Out of the Pharmacy Classroom and Into Africa

I started reading a new book today, The Blue Sweater by Jacqueline Novogratz.  It is the story of a woman who was working in Africa when she sees a child wearing a sweater that she donated to GoodWill years before, confirmed by her name still printed on the neck label.   I haven’t gotten very far in the book yet, but I believe it is going to talk about her experience of helping and learning from the people of Rwanda.  She mentions that as a child she always wanted to “make a difference” in this world and I’m eager to follow her story.  I’ll let you know what I learn.

Attached are some pictures of the wildlife and scenery that is part of the Muchison Falls National Park area in NW Uganda.  I plan to visit this park on our trip. The photos are from a colleague who traveled there last summer.

Also, I was able to make reservations at a guesthouse in Uganda called Namirembe Guest House. It looks nice and was recommended by a friend who used to live in Kampala and who goes there for mission trips.

The primary languages of Uganda are English and Luganda and I’ve been told that in Kampala everyone speaks English.  I’m not anticipating a problem with communication while in Kampala, but I believe the people of the community of Masindi will speak some English but primarily communicate amongst themselves with a Luganda dialect.  I will probably need to enlist the help of a translator when doing oral surveys while in the rural areas.  I remember watching the War Dance movie and listening to the children introducing themselves in English, but telling their whole stories using their native tongue (likely a Luganda dialect).  Their words were translated into English for the movie. I was surprised then to hear the music teachers from Kampala, who came to prepare the children of Patongo for the music festival, speak and teach them in English.  So obviously the children were learning English and perhaps could understand much better than they could speak English. But this is kind of a foreign concept to me and probably most Americans because we can go pretty much anywhere in the US and communicate in the same language.  Now there is a growing population of Spanish speaking people living in the US so we are seeing a little more diversity these days, but still, there is basically just one language.

It is also interesting that in the neighboring country of Tanzania, the primary language is Swahili, yet in Uganda, Swahili isn’t spoken. (I’m not sure if Luganda is related to Swahili- if anyone knows, please leave a comment on the blog.)  I’ve been told that the physicians at the Nyakahanga Hospital in Karagwe will be able to speak English but the patients and some of the nurses may only speak Swahili.  Since I have been anticipating this trip since last fall, I asked for Rosetta Stone Swahili for Christmas.  I opened the box and read the instructions and information about their method of teaching languages, but didn’t have a chance to start learning Swahili until just today.  I got through the first 2 lessons and it did go quite well.  What is really fascinating is that they teach you a foreign language without any translation into English and without any English being spoken. It basically is an immersion technique where you see pictures and words and also hear the words spoken.  It uses a “quiz” format to engage the learner in his/her own learning.  It really is wonderful and a perfect example of the well-known teaching technique of “active learning”.  I’ll let you know how it goes as I progress through the lessons.

This weekend I borrowed 2 videos from the library that tell stories of Ugandan history.  I had seen The Last King of Scotland several years ago, and long before ever considering a trip to Uganda. This movie tells the story of a young medical doctor from Scotland who wants an adventure and goes to Uganda to provide medical services but ends up becoming the family physician to Uganda’s ruthless dictator, Idi Amin.  The second movie, War Dance, is a documentary about children living in a northern Uganda refugee camp in Patongo after rebels brutally killed their families.  It is actually an uplifting story because despite their incredibly bad experiences, the children find hope in the music and dances they perform and are invited to compete in the national music competition in Kampala.  I highly recommend both movies- you will get caught up their stories.  But as I watched them I was doing more than just enjoying the films. I was observing the scenery, imagining what it would be like to be there amidst such beauty. In War Dance, I was drawn to all the bright colors that were worn by the children. It seemed such a contrast to the darkness and sorrow that all the children had known because of past experiences.  I am considering making both of these films either “required” or “strongly recommended” for the students who will participate in the APPE (advanced pharmacy practice experience) I’m developing.