Sunday 6th
Today we respected the Sabbath. Other than updating our blogs, uploading more pictures and doing some reading, we basically rested. Ginger is sick and I am just tired. It’s amazing how much time goes by so quickly. I made pasta today, and Ginger fixed a really great vegetarian sauce to go with it. We bought some local mozzarella which is not a mild cheese, and is fact funky. It’s growing on me, but it is much stronger than the mozzarella in the states.
This evening Joan came over. She went camping on an island at Lake Victoria with some friends over the weekend. I really think that sounds like fun, and totally want to do it. I doubt we will have time unfortunately. Joan ate her first Oreo tonight, provided by Ginger, and we looked at photographs on Ginger’s computer from last summer. Joan is in many of the pictures, and she was surprised to see they’d taken so many of her. Then, Jude came over too and we all played Gin Rummy. We had so much fun, and they learned pretty quickly. Then, they showed us a traditional game here, which is really just like UNO. We had so much fun playing cards. It reminded me of college, learning and playing cards with Karen to all hours of the night. :)
Monday 7th
Today Ginger napped some before we went to the foundation. We planned to go to the clinic before our meeting with Reverend, but decided against it. When we left, we saw a friend, Asha, driving toward her home on her lunch break. She invited us to a cookout at her house this weekend. Yay!
After our meeting with Reverend, we went to the clinic. We tried three different doors before someone told us it was the second door, and you have to push, not pull, to enter. Once inside, we took care of some financial business, and we met Dr. Muhumza’s father. He was very nice, and offered to take us home since his driver was just outside. I thought he offered to take us to lunch, but I must have misunderstood because soon we were pulling into our compound. He came inside, and asked us about our trip and our project. He wanted to make sure we were comfortable in the compound, and asked us many questions. He told us about his 10 children, several of whom live in the US. Then, he asked us if he could say a prayer.
I am not the most religious person, but sometimes people ask me to join in prayer. I was raised Catholic, and many of the prayers people say are familiar to me. When I was growing up, you knew a prayer was over once everyone said “Amen.” Dr. Muhumza’s father is a very nice older gentleman who wanted to say a special prayer for us, so we bowed our heads. He said one of the kindest and sweetest prayers I’ve ever heard about making sure we are safe in our home, in the environment and society of Uganda, etc. and then we all said “Amen.” However, as soon as we’d finished, he kept going. I thought, “Wait – he said Amen. The prayer is over, right?” But apparently it was not over. I was trying not to smile because I felt like a little girl in church when I’m not supposed to laugh. Plus, the second prayer was even kinder than the first. Finally, he got to the end, and we once again we all three said “Amen.” In that second, I felt sure the prayer was finished, but I was wrong yet again. He went on to give a third, and final, prayer for us. It was all I could do not to burst out laughing. I guess I felt that it was such a serious moment and he was genuinely being kind, but that put the pressure on for me to do anything but laugh. I tried so hard to suppress my laughter, but I continued to feel the giggle wiggling its way up my throat. I could hardly contain myself, but I made it through without laughing out loud. He was so nice, and I would have felt really bad if I had started laughing. After that, he said goodbye, and we finished writing for the day.
Tuesday 8th
Today we went to our first school observation. It was a private school and we traveled with one of the supervisors. In Kampala, people call traveling “moving.” So we moved to this school, which has no electricity or running water. The bathroom is a pit latrine, and is covered with spider webs. After signing in with the headmaster, we went into a classroom. The class we observed is a Primary 6 class, which is basically sixth grade. The students were seated at desks that look like small picnic tables cut in half. The desks seat two or three students and they face the blackboard, but they were sort of pushed together forming U’s.
The school is a boarding school, as many of the schools here are, where children live throughout the school term. I am still learning about the school system but I think the school terms begin in February with a break after Easter, and a break in August. Then the school year ends in December, so there are a total of 3 terms. During breaks, children living in the boarding schools go home to their families. It seems like the students in government schools go home daily, since we see them walking home all the time. Both public and private school students wear uniforms.
The students stood up and greeted us in unison as we entered the classroom. We introduced ourselves, and the teacher asked them to welcome us. I introduced myself first and in response they said , “Welcome Maggie.” I guess I will start calling myself Maggie, since Ginger calls herself “Jinja” like the town here. After our introduction, two students gave up their desks for us and they carried it over for us to sit. I at first thought we would be a distraction, but the students faced the front and answered questions like we weren’t even there. I loved hearing them answer questions, and I was impressed with their answers. They stand up to answer questions, which is really a great way to learn public speaking at such young ages. I know college students who would be intimidated by that! The school observation was very interesting and I learned so much about how different school is here in Uganda.
Tonight I had cassava for the first time. Grace also cooked sweet potatoes and beans. The sweet potatoes here have green veins and they are white instead of orange and they have a much chalkier texture. They are still really good, just different. After lunch/dinner Ginger went to bed early since she is still feeling poorly. A short while later I heard her yelling for me. There was a cockroach on her mosquito net. Earlier in the day we talked about how the poison must be working, but apparently we were wrong. It was flying around in her room. Have I mentioned how gargantuan these roaches are? To reiterate: she’s pleading for me to come in and spray it through her shut door, and I am on the otherside of the door trying to develop enough courage for the task. I took three deep breaths and went in spraying and screaming. He ran around to the other side of the bed and I chased him, and he started to limp around. I thought the worst was over, but we never found him. Ginger thinks he must be in her suitcase. Great!
Wednesday
Today is another public holiday, Heroes Day, and Ginger is feeling a lot better. I feel bad for her, but I didn’t realize how bad she actually was feeling until she told me she was beginning to think she had malaria. Thankfully, she is feeling better, and I guess I should be glad to know that if she says she feels really bad, it means it’s really bad. She isn’t whiny at all, like I am when I am sick. Since everything is closed today, we can’t go to schools or the foundation. So, we rested some, then traveled to the coffee shop. Joan was working, and she showed us some pictures of her family. One of them was a funeral for her children's grandparents. No one wore black in the photographs. We asked her many questions about funerals and preparations that take place after people die. Somehow we got on the topic of suicides.
She told us how people who hang themselves are buried differently. She described suicidal hangings as "bad omens" and people who do that are not to be touched by anyone. Therefore, they dig a large hole underneath the body as it hangs, wherever it is, and cut the rope. The body falls haphazardly into the hole, but no one is allowed to fix the position of the body. Whichever way the body lands after the fall is how they are buried. She asked us about American burials. I told her about our caskets, cremations, mausoleums, and bodies donated to science. Ginger brought up people being buried in above ground tombs in New Orleans. I think it's interesting to talk about, although it is a rather morbid conversation to have.
After we decided to leave, we walked past the market. I bought some handmade earrings and a bag stitched together with different colorful fabrics that I will use to carry papers in when we go for observations at schools. Ginger got a really cool imitation Juicy Couture (sp?) purse that is red. Afterwards, we went home and caught up on all of our writing. We are going to bed early because we have two more school observations this week and the World Cup starts on Friday. It is in South Africa this year so everyone here is really excited!
Wednesday, June 9, 2010
Sunday, June 6, 2010
June 2nd - June 5th
Wednesday
Today we traveled back to the UNCST to speak to a secretary about our research proposal. We are hoping it may not take the entire six WEEKS to complete. We fixed a few of the forms that were unclear, and left. Apparently they have a stack of applications so it’s the sheer volume of applications that takes so long. Afterwards we had time for lunch before our meeting at the foundation so we were walking towards the pizza place. We walked past an Indian Restaurant on Kampala Road. There is a large Indian population in Kampala and earlier in the week we talked about eating at one of their restaurants. Since we intended to eat pizza, we were torn. We couldn’t make a decision, so I suggest we flip for it on a 100 shilling coin (they are the largest like quarters). It was between the bull (Italian) and ram/crane/crest (Indian). The bull won. That’s how we make some decisions!
After our pizza, we walked to the foundation. Ginger quizzed me on one of the road names along the way and I got it wrong. I guess I haven’t absorbed it quite yet. But in my defense, there are very few street signs! Our meeting was successful and we have quite a lot of work cut out for us. It’s doable, though. Funny thing about our meeting: there were only 3 chairs, and 4 of us were meeting. I decided I would sit on the floor, which I honestly didn’t mind because:
1. I sit on the floor all the time, and
2. It was cool on the floor and I was quite hot from our walk.
However, soon after I sat on the floor it upset people. They kept asking me why I was sitting on the floor, because “floors are dirty.” One of the supervisors wanted to know why, and then a lab technician walked by and asked me why. The other supervisor, who was a bit late to the meeting, looked shocked to see me on the floor when she entered. Another passerby stared at me like I was crazy. After I said I was fine, that I preferred to sit on the floor, and Ginger explained that we do it all the time at home, we finally began our meeting. Two minutes later the phone rang. I heard the supervisor say into the phone, “I don’t know, but I think she prefers it. I will ask her.” When she hung up she asked me if I wanted to stay sitting on the floor! I guess it would have been easier to find a chair somewhere. Once again I explained that I was fine. After the floor-seating issue was settled, we had a very productive meeting!
We took a boda home because the fumes get so bad during rush hour that it is hard to walk and breathe them in. I think it is what made me so nauseous the other day. There is so much beautiful vegetation growing all around us despite the polluted air and soil.
When we entered our compound, we were greeted by Rose. Her family is from Eritrea and she lives in the first unit in our compound with her daughter, Delina, and their dog Dee-Dee. She invited us in, and we ended up having a traditional Eritrean dinner with them. Her brother and two sisters are visitng. I love serendipity! They were just sitting down to eat the meal they’d finished preparing when we came inside the compound. The meal is centered around a giant round piece of njarra which is a spongy bread. The bread was placed on a large round platter on the center of their coffee table. The family members sat around the L-shaped couch. In two separate bowls they’d prepared chicken in a spicy sauce and a variety of mixed vegetables. The chicken was attached to the bone, and there was a lot of spicy brown sauce in the bowl with it. After we washed our hands in their bathroom, we all sat around their coffee table on the couch. Rose said, “We eat,” and one of her sisters began to use a ladle to dish out the chicken and its sauce onto the large, round, njarra.
Her sister used the ladle to spread around the meat and sauce all over the center of the bread, then she spooned out individual portions of vegetables in front of each of us, on our section of the bread. As she scooped our vegetables, Rose broke the meat away from the bone and tossed it near our “areas” on the bread. We used our hands to break the spongy bread apart, and ate with our fingers. There were no napkins so our hands were pretty messy . I immediately accidentally dropped some food, but no one got upset or went to clean it up. It was so delicious, and much like the food I had at the Ethiopian restaurant in Memphis, but so much better. Apparently Ethiopia and Eritrea are similar in culture and food, according to Rose. Afterward we had dessert of pineapple and jackfruit. I’d never had jackfruit before. It looks like little, yellow, stubby toes, with a big seed in the middle that resembles a large smooth almond. It was really good, and has an interested texture. After that, Rose made coffee from scratch.
She roasted the raw coffee beans in a small skillet over high heat until they smoked and turned black. She wafted the smoke toward us, and said that is the custom for us to smell it during preparation. Then, she ground the beans up in a grinder. Delina described how it’s traditionally ground with a mortar and pestle. Next, she took a grey, ceramic vessel and she poured in the ground coffee and added hot water. The vessel has a rounded bottom, a handle, and is decorated with relief etchings on its sides. We both want one. They use a piece of thick fabric that is woven in a circle to hold the vessel upright in place, and strips of colored confetti-like fabric are stuck into the spout, which act as a filter. We use small cups, much like sake cups, and identical to the kind we drink Turkish coffee from at both Mom and Fudwa’s house. The coffee is really good, but different. It is much more bitter, and no one reads the dregs at the bottom to tell my fortune after I finish my coffee like they would at home. As we sat with them, we dipped saltines in the coffee, and talked about straightening our hair. They were all really impressed that we don’t color our hair, and let it air dry without chemicals. They spend lots of time in the salon, dealing with their hair. It pays off though, because they all have very long and beautiful hair. We had so much fun with them. I loved it.
Thursday
Today is a public holiday: Martyrs Day. The day is dedicated to pay respect to 3 Christian men who were burned at the stake for their religious beliefs. School is out, and many places are closed, so we decided to go to the grocery store to see if it was open and get a few items. We really needed water, and of course we walked out of the store without it. Ginger realized we forgot it when we walked out, I decided to go back in and buy it. I told Ginger to go ahead home without me, which she did, and then I walked back by myself. I wasn’t scared at all. In fact, it felt great to be out walking around and being independent. It’s probably a good thing, since next week we will be traveling to schools alone to conduct observations. Start small. When I returned, we spent the rest of the quiet day at home writing in our journals. We also made a calendar of observations days and created our invitations for a parent’s day.
Friday
Today we were going to go to the clinic but there was a storm. Instead, we hung around the house while Annette and Grace worked. It rained AGAIN while our clothes were outside drying. I typed out a response to several questions posed by a man from the University of Memphis magazine. They are going to publish a 1-2 page article about our project! Ginger and I are so excited that our project and the foundation will be recognized!!!!!!!
We walked down to a little BBQ place for dinner. The waiters bring around a kettle with warm water inside of a large plastic bowl with a bar of soap. We washed our hands, and then the food came out. BBQ is not like BBQ in the US. It is pieces of salted pork, on skewers. I was not a fan, but we only got one stick with “accompaniments” to share. Ginger knows me pretty well now, especially my weirdness about meat. She ordered only one because we’ve had many discussions about “gristle and fat.” She doesn’t quite understand what I mean by gristle, which I explain as the surprise bite that has a chewy, knotted, ligament-esque quality. To her gristle means something off the grill. Either way, she knows what I mean by now, and she was right that I wouldn’t like the BBQ. I did, however, try it. Afterward, we went to a “fast food” place where I could get something to eat. They sell food that requires a fork and knife like Indian plates, as well as burgers and pizza. Most “fast food” in Kampala requires a fork. I got a small veggie pizza and we watched customers drink coffee with their burgers. It’s an odd combination I’m not sure I’ve seen before.
Saturday
Today we napped during a storm, and I called Mom using Skype when we woke up. It was nice to talk to her, since we usually talk almost daily and it had been nearly 2 whole weeks. I uploaded a bunch of photos; there are now 2 weeks worth. The links are on the right. Then, we decided to go see a movie. While we know where the Cineplex in Kampala is located, there is no phone number to be found online or movie show times. So we decided we’d walk around the “mall” at Garden City if we got there early. On the matatu into town, the driver didn’t stop at Park Square where we needed to get off. I yelled, “massau” which means stop. It was the first time I had told them to stop in Luganda, in fact, the first time I’d said to stop at all on a matatu. Everyone looked at me (because of my accent/pronunciation I’m sure) but they stopped. I felt good.
We were going to see the new Sex and the City film, which is advertised everywhere in Kampala. We invited Jude, a friend who mentioned wanting to see it earlier in the week. The mall at Garden City has a bunch of shops, and it is indoor/outdoor. Basically, it is open air, as the center opens up to the sky, and the food court and children’s playground are open to the outside where there would be giant windows in America. There are no stairs, only a winding ramp up that goes up 4 or more floors. I thought it was for people with handicaps but there are also elevators. I can’t figure out why there are no stairs. The fountains inside the mall have no pennies in them, or any change at all. Ginger said people would probably take them out. Before the movie started, we went into a few shops. Then we bought hummus and vegetables at a Lebanese restaurant in the food court overlooking the golf course. It was really good, and we bought some Pita bread to-go, which we will use for guacamole. It was interesting to see a Lebanese restaurant in a mall, which would be unlikely in the US.
When we entered the movie theatre, a guard scanned us for weapons with his wand. He also felt the outside of our purses. It was sort of weird because we were already INSIDE the mall. The popcorn Jude bought came in a very small bag compared to American theatres, but I don’t know what, if any, the other size options are available. When we got inside, the theatre was FREEZING. I am already not used to A.C. apparently, and it reminded me of how I am usually cold in American theatres too. There was only one preview, unlike the 12-15 minutes of preview we experience at movies in America. Other than that, the movie-going experience was the same. The film was pretty good, but I didn’t know before we saw it that it was set in Abu Dhabi. It was kind of interesting that we are in another culture learning and experiencing the differences between Uganda and America, and in the film the characters are in another culture experiencing culture shock in the United Arab Emirates. How bizarre. When we came home, Ginger was preparing to bathe when the power went out. Instead, she boiled water on the gas stove, and took her bath old fashioned style.
Today we traveled back to the UNCST to speak to a secretary about our research proposal. We are hoping it may not take the entire six WEEKS to complete. We fixed a few of the forms that were unclear, and left. Apparently they have a stack of applications so it’s the sheer volume of applications that takes so long. Afterwards we had time for lunch before our meeting at the foundation so we were walking towards the pizza place. We walked past an Indian Restaurant on Kampala Road. There is a large Indian population in Kampala and earlier in the week we talked about eating at one of their restaurants. Since we intended to eat pizza, we were torn. We couldn’t make a decision, so I suggest we flip for it on a 100 shilling coin (they are the largest like quarters). It was between the bull (Italian) and ram/crane/crest (Indian). The bull won. That’s how we make some decisions!
After our pizza, we walked to the foundation. Ginger quizzed me on one of the road names along the way and I got it wrong. I guess I haven’t absorbed it quite yet. But in my defense, there are very few street signs! Our meeting was successful and we have quite a lot of work cut out for us. It’s doable, though. Funny thing about our meeting: there were only 3 chairs, and 4 of us were meeting. I decided I would sit on the floor, which I honestly didn’t mind because:
1. I sit on the floor all the time, and
2. It was cool on the floor and I was quite hot from our walk.
However, soon after I sat on the floor it upset people. They kept asking me why I was sitting on the floor, because “floors are dirty.” One of the supervisors wanted to know why, and then a lab technician walked by and asked me why. The other supervisor, who was a bit late to the meeting, looked shocked to see me on the floor when she entered. Another passerby stared at me like I was crazy. After I said I was fine, that I preferred to sit on the floor, and Ginger explained that we do it all the time at home, we finally began our meeting. Two minutes later the phone rang. I heard the supervisor say into the phone, “I don’t know, but I think she prefers it. I will ask her.” When she hung up she asked me if I wanted to stay sitting on the floor! I guess it would have been easier to find a chair somewhere. Once again I explained that I was fine. After the floor-seating issue was settled, we had a very productive meeting!
We took a boda home because the fumes get so bad during rush hour that it is hard to walk and breathe them in. I think it is what made me so nauseous the other day. There is so much beautiful vegetation growing all around us despite the polluted air and soil.
When we entered our compound, we were greeted by Rose. Her family is from Eritrea and she lives in the first unit in our compound with her daughter, Delina, and their dog Dee-Dee. She invited us in, and we ended up having a traditional Eritrean dinner with them. Her brother and two sisters are visitng. I love serendipity! They were just sitting down to eat the meal they’d finished preparing when we came inside the compound. The meal is centered around a giant round piece of njarra which is a spongy bread. The bread was placed on a large round platter on the center of their coffee table. The family members sat around the L-shaped couch. In two separate bowls they’d prepared chicken in a spicy sauce and a variety of mixed vegetables. The chicken was attached to the bone, and there was a lot of spicy brown sauce in the bowl with it. After we washed our hands in their bathroom, we all sat around their coffee table on the couch. Rose said, “We eat,” and one of her sisters began to use a ladle to dish out the chicken and its sauce onto the large, round, njarra.
Her sister used the ladle to spread around the meat and sauce all over the center of the bread, then she spooned out individual portions of vegetables in front of each of us, on our section of the bread. As she scooped our vegetables, Rose broke the meat away from the bone and tossed it near our “areas” on the bread. We used our hands to break the spongy bread apart, and ate with our fingers. There were no napkins so our hands were pretty messy . I immediately accidentally dropped some food, but no one got upset or went to clean it up. It was so delicious, and much like the food I had at the Ethiopian restaurant in Memphis, but so much better. Apparently Ethiopia and Eritrea are similar in culture and food, according to Rose. Afterward we had dessert of pineapple and jackfruit. I’d never had jackfruit before. It looks like little, yellow, stubby toes, with a big seed in the middle that resembles a large smooth almond. It was really good, and has an interested texture. After that, Rose made coffee from scratch.
She roasted the raw coffee beans in a small skillet over high heat until they smoked and turned black. She wafted the smoke toward us, and said that is the custom for us to smell it during preparation. Then, she ground the beans up in a grinder. Delina described how it’s traditionally ground with a mortar and pestle. Next, she took a grey, ceramic vessel and she poured in the ground coffee and added hot water. The vessel has a rounded bottom, a handle, and is decorated with relief etchings on its sides. We both want one. They use a piece of thick fabric that is woven in a circle to hold the vessel upright in place, and strips of colored confetti-like fabric are stuck into the spout, which act as a filter. We use small cups, much like sake cups, and identical to the kind we drink Turkish coffee from at both Mom and Fudwa’s house. The coffee is really good, but different. It is much more bitter, and no one reads the dregs at the bottom to tell my fortune after I finish my coffee like they would at home. As we sat with them, we dipped saltines in the coffee, and talked about straightening our hair. They were all really impressed that we don’t color our hair, and let it air dry without chemicals. They spend lots of time in the salon, dealing with their hair. It pays off though, because they all have very long and beautiful hair. We had so much fun with them. I loved it.
Thursday
Today is a public holiday: Martyrs Day. The day is dedicated to pay respect to 3 Christian men who were burned at the stake for their religious beliefs. School is out, and many places are closed, so we decided to go to the grocery store to see if it was open and get a few items. We really needed water, and of course we walked out of the store without it. Ginger realized we forgot it when we walked out, I decided to go back in and buy it. I told Ginger to go ahead home without me, which she did, and then I walked back by myself. I wasn’t scared at all. In fact, it felt great to be out walking around and being independent. It’s probably a good thing, since next week we will be traveling to schools alone to conduct observations. Start small. When I returned, we spent the rest of the quiet day at home writing in our journals. We also made a calendar of observations days and created our invitations for a parent’s day.
Friday
Today we were going to go to the clinic but there was a storm. Instead, we hung around the house while Annette and Grace worked. It rained AGAIN while our clothes were outside drying. I typed out a response to several questions posed by a man from the University of Memphis magazine. They are going to publish a 1-2 page article about our project! Ginger and I are so excited that our project and the foundation will be recognized!!!!!!!
We walked down to a little BBQ place for dinner. The waiters bring around a kettle with warm water inside of a large plastic bowl with a bar of soap. We washed our hands, and then the food came out. BBQ is not like BBQ in the US. It is pieces of salted pork, on skewers. I was not a fan, but we only got one stick with “accompaniments” to share. Ginger knows me pretty well now, especially my weirdness about meat. She ordered only one because we’ve had many discussions about “gristle and fat.” She doesn’t quite understand what I mean by gristle, which I explain as the surprise bite that has a chewy, knotted, ligament-esque quality. To her gristle means something off the grill. Either way, she knows what I mean by now, and she was right that I wouldn’t like the BBQ. I did, however, try it. Afterward, we went to a “fast food” place where I could get something to eat. They sell food that requires a fork and knife like Indian plates, as well as burgers and pizza. Most “fast food” in Kampala requires a fork. I got a small veggie pizza and we watched customers drink coffee with their burgers. It’s an odd combination I’m not sure I’ve seen before.
Saturday
Today we napped during a storm, and I called Mom using Skype when we woke up. It was nice to talk to her, since we usually talk almost daily and it had been nearly 2 whole weeks. I uploaded a bunch of photos; there are now 2 weeks worth. The links are on the right. Then, we decided to go see a movie. While we know where the Cineplex in Kampala is located, there is no phone number to be found online or movie show times. So we decided we’d walk around the “mall” at Garden City if we got there early. On the matatu into town, the driver didn’t stop at Park Square where we needed to get off. I yelled, “massau” which means stop. It was the first time I had told them to stop in Luganda, in fact, the first time I’d said to stop at all on a matatu. Everyone looked at me (because of my accent/pronunciation I’m sure) but they stopped. I felt good.
We were going to see the new Sex and the City film, which is advertised everywhere in Kampala. We invited Jude, a friend who mentioned wanting to see it earlier in the week. The mall at Garden City has a bunch of shops, and it is indoor/outdoor. Basically, it is open air, as the center opens up to the sky, and the food court and children’s playground are open to the outside where there would be giant windows in America. There are no stairs, only a winding ramp up that goes up 4 or more floors. I thought it was for people with handicaps but there are also elevators. I can’t figure out why there are no stairs. The fountains inside the mall have no pennies in them, or any change at all. Ginger said people would probably take them out. Before the movie started, we went into a few shops. Then we bought hummus and vegetables at a Lebanese restaurant in the food court overlooking the golf course. It was really good, and we bought some Pita bread to-go, which we will use for guacamole. It was interesting to see a Lebanese restaurant in a mall, which would be unlikely in the US.
When we entered the movie theatre, a guard scanned us for weapons with his wand. He also felt the outside of our purses. It was sort of weird because we were already INSIDE the mall. The popcorn Jude bought came in a very small bag compared to American theatres, but I don’t know what, if any, the other size options are available. When we got inside, the theatre was FREEZING. I am already not used to A.C. apparently, and it reminded me of how I am usually cold in American theatres too. There was only one preview, unlike the 12-15 minutes of preview we experience at movies in America. Other than that, the movie-going experience was the same. The film was pretty good, but I didn’t know before we saw it that it was set in Abu Dhabi. It was kind of interesting that we are in another culture learning and experiencing the differences between Uganda and America, and in the film the characters are in another culture experiencing culture shock in the United Arab Emirates. How bizarre. When we came home, Ginger was preparing to bathe when the power went out. Instead, she boiled water on the gas stove, and took her bath old fashioned style.
Friday, June 4, 2010
Thursday, June 3, 2010
May 28th through June 1st
This weekend was fantastic. Sorry for the delayed postings, but we still didn’t have our own internet until Tuesday, June 1st. As a result, here are the last 4 days! –Cheers!
Saturday
We got up early Saturday and had banana bread and tea for breakfast. We had a mix-up with our tea pot and I think I may have inadvertently boiled a bug. I also think I drank bits of said bug in my subsequent two cups of morning tea, as did Ginger. He must have crawled in through the spout. After breakfast we sprinkled roach poison in the garage. It was like sprinkling cayenne pepper for ghosts or some sort of voodoo. Ginger made a remark like we were preventing vampires from entering our house and it really was funny.
Saturday
We got up early Saturday and had banana bread and tea for breakfast. We had a mix-up with our tea pot and I think I may have inadvertently boiled a bug. I also think I drank bits of said bug in my subsequent two cups of morning tea, as did Ginger. He must have crawled in through the spout. After breakfast we sprinkled roach poison in the garage. It was like sprinkling cayenne pepper for ghosts or some sort of voodoo. Ginger made a remark like we were preventing vampires from entering our house and it really was funny.
Then we went to the 1000 Cups of Coffee shop, where Joan was working. We had a fabulous time browsing the crafts (there are some nice items) and chatted with some female South Carolinians, who were visiting Masindi to build a hospital with Palmetto Medical out of Charleston. Small world. Ginger might be able to find a job with them, which would be so cool.
We walked through the market and I tried my hand and haggling. I successfully talked a vender into letting me pay half of what she was asking, but it was hard. I don’t like confrontation. I also feel bad since it’s ultimately not that much money, which they need. When we came home we tried to write. Then Ginger made guacamole and it was the best guacamole I’ve ever eaten.
Sunday
The best day I’ve had here yet. I absolutely felt like I am a real anthropologist today. We met up with Richard, who was quite late to our appointed time to meet at the square due to a severe traffic jam. We were on our way to an orphanage in Kynergera. We went through the old taxi park to find a taxi there and it was chaotic and dirty. People are everywhere and cars really almost ran us over. Ginger told me to hang on tight to my purse. People are just squished together down there, looking for transportation and going to the adjacent market. Once we found a matatu (I have NO idea how we found the right one, or how to repeat the process accurately) we made our way there.
We were driving out of Kampala and into a more rural area known as Kyengera. The countryside is breathtaking and I tried to take as many pictures from the back of the matatu as I could. We got off the matatu around a half hour later at a gas station and caught a boda to our destination. I had to sit sideways since I was wearing a skirt. Have you ever tried to sit sideways on a motorcycle? It does not feel very safe. To make matters worse, we drove up a dirt road which was in terrible condition. It looked more like a drainage ditch down a steep hill (which we were going UP) with numerous rocks jutting out all over. There was a brick wall to our left, and at one point my boda almost fell over and into the wall, but the driver put his feet down to stop us from crashing. We made it safely to the top of the hill to see a soccer match.
They call it football here, and it was the “orphans” playing another team. I put orphans in quotations because we later discovered most of them have extended family helping to take care of them, but 3 have no parents or family. That’s where we met Sonya, Moses, Roger and many other awesome folks. Sonya is from Germany, and she studies social work. She helped create an orphanage to help care for almost 20 children who are poor and have lost a parent. She coaches their soccer team in the hopes of finding athletic scholarships for these disadvantaged children so they can receive education. Her primary goal is education. Her boyfriend, Moses (a Ugandan and one of Richards best friends) helps her with the children. Roger is another friend in the community who also helps coach soccer.
I saw a woman selling sugar cane who must have walked up the hill to try to sell to everyone during the game. Sonya had purchased one, and I was intrigued because I’ve never seen anyone eat it before. You peel the bark back with your teeth and bite of pieces of the cane. Then, you chew it until the juice is gone, and spit out the chewed cane. She looked like an expert.
We sat there under a tree, watching the game, and it was beautiful out. Richard asked me lots of questions about America. We were talking about things we’d never done. He has never seen snow, never eaten a grape, and never eaten McDonalds. I told him I had never eaten Jackfruit. Then he asked me if I ever ate sugar cane. I told him I hadn’t and he jumped up and went over to the lady. I told him I could pay for it (and so did Ginger) but he purchased three 2 foot long cuts of sugar cane for us.
I tried to bite it and I thought my tooth would break. He went back and got the woman’s knife to cut away the bark for me. Then he showed me how to eat it, by biting down with your back teeth. I tried it, and the juice ran down my chin and arms, but I couldn’t break off any of the cane! The juice was so sweet, it tastes amazing. I kept trying, and I was essentially gnawing at it which made me feel sort of like a koala bear eating bamboo. I strategized that I could just suck the juice out, but that did not work. It requires chewing. The bark had dirt on it and when the juice dripped down it turned to mud and our hands got so dirty. We took photos of our experience.
After the game we walked toward their houses. To get there we had to walk over the hill and we passed many different kinds of fruits and vegetables. As I was walking along with Richard and Roger, they both pointed out the following plants they eat in the village: cassava, sweet potato, avocado, jackfruit, sugarcane, papaya, banana, maize, coffee, yam, Irish potato, and pineapple. There are no clear fences or barriers surrounding all these plants. They were so proud of them and encouraged me to take pictures of them, which I did. I will upload them shortly.
We walked through the fruit trees into an open space with small houses. There were 3 goats tied to small posts in the ground and toddlers were walking up to them feeding them grass and leaves. A hen walked around proudly with 5 little chicks, and a rooster roamed the grassy area crowing. There was a large ceramic pot that Roger lead me up to- it was the dinner he’d cooked for everyone. He calls the food pilawo and it looked like it contained rice and onions. It was a massive pot of rice and onions. All around us people were getting ready for dinner. In front of the ceramic pot there was a large kiln for firing bricks. We went into Moses and Sonya’s house, after we took our shoes off at the door. The first room was 8X10 ft, and had a twin size mattress on the back left corner. Directly in front of it was a plastic shelf that held different items like games and books and eating utensils. There was some African art on canvas on the wall. The other room of the same size was their bedroom. It had a full size mattress on the floor and a wooden structure where their clothes hung. Sonya has many beautiful bright colored scarves and flowing skirts hanging there. They had a small stand with a TV, DVD player, iPod and it looked like they had a small satellite dish on top of their TV. They had a few movies and books (one of which was a scrapbook of their adventures). There was a single light from one of the 2X4 beams in the exposed attic. They have no indoor plumbing, kitchen, or running water. Everything takes place outside in nature. They live quite modestly.
Outside, Sonya cooked on the small charcoal stoves called sigili. She made soup out of zucchini, carrots, and green beans in one pot. When the children saw her add sugar to the soup, they all said it was gross because “sugar does not belong in food.” In another sigili she made potatoes, and the fourth contained mystery meat. I’m not sure what it was, perhaps goat or lamb. As she cooked, Roger was helping me write down Luganda words for everything in my field notebook, but then he just took it away. He walked around looking at what people were doing for inspiration on which words to include in his dictionary. At the same time, Richard was perusing through the photos on my camera and I told him to take some with the camera. So right then in that moment, all forms of recording other than relying on my own memory were taken from me. I liked it. I was interested in what images from this scene Richard would want to capture in a photograph, and what Luganda words Roger felt were imperative for a muzungo to learn. It felt like collaboration. Is that a stretch?
I really was having the best time. I watched young boys play cards, and another traditional African game called mweeso that is played with black beads on a wooden board with saucers cut out of it. They were having a blast. Some of them washed up outside with the collected rainwater. They collect rainwater from the gutters of their houses into a giant cistern with a spout. It looked like 2 houses share one. But soon dinner was ready, and a metal plate was used to cut out massive portions of the rice. The plates were piled extremely high with rice, it would have been like 3-4 portions in America. Then, the soup was poured on top of the rice, next potatoes, and finally meat. I told Sonya that Ginger and I could share one (minus meat), since it was just so much food. Ginger, Richard, and I used forks, but everyone else ate with their hands. It was delicious.
After dinner, they cleaned up while we watched part of a disturbing documentary about Idi Amin. Soon, it was time to walk to the main road for the party for the children. We walked through the trees in the darkness. Since their team, the Spartans, are undefeated, Moses and Sonya threw a party to celebrate. They rented out a 10X20 foot room with a DJ. It was so much fun. They held speeches, and even thanked us for coming to their celebration in the speeches. The kids were so happy. They sang mock-karaoke, where they held the microphone and performed the songs. And there was dancing into the night. They even had a dance contest between a girl and two boys. I got video footage. They asked us to dance the traditional Bagenda dance, which Ginger and I tried desperately to mimic. It was quite hot and sweaty in that small space, but honestly the most fun I’ve had in a really long time.
After the evening drew to a close for the children and they went home, we sat next door enjoying a refreshing beer outside. It was so interesting to talk to Sonya and Moses. They work hard for these children in Kyengera. After all the food and drinks of the evening, I really needed to use the restroom, but there was not one there. Sonya led me to the back of the building to an outhouse. The building has a series of stalls that only contain holes in the floor. There is some mess where people have missed the hole, and no light inside of the stall. When you shut the door it’s just you, the hole, and the spiders. I was glad that I wore a skirt and brought my own hand sanitizer and toilet paper. Then, we made the long journey home.
I couldn’t stop smiling. If you think this blog is long, I wrote over 20 pages about the whole experience in my journal. It’s impossible to describe Sunday in a brief paragraph. It was fantastic. Poverty is relative, as Ginger says.
Monday
Today we walked to the hospital where the Makerere University School of Public Health is located. They have a crafts room and café for women with children who have HIV where they can sell goods and use the money to help support themselves. Dr. Bagenda teaches at the Makerere University School of Public Health and conducts research on mother to child transmission of HIV. He is fascinating and helps us out immensely. I really like him. He introduced us to his colleague Dr. John Ssempebwa who coined the phrase “slim disease” in the early stages of the epidemic here in Uganda, before people knew what HIV/AIDS was. Dr. Ssempebwa told me he was glad I didn’t have a southern accent because he does not like the way it sounds. He was very funny. Once we had the forms, we travelled to UNCST to submit them, but they told us we would have to wait up to 6 weeks for approval. We were stunned. Ginger called Dr. Bagenda and he said he would see what he could do. We felt defeated. We already have IRB approval from the Makerere University and University of Memphis. Because our proposal has been reviewed twice, we all thought it was a formality, and even Dr. Bagenda was surprised that they told us it would be that long. Hopefully better news tomorrow.
Tuesday
Today we went to get our own internet through Orange, a 3G internet service in Uganda. We are so happy to not have to rely on internet cafés any longer. Hooray! Ginger did not eat anything before we left, and when we returned home she drank some juice because she was starving. Grace scolded her because, “juice is wrong to drink before you eat. You will lose your appetite.” She was cooking fish, matoke, nakate (greens with cabbage) for our lunch. She is the best cook. She talked to us about how hard it is to get a Visa to go to America. Americans often don’t realize how easy it is for us to travel abroad. It’s much harder for other nationalities. She said when Ugandans go to America the motto is “no sleeping, work hard, make money.” They do not want to stay there and live. They want to just visit, make money and come home. 23 hours a day. In fact, her family there is doing very well, but she can’t get a Visa to visit them. After lunch, we kept writing up our Journals for Sunday. It was taking FOREVER and we were upset about the bad news we’d received the day before. Dr. Bagenda called and said he spoke with a contact he has there who will submit the paperwork to the President’s office by the end of the week, but that still leaves 4 weeks.
Tonight David came over. He is the guy that Ginger and her Mom helped with school fees last summer. He is really nice, and excited to see Ginger again. Now we are all sitting here drinking tea, reading and writing. Ginger and I talked about doing our traveling to the Nile, Murchison Falls, and Hoima before we planned, if we have to wait four weeks to collect data. I also really want to do a coffee tour. We will try to set out a calendar tomorrow after our meeting with the foundation. Keep your fingers crossed for us!!!!
Tuesday, June 1, 2010
Friday 28th May
Friday 28th May
Today we meant to wake up early. It ended up being after 9:30 that we actually got up. We purposefully stayed awake until 2 a.m. so that we might sleep through the night (for once). At first it seemed like a great idea, but at 3:30 I was still wide awake. I took the opportunity to start reading my new book. O’Conner is very funny and his writing is liberal and bold. I like reading the book so far. I recommend it.
Annette stopped by early, even though we weren’t expecting anyone until Saturday. She helped wake us up though, so that’s good. Then, Grace came too. Grace was upset that we haven’t yet finished the food she prepared for us on Wednesday. She keeps telling us we don’t eat enough. Even though as she fussed at us, we were currently eating the breakfast we made ourselves: fresh eggs with garlic, onion, tomato and toast with Blue Ban. They are sold individually, not in cartons. They taste way better than the free range “organic” eggs in the US. After breakfast, we went to the store to get a few items we needed.
There are two grocery stores right up the road, and this time we went to a new one. You have to leave your bags at the door in a cubby hole, and there is a guard who watches you walk through the gate. Then you can shop. The shopping carts are half the size of the ones in America. The isles are full of packaged goods, vegetables, and foodstuffs. Some I’ve seen before, and others I haven’t. If you leave your cart alone too long, an employee will commandeer it and help you shop. We bought a Phillips blender so we can make juice/smoothies. We also bought a new frying pan because all of the ones in our apartment have their handles burnt off on account of the heat from the gas stove. The grocery also has an upstairs, with a zigzag ramp you take the cart up. Downstairs was more of the grocery, and upstairs reminded me of a discount store with knickknacks. They even sell cribs with mosquito nets. We also saw these neat vases that are made out of bull horns. I sorta want one, but I’m waiting. Ginger and I are not going to buy any souvenirs for a while, so we can shop around for the best prices and items.
It was really hot today, and carrying the water was easier this time because we each carried one. They are 5 liters. Our bookbags helped us carry the groceries back instead of the flimsy cardboard box. We have to walk down dirt hills that become slick and are easy to fall on. This way was much better. After we unpacked our items, we left to go to the foundation. We are still working on the paperwork for UNCST, which is taking a bit longer than we hoped. Everything here takes way longer than it does in America. We walked up to the main road to catch a boda. This time we shared one.
I was sandwiched in the middle of the driver and Ginger. Ginger suggested I tell the driver, “Please drive safe,” when we got on. I told him, and he drove extremely carefully. People are so nice here. I was so glad because I didn’t have anything to hang on to but my knees if we got in a jam. We pulled up right at the foundation. The foundation has a clinic where they provide health services people with HIV/AIDS and they also have the mentorship in the back. We walk past the clinic, to the open air offices in the back where the supervisors and administrators work. We had access to the computer and printer there, but the experience was still frustratingly slow. But much better than in the internet cafes. Of course, the printer was out of ink, and the internet kept cutting us off, but we got to read our emails after a while. We completed our paperwork, and will bring it back to UNCST on Monday.
One thing about the clinic: there are cats there. They follow people around who are eating (we arrived at lunch time). They are so cute, and since the doors and windows are open you can see and hear everything going on. I kept seeing the cat walking alongside someone on their lunch break, meowing. Funny. That’s the thing about our compound too. Our windows have screens, but they are always “open.” The top part of the window is a metal screen. It stays pretty cool with the breeze in the house, so I’m now used to no air conditioning. However, you can hear (and smell) everything: people coughing across the street, babies crying, children playing, cats screeching, dogs barking, people laughing, people cooking. In the early mornings, you can hear roosters and they are loud. So are the dogs. There is a pack of dogs that consistently start howling around 5 a.m. They remind me of Disney Movie the 101 Dalmatians when all the dogs communicate to each other throughout the city. It’s like sleeping outside really. I’ve made good use of my ear plugs.
The people here throw trash on the ground everywhere. There are drainage ditches full of trash, and sometimes you walk past a pile that has a particularly ripe smell. There are seriously are no trashcans. I think I’ve seen two, and they were overflowing with garbage. If they aren’t littering, they burn their trash in their yards outside. You can smell the smoke wafting in through the open windows. The first few days I was here, I thought something was burning in the house until I realized it was our neighbors burning trash. The smoke doesn’t smell as bad as the piles and ditches do. It smells more like a gas heater, in the early winter when you first turn it on and the dust burns off.
The animals are interesting here. There will be goats, chickens, dogs, cats just walking around the city. They have no clear owners, they are just hanging out. The goats and chicken eat the trash. We were thinking maybe all the city needs is a massive influx of bats and goats. I would add stoplights and trashcans. When we were headed toward the foundation the other day there was a giant bull and cow lounging in the grassy median on the really busy Kampala Road. The bull had huge horns, and looked like he must be worth money. Cars, bodas and matatus are just zooming by, and the cows are just hanging out. Who do they belong to? It looks so odd. Today after we finished at the foundation, we walked the whole way home. On my new map, we measured with string and it says it’s two miles. We both agree the map is wrong and it is more like 3 or 4. There are several places mis-marked on the map, so we are probably correct.
After dinner, the sun was setting and I went to the door to take a photo from our porch. But the door was already open, which we didn’t realize all through dinner. I know I shut it when I saw it was getting dark, but I guess not all the way. The mosquitoes were buzzing inside and outside, but I didn’t realize it until I came back in. They are so terrible. We sprayed the room and ourselves.
Tonight we made banana bread after dinner. The gas oven takes some focused thought. You have to convert Fahrenheit from the recipe into Celsius to cook at the proper temperature. Then, you have to stick the lit match precariously into the oven into a hole and simultaneously turn the know to let the gas out. It’s really a two person job. Lighting it seems dangerous, but we are up for the challenge. Halfway through baking the banana bread, Ginger checked on it and a mosquito was stuck to the outside edge of the oven. It was like it tried to fly in there at the last second. Luckily it didn’t get on the bread. I’m excited for Grace to try the bread, she calls it, “Banana cake.” Tomorrow is reading day and we are going to the coffee shop to visit Joan!
Today we meant to wake up early. It ended up being after 9:30 that we actually got up. We purposefully stayed awake until 2 a.m. so that we might sleep through the night (for once). At first it seemed like a great idea, but at 3:30 I was still wide awake. I took the opportunity to start reading my new book. O’Conner is very funny and his writing is liberal and bold. I like reading the book so far. I recommend it.
Annette stopped by early, even though we weren’t expecting anyone until Saturday. She helped wake us up though, so that’s good. Then, Grace came too. Grace was upset that we haven’t yet finished the food she prepared for us on Wednesday. She keeps telling us we don’t eat enough. Even though as she fussed at us, we were currently eating the breakfast we made ourselves: fresh eggs with garlic, onion, tomato and toast with Blue Ban. They are sold individually, not in cartons. They taste way better than the free range “organic” eggs in the US. After breakfast, we went to the store to get a few items we needed.
There are two grocery stores right up the road, and this time we went to a new one. You have to leave your bags at the door in a cubby hole, and there is a guard who watches you walk through the gate. Then you can shop. The shopping carts are half the size of the ones in America. The isles are full of packaged goods, vegetables, and foodstuffs. Some I’ve seen before, and others I haven’t. If you leave your cart alone too long, an employee will commandeer it and help you shop. We bought a Phillips blender so we can make juice/smoothies. We also bought a new frying pan because all of the ones in our apartment have their handles burnt off on account of the heat from the gas stove. The grocery also has an upstairs, with a zigzag ramp you take the cart up. Downstairs was more of the grocery, and upstairs reminded me of a discount store with knickknacks. They even sell cribs with mosquito nets. We also saw these neat vases that are made out of bull horns. I sorta want one, but I’m waiting. Ginger and I are not going to buy any souvenirs for a while, so we can shop around for the best prices and items.
It was really hot today, and carrying the water was easier this time because we each carried one. They are 5 liters. Our bookbags helped us carry the groceries back instead of the flimsy cardboard box. We have to walk down dirt hills that become slick and are easy to fall on. This way was much better. After we unpacked our items, we left to go to the foundation. We are still working on the paperwork for UNCST, which is taking a bit longer than we hoped. Everything here takes way longer than it does in America. We walked up to the main road to catch a boda. This time we shared one.
I was sandwiched in the middle of the driver and Ginger. Ginger suggested I tell the driver, “Please drive safe,” when we got on. I told him, and he drove extremely carefully. People are so nice here. I was so glad because I didn’t have anything to hang on to but my knees if we got in a jam. We pulled up right at the foundation. The foundation has a clinic where they provide health services people with HIV/AIDS and they also have the mentorship in the back. We walk past the clinic, to the open air offices in the back where the supervisors and administrators work. We had access to the computer and printer there, but the experience was still frustratingly slow. But much better than in the internet cafes. Of course, the printer was out of ink, and the internet kept cutting us off, but we got to read our emails after a while. We completed our paperwork, and will bring it back to UNCST on Monday.
One thing about the clinic: there are cats there. They follow people around who are eating (we arrived at lunch time). They are so cute, and since the doors and windows are open you can see and hear everything going on. I kept seeing the cat walking alongside someone on their lunch break, meowing. Funny. That’s the thing about our compound too. Our windows have screens, but they are always “open.” The top part of the window is a metal screen. It stays pretty cool with the breeze in the house, so I’m now used to no air conditioning. However, you can hear (and smell) everything: people coughing across the street, babies crying, children playing, cats screeching, dogs barking, people laughing, people cooking. In the early mornings, you can hear roosters and they are loud. So are the dogs. There is a pack of dogs that consistently start howling around 5 a.m. They remind me of Disney Movie the 101 Dalmatians when all the dogs communicate to each other throughout the city. It’s like sleeping outside really. I’ve made good use of my ear plugs.
The people here throw trash on the ground everywhere. There are drainage ditches full of trash, and sometimes you walk past a pile that has a particularly ripe smell. There are seriously are no trashcans. I think I’ve seen two, and they were overflowing with garbage. If they aren’t littering, they burn their trash in their yards outside. You can smell the smoke wafting in through the open windows. The first few days I was here, I thought something was burning in the house until I realized it was our neighbors burning trash. The smoke doesn’t smell as bad as the piles and ditches do. It smells more like a gas heater, in the early winter when you first turn it on and the dust burns off.
The animals are interesting here. There will be goats, chickens, dogs, cats just walking around the city. They have no clear owners, they are just hanging out. The goats and chicken eat the trash. We were thinking maybe all the city needs is a massive influx of bats and goats. I would add stoplights and trashcans. When we were headed toward the foundation the other day there was a giant bull and cow lounging in the grassy median on the really busy Kampala Road. The bull had huge horns, and looked like he must be worth money. Cars, bodas and matatus are just zooming by, and the cows are just hanging out. Who do they belong to? It looks so odd. Today after we finished at the foundation, we walked the whole way home. On my new map, we measured with string and it says it’s two miles. We both agree the map is wrong and it is more like 3 or 4. There are several places mis-marked on the map, so we are probably correct.
After dinner, the sun was setting and I went to the door to take a photo from our porch. But the door was already open, which we didn’t realize all through dinner. I know I shut it when I saw it was getting dark, but I guess not all the way. The mosquitoes were buzzing inside and outside, but I didn’t realize it until I came back in. They are so terrible. We sprayed the room and ourselves.
Tonight we made banana bread after dinner. The gas oven takes some focused thought. You have to convert Fahrenheit from the recipe into Celsius to cook at the proper temperature. Then, you have to stick the lit match precariously into the oven into a hole and simultaneously turn the know to let the gas out. It’s really a two person job. Lighting it seems dangerous, but we are up for the challenge. Halfway through baking the banana bread, Ginger checked on it and a mosquito was stuck to the outside edge of the oven. It was like it tried to fly in there at the last second. Luckily it didn’t get on the bread. I’m excited for Grace to try the bread, she calls it, “Banana cake.” Tomorrow is reading day and we are going to the coffee shop to visit Joan!
Friday, May 28, 2010
Day 3 May 25th
I forgot to mention how I had to learn how to use the gas oven. I have a gas oven in Memphis, but this is the kind you have to light yourself. You have to strike the wax match (which is tiny and inevitably breaks) in just enough time to turn the gas knob on and let some escape before you light it. It took like 4 tries before I finally got it. We had a good laugh about that. We also turn on our hot water, turn on outlets, and turn on the gas as they are needed. So we save energy that way. It’s neat.
Today I met Annette and Grace. They are here helping us cook and clean. Grace promised to make us matoke with peanut sauce for when we came back. We went to two different internet café’s before we found one (a third one that an employee from the second one walked us to) that could print out the necessary documents we needed to take to the Ugandan National Council for Science and Technology (UNCST). Of course, the internet there worked on one computer, and we had to change our files to Word 2003, to upload the previous blog on a different computer. In all we switched between 4 computers and 3 stores. Once I got my flashdrive to work, and could read my emails, it was worth the wait. I received the nicest emails from Mom and Mike, and it was really wonderful to hear from everyone who commented on the blog. From here on out, since I am having such difficulty with the internet, I think I will mostly upload on the blog. Internet is a luxury I take for granted in the U.S. But how I love hearing your responses to the blogs!
Ginger impressed me again today, after we bought more cell phone minutes. This guy was haggling me to buy purses and she said, “Stop it, she doesn’t want any!” and pushed the bag away. He was so persistent before, but that stopped him! She is brave. I’m so glad I am here with her, because sometimes I don’t know what I am doing at all. We walked some today too, and we couldn’t find the UNCST, so we took a boda which is basically a dirt bike/motorcycle. I was so terrified at first because they weave in and out of traffic like it’s no big deal. Plus passengers do not have helmets, and hang on to the back of the seat instead of the driver. But then, with the wind in my hair when we started going really fast, I was calm. It was refreshing and exhilarating. I guess that is why Dad likes riding without a helmet so much. You really feel like you’re riding. That’s not to say I didn’t repeat, “Please don’t fall off” in my head a few times before it was over. I actually enjoyed it, though.
Once we got to UNCST, we of course didn’t have the appropriate documents and number of photographs. Ginger and I both were frustrated but we laughed it off, because it’s just bureaucratic loopholes. Then, we took a matatu which is a taxi bus. We got off near the foundation to walk the rest of the way. Since we were passing the pizza place that she frequented last year, we went in to eat lunch.
For some reason, the store fronts are deceiving here. There is a small door, often a concrete wall around it, so you can’t tell what the area looks like on the other side. It was like that at 1000 Cups of Coffee too. When we descended the stairs at the pizza place, we walked into a huge open space with tons of trees and flowers. There’s no way you could have known that’s what it was on the other side. The leaves hang over in a canopy, and there is a large number of tables outside where you can sit and enjoy pizza/Italian food. The owners are Italian and there are tons of pictures of Italy all over the walls. I ordered a real coke, which is sweetened with sugar cane here. It was so yummy, and nice to drink in the hot afternoon under the cool canopy. We decided to get the Hawaiian pizza (because pineapple is so wonderful here) and it was really delicious. So now, I’ve had Hawaiian pizza in Uganda. Ha!
Next we went to the foundation, and I met two supervisors and one administrator. They were very interested in the project, and excited about the new SAS year. The students just started the program this week, with the material from the Life Skills unit. We are going to be working closely with them, in order to conduct interviews and focus groups this summer. They have already begun to implement many of the recommendations Ginger suggested from her time here last year. They are very supportive of our project and excited about the research. Their enthusiasm made me excited as well. This is finally real!
Then, we came home on another boda. The driver and I had a long conversation about Uganda on the ride back. He was telling me how much Ugandans need jobs. I think he thought because I am American I could help in some way. I told him I was just a student. It made me feel bad. I thought about how people get upset about the lack of jobs in America. It’s obvious how different it is elsewhere. There is so much we take for granted. Like trashcans and stoplights. There are virtually neither in the city of Kampala. There is so much traffic and trash. However, the direction we came home from was really nice and gave a view of a different level of the city. We were higher up and it was worlds apart from the bottom, which is much dirtier and less prestigious. I want to help but I don’t even know what to say. Then, we arrived at our street and walked the rest of the way home. When we got home, Grace and Annette were finishing dinner. We saw the biggest praying mantis I’ve ever seen on our porch while we sat outside waiting. He was enormous and grey/brown instead of green. We just finished eating matoke (which is mashed green bananas and looks like mashed potatoes) with peanut sauce that Grace made for us. They call peanuts ground nuts, and hence: g-nut sauce. She also cooked some kind of greens mixed with cabbage. For desert: pineapple. She also made homemade tangerine juice. I can’t tell you how good it all was. After dinner, Andrew came over and we talked for a while. Now, it’s all Ginger and I can to do stay awake past 9 p.m. and not sleep till noon. In all, today was a good day. It’s amazing how the pace is different here. It took us all day to accomplish a few tasks. I kinda like that. Even though people are walking everywhere, they aren’t rushing around and shoving you like in New York. Tomorrow, we will try to get a head start on the paperwork we need by Monday. Cheers!
Day 4, May 27
We are both having a terrible time sleeping properly. I keep waking up at 3 am, and staying up for hours. I also have had some seriously odd dreams, which aren’t scary, but I wake up pouring sweat and wide awake. Last night we were up at the same time, and Ginger heard me sneezing. She said she thought about coming in to hang out. I guess it’s because we are going to bed when we would be waking up and waking up when we would normally be going to bed. How bizarre. Tonight we are staying up late to try to combat the insomnia that begins halfway through the night. (fingers crossed)
This morning we slept in until noon, again. That’s the problem. We luckily didn’t have too much to do today. We went to get Ginger’s passport size photos made, and found a place that did it for 5,000 shillings. A fair price, and she got 6 of them. It was funny though because they took us upstairs and there was a wooden box the subject sits on, and the umbrella-shaped flash devices on either side. The old fashioned flash gadgets. They make a loud noise (like a gunshot) when the photos are snapped. Also, the photographer fixed her hair, placing it behind her ears, and adjusted the angle of her chin. It was like Glamour Shots. And the flash is so loud. We were both laughing, but trying not to. Haha.
There are merchants everywhere on Kampala Road. People were walking up to us with items for sale like belts, fresh cut sugar cane, fruits, etc. People even try to sell you a manicure. People are sitting around on tapestries with lots of different jewelry and knickknacks that they are selling. The women are sitting/laying under umbrellas waiting for customers.
We also saw one of the SAS Clinics that provides medical services, etc. We went to a neat bookstore and I bought a book called Ugandan Society Observed. It’s written by Kevin O’Conner, a journalist who writes for the Sunday Monitor. I’m excited about it. The bookstore was really fun and we spent a lot of time there. After we left, a small boy ran up to me smiling and holding out his hand. We grabbed hands, and then he ran off. He was so cute. I think he just wanted to touch a muzungo.
Then we walked to Park Square to wait for a friend, Richard. It’s a green space in the city, where people rest and sit under trees. There was a nice breeze, and people were socializing. There was a man standing there preaching with a bible in Luganda. We found a nice spot, and I noticed three young women sitting several yards in front of us. They were laughing, and one of them held a camera. I told Ginger they were trying to discreetly take our picture, and she didn’t think they were. But then, they were much more obvious, and we were certain they were taking our photo. We smiled for it, then I took theirs. I took the opportunity to take more of the park.
That’s the thing, people seem shocked to see us all the time because we are the minority. On the matatu (taxi-bus) it’s hard to see who is inside. Often after the door opens, people look so surprised to see who they are going to be sitting next to. We just kinda laugh and say hello. The other thing is that there are no stop lights, so often traffic gets backed up pretty bad. The matatu have 15 seats, and they usually accommodate more people than that. People sit close together. There is a driver and a conducter who will yell out the window where it is going. I’m getting better at understanding where the matatu are headed. It’s hard sometimes because they talk so fast. Since there are no traffic lights, the traffic builds up quickly. The drivers will turn off their engines once the traffic gets thick. I guess to save gas. I thought of Mike approving of that because he tells us not to let our engines idle for more than 18 seconds. I also wonder if they go through many starters because they turn them on and off. I (and likely Mom and Mike as well) appreciate the good it’s doing for the environment, however. Less exhaust, pollution and fumes is always good.
After we met up with Richard, we went to a restaurant. We talked pretty late (around 7-8 pm) and he is very interesting. He asked many questions about America, and we asked him many about Uganda. He is from the countryside and many of his family members still live there. We hope to visit when we go to Murchison Falls since it’s close by. I’m so excited to travel to rural parts of Uganda. This Sunday we are going to visit an orphanage with him. One of his friends’ girlfriends is from Germany and started the orphanage. She is having a party for the children. We were invited. Yay!
As it got later, I was getting nervous about mosquitoes. I had repellent in my purse but I didn’t want to use it in the restaurant in front of everyone. So, I went to the bathroom and put it on. But, I never saw the first mosquito, and I guess they can’t breed well in the city (which is what Ginger explained). It makes sense. In any case, we made it home safely and mosquito-bite free. We watched the pilot and first episode of Seinfeld before we started writing. It was nice to laugh, and reminded me of America and my friends and family. I so often find Seinfeld-isms in daily life, but it hasn’t happened here yet. Tomorrow we are going shopping. We are going to bring our backpacks so we don’t have to carry everything in a collapsing cardboard box. That was precarious. I am going to cook eggs tomorrow for breakfast because Ginger said they are so good, and we bought a lot of them. After that we will head back to the foundation, hopefully to use their computers. We might make banana bread tomorrow night. Cheers!
I forgot to mention how I had to learn how to use the gas oven. I have a gas oven in Memphis, but this is the kind you have to light yourself. You have to strike the wax match (which is tiny and inevitably breaks) in just enough time to turn the gas knob on and let some escape before you light it. It took like 4 tries before I finally got it. We had a good laugh about that. We also turn on our hot water, turn on outlets, and turn on the gas as they are needed. So we save energy that way. It’s neat.
Today I met Annette and Grace. They are here helping us cook and clean. Grace promised to make us matoke with peanut sauce for when we came back. We went to two different internet café’s before we found one (a third one that an employee from the second one walked us to) that could print out the necessary documents we needed to take to the Ugandan National Council for Science and Technology (UNCST). Of course, the internet there worked on one computer, and we had to change our files to Word 2003, to upload the previous blog on a different computer. In all we switched between 4 computers and 3 stores. Once I got my flashdrive to work, and could read my emails, it was worth the wait. I received the nicest emails from Mom and Mike, and it was really wonderful to hear from everyone who commented on the blog. From here on out, since I am having such difficulty with the internet, I think I will mostly upload on the blog. Internet is a luxury I take for granted in the U.S. But how I love hearing your responses to the blogs!
Ginger impressed me again today, after we bought more cell phone minutes. This guy was haggling me to buy purses and she said, “Stop it, she doesn’t want any!” and pushed the bag away. He was so persistent before, but that stopped him! She is brave. I’m so glad I am here with her, because sometimes I don’t know what I am doing at all. We walked some today too, and we couldn’t find the UNCST, so we took a boda which is basically a dirt bike/motorcycle. I was so terrified at first because they weave in and out of traffic like it’s no big deal. Plus passengers do not have helmets, and hang on to the back of the seat instead of the driver. But then, with the wind in my hair when we started going really fast, I was calm. It was refreshing and exhilarating. I guess that is why Dad likes riding without a helmet so much. You really feel like you’re riding. That’s not to say I didn’t repeat, “Please don’t fall off” in my head a few times before it was over. I actually enjoyed it, though.
Once we got to UNCST, we of course didn’t have the appropriate documents and number of photographs. Ginger and I both were frustrated but we laughed it off, because it’s just bureaucratic loopholes. Then, we took a matatu which is a taxi bus. We got off near the foundation to walk the rest of the way. Since we were passing the pizza place that she frequented last year, we went in to eat lunch.
For some reason, the store fronts are deceiving here. There is a small door, often a concrete wall around it, so you can’t tell what the area looks like on the other side. It was like that at 1000 Cups of Coffee too. When we descended the stairs at the pizza place, we walked into a huge open space with tons of trees and flowers. There’s no way you could have known that’s what it was on the other side. The leaves hang over in a canopy, and there is a large number of tables outside where you can sit and enjoy pizza/Italian food. The owners are Italian and there are tons of pictures of Italy all over the walls. I ordered a real coke, which is sweetened with sugar cane here. It was so yummy, and nice to drink in the hot afternoon under the cool canopy. We decided to get the Hawaiian pizza (because pineapple is so wonderful here) and it was really delicious. So now, I’ve had Hawaiian pizza in Uganda. Ha!
Next we went to the foundation, and I met two supervisors and one administrator. They were very interested in the project, and excited about the new SAS year. The students just started the program this week, with the material from the Life Skills unit. We are going to be working closely with them, in order to conduct interviews and focus groups this summer. They have already begun to implement many of the recommendations Ginger suggested from her time here last year. They are very supportive of our project and excited about the research. Their enthusiasm made me excited as well. This is finally real!
Then, we came home on another boda. The driver and I had a long conversation about Uganda on the ride back. He was telling me how much Ugandans need jobs. I think he thought because I am American I could help in some way. I told him I was just a student. It made me feel bad. I thought about how people get upset about the lack of jobs in America. It’s obvious how different it is elsewhere. There is so much we take for granted. Like trashcans and stoplights. There are virtually neither in the city of Kampala. There is so much traffic and trash. However, the direction we came home from was really nice and gave a view of a different level of the city. We were higher up and it was worlds apart from the bottom, which is much dirtier and less prestigious. I want to help but I don’t even know what to say. Then, we arrived at our street and walked the rest of the way home. When we got home, Grace and Annette were finishing dinner. We saw the biggest praying mantis I’ve ever seen on our porch while we sat outside waiting. He was enormous and grey/brown instead of green. We just finished eating matoke (which is mashed green bananas and looks like mashed potatoes) with peanut sauce that Grace made for us. They call peanuts ground nuts, and hence: g-nut sauce. She also cooked some kind of greens mixed with cabbage. For desert: pineapple. She also made homemade tangerine juice. I can’t tell you how good it all was. After dinner, Andrew came over and we talked for a while. Now, it’s all Ginger and I can to do stay awake past 9 p.m. and not sleep till noon. In all, today was a good day. It’s amazing how the pace is different here. It took us all day to accomplish a few tasks. I kinda like that. Even though people are walking everywhere, they aren’t rushing around and shoving you like in New York. Tomorrow, we will try to get a head start on the paperwork we need by Monday. Cheers!
Day 4, May 27
We are both having a terrible time sleeping properly. I keep waking up at 3 am, and staying up for hours. I also have had some seriously odd dreams, which aren’t scary, but I wake up pouring sweat and wide awake. Last night we were up at the same time, and Ginger heard me sneezing. She said she thought about coming in to hang out. I guess it’s because we are going to bed when we would be waking up and waking up when we would normally be going to bed. How bizarre. Tonight we are staying up late to try to combat the insomnia that begins halfway through the night. (fingers crossed)
This morning we slept in until noon, again. That’s the problem. We luckily didn’t have too much to do today. We went to get Ginger’s passport size photos made, and found a place that did it for 5,000 shillings. A fair price, and she got 6 of them. It was funny though because they took us upstairs and there was a wooden box the subject sits on, and the umbrella-shaped flash devices on either side. The old fashioned flash gadgets. They make a loud noise (like a gunshot) when the photos are snapped. Also, the photographer fixed her hair, placing it behind her ears, and adjusted the angle of her chin. It was like Glamour Shots. And the flash is so loud. We were both laughing, but trying not to. Haha.
There are merchants everywhere on Kampala Road. People were walking up to us with items for sale like belts, fresh cut sugar cane, fruits, etc. People even try to sell you a manicure. People are sitting around on tapestries with lots of different jewelry and knickknacks that they are selling. The women are sitting/laying under umbrellas waiting for customers.
We also saw one of the SAS Clinics that provides medical services, etc. We went to a neat bookstore and I bought a book called Ugandan Society Observed. It’s written by Kevin O’Conner, a journalist who writes for the Sunday Monitor. I’m excited about it. The bookstore was really fun and we spent a lot of time there. After we left, a small boy ran up to me smiling and holding out his hand. We grabbed hands, and then he ran off. He was so cute. I think he just wanted to touch a muzungo.
Then we walked to Park Square to wait for a friend, Richard. It’s a green space in the city, where people rest and sit under trees. There was a nice breeze, and people were socializing. There was a man standing there preaching with a bible in Luganda. We found a nice spot, and I noticed three young women sitting several yards in front of us. They were laughing, and one of them held a camera. I told Ginger they were trying to discreetly take our picture, and she didn’t think they were. But then, they were much more obvious, and we were certain they were taking our photo. We smiled for it, then I took theirs. I took the opportunity to take more of the park.
That’s the thing, people seem shocked to see us all the time because we are the minority. On the matatu (taxi-bus) it’s hard to see who is inside. Often after the door opens, people look so surprised to see who they are going to be sitting next to. We just kinda laugh and say hello. The other thing is that there are no stop lights, so often traffic gets backed up pretty bad. The matatu have 15 seats, and they usually accommodate more people than that. People sit close together. There is a driver and a conducter who will yell out the window where it is going. I’m getting better at understanding where the matatu are headed. It’s hard sometimes because they talk so fast. Since there are no traffic lights, the traffic builds up quickly. The drivers will turn off their engines once the traffic gets thick. I guess to save gas. I thought of Mike approving of that because he tells us not to let our engines idle for more than 18 seconds. I also wonder if they go through many starters because they turn them on and off. I (and likely Mom and Mike as well) appreciate the good it’s doing for the environment, however. Less exhaust, pollution and fumes is always good.
After we met up with Richard, we went to a restaurant. We talked pretty late (around 7-8 pm) and he is very interesting. He asked many questions about America, and we asked him many about Uganda. He is from the countryside and many of his family members still live there. We hope to visit when we go to Murchison Falls since it’s close by. I’m so excited to travel to rural parts of Uganda. This Sunday we are going to visit an orphanage with him. One of his friends’ girlfriends is from Germany and started the orphanage. She is having a party for the children. We were invited. Yay!
As it got later, I was getting nervous about mosquitoes. I had repellent in my purse but I didn’t want to use it in the restaurant in front of everyone. So, I went to the bathroom and put it on. But, I never saw the first mosquito, and I guess they can’t breed well in the city (which is what Ginger explained). It makes sense. In any case, we made it home safely and mosquito-bite free. We watched the pilot and first episode of Seinfeld before we started writing. It was nice to laugh, and reminded me of America and my friends and family. I so often find Seinfeld-isms in daily life, but it hasn’t happened here yet. Tomorrow we are going shopping. We are going to bring our backpacks so we don’t have to carry everything in a collapsing cardboard box. That was precarious. I am going to cook eggs tomorrow for breakfast because Ginger said they are so good, and we bought a lot of them. After that we will head back to the foundation, hopefully to use their computers. We might make banana bread tomorrow night. Cheers!
Wednesday, May 26, 2010
Travel, Days 1 & 2
Today is the second day I am in Kampala, Uganda. I am really excited. Ginger and I traveled for a long while to get here and ended up getting to our compound at 11:30 p.m. on Sunday night, which is really 4 pm EST. That means that since my flight took off at 12:48 pm EST on Saturday, I traveled well over 24 hours before reaching the destination. It’s amazing to think how long that feels, compared to when people didn’t have such convenient modes of transportation.
An acquaintance from the foundation, the Reverend, picked us up in Entebbe. When we first were loading our luggage into his van, Ginger and I both stood on the right passenger side, waiting for a door to open that was not there. I noticed the Rev open the other side and started to walk around, but I guess Ginger didn’t see him and she just stayed there. That’s how tired she was. After we both got in, his wife got in the left front seat and I thought, “Oh his wife is driving us home.” Then, when he got in the right side and started the engine, I realized my mistake. That’s how tired I was. It was neat to drive on the opposite side of the road like they do in Europe. I never had before. And then we took the long, bumpy ride all the way to Kampala in his van.
It was so bumpy. He kept slamming on the brakes and my seatbelt kept getting tighter and tighter. I was afraid to unbuckle and re-buckle so I just let it happen. The people drive somewhat recklessly, and I thought we came close to getting in a wreck a couple of times, but we were fine. I realized that walking around yesterday too. People just are not as cautious as in America, or perhaps we are too cautious?
Then, we pulled into a gas station. Two small boys with baskets on their heads walked up to the van selling something. Maybe gum and fruit? An attendant filled our gas for us, and the Rev didn’t have to get out of the van at all. After that, I sort of dozed the rest of the way but I remember seeing so many people outside walking around. Late on a Sunday night, there was a man getting his hair cut and the shops are open. I thought that was neat. People were selling fabrics and food, and getting their hair cut. We passed a few restaurants and bars that were still hopping with people. I recalled how that had struck Ginger her first time here, because she was so tired. I couldn’t agree more. Why aren’t they all sleeping!? Haha.
When we arrived, we met Janette, and she is really nice. She gave me a hug when we were introduced. She had cooked us a wonderful supper of tilapia, potatoes, onion, carrots, and tomatoes, which we ate half of. Then we each showered and went to bed. Earlier I saw a lizard crawl inside the door, but I didn’t even care I was exhausted.
We slept for like 13 hours. I think we actually woke up at 2:30 here and we went to bed before midnight. We got up and decided to walk into town to exchange money and get cell phone minutes. That afternoon (the 24th) it was drizzling, and the rain felt great and kept us cool. When we first stepped out the front door of our apartment I could see the city in the distance. It looks amazing. There is a mango tree in our backyard with wooden ladders that are climbed to grab the fruit before it falls to the ground. The compound walls are lined with plants and shrubs and the walls are crawling with ivy. In some parts the ivy is completely covering the trees and it makes them look like optical illusions from a magic eye.
When we turned the corner to head toward the gate, the guard was there. He is super nice. His name is Gerald and he has the cutest, fluffy, white puppy named BeeDee. I am so happy there is a dog that I can pet here. There is also a Jackfruit tree in front of our apartment. I want to eat the fruit, but I don’t know if it’s allowed. I don’t think I even know what it tastes like. We exited the compound and started to walk toward Kiira Road on the way to the city. All along the way people would say, “Americans! Hey, Hello, How are you?” It was funny. Then these kids yelled out, “Muzungo!” And pointed at us. That means, “white person.” It made me smile. They were adorable.
I was so impressed with Ginger. She knew her way around like she had been living here for the past year instead of in the states. She is making this transition so much easier for me. Her lack of fear when crossing in traffic will hopefully slowly rub off on me. The city is huge, and we walked for a few miles, I’m not sure how many. I would guess 3-4. There are cars and taxi-vans and bodas (like mopeds) zipping all around. You sorta “have to commit” as Ginger put it, when you cross the road. It’s intimidating. We stopped by 1000 Cups of Coffee to see if Ginger’s friend Joan was working. She wasn’t , but I was so excited in the shop. Mom would love it. It is so quaint and there were a lot of Americans in there. They also have an adjoining craft shop where they sell lots of stuff like jewelry and souvenirs. I am definitely going back there and glad Ginger knows someone there so we have an excuse.
After we exchanged our money, we went to a different coffee shop next door to the money exchange place. I was starving. All I had eaten all day was half of a baby banana. (which by the way is the best banana I have ever tasted and I can’t believe I have never actually experienced the true taste of a banana my whole life. It’s creamy and sweet and has a hint of tanginess to it. I cannot get over the bananas)
Ginger ordered a latte and I decided to try something new so I got the “banconcoction” off the specialty coffee list. Gingers came first and looked amazing. Mine came next and did not look like coffee at all. It was yellow. I tried a spoon of it, and my eyes shot open and my nose crinkled up. It was like WHAM: ginger, lemon, onion all at once. I tried to be a good sport and drink it but, on an empty stomach it was making me feel ill. It was insanely sour.
The fruit tray was huge. Papaya, mango, apple, watermelon, pineapple, passion fruit, tangerine, a big banana, lemon (they are green here). When Ginger ordered it I thought it wouldn’t be enough, but we couldn’t even finish it all. It was so yummy! I love fruit. After we were done the server asked if we didn’t like my drink. We told her it was toooo sour. She laughed and said it was for people who are sick. It is supposed to help drain sinuses and ease a sore throat. We got a kick out of that. I was just trying to branch out, and it was the first thing I ordered here. Haha. The server was so nice though, she brought me a latte to go, which was much better.
Then we took the taxi to the store. We bought groceries and carried them home, and we made it there just before the mosquitoes came out. It was dusk, and a few of them made it inside with us, while the others were banging against the glass trying to follow us in. I hate them so much. We went around killing them and then the lights went out just before we were going to cook dinner. Luckily, we have a gas stove and we were just re-heating the leftover tilapia and potatoes that Janette made us. We used our headlamps to maneuver around the apartment and ate our dinner by candlelight. We laughed about day and our journey thus far. I think this is going to be a wonderful trip.
After dinner, I went to the bathroom and saw the biggest cockroach I’ve ever seen. Then, I saw one even bigger. Both were hanging out in my bathroom, and then I saw what I thought was a third, but turned out to be the lizard. I called out to Ginger, and we both came to the bathroom with a shoe in one hand and bug repellent in the other. We must have ran in and out of the bathroom screaming 10 times before we actually got enough courage built up. Then Ginger went in the bathroom with spray blasting, and I was slamming the shoe all around. We got the first one in the bathtub, but the second one escaped. I was surprised to see Ginger so afraid of a roach. I mean, I was afraid too, but she kills bears. That’s how big and slimy these monsters are. The second one we found later scurrying under her bedroom door. We got him too, but now we know they can fit under the doors which is actually scarier. YUCK!
Friends we have made in the animal world thus far: fruit flies, roaches, mosquitoes, lizards, black spiders, and bats.
The bats zoom around outside eating mosquitoes. Ginger and I hypothesized keeping bats in your yard as a way to combat the mosquitoes and malaria. I mean can’t they just drop off a whole bunch of bats and let them seek and destroy? It is really neat to see them, though. They are big. I’m hoping my lizard friend eats the roaches and mosquitoes inside too.
(Tuesday) we didn’t do much, just typed our notes out and went over preliminary scheduling.
Ginger and I cooked a fabulous dinner Tuesday night with cashews, onions (which are tiny purple onions), tomatoes, garlic and basmati rice. We added masala seasoning. It was great, but we didn’t measure the rice and ended up making a ton. It makes for great leftovers though! Then, we sat around reading until a friend, Joan, stopped by. She was so animated and funny. I really like her. She is going to cook for us sometime so I can try traditional food and she got a kick out of my “concoction” drink experience. Her sister also makes dresses, so I hope to purchase one from her. It will be neat to pick out my own design and colors, and have it tailor made. Joan also said she would take us on a coffee tour.
Today we are going to a meeting with the foundation and take our paperwork to the University (and hopefully fulfill our IRB so we can start interviews). We have been to 2 internet cafes today and I am having a hard time getting my flashdrive and internet to work. Ginger seems to have no problems. I can’t wait until we get internet at the house. This morning Annette came to wash our clothes. I took a picture of them hanging up outside. We have a magnificent view of the city from our compound and I went outside and took pictures this morning. Today is going to be exciting since I get to meet people from the foundation. Hooray! More later, big day today.
I love it here.
-Meagan
An acquaintance from the foundation, the Reverend, picked us up in Entebbe. When we first were loading our luggage into his van, Ginger and I both stood on the right passenger side, waiting for a door to open that was not there. I noticed the Rev open the other side and started to walk around, but I guess Ginger didn’t see him and she just stayed there. That’s how tired she was. After we both got in, his wife got in the left front seat and I thought, “Oh his wife is driving us home.” Then, when he got in the right side and started the engine, I realized my mistake. That’s how tired I was. It was neat to drive on the opposite side of the road like they do in Europe. I never had before. And then we took the long, bumpy ride all the way to Kampala in his van.
It was so bumpy. He kept slamming on the brakes and my seatbelt kept getting tighter and tighter. I was afraid to unbuckle and re-buckle so I just let it happen. The people drive somewhat recklessly, and I thought we came close to getting in a wreck a couple of times, but we were fine. I realized that walking around yesterday too. People just are not as cautious as in America, or perhaps we are too cautious?
Then, we pulled into a gas station. Two small boys with baskets on their heads walked up to the van selling something. Maybe gum and fruit? An attendant filled our gas for us, and the Rev didn’t have to get out of the van at all. After that, I sort of dozed the rest of the way but I remember seeing so many people outside walking around. Late on a Sunday night, there was a man getting his hair cut and the shops are open. I thought that was neat. People were selling fabrics and food, and getting their hair cut. We passed a few restaurants and bars that were still hopping with people. I recalled how that had struck Ginger her first time here, because she was so tired. I couldn’t agree more. Why aren’t they all sleeping!? Haha.
When we arrived, we met Janette, and she is really nice. She gave me a hug when we were introduced. She had cooked us a wonderful supper of tilapia, potatoes, onion, carrots, and tomatoes, which we ate half of. Then we each showered and went to bed. Earlier I saw a lizard crawl inside the door, but I didn’t even care I was exhausted.
We slept for like 13 hours. I think we actually woke up at 2:30 here and we went to bed before midnight. We got up and decided to walk into town to exchange money and get cell phone minutes. That afternoon (the 24th) it was drizzling, and the rain felt great and kept us cool. When we first stepped out the front door of our apartment I could see the city in the distance. It looks amazing. There is a mango tree in our backyard with wooden ladders that are climbed to grab the fruit before it falls to the ground. The compound walls are lined with plants and shrubs and the walls are crawling with ivy. In some parts the ivy is completely covering the trees and it makes them look like optical illusions from a magic eye.
When we turned the corner to head toward the gate, the guard was there. He is super nice. His name is Gerald and he has the cutest, fluffy, white puppy named BeeDee. I am so happy there is a dog that I can pet here. There is also a Jackfruit tree in front of our apartment. I want to eat the fruit, but I don’t know if it’s allowed. I don’t think I even know what it tastes like. We exited the compound and started to walk toward Kiira Road on the way to the city. All along the way people would say, “Americans! Hey, Hello, How are you?” It was funny. Then these kids yelled out, “Muzungo!” And pointed at us. That means, “white person.” It made me smile. They were adorable.
I was so impressed with Ginger. She knew her way around like she had been living here for the past year instead of in the states. She is making this transition so much easier for me. Her lack of fear when crossing in traffic will hopefully slowly rub off on me. The city is huge, and we walked for a few miles, I’m not sure how many. I would guess 3-4. There are cars and taxi-vans and bodas (like mopeds) zipping all around. You sorta “have to commit” as Ginger put it, when you cross the road. It’s intimidating. We stopped by 1000 Cups of Coffee to see if Ginger’s friend Joan was working. She wasn’t , but I was so excited in the shop. Mom would love it. It is so quaint and there were a lot of Americans in there. They also have an adjoining craft shop where they sell lots of stuff like jewelry and souvenirs. I am definitely going back there and glad Ginger knows someone there so we have an excuse.
After we exchanged our money, we went to a different coffee shop next door to the money exchange place. I was starving. All I had eaten all day was half of a baby banana. (which by the way is the best banana I have ever tasted and I can’t believe I have never actually experienced the true taste of a banana my whole life. It’s creamy and sweet and has a hint of tanginess to it. I cannot get over the bananas)
Ginger ordered a latte and I decided to try something new so I got the “banconcoction” off the specialty coffee list. Gingers came first and looked amazing. Mine came next and did not look like coffee at all. It was yellow. I tried a spoon of it, and my eyes shot open and my nose crinkled up. It was like WHAM: ginger, lemon, onion all at once. I tried to be a good sport and drink it but, on an empty stomach it was making me feel ill. It was insanely sour.
The fruit tray was huge. Papaya, mango, apple, watermelon, pineapple, passion fruit, tangerine, a big banana, lemon (they are green here). When Ginger ordered it I thought it wouldn’t be enough, but we couldn’t even finish it all. It was so yummy! I love fruit. After we were done the server asked if we didn’t like my drink. We told her it was toooo sour. She laughed and said it was for people who are sick. It is supposed to help drain sinuses and ease a sore throat. We got a kick out of that. I was just trying to branch out, and it was the first thing I ordered here. Haha. The server was so nice though, she brought me a latte to go, which was much better.
Then we took the taxi to the store. We bought groceries and carried them home, and we made it there just before the mosquitoes came out. It was dusk, and a few of them made it inside with us, while the others were banging against the glass trying to follow us in. I hate them so much. We went around killing them and then the lights went out just before we were going to cook dinner. Luckily, we have a gas stove and we were just re-heating the leftover tilapia and potatoes that Janette made us. We used our headlamps to maneuver around the apartment and ate our dinner by candlelight. We laughed about day and our journey thus far. I think this is going to be a wonderful trip.
After dinner, I went to the bathroom and saw the biggest cockroach I’ve ever seen. Then, I saw one even bigger. Both were hanging out in my bathroom, and then I saw what I thought was a third, but turned out to be the lizard. I called out to Ginger, and we both came to the bathroom with a shoe in one hand and bug repellent in the other. We must have ran in and out of the bathroom screaming 10 times before we actually got enough courage built up. Then Ginger went in the bathroom with spray blasting, and I was slamming the shoe all around. We got the first one in the bathtub, but the second one escaped. I was surprised to see Ginger so afraid of a roach. I mean, I was afraid too, but she kills bears. That’s how big and slimy these monsters are. The second one we found later scurrying under her bedroom door. We got him too, but now we know they can fit under the doors which is actually scarier. YUCK!
Friends we have made in the animal world thus far: fruit flies, roaches, mosquitoes, lizards, black spiders, and bats.
The bats zoom around outside eating mosquitoes. Ginger and I hypothesized keeping bats in your yard as a way to combat the mosquitoes and malaria. I mean can’t they just drop off a whole bunch of bats and let them seek and destroy? It is really neat to see them, though. They are big. I’m hoping my lizard friend eats the roaches and mosquitoes inside too.
(Tuesday) we didn’t do much, just typed our notes out and went over preliminary scheduling.
Ginger and I cooked a fabulous dinner Tuesday night with cashews, onions (which are tiny purple onions), tomatoes, garlic and basmati rice. We added masala seasoning. It was great, but we didn’t measure the rice and ended up making a ton. It makes for great leftovers though! Then, we sat around reading until a friend, Joan, stopped by. She was so animated and funny. I really like her. She is going to cook for us sometime so I can try traditional food and she got a kick out of my “concoction” drink experience. Her sister also makes dresses, so I hope to purchase one from her. It will be neat to pick out my own design and colors, and have it tailor made. Joan also said she would take us on a coffee tour.
Today we are going to a meeting with the foundation and take our paperwork to the University (and hopefully fulfill our IRB so we can start interviews). We have been to 2 internet cafes today and I am having a hard time getting my flashdrive and internet to work. Ginger seems to have no problems. I can’t wait until we get internet at the house. This morning Annette came to wash our clothes. I took a picture of them hanging up outside. We have a magnificent view of the city from our compound and I went outside and took pictures this morning. Today is going to be exciting since I get to meet people from the foundation. Hooray! More later, big day today.
I love it here.
-Meagan
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