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Published: April 2nd 2007
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village life
morning hoe, the family just returning from their morning how, father, two wifes and a child. Friday March 30, 2007
* Apologies if I am repeating some of what Celeste wrote in the previous blog
Village life
We have been living in the village for 4 ½ weeks know, yes time does fly.
In this short period of time we have both grown to feel more and more comfortable and familiar with our surroundings. Our hut has acquired a handy bookshelf a few wall hangings and a mirror. We have worked out were to get the best meals from, and familiarized ourselves with the numerous modes of transport available and how much one should pay for each.
Hello Muzungo, How are you?
Hello Muzungo how are you, is a question we both get with great regularity, mainly from children but not exclusively. Muzungo basically means white person and there aren’t that many Muzungo’s in Mbale and especially not around Natondome. Therefore we are somewhat of a novelty, at first it was kind of cool being the centre of attention but it does get a little tiresome at times. Hello Muzungo how are you? I’m fine how are you? Fine. And that is as about as far as the conversation can travel. Greeting people
Celeste's Condom Lesson!
Over 100 students cramped into the class! is very important in Uganda and any proper greeting should be accompanied by asking how you are (or how is hear?) as it is often put. I am quite comfortable with being culturally insensitive and not spending all day greeting people and engaging in a predictable pointless conversation, I am not really that rude but don’t go out of my way to great everyone in the prescribed manner. Celeste on the other hand does attempt to assimilate somewhat more than myself so her morning walks normally consist about 147 hello’s, how are you’s, I am fine and if this a conversation is in Lugisu the local dialect a few addition’s which I don’t understand.
Boda Boda…..
On our third day in the village (feels like a very long time ago), I went into Mbale on a mission to buy a bicycle, it is relatively easy and cheap to get the 4 miles from Natondome to Mbale buy catching a lift on a bicycle or motorbike but riding yourself is a pleasant journey and it is always nice to have some autonomy. I choose a locally made Ugandan bike, one speed, two sizes, big carry rack on the back and weighing 20+kg. These locally made bikes account for about 98% of all bicycles in the greater Mbale area (the other 2% are cheap mountain bikes or ‘sport bikes’ as they are sold here and are significantly more expensive).
The most common means of transport here is bicycle, although most people jump on the back of a ‘bicycle taxi’ (boda boda) rather than ride there own bike, so when purchasing my bicycle I splurged the extra $3.50 and bought a large padded seat which sits on top of your carry rack behind the seat. By affixing such a seat you automatically become a boda boda (bicycle taxi). In Mbale I assume bicycle taxi drivers are among the lower steps of the social and employment hierarchy and ‘white people’ (muzungo’s) are right at the top whom are afforded many social privileges not given to the average Ugandan. So being a ‘muzongo’ boda boda was somewhat amusing to the locals to say the least. I can confidently say that I was the first ever Muzongo boda boda to have ever graced the streets of Mbale. Yes I did say was, the big padded seat is now gathering dust after two trips in to town and about 267 people shouting out boda boda and then collapsing in hysterics I thought it was time to remove the seat! In case you were wondering I did use the seat (just the once) and gave Celeste a ride back to Natondome from Mbale. I think even without the unwanted attention I would have ‘retired’ the seat, it was most defiantly hard work.
Condoms and Theology……..
From what I can recollect Celeste covered the condom class in a previous blog so I won’t go there expect for the brief mention of a topic which may be covered in more depth in a later blog. Evangelical missionaries, STD’s and AIDS. Uganda is a very Christian country both in numbers and strength of conviction, this I have no problem with. Such believers are in the majority apposed to condom use, preaching instead abstinence, once more this I don’t necessarily have a problem with, except for the fact that it blatantly is not working. From listening to any Ugandan non-Christian music (about 35% of Ugandan music) (the other 65% is Christian music, I think Cartman could make a killing here) and watching Ugandan’s dance they are very sexual people (and very good dancers) and abstinence although good in theory is just not realistic. So to make a long story short there were some concerning issues arising about the ‘inappropriateness’ of the condom class which made both Celeste and Myself very angry, seeing so as we are in eastern Africa and AIDS is everywhere and from all accounts not a very pleasant disease to live with.
I have many other interesting headings for paragraphs but for those you will have to wait so know to business…….
Business………
Celeste talked about Geoffrey Wanby in the last travel blog. Geoffrey and more to the point the Ugandan health system or there lack off effected us greatly. At first this experience made me want to jump on the first plane and get the …. out of Uganda. But such feelings soon changed to ‘what can we do about it’. Fortunately we had many kind, good hearted, generous, amazing people ( I think you may know who I am talking about) make donations which hopefully will enable us to rectify this inhumane problem in a small way.
Basically we hope to use the remaining donation money to establish a ongoing fund which will be used to treat seriously ill members the 25 target communities FDNC currently works with.
Stay tuned we will provide more details as they come to hand!
The other major piece of news, is the realization that the FDNC youth football league is to become a reality. As many of you who have traveled to ‘developing’ countries before are probably aware ‘organizing’ things is rarely as straightforward and as easy as what it should be, so organizing two football competitions each with approximately 170 participants was never going to be an easy task. But it looks like it will actually happen! The kick off date is Saturday April 14 and I will keep all posted on how things unfold.
Celeste and myself are traveling to Kampala this weekend (the capital of Uganda) for a small holiday but I will also be buying all the equipment which will be needed for the football comp. At this stage I am calculating that of the total cost about half will come from donation money and half from player registration fees. I will get you all some numbers after I buy the gear.
Thank you all for giving Celeste and myself the financial scope to begin implementing the above programs and for your continual feedback on the blog!
Take care and good buy for now.
Luke & Celeste.
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Rosie
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Mzungu Magic
Fabulous work with so much patience and determination to make a difference somehow and to keep it going forever for these people who deserve so much. You truly are mzungu angels and mzungu wonder people. luv Mum xx