First week in Uganda...

Well its 9am on a warm Ugandan morning. I am watching the chickens and massive roosters roam around our garden. The roosters are a little confused, as they wake me up crowing between 230am and 430am most mornings! I can see the beautiful, luscious green hills in the background…and I think I am starting to feel settled in Uganda after a week.

It took me 36 looooong hours to get to Uganda from Sydney, mostly due to the 9 hours at Jo’berg and 7 hours at Kenya airports! Trust me…there is only SO much duty free shopping one girl can do. Plus…it didn’t feel right to be purchasing African souvenirs when all I had actually seen of Africa was the airports!! But at 430pm on Monday…I landed in Uganda. Travelling from the airport to the apartment…it finally hit me that I was in Africa! The 45min drive gave me my first precious glance into the world of Uganda…from rich to slum housing, thousands of road side businesses selling everything you can imagine, women balancing groceries and pots on their heads, and men balancing 3 bed frames on a single pushbike! It was awesome.

So, now that I have been here a week…here is a summary of Ugandan life:

Ugandan People

They are beautiful, inside and out. Initially they can come across as a little guarded, but I have found that as soon as you say hello, then this warm smile appears and they are very friendly. Of course you get stared at a lot when walking around the streets and called Mzungu (white person), but it’s simply out of curiosity (and possibly because I am the whitest person on the face of the planet!) so I just smile at them and say hello. In terms of feeling safe, our apartment is gated and has a security man, and you get all your bags checked and you are metal detected before going into any shopping centres or restaurants, because of the recent bombings and upcoming elections. There are armed security and police everywhere, so I actually feel pretty safe.

Traffic

It is possibly the craziest thing I have ever witnessed…it truly gives Europe and the Arc de Triumph a run for its money! From what I can gauge…there is minimal use of lanes and no concept of “right of way” with cars squeezing into the smallest gaps to push in I have ever seen, especially on roundabouts! The boda-boda motorcycles here act as taxis, and they are INSANE! I can honestly see why they are one of the main reasons for hospital admissions…simply craziest drivers I have known, and I would NOT be passing their driving test, that’s for sure!! I am also learning the art of crossing roads here. I was standing there forever waiting for a break in the traffic (no such thing as zebra crossings here!) until I noticed the Ugandan people simply walking up and stepping into the traffic and forcing the cars to stop. I am TOTALLY not that brave yet, but I try and jump behind them and follow them! Or sometimes a car will stop for me out of sympathy! They also have no street lights, so being in a car at night is crazy…I have learnt to try and stop holding my breath and simply close my eyes and pray...ALOT!

Shopping

I visited the shopping centre for groceries and was amazed that it had everything I could need…including milo and nutella!! I sensed my plan to lose weight was in serious jeopardy! 89,000 shillings (about $45) later…I had food! I am going to visit the local markets today, which is where you can buy amazing clothes, jewellery etc. The only problem is that you are supposed to bargain with them…and I am terrible at that! I just feel bad and want to give them whatever they ask, but its apparently part of the culture, so I guess I better give it a go…

Food

We get lunch provided at the baby home, which is where I have sampled some real Ugandan food. I liked the cassava and the rolex…and of course the fruit is so fresh and delicious!! I have also been out to dinner a few times with some volunteers and Ugandan friends, where I have really gotten to experience the REAL Uganda. We went and had chicken one night, and ended up in the crazy back streets where there wasn’t really any Mzungu’s in sight…and I loved it! Almost fell down a few massive pot holes and got hit by a few random bodas that appeared out of nowhere…but survived and had the best night ever

Apartment

I am staying in one of the volunteer apartments, which is really secure and well set up. Before I came here, I thought coming for 2 months was ages. NOPE! Most of the volunteers are here for 6, 9 or 12 months, with a few short stayers like me. They are mostly from Canada, USA, Australia, UK and one Finnish girl. All pretty friendly, which is great. I have learnt that I must keep all the doors shut, partly to keep the mozzies out…but more to keep the chickens out! Didn’t realise on my first day and then had to chase them all out the kitchen! I felt very Ugandan indeed!

Children’s Villages

One of the highlights has been the tour of one of the Children’s villages. The village we saw was huge…full of homes and classrooms, and with 800 children, but it was considered one of their smaller villages! All of the kids were in school, starting from kindergarten right up to highschool. Actually I learnt that you can stay in the village until you have finished university and are ready to support yourself! So such a mix of kids from 2 years old…up to 22 years old! We went into a few of the houses and met the Mammas, some who had toddlers with them. It was beautiful seeing how the Mammas and kids acted like a true family…clearly so in love with each other. It blew the old fashioned concept of an “orphanage” out of the water for me, and I could see the power of placing children and widows together in these community’s and how healthy it is for both of them. While I was there I was busting for the bathroom (of course!) so our host send me across to the school toilets. The poor school girls nearly had a heart attack when a huge white mzungu walked into the bathrooms…and I had to use a porcelain pit/in-ground toilet (very clean, mind you…and had a flush?!), so that was testing for me! Luckily everywhere else in Uganda I have been to has had western toilets so it’s all good for the uncoordinated like me! But I survived, and then the kids loved running up to us calling out “Mzungu, Mzungu!!” and it was so great. Loved the village!

Baby Home

Oh my gosh. I cant believe that in the space of a week I have fallen head over heels IN LOVE with the babies!! I have learnt to multi task to a whole nutha level… as you feed 4-5 babies at once, or bath 12 babies together…but the nannies are pros at it, and I am learning fast! There are 4 rooms, with the Monkey room having the 0-3months (and any tiny older kids), the Giraffes having the 3-6 months, the Hippos the 6-9months and then the Elephants having the 9+ months. So far I have mostly been helping out in the monkey and giraffe rooms…oh my gosh they melt me!! When they are supposed to be sleeping, and peep up at you from their crib and smile and then giggle…wowsers. So in love!! I work/volunteer 6 days a week, for 8 hours (6 on weekends)…so its hard work, but very rewarding. Seeing the kids so strong and healthy, especially those that were brought into the home 3-4 months premature, malnourished or abandoned….they are so happy and loved. Its very impacting. Already I don’t want to leave!!

So that’s life so far. I went to Watoto church on the weekend…going to a church packed with Africans was AWESOME! Especially during the singing. I struggled to understand the preacher, as it had a very strong Ugandan accent…but it was great fun anyways. I am trying to get out and see as much of Uganda as I can. Might do a safari in the next few weeks. So much to see…so much to do!!