Muzungu...You Become Muslim

A lot has happened since my last blog post, so I’ll do my best to hit the highlights.

Recently, 20/20 had a segment about the Peace Corps. This TV special was centered around the murder of a female Peace Corps Volunteer in Benin, as well as other female volunteers who have been the victims of Rape and Sexual Assault while in service. The theme of the program was of the negligence of the Peace Corps and their lack of response in handling these situations. The show obviously had an agenda and targeted the negative instead of focusing on all of the positive that PC accomplishes. I just want to make it clear to family and friends back home that I have all the faith in the world that the Country Director of Uganda is extremely invested in the safety and security of his volunteers. I feel that I am in more than capable hands, and do not want this 20/20 program to affect anyone’s attitude towards my safety or the Peace Corps in general.
At our In Service Training, my entire training class gathered in a conference hall to watch the program that we downloaded and played over a projector. It was extremely sad, and really hit home with everyone. After it was over, we all stayed for 2 hours to discuss our feelings about what we had just seen. This made me realize how special our group of 45 volunteers is and how lucky we are to have one another. 100% retention so far…a Peace Corps Uganda record!

In Service Training is a 10-day training period at a swanky hotel for volunteers completing their first 3 months of service. One night at the hotel, there was a concert on the lawn. There were tons of Ugandans in attendance. Every once in a while, a local would jump up on stage and dance. They were almost always escorted off stage. Some of my friends decided that it would be a great idea to go on stage to dance as well. Not wanting to be left out (and because of peer pressure), I followed them to the stage, dancing along the way. My butt was slapped a couple times on the way, but I just took this as encouragement that what I was about to do was most definitely the right decision. We reached the stage, and all 5 of us bounded up and began to steal the spotlight. My sights were set on the singer, and I began to bust my uncoordinated white girl moves at him. The crowd was cheering us on, so I figured we were all making some magical things happen. I was right. My friend, Amanda, was on the other side of the singer dancing, and at one point, we created a Ugandan Pop Star Sandwich of Glory. We exited the stage left before any more dancing damage could be done, and walked away with our heads held high…and a great story in our back pockets.

After IST, the majority of the group piled into a bus and were shuttled to Jinja to raft the Nile River. We arrived at the Base Camp, found our rooms, and enjoyed the scenery until it was time for the all you can eat Booze Cruise. We boarded a double deck boat for a 2 hour trip on the water. Such a great cruise with wonderful scenery of both wildlife and village life. The next morning we had breakfast, were given our life jackets, helmets, and oars, and we hit the water. All day was spent going over awesome rapids. We had lunch on the water, consisting of pineapple cut fresh on the boat and glucose biscuits. I peed in the Nile twice, went over a waterfall, and saw monkeys on the shore. Our boat flipped once, only causing mild injuries…no big deal. This was such a fun weekend! I can’t wait to do it again when my sisters come to visit! Who cares if I get Shisto from the water…It was totally worth it.

On the way back to site from my 2-week vacation, our bus stopped for a “short call” on the side of the road. We had about a 15-minute delay because a man pooped his pants. Good Times.

In the taxi to my village, I sat by/on top of a man with a Muslim hat atop his bald head. He struck up a conversation with me about my becoming a Muslim and how he wanted to convert me. The conversation went a little like this:

“Muzungu, you should become a Muslim.”
“But I cannot, Ssebo.”
“Why not, Muzung? ‘Tis good.”
“Because, Ssebo. I am a Christian.”
“That does not matter, Sista. You can still become a Muslim.”
“But there are differing beliefs between Islam and Christianity.”
“That is OK, Muzungu. You just become Muslim. I will show you.”
“Would I have to cover my head all the time?”
“Yes.”
“I don’t want to have to cover my head all the time. I couldn’t do it.”
“Oh (knowing nod), I understand.”

Basically, being a Christian wasn’t a good enough excuse for me to resist becoming Muslim…but not wanting to cover my head all the time was perfectly acceptable.