Change in Plans

It is election season here in Uganda. Usually, this means simply that we muzungus need to remember not to give a thumbs up or a peace sign to accidentally show our support for different political parties. It can also mean you are stuck in traffic due to a rally where people are dancing and singing in the street.

Sometimes, though, it can lead to civil unrest. Peace Corps Uganda has done a wonderful job of being transparent with us during our training. There has not been much civil unrest, but they are keeping a close eye on it along with the US embassy. Even the Ugandan government is concerned about this. Due to the possibility for unrest, the Ministry of Education has pushed the beginning of the school year back from the beginning of February to the end of February.

In light of all this information, the decision has been made to push back Cohort 4's Swearing In. It was originally planned for January 21. Now we will be with our home stay families for a few weeks longer, get to go to an All-Volunteer conference before we're even technically volunteers, and swear in during February.

Although I am sad that we will not officially be PCVs until February, I am grateful for Peace Corps's watchful eye on the situation and realization that even if we were sworn in, we wouldn't have anything to do at our sites for a month. It is said all the time at training, but it really is true: our safety is their number one priority.