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!