Village Life . . .

I will be honest—it has been a very difficult week adjusting to life in the village. I have come to the conclusion (with my great psychoanalysis skills :) ) that this is partially due to the fact that I was extremely unprepared both mentally and emotionally for what this experience would be like. Before coming here I never expected to have any major adjustment issues or culture shock. I thought, “I’ve lived in a developing country before; I’m sure I will be fine.” However, this is so much different than anything I have ever experienced. This country has such vast natural beauty, but the poverty can be overwhelming at times.

Although I live in a permanent house (i.e. concrete walls), there is no electricity and water must be transported from a significant distance. Therefore, it is used rather sparingly, which makes bathing an interesting experience. I will be the first to admit than in the States I sometimes have germaphobic tendencies, so I have been forced to resign myself to the fact that I will never feel exactly clean for the next three months. (I am rapidly moving through my baby wipes supply.) I have included a picture of my bedroom.

I am drinking bottled water, but it is only available in small bottles in Kiwangala. So, to save on cost, I buy the large 3 liters jugs every time I am in Masaka. I am getting quite the workout trying to carry 2 heavy jugs of water and my backpack from the taxi stop back to my house.

Another twist is that my host mother speaks no English. This is a challenge, as my Lugandan skills are still very limited. Luckily when I need to convey something important, I can walk a couple blocks to the school and ask one of the teachers to come translate for me. Other than the teachers at my school, most people in the village do not speak any English. I am trying to learn as much Lugandan as I can, but I am frustrated with myself at how slowly I am picking it up. Just learning the many ways to say hello can be tricky.

However, the thing that I am most struggling to get used to is the amount of attention I receive on a daily basis. I don’t think I can adequately describe what it is like to be constantly stared at, called out to and touched by every person within sight range. In Maska I often receive a double take for being a Muzungu. My first day in the village, though, every single person I passed open-mouth stared at me (even those walking the other way would turn and walk backwards just to look at me longer) and many people would point and giggle. It is incredibly overwhelming, and at times unnerving, to be on the receiving end of so much attention. I cannot walk past a group of children without them shouting “Muzungu!” and running up to touch my white skin. I am beginning to become desensitized to it, but there definitely days when I wish I could just blend in.

Note: I wrote this entry after my first few days in the village. Since it has now been two weeks, I am acclimating much better. I thought it was valuable to share my candid reactions, though.

Below is a picture of the street that runs in front of my house. The school where I work is the second building on the right.

Address

I have had a few requests for my local address. I can receive mail at:

FSD Masaka
P.O. Box 1977
Masaka, Uganda
(there is no postal code)


I have been told mail can take anywhere from 2-8 weeks to arrive, but Priority mail is faster. I will be in Uganda until May 11th.

However, I am guessing it is very expensive to send mail to Uganda. So, please know I have no expectations to receive any. Although, I really appreciate it if you do choose to send me something.
(Please be sure to email me if you have sent mail so I can check the P.O. Box)

Thank you all for your thoughts!

Sick....

I am finally experiencing the inevitable… traveler’s sickness. I began to feel ill Thursday evening, I and was in and out of sleep with a fever and other unpleasant symptoms. I slept most of the day Friday and was beginning to feel better that night. I was scheduled to move to Kiwangala Friday afternoon, but I am going to stay in Masaka for the weekend to recuperate. I actually feel lucky that if I was going to sick, at least I am getting it over with before moving in with my host family.

Crocs!

Today was a fun day! Our program director took us to a local retreat called Croc Camp. I wasn’t quite sure what to expect, but the camp lived up to its name. They farm over 4,000 crocodiles! Most of them are sold for their skin when they are 4-5 years old. The tour guide jumped into one of the pins and captured a young croc, which we each took turns holding.

Then he took us to see the large crocodiles. The largest croc they own is 68 years old and over 10 meters long. His name is Osama. The humor was lost on the locals, as there is a large Muslim population in Uganda and Osama is a common name. However, I found it amusing that they have a mean old crocodile named Osama.

The guide then proceeded to “disturb” one of the other crocodiles by smacking it on the head with a long stick. I was not anticipating the crocodile’s reaction; it was quite terrifying! It leapt out of the water and snapped its powerful jaws. I asked the guide if anyone has ever been injured here, and he told me one of his friends lost half an arm recently while feeding them. I don’t think this kind of place would go over well in the States; animal rights groups would be all over them.

After that excitement, we visited the fishing area. The men were casting large nets into Lake Victoria, but would only catch 1-2 fish every several casts. I decided to try my hand at fishing, and it was much more difficult than it looked. The net was very heavy, and my cast plopped into the water only about 5 feet away from the pier. As I suspected, I caught zero fish. I guess I need more practice.

Muzungu Experiences

Today I had the opportunity to visit my host organization for the first time. We spent the day touring each of the five intern’s host NGOs, and learning about the work they are doing in the community.

I will be working with COTFONE (Community Transformation Foundation Network). COTFONE operates a school for orphans and vulnerable children (OVC’s), and it is my understanding that most of the children have been orphaned by HIV/AIDS. COTFONE is also involved with health education and services, youth and women’s programming, economic development and micro-credit services. They have a new website, http://www.cotfone.org/ if you have a chance to check it out.

While I am staying in Masaka for a week of training, I will actually be living and working in the village of Kiwangala (pronounced Chi-wah-n-gah-lah) which is about an hour away from Masaka. There are only a few paved roads in this part of the country, and many of the dirt roads are in bad shape after the rainy seasons. Since we were running late, the program director was driving quite fast. We all had a fun time/sore bottoms after flying over bumps and potholes at 100 km/hr.

Most of the Ugandan children get very excited to see a white person (Muzungu), and we passed many groups of school children along the road who would shout “Hi Muzungu! Bye Muzungu!” and wave eagerly. (They were thrilled if one of us waved back.) However, I don’t think any of us were prepared for the welcome we received when we finally reached my host organization. The children had just been released from school, and there were at least 40-50 young children waiting as we pulled in. They all began to scream and chant “Muzungu, Muzungu, Muzungu!!” in unison and clap their hands. When we parked the car, hoards of children surrounded us and you could barely open the car doors. They each wanted to hold your hands, or be picked up or simply touch your skin. It is an experience that I will never forget.

I feel like I caught a glimpse of what it must be like to be a teen pop star. :) Jokes aside, it was incredibly moving to feel so welcomed, and I can’t wait to begin working with the organization.

First Impressions of Uganda

I have arrived safely in Masaka, Uganda after spending a couple days in Kampala.

I flew in late Friday night and spent the night at a hotel in Entebbe. Saturday morning I awoke to an awesome view of Lake Victoria, as my hotel was right on the beach. Uganda is such an amazingly beautiful country! Nicki (another intern) and I wandered around Entebbe and found a botanical garden I read about in my guidebook. Our tour guide pointed out almost every tree, which was quite a few, and we saw two different species of monkeys jumping from tree to tree. The locals believe this is where the original Tarzan was filmed, but the guidebook said this is unconfirmed. Either way, it was interesting and provided something to do while we waited. We then went to the beach outside the hotel to wait for the FSD staff to pick us up. Although the water looked very inviting, I followed the travel doctor's orders and did not get in.

At around 3:30 we met up with two other interns and we all rode into Kampala, the capital, for a day of sightseeing. Kampala traffic is the most chaotic, insane, treacherous, complicated (you pick an adjective) system I have ever seen. There are very few "traffic lights," so it is pretty much a giant game of chicken, comprised of cars, motorcycles (boda bodas), petrol trucks, and 15 passenger taxi vans that usually have about 25 Ugandans packed into them. Here is a picture of the Kampala taxi park, where taxis pile in to pick up passengers for the cities outside of Kampala. This is of the old taxi park; there are even more in the new park. My guidebook mentioned that you should only to get into a taxi at the top of a hill because they often run out of fuel. I thought this was a humorous tip, but yesterday morning I saw four guys pushing a taxi up a hill.

That night we ate at an Indian restaurant and walked past Parliament. I also managed to get myself in trouble with the Ugandan military. Not really, but I was scolded by a man with a very large rifle for taking picture of the Parliament building.

Sunday morning we walked around the open markets, and I looked for Kitenge fabric (a traditional Bugandan printed fabric) to make a skirt. Then we visited Makere University as well as the burial tombs for Bugandan kings. Buganda is the largest kingdom and ethnic group here. I couldn't totally get a straight answer, but I don't believe the king has any real power anymore, just land. After a lunch of local staples, which I am still getting used to, we drove to Masaka. While on the drive we passed over the equator and stopped for a photo opp. (see picture)

Now I am setting into Masaka for a week of orientation. This afternoon we began our language training. I think it is going to be a difficult language to learn, but I am picking up a few things. The sun is so penetrating here! I have been wearing SPF 50, and I am still getting sunburned because my malaria medication increases sun sensitivity. Unfortunately, I think I will have to start wearing long sleeves even though it is 100 degrees.

Funny story: While walking through town today, a man stopped me and said "Muzungu! Do you know Ohhh-bama?" Many shops have both a portrait of President Museveni as well as Obama. I think this is amusing.