Having grown up in Kampala, I didn’t know what to expect when I set foot in Mbarara. Being a GHC fellow gave me an opportunity to have a fellowship placement with the organization Millenium Villages Project in Ruhiira. The village Ruhiira is located in western Uganda near the town Mbarara, famously known as “the land of milk and honey.”
When someone hears the land of milk and honey, what comes to mind is milk and honey everywhere. At least, that is what I expected. Don’t me wrong, there are so many cows with milk, but ever since the first day my co-fellow and I set foot into the famous land of milk and honey, I personally have never come a cross any honey (except in the supermarket, which is usually from another part of the country), which makes makes me wonder why it is named the land of “milk and honey.”
On a work day, I report to the office at 8.00am, and by about 9.00am, a concentrated cup of milk is always welcome, a privilege enjoyed by all staff at the MVP office. On some days I stay in office, which are the days the that I like to call ‘business as usual days,’ because it is the daily office work. The real action and thrill is mainly felt on a field day, where we go about 38 kilometers away from Mbarara town to a district called Isingiro district. Being a quality improvements coordinator, my work involves interaction with health workers, patients,and sometimes members of the community . A lot of the thrill is involved from trying to speak a new language in the hope of communication and possibly bonding with the people, and also from learning new things, including cultural shocks.
Having grown up in a different part of the country, sometimes what is culturally acceptable in one area is not acceptable in another. There was this one time I was seated on a chair interacting with a group of patients, and I was sitting with my legs crossed. One of the elderly ladies comes up to me and spoke in her language, of which I could understand only a few words. The other elderly ladies also looked at me with contempt, which I did not seem to understand. I looked confused until another lady ,who was more literate, translated and told me me, “Young lady, no one will marry you.” I looked more confused and continued to wonder what had inspired such words of cruelty. “No man can marry you, because the way you are seated. Women here do not sit like that,” she further went on. Then it struck me that sitting with legs crossed was a taboo among women in this part of the country. I quickly responded by adjusting my posture and uncrossing my legs which made everyone in the group break into laughter.
Most of my days are filled with new things to learn and lots of exciting experiences, and I now know that for as long as am in the “land of milk and honey”, I cannot sit with my legs crossed.