Let's Get Down to Business

So we’ve been in Uganda for more than a week now and Joe and I have been mostly in the office. This probably doesn’t sound awful, but we were expected to hit the ground running day 2. It’s day 11, and it feels like we’re still walking.

We met Michael, the CEO of Tugende, and he talked to us about work ethics, and how Tugende strives for excellence. As a team, it aims high, grows fast, and does not tolerate mediocracy. I really liked this: “Top performers not only achieve targets, but makes themselves and the team better.” Everyone works hard, but not to compete with each other. They work hard not only for themselves but also for the entire team, so everyone is challenges and motives one another. All the employees at Tugende have been very friendly and helpful; people greet me as I walk through the office, and they are quick to answer questions about laptop troubles, accessing reports, and talking to clients. It is a great environment, and it seems like everyone at least tolerates everyone else. We also had “social hour” for the last half hour of work, and it was so fun seeing all the employees not only work together, but eat, talk, laugh, and enjoy one another’s company.

Meet the CEO

We’ve also had three cakes at work this week: two for birthdays, and one for a baby shower. Ugandan cake is very dense but delicious cake (the green one is something special. Maybe vanilla and mint?) and not very sweet icing, which is good. The lunch is also all carbohydrates and the same every single day, which I will definitely get tired of soon. But it’s all part of the experience, right?

Cake #3

Despite all the celebration and camaraderie, I’m also surprised by the politics that exist within such a small company. Our manager, John Henry, needs approval from his higher ups for the budget and plan of our project (even though we’re not employees or working in the company?!), and there’s communication lag and scope creep, and the beginning of this week was pretty stressful as we changed our plan and kept pushing back going into the field… Everything is slowly untangling itself, but man, dealing with people is so stressful, especially when power and status are involved.

On a non-work related note, my boda boda driver ran out of gas on the way back to Bushpig Tuesday evening. Thankfully, we were riding down a hill so he just cruised to the gas station at the bottom of the hill. I thought I would get back later than Joe, but traffic was so bad that we caught up at the next intersection. Maybe my driver was just really good, aka aggressive and good at weaving through cars haha.

After the baby shower on Wednesday, Joe, and I had a discussion about the dynamics of our team. I don’t want to go into too much detail, but it involves communication and expectations and egos… But how would I feel if younger, foreign, less experienced people came into a fellowship and told me what to do? Worse, someone correcting me on a way my dialect is written? There are definitely things both sides can work on, but how can I speak the truth in love, yet stay open-minded to receive feedback and change the way I act to be more gracious, kind, thoughtful… just more of a reflection of Jesus, without compromising the quality of the research? But thankfully, after much prayer and long walks in Kampala, the conflict is resolved (it wasn't even as bad as we imagined it).

Long story short, I’m learning a lot about working in a company, being on the bottom of a food chain where my high priority is someone’s low priority. I’m learning to be humble in my interactions yet proactive in asking for resources and bringing up conflict. Communication can never be too clear, and somehow talking, in addition to listening, are necessary components to being functional (useful?) team member.

 Make the Dream Work

We finally went out to the field today! But our “field” is walk-able from the office; it’s just the city of Kampala. We want to survey non-clients and Tugende clients to see if owning a motorcycle improves the quality of life for boda boda drivers (but I think “boda boda” is the title).  We surveyed 18 drivers and revised our survey during lunch. Thank God Edgar and I ran into very nice and agreeable drivers who were willing to take our survey. But I think our experience from street evangelism also helped us approach the drivers, introduce ourselves, and explain the purpose of our research. While Joe and Peace did not have as easy a time getting drivers to participate, I'm sure we'll all learn and get better. So happy we finally got out and conducted surveys! I’ve also really enjoyed the conversations I've had with people here, whether locals or fellows or boda boda drivers. It just goes to show that everyone longs to be listened to and understood, and the time and attention you give to someone can be a game-changer. 

In the Field

We’re going to Murchison Falls tomorrow for the weekend! Excited to see more of this beautiful country :)