Today was an another unscheduled holiday, a mayoral election or something, which threw off the schedules. Still we managed to meet with Lois, the District Education Officer, to introduce ourselves and give Jacque a chance to explain Roots and Shoots. From there we went to the government headquarters where Steph and Jacque were to meet the Central Administrative Officer or CAO (cow). While we waited for them we talked to Rob Bird, and IT consultant with VSO (Volunteer Service Organization), Britain’s version of the Peace Corps. He told us some places to visit and said this is the nicest area in Uganda. Unfortunately he is leaving for Zanzibar on holiday and then headed home.
We had a miserable time for lunch. It took nearly two hours for them to prepare chicken and chips. Jacque had goat and chips and regaled us with stories of obscene food items. Fortunately I can’t always understand her so wasn’t overly grossed out.
We stopped at one of the Roots and Shoots schools, a large academy, and met with the head teacher before returning to our room at Kalinzu. The Ugandan FSA (Forest Service Authority) guys sat and watched as we removed everything from the room and began scrubbing the floor and walls before assembling our cots, filling air mattresses, washing tables, appropriating benches and bringing in our supplies and gear. The place looks OK now, kind of like a homesteader’s cabin from the 1800’s. We have a two-burner gas stove, a supply of untreated water and some more I filtered. It’s easier than boiling and I hope it’s as effective. We prepared drinks for tomorrow’s students and will get into the program at 9:00am. More about that tomorrow.
I promised myself I would keep a list of meals I prepared both as a reminder and as advise for future volunteers. And yes, we are the first in this program! Tonight we ate penne pasta with sautéed onions and chopped tomatoes; salt, pepper, olive oil, mixed herbs. Forgot the garlic! Next time. Today’s chicken was most likely our last meat. It’s fresh at the market, in fact, the chickens are alive. I saw a guy on a moped with 20 or 30 hanging by their feet as he sped along. The beef and goat pieces hanging don’t look overly appetizing, but there are lots of fruits for breakfast and lunch and veggies so along with rice and pasta, we should get by. The locals eat a lot of green bananas, fried or steamed and made into a mush called matoke.
Speaking of the locals, we are surrounded by the Tea Estate, Findley’s of the UK, and the Ugandans find us an oddity. They have seen Stephanie and Debbie on their brief visits but it looks like we are staying. As for our Forest Service neighbors, who are listening to some tribal chants on their very loud radio, I am not yet sure. Robert and Lawrence are helpful but a little patronizing. They are our JGI co-workers. Herbert seems really nice but I’m not sure of his role. Pauly is aloof and there are other visitors, some curious and polite and one guy who is arrogant and scary – and very tall. They are handsome men, well-dressed in collared shirts and trousers and I feel a little like a slob but I will wear shorts and T’s when I can. It’s mostly all I brought. I don’t know how often they bathe and they have a strong, but not disgusting odor. I cant’ imagine being on a crowded bus. English is the language of the government but not everyone speaks it well, probably because they use the local language among themselves. They speak very softly and have a difficult to understand accent. But we are the visitors and it’s our job to cope. 