Week 3 in Uganda and the routine is beginning to form!

I would like to begin by apologising for the late posting of this blog. I had the intention of posting it on Monday but one thing has lead to another and I haven’t had the time. I will post my next blog on Monday again though to keep you all up to date! I hope everything is well back home and that you are all wrapped up nice and warm. Not to rub it in but it is 28°C as I type!

Personal Development and Cultural Development

This week required more organization to guarantee that we do not become illegal immigrants in Uganda. When we arrived in Entebbe airport, the woman at the immigration desk told me that she could only authorize my stay for up to 16 days and we would have to visit the immigration office. On Monday afternoon, we made a visit to the office and had to fill out a few forms to apply to extend the length of stay. When we got there, it turns out that she had actually said sixty days and I had just misheard her Ugandan accent. At least we have all the paperwork already done and we no longer have to worry about sorting it out.

Getting used to Ugandans and there unannounced visits is also quite a challenge. They are all so friendly and just turn up at your door to say hello whenever they feel like it. For example, on Tuesday morning I was woken by a visit from Doreen, Rosco called in to visit on Tuesday night, and Tim and Henry popped up on Sunday night. They all want to make sure that you are okay and it is really nice to have made these bonds already and t know that people are looking out for you.

On Tuesday night, I had my first experience of the cinema in Uganda. We decided to go and see the newly released film Valentine’s Day. I really enjoyed the movie and the Ugandans made the evening even better. The cinema was quite small and was completely full of Ugandans who laugh really loudly at every joke. Their roars of laughter made me laugh even more. They also have crazy Tuesdays in Uganda (although it isn’t actually called that) where the cinema is half price. It is only 6000ush (Ugandan shillings) on a Tuesday which is about £2.

When we arrived back to our hostel I caught a glimpse of the gecko that I had initially found on Saturday morning. I forgot to mention it last week as I got too excited writing about my rafting experience. When I was getting ready early that Saturday morning, I saw it in the bathroom and now it was back (I’m not sure if it ever left). It ran under my bed so I was a little bit frightened to go to sleep as I didn’t want a lizard crawling over me during the night but I convinced myself that I was in Africa, and I probably had millions of things crawling over me in my sleep so it wouldn’t do me any harm. We haven’t seen it again since Tuesday night so hopefully it has left our room when the door has been open at some point! I searched under my bed the other morning and couldn’t see it so I’m thinking positively!

For lunch on Wednesday, Rachel and I decided to try and find the Irish Pub that Heather and Amy had recommended to us, Bubble O’Leary. The boda driver seemed pretty clueless as to where he was going but thanks to Heather’s map we found it. It felt really homely and we had the yummiest lunch ever! I ordered a steak sandwich with chips. They were proper chips like home rather than the normal skinny fries that they have here. It was really nice to chill here for a while and we really loved the sign on the door that said ‘good craic served all day’. Nothing like a good old phrase from home to bring a smile to your face. I have even taught my American friend Dave how to use the word ‘craic’. He finds it really funny and tries to fit it into conversations now.

Thursday was a busy day with lots of work to do so we just nipped out and bought some food off the street to satisfy our rumbling tummies. We decided to try a ‘rolex’ as some of our friends had recommended them to us. A rolex is basically two eggs mixed together with cabbage, onion, tomato and green pepper all fried on a hot plate to produce an omelette. The omelette is then rolled in fresh chapatti bread. It is hard to describe but it is a little like a tortilla wrap. I wasn’t sure if I was going to like rolex but it is delicious! I reckon I will be having plenty more of those whilst I’m here as they are sold directly outside my hostel for 800 ush which is less than 30p. The boy making the rolex looked about twelve years old so it was rather funny when he asked me for my number. I have now come up with the response that I do not have a Ugandan number and my phone from home does not work out here. Otherwise you would be giving hundreds of Ugandan men your telephone number. No thank you!

On Friday, we decided that we deserved a treat after our hardworking day on Thursday (see professional development for more details on all our hard work). We got ready and packed our bags to head to the swimming pool. Our hostel does not have a pool so we headed to a local hotel. On route we decided to call into the Irish Embassy to register there. If you do this they inform you of any danger areas in Uganda to avoid and also of good events to attend. We had to wait here for a moment but they brought us out invitations to a St Patrick’s Day event at the Ambassador’s Residence on 16th March. The invitation was rimmed in gold which is very fancy. We left there and headed to Hotel Africana to go swimming. We found it no problem but there was an official event happening there so we decided to try somewhere else instead and ended up at the Golf Hotel. When we arrived, the security woman checked our bags and we asked her where we paid to use the pool. She told us that it was free and pointed us in the direction of the pool. After about half an hour a man came round and asked us which room we were staying in. We tried to explain to him that the lady had allowed us to come in but unfortunately we had to leave. We didn’t even manage to get into the pool! I was gutted as I was really looking forward to relaxing but we will have to try and find somewhere else.

For dinner on Friday night, my friend Line (pronounced Lena) invited several of the international students to go to an Italian restaurant called Mamba Point. Seven of us decided to go and we had a beautiful meal here. It was really nice to have a meal that wasn’t just fried! The place was pretty expensive in terms of Ugandan prices but it was definitely worth a visit. On the way home we called into Emin Pasha to visit some other friends. We didn’t stay here for very long as we were all pretty tired but I did manage to have a debate over whether the Giants Causeway was a worthy landmark. Of course I stood up for good old Northern Ireland but the Ugandan who had visited it was less impressed and referred to it as a bunch of rocks.


Saturday was a really good day also as Rachel and I went shopping with our friend Doreen. We went to the arts and craft fair behind the National Theatre. It was helpful to have a Ugandan with us as then the shop owners do not try to overcharge you. Each of the little shops was similar to the next one as they all sold jewellery, scarves, t-shirts, wooden sculptures and souvenirs. I don’t feel like I have been here long enough yet to start buying souvenirs but I did get some ear-rings and a scarf.

On Saturday night Rachel decided to stay in again but I went with Doreen to a local Rugby match. To be honest, I don’t even know the names of the two teams playing. I was told them at the time but I can’t remember. All I know is that the rivalry between them was like when Liverpool plays Manchester United. The atmosphere was really good and the mud was flying everywhere. I had a really good time here and met some of Doreen’s friends too. After the match, everyone piled onto the pitch and started dancing to the music that was blasted over the speakers. I was really tired so I didn’t have a late night but I hope to go to another match sometime as I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Sunday morning involved me making my first visit to church in Uganda. Rachel had been to Calvary Chapel last week whilst I was in Jinja and thoroughly enjoyed it so I thought that I would attend their service at 10am on Sunday morning. I really wasn’t feeling very well on Sunday morning and was a little sick but I was looking forward to church that much that I battled on and decided to go anyway. Let’s just say the boda ride there was not the most pleasant journey but I made it there without being sick again. I actually began to feel a lot better when I got there. Calvary Chapel is on the fourth storey of a building so we had to hike up about 100 stairs to get to it. There were quite a lot of ‘Msungos’ there so we didn’t feel too out of place. The service format included a time of worship, prayers, announcements, the sermon and then a closing song which is pretty similar to my church at home. We sang one song in Luganda which was pretty strange but nice at the same time. I think I would have enjoyed it even more if I had of understood what I was singing.

After the service, we headed for lunch with Kate, HM and two little Ugandan boys that the church sponsors. One was called Patrick; he was the cute, shy one who told me that he wants to make me a necklace. The other one was called Sam. He is the funny cheeky chap sort and he really made me laugh. He wanted Kate to take a photo of him so when she got her camera out; he lifted her mobile phone and started posing with it. We went to a local restaurant for lunch where out of their entire menu, all they had was goat and rice so that is what was ordered. They mixed some Irish (that’s what they call boiled potatoes) in too. The Irish and rice were fine but the goat was so fatty and chewy. It was definitely not as good as my mum’s Sunday roast.

This week I also emailed the charity Abaana regarding doing some work with the street kids in the homes whilst I’m here. They contacted me and are keen for me to get involved so hopefully once all the paperwork goes through I will be able to visit the homes. I am really excited and looking forward to it.

Professional Development

Yet another class was cancelled on Wednesday morning which we didn’t realise until we arrived there. The lecturer had to attend a funeral so there was a valid reason this time, but I only wish that I had known before making my way to university as the early start of class at 8am is never a highlight in my eyes.

Thursday morning class at 9am was the first full class that I have had since I got here. Gillian, the lecturer was on-time and the class involved defining evaluation and looking at internal and external evaluation. At the end of the class we were set an assignment for the following day of writing a page on our experiences of positive and negative evaluation. This would not have been very difficult but as the international students we got the additional task of preparing at fifteen/twenty minute presentation on portfolios. The Ugandans do not use portfolios so the lecturer was keen for us to introduce them to them. We also had to do a piece of writing on what we usually do on teaching practice back at home.

After class, we sorted out a few difficulties with our timetable and then headed back to begin our mountain of work. The only one which took a long period of time was the presentation. Rachel and I worked together on this for several hours, trying to decide the best way of explaining them and what all needed to be included. After the coldest shower ever on Friday morning to wake me up, we made our way to university for our presentation. It went well and the class seemed interested in the idea of a portfolio. The rest of the class was about types of evaluation, mainly formative and summative. It makes me laugh as an entire lesson here is something that we would cover in 10 minutes in Stran. At least I am getting to look at the topic in depth.

At the minute, I have still not started in my school. I have asked the people in charge at the university about starting my placement several times and they keep telling me that they will speak to someone else and get it sorted so hopefully I can begin soon. I am keen to get started and experience the Ugandan classrooms. I think that this will really benefit my experience at the university also as a lot of my studies are related to the classroom, just like our classes at home, but because I haven’t been in one yet it is sometimes hard to follow.

Apologies!!

I would just like to apologise for the lack of photographs with my blog. I have taken plenty and would love to upload them for you all to see but Ugandan internet is not the fastest. I tried to upload one photo and have been waiting for 20 minutes so i think i am going to give up! sorry!!!

Week Two

Week Two in Uganda has come to an end already. It’s so strange as I feel like I have been in Uganda for ages now and have really settled in but time has flown as well. I was just flicking through my daily journal that I keep to remind myself of everything that I have been up to this week and I didn’t quite realise that I had done so much so I will try not to let this blog post get too long.

On Monday morning I went to Makerere University to pick up my timetable for the semester. Our original timetable of four hours was incorrect and we actually only have three hours! The only disadvantage is that class starts at 8am in Uganda so we will have a very early start three days a week. We had no class to attend on Monday so we headed out for lunch to a place called Javas and ordered sandwiches. The sandwiches were so huge that they gave us doggy bags! A doggy bag for a sandwich? Seriously? It seemed so strange!

Tuesday was a memorable day for me. I had my first cup of tea since arriving in Uganda and that is a big thing for a stranny. It was African tea so it had a tint of ginger taste to it but it was just so good to have tea. I spent some time on my own in the afternoon and went shopping to pick up a few bits and pieces. On the way home, the boda’s were trying to charge me more than double what I had paid to get there so I kept saying no. They try to get more money out of you because you are an ‘Msungo’ (white person). Eventually one came up the road after me and said he would give it to me for the price of 2000 shillings that I had paid to get there. It is a little strange trying to get used to the bargaining aspect of things here but you have to do it or they will overcharge you on everything.

The cleaners came to do our laundry and clean our room on Tuesday afternoon. I felt so bad watching them. We volunteered to help but they insisted that we didn’t. They literally bend in half and use a cloth to wash the floor. It looked like back breaking work.

On Tuesday evening we headed to Ultimate Frisbee again. The journey there was the bumpiest journey I think I have ever been on. I was nearly flying out of my seat sometimes as the van hit pothole after pothole. The roads in Uganda are not great but I’ve never been down one like that. It was definitely the scenic route. We even saw some goats climbing up a pile of towered bricks. Rather odd. Everyone was really friendly again at Frisbee and we had lots of fun but the trip home was quite adventurous again. Seven of us had gone together to Frisbee together so getting a taxi bus with enough room in it for all of us was impossible. So myself and Line (pronounced Lena) decided to get in one and meet everyone at Wandegeya for food but our taxi bus didn’t take us there. We ended up in the middle of no-where but we managed after 40 minutes to find our way to meet the others again.

Wednesday morning class at 8am was not my highlight of the week but it wasn’t as bad as I thought it was going to be. When we arrived to our classroom, a few of our classmates were already waiting. We introduced ourselves and chatted to them for a while as our lecturer didn’t turn up until 8.20am. He was a lovely man but quite hard to understand. Everyone speaks really good English here but their accents are sometimes hard to make out.

Some of our friends had cooked spaghetti on Wednesday night and invited us down for some. At home I’m not really fussed on spaghetti and I never eat mince but this was so delicious. Just to get some sort of food that seemed like home. I’m so sick of chicken and chips already.

Class on Thursday morning wasn’t quite as early but was still early enough at 9am. We dragged ourselves out of bed and made it to class on time. When we got there our classmate Ian was already there. We sat and chatted to him for a while and none of our other classmates turned up so Ian phoned the class rep and she said it was cancelled. That meant that we had no class at all on Thursday so we headed back to Nana (our hostel) and tried to sort out some paperwork that needed completed for immigration. I wasn’t feeling so good on Thursday so we decided to have a lazy day. We did manage to go out and get a fresh fruit platter though. I have very little dairy and fruit and vegetables here so I think that might be the problem. The platter was huge though and delicious. Mango, melon, watermelon, pineapple, red apple, green apple, passion fruit, lime and banana! Mmmmm………

Later that evening, one of our friends came round to watch a DVD. He got our kettle working so we managed to have a proper cup of tea thanks to the teabags that mum had packed in my case before I left. It was the best cup of tea ever (even if it did have powdered milk in it).

Friday was yet another early start for class (8am). Rachel was feeling really ill on Friday morning so she had to stay in bed and had to make my first adventure to university on my own. I was a little nervous considering the confusion the day before. I was first to arrive at the lecture theatre but Teresa followed shortly after and so did some of the boys. It was a long morning but our lecturer eventually turned up at 12 noon. I was explaining to the class that our rule at Stran is that if the lecturer is more than 15 minutes late, we leave, but they all sat and waited. Life is Uganda is so laid back and chilled but it gave me time to get to know them a little.

Friday night consisted of heading to Emin Pasha Hotel again with HM, Kate and Rachel. We got a boda there and the driver confused me so much that I forgot to ask the price before getting on. This meant that he overcharged me when I got there. It’s so annoying but my own fault. We chatted and danced to the live band. The Africans were copying my dance moves which I’m not sure was such a good idea but it was rather funny. I decided to do the chicken dance to see if they would follow suit and they did. It was hilarious. We didn’t stay too late as I had to head back and pack for heading to Jinja in the morning. Unfortunately the electricity was off so I had to pack in the dark which was rather challenging.

It was an early start on Saturday morning to head to Jinja. I met Mark and Dave at 7am and we got the shuttle bus to Jinja where we had breakfast before heading out onto the Nile for some white water rafting. It was absolutely amazing!! Scary but awesome!! I thought I was going to drown a few times and I have arms covered in bruises to prove it but I would definitely do it again.

We spent the morning doing training and paddling our way through different rapids. At one point our guide Palo told us all to lean left and purposely tipped our raft. Pulling yourself back into the raft was probably the hardest task of all. We spent some time swimming in the Nile, eating fresh pineapple on the raft and also tackled an 8ft waterfall backwards. I was sitting at the back of the raft at this point so I got the full splash.


We were approaching the final rapid and our guide Palo asked us if we wanted to take the chicken route, medium route or hardcore route through it!! Our entire raft shouted ‘HARDCORE’ but we were the only raft to do so. Next thing we hit the rapid and Palo went flying out of the raft which left the other 7 of us hanging on for our lives. We held on for so long and then I just saw mark go flying, shortly followed by the rest of us!! Our raft ended up on the rocks!! It was crazy but amazing!!
We spent the evening with the new friends that we had made whilst rafting at the camp in Jinja and we watched the sunset together over the River Nile. The view was like nothing I have ever seen before.

Everyone was really tired on Sunday so we spent most of the day chilling at the camp. In the afternoon we made a trip down to Bulungi Falls to see part of the river. There were boat trips available on it but as we had spent the entire day on the water the day before, we decided just to relax on the riverbank. We looked for some shade as most of us had got a little bit sun burnt on the water the day before. No matter how much sun cream you applied, everyone seemed to have red knees.

We got the shuttle bus back to Kampala on Sunday night which took ages as we hit traffic. As soon as I got back I grabbed some French toast to stop my rumbling tummy, updated Rachel on all my stories and headed to bed. I was exhausted.

Well that is you all updated for another week. Sorry I didn’t manage to keep it short like I had intended but there is just so many new experiences that I don’t know which ones to leave out. I am not too sure what the plans are for this week yet but I think I am heading for my first trip to the cinema in Uganda and I am definitely going to church on Sunday. I am really starting to miss it. Rachel went on Sunday whilst I was in Jinja and loved it so I can’t wait to join her this week. It has been really nice to be in contact with some people this week so please keep your facebook comments and emails coming.

All my love
Natalie
(Or Melissa as one girl here likes to call me as she thinks Natalie is too hard to say. They all struggle so much with my name. I’ve settled for Natalia with most people)
Xx

Week One

Week One in Uganda is over already and it has flown by, although we have been able to fit loads of amazing experiences in as well.

On Thursday, I made my first visit to Makerere University. It is enormous compared to Stranmillis so needless to say, Rachel and I got lost. One of the lecturers noticed our vacant gazes and offered to show us to where we were meant to go, but he decided to take us for lunch first. He took us to the Food Science building where we got to try some typically Ugandan food, including matoke. This is a traditional Ugandan dish. Before it is cooked it looks like a green banana but tastes more like a potato once cooked. I didn’t love this dish but I didn’t hate it either, it was just a little bland.

Dr Wotsuna then dropped us of at the Department of Education building and we met Gillian and some of her colleagues who will be assisting us with anything we need whilst we are studying in Uganda. We were also informed that we will only be in class 3 HOURS a week, and then in teaching in a school two days a week. We officially start on Monday morning at 9am.

On Thursday night, I went to play Ultimate Frisbee with three guys that we met at the hostel, David, Mark and Paul. We had to take two taxi buses to get there. These are basically like a 15 seater and everyone just crams in. You just tell the taxi man where you are heading and he will let you know if he is going in that direction. As everyone piles in, if one person at the back wants to get off, the whole taxi has to filter out to let them off and then squeeze back in again. This mode of transport is very cheap, especially compared to the boda boda’s. It cost me 300 Ugandan shillings (10p) to get a taxi bus for about two miles. When I reached the cricket pitch that we were playing ultimate on everyone was really friendly and one guy, Jackson, decided to be my personal trainer and was giving me all his Ultimate Frisbee top tips. All of the people here were very friendly and made us feel welcome to join them. On the way home we stopped off at a little restaurant which is basically a tin hut with a few tables and chairs in it. It is called ‘Chicken Ghetto’. We ordered a whole chicken and some chips. It came served on a large platter and then you just tuck in and eat with your hands. A man who works there comes round with a basin and soap and water before and after you eat so that you can wash your hands. This was a little odd as you felt like you were touching everyone else’s food but the meal was delicious, I have never tasted chicken like it.



When we got up on Friday morning, we decided to go on our first outing to Garden City shopping centre but the journey there was probably more eventful than the shopping centre itself. We were walking along the street towards Wandegeya when lots of children started shouting ‘Msungu!!’ (White person). Two little boys then followed us and kept trying to put their hands into Rachel’s pocket. Every time we looked round they just giggled to each other. Thankfully we soon reached to Taxi Park.

The supermarket was great and very similar to one back home. They had everything that you might need; the only disadvantage is that if you want brands that you recognise from home you have to pay big money for them. It’s better to try and find a smaller brand of the same thing.

On the way home again we witnessed a lot of people, especially young children just standing with their hands out begging for money. They even followed you pleading with you. It was very difficult to watch but if you start giving, then every time you walk down the street they will expect it again and again.

Friday night’s plans went ahead too. We met up with some people that friends from home had put me in contact with. Kate and HM picked us up from our hostel and took us to a restaurant called Javas for dinner. I managed to eat my entire meal, some of Rachel’s and most of David’s mash. I think I’m getting used to the Ugandan idea of not wasting good food. After dinner we went to a hotel where there was live music playing in what seemed like a paradise garden. The Ugandans dancing was quite an experience as they just ‘groove to the music’. HM and his friend Keith were teaching me some of their signature moves but I couldn’t do them as I was laughing so hard.

Saturday consisted of some more grocery shopping. We do not have a fridge in our room so most things have to be bought fresh daily. It had rained during the night on Friday night so the ground was very muddy and slippery but we managed to get a taxi bus to Shoprite supermarket and get a few bits and pieces for lunch. When we returned to the hostel, we just chilled for a few hours (I even managed to fall asleep on my bed). Later on, our friend David came to visit and we made plans to hang out later that evening. Rachel decided to go to the internet café downstairs but I went to meet David. Some other international students also joined us and we all socialized for a while.

Late in the evening, two of the security guards at the hostel offered to take us out and show us some typical Ugandan places to socialize. They took us to a place called Maggie’s where we were able to play pool and meet some of their friends. It was really good to meet some Ugandan people and they made us feel very welcome. They even invited us to join them to a place called Volts. We went there and danced the night away. Not to forget to mention our pit stop to Chicken ghetto on the way home, it’s becoming a regular!!


It ended up being a rather late night so my plans to head to church on Sunday morning didn’t happen but I hope to go there next week. Rachel and I just decided to have a lazy day watching DVDs instead. We used this day to try and fully get over our jetlag so hopefully we will be able to enjoy our first week of structure in Kampala!! I will keep you all posted on it when possible as the electricity in the hostel (and Uganda in general) is not very reliable so I never know when I’m going to be able to get on a computer! Hopefully update you all soon!
Natalie
xx

The beginning of my adventure

Leading up to my adventure in Uganda was a rollercoaster in itself. I was so excited about the trip of a lifetime that I was about to begin, but also sad to leave all of my family and friends behind. Saying goodbyes (or should I say ‘see you laters’) made me realise how genuine and awesome my friends are and I would like to say thank you to everyone for their kind gifts and gestures. I’m going to miss you all lots but I suppose I do have to give something up in exchange for four months in Uganda.

After 25 hours of travelling and very little sleep on the planes, I was exhausted on arrival but the excitement and adrenaline kept me going . The pilot informed us that it was 26°C when we landed and that was at 5pm, imagine what it is like at midday. A man from the university called James was there to pick us up at the airport and he was very pleasant and friendly. We drove from Entebbe to Kampala which took about one hour. The streets were full of people walking everywhere and there was a constant buzz of community in the air. Throughout our entire drive we did not see a single white person so you can imagine the looks we were getting from everyone.

Eventually we arrived at the hostel and James helped us to find our way and left us in the very capable hands of Rosco (who’s dad apparently has the same name as me except he spells is Ntale). Rosco was very helpful and even changed our light bulb in the bathroom whilst balancing on a very wobbly chair. We had a little nosey around the hostel but decided to have an early night as it was pitch black outside and we were also very tired from our travelling. We had our cold showers (as there is no hot water) which were unbelievable good, unpacked our cases and climbed into bed.

The view from our hostel is surreal as when you look in one direction from the balcony you see little tin huts and a kind of shanty town, and in the other is this huge homely building. It goes from one extreme to the other.


The next morning we made our first trip into Wandegeya to try and get some money. All of the cash machines are in little rooms so that no-one can watch you lifting out money which is quite good. It did seem rather funny standing outside waiting for the person in front to finish though. We also managed to get Ugandan phones whilst in the town too so hopefully communication with home should be less expensive.

Getting into Wandegeya was an adventure in itself. The main method of transportation in Uganda is boda boda’s. These are like scooters like we have at home but you just jump on, no helmet required, and then hold on for your life!! The roads are bedlam in Kampala, you have to fight your way anywhere and the boda’s just dart in and out of the cars. The one I was on today swerved to avoid hitting some pedestrians and I grabbed onto the poor man so tightly. I’m sure he was a little shocked.

It is Day 2 in Uganda and there are definitely lots of things that are going to take a lot of time to get used to. The heat is one aspect that I am definitely not complaining about. It is very hot though, some of the Ugandans were even complaining to us about how hot it was today!! We have already made some plans with people that we have met for the next few nights including ultimate Frisbee tomorrow night and dinner on Friday night so that should keep us busy and I will keep you all posted in the next couple of days on my adventure.