Birthday

The birthday traditions are different in Uganda.  Let me begin with the concept of giving gifts.  Here gifts are the clothes that parents give to their children for Christmas.  The husband may also give a nice dress to his wife for Christmas.  From what I understand, at least in rural Uganda, that is where gift giving stops.  It is not for birthdays and is limited for Christmas.

I have observed birthday celebrations for the president.  His birthday is a national holiday.  That is the celebration, a holiday.  Beyond that, birthday celebrations appear to be something observed by those of us who came to Uganda after learning that custom in another part of the world.

Thank you for the cards, e-cards, and birthday wishes.

Bereaved

The process is different than where I grew up.  Here it is common for the deceased to be buried the same day or the day after they die.  Often in the family yard.  People visit the family for many days (a week or longer) afterward.

A member of the prison ministry team lost his father.  The prison ministry team coached me through the local customs.  They took a collection from the team members for the family.  We also organized ourselves to visit the family.  When we arrived the family provided tea.  Then they came over and we led a prayer service.  Afterwards they provided food (hospitality, as demonstrated by Abraham in the book of Genesis, is common here).  Lastly our collection was presented to a family member.

Mail

Recently I received reports that mail I sent is being received in bunches.  One person reported receiving three different letters all at once.  From the content they could tell the letters were written at different times of the year.  The postmark on these letters was not legible.

Another person reported receiving five letters.  Again they all arrived the same day.  In this case the postmark was legible, 24 Jan 2020.  The interesting part is I did not arrive in Uganda until 15 February 2020.  The letters were received in March 2022 making me wonder if the year on the cancellation stamp is wrong.  Uganda did shut down the mail system as non-essential during each of its lock-downs.  I am hoping this is the reason and there is not a recurring issue with mail from Uganda to the rest of the world.

Weather

This week the weather has been humid.  Two weeks ago the rains began, however, last week we were without rain.  This humidity is typical of the transition from the dry season to the wet season.  That occurred a few weeks ago.

A friend wants to make more mud bricks, but he knows a heavy rain could destroy the bricks before he can dry them and burn (cook) them.  He asked me to check the weather forecast on the computer.  Low thirty’s centigrade all week with rain on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday but no break in the humidity (40-70% depending on the day) and no drop in the temperature.  Low ninety’s (Fahrenheit) / low thirty’s (Centigrade) are typical for this region at the end of the dry season (late February, early March).  I find it bearable if the humidity remains low (10 or 20%).  It should drop into the upper twenty’s C when the rains start and continue to drop through the twenty’s gradually until August or September.

Meanwhile the “dog days” of the late dry season are back – briefly?

Computer Skills

The computer skills ministry is growing again.  In Mugujai, some of the students were not coming to class.  The graduate who is managing the list of people wanting to be part of the class visited them and asked them to come or he would release their place in the class to someone who is waiting. 

The setup in Mugujai has been one computer that is stationed there for work during the week, plus my computer which I bring with me when I come to mentor the class.  Room for four students, two per computer.  When I was in the USA, I bought a replacement computer because my computer is past the age recommended for replacement and is beginning to show signs of failing.  This gave me the ability to have a computer available even if the old one failed.

Two seats became available in the Mugujai class, so the teachers at the school were invited to fill them.  The first week available to them they sent two people.  Now they are rotating the duties so two can be available for computer skills when we begin class, and two more come later.  This brought the class size to six.  Now I am bringing both the old and the new computer with me and hoping the old one does not fail.

The new students are interested and are trying to go through the practices too fast.  Too fast to develop good typing habits.  Too fast to really learn how to use the applications of the computer without step-by-step directions.  Any suggestions for how to balance their eagerness with taking time to learn?

Town College

Town College is one of the Senior Secondary Schools in Koboko. It is both a boarding school and a day school. 

The school organization is Nursery (up to three years’ worth), Primary, and Senior Secondary.  If nursery is offered, it is typically (but not always) in the same group of buildings as the primary school.  Primary school is P1 through P7 and compares roughly with elementary school in the US or grades one through 6 in India.  Yes, they have an extra year.  At the end of P7 there is a national exam that must be passed before moving on to Senior Secondary School.  Moving up is not automatic. A student can also be demoted to a lower grade if their performance is not good.

Senior Secondary School is S1 through S6, with national exams at S4 and S6.  Reminds me of the ordinary owl exams (and advanced exams) in the Harry Potter movies / books.  Those who pass the ‘O’ level exams with enough passes can continue to S5 and S6.  Those who pass the ‘A’ level exams with enough passes can continue to university.

Recently there was a ‘strike’ at Town College.  (Strike is the local term for when the students protest.)  I am told several students did not want a member of their class disciplined because he was not the guilty party.  No clarification as to what was done or by whom.  They left their meal to make their plea and missed out on eating as a result.  That night there was a protest because of a lack of food.  It was bad. Police were called in.  I am told there was physical damage done during the night and “distractions” were made on the walls.

The administration has sent the students home until the damage can be addressed.  They are to listen to the radio for an announcement about when to return to school.  Meanwhile the time for first term exams is getting close.

Please pray for a peaceful resolution and that school can resume for these students.

Timothy

The kids of another Truth is Light ministry member, Peter, have been asking to go swimming.  Peter oversees Truth is Light’s children’s ministry which includes a Saturday radio ministry.  Because the ministry is in so many communities and he provides transport for them when it is their turn to come to the radio, it is hard for him to find an open Saturday. 

He found one so he made plans to take the family to White Castle in Arua to swim.  He knew I was looking for an opportunity to go to Arua, so he invited me to come along.  We stopped in town just long enough for me to take care of my needs, and then proceeded to White Castle.  We discovered they were cleaning the pool.

They also have some playground equipment on the property, and we were welcome to use it.  Timothy is the son of Florence, one of my computer skills graduates from Mugujai.  He was with us; however, his mother was still up in the pool area, so I was invited to take him by the hand and lead him to the eight-seat merry-go-round. 

Timothy was hesitant to come to me at first, but he did by the time his mother graduated from computer skills class. That was last year. I was away for a few months in the US, so he is hesitating again.  Today, he accepted my hand and gladly went with me because he saw the other kids going too.

Later, he wanted to try the slide but was scared.  He managed the steps up.  It was about all he could do, but he did do it (with my hand right behind him just in case).  At the top he was not sure about going down, but he wanted to.  So I did the same thing my parents did for me my first time, I stood next to the slide, reached up and held him so it was a controlled slide.  Now he is happy for my help, and he took several trips, including a few after his mother came.  She took pictures with her phone, but I do not have access to those.

Airtel

The saga continues.  The re-registration process did not solve the problem.  The data he entered (via a picture of my passport) was the entry into Uganda stamp.  Since it is two months since I returned to Uganda, and because he did not take a picture of the visa, the system assumed the visa was expired and blocked my number.  More than that, it deleted all the registration information.

The service center personnel explained their system has a problem with foreign information and even if they fix it today, I will continue to have issues.  Their solution was for me to buy another Airtel SIM card (new phone line) but to have it registered by my friend who has a national Id.  Meta was agreeable and we did that. 

Meanwhile the vendor that set me up originally did not want me to lose the pre-paid airtime on my old number.  (That is how phones work here, pre-paid, not monthly fee plus usage after the fact.)  He re-registered the old number again, this time using his own Ugandan Id.

Now, in theory, I have two working Airtel lines, neither of them subject to expiration because both were registered via Ugandans for my use.

Afterwards Meta asked if the number would work when I am in the USA.  Unfortunately, no.  It is a different system in the USA.

Haircut

The hair stylist (hair salon operator) that I visit knows how to style my hair.  Most of the hair salons (there are several in Koboko alone) do not.  They are familiar with the more common local haircut.  They do not even call it a haircut; they call it a shave.  To me, a shave removes all the hair, but this type of haircut leaves approximately a quarter inch.  I am told the reason is because their hair twists and curls and is hard to keep clean if there is any significant length.

My hair stylist knows I need some length of hair left or I will burn.  He knows to make it short around the ears and longer on top and change lengths gradually.  I do not have to tell him anymore.

Airtel

My struggles with Airtel continue.  Recently they sent me a message that they are going to block my number because my visa has expired.  My visa is good for another 11 months!

Fortunately, they gave me a couple of days to come in and talk to them.  I stopped by the same vendor that succeeded in setting up the phone number (after others had failed).  This is not a unique situation.  He knew what to do and proceeded to enter data in the Airtel system.  Half an hour later he gave me back my passport and my phone and said it was taken care of. No charge.