Ugandan terminology

I borrowed this from our summer missionary. After being here a while one forgets that the rest of the world doesn't always understand the terms we use all the time. This is pretty random but fun.

Fun Stuff We’ve Eaten:
Grasshoppers & caterpillars (grasshoppers are much better but often a little oily because they are fried)
Tilapia
Goat Kababs and Stew
Italian Ice Cream
The best pineapples, bananas, papayas and mangoes

Facts About Kampala, Uganda to Note:

· Mzungu- White person (sometimes kids are told we will eat them- so some are scared of us)

· Boda Boda- Motorcycle taxi

· Taxi – mini-buses that carry supposedly not more than 14 people.

· There are over 100 slums in Kampala

· Soweto- A slum in Kampala,Uganda- location of Pastor Thomas and the two Bible studies I teach
Naguru- A slum in Kampala Uganda. Where Lynn has a Bible study going.

Nateete – Another slum area where we work.

· Shillings are the currency here (paper money like in the US- not shells). 2,000 shillings equals about 1 USD . in May we got new paper money that is colorful and smaller. (still reminds me of monopoly money)

· Compound- a gated home usually with high walls surrounding it and barbed wire or cut glass on the top.

· Witch Doctors (yes, they really exist.) They sacrifice children (which is against the law), so in order to keep them away from children, families make them impure by piercing the children’s ears.

· Kampala the city sits on multiple hills. We live UP the hill from where we park our car on the compound. It is quite an exercise.

· Uganda is called the Pearl of Africa. It is green and beautiful .

· The women of Uganda bow to the ground on one knee to greet their husbands and guests. More true in the villages than in Kampala. Kampala is quickly becoming “westernized” in lots of ways.

· The people of Uganda always shake hands and they sometimes hold hands while you are talking until you’re finished.

· African wounds/ African Massage refers to the bad roads/ potholes that make it feel like you’re off- roading in the mountains or something, when you’re really just going to the grocery store!

· Muslims are very prevalent.

· Water heaters are necessary for showers and must be turned on(like a light switch) 1 hour before shower. (We have 3 – for the bathrooms and kitchen. Electricity is expensive so we have to remember to turn them off)

· Water must be purified in order to brush teeth and drink. Bottled water is readily available. Thanks to our WMU ladies in the States every family is furnished a filtering container.

· Milk is pasteurized in a way that it does not have to be refrigerated until after opened. It is amazing to see boxes of milk sitting on the shelves.

· It is normal for women to breastfeed their children while talking to you.

· Picking your nose in public is ok.

· American brands are used here for names of mom & pop shops- such as Disney World being a children’s day care.

· Types of bread: Salt, brown & white. No preservatives so it doesn’t last long.

· Sidedishes are the multiple women partners of married men.

· Air time is the amount of money you have on your phone. There are no landlines and no cell phone plans. You can buy cards to upload minutes – so prepaid. Good idea.

· SMS (Short Message Service) is a text message.
Flash calling or Beeping is when a person just calls and hangs up- it costs no money and notifies them that you need them.

Many kids want to be doctors and nurses.