Panty Pegs

In the late night/early morning of my going away shin dig, several of my close friends and I were sitting in my friend Victor’s living room bantering back and forth. Among those in attendance was my pal Doreen. Doreen’s family is whom I am staying with in Uganda. While chatting she brought up “panty pegs.” She informed me that while in Uganda I would be using them. The term “panty pegs” struck an inquisitive note in most of my friends; including me. Since being in Uganda I have received several e-mails from those people present at my shin dig inquiring about panty pegs; thus the title of this blog.

In Uganda and I imagine much of the world; people wash their laundry by hand. Many houses employ a “house girl” or maid to do much of the work (cooking, cleaning, and laundry). Washing someone else’s underwear however is unacceptable (understandably so). Thus, it is everyone’s individual duty to wash their own underwear (panties). After washing they are hung in your closet on something similar to a hanger called a “panty peg.” Most of them are either pink or blue.



I hope everyone’s curiosity is satisfied!

Recent Adventures

I have been in Uganda close to one and a half months. Realizing this, I decided that it was time to visit a couple of the Kampala historical sights. Kampala itself is a bustling city with an amazing nightlife, but little in terms of historic places to visit. Most tourist books recommend going outside of Kampala for the “touristy sights.” There are a couple of sights however, and I chose to visit them recently.

The fist sight I visited is The Uganda Museum: A display of Uganda's cultural heritage. It is a vivid reminder of the country's colorful past. One of its most interesting features is the collection of traditional musical instruments, which one is free to play. The Uganda Society’s library is housed in one room of the Uganda National Museum. Started in the 1930’s by a group of scholars, the collection is comprised of approximately 3,000 volumes, maps, periodicals and photographs, all pertaining to African history, culture, sociology, travel and science. In addition to its collection, the library houses the books of the East African Wildlife Society and a number of books from the museum which were given to the society’s care some years ago. The Uganda Museum (founded in 1908) in Kampala has exhibits of traditional culture, archeology, history, science, and natural history. It regularly presents performances of traditional music.



The following day I visited some historic tombs. The Kasubi tombs are one of the burial grounds/royal tombs of the Kabakas of Buganda, and the site is an example of traditional Ganda Architecture, culture and living traditions. The palace was built by Kabaka Mutesa I in 1882 and according to culture, each king was supposed to be buried at a separate site when he died and a royal shrine to house his jawbone which was believed to contain his spirit was to be established at another site. Mutesa I was the 35th King of Buganda (1856-1884) and the first king to be buried in his former palace (the Tombs) at Kasubi without removing his jawbone. Mwanga II who succeeded his father Mutesa in 1884 was the second king to be buried at the Tombs after his remains were brought back from exile (Seychelles islands) in 1910. His son Daudi Chwa II succeeded him at the age of one year in 1896 and ruled until his death in 1939. He too was buried in the Tombs. Daudi Chwa II was succeeded by his son Edward Mutesa II and the then governor of the Uganda protectorate. He died in 1966 in exile (London) and his remains were brought back and buried in the Tombs in 1971.
The Kasubi Tombs is an important Burial site for the Kabakas of Buganda because old traditions were broken at the site when the Kabakas were buried together. Each prince and princess who is a descendant of the four Kabakas is also buried at Kasubi behind the main shrine. The site is important as a cemetery of the royalty of the Buganda kingdom.

The tombs comprise the Bujjabukula (Gatehouse) a beautifully built gate, which is the entrance of the site. It's constructed with wooden columns and a wall made of wooden woven reeds. The gate leads to a small courtyard with a circular house-House of Royal drums (Ndoga-obukaba) where the drums are kept. In the main courtyard, there are several houses built for the widows of the kabakas and other ritual purposes. At Kasubi and all other royal tombs, there is an area behind a back-cloth curtain known as kibira (forest) where the real Tombs of the kabakas are and where certain royal ceremonies are performed like the new moon ceremony and the consultations of the mediums. In front of the curtain, there are raised platforms corresponding to the position of each kabakas tomb behind the curtain. Entrance to the "Secret forest" is only limited to the widows of the Kabakas, the royal family, the Buganda Prime-minister (katikkiro) and the Nalinya (kabakas official sister).
The Kasubi Tombs are adorned with royal regalia like spears, drums, medals, photographs and shields of the kabakas buried there. The structure is supported by wooden poles wrapped in backcloth and the floor covered with grass and palm leaves mats. Backcloth traditionally popular for clothing is a fabric made from the soft back of a fig tree (Ficus natalensis) and has a strong ritual importance to the people of Uganda. Thatching of the roof is carried out by members of the Ngeye clan (colobus monkey clan) ant the decorators of the poles are from the Leopard clan, who are the only people allowed to do this work.
Pregnant women and widows are not allowed to enter the building while its being thatched since this is believed to cause leakage. Similarly, the thatchers are not supposed to have sexual intercourse during the thatching period. The great roof is supported by 52 rings, which represent the 52 clans culture.


Overall, both visits were fun and educational. Anyone whom decides to come visit Uganda should visit both of these sights!

"Drinking Club with a Running Problem"

Within a few days of arriving in Uganda I joined a "drinking club with a running problem" as most people describe it. Florence is the Hash mistress, thus every Monday I go with her and Daphne to run. Generally speaking we run around 6k and then eat and drink. The people in the club are fun and outgoing and really love running.

Following the run we join together in "the circle." In this circle they welcome new comers to the club by making them chug a beer. They then spend time picking on people and making them drink for any reason such as not joining the circle, talking during the circle, or just for fun. After one has been to the club a certain amount of time they give them a Hash name. Generally the names are things such as “Bent Pussy”, “Ebola”, or “Dirty Dick.” One can imagine the crowd!!! I have yet to have been named thus retaining my dignity at this point. Also, if you have new shoes they put beer in the shoe and make you chug it. I luckily have not had that pleasure. I think I would easily throw up! Over all it is a fun lively crowd.

For those of you who know me, I am not a runner. I enjoy sports such as swimming, tennis, or rock climbing. I have never had the endurance it takes to continue running past a mile. Thus, joining this club was a big step for me. I have really enjoyed it thus far and have met a few friends through my horrible attempt at running.

Last weekend I was roped in to running a marathon; courtesy of my Hash colleagues. As cool as a marathon sounds, I chose only to run the 10k. Daphne, Noreen and I finished in a little less than an hour and a half. Pretty horrible, but it was fun. The marathon was for charity and it made it all worth it. All of the proceeds of the marathon are going to North Ugandan Refugee camps.

Sorry for the Inconveniance

Before I came to Uganda I was forewarned that the power frequently goes off. In the States such occurrences happen rarely and usually during a storm or some freak mistake by the power company. In Uganda the government randomly shuts the power off in an effort to conserve energy I suppose. There is never any set time the power will stay off either. It may be two hours and it may be all night. One moment I am blow-drying my hair and the next I am putting it in a pony tail because I could not complete the task.



Living in Uganda is not like living in the States in which there are street lamps and neighboring houses with lights. Thus when the power is shut off, the darkness is a complete blackout leaving no room no maneuver other than ones trusty sense of feel or lack there of in my case. Once it is shut off there is the task of stumbling to the next room to find candles or other like items that might help. It is especially inconvenient when it is shut off while getting ready to go out per say. Luckily however, I was warned and brought my trusty head lamp; that of which has served as a companion.

Nancy Reagan Advises to "Just Say No"

When I was in 9th grade I ate an earth worm for extra credit in a science class. Being that it was worth 100 extra credit points and the mounting pressure from my classmates that had already eaten one I chewed it up and swallowed the little guy with little to no hesitation. Peer pressure is often an amazing incentive and eating a grasshopper here in Uganda is of no exception.



I did my research on Uganda before arriving and thought that I was relatively educated on the culture and food; however no where in any of the research were grasshoppers mentioned. In a conversation one evening Daphne asked me if I had ever eaten an insect. I told her my story of the earth worm. She looked at me in disgust and could not believe I would do such a thing even for extra credit! It was beyond her comprehension. Not even a moment later she, nonchalantly mentions that grasshoppers are good and they are eaten in Uganda frequently. I laughed and shrugged it off as a sarcastic attempt to poke fun of my worm eating adventure.

The following day while we were having a drink at a local restaurant/bar a man strolled by with a container filled with crispy looking things resembling the shell of something fried. Daphne motioned the guy over and he gave us a handful of the fried items on a napkin. Daphne was not fibbing; sprawled out before me were fried grasshoppers! Since I am in a new place I decided to be bold and try one. Much to my surprise they were actually pretty good.

Sold by street vendors and eaten as if they are lays baked potato chips, grasshoppers are indeed a commonly eaten snack. With the head and body in tact, legs pulled off, deep fried, smothered in spices; these little guys serve as a decent appetizer. Apart from the black beady eyes staring at you before you pop them in your mouth and the crunchy dilemma of knowing one is eating a grasshopper, they are better than I would have imagined.

Pictures

I haven't taken a lot of photos since being here, mostly because I have been in the city. Below are a few photos however, and I will post more later. I will be taking a few short trips up country in the coming months and should have more to post.



Introductory Ceremony (prior to wedding)



Me in a Gomes (Traditional Ugandan Dress)



Daphne, Mariam, and Derek



Kampala (the view from my office)



My Backyard



Spine Drive (The Road I Live On)

Are you ready for CHOGM?

One of the very first things that I learned after stepping off of the airplane in Uganda is that The CHOGM is coming. Buildings are being repaired, hotels are being built, and police are out in full force making the streets safe for CHOGM. Local DJ’s are announcing it, taxis are advertising, night clubs talk about it, and the local television stations mention it at least every 10 minutes. It remains nearly impossible to go anywhere in the city without hearing about CHOGM. In fact, a week before CHOGM arrives it has been announced that there will be two days of National Holiday It is even said that it is possible the city may shut down when the CHOGM arrive. The question remains then; what is The CHOGM?

CHOGM is the 56 Heads of States and 5000 delegates that are going to be visiting Uganda on November 22 and 23. The Queen of England and Prince Charles will be among those visiting. Uganda was colonized by the British, thus those that are a part of the common wealth will be here. The government is building new hotels for the Heads of State and removing houses and businesses in certain areas to make the city look cleaner. The problem with this is that many people are being displaced with no where to go or no means to make a living due to this “cleanup.” Also, the government is spending a lot of money to build these nice hotels that will likely not be able to sustain after the CHOGM leave.

Ultimately the following weeks should be very interesting in Uganda due to CHOGM. A city of 2 million people shutting down is hard to believe, however since being here I can understand how it will likely happen. I will be staying in my house because of the hassle and potential danger with protests and such. I will update this as soon as The CHOGM arrive and will let everyone know what happens.