Monthly Archives: August 2010

there is no personal in space

Posted on August 31, 2010 by Linnea Ashley

Iganga Town, Uganda August 31, 2010 There are some americanism, my inner mzungo so to speak, that I would presume are rigid and inflexible. I’d be wrong but I sometimes argue with myself that it is true. Personal space is … Continue reading →

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best of intentions

Posted on August 29, 2010 by Linnea Ashley

August 29, 2010 Iganga Town, Uganda Finding the balance is treacherous. Somewhere between apathy-inducing sympathy and hypocritical heartlessness I have to believe lays the way to help people help themselves. I have no delusions of grandeur. No belief that I … Continue reading →

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thunderstorm lullaby

Posted on August 29, 2010 by Linnea Ashley

It has been raining for hours, a symphony on a tin roof lulling to the patter of flowing tears. I should be sleeping. This is my favorite lullaby. The night wrapping me in a moist embrace and singing sweetly to … Continue reading →

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mapping home

Posted on August 25, 2010 by Linnea Ashley

August 24, 2010 Iganga Town, Uganda If I were to map my town, take stock of people and places…really look and not simply let it pass me as I stroll, it would be full of sounds and color and scents. … Continue reading →

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colonial me

Posted on August 21, 2010 by Linnea Ashley

August 21, 2010 Iganga Town, Uganda I haven’t mastered this pseudo post-colonial era in africa. In truth, this is my first true interaction with the way things probably were. I have a high fence with broken bottles glittering in the … Continue reading →

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kittens and lambs

Posted on August 17, 2010 by Linnea Ashley

It was the sound of distress. High pitched, I couldn’t quite figure out what it was or where it was coming from. Two young men looked back to where they’d just passed and, seeing nothing, continued. I stopped and peered … Continue reading →

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out of mabira

Posted on August 15, 2010 by Linnea Ashley

August 15, 2010 Mabira, Uganda Tired from the cold night huddled in a bed with three of my colleagues, a disconcerting dream lingering like the early morning dampness under forest cover, we trudged up the muddy incline leading to the … Continue reading →

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Mabira evening

Posted on August 15, 2010 by Linnea Ashley

August 14, 2010 Mabira forest, Uganda The plastic smoldered, drew itself up from clear blue womanly shapes and bright yellow shopping bags to black jewels glistening on ashen logs. The Ugandan interns burned the plastic we’d all collected – the … Continue reading →

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commissioning water

Posted on August 7, 2010 by Linnea Ashley

August 6, 2010 We angled the car into a space under the dappled shade of a tree. The dust settling along the dirt road we’d traveled. A cluster of women rose to their feet and began ululating and dancing – … Continue reading →

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permit city

Posted on August 7, 2010 by Linnea Ashley

The air is thick and chewy like old gum. Trucks belch black smoke and trash burns in invisible fires in the distance. Bodas (motorcycles), immune to laws of traffic and good sense, weave between cars and -when time and lack … Continue reading →

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