Woah there!

This past week has been pretty steady. I’m not saying I haven’t done loads of highly exciting things, it’s just that I’d done lots of them before and I’m sure you’ve all been reading so carefully you’d notice if I started to repeat myself. Thus, I decided I’d write a bit about life here and things that are different/fun/annoying at various points in time.

General life in Uganda is different from the UK on several levels. I’ll make no attempt to say how many to avoid conspicuously missing some out. In some ways life here is more comfortable than in the UK due to the culture sometimes being closer to the conservative moral values I usually hold, occasionally with some difficultly at times in the UK. Obviously this doesn’t apply to everything as there are many values I hold dearly that are absent (orderly queuing being the accessible example) and many that are held here that I will sometime not understand or even dislike. Still, the general consensus of ‘traditional family values’ makes it sometimes feel like an extended Christian camp (as does everyone smiling and greeting as you walk by). I’m sure part of this is due to my failure/inability to make many friends who aren’t linked into the same work as me, but there’s a general consensus on many issues that is closer to my opinions than back home.

Aside from this, life as a mzungu in Ugandacan often make one feel like both a celebrity and a millionaire. The celebrity thing isn’t quite accurate as the fame is linked to nothing I’ve done or said, nor even to me as an individual but rather simply to the fact that I am white (still a very pale white despite my proximity to the equator). Regardless of this, it’s generally quite fun that children get excited when they see you and sometimes squeal with excitement if you deign to wave back. The drawbacks come from being generally conspicuous.

Sometime they think their celebrities too

Take, for example the AGM I went to two weeks ago; being ‘a celebrity’ there had its pros and cons. On the plus side, I got invited to have sodas with some local big shots before the AGM belatedly began; I might have been invited anyway, but they knew I should go cause there was this white guy sat on his own in the audience. On the negative side, I couldn’t hide at the meeting and sit plainly reading the book I’d cunningly brought along to stem the tedium (I did the classic, ‘hide the book in the report the person is reading verbatim’ and look like you’re listening) nor could I sneak out too early. The occasionally embarrassing aspect is often being beckoned to saunter through security unchecked whilst locals wait patiently (well, kind of patiently). For example, I went to renew the insurance on the Cruiser on Wednesday and ended being asked to sign the visitor’s book because was a (and I quote) ‘full guest’.

This is also partially tied to the millionaire aspect. Despite my occasional attempts to explain the idea of student debt and the wonderful £21,000 I owe some company for my delightful education, everyone is convinced I’m loaded. In some ways this is fair as, whilst not presently, the sums of money likely to pass through my hands in my life are embarrassing when compared with what most people earn here (ever increasing my dislike of expensive coffee, clothes, food and the like). Further, even currently, there’s a huge income asymmetry between myself and some of my Ugandan friends. I have quite learned how to deal with this yet. There isn’t the culture of pride/independence/whatever it is that there is in have in the UK that would make asking a friend to give you money peculiar or awkward, thus people I know can often ask me to buy them this or that. Generally this can be dismissed or ignored (unless there’s some serious reason behind the request) but the asymmetry kicks in if you want to go and do something. Going somewhere with someone and paying for the pleasure of their company is something I’d though I’d be able to leave until parenthood (those of you with your minds in the gutter should be ashamed!), and can make friendship more complicated which can be unfortunate. Now, God can use all this money stuff to teach me about generosity (His and ours in response) and stewardship, but that doesn’t stop it from being difficult.

All this said, Ugandans are overwhelming welcoming and generous! Just as I was writing this bit (scandalously at work on Friday whilst waiting for someone to finish something so I could work on it), one of my co-workers gave me some peanuts they’d brought in from home. Ugandans are amazingly hospitable and typically ply me with some wonderful thing or other if I ever visit. People are caring, always looking for ways to help and generous with their time. Looking back at my time here, money has hardly ever been an issue, but it had been playing on my mind recently. I’m tempted to remove some of my earlier remarks, but will leave them in anyway.

The funny side of money is that 4500 USH = £1. It’s taken quite a lot of getting used to in terms of not running away when someone tell me something costs 150,000 USh (£33) or talking about 1 million shillings (!) (£225).

On the subject of money, I just remembered that I inadvertently bribed someone last week! It was to do with visa things, and I can wholeheartedly promise that it wasn’t intentional ;) but it was an interesting realisation when someone told me that I shouldn’t have paid for or qualified for something. Whoops!

Anyway, today was much busier and I’m back off to the village tomorrow (where I didn’t go last week for the first time since I arrived) so might come back with exciting driving stories. Let’s hope so for your sake! Please keep being in touch with news and the like!

Always an amazing drive

P.S. Sorry about the recycled of photos, may have misplaced the cable temporarily!