Public Transport

I am aware of four forms of public transport, boda boda, tuk tuk, public car, and bus.  Boda Boda and tuk tuk are good for short trips.  (The boda boda is good for people and does carry goods/cargo; the tuk tuk is good for cargo but can carry people.)  Moderate distances are more economical via public car.  Long distances are more economical by bus; however, they only go certain places and at a set time.

Many of the public cars are old and the drivers are trying to keep as many shillings as they can for their income.  As a result, some of them add fuel one liter (quart) at a time.  Fortunately for them, there are many people selling fuel by the liter along many of the main roads.

Until this week, my public car drivers had been those who put enough fuel in the car to complete the trip.  This week the driver who brought me back from Mugujai was adding one liter at a time.  As a result, we ran out of fuel – twice – before we reached Koboko.  The first time we limped into Kagoropa where there are fuel vendors.  The second time we were within sight of the paved road between Koboko and Oraba.  There are fuel vendors at the junction, they saw us and came to help.

Tendele

There are several small trading centers and towns along the road to Mugujai and Busia.  This road parallels the Uganda / South Sudan boarder on the Uganda side.  There are a couple of roads that branch off this road.  They reach communities on the other side of the valley, which puts them farther in Uganda.  Tendele (pronounced ten-day-lay) is one of those towns. 

I have seen signs for Tendele because a project (building classrooms) was done there and construction projects must leave a sign behind saying who did what and what organization (EU, China, UK Aid, US Aid) sponsored it.  However, I have not been on a public vehicle that went to Tendele until this week.  I used to think they do not have public vehicle service and they had to walk up to the road to Mugujai and Busia.  They do have public vehicle support, but not as many and they may need to call a driver to ask him to come that direction. 

Baptism

On Saturday I was offered an opportunity to go to Arua by the other missionary in Koboko.  He was taking his kids swimming and wanted to know if I wanted to come along.  Last year I learned the pool does not get warm enough for me.  I went prepared to swim but planned to only take advantage of shopping for those things that require a trip to Arua.  (The other missionary said he was planning to do some shopping too and I could come just for that.)

The kids went swimming.  They came out of the water when lunch arrived, which is good because a group had just arrived and started singing church hymns while people were putting on robes (like choir robes) over their clothes and started getting into the pool for baptism.  One by one, several adults and one teenager were baptized.

Singing

This past week I have been surprised to hear the students of IPAD school singing.  Sometimes it is the nursery classes, sometimes it is one of the primary grade classes.  The teacher brings their class out to the field that is between the classrooms and my house, gathers them in a circle and leads them in songs.  I did not notice this during first term.  I think the teachers are responding to age-appropriate wiggles. 

The songs they are singing are frequently in Kakwa.  However, I recognize several because of the tune or because I have heard them in church.  The kids seem to enjoy singing.  Frequently it starts at a reasonable volume and then they try to out-sing each other.  They are not shy about singing religious songs in school.

Water Tap

The landlord has talked to the water company.  They have a plan for extending the water line to this compound.  He has a plan for connecting it to the house, but that will have to wait until later.  (He built plumbing into the house when he built it.) 

Most of my neighbors have a tap in their yard and they just go there to fill up their Gerry cans.  The others go to the local borehole (deep well with a hand pump) or to a shallow well.  A few of us (those who have roofs made with corrugated metal) collect rainwater which provides for most of the need 9-10 months out of the year.  Now I will have a back-up, the water tap, to use when the rain barrel is empty.  Unfortunately, the water pressure is low, and my neighbors have been struggling to get anything out of their taps for the last three weeks.  As a result, the lines at the wells are getting longer.  Fortunately for me, my rain barrel still has water, and my gravity filter works well.

Time

The concept of time seems to be cultural.  I grew up in a culture that kept time.  School started at a set time, and you were expected to be there.  Meetings started at the announced time.  If you expected to do well at work and receive promotions, raises, or even just keep your job, it was necessary to show up on time and to be prepared to participate in the meeting.

There are other cultures where time is relative.  Among the First Nations of North America, I encountered something called “Indian Time” when I went to some of the Pow Wow celebrations.  They announced a start time, but that is when people start gathering and when they are ready, then they begin.  It could be an hour later, or more.

Here, in rural Uganda, the Kakwa sense of time is relative.  The time announced is when people start thinking about getting ready.  Some time later they travel and, after arrival greetings and settling in, then things might begin.  Might, if most of the invited people have arrived, otherwise we wait.

However, there are exceptions.  In town, at church, or if an international guest or a government person is involved, then there is a desire to “keep time.”

Transport

There are cultural habits around public transport that continue to surprise me.  The nearly full public car that came by while I was waiting for transportation back to Koboko, was willing to wait while Baba Moses was trying to show me a video on his phone.  I am not used to public transport waiting for anyone, you need to be ready when it arrives and get on or let it go without you.  That is not the case here.

A passenger told the driver she needed to meet someone in Small Mart (the trading center a few kilometers from Mugujai).  The driver pulled off the road next to the shop of the person she wanted to see, and we all waited while she had a conversation with the shop owner.  She remained in the vehicle and when she was done, we continued towards Koboko.

Another passenger requested the driver to leave the main road in Keri so he could go to a shop on a side street.  The driver turned around while the passenger conducted his business, when he got back in the vehicle, and we continued to Koboko.

Family Meeting

The ‘final funeral’ that follows a burial service was moved from Kendila, South Sudan, to Mugujai, Uganda.  The family found all the tokels and other buildings in Kendila ‘broken down.’  Peter tells me only walls remain.  The family came to Mugujai following Saturday’s service, including those living in Yei, South Sudan and those living in Koboko, Uganda.  They held a service on Sunday.  On Monday they were planning to have the family meeting where they make sure all those details (transfer of possessions, support for dependents, paying any remaining debts, …) are taken care of.  This meant the mission center was not available for computer skills, it has been turned into a place for people to sleep.  Unfortunately, I did not know, so I ended up in the middle of things.  However, I was allowed to make a graceful exit after making the appropriate greetings.

Kendila

The burial service for Isaac Mauwa the late cousin of Baba Moses our deputy director was also “pushed.”  (See the blog entry ‘Reschedule.’)  Apparently, he was a person of some importance in South Sudan, although no one has said so.  Instead, what they said was the government (of South Sudan) dispatched a military presence around Kendila so the body could be transported, and the burial conducted on Saturday (instead of Thursday).

Baba Moses was telling me his cousin dressed like the people in the video he was trying to show me when a public car came by.  I say ‘trying’ because the sunlight made it hard to see the screen of his phone.  I hope he will show it to me again when we meet again.  The video was of the procession leading the body to the service.  I do not know if the video contains the service too; Baba Moses went to talk to the driver while I entered the vehicle.

Avian Flu

The price of chicken has been rising.  I thought it was because the price of everything else is rising, but Moses tells me it is because the flu is killing so many chickens.

The neighbors have been having trouble raising chickens for some time.  The birds get sick and die.  Moses has been treating those he is raising at my home and until recently we have not had a problem.  The cost of supplemental food has become prohibitive, and they have eaten most of the black and red ants that were invading my yard.  They have ventured outside the yard to find bugs.  In the process one of them contacted the neighbor’s chickens and became sick.  It died during the night.  It infected some of the chickens on the compound before it died.  Moses is actively treating them every day, instead of weekly as he did in the past.  So far only two have died, but the rest are not cured yet.