List 3

Another short list of random facts about Uganda!

-If you want to wave to someone, you have to wave with an open palm. If you wave American style- flapping your fingers down to touch your palm- it means “Jangu!”- come here! Now whenever I watch an American movie or see tourists who don't know better, the way of waving strikes me as so odd!

-They have saloons here! But, a saloon is not a place to kick up your spurs and down some whiskey, it is a place to get your hair done. Saloon = salon, and it makes me laugh every time!

-If you go to a saloon to get a pedicure, it will be done by a man- for some reason, women don’t paint nails. But, you don’t really have to go to a saloon, there are men just sitting out on the sidewalk who carry around a basket of polish and will happily paint your toenails for only 500 shillings…less than 40 cents.

-Many people are more comfortable eating with their hands rather than using utensils. They refer to their fingers as “the natural fork.”

-People’s fingers can withstand amazingly hot temperatures. Not only can they eat burning hot food with their fingers, they can also pick up pots straight off the charcoal stove with no potholders. As if that weren’t impressive enough, the women often use only their fingers to rearrange charcoal. Lit charcoal!

-There aren’t really child-sized bikes here, but that certainly doesn’t stop children from riding bikes! They put their leg over the bar, but don’t sit up on the seat- they sort of stand on one side of the bike. I have no idea how they balance, but somehow they manage!

-And lastly…Uganda can do interesting things to your ways of thinking. When my electricity is out, I burn candles for light. But, my electricity has been on with no interruptions for multiple weeks now- the longest since I’ve been in Uganda. I have some good-smelling candles, and I really wanted to burn them the other night, so I thought, “Man, I actually wish the electricity would go out, so I can burn these candles.” Why did I want no electricity? Because I completely FORGOT that it’s possible to burn candles when the lights are on!

Downside

Now a complex infrastructure was devoted to what had become ineradicable miseries: famine, displacement, poverty, illiteracy, AIDS, the ravages of war. Name an African problem and an agency or a charity existed to deal with it. But that did not mean a solution was produced. Charities and aid programs seemed to turn African problems into permanent conditions that were bigger and messier.
-Paul Theroux, Dark Star Safari

Today's entry is a little different than most. People often comment on how well I seem to be doing and what a great experience I'm having. While there are many times that I am doing well and having a great experience, there are also many times when I am not doing well, when I am not exactly having a great experience. It has been brought to my attention that my blog only reflects the positive aspects of my time here, and not what it's actually like to be a Peace Corps Volunteer in Uganda. I try to keep a positive attitude- which requires not dwelling on negative aspects- but I do want to be honest.

In the interest of honesty, this entry reflects a less positive side of my experience. As many of you know, I took a leave of absence during my junior year of college, to volunteer abroad for five months. There were definite challenges, but I really loved it. While I think it's unfair to compare experiences- the situations are entirely different- I often think about how differently I feel now than I did then. A little while back, I wrote about that in my journal:

Last time,
I wanted to give them
Everything I could-
Everything.
But here, I just want to say
NO.
GO AWAY.
Don't even ask
I will not give you anything-
Anything!
I will not give you money,
I will not get you American "friends,"
And I will not take you to America.
I have to remind myself
Constantly
That here, it is not rude to ask
To ask,
Ask,
Ask.
I cannot walk to my house
Without being asked.
Ask
It is not rude
Ask
It is true that I have money,
Ask.
Ask:
Why do I think it's rude?
Only because of my culture.
Ask
Ask, and you shall receive
Seek, and you shall find
Knock, and the door shall be opened unto you
Ask:
What kind of awful person am I now
That I have no desire to help these people
Who are asking me for help?
Ask:
How can I be so cold?
But, ask:
Is too much help
Destroying Africa?
Perhaps more so than too little?
(I wish more people asked that question)
Oh Uganda, may God uphold Thee,
We lay our future in Thy Hands...
But, ask:
A future that is dependent on asking?
Sometimes I think they are incapable of seeing
Me
As more than a person to ask.
Ask:
My comfort?
That every other volunteer
(Who has been here for a while)
Feels exactly the same.
Ask:
Why don't we quit?
Pride
Commitment
Challenge
Guilt
Experience
The kids
Fear of failure
Hope
Lack of anything better to do back home...
The newer volunteers
Are always enthusiastic
The older ones,
Horribly cynical.
Ask:
Why?
It just happens, because...
Ask,
Ask,
Ask.
I didn't want to be cynical,
Or horrible.
Now I'm both.
Ask:
How do I cope?
I have cynical, horrible friends
(Who are really great people!)
Ask:
What are we doing to ourselves?
We are changing,
Growing.
We are learning.
But, ask:
Do I really want to be learning this?
Learning to be cold-hearted?
Learning to make people
Ask?