Weather, Food, and Life in Uganda

It has been mostly sunny here, which I’m guessing is a little nicer than it’s been in the great Northwest, but it has been hot. It’s a tropical climate, being just south of the equator, so it’s rained in the morning a few days. The funny thing, though, is that people won’t “move in the rain,” as they call it. They say that because they don’t have rain jackets, they’ll get sick if they are out in the rain too much. Now this is pretty comical for me to think about, coming from the Northwest, where we are out in the rain a lot when it’s 40 degrees and not 75 like it is here.

The food has been okay, but I can already tell it will get repetitive. It’s a very starchy diet: lots of potatoes, matooke (like mashed potatoes, but with bananas), and rice, with a sauce, veggies, avocado, and delicious fruit (the pineapple here is amazing – better than Hawaii). There’s not very much meat or calcium in the diet either. At first I thought, “Oh well,” but I’m sure a nice cheeseburger and milkshake will sound pretty good in a few weeks.

It still doesn’t feel like “home” yet, but as the week’s gone by, I’ve gotten more acclimated to the area. I’m starting to at least feel a little bit more comfortable and relaxed here. And speaking of “relaxed,” the concept of time here is great. Very slow pace of life. I don’t think I’ll have much stress for the next few months : )

As time passes, you get used to walking by cows, goats, donkeys, chickens, and turkeys in the fields and villages. It’s kind of fun to watch them, but then you realize they’re everywhere, and it loses its luster a little bit. The other thing that is fun at first but I can already tell will get old really quick is my celebrity status here. All the children will yell, “Mzungu! Mzungu!” as I walk by (which is the generic name for any white person). And on my walk from town back to my house, I walk by the Masaka prison (which I found out today half the inmates are born-again Christians), and they will all shout “Mzungu” at me too. Basically, most locals will want to talk to me as I walk by them, which only works for so long (not very long).

All in all, it’s been a roller coaster week emotionally. There have definitely been high times when I have felt so confident about being here, but also times of loneliness and feeling out of place. I have to remind myself that I have plenty of time to be here, and I can’t expect everything to fit all at once. The Lord has been so good in allowing this trip to happen, and has provided health and safety so far. I feel so blessed to be here right now. I have already learned so much and I look forward to God continuing to teach me about His love for people everywhere.

Thanks for reading : )