Journeying Across the N + S Hemispheres

So I should have mentioned in the last post that there was absolutely no reason to be #veryConcerned as we not only made it out of the people dem yard but we made it out of Rakai district. However, the journey out would come at a cost!

Ah tell u if Jamaican people never cut off of this continent, pigs would be flying! Listen, these people  decided to build a by-pass to the flooded road in the swamp area... 5,000 /= per car to pass through. (5,000 /= is about USD$2).

Anyway, we had to do what we had to do...negotiate the prices first, pay second, drive 3rd!

You see, 5,000 /= can do a lot here...take this plate of food for example, or should I say these two plates: Beef stew to the left, and Porsho ( made from maize flour), pilaw (fried rice), sweet potato, avocado, pumpkin and fries, cast 3,500 /= (I could barely finish it)

 while we're on the matter of food, let me just say that street food makes the world go round!
Back in Jamaica - jerk' chicken, jerk' pork, roas' yam + saltfish,
Mexico - those burgers *mhmm* [another confession - a group of us may or may not have snuck out of our hotel during our high school trip to make these nightly purchases]
And Now UGANDA - rolex (chapati with eggs, onions, tomatoes, cabbage fried onto it, see pic below), roast banana, roast corn, roast meat

Oh and I did find some of those animals I always see on Disney movies! 5th Annual Buganda Tourism Expo was well worth my 3,000 /= :) Don't mind the fact that the rain came tumbling down and I was reminded of the Denbeigh Show Grounds in Jamaica. I happened to be at the right place when the rain started - by the Ministry of tourism tent! They took me right in and gave me a seat so they could tell me about all I needed to do while in Uganda and hear about what we're up to in Jamaica. 

And my computer was so nice as to build you a collage of the day's photos! The expo was still a work though as my org had a booth there selling crafts that they train people to make - so they can generate an income for themselves. But every voluntourist MUST take time to tour, no?

Well that's why on the way back to K'la from Rakai, we had to stop at the Equator to take this picture:

Take care!

Nobody canna cross it...the 256 edition!

The number of times that song played in my mind today is insane! If you have no idea which song I am talking about you are a year behind on Jamaican life and NEED to youtube Cliff-Twang right away (as in don't read any further until you watch Cliff-Twang's Nobody Canna Cross It)

Ok, now back to today:

1. We here driving along this road. Now I tell you the road been there for ages enuh and what do you know? There was a lake on one side of the road, and it overflowed, now the road is like a river. Our vehicle couldn't cross it and sometimes not even the Boda-Boda can cross it! We had to turn back, but not before taking a picture!

2. Today was really a travelling day, problem is that as we were travelling, we had to dig our own road to get out! Friends, the car did get very stuck [yes I recognize that this is not great English, but are telling you a story, ok?!] in one of the people dem yard and chus me...if St Thomas pan was near, is there we were heading!

Initially the car could neither move forward, nor either reverse [quote adopted from Jamaican police officer] and for a while I really thought we were going to be there til about Saturday/Sunday but we got a couple of hoes and started to dig to get to some dry soil.


Then I saw that while the car can't swim, it really could fly! Unfortunately, it couldn't fly out of the people dem yard so we were still very stuck. And oh yeah, the rain was falling as we here digging a new road.

Then the car decide to veer off our new road and almost into a tree! We had to get a machette and chop the tree down...then we had to call in for some man power. Since the car thing it bad, we had to push it up the new road that we dug.

After like an hour of digging, pushing, chopping trees, we finally got out of the people dem yard!

On a more serious note though --> you can sponsor a child for $24/month (Click to Sponsor A Child, or at least learn more) that will get them an education, food, uniforms, healthcare and for those who board at school, accommodation (Yes! They can survive on less than a dollar per day!). Many these children have been orphaned and I went around today collecting their data and I will be updating the website closer to the end of my internship. 

And they say people starve here?!

The past couple of days I had been wrapping up my visit to the Bukunda Church and preparing my parting sermon. Yes! I actually did preach a thing or two :)

The women in the church decided it would be a fun idea to dress me in traditional wear, show me how the prepare a full meal, teach me their hand crafting skills and wrap up with a dance. We had so much fun walking throught the town - everyone we passed was in absolute disbelief when they were told I was a foreigner. Look at us in their tomato garden -->

After church on Sunday, Sis Ida declared to me "Today you shall eat and eat and eat until the sunsets". Honestly after the sun set I was still eating!

Now, the pastor first took me to our local spot for lunch, then the women started cooking: matooke, pumpkin, roast corn and groundnut stew.

As we sat at the fireside the pastor came out and asked me, "Shall I bring you chapati?" As in, my stomach had barely began digesting my lunch! But he insisted.

The roasted corn was first out of the fire. Two were presented to me.

I braved through it. It was delicious. My stomach was about to burst open.

As I sat by the fire, more food appeared on my plate.

Now, I recall growing up, seated around the family table, particular during Holidays with the extended family when you turn your eyes away from your pate and food would disappear. [Ok, maybe that's a confession to my dearly beloved family that I did take that last piece of festival or chicken from your plate when you weren't looking because I was too lazy to go back to the kitchen and I wanted more :D] However, as I say by the fireside, the exact opposite happened!

Next up the Chapati Arrived

Then a bottle of Mirinda Fruiti

Then another roasted corn on the cob [I tell you though ACT II has nothing on fresh roasted corn]

Then the meal was served....I had to refuse it

But they insisted I have just the pumpkin

Then that I try the ground nut sauce as well

I looked to the sun and said, "whenever will you set!"

But even as the sun set, someone thought, bring her the sugarcane!

Honest to goodness truth, I don't know how I survived last night, but I don't have to tell you that I legitimately sunk into a food coma! 

Dear Africa, this is the diaspora speaking...

Today we journeyed through hills and valleys, visiting church members, chatting with them about how they and their families have been doing and praying with them.

At one particular juncture, one of my coworkers said to me, "I see you have your walking shoes, you will need them as we will be going into the jungle!"

Jungle?! What Jungle?! The one that Tarzan swings through on TV or the one my innocent father, fresh off the ship from England, saw in my grandparents banana plantation when he first arrived in Jamaica? [sorry to loud you up daddy ...a jus love :D ]

When we arrived at "the jungle" I realized that there was no rope hanging from high trees on which I could swing! My coworker turned to me and said, "so what do you call this?"

Let me teach you some vocab:

Banana Walk: where you grow bananas
Cane Fields: Where you grow sugar cane
Cassava Piece: A place in St. Andrew, Jamaica. Also referred to as "Gully" in the Jamaican dancehall.
Jungle: An idea that made Disney rich, and made me disappointed when I learnt that Africa did not have lions and tigers roaming free all over, nor tiny boys swinging across trees and beating their chest!
Concrete Jungle: now let's not go there.....really, you don't want to go there!!!

Needless to say, I took a trip down the Banana Walk this afternoon and I thought about the coconut tree down in grandma's banana walk by which my navel string was buried. I am actually in serious need of someone to remind me why on earth we buried our navel strings under trees and if this practice is still being carried out?!

A weh di God Man dem deh?

[translation: Where are the Men of God?]

*title stolen from another dj nic fav*

You know, that's a popular question in so many youth groups. Today, I found the answer, they are down here in Bukunda!

I met with the youth group of the church today and I was surprised to see that guys outnumbered the ladies. Twas a great experience rapping with all the youth and they did put down some dancing, singing and musicianship in the church this afternoon. Then I had to give them a lil pep talk - just one of my 10 minute speeches I've been pulling up out of my pocket, but when I was done the pastor announced that I will be preaching during first service on Sunday morning!

We prep'd our rice for cooking together - but I didn't even eat with them. Yet, the day only got sweeter!
LUNCH: Stew fish, sweet potato, yam and pumpkin - YES! Pumpkin eaten with your main meal and not as a dessert. I was silent throughout the meal and very energized for our afternoon session. And you know, my silence as I eat can only mean one thing :D

We journeyed up to the pig-rearing sight. It was a real journey indeed. Kudos to those youth who have been making that great trek daily to feed the pigs for the past 7 months. They will surely make some good roasted pork in the future! (I don't mean to offend any non-pork eaters)

Then came my plantain crisps and Mirinda Soda - mhmm! I am just speechless. Allow me to take in my NTV news for the rest of the evening, a lot is going on in this country =)

Good News + Bad News

So, the good news: healthcare in Uganda is ridiculously cheap.
The bad news: I got sick and had to use it!


It all started in the Nswanga Village. I was fed way too much if you ask me,
I didn't even finish it all.
By the time I got back to Masaka I knew the day was pretty much over.
A few rounds of dancing and singing and I ended the day early.

When things turned for the worse, I got really nervous. I have to admit:
I get sick in Jamaica - there's a cupboard full of all the medication I need or at least a pharmacy within good distance and someone who can pick up some medication for me
I get sick in Grinnell - I am the walking pharmacy.
I get sick in Masaka - I suddenly realize that I only brought medication for Malaria and my usual back pain, and at this point I'm only praying that I don't have Malaria anyway!

Needless to say, I made it through the night (thanks to all who prayed for me) and only had to walk down the road and around the corner to the doctor this morning. Felt like a big girl after "passing my blood test" - I didn't cry and I didn't have anyone with me! And these super efficient doctors, results instantly and prescription available right in the office. I was in and out in under and hour!

If I have one other thing to say, Uganda is very beautiful. I looooooove looking over the hills into the valleys laden with Banana trees - absolutely breathtaking! I know, I'm just a country girl at heart :)

Gotta Love Masaka

The past few days have been loooonnnng and I had no internet access.
I'm really sorry to all who got super concerned - I AM ALIVE AND WELL!

My days have been spent between the church and their projects, and my bed - with only a short drive and a shower separating the two!

I learned the hard way not to run away from the food - it really does have a way to follow you home! On Saturday about 6 containers of food was set before me, just as I finished eating something some sugar cane, roasted corn and other goods. My poor stomach could not handle any more! I actually didn't think I could eat any more that day but since they insisted, I decided to tell them I'll have it later. Later got later and later and the next thing I knew they had taken me and the food home. I managed to convince them that I will only have one plate of food - and so that I took. But I tell you, the "itis" surely did find me when I was done!

The church people really feed me a lot: I have had my portions of Roasted and Boiled corn/maize, Matooka, sweet potatoes, sugar cane, watermelon, stewed chicken, beef and fish (with the bone still in - you all know I'm crazy about dem bones!!!)

This morning I walked around my area and noticed that literally every other shop is a supermarket, a guest house, a restaurant a fabric store or a cell phone shop! There are one and two banks in between. Ah tell you doa, mi neva see so much shop eena mi life, but I admit its very convenient to have them!

What happens when you throw an ex-JDF (Jesus' Dance Force) member into the Bakunda Church?!

Yesterday we had a womens's meeting at church which turned out to be a concert. I learned one of their traditional dances and taught them some moves to Dj Nicholas & Kerron Ennis' Holy Ghost Church and in the words of dj nic....WHAT A CHURCH FUL' A LIFE!!!

I won a cow!!!

Ok, while I've got internet, I've gotta keep the posts coming!

*Cell phone rings*
Me: Hello! Hello!
Caller: Hi, congratulations, you've just won a prize!
Me: A prize, wah kind of prize?
Caller: you answered so nicely so we want to give you a prize! Are you white?
Me: Um no! And what is this prize?!
*being an Elderslie chic, I very well know this is a scam, but decide to play along*
Caller: You've won a nice cow! Now what is your name? I need your name for when you collect your prize!
Me: *semi-UG accent* no, I don't want!
Caller: Why you don't want?!
Me: I don't need, I have enough cows already
Caller: Ok, well can I be your friend?
Me: Oh, Hell no!
Caller: Oh, can I call you back?
Me: No, don't call me back! I don't want to be your friend! Have a nice day!

In other news, I made bricks today. The bricks will be used to build a healthcare centre for the community. Well, they've already started. I'm not sure if this was the most efficient use of time and/or resources but I acquired some skill and some muscle.
P.S. Digicel Jamaica - this is actually me giving you some free advertising as well, you may repay me by sending a free Blackberry my way!

Internet - Finally!!!!

I thought I'd be onto the internet ages ago, the I would have posted the blog posts retroactively...but considering how much has happened since I landed and now, that would be A LOT of words. So to sum things up:

London stopover - great family reunion, unfortunately it took me getting lost on the way home from the train station thanks to new developments in the area. Nonetheless, I had a great time!

I was expecting to walk on the tarmac at the airport at some point in time of my trip - never expected that would be in Dubai though!

There is still an airline that used silverware on its flights. (Emirates Big up yourself!!!)

Okay, so Ive gotta say that my host mother/Christine's mother makes me laugh - a lot.
Rules included "don't ride on the Boda-Boda" (public transport in form of motorbikes) and she's already given me the "men on the road have AIDs" talk, among many others!

I had to take the bus to Messaka for work, my supervisor's colleagues were to meet me there and they would take me to Rakai - the birthplace of AIDs in Africa (yes, mum made sure to warn me). working out here is quite cool - but I don't know what these people think of me. I am constantly faced with the
"This is a pig, do you have pigs where you are from?" and literally we have EVERYTHING they are asking me about! And for my Jamaican friend who always classify me as "country" you can well imagine that really, I know about bananas, dasheen, cassava, yams and sweet potatoes, goats, pigs, chickens, etc!

Today I will be working on making bricks for the church heath centre, after which I have been challenged to teach some Jamaican and American praise and worship songs. I have challenged them to teach me those songs in Luganda!

I have taken many pictures - just trying to figure out the most efficient way of actually showing them to you all - uploading stuff to this blog takes years and lots of internet data. Any suggestions?!

I miss you all
Please write/send pigeon carries with notes/call if you have my number
Thanks for being faithful to the blog :)