Babies and Fish Heads

Never did I anticipate a microfinance internship to involve so many babies! For starters, there is my 11 month old host brother, Baby Solomon, who I mentioned on this blog some time ago. He is the most precious baby brother EVER! I love spending my evenings after work at home teaching him and my host mom American nursery rhymes and helping him walk. He loves music and is the first baby I know who learned to dance before walking.

(Baby Solomon drumming on my suitcase - and being precious!)

Then babies started showing up at the office. During my first week at ORUDE a woman came in. Still waiting to meet everyone from the office I would greet whoever came in with enthusiasm – trying to pick up subtle cues if I should know who they are. This woman was walking a little strange and when I asked how she was she said she was fine, and she just gave birth. “… Pardon?” “Yes I had a baby; it is out in the truck.” “…”

Turns out by “just gave birth” the office secretary meant 4 days ago – much more reasonable. Our accountant is about ready to give birth to her first child, and my supervisor, Olivia, keeps telling me about how ground up fish healed her son of the measles. Mubiru is the only exception, a rebel of sorts. He knows who he wants to marry, but first he wants to wait about five years and become an accountant. He endures much criticism for his plans because he will be almost thirty.

Even Mubiru though “fears” for me when I laugh and explain that I am not yet engaged and do not want children for several years. Shaking their heads they notice I haven’t eaten much lunch. “Do you fear children and fish?” (This has become the second most common lunch topic) “Only when it stares back at me” “Bet the head is the sweetest part!!!!” Well Olivia, I reply we can agree to disagree on that one.

(My supervisor Olivia, enjoying her fishy lunch)

But I enjoy these conversations so much and the friendships I’ve developed with my coworkers – they are such interesting people, and they always get a kick out of giving me fish heads for whatever reason.

Mallory - The Hungry Intern

Mallory and I have incredibly enjoyed blogging about our adventures! In the middle of yet another crazy situation we will look at each other and say - this is one for the blog. As we have gotten to know each other better and blogged like crazy we decided to blog about each other.

So here it is: Mallory is, in a word, awesome. In several words she is a hardworking intern who genuinely cares for her community, she really likes it when work gets done, and she is always hungry. Always.

(The IU Kelley interns at Sipi Falls Midterm Retreat!)

Our conversations usually start about work, then stories about our families, misadventures, planning more adventures, and then we decide to get some food as we cycle through again. We are in the same year at IU, but had not met prior to receiving our internship. Mallory contacted me and I was so excited to know I would have a travel buddy and blog buddy!

She is down for all things adventure and microfinance. In addition to her fly by the seat of her pants trip to Kampala, she trusted me for some reason (which probably won’t happen again) to find our way to the source of the Nile. Although that didn't work, we had a great time and made some friends. Mallory definitely has her head on straight and minor bumps in the road don't faze her. Unless of course that bump is a lack of or delay in food. "We should go find some Chipatti." Yes always hungry and anything will do - you did read she ate crickets didn't you?

Some of her favorite Ugandan foods are Matoke and and all the sauces, especially fish but not at all beans. Street food of Chipatti, samosas, rolex, gnuts, fruits and all things organic, like mangoes bananas, avacadoes are often mentioned. But she must have her Stoney, a ginger soda (which I agree is awesome!). Actually most of these foods made her top 20-some best things about Uganda list!

We are still cracking down on our bucket list – Safari next weekend! – but her time is in high demand with her increasingly successful savings trainings! We enjoy getting together after work and meeting up with other interns. FSD has put together and incredible, diverse, and snarky team of interns ("We need the visa to get there because we are American citizens" "Oh, we ARE American citizens then?"... ) and I look forward to meeting her again this weekend at an Indian restaurant for dinner of course!

Organized Chaos

I love when I learn about some reason or meaning for typical parts of life in Uganda, especially concerning their language. For example: A Rolex (no not the watch) is Chapatti rolled up with a fried egg omelet and costs around 1000/= Ugandan Shillings (Again not the watch for $.50 USD, that would be too cool). Anyways, it was named a Rolex because you take the food, and roll it up. Plain and simple, and delicious.

Also I have learned so much about Boda Bodas this week!

First interesting fact is that their name was shortened from border-to-border. Motorcycle taxis provided cheap transportation across the border in the East to Kenya and became known for taking people from one border to another. Convenient name? I think so!

The second thing I learned is that they are incredibly organized! While visiting Mallory and another intern, Nick, in Bugembe on Wednesday I arrived rather early with no idea which way to go. A colleague was dropping me from work (hence the early arrival) and instructed me to sit with the bodas and wait. Among the ten bodas at this boda stage, I met the Bugembe boda Chairman! They have a chairman! So does Jinja apparently, and everywhere.

After being introduced to each by their name and religion, I asked about how they got stationed at this particular coaster stop. It is a prime location, and I am not sure how some end up working that corner, and another guy sits all day at the end of my street waiting for someone to come by. No clear answer emerged from the conversation. All I know though, is it may be more competitive than I first thought!

I'm so curious about this taxiing industry, I have many follow up questions for my new friends next time I visit Bugembe, but perhaps I will save that for a sunny day!

(View of Lake Victoria from some hilltop in Bugembe)

Top 20 Best Things About Uganda

Like Laura was saying earlier, it's shocking how the weeks have gone by - next week we will be going on our midterm retreat, and my program will be halfway done! I wanted to chronicle all the best things about Uganda (so far...).

1. Friendly people
2. Awesome weather and amazing, lush scenery
3. Boda boda rides!
4. Tea time + dubbed over Spanish soap operas = supreme happiness
5. Coming home to your host family and being tackled by your host brothers/sisters
6. Fresh fruit and vegetables - avocados, mangos, bananas, pineapples, passionfruits...
7. Organic/nonprocessed food in general
8. Street food! Chapati, rolex, samosas, pancakes...
9. Sodas. A Stoney (spicy ginger ale) a day makes a happy Mallory.
10. Awesome FSD interns
11. Being so close to the Nile makes for great scenery and tourism opportunities!
12. Our favorite hostel, Backpackers, has an awesome crowd of 20-somethings from the U.S. or the U.K. on weekends.
13. Beer. Big beers. Good beers. My favorite is the Nile Special.
14. Blue Band. It's this margarine spread from Unilever and it's sooooo good.
15. Ugandan friends calling you to update them on where they are and what they're doing.
16. Obama-fever. There are Obama tote bags, hair salons, belt buckles...
17. National football matches! Vuvuzelas, anyone?
18. Copies of your favorite movies and TV shows before they're even in the stores in the US....
19. The Ugandan ice cream truck
20. Chickens, goats, and cows running all over the place. I think I just really like farm animals...
21. The markets in Bugembe and Jinja. So lively and so much good food.
22. The touristy shops selling traditional crafts. It's all I can do to keep from buying them all!
23. Ugandan fabrics. I bought a purse in Kampala that's made out of traditional Ugandan fabric, and it's my favorite thing.

I lied and went over my list! Definitely more good things to come, so I'll just keep this running for now.

No Cake for You!

Ugandans sure know how to throw a party! And really they do, it is not the work of a wedding/party planner, they like to keep it in the family! I'm surprised that wedding planning is not a viable profession in Uganda, where traditional festivities can last up to a week, or more! If the culture were to change in the future to be open to a wedding planning industry, well lets just say I see quite a lucrative potential market!

I missed the engagement party on Thursday. I was very disappointed, as it was four hours away in a rural village, and I missed out on wearing the traditional Gomasi. A Gomasi is like a sari, but with pointed shoulders, you can maybe see a few in my pictures and video. I did not wear one to the wedding on Saturday, it was a traditional Catholic wedding held in a church in Jinja. A nice dress, and some fancy sandals helped me to fit right in, well as much as I could.

On June 18, 2011 Ignatius and Daisy were married, and my host dad David was the best man. You can see him just behind the bride, bridegroom and flower girl, as they dance down the aisle.

Yes that's right, they danced - never walked - and it was awesome! My host sister Haniffa described how great the procession is when you get a couple who really loves to get down, I can only imagine. Neither Haniffa or myself met the couple before the wedding, so we stuck together and she let me pick her brain on all things wedding related!

Cool things I learned:

• Always account for twice as many guests as you plan for (my host parents invited 200 and 400 came)
• Invitation is generally by word of mouth - because you expect your friends to come, they do not need an invitation. (The workplace and far away relatives generally receive invitations.)
• The wedding party dances anytime the travel somewhere
• We had a lunch break between the wedding and reception
• The bride and bridegroom were constantly surrounded by photographers. Turns out they didn't hire all of them, some just heard and showed up. At the reception they came with multiple copies of their prints to sell right then and there to the guests!
• It is super convenient to be married in Jinja, because then you get to have your reception on the Nile!
• Cake is reserved for important people - I was not one of those - It is a way to show recognition to family members and employers and good friends who attend your wedding, and then it gets passed backwards from their to the other excess guests.

My video of their dancing and cake giving isn't loading, so here are a couple quick pics from the reception!

Do you want Matoke, Posho, or Rice with your Chicken?

Or perhaps all three? During our week in Uganda, Laura and I have gotten introduced to traditional Ugandan food. In summary: carbs, carbs, carbs!

I always find that one of the best ways to experience another culture and become immersed in it is to try and take risks with the traditional food. Food is such a definer of an individual culture – it reflects the climate, geography, resources, values, even the religion of a community.

In Uganda, meals consist of a starchy, carbohydrate base – either rice, matoke (mashed and boiled plantains), posho (fluffy, tasteless rice extract), cassava, Irish potatoes, or sweet potatoes. Then added on is protein – which is either beans or meat. And of course there is no lack in abundance of fruit. I have had freshly picked pineapple, avocado, mango, and even passion fruit.

In my town, Bugembe, there’s only one Internet café so I haven’t had time to post very frequently. I have moved in with my host family, and started my job at Nakanyonyi Good Shepherd Savings and Credit Cooperative (SACCO). The SACCO is a small credit and savings cooperative that gives small loans and savings services to its members.

I start my day around 7:30, and by that time all my family members have left for work or school, except the babysitter Agnes and Precious, the two year old baby.

After a breakfast of pineapple and bread, I walk fifteen minutes down the road into Bugembe town to my work. People greet me along the way with calls of "Muzungu!" Muzungu has been a familiar sound to me - it means a white person.

I work in my tiny SACCO until 5:00. Right now, I am in the middle of defining my project. As it stands, I will be working on a savings mobilization project for the organization. After work, I walk back home, and relax with my host sisters in front of the television. Since I have muzungu hair, the main activity in the evening has been braiding it. I feel so pampered!

This weekend, I'm going to Kampala (the capital) overnight to see the Uganda soccer team take on Guinea-Bissau for a chance to qualify for the African Cup!

Siri Bulungi!