Jumping June

I cant believe that June is going so fast! It seems like yesterday when I was in April and now I am approaching July? Where have months gone? I hate it when Months and years just sneak up on you like that! Speaking of years, it seemed like yesterday when I left the University...was wet behind the ears...now I am entering a new decade of life..
How time flies by so fast!

So what have I been upto since the last blog post. Alot of stuff! Okinawa feels like a pleasant dream. I am still in touch with alot of the wonderful people that I met over there. When you are on the internet chatting with someone from Samoa, the whole world just seems like my backyard! Yesterday, the last group of people that I met in Okinawa left for their respective countries. I know I am miles away but I felt depressed. I guess I know how they feel, leaving behind such a wonderful place and people. It is really ironical that on the one hand, one cant wait to get home while on the other, they are so sad.

I cant forget my turn. It is amazing how the 3 and a half months experience just crawls under your skin and you dont know how much you are affected until its time to say good bye! So I can imagine the build up of emotions and what they are going through. But thats life...you meet to part and meet some more wonderful people:)

How has my life been? Well, I am now settled in and operationalising my action plan. Though it is kinda difficult because I have all these job related tasks and competing priorities! But I know that I will work it out somehow.
I am so used to my Kampala and its dust. Today as I was coming to work and thought whimsically about how Kampala is a true definition of going from dust to dust! Is there a city more dusty than Kampala? Is there a city with more poor roads than Kampala?
Ok, let me not start on Kampala. Let me enjoy the beautiful sunshine.
Kwaheri (swahili for good bye)

Ugandans, where have our manners gone?

As I was in a taxi heading home, I witnessed something that made me question Ugandan’s sense of compassion.

For the foreigners, Ugandan’s concept of a “taxi” is an Omni bus licensed carry 14 people…but the number can go up depending on the location and time of day. For instance, after 7pm, instead of the 3 people per seat, the number can go as high as 5!

Every taxi riding Uganda familiar with the rush hours of 6- 8pm knows the hustle associated with getting a seat!
But on this particular day, the taxi I rode made some miraculous Guinness record breakers!
First of all, it was virtually empty; a rare concurrence at that hour.

It then stopped to pick a man…not just any man but a crippled man. I have witnessed incidents where the driver has left a passenger because they are “crippled, will waste time”. Only for the same driver to stop a meter ahead and wait 5 minutes for a person who is walking lazily up to the road! (SCREAM!!!)

Well, back to the issue at hand. The crippled man with two clutches made of wood struggled to enter the taxi. He first placed the clutches inside and supported himself on one of the torn, dirty brown, cushioned seat as he hosted himself inside.

I was glad that the taxi driver didn’t complain nor did he start the car before the man could sit.

The man was meant occupy the seat behind me. It was located between the window seat and a “movable” one. Now there are two types of seats in these taxis. There are the movable and immovable ones. Immovable seats with the exception of the backseat; are always the first two seats located on the left hand side windows. The “Movable” on the other hand are the seats next to the windows on the right hand side of the taxi. These are the worst because every time someone behind you wants to get out, you are forced to leave this seat so as to pave way for them. It feels like you are sitting in an aisle!

Sorry I got carried away…. Anyway, just as poor “Mr. Clutches” was struggling to enter, a woman let me call her “Brown” who was occupying a movable seat, quickly moved to the immovable seat leaving “Mr. Clutches” man had to occupy “Brown’s” movable seat.

It was not long before someone behind them asked to get out. I watched in dismay as ‘’Mr. Clutches” struggled to get out of his seat and get out and then get in . All this happened in a space of 5 minutes.
And as Mr. Clutches struggled to re-enter the taxi, history repeated itself! A male passenger who was waiting by the road sneaked and quickly occupied the “immovable” seat that the previous passenger who had alighted had been occupying! Once again Mr. Clutches had to occupy the movable seat.

After what seemed like 20meters, another passenger asked to leave. The process repeated itself! I felt so selfish and was just going to ask Mr. Clutches to take my seat when I realised that he was the passenger going out!
This scene really tugged on my heart because it revealed how insensitive and inconsiderate Ugandans including me can mean to be!

I know that disability is not inability but in such a situation, it really does no harm offering the man a seat of convenience so that he is comfortable but can at the same time not be inconvenienced by people moving in and out of the taxi. I hope that when this next happens, I will be prepared to act accordingly.

Beginning a new chapter

It is now about three weeks since I touched down at Entebbe Airport. In the beginning, everything seemed so strange. Kampala seemed to be so disorganised and I cursed the dust and almost everything that came with this accidently planned city.
The people seemed very distracted and disorganised. I must admit that I looked at Kampala city in a new light. I was like a stranger… its like I had been to this place in another life.
Even dodging the cars seemed like a huge task. I had a small fear that I would get knocked.

Fast forward to today:)

My survivor instincts have returned. I can dodge and squeeze between cars like I never left. The meals seem to also be more tasty than ever before.
My niece and Nephew are still alert though. They keep asking me whether I will go back to “ayoopen” ( aeroplane). And in their tiny heads, I guess it is something to be afraid of. Because they figure that they will never see me againJ
Work…work is as I left it..I guess it is one of the most constant things. So the phrase as “it was, it is…” but after the knowledge I acquired in my course, I don’t want it to “forever remain the same”.

I still think about the people I japan and from time to time, I say one Japanese expression and I am looked at wierdly by those around me. Well, I guess thats my way of keeping my great Japanese experience alive:).
That’s it for today.
Ciao

Post Okinawa Disorders

Judging from the long time I have taken to update my blog, you must be already smelling a couple of rats!

Well, let me smoke out the rats. The first rat is that I left my beloved home for three and a half months in Okinawa! It was a very teary day! The rate at which tears flowed through me, I thought that I was going to get dehydrated:)



After the goodbyes had been said, it was time for the next chapter . Embarking on the journey. I wasnt particularly looking forward to the 23 hours journey to my little country! I arrived jet lagged but happy to be home. I will post more entries later.

The last days...

As the count down to the end of the course continues, everything is dangerously close to creating tears in my eyes. The past few days have been so hectic. We were busy with writing project proposals and action plans of activities that we are going to implement back home.

So it was a crazy 2 weeks of consultations, thinking and reading...I am happy to note that yours truly successfully went through the process and came out hardened and fine tasted!

On Friday last week, it was a chance to let our hair down and enjoy our last days in OIC. Since my group comprises of African students, it was time to have an African party. And African it was! First of all, it started 2 hours after the said time of 7pm. Then as usual, Africans showed the usual stamina. In this party, it didnt matter whether one was Zambian, Rwandese, Kenyan or Namibian...at that time, all music was welcome. The Namibian danced to bongoflava as enthusiatically as I danced to Zambian music.

It was amazing how Africans can pull out dancing strokes! And whats funny is that the non-drunks were the ones brining out the most weird and interesting of strokes.

One of the highlights of the night was when our course leader Nana-San joined the party. We were excited and it was amazing seeming Japanese and African dances merge on the dance floor. Oh what a nice night it was. It is sad that it came to an end so soon.

On Saturday in order to fully recover from the Friday fun fair, Karaoke took centre stage. I sang alal the songs I wanted and I am really going to miss my karaoke sessions. Saturday night was also a chance to say bye to some of the participants who left for Tokyo yesterday. Cos by the time they return, we will be gone. Another teary moment there.

On Monday afternoon, Iam making a final presentation of my project...this is the time when everything is being done of the last time.

Well good everything comes to an end...but at the end, it when you look back, you realise that it is better to have been part of it than not at all.

I am going to miss this place and the people in it more.

The Sushi Experience

Friday evening is always the best moment in almost everyone's life! And I am no exception.
So on a cool Friday April 3 I was excited because it was time to temporary forget the action plan business and clear the mind..even if it was for 2 hours.

So Instructors, participants all went down to a sushi restaurant in the vicinity called Uokura. This was a unique restaurant because it only serves sushi.

For those who are not in the know. Sushi refers to an indigenous Japanese dish that consists of cold cooked rice dressed with vinegar that is shaped into bite-sized pieces and topped with raw or cooked fish, or formed into a roll with fish, egg, or vegetables and wrapped in seaweed.

In this restaurant, I saw so many types of sushis some I never knew ever existed! I even got to taste the restaurant's special dish a hamburg sushi! This was meat steak with a ball of rice..it was nice
I had a chance to also eat some fried squid! It was so tasty..I couldnt relate it to that ugly creature that I see in the water bodies! I saw sushi made of raw fish eggs, crab, salmon, Octopus, lobster, shrimps...oh so many some I cant remember

What was unique about the restaurant?
Now I am sounding like Table Talk with Timothy Bukhumune :) And I know some of you might have me for that :)
Apart from it being a sushi only restaurant, there is sort of a bar area where you all sit- bar style. And the cool bit is that instead of having a normal bar table, there is a sort of conveyer belt system. On this converyer belt, different kinds of sushi are placed and they move around the belt.



The chefs were standing right infront of us...just like bar tender style and they were making the sushi as we ate/watched. It was great.Then on the wall above them, there were wooden boards written in Japanese. I was told they contained the names of all the sushi suppliers. I thought that was neat!
The rules of the sushi eating game were:
If you like the sushi type, you pick it off the conveyer belt. However, once you have picked it, you are not allowed to return it.
So this meant that one had to be pretty sure before they picked a plate. And for this our instructors came in very handy! The plates were small, the size of side plates and on each plate where two pieces of sushi

The sushi price ranged from 150 to 250 yen per plate about 1500-2500 Ug X. The price of one sushi was distingushed by the colour of the plate it was placed on. while the plate color and sushi price was reflected on the menu Another rule was that one could pick and eat as many plates as their stomach and wallet could take.
And as one ate, they were supposed to pile the plates they had eaten infront of them. So at the end, each person's plates were counted and a corresponding bill given.

What did I eat?
Well, since it was time to experience..I ate some sushis that I dont recall. But some of the notable ones were fried squid. It was tasty and no different from fried chicken drumsticks.
I also ate a seaweed that tasted like one of the local green vegetables..may be steamed dodo.
I cant recall the taste of the raw shrimp with a bit of soy sauce but it was also wonderful. Then the cram shells I ate tasted just like gizzard..and I would know because I am a heavy gizzard eater:)

So after nine plates of sampling different sushis, I called it a night.It was a good experience...I am glad I went .
Regards
Satisfied Sushi client :)

Beating stress by flying kites

There is something about kite flying that was so relaxing. Could it be because of the childhood memories that it evoked in me? I just dont know what it was but seeing each of us , flying our kites today in the windy afternoon was fun.

I had forgotten how funny and interesting flying a kite can be. It is an exciting and interesting experience when you see your kite gliding in the sky and beating all odds to stay afloat.

I am sure some people reading this will say: You guys went to Japan to fly kites! Well, yes..ha ha ha!! Actually, flying kites was a kind of stress buster. At first I was sceptical because being an African, I believe that when you start on something, you have to work like a donkey on it until closing time. But one of my instructors suggested that in order to get a clearer perspective on what we were working on by going out for some fresh air.

So this afternoon, we got our Kites, that were kindly made for us by one retiring professor who is loves kite flying. Went to the play ground and flew them! Oh so much laughing and screaming as some people's kites collided and were written off. Others helplessly saw theirs disappear into the skyline in the neighbourhood when they accidently let go of the strings.

What an interesting stress buster it was!

Gags at Japanese Conversation Class Finale

I have never laughed so hard than I did today! My final Japanese conversation class turned out to be one of the most interesting Japanese class I have ever attended!

Yesterday each one of us was told to write an essay about our respective countries. And here is the catch word...in Japanese!! Another bombshell was that we had to memorise (read cram) this essay in less than 24 hours and present the next day.

Well, you may think that all is easy..but it isnt especially when you have competing priorities. My course has become busier. Since its winding up, there is so much stuff to do. i am now eating, sleeping, thinking and talking Action Plans! So with such a mind state, memorising Nihongo was bottom of my brain priority.

But as the hours grew nearer to 7pm ( thats when the class starts). I was forced to put aside the Action plan and think of my Nihongo class presentation.

When I realised that things were not going so well for me, I made a power point presentation. I figured that I am better off adding flavour to my poor Japanese. After all, since a picture is worth a thousand words, it would make up for my lack of Japanese words!

Come 7pm, everyone is nervous...a random selection mention is done.. the presentations begin. No sooner had they started than the laughters begun! People were misprouncing words, forgeting their lines, so nervous that some appeared to be performing a special dance... It was a beautiful atmosphere.

My turn to speak..I wasnt nervous but the little Japanese I knew seemed to have hidden under a brick wall!! I kept forgetting the sentences. Eeh,things were tough! And to show that they were really tough, every sentence I would think of was in my mother language..now if thats not a classic deifintion of hard, what is!! :)

But I was saved by the photos! Especially the pot dance! Well, if you cant speak Nihongo, atleast you can dance and get away with it! So I danced the best pot dance I could and definitely got away with it:)

Some presentations were out of this world...my colleagues and I laughed so hard that some of us had to leave the room for some fresh air!! Inspite the laughter,we learnt about other countries' cultures and places which was great..

What a fine way to crown my Japanese conversation class. I am glad I was part of it. Now the challenge for me is to remember whatever I learnt for many, many more years to come.

The Masai do

Yesterday, I had a chance of attending a health promotion symposium in the northern part of Okinawa. Infact the African participants were the main attraction in that symposium. So we had to prepare some drama skits and Educational Learning materials inorder to share our health education experiences with people in that part of Okinawa. The venue of this symposium was Meio University.

It was a two hour drive to this unversity and on the way we stopped at one of the local beer making companies. Since it was a saturday, free tours of the factory were being carried out. So we got a chance to see how the beer is processed. I guess being a non drinker, I didnt think much of the process. However, what impressed me was how the beer company is making by-products from the bottles and bottle caps. They are making tins, new bottles, paper and many things. Here, nothing is useless...everything is recycled to make something.

Then the whole guided tour around the industry impressed me . After the tour each one of us was entitled to a bottle of beer or lemon tea/ water for the non drinkers.The whole guided tour and free drink I realised were a form of publicity for the organisation because later in the evening, I saw people choosing that beer brand...consciously or sub consciously :)

Now fast forward to the masai do... while at Meio university, e the participants had been divided into 2 groups..East Africans and West/South Africans. Each group was given 2 hours to present their countries' experiences. For the Eastern Africans, we chose to dress as masai and even did a little masai dance.. All went well at the symposium.

The only down hill experience was that we never got to fly out kites. One of the Profs at the university had been so kind. He made each of us a kite. We had painted these kites and were ready to enjoy the fun. unfortunately, the weather decided that we couldnt!

Another American Doctor had come to show us some solar technology equipment. On display it really seemed interesting. Its a pity we never got to see it work. But at least I got to eat a cake baked from solar energy!

Pregnant me

" I cant wait to see you pregnant!" is one of the common comments that I receive.

I dont know why they always say that. I have tried but failed to figure it out.

Could anyone volunteer to tell me why?

Because I am starting to believe that its because of those motherly skills that they see in me :)

On one of the visits to one organisation in Japan called Japan Organisation For International Cooperation on Family Planning(JOFICFP), I got a glimpse of what I would look like when pregnant.

The organisation has this material that they made..its kind of like a costume. It was made to give people especially men a good idea of how it feels to be pregnant. A strategy meant to encourage males and ordinary people to understand the difficulties faced by a pregnant woman.

So when my class visited, the males were given first priority. After they had finished, I too begged for a chance to be pregnant.

My Verdict

After about two hours of putting on that costume, my attitude towards pregnancy changed tremendously. The costume was about 13 kilograms to symbolize the weight gained during pregnancy, there was another 3 kgs of a water bottle filled with water that is placed below the stomach area..to symbolise the pressure a pregnancy puts on the bladder!!

It was hard standing and the only comofrt I got was in sitting down. I really sympathised with the pregnant woman. Though I never got to lie down in this outfit, I imagined how difficult it would be. I had 13 kilos added to my body weight and the moment I stood up, I felt intense pressure on my pelvic area. I also not consoled by the fact that the weight gained is gradual either! I still feel that its a big change for a pregnant woman has to cope with!

Inaddition, though this costume doesnt capture the raging hormones experienced by the woman nor the swollen legs and the baby's movements, it gives a glimpse into the world of pregnancy.

So after all is said and done, I came to one conclusion. I would like to put in on record that, I will be a beautiful pregnant woman some day :)