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Tuesday, December 13, 2016

A Year Gone By

It’s been exceedingly quiet around my compound for the last week or so. Exams finished about that time, and so all of the students have gone home. Many of the tutors have gone home. And me, I am soon to go home as well.
It’s been a wonderful first year in Uganda, first year at my school, first year to get to know these beautiful people. I have gotten to know some 500 Ugandan students on some level or another, their likes and dislikes, the types of students they are, their friends’ circles, etc. I’ve also gotten to know some 50 or so administration, tutors, and staff, and families. I cannot describe how blessed I am to have gotten to know these wonderful people. Like with everywhere, some of them are merely acquaintances, but some have truly touched my soul. I think about my neighbors’ responses to my kitten dying back in March, my cat, Freckles, running away in September. I remember how they helped to comfort me during one of the darkest times in my life, simply digging a hole to bury my baby Ramagi, asking me how a burial for a pet should happen. They never even brought up how weird it must have been for them that I was crying over a cat.
It has been so good to be able to teach my students. I have the amazing opportunity to “test-drive” my profession, and I absolutely love it. I will tell anyone and everyone how frustrating it has been to teach students who honestly have no idea about how to even use a mouse how to use a computer, but let me tell you, watching them successfully write a practice letter of application to a school on the computer for their final exam was amazing. Not only did they have good control over the mouse and the keyboard, but they were able to think through the process and do it all in just an hour. Teaching literacy has also been impeccable, watching my students realize that the way they read can be taught systematically instead of by memorization, that they have even more skills than they thought they did.
Most of my teaching has been with the first years, but the second years have also stolen my heart. They are so committed to being the best teachers they possibly can be. They strive only for the best marks but for the best learning environments for their future pupils. I hope desperately they won’t fall into the trap of laziness which is present at so many primary schools across Uganda. I spend so much of my time with other education PCVs, especially those at PTCs, bragging about how great my students are, and I really am not lying when I say that.
I am so grateful to have been able to open the computer lab for the students so that they can keep up with their friends and family on Facebook. You may not think of Ugandans as Facebook addicted, but let me tell you, they pine over Facebook just as much as you or I. They use it in much the same manner as we do, connecting with those who are far from them. My students are (generally speaking) 18-25 years old, and that is such a time of creating connections with others. To be able to facilitate these connections has been so great. To see what music they’re listening to, what movies they want to see, it’s such a unique view into the culture, especially that of the youth.
Basically, I can’t believe this year is over. I can’t believe that what seemed impossible in February has finally come to pass. I can’t believe that I only have a year left to spend with my beautiful community before I am dragged away by life. I love all of you so much, words seriously cannot describe. My heart will always belong to Fort Portal as much as it does to Kirksville or my hometown or my parents’ hometown. I’m reminded of this as I say goodbye to the PCVs from the education cohort ahead of me. I will miss them so much, and their communities will miss them so much. I’m not ready yet to be missed!

Dear Tourist

I have waited a long time to write this post so that it would not come off as snarky or butt-hurt. It may still come off as this, but I promise, I’m trying to help people who come to Uganda to respect and enjoy this beautiful country as much as I do.

Dear Tourist,

Welcome to the Pearl of Africa! I hope you are finding the weather beautiful here. It truly is gorgeous almost every day of the year. How are you finding the people? How are you finding the cultures? Did you know that by some counts, Uganda has more than 50 different cultures? It really is a beautifully diverse country. I want to help you to get to know a little bit about travelling around Uganda.
Welcome to Fort Portal! Many of the people here are Batooro. This means they are part of the Tooro Kingdom and follow the Tooro King. Some of the people here are Bakonzho who follow the Rwenzururu King. It makes for interesting conversation for sure. I hope you are finding my friends welcoming. I promise, they are honestly curious when they scream “MUZUNGU” at you. It sure gets annoying after a while, but you just have to remember that they’re genuinely excited to meet people from around the world.
Have you noticed the way people dress here? Modesty is an important part of every culture. You’ll find standards of modesty are different around Uganda, especially for women. I hope you know that women’s thighs and butts are sexualized here, so women wearing anything above the knee or tight around those areas is seen as sexualizing herself. I’m just trying to help you know the culture I have come to know and love this past year. Skirts are the norm for many women except in the north. As for men, you are seen as silly or childish when you wear shorts. Men wear trousers in Uganda, boys wear shorts. As tourists, of course you are given slack by some people, but others will use these standards to assume you are clueless as to the culture, easily overcharged and harassed.
Were you able to learn a little bit of language before coming? If not, that’s okay! Just ask the people you meet how to greet in their language. Sure, most Ugandans speak English, especially in touristy places, but there really is nothing that makes a Ugandan happier than greeting them in their own language. They might laugh, whether you get it right or wrong, but think about how funny it is trying to teach someone English for the first time and laugh along with them. There are as many different languages as there are cultures in Uganda, but many of the greetings are generally the same. Don’t forget to thank people for the work they are doing! It’s so important here.
If you are coming from a “Western” country, you will get a lot of “bang for your buck,” as we say in the US. Don’t get overcharged, though! Before you go anywhere, on any method of transportation, stop and ask people on the street, in shops around, anywhere but the place where you get transport how much your transport should cost. Ask several people if you don’t have friends yet in the place where you are. Getting overcharged by 500 shillings ($0.14) or 1000 shillings ($0.28) doesn’t seem like a lot, but it surely adds up when you keep getting over charged. Know that there is no such thing as a set price in Uganda. There are people and places which are much more difficult to barter with, but if you’re good enough at bartering, you can get the local price every time. Also know that in many place transport priced go up about half an hour before dark. This is because it’s not safe to travel in the dark. Please don’t travel after dark if you can keep from it. Most accidents happen in the dark, and roadside robberies happen almost exclusively in the dark.
I highly encourage you to buy some kitenge, the local fabric, garments! Make sure to ask your tailor for an appropriate cut if you’re going to wear it in country. Prices for kitenge vary across the country, and style vary across cultures, but make sure to be polite about asking. Use “traditional” or “cultural” instead of “tribal” when asking for traditional patterns, or really any traditional merchandise, dances, songs, etc. If you ask a Ugandan about their cultural songs or dances, don’t be surprised if they don’t want to do them for you in the middle of a bunch of people. Just like back home, people don’t randomly dance and sing in the middle of the supermarket…usually. In addition, not everyone thinks they are good at the songs and dances, just like back home.
In general, remember that things here are generally more similar than they are different. Sure, you won’t understand everything that’s being said all the time, but the same is true if you visit any other country where you don’t speak the language. Sure, the culture is different, and yes, the different cultures are much more densely packed than in other places, but I hope you can fall in love with the diversity and tolerance in this country. I know I have.

Have a wonderful trip!

An expat in Uganda

Tuesday, December 6, 2016

A Memorial Service

Last week, I had the opportunity to visit Gulu for the first time. It was for a very unfortunate reason, though. One of my fellow PCVs, Dianne Veiller, died about a month ago.

https://www.peacecorps.gov/news/library/peace-corps-mourns-loss-volunteer-diane-veiller/

The memorial was a beautiful mixture of Ugandan and American cultures, with a Catholic mass and speeches along with eulogies and a slideshow of Diane's life. It was a bit awkward, I must say, to go to a memorial for a person I've never met, but it was evident through the entire trip what an impact Diane made on her (June 2016) cohort.



People spoke of how kind and outgoing she was, and a lot was said about her son. He was obviously her world. Her organization talked about how she was the most hardworking volunteer they had received, how she strived to learn everyone's names and the local language, Acholi. She made an impact on everyone she met in this country, and I'm sure the same is true of her life in the US and other places abroad.

To Diane's cohort: Many of you were rightly curious why I attended the memorial. I truly see Peace Corps Uganda as my family, and you guys really embody that. This trip made it obvious to me just how tight your cohort it, how much you support one another. You are a wonderfully different bunch of people who have become great friends, a family. You all seem to be doing amazing things at your sites, and I know you will preserve and make sure that your sites don't go unchanged. Please receive my deepest condolences. I will keep you all in my prayers as you heal.

To Diane's family: Although we never met, I have been able to glimpse what a wonderful woman Diane was. I am so, very deeply sorry for your loss. It's not fair that her life had to end earlier than necessary. I will also keep all of you in my prayers as you heal.