Mzungu Privilege

I’ve been thinking about this topic for awhile and now that I’m riled up, I thought I’d try to put it into words. Let's see where it goes!

Mzungu=the name everyone in Uganda calls you if you’re a foreigner, most especially white.

Surprisingly enough, the game of counting how many times that name is shouted at you on your walk somewhere, isn’t actually that fun. In fact, it’s really, really annoying.

(I don't know why this picture won't turn the correct way,
and maybe it proves my idiocy with technology,
but I tried! Just turn your head :D please)
Some lovely notes I got this week
from some lovely pupils <3

But there are a lot of perks to being one here.

Examples:
*During the Christmas madness, me and almost everyone else were trying to get a bus. When it arrived, the mob started pushing and fighting for a seat. The conductor saw me and pulled me through the crowd to ensure I would be leaving on that bus instead of waiting for the next one.  

*There’s sometimes a large crowd at the tap where I fetch my water. But when they see me approach, they take my jerry can and fill it for me before everyone else’s so I don’t have to wait.
*Meeting people is so easy! Everyone wants to greet and talk with you. Some just want money, but a lot of them are genuine and just want to be your friend. After which, they will do anything for you.

*A constant state of appreciation can be nice. It makes you feel good when fellow teachers and other adults constantly tell you “well done” and pupils bring you notes that say “I lov you techr Anna”.

Today alone I really felt the “mzungu privilege” I have.

1^st: One of the student teachers requested me to observe his lesson because he wanted to hear my different ideas on how he can improve instead of the Ugandan method of having the pupils memorize everything. I also invited all of the student teachers over for a pancake lunch next week as a way to say “thank you for the hard work” to them.

2^nd: I was able to bring the idea of celebrating birthdays to my school to make individual teachers feel recognized and appreciated. This is something they don’t do, so when Tr. Mary walked into the staff room and everyone stood up and sang “Happy Birthday” to her, she jumped with surprise. Then we gave her the card everyone had signed and the chocolate chip cookies I’d made. She was so happy and said she had never felt so loved and that no one had ever celebrated her birthday before.

3^rd:  I made a friend a few weeks ago who is a baking fiend. He’s been inviting me over to show me his kitchen area with his oven and talk about the business. Today he was mingling some batter for a watermelon shaped cake he’s making for a wedding and gave me buns and scones he’d made earlier.

4^th: I went to town to have a nice lunch with a fellow “mzungu” friend at a “mzungu” restaurant. Then went shopping for some goodies like cheese and soy sauce on my grocery run.

5^th: Once home I was able to fall over on my couch and watch some TV shows on my computer. Then exercise and read a book.

6^th: After losing motivation to fetch water because the nearby tap is broken, a pupil came by to offer if he could bring me some from the far away borehole.

7^th: A friend came by because I’d mentioned how I wanted to plant some flowers now that the rains have started and he wanted to know what kind he could bring for me and where he could plant them.

8^th: A friend came by just because he wanted to talk to me. He’s a student in secondary school and is currently facing a lot of hardships concerning money. He’s one of the most honest, forward thinking kids I’ve ever met in this country and it’s so sad because my suggestions of how to fix certain problems might work in the states, but this is Uganda and things aren’t so easy as that.

9^th: I just got home from returning a dish a neighbor had let me barrow. I ended up sitting and talking with her until it was too dark to see. We discussed how hard working the women in this country are and how the men have such nerve to say and ask what they do of them. We discussed everything from how men have their wives take their basin to the bathing area for them to trading them for livestock when they get married to circumcising the women so they get no enjoyment out of sex so they won’t cheat (even though they could have 4 wives if they wanted).

10^th: And now, here I am. Sitting in my own house comfortable, satisfied, and expressing my views freely.

WOW! Something I don’t think I’ll ever take for granted again is how lucky I am to be a “mzungu” born in America. Uganda is a wonderful country and I’m loving my time here, but it’s made me feel a little weird. How is it possible that I can be SO blessed when so many others are facing such difficulties?

I was able to receive a great education to think outside the box.
I’ve felt so much love from so many people on so many occasions.

I have the knowhow to make a variety of foods using a variety of ingredients.

I have the funds to enjoy the more “luxurious” things in life.

I have resources that people here would do almost anything for.

I live in a community where people are concerned about my wellbeing.  

I have people willing to help me out just because they want to make me happy.

I’ve never faced such financial struggles where I didn’t even have shoes for school.

I haven’t ever had to worry about marrying a man as fowl as that.

I’ve never gone hungry or been unable to express myself as I please.

Yeah, these are things we all hear from parents all the time, but it holds such a different weight when you’ve been living it for the last 16 months. I didn’t really know how the post was going to go when I started writing, and I’m sorry if you didn’t enjoy, but I’m happy with it. Mainly for my own sake. Because even though the words can be read to get the point across, the feeling comes from the experience and it’s something I think I finally, truly understand.

And I’m so grateful for it. 

Riddle me this:
What's better than "Adventure Time"
and cookies??
Basically nothing is the answer I was looking for

Invited some teachers for pot stickers.
They loved them!
Also, super pro at chop sticks

These girls are boarding pupils.
They wake up at dawn to do chores,
sit in a stuffy over crowded classroom all day,
and then come home to do more chores before bed.
So I invited them to make banana bread,
color, paint our nails, and take silly pictures.

I gave a lesson about teaching letter sounds
which lead to a very long (& funny) discussion
about spelling and pronouncing words

Random guy runs up to me as I'm walking by his house.
"Wait! *catches breath* Do you like baking?"
Instant friendship

"You are welcome our DEAR visitors"

“We are happy to see you here”
“Something…something else something…”
“I don’t remember the rest of the song”

^A song that Ugandans sing all the time to visitors they receive. (so maybe I should remember the lyrics..??)

Anyway, today was DEAR Day.

“WOW! Like, OMG! WHAT DOES THAT MEAN??!?!?” <-your reaction

Reading culture isn’t here and most of my pupils can’t read anyway because of how little it’s emphasized on in school. So, PCVs all over the country organized so that we would all Drop Everything And Read (acronym making sense now?) on this day to encourage reading. My awesome fellow PCV who was in charge of the whole thing organized it so my school would get a visitor from the US Embassy, which was a huge deal! Also, a Peace Corps staff member came to visit. Needless to say, that really pumped up my school for this event and I think we all had a great time.

The assembly

We first held an assembly where our embassy visitor read a short story called “The New Ball” in English to the 900 pupils. Two other teachers translated into the local language and 15 other teachers acted out the story in the background. Lots of laughs were had at watching the teachers trying to get a hold of the ball. Then everyone went back to their rooms and the teachers conducted a reading activity with their own class. They really enjoyed having the visitors and showing off their reading skills. It was nice to see the eagerness and hear kids telling me they wanted books when it was all over. Yay reading for fun!

Some teachers had their pupils write
and read their own stories

Some teachers had their pupils read
together in groups

And some teachers did old fashion
read to the class :)

Today really made me appreciate my teachers, pupils, and school in general even more so. I really am in love with these people and this place and I feel very lucky to be here. Makes me sad to think I only have 9 months left... It's really gonna fly!