The Sweet Sound of 50,000 Vuvuzelas

For my first free weekend here in Uganda, I decided to make it memorable by traveling with another intern to Kampala for an overnight stay. On Saturday, the Uganda Cranes were playing Guinea-Bissau in a football (and by football here I mean soccer) match that was a qualifier for the African Cup. Seeing as how I had never been to a REAL football game, this would be the only chance I would get to put on an Uganda Cranes jersey, break out my vuvuzela, and attend the real deal.

After loading into a crowded mutatu taxi in Jinja, we stumbled out a couple hours later into the crowded, hectic streets of Kampala. The roads twist and turn, and the sidewalks are uneven. Pubs, stores, and restaurants are clustered next to each other, and when the buildings end, small shacks and buildings made of plywood with tin roofs crowd together with vendors selling tomatoes, bananas, or mangos. Even on the sidewalk, vendors sell shoes, books, mints - anything you could possibly imagine. When the sun goes down, even more street vendors come out, selling irons, bras, argyle socks, even grasshoppers. Fried grasshoppers, by the way, are absolutely excellent: a little crunchy, but very buttery and flavorful!

Thankfully, my host uncle lives in Kampala and he kindly rescued us and showed us around the town. Among other things, we toured Makere University, which is the largest and oldest university in Uganda, and ate typical food from the north of the country. Wyclef also helped us bargain with shopkeepers, which saved us a lot of money than if we paid the muzungu price.

On Saturday, we woke up to the sounds of vuvuzelas down on the street. Sam and I had bought Uganda Cranes jerseys, and we couldn't walk down the street without people thanking us for supporting the Cranes. Making it into Nelson Mandela station in Nangoole was a challenge. The stadium holds 40,000 - however someone thought it would be necessary to print 50,000 tickets; so I can't even describe the crush of people trying to get in. Even though we got there an hour early, all the seats in the stadium were filled. So we fought our way to the top and stood to watch the entire game. The sounds of the vuvuzelas and the cheering absolutely unbelievable. We even had a streaker whip off his shirt and run onto the pitch before being tackled by a pile of policemen.

The Cranes clinched their match 2-0 to Guinea-Bissau, and we went home with lots of stories and pictures for our host families. Overall, I think I prefer Jinja and Bugembe to Kampala - in the capital, you constantly have to worry about being pickpocketed, and the street children follow you everywhere asking for money. In Bugembe, life is slower and people greet you on the street, and in Jinja, there are plenty of muzungu cafes where I can feel right at home!

This week, I'm working on developing and implementing my savings mobilization project with the SACCO. More on that later! Now it's time to head back to my host family, sit down for tea, and enjoy a soap opera.

Siri Bulungi!

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!