Isha in Uganda

I have all these blog entries that I have started but just never seem to finish. It occurred to me that I have not yet written about my environment, my house, my new friends and colleagues, my work, etc. and so my life here must still seem a mystery to most of you after 3 months of being away. Well, all I can say right now is that they are coming, hopefully soon - it's just that it's tough when there is only power for a few hours each night and during those hours I am teaching. But here are some things that happened recently that I wanted to get down for posterity:

• The Patriotic Welcoming Committee - Yesterday as I was sitting in the Telecentre in a royally-pissed-off mood because no one had shown up yet for the exam that they were supposed to be writing in Microsoft Word, I heard some kids outside the window saying "How are you muchina?". That just added to my irritation, as I hate being judged on my appearance with such a passion. They continued with "How are you mujungu?", "How are you white woman?", etc. and I continued to ignore them, until I heard a plaintive voice ask, "Where do you stay?"

  
  I paused, then replied curtly, "Canada".

  
  Muffled whispers from outside the curtained window.

  
  "We want to sing you a song to welcome you."

  
  My heart just melted. How could I stay mad at these guys? I pulled back the curtain and saw three boys, about 8 years old. I said "Go for it."

  
  They launched into a song that I soon recognized as the Ugandan National Anthem. I was laughing because these guys were so cute, singing in their high-pitched little voices. When they finished all three verses, I said "Mwebare munonga" to show my appreciation, and then chatted a bit in Rukiga and English with them. I told them my name so now whenever they see me, they say "Agandi, Isa!" (which is not a typo - some Ugandans (depending on their tribe) have difficulty with the "sh" sound - it just sounds even cuter when a kid says it!)

  
  

• Census Day - Today the census person came round to my house. I've been waiting for days for them to show up because I am dying to be counted (don't ask me why, I just was.) Pamela is a secondary school English teacher who is my new "munywani" (friend). She asked the typical census questions, but there were some interesting ones that made me stop and think:

  
  

  
  
  1. Do you bathe with soap?
     
  2. Do you have sugar at least once a day?
     
  3. Do you own at least one pair of shoes?
     
  4. Do you own at least two changes of clothes?
     
  5. What is the roof of your house made out of? (I found out it was asbestos!!!)
     

  
  

• Went to another wedding last Saturday in Rukungiri - Joan's niece was getting married. Actually went to the church service, and although it was mainly in Rukiga, this point was made abundantly clear in English by the priest: "Women, be submissive to your husbands. Men, love your women." I was all rankled up but fought hard to swallow it. Turns out the ceremony was a combination wedding service and baptism - the happy couple have a 3-year old child named (and I'm not joking) "Daisy Precious" who screamed throughout the entire holy-water process. (incidentally, I also shared transport with a very grumpy baby, appropriately named "Pleasure".] The reception was just like the other one I went to, but this time the bride was much more happy (and was fighting not to show it.) Apparently this couple have been "married" for three years but were not yet "wed", if you can understand that. It seems that Ugandans are very relaxed about non-married couples being together.
  

Okay, the generator is dying, gotta run!