SERIOUSLY NAÏVE

Last Friday was Sports Day/Visitation Day at the Jim Education Centre, a local orphanage I’ve been hanging out at. All the day students, boarders and orphans were separated into four teams and competed throughout the day for the big prize…a goat. I was approached the day before the event to see if I was interested in providing the goat for the big day. I imagined these lonely little underloved children having a pet goat and couldn’t say no. Turns out they didn’t want the goat for a school pet, the winning team slaughtered it and ate it for dinner after the games. I can still see the look in the poor goat’s eyes as the children gathered around screaming in excitement.

Apart from the goat incident, the day was incredible…I watched in admiration as they used resources like soda bottles, water tubs and sticks to create sporting events. My favorite was filling the soda bottle with water using the mouth as transportation. These kids ran all over this hilly field for the running events, then they jumped over sticks that were literally 6 feet high, all of this was accomplished without shoes, landing pads, etc… I couldn’t help but wonder what some of these children could achieve with proper gear and training.

When the sports were over, parents visited their children’s classrooms, looked at their school marks…kind of like a school’s open house in the States. Many of the children do not have parents that can visit or have parents that for one reason or another choose not to visit. I “visited” a few children, asked them about their grades, looked at their dormitory, then gave them a sheet of stickers, one pencil and 1000 Ugandan schillings (about 60 cents). The kids were so grateful and I’m glad I could do it but a part of me wants to tell the children, you deserve this and so much more.

I spent the night at the Jim Centre on Wednesday and woke as my friend Michelle stormed out of her room into the courtyard where the children gather every morning at 6am for morning prayers. As I slept peacefully, one of the teachers beat 20 children with a stick for being late to prayers…Michelle woke up, tried not to interfere but eventually couldn’t listen anymore. She ran out to the guy with the stick, grabbed his arm and said, “when Jesus met the people at the Temple for prayers, did he beat them for being late?” Jimmy, a 20 year old teacher at Jim, stopped beating the children and started complaining about Michelle. Beating in the schools is not encouraged anymore in Uganda but is still prevalent in village schools. I was advised to turn away if I ever witnessed a beating…things that make you go hmmm. Michelle’s supervisor supported her actions but unfortunately the beatings will continue.

Living in this environment is kind of like participating in a mental marathon. I am constantly asking myself tough questions, wondering why I have been so lucky, wondering why these children have to struggle so much, asking where to begin resolving some of the issues that plague this country (that is actually doing a lot better than most other African nations), questioning whether or not it’s okay to have so much when others have so little…will I ever be able to drink a Starbuck’s Chai Latte without converting the amount it costs into Ugandan shillings and thinking that I could buy two pairs of children’s shoes with the money?

Some days I am simply depressed and overwhelmed by what I see here…disillusioned, disenchanted, sometimes wishing I didn’t know what I know now. But the people here don’t need my sadness…they are not particularly sad themselves. The other night I sat outside my apartment, staring up at the beautiful night sky…my neighbor was singing softly, people were wandering by laughing and chatting to each other…what a moment. I realized that all around me people were with friends and family, they had eaten and they were okay. Granted the food they’re eating has little nutritional value, some of my neighbors probably have malaria, AIDS, etc…but the point is that maybe being fed and being with people you love and who love you, is enough. As I sat there, I knew I was okay. I didn’t need to be anywhere else or worry about what I needed to achieve in my lifetime, how much money I have, the extra pounds that have mysteriously jumped onto my body…I was fed, the stars were beautiful and I have many people who love me and who I love. I also realized that the only thing I truly missed in that moment, was someone to share it with. So I sat with Jonathon and we talked about the stars.

Still here, still learning…

I'VE MADE A FRIEND

I went to this African gift-giving event. A group of people all put money into a common fund, then each month one of the ladies gets all the money, they rotate each month. Interesting. The party I went to was hosted by the woman getting all the money that month. Again, interesting.

I was sitting quietly, pondering how I could avoid eating most of the food being served without appearing rude when I noticed another muzungu across the party tent (by party tent I mean tree branches holding up tarps and sarongs). I made my way through the crowd to meet this girl who speaks Luganda. She was chatting away to the locals in their language, how cool is that. Her name is Michelle, she has been living in Uganda for a year working as a Peace Corps volunteer, she's from New Orleans and is lots of fun. She invited me over for a slumber party at the swank orphanage she lives at (by swank orphanage I mean a tiny place with dirt floors and many needy but lively and lovely kids) and we ate yummy, prepackaged American food.

Her program director helped her find work teaching in some of the local secondary schools. She teaches a life skills class (hiv/aids, std's, teen preganancy, abstinence, decision making). Gavah (her director) said there was a school that wanted her to teach there but she wasn't able to for various reasons, so she and I went together and asked if I could teach there instead. They signed me up to teach life skills there twice a week, then I went out and found another 3 schools to teach at. I seriously wonder at my audacity, waltzing into random Ugandan schools thinking they'll just change up their academic schedule to accomodate my desire to teach their students but they do. It's been explained to me that Pres. Museveni mandated that this class be taught but none of the schools can afford to pay for extra teachers so the class is usually forgotten. They also assume that American teachers are well-trained, so they like having them in their classrooms. So...I have some work to keep me occupied until the end of the school term in mid-April. I started this week and so far, so good. I speak very slowly and I've developed a weird Canadian accent (not that Canadian accents are weird, it's just weird that I have one) because they cannot understand when I speak American english.

I spent this past weekend with Michelle and her peace corps buddies in Mbale. They all met up for a birthday party and a girl's night. The first night we went to this restaurant called Oasis, well named-it's yummy food in the middle of Mbale. Next night we took local transport into the middle of nowhere for an hour, then jumped on bicycle bota's (bota is the name for bicycle and motorcycle taxis here) and rode even further into the bush to get to one of the girl's sites. We rode in at sunset and it was the most peaceful, beautiful experience I have had since arriving in Uganda. It was also probably very amusing to see this huge parade of Bazungu (plural of muzungu) riding bikes with big backpacks into the bush.

These girls have been here for a year, so they miss western food probably more than I do. So when they get together everyone brings all the western goodies they have been able to find, then they cook as much western food as possible. You should have seen the spread...pringles, snickers, those strange easter marshmellow things, guacamole (could've licked the bowl), tunafish dip, deviled eggs, chocolate chip cookies-I'm getting weepy just remembering it. We ate, talked about the state of our bowels (discussing bathroom habits and the many crazy things that happen to your body in response to Africa has become totally normal to me), mulled over the fact that apparently living in Uganda means that your skin will experience a second puberty and kind of had a sorority party in the middle of nowhere. Loved it. The only bummer was that I couldn't really contribute to the conversation because I have totally lost my voice. Don't know exactly where it's gone but I'm hoping it comes back for class on Tuesday morning.

The coolest thing about the weekend was hearing how much these bold, intelligent, interesting young woman struggle in their new lives here. It's not cool that they struggle, it's just good to know that I am not alone. I was beginning to think I was the worst volunteer ever. They have all struggled to find meaningful work here, have struggled adjusting to this foreign culture and yelled at random taxi drivers who try to rip you off. We all answered ten questions, one was when was the last time you yelled/reprimanded someone. We all said when the last time we yelled at someone was here and in the States. Every girl except one had yelled/reprimanded someone in the past week but most of us couldn't remember when we had done so in the States. I yelled 'gende' (go away) at a bunch of hawkers on Friday when like ten of them shoved chicked into my face. That didn't stop me from buying one of the pieces of chicken though. I have recovered from having no appetite and have returned to my normal state of being a trash compactor.

So I'm still here, still learning, still not sure if I'm actually being of service, still open to this amazing experience I've been given. One of the PCV's (peace corps volunteers, I'm learning the lingo) said, 'there is a difference between having a good time and having a good experience.' I am not always having a good time but I am positive that I am having a good experience.

A BUG'S LIFE

So I decided awhile back that Willy, my gecko, could stay-I didn't want to mess up the whole 'circle of life' thing happening in my apartment. The other night my decision was reinforced as I witnessed an episode of National Geographic in my bedroom. I woke in the middle of the night and knew I wasn't going back to sleep, so I turned the light on, I'm such a chicken. So I notice Willy hanging out but he's not alone, it turns out his girlfriend Liz lives with us too. One gecko felt okay, two made me a touch nervous...but not for long. Every night I close all my windows, stuff the cracks under my door with toilet paper ( I can't believe I'm confessing this stuff), spray Raid in the corners of my apartment and in general try to make my place cockroach-proof. But there are windows that cannot be closed and when you have your lights on at night, big bugs fly in. So the other night I lay there in the safe confines of my mosquito net ( thank God for mosquito nets) and watched fat bugs flying all over the room, then I noticed Willy and Liz very attentively watching them too. As I watched, fascinated, Willy and Liz cleaned out the room of all the bugs...they ran all over the walls until they trapped and ate every single flying elephant (just a nickname). By the end of the episode I was rooting them on, pointing out an ant they had missed...who needs a tv. Well actually, my neighbors do, many of them have tv's. And I saw a monkey...not in my bedroom, when I went for a run in the hills. Everybody else was very casual as I jumped up and down in excitement. I guess monkey's aren't a big deal here but how cool is that, to see a monkey on your run!

I've been putting together a schedule of sorts. I started thinking that I liked visiting the remote villages and I like public speaking, why not combine the two. So I've hired Tespista's son (the lady that cooks for me) as a translator and guide for two weeks. We ride our bikes into the back villages all around Naggalama, stop when we see a group of people gathered and start talking. I found out that I can go into a medical supply store and get free condoms, so I picked up 2000 the other day (the title 'condom queen' comes to mind) and at the end of our "presentation" we hand out condoms. Usually the people have a slew of interesting questions and some wild ideas about how a person can or cannot contract HIV. Some people seem informed, others laugh, some listen attentively...it's not an easy topic for a modest culture to discuss. Moses (translator) or I usually demonstrate how to use a condom and I even giggle every now and then. Abstinence is rad but not something that most people choose to partake in. As Moses said, "Sex is the poor man's tv." It's difficult for me to tell these people that abstaining is the only way to go when it's a form of entertainment they can afford.

HIV and AIDS is a big deal here. The conductor on a taxi I took the other day had the open sores indicative of the disease, it's not that rare to see people that look as if they might have AIDS but it shocks me every time. I try so hard not to stare and my heart fills with pity and at the same time all these thoughts run through my head, can I get it, he helped me put my bags into the taxi-did his sores touch my stuff...I hate it. I know how HIV spreads but paranoia sneaks up on me. Sometimes I get very frustrated, almost angry when the people we are speaking to laugh or keep talking about the situations when HIV hasn't spread (i.e...I know this woman, married to an HIV positive man but she's not positive, why, explain that...)-I try to explain that it's a crap-shoot, some people may not get it but unsafe sex (even safe sex to a certain degree) is always a gamble.

Our village adventures have lead to 3 upcoming speaking engagements at local high schools. Our first one is Friday, I'll let you know how that goes. Most schools are religious here so our presentation will be a bit more tailored.

Some miscellaneous facts...

Moses' translator services (two weeks): $50
Bike hire (two weeks): $5
Condoms (2000): Free
The idea that someone might learn something that saves their life: Priceless

Food facts... ( I walk five minutes down the road to eat at Tespista's place)

Breakfast: Samosas and Mandazi (fried dough, so fatty, I love it) and pineapple
Lunch: Rice, fried spinach and pineapple
Dinner: Rice, fried spinach or chard and pineapple (sometimes, when I've been good or picked up a new word in Luganda, Tespista cooks spaghetti noodles, potatoes and spinach....when I've been REALLY good, she makes me fries)

Luganda greeting...

Lara: Wasuze otya, nyabo (how was the night madam)?
Tespista: Nasuze bulungi, nyabo (the night was good madam), wasuze otya, nyabo?
Lara: Jendi. (fine)
Lara: Gyebale ko, nyabo (thank you for the work that you do madam)
Tespista: Kale, nawe gyebale. (okay, thank you also)

Greetings are very important in the village and can be much more complicated and long. They believe that every person has some special work to do every day, hence the thanking someone for the work that they do.

Last thing-the elections were held last week. The incumbent Yoweri Museveni (in power since '86) won again. There was some rioting and violence in Kampala but nothing too bad and total calm in Naggalama. The popular opposition leader, Besigye is arguing that the elections were rigged...they very well could've been, cheating is very normal here and almost accepted. Not just in politics, also in marriages. Multiple wives is a common practice here and another cause of the proliferation of HIV. I like the idea of supporting unique cultural practices but what about when they cause disease and death?

I think that's enough out of me, it's late and I need to catch a taxi home before they stop running for the night. Imagine a night on the streets of Uganda-without my Raid...shudder.