Goodbye Water and other Misadventures

My plan for today was to wash my laundry. It was the first day in several that I haven't had seven things to do and I thought it might be a good time to get some things clean. I managed to get through two loads (turning the water a murky gray color each time) but as I was rinsing out the second load the water stopped running. 


Gulu, it seems, is experiencing a water shortage. I'm not sure how much of this is connected to the Nile River Talks that are currently going on between DRC, Kenya, Egypt, and Uganda. Lately it has been quite the buzz in the papers that the deal is not very good for Uganda. I recall when we arrived in Kampala reading a political cartoon in the Daily Monitor that had a very dehydrated gazelle attempting to drink from the Nile. There were three large crocodiles in the river named DRC, Kenya, and Egypt. At the time I didn't realize what this meant, but now the situation has become quite real. 


There is a well nearby where the people are beginning to pump water from. The hotel employees have taken a large truck filled with the ubiquitous yellow water jugs to the pump and brought back well water, presumably to dump into the massive water tank that the hotel uses. I'm not sure how much of that will reach my room -- I may have to pump my own water just to be sure I can bathe at some point. What is an inconvenience for me, though, is a major problem and now a way of life for the Ugandan people. I have begun watching the Nile River Talks more closely. Their outcome will impact this entire country and all of the people in it. 


Being unable to accomplish my primary goal of the day, Laura and I decided to grab some lunch at the local Muno hangout, Larem. Now...I like Larem because the food is recognizable and safe to me. When I can't handle the culture shock any more (or can't handle one more heaping plate of tasteless Matoke) I like to sit at Larem and have a grilled cheese sandwich with avocado on the side. Of course, Larem is where all of the westerners hang out. 


Picture a sidewalk cafe with a few small tables inside and a few tables (with umbrellas) outside. Larem offers free internet with purchase, but my computer never picks up the router (not to mention the server is always down). Today, however, my computer picked up the router. I wanted to save the network in my computer so I asked the woman behind the counter what the passcode was. A young woman of maybe 21 turned around and snapped at me, "The server's down." as if that would change my need for the passcode. I thought maybe I'd overthought the tone of her voice, so I smiled at everyone and went back to the table to plug in the passcode and save the network.  Later, that same girl was accidentally sprayed with some steam from the cappuccino machine. The woman behind the counter apologized all over herself, but this girl snapped at her, "A little WARNING next time!" 


Now, maybe this isn't rudeness for the States, where everyone is in a hurry and in their own world, but I haven't heard anyone take that tone with another person since I left...and I was a little more than annoyed that this Muno girl was taking that tone HERE. 


Another set of girls sat down outside of the shop by the open window. They were making fun of the way that one of their Ugandan contacts was speaking in a text message. This also bothered me. One of those girls has been in Larem before, always complaining about something. Last time I saw her she was brushing her skirt and complaining that the boda boda drivers (who make $.50 per ride) don't know how to drive without getting her skirt dirty. I wanted to ask her where exactly she thought she was...since she'd just walked in from a dirt road that had an open sewer ditch on it. Today, I just rolled my eyes. I was getting quite done. 


On the whole, I find that I have a distaste for where the westerners hang out because many of them come in groups, treat the staff poorly, act as though this country is doing a disservice to them and as though the whole point of Uganda's existence is for them to be able to travel to someplace foreign that seems more exciting than the typical European destinations of our parents day. It makes me want to personally revoke all of their visas and send them home. 


People who are here seriously, doing research or even on holiday, take the place seriously. They attempt to learn the language, they attempt to say hi when people pass them (a major custom on the streets of Gulu, not often participated in by wandering Munos), and they are polite. 


In other words, DON'T go to a foreign country and forget that you are a GUEST.