Week One: The One Where Emma Figures It Out

As the director of the program, Rachel, mentioned earlier to our class of 29 Uganda Studies Program students, we are in a stage of adjustment where everything in our lives is just... new. It is not a stage that lasts very long, for when you encounter one new thing, its is no longer new. So, this first week has been a series of many new sights, sounds, smells, and plenty of adventures. But, as I learn to live in Mukono, living and breathing the Ugandan culture, many of the experiences I will write down and reflect upon from this first week will probably not be the same as some of my last weeks. So, I will do my best to sort through the many ups and downs to give an accurate representation of my first week, but also hopefully a picture of life in Uganda as well.

I am studying at Uganda Christian University, in Mukono. It is a vastly different culture than the streets of Mukono, just outside the gates. I spend much of my time of campus now, attending classes and orientations. But it feels very similar to a university in the States, everything is very nicely groomed and all of the luscious green is very well manicured. It is very clean, despite the absence of trash cans. It is relatively quiet, granted the classes for all students are starting this week, so more and more students show up every day. Unlike the States, many of the rooms are very open. Many of my classrooms have permanent openings in the walls to allow for fresh air (and a cross breeze) and windows that remain open on several walls. The dining hall only has one wall, where the kitchen and bathrooms are located, but the other three sides are completely open to the elements. Nkoyoyo hall is similar to this, where chapel is held, and I am loving this atmosphere. Mostly, if I am being honest, because this allows for some cross breeze in this hot and humid (well, compared to CO everything is humid) weather. There is some fun wildlife here. Lots of colorful and loud birds (one type sounds like a goat when it chirps) and I have seen several monkeys on campus. There are many nice paths on campus, with paved roads for the cars that have killer speed bumps. So far, campus has been a very relaxing place that reminds me a bit of an oasis in the middle of a larger town.

One of the extreme differences between on and off campus: the roads. The moment I walk outside the gates of campus, armed with security guards, I need to be on high alert. Pedestrians do not have the right away here, which makes walking home quite a task. There do not seem to be rules for the roads, except that generally vehicles drive on the left side of the road. I say generally, meaning that really drivers go wherever there are the least amount of potholes and rain water ravines on the red dirt roads. Even, most times, on the "sidewalks". Boda bodas are little motorbikes with a passenger seat on the back that I have seen carrying up to four passengers. Crazy. As you walk down the street there are many side shops that sell fresh fruits or are able to print and copy materials or have school supplies. For me, as I walk home, I have made a little following of Ugandan children who walk with me calling me "mzungu", the word for white person. For those who don't follow me physically, they stare and watch my every move as I move down the street at a much faster pace than the laid-back Ugandan stroll. There are many animals on the street such as chickens and goats that make me smile as I walk past.

Mukono town is a bit different than the road to and from my host home and university. It is impossibly busy, with a two lane highway and boda bodas that make it seem more like three. There is a constant smell of gasoline and fried foods (from chapati and rolex, my new favorites). I learned from one of my coordinators that Uganda has the second highest road fatalities in Africa, so yes mom, I promise to look both ways before crossing the street. There are many people on the sides of the street, either selling items or purchasing goods from others. On Sunday, as a group of students, we all walked into town as a part of a scavenger hunt. We had to find out things about the culture and where services were located like an ATM or the post office. Hence, we had to talk to people on the street. I had fun asking people about the town and where to go, and I believe many others in my group did as well. Every individual I interacted with was incredibly friendly and very hospitable. Some times it was very helpful, such as one gentleman who walked several hundred meters to the post office so that I would not get lost. Other times it has caught me off guard such as the marriage proposal I received (yes, I declined).

As I mentioned earlier, I am living with a wonderful host family that lives about 10-15 minute walk from campus. My papa is the pastor of our local church called Deliverance. I attended most of a service on Sunday (we arrived late and still worshipped for 3 1/2 hours). I had so much fun dancing and trying to hear what the interpreter was saying so that I could follow. This single experience showed me how passionately these church goers worship and pray and it was very powerful to witness. My Mama works as an advocate for domestic violence and child abusing Mukono town and then comes home and is a mama to four awesome kiddos. In her free time she is learning to "tailor" so I am hoping she may practice and make me a skirt or a dress. I have four host siblings: Benjamin, who is 12, Benitah, Betinah, and Daniel, who is 3. They all love me so well and have welcomed me into their home so graciously. We also have a woman who lives with us, Amina, who helps Mama cook and clean. She has 2 year old son, Jared, who spends most of his days with us as well. We also have a goat who has recently had 2 kids, who are very very cute. I have my own room in our home and most days we have electricity and running water. It is not unusual for the power to go out for hours at a time or for the water to not run for a day or so. It seems to just be a minor inconvenience to my family, who goes about their day as normal when these things happen. I have learned many many things from my family already, and they are trying very hard to teach me Luganda, but to no avail. I have learned how to successfully take a bucket bath (or so I think) and will be learning how to do laundry soon. Because I am the honored guest right now, I have not been allowed to do daily chores, but I may help out with ironing if I am persistent in asking.

At home, I usually eat both breakfast and supper. Both have always been fantastic. Breakfast is usually scrambled eggs and a plain piece of white bread and supper has been a variety of matoke (mashed bananas), soup, greens, potatoes, and cabbage. As the honored guest, I was given the chicken gizzard to eat last night at supper. We eat with our God-given forks (our fingers) and my host family looked at me funny the first time I tried to eat with a fork Everyone here has large portions and do not understand when I can not finish my meal, but the cafeteria staff seem to understand that when the group of mzungus come for lunch at the Dining Hall to give us 1/2 or 1/3 portions.... just right as Goldilocks would say. Lunch is always posho (corn flour and water), rice, and beans or peas. Sometimes we get eggplant or cabbage. Not the extravagance I am used to, but I always walk away satisfied. The fruit here is to die for. Fresh pineapples, mangos, and avocados are all over the place and are consumed commonly as snacks. They are very sweet and are soooo delicious blended into a smoothie (a luxury I discovered today on campus). Street food like chapatis, a sort of tortilla, but much better, and rolex (chapati and eggs rolled together like a breakfast burrito), is very cheap and a nice thing to snack on between lunch (1pm) and supper (9 or 10pm).

So maybe saying that I have figured it all out is a bit of a stretch, but it is safe to say that I am loving my new Ugandan life having only been here a week. And I can not wait for more adventures to come. Thank you all for your continued prayers and support and if you ever want to contact me, I am reachable at velie.emma@gmail.com

Emma