A Spoiled Nation

No I’m not talking about Uganda. That’s right, the United States of America! Don’t get me wrong. I LOVE the United States. I am PROUD to be an American and I look forward to getting home in 41 days. But let me tell ya, WE ARE SPOILED!!! Being in Uganda has opened my eyes to many things. Let me just share with you some differences between the cultures:

 

Schools- Not many families can afford to send children to school here, but a few can and do.  I wake up every morning to the sound of children learning! Some mornings it is frustrating if I haven’t gotten a lot of sleep. But EVEN ON SATURDAYS, students are next door learning at 7am. Now in America, we would probably complain about being at school ready to teach/learn at 7am. Teachers, students, parents…we would all complain. But here, it is a PRIVILEGE to go to school. There are no discipline problems. One does not hear children getting reprimanded for not sitting still or talking out of turn. They WANT to be there. They LOVE being there. There are days when, even as a teacher getting paid to go to school, I don’t even want to get out of bed to go.

Water- Do you even think twice about getting water out of the fridge or faucet? What about washing clothes in a washing machine and drying them in the dryer coming out fresh and clean smelling? Or washing dishes in a dishwasher? Or how careful are we to make sure that we don’t get water in our mouth in the shower? Here in Uganda, they don’t worry about that stuff because they have no choice. They’ve lived with contaminated water all their lives. They wash clothes, shower, drink, and clean with dirty, contaminated water. I have to be very conscious about not getting water out of the faucet or brushing my teeth with the water. My clothes don’t smell fresh after they’ve been washed with soap because of the water. My hair doesn’t smell clean even after I’ve shampooed because of the water. I have to use bottled water to cook. I have to constantly go to the market to get bottled water. Thankfully it’s not expensive. I think it’s about $2 USD for three 1.5 liter bottles. In America, sometimes we complain about how our clean water tastes. Sometimes one type of clean water tastes better than another.  Clean water tastes bad to the people I am working with here. They don’t think about water because they are used to it. We don’t think about water because ours is clean no matter where we go in the U.S. But when we come here, clean water is no longer a second thought…it’s a privilege and something we have to be VERY mindful of.

Appliances-What’s a washing machine? They use buckets. What’s a dryer? They use a wire. Dishwasher? They use their hands. A refrigerator? Those are few and far between. We have one at the orphanage. It’s broken. Toilet? They have a hole that they squat over. I use the toilet at the orphanage. But that is a foreign concept to them. A stove? They cook over charcoal. Microwave? (Oh how much I miss mine!!!!!) Not an option.

Electricity- We have it at the orphanage but most houses probably do not. SOME of the stores have it, but why have electricity when you can use natural light? Why have it in the house when there is nothing to charge?

A/C- What’s that??? We have a swivel fan at the orphanage. I will be soaked with sweat and turn it on and they go get a jacket. They put on a jacket at night. I’m just getting comfortable. They are so used to the heat that A/C is not needed. It is only cool in the shade with a slight breeze to me. Going into town? I’m drenched! It’s hot and humid and I’m drinking lots of water so I sweat constantly outside. It doesn’t phase them.

Traffic- There are no traffic lights and pedestrians do NOT have the right of way here. If you get in their way, they WILL run you over without a second thought. I will think I am out of the way, but they beep at me. Vans, cars, motorcycles, and bikes…you better watch out!

Vehicles- Only the richer people here have vehicles; most people walk. The town is small enough that they walk everwhere. God gave them feet, so they use them! As an American, I would so much rather jump in my car. I don’t think twice. They don’t really have that option here. If they want they can have a motorcycle pick them up or ride in a taxi van.

Mobile Devices- Many people in town have a cell phone that you can add minutes to as needed. Toward the outside of town where I am, they are less likely. You are considered well off if you have a laptop here or an ipod. Forget iPhones, iPads, and other smart devices.

Clothing- I’m a girl and I lOVE clothes, shoes, assessories, jewelry, etc. There are some nicely dressed people here, but they did NOT get their clothes at the mall or Kohls or Eddie Bauer. They get them from street vendors and the poorer families do not get new clothes often. All the children that I see every day from the neighborhood have dirty, hole-filled clothes. And here I am, bought new skirts just to come here. Mind you, I did go to Goodwill and Walmart to get them. But they are new and comfortable and I don’t care if they get ruined… I bought new clothes so they could get ruined. I am spoiled.

Food- We eat rice at the orphanage…a lot. It’s cheap. Hamburger meat can be purchased but to be safe it must be frozen. They eat boiled bananas. Tastes kinda like potatoes. They have fruit and vegetables. Beans are expensive.

Money- Our U.S. dollar is equal to about 2,500 shillings here in Uganda. If they knew I just took 680,000 shillings out of the bank the other day(the most you can take out in one day) they would 1. Probably mug me 2. Think I am rich. Which I am certainly not!

Freedom- While Uganda is free from British rule as of 50 years ago, they dream of going to America. The older kids dream of it and the little ones sing about it. While they are proud of their country and sing the Ugandan Nat’l Anthem for me, they dream of America!

 

We have things they couldn’t even imagine having. While I love my $500 Smart phone, I am ashamed that I could spend so much on something they will never be able to have. I know what my closet looks like at home. They would think I owned a mall. For those children who actually HAVE shoes here, they would think I owned a shoe store. I am spoiled. America is spoiled. We have so much! I love being an American. I love WalMart, Target, Kroger, etc. but next time I go…I’ll be thinking of the little children here in Uganda who would love to know what a WalMart is. Driving in a car to go buy food or clothes in a building that not only has electricity but A/C? A place like that must be Heaven…