My Ugandan experience - Tipp student Mary on life in Africa
Drangan student MARY GLEESON is spending six months in Uganda on a work placement programme teaching and doing voluntary work. A law student at University of Limerick, she describes her experiences in the beautiful but impoverished African country in the first of a two part series
Uganda is one of the most beautiful countries in Africa, with fantastic natural scenery, half of the world's remaining mountain gorilla population is in Uganda and because it is not flocked with tourists the countryside remains unspoiled and natural. Uganda may not boast huge and well-developed national parks like neighbouring Kenya and Tanzania, but after years of misrule, there is a turnaround in numbers of animals, especially elephants and antelopes, which were butchered by indisciplined soldiers and poachers during the reign of Idi Amin. As tourism is still being re-established in Uganda it is rare to find the "mzungus" (white people) especially in the remote villages where I am actually based. Thus this revelation explains the local people's reaction to our unfamiliar presence in their villages. Intrigued stares and the children's excitement has become an anticipated response as I pass through their villages and communities. The Ugandan people are startingly inviting people so it is common to be invited in to their homes where they insist that you take tea or something to eat like watery porridge. Despite the harrowing poverty that is widespread, the Uganadan people insist on inherited traditional grounds that a visitor must take something to eat as a refelction of their gratitude for our visit to their homeplace. It is an honourable and touching gesture on their behalf and an act of kindness that entirely symbolises the Ugandan way of life.
The initial culture shock on my arrival was a frightening and disturbing experience. I do not think I could have foreseen the extent of the cultural differences that I was to endure once I first arrived here. I landed on June 13 and I was greeted by the beautiful blazing sun and a rush of African heat once I stepped off the plane. This was an instant novelty for us all as the sun has a tendency to bypass our country! . We were collected at Entebbe airport by the friendly and helpful Fr Joseph who I have come to learn is an absolute gem when I have been in times of difficulty here. He is the organiser for the alliance programme between UL and Uganda and consistently ensures that we are safe and healthy during our stay in the country.
As we drove with Fr Joseph to our designated destinations, I remember being so incredibly overwhelmed by the poverty that I witnessed as we passed through the villages and countryside. The countryside is a hive of activity. It has beautiful green foliage wherever you look . Mile after mile people were working in the fields gathering tea leaves, tobacco, vegetables and fruits. On the side of the road people were selling their produce. What impressed me most is how industrious and hard working Ugandan people really are.
The roads are dusty red mud tracks with a multitude of pot holes that create an obstacle course for the driver as he attempted to meander himself around them trying to avoid bursting a tyre. Needless to say it was a bumpy journey! I arrived in St Josephs Namagunga and I was taken to where I would be staying during my time teaching in that school. My room comprised of merely a tiny bed with lizards decorating the wall much to my horror and dismay. The absence of a shower facility, warm water and an operable light switch frightened me and admittedly in that instant I was engulfed with home sickness and I longed for my home comforts.
Instead where one would have expected to find a shower, that plot had been replaced by a small green bucket placed strategically beneath a shakey looking old steel tap. The bucket is big enough to build sand castles but too small to fit both my feet in at the same time! The washing process is a long torturous experience but one which I have progressively grown accustomed to within the past six weeks.
I am lucky that I have a standard toilet, the students in the school use pit latrines as a toilet facility and the stench is so horrific that the fumes have began to erode the galvanised roofing above them! I was horrified to learn that it is common for parents to throw unwanted babies down these pit latrines. I have befriended many street children during my time here and learning about their stories is so real that it is heartbreaking to hear of their suffering. Food is another issue which required an extensive adaptation on my behalf. We are served beans and “posho” each day for lunch and supper, a breakfast is nonexistent! Posho is basically corn flour and water mixed. It is bland, tasteless and not very appetising. However it suffices to maintain an adequate source of energy to help get us through the demanding day. I have decided to add tomato sauce to the posho and surprisingly it flavours it up and makes the meal somewhat edible!
I have been placed in St. Josephs High School in Namagunga and this is where I shall be residing for the next four months. Namagunga is a small, typical African village setting with a church and community centre just outside the school gates. At the end of the road you will find three small hut shops selling the necessities that are required for daily living such as bread, butter, water, eggs, bananas etc. Namagunga prides itself on the fact that is home of the best girls school in Uganda called Mount St Mary’s. It is just down the road from St Joseph’s High School and consequently the school has a difficult time trying to compete against such a title as it is not such an esteemed school for the elite. Instead the pupils here in St Joseph's battle hard to pay school fees and to remain educated in the school. Illnesses are widespread due to a lack of basic hygiene and essential vaccinations. It is common to find the pupils in the sickbay with malaria-related sicknesses and worse.
I am teaching English and computer studies to the first and second year students. The students are extremely receptive, attentive and diligent. Their love for learning and education is truly an eye opener as it allows one to realise how greatly our education is taken for granted at home.
The intensity of the student’s school day was alarming for me in the beginning. They awake each morning at four to the sound of the cock crowing and immediately begin their preps for the day. Preps basically entail reading, homework, washing etc. Classes then begin at eight o’clock and they finish at five in the evening. They are given a two hour break for sports and supper and evening preps then commence at seven and finish at 9:30 onwards. I am not surprised to see that the students are sometimes so exhausted that they will naturally begin dozing on tables! I am extremely impressed by my student’s poetic compositions and their ability to express themselves so creatively with the beauty of nature. Grammatically they struggle to understand basic English concepts and pronunciation but their English is so traditionally and culturally inspired that I cannot help but embrace their African expressions with admiration.
(Continued next week)
Email to a friend
Print this page- Hollywood’s Mel Gibson scouts film sets in Cahir
- Cutest Moments Competition!
- Master craftsman and photograher launches iconic collection of old Clonmel images
- Declan Ryan says that Tipp hurlers are a team for the big occasion
- New radio documentary on first garda shot dead ninety years ago in Mullinahone
Looking for...
Featured advertisers
Jobs
Search for a job
Weather for Clonmel
Monday 21 May 2012
Today
Cloudy
Temperature: 10 C to 17 C
Wind Speed: 12 mph
Wind direction: South
Tomorrow
Cloudy
Temperature: 11 C to 17 C
Wind Speed: 14 mph
Wind direction: South
