Cultural Faux Pas

Today Pat and I went out to survey a site that was about 7 acres.  It had a lot of elevation difference and very dense jungle at the bottom of it.  None the less, I think we got it done in a reasonable amount of time.  The American lady that owns the property and has plans to build a school and a childrens home on it was quite the character.  There was never a dull moment.  She mentioned that she would like to have concrete giraffe's on the property and tame the monkeys and have a dancing monkey tourist attraction to raise money for her cause.  She had a good heart and kept us entertained for the day:)

Being in Africa for 5 weeks is giving me a real taste of the local culture.  Since my previous trips were only 1 or 2 weeks, I never really had time to get frustrated with the difficulties of living in a different culture.  Now that I have been here nearly 3 weeks, I am no longer noticing every different thing I see.  Driving down the dusty streets and seeing things I never would at home seems normal to me.  I have at times had certain frustration in learning to live in this country.  Two of my biggest frustrations have been that every vendor and shop owner wants to rip me off simply because the colour of my skin, and communication hasn't always been easy even though the vast majority of people here speak English.  That being said, there is also so much I love about this culture and this country.  The hospitable people, the way people are so happy to converse, the lush green beauty, the children. . . the list goes on there is much to love.  I don't want people to think that because there are frustrations that it is not enjoyable.  I'm loving my time here very much.

Sometimes cultural misunderstandings can take a humerous turn. . . here are a few of the ones I thought people might get a laugh out of.

The time I almost told I guy I thought he was hot. . .

In Uganda to tell someone they look very smart means to tell them they look very good, very nice.  I caught myself almost telling a Ugandan engineering student that he was very smart. I meant academically, but I'm sure that is not how he would have understood it.  I thankfully caught myself before I opened my mouth.

The time I almost ordered melted ice cream. . .

When you tell someone here that "it's ok" it means yes.  We were at a cafe and the power had been out all day.  I asked the waiter if their ice cream was frozen.  He went to check and came back and said no it was soupy.  I said "That's ok" meaning no, that's ok I don't want any.  Here that very same statement means Yes I would like some melted ice cream.  I quickly realized what I had said and replied that no I did not in fact want melted ice cream.

The time I told a pastor I had a thorn in my underwear. . .

Here the term "pants" means underwear. What we would call pants, they call trousers.  Today when I was out surveying a Ugandan pastor was showing us the property line.  We had to walk through some thick jungle to reach the line.   I got a thorn in my pants and when I stopped to take it out he asked if I was ok.  I said yes, I just had a thorn in my pants.  Then I realized that he would take that to mean I had a thorn in my underwear, I said, "I mean, I have a thorn in my trousers"

Here are some photos from today

 I have become the official bug patrol in the girls residence.  Both Hannah and Jessica hate bugs.  I heard one of them who shall remain unnamed screaming at a cockroach in the bathroom this week, telling him to go away. I'm not sure he quite understood what he was supposed to do.  This lizard was found in one of the bedrooms last night.  I'm not sure what the girls will do once I am gone and they have to deal with the bugs on their own:)  Bugs don't bother me in the least, however mice and rats are another story.  Thankfully there have been no mice or rat problems.

 A market.

 A man heading to the market with a load of eggs.

The property we surveyed today.

Gulu

I just returned from spending the past 3 days in Gulu which is in Northern Uganda.  It took us about 6 hours to drive there from the capital of Kampala where I currently am.  It is about 100 km from the border of Sudan so quite far North from here.  It was definitely different than anywhere else I have been so far in Uganda, and I’m glad I had the opportunity to go.  Now before I write anything else, I want to say that the region has been stable for 4 years, so it was perfectly safe for me to be there.  Before that the LRA (Lords Resistance Army) controlled the region for 10 years.  The northern region is still very much in a state of rehabilitation from the war and as a result the town of Gulu is rampant with NGO’s (Non Governmental Organizations) and the UN has a noticeable presence there as well.

We were doing a site survey for Touch the World Uganada. They are building a place called the Adok Dream Centre in the Village of Adok which will include a health clinic as well as employment for the local people. Adok is a very small village and was previously home to two very large IDP camps.  The IDP camps are no longer there and the people have re-settled back in their home areas. Since the instablilty lasted for 10 years they had to start over with new homes rather than returning to their old homes as many of them had either been destroyed or were dilapidated due to not being occupied. Adok was a very conservative village. Up to this point I have been wearing long pants to survey as the bush has been quite thick and a skirt would not be feasible.  I was told that if I didn’t wear a skirt in Adok, the locals would think I was a prostitute. In the interest of not being thought a prostitute I decided to wear a long skirt with pants underneath. The Americans that oversaw the Adok Dream Centre joked that I was a prostitute under cover since I had my pants on underneath my skirt.  It worked out well though since the pants kept my legs from getting scratched up in the bush.  I also had less problems than I thought I would with getting my skirt hung up in trees.  I’m still hopeful though that my office won’t be implementing a skirts only policy for ladies in the field anytime soon.

It was definitely a lot hotter in Gulu than it was in Kampala.  The heat as well as the fact that we were on the 5th floor did not help me sleep deeply.  Also there were bats in the rafters which were making a large ruckus.  I had to shut my bathroom door since there was a hole in the roof and I didn't want any bats in my room!

There was definitely a sense of brokenness in the town of Gulu.  I was told that there is a lot of people dealing with post traumatic disorders due to the war and many child soldiers who have much to deal with mentally. I noticed stab wounds on some of the people I passed by, and battle scars on the face of one of our waiters who must have been no older than his early 20s.  It was hard to reconcile that some of the very people I met, passed on the street, and exchanged greetings and pleasantries with have had to deal with hardships and trauma that I can’t even wrap my brain around. Many of those people are teenagers or young adults. I just can't relate to having dealt with such trauma at such a young age. I’m glad I got the chance to visit Gulu and Adok.  It changed in no small way, the way I see the world.

 The town of Gulu as seen from my hotel balcony

 Some local Gulu children having some fun outside the hotel

 Some of the village boys in Adok that followed us around all day.  They are standing beside the community well.  Touch the World Uganda is building a water treatment unit along with drilling a new well since the people are currently getting sick from this well.

 One of the village boys having some fun in a very typical Ugandan way.

 One of the village boys

 The local and international staff of Touch the World Uganda.  The clinic which is under construction is seen in the background.

 Some children in Gulu

 There was a big soccer stadium outside our hotel in Gulu.  Some boys are seen here playing a game.

 Some of the local village kids having some fun.

 I realized I didn't have any pictures of me working!  Patrick took this picture of me when we surveyed at GBI in Buloba last week.  We forgot a prisim so Patrick got creative and we used a bicycle reflector instead. 

Watoto Survey

Today myself, Pat and Dan the intern went to survey at the Watoto village just outside of Kampala.  We had a few equipment issues, but managed to get enough data to do a reasonable job.  I enjoyed seeing the site and doing some work.  After we were finished one of the house mothers "Mama Harriet" had us in for supper.  It was delicious.  She is an amazing woman.  She just finished running a marathon!  After hearing the Watoto Childrens Choir in Manitoba this past fall and seeing photos of the site it was really neat to be there in person.  Tomorrow Dan and I are heading off to Gulu to survey for a few days, so I probably won't be able to post.  I will have some photos upon my return.

Here are some photos from the day.

 The babies home at the Watoto Village.  It is huge!

 Some children on the Watoto site.

 The goat barn.  They use the goat milk to supplement the formula at the babies home.

 Some of the children's housing units.

 Frank, a surveyor who works for Watoto is showing us the boundary of the property with a little help from a friend.

Dan and Pat with the GPS rovers.

 Kids here can often be seen rolling and running after old tires for fun.

 I am still awed and amazed by the beauty in this country.

 Some boys who were very interested in the GPS.

 Notice this guy is wearing a Tim Hortons shirt?  I thought that was great!

 Riding above the cows. . .

A panoramic view from the top of the Watoto Village.  It is so beautiful.

Somewhere in the middle. . .

It has been an interesting week.  The highlight was definitely yesterdays rafting trip, however I have had many other special moments as well as things that I look forward to in the coming days. Late last night 6 interns arrived from North America.  They are all from the US except for Jessica who is from Guelph, ON.  I now have company in the girls dorm.  Jessica and Hannah are very good company and I have enjoyed getting to know them.  The arrival of the interns fresh from North America has also given me a window with which to see how much 2 short weeks in this culture has changed me.  What shocks them no longer shocks me. . . some of the things they notice as new and different no longer seem all that different to me. In some ways the change I see in myself surprised me, as in many ways I still seem like an outsider in this culture.  In other ways I marvel at how some interactions and daily business seems natural and second nature to me.  I am comfortable hopping on the back of a boda boda (motorbike for hire) and going for supper at one of the staff members houses, buying something at the market no longer seems like a foreign experience. . . small things like this that seem not so out of the ordinary, yet there are still so many things that remind me I am somewhere in the middle.

 I read the book “Outside the Wire” about Canada’s mission in Afghanistan.  I highly recommend it as it is written by soldiers and humanitarian workers that  are actually on the ground in Afghanistan.  It gives a perspective not offered on the news or in articles and changed my views and opinions on what I thought in contrast to what actually is.  Anyway to get to my point, one of the humanitarian workers commented that although she had lived among the people in Afghanistan for several months, she had never really been to Afghanistan. . she was somewhere in the middle between Canada and Afghanistan.  Obviously this is an analogy, albeit it is one that I really identified with after travelling to India and Haiti and now to Africa.  I think to truly understand the meaning of her point, one has to have stood on the bridge between another culture and their own.  And so I also feel that at this moment I am somewhere in the middle.  Although some things in Ugandan culture seem familiar, I am still clearly an outsider.  I also know that when I return to Canada, although I will be back in my native culture I will feel like somewhat of an outsider as I will have changed in ways that I won’t realize until I am back in the Western world.  I will be somewhere in the middle. . .

I have no pictures to post from today.  It was a nice relaxing day around the office.  Maggie who is deemed the “eMi Grandma” had me over for supper which was very nice.  I enjoy talking with her very much.  Plans for this week have changed quite a bit since yesterday.  Tomorrow I will head to the Watoto Childrens Village which is near Kampala here and will take about 1 hour to drive to.  I will spend the day there will Pat Aylard who is on staff here as well as Dan the intern and do a site survey.  I went to see the Watoto Childrens Choir when they toured Manitoba, so I am very much looking forward to seeing their property.  Friday I will head to Gulu, but not to the original site we were going to go to.  The site we were originally going to survey was about 480 acres.  Dan and I will travel to Gulu to survey a smaller 8 acre site for a different organization and return home on Sunday.  I am happy with the turn of events as I wasn’t too excited about bushwacking 480 acres through the African Jungle to do a survey.  That survey will be done by someone else at a later time.  It was just too big a site to do in the time we had available. 

I am hoping to get some kiddie pictures from the Watoto Village tomorrow.  I am not sure if I will be spending the majority of my day in the bush, but will post photos if I have opportunity to take any.

The website for the ministry we will be surveying for in Gulu is http://www.ttwuganda.com/

Craft Market and Rafting on the Nile

It has been a few days since I have posted.  Thanks to everyone for the comments.  I have really enjoyed reading them.

Sunday was a bit of a rest day which was nice.  I went to church with Pat and Cara Aylard who are the only Canadians on staff here at eMi.  After church all the eMi staff along with myself and some other visiting volunteers from the US went out for lunch to a nice Western style restaurant.  Then Pat & Cara took me to the craft market which was really nice.  I was able to buy a few souvenirs, however I didn't get too many as I didn't want to have to carry them around with me everywhere.

Patrick, who I was surveying with had to return home unexpectedly, so I didn't go to Gulu as planned on Monday.  Instead, I believe I will be going on Thursday with an intern who is arriving tonight to do the survey.

Today I crossed another thing off my bucket list.  I went to Jinja to go whitewater rafting on the Nile River.  I never told my Mother I was going and she is going to have a bird when she sees the pictures, but I can assure you Mother that it was completely safe.  The outfit is run by some Australians and they adhere to all international safety standards.  Millions of people do this every year.  It was definitely an adrenaline rush.  Our guide Juma was hilarious.  He said we shouldn't be scared since Moses went over those same rapids in a basket. . . I wonder if he really did.

One of the guys in our boat asked the guide if the locals thought we were crazy for going over the rapids.  And he said no, what they really think is crazy is that you come all the way from Mzungu land and spend what for them is 2 months wages to float down the river. 

There were 4 guys in kayaks going alongside the boat to rescue people if need be.  They were so good and crazy in the rapids.  They would flip their boats on purpose in the rapids just for some extra fun.

 Here we are at the start of the expedition.

 We definitely ended up in the river on this one. . .

 I stayed in the boat on this one but two of my team mates did not.

 It was so exciting going down here.

 At the finish

My team mates.  Juma called us Team United Nations since we were all from different countries.  Juma is not pictured.  From left to right, one of the Ugandan staff members, a dental student who was born in India grew up in New Zealand and now calls Adelaide Australia home, a guy from North Korea whose name is something like Jian Sing Ho or something, Jay from North Korea who is studying Civil Engineering, me, and Iris from the Sichuan Province in China.

Photos from the road

I have now finished posting my archived write ups now that I am back on the internet.  For todays post, I am simply going to put up a few pictures I have taken in the past few days.

Survey Assistant

I have mentioned before that people make a very big production of white people.  It is getting a bit exhausting, because everyone wants to talk to me all the time.  I have so much been enjoying conversations with the locals though.  Everyone on this campus seems to know my name and where I am from.  One guy asked me for my e-mail address so he could e-mail me to “discuss the weather.” If he starts discussing anything other than the weather, I shall have to evaluate if his address will make it through my spam filter.  Another guy asked for my e-mail so he could “send me greetings.” I have learned to start saying no. 

I have a personal assistant for this survey project.  He is a worker for the college that helps me survey.  His main job is to go in front of me and make sure there are no poisonous plants or snakes.  He is very good at his job and so far neither he nor I have seen any snakes which I am quite happy about.  His name is Patrick and he is the first born of 19 children.  We come from such different worlds yet conversation seems to come easily between us.  I have enjoyed interacting with everyone I have met in Uganda thus far. Tomorrow there is an eMi staff get together in the afternoon and an eMi “Girls Night Out” in the evening.  I am looking forward to them both.  There have been a few change in plans and I am not sure what my schedule will be for the next few days.  I will be heading back to Eagles Wings on February 3 with an eMi team, and probably to Gulu in the next few days to do some more surveying.