Day #13

6-1-09

Perhaps it is because I have seen and learned so much about the health issues facing Uganda, but I was a little unsatisfied with the responses the minister of health gave our group when we met with him. I know the needs are great and they are probably doing the best they can, but it seems as though so much more can and should be done. What really made me uneasy was the priorities of the government in regards to the order of budget importance. Apparently work/transportation is receiving most the money (or at least the largest chunk) in order to fix the roads. While it is obvious the roads are in need of work (there are pot holes everywhere!), should this be given priority over education and health?? the next largest budget was education. While education is extremely important, if the people are not healthy, it won't matter if they are educated or not. If I were in charge, I would do the budgets in the exact opposite order. But I'm not, so there's not much I can do about that.
One thing I noticed about all the Ugandan speakers was they are very big on introductions. By the third meeting we had today, I felt myself say, "here we go again... another introduction." It didn't necessarily bother me, but Ugandans do seem to be long winded, soft spoken, and very deliberate (slow). As I talked about in a former class assignment, I like it when people get to the point and don't waste time. But being in this culture has helped me to relax and not push myself so much.
I had to laugh last night when the comedian told the story about a Ugandan fisherman who did not see the point of becoming more efficient in catching fish to make more money. After all, he was already taking the day off because he had caught enough fish for that one day and had no need for any more fish. When he put it in those terms, I myself began to wonder why it is Americans push themselves to make so much money.