And as all things, this blag too must come to an end.
It's been a wild ride, and you've all been a part of it. Some would compare it to the silently applauding audience at a professional golf game, mere bystanders, standing in the way of the game itself. But to me, it's different. You, faithful readers of this blag, did your part in shaping my time in Uganda.
Many left comments, thus managing to be right there beside me, sharing in my moments there. Others read each entry in silence; whether it was an awe-inspired silence or a quiet admiration behind it all - don't worry, your secret's safe with me. Each in your own way, you were there.
It was my connection to the outside world, the blag. Much like having friends and family in helium balloons attached to my wrist wherever I went.
But it didn't stop there. Even the act of writing had its impact. It added a point of routine in an otherwise changing day-to-day life. Not to mention the processing. An experience like this one doesn't end the moment I land on Norwegian soil again. It grows in meaning with time; with the processing that is done. And for that, rereading my own blag will likely be a wonderful tool along the way.
It's been a perfect trip for me. There's not a moment of it that I regret.
I've seen the heart of Uganda.
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
Monday, March 29, 2010
Can't always get what you want
Okay, I'll be honest here. I was secretly hoping for the doctor to give me a very specific diagnosis. "It was malaria after all," she was supposed to say. "Your immune system just crushed it far too early for our tests to pick up on it."
No such luck. The current diagnosis is "unspecified gastroenteritis" as suspected earlier. Chances are it won't get much more specified, either.
So there it is, then. Don't mind me, I'm all better now. I'm just fond of complaining about stuff.
No such luck. The current diagnosis is "unspecified gastroenteritis" as suspected earlier. Chances are it won't get much more specified, either.
So there it is, then. Don't mind me, I'm all better now. I'm just fond of complaining about stuff.
Sunday, March 28, 2010
The hands of time
At this point, my body clock is thinking, "Oh, shut up."
I originally travelled from Norway via London. That's one time zone to the west, or -1 hour. Not much of an adjustment, sure. After London, I flew to Uganda, three hours ahead of London. Now we're at +2. Seven weeks of that, then it was back to London, for one day of -1. Then good old Norway, back to 0.
And now, it's +1 again. Daylight saving time.
I originally travelled from Norway via London. That's one time zone to the west, or -1 hour. Not much of an adjustment, sure. After London, I flew to Uganda, three hours ahead of London. Now we're at +2. Seven weeks of that, then it was back to London, for one day of -1. Then good old Norway, back to 0.
And now, it's +1 again. Daylight saving time.
Saturday, March 27, 2010
Drumroll
I'm a hypochondriac!
Well, no, not exactly. It turned out not to be malaria after all, but the symptoms did fit, so it wasn't exactly far-fetched. Most likely, it was just some gastroenteritis of some form or other. I'll only have the final diagnosis on Monday.
I'm back home now, after having spent the night at the hospital, taking various blood tests and workups. It's interesting being on this side of the needles for once.
Well, no, not exactly. It turned out not to be malaria after all, but the symptoms did fit, so it wasn't exactly far-fetched. Most likely, it was just some gastroenteritis of some form or other. I'll only have the final diagnosis on Monday.
I'm back home now, after having spent the night at the hospital, taking various blood tests and workups. It's interesting being on this side of the needles for once.
Be careful what you wish for
The abdominal pain has arrived! I've been admitted to the hospital now, where they've just taken some tests. We'll see what they say...
The adventure continues.
The adventure continues.
Friday, March 26, 2010
Toto, we're back in Kansas
After a trip like this, most people bring back souvenirs. Some bring sculptures, some bring postcards, some bring photo albums. I've probably brought malaria with me.
At least, I think it might be malaria. Headache, fevers, joint pains; sounds about right. The symptoms aren't entirely typical; I have no abdominal pain, would have expected that perhaps. If I haven't gotten better by tomorrow, I'll go and get myself tested. Keeping my fingers crossed.
I'll tell you one thing though. Of all the times when this could have happened, I am incredibly happy that this happened now, back at home. Mommy's here.
It's good to be back.
At least, I think it might be malaria. Headache, fevers, joint pains; sounds about right. The symptoms aren't entirely typical; I have no abdominal pain, would have expected that perhaps. If I haven't gotten better by tomorrow, I'll go and get myself tested. Keeping my fingers crossed.
I'll tell you one thing though. Of all the times when this could have happened, I am incredibly happy that this happened now, back at home. Mommy's here.
It's good to be back.
Wednesday, March 24, 2010
Back to the horse and cart
It seems strange to me that we take world travel in stride the way we do. Among the passengers on my flight, an ominous indifference marked the crossing of the Ugandan border, as witnessed on the flight map.
Think about it. You're in a country filled with this blend of peoples, all with their various cultures, personality traits and appearances. Music, dance, language, life. The very idea of it is too vast to fathom. The millennia of intricate histories that have shaped these to become the way they are today; the struggles they've faced, the changes they've had to go through. Blistering climates, adding their own touch to everyday activities. Not to mention nature in all its splendor, carrying its own variety of colors and roars.
Hours later, you're in a whole new country, with its own mixture of peoples, cultures and whatnot.
Where do you get the time to appreciate all this when it's just a matter of hopping onto a plane and waking up in a whole new place?
Think about it. You're in a country filled with this blend of peoples, all with their various cultures, personality traits and appearances. Music, dance, language, life. The very idea of it is too vast to fathom. The millennia of intricate histories that have shaped these to become the way they are today; the struggles they've faced, the changes they've had to go through. Blistering climates, adding their own touch to everyday activities. Not to mention nature in all its splendor, carrying its own variety of colors and roars.
Hours later, you're in a whole new country, with its own mixture of peoples, cultures and whatnot.
Where do you get the time to appreciate all this when it's just a matter of hopping onto a plane and waking up in a whole new place?
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
Robert Louis Stevenson
The original plan was to relax at home for my last few hours in Kampala. But, as a friend of mine pointed out, today has a whole other atmosphere to it than other days. This day would be so much better put to use by experiencing the full last-day-here feel of the country.
So I made myself a treasure hunt. I jotted up a quick list of things to find, and then went out looking for them. A bottle containing a red fluid, a wrapper with exactly two triangles on it, a person with one ear-ring. A rock shaped like a face, a 50% bargain, a person who knew three languages. A spelling mistake, a button and a pool table.
I found some things, I didn't find others. Didn't matter. It was the experience of it that was the point.
My friend was right. A last day is different. And with that, I bid farewell to Uganda.
So I made myself a treasure hunt. I jotted up a quick list of things to find, and then went out looking for them. A bottle containing a red fluid, a wrapper with exactly two triangles on it, a person with one ear-ring. A rock shaped like a face, a 50% bargain, a person who knew three languages. A spelling mistake, a button and a pool table.
I found some things, I didn't find others. Didn't matter. It was the experience of it that was the point.
My friend was right. A last day is different. And with that, I bid farewell to Uganda.
Monday, March 22, 2010
Jack Bauer
My time's up. Within 24 hours, I'll be sitting on a plane home. The mood may be more somber than the analogous one from Last King of Scotland though.
I've thrown all my stuff onto the bed now, thinking that it'll force me to get packing. After all, this way, I can't go to sleep before I've moved all my stuff into their respective suitcases. One piece at a time, that's all it takes. Put like that, it sounds so simple, doesn't it? Nonetheless, I've got my suspicions that I'm going to hate myself for this much later tonight, when I still haven't gotten off Facebook.
I've got even stronger suspicions that I'll end up sleeping on the couch today.
I've thrown all my stuff onto the bed now, thinking that it'll force me to get packing. After all, this way, I can't go to sleep before I've moved all my stuff into their respective suitcases. One piece at a time, that's all it takes. Put like that, it sounds so simple, doesn't it? Nonetheless, I've got my suspicions that I'm going to hate myself for this much later tonight, when I still haven't gotten off Facebook.
I've got even stronger suspicions that I'll end up sleeping on the couch today.
Sunday, March 21, 2010
Angels & Demons
It was so dark in my room last night that my brain went haywire. No kidding. Pitch black outside, the power gone. No amount of waiting would allow my eyes to adjust. It was all just... black.
It started with a dream that I had of someone walking into our room in the middle of the night. I startled awake. But, the dream didn't end - I saw this person, moving towards my bags. I heard this person, opening my camera bag's zipper. Could a mental image of a dream be so strong for it to continue even while awake? There was no question about it. He was right there.
Figuring I'd startle the intruder, I got up quickly and put on the best semblance of a military voice that I could muster up. "Looking for something?" I called out and flashed my torch in his general direction, with my heart racing.
I blinked in confusion. There were my bags, unopened. My camera, untouched. And no person there. I looked under the beds, I looked at the door. Nothing.
There had been no intruder. I had imagined it all.
It started with a dream that I had of someone walking into our room in the middle of the night. I startled awake. But, the dream didn't end - I saw this person, moving towards my bags. I heard this person, opening my camera bag's zipper. Could a mental image of a dream be so strong for it to continue even while awake? There was no question about it. He was right there.
Figuring I'd startle the intruder, I got up quickly and put on the best semblance of a military voice that I could muster up. "Looking for something?" I called out and flashed my torch in his general direction, with my heart racing.
I blinked in confusion. There were my bags, unopened. My camera, untouched. And no person there. I looked under the beds, I looked at the door. Nothing.
There had been no intruder. I had imagined it all.
Saturday, March 20, 2010
Eddy lines suck
My shoulders are going to get their revenge for this tomorrow.
It was an adrenalin kick beyond compare. Rafting on the Nile a couple of weeks ago was fun, I'll grant you that. This, though. This was me and my instructor in individual vessels. This was me aided only by my own paddling, and hip movements reminiscent of a Shakira music video. Me staying afloat on rapids hellbent on flipping me over. Me vs. the laws of nature.
Which is what bugs me, see. With decidedly amusing facial expressions (as my instructor told me afterwards), I did manage to beat the rapids. Once I got onto flat water though, I suddenly flipped.
All thanks to treacherously hidden whirlpools.
It was an adrenalin kick beyond compare. Rafting on the Nile a couple of weeks ago was fun, I'll grant you that. This, though. This was me and my instructor in individual vessels. This was me aided only by my own paddling, and hip movements reminiscent of a Shakira music video. Me staying afloat on rapids hellbent on flipping me over. Me vs. the laws of nature.
Which is what bugs me, see. With decidedly amusing facial expressions (as my instructor told me afterwards), I did manage to beat the rapids. Once I got onto flat water though, I suddenly flipped.
All thanks to treacherously hidden whirlpools.
Friday, March 19, 2010
Tick tock
What errands to do! Getting materials, dropping by stores, saying goodbyes... I am but one man!
With only five days to go of my time here, there's a lot to get done. Add to that that I'm planning on heading back to Jinja for a day, and it's clear that I'm really running out of time.
Wish me luck.
Thursday, March 18, 2010
And justice for all
It's better that ten innocents get beaten up within an inch of their lives than that one guilty person walks free.
Or at least, that seems to be the general sentiment among the locals here. Mob justice is big here. We've seen a lot of that at the surgical casualty. As I've heard a friend of mine describe it, the police coming to the scene of a crime are more often than not the ones who save the life of the "suspect".
That is, if someone were to yell out "Thief!" and point at a person, then that person had better run. There's no waiting to find out whether the person did steal something, or even if it was that person who stole it in the first place. The pointing determines who gets pummelled.
Makes you feel safe, no?
Or at least, that seems to be the general sentiment among the locals here. Mob justice is big here. We've seen a lot of that at the surgical casualty. As I've heard a friend of mine describe it, the police coming to the scene of a crime are more often than not the ones who save the life of the "suspect".
That is, if someone were to yell out "Thief!" and point at a person, then that person had better run. There's no waiting to find out whether the person did steal something, or even if it was that person who stole it in the first place. The pointing determines who gets pummelled.
Makes you feel safe, no?
Wednesday, March 17, 2010
Billy Elliot
Drumming on stage was on today's agenda, as I wrote in an earlier post. I went with the intention of trying it out, but the event got cancelled at the last minute. The reason: a nearby contemporary dance display, where the dance group apparently had said that their performance would be disturbed if we played loud music.
I went to watch a part of the dance practice though. Very beautiful stuff. Graceful movements, epic music, pretty girls - great show.
It was just a pity that the drumming had to be cancelled for this. Or - perhaps my drumming was just so downright obnoxious that they created an elaborate story with hired actors to avoid hearing me play on stage. Hm.
The unrest continues
The drama level seems to be going up here. The Kasubi Tombs, a world heritage site here in Kampala, were set ablaze today.
One thing is that this is an absolute tragedy from a cultural perspective, perhaps comparable to someone knocking down the Taj Mahal (another world heritage site). Another is that this can potentially turn quite ugly, if there were political motivations behind this as is speculated.
We've also started noticing more of it, at least indirectly. People walking around carrying branches here on campus, taxi drivers refusing to drive into campus, increased security controls upon entering the area, the embassy asking us to come and register...
We'll keep clear of the conflicts themselves to the extent possible of course. I cannot really say that I feel threatened in any way. We're safe, and feel perfectly safe as well. It's merely the tension in the air that is so palpable for the time being.
One thing is that this is an absolute tragedy from a cultural perspective, perhaps comparable to someone knocking down the Taj Mahal (another world heritage site). Another is that this can potentially turn quite ugly, if there were political motivations behind this as is speculated.
We've also started noticing more of it, at least indirectly. People walking around carrying branches here on campus, taxi drivers refusing to drive into campus, increased security controls upon entering the area, the embassy asking us to come and register...
We'll keep clear of the conflicts themselves to the extent possible of course. I cannot really say that I feel threatened in any way. We're safe, and feel perfectly safe as well. It's merely the tension in the air that is so palpable for the time being.
Baby's Day Out
I delivered a baby for the first time today!
It all went so quickly once it started. By the time I had put on my gloves, the woman was having her contractions and the head was on its way out. A little help along the way, and this baby girl cried her first cry to the world. A strong, healthy cry, before she settled down to sucking her tiny little thumb.
I'm well aware that if I hadn't been there, somebody else would have stepped in and delivered the baby instead. I did nothing remarkable there. Try telling that to my feeling of bounding pride though.
It all went so quickly once it started. By the time I had put on my gloves, the woman was having her contractions and the head was on its way out. A little help along the way, and this baby girl cried her first cry to the world. A strong, healthy cry, before she settled down to sucking her tiny little thumb.
I'm well aware that if I hadn't been there, somebody else would have stepped in and delivered the baby instead. I did nothing remarkable there. Try telling that to my feeling of bounding pride though.
Did Cæsar live here? I didn't think so.
You know, I always thought that I had crossed surgery off my "list". I could never picture myself dicing, slicing and suturing for hours on end. But, I'm beginning to realize, the more I get to participate in the operation while assisting, and the more the procedure makes sense to me, the more interested I get.
I observed two emergency caesarian sections yesterday back-to-back, and then immediately afterwards assisted in a third one. These three, in the course of about two hours - and there were several more planned. But I was getting hungry, and needed food.
Even thinking of getting so many in one go in Norway would be remarkable. They simply don't happen that frequently.
If I spent a couple of more days doing this, I could go solo with this. Well, no, maybe not. But it's fun to think that I could.
I observed two emergency caesarian sections yesterday back-to-back, and then immediately afterwards assisted in a third one. These three, in the course of about two hours - and there were several more planned. But I was getting hungry, and needed food.
Even thinking of getting so many in one go in Norway would be remarkable. They simply don't happen that frequently.
If I spent a couple of more days doing this, I could go solo with this. Well, no, maybe not. But it's fun to think that I could.
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
School shooting
A bit of everyday drama: there's been a shooting at the university here, with subsequent riots, deaths and lockdowns.
So far I've only heard rumors of the event and gotten strict instructions to not walk back to campus at this time. For all intents and purposes, we are safe and unharmed.
We're even hoping that the volleyball tournament that we're organizing today will continue as planned. Life goes on, right?
So far I've only heard rumors of the event and gotten strict instructions to not walk back to campus at this time. For all intents and purposes, we are safe and unharmed.
We're even hoping that the volleyball tournament that we're organizing today will continue as planned. Life goes on, right?
Monday, March 15, 2010
Sandman
Missed me? I've been to Murchison Falls this weekend, getting as close to roughing it as I've gotten here in Uganda. A pit in the ground for a toilet? I call that roughing it.
And it's been great. I can't describe the weekend as anything but a photographer's dream really. Witnessing the sheer force of the waterfall as it bellowed out into the valleys below, against a tropical forest backdrop. Crossing the Nile and realizing that the clear skies and calm waters were about to give us the most perfect sunset, with the occasional yawning hippopotamus off in the horizon.
Seeing everything from baboons to antelopes to warthogs during game drive. Baby elephants ambling around without a care in the world, while their massive parents watched closely. Tall giraffes refusing to stand up straight for a photograph. Catching a glimpse of a lion – so rarely seen in these areas that it magnified the pure satisfaction of it all tenfold.
As if that hadn't been enough, the next day's boat ride had even more to offer. Kingfishers diving for fish and crocodiles cooling themselves off in the water. Buffalo grazing and fish eagles perching on trees. Monkeys leaping acrobatically from tree to tree, latching onto distant branches with nimble fingers.
It was beautiful; deeply, movingly beautiful. Nature, the way God intended it.
Thursday, March 11, 2010
Knowledge, power, and all that
Some people know too much. I say this in light of just having had my team come in second-last place in a pub trivia quiz.
I mean, how do people remember the year in which the ANC was taken off the terrorist watchlist? Or stuff like who won silver in some Olympic sport from many years back?
I am a big fan of trivial knowledge, I'll grant you that. It just seems like such a conspiracy that nobody ever asks me the stuff that I do know.
I mean, how do people remember the year in which the ANC was taken off the terrorist watchlist? Or stuff like who won silver in some Olympic sport from many years back?
I am a big fan of trivial knowledge, I'll grant you that. It just seems like such a conspiracy that nobody ever asks me the stuff that I do know.
Wednesday, March 10, 2010
Thumper
"Tap-TAP-tap," says Jonathan to me, gesticulating in time with his hands. Tap-TAP-tap, responds my drum.
I met Jonathan yesterday at his band's concert, where they combined East African rhythms with other musical styles, ranging from blues to jazz to Carribean in true fusion style. Very fascinating to listen to.
What was particularly fun for me was the fact that Jonathan told me that he could give me private drumming lessons if I wanted, after seeing that I was interested in drumming. That was definitely an offer I latched on to. I went today, and added a few new rhythms to my "vocabulary". Rhythms with names! Imagine that.
The best part: I've even been challenged to play on stage this coming Wednesday. You know what? I think I'll do it.
Tuesday, March 9, 2010
Moment of panic
Whatever am I going to do when I get back to Norway where it's no longer cheap to order food in?
It's so easy to let laziness get the upper hand here. There's no need to go to the shops, to make food, to go to restaurants. A phone in your hand and a rough idea of what you'd like to eat will cover it. They'll stop just short of feeding you grapes while fanning you with palm leaves, but it sure feels like luxury nonetheless.
Of course, that's not to say that we do this every day. We've had plenty of days where we've prepare a nice home-cooked meal, or found a nice restaurant to visit. It's just that, after a long day at the hospital in the sizzling heat (apologies to people back at home reading this from snowy climates), it's nice to not have to worry about this.
Here's to the lazy! Just for celebratory purposes, get me a grape, will you?
Plethora
In terms of maintaining a sustainable population, the low birth rate in Norway is good, I guess. But for a group of medical students hoping to participate in as many deliveries as possible, ten deliveries a day at the hospital back at home might be a bit on the low side.
No such problem here. With 33,000 births every year at this hospital - which translates to about 90 deliveries a day - I do suppose we'll get to see our fair share of them while we're here. I'll be looking forward to it.
With that, I officially welcome the beginning of the last two weeks of our stay in Uganda.
Monday, March 8, 2010
Siesta
Women's Day today. Usually it means flowers, perhaps a day of pampering, maybe an extra compliment or two. But who would have thought that the whole country stopped up almost entirely to observe this day?
Women's Day is a public holiday in Uganda, it seems. Hey, I'm not complaining about the practice. It would just have been nice to know about it before waking up early in the morning today and going to the hospital, and finding out that there was nothing for us to do.
Not to mention, this is one more day we could have had in Jinja. Assuming that it's safe to say this now: damn, had I only been in Jinja today, I am positive that I would have gone bungee jumping. What a pity.
Sunday, March 7, 2010
Extreme sports FTW
There's a good chance that my body has some parasites now. It's not that I have any symptoms of the disease itself, but rather as a result of probably swallowing quite a bit of Nile water while learning how to kayak today.
Spent an extra day in Jinja today, seeing as how it's a place that offers so many activities that it'd simply be wrong to only stay there for a single day. But, a conundrum: too muddy for mountain biking, too much of a wimp for bungee jumping, never been big on horseback riding... what to do?
Lucky for me, I got to know this kayaker there, who was so nice as to offer to give me a private lesson in basic kayaking. Loads of fun, I tell you. Scary at first, but when I finally got into the trusting mindset that was needed, it was one heck of a learning experience.
Plus, the very notion that I was learning to kayak in the Nile just blew my mind away.
Saturday, March 6, 2010
Vikings!
"Feels like you're dying" they said? Pah, I say to them. This is what it feels like to be living.
Rafting on the Nile was one of the most amazing experiences of my life. This might, by itself, be reason enough to come back to Uganda.
We're talking about fighting with the forces of nature to stay inside the raft as it crashes from side to side by massive waves. Getting our vessel overturned and blindly aiming to swim back to it with water in our eyes. Rushing down a waterfall face-first. Enjoying the bliss of paddling in the sun in still waters between rapids - with the vast Nile scenery surrounding us.
Poseidon, this the best you got? Bring it!
Rafting on the Nile was one of the most amazing experiences of my life. This might, by itself, be reason enough to come back to Uganda.
We're talking about fighting with the forces of nature to stay inside the raft as it crashes from side to side by massive waves. Getting our vessel overturned and blindly aiming to swim back to it with water in our eyes. Rushing down a waterfall face-first. Enjoying the bliss of paddling in the sun in still waters between rapids - with the vast Nile scenery surrounding us.
Poseidon, this the best you got? Bring it!
Friday, March 5, 2010
Huckleberry Finn
Big plans this weekend. Now, I'm just going by the rumors I've heard: "You fall in the water and get sucked down, it feels like you're dying!" Sounds like fun, no?
They've also made claims that this trip is one of the most memorable and fun experiences they've ever had though. If there was a single attraction we should not miss while in Uganda, this would be it, they've said. What expectations.
Rafting on the Nile. There's not a fiber in me that believes that my high expectations will not be met.
They've also made claims that this trip is one of the most memorable and fun experiences they've ever had though. If there was a single attraction we should not miss while in Uganda, this would be it, they've said. What expectations.
Rafting on the Nile. There's not a fiber in me that believes that my high expectations will not be met.
Thursday, March 4, 2010
If the glove fits
When tragedy strikes at the hospital, feeling guilt is a very natural reaction for medical students. Not so much because we feel we didn't do enough or that we were responsible for it. Rather, it's due to the misplaced feeling that we willed the tragedy to happen.
As a medical student, one wants to learn. One wants to see things, to experience things. Learning in ways that textbooks cannot provide. As such, the dramatic is high on the wishlist of many a medical student.
Does this mean we want to see people getting cardiac arrests? Of course not. It does, however, mean that when cardiac arrests happen, we'd very much like to be there - perhaps to help, perhaps to learn. There's a world of difference there.
As a medical student, one wants to learn. One wants to see things, to experience things. Learning in ways that textbooks cannot provide. As such, the dramatic is high on the wishlist of many a medical student.
Does this mean we want to see people getting cardiac arrests? Of course not. It does, however, mean that when cardiac arrests happen, we'd very much like to be there - perhaps to help, perhaps to learn. There's a world of difference there.
Take your photo, sah?
While I did go to the hospital today, I was not so much a medical student as a photographer for the day.
Initially, I was a bit worried. Would patients allow me to take photos of them? What would be the best way of asking?
I did not see it coming that patients would almost be lining up to get their photos taken. Some patients even came and asked whether I could take a picture of their kid as well. Not so much for their own sake. Once they got to see the picture I took, they were more than happy, and went off with a smile on their face.
The real challenge, however, was keeping the spontaneity of the shot. How to get people not to pose for pictures, but still get their permission before taking them?
It was an experience in itself, I must admit.

Initially, I was a bit worried. Would patients allow me to take photos of them? What would be the best way of asking?
I did not see it coming that patients would almost be lining up to get their photos taken. Some patients even came and asked whether I could take a picture of their kid as well. Not so much for their own sake. Once they got to see the picture I took, they were more than happy, and went off with a smile on their face.
The real challenge, however, was keeping the spontaneity of the shot. How to get people not to pose for pictures, but still get their permission before taking them?
It was an experience in itself, I must admit.
Wednesday, March 3, 2010
Scarlett Johansson, Bill Murray
Anyone who has watched an episode of House M.D. probably has a vague idea of what a lumbar puncture (LP) is: taking a sample of spinal fluid to diagnose conditions like meningitis. A generally safe procedure, but a common belief among locals is that the procedure kills children. It follows that many parents don't allow this to be done to their kid.
I figured I'd attempt to ask this one mother whether we could take an LP on her little boy, because of suspected meningitis. She nodded understandingly as I was explaining the procedure, and even replied "yes" when I asked her whether we could do it.
Wow. Had I actually managed to convince the mother?
Nope. As it turned out, the only English that she knew was the word "yes."
I figured I'd attempt to ask this one mother whether we could take an LP on her little boy, because of suspected meningitis. She nodded understandingly as I was explaining the procedure, and even replied "yes" when I asked her whether we could do it.
Wow. Had I actually managed to convince the mother?
Nope. As it turned out, the only English that she knew was the word "yes."
Tuesday, March 2, 2010
Landslide?
It was the same with the tsunami back in 2004. I was in India at the time, living my life in ignorant bliss, until I was contacted by a friend. She had heard of it on the news and been all worried that something had happened to me. It was the first I had heard of it at all.
Apparently there has been a landslide here in Uganda. Luckily for us though, it was to the east, in Mbale. We're in the south, in Kampala. So here's the official message: we're safe.
Apparently there has been a landslide here in Uganda. Luckily for us though, it was to the east, in Mbale. We're in the south, in Kampala. So here's the official message: we're safe.
Monday, March 1, 2010
Best served cold
It's no Zimbabwe, but with an exchange rate of 343 Ugandan shillings to 1 NOK (about sh2000 to a dollar), you quickly find yourself carrying around large denominations of money. It doesn't take much to become a millionaire here. That said, it's amusing to see how small denominations some places use.
This shopping market called Shoprite for example - the only place that seems to operate with prices that require them to use ten-shilling coins. That's correct. Ten.
A friend of mine and I went to the management and told them how inconvenient it was of them to price in this manner, when no other shops accept coins like that. We were perhaps a bit naïve in our hopes of being taken seriously; we found ourselves being shooed off.
Not to worry, I have a plan. Every time I go to Shoprite, I'll be exchanging my 500's and my 1000's for these coins. Once I have enough, I'll come back and pay for my mass shopping using a huge pile of ten-shilling coins.
Go ahead. Count them.
This shopping market called Shoprite for example - the only place that seems to operate with prices that require them to use ten-shilling coins. That's correct. Ten.
A friend of mine and I went to the management and told them how inconvenient it was of them to price in this manner, when no other shops accept coins like that. We were perhaps a bit naïve in our hopes of being taken seriously; we found ourselves being shooed off.
Not to worry, I have a plan. Every time I go to Shoprite, I'll be exchanging my 500's and my 1000's for these coins. Once I have enough, I'll come back and pay for my mass shopping using a huge pile of ten-shilling coins.
Go ahead. Count them.
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