Uganda ohhh Uganda…..

For everything you made me miss,
I now leave you, only to miss more.
For every creepy creature or man you challenged me with,
I found ten more creatures of beauty and love to make me forget.
You broke me, then you nurtured me,
Like a disease you became a part of me,
My love for you spread from my fingertips to my heart.
And now I must leave you,
As the African sun sets the sky on fire, my final good-bye
Is graced with a perfect sun set,
Followed by a perfect moon.
Ending with a perfect kiss, from a potential love,
That must go unknown.
One more ending,
One more new beginning, forever changed by what you gave me.
I thank you,
Mama Africa

(photo from visiting Vironica's village about an hour from Mbale)

I most certainly like to talk about all of the fun things I do while I’m not working….But I’d hate to mislead you into thinking I never have to work. Fortunately, I find myself being constructive with my time here as well. So let me share a little bit more about the work we have been doing lately. My time is winding down here, that’s undeniable; but before I go, we MAPLE ladies are putting together a little extra curricular outreach to other young ladies in the community.

We would like to make our impact in Uganda as positive and productive as possible. There are many things to benefit from, personally and professionally, by creating positive relationships with the community that we live and work in. A majority of Ugandans never have the opportunity to leave the country, so as foreign visitors we don’t intend to assimilate young girls to our beliefs and culture, but we hope to offer a new perspective and friendship from a different part of the world. Traditionally in Uganda, women play a submissive role and are often victims to discrimination and violence. We hope to create an open forum where we can encourage family planning, female empowerment and higher self-esteem.
(I might have just copied and pasted that last part from the proposal I just wrote up...haha )

We are working with a high school that is located only a block away from our MAPLE house, and so far we have gotten nothing but positive feedback. This keeps us motivated and hopeful. The business education trainings with Mbale United Women’s Association have also continued and are going well. It has been really fun to see how much more active the women have become saving and improving their businesses. Only three more trainings with this group of women, but that won’t mean good-bye.



Ok, enough business talk….. Just a little tid bit about the fun I have been having: this last weekend I got to go on tour with six of Uganda’s top musicians. We made our long journey to Western Uganda, stopping in two towns called Mbarara and Fort Portal. Along the way we drove through Queen Elizabeth National Park where we got to see two herds of Elephants, lots of water buffalo, and even wart hogs running along side the road. But the most impressive part was definitely the views of towering mountains, tropical vegetation, and numerous lakes that made me feel like I was back in Oregon. They say that there are certain plants and animals that you can only find on the equator, and I can’t tell you what they are, but after being there I believe it.

Some Lingo for y’all:

Uganda was a British colony, so luckily for us, they speak English here. However, a large communication barrier still exists. As you can imagine our accents are slightly different, to say the least. We find ourselves constantly trying to interpret what the other is saying; and if it isn’t our accent, then the problem lays in the lingo:

AMERICAN UGANDAN

Do you want a soda? Do you want to take a soda?
Do you have any Sprite? Is Sprite there?
We are out of Sprite. Sprite is finished.
Let’s go. Let’s push/move.
You are going out in the rain? You are going to move in the rain?
Let me walk you home. Let me push you home.
I just devoured my chicken. I just punished that chicken.
I’m scared of spiders. I fear spiders.
Welcome. You are welcome.
(They say this WHEREVER you go)
Where were you? Where are you from?
(This one always trips me up)

*You also notice that sentences often come in a different order here: “you are going, where?” “You are doing, what?”

On another note…. We made another trip out to Sipi Falls aka the most beautiful place on earth, and we had a great time. The rain came with us, but I wouldn’t say we were too disappointed to have her presence. Last time I was at Sipi Falls, we hiked around wet with sweat from the pressure of the hot sun; this time we were wet from the pouring rain and it made for a COMPLETELY different experience. We slipped and slid from one waterfall to the next, and I felt like I was a five year old with a sugar high. When you are soaked to the bone and forced to trudge down a path that is more like a waterfall itself, there is really no point in keeping your composure, you might as well as start jumping from puddle to puddle or follow Dennis and Joel's lead and slide down on your "kabumbum."


So on forward.... This weekend, while all you in the good ol' USA are getting your inner ghoul on, we will be heading to Kampala, to get our groove on. (We will be the dorky white kids, trying to shake it) We are just hoping that the whole MAPLE crew will be able to make it. It seems while I was gone in Kampala last weekend the boys ate something bad, so the health of the house hasn't been the best. But it seems that they are on the rebound!

Miss and Mr. Uganda

Yesterday I was looking at my belly button and thought to myself, “what the heck Jaime, how did you bruise your belly button…..oh wait that’s just dirt.” Now don’t get me wrong, I shower very regularly…I just swear this African dirt finds a way to follow you, from my feet to the creases of my elbows, Uganda has very much become apart of me.


So what’s a better occasion to get all polished and cleaned up for, than Miss and Mr. Uganda 2009? Rachel and I became absolutely giddy from the moment we bought our “VIP” tickets to the show. Now we wouldn't normally go for the gold, but VIP for $50 isn't usually an option. Walking into the event we had to stop and pose for the flashing cameras as we made our way to our table. We shared our table with a guy who tagged along from our hostel and two local guys our age who are friends with some of the contestants. So, as we were sitting there minding our own business one of the local guys asked, “Hey, wanna go backstage and get pictures with the Mr. Uganda contestants?” ummmm….. “yes, please.” Not only did we get some snaps with the contestants in their swimwear, but we went back later to get them in their suits. It was great, and right when I was thinking we picked the right table to sit at, the same local guy says, “hey this is my friend from the news, come meet him and he’ll put you on TV.” So, I got my interview and my 15 minutes. Over the past week, most of my Ugandan friends have told me that they saw the interview at some time during the week, although I never saw it. Then on Sunday, I was in the mall in Kampala and I had a group of Asians take turns taking pictures with me because they thought I was a celebrity (which it is still unclear if they saw me on TV or if they just assumed the young American was an actress).


However, the icing on my cake for the evening would definitely be the moment I got asked to be a Miss. India-Uganda contestant.

Me: “But I’m not Indian or Ugandan…”
Miss. India coordinator: “oh, its ok…will you be around?”

Well unfortunately for me and Uganda’s huge Indian population, Miss. India-Uganda isn’t until January and I go home in December. Well, I still got invited to do an Indian dance performance and run way show in Kampala this week…however, it was conveniently rescheduled for November after I had already arrived in Kampala. Looks like I’m just not meant to be an Indian …..damn, who would have thought?

Well, my visit to Kampala wasn’t a complete waste. I got to roll with the “Good Lyfe” crew to their concert in Masaka, a village about two hours outside of Kampala. However, this time I wasn’t in the crowd, I got to be onstage. Which was about as awkward as it was fun.


Life here has been pretty crazy for the past month, and I don't see it slowing down any time soon. (well I hope not at least) So, if I continue to slack on my posts please forgive me and check out my roomie's stuff. (they are much better writers anyways) Not to mention it's interesting to see how this experience is from different perspectives.

Joel's blog: thewhitenile.blogspot.com
Caitlyn's: realworlduganda.blogspot.com
Luke's: picturemewalkin.blogspot.com
Brad's: Bradhoffa.blogspot.com

The New Crew:

As you may or may not have noticed my blogging has become a little less common. Firstly, I apologize. Secondly, I must say it is a good thing for me; because it means that I have too many better things to do. As, we continue in our transition from our summer crew to our fall crew, a lot more responsibility falls into my hands. And maybe for the first time, I think I know what I’m doing. I am really thankful I’ve had the opportunity to be here for five months rather than the intended two. It seems that after two months I am just beginning to cross barriers I didn’t realize existed. Additionally, I know I wouldn’t have been comfortable with my impact here or lack thereof, if I had to go home after two months.

Now to the new crew: first came, Miss Rachel


Rachel and I already tend to embarrassingly say things in unison in our sweet but painfully obvious American accents. Americans generally like to say, “please, thank you and your welcome” for everything and that’s not bad, but just not so normal…here. Rachel has got an eye for running Maple, almost as much as she’s got an eye for the latest fashion. As you can imagine after two months in the same clothes, this diva is excited to have a few new dresses to steal out of Rachel’s closet. But for more than just Rachel’s good taste in clothes, as a founding member of Maple, Rachel is a very valuable new member to Maple Uganda and I for one am super excited to have her here.

Next came B-Rad….



He is true to his name. Friday night the boys and I hit up Mbale town and Brad proved how rad he can be. I knew the Ugandan liquor, “Waragi” could make me dance pretty awesome, but I had no idea of its potential until Brad came along and knocked me out of the water and off of the dance floor. Brad is going to take lead on our Maple work in Lira and in his free time he tosses the American football around with the excited local munchkins and lights up everyone’s day with his big contagious smile.

And then there was Jo-el:



Joel: “smile…go file,”
Me: “what?”
Who doesn’t love random comments here n there….well, with Joel they are everywhere. And so far, it’s great. I almost forgot I snort sometimes when I laugh, but these guys have me laughing enough that it’s impossible to forget. Joel is going to be in charge of finding Maple a village to work with, so when he isn’t organizing that, Joel enjoys rambling non sense (sometimes even in Spanish or Arabic), crosswords (sometimes both at the same time) and beating me at Yahtzee.

Well that’s the crew and it seems that we have about as many corks as we do charms, so we are in for anything but a boring few months!

Chaos in Kampala....

I don't know if our news here has hit home...but if it hasn't, Uganda isn't in the best shape right now. As tensions raised between Uganda's Bagandan King and President Yoweri Museveni a rumor spread, via text message, that the King was incarcerated and rioters very quickly formed to defend the honor of their king. This rumor not only caused havoc and destruction all across Kampala, Uganda's capital city. But the death toll has reached 14 (mostly from stray bullets fired by police) and at one point, 20 women were stripped and beaten by an angry mob. No matter what news source you read, it seems like they all have a different version of what is going on, but that seems to generally be the norm with the news here. But one thing is consistent,the uproar came so quickly, everyone seemed to be about as confused as they were distressed.

So where was I planning to travel tomorrow? Kampala. Don't worry though, things have calmed down drastically and the American embassy as well as friends in Kampala tell us that we should be fine if we just wait until Monday. It just so happens that our new MAPLE members, Brad and Joel arrive Monday and Wednesday in Entebbe. Welcome to Uganda.

First Training

Eleven women attended our first business training. We fit comfortably in Chairwoman Vironica’s outside patio area, where we arranged chairs in a half circle around our teacher Christine. The training began with a skit performed by the three women who arrived to the training on time and was presented when we began 45 minutes after schedule (gotta run on African time). The skit was a perfect ice breaker and made the training feel fun. The group felt very comfortable, and weren’t shy to express their opinions and ask questions. Even though the training lasted until 5pm instead of 4 pm, none of the women left early. We didn't have as many women attend as we hoped, but it sounds like more might be coming this Saturday...sometimes you just have to bug them enough. This week, following up, I am meeting two of the women who couldn't attend and I will be going over the curriculum with them individually. I'm looking forward to working with the women but I'm nervous they will think I know all the answers to their business problems.

Last week, as the house goes through the transition of losing Emily and kind of Pat, Luke and I had the house to ourselves. It is really weird to go from seven people mulling around to two. But don't get me wrong it was great. Until the transformer blew in the middle of the night and we though we were being sabotaged. The light bulb in between Luke's room and my room exploded outside our windows and I was sure thieves were unloading fire on us. Then in my sleepy stupor the paranoia of people plotting to rob the two Muzungos (white people) crept into my mind...and apparently I wasn't alone on that thought. The next morning Luke admitted he didn't get much sleep after the power went out, because he was also certain, there was a plot to get us. Now, before we sound too crazy, you must understand our neighbors have been robbed twice. (Not to scare you ma) But lucky for us, it was just the power.

This week, still in transition as Luke and Pat travel off to Kenya and Rachel (a newbie to the house) and I wait for our new comers who will arrive by Wednesday. The house is again down to two. Rachel and I are definitely taking advantage of the peace of an empty house before it fills up again. I love Mbale, but I am looking forward to getting back to Kampala to pick up the guys. There is a certain stress and pressure from our work that doesn't leave me when I'm in Mbale, so getting away here n there is always a treat.