First week in Uganda

Let me start by saying that Im working on a mini computer which is a pain in the butt to key on. So you wont be seeing things like apostrophes or other things my fat fingers don’t want to hit. I also forgot the flash drive containing my photos so there won't be any photos with this either. Sorry

Next, I want to say that I feel very, very white. All that being said...

The trip here can be summed up as simply LONG. The flight to Amsterdam wasn’t bad except that we landed late and figuring out where to go to catch the flight to Entebbe was interesting. I finally just followed the singing…about 30 kids going to Uganda with their youth group to work for two weeks. I developed a deep and abiding dislike for these kids by the time Id spent nearly 10 hours with them. Noisy bunch that over a period of 8.5 hours NEVER SAT DOWN OR SHUT UP.

Landed in Entebbe at 815p and we were met by surgical masked people handing each of us a medical declaration form. No instructions…just handed us a form. So like lost sheep all filled out the form and then stood in line only to find it was the wrong line. We should have noted the women in the corner also wearing surgical masks and tiny little nurses caps--they stamped our medical declaration forms and sent us to get our visas.. So…off to stand in another line…followed by finding luggage…followed by being waived through Customs and into the airport waiting area.

I was scanning the crowd for a sign with my name and just about the time I found it, Isaac recognized me and rushed to give me a giant hug. It seems all Ugandans are into big, long, hugging. Scovia nearly knocked me down when we met. This morning we went to a school and I was hugged mightily by the kids. Ugandans are huggers. I like that about them.

I digress…Isaac had a special hire (private taxi) waiting and off we headed to Kampala. I held my breath the entire time. They all drive fast and there are people walking all over the dark road. We dodge cars, army trucks and motorcycles. And I must get accustomed to soldiers. There were soldiers at some intersections forcing us to go very slowly. Often when we stopped people would see me in the back of the car and approach to inspect the muzungu. We drove through Kampala , through Seeta and into Mukono, where the driver stopped and Isaac got out to go into a store. He came out with a bottle of water for me and groceries for Scovia.

Once home Scovia gave me the tour. My room is a separate concrete structure about 10x10 foot. There are padlocks inside and out. She points me to the ‘latrine” at the top of the hill and tells me not to go there late at night because of wild dogs and bad people. At 1230a.m. we ate the dinner that Scovia had prepared…cabbage, rice, spaghetti pasta and beef soup. At 130a I noted Scovia heating a bucket of water. She thought Id want a bath. Told her I was too tired. Scovia has a 3 month old baby named Happiness. Where does she get her energy? Went to my room, climbed under the net and slept hard for about 2 hours. Then the dogs started barking/howling, and continued all night. At some point I went back to sleep because I was awakened by roosters. And more dogs. Then the cows chimed in. Goats are relatively quiet compared to all the others. There are birds that sound like screaming monkeys.

This morning Isaac, Ronnie and I were off to buy a phone with a stop at the school. At school. there were older children--perhaps 6 to 10 years old--and they were excited to see the white lady (muzungu). All rushed for hugs and wanted to hold my hand. I took a couple pictures of them and then took some time showing them all their picture. They do love to have their pictures taken. As a side note, even Ugandan village children know to say “cheese” when it is picture time.

On through to the village shopping area which is perhaps a 2 mile walk through the outer area of Mukono. Envision red dirt roads broken up by earlier rains, and banana trees everywhere and either wood or bricks made of red clay structures. We went to the bank, to the phone store. I use the terms bank and store broadly. Both are better described as open cubby holes along a row of what we might consider shacks.. Later we went to purchase an adapter for the computer I brought for Isaac. A woman tried selling him an adapter that had to be forced onto the plug and still didn’t fit properly. When I said no we would not purchase it, she became angry and declared the store closed. Then on to the vegetable market, back to get water and then home.

Crossing the street in downtown Mukono is a dangerous proposition. It is absolute chaos on wheels of both the 4 wheel , the 2 wheel, and 2 legged kind. Each time we had to cross, either Ronnie or Isaac took my hand. That’s another thing. Ugandans are big hand holders. Everywhere men hold hands with men as they walk and talk , as do women, as do the children. This is a very affectionate people.

I spent 4,000 Ush and went to a hotel to purchase a shower today. It wasn’t a shower like I am accustomed to but it certainly did the trick! In the process of trying to wash my hair, I accidentally soaked all of my clothing and my towel. I didn’t care. It felt great.

When I returned home at 730p some of the children from the school recognized me and accompanied me home, offering me kernels of corn torn from cobs they held, and squished grapes. Mostly they just want to hold my hands. By the time I reached home, the number of kids gathered was about 10. Scovia came out and shooed them away so that I could enter my space.

Tonight’s dinner came at 1130pm.

Isaac is ecstatic over the computer and the digital camera. His friend Ronnie thanked me for the camera several times and wants to do the official thank you email to the donors (Ed and Amy), But important donors deserve a note from important people (Isaac). Additionally everyone loves the Ipod. Isaac asked if he could take the Ipod with him to the office late yesterday afternoon, and then later to his monthly Rotary Club meeting. He came in late last night feeling like a big doggie. He said that the computer worked at the hotel where the meeting was held, and everyone admired the Ipod.

July 2

As I write this I hear Scovia singing again. She sings all of the time and I love her voice.

Isaac went to a village far away today. He was afraid I could not walk the distance yet because of jet lag, so has left me at home. He is visiting an AIDS patient who is totally out of rice. So off he went with his bags of rice and tea…and my Ipod. No matter how hot it is, Isaac is dressed in black dress pants, dress shoes and a white shirt. So is Ronnie.

Today I am home with Scovia, Helen and Alice. Scovia is Isaac’s wife. Helen is a woman who works at Beacon of Hope and seems to be here a lot and Alice is a girl I have hired. I asked if there was someone who I could hire to wash my clothes, and so…here is Alice to take care of me. Alice is a big girl--maybe 15 or 16 years old.. She comes from a family of 11 kids and her father died, leaving her mother to work in the rock quarry. I pay Alice 30,000 Ush a month and she will clean and assist me in any way I need. Scovia will teach her how to cook and clean. Alice will teach me Luganda. I will teach Alice English. If she can ever get over her shyness.

Late note: Alice is over her shyness. We were outside this afternoon and two little boys of perhaps 6 years old kept peeking around the corner and when I would look up and wave, they would laugh and scream and run, and then come back and do it again. Alice took me by the hand and we stood behind the wall and waited for them to come back. When they did, we jumped out and really gave them a start! They REALLY screamed. They gathered forces and came back with two more boys. (This group became my first pick-up stick players.)

Scovia and I had an interesting talk about women here, having lots of children with no way to support them She and Isaac teach family planning but says it is difficult for a couple of reasons. First,. Ugandans don’t plan. They look at today only. Second, their churches tell them each child is a gift from God and they are lucky to have so many children. Scovia tells them that she too loves God, but believes that women need to work with God in having fewer children.

A few random thoughts…

*Pictures of Michael Jackson were hung on several walls in the airport

*In an older newspaper I found a picture of Obama and his daughters. The article referenced his Fathers day speech

*Today while on the phone with George a military truck came by announcing something on a loudspeaker. Scovia said they were announcing a village meeting this Sunday. The practice of human sacrifice still exists here, encouraged by witch doctors who promise wealth or fame if they are delivered a head. This causes child abductions and the government is doing the best it can to abolish the practice. She says that every meeting gives lessons on keeping your children safe from abductors, ie, don’t let them gather water alone…don’t let them walk alone. I don’t think this program is working. Daily I see children barely old enough to walk, waddling up the streets alone.

*The game of pick up sticks I brought is a big hit with children, although given a choice they would prefer to have their pictures taken. I lay out the sticks and they take a stick and are excited whether or not they moved other sticks in the taking. I guess this beats playing with seed pods…

*One of the gifts I brought was a bag of Starbucks chocolate covered coffee beans. I explained what they were. The next morning Isaac and Scovia had them out at breakfast, ready to be dropped into hot water to drink. I think they were disappointed that they would not make coffee. This morning the bag was sitting next to the eggs and occasionally Isaac would reach over and eat one.

*The Rocky Mountain Chocolate I brought was tasted and determined to be too sweet. I think it is all mine…the entire case…so if any of you thought Id lose weight here you were mistaken

*I brought a pair of gold covered aspen leaf earrings for Scovia only to see that she didn’t have her ears pierced. She said she had been afraid because she saw some girls whos piercing had made their ears big. She decided however that she wants now to pierce her ears so that she can wear them. She told Isaac she was doing it this week. I told her I would have the earrings made with clips but she is now convinced she wants pierced ears.

July 4

Happy 4^th everyone! Hope everyone stayed safe and enjoyed the fireworks!!

Last night I went to a beauty salon (referred to as a saloon) with Scovia. She was having her hair done and needed help with Happy, and I desperately needed a shampoo. Here’s the way it went…We walked the washed out road about 3 miles to another row of “shops”. The shop was up an alley and measured approximately 5x12 feet. There is an old shampoo bowl in front of which sit’s a plastic lawn chair. The operator (a really nice woman) uses a cup to pour water over your head and the water then runs directly through the sink into a plastic bowl sitting on the floor below. When the bowl is full of water, it gets recycled and used on you, via cup, again. Once it is time to rinse, new water is used. What ever one may think, it worked. .I had clean hair for a mere 3,000 Ush.

It took so long to do Scovia’s hair, that it was dark by the time we left. Instead of walking the dark road we hired two boda bodas. Boda bodas are motorcycle taxis driven by men who appear to be crazy for driving as fast as they do on roads that seem to be a continuous pot hole, but seem to know what to do. I questioned my own sanity riding on one of these things in total darkness and high speed knowing how bumpy and washed out the road was. I pulled out my camera and tried taking a video of the ride but it was so dark that nothing picked up. The only near misses we had was a couple of goats which my driver deftly maneuvered around without batting an eye.

So today Isaac and I decided to make the trip to Kampala in search of internet. We took a taxi. A taxi here is a 9 passenger van which is packed with up to 20 people. Isaac and I lucked out and got the front seats so no one was sitting on top of us. Unfortunately it was hotter than hell and with traffic our journey into Kampala took two hours. (The return trip took three!) The roads are PACKED with cars, buses, trucks, taxis, bicycles, people, goats, and MORE cars, people darting between cars, buses, transport trucks and goats, chickens, babys, etc. Astonishingly nowhere--not even in the city of Kampala (2 million people) there is not a single stop sign or traffic light. Total mayhem. I’m learning to navigate though. Today Isaac allowed me to cross a street in Kampala by myself without holding my hand.

Once in Kampala we searched for a store that may sell printers as Beacon of Hope Uganda had none. I had intended to learn the price of a printer/scanner/copier and list it on a wish list for donors. The price was ridiculously low so I went ahead and purchased it. Without a printer or copier it had been necessary for Isaac or Ronnie to walk all the way into Mukono to use the expensive services there, assuming the woman was even there with the store open once they arrived. He and Ronnie are out of their heads happy with the printer. They are at Isaac and Scovias playing with it now.

The next most crucial item they need is internet. It can be brought to the village (satellite internet) for $500 which happens to be about ¼ the cost of a home here. I ask everyone to keep your ears and eyes open to opportunities for me on this one!

Back to Kampala. At some point we decided to take boda bodas to the other side of the city in search of internet. I have learned to say “Mpola, mpola, kale”which means “Go Slowly, please” to the boda boda drivers. They truly seem to appreciate muzungu’s trying to speak Luganda, so I thought it helpful to learn that phrase. Evidently my driver was hard of hearing. At one point we were traveling about 45mph and I could have reached out and touched the truck next to us and we wove in and out of traffic. For all of you who had been worried about my safety in Uganda, you are correct to worry about transportation here!

We went to Parliament and asked the guard permission to photograph it. He allowed it. Lots of caution and either armed guards or soldiers everywhere. It appears that most gas stations come equipped with its own well armed guard. Soldiers and guards appear from out of nowhere nearly everywhere, but especially in Kampala. Isaac told me that in the past 3 years six tall buildings have collapsed in downtown Kampala, killing many, many people. I would guess that the soldiers would be helpful in a situation like that.

Saw my second and third non-muzungus today at the Golf View Hotel. They were asian.

Off to bed now. Was frightened by the sudden appearance of one of the “bad” dogs on my way back from washing up this evening. My heart still pounds. These dogs are so dangerous that they must be locked up in the houses during the day but the people turn them loose at night. I hear them snarling and tearing around outside my door at night so when I actually came across one on my way back down the hill in the dark, my heart stopped. I wont be washing up in the dark in the future.

I hope you are all well. Will send pics the next time I can find internet. Love, Mel/Mom