Hello Friends and Family!
I received some excellent news this past week: I was awarded the FSD grant that I applied for to pay for my project in Bulayi Village! Hurray! So thankfully I don’t have to scramble to find funding from somewhere else, but now I have the unpleasant task of keeping track of the money and making sure it all goes to the right places. We paid off our debt to the nurseries today – for seedlings that have been planted in Bulayi for a month!! Whew.
The project itself is going well; I’m back in the swing of things after my week of sickness. Norah and I only have a couple more handouts to translate and create, and we have only three weeks of training left to go! During the week I was sick, my coworker Jjagwe completed the first round of follow-ups with each of the farmers who received plants. He reported that people have been following the training recommendations for planting, though unfortunately some people had plants (especially coffee) stolen right out of the ground! Not too many, but it’s a shame. After we finish training in Bulayi I am going to work on creating a website for UDEI, though I hope to continue going to Bulayi with Jjagwe and Mukasa to participate in the follow-ups with the farmers we’ve been working with.
So now I am the only original Masaka intern remaining. Pooja left last week and Krystal flew home yesterday. I can’t imagine leaving now. It’s taken me these two months to integrate, so I’m glad I still have six weeks to enjoy. My weekends are really filling up quickly too so I know the time will fly. Next weekend there will be an introduction ceremony at our house for some relatives. An introduction ceremony is when a couple officially introduces each other to their families; my host sister explained it as the cultural wedding, and then the church wedding can follow any time after, be it one week or 6 months. I’ll learn more next week.
Because of this pending ceremony, yesterday Agnes (host sister), Maama, and I went to town to buy fabric for my… GOMESI! It was definitely a group effort… I would point to a fabric I liked and they would say a definitive “No.” They are very particular to find the “right” colors for each person. After we (finally) found one everyone could agree on (and I just said yeah it’s fine — I think they have to be a little funny) Agnes and I went to the tailor she prefers in Nyendo, the next town over from Masaka, to have me measured. I’ll pick up the finished dress on Wednesday! The fabric (baby silk) cost UGX 40,000 ($25) but it’ll only cost UGX 5,000 ($3.25) to have it sewn, plus UGX 1,000 ($0.65) for fabric to keep the puff sleeves stiff. Don’t worry, I’ll send pictures after next weekend.
Yesterday morning I briefly saw Dr. Burras and the rest of the ISU folks who are working in the Kamuli District north of Kampala. They had been visiting Lake Mburo National Park to the west of Masaka, and so they stopped for a snack in town this morning on their way back east. It was strange but nice to see other Iowans here.
Photo 1: a lovely hill with bananas on it, from Namaseenene (my village), a view from the path we walked to get to church last weekend. Maama and I attended a Born Again church since they are neighbors of ours and we told them we would… the first hour (of the three we were there) was enjoyable, all singing pretty much, interspersed with prayers. During prayer time people spoke/shouted their personal prayers aloud all at the same time; I found it very hard to concentrate, and since I was brought up Lutheran, praying so loudly seemed strange (I kept my prayers and meditations in my head). Then there was the sermon; I felt increasingly uncomfortable. It was a very small church, held in a classroom; about 14 adults and 10 children attended. Maama and I were the only “unsaved” ones there.
After more prayers, Maama decided to re-affirm her belief that Jesus is her personal savior, a statement that was much rejoiced in that small room… so after she did that several people asked me when I would do so. For as religious as most Ugandans are – be it Protestant, Muslim, Catholic, or Saved, this is by far the most anyone has ever pressured me; I resisted as politely as I could. As we walked home after the service Maama and I discussed how we prefer to attend the quieter and more sedate Protestant service on the other side of the hill. Ha then when I got home I found a chicken in my bed. There are about six chickens at home right now who are crazy to find places to lay their eggs, so this hen must have slipped into my room when I left the door open for a second as I stepped outside before church. The mystery is how she got under the mosquito net and onto my bed… I found her egg under the bed though, not on it.
The final photo is our iron. Ugandans are very particular about looking smart – that is, put together and well-dressed, so having well-pressed clothes is of utmost importance. You fill the iron with hot coals from the kitchen fire and then you iron away pretty much like normal, except it is quite heavy, and you have to be careful to only touch the wooden handle. This also reminds me, I’ve helped wash clothes a few times with my family! Usually they wash while I’m at work, but I’ve helped a few times on the weekends. The motion is a lot like kneading bread!
Thinking of you all! Each day I am glad to be here, though I have been thinking about my return to the states, particularly after talking with Pooja and Krystal about their departures. I’m very excited to see everyone and hmm eat a delicious variety of foods!!
Love, Nakirya Stephanie
