At the Entrance of Hell's Gate + Other Unpredictable Situations

It appears I've been remiss on entries lately so I'm going to try and get all of you caught up on what's been going on here in Uganda. It's been a couple months so I have a lot to write about and a lot to try and capture and encapsulate to feed to you. So here it goes.

Team Peace Corps dominated the Nile River Rafting Competition a couple of weekends ago. I'll try to post pictures when I have a faster connection. We had a great team consisting of five beefy young gentlemen and one very dedicated young female. We competed against 17 other teams in three heats on a flatwater stretch of the river. Not only did we win first place, but we beat out our competition by over 50 seconds! It was a great weekend full of fun and a sense of accomplishment.

Our trip to Kenya was a success, sort of. I went with my good friend John. We arrived in a Nairobi after a mentally devastating 15 hour bus ride from Mbale. It was horrible. But Nairobi was great. I went there to take the LSAT. I was scheduled to take it on Saturday afternoon.

Everything was going great up until Friday evening at about 7 p.m. when I came down with a fever of 104 degrees and began feeling really dizzy like I was going to pass out. As you might imagine, I was quite distraught over what potentially was coming for me over the next few hours that night. I also happened to be trapped in the back of a taxi who had no idea where we needed to go. All the windows were up and it was 100 degrees outside.

This did not help my fever nor my level of calm. I was starting to panic to say the least. I rolled down the windows and stuck my head out the window of the car as it was moving through Nairobi traffic. The whole time the taxi driver is yelling at me to close the windows because we were driving in downtown Nairobi at night and people like to rob you, a lot. Seriously, everyone I know that has gone to Kenya has been robbed. Nairobbery. I kept the windows down and my head out, deciding that avoiding passing out was more important than avoiding robbery.

We had suspected malaria but it was not confirmed. I had been tested for both malaria and typhoid at the local health center in Nairobi, both were negative. I had been having a fever over 103 for several hours that day and it was not going down. When it peaked at 104 I was panicking. I called Peace Corps medical to find out what I should do. They told me to go to a hospital. I did not want to do that. So when we arrived back at our hotel I made a mad dash to our hotel room, stripped off all my clothes immediately, and ran into the shower and drenched myself in freezing water. Thanks for the tips on getting fevers down all those years Mom!!!

Like I said, I was freaking out. I happened to have brought my malaria meds with me on that trip. After the shower, I downed the first dose. The thing about these tropical diseases is a lot of times they yield a false negative. So you never know for sure if you have it or not when it is negative. I started feeling better later that night. Though I was really incoherent talking to John and others. I seemed to be drifting in and out of knowing what was going on exactly. John would try to talk to me and I would not make any sense to him.

The next day the fever was still persisting but it was in the 100 ish range instead of the hellish 104 the night before. I was feeling better. Though still a bit dizzy. I was able to take my test. I'm not sure if my sickness affected my performance but I was just happy I was able to take it at all.

Kenya is quite a bit more developed than Uganda. Nairobi is cleaner, more organized, less populated. The roads are better in many areas. People don't single out white people as much in Nairobi. And the customer service was amazing! We could tell we weren't in Uganda anymore during the first meal we had in Nairobi.

The second half of our trip we stayed in Naivasha with some random people John met on couchsurfing. These people were very unique. They were artists, and their house was wicked crazy. But I loved it's character and they were incredibly warm, friendly, and accomodating.

While we were there, trials were being conducted at The Hague concering the post election violence that happened in Kenya back in 2007 and 2008. So we're sitting there, watching these trials on tv at the International Criminal Court, only to find out that the town we were in and the people we were staying with were at the epicenter of the violence! It was crazy and sad at the same time.

We had no idea. Then all of the sudden witnesses and lawyers start talking about Naivasha this and Naivasha that. This led John and I to start questioning our hosts on just what exactly happened and why. It was a truly unique experience. And what ridiculous timing for the trials to be going on while we were staying with these people. I really enjoyed getting their perspective and it felt a bit historic just being there.

One awesome thing about Kenya, their taxis are pretty much like discotheques on wheels. John and I got in one our second night in town and it was literally like being in the middle of a dance club, crazy lighting in all. The music was blaring, the green lights shining, it was nuts. Maybe people were imagining dancing in their heads and this made the commute less miserable? I don't know. Anyways, it was a very enjoyable experience.

John and I also went to Hell's Gate National Park where we rented a couple of bikes and cycled through the park, seeing lots of game. We hiked through this gorge that was the inspiration for the Mufasa death scene in the Lion King movie, it was pretty awesome.

October 9th was Uganda's independence day. A couple days before on Friday I walked up to my headmaster and casually mentioned the holiday to him and wished him a happy independence day. "But are we independent?" was his reply. He then proceeded to go into a diatribe about how terribly reliant Uganda is on foreign aid and how people cannot think and do for themselves. I was not really interested in sitting through this lecture, but somehow I had to endure it for about 10 minutes before I snuck away. Independence is not celebrated the same here as we are used to. For many people, it serves as a reminder of how not independent this nation is. Others look at it with slightly more optimism, but that is harder to find.

Today, I had another life skills session with my S2 boys. There were 30+ students in the room. Again we played the game where I read a statement and they had to decide whether the statement was a fact or a myth. Overall, I would say the session was a great success. After we finished the game, I had the boys write down their questions for me anonymously and I answered each one in front of the group. I've listed some examples of their questions below.

*Is it true that women also release sperm into men?

*Is it true that whites marry their daughters?

*Is it true that in America, the use of homosexuality is used to control AIDS and the population?

*If I use a condom for the first two rounds, but not the third round, can a girl still get pregnant?

*If you have blood type O, can you still get HIV/AIDS?

*In terms of sex between American women and African women, which are sweeter to sex? (These guys must think I'm a huge pimp or something.)

*If I play sex with a girl without releasing sperm, can I still get AIDS?

*What if I swallow pills before I play sex, can I still get HIV/AIDS?

*Sir, is it true that when you play sex with a girl in water while swimming, she cannot get pregnant?

*Is it true that if you are a boy and you don't have sex early, you cannot produce children later on?

*Why do Americans marry a man with a man and a woman with a woman?

Homosexuality comes up a lot during these sessions. And it is always a really difficult topic to discuss and one that I struggle with communicating on. Ugandans view it VERY negatively. They think it is totally unacceptable and a sin against God. I try to explain to them that in America we have a lot of freedoms, and one of those freedoms is to marry whomever you want, at least in a very small number of states. Still, they despise it. It a huge cultural difference.

Another taboo subject is that of masturbation. Again, Ugandans view it very negatively. They think it is totally inappropriate and a sin against God. I try to encourage a healthy dialogue about the costs and benefits of doing so. I tell them that there are far fewer risks to masturbation than to actual sexual intercourse. But I have to walk a very fine line on what I say versus what I recommend. You have to respect the Ugandan culture to some degree, otherwise you lose credibility in their eyes.

To many Ugandans, the only acceptable form of sexual gratification is vaginal intercourse. Whether it be with one woman, or many different ones at the same time. This is one of the reasons why AIDS spreads so quickly amongst the Ugandan population.

One thing that I found very startling came up when we were talking about HIV/AIDS testing. I personally went to our local health facilities, Kamuge Health Center, and took an HIV test. Whenever you go to a local health center they write your results on a yellow Ministry of Health card. I wanted to take a test and get a copy of this card to show to my students. I wanted to be a good example and encourage them all to go out and get tested. The testing process is so easy and fast here. The whole process took less than 10 minutes and cost me nothing, yeah, free. They were more than happy to accomodate me.

When I brought up this option and began encouraging my boys to go and get tested, they said they had tried but that they had been denied. Why had they been denied? They had been interrogated by the local nurses at the health center. "Why do you want to get an HIV test?! Does this mean you are having sex?! You shouldn't be having sex at your age!!" These young men had actually made the deliberate effort to get a test but were denied this right by their health officials. People who are supposed to be looking out for the health of their citizens.

I've heard similar stories from girls who want to go for family planning (i.e. birth control). Whenever they try to go and get pills or an injection, they are interrogated and denied by the local health "professionals". This is one of the reasons why the local fertility rate is still well above six children per woman. Currently, the population of Uganda is 33 M. By 2050, at current growth rates, this number will reach upwards of 100 M. This number is astounding and has epic consequences on the quality of life and environmental consequences Ugandans will experience over the next few decades.

The country cannot even sustain a population of 33 M as it is. Moreover, that population is contained in a land size approximately the size of the state of Oregon. Now imagine 100 M living in the state of Oregon with little or no infrastructure. It's startling and needs and should be addressed immediately. The head of state here tells Ugandans to go out and produce abundantly. "Have as many kids as you can afford!" He says. Wow, what words of wisdom coming from their nation's leader.

Later that day, one of my counterparts, Mr. Otuna Silver, and I cotaught a three hour math/physics session in the afternoon with the S4s. They are taking their final exams beginning one week from now, so it is all cramming from here on out. The session consisted of us responding to random sample test questions, showing them how to solve them and answering their questions about the method.

Mr. Otuna kicked off the session by saying, "You know, at this point, I truly believe that all your questions are sent from God. That he knows what questions are going to be on the test and he has told you to ask us here today." At first I had no idea what he was talking about because his accent is so thick, even for a Ugandan, that I can barely understand what the hell he is saying 90% of the time anyways. I heard him properly this time and just kind of laughed in my head and agreed with him. "Yes, heaven sent! Send them our way!"

Mr. Otuna is actually quite a good teacher. I respect him more than most. One reason is because he doesn't just simply dictate to the students. This is how a majority of my fellow teachers TEACH! They enter the classroom, they walk to a desk or window, sit down, open their archaic notebook full of ancient notes that probably haven't been updated for two decades, and they simply read the notes, line by line, word for word and expect the students to write them down perfectly. The problem is, well one of several, is that students the students don't understand English that well.

Otuna actually writes on the chalkboard. He has so much energy when he teaches I have to laugh, but I also admire him at the same time. He literally yells at the students, but it's a well intentioned, thoughtful yell. He keeps their attention this way. And he observes what they are picking up and what they are not. He is the class teacher for S4. These students occupy 90% of his time and he is focused on trying to get them as prepared as possible all year for their upcoming exams. He is also a pretty bright guy. He knows what he is talking about and on some level he cares about the student's well being.

After we're done teaching, he is so excited! "Mathias, you were so good today! Those business maths problems, you performed them so well." He says. I just kind of laugh and tell him how impressed I am with his performance and how well he did. He always has a huge smile on his face. But I know there is so much more going on inside his head.

Earlier this morning, I was sitting outside under a Mango Tree eavesdropping on Mr. Odoi's English lesson. His subject matter was very interesting. He was dictating. His words were like erratic gunfire; unpredictable, loud, inconsistent. The opposite of relaxing. If I were a student in the room I would not be able to focus through the verbal assault.

Like I said, his subject matter was interesting, "George Bush Sr., George Bush Sr., George Bush Sr., initiated Operation Desert Storm! Operation Desert Storm! Operation what, Desert Storm. Bill Clinton, Bill, Clinton, was a DEMOCRAT! (yells loudly) A DEMOCRAT! (yells louder) And presided mostly during a time of peace and stability, during a time of peace and stability, peace and stability. BARACK! HUSSEIN! OBAMA! conducted two wars but they were mostly concluding. George W. Bush Jr., George W. Bush Jr., George W. Bush Jr. started war in AFFFI-GANNI-STAAANN! AFFFI-GANNNI-STANNNN!" I'm not sure what he was trying to say but it was so interesting listening to him recite these words.

Speaking of sitting underneath Mango Trees, I pulled a Mango Fly maggot out of my friend John's armpit a few weeks back using some vaseline and a sewing needle. We have it on video, I'll try to post a link soon. Yep, us Peace Corps volunteers get to have all the fun.

Now I lay, underneath the safe comfort the barrier of my mosquito net draped bed provides. Protecting me from all the creatures that is the outside world of Africa. It has been raining a lot here lately. October is supposed to be a dry month. But the weather keeps on changing. Thanks developed world for polluting the atmosphere and causing crazy, erratic weather!!! Ha.

A few nights it has rained so hard that EITHER 1) my roof begins to leak and I am awoken by water dripping all over my head and pillow; OR 2) the wind blows so hard that it physically blows the rain in sideways through my windows drenching me and my bed. Naturally this happens at the most inconvenient of times, around 1 or 2 in the morning when I should be fast asleep. Why is my bed near the window you say? Because it's the best place to catch the breeze during the scalding hot days that spill into the nights and make it incredibly difficult to sleep. Oh, Uganda, such wonderfully, not enjoyable experiences, but ones that I will never forget.