Is This Iowa...?

Yep, today was our rural visit. We got to visit a farm, so I felt like I was practically home, except for a few crop differences :) But all that really mattered was there was maize (corn), so it was just like being back in Iowa....kind of :)

Last night I went to bed at 10 pm, the earliest since I've been in Uganda, with what I think might have been a fever. At 5:30 am I woke up sweating and had to remove my sweatpants and sweatshirt to help cool down, but I was glad to feel less feverish. 45 minutes later I was getting ready for the day.

We loaded the bus for breakfast at MUBS at 6:45, and we left MUBS right before 8 to get going to the farm that we would be visiting. After and hour and a half of driving we arrived at the farm. The farm belonged to a man named John. The next three hours were spent getting a tour of his 10-acre farm. He farms it all by hand.

(This is John, one of the farmers, showing us a coffee plant. This is the cash crop in the Kampala region.)

In Uganda, they are constantly keeping crops planted due to the climate and temperatures here. They are also much better at crop rotating than we are in the United States to keep the soil as fertile as possible. They use an extremely limited number of pesticides and other chemicals on their fields. In fact, they try to keep it as natural as possible. Around some plants they plant or place extremely hot peppers around the plants because when the insects come they get to the peppers first and it completely drives them away from any other plant because of how hot the peppers are.

(The hot peppers they planted around to keep bugs away. Great natural pesticide!)

They also plant certain crops in certain areas. They plant coffee, Jack fruit trees, avocado trees, and banana trees in the dried soil, while they plant tomatoes, cabbage, maize (corn), and ground nuts in wetter soil. This means that they don't have to irrigate fields or destroy the land to make it work for them. Instead they work with the land and try to keep it as natural as possible, allowing dry areas to remain dry and wet lands to remain wetlands.

(Once again, I couldn't resist. Got to love reminders of corn! Who would have thought it would be in Africa? Definitely not this girl.)

I absolutely loved getting a tour of the farm. However, after walking around in the hot sun for 3 hours it was nice to get to enjoy some shade and try some Jack fruit. It was really sweet and extremely messy to eat. I was happy to try it, but it's not something I'd eat on a regular basis, not to mention I haven't ever heard of it being sold in the United States before.

(Jack fruit)

We also gathered for discussion as we cooled of in the shade with our snack. Then it was off to the village for some water a few more different fruits before we tackled a project for the village. We were to paint their town meeting place. We were all excited about helping and couldn't wait to get started. It was a lot of fun, and it felt really good to be helping the village out. They definitely showed a great amount of appreciation.

(This is the building that we helped paint today.)

After painting, we went back to John's house for lunch. I ate white and brown rice, a little chicken and potatoes. After lunch, we had a more formal discussion, and we were given the opportunity to ask questions about the farm.

(Lunch today. Yummy!)

Then it was off to tour the village. We brought candy with us, and the kids knew it. They came in swarms to get the candy from us. I couldn't believe it! They also tried to be really sneaky and hide the candy you had already given them to get more.

During the tour of the village we found a pharmacy, and we got the chance to go 'in'! It was really exciting. I was surprised at how little they stocked. Most of it would be considered over the counter products in the US. They didn't appear to have anything that would need a prescription for filling. However, they also told us that usually if it comes to needing a prescription, which you usually don't need to get medicine in Uganda (only for certain drugs), the person usually visits the hospital for that kind of medication. So if you wanted to fill any kind of medicine that we would require a prescription for you would need to visit the nearest hospital.

We also got to go into a clinic that is also a mini pharmacy. Once again, I was shocked at how little they had on hand. Here we learned the closest hospital is 10 kilometers away. The clinic was also the village’s birthing center. We got to have a tour of the building. There were chickens running around in it! Could you imagine having a chicken running around your clinic back home?! I'm more than certain that I wouldn't be going back anytime soon, and I would seriously consider how safe that clinic was. However, here it is all they know, and they seem fine and content with it. I was just grateful for the opportunity to get to see what a clinic and village pharmacy was like. It was really neat and truly very interesting and enlightening.

(One of the two pharmacies that we visited. Not the greatest picture, but it gives a good overview of how small and limited the supplies are.)

We then left to head back to Kampala for supper at an Italian restaurant. I had spaghetti. We even got to have dessert because at this restaurant they served gelato! It was my first experience with gelato, and it was absolutely delicious!

(My spaghetti. Delicious!!)

(Me with my first gelato. It was amazing!)

We're having Internet troubles yet again, so once again I apologize for the lateness of this post.

Tomorrow we're visiting SURE, a school for the disabled, and in the afternoon, we are visiting the chairman of the board at MUBS at his country home. It ought to be quite a day. I know I'm excited.

So until then, I leave you with this...

(Yep, I saw a real live chameleon today. It was awesome. However, they change color really slowly, at least this guy did.)