Mirembe

So, as most of you, my dog was pregnant.  She went into heat back in Feb. when my mom was here and as she began mating I decided to get her spayed.  There are two options here in Uganda, the typical removal of the uterus and ovaries or you can give her a shot of progesterone.  After hearing about volunteers who had miserable experiences with the supposed removal of the ovaries (one vet simply “couldn’t find them”), I opted for the shot.  I called the vet from the district headquarters and the person that I figured was the most competent.  I paid him 80,000 ($40) which is an exorbitant amount in this country, but I figured it was worth it.  He came and gave her the shot, but was clearly both agitated and nervous when doing so. (everyone in this country fears dogs.... apparently even vets)

 

Mirembe continued mating for the next three days (much to my dismay, b/c dog sex is not pretty) but the vet assured me it was normal.  About 4 weeks later, it was very apparent that the shot didn’t work and Mirembe was pregnant.  So I decided to grin and bear it, and began divvying out the soon to be pups to different Peace Corps volunteers.  I checked on the internet about pre-natal care for dogs.... it included vitamins, massages, and weekly check-ups with the vet, including sonograms. Bah.  None of that exists here, so me and Mirembe made do.  We had bets going at the college as to how many babies were in there.  8-9 weeks went by (63 days is the regular gestational period for a dog) and still no puppies.  I could feel them kicking and moving inside so I wasn’t too worried.  Dogs can carry their babies up to 10 weeks without any issues so I went ahead and let time pass.  At the end of the 9^th week I decided to call my vet in the States (actually my father did this for me).  I gave her the dates for mating and she said wait it out another week.  I was basically a wreck this entire week because I could no longer feel her puppies kicking.  On top of that was the fact that I really didn’t trust the vet here because he did a shoddy job of getting her spade. 

            After 10 weeks went by, I decided that I would get her induced (by the same vet that “spayed” her).  He came to give her the shot and I mentioned that the puppies weren’t moving.  He said, “oh, they are definitely dead so don’t worry about that.”  I was confused as to why they were dead and he simply replied that they were.  He refused to feel her belly to see if they were moving and on top of that he informed me that you can’t hear puppy heart beats in the womb (which is obviously a lie).  He wouldn’t touch her at all because he was so scared of her and ended up sticking her three times before he finally gave her the damn shot.  I was pretty livid by this time and then he had the nerve to ask for payment.  I explained to him that in America if someone spays a dog and it doesn’t work they don’t charge for subsequent shots relating to the birth, or they atleast refund the money from spaying.  He got super angry with me and told me “This is Africa!”  They always say that and it annoys the piss out of me.  So I continued to tell him I wouldn’t pay him and he stormed off on his motorcycle.... really professional.

            Mirembe began bleeding profusely the next day and without internet access and a decent vet I felt totally helpless. I didn’t know if that was normal, if she was okay, if I needed to rush her to Kampala.  I guess although I am living in a third world country, I have not experienced the lack of health care.  We have a 24 hour nurse at Peace Corps disposal and anytime I have any illness, I am quickly sent to Kampala where it is taken care of.  I finally got to experience the fear that must go through a Ugandan womans mind as she begins to give birth or if she has a sick child.   Health care facilities are not available in the village, and even then the doctors are questionable and looking to make money.  So I did the only thing I could do, and had my Dad call our vet in the States and I called the PC nurses.  It ended up that it was totally normal and so Mirembe was finally in labor, but come to find out, the labor inducer he gave her was PFG2.... a labor inducer for cows!! What an idiot! To make a long story short, Mirembe was in labor for around 36 hours (much longer than the average dog is).  I was in constant contact with the vet in the States, via my Dad, who made around 8 calls during her labor.  Each puppy came out and was dead, but Mirembe worked diligently to resuscitate them. (They were all beautiful.  All black with white paws and a tuxedo shirt... just like Mirembe.  And tiny little paws and ears.)  Of course they had been dead inside the womb so there was not much she could do.  I cried for her and she looked at me like she understood my sorrow.  When she finally popped out the 6^th one, a day and a half later she collapsed in exhaustion.  At that point all I cared about was that Mirembe was healthy.  She is laying at my feet right now, in her bed relaxing. 

Though it is very unfortunate that she lost all of her puppies I learned a really interesting lesson about what it is really like to be a Ugandan.  The infant mortality rate and maternal mortality rate in Uganda is much higher than that of the first world.  Physicians are far away, they are over-burdened, under-payed, and are usually lacking the appropriate medicines.  It was the most nerve racking thing to know that something was going wrong but there was not someone educated enough to do something about it, and also to know that the knowledge and facilities existed somewhere... but were not accessible to me.  It was also so terrible frustrating that someone who supposedly knew what he was doing had gone SO very wrong multiple times.  So you live and learn.... that we are damn lucky to be living in the first world where health care is a given.... where you can get any medicine you need.... where you have 24 hour physicians who are dedicated and informed... where money can buy any procedure that you want.  Animals in America get better health care than most Ugandans...

(About 6 hours after I wrote this Mirembe gave birth to a seventh puppy.  She is doing good tho...)  A day after I posted this Mirembe gave birth to an eighth puppy!  She is still doing good.

Say what?

Ugandans are constantly saying hilarious things to me. I write them down and keep them in a little journal so I can look at it and laugh sometimes. I figured I should share some of their funny little quips with you:

In the staff room, the tutors were talking about how I have not gained enough weight. Someone ended the conversation by saying: “People have not begun to comment on your extended stomach.”

When I was teaching English at the local church one of my adult students said, “My head is happy because you are teaching me.” I was impressed with his correct use of tense.

Again at the church I teach at, we were discussing my belief in God.... which is incredibly abstract and not understandable at all to a Ugandan. Dennis said, “You will have to become saved, or the Catholics will try to chase you to their church.” Ha. Then we were discussing heaven and hell and I was saying that I think I am going to heaven. This same man said, “Maybe somehow you will find your way there.”

I was supervising students at a primary school right before Easter weekend. One of my students said, “You will have to stop because the whole school is going to the film for Jesus.” So cute

Judith from the deaf school caught me right as I was coming back from Kampala and informed everyone in the staff room, “This one moves like a man.” She was referring to the fact that I travel often. ☺

Walking through town, I usually get hollered at, or atleast get a marriage proposal or two. The other day a man walked up to me and said, “Give me your life.” I just bust out laughing and he wasn’t really sure what to do.

I was at a local concert with a head teacher and it was very late at night. At this particular concert there was a guy walking around selling apples (exhibit A as to why Ugandans are thin, at concerts they splurge and buy.... APPLES) Anyways, he looked around and said, “Is it fashionable or something to eat apples at night? I see all these people eating apples at like 10 o clock... and I’m thinking... is this fashionable?” I just about died laughing.

On a totally different note... over Easter weekend I tried to explain Easter in America to people. I talked about coloring eggs and a large bunny hiding them in the house. I told them how the kids have to find them, and sometimes we fill plastic eggs with candy and they find those too. People thought it was by far the funniest thing they had heard of in a long time. I was glad that our customs make Ugandans laugh.... because their customs sure make me laugh.

This has got to be the good life...

This has got to be the good life....

 

Because having tea with your neighbors is absolutely considered work.

Because I walk out my backyard and it looks like Jurassic park.

Because I can justify spending 3 hours sitting outside simply because I have to do laundry.

Because I can plant food and eat it for weeks.

Because I get to spend hours reading books.

Because I never have to shut the windows of my house.

Because everyone has babies and everyone lets me hold them.

Because I am learning something new everyday.

Because I can run with my dog and she doesn’t have to have a leash.

Because internet is a luxury that I get when I go to town.

Because I can eat jackfruit everyday of my life.

Because you can see more stars here at night than anywhere in the world.

Because I get to help people help themselves.

Because people laugh and smile when I speak their language.

Because I go to sleep to the sounds of frogs croaking and bugs buzzing.

Because crested cranes live in my backyard.

Because life is simple.

Because I see my neighbors at least 7 times a day.

Because I can buy avocados the size of my head for about 10 cents.

Because it is appropriate for me to walk in someone’s back door without an invitation.

Because I can lose power for two weeks and not get angry.

Because I can ride my bike or walk to work.

Because I get to play Frisbee everyday.

Because everyone says hello, even if they don’t know me.

Because I live about 30k from the equator.

Because I can spend 75 cents and get a delicious meal of tilapia.

Because the sun shines every day here.

Because I appreciate the little things.

Because I get to teach people English.

Because time goes so slowly here that everyday seems to last for 3, and that’s a good thing.

Because I am learning sign language.

Because I don’t wear makeup.... and I kind of like it.

Because at night this place smells like a Bath & Body works shop.

Because I get to see baby goats doing back flips off of termite mounds.

Because I have met best friends who I can grow old with.

Because my neighbors are my confidants.

Because I shower from a bucket and actually look forward to it.

Because my dog can do tricks and people think she is a genius.

Because I get to see the sun rise every morning.

Because I am growing and changing, and that is the whole point of life.

Because I get to help the future primary teachers of Ugandan improve their teaching skills, and therefore improve the future of Uganda.

Because there is not much in the world that is better than this........

 

This is definitely the good life.

One year in Uganda

I’ve been in Uganda for a year now.  It’s crazy to look back and see just how far I have come. 

Living and working alone in a third world country has been much more difficult than I had ever imagined.  But it also continues to have rewards that exceed my wildest expectations.  It is hard because I am different, and as much as I don’t want to be different I continue to be different.  It is hard because I don’t have anyone who thinks like me to bounce my ideas off of.  Its difficult because I want to be the best I can possibly be and feel incredibly guilty on days when I simply can’t.  It’s a challenge to overcome apathy some days.... no one is really holding you accountable here. It’s hard to feel like you have ever done enough, because really... when have you ever done enough?  There have been days when I was sure I should quit Peace Corps, but luckily those days are outnumbered by the good ones.

Now that I have been here a year, I feel as though I am finally part of the community.  It seems funny to me that I though this would happen simultaneously with my arrival in the community.  Looking back, I wish it wasn’t an expectation that I had, I think it would have made my first year a lot easier.  It takes a long time for people to get to know one another.  It takes months for real trust to be formed.  It takes days of talking to understand what a person believes and why they believe it.  And it takes a year to finally feel like you’re part of a community.

I finally feel like I am part of the community.  You know, everyone said “The first year is so hard, but once you get past a year things are really good.”  For some reason I didn’t believe them.  Could it really take a year to be comfortable with your surroundings?  You need over 300 days to find your true friends and work that you find enlightening and which also helps the community?  It’s going to take 50 weeks just to finally understand why people are doing things the way they are doing them?  The answer is yes.  At the year mark suddenly the clouds parted and life here began to make sense, or maybe I just finally decided that they weren’t becoming anymore like me so maybe I should work harder to become like them.  And now things have become much easier.

I have decided to work with people who want to work with me, as opposed to working with who Peace Corps says I should work with, and it’s working out beautifully.  I spend most days at the deaf school as well as teaching in the community.  I am still teaching computers at the college and for the next 4 weeks am going to be supervising student teachers in the field.  It seems that the pieces of the puzzle have come together and I can’t wait to see what this year brings.

Things you Don't do...

There are also a number of things that you might want to do in the States that you should DEFINTELY not do in Uganda.  Here are just a few of them.

(Please note that I have done every single one of the following things... that’s how I learned not to do them!)

 

Throw things to people-  I throw things at people all of the time.  I throw pens to people.  I chuck phones at people when they ask for them.  I totally have no problem tossing a piece of paper to you.... that is until I was told it is totally inappropriate in Uganda. I was in the staff room and someone asked me for the keys to the computer room.  I held them up and said, “catch”.  Mr. Wanzala stared at me with a blank expression and looked in no position to catch them.  Well... I was half way across the room and not about to get up, when someone finally said, “We don’t throw things to people in the Buganda Kingdom (the region where I live).”  I said, “Really... I have been doing that for like 6 months.. why not?”  He then explained that they only throw things to dogs and if you throw something to a person it is an insult.  Did I mention I have been doing this for 6 months, and this was in front of all of the staff at the college. Cool Amber.

Name animals after humans- When I thought my dog was a boy, the students named her Lute.  And then we found out she was a girl.  So I let the staff come up with names.  They wanted to name her after inanimate objects and I wasn’t to keen on that.  They told me that there was no way you could name her a Lugandan name because, yet again, it was disrespectful.  So I decided to name her mirembe... which means peace, thinking it was not a name but still had meaning.  I told the staff at our next meeting and Madam Namakula stood up and informed me that her other name was mirembe.  Ha.... I totally named my dog after a tutor at the college.

Talk back to men- As you can imagine, I have gotten myself into a few nasty situations with this one.  There is still such a difference in the respect for each sex. Women kneel down to men, serve men, etc. and they expect Americans to do it as well... which I obviously don’t.  I am considering it cultural exchange.

Turn down food- People are constantly offering you food here, and you have to take it.  Its incredibly rude to turn it down... but oh so difficult when you have just finished lunch and someone offers you a second one.  I have learned to be careful what I eat before I go over to someones house or I just might end up eating the whole day.

Eat your totem animal-  Every person in Uganda belongs to a clan.  The clan is determined by your fathers clan, and your name correlates specifically with the clan.  Anyone in Uganda can say their name and other Ugandans will know which clan they are from.  There are monkey clans, deer clans, plant clans, fish clans, etc.  The rule about the clans is that you can’t eat the animal/plant that is your clan.  My name is Nakimera and I am of the grasshopper clan... after reading previous blogs, I am sure that you can tell I have broken this rule.  I constantly have to lie to people that I don’t eat Nsenene.  And I can’t tell the people where I buy grasshoppers my name because they won’t sell them to me if they know I am Nakimera. Ha.

Hang your underwear on the outside clothes line-  You just don’t do this here... because underwear is such a private thing.  I am not going to lie, I still hang my underwear on the line. 

Plant pumpkins next to peas-  Starting my first garden was fun.  But I had exactly no clue what I was doing.  I came up with a very beautiful design for the plot, and was absolutely unaware of how specific vegetables grew.  I ended up with monster pumpkin plants that attacked my peas with their vines, successfully killing all of my peas.  Guess you live and learn.

Have dirty shoes- Ugandans are unusually preoccupied with their shoes.  And for a country that is mostly covered in dirt roads, this is a problem.  I am forever walking to class with muddy shoes, or shoes that are so covered in dust that they look light brown.  I get admonished for it all the time, but who really has time to wash their shoes... alright, Im not really that busy. But its still annoying.

Acknowledge when women are pregnant-  This one is so HARD, because everyone in this country is pregnant. That and I totally love pregnancy. It is totally inappropriate to ask someone if they are pregnant, to talk about their potential baby, or to ask to touch their belly.  Ugandans believe that if you talk about the baby before it’s born than you could possibly curse it.  I didn’t have any clue about this about 3 months ago... when I was teaching English at a church.  The pastor mentioned that some of the students (adults who attend the church) might not be there in a few weeks for “certain reasons”.  This was in front of the whole congregation.  I said, “Well... what reasons?”  And he looked around and said, “Hmm... just look around.”  Which I did... and proceeded to say, “Oh, they are pregnant?!!?  Are you all having boys or girls?  Will you have them soon?”  Everyone just stared at me like I was an idiot and the pastor whispered in my ear “We don’t talk about those things here.” Come on Amber!  After that I talked to Ugandans and found out it is not appropriate at all to talk about a pregnancy in any way shape or form for fear that the baby will be cursed.

 

So if you ever come to visit me, be sure not to do any of the above mentioned things. J

My College

So Dad got a little crazy on google maps and found and arial view of my college! Here is the link to it:

<http://maps.google.com/maps?client=firefox-a&hl=en&ie=UTF8&ll=-0.290117,31.740194&spn=0.005085,0.006899&t=h&z=17>

So its shaped like a triangle with all of the teachers quarters at the base of the triangle. My house is on the far left hand side. If you zoom out a bit and look at the red roofs... that is the deaf school. To the east of my college is what seems to be a river, but is actually a swamp... its water but it is so covered in vegetation that I have never actually seen the water. Zoom out some more and you can see where I have to go to buy food. Its called Ssaza. Enjoy :)

Im weird

There are a lot of things that are totally appropriate to do in Uganda and totally inappropriate to do in the States. The longer I stay here, the weirder I feel myself becoming. So I decided to make a list of all the weird things that Ugandans do, that I have started doing. Im going to be such a spaz when I come home.


● Picking your nose- People do this all of the time. They just go for gold. They can be making eye contact with you, eating, driving... doesn’t matter, picking your nose is totally appropriate in this country.
● Referring to a person as either that one or this one- Ex. That one is my friend Sarah. This statement is not only rude in the States, but also implies that your friend has no gender. In Luganda there is no distinction between female and male. There is no he/she, his/hers, its all the same word, therefore when it is translated it becomes “that one” or “this one”.
● Flashing/Beeping on the phone- This is so people don’t have to use their airtime on their cellphones. They will call you and hang up after one ring, so you have to call them back and use your airtime. Totally appropriate... incredibly annoying.
● Now, just now, now now- In Uganda there is a big difference between these three words. After being here for about 10 months, I think I have it figured out. If someone says a meeting will start “now” it probably means it will start within the next two hours. If they say that they are leaving for town “just now”, give them a good 45 minutes to leave. But, if someone says they are coming to pick you up “now now”, it means they could be there in as little as 15 minutes, so be ready. Foreigners probably get hung up on this concept quite easily, but I’m getting used to it.
● Just there, there- It’s the same with these two words. If someone says that the duka you are walking to is “there” (and they point) be sure that you have a few more miles to walk. But if they say that same duke is “just there” you may only have ½ a mile to walk!
● Tying fish to the front of your taxi to transport them- This is common practice to keep the fishy smell out of the taxi, which I totally appreciate. But it really makes me wonder about the fish I eat here.
● Keeping all windows closed on the matatu- Ugandans are apparently cold blooded and tend to like stifling heat. It can be 85 degrees outside and there can be 18 people in your matatu, but all odds say that Ugandans will keep the windows closed.
● Breasts are not taboo here, but thighs/knees definitely are- It couldn’t be more opposite than it is in the States. Here... breasts are all over the place. Women breast feed in public and never wear bras. They wear torn shirts with their nipples obviously hanging out. They dig in the garden and if their breasts fall out of their shirt, they let them hang out for the rest of the time. They are not ashamed, they are not embarrassed... its just not taboo here. Knees on the other hand.... are scandalous my friend. As are thighs. I have been scolded multiple times by my counterpart for wearing skirts that might not be appropriate. (Please note that I told my mother I looked amish when she bought me these skirts.) By American standards, my skirts are far too long, and somewhat awkward. By Ugandan standards some of them are risqué. I just stopped wearing any of the skirts that show my knees... too much controversy.
● Raising your eyebrows to say yes- This one was hard to get used to. Often when you ask a Ugandan a question they will not answer in something as simple as a grunt, they will simply life up their eyebrows, signifying “yes”. It’s something I have gotten used to and fear that I wont be able to communicate properly when I get home.
● Pointing to something using your lips- Try it. It’s strange. But I like it. Ugandans do it all the time. Usually because they are carrying firewood, jerrycans, and probably 4 children, so they don’t have a free hand to point you in the right direction. Takes some getting used to.
● Making anyone who is younger, less educated, female, do something for you- Basically Uganda is an incredibly hierarchical society. Once you are in a position of power you make it very clear to everyone by making them do the things that you don’t want to. (This includes: carrying water, fetching wood, getting food, finding someone, delivering messages, etc.) Here is an example: I needed a key from one of the tutors that I thought was in the principals office. He wasn’t there so the principal called in another tutor to find the first tutor. That tutor told the escari (the school guard) to find the tutor. The escari found a student and told him to go find the tutor. Finally, the student went to find the tutor and I felt like a total idiot because I could have done it much more easily without involving 15 other people. If you are older than someone, you have the right to make them do things for you. If you have more education than someone, you have the right to make them do things for you. If you are a male, you have the right to make women do things for you. It’s a bit baffling, especially for Americans who tend to be a fairly independent people.
● Eating the same meal every day- Every meal. Every day. Matooke/Posho and beans. I don’t know how they can stomach it, but there are only about 5 different types of foods that Ugandans eat... their whole lives. They don’t know the joys of peanut butter or cereal. They laugh when I make burritos or soup. They can’t fathom eating veggie burgers or even a fruit salad. They don’t believe that the food I eat even fills me up. They think only matooke and posho make acceptable meals.
● Saying what people want to hear instead of what you mean- This is one that I have the hardest time with, because honesty is such a huge thing to mean. Ugandans don’t try to lie, they just don’t always tell you the truth. They would rather please you with their words than be totally honest with you and possibly hurt your feelings. Unfortunately, it hurts my feelings more when they don’t tell me the truth. Luckily, this is one habit I haven’t picked up on.
● Eating insects as a delicacy- Grasshoppers are huge over here. And because I live in the wetlands, they are all over the place during the wet season. After catching hoards of them with lights at night, they fry them up with onions and peppers and sell them in little bags on the street. As weird as it sounds... they are delicious.
● Throwing bricks at dogs is expected- The only reason a Ugandan owns a dog is for protection. Therefore, if a dog is barking at you, you can be fairly sure that he/she is going to attack you. So you pick up a brick and chuck it at the dog. The only time I get pissed is when they do it to my dog, who is obviously not barking at you because she is going to attack you. There have been many times when I have informed a student that if she throws the brick that she is aiming at my dogs head, the I will throw an even larger brick at her head. That usually stops them pretty quickly.
● Calling white people Muzungu- I would be fine with this one, if it didn’t mean that people assume that since they have called you a muzungu, you want to talk with them. In the taxi park, someone will scream muzungu across about 5 matatus and be incredibly persistent about talking to me. Does that fact that I am a muzungu make you think that I am more likely than Ugandans to talk to strangers? But in the mean time I refer to all white people that I see (including my friends) as mazungu... so I guess it serves me right.
● Saying someone is fat- Here, being fat is a very good thing. It doesn’t necessarily hold the same meaning as it does in the states. Being fat means being big, and strong. But after being called fat so many times, its starts to wear on you. I just try to keep remembering that it is a compliment.  It is common for me to see someone and say "wow... you have grown fat!"  and they will smile with appreciation.
● Giving knives to babies- Self explaining. Its ridiculous. A 1 year old was holding a very sharp knife, so I took it away from her. She of course started wailing, and the mother glared at me like I was in the wrong. ha.
● Riding 14 in a 4 door car- Now this is my record, and its ridiculous. Let me explain how it is done. Two people in the drivers seat (dangerous, I know), three people in the front passenger seat. Four people in the backseat, with three people on their laps, and two people on their laps. Its like a clown car when everyone gets out. Hilarious.... and incredibly uncomfortable.  But, the only time I have ridden 4 people in a 4 person car was when I private hired.  And it felt strange.
● Selective animals on public transport- Goats in matatus... fine. Chickens on bicycles.... great. Pigs on motorcycles..... perfect. But try taking your dog in a car (something totally appropriate in the States) You will be admonished by all, and they will think you are crazy. Though they bring their dirty animals on every other form of transport.
● Leaving out food and still eating it- In that states, if I left out milk for about an hour I would toss it.... its bad, right? Hmm... for the record, milk can last when left out for almost 24 hours. Cheese lasts a good 5 days not in the fridge. Mayonnaise... indefinitely. Eggs don’t need to be refrigerated neither does jelly. And most leftovers can stay for two days and still be good to eat. "Out" is the only choice I have here and so I am not so picky about mold and ants anymore.
● Wearing 4 different types of stripes in one outfit- Ugandans are very stylish people, just not according to American standards. My favorite thing is walking into my staff room to see what people are wearing. Blue pinstriped pants, with a white pinstripe coat, a horizontally striped black shirt, and a red vertically striped tie. Love it.
● Cutting in lines- Actually, lines are almost non-existent here. Pushing and shoving is the protocal. In town at the ATM it’s a huge shoving match. Buying food, someone will just put jut their hand in front of you and be helped first. This was one of the hardest things to get used to, because we use lines EVERYWHERE in the states. In school, at the supermarket, at the bank... basically everywhere.
● Saying sorry for everything- Ugandans love saying sorry (though, interestingly enough, there is no word for please in their language). If you trip, they say sorry. If you forget something, they say sorry. People are constantly saying sorry for things that neither relate to them, or should make them sorry. Now that I have started to do it, it seems natural and I am constantly apologizing to people. Sorry.

So now that you know all the crazy differences between Uganda and the States, you can’t judge me when I come home and can’t remember how to be normal. ☺ And yall should come over here and see how different it is.