Never Say Never

There are many aspects of daily life here in Uganda that I sometimes forget aren't "normal" for me. Things like opening my front gate to see a herd of cows ten feet away or having holes appear in most of my shirts due to some unseen yet hungry insect... These things never used to happen to me, but now they're commonplace. Before moving to Uganda...

I never... thought I'd have my electricity company account number memorized. When power goes out unexpectedly, it never hurts to call the power company and report the issue. Sometimes it's "scheduled maintenance." Sometimes it's "a fault on the line." Most of the time, they have no idea. With these frequent phone calls, I had our 9-digit account number ingrained in my brain in no time at all. And I know their hold music and message by heart.

I never...considered how much I appreciate window screens and sealant. You don't realize how much they keep out until all those things can come in.

I never... knew the Twilight Bark was real. You think it only happens in cartoons, but no. It's real, and it's loud. It happens every night with the neighborhood dogs that roam free, and it's much less civilized than in 101 Dalmatians.



I never... went into the bank to get small bills. The ATMs dispense primarily 50,000 UGX bills (approximately $20, which is the the biggest amount), and while these are useful for making occasional big purchases, they're no good when shopping at the market or for paying a boda driver. It's too hard to make change for such a large bill, and you'll wind up standing around for ten minutes while the shopkeeper goes to other vendors collecting enough money to give you the balance. This is why I always keep a stash of 1,000 and 2,000 bills (40 and 75 cents, respectively), which requires going into the bank and changing out the 50's.

I never... knew how quickly Americans/Westerners walked. Ugandans generally walk like they have no where to be, no time frame in getting there, and take frequent rests to enjoy a patch of shade along the way. I've never felt like I walk at a break-neck speed, but compared to the average Ugandan, I do. I call it "walking with purpose." They call it jogging. No, seriously. I walk with friends a couple mornings a week, and my boda driver usually asks how our "jog" was. And I was recently walking with a friend, and she asked me if I'm good at running. I explained that, actually, I'm very terrible at running and don't enjoy it. She replied, "Oh, I thought by the way you can walk you must also be very good at running."