Almost 2 months in Uganda, A Recap

I've been here almost 2 months and I thought it might be time for some reflection so here goes:

First time trying sugar cane
First time seeing and accidentally killing a praying mantis
Trips to Kampala: 3
Times I've gotten lost in Kampala: 2
Times I wish I was somewhere else: let's not keep count

Don't get me wrong, I love Uganda. The people here are incredible, and it's so interesting to learn about someone else's culture and way of life. There are a few things I dislike about this place, including: packing 5 people in the back of a compact car to drive 2 hours, the roads, the traffic, and on occassion, the lack of greasy American food.

I love rain and rain in Uganda is awesome. Last night it poured and I just sat outside my room, in the rain, and enjoyed feeling it on my face, drenching me. It's incredibly refreshing. So HELLO RAINY SEASON!

Lake Bunyonyi

And in typical form, I will provide some commentary for my Lake Bunyonyi Weekend Vacation.

Overnight bus ride:
The bus we were supposed to get on left without us because people gave us poor instructions. We finally managed to get on a bus. Once we sat down, a man started selling something to the entire bus. At first we thought it was medicine, and since he was speaking Luganda, we had no idea. Then the words "for your girlfriend, for your boyfriend" were thrown in and we were able to figure out that he was selling lub. On a bus ride that would last 8 hours. Then the people in front of me bought some. Nothing happened... that I know of. Also the guy sitting across from us on the bus was rather creepy. Staring at my friend and I the entire bus ride. He kept smiling. Since it was dark, the only thing you could see was his white smile. Very strange and a little disconcerting. And finally, I had to pee at one point when our bus was stopped in the middle of nowhere. No bathrooms around, no rest stops available. Instead, I walked into an alleyway and peed. For a while I thought someone would come up behind me in the dark, screaming. Didn't happen though. Still... another disconcerting event.

Daytime on the Island:
We ended up laying out in the sun all Saturday and soaking up the warmth. Problem was that I didn't drink very much water. So by the time we went up for dinner, I wasn't feeling too hot. I thought I needed to throw up, so I walked to the bathroom. I passed my friend and realized I was about to pass out. Woops. Got very woozy, shaky, and had to sit down. Not a great move on my part. Oh and I have the strangest sunburn ever. Which just shows how poorly I put on sunscreen. The entire weekend was also spent cracking "that's what she said" jokes, discussing sex, and drinking. It was definitely a summer vacation with 20-somethings.

All in all though, Lake Bunyonyi was amazing. Well worth the 8 hour trip out there and back.

One of my favorite lines ever...

I was told tonight: You'd be a great hooker.

Excellent... I now have a back-up plan/profession/hope for the future.

Headaches- African Style

I love Uganda. I'd just like to preface this post by saying that. I love it here and it's a great experience. But at the same time-

Culture eats everything else for lunch.

And it can really eat at my nerves sometimes. Getting work done is like moving in slow motion, dragging through molasses. Our Western style of doing things only goes so far. And when you're trying to meet certain objectives by American funders... let's just say it gets hairy.

You are allowed to laugh at my expense

I would just like to share that instead of putting aloe on my chest which is a tad burnt from Saturday, I slathered on Purell this morning. I'm just that awesome.

Inappropriateness

Since I cannot express every incredibly insane thought of mine on the other blog, I figured I'd update this one on any and all things random and inappropriate. All for your reading pleasure.

If God loved women, He would have made it easier for us to go to the bathroom. I mean, seriously. Why do guys have it so easy? Every night when I walk into the pit latrine, I think about this. At night, all the bugs are attracted to the light bulbs in the latrines (when there is power), so going to the bathroom is an episode of listening to bugs buzz incessantly around your head. It'd be so much easier to pee standing up and be done with it. Nope, instead I have to worry about things crawling out of the hole and up my leg; if a mosquito is going to bite me in an inappropriate place... you get what I mean. I KNOW I said I was going to stop blogging about bathrooms, but really, it's just such a fun experience out here that I can't not talk about it.

To go months without sex... I'm just going to say, it's very depressing.

So I'm out in a remote area. I never wear pants while I'm out here. I'm always in a skirt and can I just say, when it's hot, the chaffing that goes on is out of this world. I never have this issue in the USA but here, it seems to happen every once in a while. Grr. But when I'm alone in my room, I strip down to shorts and a sports bra, throw on my iPod (with broken headphones, by the way), and jump around. It's my one way of relieving stress and frustration without having to choke, stab, punch, or murder someone. It's also a way of working out.

The traditional food here is matoke, plantains boiled and then mushed together. Usually it's coupled with beans or a meat. I eat it every day for lunch. Honestly, when I get back to the US, I'm not eating bananas again for at least 6 months. It gets a little... old? But my Africa diet rocks. I'm pretty sure I can lose the weight I gained in Boston (which I did cuz I didn't work out and ate like crap).

Every night, I hide in my mosquito net like a freakshow because I hate mosquitoes and they annoy me. I sometimes wake up in the middle of the night, paranoid there is a mosquito in my net, eating me alive. I know, I'm nuts. It's the mefloquine.
And why oh why was that military guy married?!?!?!?!?! Girls, if I could have taken a picture of him to show you, I would have. Fantaaaaaastic bod, great tattoos... anyway...

My little sister is adorable. I love her. This is the song she wrote for me and sent me in an email, with directions and everything:
WHEN THERE IS A DASH BETWEEN A WORD THEN U SPELL IT OUT!! XAMPLE: c-a-t

I HAVE A J,
A ..........J-E-,
I HAVE A J-E-S-S-I-C-A,
THAT LIVES IN MY F-A-M-I-L-Y
AND I AM VERY S-A-D
THAT SHE IS IN...U-G-A-N-D-A
FOR THE S-U-M-M-E-R!! :(
JESSICA IS IN UGANDA FOR THE SUMMER!!
(IM STILL VERY SAD)
:(

I enjoy Crystal Light

The title of this post has nothing to do with anything else that's written, but it is a new observation I have. Crystal light is yummy.

Getting a tan by the pool (along with several Nile Special beers) at the Sheraton Hotel in Kampala was outstanding. But afterwards, I saw the effects of my crappy sunscreen application. Oops! The army guys we met at the pool were really fun and nice to hang out with. One was rather good-looking aka extremely and had awesome tattoos, but I was disappointed to discover later that he is married.

In the US, we're taught that time is money. In Uganda, more people means more money. So taxi rides are inevitably always late and cramped. Plus, it's one thing to stuff average sized people together. When you have individuals who are larger than normal, you'd think people would consider that in the "stuffing people into vehicles" situation. They don't.

I have this fascinating itchy rash/ a bunch of small bumps on the bottom of both of my feet, in the exact same spot. Medical people- help? I've eliminated athlete's foot; definitely isn't that. I'm kind of hoping it will go away on its own since it would be rather difficult to locate a doctor out here and I don't want to make a trip into Kampala to solely find a doctor. FML.