Cultural Impressions

First off, I apologize for the delay in posts. I don’t have ready access to wifi, and the modem I bought is not as compatible with Macs as I thought. Luckily, there are several internet cafes around town. This post will be dedicated to cultural impressions, and I will post another regarding my first week of work in the next couple of days.

When I was in 7^th grade, my family went to India for two weeks. We traveled the country, seeing the sights, and visiting family in both the north and south. Northern India is industrial and bustling. It’s more technologically advanced than the south, which operates at a much slower pace of life. In the south, electric appliances are far and few between, small critters and bugs frequent homes, and walking is the optimal mode of travel. Ironically, the facet of life that stood out the most was how quiet life was. Natural sounds like dogs barking, roosters cock-a-doodle-dooing, and grasshoppers chirping replaces the hustle and bustle of cars, buses, and people.

Jinja reminds me a lot of Southern India. It is very green, low-key, and operates at a slower pace than most other cities. Jinja is known for being at the mouth of the Nile River - which runs all the way up to Egypt and the Mediterranean Sea - and is visible upon crossing the entrance dam, the Owens Falls Dam, that leads to the town. The town itself is pretty small; it takes me about an hour to run around its perimeter. The best way to get around town is on motorcycles called boda-bodas. There are almost as many boda-bodas as people; it is impossible to go a block without seeing a handful of them. While they are cheap and quick, they are very prone to accidents. As a result, many people walk to where they need to go, since everything is relatively close. 

Main Street in downtown Jinja- shops and supermarkets line both sides of the street

While downtown Jinja is more city-esque, the rural areas are pretty quiet. The host family I’m living with is located in a more rural area, close to the dam. The family consists of David, his wife Mariah, and son Solomon. Ugandan families range from 1 child to many, but a lot of families are starting to have two or fewer kids, simply because of the financial burdens that come with raising children.

Education in Uganda is similar to that in the states. Kids attend nursery school for three years (our pre-K and Kindergarten) before starting primary school, which lasts 7 years (our elementary and middle schools). After primary school, is secondary school, which lasts for 4 years, and then high school, which lasts for two years. University follows, but is only 4 years long. One difference with Ugandan universities is that students specialize in a field that many American students specialize in graduate school. For example, if a student were interested in becoming a doctor, he would take classes just for medicine in college, and graduate with a medical degree, at the same age a student in the US would finish college with a Bachelor’s degree. They become doctors, 3 or 4 years before most Americans do, a real time and money saver!

Of course with a new place, there are new types of food. Uganda’s main exports are sugar, coffee, maize, and bananas, so it is very easy to buy any of those. Most meals are comprised of starch and some kind of meat or beans. Rice, matoke (mashed up plantains), posho/ugali (maize flower) and pasta can be found at every lunch and dinner along with chicken, beef, or whole fishes. Pinto beans are also common, and probably the most common (but still tasty) meal is rice and beans. Additionally, there is a strong Indian contingency in Jinja, and thus, it is easy to buy samosas or chapattis from street vendors. Downtown Jinja has lots of different types of restaurants, that cater to Western diets, as well as a fair number of authentic Indian restaurants. I will have to report back on whether these are really authentic or not.

One final note I want to make is regarding the World Cup. As a continent, Africa has sent 5 teams to Brazil. Uganda is not represented, but that doesn’t stop people from watching the games intently. I was watching the Netherlands vs Spain game, when at half-time, a commercial came on produced by Coca-Cola, saying how Africa supports Africa; no matter where an African is from, each team that is represented has the whole continent at their back; one billion fans, each having a coke, cheering on the 5 teams. I found it interesting that while this is obviously a commercial to drink Coke when watching the World Cup, countries in Africa view themselves as a whole. While there has never been an African team to make it to the semi-finals, some Africans believe they have 5 opportunities for this vision to come to fruition. I can’t say Americans would think anything similar. The idea of supporting Canada in the World Cup (if they ever qualify) is quite sickening, and traitorous in my opinion. I guess African countries really want to be known as a force to be reckoned with in the world, and a victory for one country is a victory for all.

Hope to post in a couple of then. Until then, go USA! (against Ghana, that is).

C