2 weeks in...

   2 weeks in and how do I describe Uganda?
   There are many ways. I choose to describe it simply as 'plain different'
   At first Uganda was tough and it takes some effort on my part to stop myself from running home and crying to mummy. The weather is ridiculously hot, the food is bland (if you don't like rice and kidney beans you're done for), the traffic is a death trap, the toilet is a hole in the ground outside, the accomodation is tiny and I slept on the floor for the first four nights. But then, isn't that what I expected? The whole idea behind volunteering in Africa is that you have to 'rough it'. You wash with a bucket of water and you cook on a charcoal stove. The simplicity is BLISS.
   Our flight from London was an exciting one (we shared the flight to Dubai with Connie Huq, Dermot O'leary and Cheryl's X-factor finalists). We landed in Entebbe on Saturday the 4th and all 21 of the Project Trust volunteers camped in the country rep's garden for a night. The next morning our host Joseph took the two girls Molly and Justine, as well as Finn and I (Finn being my volunteering partner) to a project in Lugazi, an hours drive from the capital Kampala. Unfortunately he'd forgotten the keys to the accomodation so we slept on his neighbour's living room flor. That week really was an eye opener to what Uganda really is. We had our first Boda Boda ride (motorbiking used as transport), we ate rolexes (not the watch - a chipati and omelette rolled into a wrap), we got roasted in the Ugandan sun, played cards in the mozzie infested evening and most importantly taught some unique and wonderful yet desperately poor primary school children.
   Some of the highlights of that week included: the irony of watching 'The Last King of Scotland' in a Ugandan living room, watching an orphan girl climb a tree and fetch a juicy paupau fruit, sitting outside watching the lightning strikes, giving out lines to a cheeky Primary 1, school boy Charles winning 1 million shillings (approx 320 quid) on a bottle cap, and making our very own chilli veg soup on a portable stove.
   After much delay, Finn + I finally shipped off to our project at Lwakhakha - a small border town for Uganda/Kenya in the far east. The trip was 'interesting' to say the least, totalling 6 hours drive. I will try and describe Ugandan travel: long distance journeys are done in 'Taxis' which are similar in size to a large people carrier. Taxis will NEVER refuse travel for someone who is wiling to pay. At one point on our trip the 14 man taxi held 24 people and on the roof held two sofas, two chickens, a sack of grain and two bicycles.
   Lwakhakha (pronounced 'Wa-ka-ka') is a beautiful town surrounded by the stunning rolling hills of green that come as part of Elgon mountain range. The climate is bizarre: one minute scorching sun and the next freezing torrential rain storms.
   We've taught at several schools in the area - both primary and secondary and its been an experience. The lessons have ranged from 'when to use the word 'since'' to Higher standard mathematics. An innocent school boy at one point asked Finn if he'd been circumcised. I taught a science lesson on simple and compound fractures when only an hour later I ironically had my foot squashed in a taxi door.
   The education system in Uganda is quite different and most likely substandard to UK. In the P7 class I taught the ages ranged from 11 to 16 (a year younger than myself), because if you fail a year you simply stay where you are rather than progressing. School starts at 8 an finishes at 5, a long school day compared to home, but if you take into account that things work differently in Africa and because of lack of nearby water the kitchen (a mud hut kitchen that is) takes two hours to finally produce lunch.
   At our project we've taught at 3 different schools - nursery, primary and secondary - all in varying distances from the accomodation; an hours walk to 30 minutes on a Boda Boda. Our accomodation is pretty good, a bedroom each, the toilet is outside and there is cubicle to pour a bucket of water down yourself when you start to smell. I feel empowered by my own personal feats having hand washed my own clothes in rain water and attempted to make french toast on a paraffin stove (actually became uncooked eggy gloop).
   So thats what my first 2 weeks have been like. This time a fortnight ago I was watching Clash of the Titans on a luxury Emirates flight and now the Ugandan dirt is so far engrained into my skin it will never come out. Its been a tough time but its been so worth it for the cultural experience, the fun to be had and for what I'm learning. Describe Uganda - Amazing.
   From an internet Cafe in Mbale,
   Over and out.

   Benny Hunter