We all met for breakfast this morning at 8. This was the first (and only) breakfast where the whole team would be together, as Russ flew in last night and I fly out tomorrow night! We chatted about the past several days and Russ soaked it all in, storing bits of information away for later. He has big plans to get out into the country, so I look forward to hearing about his experiences!
Part One of Our Day of Rest was all about shopping and souvenirs. We started off at something called “The National Theatre”, which I figured was literally a theatre or performing arts centre, with a few kiosks with knick knacks for sale. Not so. There was indeed a large building, which I suppose could have been a performing arts centre inside, but we didn’t go in. We drove around back where there were perhaps 2 dozen little booths with a variety of colourful beads, carved goods, shirts, dresses, shoes, spears (yes!), bongo drums, and carpets for sale. The call as we passed each one was the same – “You are most welcome! Please come in and look!” Most of the booths had the same things for sale, but we had a great time looking, and bought several little things.
The pricing is amazing. It’s approximately 2,000 Shillings to one US dollar – most souvenirs amounted to a dollar or two at the most. We never tried to haggle – how can you haggle over a few cents? (Pictured below, me with our driver, Steven.)
From there we went to a sports store so I could buy a football shirt in the Ugandan team's colours (The Cranes – they have a horrible record, but they still try, and their stadium is massive!) for a friend of mine. You would think we were rock stars in that store. Our driver took us to a specific place where I could find the shirt, and the sales clerks – all young women – were thrilled to have us take their picture, support their team and just say hi. Michael gave everyone Canadian flag pins and they were so proud and thankful to have them! (Below, me with one of the girls who worked at the sports store.)
Next stop was the local fruit and vegetable market. This place was not for the faint of heart, and we didn’t go anywhere without Steven. In fact, I was pretty much glued to his side. It was really quite spectacular, but also a little upsetting. Rows upon rows of caged hens, roosters and chickens were stacked on each other (imagine the smell), and several were standing in the hot sun in the sand with their legs tied together so they couldn’t get away. The large hens were 14,000 shillings – about $7 – which I think is a lot considering you have to butcher it yourself. Perhaps the locals wouldn’t pay as much. There were even small calves standing in the hot sun, waving their tails to ward off flies, and unaware of their fate. (I know – I’m ridiculous. This is how people eat. I get it. I’ve seen one too many Disney movies and I give every animal a personality. Mea culpa. One of the guys on my team at home, Alex, would be perfectly happy here – he raised bunnies to eat when he was a kid.)
On to the nice things about the market. The ladies were wearing the most beautiful clothes in brilliant hues. Head dresses, aprons, shirts, skirts – all in pinks and blues and yellows. And everyone was smiling, happy to see us (and our money). Most let us take their pictures (it was necessary to ask) although one or two said no. There were boxes of eggplant and zucchini and ochra and tomatoes and potatoes. Baskets with dried peas and lentils. Hanging bags of spices, pieces of vanilla and cinnamon, and everywhere bunches of bananas – standing in a corner, hanging up, broken into smaller bunches or whole as they came from the tree. Pineapples, mangoes – oh the mangoes! Hundreds of them piled high and cut open so you could see and smell how fresh they were. Bikes went by piled with bags of corn, more bananas, and furniture (yes, furniture).
People were desperate for us to buy from them, and although Cathie and Michael did buy some vanilla, the rest of us took pictures and held on to our wallets very tightly and stuck with Steven. There were times when crowds around us got a little crazy, and we backed slowly away and headed to the truck after that. Michael actually gave a guy a shilling just so he’d go away!
The sights, sounds, and smells of that market were just incredible. I took so many photos and I know I didn’t capture it in any way close to what it was. A great 30 minutes, I tell you. Next we stopped at a local store for some groceries (we all wanted to stock up on tea, coffee and sugar – all local products and all fantastic), and then headed back to the hotel for an hour before:
Part Two of Our Day of Rest was at the home of a friend of Ather’s. Just 10 minutes from our hotel is a lovely neighbourhood where the well-to-do have open and breezy houses with gardens and pools, security guards and servants. This lovely couple (and I just can’t remember their names) are originally from Pakistan – well, he is actually the third generation born in Uganda, but she was born in Pakistan and has lived in Uganda for 32 years), and they had us over for a BBQ. Their definition of BBQ is not quite the same as mine – amazing fresh tropical juices, beef kababs, rice with tomatoes, spinach, chicken curry, parsley potatoes, naan bread, garlic bread, mangos with chilli, bread pudding (with silver foil on it that you eat!), and a pasta dessert made out of vermicelli noodles. This was a HUGE meal!
I was warned, “that dish may be a little spicy”. Another member of my team, Rozina, would have laughed as I helped myself to a large spoonful of the mangos with chilli, thinking it was just chutney. I wonder if my face turned red. Oh and by the way – drinking coke after hot food really isn’t a good idea. A lovely meal in the most relaxing setting, and great conversation. We laughed a lot, despite the gathering storm clouds and loud thunder, and before you know it we headed back to the hotel again in preparation for:
Part Three of Our Day of Rest involved a whole lot of tribal dancing, singing, drums, and storytelling. We went outside of town to an amphitheatre that hosts a troupe of dancers – normally they only perform on Sunday nights, but tonight, being a holiday, they had an extra show. This was the Ndere Centre in Butuukirwa (don’t ask me how to pronounce it), and I have not had this much fun in a very long time! There were perhaps 30 performers, an equal number of men and women, in beautifully coloured and authentic (well, the design was authentic if not the polyester) costumes and head dresses. They opened with gentle singing that built gradually and added flutes and guitars (not modern guitars, but original instruments that are more like harps) and many many drums. I had goosebumps! And the singing was so beautiful – kind of like the group Black Mombazo that did a record with Paul Simon a while back – it actually brought tears to my eyes. Sorry the pics are so bad - I don't know how to work my camera well at night or with motion!
The host for the evening was also the director, a drum player, and an occasional dancer, not to mention comedian. He told stories in between each dance that shared local history from the tribes around Uganda and more often than not also delivered a message on appreciating diversity, balancing action with thought, and valuing life.
At the end the audience was invited up to dance with some of the performers and celebrate music and joy, and so I got up with most of the rest of our group and tried very hard not to embarrass myself – eventually I just didn’t care and I shook my booty like everyone else. Colleen, another woman on my team back home, would have either died laughing at me, or, hopefully, would have applauded and joined me.
What a lovely Martyr’s Day (that sounds funny, but you know what I mean) and a great way to spend my last night in Africa. I now have to finish packing and prep for my day tomorrow, and hope the students completed their homework!
Oh, I wish I was there to see it! I'm sure you did us proud!
ReplyDeleteColleen