We were definitely punching above our weight and ended up with front row seats next to the Governor of the Central Bank and the Indian High Commissioner (these facts were ascertained as photographers were taking a lot of photos and we managed to overhear someone introducing them).
The polo itself was great to watch, we had great seats and the crowd was small. Being at the polo reminded me that Ugandan was once an English colony (and the 50th anniversary of independence was in October this year) and it also got me thinking about some of the funny little relics from English rule that exist here which I thought might be interesting to share:
1. Tea - Ugandans absolutely love to drink tea. It is a lot more popular that coffee. Often the hot water will be infused (usually with ginger or mint) before the tea bag is added. A delicious way to drink tea without milk (milk isn't particularly common, I expect that the lack of refrigeration is largely to blame).
2. The English language - although it is not the first language for most people (there are a number of different local languages - in Mukono it is Lugandan) English is still an official language in Uganda. From about P3 up, all classes are supposed to be taught in English, although this is not always strictly followed. The English spoken, it would be fair to say, is not always quite the Queen's English either. There are a number of funny turns of phrase. A couple of examples: (1) "we come" means "lets go together" (2) an 'e' sound added to the end of many words, eg the name Jack, is pronounced Jackie, bye is pronounced by-e.
3. Driving on the left hand side - for some reason I was surprised when I realized that Ugandans drive on the left hand side of the road.
4. Sport - people go absolutely mad for the English Premiership here. Everyone asks me which team I support and everyone here has a team that they support (Arsenal seems to be the most popular). I have probably watched more football in the last 2 months than I watched in a whole year living in London. They also play rugby, cricket and netball.
5. A tendency to boil every single vegetable until it resembles mash - I associate this practice with England and can report that it is alive and well here. Salads or any raw vegetables are essentially non-existent within the Ugandan diet. Every vegetable served is boiled to its death - cabbage in particular.
6. Last but certainly not least, beer and gin - the two most common alcoholic beverages. The most common local beers are Nile Special, Club and Bell. Interestingly the most common 'imported' beer is Guinness. It is advertised absolutely everywhere. Apparently it doesn't taste the same as real Guinness (but let's be honest surely it can't be worse?). I put its dominance down to the Irish missionaries (there other legacy is that potatoes are simply called 'Irish' here). The local gin is pretty nasty stuff - Lonely Planet warns that if enough is consumed it can turn you blind!
Anyway, that is all I have time for today. I'm busy packing as tomorrow is my last day volunteering and on Wednesday I am off to the south of Uganda to go gorilla trekking. A final verdict on my experience volunteering is to follow in the next few days.
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