Ok, so I finally caved in and bought a Rolex. Actually 2. And together, they only cost 70 cents. That's because a rolex here is not a high end watch, but rather a chapati filled with egg, tomato, onions, and avocado...sort of like a Ugandan hotdog. No one is quite sure how the name came to be, but the rumor is that it's from the fact that you roll the eggs in the chapati (rolled eggs = rolex). In any case, delicious. The food here is generally really good if a bit repetitive...lots of mashed bananas, rice, beans, groundnut sauce, and some really juicy pineapple, and the occasional meat (though meat is expensive here).
Anyways, since this past week at work was focused on preparing a grant proposal to fund my project, I wont spend a lot of time describing that. Instead, I'll focus on some cool things I've noticed recently. For instance, on Friday my host brother Ben and I stopped for a beer a few minutes walk from our home around dusk. As we were sitting there, I was just kind of staring off into the horizon taking in the surroundings. After awhile, I came to and noticed I was looking right at the Nile Brewery -- where the beer we were drinking was made -- which was maybe 500 meters away. And the manufacture date on the bottle was just 3 days old...about as fresh as you can get.
Then there is the cultural differences. People at work will joke all the time with each other, but at the weekly meeting everything is done by strict protocol in very quiet voices. Everything gets discussed...and I really mean everything. At my first meeting, one agenda item was whether to keep a bucket in the toilets for women to use for disposal when it comes to that time of the month! When asked for my opinion, I told them that I thought they had it pretty well figured out...
But regardless of the occasional odd conversation, we have a great time at work, and after work. Like on Saturday, we all went out to the Pearl of Africa Music Awards, which was complete with fireworks and lots of local music performances. Another great end to a great week!
Monday, June 25, 2007
Monday, June 18, 2007
Week 5: First week of work
Did you know that condoms cause cancer and carry HIV? At least that's what some women here are led to believe. My first visit to the field -- where we meet the communities we are working to help -- was part of a condom education training. It was eye opening hearing these comments and all the more surprising because Uganda is actually an amazing success story. Not 5 years ago, HIV/AIDS rates were over 30%. Now they are down to 6%, but there is still ongoing work to educate people on its risks.
It was at the end of this visit that I had my first chance to discuss microfinance with the people we will be providing loans to. There was quite a lot of interest and a surprisingly high level of knowledge on how it works. Just as we were about to leave, one woman rushed up to me and told me how excited she was and that she already had a loan group formed (microloans are made to groups whose members guarantee each other's loans in place of collateral).
In all, the first week was hectic but great. I had a chance to do a lot of research so that I am more prepared to carry out my project, which consists of two main parts:
1) Developing a microfinance framework to guide the organization in administering loans starting in November.
2) Providing business training to members of the community in preparation for these loans.
I had a chance this first week of work to meet a lot of people and get a sense of what the needs are and feel more confident now that I know what to do!
Having finished work Friday, the week wrapped up with a nice taste of cultural life on Saturday. My host brother Ben took me to an "introduction" 2 hours northwest of Kampala. An introduction is like an engagement ceremony, but with very strict rules and hundreds of people. I was on the groom's side, which meant we had to come in search of the bride, be told she was not there, say we were sure she was there, and eventually be allowed in to where 200 people were sitting waiting for the rest of the ceremony.
With the groom's side before heading to the introduction:
There were plenty of comments regarding my presence given that I was quite clearly the only non-African there -- they actually refer to me as being white here -- but they were all positive, and by the end of the night I was given a special seat at the front where I could eat on a table (other rows had to eat from their laps). A great end to a great week!
It was at the end of this visit that I had my first chance to discuss microfinance with the people we will be providing loans to. There was quite a lot of interest and a surprisingly high level of knowledge on how it works. Just as we were about to leave, one woman rushed up to me and told me how excited she was and that she already had a loan group formed (microloans are made to groups whose members guarantee each other's loans in place of collateral).
In all, the first week was hectic but great. I had a chance to do a lot of research so that I am more prepared to carry out my project, which consists of two main parts:
1) Developing a microfinance framework to guide the organization in administering loans starting in November.
2) Providing business training to members of the community in preparation for these loans.
I had a chance this first week of work to meet a lot of people and get a sense of what the needs are and feel more confident now that I know what to do!
Having finished work Friday, the week wrapped up with a nice taste of cultural life on Saturday. My host brother Ben took me to an "introduction" 2 hours northwest of Kampala. An introduction is like an engagement ceremony, but with very strict rules and hundreds of people. I was on the groom's side, which meant we had to come in search of the bride, be told she was not there, say we were sure she was there, and eventually be allowed in to where 200 people were sitting waiting for the rest of the ceremony.
With the groom's side before heading to the introduction:
There were plenty of comments regarding my presence given that I was quite clearly the only non-African there -- they actually refer to me as being white here -- but they were all positive, and by the end of the night I was given a special seat at the front where I could eat on a table (other rows had to eat from their laps). A great end to a great week!
Tuesday, June 12, 2007
Week 4: Orientation and Home Stay
"In 10 years, I want to grow up to be just like you." That has to be the quote of the week, coming from fellow intern Jennifer, who is actually only 8 years younger (referring to my having traveled a bit). Speaking of which, things have settled down a bit for now on the travel front, but it was another great week all the same. We finished our 15 hours of language training, visited some local tourist destinations, got to see everyone's host organization, and moved in with our homestays at the end of the week.
I'll start by saying what a great place Jinja is. It has a population of 100,000 but feels like a small town with red dirt roads and few cars.
Some pics of Jinja:
On the horizon is Lake Victoria and just by the town are a ton of adventure activities like bungee jumping, white water rafting, ATVing, etc. It's like the Victoria Falls of East Africa...there is even a waterfall here called Bujagali, which was one of the sites we visited this week -- an amazing place where the Nile River crashes down upon itself amidst a backdrop of lush green hills. It's hard to capture in either pictures or words.
Bujagali Falls:
But the real highlight there was in walking to visit one of the other intern's host organizations. As we made our way from the falls to the organization, we were greeted by maybe 30 little kids screaming "Muzungu, muzungu!" ("foreigner, foreigner!") who just wanted to hold our hands, teach us a bit of the language, and walk us to our destination.
Little ones:
Orientation itself was great. A big shout out to Berna, Jenn, and Margaret from FSD for taking such good care of us and adapting the schedules based on how we were feeling. We're now all pretty comfortable getting around, speaking a bit of the language, and knowing who to speak to in case of trouble. I also briefly got to meet my host organization supervisor where I found out I will be helping develop a microfinance system in 8 weeks (!).
At the end of orientation, we went to everyone's homestays and got to see the range of accommodations, from a small farm with no electricity, to a sprawling hillside estate with 360 degree views. I feel very fortunate with my placement -- I am 30 minutes from work in a beautiful home with electricity, running water, internet (couldn't believe that one), TV, and a view of the Nile, which I cross to go to work every day.
My homestay:
And the family is great as well -- I am staying with a doctor who is in his early 30s and knows just about everything. His younger brother Ben also lives at home and is my age and with similar tastes. So we spent the weekend hanging out, checking out some places he was building by the Nile, and just chatting sports and culture. So now, the easy part is over. Next time I write, I will be an official microfinance volunteer!
I'll start by saying what a great place Jinja is. It has a population of 100,000 but feels like a small town with red dirt roads and few cars.
Some pics of Jinja:
On the horizon is Lake Victoria and just by the town are a ton of adventure activities like bungee jumping, white water rafting, ATVing, etc. It's like the Victoria Falls of East Africa...there is even a waterfall here called Bujagali, which was one of the sites we visited this week -- an amazing place where the Nile River crashes down upon itself amidst a backdrop of lush green hills. It's hard to capture in either pictures or words.Bujagali Falls:
But the real highlight there was in walking to visit one of the other intern's host organizations. As we made our way from the falls to the organization, we were greeted by maybe 30 little kids screaming "Muzungu, muzungu!" ("foreigner, foreigner!") who just wanted to hold our hands, teach us a bit of the language, and walk us to our destination.Little ones:
Orientation itself was great. A big shout out to Berna, Jenn, and Margaret from FSD for taking such good care of us and adapting the schedules based on how we were feeling. We're now all pretty comfortable getting around, speaking a bit of the language, and knowing who to speak to in case of trouble. I also briefly got to meet my host organization supervisor where I found out I will be helping develop a microfinance system in 8 weeks (!).
At the end of orientation, we went to everyone's homestays and got to see the range of accommodations, from a small farm with no electricity, to a sprawling hillside estate with 360 degree views. I feel very fortunate with my placement -- I am 30 minutes from work in a beautiful home with electricity, running water, internet (couldn't believe that one), TV, and a view of the Nile, which I cross to go to work every day.
My homestay:
And the family is great as well -- I am staying with a doctor who is in his early 30s and knows just about everything. His younger brother Ben also lives at home and is my age and with similar tastes. So we spent the weekend hanging out, checking out some places he was building by the Nile, and just chatting sports and culture. So now, the easy part is over. Next time I write, I will be an official microfinance volunteer!
Tuesday, June 5, 2007
Week 3: Zanzibar to Nairobi to Jinja
What a week! From beaches to beauty pageants, I didn't think it was possible to see so many different types of places in so short a time. Monday began on a beach in Zanzibar, Thursday was spent with a friend's family in Nairobi and Saturday finished up while watching the Miss Uganda Central Region contest. It sounds very strange thinking about that, but in any case, lots to write about this time!
Zanzibar began with some pure R&R. Between the wet season rains, there was plenty of sunshine to enjoy by the pool, at the beach, or in the restaurants. Highlights included tasting melt-in-your-mouth graved barracuda, seeing snails as big as my fist, and running into people I'd met bungee jumping at Victoria Falls the prior week week! The final highlight, though, was dashing out of the terminal at Zanzibar's tiny airport to greet a bunch of fellow '07 Columbia grads who I saw walking off their plane as I waited for my flight to leave . Unfortunately, I couldn't talk too long because I was in violation of Tanzanian law by exiting the terminal...but well worth it!
View of the pool in Zanzibar:
My midweek stop, Nairobi, was a great opportunity to spend some time with my friend Nimeet's parents, and to get to see Kenya from a local perspective. I've met his parents several times and they are always the nicest, most hospitable people. And this time proved no different. An employee of his dad's company came to pick me up right as I left the plane. Given that he knew everyone at the airport, this made clearing immigration and customs a breeze. But the most amazing part was seeing the work in the community his family is doing -- from providing running water to schooling to jobs for the town of Ruiru (pop. 50,000). Though his mom's cooking and dad's eye for art were a close second!
Mr. Dodhia's art gallery:
On Friday, I arrived at my final stop (for now) in Jinja. The flight from Nairobi was a great opportunity to get a sense of Uganda from above, with Lake Victoria dominating a lush tropial background...it is really a sight that has to be seen! At the airport, I met our program coordinators and the other 7 volunteers. They seem like a great group and we have been going through our Lusoga language training, getting a sense of what we'll be doing this summer, and seeing the town of Jinja and the surrounding areas.
But the highlight was definitely seeing the Miss Uganda concert. We had a few beers and watched the contestants as well as some popular local artists and musicians performing on stage. The 2 finalists included one woman who was about 5'2" and another who was at least 6'5". Very cool seeing them standing next to each other...the 5'2" contestant won just as the rain started pouring down. This made for an interesting time leaving, with people using chairs as umbrellas as we squeezed through (or were pushed through in most cases) the very small exit. Our awesome program coordinator Jenn got us a taxi pretty quickly though and we were out of there without incident. Actually, despite the crowd, people were very friendly as they have been everywhere here. I think it will be a great summer!
Zanzibar began with some pure R&R. Between the wet season rains, there was plenty of sunshine to enjoy by the pool, at the beach, or in the restaurants. Highlights included tasting melt-in-your-mouth graved barracuda, seeing snails as big as my fist, and running into people I'd met bungee jumping at Victoria Falls the prior week week! The final highlight, though, was dashing out of the terminal at Zanzibar's tiny airport to greet a bunch of fellow '07 Columbia grads who I saw walking off their plane as I waited for my flight to leave . Unfortunately, I couldn't talk too long because I was in violation of Tanzanian law by exiting the terminal...but well worth it!
View of the pool in Zanzibar:
My midweek stop, Nairobi, was a great opportunity to spend some time with my friend Nimeet's parents, and to get to see Kenya from a local perspective. I've met his parents several times and they are always the nicest, most hospitable people. And this time proved no different. An employee of his dad's company came to pick me up right as I left the plane. Given that he knew everyone at the airport, this made clearing immigration and customs a breeze. But the most amazing part was seeing the work in the community his family is doing -- from providing running water to schooling to jobs for the town of Ruiru (pop. 50,000). Though his mom's cooking and dad's eye for art were a close second!Mr. Dodhia's art gallery:
On Friday, I arrived at my final stop (for now) in Jinja. The flight from Nairobi was a great opportunity to get a sense of Uganda from above, with Lake Victoria dominating a lush tropial background...it is really a sight that has to be seen! At the airport, I met our program coordinators and the other 7 volunteers. They seem like a great group and we have been going through our Lusoga language training, getting a sense of what we'll be doing this summer, and seeing the town of Jinja and the surrounding areas.But the highlight was definitely seeing the Miss Uganda concert. We had a few beers and watched the contestants as well as some popular local artists and musicians performing on stage. The 2 finalists included one woman who was about 5'2" and another who was at least 6'5". Very cool seeing them standing next to each other...the 5'2" contestant won just as the rain started pouring down. This made for an interesting time leaving, with people using chairs as umbrellas as we squeezed through (or were pushed through in most cases) the very small exit. Our awesome program coordinator Jenn got us a taxi pretty quickly though and we were out of there without incident. Actually, despite the crowd, people were very friendly as they have been everywhere here. I think it will be a great summer!
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