So, I kinda used up all my internet by Thursday night and just got it refilled (the amount I got lasts Clifford a month), whoops. I’m limiting myself to 30 minutes a day and will only be up loading a few pictures because it takes up too much time.
I’ve realized I haven't really talked about what I’ve been doing every day since Monday, I’ve only given bits and pieces. I’ve been spending my days mostly at the house with the girls and Calvin or running errands and seeing Kampala with Clifford. At the house, I usually play with Calvin, or hang out with the girls. We’ve made friendship bracelets, cleaned the house, done some cooking, washed laundry.
On Wednesday Clifford took me early in the morning to the market to get veggies and rice for the week. That was a lot of fun, very different than the Thai market. Here, all the veggies are sitting on tarps on the ground. I saw women carrying large baskets on their heads and men hunched over with a sack of 100lbs of potatoes slung over their back.There were soooo many people there, but Clifford said it was actually a slow day because a lot of people have gone back to their villages for Christmas.
I’ve learned that Uganda is a Christian country. Christianity is the major religion here, I was a little surprised when I found this out. There are Christmas lights all over the place, fake Christmas trees for sale in the shops, and everyone wishes you a merry Christmas when they stop and talk.
On Thursday I washed clothes with Grace, again different than when I did it in Thailand. The girls in Thailand sat on stools and used brushes to wash their clothes, Grace leaned over a bucket of water and used nothing but her hands. After she showed me how to do it, she finished washing her clothes and then came back to help me with the rest of mine. (Grace is probably the sweetest of the 5, though all 5 are charming and sweet). I would wring out a shirt and go to ring it up when Grace would take it from me and wring what seemed like another bucket full of water out, her hands are incredibly strong.
Friday was a really fun day. In the morning Cliff took the girls, Calvin and I to the craft market to do some shopping. He had to run into town to go to the postoffice and before he left he told me not to pay the price someone first gave me. “You ask the price, and then tell them you will give them half. You are a muzungu, they will charge you double what the item is worth.” Now, I’m a very placid person, and confrontation of any kind is not my forte and I absolutely quaked at the thought of haggling. The girls all had spending money and Clifford was patting his pockets, looking for some shillings for Calvin but I stopped him. Calvin has me totally and completely wrapped around his finger and I told Clifford to tell Calvin to tell me what he wanted and I would get him something. I was looking at some really wicked bottle openers when he started chattering excitedly and pointing. The woman I was speaking too reached out and picked up this large, heavy wood carving of a gazelle and handed it to me. He looked up at me smiling, clutching it to his chest. I laughed and asked him if that was what he wanted. He looked at me with his big brown eyes and smiled (he doesn’t speak any English). The woman was asking 10,000 shillings for each opener, I told her I would give her 8,000. She said no, that 8 was not enough so I told her we’d think about it and come back. We walked around with the girls a bit, ventured off on our own and then Calvin found a drum. I was buying some hair bands when he suddenly grabbed my hand and all but dragged me over to the man while the drums. I picked one up and gave it to Calvin, asking the man how much the drum was. He said 10,000 and again I said that was too much (this was my fourth or fifth transaction and haggling with him didn’t quite get me shaking as badly as the first few times). I got it down to 7,00 and Calvin hasn’t stopped drumming on it since. My favorite purchase was a pair of book ends made out of wood with, wait for it…. Elephants carved into each end. Now, if you know me at all, you know I’m completely in love elephants ever since my trip to Thailand. I’m thrilled and can’t wait to get home and put them up in my living room.
On Friday night Cliff picked all 7 of us up and along with his oldest daughter Kelly, his friend Aileisha and her daughter Sanisha and took us to a Christmas show put on by the Watoto Christian church. The church was founded by Gary Skinner who has done a lot for the Ugandans, put up multiple churches, started children's homes and paid for school for students. We tried to go Thursday night but didn’t get in. The show is free and put on the week before Christmas. On Friday we stood in line, under the hot sun for 2 hours to make sure we got in. When we finally made it into the church we were packed like sardines onto pews in a (what felt like) non air conditioned church. But. I can tell you the wait was totally worth it. This was the best Christmas show I think I have ever seen. The singers and choir were superb, and the dancers were incredible. The one thing that ruined it was the gaggle of girls sitting behind us. If you have to shout over the music to talk to your friend, chances are you’re ruining the show for the people around you. I wanted so badly to turn around and ssh them. We left the church at 7:45 and didn’t get home until 9:30. I will never again complain about traffic in Austin. The van Clifford drives as no ac, that plus the heat makes sitting stationary on a dusty road for 30 minutes very uncomfortable.
On Saturday Clifford took me to the ghetto, but that’ll get its own post in a little while.
Let’s see, what else is there to tell…..
The weather has been nice for the most part. The first few days were perfect, 70 degrees with a light breeze. But the end of the week had hotter days, mid 90s, and a little bit of rain. It’s much less humid than Austin which surprised me, seeing as how Kampala is right on the edge of lake Victoria and the its so hot here.
The girls are on their summer vacation, end of November to the first of February, so we get to hang out all day which is really nice.
The food has been wonderful. In the house, rice is the main dish at lunch and dinner, with a ‘sauce’ of meat or beans. I am officially no longer a vegitarian, despite going to a slaughter house after the ghetto (I had to scrub cow and blood off my shoes after >p). I have yet to have tilapia, which is something Uganda is famous for. There is a special peanut paste that is served with the rice and it’s delicious. We’ll have cabbage, spinach or french green beans and cold cucumber, avocado and tomatoes. Clifford and I went out for lunch today and had traditional Ugandan food which was to die for. We had smoked beef and the peanut past that was steamed in a banana leaf over rice, posha which is corn flour mixed with water and also steamed in a banana leaf, banana mashed potatoes (basically bananas mashed to the consistency of mashed potatoes and steamed in a banana leaf), sweet potatoes (which where out of this world) and pumpkin.
I’ve been waking up with terrible allergies, I’m not quite sure what I’m allergic to, or if its just all the dust floating about. We have tea for breakfast and I’ve been loading mine with local honey and that usually keeps the sneezing, running nose to a minimum during the day.
Clifford is my new best friend. He is the administer for Kids Inspiring Kids and a phenomenal guy. Hes about 30 years old, has two kids and lives with his girlfriend (who is also the mother of his children). He was born in a village to the west. His last name is Casabante which means cow herder, he carries a stick in the truck because every kid in his village is given one and they grow up with sticks. He is very patient with me, answering the hundreds of questions I have for him on an hourly basis. I’ve been learning a ton about Uganda, the people, the language, the tribes, the food, and so on.
Muzungu is a term that has two meanings. The first is, obviously, a person with white skin. We’ll be driving through the neighborhood and kids will run next to the car shouting “muzungu!” and waving at me. It’s not at all a derogatory term and I’ve grown to love it. Calvin started off calling me muzungu, but I asked Filda to tell him to call me Amanda. The second meaning is a person who is doing well, financially. Ugandans will call each other muzungu if they got a particularly large pay check.
Uganda is made up of 70 (I think) tribes. Within each tribe are clans, you CAN NOT marry inside a clan but you can marry inside, or outside, a tribe. Each tribe has defining character traits and physical features. Clifford can tell by looking at someone and hearing them talk which part of the country they are from and which tribe they belong to. Each tribe is ruled by a king, these kings are second under the president but much more loved then the president.
I sleep under a mosquito net (which is an experience) and during the day, even at night, the little pests don’t bother me, which is unusual because I usually attract mosquitos like honey does flies. I did get bitten by one on my second or third night and nearly went into hysterics, positive I had contracted malaria. Obviously, I’m fine :)
I’m sure there’s loads more, but thats all I can think of at present. If y’all have specific questions, or want to know about something PLEASE comment or Facebook me and ask!!!
