Weekend Update: April 16, 2011

I've resolved to do a weekly post starting this week. Not only will it force me to post but it will hopefully also inspire me to accomplish more (so that I have more to write about). The format will be about what you see below.

High(s):

Sat down with my org on Tuesday and “went back to the drawing board.” We came to an agreement that I can be of more use planning and developing facilities based projects than trying to solve the AIDS problem by myself without any funding in a village where almost nobody speaks English. Who woulda thunk it?

Was able to complete my 8 mile run for the first time in about 6 weeks, the knee was a little tender the last 4 miles but no severe pain.

Low(s):

Leaving my computer mouse at our office in Masaka. My touch pad is horrible.

Though delicious I’m not proud to say for the first time I ate rolex on 4 consecutive nights from Sunday to Wednesday. I try to limit myself to every other night, but the recent influx of sauce packets plus the lack of electricity lately has made rolex even more of an attractive option.

Uganglish Annoyance of the Week:

"Yes Please"

There is no word in Luganda for please. You can add the letters ‘ko’ to the end of a verb to make it more polite but it isn't exactly an equivalent. Ugandans have noticed Bazungu (white English speaking travlers) to use the word ‘Please’ in conjunction with ‘Yes’ and copy it. Unfortunately they mostly use it after someone has said their name. So if I were to call Francis on the phone the conversation might go like this:

Francis: “Hello”

Me: “Francis?”

Francis: “Yes Please”

What I Accomplished:

Re-vamped my job responsibilities, had 2 meetings with my org identifying needs and opportunities and then had a 6 hour meeting with them prioritizing and doing basic cost analysis on the list we had put together. From this we are going to start moving towards a development plan.

What Is On The Agenda:

I need to assemble and organize the notes from my meeting into some kind of report. Also I have been tasked by with creating a plot plan of the school grounds, something I’m looking forward to. I’m also continuing to research the possibility of a Biogas digester on site and am working with some friends to create a PCV book club.

Luganda Exercise of the Week:

Yesterday morning it rained. (the rainfall leaked yesterday morning)

Enkuba yatonnya jjo kumakya.

Observation of The Week:

Ugandans are told they are poor and they advertise it openly as children. In response to many questions to Ugandans I get the answer, “because we are poor.” Even when they don’t speak English they seem to know this phrase. It is in stark contrast to the American sentiment where even those who live in poverty take measures to hide it from others and even their own children. I don’t know if the attitude here causes a lack of social mobility or the lack of social mobility causes the attitude, but here poverty is viewed as a permanent affliction, whereas in America I think we view it as an challenge that can be overcome.

Sanity Meter:

Feeling highly sane this week. I have my home visit in sight, an Easter weekend with friends coming up, and some new job responsibilities that will give me something to do for next few weeks.

Book(s) I'm Reading:

Harry Potter & the Order of the Phoenix and The Greatest Game Ever. The Harry Potter book is self explanatory. I started after Christmas and am reading the entire series before the last movie comes out.

The Greatest Game Ever is about the 1958 NFL Championship game, the turning point in American sports history when Football was set on a course to overtake Baseball as the most popular sport. The greatest defense and the greatest offense ever yet assembled met in prime time on national television. More people were watching than any Football game in history. A 2 minute drill by Johnny Unitas forced the first overtime in the history of the NFL. My favorite line from the book, “If radio and baseball went together perfectly, football seemed made for television.”

PCV Quote of the Week:

“I do not have enough movies to make it through another standfast…”

-Bryce, in response to this week’s riots and killings