Uganda Midwifery 2011: Things We Learned on Safari

Hello!

We haven’t had internet access for several days – I hope you haven’t all been hitting “refresh” every 5 minutes in the hopes of an update!

The rest of our safari we spent at Queen Elizabeth Park, and Lake Mburo. Many more hippos (including one very angry one), impalas, lions, more elephants, crested cranes, a saddle-bill (bird), a very shy leopard, and many, many zebras. We also all ended up falling a little bit in love with the warthogs.

We were back on the ward today, all together in Lower Mulago’s high risk labour ward. To wrap up our safari story, we figured we would share a list of things we learned on safari. So!

Things We Learned on Safari

* Kampala, the capital city of Uganda, was originally called “Ka-impala,” meaning “here there are impalas.” Impalas used to live there, but moved south thanks to climate change and human development. The colonial Brits decided to shorten the name (maybe it sounded too Klingon?)

* A group of zebras is a 'harem,' a group of hippos is a 'school,' and a group of vultures is a 'committee.'

* Buy your own avocados from roadside fruit stands, and bring them into the restaurants. The chef will turn them into guacamole for free, and avocados are (literally) 200x more expensive if ordered from the menu.

* ”Pumba” is Swahili for “warthog.” “Simba” is Swahili for “lion.” We don’t know for sure, but have a pretty strong suspicion that “Timon” is Swahili for “meercat.”

* Never give a monkey a roll of toilet paper.

* Carolyn is the fasted reader.

* Check the price on the menu before you order tea.

* “It’s okay” or “I’m okay” means “yes” in Uganda, not “no.”

* Never cross a hippo.

* Never cross a buffalo.

* Never cross Alix if she has access to a moldy frying pan.

* Do not pack a half-empty (i.e. open) container of jik (bleach) in the same bag as your clothes.

* Do not eat too much fruit if you’re going to be driving from Murchison Falls to Fort Portal.

* When the guide closes his car window, it might be a good idea to also close yours, especially if you’re about to be passed by a large truck on a dry, dusty road.

* In addition to “White person,” “muzungu” can also mean “wealthy person,” especially if referring to someone who receives money from white people.

* Do not try to do a safari game drive in a Corolla on dirt roads after a night of rain.

* Sit on the left on the boat rides.

* Stand further back on the squat toilet than you think you need to.

* Check for wasps nests before you say your hotel room/banda is fine.

* If the souvenir shop is painted like a zebra, there are probably cheaper prices elsewhere.

* Never eat a banana in front of a warthog.

Posted by Lyanne, Sarah, Alix, and Carolyn.