Uganda has a variety of local languages depending on the region. Here in southwestern Uganda the local language is Lunyankole (Runyankore). Luganda is mostly spoken around Kampala, and other languages are spoken in Northern Uganda. English is one of the official languages of Uganda, but is mostly spoken by the well educated and urban Ugandans.
Our first language lessons here have been in speaking English. Our accent is a challenge for Ugandans, and their accent is a challenge for us. We have had to change our vowels and syllabic emphasis to make ourselves better understood. Sometime we catch ourselves speaking Ugandan English even to each other!
Ugandan English is also more British than our Canadian English. So we have learned to say Rubbish instead of Garbage, Trousers, not pants, Torch, not flashlight, and many other new British words. I did not expect to encounter an English language barrier when travelling to Uganda!
We are also learning a few words in Lunyankole. It is coming slowly. It seems there are many regional differences in Lunyankole, so we get different answers from different people!
Language 101
Hello/how are you - Agandi
Fine - Nimarunji (I don't know how to say I'm not fine, so we stick with fine for now)
Good Morning: orire ote
Thank you: Webele (mononga - very much)
These few words have brought many smiles to our new Ugandan friends and giggles from all the children. Somedays I am not sure if they are smiling because we are speaking their language or because of our Canadian accents!
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
My First Class
January 28 was my first attempt to teach Clinical Diagnostics and Ankole Western University. The university campus is currently situated on an old primary school campus. The classrooms have chalkboards and desks, but few other teaching aids. I made some Bristol board diagrams of cow anatomy to bring in for our anatomical systems review, which the students seemed to appreciate. I have 42 students in my class, one of the larger classes at the university - it is going to be a challenge to remember all the student's names.
The students were well-behaved, although half way through my lecture many left. I wondered if I was unintelligible or boring. However they came back 10 minutes later. When I asked if it was usual to take a break, they said no. My lecture slot is a 3 hour lecture on Wednesday mornings. This is a very long time to lecture!! I was hoping for it to be broken into two or three slots. So I was quite tired at the end of the lecture. Some students approached me at suggested that it was difficult to understand my accent, so I will be providing them with notes ahead of time so they can follow and ask questions if they do not understand. I also discovered that students are used to dictation, so they will write notes if I dictate them, but will not write notes off the cuff.
I finished my material earlier than expected, and shared a little bit about Canada and Canadian agriculture. I will try to work in some Canadian trivia each week during the breaks so that the students can stay focused for 3 hours.
I also started our practical lab work this week. We reviewed anatomy on the live animals and discussed landmarks for internal organs and the common names for the external landmarks. The students all wanted to know where to cut for c-sections and where to treat for bloat! I am hoping that my discussion about the need for surgical skills, suturing skills and further veterinary education will discourage them from trying c-sections on graduation, as they are not training as veterinarians, but as vet technicians! On the other hand, I understand the desire to want to help animals in rural areas when no other help is available.
So I have been working diligently over the past few days to set up lecture notes for the 12 weeks of lecture that remain. It takes a lot of preparation to make a course. I am thankful that Dr. Carolyn Langford has lent me her notes from last year. But it is too bad I will not be able to re-use my notes for subsequent classes. At least I can leave them here for future lecturers to use.
The students were well-behaved, although half way through my lecture many left. I wondered if I was unintelligible or boring. However they came back 10 minutes later. When I asked if it was usual to take a break, they said no. My lecture slot is a 3 hour lecture on Wednesday mornings. This is a very long time to lecture!! I was hoping for it to be broken into two or three slots. So I was quite tired at the end of the lecture. Some students approached me at suggested that it was difficult to understand my accent, so I will be providing them with notes ahead of time so they can follow and ask questions if they do not understand. I also discovered that students are used to dictation, so they will write notes if I dictate them, but will not write notes off the cuff.
I finished my material earlier than expected, and shared a little bit about Canada and Canadian agriculture. I will try to work in some Canadian trivia each week during the breaks so that the students can stay focused for 3 hours.
I also started our practical lab work this week. We reviewed anatomy on the live animals and discussed landmarks for internal organs and the common names for the external landmarks. The students all wanted to know where to cut for c-sections and where to treat for bloat! I am hoping that my discussion about the need for surgical skills, suturing skills and further veterinary education will discourage them from trying c-sections on graduation, as they are not training as veterinarians, but as vet technicians! On the other hand, I understand the desire to want to help animals in rural areas when no other help is available.
So I have been working diligently over the past few days to set up lecture notes for the 12 weeks of lecture that remain. It takes a lot of preparation to make a course. I am thankful that Dr. Carolyn Langford has lent me her notes from last year. But it is too bad I will not be able to re-use my notes for subsequent classes. At least I can leave them here for future lecturers to use.
The Food We Eat
One of the many blessings of being under the auspices of the church when traveling are the Sunday dinner invitations. Every church that we have attended to date has ensured that we are well fed and watered during the day. This is greatly appreciated since our Sunday activities last from 9:00 am to 6:00 pm!
In this way, we have been introduced to many excellent Ugandan dishes. Since Uganda is so close to the equator, they have four 'seasons' - two dry and two rainy seasons. (Although we are in the dry season now and still have rain many days). This allows residents in Bushenyi to have up to 3 growing seasons/year and a plethora of fresh fruits and vegetables.
The other benefit to the climate is that most of the food available here is grown locally. T
his results in relatively inexpensive food for Ugandans, as the only costs for locally grown food are the input costs and labour. Since labour costs are relative to the local wages, food is affordable for most people. A pineapple here costs 35 cents, so we've been enjoying them here. Meat can be had for about $1.50/lb, and fresh milk is also widely available (although it is unpasteurized and therefore boiled before being served with tea). Imported items cost significantly more a small box of cereal is $6.
So far, we have been introduced to:
Matooke (small starchy bananas similar to plantains that are served either boiled and mashed like potatoes or fried),
Karo (a doughy starch made from millet flour that we use to pick up broth and other foods on your plate),
Dodo (leafy greens with a similar taste to bitter spinach, served cooked with onions),
Groundnuts (similar to peanuts, but smaller and less oily, usually cooked into a sauce with onions and tomatoes and served on the side or with the meat)
,
And I have yet to distinguish between the yams and sweet potatoes and other root vegetables that are here in abundance.
There are also many other familiar foods - potatoes, cucumbers, cabbage, carrots, green peppers, beans, eggplant, tomatoes, onions, beef, chicken, goat, pineapples, watermelons, mangoes, pasta, bread, rice and local honey. So we have been well fed during our stay so far. Jeff even found Gouda and Cheddar locally produced in Mbarara (a town about an hour away), so he is as happy as a mouse after we visit there!
I am experimenting with food here - I am trying to learn how to make chapattis/tortillas. Lillian (the mother's union worker here) has promised to show me, as all my attempts seem to be hard and crumbly. The most recent experiment was passable, and made for decent fajitas for supper.
In this way, we have been introduced to many excellent Ugandan dishes. Since Uganda is so close to the equator, they have four 'seasons' - two dry and two rainy seasons. (Although we are in the dry season now and still have rain many days). This allows residents in Bushenyi to have up to 3 growing seasons/year and a plethora of fresh fruits and vegetables.
The other benefit to the climate is that most of the food available here is grown locally. T
his results in relatively inexpensive food for Ugandans, as the only costs for locally grown food are the input costs and labour. Since labour costs are relative to the local wages, food is affordable for most people. A pineapple here costs 35 cents, so we've been enjoying them here. Meat can be had for about $1.50/lb, and fresh milk is also widely available (although it is unpasteurized and therefore boiled before being served with tea). Imported items cost significantly more a small box of cereal is $6.So far, we have been introduced to:
Matooke (small starchy bananas similar to plantains that are served either boiled and mashed like potatoes or fried),
Karo (a doughy starch made from millet flour that we use to pick up broth and other foods on your plate),
Dodo (leafy greens with a similar taste to bitter spinach, served cooked with onions),
Groundnuts (similar to peanuts, but smaller and less oily, usually cooked into a sauce with onions and tomatoes and served on the side or with the meat)
,And I have yet to distinguish between the yams and sweet potatoes and other root vegetables that are here in abundance.
There are also many other familiar foods - potatoes, cucumbers, cabbage, carrots, green peppers, beans, eggplant, tomatoes, onions, beef, chicken, goat, pineapples, watermelons, mangoes, pasta, bread, rice and local honey. So we have been well fed during our stay so far. Jeff even found Gouda and Cheddar locally produced in Mbarara (a town about an hour away), so he is as happy as a mouse after we visit there!
I am experimenting with food here - I am trying to learn how to make chapattis/tortillas. Lillian (the mother's union worker here) has promised to show me, as all my attempts seem to be hard and crumbly. The most recent experiment was passable, and made for decent fajitas for supper.
Saturday, January 31, 2009
Contacting Us
Just a note to everyone that we can't seem to get at Michelle's e-mail from here so please send anything for her through my (Jeff's) e-mail for now until we get things straightened out.
... and Disorientation
Written on Jan 22/23
We arrived in Kampala a bit weary and tired from the 2-day journey from Toronto. We were very thankful that we had a day room in London, which gave us a few hours of quiet sleep. (Thanks Clementina!) We were relieved and thankful that all our connections went smoothly and our luggage arrived intact. We were also extremely pleased to find Rev. Dr. Carolyn Langford waiting for us at the airport in Entebbe.
We arrived in the rain and drove from Entebbe to Kampala. Once in Kampala we found ourselves in a small local hotel in the middle of Kampala. It was clean and secure and hospitable, but not quiet! All day and night we could hear the horns, the discos, the Obama inauguration address (repeated several times), crowds, whistles, shouts, and a myriad of other noises. Needless to say, we did not get much sleep!
Carolyn managed to pick up a few African literature books from the book vendors on the street (the books are literally laid out on the sidewalk), so were are looking forward to reading Things Fall Apart and Black Mamba and others in our spare time.
After changing money, crossing the roads (quickly and carefully – pedestrians do not have the right of way), running a few errands during the day, another woman volunteering at AWIST arrived from BC Wednesday evening.
Thursday morning was our departure for Bushenyi, our new home. We were thankful to leave the bustle of Kampala and take a cross country bus trip (5 hours) south-east. The only hitch in the day was that the bus did not actually go to Bushenyi (despite being advertised as such). So after arriving in Kabwohe with Carolyn and Paulette, we were stuffed into a taxi with 3 other people and our luggage precariously tied in the trunk (6 suitcases), praying that the ropes would hold and the microscope lenses would not end up on the road in small pieces. The 20km to Bushenyi were thankfully uneventful, and we arrived safely at the Kitungu Mothers Union Complex, our new home for the next 3 months.
We will write more about the Mothers Union later – they are the Ugandan equivalent of the Anglican Church Women, so needless to say, we are very well looked after here! We are also next door to the Bushenyi Medical clinic. There are some local shops across the street where we can buy bananas, bread, and such. Our new home is a semidetached guest house with a kitchen, several bathrooms, and 2 bedrooms. Every day is a new experience, and we will share more stories (and hopefully pictures) soon.
We arrived in Kampala a bit weary and tired from the 2-day journey from Toronto. We were very thankful that we had a day room in London, which gave us a few hours of quiet sleep. (Thanks Clementina!) We were relieved and thankful that all our connections went smoothly and our luggage arrived intact. We were also extremely pleased to find Rev. Dr. Carolyn Langford waiting for us at the airport in Entebbe.
We arrived in the rain and drove from Entebbe to Kampala. Once in Kampala we found ourselves in a small local hotel in the middle of Kampala. It was clean and secure and hospitable, but not quiet! All day and night we could hear the horns, the discos, the Obama inauguration address (repeated several times), crowds, whistles, shouts, and a myriad of other noises. Needless to say, we did not get much sleep!
Carolyn managed to pick up a few African literature books from the book vendors on the street (the books are literally laid out on the sidewalk), so were are looking forward to reading Things Fall Apart and Black Mamba and others in our spare time.
After changing money, crossing the roads (quickly and carefully – pedestrians do not have the right of way), running a few errands during the day, another woman volunteering at AWIST arrived from BC Wednesday evening.
Thursday morning was our departure for Bushenyi, our new home. We were thankful to leave the bustle of Kampala and take a cross country bus trip (5 hours) south-east. The only hitch in the day was that the bus did not actually go to Bushenyi (despite being advertised as such). So after arriving in Kabwohe with Carolyn and Paulette, we were stuffed into a taxi with 3 other people and our luggage precariously tied in the trunk (6 suitcases), praying that the ropes would hold and the microscope lenses would not end up on the road in small pieces. The 20km to Bushenyi were thankfully uneventful, and we arrived safely at the Kitungu Mothers Union Complex, our new home for the next 3 months.
We will write more about the Mothers Union later – they are the Ugandan equivalent of the Anglican Church Women, so needless to say, we are very well looked after here! We are also next door to the Bushenyi Medical clinic. There are some local shops across the street where we can buy bananas, bread, and such. Our new home is a semidetached guest house with a kitchen, several bathrooms, and 2 bedrooms. Every day is a new experience, and we will share more stories (and hopefully pictures) soon.
Orientation….
Our orientation with the Canadian Forum for Global Missions was very beneficial. One of its main purposes was to make us more aware of other cultures and the assumptions that we make about the world because of our own pre-conceived cultural expectations. In an effort to expose us to different cultures, we visited a Hindu Mandir, A Muslim mosque and the Six Nations reserve near Brantford. The most profound of these visits was to the Six Nations reserve. It is one thing to read about the details of residential schools and land claims issues. It is another to hear the stories of pain and frustration from the people affected by them. It is easier to understand some of these issues in the news when you meet the faces behind the stories.
At the orientation we also spent a fair bit of time discussing world issues. The session that we found the most useful was a movie called “Life and Debt”. This movie illustrated the negative effects of globalization and capitalism on Jamaica’s development. It opened our eyes to some of the bigger issues in our world, but at the same time was a very clear movie to watch. We would highly recommend this video all of you. The stories shared by Jamaicans in the movie make abstract economic terms understandable and personal.
We were sad to leave our 22 new friends, all of whom are travelling to various countries around the world in the next few months (mostly in Africa and Latin America). The wisdom and insights from previous experiences will likely be invaluable in the months to come.
At the orientation we also spent a fair bit of time discussing world issues. The session that we found the most useful was a movie called “Life and Debt”. This movie illustrated the negative effects of globalization and capitalism on Jamaica’s development. It opened our eyes to some of the bigger issues in our world, but at the same time was a very clear movie to watch. We would highly recommend this video all of you. The stories shared by Jamaicans in the movie make abstract economic terms understandable and personal.
We were sad to leave our 22 new friends, all of whom are travelling to various countries around the world in the next few months (mostly in Africa and Latin America). The wisdom and insights from previous experiences will likely be invaluable in the months to come.
Sunday, January 4, 2009
Leaving Home… The Journey Begins…
Last week was a busy week packing for our trip. We were collecting last minute items and organizing our luggage for the last few days. It’s amazing how much there was to do. We were so busy it didn’t really sink in that we were leaving our home for four months. Actually I think it was our cat, Jazz, who first noticed that something significant was happening and that we were both stressed about leaving home. As the week went on she became more anxious and a lot more clingy than normal. More than once she looked up at me and gave a whimper, as if to say, “I don’t want you to go”. I realized that her anxiety was reflecting the anxiety that I was feeling about leaving home. Amidst all the busyness, I needed our cat to tell me how I felt.
The thing that struck me the most was when I woke up yesterday morning. She was in one of her favorite spots in our bedroom window looking out. It was as if she knew that she was going to be leaving home and was saying good bye. It reminded me that I would need some time to do that before we left. We took a few minutes to walk around the neighborhood to say good-bye and to pray for the people around us. Then we took a few moments to say good-bye to our apartment. It was important to mark that time of transition and it made me thankful for the timing of the trip. We weren’t leaving home and going straight to
There were two reassurances yesterday which I am thankful for. The first appeared on our walk around the neighborhood. As we walked by the dam at
Today we began our orientation program with the Canadian Churches' Forum for Global Ministries at the Scarboro Missions Centre. The program lasts until January 15th. It looks like it will be very useful in getting us prepared for working in a new culture. We hope to make a few posts while we are here to let you know what we are learning.
Jeff
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