Week 12 - Personal Blog - 22/04/13

Just over 12 weeks ago I arrived in Uganda for what has been one of the best experiences of my life. Although, this is definitely not what I thought when I first arrived.

Walking into room M90 in Nana Hostels on Thursday 24^th January feels like a lifetime ago. At that time I didn’t know how I was going to cope in these four walls never mind in this country. Yet, over the last 12 weeks Nana Hostels has become home, a place where the staff all know us, a place where we have shared many laughs, had several cups of tea and ate a fridge full of chocolate. Just as Holmes (2009, p. 234) explains, ‘where we love is home. Home that our feet may leave, but not our hearts”, Nana Hostels has become home for the last 3 months.

Joanna opening our door for the LAST time!

Similarly we quickly adjusted to the country, its food and its people. This was helped by the fact that Joanna and I had already visited Uganda in August but being in a completely different area and not surrounded by a team of white people definitely took some getting used to.

Matheus, our boda man.

Over the last 12 weeks we have been overwhelmed by the friendliness of the Ugandan people, the incredible children with their big smiley faces and accustomed the constant shouting of ‘Mzungo, Mzungo’. The boda boda men now know us by name, the places we like to visit and after a few weeks of bartering they now know how much they can charge us. We have also made friends with a few students from the university, and with the volunteers, which we have worked with. This week has been full of saying goodbye to these people that have played a huge role in our Ugandan experience.

Our university class

“Many people will walk in and out of your life, but only true friends will leave footprints in your heart” (Roosevelt, 2005, p. 35)

Joanna and I with our bestie Hannah.

In terms of food, we expected to be eating rice everyday with minimal meat or chicken however we have been pleasantly surprised. We have been able to buy essentials for breakfast and lunch from the local supermarket and then in the evenings we have eaten a lot of local food, which we actually quite like. We have also food a number of delicious restaurants where we can have a taste of home. Although, there have still been times where we have craved a home cooked meal with lots of vegetables and a lovely big dessert.

In some ways Uganda has been exactly what Joanna and I expected. However, we have also learnt a lot about the country and its people while we have been here. By attending university and participating in school practice here, I feel that I definitely developed professionally and learnt skills that I will be able to use in the classroom at home.  Being out of my comfort zone and living in this third world country has helped me develop personally in ways in which I never expected. I can relate to Byram and Feng (2006) as I know I have developed new perspectives and unexpected learning has occurred meaning that studying aboard has been a greatly valued experience.

Overall my international experience in Uganda has been amazing and one that I will never forget.

Now to catch a plane to South Africa in the morning…see you in 4 weeks Northern Ireland.

Two best friends!

References:

Byram, M. and Feng, A. (2006) (Ed) Living and Studying Abroad: Research and Practice, Clevedon, Multilingual Maters Ltd.

Holmes, J. (2009) Exploring in Security Towards an Attachment-Informed Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy, East Sussex, Routledge.

Roosevelt, F., D. (2005) My Friends: Twenty Eight History Making Speeches, Kessinger Publishing.

Week 11 - Cultural Blog - 14/04/13

Over the last 11 weeks Joanna and I have met a lot of the local people, some old and some very young. This week in particular, we have spent a lot of time with the children of Uganda.

“A nation's culture resides in the hearts and in the soul of its people.” (Gandhi, 1882)

At the weekend we travelled 4 hours outside of Kampala to a visit a charity called ‘New Beginnings’. It was set up 5 years ago by Rodger Annett, a man from Kilkeel. New Beginnings works primarily with orphaned or abused children. There is a mixture of girls and boys between the ages of 1 and 16 who all live in the circular shaped huts in the ‘New Beginnings Children’s Village’. 

Myself with some of the kids.

Helping each other!

There were a number of children with ‘Special Educational Needs’ (SEN) such as autism. I noticed that a very inclusive environment was created where by the all the children participated in the same activities and the children were very respectful of each other.  This environment was ideal as, Allen and Cowdery (2005) explain that this is natural, inclusive environment is best of children with SEN to
                                                            interact with their peers. 

One of the girls with Special Needs.

* 

During the week Joanna and I also paid a visit to one of the Watoto Babies Homes called ‘The Bulrushes’. The home consisted of many rooms filled with cots, baby toys and clothes. There were approximately 40 babies in the home, all who have been brought there by the police who have found them abandoned on the streets or in bins, by the local hospitals or by Watoto’s social workers. I found it very difficult to understand how such adorable children could be abandoned like a piece of rubbish.

* Babies in the home

Godfrey doing a word search

Over the last 11 weeks we have been volunteering with a charity called Tomorrow’s Heroes.

This Sunday was our last time working with the charity and the street boys. I have found that there is a significant difference between the children who are from the slum areas and those who sleep on the streets. Obviously there are exceptions but the street children are seem to be unbelievably mature and independent for their age. This is due to the hard life that the live, their daily fight for survival. Without charities like Tomorrow’s Heroes, children like this would have no home and continue to live a hard life on the streets.

Building a bridge from scrap material.

Say...Ahhhhhh!!

Dwelling Places (DP) was the charity that Joanna and I both worked with in the summer. We have visited DP a number of times since we have been in Uganda and have tried to help them out in whatever way we can. We have built a strong relationship with the children over the last few months and I just love it when we arrive up at the home and they all run towards you shouting, “Auntie Karen! “Auntie Karen!”

It is great to see how happy the children are and the great support system they now have through Dwelling Places.

Working with the children of Uganda has really made me fall in love with the country. I am so glad that I have had the opportunity to work with so many children over the last 11 weeks. They have all played a significant role in making my International Experience so amazing.

Two happy girls

References:

Allen, K. E, and Cowdery, G.  (2005) Resources for educating children with diverse abilities. Clifton Park, NY, Thomson Delmar Learning.

Gandhi, M. (1882) ‘Mahatma Gandhi Biography’, available at www.mahatmagandhionline.com (accessed 13/04/13).

* We were not allowed to take our own photos in the babies home so these are from www.watoto.com 

Week 10 - Personal Blog - 08/04/13

Chris and I.

Our boyfriends Chris and Andrew have now joined us in Uganda so this week was full of visiting new places and showing them around our new home.

At the start of the week Chris and I set off to go to the Sseese Islands on Lake Victoria. The hotel and transport had all been booked and confirmed yet when we arrived at the port to get the ferry to the island we were informed that the ferry had been broken for three months and that we would have to make the three and a half hour journey in a motor power rowing boat. Due to the appearance of the boat, the lack of life jackets and the frequency of thunderstorms, Chris and I decided not to travel to Sseese as the old proverb says, “precaution is better than a cure” (Coke, 1640).

The boat we were supposed to take to the Sseese Islands.

We then headed to a safari lodge called ‘Cassia Lodge’ in the hills of Kampala. The lodge had a wooden structure and was situated at the top of the hill. 

Cassia Lodge

From our room and the restaurant we had an amazing view of Kampala and Lake Victoria. At night in the restaurant, which is the highest place to eat in Kampala, we could watch the lightening storms occur at the other side of the lake. It was just like watching a firework display.

Having lunch on the balcony.

The view from our room.

Having dinner at the highest point in Kampala.

After being back in Kampala for a few days we then made the journey to Jinga. Yet again, transport was not on our side as our taxi broke down approximately 20minutes into our journey. The driver thought it was a problem with the battery so a mechanic was called. Two hours later the mechanic and driver realised that it wasn’t a problem with the battery but due to lack of fuel!! We eventually arrived at ‘2 Friends Guesthouse’ in Jinga where we were greeted by some lovely staff, a gorgeous pool and the blazing sunshine.

The pool in Jinga.

The next day we visited the source of the Nile. Here we saw a memorial statue of Ghandi, which was placed near the source of the Nile as apparently Ghandi’s ashes are spread in the Nile as he believed it was the longest river in the world and therefore a part of him would be spread across the world and help him to “be the change that you wish to see in the world” (Mahatma Gandhi, citied in Wood, 2011, p.97).

The boys at the Gandhi Statue.

We were then taken on a boat trip on the Nile where we saw some wildlife, some local fishermen who even tried to sell us the fish they had just caught and the source of the Nile itself.

Fishermen on the Nile.

There has been much debate surrounding the source of the Nile as many argue that the source must come from a spring in the mountains, which then flows in Lake Victoria and into the Nile. The ‘source’ at Jinga discovered by John Hanning Speke in 1858 however is an underground spring which is situated at the edge of Lake Victoria (BBC, 2013). 

At this supposed source there is a man made island where there are some small shops at the water’s edge and sign indicating the source where you could see the change in the water movement.

 

The shops on the man-made island.

Joanna and I at the Source of the Nile.

The boys have now gone back home so its back the twosome. We only have two weeks left in Uganda now and still a lot of exploring to do.

References:

Coke, E. (1640) Institutes of the Laws of England, London, E and R Brooke Publishing.

BBC (2013) ‘History: John Hanning Speke 1827 – 1864’ available at  www.bbc.co.uk/history/historic_figures/speke_john_hanning.shtml (accessed 08/04/13)

Wood, J. T. (2011) Gendered Lives: Communication, Gender & Culture, Boston, Wadsworth.

Week 9 - Cultural Blog - 08/04/13

Religion is a key part of the Ugandan culture. The two most common religions are Islam and Christianity as 19% of Ugandans are Muslims and 62% Christians (Otiso, 2006).

Over the last nine weeks Joanna and I have been attending one of the biggest Christian churches in Kampala called ‘Watoto Central’. 

Service at Watoto.

It has four services a day where thousands of people attend. The weekly services follow the same routine as my church at home (Bannside Presbyterian) apart from a few denominational differences such as monthly communion and adult baptism. As you can imagine with a church filled with singing and dancing Africans, the worship is amazing. The sermons are very focused on being Ugandan and living in Uganda. This has given Joanna and I better insight into the life of a Ugandan, the issues they face as“one of the most effective ways to learn about others is by taking seriously their cultures. It forces you to pay attention to those details of life which differentiate them from you” (Hall, 1973, p. 42).

As Islam is one of the fastest growing faiths in Uganda, we decided to go and visit the National Gaddafi Mosque in Kampala. This is the biggest Mosque in Uganda and the second biggest in Africa. We can see this Mosque from our balcony and often get woken up at 5.30am by the morning call to prayer. In order for us to participate in the tour, we both had to be dressed like a Muslim lady ensuring that our heads, shoulders and legs were completely covered. 

Me outside the Mosque.

During the tour we were shown how to pray, how to read the Koran and then finally we went up the Gaddafi Tower. 

The Gaddafi Tower.

The view from the top was amazing. We could see all over Kampala, including our balcony at Nana Hostels. Looking over Kampala from this height really gave us a perspective of the busyness of the city. There were just hundreds of people everywhere and traffic jams all over the city. We have become so accustomed to this now that weaving in and out of the traffic on a ‘boda boda’ seems to be normal.

The view from the top.

Joanna and I did not have to visit these places of worship in order to get an insight into the different religions in Uganda. The people here are more open about their religion than in Northern Ireland as they freely talk about it and even name their businesses in accordance to their religion. Over the last nine weeks I have regularly seen many hair salons, restaurants and supermarkets having religious names. Even the public taxis, bodas and buses have religious references printed on their vehicle. 

 

One of the many religious references.

This is completely different to Northern Ireland where religion is such a controversial issue and has been the main cause of any of the troubles that have occurred in Northern Ireland. Yet, here in Uganda, an under developed country, everyone seems to be very tolerant and respectful of each other’s religious preference. Therefore in terms of religion tolerance, Uganda is a lot more developed than Northern Ireland, the ‘developed’ country.

“Religion is like a pair of shoes...Find one that fits for you, but don't make me wear your shoes or complain about my shoe choice” (Carlin, 2009, p.152).

References:

Carlin, G. (2009) Last Words, Washington, Free Press.

Hall, E.T. (1973) The Silent Language, London, Anchor.

Otiso, K. M. (2006) Culture and Customs of Uganda, Westport, Greenwood Press.