updates and highlights from the past few weeks:
- spent a weekend in Luweero. spent a day at a Compassion International children's development center. met one of the director's, Emmanuel. talked awhile and he invited me to join his new holistic child development program after i graduate. another opportunity.
- maria, the 9-month baby, eats dirt and charcoal. i've caught her several times.
- the cosmic pterodactyl spreads it wings directly over my home. it followed me here i suspect.
- tony sent me this luganda proverb, "even a small boy can play the drum and the elder dances. so never undermine the young."
- found a fan for our room. its wonderful to have a breeze. cant open the windows b/c of the malaria mosquitos. dirty rascals.
- im the water runner now cuz i can carry to jerricans full of water at the same time. my family can't believe it. "it's like you're carrying nothing!" they cry.
- visited the sight where 26 ugandan christians were martyred in 1885 by king mwanga II.
-had lunch with boniface, from gulu, who has experienced the worst of the war in the north with the LRA. sad, sad, story.
- i have now had porridge several times now. it is something like oatmeal minus the oatmealish part. really, i think i like it.
- visited the Kasuubi tombs, the burial sight of four of Buganda's kings. one king, Mutesa I had 30-40 wives and 124 children and a pet leopard. his palace is now the largest grass-thatched hut in the world.
- visited another child development program called hope for youth uganda. i helped build a pig sty and played drums while the kids sang and dance. many could not believe a muzungu like me could play drums. they danced like they love to. its great !
- i killed and butchered a chicken.
- started running with my friend john. he's from gordon college. this means i can now shower on monday, wednesday, fridays. i especially like these days cuz it means i can get all the shampoo out of my hair.
- my musician friend ben calls me, nathan the percussion discussion.
- i have crossed paths with large groups of men jogging, chanting, and all carrying large sticks. this was especially nerve-racking the first time, me being the only white person around when a street full of stick-wielding men run towards me chanting. something uncomfortable about that. i found out later they are training to become police officers.
- our room was sporting a wretched stench for several days, so after a thorough search, martin and i found a dead and rotting rat corpse in his desk. stench is gone now compliments of strong and potent perfume.
- i have now caught many lizards. and large ones too.
- also we got a pet kitten to control the rat/mice population in our home. i had to name it. it is now nala. though most my family is not good with the letter "r," so it sounds more like nara. thats ok.
- i got a slingshot so tony and dennis and i can go hunting, im so psyched.
FUN CULTURAL FACTS TIME!
- as long as one has on a tie, you look "smart." so men here do not concern themselves with the length of the tie. so you're tie is only half or one-third the length of your chest, no worries.
- women kneel as part of their traditional greeting to men or older woman.
- the university has 2 push mowers which the mow the flat areas, which is only the football fields. the rest of the 80-plus acres are slashed with machetes since the university is on the side of a mountain. hard workers.
- lines are not a concept that has any value here. people do not wait in line, or stand in lines. or form themselves in line. if i line up behind someone, i expect to be helped next. but rather i will be passed by someone who will squeeze next to the person being helped. so i dont know if i'll ever get accustomed to a non-line system. i've only known lines since i learned them in preschool. its blowing my mind!
- we take tea everyday when i get home from school. tea time came with the british obviously. so i drink lots of tea. hot tea. i've introduced the idea of iced tea, but my family thinks its ridiculous. i'll make them try it.
- there are not ice cubes here, but there are lots of straws.
- affection. interesting. more affection is shown publicly between the same sex. close friends, who are guys, will hold hands as they walk and talk. romantic affection is not for public display. so i have had to hold hands twice during conversations. im still adjusting.
to come...
-going far north to for a "rural home stay" for 10 days. i'll be out of reach for that time.
so good morning. and in case i dont see you, good afternoon, good evening, and goodnight.
Thursday, February 18, 2010
Tuesday, February 2, 2010
last tuesday - NRM Day!
- the players: dennis, tony, me, debbie, mary, jameisha
- objective: visit ssezibwa falls. catch a monkey.
- supplies: bananas we bought from the market, tropical trail mix (from america)
- taxi (15 passenger van) to tony's home (1,000 schillings = 50 cents).
- named tony's pigs wilbur and kunta kinte. we had cool drinks. we posed with spears then threw them. i missed the tree. but i killed a bush. tony gave me a traditional magic stick. it's a stick with a cow tail attached to the end. you dance with it for luck.
- Taxi to Ssezibwa Falls. Sorta. We had to walk most the way. And it was hot. i made alot of sweat
- The park costs 3000/= ($1.50). I climbed up the falls and found many offerings in the rocks on top of the falls. there were clay bowls and pots and gourds full of juice.
- i almost caught a frog.
- i stuck my face in the river above the falls. it was so hot and so my face was very relieved in the cool water.
- saw a green snake. i wanted to go down towards it but the guide would not let me.
- the story of the falls: so a woman gave birth to twins. not humans but two rivers. this river and the falls are a traditional Bugandan holy site. traditional worshippers come and offer sacrifices and offerings to the spirit of the river. it is believed to manifest itself in the form of a large snake that lives in a cave on top of the falls. this cave is full of clay pots and offerings and small spears. there are also many shells (sea shells were a form of currency in ancient times) and coffee beans (a symbol of unity) spread about the cave and outside.
- the guide told us about what i call "blood coffee." close close friends used to unify themselves by taking a coffee bean and cracking it open. they would take the two part seed and each take one piece. then they would cut themselves on the stomach and bleed on the coffee seed. they would then exchange the bloody coffee seeds and eat the others "blood coffee." like becoming blood brothers. this makes people even closer than family according to tradition. i asked dennis and tony if they wanted to do it and dennis said he would if tony would and tony said no way.
- we had "chips" for lunch. that is fries. i shared my tropical trail mix and tony and dennis, who had never had it, loved the stuff. great success!
- met a child named Saint Ivan on the walk back. actually he was following us so i introduced myself. he told me his name and that he was 10. moments later i looked down at him and he was smiling and looking up at me. then he reached and grabbed my hand.
- took a taxi back to mukono. ate a cooked banana.
- met up with dennis at 5 for tony's football match.
- good day.
- objective: visit ssezibwa falls. catch a monkey.
- supplies: bananas we bought from the market, tropical trail mix (from america)
- taxi (15 passenger van) to tony's home (1,000 schillings = 50 cents).
- named tony's pigs wilbur and kunta kinte. we had cool drinks. we posed with spears then threw them. i missed the tree. but i killed a bush. tony gave me a traditional magic stick. it's a stick with a cow tail attached to the end. you dance with it for luck.
- Taxi to Ssezibwa Falls. Sorta. We had to walk most the way. And it was hot. i made alot of sweat
- The park costs 3000/= ($1.50). I climbed up the falls and found many offerings in the rocks on top of the falls. there were clay bowls and pots and gourds full of juice.
- i almost caught a frog.
- i stuck my face in the river above the falls. it was so hot and so my face was very relieved in the cool water.
- saw a green snake. i wanted to go down towards it but the guide would not let me.
- the story of the falls: so a woman gave birth to twins. not humans but two rivers. this river and the falls are a traditional Bugandan holy site. traditional worshippers come and offer sacrifices and offerings to the spirit of the river. it is believed to manifest itself in the form of a large snake that lives in a cave on top of the falls. this cave is full of clay pots and offerings and small spears. there are also many shells (sea shells were a form of currency in ancient times) and coffee beans (a symbol of unity) spread about the cave and outside.
- the guide told us about what i call "blood coffee." close close friends used to unify themselves by taking a coffee bean and cracking it open. they would take the two part seed and each take one piece. then they would cut themselves on the stomach and bleed on the coffee seed. they would then exchange the bloody coffee seeds and eat the others "blood coffee." like becoming blood brothers. this makes people even closer than family according to tradition. i asked dennis and tony if they wanted to do it and dennis said he would if tony would and tony said no way.
- we had "chips" for lunch. that is fries. i shared my tropical trail mix and tony and dennis, who had never had it, loved the stuff. great success!
- met a child named Saint Ivan on the walk back. actually he was following us so i introduced myself. he told me his name and that he was 10. moments later i looked down at him and he was smiling and looking up at me. then he reached and grabbed my hand.
- took a taxi back to mukono. ate a cooked banana.
- met up with dennis at 5 for tony's football match.
- good day.
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