I have no clue what 'Baganda' means.
I'm "moving" to Uganda on February 10th, 2010 to start my Peace Corps service. My personal service will consist of teaching high school kids Math. Further than that I don't know any particulars. I'll warn anyone reading this hoping to get an idea about what "enlisting" in the Peace Corps is like: leaving people in the dark is much in the style of the Peace Corps. I wasn't absolutely certain (though I was probably sure) that I was going until January 11th which is a month less a day from the morning of the flight to Africa.
_
Some facts about the application process:
It takes a long time. I think I submitted the online application in September of 2009 and like I mentioned earlier I wasn't done until January 2011. Excepting a concern about Tuberculosis I completed all the steps quite promptly (and even the consequent exams) and still everything took over a year.
Advice 1: make sure that your doctors fill in the medical forms completely. My general practitioner did not give me a prostate exam the first time we met and didn't inform me (I only realized it after reviewing all that she had written).
Advice 2: If you are from a former Soviet Republic, like I am, your tuberculosis test will probably give a false positive because you were vaccinated for the disease. Be prepared to get a chest x-ray and have a discussion with the doctor about this. Note this could delay your travel for up to 9 months as that is how long the recommended course of treatment for tuberculosis is and even those who are only suspected of having the disease are encouraged to go through the course. My doctor did not recommend the course for me but don't take that as precedent.
When I was going through the application process (and being interviewed) I was given the impression that it was more competitive than in years prior because the recession forced people to look for non-traditional work. My friend went through the same interviews a year later and apparently was given the impression that it was again non-competitive and even more-so funding had increased. So I can't speak to how difficult it is to get in. I can speak to what I felt they were looking for in a potential volunteer: ambition and temperance.
It was emphasized to me over and over that they want to make certain that one very much "wants to do it." Several times I was made to accept circumstances different from those which I requested (I wanted to serve in South America, I wanted to do development of some sort, I wanted to leave in November of 2010) and each time I quickly acquiesced (I took between 0 and 2 days to "think over" the adjustment). I was each time complimented for my will and my "obvious" desire to serve1. It was also emphasized to me at the first interview that drinking (alcohol consumption) should be kept to an absolute minimum.
If there's anything else they're interested in it's your ability to be sensitive to local custom and your ability to be a fit representative of the United States. This isn't that odd considering that initially the program's intent was "to win hearts and minds" for capitalism and the West. Just be aware of what's expected; I personally have no thoroughly thought out opinions on the implications.
_
Anyway right now I'm 2 weeks from departure and my only concern is that I'm woefully underpacked. I've been most concerned with silly things like rechargeable batteries, flashlights, bicycle pumps, and solar panels. I've looked at the packing lists of other people and they're bringing lots of niceties that I haven't even considered; A pillow? Sheets? Towels??? I will be bringing lots (~12) of textbooks to study so at least I'll have lots of raw material for paper mache.
1: I'd like to stress that I do not have a messiah complex nor did I make them believe I did. It was made clear to me that while they do want people who are hardworking and generous, they do understand that selfish motives (like travel and resume bolstering) are completely normal.
I'm "moving" to Uganda on February 10th, 2010 to start my Peace Corps service. My personal service will consist of teaching high school kids Math. Further than that I don't know any particulars. I'll warn anyone reading this hoping to get an idea about what "enlisting" in the Peace Corps is like: leaving people in the dark is much in the style of the Peace Corps. I wasn't absolutely certain (though I was probably sure) that I was going until January 11th which is a month less a day from the morning of the flight to Africa.
_
Some facts about the application process:
It takes a long time. I think I submitted the online application in September of 2009 and like I mentioned earlier I wasn't done until January 2011. Excepting a concern about Tuberculosis I completed all the steps quite promptly (and even the consequent exams) and still everything took over a year.
Advice 1: make sure that your doctors fill in the medical forms completely. My general practitioner did not give me a prostate exam the first time we met and didn't inform me (I only realized it after reviewing all that she had written).
Advice 2: If you are from a former Soviet Republic, like I am, your tuberculosis test will probably give a false positive because you were vaccinated for the disease. Be prepared to get a chest x-ray and have a discussion with the doctor about this. Note this could delay your travel for up to 9 months as that is how long the recommended course of treatment for tuberculosis is and even those who are only suspected of having the disease are encouraged to go through the course. My doctor did not recommend the course for me but don't take that as precedent.
When I was going through the application process (and being interviewed) I was given the impression that it was more competitive than in years prior because the recession forced people to look for non-traditional work. My friend went through the same interviews a year later and apparently was given the impression that it was again non-competitive and even more-so funding had increased. So I can't speak to how difficult it is to get in. I can speak to what I felt they were looking for in a potential volunteer: ambition and temperance.
It was emphasized to me over and over that they want to make certain that one very much "wants to do it." Several times I was made to accept circumstances different from those which I requested (I wanted to serve in South America, I wanted to do development of some sort, I wanted to leave in November of 2010) and each time I quickly acquiesced (I took between 0 and 2 days to "think over" the adjustment). I was each time complimented for my will and my "obvious" desire to serve1. It was also emphasized to me at the first interview that drinking (alcohol consumption) should be kept to an absolute minimum.
If there's anything else they're interested in it's your ability to be sensitive to local custom and your ability to be a fit representative of the United States. This isn't that odd considering that initially the program's intent was "to win hearts and minds" for capitalism and the West. Just be aware of what's expected; I personally have no thoroughly thought out opinions on the implications.
_
Anyway right now I'm 2 weeks from departure and my only concern is that I'm woefully underpacked. I've been most concerned with silly things like rechargeable batteries, flashlights, bicycle pumps, and solar panels. I've looked at the packing lists of other people and they're bringing lots of niceties that I haven't even considered; A pillow? Sheets? Towels??? I will be bringing lots (~12) of textbooks to study so at least I'll have lots of raw material for paper mache.
1: I'd like to stress that I do not have a messiah complex nor did I make them believe I did. It was made clear to me that while they do want people who are hardworking and generous, they do understand that selfish motives (like travel and resume bolstering) are completely normal.
