1. My new alarm clock- We got a new rooster this week, the problem is that he wakes up much earlier than I. So at 5 am as he starts announcing his presence to the neighborhood, I am still trying to get a few more hours of sleep. Luckily, we had chicken for dinner a few days later so I am no longer awaken at 5am!
2. White little fluff balls-There are eight different species’ of monkeys living in this area. One of the more common is the Black and white colobus monkey. They are beautiful with their black bodies, white facial markings, and long white tail. This week, I saw my first baby black and white colobus monkey and it was solid white. These monkeys are born solid white than at about 3 months they turn black!
3. A trip to the big city- This week, I decided to venture back to Kampala, the capital city. This was actually a big deal, since to be honest I hated Kampala when I first got here. Okay, maybe hate is too strong of a word but I was completely overwhelmed by the chaos of the city, there seem to be no order at all and so much poverty. Tinka was going for a workshop I tagged along.
We took the bus into the city which took five hours, thankfully I had just gotten a book in the mail (thank you Sara) so that kept me entertained. I stayed in a nice hotel the first two nights and a not too nice one the last night (more about that later). It was such a luxury to have a TV with CNN, a tub, and room service. In the three days I was in Kampala, I saw three American movies (it’s the closest theater ). I also had my first ice cream in months!
4. Random Acts of Kindness- One of the main reasons I decided to make the trip to the city was I needed to get supplies for my schools. You can not buy children’s books or educational posters where I live. Even in Kampala, the selection is limited and is very expensive. However, I was able to get some great things for my schools. I was at the register about to pay for my items when the total came to more than what I had (the store didn’t take plastic), as I was deciding what to put back, a man behind me insisted on paying the difference (about 13000 shillings or $7). Turns out he’s from VA and is here working on a military contract.
5. Ben the Boda-boda driver- I’ve met amazing people in this country and this week was no exception. Twice, I was picked up at my hotel by the same boda-boda (motor bike taxi) driver. Turns out he’d been driving his boda-boda for the last ten years. His parents died when he was very young and he was raised by an Aunt. At the end of primary school ( 7th grade), she could no longer afford his school fees. He then got his boda-boda and made enough money to pay for secondary school and University. Currently, he is in his last year of University working on a IT degree! I was very touched by his story as there are many children here who don’t finish school because their families can’t afford the school fees (which range from about $150-$600 a year).
6. It’s a small world after all- I was in line at the ATM in Kampala, when I heard someone ask “are ya’ll in line”, turns out he was from Louisville Kentucky! During my trip to Kampala, I met a missionary couple from Iowa with their two children who have been here four years, a Canadian professor who has lived here with his family for the past three years, a German education administrator who has worked here since 2003, a British Architect who had been here for over 5 years, and two women from Michigan.
7. Don’t let the bed bugs bite- I switched hotels for my last night in Kampala to save a little money. On hindsight, that may not have been the best idea. I woke up with bed bug bites all over my body! It’s three days later and they are still very itchy.
8. You’re the one I was sent for- I was walking though Bigodi to buy some water when a station wagon pulled up next to me, the female Mazuga driving the car said “I think you’re the one I was sent for”. Turns out a friend of mine who runs a guest house in Fort Portal had told Julia to look me up next time she was in Bigodi as she lives in the neighboring village. She said she was going to the local bar and asked if I wanted to join her there. Five hours later we were still there!
9. A goat for Easter- Trophy and Leon’s great Aunt gave them a new goat for Easter! I don’t really know why we needed another since we already had four but….
10. Easter in Uganda- In Bigodi, most people are Christians so Easter is a big deal here. On Good Friday, there was mass and people walked though the village with crosses. Saturday night, there was an Easter Vigil. Sunday morning, I went to mass with the family. Of course, I could only understand two words: Amen and Hosanna as the mass was held in the local language. We came back to the house for an Easter dinner of Chicken, matooke, and rice. Thanks to my friend Rachel who had sent me some Easter candy, the kids had their first taste of Easter chocolate!
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