Week Two - Cultural

It is hard to believe that I am entering my third week here in Kampala. As the week has past I have enjoyed delving deeper into the Ugandan culture. It is fascinating to learn about new aspects of their culture which, at times is very exciting but can also be overwhelming when comparing their different customs and way of life to that in Northern Ireland.

One aspect of Ugandan culture which I have been introduced to this week is ‘African’ time keeping and organisation. The Ugandans relaxed and casual attitude towards this aspect of their daily routine led to a frustrating week as myself and Ashleigh waited to receive our timetables. One lecturer suggested from his previous experiences hosting European student that “it takes the students a week to adjust to their timetables so just relax.” This laid back atmosphere greatly differs from the structured educational culture in Northern Ireland which emphasises the need to be organised in higher education in order to maintain an up to date knowledge of current teaching practices and sustain a culture of life long learning.

Our first day at Makerere University

With no academic programme available this week, Ashleigh and I took the opportunity to immerse ourselves further into the culture of Kampala. One way in which we have achieved this is through involvement in a street kids programme called Tomorrow’s heroes which has been set up by Kate from Bangor, Northern Ireland in association with Calvary Chapel Church. The programme takes place in an area of the slums near Makerere University, and it has been truly eye opening to see how these street children, along with many others live their lives below the poverty line in Uganda. Alice Muwanguzi, the resident district commissioner of Kampala says, “There is a tendency to think that all people in urban centres are very rich.” This is not the case in Kampala or many cities throughout the world. Indeed, even in Belfast, the current recession has highlighted the wide range of economic circumstances encounter by different people classes.

Some sights inside the slum

Peter (Parker) at Tomorrow's Heroes

The stark contrast between rich and poor can be clearly seen in the streets of Kampala. Some of those living in the city are considered well off and strive to enjoy luxurious western-style living conditions which they associate with ‘muzungus’(white people). It is strange to grasp that many Ugandans consider me (a white student from Northern Ireland) to be wealthy but, compared to many in Uganda, I am. When entering the slum on Sundays, it is obvious how privileged we are in Northern Ireland. According to Kampala City Council figures, 54% of the 1.5 million people in Kampala live in one – room houses. Many of the slums' residents have no access to safe water, adequate food, shelter, medical services and education. It is shocking to know and observe first hand people living this way. It makes me thankful for what I have been given but also more aware of the need of those suffering in urban poverty. I hope that in the coming weeks I will continue to discover the positive impact programmes such as Tomorrows Heroes is having on the lives of many of the children who are living in these conditions. Overall I am excited to further learn and live in this fascinating and diverse culture which I’m sure has and will influence me and my view on injustice in the world.

Week One - Personal

After an eight hour flight fraught with the mixed emotions of excitement and anxiety towards entering the unknown, I stepped out into the familiar smell and heat of Uganda which I remembered well after my two week expedition there in July 2010.  Despite this previous experience it was still quite daunting to grasp the realisation that this place was about to be my home for the next three months.  Despite my nerves and apprehension about the journey I was about to embark on; I was prepared to face the various challenges that lay ahead for Ashleigh and myself.  After all “challenges are what makes life interesting; and overcoming them is what makes life meaningful.” (Marine, J)  I was confident that this would indeed be an interesting and worthwhile adventure for us both.

We were collected at the airport by Dr Scott Wafula and James(our taxi driver), and it wasn't long before we entered the hustle and bustle that is the craziness of Kampala.  As we drove through the city Ashleigh and I sat in silence, both taking in the various sights and smells of the city.  This included the giant potholes(which we often dodged by weaving onto the other side of the road not considering the oncoming traffic), dusty roads, street sellers and tin shacks which are all typical sights in African culture.  After a short while we arrived at Nana Hostels and were both relieved to be greeted by the familiar face of Suzi Finlay.  It was such a comfort to have Suzi there for our first few days in Uganda.  However, it was clear that we were going to feel very welcome during our visit in Uganda as many of the local people were keen to give us a warm welcome in the form of a hearty Ugandan hand shake and a pleasant “hello how are you?”  It was clear from their greetings that Ugandans are very genuine and pleasant as people which made me feel at ease in the midst of such a different environment.

The street outside Nanas

Nana Hostel

This change of environment became an instant reality the next morning as we decided to go to garden city for a few essentials for our room.  Now if I was going to the shopping centre at home I would drive there in my nice, comfortable silver corsa, but this is not the case in Uganda, instead I had my first experience on a boda boda, a small motorcycle taxi.  It was an interesting journey to say the least considering that Ugandan drivers do not comply to the highway code and boda boda drivers are no exception.  But as the week has past I have adapted to travelling around in this way.

My first trip with Walter our boda boda driver

 During the past week we have made new friends with international students from Norway, Denmark and Sweden.  We hope that as our experience continues we will also make long lasting friendships with Ugandans.  We have found that Ugandan women can often be intimated by us, their white counterparts, and can be quite unfriendly whereas the Ugandan men are almost too eager to be our friends which can be quite exhausting at times.  Despite this I feel that through perseverance in trying to build solid friendships with Ugandans and engaging in their culture, I can help break the misconceptions that we each carry towards our contrasting cultures.  I have already found it interesting learning about the cultures of our European friends which provides me with the motivation to persist with my Ugandan peers to ensure that I gain a full cultural experience on this international placement.