Cultural comments

Traffic:

-It is crazy beyond anything I’ve anything I’ve ever seen, in Kampala that is

-Riding in the back of a dump truck is a perfectly normal and acceptable mode of transportation

-vehicles are built with the driver’s side on the right and are meant to be driven on the left side of the road, but it is more a matter of personal choice

- there are no rules

-stop signs are placed along the side of the road and have nothing to do with intersections

- the one who avoids the most potholes and passes the most vehicles by driving in the “wrong” lane constitutes the best driver

- in the bush, the most common jams are caused by cows and goats

-turn signals are used by do not indicate that one is turning, but are rather used at night to signal that one is passing or that there are police up ahead

Bathroom:

As I (Hannah)just returned from a late night run to the pit latrines, I will take this opportunity to briefly discuss the bathroom situation. First, I must say that they are better than expected – I was anticipating a squat pot- aka a hole in the ground, but several of the stalls actually have toilet seats over the pit. Secondly, I shall say that despite the fearful walk to and from the latrines, I prefer going at night for two reasons- flies and smell, both of which are bad during the day and essentially non-existent at night. There is however, an element of hilarity (which seems to be present in everything Ugandan) in that once you cease “going” (whether peeing or pooping) there is about a 3 second gap until the sound ends (if peeing) or is heard (if pooping) due to the fact that the holes are 35 feet deep- definitely not a familiar phenomenon.

Benefits of pit latrines:

-no potential for splash back after dropping off some big kids

-plungers are never needed (for which Tanya is very grateful)

- explosion of gas does not result in echo due to the lack of parcelin dome

Surprises of pit latrines:

- sound delay is a surprisingly difficult nuance to which to adjust and may instill an element of fear or heightened anxiety in the novice latriners

- handwashing is actually an option as there is a “sink” (aka barrel of water with faucet) and soap, although shaking of the hands is the only drying option

Addendum to “The Art of the Bucket Bath”:

-Tip of the day: never look at the color of your water in the basin.

These thoughts and comments are brought to you by the combined mental geniuses of Hannah and Tanya