Mango Tree

These are members of my host family singing "Mango Tree"

Pictures of my time

I'm back in Canton, Texas and looking forward to sharing my experiences in person with each of you. If anyone else besides Canton Elementary would like to arrange a chat, please email me at laurenmteel at gmail.com

Here are a few other pictures from my time:

My foot next to a hippo footprint


Nile crocodile


Impalas


This elephant was very close to our car!


Sipi Falls: a beautiful natural landmark of Uganda


Tea time is very important in Uganda. These are mugs from our school's dining hall. Tea is served to all guests as well as taken by everyone in the morning and in the evening. It is given as a way to show to show others that they are valued.


My host family and neighborhood friends at our farewell dinner


Some Ugandan and American university friends

The End

The semester is coming to a close and I am finishing my last term paper. We leave for Entebbe on Sunday for debrief and the USA on Tuesday. I look forward to posting more pictures when I return to the US and also seeing you in January!

This semester has held many cross-cultural and cross-geographical experiences. From visiting Murchison Falls on safari to hiking at Sipi Falls, homestays in the city and rural areas, attending class with Ugandan and American professors, befriending Africans young and old, I have learned so much. One of the coolest things you should learn from my experience is that you can do this too! Dream big; you are going places!

Until we meet again,
Lauren

Safari

I spent the weekend on safari in Murchison Falls National Park. It was vast, majestic, and had vibrant colors! I will upload more pictures later when the internet is possibly a little faster.


Giraffe


Hippos!


A warthog and a baboon

Learn Ugandan English

Uganda was colonized by Great Britain and is still a member of the Commonwealth. Therefore, many Ugandans speak English along with their native tongues (languages). The Commonwealth is a loose association with all other former British colonies (excluding the United States of America).

Some words used here but that are not necessarily used the same way in America are (listed as their word then our meaning):

football-soccer
coursework-homework
torch-flashlight
latrine/toilet-bathroom (a bathroom here is a place for bathing, which can sometimes be a shelter outside or a special room inside)
lecture-class
chips-french fries
Fanta-any soda or coke
macaroons-spaghetti or noodles
boda boda-motorcycle
rolex-egg burrito
biscuits-crackers or cookies
pawpaw-papaya
trousers-pants

:)

Grasshoppers, coffee, and water!

I ate fried grasshoppers yesterday! They tasted a little like salad, corn, and french fries somehow mixed together. We are entering mango and grasshopper seasons.



On our way back from "the bush," we stopped in the coffee producing region of Uganda. Coffee is Uganda's number one export. We saw (and participated in) the coffee process from the plant to our cups. I am smashing the beans to get the outer shells off of the dried beans before they are roasted, then ground again, then mixed with water to make coffee!



My rural host family did not have running water, so water had to be fetched from a nearby stream to bathe, drink, and cook with. Ugandans carry water in gerry cans on top of their heads. I am carrying a small one with the help of my hand, but other members of my host family could carry a jug three times as large without even holding it!

Rural homestay

I spent a full week in "up country" Uganda. I stayed with a family in a rural village and experienced life without electricity, running water, cell phone reception, or internet. It was a wonderful time. Without television to distract me, my family and I spent time working in their fields, shelling peanuts, visiting with friends and family, fetching water, threshing and winnowing millet (like grain), listening to the radio, and laughing at their many animals.

My family included Papa Moses, Toto Loy, a nephew named Nesmus, a brother named Hezron, a granddaughter named Apio, Tata (Toto's mother), and "The Old Man" (Toto's father's brother). Extended family often lives together and families are very close knit. Staying with us that week were Ruth and her daughter Julie.

All of these people are in the Ateso tribe and speak Ateso. The Ateso tribe was generous, kind, and joyful. They gave every visitor something to eat, even if they were just passing through (which is much more frequent than in America).


The hut I slept inside of at night


Beating/threshing millet to make bread


With Papa, Toto, and Hezron