Reliance

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The hardest thing for me so far, in work and family life, has been my reliance on other people. At home this is part of the hospitality that Ugandans show to guests; they are not allowed to do anything. Compared to others I have seen my family are quite good at letting me do some things on my own, sometimes I can sweep the yard, make breakfast or fruit juice – but I get the feeling this is just a ‘fun’ thing for the strange white man to try out rather than doing a chore as part of the household.

One thing I had been able to do myself was my washing but having started on it the other day, Mama came over to show me how to do it properly (more of the bottom part of the hand, the wrist and a lot more soap from what I could gather) then this random woman passing in the street started doing it, taking off her watch and jewellery so she could do it properly, and they started a production line with me watching! Eventually by pretty much assaulting both women I managed to rinse off my own clothes but the uncomfortable feeling I have while watching someone else (that’s not family!) wash, cook or clean for me regularly is a recurring theme.

I mentioned this to a Ugandan friend of mine after I had gone round to his house before a graduation party. He insisted on me borrowing his shoes (replacing some others I had borrowed) and then polishing them in front of me, which I found quite embarrassing. He said that it would have been deeply offensive for me to polish my own shoes in his house and that he ‘wanted’ to. It is something I am still struggling with but finding times when you can compromise.

In a work setting, the reliance has mainly been in a language sense. My Lugandan, I am told, is good but does not go as far as in-depth discussions on HIV/AIDS or other problems in the family or community. This means that I am reliant on fellow volunteers to translate.

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Photos

Community Meeting
Discussion at a community meeting. We first discussed the main problems the community was facing, asking the group to rank them and asking for possible actions. Next week we looked at resources and skills within the community to help implement any of our actions

Community Meeting
Discussion at a community meeting. We first discussed the main problems the community was facing, asking the group to rank them and asking for possible actions. Next week we looked at resources and skills within the community to help implement any of our actions