15 Things I Have Learned During PC Homestay

The Town of Hoima, Uganda From The Hill

1. Just smile and laugh along with whatever is being said in the local language because no doubt it is about you. Like this morning when my family was making fun of me for being white and how we can never hide anything (scraps, cuts, blushing and so on) because of it.
2. Walking the mile walk home alone after a really long day is sometimes the best thing on the planet.
3. A properly treated mosquito net will kill anything… including a massive spider and other large creatures you do not want sleeping with you.
4. Always accept rides from Priests….Why?! Because they have a great sense of humor, are interested in you and love to chat but they also no doubt will have a/c in their cars. Another bonus is they are not trying to marry you.  
5. How to handle a rat running across the floor of your bedroom. Basically you don’t move and hope it either goes away or it doesn’t see you and go crazy because you have taken over its space.
6. How to handle the “you don’t eat enough” comment from your house mother (even though your plate is packed). Answer… “We Americans have weak stomachs” or “I have yet to learn to eat like a Ugandan.” They always laugh but can't seem to drop the issue of food.
7. How to politely say “Ebitookie (matooke a cross between banana and a potato) is the worst thing on the planet and you would rather bathe in pit latrine than eat it.”…. “Umm this ebitookie is interesting… I have yet to learn to love ebitookie but I am working on it.” (Add polite smile and eat another bite to show you are trying – when really you’re not and you want to spit it out the moment it touches your tongue).
8. How to eat beans and rice for lunch AND dinner…Solution: You add a Chapatti to the rice and beans and everything is perfect.
9. How not to flick off a driver going way to fast on a narrow dirt road. You swear under your breath and in your mind imagine flicking them off and give them a driving lesson. Flicking off is a No-No here in Uganda.
10. Learning that sleeping is amazing. Already knew that but now I love it even more.
11. Remembering to breathe and love the little things… Have someone ask "how are you" in the local language before you ask them, a smile from a Ugandan, a sweetie (candy) from the USA, creating chocolate chip cookies in a sauce pan, have a small child run to you during a dance routine because he was scared and as the only white person you look the friendliest, having a dress made from scratch, making a friend, eating chapatti, and each conversation with fellow PCV’s about life, being called Aunty Kate, and realizing you walked over 8 miles in one day.
12. Learning how to wash your clothes and yourself – hair included with one jerrycan (40 pounds of water per can).
13. The friendships I see between people here in Uganda, very few people in the United States have friendships like these. It is amazing what lack of TV, internet, and so on can do for a country. They build relationships that span a lifetime.
14. Spending 10 minutes hunting down a cockroach in your bedroom can be the best thing that happens to you that day. Bug killing can be a lot of fun and you can be creative while doing it.
15. Ugandans have great smiles in fact amazing smiles but they sadly never seem to smile but when they do it is a beautiful thing.