T.I.A.

Disclaimer: disturbing images appear in this blog. Read with caution.

For those of you unfamiliar with the term T.I.A., not to fret … I was too until a few months ago, when on my 3^rd mission trip to Africa I heard this phrase. T.I.A., something westerners say to explain the differences between being in Africa and being in the states (or Canada or Australia or Europe, etc). T.I.A. translates to “This is Africa”. Do not mistake this for something derogatory or degrading. It is far from it. It is simply a reminder, for those of us who now find ourselves in a different culture than we are used to, that we should not expect things to be the same or work the same. Africa is different than what we may be used to, but that doesn’t mean it’s worse or for that matter better. It’s just different. Of course, should a Ugandan come to the states, I’m sure they could use the same phrase, except it would mean This is America!

And so many times in the past few weeks, I have to say to myself, TIA. Sometimes, I rephrase to say OIA – Only in Africa! For instance, a tragic accident happened about a week ago in which 2 pastors and one of their assistants was killed in a car crash. One of the pastor’s was from the states and had been working with the local pastor from Uganda for many years. It is a terrible loss to the ministry they were involved in. There was a full write up in both the English and Luganda (the language spoken in this area) newspapers on the work they did and on the accident itself. When I first saw the Luganda newspaper, I was quite shocked at the graphic images of the car crash. See picture. Definitely not something you would see in the states.

Even everyday things like laundy, cooking and shopping take on a different light. Things that I’ve gotten used to or am still getting used to! Check out the fridge. It’s important to make sure bread doesn’t go bad within the week, so it’s put in the fridge. But have you ever seen a fridge mostly filled with bread? T.I.A.

So, I’m learning to smile, nod, say TIA in my head and do things the Ugandan way. And isn’t it fun learning new things?

Topics coming soon on how we do laundry, how to cook amazing Uganda spaghetti and how we get around!