Sam continued to tell me that parents want to have girls in order to grow the family wealth and boys to grow the clan. I then asked what happens if the man’s family does not own cattle. In all seriousness Sam replies, “Then he gets a shitty girl.”
Yesterday was the big day! Jeff Sachs flew into Mbarara along with an entourage of reporters, photographers, donors and cabinet ministers. They were here to celebrate the five year mark of the MVP project here in Ruhiira. Lots of ribbons were cut, tress planted, speeches given and promises made. Sufficed to say, it was an extremely long day but well worth the trip. At about 5p everyone gathered in a field for the speeches and we were invited to sit under the tents with the VIPs. There were dancers and singers, lots of politicos and some of the midwives and community health workers I’ve been working with were present. Hundreds of locals had also come to join in the celebration – although I later learned they were promised a meal if they attended. Some things are just done for show I guess.
My housemate Diana spent weeks preparing for Sachs’ arrival. She is currently working on 4 separate projects but the one that seemed to attract the most attention was a group of local women who were recently trained in jewelry making. The pieces are all fantastic and they are hoping to be funded by a big contributor to the MVP project.
Later my housemate Gaelle and I chilled under the VIP tent sipping room-temp sodas.
The day before Sachs' arrrival my UW crew departed for Kampala but we were able to snag Dr. Ema (the MVP health coordinator) for a quick conversation about our ultrasound deployment and a photo op. Dr. Ema is the nicest, most genuine person I've met here in Mbarara. I'm glad he accepted his recent promotion to the health coordinator post.
Later that day, after Wayne and Alexis left for Kampala a couple housemates and I had lunch at the High Way, a local restaurant owned by Moses' mother. The most popular dish consists of matoke, posho, goat, peppers, chapatti and rice. It is delicious! And for 5,000 shillings ($2.50) you can't go wrong.
Luckily the walk back to the office helps burn off all of these carbs.
Here's our lovely interns' house. The water tank was a recent addition. I guess the previous one was much smaller and with 8 people trying to shower at the end of the day - the warm water did not last long.
The other day I had asked Henry if there were any bats in the area. He said that they were migratory and usually came between August and September. Well - this year they came early. I watched from our backyard as hundreds flew around in circles until they finally landed in a couple of trees next door from our place. I was so excited!
I tried to get a closer shot but they kept to the higher branches.
Saturday night we headed out to Heat, a very popular club here in Mbarara. It's an open space filled with tables and chairs, 3 bars, pool tables and darts and lots of people. The dance floor ends up being wherever you are - you just get up from where you are seated and start dancing. The music was a mix between American and Ugandan hip-hop. Here's Molly and Sam.
Since local liquor is so cheap, when you order a beverage - you get the bottle.
Even though I've been warned against it, I've now ridden a boda boda three times. The first was with Henry on the way home from dinner. I sat wedged between him and the driver. Not feeling super comfortable with hanging onto the driver I grabbed Henry's thighs and dug in with my nails every time we hit a bump or took a corner. The second time was after Heat. Gaelle and I left earlier than the rest of our group and got a ride from this gentleman. It wasn't until now - looking at this picture that I realize the driver is also looking at the camera. Hmmm...
The third (and I promise the last) time was after Molly and I did our Sunday shopping at the market. We brought home bags and bags of fruit, vegetables, dry goods and water. We each hopped on a boda boda and for 1,000s (.40cts) got to skip the long uphill walk home.
One of my favorite memories of this trip thus far was walking into our kitchen to find Henry making pancakes for breakfast. P.a.n.c.a.k.e.s. I immediately offered to help to ensure I too would get to eat some. Henry mixed while I fried and flipped.
With a little jam and nutella - we were all thoroughly stuffed and happy.
There are several different places to buy food here. But for fresh fruit and vegetables the open air market is the best. Although you have to negotiate with the vendors in order to avoid the muzungu prices.
Henry took us on a longer-than-anticipated trek to a different market that sold pork. Walking through the different stalls it became obvious that few muzungus traveled here.
I haven't had the fish here yet, but it makes for very popular Ugandan dishes.
As I enter my last week here in Uganda I hope to be in the field at least two more times for one-on-one interviews. Unfortunately I had to begin a third round of cipro so being in the villages all day has not been the best for my stomach. Thursday I will pick up the two ultrasound systems we deployed in Ruhiira and Kabuyanda and copy over the data before leaving for Amsterdam next Monday.
I am tentatively traveling to Lake Bunyonyi for my last weekend here in Mbarara. Per Henry, it is one of the most beautiful places in Uganda.
