In 2013 I came to Uganda, East Africa for the first time. I
was here 3 months and returned to America. Seven months later I flew to Uganda
again, this time staying 3 months again but I went back for just 7 weeks and
returned. On December 10, 2014 I flew into Entebbe Airport Uganda and have
stayed ever since.
Uganda……. “The Pearl of Africa” they call it. A place of sunshine and warm temperatures
year round, the trees stay green and lush and markets are continually filled
with fresh produce. Fruits are so sweet, especially the pineapples. Banana
trees will grow anywhere, even in a crack in a sidewalk. Mangoes of every variety delight the taste
buds. Avocados grow everywhere, hanging heavily from the branches. Birds of
every kind nest in the many trees and different ones come and go with the seasons.
They delight my ears with their symphonies of sing-song-y calls to each
other. Geckos and other colorful lizards sunbathe
lazily at the tops of security walls and trees, but will arouse from their
sleepiness to chase away another lizard in an energy-burst millisecond; legs
and long tails whipping about every which way.
 |
| Blue Turraco bird eating Papaya |
 |
| Blue tree Agama basking in the sunshine |
In 2013 I was a visitor. I observed, I learned, I shared, I
cared, and I went back to my comfortable country. In 2014 I was still a visitor but in planning
my future and realizing Uganda would become my permanent home, I began feeling more
like a non-visitor. By 2015 I was a
full-time Amerigandan. I married my husband Stephen, a Ugandan and we began
living our lives together in our rented house.
We paid for electricity but it was off more than on. We had running water but soon after our February
marriage drought caused the taps to run dry. Showers became a thing of the past
and splashy bird-baths my new normal.
For cooking we had a one burner, coil hot-plate but with
power off so much I soon became an expert at lighting a small charcoal
stove. Charcoal here is supplied by the
many trees people cut down every day to burn until blackened and sold for
profit. No neat and tidy Kingsford here. MOST Ugandans burn with either wood or
this charcoal and have for years and years. The trees are disappearing at an
alarming rate and not enough new trees are being planted in their place. Every
year the dry season becomes longer and rain less when it’s supposed to come.
 |
| My 2-burner hotplate on the right... I cooked for and served 52 at our Christmas party |
 |
| Me cooking on a charcoal stove after the rain had passed. |
Washing clothes is all done by hand, usually with rain-water collected in the rainy season from the roof gutters which flow into large black drums. When dry season is long and water cannot be found to buy (in large plastic containers called jerry cans)and be carried to our house, rainwater also becomes the main water for bathing and washing dishes (called “washing plates” here).
We do not own a car. Getting around is either done by
walking, riding a hired motorcycle (called a Boda Boda) or riding in a
taxi-van. Walking is a difficult for me
since I have Rheumatoid Arthritis and Systemic Lupus so we often pay for
transport. I can walk short distances on flat (no hills) roads but we live in a
very hill-y town. Boda boda’s for hire
are many and we mostly use them.
 |
| Boda boda's for hire in my town |
It is
the culture for a woman here to ride seated sideways (not cowboy-on-a-horse
style) with legs to one side. Riding at 30 mph it feels like sitting on a swing
hanging from an airplane. I hang onto the underside of the seat with one hand
and the back carrying rack with the other.
Somehow I have tricked myself into believing that it’s supporting my
200+lb weight just fine in case we start falling over. Sometimes I don’t even hold on because my
skirt wants to blow up and cover my head so I have to hold it down! (We dress
like women here-skirts or dresses-no pants). I have also convinced myself that
if I ever feel the Boda is about to crash I can jump off easily like I used to
fly off a moving swing as a kid and land a “10” like an Olympian off the
balance beam. Thank God I have never had to try yet!
When we travel to
Kampala, the main city in Uganda about 60 km away, we use a hired
taxi-van. It is a Toyota van which is
designed to seat around 15 but invariably is packed like canned sardines with
around 18-22 people including kids and an occasional chicken (or 3). Usually
someone is sitting halfway on your lap while you are perched halfway on someone
else’s. There is no A/C in these vans, just small sliding windows and most of
them closed because Ugandans believe that any wind (or rain) on them will cause
“a flu” (cold symptoms) or will mess their hair (the women). Most days in Uganda the temps are around 84 F
but in the hot, dry season can reach 90-100F. Deodorant is sold here in the supermarkets
though most don’t know about it, can’t afford it or just don’t care to use
it.
 |
| Taxi vans at the taxi park in Kampala |
I came here to try to do my part to help others in this
world somehow, especially the children. I cannot work but I do not sit under
any umbrella sipping anything. Just
surviving day to day is time-consuming and difficult. I don’t hire anyone full-time to
clean or cook or wash clothes. My
husband and I share the daily chores including cooking. Even now 3 years later
I still only have a 2 burner hot plate to cook on, not even an oven. We have no
refrigerator. On rare occasions when I get to have a cold soda or cold bottled
water my brain acts as if I am eating a snow-cone and Brain-Freeze quickly follows.
My husband is
accustomed to this life but for me it’s been a learning experience and a slow
transition. But 3 years later I am
adjusting well. I no longer dream about American food and settle for beans and
rice willingly. I am learning even to like it. I settle for a fan instead of
A/C and 5 channels on television instead of 500. I have the same clothes I came
with and though I can see through most of them I am grateful to have more than
2 outfits because most villagers don’t.
My old shoes have been taken for repair more than once but I am happy to
give the Shoe Repair shop a job and an income.
I know it won’t always be this way. God always has a plan. The ministry
is trying to start an income generating project and my husband, the ministry director,
may start receiving some kind of income after working 4 years without anything.
….……Yeah, I may one day find a nice spot to sit and sip a
warm drink and read something……..but only if I can find the time out of just surviving
in Africa ………………………
