Ready for a long one?

Hello blog readers. Sorry for the long delay. I am currently at Paraa Lodge in Northern Uganda. I have been without electricity (let alone the internet) for the past few days. Paraa Lodge has 3 computers that are capable of getting on the “information super highway,” they charge to use the Internet (I believe it is 6,000 shillings, $3, for 30 minutes so I am writing this in a Word document. Also, the “business center” (the place where the two computers are) is always busy…hopefully they have Microsoft office…and I can find a 30 minute block of time to get this uploaded when no one is there. I apologize in advance for the length…as I am certain this will be quite long.

Where to begin?

So, when I last updated, I was in Kampala and preparing to visit a slum and then the Bead for Life village. The slum was an amazing experience! If one ever wanted to see what abject poverty looks like, this is certainly the place to go. The sights, sounds, and smells are something that I will NEVER forget! Despite their situation, the people there were extraordinarily nice. For the last few days, I have worn a smile on my face…because I learned that if you smile, they completely break down and give you a big toothy grin. On our way to the center of the slum I saw a man making what they call a Rolex. It is some doughy concoction (sort of like a tortilla)…that they fill with eggs, tomato, and onions). Since I was late getting around in the morning (and missed breakfast), Mark and I braved the slum surroundings and ate a Rolex. It was actually very good (almost like a breakfast burrito without the cheese).

We stopped in the houses of a couple of beaders…and learned their amazing stories. Some were hopeful, while others would almost break you down into tears. What I will remember the most from the slum visit (besides the smells) is the children. They could see the muzungus coming from a mile away…and we could hear them.  Their chants were almost song-like. “Mu-zun-gu, how are you? Mu-zun-gu, how are you?” They would sing it over and over again. They would surround us…hold our hands…and walk with us. When we would take their pictures and then show them the photo, their faces would light up. I was amazed at how small some of the children were who would walk away from home (barefoot…in the mud) and follow us. A piece of candy, a thank you, and a goodbye…and they would some how find their way home in the maze that is the slum. We actually had one follow us all their way back out to the trucks. We were talking…and decided, with all of the diseases, poverty, and such, if a child makes it to the age of 10 here, they are TOUGH kids! American children (and many adults) have NO idea of the difficulties that these children face. It is actually kind of surprising that any of them survive at all. Dr. Williams likes to use one-word responses to situations…I will cheat and use more…eye opening and life-changing.

After leaving the slum we went to an Italian restaurant. The food was good…but it was difficult to eat the large portions of food after having just visited the slum. Many of us felt very bad for doing so. We all sent our leftovers home with Lubega (our driver) for his family to eat.
After lunch we made our way to the Bead for Life Village (Friendship village). Here women who used to live in the slum have a community of homes to live in. They make paper beads for their rent…and spending money. We were each paired with host…and lived with them for the next day and a half (we spent two nights in the village). My three word response? Oh My God! When we arrived, all of the men and women in the village were waiting for us. As soon as we pulled in the driveway, they began singing and dancing…I can still hear the one song that they use to great guests…it almost makes me cry just thinking about it. We jumped out of the van and joined them in the fun! The welcomed us and sat us on the porch to the community building. One at a time we stood up and introduced ourselves to the beaders. They didn’t know where Kansas was. One of my fellow travelers, Andy, is black and is from D.C…they called him Obama! (No, seriously, he was known as Obama for our entire stay…and will forever be known as that way). After the introductions, we were escorted out to a field where we played traditional games (such as filling a water bottle, using only your hand). They coaxed me into that game…where I lost! Shocker. I seriously had about an inch of water in my bottle when one of the children I was racing against was completely finished. I couldn’t lose to Andy, so I cheated and dunked the bottle. The villagers were hooting and hollering at me for cheating…but it was all in good fun. Afterwards we danced some more. I participated in some song and dance where you jumped around and poked your butt out in each direction. The villagers were laughing and I didn’t know why until afterwards. Apparently the song was about a woman with HIV…and you weren’t supposed to touch her butt. They thought it was hilarious that I participated in the dance. Then the villagers asked us to teach them a song. We couldn’t think of one…but finally came up with the chicken dance! It was a great time and the villagers thought it was hilarious!

After the games, we were paired with someone who lived in the village…they became our host for the next day and a half. My host was named Lawrence. He is HIV positive, an orphan, and is now the manager of the village. He was a total delight to be around. His two friends who stopped by constantly were Hussein and Sirus. During our stay, we were supposed to “do what they do” on a daily basis. I lucked out and didn’t have to do any manual labor (but I did get to watch everyone else work).  Let me just say, LIFE IS HARD WORK! The VERY simple things that we take for granted each day, take hours to complete. You want something to eat, you go to the fridge (after shopping at the store). They want something to eat, they have to go dig, cut, or pick it. Each day is spent gathering water, tending to the gardens, and completing the simple tasks required for survival.

Lawrence had a friend named Campbell. Campbell was one of the originators of the village…and hired Lawrence to help him. Lawrence obviously misses him VERY much…and I think I became the surrogate for a couple of days. Every time we did something, he would say, “Campbell and I did this.” As the sun rose in the morning, he took me to a hill about ¾ of a mile away to take pictures of the village. (There are termite mounds everywhere…so I got pictures of those too). We then went back to the village where we made our rounds. One woman stopped us and made Lawrence climb a Passion fruit tree (all the way to the top) to get me some fruit. She wouldn’t let him stop until she thought I had enough. Bless her. (The passion fruit was very good). We then went about a half-mile up the road to buy a papaya (1000 shillings, or 50 cents). After eating the papaya, Lawrence decided that I needed more pictures, so we went on the trek of a lifetime! (Sorry, I might start crying as I write this). About two miles away from the village (keep in mind, all of this would look like the most remote places of Kansas that you have ever been to…think turkey hunting a couple of miles from any road) we came through a thicket of banana trees and stumbled upon a mud hut. This hut was about 6 feet in diameter and about 6 feet tall with a grass thatched roof. Sitting on the dirt step, cleaning a plastic bowl was an 80-year-old man. He was VERY ill…we thought he might have malaria. (Keep in mind life expectancy here is about 40 years). After some talking I asked if I could take his picture…he said yes. So, I took his picture and asked him if he would like to see it. (Tears). He looked at it, and smiled so big! Most of his teeth were missing. Then he said…this is the first time in his life that he ever saw himself. I will cherish that picture for as long as I live. We are making a copy of it…and having it delivered to him on Thursday. I hope that he is still alive to see it.

We continued on our way and just got deeper and deeper into the countryside. We came across an area where some power lines were being built. Apparently the power company was buying people out to take the land. We stumble across some big holes in the ground and Lawrence said they were graves. He proceeded to tell me that it is customary to dig up your relatives when you move…and re-bury them at your new location. You do this because of a fear of your relatives haunting you for leaving them. We found some children and asked them where the family moved to…they pointed us in the direction…and we were off to find them (which we finally did). We found 9 little graves (about 3 foot long and 2 foot across). These were graves of little children. There were also 4 or 5 larger graves for adults. It was a somber moment.

Oh! I almost forgot! Lawrence saw me as a “brother”…and because of the “special occasion, he (er…we) slaughtered one of his turkeys. (Don’t worry…I have pictures and video).  Although we tried to do it in secrecy, the entire village knew in a matter of minutes.

Anyway, our trip into the countryside led us to a road where it was apparent that no muzungu had been in quite some time. We were stopped at every house being asked for pictures. There is something about seeing yourself that I think we take for granted with all of our mirrors and such. On the way out to Murchison, I thought to myself that I hadn’t seen myself in over 2 days…so I can see how easy it would be to go quite some time without that image. When you live in a small brick house with no lights, electricity, tv, plumbing, water, etc…some things are just a bit more important.

Along the way, I learned a few phrases in Luganda and Swahilli. Hello, how are you, beautiful, smile, and goodbye are just a few. (I can’t spell them).  It is AMAZING how people respond when you know just a few words of their language! They instantly look at you differently and take you in. We met some brick makers who stopped us to thank me for appreciating their culture and taking the time to learn their language. They said it meant a lot to them. Then they told me I looked like a famous soccer player…and started laughing and poking fun at me…I returned the pokes and we had a good laugh.

As we walked by a high school, one of the students noticed the muzungu walking by…and all of the loud singing and dancing stopped immediately as all of the kids ran to the windows. The girls started shouting at me…and Lawrence began laughing (hard). He said they were “looking for a husband” and that I was a perfect candidate. I told him that they were too young for me…and Lawrence responded that age doesn’t matter...only skin color. They saw me as a way out of poverty.

To cut this story short (I could go on for hours) we ended the night with a “potluck” dinner. This was a first for the villagers…and it was interesting to watch. They didn’t understand that they were sharing their food (that they worked SOOOO hard for all day) with others. But, we got through it. As soon as the dinner was over (it is now VERY dark…9:00pm)…Lawrence decided that I need to experience the “nightlife.” So, we walked about ½ a mile to the nearest bar, drank Nile beer, and listened to a soccer match on the radio with about 40 other Ugandans. When the match was over decided that it was time to visit with the muzungu (obviously not many muzungus come to drink with them). They decided it would be great to give me an African name…and assign me to an African tribe (complete with an entire family…wife, children, sisters, brothers…the whole nine yards). They told me I now belonged to the Skunk tribe. I smelling myself, and they immediately burst into laughter! They then proceeded to tell me that the skunk is a revered animal here…and the Chikozy (sp?) tribe is very powerful and well respected. I don’t really believe them…but it was all good fun.

Lawrence was pretty toasted by the time we had to walk home…he decided to take a shortcut…it is a good thing that I have a good sense of direction, otherwise we may still be tromping through the brush of southern Uganda. 

We woke up early (long before sun up) to catch our safari vans. Of course all of the villagers were awake too. Lawrence came to say goodbye until Thursday. Many of the women hosts actually brought their guests food…it was VERY touching/moving. We then began the 8-hour journey to the north side of the Nile river (where I currently am). Along the way we saw SOOO many animals (baboons, warthogs, hippos, water buffalo, some sort of deer looking animal, monitor lizards, Colobus monkeys, and numerous species of birds). We stopped at the falls before crossing the Nile. Oh my gosh! The Nile narrows from 100 meters wide and falls through a gap only 7 meters wide. It is EXTREMELY powerful and an AMAZING sight! (I just watched some of the video that I recorded…I am pretty sure that my family and friends are going to want to kill me…it looks like I was much closer than I really was).

No worries though…I just looked and I have over 2,000 pictures so far! Some are going to make me look like a professional photographer. (It helps when you have a beautiful subject).

Tomorrow (which will be today since I am writing this the day before I can post it) we are going on Safari. Bosco (our guide) has promised us many animals (including giraffes and elephants…here is my chance Alex).  I told him there is a tip in it for him if he can find us a lion. He told me it is bad luck to mention an animal that you are looking for…so I just keep telling him to find that “unmentionable” animal that resembles a large cat.

UPDATE: I may or may not have taken pictures of a lioness...you will find out in a future blog. 

So…how am I feeling? First there is the physical health. I feel GRRRR-EAT! This trip is NOT for the weak though…it is very grueling. Despite eating tons of stuff that I probably shouldn’t have, (knock on wood) everything is good.

Second is emotional health. This trip is a life-altering experience. It is amazing to see such poverty, yet to see such an amazing spirit in people. Americans could learn so much from these people. I haven’t met a person yet who won’t smile and talk to me.

Technology wise (for my class)…this place is like the stone age. Lawrence didn’t even know what butter is…he does have a computer, but it is obviously from the mid-90’s and weighs about 15 pounds. It looks like a tank…and still uses the 3.5 inch floppies (No USB ports). He doesn’t have electricity, so he has to walk ½ mile to the nearest plug in to charge his computer (it costs 500 shillings, 25 cents and only lasts for 40 minutes). Not that he has anything on the computer that would take 40 minutes to do. He just likes to turn it on and look at it, I think. It is sad to know that the little sd card in my camera dwarfs the capacity of his massive, and useless, computer. I am interviewing him on Thursday…and he is super excited to see my iPod touch. I did break out my Macbook…during a massive rainstorm…and showed him all of the pictures we had been taking. We ran the battery completely dead…he was simply in awe of my Mac. Lawrence has such an awesome spirit…and a VERY entrepreneurial one, if he had a computer, electricity, and internet access, I am certain he would not be in poverty. He LOVES to learn and read…I wish he at least had access to a library (which he doesn’t). The people I have met are SOOOOOO far behind the Western world…it is truly sad to see them being left behind. In our walk through the Owino market, I actually saw an OLD IBM that still used the big (5 inch?) floppies.

On a side note, a large portion of the people here own cell phones. Don’t get too excited. The phones I saw were old Nokia phones…and cost 30,000 shillings ($15). There aren’t post-pay plans here…you have to buy minutes from street vendors (who are everywhere)…and the cost is about 20 cents a minute. I have been told by a couple of people that the phones are mainly used to help their family/friends by transferring money and such…not the hour long, nonsensical conversations that we have in America.

They say that home is where your heart is. I am really torn. I have completely fallen in love with this obscenely beautiful and absurdly impoverished country. There is a spirit here that should be embraced openly by the rest of the world. I know when I say goodbye to my new found friends, leave for the airport in a few days, step on the plane and leave this place, there will undoubtedly be tears in my eyes. My “home” is half of a planet away…but a very large part of my heart will forever be here, with this amazing country, beautiful people, and lifelong friends.