Jerry Cans

Go anywhere in rural Africa and you’re likely to see jerry cans.  Lots of jerry cans.  They are ubiquitous here.

Woman and child filling jerry cans from a well spout

Pork joint with jerry can

Group of kids with jerry cans

99.9% of the time they are a particular shade of yellow, and while they range a bit in size, those shown here are about standard. I believe they are mainly used for hauling and storing water, but can also be used for things like petrol.

This weekend I have gained an even greater appreciation for the struggles of hauling water in those containers. They are REALLY heavy. I'm in decent shape (even though I don’t exactly go to the gym here) but I struggle to lug them around, and especially to lift and pour from them without making a huge mess. 

Jerry cans used in our kitchen

Yesterday when the generator was out of fuel, I attempted to pour gasoline from a full jerry can into the generator, and even while having my roommate help me by holding the funnel in place, I still managed to pour fuel all down the side of the generator and all over my pants and feet. So I pretty much smelled like petrol the rest of the day (because it was difficult to take a shower and wash my clothes without running water).

Now I’ve been finding myself complaining a LOT about our water being off for the last 24+ hours. Washing dishes by bucket rather than by sink can be a challenge.  And I think I’ve described before the trials and tribulations of showering with a bucket and a cup -- although I must say, for a cold shower, using a bucket and cup is surprisingly far less painful than having frigid water raining down on you from a shower head. Go figure! 

Anyway, as I was lying in bed this morning procrastinating about getting up (because I figured "what’s the rush?  There’s no water or power"), it dawned on me just how lucky we still are in comparison to the great majority of the people who live here.  We have lots of extra water in the house to use for these inevitable times where there is no running water. In addition to the jerry cans, old drinking water bottles are also reused to store extra tap water.  

Extra tap water stored for when there's no running water

So when we need to do dishes, laundry, wash our hands, take a bucket shower, or pour water into the back of the toilet so we can flush it, we can use either these bottles or the jerry cans.  

Fortunately, I don’t have to walk for a mile with a jerry can to a well to get water.  Routinely we see women and children walking along the roadsides carrying these vessels, usually on their heads.  It is both impressive and sad to see people having to take these steps to survive. And then I think of how much I’ve been griping about having to walk 10-15 steps to an area of the house where we have extra water stored.

Fetching water from a well

Little girl with smaller jug of water

We also have plenty of fresh bottled drinking water that will not make us sick when we drink it.  

Our drinking water dispenser

Extra bottles of clean drinking water 

It’s easy to get frustrated by not having the conveniences I’m so used to back at home, but helpful to put it in perspective when I see how much more we have than so many. These are lessons and realizations that I am hoping I can keep in mind when I experience aggravations here and never forget when I get back home. 

Running Errands in Africa

I promise to do my best to never complain about running errands in the US again.  The other day I got a true flavor for what it’s like to run work-related errands in rural East Africa.  And while I found it laborious and frustrating, it was significantly easier in our case because we had access to a car. In addition, I can take comfort in knowing that I am only dealing with this on a temporary basis; whereas people here have to deal with these challenges on a regular basis for their whole lives.

So on Monday our house/office ran out of cooking gas (I think it’s propane?).  Given our 2 burner cooktop stove is our ONLY means of cooking and there isn’t much in the way of instant food/meals (and we don’t live in town), it was imperative we address this issue asap.  It required a couple members of the household/office to drop what we were doing and run to town to exchange the gas tank.  Since only two of us are allowed to drive the office car, and my coworker was in the middle of something, I offered to drive.

As long as we were making the run to town, my colleague/roommate had some other errands that we planned take care of as well. So I drove to Hoima town for the first time.  As I’ve mentioned before, driving in Africa is an experience, and one I avoid when I can.  The rural dirt roads are ok when there’s no oncoming traffic (or rain for that matter). But driving in town is just plain stressful. Driving to town is not much better because it requires navigating on our hilly rough road which is always lined with a bunch of pedestrians. Again though, I am complaining about the difficulties of driving a car, meanwhile passing people who are struggling with large loads while walking or riding a bicycle, so I need to keep it all in perspective...

Once you arrive in town, the roadways there are comprised of about 10-15 unmarked 4 way stops.  The road is a mix of mostly crumbling pavement and dirt, and it is FULL of pedestrians, bicycles, motorbikes, and oncoming cars and buses.  On the plus side, it’s totally socially acceptable to drive slow there, which I really appreciate (although I did get passed in town yesterday when running another errand to pick up generator fuel).  But I digress…

So back to this set of errands, we started by going to get the cooking gas tank filled.  We went to the only place in town where we can exchange the propane tank. Unfortunately, they didn’t have any tanks to exchange that were the same size as the one we have for the house.  All they had were little pony tanks that are about a third of the size of ours.  I figured ‘no big deal, we’ll just get the smaller one.’ But then we weren’t sure if the gas hose would reach to the new shorter tank.  Also apparently, you typically need to exchange like for like or there’s a chance that next time we go back, we might get ripped off and not get a bigger tank back again (there is apparently some ownership of the tank by size, even though you exchange them--I still don't really understand it). Anyway, we were told the bigger tanks may be in at some time the following day, but that would mean no way to cook dinner that night or breakfast and lunch the following day.  After much deliberation, we agreed to go with the smaller tank and had a receipt made and signed (by receipt, I mean a hand-written receipt, as most are here) that verified what we purchased and that we were due back our larger tank when we returned.

Pony gas tank

Next we went to the bank so my colleague could pay the Ugandan payroll taxes for our employees. This was her second trip to the bank to do so.  She had gone the prior week, but the bank had no internet, and she couldn't wait an hour as requested.  So we were back a second time. (It seems there is no way to have this automatically deducted from payroll or paid online, so it's a separate process.) We got to the bank, waited in line, got to the counter, only to find out there was again no internet, again. So my coworker filled out the form while we waited for a bit, but then seeing it would take some time, we decided to run to the grocery while waiting.

We started by going to one of the grocery stores in town that was near the bank--I think there are about 5 or 6 grocery stores in total. Here grocery stores are pretty small, and reminded me of smaller versions of the tiny neighborhood markets I’d seen in New York City, but with less variety. Here it seems none of the stores have everything you need, so you typically need to go to more than one.  This time, we went to two (though there have been days we have gone to four). 

We then went back to the bank to again wait to pay the taxes. Fortunately, this time, after waiting in line we found their internet was working again so the taxes could be paid. 


The next stop was to get keys made from the one person in town that makes keys.  The issue with getting keys made is there is fear that if you leave your keys, extra copies might be made so the key maker (or someone else) may come and break into your house.  However, it takes 2 to 3 hours to stand and wait for someone to make the keys, which is incredibly inconvenient, so it’s much easier to leave the keys behind. Thus, it was decided that the risk would be taken and keys left due to the large volume of work we still had to do that day and that week. On the plus side, it’s highly unlikely that those making the keys can know where you live – at least that’s what we told ourselves -– unless someone follows you I suppose...

Still though, we were not yet done with the errands for the day. We also needed to go to the outdoor market, as they have a larger variety of produce and other staples.  So we then drove to the outdoor market and purchased items there. 

Finally, on the way home, we needed eggs, and there is a lady that sells eggs in a small stall near our house, so we stopped by there on the way back.  Since we currently have four people living in the house, we needed a lot of eggs. So the shop owner allowed us to take the cardboard carton, with the assurance that we would bring it back (the alternative is that eggs are packed against each other into a thin plastic bag, and as you can imagine, require very careful handling).

Borrowed egg carton (& a Peace Corps cookbook I've been meaning to check out -- that's just where it happens to be stored for some reason)

And that concluded one day's worth of errands. By the time we made it back home, it was getting dark, and we then continued with our work day. 

Mission Impossible: Opening wine in rural Africa without a corkscrew

One of my roommates received a bottle of wine for her birthday. Wine is a rare treat here, so we were super-excited to pop it open and start our Friday night off right. 

The only problem: no corkscrew. 

So we evaluated our options.  They were: 
1. Ride a motorcycle to town and have someone in town open it for us (which as ridiculous as that sounds, it has apparently been done more than once before)
2. Open the bottle Macgyver style.

We went with the second option.  

According to a Google search, it appeared our best option was using a screw and the multitool that I brought with me here.  It seemed so simple.  But... Not so much.  Either the cork was just really stuck in there or we just weren't using the right technique.  

Getting down to business.

We started with one person working on the bottle, then two.  

Roommates attempting to open the wine. All smiles, at first...

After a good 20 minutes or more (including a rest break) the screw eventually broke into the cork. 

Broken screw (not sure why this photo is sideways but I gave up on trying to fix it) 

Breaking out the glasses a little prematurely

Not to be deterred, another screw was put into the cork, reinforcements were brought in, additional locations and approaches were attempted to gain greater leverage. 

After another 10-15 minutes, we had success!!

Finally! 

Enjoying the fruits of our labor

 It was very tasty and thoroughly enjoyed by all! 

Toasting to our hard work and team work! 

The end! 

Hoima Field Visit

Yesterday was a long, exhausting day, but it was a good day.  It was our first field visit in the Hoima area.

Since we didn’t have any running water in the morning (and hadn’t the night before either), I had the pleasure of taking a shower by bucket and cup with water from one of the reserve water containers.  Ah the joys of living in Africa!  Our water did come back on about an hour after my bucket shower, but is now off again. Our power was also off for the last 24 hours. But I digress…

Showering by bucket & cup

On to the field day!  We started out a good hour or so after our planned departure time (of course), and then drove about an hour and a half toward our business owners’ farms near the Budongo forest. I must say, it is SO nice to do field visits in a company vehicle, rather than by motorcycle and matatu (or taxis, as they call them in Uganda).  At one point along the way, we saw monkeys, which was really cool. But I think they were by the roadside  observing a fellow monkey that had become African road kill.  When I first saw it in the road, I thought it was a possum--which my coworkers found pretty funny--and then I realized, of course there are no possums here.  Monkey roadkill just seems so much more sad.  And I think the monkeys looked sad too. :(

Mourning monkeys

We also saw some Ankole cows, which are known for their massive horns. This is definitely not the best photo, as it was pretty difficult to capture while bumping along the dirt road, but you can get a feel for the awkward proportions. 

Ankole cows

The roads along the way were in pretty bad shape, and my roommate did a great job of the driving.  

Rough roads

Once we went off the main road onto the smaller village roads, I think the road was actually more narrow than our car, but at least the ride was a lot smoother.

Roads where you definitely don't want to have oncoming traffic

Our first stop was to meet one of our business mentors in a local village. While we were waiting for him, school let out, and our vehicle was suddenly surrounded by school children that were very curious about the mzungus hanging out in their village. Now, some of my fellow expats have started a game whereby when you are being followed around by curious kids, you suddenly turn around and start chasing them. Usually the kids (and we) find this very funny, though I did see a kid cry once, which was kind of sad.  Oops.  In this case, to entertain ourselves (and everyone around us), one of my coworkers decided to immediately jump out of the car to surprise the kids.  When he did, they all frantically scattered, and then started laughing and coming back for more, until a local shop owner (who’s stall we were parked near) chased all of the kids away.

Curious kids

Startled by the rush exit

Children scattering

We then visited some business owners who were harvesting their first crop of onions that they planted using one of our grants.  We interviewed them while they were tying the onions into bunches to sell at the market.  

Stream we had to cross to get to the business owners

Business owner harvesting onions

Business group tying onions into bunches for sale

Bunches of onions

While we were there, some of the owners' kids came to check out what was going on.  

More curious kids

Cute kid that was very excited to have his photo taken

At one point, I noticed one of the kids--who I think appears to be around 2 or 3--handling a machete.  He was playing with it, and then went to poke one of our peace corps volunteers with it.  Pretty crazy.

Assaulting a volunteer

And we worry about the quality of toys from China

On our way back to the car, a bunch of kids started calling out to us and yelling and laughing, so we started taking photos.

Excited kids with a solar panel in the foreground

We then went and visited some of our Irish potato businesses.  Note however, although they are called Irish potatoes here, they are just regular ol' potatoes.  The term Irish is used to distinguish them from sweet potatoes, which I think are more common here.  

Viewing a potato farm near the the forest's edge

Checking potato growth

In field with Business Owner and Business Mentor

Finally, we broke for lunch around 3:30 p.m., and stopped by the only restaurant in the village, and had a lunch of fish, rice and potatoes.  I think I was so hungry I forgot to take a photo of lunch.  But here are a few more sights we saw along the way that day:

Jackfruit tree

Villagers' set up for harvesting rain water

After lunch, I offered to do some driving. Those of you who know me know I don’t exactly love to drive, but I definitely wanted to help out and relieve my roommate from all of the driving burden. I think I lasted for less than 30 minutes. It had started raining during lunch, and the dirt roads became muddy and slick, and the tires were doing a little more sliding than I was comfortable with, and I had no idea how to operate the 4-wheel drive.   

We then stopped by one of the business mentor’s training sessions, and introduced ourselves and thanked them for participating in the program. I then relinquished the driving duties for the rest of the day.

On the way home, we were held up by a truck and taxi that had gotten stuck in the mud in the worst stretch of the road. It took a lot of time, shoveling and maneuvering for a space to open up wide enough that we could go through. (Fortunately, my roommate figured out the 4-wheel drive so we were able to get through.)  We did not stick around to see how much longer it took for the other vehicles to become dislodged.

Common sight given Uganda's roadways

When we got back into town, it was already dinner time, so we picked up some street food, which was really fun!  It was my first street food experience in Africa, and I LOVE street food. I got a rolex (described in earlier posts), which I scarfed down before jumping on a 7:45 p.m. skype conference call.  Unfortunately (or fortunately) the call was cut short when the power went out and abruptly ended the call at 8:30.

Quite a day!! 

Hangin in Hoima

I’ve been settling into life in Hoima since we arrived Friday afternoon. It’s located in western Uganda near Lake Albert, national parks, game preserves and forests. The area is nice, and there are things so far that I really like about being here, and then also things that I prefer from the other locations (Soroti & Kakamega) where I've stayed so far.

Map to show locations I've been in Kenya and Uganda

Hoima Pros:

Nice diggs. The house and compound where we live and work is really nice.  It’s bigger and newer than the other houses/offices where I’ve stayed to date; although like many new homes, it has its fair share of bugs--both literally and figuratively--to be worked out (see the below Cons section for more info on that...). 

Office/Dining area

My room, at least for while I'm here

Kitchen

At the dinner table with roommates. It was taco night, if you can believe it! 

Lovely setting. Hoima is beautiful. The town is nestled into rolling green hills. The weather is similar to Kakamega, where it’s cooler and more like San Francisco weather. In addition, the mosquitoes aren’t nearly as bad here as they were in Soroti.

View of hills from our backyard

Peace & quiet: There is no pet rooster waking me up at 6 a.m. like in Soroti and no pack of carousing barking dogs keeping me up at night like in Kakamega.  I’ve actually slept better here than either of the other two locations. Though, there is a small kiosk on the street nearby that I think turns into a bar/dance party at night, so I’m regularly lulled to sleep by some exotic bumping beats, but the ear plugs usually help to take care of that.

Hoima Cons:

Distance from town: The house/office is about a 20 minute walk to town (going at a very brisk pace) or 5-10 minutes by boda (the Ugandan word for motorcycle).  This is a change from our other locations where the house/office is actually in town. The roads here are pretty hilly too which can feel a little dicey when on the back of a motorbike, so I try to walk when I can. Plus, I need the exercise anyway.

Road to Hoima town

Unfinished business: Since we are keeping a tight watch on funds, many of the house improvements, or final touches, are currently on hold.  So that means things like unfinished closets, make-shift curtains and things like that. In addition, it usually takes a while (and a lot of persistence) to get someone out here to fix things, so a leaky sink may take some time to be addressed.

Unfinished closets

No shower curtains means a messy shower experience.

House “wildlife” – I’ve found a fair number of Jurassic sized cockroaches in my room so far since I’ve arrived, as well as spiders and ants, and I’ve found evidence that seems to indicate rats, though I’ve been told it may be bats (which have occasionally made their way into the house in the past).  On the plus side though, I like my gecko friend that lives in my room (especially since I know they eat bugs!).

My other roommate

I’m sure I’ll learn more about the area as I continue to get settled.  I’ve been on a couple of walks/jogs to town with the roommates, and we have our first field visit tomorrow, so I’ll be seeing more of the area.  Surely there will be more to report soon!