Day 4: Ndi Musawo W'amannyo

In English, "I am a dentist"...It was clinic and oral surgery rotation day at Mulago Hospital and Makerere dental school. After a warm welcome of coffee and peanuts, we divided into two groups and set off across campus to either the dental clinic or the oral surgery clinic. The oral surgery group had the opportunity to cover an entire textbook worth of rare cases in a few short hours.

Freshley cracked peanuts as a delicious snack

The dental clinic group was able to discover that the process for making dentures in Uganda is actually identical to that in the United States. After a group rendez-vous for lunch, Marc surprisingly ran into the dental student host from last year’s trip to Uganda. After a quick photo-op and lots of smiles, we made our way to our Luganda language crash course. We learned everything from “How are you?” to “Touch where it hurts” and shared a few (or more) laughs trying to grasp the pronunciation. We also picked up some cultural tips. FYI: do NOT hug someone in Uganda. We adventured back out after a long walk home and a lengthy rest to make our way to Casablanca, an outdoor restaurant. As embarrassed as we were, we ordered American pizza, which was a welcome reminder of home.

One of the groups in the dental clinic

Marc and Ben reunited!

"Oli otya?=How are you?"

A taste of America