This is the termed used to describe the mopeds, motorcycles, and bicycles that transport people around. These bikes are the most common form of short distance transport. In the small villages you will find mostly bicycle bodas where in the larger towns you will find many of all the different varieties.
The term Boda Boda originates because it is said that the bikes will take you from border to boder this may not be completely true be you can sure find them anywhere between the borders. The Peace Corps has a rule that volunteers aren’t allowed to ride on the motorized bodas. We can ride the bicycle ones as long as we are wearing a helmet. This rule is enforced wherever volunteers are throughout the world. It is for the volunteers safety that this rule is enforced. The rides are very dangerous when you couple the poor rodes, bad drivers and poor condition of some of the bikes.
These Boda drivers will sit on there bikes together at street corners and just wait for people pass by and ask for a ride. For most Ugandans they pass by the Bodas with no problem if they want a ride they will just hope on the back of a bike. If they don’t want a ride they just keep on walking. It is a different story for a Muzungu (White Person). The drivers will see you coming from far off and start shouting at you to see if you want a ride. The Peace Corps volunteer will obviously have to decline the ride but it doesn’t matter how many times you walk by the same corner they will continue to ask if you want a ride.
Walking on my way to work I pass a few street corners which are filled with bodas. I knew that I would need to pass these drivers everyday and I didn’t want to here them shouting at me every day. So I decided to try a different strategy. So on the way to work I stop and Introduced myself to the drivers and told them I would be here for the next two years and wouldn’t be able to take a ride from them because of a few rules I had to follow. This strategy has worked rather well and now they greet me when I walk past in the morning instead of just shouting out Muzungu.
Sunday, June 24, 2007
Saturday, June 16, 2007
So on the way home from work every day I pass many people selling street food. There are many different things that are sold but from cassava pancakes, grilled corn, goat meat on a stick fried breads but there is nothing more common then the Chapatti. Chapatti is an Indian food that was brought here with the Indian families that have moved to Uganda. It is a flour water and salt which is then fried in vegetable oil. It taste very good and you can find someone selling them on every street corner. So I had some free time this afternoon and thought I would try my hand at creating the Chapatti. I can't say it was a disaster but it was definitely not as tasty as the ones sold on the street. I have some work to do before I perfect the art. I am thinking about getting some advice from the experts on the street.
This brings up the topic of food over here. First off food only refers to grains section of the food pyramid. So if you were to serve someone lunch without, rice, posho (corn meal), matooke (banana that are steamed or boiled similar to plantains), potatoes they would ask you where the food is. Everything else is called sauce. Matooke is the traditional dish here and took some getting used to but know I can say that I enjoy it when it is prepared with the right sauce. There is not much variety in the meals it always consists of the same food with the sauce changing from peanut sauce, beans, or any type of boiled meat.
The times people eat are also very different. You don't eat breakfast until around 10:00 because you are thought to be lazy if you eat before you work. Breakfast will consist of Tea and a Chapatti, roll or piece of bread. Lunch is then served around 2 or 3. This is the largest meal of the day and will normally keep you full until around 8 or 9 at that time you have another cup of tea and some bread. Many families will then eat supper around 11 or 12.
This has been my schedule other then the supper at 11 that is a bit to late for me to eat. It took some getting used to but know I kind of enjoy eating a large meal in the afternoon. We will see if I keep it up. Right now I am eating pretty much only Ugandan food but because I am in a larger city I have the option of getting some American food. Right now I enjoy the Ugandan food and plan to keep in the routine. I will let you know if I cave into the temptation for the American food.
This brings up the topic of food over here. First off food only refers to grains section of the food pyramid. So if you were to serve someone lunch without, rice, posho (corn meal), matooke (banana that are steamed or boiled similar to plantains), potatoes they would ask you where the food is. Everything else is called sauce. Matooke is the traditional dish here and took some getting used to but know I can say that I enjoy it when it is prepared with the right sauce. There is not much variety in the meals it always consists of the same food with the sauce changing from peanut sauce, beans, or any type of boiled meat.
The times people eat are also very different. You don't eat breakfast until around 10:00 because you are thought to be lazy if you eat before you work. Breakfast will consist of Tea and a Chapatti, roll or piece of bread. Lunch is then served around 2 or 3. This is the largest meal of the day and will normally keep you full until around 8 or 9 at that time you have another cup of tea and some bread. Many families will then eat supper around 11 or 12.
This has been my schedule other then the supper at 11 that is a bit to late for me to eat. It took some getting used to but know I kind of enjoy eating a large meal in the afternoon. We will see if I keep it up. Right now I am eating pretty much only Ugandan food but because I am in a larger city I have the option of getting some American food. Right now I enjoy the Ugandan food and plan to keep in the routine. I will let you know if I cave into the temptation for the American food.
Sunday, June 10, 2007
Week 2 at site
My home
So we have a computer at work but we are not hooked up to the Internet. So I thought to save some money I would type my blog entries on the computer and save them to my flash drive and then post them at the Internet Cafe. Unfortunately the computer has contracted a virus and destroyed my files. The viruses seem to be a huge problem with the computers here. I guess it is something I will need to be a bit more aware of. So I have been here at site for about two weeks and things are really busy but great.
My home is incredible with that of the Peace Corps standard. I ran across some Peace Corps Volunteers ( more commonly referred to as PCV's) in town this week and took them to see where I was staying. They couldn't believe that I had electricity running water, toilet, and a shower. Many of them have none of these things plus have to ride a bike 1 hour to get to their homes. Where I am in a good size city many of them are out in very small villages. I am also working with an organization that is functioning as a business which I absolutely love but is very different from other volunteers. I am beginning to think I will have quit a different Peace Corps experience from even some people living only 20 miles away. I am very excited about the opportunity I have here and the people I am working with.
Kitten
When I was leaving for my site from Kampala two weeks ago. I was given a kitten from a volunteer named Laura. At the time I thought it would be nice to have some company as this would be my 1st time living alone but I live in a 1 room house so there is no real way to separate the cat from where I sleep. This has become a problem because she is very active at night and makes it hard for me to sleep. The other night I got so fed up with her that I decided the next morning I was moving her outside permanently. So I got her food and a box and but her outside. Not two minutes later I hear the security guard yelling and chasing the dog Timmy. I went outside and asked him what had happened and he informed me that the dog was trying to eat the kitten. So I was forced to bring her back inside. So right know I am trying to come up with a strategy to keep her quiet at night until she is big enough to fend for herself outside. Any suggestion or advice would be greatly appreciated.
So we have a computer at work but we are not hooked up to the Internet. So I thought to save some money I would type my blog entries on the computer and save them to my flash drive and then post them at the Internet Cafe. Unfortunately the computer has contracted a virus and destroyed my files. The viruses seem to be a huge problem with the computers here. I guess it is something I will need to be a bit more aware of. So I have been here at site for about two weeks and things are really busy but great.
My home is incredible with that of the Peace Corps standard. I ran across some Peace Corps Volunteers ( more commonly referred to as PCV's) in town this week and took them to see where I was staying. They couldn't believe that I had electricity running water, toilet, and a shower. Many of them have none of these things plus have to ride a bike 1 hour to get to their homes. Where I am in a good size city many of them are out in very small villages. I am also working with an organization that is functioning as a business which I absolutely love but is very different from other volunteers. I am beginning to think I will have quit a different Peace Corps experience from even some people living only 20 miles away. I am very excited about the opportunity I have here and the people I am working with.
Kitten
When I was leaving for my site from Kampala two weeks ago. I was given a kitten from a volunteer named Laura. At the time I thought it would be nice to have some company as this would be my 1st time living alone but I live in a 1 room house so there is no real way to separate the cat from where I sleep. This has become a problem because she is very active at night and makes it hard for me to sleep. The other night I got so fed up with her that I decided the next morning I was moving her outside permanently. So I got her food and a box and but her outside. Not two minutes later I hear the security guard yelling and chasing the dog Timmy. I went outside and asked him what had happened and he informed me that the dog was trying to eat the kitten. So I was forced to bring her back inside. So right know I am trying to come up with a strategy to keep her quiet at night until she is big enough to fend for herself outside. Any suggestion or advice would be greatly appreciated.
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