Tag Archive: Bugiri

Visiting my Town

My sister Karen and her husband Dave started their two week visit to Uganda after a 20+ hour flight. We hired a driver, John, recommended by other PCVs, and drove through the night to Bugiri, about a half a kilometer from my home site. After getting in a bit of sleep, we checked out my office, walked around town, and I introduced them to some of my friends.

Karen and I stand in my kitchen. To Ugandans, the water filter taped to the upper bucket is still the most impressive thing there. I am impressed with it too.

 

Where I get my mail. It’s a box rented by the Bugiri Rotary Club. I’ve received about Six care packages from my family and home Rotary Club, a motorcycle jacket with pants and rain jacket from my old friend Mike, a few Christmas cards and a wedding announcement. The Rotarian magazine is also delivered here and I grab an issue sent to an inactive member.

The welders near my office are always happy to pose. Always cheerful, always working seven days a week welding those doors you see behind them. They get paid by the piece of course.

 

Matthews did a great job mobilizing a nearby village for a financial literacy session. It’s a pretty big deal when I visit a village, but three Muzugus in a Safari vehicle was really an event!

No one is sleeping!

The chairman of the village savings group had walked into our office to complain we never came for a promised teaching. It was because ATEFO had moved on to a new contract with youth groups. But I said I knew just the day we would come. Here he talks about his sack garden. to Matthews and me

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David goofs with the village kids. After my session, which emphasizes keeping track of expenses to control spending, David told them he is a Christmas Tree farmer in America and he does the same types of record keeping to manage his farm. The tree farm has been in his family for decades. A few years ago he installed a drip irrigation system. It is 40 acres, and they gasped when he told them that. Here, they have have subdivided their land many times for their children.The farm is a couple hours north of St. Paul and makes Karen is a year-round weekend widow.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I get the heat, heat

The occasional cloud is sweet….

The heat has been unrelenting. Every day has been in the low to mid 90’s. This week my weather app is predicting the high 90’s for Bugiri. (Kampala and this blog’s weather app are cooler) It has been the hottest since I have been here, and Ugandans tell me it is exceptional. Usually it was not higher than the high 80’s. The last rainy season was pretty sparse too, compared to the fall before, which totally confused me about when the rainy seasons and dry seasons are supposed to be. The heat is not intense like Phoenix or Vegas, nor humid like Chicago. It mostly compares to …Denver! Since moving to my new home in May, I have had access in the courtyard to a tap, and so far it has held up. I have little doubt they are restricting water at my old bore hole. When I am with Matthews on the motorcycle on a dirt road, and a truck goes by we often pull over until the dust settles. I will be grateful for at least a little bit of rain to tamp down the dust, but its not in the forecast. Meanwhile I understand Denver and the rest of America (Trumpistan? per Krugman) has been getting more snow, thanks to the warmer North Pole.

The other day the taxi I was in nearly rolled off the road. Everyone pushed to get out to the right, which I feared would finish us. It doesn’t look too bad here.

Ahmed and Aiman play with toys sent by my brother for Christmas

Little Emron comes in when I leave the door open. He’s trying to shut out his brother. Poor guy got circumcised last week, very painful, had to wear a skirt for a few days!

My org ATEFO continues to work with youth groups and their businesses, which were each provided the equivalent of $100US working capital in two installments. Last week the funding conduit, Bantwana World Education, sent representatives out with the ATEFO trainers to see how the groups were doing. ATEFO is supposed to be sure each group has a constitution registered in the District (amazing how important this is), a business plan, adequate record keeping, and a viable business. These are 15-18 year old village kids, many with little education. Girls are often married with children. I think this is a pretty serious challenge for ATEFO. Problems include attrition in the membership; inadequate support from caregivers; not following the rules in the constitution (but many can’t read English); not changing written business plans; caregivers or patrons actually running the business; and “eating the capital” and/or disappearing. Groups who wanted to grow and sell vegetables were damaged by the drought. Not to say there weren’t successful groups. A few groups have successfully changed their business midstream. Besides growing and trading vegetables, businesses I saw included rearing poultry, pigs, or goats, candle making, soap making, brick making, and rice selling,
I was pleasantly surprised that the Iganga trainers took my simple model for a cash book and printed out pages to give to their groups. But a couple of groups were making the same recording error, leading me to suspect their trainer didn’t quite have the handle on it.
This project also had a requirement to dig 600 backyard gardens. They are not digging drought resistant permagardens however, so they are struggling in the drought. Too bad. I am quite anxious to see the permagarden I dug with Carson and Becky in our efforts to recruit them to “our way”. Hopefully, I’ll get to see it this week. Here is an article citing a UN report which argues small scale organic farming is the best hope to feed the world in the future. Monsanto has other ideas.

Dusty feet of the village kids

This girl borrowed funds from her chicken rearing youth group, started selling second hand clothes and paid back the loan. That’s her inventory after reinvesting proceeds.

Adams poses with a group showing off the soap bars they made.

These boys are showing the three goats they are rearing. Makes me think of 4-H.

Freshly made clay bricks on the ground, drying in the sun

The number of inspectors seemed excessive to me.


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This is about 200 yards of shucked maize (corn), drying next to the main road through Bugiri. They are not using a tarp underneath. Not good post-harvest handling, although that would be a lot of tarp.

A little bit further up the road is rice, with a tarp

Even further up the road are coffee beans, no tarps.

Matthews and I are also checking out places where we taught sack gardens as I close out my grant.. We are seeing how many new ones are being made. I knew the used sack this village donated would have trouble lasting.

This storm sewer is full of trash and moldy sludge. A good rain would push it somewhere.

The inner sanctum of Wiltech Computers, a rare place with wi-fi. The picture doesn’t do justice to how cluttered it is. Wilber has been there 20 years.

This is behind my compound. Rats live in the brick pile in the rear of the photo, and they like to feed on the refuse in the foreground, which is frequently burned.

I spent a good part of Saturday night chasing this guy in my place. He was rather sluggish, having been poisoned by Margaret, but ultimately I recruited the oldest son, Juma to help catch it. I am too much of city boy, I guess. I miss ol’ Meowri at times like this.

Azedy has to water his orange seedlings twice a day. He has 18,000 of these seedlings, I hope he can sell them.This his son, also named Azedy. They don’t call him Junior.

Azedy has hired people to “bud” the seedlings, grafting orange buds onto the lemon seedlings. They are doing 6.000 grafts per week for three weeks. The leaves at the top are still lemon, providing nutrients until the grafted orange buds produce their own leaves. Then the lemon leaves are removed. This makes hardier orange trees.

Chicken vendor at the market

The three older boys are all home from boarding school for a month, They are bored, and it’s so hot, I let them watch some of my movies on my computer.

Ambassador Malac Visits Bugiri

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Ambassador Malac Addresses the gathering at ATEFO. John (seated) and Adams from ATEFO

On Tuesday June 28, Ambassador Deborah Malac made a quick one hour stop in Bugiri town and visited my org, African Trainers and Entrepreneurs Forum (ATEFO). There were about 20 office and field staff from ATEFO, and also some local dignitaries. Then a few of us walked to my home. I will let the photos (most of them purchased a local photographer) tell the story.

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Watching a power point briefing about ATEFO in Adams’ office, with Mark Meassick, USAid Mission Director, my Peace Corps supervisor Meital, and Margaret, Resident District Commissioner.

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i am explaining about how to make a sack garden. We have received approval for a Peace Corps grant to allow Matthews and I to teach sack gardens to the farmer groups and youth groups. The grant will pay for the seedlings, while the community donates the remaining materials.

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Every visit from a dignitary gets a tree planting. She said she is used to this. This is an umbrella tree. near my permagarden. I am concerned a goat will get to it unless we can protect it. Matthews says it will be taller than me before I return to the USA next year.

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This is a ceremonial cake cutting. As you can see, I grew out my beard, it came in brown, whereas the goatee is (annoyingly) all grey. I think the two tone looks like Lassie, or old time ball player with mutton chops, so I might go back to just the goatee. Opinions?

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Here we are taking the five minute walk to my home. Note the cowboy boots worn by Ambassador Malac. Before she arrived, I walked the route with the local police, and then two more times with Embassy advance security personnel. Neighbors must have wondered what was going on. Meital came early with her driver, and the Ambassador had six vehicles in her entourage. I generally wear my backpack most of the time, and a Rockies or Avalanche cap.

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In my well swept and organized abode (I still haven’t got that mouse though). It was hot that day, I look sweaty. Ambassador Malac said she isn’t used to seeing a PCV in a jacket and tie. But Adams and the rest of the org hierarchy were in three piece suits, so I had step it up. Unfortunately, they don’t fit well, made for a heavier man. 🙂

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Local police who provided some security gave me permission to take their picture (this time).

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Gratuitous selfie

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Andrew McCown with USAID staff. He served with with my niece as a PCV in Bolivia. Small world. Invited me to dinner with his wife and 8 month old the next time I am in Kampala.

 

Election Time

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Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) presidential candidate Dr Kizza Besigye speaking in Bugiri last weekend. Photo from the Daily Monitor with permission.

I get to watch two elections in 2016. The campaign in the USA is baffling to me on many levels. I need to figure out how to get an absentee ballot, which is complicated by the fact I moved from Westminster to Denver just before leaving the country. I will not miss the election commercials this year.

In Uganda, the President and Members of Parliament will be elected on February 18. While there are eight candidates, these three are the main ones. The schools are closed for holiday break an extra month because of the elections.If you are a subscriber, I will have more to say via email.

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The 30 year incumbent president, Yoweri Museveni. National Resistance Movement (NRM) party


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Former Prime Minister and former NRM ally Amana Mbabazi. He got tired of waiting, but constantly claims he wants to continue NRM policies. Just started the “Go Forward” party.

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Kizza Besigye was Museveni’s physician in the “Bush” during the 80’s civil war and claims that Museveni has abandoned his principles by clinging to power. Forum for Democratic Change FDC party.

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I had just gotten out of a taxi when Besigye’s motorcade was coming by. He standing through the roof of the trailing vehicle.

Father Christmas Came to Bugiri

Father Christmas and his helper.

Have yourself a merry merry Christmas
Have yourself a good time
But remember the kids who got nothin’
While you’re drinkin’ down your wine

–Father Christmas, The Kinks

Father Christmas is the British version of Santa Claus, adopted by its former colony. Yesterday, he came to the road I walk to work.  This little visit was something we planned for a few months. I found a costume in October (Yes, even in Uganda they start with the specialty Christmas stuff in late October- I wore it for the video we made during In Service Training). I wanted to dress as Father Christmas and give toys to the kids who run out to greet and fist bump me every day .

Sample selection of a gift package.

After my own children chided me about being the “white gift-giver”, the culture of dependency etc., and after a few other PC volunteers predicted I would be tormented by gift requests hereafter, I asked my counterpart Matthews to be Father Christmas. I had an extra Santa hat, and would be his helper.

When my Rotary Club back home started organizing a care package, I requested they send little toys, and ultimately received two packages. Included were about 65 little wind-up robots that I believe were table decorations for a CASA fundraiser. I also received two big bags of Tootsie Rolls and Whoppers. My Aunt Shirley from Laramie sent a nice box of toys and Wyoming-themed Christmas decorations. Unfortunately, three boxes of donations from my siblings did not arrive on time.

Matthews as Father Christmas.

Matthews as Father Christmas.

I had not anticipated that many Bugiri families would be going back to their home village for Christmas this week. In fact today, Christmas Eve, there are not many children around. I also knew that Matthews wanted to get to his own home village. So after we confirmed the post office would not be receiving any more packages until after Christmas, we decided to have Father Christmas come on the 23rd. We assembled 65 little baggies, each with a wind-up robot. We added 48 pencils, and separated from the pencils, about 15 little stuffed animals similar to beanie babies for the smallest kids, and added an assortment of plastic whistles, tops, and other items.

We started from my home and things went well for awhile. Then we got a section where generally about ten children greet me. Chaos ensued. In a flash there were about 50 kids clamoring around poor Matthews. Some of the moms tried to organize the kids into lines, as you see in this video, but it was hopeless. We ran out quickly and I still did not reach a few other clusters of kids further down the road. I apologized to the moms profusely for running out and hope they are not upset.

Matthews was pretty tired trudging back to my compound.


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When the delayed boxes finally arrive, I will try to distribute those toys to the neglected portion of my road. Maybe next year I will solicit all my readers to send toys. I am reluctant, because the postage is extreme, probably well in excess of the cost of the toys. We’ll see.

I spent Christmas with my host family in Iganga. Lots of friends and relations enjoyed an afternoon in the courtyard, It was so nice to see Sharon in good spirits after her hospitalization only a few days before. I met George, an education trainee staying with Simon and Hellen in my old room. He is learning Lusoga much more easily than I.

I spent Christmas with my host family in Iganga. Lots of friends and relations enjoyed an afternoon in the courtyard, It was so nice to see Sharon in good spirits after her hospitalization only a few days before. I met George, an education trainee staying with Simon and Hellen in my old room. He is learning Lusoga much more easily than I.

 

 

Simon's two wives and oldest son.

Simon’s two wives and oldest son.

Like all of you, I reflect on many Christmas memories.  Jan’s favorite song, Christmas or not, was John Lennon’s “Happy Xmas”.

A very Merry Xmas
And a happy New Year
Let’s hope it’s a good one
Without any fear

War is over, if you want it
War is over now

Happy Xmas

—Lennon

Independence Day

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Last Friday was Ugandan Independence Day. A large crowd gathered around a field to watch marching groups make a procession. It was followed by a soccer game between my Bugiri Rotary Club vs. some Primary School Teachers. I’d guess 2,000 people were around the field to watch. I’m sure there was a healthy curiosity about the Muzungu on the Rotary team. This is the reviewing stand

Only the Police procession carried real rifles. Everyone else had sticks.

Only the Police procession carried real rifles. Everyone else had sticks.

Team introductions over loudspeakers and everything! The President of the Rotary put my name on the lineup card as "Charles Muzungu"

Team introductions over loudspeakers and everything! The President of the Rotary put my name on the lineup card as “Charles Muzungu”

A team photo before our Rotary Club played. The lady behind me in green was our goal keeper, named Ford. Most names are sort of old fashioned like Agnes.

A team photo before our Rotary Club played. The lady behind me in green was our goal keeper, named Ford. Most names are sort of old fashioned like Agnes.

The Rotarian on the right, Egesa, is running for Parliament as an independent. He was also our best football player.

The club president Moses is on the left. I have met many men named Moses in Uganda. I had a law partner named Moses once, The Rotarian on the right, Egesa, is running for Parliament as an independent. He was also our best football player.

 I played in the back defense for the first half. They only had one opportunity to score, and I looked pathetic trying to stop their onrushing forwards. Fortunately, the ball sailed over the goal. Otherwise we had the ball on their end the whole first half but couldn't score. The teachers dominated the second half while I sat out, and won 2-0. A couple of days ago some boys in my neighborhood said they saw how badly I played. ;-).

I played in the back defense for the first half. They only had one opportunity to score, and I looked pathetic trying to stop their onrushing forwards. Fortunately, the ball sailed over the goal. Otherwise we had the ball on their end the whole first half but couldn’t score. The teachers dominated the second half while I sat out, and won 2-0. A couple of days ago some boys in my neighborhood said they saw how badly I played. ;-).

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I forgot this last week. Adams hosted a Rotary party in front of our offices on a Sunday night. We had roasted goat! Definitely need toothpicks for that meat. Power went out right when it started (for 24 hours), so we used candles.


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How about this? A coal powered iron! We have frequent power outages and my neighbor Ali borrowed it to press his shirts. My permanent press shirts look pretty good after drying on the line. I wear a few of the more wrinkly ones on weekends.

How about this? A coal powered iron! We have frequent power outages and my neighbor Ali borrowed it to press his shirts. My permanent press shirts look pretty good after drying on the line. I wear a few of the more wrinkly ones on weekends.

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Occasionally you see kids pushing bike tires with sticks. A bygone sight in America, unless there are tire pushing video games.

Rainy season is back. I am trying to get my permagarden finished! Will post on that later. My umbrella got blown off my porch into the flooded compound.

Rainy season is back. I am trying to get my permagarden finished! Will post on that later. My umbrella got blown off my porch into the flooded compound.

This is a road on the way to work after a heavy rain the night before. The kid is one of two really tiny ones (1-2 years old I'm guessing) who absolutely want to get to me when I pass by. I often throw them up a bit or carry them back to their home.

This is a road on the way to work after a heavy rain the night before. The kid is one of two really tiny ones (1-2 years old I’m guessing) who absolutely want to get to me when I pass by. I often throw them up a bit or carry them back to their home.

This is the second kid. I try to get to their side of the road so because they don't look when they come out.

This is the second kid. I try to get to their side of the road so because they don’t look when they come out.

 

Education

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This is a jackfruit tree. The fruits are huge. They taste good, but it’s very messy and difficult to separate the little juicy globs inside from the rind.

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I sit on my covered front porch sometimes during cooling rainstorms. This is my view. Unfinished construction is on both sides of my tri-plex. If I ever meet the owner I will ask him about it. I also throw my laundry and dish washing water out on that little rise you see.

I had a couple of leftover photos from last week shown here.

First a couple of reactions to comments. The treadle sewing machine I showed last week received some attention and sparked some memories of a by-gone era. Second, please don’t sweat about my weight. I am pretty sure I have stabilized at 165. Now that I am cooking for myself, my fear is letting it go back up. I am still trying to restrict after dinner snack intake.

This week I finally visited some farmer groups at their VSLA meetings. I was introduced at each meeting by the ATEFO trainer, and it was announced I would be coming back in a week or two to give a lesson on budgeting.

I met with 7 groups, 5 along the same road on Tuesday. Due to scheduling conflicts with Matthews and the four day Muslim holiday weekend just finishing, for Eid al-Adha, I will speak to only one group next week, this Wednesday.

Lots of Muslims celebrating Eid al-Adha on Thursday, mostly dressed in White.

Lots of Muslims out celebrating Eid al-Adha on Thursday, mostly dressed in White.

I was well-received at these groups, and they seem interested in what I will have to say. I hope I can measure up to their expectations. I gave a similar talk on budgeting to a group of Boda drivers during tech immersion.

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My first village meeting was in this mud hut. It had mud floors of course and was built three years ago. Nice and cool in there!

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All the other farmer groups met outside in the shade of a large trees. The women often sit on mats, although a man is on this one.

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From left, Mwondha’s dad, brother Matia, mother, wife Collin, Mwondha, sister Esther. Collin wore her gown from her previous graduation. At the village party, other former grads wore their gowns again. They don’t rent them here.

On Saturday, I attended the graduation of Mwondha, my carpenter, and his brother, on the grounds of Basoga University, only a few blocks from where I had language training near Iganga. Before Mwondha received his diploma (but after his brother received his), there was a massive rain storm which completely decimated the event, blowing down tents and turning the place into a muddy quagmire. We left, just as the rain was tapering off, and went to his village where his parents still lived.

The village had been organized into a huge festive celebration. As we got out of our cars, the brothers were mobbed like rock stars. The women make this high-pitched warbling scream that sounds sort of like Banshees. I was semi-mobbed by the village kids, who acted like they didn’t know what to make of me. Once I started fist-bumping them, they relaxed. They had organized tents, decorations, cakes and lots of food for the whole village. There were two MCs and a sound system run off of a generator. I had hoped to hang back and watch, but was ushered to a seat of honor with the family. Of course there were speeches, and during each one, I was singled out and told I was “most welcome”.

An altar was set up, and a priest said Mass. He asked God to delay the rain until after the party, but God didn’t listen, and so half-way through mass, I was in my second deluge. A lady, Collin, was sort of delegated to be my minder for the day, and told me she was Mwondha’s first wife. The wife I was acquainted with at the carpenter shop was his second. Collin told me Mwondha is 32 and has six kids with the two wives and another woman he didn’t marry. I have come to understand that polygamy is frequent among the Masoga tribe (and Muslims) here in the east, but less common in the northern and western parts of Uganda. Collin is from the far north and admitted she wasn’t happy when this happened. Just like my father Simon at home stay, he’s Catholic too!

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During the storm at graduation, tents got upturned, so people threw out the chairs so there would be more room to huddle together.

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Trying to keep their nice clothes dry while the tents take a beating. Much more entertaining than handing out diplomas!

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This is the top of a tent that was flipped off it moorings by the wind, and came down pointy top first, piercing into my tent. Might have hurt someone in the way.

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Procession during the village party

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During the rainstorm, I was hustled into this room with other “elders”. I know my beard is grey but….The guy on the right is an engineer who used to employ Mwondha. We didn’t get to visit much in there, unfortunately.

Town of Plenty

I am going to post three today and get rid of backlog, on a Sunday afternoon. The photos below are from my town of Bugiri.

My neighbor Sharon had a baby boy while I was in Mbale last weekend. His name is Peter. He doesn’t seem to cry too much. They let me look in on him while he slept.

The electric meter for this triplex is in Sharon’s unit, and she didn’t notice we had used up our units of electricity so we were out of power for a day. I guess she was a little distracted. Ali paid for more electricity with mobile money, which is transferring airtime on his phone to load the electricity remotely. (My sister Marian will like this post) My issue is this: If you can pay the meter remotely, and it shuts you off remotely when you are out of units, why isn’t there a way to tell how much you have left remotely?

I finally met Sharon’s husband yesterday. He was given two weeks leave by the army. Normally he is stationed near the border with the Democratic Republic of the Congo which is on the other side of the country. There used to be frequent guerrilla activity there but if I understand him correctly, the Congo government bought the insurgents off.

I was going to take you along the route between home and office, but it didn’t come out that interesting. I also think I need to respect security concerns. A few of the pictures are on my route, some aren’t. I am not going to show the outside of my compound either.

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Around the corner from my office, men build these seguries (phonetic-used for cooking with charcoal) and lock boxes. Lots of pounding and clanging. They always want me to stop and chat.

 

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They wanted to ham it up for my camera. Hamming it up No. 1.

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Hamming it up Number 2. Adults are just like the kids, loving it and laughing when I show them their pictures.

 

 

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Storefronts on the main road. It’s not congested, not sure when I shot this.


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I eat lunch at this restaurant about once a week. I cut the plate of rice and beans in half and a put it a plastic tub to bring for lunch the next day.

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This Pentecostal church is one of the largest mud structures I’ve seen, and very close to my home site. They sing beautiful music on Sundays. Sharon sings in the choir when she isn’t having babies.

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These are boda boda drivers, stationed on the corner where I cross. They are at major intersections in every town, and always available to give you a lift anywhere you need, especially as you exit a taxi. PCVs are not supposed to use them. You can also used them to haul all kinds of crazy stuff.

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These are chipati stands. I buy rolexes from them. It’s two eggs fried in oil, a couple of tomato slices, and a bit of cabbage, and onion, rolled in a tortilla-like chipati that has also been fried in oil. It is an occasional cheap lunch or breakfast. They also fry up some other breads, which you can see in the front.

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Making a rolex

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A bicycle repair place

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A store front on a side street near my office

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My neighborhood is considered urban. This is a typical mix. An uncompleted structure, piles of bricks, a hut, and a fairly recently built Islamic school on the right background.

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More of the urban housing mix

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I haven’t figured out where these crazy uncompleted stairs have to go

 

A Friend is a Friend

A round up of the merchants I consider friends

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On the right is Zenebra, who has a small shop, and mainly sells me fruits and vegetables. I ask for certain things in the morning on my way to the office, and she often has it for me going home. Avocados, hard boiled eggs, apples, small green oranges, different breads etc.. Because of her convenience, I don’t really go to the market that often, and therefore when I am there, I am less well known than perhaps I should be. i.e. Kids call me Muzungu there. Every town has a market, I’ll show you mine sometime.

This my seamstress Miria. She made my table cloth from dress material I liked. She also put two tucks on the sides of all my pants. I bought these pants about a week before I left too! Check out the manual sewing machine she runs by pumping with her feet.

This my seamstress Miria. She is making my table cloth from dress material I liked. She also put two tucks on the sides of all my pants. I bought these pants about a week before I left too! Check out the old timey manual sewing machine she runs by pumping with her feet.

"Zia the Businesswoman" as she likes to be called, is the proprietor (with her husband) of this salon, where I got a pretty decent haircut and a great pedicure. She sits under the canopy out front and sells me the occasional newspaper. I enjoy talking with her, but she refuses to let me take her picture. Even when I wanted to take a shot of the salon, she said "That is part of me"

“Zia the Businesswoman” as she likes to be called, is the proprietor (with her husband) of this salon, where I got a pretty decent haircut and a great pedicure. She sits under the canopy out front and sells me the occasional newspaper. I enjoy talking with her, but she refuses to let me take her picture. Even when I wanted to take a closer shot of the salon, she said “That is part of me”

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This is my carpenter Mwondha. He invited me to his graduation party next weekend, when he receives a diploma in "Procurement and Supply Chain Management" from Busoga University. He also is saving wood shavings and sawdust for me to use as kitty litter. Yes, I am about to get a kitten, just waiting for her to be weaned.

This is my carpenter Mwondha. He invited me to his graduation party next weekend, when he receives a diploma in “Procurement and Supply Chain Management” from Busoga University. He also is saving wood shavings and sawdust for me to use as kitty litter. Yes, I am about to get a kitten, just waiting for her to be weaned.

Azed is my Lasoga language tutor. We end up BS-ing too much, but the reality is that what I need is self-study.

Azed is my Lasoga language tutor. We end up BS-ing too much, but the reality is that what I need is self-study. We’ll see.

This is Justine, who owns the Highway Supermarket with her husband on the main road. Nice lady.

This is Justine, who owns the Highway Supermarket with her husband on the main road. Nice lady.

 

Rearviewmirror III

A selection of miscellaneous shots

The "Reverse L I L brand" lives in Uganda. This was the cattle brand for my family, still used in Wyoming, I think. My dad would always put this on my baseball glove. Keeps my Jerry cans identified after I leave them for awhile before dawn.

The “Reverse L I L brand” lives in Uganda. This was the cattle brand for my family, still used in Wyoming, I think. My dad would always put this on my baseball glove. Keeps my Jerry cans identified after I leave them for awhile before dawn.

Men and boys hold hands all the time here. Sign of friendship.

Men of all ages and women of all ages hold hands with the same sex all the time here. Sign of friendship. Men holding hands with women in public is very frowned upon.

This was taken at training. It's a style here for women to dye parts of their hair this maroon color. Just maroon. This one is a bit excessive. I haven't gotten a straight answer if this is a recent fad or not.

This was taken at training. It’s a style here for women to dye parts of their hair, or use extensions, of this maroon color. Just maroon. This one is a bit excessive. I haven’t gotten a straight answer if this is a recent fad or not.

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Soccer (“Football” in Uganda of course) is huge here. They love to follow the English Premier League. These kids are looking into the bar at the game on a TV you can see inside.

This is a crowd jammed into the Sol Cafe in Iganga yesterday. The floor is divided in half to watch screens on each end. Chelsea beat Arsenal 2-0

This is a crowd jammed into the Sol Cafe in Iganga yesterday. The floor is divided in half to watch screens on each end. Chelsea beat Arsenal 2-0

A huge snail near our dorm at Supervisor's workshop. Easily 6 inches.

A huge snail near our dorm at Supervisor’s workshop. Easily 6 inches.

Saw this in Kampala. Driven by a safari tour.

Saw this in Kampala. Driven by a safari tour.

He calls out to me every day

He calls out to me every day

Neighbor ladies

Neighbor ladies

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A common sight, women balancing stuff on their head.

A common sight, women balancing stuff on their head.

My first Colorado pro team shirt. I assumed it would be Broncos. These kids never know the significance of their shirts. My language tutor's six year old kid had on a Hooters t-shirt.

My first Colorado pro team shirt. I assumed it would be Broncos. These kids never know the significance of their shirts. My language tutor’s six year old kid had on a Hooters t-shirt.

These kids made little pull cars out of empty plastic bottles

These kids made little pull cars out of empty plastic bottles

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Goats are tethered everywhere.

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Cows too sometimes. This is how many Ugandans save. They buy a cow.

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It’s hard to get a candid shot. The minute they spot you or you ask permission to take their picture they want to pose. I said “show me your sweeping”. I wanted to show the brooms that are so common here. I use a more conventional one.

Butcher shops hangs carcasses out front, and I am assured this is good meat, especially if it attracts flies. L To Right, turkey, goat, and cow

Butcher shops hangs carcasses out front, and I am assured this is good meat, especially if it attracts flies. Left To Right, turkey, goat, and cow. Cars and bodas go by, kicking up dust.

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This was a Revival across the street from my office. I sent my family the live rendition on Whats App.

I toured a large rice processing plant in Jinga with farmers. They get in rice that needs more drying.

I toured a large rice processing plant in Jinga with farmers. They get in rice that needs more drying.