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Published: June 30th 2008
So all the children in Uganda yell “mzungu! bye mzungu!” as you walk by. That’s all good and dandy. I would wave back and smile and pick them up if they weren’t terrified. They’re adorable b/c they hardly ever see a white person and they’re just sweet innocent little beings.
On the other hand, there’s the guys who ask for your email and/or phone number within minutes of meeting you. They want to be “friends.” I wouldn’t even call these people acquaintances, let alone friends. Not trying to be mean in any way, but I hardly know these people! When one guy in Uganda asked for my number and I told him I didn’t have a phone there, he offered to buy me one. Crazy Muganda! Another man told me he wants to marry me. When I said I have a “boyfriend” in America, he said “well you can leave him and stay here so we can be together” and then proceeded to go on and on and on. (Both of these incidents happened again today in Accra, Ghana.) It’s even harder when I’m a white girl walking alone now rather than in a group. I don’t think they realize that every other person and their mom is also telling you they want to be your boyfriend and yada yada yada. It just gets tiring trying to get rid of them and I don't understand why they all say they want to marry an American. We're really not that special and Africans are honestly a LOT cooler! 😊 I would love to just chat with these people and learn about their countries but it’s very rare that they just want to chat. There was a very nice man on the plane from Togo to Ghana though that I think just wanted to practice his English so that was cool.
On a third hand, there’s all the frickin people who rip you off. They think that white = rich. I understand that, comparatively, we have a lot of money. But things cost quite a bit more in the U.S. and I don’t have money coming out the wazoo. Three men “helped” me carry my bags to the taxi at the airport (without me asking for help). Then they all wanted some money. Granted I only have 2 bags and I was carrying one of them, I don’t see why it’s reasonable to pay all three of them. Then I got charged 3x too much for the taxi. Later as I was walking to the supermarket, this kid charged me between 10 and 20x too much for these bracelets that take about 3 minutes to make (I asked a lady later how much she would pay for one and she chuckled when she found out how much I paid).
So after venting, I’ve come to the conclusion that tomorrow I’m going to shave my head or get braids and paint my entire body a very dark shade of brown and learn to speak with an accent =)
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Tracy
non-member comment
Hang in there Monica. Guess you are finding out that most men are alike. Well, not all, your father, grandfathers, uncles, brothers, cousins, cousins-in-law excluded! Sounds like you are having the experience of a lifetime! Remember, when Africa hands you lemons, make lemonade. Of course, you would share it and not get any. Make the most of this trip. Will be anxious to visit with you at the next family reunion and see lots of pictures.