Ssese Islands

         Two weekends ago, Renate and I went to the Ssese Islands in Lake Victoria. It was a bit of a last minute rush as her host mom couldn’t really make up her mind, but we made it anyway! We arose early and took a special hire (sedan) to the ferry terminal. We arrived at 8 (the time the ferry was scheduled to leave) and waited. And waited and waited for almost two hours while the ferry, which was there the whole time, got washed. The ferry was similar to the Albion Ferry with space for both vehicles and foot passengers. The trip to the biggest of the 84 islands, Buggala Island, took about 40 minutes and once we were on the other side, we boarded a mutatu (minibus) to take us to the other end of the island where the hotels are. After an hour on bumpy roads, we arrived in Kalangala Town where we had a rest while we perused our guidebooks for a good place to stay.

                Hornbill Camp came highly recommended for budget-conscious travelers but there were warnings in both guidebooks about the hippie-vibe it has. We figured we’d take the chance and caught a boda boda (motorbike taxi) to Hornbill. We were met on arrival by Tina, one half of the German couple who has owned the place for 19 years. She was definitely a hippie but she had a pleasant, no-nonsense, care-free attitude that immediately warmed us. We dropped our stuff into our banda (straw-roofed hut) and set about to explore. Hornbill is located right on the beach and has a number of buildings on the compound, each decorated with gorgeous paintings of different African scenes (all painted by the Tina’s husband). The beach was very nice with white sand and the water was pretty clear; unfortunately, however, swimming is not recommended because of risk of bilharzia. The only downside was the lake flies that are small but hovered in huge swarms to interrupt the peace. On the upside, there is a resident troop of black-faced vervet monkeys who entertained us for awhile. We wandered up the beach, past most of the other resorts and took in the wonderful views before heading back for dinner, playing with Tina’s month-old kittens, and ate at the bonfire.

                We woke up to a clear day but that soon turned sour and it became a torrential downpour before we were planning on leaving. We were originally going to take a boda back up to the main road and catch a matatu from there but Tina assured us she knew of a good matatu driver, who had connections to the ferry workers, who could drive us all the way back to Masaka. Pleasantly surprised, we agreed. We knew the schedule for the ferry said it was supposed to leave at noon and when we heard the driver wasn’t going to pick us up until 11, we were a bit worried because the drive from one end to the other was an hour by itself. We were assured that if we arrived late, the driver would call the ferry to wait for us so off we went. We drove around Kalangala town for an hour and started to get worried. The driver informed us the ferry would actually leave at 1:30, not noon, so we would still make it in time. We finally made it to the dock at 1:15 and the ferry was nowhere in sight.

                By 1:45 we were getting skeptical and met an Irish couple who had decided to take a motorized canoe back to the mainland. We went to ask our driver when the ferry would show up and he assured us it was on the way. The motorized canoe left…and the ferry arrived…at 4pm. Renate and I were beyond frustrated but in the end we made it home safely. Next time I go to Ssese, I’m taking a canoe!

Work

After two weeks of travelling amongst the different departments, this week I will begin my project! My host organization, Kitovu Mobile, does an amazing array of community development and support projects. It is made up of three main programs: Home Based Care, Comprehensive Care and Treatment Program, and Orphans and Vulnerable Children Family Support Program. Home Based Care consists of nurses and other health professionals who travel across 7 districts (provinces) to deliver anti-retroviral medicine (to combat the effects of HIV) and other health support. Comprehensive Care and Treatment is made up of health professionals as well as teachers and counselors who work with communities affected by HIV/AIDS and/or poverty to provide emotional support. Finally, the Orphans Program is in place to ensure that HIV/AIDS orphans are provided with support and life skills so that they can support themselves, even after the loss of their parent(s). Some initiatives that this programs work on are: palliative care (lessening pain of those close to death), self-help groups, cooperative savings programs, mobile farm schools for school drop-outs, and a Grandmother’s project in partnership with the Stephen Lewis Foundation.

                “Yeah, yeah. That’s all well and good but what the heck are YOU doing?”

When I first arrived, my supervisor presented me with a tentative work plan to create a demonstration farm in a poor community with the aim of using it to help train community members in modern, sustainable agriculture techniques. I’ll admit, the idea didn’t get me too excited at first but the more I’ve learned about agriculture and community projects, the more excited I’ve become. My first task, and project for this week, is to create a three-year strategic plan that will outline the goals of the demonstration farm, the methods we’ll use to create it, and how it will be sustainable. I’ve got a good idea in my head as I’ve visited a couple of similar farms so I’ll be compiling their ideas to create the plan. Once the draft is in place, we will organize a meeting with influential members of the community where it will be and get their input. From there I’ll complete the final draft and will have a better idea of what I’ll be doing the other 5 months!

So far everyone at Kitovu has been very helpful but with over 70 employees, remembering everyone’s names has been a challenge! I really like my two supervisors as well and they are very knowledgable and encouraging. I’m very excited to get this project started and see how much I’ll be able to contribute in my time here.

Ndagire of the Mamba Clan

My host family gave me my Lugandan name last week! I am Ndagire (pronounced N-da-ge-ray) and I belong to the Mamba (lung fish) clan. How appropriate that my clan is represented by a fish! A good number of my coworkers now refer to me as Ndagire only, although I’m pretty sure it’s because most Ugandans find my name difficult to pronounce and remember. My host sister announced to me that we are truly family now and that made me feel quite welcome. Apparently clans are a very big deal here and govern relationships. You are forbidden to marry someone from your own clan as you are seen as brother/sister. Members of your mother’s clan are your aunts and uncles, regardless of any actual blood relation. I’m sure it can get to be a little complex but it’s interesting nonetheless!

Homestay living

I had my first bucket shower today and it was…awkward. It’s going to take some practice to get it down to a fine science I think but we’ll see how it goes. I have continued to have really great talks with Feli and she even read me some stories today. She was also telling me about cases in a cousin’s school of children committing suicide before exams, and children convulsing after beatings. It’s terrible that a girl of 11 should be exposed to this kind of thing on a regular basis, and talk so causally about it.

Tendo is still very curious about me so I catch him spying into my room or staring at me as I go about doing things. I am trying to learn Luganda quickly so I can communicate with him and the house helper better. Margaret told me that the helper can understand some English but I haven’t heard her speak any yet. She often speaks to me in Luganda (mostly greetings, I think) so it’s another good reason to learn.

The food has been OK but it is quite bland. The main focus is on starchy foods like matoke (mashed plantain), posho (mashed maize), potatoes, and rice. Additionally at home there tends to be a small amount of greens (something similar to spinach) with a little sauce and sometimes meat. I think I will likely get sick of it quickly but I’m trying to stay positive. Meal times are quite extended here as well so breakfast (usually a little fruit or toast) is served before you leave for work and lunch is usually around 1pm. After my mother and I return from work, we have afternoon tea (some milk tea or coffee and toast) and then we don’t eat until 9:30-10:00pm. It’s really late and I find myself having a difficult time keeping my eyes open waiting for it to arrive. I’ve been going to bed shortly after dinner as I’m still adjusting to the new time zone.

The walk from my house to the town takes about 10 minutes (down a hill) and then another 10 or so to the FSD offices. It’s located on the side of a hill and has a great view of the surrounding valley. It is on a red dirt road with countless pot holes but I’m certainly getting my exercise trekking up it every day. The weather has been warm with only a little sporadic rain. So far, so good!

First day in Masaka

On Monday, I walked to downtown Masaka with my host mom and then continued on to FSD. We had a Luganda lesson in the morning and then discussed Ugandan history and politics before having lunch and taking a walking tour of Masaka. Luganda isn’t too difficult so far but there are just lots of new words to learn. My host family seems eager to help me so I hope I’ll pick it up quickly. We continued with the rest of orientation the same way and learned about grant writing, doing our needs assessments, and how to formulate our work plans.

Masaka Town proper has two main streets that are crowded with small shops and a some more smaller peripheral streets. It is probably the size of downtown Aldergrove. It has a market, a bakery, a few cafes, many restaurants, and just general stores. The streets don’t have too many cars but they are flooded with motorcycle taxis (boda bodas) so crossing is still a hazard. Add in the fact that they (somewhat) adhere to British driving rules, I continue to look the wrong way when crossing. The weather so far has been quite good, with cool mornings and only a little rain.

After returning home most days this week, I spend time with my host siblings. I had a good chat with my host sister, Feli, about her school. She told me that at their schools here, if they make a mistake, they are beaten on the bum with a stick. If they fail an exam, each teacher takes a turn hitting them. She was surprised that it doesn’t happen in Canada. She also was telling me (quite nonchalantly) about some students at a nearby school committing suicide due to exam stress. She later told me that they had been very excited to hear that they would be hosting a foreigner but they had been expecting me on the 15th for some reason so by the 22nd when I actually arrived, they didn’t think I was coming anymore! She is a really smart girl and her English is excellent. I look forward to having more chats with her. Tendo, the little boy, cannot speak English very well yet but he can understand somewhat. When I first arrived he was very nervous around me but the next day he greeted me when I came home and later grabbed a book and sat on the couch, showing me the pictures and the words he knows (all nouns). He pointed and looked questioningly at me at the pictures he didn’t know so I taught him those words. I was nervous about living with children but so far it has been great!

Kampala and meeting my homestay family

On Sunday (September 22) we went to a mall in Kampala and got SIM cards and looked around, visited a local market, and had our first taste of the rainy season before beginning the 3 hour car trip to Masaka. Joining us was Anita’s five year old granddaughter Rorya. She was quite shy at first but soon warmed to Renate and I and enjoyed sitting with us in the back counting goats, chatting, taking photos, and sleeping on me. We made a stop at the Equator and took the obligatory touristy photos. It was quite funny because I had been telling Renate about my time in China and how Chinese people would often ask for photos of/with me. She hadn’t really believed me but when we were taking our own photos, a Chinese man came up and asked for one with me! It was quite funny.

We finally arrived in Masaka around 5 and went to meet my host family. There are two children, Feli (11) and Tendo (6) who live at home while they attend school and my host mother is Margaret who works for a local microfinance organization as an administrator. There is also a house helper and myself now living in the three bedroom house. Margaret has two other dependents who are both away at boarding school so we will likely go visit them at a later time. The house is quite nice and bigger than I was expecting. It is located midway up one of the hills that surround this area and has a small backyard and front garden where the family grows beans and maize. There is a pet cat and also a two month old puppy! They’re training him to be an outside dog now and he’s very unhappy about not being allowed in the house anymore. My room is small but functional and my bed is pretty comfortable. I’m a bit jet-lagged so I have been sleeping well. There is a flushable toilet, but it’s a squat toilet (thank god China prepared me so well).

I gave the children their presents: notebooks, pens, pencils, Canadian pins, modeling clay, glow sticks, a soccer ball, and glitter glue. They loved the latter four and have been playing with them and using them non-stop! That made me feel pretty great. I would consider my first night a success!

My first day in Uganda

After an hour long stay-on-the-plane (scheduled) stopover in Rwanda, we arrived at Uganda’s Entebbe airport around 2:45am. With my fresh 90 day visa in my passport, I waited with baited breath until my bags finally showed. After heading to the exit, I discovered that my name wasn’t displayed on any of the signs being held up against the door. Panic. I waited half an hour and figured my guesthouse had either forgotten me, or left early for some reason. I (thankfully) found an open phone shop and bought a SIM card. A European woman approached me and asked if I needed a ride because she had noticed I’d been waiting for a while. It turns out that she also lives and works in Masaka for a similar agency! After calling the guesthouse though, they assured me it would be best to take a taxi to them. At 4am I finally arrived at the guesthouse and immediately went to sleep (I had to be up by about 8:30).

Robert (the international volunteer coordinator for FSD) was to meet me at 10am that day so I got up, ate some breakfast and sat chatting to some of the guesthouse employees. At 10:30, I was informed the FSD staff would be a little late so I set off to the lake with the chef to buy some fish. Lake Victoria is massive and there are many women set up along the shore selling fresh fish. We made our selection and chatted a bit about what I first thought about Uganda.

Robert and Anita (the program director) finally arrived at noon and we were on our way to Kampala, the capital, to meet the only other intern with me, Renate. We met her at a popular hostel there and went for lunch. We had a mini-orientation chat and a delicious meal and then went back to the hotel for some more orientation (culture shock and living with a homestay family preparation). Most of the night we switched between orientation and staring at the news blaring on the TV updating everyone on the attack in Nairobi. A Somali group, anxious for Kenya to pull out of their country, attacked a popular mall and endured a four day stand-off with hostages and over 70 dead (including 2 Canadians). Kampala was put on alert and the second day we were there, there were noticeably more police about. Robert told us we’re likely in no danger and that this group has threatened this attack for awhile.