Death by Caterpillar

If I don’t make it back home, rest assured that I died in an extremely noteworthy manner. Not many people can say they died at the hands of a Ugandan caterpillar. Personally, I think it would be an epic way to go out. Friday night, after our muzungu heavy barbeque at café frick, a few of us were hanging out at this neat little outdoor bar… Uganda’s version of bob’s perhaps? I felt something on my ankle, and without looking, swept it off. Terrible idea. I felt sharp stinging, but since it was so dark, it took me a while to notice the quarter inch spines sticking out of my finger. Turns out they had no intention of coming out either… I had to pull them out one by one. I ended up pouring half my drink out on my finger to aid in the process. Another terrible idea. The swelling has gone down, but it’s still bumpy, red, and itchy. The reaction is also spreading down my finger. No worries, though, I’m determined to survive this one.

Pick up lines: I’ve heard some good ones, mostly from boda drivers. “Madam, do you want me?” “Would you like to ride with me?” “You are beautiful; can I have your number?” “Do you have a husband?” My favorite was when I was getting on a boda with a crowd of male observers lurking nearby. Even in a skirt, I can’t bring myself to ride a boda side saddle, so it’s almost guaranteed that I’m going to show some skin while getting on. I braced myself then jumped on, provoking raucous cheers, whistles, and marriage proposals. Honestly, the girls whining about the gender imbalance issue at Carolina in the NY Times article should probably just come to Uganda.

I have just made it sound like all boda drivers are rude and insensitive. That’s not true at all. Most are very friendly and receptive to bargaining. We’ve befriended a couple of them and they are more than willing to pick us up when we call them.

Electricity: Power outages are so common and outdoor lighting is so rare that most Ugandan cell phones have built in flashlights. It always seems to go out at the most opportune moments like when I’m in the shower. The water stops every once in awhile too. My favorite day was when the power AND the water were out at the same time. It’s actually not as bad as I’m making it sound... I think I have Outward Bound to thank for that.

Banks: will make me appreciate Bank of America forever. We waited for an hour and a half to get our dollars changed to shillings.

Masaka scandals: Two Catholic nuns were arrested yesterday in a village not five minutes from our house when police discovered their 2 acre marijuana plot. They tried to convince investigators that the plants were for their pigs.

Work: Yesterday was a slow day on outreach. We weren’t drawing blood for CD4 testing so the only people that came in were those coming for HIV confirmation tests. Though yesterday’s outreach wasn’t as productive as last week’s, I did get to prick my first patient. After a couple of hours, patients stopped coming into the lab so I went outside to sit with Chelsea and her counseling supervisor. We ended up teaching several schoolchildren how to play duck duck goose and London bridges falling down for the rest of the afternoon. Despite the monstrous language barrier, they caught on quickly and would have played all day.

Someone suggested that a description of a day in my life in Uganda would be well-received. I think I’m finally settled in enough to provide an accurate representation of my activities here. On weekdays (when there is not a public holiday, which, contrary to what my host family says, seems to happen quite often here) I wake up around 7:15. Breakfast is my favorite meal of the day and usually consists of tea, a banana, bread with blueband (apparently Uganda’s only brand of butter), and a fried or hardboiled egg. I was too scared to try the porridge as it looked like liquefied grits. I’m getting pretty tired of Aljazeera during breakfast; too much arguing for early in the morning. Chelsea and I leave for work just after 8 and I’m settled into lab work by about 8:30. (Tuesdays are different at TASO because we do outreach in surrounding villages.) Lunch, which is most often matoke (surprise!) and rice, isn’t until 2:00 so I have to pack a snack or else I annoy people with my grumbling stomach. I leave work around 4:30 and meet up with the other FSD TASO interns. Sometimes Chelsea and I will boda into town for errands, walk to café frick to get on the internet, or head home for tea and rest. On Thursday through Sunday night we watch la Tormenta with Mama Allen and whomever else may be around. Dinner is usually between 9 and 10 and I think I’ve described the food in a previous post. After dinner we watch music videos with Dinah or go to our room to read before bed. On weekends, we don’t do much during the day. We usually spend most of Saturday at Frick catching up on emails, Skyping, etc. and most of Sunday sleeping, reading, or learning how to play Ugandan cards with John and Joseph. Whether it’s a barbecue, poker, a concert, clubbing, or going to a bar or restaurant, we can usually find something fun to do at night. I had my first experience clubbing in Uganda this past Saturday. A big group of us went to Ambience discotheque; the best part was the music selection. So far, I am very impressed with Ugandan music. 

The World Cup starts next weekend, so I have a feeling I may alter my daily activities accordingly. I wonder if it’s acceptable to skip work…? (Just kidding.) ((Sort of.))

I can’t believe I’m already 3 weeks in… it’s been going by so quickly since I’ve adjusted to life here. I’m looking forward to Jinja (part 1) this weekend to visit Patrick.