Author Archives: scott

Three Weeks Down

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Typed on the 16th of June in the afternoon.

So, it’s been a while. And not much has been happening, therefore this post will be a jack of all trades. In the days since the last post I’ve been busy and not busy at all.

Work has been a complete bore. While I’m at work I feel like I might as well be at home because I’m not doing anything worthwhile, it’s been very frustrating. Just today the director returned and I talked with her for a while. Apparently I’ll be very busy once there are more funds for the child rights project. In July. So I’m trying to figure out my plan of action for the next two weeks. She said that next Monday one of the sub-counties has something going on and maybe I’ll go check it out. And next Wednesday ActionAid, the partner for the women’s empowerment project, is coming in to do training so I might sit in on that as well. Two days in one week!! And there’s a workshop tomorrow put on by two Brits so I may try to get into that as well.

I talked to Nadja a bit and I might fill out the week by visiting the orphanage she works at. That or I’ll try to meet with Monica’s friend who works with former LRA abductees. Either one would be a nice change of pace and get me a little more involved in the community, which is good. The other thing I was thinking was to use the downtime to plan some travel and figure out what to do.

In the meantime, I’ve now gone to four of the five restaurants in town. The passed three nights have seen me dine with a number of guests in different restaurants, so it’s nice. The first one, the night I got here and another time since then, was Hotel Aanya, an Indian restaurant that has a decent Chinese menu. Monday was Carwash, which is an Indian restaurant and its namesake. Last night was PanAfric, a more traditional spot. And I just got back from Lillian Towers, which is the fancy hotel/restaurant in town. I now have however many weeks to go to Whiskers, the last one standing.

Last week Erik left for a week’s leave to Kisoro (and Lake Bunyonyi, swoooon). Tomorrow Annett and Martin leave for a month on their honeymoon to Madagascar and the Comoros. The next day Monica heads to Kigali for a ded meeting, and she’ll be dropping Nadja in Kampala on the way. So all this disperal has reinvigerated my search for local travel, and I was thinking of maybe going to Gulu during the week next week since I have free days, but apparently Alison was thinking about heading over there this weekend and I might just follow for some company. I’d love to see Gulu sooner rather than later, but the IC office will be closed, so I’ll have to make a return. However! I could easily make this return on my way to or from the northeast, and I’m hoping to see Arua or one of the other towns in that corner of the country.

I went to the town market for the first time on Sunday! That was quite interesting. Lira isn’t big enough to say it was bustling, but it’s very much how I imagined it: tiny booths of all sorts of produce with a patchwork of cloth for a roof over an open-air market. I’m also learning Luo! Months ago Heather gave me a Luo-English dictionary and a pdf of Luo essentials, so I’ve been digesting it for a few days and bouncing words off of my colleagues at work. It’s actually a really, really simple language but I need to concentrate to remember all of the vocabulary. Other than that, just holding down the fort around these parts. Hopefully the next update will be more interesting, we’ll see.

Rotaract: Uganda Style

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So, in the move to Lira I forgot to post about my experience with Rotaract! The night before I left I went with Morris to the Makerere University Rotaract Club’s installation (where they inaugurate the next year’s officers).

I have spent 2 1/2 years in the Rotaract Club at ASU. I’ve been involved with Rotary, Rotaract’s parent organization, since I was born. My dad has been an active member in Rotary for years and I can’t count the number of meetings I’ve attended and the number of fun events in which I’ve been involved.  It was nice to see the work of a club in another country.

I met a lot of great people, hanging out and having drinks before we all sat down for the big night. The departing President gave a speech and talked a lot about how Makerere had moved forward in the passed year, and the incoming President gave a long speech in which he described Rotaract, and I think rightly, not just as a project of Rotary but also as a partner.

After the speeches there was some downtime in which one of the officers asked trivial questions and gave out airtime for rewards. I won 2000 UGX for knowing the club’s web address! Thank goodness it’s in Morris’s e-mail signature :)

After some free time we started dinner, and it was a sizeable sum of pasta and meats with some traditional food mixed in.  Morris and I left soon after dinner as people started dispersing to different afterparty parties. On the way out I met, who would have thought, a college student who will be going to ARIZONA STATE this fall. How weird is that?

Anyways, the whole affair was much more like a Rotary Club induction than anything Rotaract Clubs, or at least mine, do. We have an annual benefit dinner in the spring and we usually use that time to introduce the incoming President.  I’ve been to a couple with my dad for his club and what I saw in Kampala was reminiscent of  that.  All in all a fun night!

The President of a local Rotary Club putting a pin on the incoming Rotaract President
Morris receiving recognition for networking with Interact, the younger branch of Rotary.

Morris and a blurry me.

Cuisine

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So, I thought it was about time to write about the food here in Uganda.  I knew a little bit about the local food here, but it was interesting to experience it first-hand.  Fresh off the plane on my first night in Uganda, Morris and George took me to their favorite hangout (and a place I frequented while in Kampala for its proportions and prices): People’s Choice.  My first meal was beef stew, but what was exciting were the sides.  The stew came with all sorts of staple Ugandan foods on the side: things you know like rice and beans, along with local versions of yams. But also: matoke (you take not-quite-bananas and steam them before mashing them up), posho (a type of cornflour blob), and cassava (a tuber [i think] that can be cooked a variety of ways).  Here’s a dimly lit picture of my first meal:

from the bottom, counter-clockwise: matoke, rice, cassava, yams, beans with posho in the middle.

In the days before I left Kampala, I seized the opportunity to go to a burger place in Wandegeya. I figured that I should try to get a taste of what Ugandans thought was American food before I left for a smaller town where I may not have the option.

The burger seemed oddly lonely on the plate. Next time I got it I ordered chips (fries) to go with it!

Oddly enough, I haven’t had traditional food since I’ve arrived in Lira. Sankofa, the internet cafe here, has delicious samosas among other things (I just tried their pizza today and it was not too shabby albeit not Pizza Hut). Twice I’ve been to an Indian restaurant called the Hotel Aanya where I’ve made the unique (to my party) decision to have Chinese food. At home we’ve had Mexican food, potatoes, macaroni, and soup. And every morning before he left I teamed up with Erik to make fruit salads for breakfast with mango, papaya, passion fruit, watermelon, and pineapple.  I’m hoping to check out some other places in town for regional foods and local stuff.

Lira, from A to “Zed.”

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Typed on the morning of the 9th of June at Sankofa Internet Cafe

Today’s Hero’s Day, so I’m enjoying my day off at the cafe and typing up a blog!  Anyways, yesterday was my second day of work and I did very much the same thing. I sat for a bit.  Took tea. Sat some more.  But Steven and I were talking and we’re trying to think of ways to be more proactive.  I also asked for proposals of the projects so I read a lot about NACWOLA’s field projects in Lira.  Now hopefully I can go out there? Called it a day early again, and I went into town to inquire about some portable modems.  Stopping here at Sankofa for a couple hours a day will cost me about 180,000 Shillings, plus I use my phone to call back home some.  Having a modem would cost more but I’d have internet more often and maybe cut down on phonecalls as well.  So later today I’ll go take another look and probably get one.  Yay!

Yesterday evening I went with Erik, Annett and Martin and we played badminton for about an hour and a half with some bad shuttlecocks (stupid other English).  It was fun though! And it was nice to get a little bit of sport in as well.  From there, we went to a party to see off some mizungus that were leaving Lira.  It was quite a gathering of people at the International Lifeline Fund.  I got to meet a lot of people!  The farewell was for Hoi, a Vietnamese-Australian who now lives in the U.S. and is going back to his pregnant wife after spending some time with ILF and Marco, an Italian who was moving to Kampala – they were also welcoming Amandine, a Frenchwomen who has lived in Uganda for eight years and is now the director of ILF.  Also also, I met an American named Alison and guess what – she was in Masaka with FSD when Heidi was in Jinja and they know each other – small world I guess.  Also small world, ILF is working with Invisible Children on a project?!

So!  After meeting all of these people and eating a bit of dinner, some music started playing and I got to just hang out with everyone.  I got to know everyone and heard a lot of fun stories.  One thing I did learn, speaking with an Australian, a Brit, and three Germans who learned British English, is that I will never not be surprised to hear the letter Z pronounced “zed.”  Also I was forced to dance a few times, and I don’t think dancing will ever not be awkward for me.  Ever.  Anyways, enough talk! Enjoy some pictures.

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Slow Day

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Typed the night of the 7th of June

Today, was more of an experience. I woke up early and got cleaned up before my first big day at NACWOLA’s Lira Office. Left, and took a long ride on the back of a bicycle until I finally made it. Met up with Geoffrey (one of the staff whom I had met on Sunday) and Grace, the two staff members, and an intern named Stephen from a university in Kampala.

And that was it. We all sat around for about an hour before taking some tea. Then Geoffrey left to take care of some business. Then Grace, Stephen and I sat for a good 2-2.5 hours. Occasionally conversing, occasionally reading things, not doing much of anything. Around 1 Geoffrey called and said we could go home.

That was my first day at work.

SO! I decided to use the free time and try walking home. I knew it took 20 minutes to get home from Sankofa (the internet cafe) so I walked and walked and walked and I made it to the cafe in just over an hour. Stopped in, sent a few e-mails and had some ice cream (it was hoooooot in the afternoon), and then made my way around the outskirts of town, stopping at a few shops. I picked up some cookies and a few notebooks before hiking back home and playing Age of Empires.

Put in a short call to my parents before making my way back to Sankofa for a little bit (trying to register with the US Embassy, but it’s taking far too long on bad internet) before wandering back in the dark until I made it home for a small dinner. After dinner we hung out a bit before calling it a night.

Lira Town

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Typed the night of the 6th of June at the new house in Senior Quarter, Lira Town.

So yesterday was a very up-and-down day. There were some tribulations and some rewards, but I think all’s well now.

First, in the morning when I tried to get home from a short stint on the internet, the bicyclist took me in the complete opposite direction until I finally just gave up and asked him to take me to the city center (I eventually got home just fine, but my wallet was a little lighter and my mood a little lower).

Spent the middle of the day at home. I read some while in a hammock in the compound before going inside and working my reflection for Gisela and some blogs (sorry there weren’t any pictures! I forgot to put them on my computer). Then a cleaning crew of three girls arrived and started scrubbing the place. This trip has been full of firsts that I did not expect. First time eating pasho, sure. First time paying someone to do my laundry, not expected (but thanks, Geoffrey!).

After a while I headed on a journey to actually find my way to the internet cafe. Found it without a problem, except the tiny problem in which I lost some airtime on the way :( Another downer on the day, but I had high spirits for the internet! Which, in line with other events, was dashed. I got to put up some quick updates and talk to Kim a tiny bit, but the internet kept cutting out and then ultimately my computer shut off and wouldn’t turn back on (it’s inexplicably working now, thank goodness).

On my defeated way home, I called Kim for a pick-me-up which was nice. I got home to a crew of Germans making Mexican food. You read it right. They were trying their hand at making some food from scratch, and all in all it turned out pretty good. Hopefully I’ll be able to lend a hand and try to learn something about cooking. The dinner was with Erik, Monika, Annett, and Martin, and it was a pretty good time. It’ll be nice to have a hopping house to come home to (George and Morris were routinely out until late, but then again so was I).

In the morning I’m bound to get lost on the way to NACWOLA, but hopefully I’ll make it on time. Word’s still out on whether or not it has internet and other such services, so I guess we’ll find out. Within the next few days I think I’ll get the hang of Liratown.

Kampala-sick?

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Typed on the 6th of June in the afternoon

I don’t know if it’s the recent shift from Kampala to Lira or something else, but I’m feeling a new bout of homesickness. I sat out in a hammock reading for a bit to take my mind off things, and other than that the main distraction was a few moments ago when the rooster and one of the hens got into the house and I suddenly heard Monika stomping around and shouting “Aus!” I’ll be headed to the cafe this evening (to post this!) and in the meantime I’m working on my first reflection for my global studies program.

Touchdown in Lira

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Typed on the 6th of June in the afternoon.

So, after a six-hour ride on a cramped bus, I am now in Lira. There was quite the hubbub at the bus park before getting on, but Morris and I boarded and found our way onto some seats. I found it odd that in a bustling park with buses lined up and people shouting trying to either board buses or sell goods, there was a man with a metal detector scanning people as they boarded the bus. Odd, but secure I guess. As we sat and prepared to leave, another bus employee walked up to me and told me to try not to fall asleep lest someone steal my laptop. As secure as that made me feel, we were soon on our way out of Kampala.

I took advantage of the free, no-sleeping time to get some reading done for my class (and never have I read so much about how sixteenth century ships were built and, somehow, I wasn’t that bored). The most interesting and fun thing about the buses was the random stops. We stopped once for fuel and people got out to strech, but all of the other stops were pretty much 2 or 3 minutes where the bus pulled over and a ton of people on the street would run over with fruit, vegetables, drinks, and meat and hold them up to the windows and try to sell them. It was kinda surreal to see such a…. drive-thru. But, anyways, we made it to Lira a little after sunset and got picked up by some German folk who took us out to dinner.

I’m currently staying with a girl named Monica and a guy named Erik, along with a Swiss girl named Nadia whom I have yet to meet (she’s in Kampala). Erik is moving out next week to his organization’s guest house. They occasionally have some other German friends staying over from other towns or districts like Lukas – who works at a school (I think) in a different district but was here last night.

The house is really big and has several bedrooms along with a common area and a big yard in the compound. There are two guards provided by a local orphanage that Nadia is working at and a small group of animals on the premise. In the passed couple of years I’ve gone from no pets to a fish to two rats and now two cats. And in this compound are four or five chickens, a goat, and a dog. All I have to say is that the rooster is loud.

Tomorrow I’ll be headed to the NACWOLA office, but I only kinda figured out how to get there so it’ll be an interesting trip in the morning. In the mean time, I’ve seen a few parts of this relatively small town and apparently there’s one good internet cafe (thank goodness). I’m also looking into the sensibility of getting a portable modem, because that’s what a lot of people have since there isn’t much in the ways of internet around here. We’ll see!

A Relaxing Day

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So, yesterday and today have been kind of strange and partially uneventful. Yesterday was Martyr’s Day, a public holiday, so I relaxed a bit and spent some time online before Morris took me to see some sights (saw Mengo Palace, where the King of Buganda lives, but couldn’t get close; and the Qaddafi Mosque).  Today I came to the office to find a pretty empty place.  With the public holiday, there was some communication issues I think, as most of the office has headed to Entebbe for NACWOLA’s general assembly conference – a gathering of representatives from all of the different branches.  So I hung out at the office for a while.

Then Isma came!  You remember Isma.  He came to the office and asked if he could show me more of the area.  I ended up walking near and far to see where he used to go to primary school and the secondary school that he is in the middle of.  He’s unable to go back right now because he lacks enough funds for school fees, but he took me to see the campus anyways and I met his headmaster as well.  He made today a lot of fun and showed me even more of this huge, complex city.  He also taught me 2 words in Luganda, thereby doubling my vocabulary in the local language!

Tomorrow is still a little up in the air.  The ladies from Penn were (maybe) going to go rafting, so I talked to Morris about leaving for Lira on Sunday and he said that would be better.  It will give me more time to re-pack everything and prepare for a long trip north.  Team Penn is still figuring out what they’ll be doing, but it sounds like instead of rafting they are going to go sight-seeing in the city.  One the agenda might be the Baha’i Temple on the outskirts of town and maybe Makerere University, so I’m thinking about meeting up with them at some point.  Then the next day I’ll be on a very long bus ride up to Lira.  It looks like we’ve finally settled on accommodations though, and I’ll be staying in a house with a German woman and a Swiss woman.  Maybe I’ll practice my Deutsch. (Maybe not).

The Rome Statute

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This is Uganda-related, but not related to my presence here.  Starting this passed Monday, a two-week conference is going on in Kampala.  The International Criminal Court has called a meeting to review and amend the Rome Statute.  This has a lot of ramifications around the world, even in non-member states like the U.S.

Importantly, President Museveni spoke at the conference and called for a method of provisional immunity.  This comes straight from the villages of northern Uganda (and South Sudan, eastern DRC and CAR) where perhaps the only thing between Africa’s current longest-running war and peace was Joseph Kony’s indictment for war crimes.  This would be a game-changer in a lot of different fields as far as having a chance to achieve peace sooner and can be very important.  The review is also trying to find ways to increase the involvement of states and narrow the amount of impunity.

The important thing, though, is the two tracks of the review conference.  The conference will take stock of how the ICC has been operating and decide how to move forwards to make the court work better as well as consider amendments.  The big whopper is making decisions regarding wars of aggression.  If the definition of “war of aggression” is added to the statute then things like Israel’s attack on the Gaza flotilla and America’s use of drones might become deemed as war crimes through the use of pre-emptive strikes.  So keep an eye out.