I'm back!!!

I'm back!!! In case you didn't already know lol

I have SO MANY updates...so please bear with me. My last week in Uganda was a nightmare and kinda disappointing becasue of the TASO person we went with. I will document all of it in detail. Rwanda was beautiful and I love that country. Pictures and stories to come...

Especially since I have good internet (Praise the Lord). I'll be able to share so much more with you guys. I hope I get to travel again soon so I can continue dosumenting my travels through the blog.

Thanks so much for all the encouragement and support and reading my blog!!

From the heart....

I will really miss Uganda and especially TASO. Yesterday we presented our gender based violence report and they were very grateful for all the work we put into it. Last night they even took us out to dinner and they all thanked us for everything we did. I truly appreciate the way they took us in and helped us get through this summer. I will miss them and I hope I get to come to Uganda sooner than later.

Stay tuned for my Lessons learned entry tomorrow.....

Day 75: What I will NOT miss about Uganda

1. Food (lack of choices, lack of flavor): Man this has made a major impact on my chronic homesickness I have felt. I truly believe if the food had been bangin (like Sierra Leonean food) would have not felt like I wanted to go back home as much. I have had some good Ugandan food but it highly depends on who makes it. For the most part food has either been tasteless or incredibly monotonous. I will pig out for at least two weeks after I get back.

2. People being enamored with Mzungus (white people): Now I just have to be straight up and speak my mind on this one. Every time I would go somewhere with the other fellow (she’s Asian) and other white ppl I was around here the people especially the little kids get so excited and yell “Mzungu! How are you?” or ask to be picked up. I literally will stand there while they completely ignore me. I am sure it’s because I look like everyone else (esp since I’m dark skinned) that they see on a daily basis but still it really makes me annoyed. Also when we go into town the boda boda (motorcycle) drivers will clamor over the white people to try and give them a ride. I mean I know its bc they assume they have more ney and can overcharge them but its more like this fascination with a person being white. Almost like they worship them. Like they feel they have to go out of their way for them. I think this mindset is really sad and it shows their lack of knowledge about what Muzungu countries have done to Africa as a whole. In the form of colonialism, pillaging of resources, and pitting tribal groups against each other, Muzungus have put Africa where it is now: incredibly under developed, lagging behind in nearly every health indicator and a cauldron of civil wars for decades. I know many “Muzungu nations” have provided vast amounts of aid to Africa in recent years, particularly for HIV/AIDS but I feel its like trying to get credit for helping someone up you pushed down in the first place. The mindset of many Africans only perpetuates the view that Muzungus will be the saviors for Africa. This really hurt me because I feel like African countries have to stop looking to the West for solutions, thinking they are better than them, and worshipping the ground they walk on. ::Ending rant and stepping off of soapbox::

3. Trash dumped everywhere: I mean its just not sanitary to be breathing in trash that’s been dumped on the side of nearly every road. If the trash has not been dumped and left then it is burned. Again, breathing in the smoke from burning trash is just not good.

4. Shady guesthouse people: I have come to the conclusion that they are all compulsive/pathological liars. They lie about dumb stuff. Like stuff there’s just no reason to lie about. For example I have asked couple of them their ages. Either another one will tell me the other one is lying or they come to be later and said they lied about their age so they could feel younger. WTF? Is it really that serious? To me that means that you are just accustomed to lies coming out your mouth…compulsively. Don’t forget about the things they stole….

5. Lack of timeliness: I know I put this in my what I will miss entry but I gotta include it here as well. I am a very schedule oriented person. I like making plans and having an agenda. Its okay if we divert from it a little bit but I need to at least have a tentative plan in place before I go or do something. Its gotten me this far in life. Here in Uganda, all of that has gone out of the window. Its hard to get people to commit to a certain time or place and following through on it. Very hard.

6. Treatment of women: Women are not fully appreciated. Plain and simple. Women work so hard here…I always see them out sweeping or digging (picking vegetables in the fields) and taking care of the children. Not to say men don’t work hard either but to not get the respect and equality they deserve just makes it worse. I have noticed that women are supposed to accept certain types of treatment here. (Our gender based violence report has highlighted the inequality within relationships women face) For example, when me and the other fellow are at the bus park men will come up to us and grab our arm. Or when we are trying to cross the street and a taxi bus goes by they will grab at us as if that will make us want a ride somewhere. They would NEVER do this to a man here. Regardless of his race. Men here treat women like they are below them and it pisses me off.

7. Cold showers: Man oh man how I have missed my hot showers. Even though its summertime. Its my main way of relaxing after a stressful day. Or if I get a headache many times I’ll just stand under a hot shower and it’ll help me feel better.


8. Corruption: This is probably the main reason why Africa will not progress. Corruption is so rampant it is the norm and is not the exception. As a third world country transparency and equal opportunity for everyone is needed to make strides. It will also make the country a safer place to live Two examples: 1) when doing research for our gender based violence report we learned that many women will not go to the police to report when they are violated bc if their husband has more money (typically the case) then he can just bribe the police officers or courts and they will rule in his favor. 2) So I don’t know if you remember WAAAAAY back when I first got here (See Day 9) when we took a taxi bus (See pics below) from Jinja and they packed 25 people in when its really only supposed to have no more than 15 in there. But last weekend when we were coming back from Jijna (again) in a taxi bus, there were clearly more than 15 people in the taxi. Its wasn;t a nightmare like before because the driver didn’t keep stopping along the way to pick up folks. But I did have to sit next to a lady who decided to breastfeed her child all along they way. But I digress. Anyway we were driving along and there was a police checkpoint on the road. The driver gets out the taxi and goes to the back and I see him slipping the police officer something. It was most likely money. Now what if we had crashed? However much you gave to that officer…would it have been worth our lives? Come on now safety first people.

9. No traffic laws: Ties into number 8. There are no street lights. Anywhere. There are no road signs. Anywhere. Not even in the capital city. Nope. Pedestrians DO NOT have the right of way. Ever. You will get ran over if you think this. The driver will not stop. I have been clipped on the shoulder and almost hit a few more times than I care to remember.

So these are the main things I know I will definitely NOT miss here in Uganda.

Here are the taxis that you ususally have to take to travel long distances

Here is what is painted on the side of most of these taxis....um....yeah thats a lie

Day 74: What I will miss about Uganda

So even though I have felt homesick many times while I’ve been here, I have truly enjoyed my time in Uganda. For all its beauty, incredibly friendly people, and yes even the randomness, Uganda will always have a special place in my heart. So in this entry I will list all the things I know I will miss about Uganda.

1. The people: Even though I have dealt with some real ignorant ish here, overall, the people are incredible. I mean, they are so nice, genuine (for the most part) and kind hearted. Mbale is a pretty small town. So we see a lot of the same people- the people who make chapatti, waitresses/waiters, people we’ve played volleyball with, people we’ve met through other volunteers and others around town. I would say 90% of the time, these people will stop us to say hi and ask how we are doing. And no they don’t ask me to leave them my cell phone (See Day53) or ask for money. They just stop to say hi. It’s so refreshing. Considering Uganda (even though it was mostly in the North) has been exposed to conflict, has rampant corruption, and the women are not always treated equally, the people are just so friendly.

2. The beauty of nature: I have mentioned it time and time again. But the natural beauty of this country is amazing. No wonder it’s known as the “Pearl of Africa”. I have lived in the city or a semi-suburb (In NJ) the majority of my life. I have never been exposed to this type of nature for this long before. It’s so nice to watch a sun set and see how the colors paint the sky. It’s so nice to sit on a mountain and look over a city. To see all that God created and see how small a lot of things I stress are in the grand scheme of life.

3. TASO: This organization is amazing! With all the challenges of being in a low income country the staff always greet you with a warm “good morning” or “Milembe (hello in Luganda) everyday. The staff here are incredibly friendly and always willing to help. It’s inspiring to see them do their work day in and day out, when sometimes they don’t have all the supplies, or they’re hungry, or they’ve been in a village at outreach for over 6 hours. I have learned so much while I’ve been here and so glad I was with TASO.

4. Just being in Africa: As many of you know my family (Mom and Dad’s side) are from Sierra Leone. Yet this is my first time in Africa. I kinda had this romantic view of Africa as the origin of civilization and the epitome of all we as black people have to be proud of. Now it has been all that and more -- calming, peaceful, resilient people, and SO beautiful…. BUT it’s also jarring and a reality check. Despite everything there is to appreciate about the continent, they have so much further to go. They have so many strides to make in their mindset and what it will take for true progress to be made. s beautiful and the people are so nice and friendly, but there’s corruption and discrimination and many more strides to be made. Despite all of this there is a level of serenity and peace I have found by being here. When I get older and I’m married and have kids and such I will definitely take mad trips here just to get away from the hectic-ness of the US.

5. Slow pace: This ties in with #4. Early on it was frustrating but now I have come to embrace it. I have grown accustomed to AP (African people for you slow ppl) time. I have learned when someone says I’ll be there in 30 mins…that means an hour. Food takes over an hour to be prepared here. For example, when someone at TASO said they would be back in 5 mins and didn’t come for 2 hours. Things just go along at a turtle’s pace. I’m kinda (emphasis on the kinda) that I don’t have a job waiting on me because I would show up late for that whole first week. It’ll take time to get back into the swing of things but I’m sure I’ll manage.

6. The cheap prices: Now I know I paid $1300+ dollars to get here so it all evens out in the end but everytime I go grocery shopping in the US I will think about how much it woulda cost in Uganda. Mangoes for 4 cents, Avocados for 10 cents, coconut oil (all my natural sistahs stand up) for 75 cents….man it will definitely be on my mind

7. The randomness: Yet another thing that frustrated me at time, but hey it made the trip so much more entertaining. I have tons of stories to tell when I get back and each day it was something different. When I get back something will trigger yet another random Ugandan moment that I will be able to crack up at when looking back.

I know I know this list seems short especially since my next entry will be focusing on the negatives. Ah well…give me a break.

Day 72: Plans ahead....

So it is winding down to the last two weeks I am in Uganda. I can’t believe how quickly this time has gone by. Some weeks were painfully slow and others went by in a flash. I feel like I’ve been here for 6 months and not 3, and yet I feel like the summer went by so quickly. Not sure how that’s possible. But anyway, this is our last week in Mbale, so we’ll be spending it presenting our report to the staff here, saying goodbye, and getting people’s contact info and stuff like that. I will truly miss the TASO staff bc they are so genuine, hardworking and just all around good people. They work so hard!! In the US, there’s no way we’d work until 7pm after coming in at 8:30 am…or at least you’d have to pay us for the overtime. And forget about weekends. The staff here do that. A lot. And for a couple weeks they couldn’t pay staff bc there had been some accounting issues. I mean…what?? Let that happen in the US…there would be a strike before anybody would even set foot on the premises. And if someone did, they would a half-assed job until that check rolled in. They are so inspiring with their dedication.

We’ll be heading to the capital, Kampala, this upcoming Sunday. Here’s how our week (after this one) will go:

Monday: Presentation of our gender based violence report to TASO HQ in Kampala (may get my hair re-braided later in the day or go to the movies!)

Tuesday: Heading to Western Uganda with one of the TASO staff we became good friends with

Wednesday: Heading to Rwanda early in the morning. Going to see the Genocide museum there and spend time in the capital Kibale. While I’ve been in Uganda, I’ve read 2 books about the Rwandan genocide, “Shake hands with the devil” by General Romeo Dallaire (UN General) and “An Ordinary Man” by Paul Rusesabagina (the hotel manager in Hotel Rwanda). These books were incredibly great testimonies and gave different perspectives on what happened. It’s going to be so moving to step foot in the country and even places where many of the massacres happened. Really looking forward to it.

Thursday: Head to Kibale, in Western Uganda …we’ve heard it’s very beautiful there

Friday: Back to our TASO friend's family's house, spend a few nights there

Saturday: Friend's House

Sunday: Back to Kampala, might get my hair done today instead. Packing and getting ready to go home!

Monday (the 24th): Entebbe airport, heading home!

I’m not sure how much access to internet I’ll get next week so this week, so in addition to writing about the randomness I encounter each day, I’ll also wrap up my final thoughts on this trip. I know that when I get back home and I’m not going through homesickness I’ll be able to reflect on and comprehend everything I’ve experienced. So these reflections are just the tip of the iceberg.

Day 69: Another Random Day in Uganda

SO this week has gone by with lightening speed. I just realized I haven't updated in a week. Ah well...thank God this time is moving!

Anyways, yesterday (Thursday) was so random but yet typical for a Uganda day

In guesthouse foolishness: The guy at the guesthouse, the one who was eyeing my phone, was up to his pathological lying ways. He had excuses for why our breakfast was terrible as usual. So we usually get eggs (fried), fruit (bananas, mangoes, or pineapple), chapatti (a flat bread) and tea. So he comes to room, the bananas are black and some are split open and the chappatti is clearly a day old because its hard and cold. So I eat the eggs and we give him the rest back. Here's the conversation that ensues:

My roommate: "We can't eat that chapatti, its stale"
Guy: "oh" and mumbles under his breathe some excuse.
Me: "What?" so he can speak up (I know he has no valid excuse but I just want to hear what he has to say this time)
Guy: "Um...(stuttering and clearly lying)...the chapatti man deceived me"
Me: "huh?"
Guy: "The chapatti man told me they were fresh, but I don't know where to get fresh chappatti from. The boy (a teenage boy that helps clean the guesthouse and who he blames everything that goes wrong) knows where the fresh chapatti is"
Boy: (who happened to be standing within ear shot) "This man is a fake" laughs
Me: (laughing) What?
Boy: This man is a fake. He doesn't know where the fresh chapatti is.

So I kinda left the conversation at that. Because the boy's english isn't too good so I think he was trying to say the guesthouse guy is a liar. Also its a shame because remember how our stuff was getting stolen? (See Day 53) The guy was tryna blame the boy then too. Knowing he can't speak good english and defend himself or even understand what we are saying half the time. This dude is shady I tell ya...straight shady....

So right after this happened, we're walking down the street and we see these guys being led by a police officer....in handcuffs. Yup just walking down the street in groups of two with a police officer holding his rifle to keep them in line.

Right as we saw this we see a group of three goats...one pregnant just coming down the street. Yup...typical...random Ugandan Day