The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly.

So this happened sooner than I thought! But I'm going to start in
reverse, as I think it's always good to end with the good.

The Ugly:

So, like I had mentioned before, we had some issues when Childline
when we first arrived in that there were no preparations for us and
the world we would be doing. We sorted things out, developed our own
work plans for two weeks, and were going to see everything through.

Unfortunately, the trouble did not end there. Things around the
administration began to get a little fishy, and we were introduced to
the Board about two and a half weeks in (we didn't know the Board even
existed). So we talked with them about all of our concerns, they said
they were aware of the problems, and things were going to get better
from here. But, the Director John, who we had been working with,
started to be around less and less and we started to have more and
more meetings. So, finally, last week we found out that the Director
had been embezzling money from the organization, had virtually taken
it all up to this point, and was being fired as well as going to be
criminally charge (although he disappeared, so that will only happen
if they find him). I am totally safe and there is no danger for me and
our team, but it was terrible to find out that the man we trusted, and
many others trusted, was misusing his office and not giving the aid he
promised to so many. Our placement agency and the new Board is working
on tracking all of these issues, but needless to say it is an absolute
mess and was something I never would have expected.

The Bad:

So upon the news, we were all initially very, very upset. We had come
to work with this organization to only find out our trust had been
betrayed. So, after a billion phone calls, emails, meetings and what
have you, we all decided to transfer to a new organization a few hours
away called SOVHEN. We did not feel as though we could be behind the
original agency because of the large mess that was created, and they
especially couldn't deal with us because they needed to completely
revamp themselves from the bottom up.

The sad part about leaving was that this terrible situation and this
one very unfortunate person had to create such a large barrier between
the amazing people and children we had begun to form relationships
with. We battled with not wanting to leave because of this, but it was
one of those decisions we just had to make. We are still talking with
our wonderful friends Denis, Joyce, and Emma, who were the beautiful
souls who took care of us through this process. We have already talked
to them on the phone a few times, and are planning to go back for a
weekend. They were supportive of the move, but it was nonetheless
extremely difficult and I hadn't realized how close we had all gotten
until we had to go.

And with leaving these relationships being hard, it was also very hard
to leave the children because there is no way the could understand the
situation. We all felt we were abandoning them, betraying them, and
every other sad break that they often face. We wrote some letters,
said as many goodbyes as we could, and I'm hoping maybe one day
someone will be able to explain it to them. One little girl in
particular, Joan (who calls herself Miss Uganda) had just introduced
us to her families a couple days before our final decision was made,
and I know how much that meant to her. Again, I'm hoping some sense
can come out of this, and I know I will see her and many others
again--it is meant to be.

The Good:

As I mentioned, we made our own program at an orphanage called Trio
the last two weeks. It was such an amazing time and I will always
remember the weeks we spent there. It took some time for the kids to
warm up to us, but by our final goodbye it was a heartbreak I didn't
expect. If only there were spots for us the rest of the summer, we
would have stayed, but I think we left before things got crazy and got
to have a great and very fun two weeks with those children. Who are
also absolutely adorable and will post pictures as soon as I get home.

Also, now that I am at SOVHEN, I am really excited for our next month
with them. In the mornings, I will be teaching English at a primary
school down the road--watch out Mom, this might make me actually want
to be a teacher!

Then, in the afternoon, I will be working at the secondary school and
will be teaching lessons on HIV/AIDS. Their secondary schools are
divided into houses (like Harry Potter) and I will be in charge of one
house. Furthermore, after all of the lessons, there is going to be a
huge competition between the houses around making skits, songs, poems,
etc. about everything we learn. I am super excited for this (I love
this kind of stuff) and I'm hoping everyone is ready for my house to
dominate ;)


Until then, I think things are starting to shape up and I know all of
this chaos happened for a reason. I have learned a lot, in many ways I
didn't expect, and I think I was fully challenged--which I find as a
great thing.