"Uganda: The Friendliest Country in Africa"

That’s the sign we past late Friday night from in the airport in Entebbe to the Uganda Christian University campus in Mukono, about an hour and a half drive. That sign is proving to be true, granted I haven’t been anywhere else in Africa. It is now the end of my third day in Uganda and I have nothing but wonderful things to say.

First, the weather is absolutely beautiful. I am soaking up the 77 degree January weather. Today we had two sporadic rain showers. The latter storm was more powerful with winds that made a tree crack and with hail about the size of small gum balls. Other than that, the afternoons feel like a lazy summer day in which all I want to do is lay out in the sun and nap.

Second, the food … well…. it’s rice and beans twice a day. My personal favorite are the white beans which I have been told they are actually peas, whatever it is I eat my whole plate so that’s good. I also like this purple looking sauce made out of ground nuts; it’s very tasty with salt and rice. I have also had some of the Ugandan’s favored dishes: posho and matuke (I don’t the spelling). Posho is the white block looking thing which I think is just flour mixed with boiling water. It has absolutely no nutritional value and tastes like cardboard. Matuke is mashed up bananas. Alone, it’s pretty repulsive. However, I believe I have found the key to eating African food: you just have to mix up everything and make sure you get a little bit of everything on your fork. That way all of the textures and flavors balance each other out to make a quite palatable meal. I have also had a couple of the potato dishes which are really good. I haven’t had breakfast yet, but I heard you get two pieces of sweet tasting bread with tea. So overall, its starch city! There are some canteens around campus, which serve different food and smoothies. I most likely will be living on daily smoothies to get some fresh fruit in me.

Third, the classes. I have only had two classes so far. Eastern African History and Faith in Action, a required class for the program I’m studying with. For my history class I have a Ugandan professor who is quite a character. It’s somewhat hard to understand him because of his accent but overall he speaks slowly enough to understand him. I somewhat unknowingly volunteered to be the class captain. I don’t really know what I got myself into but I think I’m in charge of making copies for the class. Faith in Action should be interesting as we will be looking at contemporary issues plaguing Uganda and Africa in general.

Fourth, the living quarters. The majority of the American students are living with the honor students; they are kind of set apart on campus and have a really tranquil area. However, four other lovely ladies and I are living in the main dormitory on campus. The dorm building is called Sabitti, which holds about 400 women. Each room holds four girls; however, I am only sharing my room with one other American. The rooms are extremely bare with peeling, dirty walls and concrete floors. We each have a closet, a desk, and a chair. There are two bathrooms on our floor. Each bathroom has about four latrines, four sinks, and four shower stalls. There is absolutely no concept of quiet hours. Girls will be singing, laughing, yelling, and running down the halls until 2 in the morning and are up at 4 doing the same things. It doesn’t bother me much because I can sleep through just about anything, but I am waking up about 6 when I don’t need to be up until 9. The girls are like a natural alarm clock.

Fifth, Uganda as a whole as I see it. There are undoubtedly numerous things that differ from the U.S; however, as a whole I really don’t feel that out of place. Yes I am white in a black country. Yes there is poverty. Yes there are cultural norms that I am completely oblivious to. Yes the food is different. Yes there is a language barrier even though Ugandans speak English. But there is a common thread of simply being human. It’s breathtakingly beautiful to truly experience the meaning of “Let us make man in our image” (Genesis 1:26). We as humans are essentially the same living and surviving with struggles and celebration.

Moreover, it’s interesting to see how American culture permeates Uganda. For example, last night I went to bed hearing Justin Timberlake and woke up to Beyonce. Whether it’s good or bad is not the point more the principal of the matter that music from one culture can resonate with a completely different culture across the world for some reason. It’s pretty neat to witness.

Sixth, the people are absolutely amazing!!! The other students with me have such great stories and have so much to offer. It’s so great to hear their stories and to see how God has been working in their lives. The four girls living in Sabitti with me have truly been a blessing. We have quickly built a relationship through laughs, embarrassing moments, confusion, and intellectual conversation. But most importantly the five of us have made amazing connections with Ugandan women. Living in the main dorm is truly a gift because we are meeting so many people. Women will come into our rooms and introduce themselves. On Sunday, four of our new friends took us into town to buy some things like hand soap, laundry soap, and a hot water kettle. They really looked out after us making sure we didn’t get overcharged or pestered by any men. It is custom for women and men to hold hands with their good friend or someone dear. (As a side note, I think this is such a great custom as it simply encourages love and care for another person.) Well, at one point in our journey one of my friends grabbed my hand through a crowded area and into the store. It was probably just out of concern for my well-being but the gesture was greatly appreciated and it just proves how hospitable and great the Ugandan people are. Ugandans want everyone to feel welcomed and comfortable. Numerous times a day I will be greeted with “Welcome to Uganda.” It’s also nice that the university (UCU) is well aware and accustomed to the program I am with (USP). At the church service and university fellowship worship the UPS students were formally welcomed and acknowledged. Therefore, the Ugandans are very willing to help us out. For example, they taught me how to bathe, which sounds ridiculous but showers only get cold water so what they do is fill a basin with boiling water then mix it with the shower water and then bathe from the basin. (Another note, the Ugandans pride themselves in cleanliness and do not tolerate dirtiness. Women sometimes shower twice a day). Later this week I will learn how to wash my clothes.

My battery is running low so I must go, but overall things are amazing here. I am still adjusting and slowly realizing that I am actually here. I think I might still be dealing with some jet lag or I just might be tired; I’m not sure.

I’ll blog soon.

Love,
Kristen