Work Days

We had been pounding red dirt into the floors for days. We needed to pack it in before the cement was poured to create the floors. The work was slow and tedious. It was Thursday and we had just finished eating our usual breakfast of porridge and chapatti. A perfect meal to give us energy for the long day ahead.

Mukisa picks up a piece of timber and rams it into the ground. Over and over again. He does this all day. He knows that if the rooms aren’t ready, the workers will leave until it is. We cannot afford that. I muster my strength after a five minute break and pick up my skinny piece of wood. We pound in rhythm. I take many breaks, but Mukisa presses on.

“You know in Animal Farm”, he starts, “there is one old horse. He is old and tired. But he wakes up early, before any other animal and starts working. Then, he is the last to go to the sleep. I will try to be like that horse.”

He slaps his hands together with a smile, as if he’s just made up his mind, and returns to his work. He has to be so tired, but his face refuses to show it. Boom. Boom. Boom. It’s the metronome of the work day.

When the sun starts to set, Mukisa arranges the boda boda to take me home. I know that he won’t give himself the same luxury; he will walk.  He arrives home after dark and gives his usual sigh—the one that is high in hopes and accompanied by an accomplished grin. “Isukayo!” Welcome back!

“Today,” Mukisa says, “The boss saw his men slowing. Then he pointed to me and said to them, ‘see that mzee (elder)? He is still working, so you will work too!’ They all continued. Ha ha!” He did a dance with his wife, Teopista, in the moonlight.

I laugh along with them and give my congratulations. I guess nobody wanted to be showed up by an old horse after all.

A Westerner's Guide to Building in Budondo

Some of these tips will help you with your own grassroots construction project. Others won’t. Here are my personal takeaways as I observe (and minimally participate in) the Suubi Health Center’s construction in Budondo.

Tip #1: Negotiating is the name of the game.

Afraid of financial confrontation? Uncomfortable with conversations that defeat the less assertive? Then don’t try to buy anything in Uganda. You’ll be broke. Instead, study the craft of bargaining. Don’t be afraid to challenge the merchant. Realize that your white skin will automatically increase the price at least 100%. If you’re not happy with the cost, simply walk away. Nine times out of ten the seller will chase after you. If they don’t, there will be another shop two doors down.

Tip #2: Keep your workers happy.

Get the image out of your mind where an uplifting country song plays as a construction worker with a yellow hard hat sits on a metal beam suspended in the air while eating a ham and cheese sandwich made by his darling wife from home. You won’t get that here. Instead, realize that your workers are doing extremely tiresome labor and they get hungry. If they get hungry, they will want food. If you don’t give them food, they will go somewhere else to find food. If they go somewhere else to find food, you won’t have any idea when or if they come back.  If your workers don’t come back, construction will slow and your money will disappear. So feed your workers; keep them happy.

Tip #3: You will never have enough Airtime.

The pay as you go system for cell phone minutes and data is a great way to manage your budget. But during construction, when you’re trying desperately to keep to your time table, please take note that you will need at least 10 times the amount of minutes than you originally estimated. You’ll need to contact your contractor and ask him why he is late, you’ll need to call your partner to find 5 extra shovels so work doesn’t stop, you’ll need to call for a boda boda transport. You will need to do all of these things, in one form or another, at least five times a day.

Tip #4: Find a grave, get a chicken!

If your workers stumble upon an old, forgotten grave while digging for you, they may demand a chicken in return. Don’t be surprised. It’s custom. However, be wary of those tricksters. Sometimes what looks like a grave may actually be a latrine. Fingers crossed for the excrement!

Tip #5: “Hard Hats Only” not required.

Now it’s time to get your hands dirty! There are no authorized zones or restricting fences. There are no unnecessary signs that scream CAUTION at you even when the work site is empty. No. This is your project so YOU get to participate. Haul some timber. Pound some nails. Get sweaty. The crew may smile at your lack of ability, but they will find camaraderie in your efforts. This is also your chance to pay attention to the work being done. You won’t be pushed out of the work area which means you are free to question and critique their techniques. Supervise, make your presence known. You’ll only have yourself to blame if the work isn’t done right.

Oh, and nobody wears hard hats.

Tip #6: Budgeting Schmudgeting

Made your list? Checked it twice? That’s great. But FYI there are about one-hundred things you didn’t include. Here are a few examples: the thousands of shillings worth of airtime you spend to get a hold of your partners, the cost of traveling back and forth to Iganga to retrieve a kilo of nails that you thought you didn’t need, food for workers so that they don’t go home for lunch and never return (see Tip #2), loading and offloading materials, welding that wheelbarrow that just broke and spilled sand all over the floor. You know, those sorts of things. You won’t realize their impact until you’re staring down into your empty wallet.

Tip #7: So many zeroes!

You’re going to get overwhelmed with how many zeroes are on your bills. You’ll be holding ten notes that read 50,000 shillings and you’ll suddenly become concerned. Did you just rob a bank? Have you enter a magical world where thousand dollar bills exist? Should you throw it up in the air and roll around in your sweet, sweet wealth like you’ve always wanted to?

No. Because $1 USD actually equals 2,500 Ugandan Shillings. So get over it.

Tip #8: Posho is your best friend.

Some call it ugali, some call it fufu, but the idea is the same. Maize flour boiled with water until it’s thick and hard to stir. At first the taste, or lack thereof, may not be to your liking but don’t worry my friend, you’ll get there. Soon you’ll realize that this posho is the perfect food to fill you up. Its nuanced flavors, though subtle, will be welcomed after a long morning of work. And it goes with anything! Beans? Check. Vegetables? Check. Meat? Check. It’s cost effective and it leaves you full!

Tip #9: Chapati is the love of your life.

This soft, doughy flatbread will be your reason for living. At 500 shillings a pop, this treat will bring such delight to your senses. Eat it plain with your cup of chai. Spread some butter on its warm surface for a creamy flavor. Add and omelet and you’ve just created a breakfast sandwich.  Be bold with some peanut butter and jam and you’ll realize that you just took the PB and J to a whole new level. Mind blown. Pass me another, please.

Tip #10: Jackfruit is your afternoon delight.

This funky looking fruit may have you skeptical at first. Its oversized shape and pointy exterior may confuse you, but just wait. It will be hacked open, revealing sappy tentacles that cling to its creamsicle-orange pods. You’ll clear the sap and dig out the orange fruit. It will feel sort of rubbery and when you squeeze it, you’ll sense a hollowness around the seed inside. You’ll take a tentative bite, and then fireworks will appear. It is sweet and refreshing and IT TASTES JUST LIKE ORANGE STARBURST! You’ve died and gone to heave and you’ve taken all the earth’s jackfruits with you. It is the perfect pick-me-up for your late afternoon blues.

Feel empowered? Feel ready to work? Well then come on down to Budondo. The potential is endless.

Love and Togetherness in Budondo

Ife means “Love”:  A Yoruba name that I nurture.

I was called Ife by my first Yoruba professor and it has been a part of my identity ever since. He named me Ifedayo, from love comes joy. But then, over time, it became a part of me.

Ife is what ties me to my first step into African culture; Ife is the excitement I feel when I learn about other worlds; Ife is the symbol that guides me forward as I explore life and language and love in new places. Ife is my motivation.

Ife means “We”:  A Lusoga word for togetherness.

I began to absorb all the newness around me in Uganda. I slowly allowed myself to participate in the rhythms here; the family dynamics, the way of life, the determination of the family and my role in all of it. The majority of my day is spent listening to conversations in Lusoga. So I analyze body language and tone, I listen for key words like “Lena”, their nickname for me.

Ife is the word for “we” in Lusoga; Ife is a family and a community; Ife is inclusive and accepting and a reminder of our dreams; Ife is our hopes for something better; Ife is our struggles together and our joys together; Ife is me and you.

We Love.