Last night I was invited to be interviewed and answer questions for one hour on the “Insolo Yamagezi” (“The Source of Wisdom”) Radio Station that is aired all over Uganda and Kenya. I should have been more nervous, but I have become kind of accustomed to giving on-the-fly speeches here and Ugandans are so encouraging and forgiving it is no longer intimidating.
Also on the show were two of my good friends, Wilson and Robert, who have founded and are leading The Youth Outreach Mission, a local NGO focused on getting the youth involved in developing their community. The talk show host had us each introduce our organizations and then asked us follow-up questions. I talked about all of our cool projects, the mission of HELP International, my role in the group, etc. THEN people could call in with questions for any of us. That’s when it got really funny.
The majority of the show was in Lugandan and then questions for me were translated by the host. I always knew when a question was directed at me because I would, without fail, hear the words “Mzungu…. Obama.” The first question for me was pretty good, followed by some real doosies. Here’s some samples of our dialogue:
Q: “As your mission is to alleviate poverty, how do you identify who the poor are?”
A: “Rather than trying to identify them ourselves, we partner with the local town council, the Youth Outreach Mission, and other local community-based organizations to help us identify the areas of greatest need in the community.”
Q: “Will you bring Obama to Uganda?”
A: “Well… I’ve never met him myself, but if I do, I’ll tell him to come!”
Q: “What is your marital status?”
A: “ [surprised laughter] Uh… I’m… single.”
Radio Host: “But still searching?”
A: “Yeah, still searching….”
Ha! So yes, all of Uganda and Kenya now know my relationship status! Cool.
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That is so fun you got to be "a source of wisdom" for them! I'm sure they can learn a lot from you...including your relation status! haha. Love it!
ReplyDeleteSo funny. I meant to ask you a while ago if the men ask you to marry you everyday, or if you get hissed at in the roads? That's how they were in the DR, so I'm just curious. MAybe in Africa they grunt at you when they like you...hmm? Whoever said you can't find a husband in Africa? hee, hee. Sounds like you're having fun and doing alot of good.
ReplyDeleteHilarious!
ReplyDeleteOk, so I read your last two posts too (to catch up) and I have elevated you to "my hero" status. How cool!
SO it has been three months since you posted that, so what is your status now. i have not heard from you for a while. I found your post through Karolee.
ReplyDelete