(27th of November) Eid, Idd, and Id

Religious tolerance is something we tend to preach pridefully in the U.S. “All are free to practice their beliefs in peace," is a common mantra. We have our Unitarian churches and our inter-faith networks. Yet when Muslims or Jews try to have halal/kosher meals in school, the immediate public is an uproar for “preferential treatment." The debate is typically seen more with the earlier. Inequality can be viewed in the simplest activities, such as a bona fide American apple pie family of Middle Eastern descent not being allowed to discuss the safest place to sit on an airplane. For doing so will cause detention and questioning by the authorities. And once it all gets cleared up as a simple misunderstanding they need more than a FBI seal of approval to snag another flight on the airline. Personally I feel the conversation is futile to start since the possible survival from a plane plummeting to the ocean at an immense speed matters little on aisle or window, wing or tail. Unless of course, you're a young girl on your way to the Comoros for holiday. Anyway, no matter the lack of productivity in discussing seat safety a person should be allowed participation. The ACLU is scorned daily by the radical “Right” as some ultra liberal vendetta bent on annihilating the Christian faith. The Sunday crusaders conveniently overlook the countless churches the American Civil Liberties Union works with every year. Uganda has many policies which I would adamantly oppose IF tried to implement in the US society/government. The Ugandan Administration encourages large families, abortion is entirely illegal, homosexuality may soon be a capital offense, polygamy is accepted, women are still subservient on some level and the rate of teen pregnancy can put any Southern US state to shame several times over. In many aspects it's a utopia for what some would call a Radical Right wing looney from Utah. Except for the whole lack of guns travesty. Ugandans are not allowed to go hunting with a semi-automatic assault rifle with 30 aught 6 cartridges. I know what you're thinking, what a tread on christian values instilled in the 2nd Amendment. The pious, Jesus fearing founders of America like Jefferson and Franklin would rollover in their graves if the states ever took such actions. Clearly, I have purposely wandered off topic, but I think we're having fun. The acceptance a Ugandan has for other faiths is commendable for any nation, let alone developing. Today, Friday the 27th of November, is a public holiday recognizing the Eid al-Adha for the end of the Hajj, pilgrimage to Mecca, and honoring Abraham's willingness to sacrifice his son for God. Although 15percent of the population is of the Islamic faith, other such offers of respect are witnessed throughout the area. You would be hard pressed to find a pork dish at any restaurant in Kasese. Actually the only place you could find a hardy swine portion is at specialty eating spots known as “pork joints”, a location I still have sadly not indulged. When meeting a short lived stranger one of the first questions asked by a Ugandan is on the area of personal faith. The exercise is not for the purpose of reward or resentment but inquiry and curiosity into what steers your moral core. My organization, Good Hope Foundation, has a prayer before every meeting asking for clarity and guidance in their discussions. However, they frequently speak at mosques and talking with Imams, making sure everyone takes advantage of the organization's services. Catholic, Anglican, Protestant, 7th Day Adventist, Muslim, and a surprising presence of Jehovah Witness call the Rwenzoris home and Bukonzo their tribe.

Moving On

Tread carefully on this overdone entry...However, it is the 150th year anniversary of the book by a great man of philosophy and science, Charles Darwin, called The Origin of Species. What makes us different from creatures? Yes, we mastered the wheel, have opposable thumbs, and are able to engineer masterpieces which peak into the realms of heaven. However, these are afterthoughts. Bits of our being which rendered to the surface on the tails of our cornerstone creation. Humanity broke tradition serving millennia and became uncomfortable with the preset purpose. All animals have one genuine goal and that is to have a bi-product with its DNA and the process isn't too bad either. Arctic birds spend months protecting their potential offspring. Salmon swim a ferocious path for a quickie and then punctually die. Any National Geographic reading glutton is well aware of these biological marvels. The boundaries of man's intellect and even philosophical stature warped beyond the plane of comfort where a little bald blob that has his nose satisfied the empty weight. Some search out a monetary filler in the quest for the unholy dollar. Others take the “In God We Trust” and sanctify purpose through a higher power in church. Ugandans flock to this ideal looking for paradise past the present world. They sing, sweat, and pray for hours to days in mud brick churches with a small wooden cross directing eyes to the front as the only decoration. We may use those Darwin spawn to instill the ethics and beliefs we've reveled through year after year in some skewed, lazy, hybrid embodiment of purpose and seed. A small few of us find meaning in the strings of a newly acquired view of humanity. Now we may take different streets on the endeavor, God, atheism, or even a touch of transcendentalism if they're feeling kinky, but the idea of purpose seeping beyond our own orb of "self" glimmers through. Salvation for our continued being is not sought through a physical conjuring of our own existence, but instead find answers in the positive impacts of others. No matter our solemn stand on the spectrum, once we crept past animal instinct we were destined to become addicts. The simplicities of sex and fertility could no longer be the sole answer. A taste of the unknown stirs a frenzy and unfortunately, the first hit is always free.

(3 November) "...What You Eat"

People here do not treat food as one in the West. It is seen more as a burden than a chance for exploration, delving into different mixes and concoctions of tastes and spices. Food lacks flavor and those that can fill your stomach with least effort are those held as staples. A meal is simply a pause in their strenuous daily work detail. A necessary pause, but a space of unproductive minutes none the less. In large groups chatter and friendly laughs are shared as men and women tell stories and concerns on both sides of the bland feast, but during the act concentration is spent on their hands mangling the food between their fingers on the journey to the mouth. It is not easy. It is not clean. In fact, it's much like work. Digging the soil is the profession or essential hobby of all but a shy amount in the country. Played over and over again, dipping and molding your sweat with the dirt in a laborious harvest rekindles a connection with the earth that Africans well-understand and perhaps reminisce as they work through a serving.

It's A Waiting Game

Things you take for granted back in the West are things fought and worked for over here. For instance, it seems as though every other day, including today, I barely had enough water to wash my face let alone my body. I have already conceded that washing everyday is a slim chance and now I'm just concerned with keeping my jerrican of drinking water supplied. My mind wonders to just standing under a steaming shower for an hour, possibly with a Jack and ginger in one hand and a Backyard burger in the other, if I could be so bold. As many of my writings will develop, I'm currently waiting for a community meeting to begin. It was scheduled for 10am, but this is Africa, and it's 11:30am and we may soon begin. Our topic of discussion for this prolonged, anticipated meeting is a health centre which regularly sees 150 patients and only 1 staff member, a nurse, out of 17, who shows up to work. The chair of the meeting is now speaking as the staff, management committee, NGO leaders, and community members listen on. The RDC, representative of the national government, has decided not to come or was not invited. He, less than two weeks ago, railed Martha, another PCV, and myself for not bringing funds with us instead of expertise. When we first visited the health centre in its dismal state we were told that the majority of staff just show up for their paychecks and go home. The Nyabirongo Health Centre is under the responsibility of the RDC.
The last couple days I have resorted to reading to fill my time as our power is out. I now know exactly how Pablo Escobar was taken out as described in the 360pg investigative book, Killing Pablo. Now I switch to The State of Africa, a fairly relevant book. When darkness sets in and reading becomes difficult, shortwave radio is my salvation. BBC Africa, Voice of America, and China International Radio keep me involved in the world along with the Premier League. At around 10:30pm or so I flip off the shortwave and listen to the i-pod until I fall asleep. I find joy in things I rarely have before...Peanut Butter. Pb and J along with an apple with peanut butter fill a majority of my meals. While stewed beans, tomatoes, and onions make up the rest with a daily multi-vitamin and a spoonful of jam as desert. The time is now 2:30pm and the meeting is nearing the end. I hope to travel to K-town tomorrow for supplies and yes, Peanut Butter.