Just when I start complaining that Uganda is really Westernized

...I come home to topless grandma lounging on the couch and my sisters telling me we're having cow intestines for dinner.

On the plus side, there are no bones in cow intestines.

Ticking Clocks

…are not so relevant in Uganda as in America.

“Children in our homestead

Do not sleep at fixed times:

When sleep comes into their head

They sleep,

When sleep leaves their head

They wake up.

When a child is dirty

Give him a wash,

You do not first look at the sun!

When there is no water

In the house

You cannot wash the child

Even if it is time

For his bath! Listen

My husband,

In the wisdom of the Acoli

Time is not stupidly split up

Into seconds and minutes,

It does not flow

Like beer in a pot

That is sucked

Until it is finished.

It does not resemble

A loaf of millet bread

Surrounded by hungry youths

From a hunt;

It does not get finished

Like vegetables in the dish.

(Anyango making Millet bread as Mama looks on)

A lazy youth is rebuked,

A lazy girl is slapped,

A lazy wife is beaten,

A lazy man is laughed at

Not because they wasted time

But because they only destroy

And do not produce” (A snippet from ‘Song for Awino,’ by the aforementioned Okot p’ Bitek).

I especially appreciate that last stanza…

One of the best ways to get a taste of this "time concept" is in the daily meal schedule at the Wandera home:

11am: Morning tea and some bread (they feed me earlier since I’m used to "breakfast")

1, 2, or 3pm: Lunch

6pm: Evening tea and some more bread

?pm: Dinner. We’ve been averaging 10:30pm although I think even they would prefer to eat earlier. But if the water hasn’t boiled or the chicken isn’t de-feathered (yum), there’s not much you can do.

 (My brother Richard de-feathering)

So far I’ve experienced less “Africa Time” than I’d anticipated. People have generally been pretty respectful of showing up to places on time and getting meals prepared at a reasonable hour. I’m guessing that’s partly come with Uganda’s urbanization and Westernization… but I think some of my classmates have gotten a taste of the “old way” (one friend spent 10 hours in church. 10.). I'm probably still in the calm before the "Africa time" storm- I've still got several months to go in Uganda!

Again, thank you all for your emails and blog comments! I’ve been so glad to hear from each of you and I hope the communication can continue (both ways, of course).

Here are a few personalized notes- I can’t resist. Some of these are directed at certain people (you know who you are) but I figured anyone could benefit…

1)   1) There’s an American student here named “Rhiannon.” Apparently her parents really liked Fleetwood Mac.

2)  2)  There are no Cassowaries here, but plenty of Marabou Storks. They hang out in trash piles and have huge gular sacs that jiggle as they fly. Equally disgusting.

3)   3) I played “The Chariot” for my Ugandan brother Peter and he just laughed at it. So maybe I’ve discovered a human constant across cultures: you either love music with screaming or you hate it.

I love, miss, and pray for you all!

(Onion-cutting)

African Childhood

Chicati (what's up?)! I'll begin with a few quick notes for the busy folks to read. If you've got a lot of time on your hands, you can also read the longer post below... but if you have time for that you should probably find a hobby...

I'm in the second week of classes, and they've been excellent so far. I'm reading some Ugandan poetry (Okot p'Bitek), exploring general principles of religious studies, and talking about the difficulties of developing a genuine African Christianity.

I've been sweating a lot, drinking a lot of instant coffee, and spending a lot of time rubbing dust out of my eyes.

I'll be starting some kind of practicum soon, but the details are sketchy. I'll update you more as I go.

Sounds I've heard lately: my mom makes necklaces for an organization that sells African jewelry in American churches, and so I've been helping to make the beads on a regular basis. I was noticing yesterday that when my conversations with my brothers fade into silence, I can hear the crackling of the paper being rolled punctured by the pressure being released from the bean pot on the stove.

The Long Part:

In almost every psychology class I've taken, the textbooks have begun with the caveat that "most psychology studies have been performed using American or European subjects and thus the results may not be generalizable to all people groups." Being in Uganda I've lately been wondering what aspects of what I've learned are actually common to humanity.

This is Esther, my little sister. She's 8 years old and will likely be returning to boarding school at the end of this month (which is really a shame...). I've worked with a lot of 8 year-olds in my life, but have never met one as obedient and well-mannered who was able to retain a sense of humor and humility about her good behavior as Esther. She really blows me away.

In developmental psychology we talk about different stages through which children commonly progress with regard to their cognitive, moral, and social development. Kids around Esther's age are usually understood as fairly egocentric, mostly following rules so that they can get what they want. Not Esther.

I have also encountered some interesting familial interactions. When Dad returned home from a week of traveling, he made his way into the house and plopped down on the easy chair. Although I don't know much Luganda, I heard him call Esther over and saw him extend his tired legs. I watched with some disgust as Esther pulled his shoes off as he stared emotionlessly at the wall. No thanks were given.

I later expressed my distaste at this interaction (and the general male-dominance I have encountered so far... but more on this later, I'm sure) to my fellow American students. One of the program interns, a Ugandan named Jones (who told me to say hello to MaryBeth and Lisa), noted that he still removes his father's shoes out of respect.

I was caught off-guard with this; Jones is a kind, thoughtful Ugandan with what seems like a good understanding of Western culture. The idea of Jones, a twentysomething, removing his father's shoes struck me as affectionate and respectful rather than submissive. I probed him about the interaction and he told me that many Ugandan parents expect much of their children without expressing outward appreciation (no "thank you" or even a smile). He said they do this because they do not want their children to become proud.

Treading carefully, I told him that this made more sense but still struck me as sad. In America, a kid who has never been told "I love you" or "I'm proud of you" by her or his parents is pitied. Much of my developmental psychology studies in the past 3 semesters have focused on parental attachment (specifically, on warm & expectant parenting) and its importance for children's relationships later in life. And now I come to hear that possibly the majority of Ugandan children do not experience "warmth" in their parental relationships...

There's a lot I don't know. I can't say for sure that these occurrences are entirely cultural (they may mostly be characteristic to the Wandera family), and I can't even begin to hypothesize how the majority of Ugandan children's relationships turn out later in life. But I am beginning to see the cultural limits of my current knowledge, and for that I am thankful.

Bird Calls

Nvudeyo (I'm back)!

I hope you're all doing well in the states. I really appreciate all the emails I've received from friends in the US. Since I won't have 100% access to the internet while I'm here, I hope you won't mind having a few one-sided conversations. Send funny videos, pictures, life updates, prayer requests, ANYTHING to let me know you're alive.

This blog is just a general update, but there will be many more details to unpack very soon. So whet your appetites before the real entrees begin...

We arrived safely last Friday night and after spending 2 nights in the dorms we moved in with our families. I live with the wonderful Wandera family; I have a new Mama, Dad, 3 brothers (2 around my age) and 3 sisters (from 3-16 years old). I've had a really good experience with them so far- they've had quite a bit of interaction with Americans and thus are very accommodating.

Monday-Friday I attend Uganda Christian University, where I'm taking courses on African Literature (Kelly: I have Dr. Patrick Mukakanya- probably the same guy you had), Contemporary Ugandan Religions (fascinating so far), Faith & Action (sort of a "let's process our experience abroad" seminar). I will also be doing some sort of practicum, but I'll get the details later.

In keeping with the theme of my blog, the most prominent sounds I've heard so far have been the birds. Those things are LOUD- and quite varied. There are some tricky ones that sound like monkeys, others that sound like little kids complaining, a few that bleat with pretty cool rhythm, and a few squeaky, shrill ones. Hopefully I can identify them a bit more as the semester goes on...

Just know that for now, I remember I'm in Africa almost every time a bird sings.

I hope I'll be able to fill you in a bit more soon (and post some pictures... cross you fingers about that one). For now: Be well, do good work, and keep in touch.

Kelly & Elise: When we landed they gave us a cookie snack. Its brand? "Nice."