We were invited
to the Christmas party put on by the District Health Officer for all the
Ugandan health clinics in Adjumani district—about 35 small centers and a 200
bed hospital (staffed by 3 doctors who do all the surgery). The party was held in the courtyard of a bar/night club in Adjumani with chairs set up for the staff in rows (~150 people) and chairs for the dignitaries set up in a U in front. The invitation was for 3 o’clock. The two Africans on our staff said, "we will go
at 7 or 8 to avoid most of the speeches."
We arrived at 8, tried to sneak in and sit in the back, but were taken
to the dignitary area up front where speeches were still going on. The guest of honor, a member of
parliament, arrived just after us. The speeches went on for another two hours before dinner was served! For dinner
there were two buffet tables—one for dignitaries and another for everyone else. Before the buffet table there were hand washing
stations with soap and water—a woman sitting pouring water over your hands from
a jug. The food, roasted goat, kasava and
rice, was served on a plate and everyone ate with their hands. From a western perspective it was quite odd
to see women in fancy gowns eating with their fingers. After dinner there was
drinking and dancing although we had to work the next day and left by midnight.
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For our staff
end of the year party we took over a “bar” in the nearby little town of
Dzaipi. The bar consists of a small shack where
drinks can be purchased, a large fenced outdoor patch of dirt for dancing, sound system and stage. We gave all our staff (~100 people)
2 tickets for beer and 2 for soda, and provided dinner—roasted goat, rice and
salad. Having meat to eat is quite important
for any special occasion here. (I was told
that only if you were very poor would you not eat meat on Christmas). The most serious of my clinical officers at work turns out to be the funniest of MC’s and agreed to be MC for the party. We tried hard to avoid speeches and were
pretty successful—just a couple of short ones. The expats prepared a dance to
one of the popular songs here which we did up on stage much to everyone’s
amusement. The first part of
the evening was similar to a talent show—a lot of staff wanted to sing, dance or lip
sync up on stage. I tended bar for a
couple of hours and then danced until I was exhausted. A big crowd gathered just to watch our party.
They sat, in the dirt, for several hours happily watching everything going on on stage and the dancing.
For our staff
end of the year party we took over a “bar” in the nearby little town of
Dzaipi. The bar consists of a small shack where
drinks can be purchased, a large fenced outdoor patch of dirt for dancing, sound system and stage. We gave all our staff (~100 people)
2 tickets for beer and 2 for soda, and provided dinner—roasted goat, rice and
salad. Having meat to eat is quite important
for any special occasion here. (I was told
that only if you were very poor would you not eat meat on Christmas). The most serious of my clinical officers at work turns out to be the funniest of MC’s and agreed to be MC for the party. We tried hard to avoid speeches and were
pretty successful—just a couple of short ones. The expats prepared a dance to
one of the popular songs here which we did up on stage much to everyone’s
amusement. The first part of
the evening was similar to a talent show—a lot of staff wanted to sing, dance or lip
sync up on stage. I tended bar for a
couple of hours and then danced until I was exhausted. A big crowd gathered just to watch our party.
They sat, in the dirt, for several hours happily watching everything going on on stage and the dancing.