Mary Schwab Uganda Seminar Journal May 17, 2007 – June 6, 2007 Saturday May 19, 2007 Last night we arrived in Kampala, Uganda around 10pm. We are staying at the Red Chili Hideaway. This morning we sent off all our clothes we brought from the states to donate. We packed an entire SUV full and the social worker who came to pick it all up was so grateful. The majority of today was spent taking a walk through the city center of Kampala. Everything is extremely chaotic; there are people walking and commuting everywhere as well as cars, taxis and “boda boda’s”. There are no traffic rules, no lanes to direct traffic and hardly any stop signs or stop lights. People are everywhere. Many people are seen on the street selling various/random items such as cell phone chargers, clothing, kitchen utensils and even sets of knives. Occasionally you will run into a trash pile, an indication of the lack of any type of formal city cleanup or sanitary regulations. The dirt is extremely red here, it is practically red clay…and it is everywhere! Although there are sidewalks, they are not as prominent as in the states and the roads are extremely bad. They are filled with potholes and seem to be extremely difficult to drive on. Most of them do not consist of cement, just the hard red dirt. There seems to be a great absence of a middle class in Uganda. The villages are poverty stricken, while most of the houses seem to be like what you would see in the states. There will be a mansion, and right outside a small dirt hut. It is not uncommon to see Mercedes, BMW’s and Lexus’s driving around. The divide between the rich and the
Mary Schwab poor is evident. Tonight we ate at the Ryder Hotel, which was beautiful. When we arrived, a herd of cattle was being let through the streets….right outside this beautiful hotel. You would never see something like this happen in the states…
Sunday May 20, 2007 This morning we had a wonderful American breakfast at Sam’s downtown. Afterwards, we took a walk through the city while the others were finishing up breakfast. “Muzungu’s!!” was of course being yelled at us wherever we went. Dan bartered for some speakers for the Red Chili. Muzungu prices everywhere of course… This afternoon we visited the Speke Resort which will be home to the commonwealth leaders conference in November of 2007. It was a very large and beautiful hotel with gorgeous landscaping. The resort was located right on Lake Victoria. I think it will be great for Kampala and Uganda to host the Commonwealth Convention at the Speke Resort in November. This event will bring world leaders to the country who will hopefully see the great aspects of Uganda (the great people and culture….as well as bring attention to the things that need great aid and help such as poverty, unemployment and infectious diseases). This increased awareness of Uganda’s current stage of development will hopefully aid in positive ways. After the Speke Resort we visited the Martyrs site, and then had a traditional Ugandan meal at a restaurant. Monday May 21, 2007 This morning we had breakfast at MUBS and then went to the Botanical Gardens which was beautiful. We got the chance to see all kinds of Ugandan wildlife including
Mary Schwab monkeys and their exotic plants and trees. Chairman Sentago invited us to dinner at his country home. Getting there was an adventure in itself. The only way to get to his home was to go through a village. Of course, our huge van would never be able to make it through this village, especially considering the conditions of the streets. Therefore, we had to transfer everyone to smaller buses and it took a couple trips to get everyone up to the country home. On the way up, the van got stuck in a huge pothole, and at one time had to be tipped over at about a 90-degree angle; we all had to shift to one side to avoid rolling over! After that scare we all decided to get out and walk the rest of the way up to the country home, but it wasn’t too far. The chairman was very good to us while we were at his home. We had traditional African cuisine and had the chance to meet with very distinguished people from MUBS as well as in the Ugandan government (a member of parliament was in attendance). They were all very welcoming and kind hearted. The chairman has farmland on his estate in which he uses the land to grow oranges, pineapples, bananas and nuts. He gave us a tour of his farm which ultimately led to the discussion of how a country, like Uganda, switches from a primarily agriculture based economy to an industrial economy.
Journal Question #1: In a mostly agriculture based economy, how do you move towards industrialization? After our pre-trip discussion, conversation with MUBS students and current discussions, I find 3 major points/problems to address when answering this question. 1) Loss of natural resources
Mary Schwab 2) Increased education 3) Security in Uganda/Reputation While talking with Molly (MUBS Student), it was brought to my attention that she, along with many other Ugandans are especially concerned about losing Uganda’s natural resources to industrialization. She explained how important it is to many Ugandan’s to be able to produce and enjoy their own fruits, vegetables etc. She claimed that as an American, I probably would not understand the pride that comes with this, as well as the benefits (as simple as taste), since America is quite industrialized. She stated that the loss of these natural resources is a major concern to many Ugandans. (As seen with the current problems and protests with the opening of the sugar cane plant). Our discussion resulted in an agreed upon notion that although parts of industrialization is negative, it will have to eventually happen, and when it does, the government will have to maintain a balance between agriculture and industrialization. I suggested that maybe to achieve this balance, such steps could be taken such as growing pineapples as they do now, but then making more out of the pineapples instead of selling them at the local market as is. Take the pineapples, produce pineapple juice or cut and can them, therefore taking a step towards mass production while maintaining an important part of Ugandan’s culture and what they are proud of (agricultural products). I then got into a discussion with William and explained this idea and it let to a conversation about exports. Say Uganda began producing products (juices for example) out of their pineapples. Exports would make Uganda’s economy stronger, but the problem would be getting foreign countries to purchase these products as Uganda has a negative reputation in most eyes due to relatively recent political instability, disease and epidemics. A “Made in Uganda” label
Mary Schwab does not bring up many positive connotations, especially when a foreigner is choosing a product to buy. (This is especially apparent when dealing with food products). Therefore, this reputation needs to be changed in order to make exports from Uganda marketable to the world. Again, we reach a barrier… Reputation of Uganda will not change overnight. This is a long process that I believe will be successful through education. Although Uganda has made positive advancements in education, especially seen at MUBS, it will need to be a continuous improvement. By providing quality education to Ugandan students, they will be able to apply what they learn to become political and business leaders that will hopefully better the country’s reputation. They will be able to better their foreign relationships through better business and political interactions and thus improve Uganda’s reputation. The move toward industrialization in Uganda is no simple answer. I believe the first step must be to encourage change and address concerns of the people (such as losing natural resources). Education about the positive aspects of industrialization is also key. I feel many Ugandans only see this change through one view. Do they know how industrialization can help their economy? Maybe not as much as people think. Balance is also key; Uganda must maintain a substantial amount of land devoted to agriculture as it is very important to the people of Uganda. Education of the process of moving form an agriculture based to industrial based economy in schools and universities by way of studying what other countries have done will give Ugandans more resources to aid their decisions and views of this process.
Tuesday May 22, 2007
Mary Schwab
Wednesday May 23, 2007 Morning session at MUBS: Democracy Lunch at MUBS Tour of Kasabi Tombs
Thursday May 24, 2007 Discussion Question #2: Discuss democracy and human rights and their relation to sustainable development. The past few days have brought up many discussions about democracy and human rights, and I believe both have a strong correlation to each other, as well as a big impact on the success of a country’s ability to develop and sustain economically, politically and socially. I believe that the relationship between democracy, human rights and sustainability is a bit of a domino effect. Democracy empowers people to want and demand human rights, and this sense of human rights encourages people to invest in their country and take responsibility for the happenings (political, economic, social) in their country. Democracy enables people to choose how they want to live their life. People are allowed to choose where they want to work, what kind of education they want and where, if and when they want to start a family, where they want to live, among many other things. People under a democratic rule are given the ability to take responsibility for the choices they make in their life. I believe when people feel this sense of accountability for the choices in their life, they will place more value on their quality of life (for the most
Mary Schwab part – there are exceptions of those who make wrong choices and take advantage of their freedom). This is where human rights come into play. I believe those in a democratic society have a much stronger sense of human rights than those who are not because of the greater responsibility they are given to control their quality of life. How can a person who does not even demand rights for themselves ever demand rights, accountability and progression in their country? A person must first want to be able to sustain and develop their own personal life and choices before they can think about the bigger picture, which is to sustain and develop their country. Human rights first allow people to invest in themselves, and when this is accomplished, hopefully invest in the betterment of their country. When people don’t feel they have any control of or responsibility over their own life, they will have no reason to feel responsible for their country’s existence and development. Therefore, I believe democracy is necessary to develop human rights, and thus sustainable development. In a democracy, everyone has the right to be employed (although you must still have ambition, and work hard). Uganda has a severely high unemployment rate (65%); the government should be developing strategies and programs to decrease this rate. Hopefully, in the next 10 to 15 years this rate will be greatly reduced and I believe that when more people are employed and understand the rights and responsibility that comes with employment they will also better understand the importance of economically sustaining and advancing Uganda’s economy. Those that are unemployed and struggling day to day will not even begin to think about how to better their country’s situation (whether its political, economic or social).
Mary Schwab
Democracy
Human Rights
Sustainable Development
Democracy encourages people to have/demand human rights; human rights encourages people to invest in their country after first investing in their own personal lives; these 2 lead to sustainable development in a country. Human rights encourage people to care about what happens in their life and the ability to speak out and change their situation if need be. Hopefully this investment in the betterment of their life will coincide with the betterment of their country because one who is able to choose their own path and out lets of happiness is more likely to take pride in their country and want to see it develop to be the best it can be.
Friday May 25, 2007 Morning Session at MUBS: Microfinance I have never quire understood until I arrived in Uganda, but microfinance is extremely important to the economy here and plays a major role in the extent they are “sustaining” at this point. Because of the lack of jobs, many are forced to e entrepreneurs. This is extremely evident by just looking at the streets of Kampala. We have spent a lot of time on the bus, and every time we travel through the city I am still amazed at how many single standing shops/stands there are which are selling everything from nail polish to various cell phone chargers. I would love to be able to know some of these people stories. Are they forced into being an entrepreneur? If so, why? Is it lack of education or lack of drive to get a job? Or are they born into it? I feel a lot of people open these shops/stands as a last resort to make an income – none of them seem to be enjoying it by any means.
Mary Schwab I thought it was interesting when we discussed group/peer lending. I think group lending has a lot of potential but could be very dangerous – if one person fails to pay money when due that would severely hurt relationships as well as the group as a whole. I wonder if people are more likely to get into group lending or not because of this very reason. I noticed while we were at the equator how all the shops seemed to share money and maybe all had been working together? They would get change from each other so maybe that was just convenient for them, but they all seemed to sell relatively the same items (maybe they were working together). Either way, there were a lot of goods at the shops on the equator and I wonder how many of them had taken out loans to continue their business. Maybe they attract enough tourists to avoid needing loans?
Saturday May 26, 2007 Morning Session at MUBS: Tourism Owino Markets I do not feel Uganda attracts as much tourism as they believe they do. Understandably, Kampala may not be a huge tourist spot, but being a big city, I would expect to see many more tourists than I have thus far. I think it would be extremely hard to travel throughout Kampala (and Uganda for that matter), and do the things we have been doing, without being in a big group as we are. I don’t think Uganda is conducive to tourism because of their lack of sufficient transportation especially. I do believe they understand the importance of tourism, but have a hard time implementing tactics to attract them especially when they have much bigger problems (poverty, malaria, TB,
Mary Schwab AIDS). On the other hand, bringing in tourists would bring in money to Uganda which would help the economy and help solve these problems. Uganda should capitalize on their national parks and develop tours and programs that really differentiate them from other countries. It’s amazing to me how places like Hawaii are so tourist intensive and have so many programs and tours. Then, there are countries like Uganda who have many great things (National Parks especially) but not many programs to show and market them. Many jobs could be created with better and more extensive tours. I am in favor of tourism in Uganda because I think there is a lot of money to be made but not enough quality programs to provide sources for tourism. Owino Markets These markets were an experience to say the least. I have never been in such an intense and crowded situation before. I expected the market to be crowded, but not so cramped and dark. Tarps covered any bit of sunshine that could have been let in. Inside the market, there was hardly any walking space and no room in between shops. We must have entered on the shoe side of the market because there were shoes upon shoes upon shoes! You could tell a lot of the stuff had been bought 2nd hand and then revived (somewhat). The sellers were constantly grabbing at us “Muzungus” which was uncomfortable/annoying. I was very thankful to have William and Judith with us to lead us through the market and make sure people didn’t hassle us too much. The market made me feel very claustrophobic and we only spent about 15 minutes inside. None of us could handle the smells and crowds very well. Additionally, there was absolutely nothing in the market that any of us Americans would even consider buying. I couldn’t
Mary Schwab imagine being a Ugandan and going to the market to buy clothing and goods, but I suppose that is just part of their culture. The sellers were definitely getting made at us because we weren’t buying anything. As Muzungus, it seemed that they expected us to drop hard amounts of cash on anything and everything. It shows they don’t understand our culture at all or where we come form. We have no desire for any of the items they were selling (old shoes, broken watches, dirty clothes etc.). They still tried very hard to get our attention so we would buy. They aren’t very good salespeople regardless – pulling my arm and shouting Muzunugu in my ear isn’t going to make me want to buy your stuff!!
Sunday May 27 – Wednesday May 30, 2007 Trip to Mbarara Sunday we left for Mbarara. On the way, we stopped at the equator which had the first real “tourist shopping” we have seen since arriving in Uganda. There were many shops with African arts and crafts. Muzungu prices were expected, so bargaining as necessary. I feel bad bargaining sometimes because I can afford to pay the price they are asking, but I like to think the bargaining keeps them on their toes and helps them to become better businessmen/women! We seemed to be the only tourists at the equator and it made me wonder how busy those shops get on a regular day or how much money they usually make in one day? I’m sure between all 40 of us, we spent more money in those shops than they are used to making in one week (and we were only there for about a half an hour!). Shopping on the equator was fun though and I think we are all proud of our trinkets and treasures as well as our ability to help the economy!
Mary Schwab Next stop was Lake M’Buro. On the way into the park we saw zebras, impalas, warthogs, baboons and buffalo which was really fun. The game warden showed us the lake and then spoke with us about the park and wildlife association. I though the discussion in regards to building a hotel on the property was interesting. As mentioned before, I think Uganda could capitalize on tourism a lot more than they have been, but there is no way to avoid the disruption of the ark when a hotel is built. Buildings, roads and parking lots would greatly disrupt the land and all its wildlife. Another point to consider when building a hotel is who exactly would be staying there and utilizing it? Where are the tourists? I understand it is the end of the wet season, but every hotel we have been in has been deserted. If Lake M’Buro builds a hotel, will it have enough occupants to offset the costs of the building (both financial and environmental)? I think Lake M’buro needs to develop more extensive tours and programs first to get the tourist numbers up and then integrate a hotel or resort to better its chances of success and survival. I thought it was great how the park maintained positive relationships with the local community. It’s great that they are giving back a percentage of their profits to the community and stress the importance of hiring their employees form the surrounding community. Great community relationships will aid in the sustainability of the park; the local community is a great ally to have to stand up for the protection of the land. Monday I chose to take a personal day and stick around Mbarara. Joe, Caitlin, Lauren and I went into town. We were definitely the only Muzungus in town. There was less shouting at us than in Kampala, but just as many stares. We mainly just walked he main street and went into a few shops. The language barrier was a lot more extreme than
Mary Schwab in Kampala. Either they didn’t speak very good English or our accents were too strong because we had trouble communicating with almost everyone. It all worked out in the end though. Tuesday we visited Queen Elizabeth Park. The boat tour gave us great views of hippos and water buffalos (lots of them). I think the boat tour is a great asset to the park. We were literally only a few feet away from hippos, which was amazing. Queen Elizabeth Park should be marketing this boat tour as one of their highlights. The guide was very knowledgeable which made the ride educational as well. The ride was a bit long though and I was glad to be back on land after 2 hr. plus boat ride. Next we got on the bus and drove through the park. We were fortunate enough to see elephants and lions on this tour. It was strange being on this huge bus in the middle of an open field, watching a lion crouch in the grass…you don’t get to see that everyday! Wednesday we headed back to Kampala with another stop at the equator and spent a lot of our money again….
Thursday May 31, 2007 Discussion Question #3: How do we make foreign aid work? What can donors/recipients do? Address ethics in regards to recipients. The issue of foreign aid is very complex. There have been situations where foreign aid has greatly helped he development of countries as well as situations where foreign aid has greatly hindered their development and created corruption. It is important
Mary Schwab to analyze ways for a country to successfully implement contributions of foreign aid in to their economy. First, I think countries that are receiving foreign aid need to have definite programs and specific issues to which they aid should be applied. They need to have definite plans of action for where the money will be placed, as well as strategies to manage and follow up with the allocation of the aid. Second, I don’t think aid should be given directly to the government. I feel that when the money gets in the hands of the government then this is where the corruption takes place. Maybe, only a portion of the aid should be allocated by the government; the rest should be allocated by NGOs (Non-Government Organizations) and other specific programs. Third, aid should not be continuous. There should not be a continuous flow of aid into a country; this creates dependency. Aid should be given only on sporadic basis and only when a country proves that the aid will be allocated and used to its 100% effectiveness. I believe that time periods without aid will allow a country to (hopefully) develop alternate ways of growing their economy and realize that they can not always depend on the aid of other countries. Finally, for aid to work, donors and recipients need to realize their roles (and ethically follow them!). Donors and recipients need to be given specific asks as well as regulations to follow when dealing with foreign aid. First, I will address the roles of donors. Donors need to research the country they are donating to. They need to know what aspects of the country’s economy are in the most need of aid. Further, they need to do background checks on which programs will
Mary Schwab best be able to use the money to the betterment of the country’s people and economy. A country donating should never blindly through money at a country in need. They should be able to (and want to!) justify every dollar going out as foreign aid. After a donor can justify why they are giving foreign aid to a country, they need to identify which specific programs the aid should go to. The money should not just be given to the hands of the government of Uganda, for example. The aid should be broken down into which programs and services it is going to. Donors should also follow up on the progress the aid has made in the country. Donors should not just forget about the aid once it is out of their hands. They should be I constant contact with the programs the aid went to and follow up with them. Donor should demand to see the results of the aid they have given, and ask critical questions such as How have you used this aid to its maximum effectiveness? How has the aid positively impacted the programs? What has the aid done for you that couldn’t have been done in its absence?
Recipients also have crucial roles when dealing with foreign aid. First of all, recipients need to prove to donors that they do in fact need the aid. Recipients should not expect to be given aid without any work at all. If this means that a programs needs to hold a conference or meeting to prove their worthiness of aid, then that needs to be done. Recipients need to have the facts and figures available to donors about why they need the aid, and then specific information on where that aid would go. As mentioned before, donors need to be able to make educated decisions when allocating aid, and therefore recipients need to provide that information to the donors.
Mary Schwab Recipients also need to have correct accounting systems to monitor the allocation of aid. I think recipients should follow the lead of corporations and their year need reporting through financial statements. Recipients should be required to generate statements like these to justify the funds. This reporting should be continuous and up to date. If any donor wished to see a report of their aid they should be able to look at the most recent data and information this will make recipients feel a lot of responsibility and accountability for the aid. Finally, recipients need to follow ethical standards when dealing with the allocation of foreign aid. The biggest problem that Uganda is facing in regards to foreign aid is corruption. Programs that receive foreign aid need to screen all employees very carefully. Unfortunately, most of the corruption occurs higher up in the organization, and especially in government offices which is hard to uncover. I think its important for Ugandan businessmen/women to understand that whistle blowing isn’t necessarily a bad thing. If an employee sees this corruption going on, they need to feel like they can say something. Possibly, programs receiving foreign aid should be required to have panels or board whose specific purpose is to monitor and evaluate the people who are dealing with the aid as well as be there if any employee would need to disclose any concern of unethical behavior. When donors state where the money is going, and make plans for that money, they need to stick to the plan. There should be enough preparation for the allocation of the aid that any deviation from the plans should not be necessary. Using the money in ways not previously stated in their plan would not be ethical (and should not be allowed).
Mary Schwab Recipients should put their best and most trustworthy leaders they can at the head of their programs to avoid unethical behavior and practices. Just as companies have mission statements, programs receiving aid should have mission statements as well as a code of ethics that every employee should be well aware of. These ethics should be repeatedly reviewed by every employee and engrained into the culture of the program. When dealing with such large amounts of money, it is important to have a strong sense ethics and exact principles to follow. Finally, recipients should use the money they are given in the most productive way possible. I believe this is the most important step when dealing with ethics and foreign aid. The money should be put to use so that it will aid future generations and continue to positively affect the economy in the years to come; it should not be allocated to present consumption. Also, the aid should be allocated in ways that always has the interest of the people in mind. The aid should be helping current people in need, as well as future recipients. Unfortunately, it is easy for people in power to become corrupt when given large amounts of money but hopefully engraining ethical standards and a code of ethics into a program’s culture will help avoid this corruption or bring it to attention when it occurs.
Friday June 1, 2007 Lecture on HIV/AID in Uganda TASO Tour and Discussion
Mary Schwab I really enjoyed today’s topic of HIV/AIDS in Uganda. There was a lot of interesting information presented in this mornings lecture, and it’s very important to be aware of Uganda’s current state in fighting the epidemic. Uganda seems to have a hold of fighting AIDS as an STD. Their ABC program has been successful and has done a good job of communicating ways of prevention. I couldn’t help but wonder though, are they addressing HIV transmission through recreational drug use? I know that in the states, rates of HIV is high among those in poverty and the homeless. Given that 40% of Uganda’s population is below the poverty line, I think that would be a significant group to be addressing. I’m sure there are drug users in this country, and I’m sure that if they are using then they are sharing needles – there has been controversy in the U.S. of making clean needles available over the counter for this very reason. (I doubt Uganda would have this option in their pharmacies). I think drug use and prevalence of HIV and transmission is something to definitely look more into in Uganda. TASO (The AIDS Support Organization) was an amazing facility. I believe one part of achieving sustainable development in Uganda is gaining control over their 3 most prevalent diseases (HIV, Tuberculosis and Malaria). Facilities like TASO will definitely help achieve this control. The counseling and education they offer seems to be very beneficial to their members (and their members’ families). It was great to see TASO so focused on life, and turning such a negative situation into good and positive things (friendship, education and hope). I was amazed that each TASO member had to pay only 500 shillings (less than .30 USD) to be a member, and then only 500 sh every time they visited. Even a month’s
Mary Schwab prescription was only 500 sh. Offering these drugs at such a low cost can help so many people in this country. I hope that the members of TASO take advantage of this service and give back to the community by spreading knowledge about HIV – like they said, those who are HIV positive are the best teachers. If only every person with HIV chose to spread knowledge about the disease and make a positive impact on their community. Uganda needs programs like TASO – AIDS affects too many people, whether directly or indirectly. Hopefully TASO will be able o continue to grow and/or encourage other programs to follow their lead.
Rural Visit – Saturday June 2, 2007 Today we visited the home of Abudu Sebandeke, a 70-year-old peasant farmer in rural Uganda. His farm consisted of cocoa, coffee, bananas, a nursery as well as guinea fowl and chicken keeping. Abudu seemed very excited to give us a tour of his land; he was very well prepared with informational sheets ready for us to read and take home. He was very proud of his farm, often dropping the little hints to the secrets of his success. It was interesting to learn about NAADS (National Agricultural Advisory Services) from someone who has had so much connection with the organization. Previously, I had not known much about NAADS, but it seems Abudu has gained much from it (including seminars, equipment for poultry keeping, chickens, drinkers, chicken mash as well as land). He seemed very positive about NAADS and what they do for peasant farmers like himself. Since agriculture is currently the backbone of Uganda’s economy, I imagine that NAADS has been able to start up many farmers and give them the knowledge and resources they need to start a successful project. Abudu hasn’t been a
Mary Schwab farmer his whole life, only about the past 16 years. In 1991, when he started farming, would he have been able to start up a farm without the support and aid of NAADS? Would he be as successful as he is today without NAADS? The impression I got from Abudu makes me think the answer to these questions is a definite “No”. NAADS seems to have allowed him to sustainably develop his own project, sustainable development on a small scale. Maybe this is where Uganda needs to start – programs to help individuals sustain their farms so eventually they will want to expand and get more out of their land (which hopefully leads to sustainable development on a larger scale and so on.) Sustainably developing oneself before being able to develop ones’ country. Abudu stated that he depended on the variety of his farm. The bananas were mainly grown for personal consumption. The coffee and cocoa were generating his income and were especially important because if one failed or had a bad harvest, he would have the other to fall back on and still be able to generate an income. It seems he has been able to sustainably develop his farm quite well. I could not imagine being his age (70) and taking care of such labor-intensive land. No wonder his next goal is to save money to buy a tractor! Aubudu had built a nice home for his wife and children. I’m not sure how many children he had, but there were at least 5 of his own at home, and he mentioned some that were older and had moved out of the village. The children were fascinated our cameras and just us in general, but they warmed up to us eventually. They enjoyed seeing themselves on the digital cameras and laughed hysterically at them. Abudu’s wife made us a typical meal they would eat (this included chicken, matoke, beans, spinach, sweet potatoes, hard boiled eggs and a few other dishes I was not familiar with). They of
Mary Schwab course did not have electricity or running water at the house so we were able to see them make it all over the fire outside. They really went all out for us, and made enough food to feed an army! At the end of our visit, Abudu asked us why in the world a group of Americans like ourselves would want to come to a “3rd World Country”. He seemed completely baffled by such an idea. And even further amazed that we would want to come visit a “poor peasant farmer like himself”. Regardless of whether or not we convinced him of our reasons (reasons which included experiencing a different culture, bringing knowledge back to the U.S. and become more away of different ways of life), I think he was extremely grateful to be able to share his life with us. To show his gratitude, Abudu presented us with about 3 dozen eggs that were raised on his farm to take home with us. This gift was a sign of much welcoming and gratitude but still very foreign to us as you would never come across the gift of eggs in the states. Of course, we accepted the eggs but ended up giving them away in the village to people who needed them a lot more than we do.
Mary Schwab