Up to June 6th , 2015 Week 3!
This weekend we worked with the girls here at URDT, we attended a lively debate and lead different group sessions with the girls. Sunday night we got the chance to cook a meal in the traditional Ugandan way at Catherine’s home. Which turned out to be an interesting and entertaining affair. We continued our construction at Kanyawanmyaga during the week and got a day off for a Ugandan public holiday.
Working with the girls here at URDT is really awesome. These girls are motivated and very hard working. They get up early and stay up late with hefty schedules that continue late into the night and even into the weekends. On Saturday morning we were privileged to sit in on a debate by the upper level high school students. Their debate was over whether technology has a positive or negative impact on their society here in Uganda. It was a lively debate, after they finished we gave them our input advising them on presentation, structure, and preparation. In addition we got with the student leaders of the school and did a leadership workshop. We acted out scenarios that the girls could encounter as leaders and asked them to share how they would handle the situations as leaders. The girls impressed us with their problem solving skills then we shared our experiences and advice.
During group discussion and leadership training we asked the girls about their visions. Having a vision for the future is part of the URDT strategy to empower women. They shared with us their goals to become police officers, lawyers, doctors, nurses, rural developers, accountants, and so much more. There’s no doubt about the potential these women have to better the lives of their families and have a positive impact on their country.
We also had time to answer questions they URDT students had for us about whatever they wanted to know. One of my favorite questions was when one of the girls asked why we don’t shave our heads. All the girls at the school rock a shaved head, just as all the other young women here that are still in school. We told them that in the US mostly only men shave their heads, they thought that was hilarious. They also found dating culture in the US hilarious/scandalous. Here in Uganda people date in secret and only introduce each other to their families when they are ready to get married. The concept of actual dates was also new to the girls, and they giggled endlessly at the ridiculous notion of a woman asking out a man! It was really fun hearing their questions and sharing about our very different cultures. We are definitely looking forward to working with the students more over our remaining weekends.
Sunday night we headed out to the Kagadi market where folks had all their produce neatly stacked and displayed at their respective stands. We walked through the market picking out what we needed for our Ugandan dinner. Which ended up being less Ugandan and more like spaghetti. We got tomatoes, onions, peppers, pasta and a vegetable called dodo to have as a side. We also bought some fresh beef and watched the butcher shave off chunks of meat that was hanging in front of his shop. To prepare our meal we had to light the charcoal stoves then wash and cut the vegetables. After hours of slow mzungu work, which included Mike washing his hands with the dodo instead of washing the dodo, we feasted on soggy spaghetti with delicious homemade sauce.
The construction at Kanyawanmyaga is coming along slowly but surely. We worked on the steps mixing mortar and laying bricks. We have one more set of steps to construct, then we will cover everything in one more layer of mortar. We tore down the rusty metal gutters and began putting up the new plastic ones. We stood on a rough handmade ladder, that hasn’t failed us yet, and struggled to drill the brackets into place. Almost all the gutters are up! Friday we were all given pangas so that we could cut supports for the frame of the water tank. After lots of laughter at our lack of panga skills and hands full of blisters we had our stakes! We pounded the stakes into the ground preparing to pull the frame tight.
One of the most interesting things I have noticed is the prevalence of solar panels. In an area with such a narrow market where all shops offer the same small selection of goods and foods, I would not guess solar panels were in the mix. Yet incredibly among the unpaved roads and houses constructed from mud solar panels shimmer on roof tops. I am glad to see renewable clean energy so available and affordable in place where electricity is limited and not always reliable. It’s also very interesting hearing the questions people have about life in the US. We’ve been asked if we see the sun at home, if we have motorcycles, one of the teachers found out the mzungu argue too and was cracking up.
This post written by Tanna Hays.