A Day as a Tugende Credit Officer

Sunday: 29 July 2018. 15:30

Sammi, Huda, Joe and I are on our way back from our stunning trip to Sipi Falls in East Uganda and stop for “lunch” in Jinja (lunch can happen anytime between 12-4:30pm depending on how long we’re in the field). I call Bashir and tell him we’re in town and would love to meet up, but it starts pouring rain and of course you don’t boda in the rain. We eat matooke, posho, rice, pumpkin, avocado, and chicken while we wait for the rain to relax. It takes awhile, but the storm passes and Bashir shows up, a little wet. He gives Joe and I a big hug and strikes up a lively conversation with Huda and Sammi about their research with All Across Africa.

The conversation turns to our work with Tugende, and Joe and I tell him about our plans to survey 300 completed clients and shadow a credit officer in Kampala. Now, Joe likes to take credit for a lot of things, like bringing up the idea of shadowing Bashir in Jinja (he’s a credit officer), but Bashir and I had already joked about staying the night in Jinja and shadowing him earlier this week, so it wasn’t Joe’s great idea this time haha. I also remember trying to convince Joe that we should stay in Jinja for the night, and he finally calls John Henry and gets an OK. Bashir takes Huda and Sammi to the bus stop and helps them get on a bus back to Kampala. In the meantime, Joe and I draft an email to Isma, the branch coordinator at Jinja telling him about our plan to shadow Credit in Jinja. Apparently, it would breach Tugende’s protocol if we showed up at the office Monday morning with Bashir, without the branch manager knowing our plans. He would probably feel betrayed oops. That would not be good.

After dealing with bedbugs and no water at the hostel, we get supper at the Rolex Joint with Bashir.  Afterwards, he gives us a ride back to the hostel so we can rest because we woke up at 5:30am to see the sunrise at Sipi (separate blogpost warranted).

Monday: 30 July 2018

8:00 – Joe and I check out of the hostel and search for a hearty breakfast. We know that fieldwork means late lunch (like 4pm), so it’s important that we eat. We walk all the way down Main Street to the Deli Shop, and we both get chicken wraps that taste like California. As we waited, we called Bashir and Isma to confirm we have the green light for shadowing. We also call Peace and Edgar so they know what they need to do.

9:20 – We finally get our chicken wraps (I don’t understand why food takes FOREVER to come) and a call from Isma. He gives us permission to shadow Bashir and Liz, and we boda to the office. We figure out rides, print out surveys, and get ready for a long day in the field.

9:55 – We boda down the street to vet the first client of the day. He is a repeated client who finished his first Tugende lease last week in 10 months (usually it takes 20). Liz gets signatures from two stage members while Bashir looks up the GPS coordinates for the stage. All stage and home coordinates of potential Tugende clients are recorded. So I wasn’t crazy when I asked for a heat map of completed Tugende clients; Tugende has the necessary data and just needs to put it in the right to make data collection in the future easier.

After vetting at the stage, we ride to the client’s home to get signatures and information from the guarantors. Each Tugende client needs two guarantors who promise to pay the debt in case the client defaults. This client’s wife is one of his guarantors, and she owns a retail shop and chips business that he invested in with the extra money he keeps after owning his motorcycle. These are the social impacts that Tugende wants to record, and Bashir helps us do a survey with him after vetting.

Happy Couple

11:15 – The second potential client is much further away, and we ride down Kamuli Road for a long time before reaching his stage. But when we reach his stage, he isn’t there and his phone is off. Bash and Liz called all clients in the morning before leaving the office, but situations like this happen about twice a week. It’s not worth waiting around for him, so we keep moving.

11:35 – We reach the third stage, and this potential client is the stage secretary. Since he is in a position of power at the stage, credit officers don’t spend as much time at the stage vetting. They know that this driver belongs to the stage and has connections with the other members, so it’s not necessary to do as much analysis on the client at the stage. If the client disappears with the motorcycle, they have leads to track him down.

11:50 – We boda to his home nearby. The wife is his second guarantor, and she’s a farmer who grows maize and coffee. The credit officers consider if the guarantors have the capacity to pay if the client disappears. Bashir gives a long speech/lecture about payment and the role of the guarantor (I don’t actually know what he said, but that’s what I think he was saying in Luganda) and asks the wife about the farm, how much she makes, and how she would pay if anything happens. She says she has cows, pigs, and goats that she can sell to pay because Tugende doesn’t take collateral. But that seems good enough. Liz fills out paperwork and gets signatures, and we move on.

12:20 – In Buzaaya vetting another repeat client. It starts to rain, and Liz fills out paperwork while Bashir waits with other stage members. This would be prime time to talk to completed Tugende clients at the stage and collect impact data. I bring up this idea with Bashir, but nothing is as easy as it seems. While Bashir vets the clients, he has no idea which other boda bodas work with Tugende. He recognizes one client that he vetted last year, but of the twenty Tugende clients at the stage, he knows none. It starts to pour, and we wait for the rain to stop.

12:55 – We venture out on the road, only to be caught in the next downpour (or maybe we were moving faster than the clouds and caught up to the storm). We pull over and wait for the rain to pass. It’s crazy that the weather affects the day-to-day business of Tugende; I can’t imagine being at the mercies of nature for my livelihood, but I guess that is where faith comes in? So we sit and wait and wait and wait and wait…

Wet

14:15 – After a half hour boda ride in the rain, we reach the next client’s house. The red, silt road turns into slippery mud so we can’t ride too fast. It’s hard to imagine that it was hot and humid just a few hours ago. No wonder the officers wear gumboots, rain jacket, and snow pants (they’re not really snow pants but I don’t know how else to describe them) even in the hot sun, because you never know what the temperamental weather will do. Credit officers really have it rough, and it’s such an important job for Tugende. Without them, Tugende’s repayment rate would not be as high as it is and Collections will probably be impounding many, many more bikes. The officers must love riding motorcycles or their job will drive them crazy!

15:00 – We come to the last client’s stage. The sun comes out and everyone smiles. The sunshine makes the colours of Uganda more vibrant, and I can’t help but take pictures while riding at 70 kmph on the back of the boda. This client applied once before but was rejected because he was new at the stage and members didn’t know him. After six months, he’s back (and paid a second vetting fee of 95,000 Shillings) and is getting vetted again. I hope he receives a bike!

Here Comes the Sun

15:30 – We go to the home of the last client. His guarantor is there and he receives the same lecture from Bashir. The children at the village watch us from behind the tree; they’re so cute when they smile. Joe tells me not to take so many pictures, but I don’t like it when he tells me what to do, but that’s just my pride getting in the way. It’s fine; he’s not an artist and doesn’t understand visual/aesthetic documentation.

Vetting the Guarantor

16:00 – Bashir takes me and Joe back to the office. Liz and our driver, Brian (a collections officer) go to a client's father's funeral. I think this is why the Jinja branch is doing so well. It is a relatively small branch and empathy and humanity are still an integral part of its work ethic. This is what Tugende needs to retain in order to remain successful: It needs to continuously care for its customers, thank them for timely payments, even play a few friendly football (soccer) matches with the boda boda drivers.

16:30 – We stop at a local place for lunch. It’s been a long day and Bashir’s day is finished, but he insists on helping us get more surveys.

17:10 – We cross the Nile to talk to Tugende clients at the stages. Everyone loves Bashir because he’s awesome. In an hour, he helps us get seven surveys, and we end the day with eleven. Only 7 more until we reach 300!

18:45 – Joe and I board a taxi headed back to Kampala. I said my first meaningful goodbye here in Uganda, and there are so many more to come… I don’t know when we’ll meet again, but you are such a thoughtful, loving, and endearing person, Bashir. Thank you for all that you’ve taught me in our brief time together.

It’s now August! I’ll be home soon. But hopefully I’ll post about our weekend before I go. Sipi looks like this:

Jinja!

This has been an amazing week in Uganda so far, both for research and touristy things. I can’t believe I’ve been here for more than a month and I’ll be home in less than two weeks! Time flies.

We got to learn how to ride a motorcycle in Jinja, and it’s super fun! It’s like driving a manual car, except the clutch is in your left hand and the gears are on the left foot. The right hand is the accelerator and front brake, and the right foot controls the back brake. After settling in at the hotel, getting lunch, and walking through our plan for the rest of the week, Brian and Bashir took us to a nearby park to practice. They’re both so patient, and we not only rode on the common “kikumi” (BM 100) but also Bashir’s powerful 150.

Future Boda Boda Driver

In addition to learning to ride, we received amazing support from the Jinja staff. Karim developed a game plan for us, took us really far out in the field, and helped us hire personal boda bodas for the entire day! And then Bashir accompanied us on Thursday and Friday, and he’s so thoughtful and kind! He asks the drivers what kind of soda they want (usually we just buy an assortment and it’s first come first serve) and lets us keep our helmets on his bike. He was my boda boda and we went 100 kmph on the way back to the branch :P He also found us a cheaper place to live, hosted us at his place to watch movies, and took us to delicious food places like the Rolex Joint. It’s no surprised that he’s the best Credit Officer in all of Tugende!

Fieldwork

Surveys

But I think something more inspirational about Bashir is that he describes himself as a lost ship. He graduated from Makerere University 1.5 years ago with a degree in Industrial Art. Tugende is his first job out of university and he’s only here so he can get enough capital to start his own studio for wood printing (or something really cool like that). While Tugende is just a stepping-stone to his dream, Bashir has vetted over 452 boda boda drivers who are now on the road to owning their own motorcycle. And he has helped two adventurous mzungus learn how to ride a motorcycle and has taken amazing care of us summer fellows. When I grow up, I want to have as much positive impact as Bashir, even in the transition stages of life.

Bashir!

It was also really fun traveling with Edgar and Peace! I definitely got to know both of them a lot better, and I’m so going to miss them when we leave! Peace is such a fashion diva; she approved my outfit every morning and wouldn’t let me leave our room one morning because she said my hair looked messy haha. She’s such a sweet, smart, and sassy girl it’s great. Edgar is an interesting character (difficult to describe…). Really intelligent, compassionate, quiet and talkative at the same time... It’s been great having many deep conversations with him about different aspects of life and it always makes me think and pray! Both are such amazing siblings in Christ, and I’m so thankful that we get to pray as a team and encourage one another through the long and dusty days in the field.

Team - Peace

We finished collecting data around 1pm on Friday after getting 110+ clients and 8 non-clients. After eating at the Rolex Joint again, the four of us headed over to the Agricultural Trade Show in town. Joe says it’s a lot like a state fair, where different organizations showcase their crops, livestock, and agriculture technology. There were really cute guinea pigs! And lots of giant vegetables and farm animals.

After the Trade Show, Peace wanted to get her hair done at the saloon because it was dirty from all the dust. Apparently, if you wash African hair and don’t blow dry it, the hair shrinks and becomes very dense. She also braids her hair every night to keep it from shrinking and puts this Vaseline-like product in it every morning so she can brush her hair without it hurting. She also said all the straight and long hair are “pieces” (wigs), and she came in with one this morning! I learned so much about African hair this week haha. But anyway, all this to say that while Peace got her hair washed at the salon, Joe, Edgar, and I walked to the waters, and a sailor offered to take us on a boat ride to the source of the Nile, where Lake Victoria ends and the Nile River starts. It was very peaceful and I’m really glad we did it!

Nile River

So the three of us were on the way back when we got a call from Peace saying that she was done with her hair. We told her to meet at the shore, but when we got there, we couldn’t find her. We thought she had gone back to the hotel or something, and her phone was busy (we later learned she was on the phone with someone and not just mad at us and ignoring our calls). It was still a pretty scary moment because she was in a town she didn’t know and it was getting really dark (there aren’t really street lights). Thankfully, she was safe by the shore and everything turned out alright.

On Saturday, Joe, Madison, Bella, and I went whitewater rafting on the Nile River! It was SO FUN and it’s something my brother would absolutely love to do. But the sad thing is, the Ugandan government is building a dam on the Nile River to generate electricity for the country, so half of the rapids are starting to disappear. Our raft guide, Grace, told us the water level was already much higher than usual, which was probably why we didn’t flip over until the very last rapid (which I think she flipped us on purpose haha). Grace also let us swim in the Nile River, and that was surreal. I still can’t believe I was in the world’s longest river, drifting downriver as the clouds floated across the sky. It’s such a different feeling from boda-ing down the red dusty roads (it’s beautiful! But dusty), and I’m thankful for the gamut of experiences I have had here in Uganda.

"Hold on!"

And here's sunset over the Nile River. Goodnight, and thanks for reading!

Back to School

I got lost on a boda again this weekend. My sense of direction is awful and I trust boda drivers a lot, but it’s probably much more of the former than the latter. Nevertheless, here are snippets of this past weekend!

On Saturday, Kristi and I visited Edgar’s sister, Jane. She goes to Namugongo Girl’s Primary School and it was visitation day for the boarding school, which means the family gets to visit the child all day (but the students can’t leave the campus). We also met Edgar’s mom, and she brought us mangos, oranges, and cookies from Soroti, the village she lives in 6 hrs away (~300km). It’s crazy that parents send their children so far away for education at such a young age and only see them once a term [semester]. I can’t imagine seeing my child for less than a week in a school year. I mean, teachers are really important, but I guess I would want to be more involved in my own children’s lives? But then again I was homeschooled and I guess there are tradeoffs with each different education system. But Edgar’s mom is really cool! She’s the director of a private international school in Soroti and is also still studying, on top of baking some addicting cookies. Their family is just super studious and accomplished, but also so kind and gentle.

Visitation Day!

Jane is so cute! And she guessed that my favourite subject is math! When I asked her how she knew, she said I sounded like a math teacher haha. Who knew so much truth can come from the mouth of a child? I always say this, but in our short 90 minute interaction, I was reminded of how much I miss working with kids. They’re so trusting and innocent and unpretentious… Why can’t everyone be like that? Jane showed us her dormitory (there are five triple bunks in one room), and gave us a short tour of her campus. They wear the green uniforms during the week, keep their hair short, and have mass/church three times a week (it’s a Catholic school I think). Here are pics:

Bunkbeds

Laundry

Time to Shower 

2 Cute

I went souvenir shopping at the Craft Market this weekend! If you want something from Uganda, speak now or forever hold your peace. Here are some things to choose from. If you want a boring t-shirt, let me know.

What Do You Want?

I also met Peace’s mom this weekend! She runs a tailor shop, and she’s going to make some clothes for me. Since everyone else was tired, I got to go downtown by myself, and it wasn’t as scary the second time. We picked out the cloth at another shop and of course the indecisive me took awhile choosing a pattern that would be appropriate to wear in the US. If there were twenty shelves like this, how long would you take to choose a pattern?

Help Please 

After visiting her shop and getting measured, I meandered back to Bushpig by myself and that kind of cleared my mind. I guess I also miss being alone and exploring places by myself, soaking in the environment around me without commentary or conversation, being present to the people around me, not pushed or pulled in any particular direction. It’s a crazy life here, and one doesn’t get a lot of time to process everything on top of listening to the experiences of others. That’s why I find myself blogging past midnight.

We’re going to Jinja tomorrow to collect data for the rest of the week! Will update you when I get back. Thanks for reading, and goodnight.

Lessons from Boda Drivers

I’m learning so much here, and it’s hard to keep track of all the little lessons that have crossed my path. But I might as well talk about what boda boda drivers taught me, since I interact with them every day. They reveal my heart.

  

We often use an app called SafeBoda to find drivers to take us places. We input our location and destination and the app calculates the approximate price (it’s based on distance and time). Right now, there’s a promotion where the customer (me) pays half the normal price and SafeBoda pays the rest, all in an effort to broaden its customer base. When a driver  accepts your request, he usually calls to confirm your location to pick you up. There’s an option to cancel a request even after a driver accepts, and there’s also a pairing option. The pairing option allows you to pair with a driver you see on the road: you enter the relevant information, along with his helmet number. Sometimes the drivers take forever to come (OK, not forever, but a LONG time [like 5 min]). Because I’m impatient and think that my time is super valuable, I tend to cancel requests and stop SafeBodas on the road to pair. I’ve also been tempted to hop on a random boda boda (which doesn’t have a helmet for the clients), because I really don’t like being late. I also don’t like waiting for other people.

On Friday, Joe was calling a SafeBoda to take Keith back to Bushpig so he could get to the airport, and the SafeBoda was either lost or stuck in traffic. I could tell that Keith was getting anxious about getting to the airport on time, but the SafeBoda wasn’t coming, so I waved at the next SafeBoda that rode down the street. Three seconds later, the right SafeBoda showed up. Awkward. Now we had to talk the driver we hailed down and explain that we didn’t need him anymore. Thankfully, he was on his way to another requested ride, so we just had to direct him to the next street over. Problem solved?

This short interaction made me realize that I treat boda drivers as commodities. There are so many of them, each a unique person, but to me, they’re all the same – a fast(er) way to reach my destination. They’re merely tools that make my life easy, and one is no different from the other. That’s so scary, given that I’ve talked to so many individual drivers, heard their stories, and gotten to know them as fellow humans. They’re just like me, with families they love and dreams for their future. Yet somehow I treat them as less than me, people whose time doesn’t matter because I idolize my own time. I guess time passes slower… Keith described it as living in fourth gear (speed in the West), but suddenly shifting back down to first (speed here). Of course, it’s not possible to constantly switch back and forth, but I’m having trouble shifting down at all.

Another lesson is about loyalty. We give boda drivers a soda after each survey, thanking them for taking their time to answer our questions. While most of them happily take the soda, many have refused; Tugende teaches its drivers personal protection, instructing them to never eat/drink anything strangers and customers give them. It’s so inspiring to see so many drivers actually follow through, even after we flash our Tugende IDs. And me? I’m pretty naughty and rebellious. Just today, I walked through downtown (that really busy kinda dangerous area. See "Are You a Keeper?" for full description) by myself (everyone else was tired and went back to Bushpig) to visit Peace’s mom’s shop. I’ve realized that I break a lot of rules for convenience’s sake, and that’s not good. But when I make a promise and other people bail, there’s not much I can do because I need to keep my word.

This ties into the tension between committing to people vs. tasks, which directly contradicts with my personality. I’m getting better, but I’m still very willing to step on people and hurt feelings in order to get things done. It’s especially difficult when people are late and make you wait. If you had only told me, I would’ve been able to change my schedule around and accomplished some tasks in the time I was waiting. But you never really know, and it has been extremely hard.

 I feel like I've just been writing about the same thing over and over again, but I guess I just haven't gotten over this whole time-management thing here. God has been using this to  reveal where my heart is and what I value. Random side note: I was in Melbourne, Australia exactly a year ago! Time flies. If you're interested in last year's adventure, it's here. Have a great weekend! 

Put Into Perspective

Keith (the director of GSBF) was in Kampala this week! We chatted for two hours about all our problems, and he responded with lots of anecdotes and stories about past fellows and their experiences. He encouraged us in our work, affirmed that we’re doing ok, and challenged us to keep the big picture in mind. We’re ultimately undergraduate doing some crazy research that grad students would never do because they are too cynical and theoretical (or are just wiser and foresee all these problems we didn’t). He also reminded us that this is only seven weeks of a nine-month fellowship. Yes we’re running around trying to collect as much data as possible, but we shouldn’t forget to look at the bigger picture of social impact, and start thinking about how Uganda (specifically, Tugende), will be more prepared to demonstrate its social impact in the future.

Safe and Hygenic!

Edgar got sick this week, and that wasn’t good because we really need him on our team! It reminded us to take care of ourselves, not just run around for 8 hours on Clif bars and sodas (and no water). He's fine now and we surveyed lots of drivers yesterday and today.  Keith pointed out that this research is very much a collaborative process: Joe and I wouldn’t be able to do anything without Peace and Edgar, and they wouldn’t be able to conduct this project without us. But it’s definitely interesting to be part of something new that has never been done before! I mean, in our literature analysis, we didn’t fine any reports analyzing how asset-based micro-finance helps people post-loan. That probably didn’t make sense. But anyway. Here’s a map we made Tuesday afternoon to help us figure out where all the subcounties are. I’m pretty proud of the colour coding and alphabetized list haha.

Too Small to Read

Peace, Joe, and I worked together as one team to talk to drivers. We wanted to hit as many drivers as possible so we met early, only to wait under an awning for 30 minutes while we waited for the thunderstorm to pass. Boda boda drivers disappear when it starts to rain, so we just sat and watched water pour from the sky. When the storm passed, we continued walking to the stages. The drivers are always really nice to us (because we look different? haha), and they’re even happier when they see us with sodas. The first few drivers offered to take us to nearby stages with completed Tugende clients and waited in the shower while we interviewed the others. Of course we had to pay, but it’s fine. We can afford a couple thousand shillings.

After lunch, the three of us headed to Central Kampala for more drivers. The first driver we talked to was the stage leader and he kept bringing more and more Tugende clients to us. During down time, we chatted with him and he was really funny and friendly! He asked about Trump, what village I’m from, and if Joe and I were from the same tribe. He didn’t believe that I was American (but nobody does) and single. I don’t think I’ve laughed this much between M-F 8:30am - 5:30pm here in Africa. By the end of the day, we had 25 interviews (a pretty good number!), and it was hard to believe that we had started out the day in the rain. God is good <3 And here are some pictures of these interviews. I really should be hired as a photographer.

Attentive Listener

It's Cold and Rainy (and that's my jacket)

"Olinayo...?" ("Do you have...?")

We had an amazing week of data collection. We now have almost 150 surveys from Tugende clients! It's crazy to see how faithful God is when we give up our day to Him :) We're travelling to Jinja next week to talk to Tugende clients there for a fuller picture of Tugende's impact.

Our week ended with a farewell party for the head of the Business Intelligence team, Lucy. She’s an expat from London who has worked for Tugende for three years, and it’s now time for her to move on. It’s difficult to imagine what life will be like in three years… My one-on-one with Keith focused a lot on vocational discernment, and trying to figure out where in the world I want to be. The long walks between stages with Edgar also elicit many conversations about plans for the future. He tells me all about the many plans he has: work for a Big Four in London, get two PhD’s, own a farm in Sororti… And when he asks me what my plans are, I am lost for words. Peet’s? Math tutor? I spent four years in high school trying to get into a good college, and I’m about to spend four more years in college trying to… [fill in the blank]. Find myself? Have fun? Learn? Experience life? Find my calling.

But I get so caught up in the day-to-day activities that I forget to pause and breathe in the beauty that surrounds me. I’ve been quite cynical and annoyed by many things here in Uganda, but I’ve failed to consciously appreciate the things I know I’ll miss here when I go home. Boda boda rides (without helmets!), the freedom to pray before and during work, the children that smile and wave at me, Hillsong music that plays in the malls (not just on Sundays), the warmth of the Ugandan people… But I guess I just have an irrational fear of making decisions, knowing that I can plan as much as I want only to have God say, “Nope! That’s not what I have planned for you.”

I don’t know. This post wasn’t supposed to end this way. But when everything is put into perspective, all that really matters is that we keep our eyes on Jesus, love God, and love the people He has put in our lives.

Are You a Keeper?

It’s the end of an interesting weekend... I definitely had many lessons on patience, among other things.  We (Joe, Kristi, Efren, and I) planned to go to Mabira Rainforest for a hike, and also invited Edgar and Lydia (she works with Kristi and Efren). Our driver told us he would pick us up at 8:30am, but he didn’t show up until 9:15am. We also had to pick up Lydia, but traffic was awful and communication isn’t very good here, so we didn’t get her until 10:45am (don’t ask me what happened during that time). There was more traffic on the way there, and we finally arrived at 1:30pm. I definitely need to be more patient! But also I think time is super valuable, especially considering that I’m only here for 48 short days.

But Mabira Rainforest was worth the wait! We went on a guided nature hike, and it’s a super different atmosphere from the daily Kampala scene Joe and I call our “field.” The rainforest was soothing, rejuvenating, refreshing,.. It’s nice to get away from the smog, motorcycles, and crowds of people and be in a place where the air is fragrant and you can hear birds and insects, walk around in the shade and see monkeys leaping from tree to tree. We stopped at a resting place where a tree had fallen, and we climbed on the trunk and branches. It reminded me a lot of climbing on rocks at the beach (and something my brother would love to do!).

Team Tugende

 Limbo

After our 3 hr hike, we drove to Jinja to eat dinner. We ate at a deli/sandwich shop very much built for mzungus (foreigners), but it tasted just like California :) Jinja is a very nice city, much more organized, quiet, and cleaner than Kampala. As we watched the sunset, Joe and I theorized how our experience would be different if we had been stationed at Jinja instead. It would be a more relaxing experience, but we definitely wouldn’t be learning as much.

I Miss Vegetables

GSBFellows

The drive from Jinja to Kampala usually takes 1.5 hrs somehow took 3.5… I do not understand where everyone is going at 10pm, and Joe and I were looking up SafeBoda (an app like Uber) to look at boda options. At this point, I really don’t mind riding on bodas without a helmet or doubling up. I just need to get places FAST.

Kristi and I visited Edgar’s church this morning! The funny thing was that I might’ve woken him up with my call when we arrived to the area (Ugandans don’t keep time very well if you haven’t noticed). We waited 15ish minutes for him to come only to find out that the church was meeting at the top floor of the shopping mall we were standing next to the whole time haha. It was really good! At one point in the service, the pastor started singing and dancing and the entire congregation followed. What a beautiful way to worship <3

The sermon was a great reminder of God’s love and forgiveness. The pastor spoke thoughtfully, and the pauses that are absent in sermons back home really helped me process what God was speaking to me through him. There were lots of things that were new and made me think a lot.

While God commanded Adam to till the ground (which Cain did), Abel was a keeper of sheep (Keeper = one who cares for something/someone). Abel didn’t raise the animals for meat or profit, but looked after them simply because he was endeared to them. So for Abel to sacrifice something that he had cared for and loved… His sacrifice was a part of him, not apart from him. Because of that, God was pleased and accepted not only Abel’s sacrifice but also Abel himself (Genesis 4:4). This tied into the sacrifice that Jesus gave on the cross, and when God sees me, He sees the blood of Jesus in my place. And people love and accept me only because God first loved and accepted me.  

After church, Kristi told Edgar she wanted to shop for cheap clothes, so we went to a second hand clothes shop, where we met up with Joe and Efren. We wanted to be tourists in Kampala, but there are a couple problems: 1) Most nice buildings are surrounded by high fences, so it’s very difficult to see things just walking on the street. It also makes the nice parts of town feel closed off and unfriendly. 2) We’re foreigners! That makes us targets for thieves and hostile Ugandans. Edgar insisted on carrying my bag when we walked through downtown Kampala. He told us that all the street vendors are drug lords and gang members pretending to be normal people, but at night they do bad things. And the police can’t do anything about it, because there’s just too many of them. They also hang out in the sewage trench, so if they grab your stuff and jump in the trench, you’re never going to get it back. He said most Ugandans avoid downtown, and I think he was definitely the most nervous out of all of us because he knew how dangerous the area is. But downtown was so busy, so how can most Ugandans avoid it? I also wasn’t allowed to take pictures because apparently people would just take my phone, but here’s one Joe managed to sneak in.

"Put away your phone!"

Contrast this with the neighborhood Joe and I walked through after lunch. It’s called Nakasero, and it’s so peaceful and quiet, almost like a suburb in Los Altos Hills or something (btw Kampala has a lot of hills and is quite confusing to navigate). This is where all the rich people stay, and Joe and I visited the fancy Pearl of Africa hotel at the top of the hill. It’s comparable to Versace in Gold Coast, Australia. Just look at the swimming pool! It's crazy that chaos and tranquility exist so close to each other, yet so far apart. The difference in standard of living... I don't know what to think. 

Fancy

I guess something else that bothers me is all the things I’m not allowed to do here. To be honest, I’ve walked down bustling alleys with lots of street food and street vendors, jay-walked across streets with lots of motorcycles, and explored new neighborhoods by myself, getting lost and finding my way again. It’s frustrating that the environment is almost the same as Taipei, yet I can’t just buy sugar cane off the street and eat, or cross the street without Edgar’s permission, or walk around alone. I know I look different and I’m a girl, but that doesn’t mean I’m less strong or less brave or less capable (maybe I am but you get the point)… But this is ironic because at home, I dislike people knowing me for only my abilities, and here I’m complaining about people underestimating my abilities. I can climb trees, walk without getting knocked by motorcycles, turn down boda drivers that want to give me rides… But no, I need to be thankful for the keepers in my life, who care enough about me to tell me not to eat street food, to let me walk on the inside of the sidewalk, and to pray that I’m healthy and safe in this country.

I thank God for all the keepers in my life, including you :) 

Challenges

This was our first week interviewing clients of Tugende, and it was harder than I expected (and I have very low expectations). From what I’ve heard about GSBF-conducted interviews, fellows are transported by the enterprise to the place where the interviewee works/resides, and the fellows conduct the interviews as needed. We are given an unsorted list of 2300+ clients that we can talk to, and told to “figure it out.” We find our own rides to various parts of Kampala, but even then, boda boda drivers are always giving people rides (it's their job!) and may not be at their stages when we arrive. We’ve also tried calling them and having them come to a restaurant/bar to meet us, but that just puts up more inconveniences and a low percentage of drivers show up. All in all to say it’s been rough. I’m not complaining, but I guess it’s the first time I’ve felt helpless. There’s really nothing we can do to meet more clients except pray. Yeah, I guess it takes being in Uganda to be reminded of that.

Another frustrating thing is that drivers will say they’re coming in 30 minutes and show up four hours later after two reminder phone calls. It’s difficult to systematize a process that arose from chaos. I also realized that Joe and I are patient in different ways: I’m more patient with people and he is more patient with tasks, so we deal with the aspects that we’re more patient with. I am assigned to work through all the people problems. Strategy? PRAY, ask questions, pray more, LISTEN (not just pretend to), and don’t talk too much.

Although the process is tedious and draining, we’ve interviewed a number of completed Tugende clients and gotten a few driver profiles. One survey really struck me. The driver pulled out his ID and he’s born in the same year as me. He has been a driver for six years, which means he started when he was sixteen years old. I don’t even know what I was doing at sixteen. And he works six days a week. How do people keep doing the same thing day in and day out, and earn in a day as much (little?) as I would in an hour as a barista? No wonder one of the drivers complained to us for an hour about his experience with Tugende. People here work so hard, but their lives are so much slower. I don’t really understand it at all.

There’s also a giant cultural difference in spending/saving money – the discrepancy is insane! On Wednesday, Edgar came over to our hostel for dinner so we could work more on our project together. I don’t know what went through his head when he saw the prices. Dinner at Bushpig costs $5-8 USD, but with that same amount of money you can buy 14 meals elsewhere. We don’t spend that much, Edgar. Joe and I are pretty frugal, actually. But to you who skips lunch to save $1.50 USD,… I don’t know what to say. I’ll admit, I’ve been more willing to buy passion fruit juice to get vitamin C and take bodas so I can get to places faster. But I’m thankful that I don’t need to worry about every penny I spend and can prioritize my health and time above my (lack of) resources.

We also had confusion over finances between Tugende and Miller Center and local fellows and GSBFellows, but I don’t think I can say much more than that. It’s just been annoying dealing with procedures that don’t make sense and feeling helpless (again) about situations because of company rules. I’m reminded of the difference between the Law and God’s grace. Rules point out our shortcomings, but it is grace that offers the solution. Grace is an extension of God’s love, and I’m wondering how that would play into situations like these. Clearly, the rules need to be followed. But Jesus, what would you do?

All the other fellows also left! It’s just Joe and I in Kampala for a week. We’ve gotten along so far. Thank God we have no conflicts, because I don’t think we would be able to handle partner problems on top of all the other issues we’ve had to deal with this week. We just talk a lot, more than I’m used to haha.

There’s so much more to talk about but I’m really tired. It’s been a long and challenging week, but I'm learning a lot. Thank you for reading a not so happy post and following along. I hope your summers are going well, whether you're traveling, researching, working, teaching, hanging out, or something else I've missed :) 

Safari!

We went to Murchison Falls National Park this weekend, and I had my favourite time in Uganda so far :) We got off of work early on Friday so we could drive to the park. Traffic leaving Kampala was awful, but after we hit the Kampala-Murchison Road, almost all was smooth sailing. We watched the city give way to green fields of corn, scattered brick houses, tropical trees, and less and less children waving to us. 

We stayed at Palm Gardens Guest House, and I am blown away by the people’s hospitality. I got a call earlier from Ronnie, our driver, asking if there were any vegetarians in the group. It turned out the hostesses at the hostel cooked chicken curry for us and prepared a side of vegetable curry just for Sammi (she’s vegan). Ronnie is also super thoughtful! He bought shower shoes and towels for us because the campsite we were staying at on the second night didn't provide any (and he didn't think we would bring them). We didn't end up showering that night, but I have never met a person (much less a driver) who is so kind to people he barely even knows. When I grow up, I want to be as joyful, hospitable, and loving as him. 

Our Amazing Driver, Ronnie

This post really shouldn’t have too many words. Once we got into the National Park, we drove to the top of the world’s most powerful waterfall: Murchison Falls. 300 cubic meters of water pass through the width of 6-7 meters every second, and it is so much more powerful than the ocean. We got a shower at the top of the falls!

 Murchison Falls

All Wet

After lunch, we went on a river cruise on the Nile. We saw so many animals! Including the ones in the picture below (from Huda’s iPhone 8+). We also saw a giant crocodile up close, but the video of it running into the water won't load so remind me to show you when I get back. The Dutch couple with the fancy cameras took a picture of us when we got as close as safety allowed.

Elephant, Hippo, and Bee-eater

Murchison Falls from Afar

Our 2.5 hr river cruise brought us back down river, where we went on a safari with a ranger! In addition to thousands of antelopes and buffaloes, we saw lots of elephants, giraffes, and three lionesses. We were SO CLOSE. It was really amazing! 

What are ya lookin at?

It's a Lioness!

Giraffes

The stars were big and bright when we pulled into the campsite where we stayed overnight. We saw satellites, shooting stars, and glimpsed the Milky Way (sorry, no picture). In the morning, we crossed the River at sunrise to leave the park. We slowly drove through the savannah, then the woodland, then the rainforest. Pictures cannot capture the feeling of being in the open. And don’t tell Miller Center, but we had the best seats on the Landcruiser.

Sunrise

Better than Shotgun

This short weekend opened my eyes to the greatness (in size) our world. I have never seen so much land all at once, and we were driving for so long! I’ve also never seen so, so many animals. The Bible says that God cares for even the sparrows, and I never realized how many animals He cares for, on top of the 7+ billions humans that live on earth. But He does, and I am humbled that He chooses to bless me with such an incredible experience.  Huda said she’s shook. I’m blown away. What a creative, majestic, and beautiful God. I wonder how people can visit these places and not worship the Creator.

Colours

Through this trip, I also realized how delicate I am. Ronnie commented that first-time visitors are delicate; the first experience either makes or breaks their experience. I absolutely loved this trip, but I also learned that I can’t live in the wilderness. Every bathroom that flushes and has toilet paper brings a sigh of relief, and I am glad we have showers that don’t have cockroaches (dead or alive). I acknowledge that some Ugandans live in awful conditions, but I didn’t grasp the reality until this weekend. But no, I really don’t understand what it’s like to live with no running water and no electricity in a house the size of my bathroom. We are all created equal, but not with equal opportunity, and I don't know how to handle that.

Well, it’s back at the office again tomorrow morning. It’s difficult to focus after seeing the world this weekend, but as my aunty always says, one must play hard and work hard. I played hard, and it’s again time to work hard. Thanks for reading. Enjoy a picture of the Nile River!