local brew? paint? water? petrol?
my money is on the brew :)

it must have been a huge revolution when bicycles first reached tororo (around 1980 by some local accounts). it is difficult enough for me to imagine this area without the now ubiquitous motorcycles, but without bicycles? it would be an almost unrecognizable place. a significant portion of uganda's population gets around on two wheels these days; you can find bicycles, motorcycles, and their taxi incarnations (bodas) in even the smallest village trading centers.

a common means of generating income - the bicycle taxi
(note: a real bicycle taxi has a colorful, padded back seat...with tassels)

in addition to their drivers, bicycles and motorcycles are often seen carrying a mind-boggling variety of cargo, including: humans (several times, i've seen six people on one motorcycle), crates of soda and beer bottles (both full and empty), jerrycans of pretty much anything, enormous sacks of grain or charcoal, numerous bunches of green bananas, firewood, live animals (snorting pigs, wailing goats, clucking chickens, stupid turkeys who defecate on my veranda), less road-worthy bicycles on their way to be repaired, bed frames, couches, coffins, even a merchant's entire inventory displayed in a flimsy, ten-foot-high, plywood kiosk. it's rather incredible; if something needs to be transported, odds are good that it can be moved on two wheels. personally, i have been adventurous enough to strap my backpack, my guitar, and a jerrycan to my bike. but that's child's play here.

a shoe merchant transports his wares through mukono
(how does this work?!?!)
(note the driver's winter attire...it's 85 degrees!)

despite all these fancy, two-wheeled options, when it comes to moving around in uganda, nothing is cheaper or more readily available than your own two feet. this is how people got around for centuries; the adoption of wheels as a daily means of transportation for the masses has been a surprisingly recent development. even today you will find people walking prodigious distances to and from the nearest town, health center, a burial, or a workshop, simply because it is a free and reliable means of transport. and as with most things here, time is not often a big concern. maybe someday, as western influences and transport options permeate ugandan culture, the notion of "african time" may lose some of its authority. but this much is clear: for the slowly growing number of people with a little disposable income and/or a busy schedule, the quicker, two-wheeled alternatives are gradually becoming "the new feet."