Eleanor W.

1. What got you interested in the Peace Corps?

My family hosted exchange students through the Rotary Youth Exchange program starting when I was in middle school, and the experience sparked my lifelong interest in service, living abroad, learning about other cultures, and studying foreign languages. I participated in a short-term youth exchange in Italy following my freshman year of high school, and then a youth exchange in the Czech Republic for my junior year of high school. That’s where I first heard about the Peace Corps.

I attended university abroad at NYU Shanghai, where I studied global public health. While taking health and nutrition courses during a semester at NYU Accra in Ghana, I had the opportunity to visit a Peace Corps Volunteer working in Togo. Learning more about her work solidified my desire to pursue Peace Corps after graduation.

2. What projects are you working on?

I work with a primary school and community health organization.

Our biggest project is the creation of a safe space that will serve community members on health-related matters. It will facilitate peer support groups for orphans, vulnerable children, and out-of-school adolescent girls and young women; provide a private environment for HIV-positive students to take medications; and will be used as a training space for students and caregivers.

I also work with a group of about 40 female caregivers who meet once a week to connect, share challenges, gain new skills, and improve their own health and wellbeing as well as the children in their care.

A Gardening for Improved Nutrition Group consists of 50 gardeners and caregivers who meet weekly to discuss a range of topics, such as proper child nutrition and breastfeeding, biofortified crops, planting tips, garden types, and methods for integrated pest management and organic fertilization.

Finally, my counterpart and I co-facilitate grassroot soccer, an HIV-prevention curriculum for students that is taught through interactive and engaging soccer-related lessons.

3. What strategies have you used to integrate into your community? 

On my first day in the community, a semi-rural town in central Uganda, I knocked on my counterpart’s door to ask where I could get breakfast and she immediately asked her 11-year-old daughter (coincidentally also named Eleanor) to show me around. Eleanor quickly became the first person I go to for most of my questions, my number one sidekick, and best friend. She introduced me to people living in our compound and taught me everything from how to peel matooke (green bananas, a staple food that is peeled and steamed), current popular songs, and many Luganda words. Together we go on walks, do crafts, cook meals for her siblings and friends, and enjoy time in my garden.

I also try to speak as much Luganda as possible and get to know participants in our focus groups.  Learning to recognize friendly faces when I am out in the community has proven to be extremely helpful and makes community events more fun and meaningful.

4. What is a highlight of your time in service so far?

The friendships I’ve built in the community, especially with children and students, have been the highlight of my time in Uganda. It has been incredibly rewarding, both personally and professionally, to be able to spend time with the kids who live near me and students at our school.

I feel so lucky that my house is in the compound where both my supervisor and counterpart live. Every day I receive countless little gifts, like a piece of jackfruit or plate of food, and the opportunity to share holidays, and special moments, and watch their children grow, is an experience I will treasure always. I have become part of their family over the course of my time here.

5. What have you enjoyed most about the community where you are serving?

In addition to working with children, my favorite aspect of life here has been gardening, both in my own garden and with our group in gardens in my area.

When I first moved into my house, my supervisor told me that the small piece of land next to it was my garden. At first I knew very little about agriculture and gardening was intimidating to me. But with the help of kids in my compound I have thoroughly enjoyed learning how to grow plants. And I have learned countless new tips and tricks to make gardening more enjoyable and efficient for others in the community. Not only have we grown a surprising amount of nutritious produce, but the garden has also become the perfect, secluded area to catch up on reading and office work, play cards, and enjoy meals.

6. What are some of the most important things you’ve learned from your community?

My community has taught me more than I could ever have imagined. From the practical, like how to plant beans, light a charcoal stove, and handwash clothes, to the less tangible, like improving my flexibility and patience, my community has left an indelible mark on me.

My patience has increased most, as the concept of time in Uganda is very different from how I experienced it in New York. Waiting is a common, more-than-daily experience here. Making the most of time spent waiting has become far more comfortable to me now, and I even look forward to the organic and relaxed conversations that take place when waiting for participants to arrive or the taxi to start moving.

A primary focus of my organization is supporting HIV-positive individuals, so I have also learned how to support students and community members living with HIV, as well as the importance of funding and resources when it comes to prevention and care.  Beyond this, I have become more acutely aware of and sensitive to the realities HIV-positive people face in in low-income communities in Uganda.

7. How do you spend time when you are not working on a project?

During my free time I enjoy going on walks and runs with the dog in our compound, biking with friends, and finding places to go swimming. Our town is fairly rural which means I can explore on plenty of dirt roads and enjoy peaceful nature views. Wandering around the community with friends and getting lost among the matooke trees has become a favorite activity.

I frequently host little dinner parties with kids, where we cook and eat together in my garden. Cooking with kids has allowed me to learn so much about the culture surrounding food in Uganda and provides me with an opportunity to share new perspectives on nutrition and healthy foods.

Journaling, watercolor, crochet, and writing letters also occupy much of my free time when I need a creative outlet.

8. What are you looking forward to in your remaining time as a Volunteer?

I am most excited to see the completion of our new building and begin working with community members in the new space. There has been so much enthusiasm for it since the start of my service, so it will be incredibly rewarding when we are finally able to use it. The construction has come along very quickly, and we are all looking forward to being able to use the space for our projects.

9. Once you finish your service, what will you do differently when you return to the U.S.?

When I return to New York I want to continue spending time with kids. Although I occasionally found time to be around kids before coming to Uganda, there are so many more kids here! Time with children has become such a joy in my life.

On a more practical note, I will try to never take for granted certain conveniences and comforts. Luxuries like ice, running water, washing machines, refrigerators, ovens, and consistent electricity are among these, and I think my attitude towards them is forever changed.