Just another day in Uganda

So, as planned, I woke up this morning and did another bungee jump. This time I was by myself. When jumping, you have the option of them making the cord just long enough that your head dunks into the Nile before you rebound. Since I opted out on that wonderful opportunity, the guy said he would use the bungee cord they use for bigger people so I would get an especially large rebound bounce. I don't really understand the physics behind that, but it was true. I can't even explain what happened, but I'll try to put up the video if the internet lets me.
Then, to end the weekend, me and 5 other people decided to go ATVing. We got there just as it started raining, which I thought would be unpleasant but turned out to be a lot more fun than if it had not been raining because of all the mud it created.

Now I'm on the bus on my way back to Kampala to pack so I can finally leave for the north tomorrow morning. The weekend as a whole was a lot of fun and a nice break from "real Uganda." Uganda is great but lately a lot of us have been frustrated with the ways we are sometimes treated because we are white and how that makes it impossible to trust anyone. A few examples:
-Most times I ask for a price at the market or for a taxi, I am charged twice as much as I should be
-People will randomly come up to me on the street, spend five minutes talking to me and then ask for money or help getting a visa. Or they ask for my phone number and if I give it out (which I learned long ago not to) they will call 10 times a day just to say hi to their American friend
-At taxi stages, conductors grabbing at me, trying to pull me into their taxi because they think they'll be able to overcharge me
-People yelling Muzungu (white person) as I walk by. Cute when little kids do it. Not cute when grown men do.

Then again, this weekend was frustrating too at parts. We were pretty much only in tourist spots where all the people around are westerners. Prices are shown in US dollars and Euros (you have to ask about Ugandan shillings), the menus do not include any traditional Ugandan food at all, bathrooms are unusually clean and have hot water showers (maybe not something I should complain about), and shuttles are available to take people from place to place so they don't have to use public transportation. I understand that this is actually great for Uganda's economy because it brings in so many tourists, but there were a few times I just wanted to scream at the tourists "You think THIS is seeing Uganda! Maybe you should take a public taxi to the slums and walk around because that is WAY more Uganda than this is. But go ahead, check this country off your list and move on." Every day I get more and more frustrated at how powerless I feel to do anything to make this country a fairer place to live... On the plus side, Ugandan citizens get a 50% discount for bungee jumping...

I had a long conversation with a few people yesterday about how much comfort/ luxury is ok to live with instead of using the money to help other people. A point was brought up that comfort is relative, because what makes you comfortable depends on how you were raised and what you are used to, so it is ok for somebody who grew up driving nice cars to own a bmw while somebody who grew up with no car bikes everywhere. Personally, I think that idea is kinda ridiculous. It seems logical to me that if you grew up with a bmw you should maybe get some therapy or something and figure out how to be comfortable and happy with a prius (and save the environment while you're at it). Now this is a fairly exaggerated example and idealistic argument, but that is the basic idea and I was shocked that almost everyone at the table agreed that culture should be highly factored in to what kind of lifestyle is ok to live without giving up some of your own comfort for other people.

As a side note, since this week is passover (ie no bread or rice), I'm a vegetarian, and its not safe to eat raw vegetables here, eating the past few days has been pretty interesting. I've amended some rules and added some of my own because I figure that's ok if it is ok for the Ugandan Jews to make substitutions to the seder plate. I made my own matzah though and have spent the weekend snacking on it. I must admit, it pales in comparison to Uncle Allen's, but with a little tomato sauce or homemade guacamole on top it's not too bad.

Alright. That's all I got for today. Pictures soon! I promise!
Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry