Mzugu prices

One of the things that I've always been cautious about since coming to Uganda is the cost of things here. If you're not aware of the cost of something then you most likely will be charged a higher price because of the color of your skin. I've been in taxis going from the school to the church where they attempted to charge me 500 shillings for a 300 shilling ride. They always laugh when I call them on their "mzungu" fare.

In town, it costs 400 shillings to park for an hour. However, many people don't carry around exact change so they'll end up giving the parking person a 500 shilling coin knowing that they won't get change. I one time gave a guy exactly 400 shillings and he asked me where the other 100 was. I laughed and asked him why he wanted to charge me 500 shillings when we both know it costs only 400 shillings. He, in turn, laughed and said, "Ah, you are very wise" and walked away.

However, last week I had a funny experience that made me want to share all of this with you. When you drive on the roads to Masaka, there are places to stop to buy "grilled" beef or chicken, water, etc. I was hungry after going to the village so I pulled over to buy a beef stick. I also bought ones for the other people in the car and gave the guy the money I knew it cost. Instead of charging me 500 shillings, he said it was 1500. I laughed and said he was joking with me. He said no, it's 1500. So before anyone began eating I told them to all give them back to the guy. Only then did he say "no" and took the money and walked away.

This is what you get to experience almost every day, but in many ways, you can't blame them. They make very little doing these jobs so anything extra is a big deal.