Onoobera Valentine wange? (Will you be my Valentine?)
As I am writing, I am sitting at home in the dark because
the power is out. This is not unusual. The electricity is very unreliable here
and usually goes out 4/7 nights per week. I’m glad I brought a headlamp with
many extra batteries and a rechargeable flashlight so I am able to do my
homework on the nights when the power goes out. My family also LOVES my
headlamp; especially the red light feature and I use it to help them cook in
the dark. I don’t know what they did before I arrived, but I’m beginning to
think they have night vision.
Last weekend, I went out to a bar and a club for the first
time here. Besides the amazing dancing, it was pretty similar to a typical
American club scene. The next day when I told my sisters how good the dancers
here are, they told me they wanted to teach me how to dance like an African. So
we tied scarves around our waists and they gave me a lesson. I wish you could
have been a fly on the wall because I’m sure I looked pretty funny trying to
dance like them.
For the past week, we have had two new additions to our
household. Sharon and Marvin are technically my cousins as they are Mama’s
sister’s children, but here are referred to as my siblings. Sharon is 18ish and
Marvin is 15ish. I’m not sure why they have been staying here, but I’ve enjoyed
particularly Sharon’s company as she speaks English very well. Last night the
power was out and Mama was not here for dinner. Since we eat dinner so late here,
my brothers Kevin and Marvin were asleep so it was just me and my sisters at
the dinner table eating and talking by lantern light. It was a great bonding
experience since Mama was not there because they felt they could talk to me
like a best friend or real sister would and we all got to know each other on a
different level, which was nice.
One thing I find very interesting here is how common
polygamy is. It is normal for men to have many wives (legal by marriage)and
many, many children, while the women is expected to be dedicated to only one
husband. They are often left raising their children alone. I learned today that
women give birth to an average of 7 children in their lifetime. However, there
is a high mortality rate, particularly in the poorer areas, and it is likely
that some of them may not live past the age of 1 year. I realize that the
polygamy is part of the culture, but I have a problem with it, along with many
of the other gender “norms” here in Uganda. Women and children are expected to
kneel to men when they greet them. Children are also supposed to kneel to their
mothers when they greet them. In my house, I am treated as an exception because
I’m not Baganda and I’m very happy about that. I understand that here in
Uganda, it is not a sign of oppression, and just a sign of respect, but I don’t
think it takes a lot of thinking to realize the inequality in this practice. I
realize I am seeing it from my very American point of view and am possibly
being stubborn-minded about it, but it still upsets every time I see it. In
general, women are the ones who work. As the job market is very competitive,
men often do not find work and the women are forced to work in markets selling
highly competitive goods such as various fruit. So many entrepreneurs! This is
not the case for all of urban Uganda, of course. When you get closer in to the
center of the Kampala, you hardly see any women because all the big businesses
are located there.
Today, we went to Mulago Hospital to visit the Child
Malnutrition Unit. We spoke to a nurse for a while who informed us on the
leading factors and causes, prevention tactics and remedies and what exactly
the unit does to help the children. There are so many factors that lead to
malnutrition here in Uganda including: lack of available nutritional food, lack
of education regarding a balanced diet, disease, poverty and genetics.
Afterwards, we were able to walk through the ward and see the children. It was
very sad to see these children in their beds and how the different malnutrition
problems that are affecting them. One mother spoke English and shared her story
with us. She told us her daughter was 2 years old and had stopped eating. After
a while, she brought her daughter to the hospital where they tube-fed her and
released her. This didn’t solve the problem and she was readmitted and
transferred to the malnutrition unit. As of today, her daughter has been there
for two weeks and they still are unsure what exactly the problem is, but do
know that she will probably be there for a long time. She looked so hopeless as
she spoke and I felt at a loss for words in response.
On a happier note, it is pineapple season and the pineapple
here is like nothing I’ve ever tasted. I’ve also been eating a lot of jackfruit
because we have a jackfruit tree in front of my house. Jackfruit is big and
green like a watermelon but longer and feels bumpy like dinosaur skin. Inside
are a bunch of yellow pods with pits in them. You eat the pods around the pits.
I’m going to be spoiled by all this amazing fruit when I get back home. I also ate my first rolex yesterday, which is
an omelet rolled up in chapatti and is the most delicious thing I’ve ever
eaten.
On Sunday, we’re leaving for our western excursion. We’ll
spend some time in western Uganda and then cross the border to Rwanda. I’m
really looking forward to it and will update my blog again when I return!
That’s all for now! Happy Valentine’s Day <3
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