Signs and sayings

We have been upcountry again, taking Eric to Murchison Falls, our last safari here most likely. We never tire of the beautiful landscape and creatures there. Okay, so Eric has not become an avid birdwatcher, but he did get into the lions and elephants. We got into a huge rainstorm on the little boat up the river and he turned into Cap’n Eric tying canvas down to try to keep us all dry. (It might have been the cute Italian girls onboard that turned him into a savior …) And, yes, we had a “small problem” with the car on the return – the starter wouldn’t work so we had to leave the motor on until we reached a garage with a wrench (“a spanner”) in Masindi. What is it with this road???

As we dodged potholes on the journey I was reminded about the signs we have seen. We always write down the oddest ones so I have a little collection (see Steve? I’m getting to this finally!). And we try to write down the odd or endearing things that people say too. So here’s a list:

Signs we’ve seen

• Termite Construction Company


• “Suffer now, enjoy tomorrow” (slogan outside a primary school!)


• “Love many, trust few” (slogan outside a boutique called Friends)


• “The rich also cry” (outside a trading center stand)


• Talk and Work Motor Shop


• Be Patient Painters


• Hope in Jesus & Mom Mary (name of a shop)


• Galileo Surveying Company (Adam, we think this is a good name for a survey co.!)
  
  Sayings we’ve heard
  
  


• “It is finished” (nothing on the menu actually available, so this is a common comment when dining, as in “The chips are finished.”)


• “It will not rain until 4” (every Ugandan knows what will happen with the weather and they will tell you without any hesitation what will happen. Unfortunately, they are often wrong.)


• “Nice time” (just an expression, kind of like “ciao”)


• “You are very welcome” (whenever you enter a place, this is what you hear. They mean it!)


• “Are you born again?” (lots of shopkeepers will ask you this. Not sure if the price goes up if you say no)


• “I’m sorry” (They say this whenever you talk about something bad. So if you say, “I was walking and got caught in a huge storm,” they say, “I’m sorry.” We now resist arguing that it is not their fault; the truth is, they are genuinely sorry you had that experience.)


• “Deep in the village” (this is one of our favorites. I always picture a village way, way out in a dark placewhere no one goes. In reality, it refers to some practice that only happens away from the population centers, but it can just be in any village. I mean, we have been “deep in the village!”)


• “Here in Uganda we have a small problem” (Preface to something that is really a BIG problem, like war)


• "When did you produce?" ("Produce" means give birth)


• "First let me laugh at you." (The parking attendant downtown said this when I handed her two parking slips, when I needed to give her 14. After she had her laugh, she ran to a booth, where we should have gone, to get them for us.)
  
  There are many more, and we will start another list. The Ugandan people are very sweet and soft-spoken. Our friend Jon jokes that instead of worrying about pickpockets you are more likely to have someone running after you to return your wallet if you drop it. Of course, as anywhere, we do hear stories about theft and violence, but we choose to focus on the better aspects of life here!