Thank you Lotus Internet

I think that the skies of Kampala would be an awesome sight for any dinosaur-inclined 4 year old. From far away, a backlit multitude of large birds look like a flock of pterodactyls circling overhead. Up close, however, no one could be convinced that they are anything but marabou storks with a wingspan greater than my height, head and neck unsettlingly retracted into the body, and a repugnant diet of Kampala waste. Use this time to appreciate your quick internet and Wikipedia “marabou stork.”

Birds aside, the study portion of study abroad proved extremely interesting and draining this week. As part of the program, we split into groups to study a particular area of development in-depth, mine was gender. The first week was a return to Makerere University and our old routine of 1 to 2 hour lectures that involved a lot of definitions and produced a few doodles worth saving. It was difficult to relate the theories and frameworks to…anything; we suffered a frustrating lack of examples and connection to Ugandan life. Hence a second week.

Working with Slum Aid Project was, tritely, enlightening and moving. Home visits and group discussions gave us insight into domestic violence, women’s social roles, child sexual abuse and exploitation, and the changes that SAP is seeking to make. It was not a particularly “powerful” experience but was unsettling nonetheless. Working deep within communities through volunteers and grassroots trainings, SAP has begun to change attitudes and behaviors among both men and women in some slum communities. We met a number of enthusiastic volunteers and open clients willing to share stories with us. It was great to see not only the work that SAP has accomplished but how it continues with the challenge of meeting residents’ needs on a daily basis.

Tomorrow we depart for our second excursion. This trip will take us to eastern Uganda and include a three day rural homestay. My Kampala homestay will continue for another week after our return from the east and then I will leave for the six-week practicum. On Wednesday night, the only fauna in the courtyard was the goat kid tethered to a banana tree happily munching matoke peelings. On Thursday morning I noticed that it was in my brother Derek’s room, not housed in the store room as is normal on nights of bad weather. Looking over my shoulder toward the storage area, I discovered a green rooster watching me with a similarly tilted head. By the time I reemerged from the house to brush my teeth 20 minutes later, a second pale rooster had appeared in the courtyard. Taata had chicken for dinner last night and I’m done counting birds.