Activites of Daily Life

Here is the "White House" the dormitory for the girls and boys, Mary and Festus' home and my room (second window from left). Zach, Peace Corps has the front of the building on the left. Then the students from the primary school I visited, some oxen heading to graze this morning and Deborah at one of the markets in Ntenjeru getting vegetables yesterday.

05 March
I realized after posting the last note that I had not paid any attention to my spelling or grammar and as a result some of my ramblings might not make sense. I apologize for the carelessness and have found the spell check so going forward should be an improvement.
Although most people living here do not have a lot of money, they have a lot of pride in their homes and their appearance. People dress in the best clothes they can afford and keep them as clean as they can given the red dust and the amount of walking or driving in the hot sun required to get around. Personal hygiene is also important and people bathe once a day if their circumstances allow. This is a custom they make sure visitors understand, and each evening between 6:30 and 7pm Deborah puts hot water in the bathing area for all of us to wash. Homes are kept very clean and tidy- shoes are taken off before entering the home or room (most homes have doors to the outside, not between one another).
On Thursday Festus asked Jane (VOLSET primary school teacher) to take me to a primary school for a visit. Jane met me at the VOLSET school, immaculately dressed in a long form fitting dress and nice shoes, and off we went. And went and went. After walking for over an hour on a dirt road through some very small communities we arrived at the school. I don’t think the headmistress knew we were coming but the students, maybe 60, all crowded around (I hope to post a photo). The headmistress asked me to return next week to teach. I asked her what she would like me to teach and she said child abuse. To be clear I asked if she meant hitting or beating. No, she meant sexual abuse. So I’ve come up with two lessons, one for the P1 and P2 (kindergarten and first grade) and one for the P3 and P4 children. Fortunately a previous Peace corps volunteer left a book of life skills activities and lessons and there is one I can adapt for this age group.
After Jane and I made the long walk back, I invited the two other teachers from the VOLSET primary school to lunch in the village. For the four of us to eat matooke, rice and meat (although I had beans) it was 5,500 shillings. That’s about $2.25. I learned that the fastest way to convert to dollars is knock off the zeros and divide by 2.
Festus has given me a Ugandan name- Nalunga. Pronounced nah-luuuunga, drawing out the u. He does this partially to incorporate me into the community and partially because he doesn’t like the small children yelling “muzunga” as I pass by. So now I tell the children in my best (not so great) Lugandan, “I’m not Muzunga, I’m Nalunga!” Some get it right away, some can’t figure out what I’m saying (or maybe don’t care) and others figure out that muzunga and Nalunga rhyme very nicely and sing out repeatedly “Muzunga Nalunga, Mazunga Nalunga!” I have to admit it is fun to say.
I am back in Mukono, just for the day, to stock up on bottled water, biscuits and use the internet. I might even splurge 8,000 shillings for a swim at the Colline Hotel. I had thought about spending the night but in addition to being noisy, the road house is like a college dorm, complete with college age residents. If there is someone reading this considering volunteering with the Real Uganda and you’re under the age of 25 you’ll love it. If not, consider staying someplace else or seek a village placement. Seriously, if you (or someone you know) are considering volunteering (not just in Uganda but anywhere the Global Volunteer Network has programs) let me know as I have a $350 transferable coupon which can use to pay the application fee.
On Sunday we paint the sitting room at the White House (hopefully a photo will be posted of the house) which recently was done over with new cement on the overhead and parts of the walls. I hope the next post will show the progress and painting party!