I don’t know if I’ve ever believed in lucky numbers but this 13th week in Uganda has certainly been lucky!
Katatito- In Rutoroo which is one of the two local languages spoken in this region, Katatito means very small which seemed like a proper name for the little neglected puppy that I’ve rescued. Katatito weights just over four pounds and is about two months old. When my friend Julia and I found him in Bigodi he was just skin and bones, filthy, covered in fleas, and had worms. Since he was “owned” by a friend of ours he agreed to let me take care of him. There are no vets out here so we had arrange for flea and deworming medicine to be shipped on the next bus from Kampala. We called in the morning and it was here by 4pm that same day. There is no commercially available dog food so I have to prepare all his food. So far he likes digestive biscuits (whole wheat cookies), avocados, rice, and sweet potatoes!
500 footballers- As I’ve mentioned before Ugandan’s are nuts about their football (soccer). Even knowing this I was still surprised when I found my self stuck in the middle of a parade of 500 footballers! Fort Portal is the host for the two week long high school football tournament sponsored by Coca-Cola. There are teams playing from all over Uganda!
Cell phones and juice don’t mix- I like most people living here who use an outdoor latrine keep a juice bucket (chamber pot) by their bed at night. One morning in a display of unusual coordination, I managed to drop my cell phone in my bucket which was full of “juice”. I immediately cleaned it but it still was not working properly. On my next trip into town, I went to the cell phone store that had to replace the mother board. Lesson learned- juice and cell phones don’t mix!
Goats and cars- Our baby goats are now about two months old. They are still adorable and often take naps under my house to get out of the heat. However, just like dogs and cats back home they like to climb on top of the car. Instead of having cat paw prints on the hood there are goat hoof prints!
Laughter- Ever since I got to Uganda I have been touched by how friendly and welcoming Ugandan’s are. Even though they have been though so much in their country’s history and even now have few of the luxuries that we have at home, I have found them to be genuinely happy people. There is so much laughter, people delight in the everyday moments. We are always laughing at something the children, animals, or babies did. It is a blessing to be around people who find happiness amidst struggle.
Schools out- Schools here are basically on a year round schedule. There are three terms in every school year and about a month off between terms. The first term ended at the end of April and won’t start again till the end of May. While school is out, I will be focusing on creating the curriculum for my three teacher trainings that I’m facilitating in June and training the staff of some of the local tourist sites.
Waking up to the sound of Chimpanzees- My friend Julia has a lovely place that boarders Kibale National Park. When I stay there, I wake up to the sound of chimpanzees in the morning! It was so cool to hear them.
20 pounds gone- In the last 13 weeks I have lost 20 pounds! At the moment I am borrowing a friends scale (so I can weigh the puppy and make sure he’s gaining weight) but it’s been nice to be able to weight myself without having to hang from a produce scale. I was nervous when I came to Uganda that I would gain weight since the diet so full of starches but this all natural/organic diet seems to be working for me!
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