Seven Months in Uganda: Days in the Life

Thursday, March 6th:
Haven’t written for a week or so. Last weekend was a blast. All of the international volunteers (minus Reet, who had a teacher’s meeting) gathered at Georgia, Carson, Iggy and Becky’s placement near Iganga. They have a huge house, a pretty yard with some unused farming structures, and a kitten. Cats are pretty rare around here, and Ugandans seem to dislike them. The kitten has turned out to be quite a nuisance, but I was really happy to get to play with it for a while. She was loaded with mites. I finally got out the five or so that had embedded themselves next to her eye, and Jack and I tried unsuccessfully to clean a few dozen more out of her ears.

We partied in celebration of several volunteer birthdays that fall at the beginning of March. Jack slaughtered a chicken for the occasion, and everyone brought snacks, sodas, and fruit to share. After lots of catching up and goofing off we covered the floor for a mass slumber party, and Carson entertained us well into the mostly sleepless night.

Everyone seems to be having really different experiences on their placements, and I’m very thankful for the way things are going at mine. The fact that we can agree on food, budget our money, and teach together is not something to take for granted. We also have electricity, a variety of vegetables available, and some semblance of privacy. Lucy and I were escorted to Georgia and Carson’s place by about thirty shrieking children, and were surrounded by many more the entire time we were at their house. I’m grateful that the kids show up to hang out with us at home, but take off when we’re busy or it gets late.

This week, like the last two, has gone by very fast. The sports season has started up for our local schools, which means rampant evening activity at the field next to our house and rescheduling some afternoon lessons. Peter and Lucy have taught a couple environmental lessons in schools and met with some farmers’ groups now. One primary school class presented them with gifts, and we ended up with a box of about 35 avocados and a box of pawpaws (papayas? I’m not sure what we’d call them at home). We were very pleased.

I’m reading a book I borrowed from Carson called Race Matters, by African-American scholar and activist Cornel West. It’s interesting to read about race relations at home while living in a setting where it’s rare for me to see another white person on any given day (other than Lucy). The book was published in 1995 so it feels a little outdated; he cites a lot of examples from the LA riots and Rodney King, and the stats are a couple decades old. Still, it’s extremely well-written and thought-provoking. I’m white, heterosexual, fairly moderate, middle class, religiously inactive… living in Africa is the first time I’ve been on any sort of fringe.

Other books I’ve read since my arrival:
The Consul’s File
The Kindness of Strangers
On Beauty
Hide
The Guardian (by Nicholas Sparks; so awful it’s almost good)
The Death of Achilles
Into the Wild

Lucy’s grandparents sent a few books… I’m looking forward to borrowing them!

Peter went into the SPW office yesterday for our required monthly visit, and came home with mail for me and Lucy and a bike for our placement! Both of us received clothes and sweets from our moms, which was better than Christmas. The bike is HEAVY, large, one speed, and rickety, but I impressed the priests by riding it around this morning and I’m excited to have it.

What else? Dennis turned 19 on Monday, which would have been my Dad’s birthday too. We went to Green Valley and had fries, goat, and sodas. As they say upon parting here, Nice time.

Friday, March 7th:
Today was a bit of a taxing day, without good reason really. I think the weekdays go by so quickly that suddenly – BAM! – it’s Friday and we’re all pretty exhausted.

Sports season is in full swing, and our field was packed with soccer spectators for most of the day. This means that we have lots of “visitors” whenever we’re home and out on the porch. Some are friendly and some are trying. The kids especially are either really sweet or really annoying.

Dennis and I taught a first lesson at Buweera Primary today. The students were quiet, disciplined, and unable to understand me. We planned to cover two lessons since we had a two-hour block, but only made it through one with all of the interpreting and explaining. They had some questions about HIV prevention at the end, including, “If a condom is too big, can you tie it on with banana fiber?” This happened in Lusoga but I think Dennis answered with something to the effect of, “You’re too young for condoms, kid.”

Our lesson at Muguluka Primary was cancelled due to aforementioned sports season, which Dennis and I were fine with since it would have been another hour-long walk (in the opposite direction).

Kenneth, a soccer player that likes to come around and ask about scholarships, brought us a dozen or so eggs from his family’s farm. I made some egg fried rice which turned out really well! Any deviation from our usual repertoire of meals is a cause for excitement. Tomorrow we’re planning to try egg toast for breakfast… hold on to your hats.

Saturday, March 8th:
Another weekend. I spent the afternoon in Kamuli, an hour’s taxi ride north of where we live. Kamuli’s a nice town; it’s small and easy to navigate, but has two grocery stores, a big market, and an internet café (which was closed this afternoon). About ten of us met up and had a good, wallet-friendly lunch, swapped stories, and did some shopping.

Georgia and Carson saw a man beaten to death in their village yesterday, and were pretty shaken up. He had stolen some chickens and the entire community had stripped him, attacked him with bricks and sticks, then left his battered body in the trading center. It was removed at some point today, but the blood and the memory of his death march past their house were still waiting for them.

We were all upset to hear what had happened, and I think a lot of us were questioning what we would have done. I’d like to think I would intervene, but realize that protesting against a violent mob isn’t a safe option. I think one of the hardest things for them was knowing that the people they teach and interact with every day had dragged their children to the scene, excited to partake in the killing. It’s an unsettling reminder that we are living in a very different world sometimes.

Our taxi home was packed with people, birds, and a goat under the backseat. Seeing the other international volunteers is always really grounding somehow. I think we all care about each other, and having a sounding board for our experiences on placement is invaluable.

Tomorrow should be a nice day, as Georgia, Katie, and Jill are going to meet us in Buwenge for lunch, and I’m planning to attend the Catholic church service in the morning. I’ve visited a lot of cathedrals but don’t think I’ve ever attended a mass. It should be nice, and I know our presence will be appreciated by the Fathers that have been so friendly to us since the day we arrived. It’ll probably be conducted in Lusoga, but I bet I’ll be able to get the gist of things.

I think the word is out that I like avocadoes – Dennis said that a group of boys from Kagoma Primary showed up while we were out to add to our collection. Fruit is a wonderful gift. We’re each going to have to eat a couple every day at the rate they are ripening. It’s the good kind of fat, right?

Today is Womens’ Day. Traditionally, this is celebrated by the men doing the cooking and cleaning. Lucy and I have been told repeatedly that there is not a designated Mens’ Day because “every day is Mens’ Day.” We figured we wouldn’t have much opportunity to observe the holiday, since Dennis does most of the cooking and cleaning around here anyway. Right now he is adding his signature spicing to my favorite home-cooked meal, BEANS, so I suppose there’s a cause for celebration after all!

It actually gets kind of chilly when it rains. It’s nice to wear long sleeves in the evening, especially with the recent influx of bugs.

Sunday, March 9th:
Lucy and I attended the Catholic church this morning, which I really enjoyed. The kids from Kagoma Primary were in charge of leading the music today, and the service was dominated by singing and dancing. There were a couple songs we do at home (This is the day…) and a lot of African ones. The songs are accompanied by a drum and something that sounds like a tambourine, and, unlike any church service at home, they are sung in a register that is comfortable for me.

The shorter Father (I still don’t know their names) led the service, and he introduced Lucy and me in English. The offering part was really cool; most of the adults came forward first to put money into the basket, and afterwards there was a long period of singing and clapping while the kids tramped down to the altar carrying sugarcane and fruit. I think there was a chicken in there too. I like the idea of offering food. It’s easier to give stuff than money, and it can go directly to meeting needs in the community.

The service was in Lusoga but there was very little sermon, really. It was mostly music and prayers. A bunch of people said they were happy to see us there and I plan to attend on the weekends we’re around.

Tom and Grace bought their plane tickets! The rest of my time here is punctuated with trips and events and I have a feeling it’s going to go by really fast.

We spent some time at home last night talking about mob justice. Dennis said it’s pretty common, as thieves typically pay off the police and go back to stealing. Since there’s no retribution with the legal system, the community takes it into their own hands. It’s terrible but not uncommon. Stealing is a major offense when people have very little they can do without. Lucy pointed out that the situation isn’t so different at home when the community finds out that someone is a pedophile, although it doesn’t go as far.

There’s a drum circle going on outside. The sound of lots of people hand drumming makes me think of smelly white people hippy-dancing at the Seattle Center. Thankfully, this one comprises about ten little boys in their Sunday best, not patchouli and dreads. I stepped outside and they started chanting in rhythm, “Mzungu! How-are-you! Mzungu! How-are-you!”

Wednesday, March 12th:
Yesterday we had a visit from Medi, one of the SPW staff members. Now that we’ve been on placement a month or so, the office is checking up on all of the volunteer groups to see how things are coming along. We had fruitless visits to the health center and sub-county office, then Medi chatted with key teachers at a couple of our schools, watched Dennis and I teach a lesson, and had individual and group chats with all of us. There were surveys to complete, records to go over, and events to plan. It was a long day.

Georgia and Carson’s placement (which had the mob justice incident last Friday) has moved locations, so they’re a 15-minute taxi ride away from us now. They left the kitten behind.

Dennis are I planning to head into Jinja tomorrow to stop by the TASO (The AIDS Support Organization) office and see if their outreach group will participate in a AIDS day we’re planning for April. I haven’t been in to Jinja in a couple weeks and I’m looking forward to some supermarket/internet time.

Last weekend was nice; I got to see a lot of the other international volunteers, but had a relaxing weekend too and didn’t spend a bunch of money by staying in town. Our stipend is pretty limiting, and I’ve had to make withdrawals from home in order to visit people, have some snack food on hand, and send the occasional text message. Our personal allowance is 45,000/= a month, which works out to about $25. Not a lot if you want to, say, meet people at a restaurant.

There seems to be less to report nowadays. Dennis and I are teaching regularly, and there aren’t too many new developments. Wilber has more or less replaced Ronald as our community volunteer, although Ronald still comes by the house to talk to the boys for some reason. I think he is trying to weasel his way back in. Peter’s been gone all week because SPW selected him to attend an AIDS conference in Kampala.

The lack of privacy is starting to drain me a little bit. I’ve gotten used to the constant attention I get while walking around town, but I haven’t been by myself in one place for more than an hour or so in the last few months. It’s like living in the dorms again, I guess. Sometimes I could kill for a fenced backyard or a real bathroom.

There’s a really ugly sheep on our walk out to Kalebera – it has a fat tail, like a stubby kangaroo. I’ve decided to touch it every time I see it, and yesterday it looked at me lovingly with its ugly little face while I patted its head, then gurgle/snarled at me as I walked away. It is my favorite.