When I think of Uganda, with my experience so far, I think of these....
...sounds:
...roosters crowing at five in the morning
...sandals dragging on dusty floors
...dungeon doors opening and closing
...goats crying when left in the rain
...mothers everywhere warning their children, “Iwe, muna!”
...taxi conductors shouting, “Kampalakampalakampala!” or “Wanyange/Wairaka! Wanyange/Wairaka eyo!”
...greetings spoken between adults as if they’re reciting the alphabet
...laughter of my fellow tutors in the staff room every morning, especially Mr. Oketch with his full mouth smile
...children chanting “Ma-wy! Ma-wy!”
...cows
...Ugandan upbeat music.
... “Saawale, saawa saawa saawale!”
...drums
...children laughing, yelling, playing, chorus-answering
...smells:
...posho and beans for lunch
...fresh air
...tea
...unidentified putrid clouds coming usually from latrines or random places in town
...burning leaves/garbage
...roasting chicken
...matooke
...sights:
...a man bicycling with four bunches of matooke
...a man bicycling with twenty or so chickens strapped to the bike
...a taxi with people who surely cannot be comfortable, with the “boot” tied down, holding four or five full rice sacks
...children running barefoot in blue/purple/yellow/pink/green/turquoise/lavender/red/white/black uniforms
...women with babies strapped to their backs, while cooking/digging/walking/conversing/traveling
...chickens running through school assemblies/the staff room/class/workshops/shops
...smart clothes no matter what
...people walking with mattresses/pots/saucepans/bags/rice sacks/jerrycans/books/boxes/baskets on their heads
...my neighbor children, Shakira, Precious, Shafiki and Shamila, playing on the veranda
...my neighbor Sara, always working on something (nine months pregnant and still digging in the garden)
...Mzungu gatherings in Jinja town
...an army of boda drivers, asking, “Yes, we go?”
...people lined up at the tap, bright yellow jerrycans
...Obama everywhere
...dirt paths
...flavors:
...the relieving taste of water after a long day of teaching
...an ice cream milkshake, just after a long day period
...bland-tasting posho mixed with flavorful beans
...chopped matooke with beef and gravy
...roasted chicken
...morning coffee
...feelings:
...the refreshing sensation of bucket bathing at the end of the day when it feels like every inch of myself is covered in dirt
...being squished maximumly to fit in the smallest, chargeable space in a taxi
...coming back to a place where everyone knows my name
...going to work in the morning with fans chanting me on (Ma-wy! Ma-wy!)
...exiting a public transport vehicle, much like being born again, after a long trip
...cold, concrete floor in the morning
...the complete discomfort of jeans on a hot, African hot, day
...straw mats
...fully submersing myself in water for the first time in months, at the swimming pool
...bleeding fingers after a large load of wash
...the squishy seat of a bicycle boda
