Well as I promised a week ago, here are some fun tidbits about Uganda:
- 60 degrees F hits here and people walk around in down coats…the kind we wear in the middle of winter. Its amusing walking around knowing that I am in Africa, and yet seeing people wear such things (as I walk around in a t-shirt)…
- When I came back from Rwanda, my host mother and host auntie told me how back in 1994 people around here couldn't/didn't eat fish, because the bodies from the genocide were thrown into water systems and the fish fed on the bodies, so if you didn't want to indirectly eat people you had to cut that out of your diet. Its something I hadn't considered before. Also, I did go to the Hotel des Milles Collienes,the setting for the recent movie "hotel Rwanda"
- One of my favorite thoughts as I walk around Kampala is "what would happen if someone introduced emissions testing in this city, or even country?" Honestly, it would bring the city to its knees. Pollution is not only always on my mind here, its also constantly in my lungs. 75% of the country's waste is biodegradable, yet no one composts (which would help failing soil fertility rates). Everything is burned.
- This may surprise some of you, seeing as how I am always talking about refugees this, and refugees that, but for this past week as well as this week that is just beginning, I have been studying public health. I was thinking AIDS and family planning issues when I signedup for it, but some of the stuff that it entails (i.e. water sanitation issues) just amazes me. The average life expectancy here is 47. Wow. On average a woman has 7 live births (that doesn't include stillborns/miscarriages/ abortions). I wont bore everyone with such things, but write me if you want some more interesting information.
- Last Sunday night I was sitting in my homestay (in the doorjamb to myroom, which is where I hang out most days). The power was off and itwas just me and my host mum in the house and we were listening to a Q and A on the radio about sex and STDs and such. People could call,write, or sms (text message) in and ask questions about AIDS,pregnancy, as well as STIs. I thought it was a good, and I brought it up in one of my public health sessions, and the lecturer mentioned that yea its good, until you don't have enough power for the whole population and not everyone in the country speaks English…so yea.
- Ok, here are some funny animal stories that involve me…both occurred on the same day. The day we arrived at QE national park we were justacross the park border when baboons came running out to greet us. Since there are 16 of us in the group we ride around in 2 vans. One van was tempting the baboons with bananas, so I decided to do the same for my van (I didn't want to miss out on the fun after all). Except I think I got the head male, because the biggest baboon I have ever seen scampered up to the car. I was hanging out of thewindow (of course), and the baboon looked as though he was going to jump into the van onto me, so being crazy Sharon, I threw the banana, screamed, and slammed the window shut all in one swift movement. My van just broke out laughing at me, I turned a beautiful shade of red and opened the window again, but just a crack…Later on, while were haggling our way into the salt mines, I was sitting in the second van when a herd of large horned cows came walking over a hill right next to me. Lets just say I showed my true Midwest colors, and mooed at the cow and he mooed back. This exchange continued for several minutes until the driver(a Ugandan) turned and asked me what we were talking about. I closed my window permanently.
- DDT. The World Health Organization has just approved the massive spraying of DDT throughout Uganda. Unlike in the states it will not be aerially sprayed, but it will be sprayed in homes. The problem with WHO's solution
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