I Dreamt of a White Christmas

“Home” is a funny word. Although I lived about three hours from my parents’ home during university, I don’t believe I really understood having two completely separate homes. Kirksville is very much like my hometown, small, Walmart just down the road, students working at most of the minimum wage jobs, fast food restaurants open nearly the same hours, even closing on Sundays for church. I thought I had found myself a new home while I was there – I felt out of place with my parents even though I was still living with them part time – but it was really more of the same.
Uganda is completely different. I live on my own. My closest friends are my neighbors and colleagues, not necessarily those just down the hall. Although the social law of proximity still rules, even more so in such a foreign land, my friendships here are so different from the ones in the US. We rarely discuss politics, although it’s still more often than I did in the US, we talk a lot about the weather, a lot about the food we’re making. It doesn’t sound all that different, but I promise you it is. Hugs are less common, but somehow that’s okay. A smile means more than just “hello.”
This is my first time ever living alone. My ineptitude at this rears its head the hardest when I’m cooking, that’s one thing I really wish I had learned before leaving, but cooking, like every other part of living alone, has gotten remarkably easier through the last year. I have remarked several times on this blog, on Facebook, and in my own journal how Uganda feels like home, how it’s no longer this exotic place, how I feel more comfortable here than I would in the US. Over this past year, the thought of going home has become more an anxious one than an exciting one due to readjustment, reverse culture shock.
Cue Christmas. I’ve been so quiet because I’ve been in the US. I had all these plans of uploading pictures and videos to my blog and going through it, making it more cohesive, putting in hyperlinks, the works. Instead, I spent my time talking to people. People obviously wanted to hear all about Uganda, but personally, I cared more about what’s happening right now in their lives, how the past year has affected them. I almost didn’t even feel the need to “catch up” with people due to Facebook. We live in an amazing time of being able to keep up with our friends and family from around the world even though we’re living thousands of miles, tens of thousands of kilometers, 8 or 9 time zones apart. What I wanted to know from people was not what had happened in the last year that was Facebook worthy. I wanted to know how these things that I already knew had affected them, how they had changed. Many of my friends have graduated from college in the last year, moved on to “big boy” and “big girl” jobs, gotten married or moved in with their partners, and just generally, well, adulted.
The strangest thing about being home, though, is that I don’t feel like I went at all. All the travel, four days there and four days back, all the time I spent with people, all the glorious hugs and even presents I received, it all feels like a dream. Time is a funny, funny thing. Just the same as I don’t feel like I’ve missed much of my American friends’ and family’s lives in the past year, I feel like in the three weeks I was gone, I missed every part of my Ugandan friends’ and family’ lives. I could not wait to come back to Uganda and hear what people had done for Christmas and New Year even though I knew the answer was “church, family, and food” for each of them.
I really think my sister hit the nail on the head with this. She told me that to her it feels like I’m just away at college like I was the two years before Peace Corps. Because she always knew I would come home, because she always knew what was happening in my life from my Facebook posts, because we’re probably in better contact with each other than we were when I was away at college, it just feels like another semester, another year of school. I feel much the same way. Sure, I have missed things that I wouldn’t have had to miss if I was indeed at college instead of halfway across the world, but see when a place becomes home, no matter how different it is, and when you’re able to keep up through social media, it doesn’t quite feel like you ever left your original home. Your new home just becomes an extension of your original home. They are both places that you’re so overjoyed to come back to, both places where you feel so loved, so comfortable, that you don’t want to leave.
Now please don’t think that I’m saying I’m not grateful to have been home. I really, truly am ecstatic to have seen all of the friends and family I saw (especially the ones who put up with me during the first week I was home), and I am so beyond grateful to my family for bringing me home. What I am saying, though, is that if it weren’t for the things I brought back with me, the pictures we all took, the reactions of my Ugandan friends and family when I came home, I’m not sure I would quite believe I had gone home. It all feels like a dream, but it’s the best dream of my life.

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

Happy Independence!

Uganda gained its independence from Great Britain on October 9, 1962. Today is the 54th anniversary of that day! Some Ugandans are surprised to realize that independence from Great Britain is something they and Americans have in common. In America, we celebrate our Independence Day by shooting off fireworks with friends, family, and food. We sing songs and remember those who died for our freedom. Although Uganda does not typically shoot of fireworks, they have the three big factors of any big celebration: friends, family, and FOOD!
Unfortunately for chickens, chicken is one of the main meats during this meal. Meat in general is something that many Ugandan families tend to splurge for when they are celebrating. Other foods tend to be kalo (millet bread), matooke (mashed plantains), sweet potatoes, Irish potatoes, dodo (a local green vegetable), gnut sauce, etc. Different foods are found in different amounts across the country, so that is the norm here. Some things are also cultural, like kalo, and are only really eaten in the west.
Like most holidays, Ugandans use their Independence Day to spend time with friends and family. When it is not on a Sunday, everyone takes off from work or school and spends the day relaxing. Some will go home to see family whom they have not seen in a long time, and others will eat with their friends around where they live if they are not near family. Unlike Christmas, Ugandan Independence Day is not a day where people are expected to go to church, except when it’s on a Sunday like this year.
There are big celebrations in Kampala where many, many people join together to sing and dance to celebrate. Some of the other big towns have these types of celebrations as well. Although I have not been able to attend one of these, I have still enjoyed the day. I even got to have two celebrations meals, one last night and one just now at lunch! It has been so good to enjoy another country’s independence.

Been a While

Wow, it's been two whole months since I posted, and a busy two months it's been. If you follow me on Instagram (@bethanyinuganda), then you know I've been travelling a lot. It all started when my friend found out her parents had died in a motel fire in the US. I began packing even before we were off the phone, and I arranged with my staff to postpone my duties for the week. I learned a lot about life that week, focusing on logistics, and just being there. (If you feel the desire, the family still has a gofundme going. https://www.gofundme.com/24qkvfuk) Since then, I have had a student lose his dad, and I am very sad to know he has not yet returned to school this term. These were both absolutely heart breaking for me, and coming home to my cat being missing, plus being sick for almost a month, has brought my mood down significantly in recent days.

But there have been such good times, too! I promise to post more details later, but I got to see six of my students grow at Teach to LEAD, take my first solo trip to Rwanda, and of course coming home is always the best thing.

Absence makes the heart grow fonder, and I can truly say that about Fort Portal. Before this term break, I was only just starting to feel at home here. But the homecoming I received from my neighbors, colleagues, students, and friends has been amazing. I didn't realize I really missed Fort Portal until I met a Ugandan-Rwandan who grew up in Kampala and we were able to talk all about Uganda. Now just to get used to waking up at a normal time....

This term I'm going to try to spread out my blog posts! Instead of posting a bunch at a time, I'm going to write a bunch and then post them periodically. I'm also going to continue to endeavor to find guest authors for my blog, but I have faced some challenges in this, so I may instead do interviews. We'll see.

Here's to a great Term Three!

A Ugandan Wedding!

My last stop before heading back to Fort Portal was to stay with my two favorite people on this whole continent to crash a wedding. (Before that, I was in Kampala for a dentist appointment, but that's boring.) One of my friend's counterparts got married last weekend. Unfortunately, I missed the introduction ceremony, a traditional wedding including the husband proving he can provide for his bride, oh and that he can pick his bride out of a crowd, but I got to see the official ceremony and the party afterwards! Thank you my lovely friends for hosting me in your beautiful, smack dab in the middle of nowhere, village.

RAFTING the NILE!

Thanks to my wonderful, amazing, beautiful parents, I was able to check something off my “I didn’t know I needed to do this” list and go RAFTING on the NILE in JINJA! After IST, about 2/3 of my cohort took a weekend in Jinja to rest, relax, and get schisto together. (PC joke, sorry. Schisto is a pretty serious disease if left untreated, but…the NILE!) We wandered around Jinja town for a day, a super cool arts center in Uganda, and then we moved up to Bujagali to a camp right on the Nile. It was so gorgeous! Many of us went rafting on Monday, and those who didn’t, found other things to do like mountain biking or kayaking…or both! We all spent WAY too much money, but it’s an experience I know I’ll never forget, and I am so glad to have had it with my cohort!!

Are we going to Jinja or Kenya? Only time will tell....

Arm-wrestling, infinitely cross-cultural

Graffiti for peace

It's the Schisto!

Take that, Schisto

Masindi at Easter

For Easter, we had Good Friday and Easter Monday off, sooooo TRAVELLING!! We went to Masinidi, the northern town in our region, to visit some wonderful PCVs. Along the way, I met some Polish women with East African Playgrounds. They were going to Murchison Falls the next day, like us, and so we invited them to join us. Although they did not, they did spend the night with us in Masindi. We even taught them how to bucket bathe! On our trip to Murchison Falls and safari, we went with some PharmD students from University of South Carolina. They are in some of my pictures. :) We had a wonderful tour guide named Mufasa (seriously). He was hilarious, "calling" all of our animals on his phone. On Sunday of our trip, we made a spaghetti dinner...made on a wood fire because the gas stove wouldn't work. Everyone just took it in stride, a testament to how far we've all come. It was definitely the best meal we've had in Uganda!

Happy New Year!!!

Happy New Year from Fort Portal Uganda! Okay, so it's a few days past, but we're celebrating that and a few birthdays today. We spend a bit this morning looking for kitenge, local fabric out of which to have dresses made for swearing in, and now we're chilling at a cafe. We had good food, and now we're enjoying the wifi. (EDIT: The wifi quit before I could post, though. Such is Uganda.)

Life has been going great. We are in the midst of language training, learning all about the ins and outs of Runyoro-Rutooro.



Included in our language training is culture training. I swear, half of Ugandan culture is bananas, and so we learned about those this week.





Along with the New Year has come dry season. Unfortunately for me, this means many sunburns and lots of sunscreens. It also means my host family was out of water for the last three days. I was elated to hear the sound of water dripping outside my room this morning, since it means I can finally do that laundry that's been piling up!



All in all, I'm having a great time!!


Edit: I haven't had wifi until now, but here are some pictures of the remainder of our time in Fort Portal. We saw baboons on the way home!!!