Molly in Africa

Friday, September 15, 2006

new address and some short notes

Sorry, I kept forgetting to include the new address in here, but here it is:
Molly Heineman
c/o School for International Training
P.O. Box 23431
Kati House, Ground Floor, Plot 2
Kyagwe Road
Kampala, UGANDA

It takes about 15 days for letters to get here (that's how long it took for the card my mum sent!)

Random things:

Kampala is a big city. I know some people think strictly of rural areas when they think of Africa, but Kampala is not rural. The main streets are paved (don't be fooled, that doesn't mean they are smooth necessarily). The buildings are not that large, but many of them are at least three stories high. This is a hilly area which is kinda fun for me since I've always lived in very flat areas. People dress very nicely here. While there is a lot of dust, we are expected to look "smart". Smart here means dressed neatly- ironed clothing, not t-shirts, skirts that cover the knee, shirts that cover your shoulder and aren't too low cut.

Each morning I take my taxi to the taxi park in Kampala and then walk uphill at least half a mile (although it actually may be a mile) to the SIT resource center for Luganda class. As I walk on the sidewalk and CAREFULLY cross the street, people are constantly trying to talk to me. "muzungu muzungu" (that's their word for white- although it's not derogatory in any way) is what I constantly hear. Also, everyone assumes that since I'm white, I'm rich. They all want me to buy from their stores. there are a good number of people sitting on the side of the sidewalk just hoping people will give them money. Most have obvious disabilities or they are clearly poor children. Children are more aggresive in their begging- they'll come up and call me sister and walk with me for up to two blocks. I learned early on that I can't make eyecontact and should definitely not give money in the city to these kids- advice from the director of my program. It seems that most kids work for someone else so they may not even get any benefits from the money they receive.

Ok, I just wanted to give you taht little insight into Kampala. Hope you all have a wonderful week! I'll try to write on Monday or Tuesday the 25/26.

5 Comments:

At 9:39 PM, September 15, 2006, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Hey Molly, It's Kate Hammelrath I was your resident last year. I just wanted to let you know I'm keeping up with your posts from Africa because I'm very interested to see how it's going and how you are doing. You are in my prayers everyday and I wish nothing but the best for you!
Love, Kate

 
At 6:49 PM, September 17, 2006, Blogger JanetPG said...

Hi Molly,

Your life in Africa is so incredibly interesting. I really appreciate your sharing of what you see and also what you feel. It sounds like these 2 weeks away will provide you with more different experiences, challenging you in yet new ways.

I continue to admire your courage in diving into the unknown to pursue your goals and dreams. Certainly "tweaking" the paths you take to get there is a sign of strength and wisdom, not weakness.

Waiting to hear about Western Uganda and Rwanda.

Love you,
Janet

 
At 2:22 PM, September 18, 2006, Anonymous Anonymous said...

hey,
hope you're likin it in uganda. am from uganda, goin to school in houston. great to know you're havin a good time.
sheila

 
At 8:58 AM, September 22, 2006, Anonymous Anonymous said...

muzungu muzungu!

It's James. I just wanted to stop in and check in on you. You seem to be having a great time and are having awesome and interesting experiences. I cannot even begin to tell you how proud I am of you for taking yourself and emersing yourself in a culture you probably didn't know much about. I will keep you in my thoughts and prayers! The Lord will continue to bless you for your great deeds!

Love Always,
James

 
At 2:43 PM, September 22, 2006, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Molly - Here's the real bonus of coming back in time to join the second semester at Dayton. Paul, he Hotel Rwanda manager whose last name I couldn't possibly spell, is speaking at UD in February! It was quite something to read that in the UD Quarterly at the same time you were visiting in Rwanda. Can't wait to hear about this trip. Love, Mum

 

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