Life Experiences & Traditions a World Apart

One of the greatest joys of our time in Uganda has been engaging in conversation with new friends about the differences between our homelands.  From long car rides to lunches at the office to playing Catch Phrase, we've had many opportunities to share with each other.

Where we come from, nothing is bigger or a more seminal part of one’s identity than college basketball allegiances.  Naturally, this has been a popular topic of conversation and amusement for Ugandans.  We've told countless people of camping for months on end for prime seats to the greatest rivalry game in all of sports and attempted to describe the indescribable atmosphere of Cameron Indoor Stadium.  While riding around Northern Uganda during our rotation on the Water, Sanitation and Hygiene project,  Pearce noted that the sky was a beautiful “Carolina Blue” and proceeded to explain that there is no “light blue” or “dark blue” on Tobacco Road, only “Carolina Blue” and “Duke Blue.”  We identified “Duke Blue” by the Blue Devil hat Chrissy was faithfully wearing.  Pearce was excited to tell his Tarheel dad of this lesson and of course he was quite gratified.  But this wasn't the coolest think Pearce has been able to share with his “baby blue” father.

When visiting a church mobilization meeting with the Karamoja Ministry Project, Pearce’s eyes were immediately drawn to a familiar colored shirt being worn by a Karimojong woman on the second row.  Chrissy was horribly embarrassed as Pearce began snapping pictures mid-meeting like paparazzi.  In middle-of-nowhere Karamoja, Uganda was a woman wearing a University of North Carolina t-shirt.  Following the meeting, Pearce called the pastor over to provide translation as he excitedly explained to the woman why he’d been so captivated by her wardrobe choice.  She was bewildered by all the fuss but explained that a friend of her daughter’s had given her the shirt.  Given that Carolina boasts the best-selling collegiate merchandise, it’s not so surprising a Tarheel shirt would turn up on the other side of the world, even in Karamoja.  Our quest for a Blue Devil sighting has so far come up empty.

Another topic of wonder for native Ugandans is cold weather.  Most have never experienced snow or ice but have perhaps seen them in movies.  Ugandan national staff have been fascinated to learn that the international headquarters of their organization, in Boone, North Carolina, was covered in snow and ice when we left orientation to join them in Uganda.  The pictures we took on our iPhone have elicited awe.  They want to know what snow is, how it feels and if anybody works when it falls.  Some report seeing snow sports on TV and ask if we've ever skied.  Swinging chairs hanging from a pulley that takes you up the mountain?  Crazy talk.  We explained the characteristics and impacts of snow:

“So this snow, it just falls like rain?” 

“Yes, and it makes the road slippery like mud.  School, work and shopping depend on where in America you are.  In Boone, a foot (30 centimeters) can cancel everything, except the skiing of course.  In Florida, a flurry would ground a city to a halt.  In Maine, nobody bats an eye at a meter of snow.  America has very diverse climates and seasons”  

While eating lunch at Samaritan’s Purse Uganda’s country office in Kampala, conversation turned to holidays and the odd traditions some had observed in American movies.  The discussion was sparked by finding pumpkin on our plates.  “Did you know that in America people carve faces into pumpkins and place candles inside them for Halloween?”  “Hallo-what?”  We stepped back into childhood to explain trick-or-treating and scary costumes.  And back into college to share how big kids celebrate.  Franklin Street anyone?

Next up was Christmas, the granddaddy of them all.  Only recently, western-oriented malls in the biggest African cities have imported the commercialization of the religious celebration, even Santa Clause.  Occasionally, they told us, you will see a home decorated with some trimmings to mark the season.  We explained the wonderful tradition of Santa and the lengths to which parents go to maintain the magic for their children.  Pearce told of traveling with his parents to Richmond, Virginia every year, from infancy into his High School years, to wait for hours and sit on the lap of “the real Santa Clause,” a priceless family tradition.  Our Ugandan friends were very amused.  For them, Christmas is still a sacred religious and family holiday focused on Christ, with no particular emphasis on children.  In fact, for a country in which half of the population is under the age of fifteen, there are no kid-focused holidays.

Similarly, they view Easter only as a celebration of our Savior’s resurrection and were surprised to hear of the Easter Bunny and Easter egg hunts that we so enjoyed as kids.  And Thanksgiving, that one was news to them.  They enjoyed the story of Pilgrims and Indians and were interested in the cornucopia of dishes we share with family around the table.

Another highlight of our experience was the night we played “Catch Phrase” with a terrific group of expats and nationals.  We found ourselves explaining terms and phrases such as “boogie board,” “miniature golf,” “give me some slack,” “playing the field,” “Valentine’s Day,” and “give my right arm.”  We learned that the equivalent of “give my right arm” in Karimojong translates “give my right leg” as they’ll say “I love you so much, I’d give my right leg.”  Still waiting for someone to bust that out on us.

Pearce’s greatest point of pride when it comes to sharing traditions in Uganda occurred on the one local basketball court.  Number one on the Kampala shopping list was a basketball as Pearce was thrilled to learn of the court in Karamoja.  One Saturday afternoon we dribbled down the street to find several teenagers at the court anxious to play.  After several games of 3-on-3, Pearce decided to give HORSE a shot.  For the uninitiated, HORSE is a basketball game in which players take turns attempting shots from various spots on the court.  Once a player makes his shot, every other player must attempt the identical shot.  Anyone who misses that shot earns a letter of H-O-R-S-E.  Once a player has missed five shots made by another, he’ll have spelled HORSE and be eliminated.  But we’re in Karamoja, not America, so Pearce adapted the game to spell EJOKA, which is the common greeting in Karimojong meaning “hi, how are you?”  The kids picked it up quickly and had a blast.  Our work here is done.

The opportunity to share life experiences and traditions, learning from our gracious hosts, is just one of the many things that have made the last three months of our lives so rich.  We’re very thankful that we have another two months here but will be excited to return to the greatest state on Earth and see all of you again in August.

Snapshots of Africa