June 19, 2008

So, I've decided to finally break out the laptop once more and be a good girl and type out the events of the past, umm, 3 months? Oops. First things first, I made it to my new site in one whole piece.

I almost cried today. My dvd player wouldn't work. But, I've discovered that I'm good at fixing laptops! All you have to do is bang it and, presto! Everything works beautifully. I think I missed my calling to work for Apple. :D

The Grand Feast

June 24, 2008

Holy crap. I just took valium for the first time and my head is fucking swimming. If only the valium would actually do what I want it to and relieve my back spasm. I could do without that swimmy head. I don't think I ever want to feel this way again. Just like when I was prescribed codeine, I really don't like the side effects. Unless my back spasms stop, I'm never taking this shit again.
Oh man. So, for the past week I've been craving samosas. I used to be able to find them all over Luweero during training, and then in Mbarara at various food places. But they're nowhere in site in Kibaale District, let alone my small trading center. But, alas, Yasin has found me people who make them. And I have finally got samosas. I've already brushed my teeth (it's close to 9pm now), but I'm eating them, and they're the most delicious things I've ever had. Especially with my head all swimmy It's quite interesting stumbling around in the pitch dark, looking for the people selling the samosas. Good job valium! And now… I plan on watching the first Pirates on my lovely laptop. Nothing like watching Johnny Depp as a pirate while you're head's all fuzzy. ;)

July 1, 2008

Today, I was annoyed. Really annoyed. Spent half the day at the district headquarters waiting for people to show up so I could pick up condoms for distribution and try and get my hands on VCT kits. That turned out to be a complete bust. Naturally, I was in a pissy mood after having wasted 4 ½ hrs of my life (kind of how I felt after watching Eyes Wide Shut- if you haven't seen it yet, don't bother!) Then, I get into a taxi, whose driver has the absolute nerve to ask me "if I've produced"! Translation: he thinks I'm going to marry him. Fat chance! It was such a relief to just get back to my place and vent to the people around me.


July 2, 2008

Time has a different meaning in different cultures. This is what I have learned since moving to Uganda. Well, actually, I kind of knew this back in the States, too. There's Jamaican time (but I forget what that means). Here, Ugandan time means showing up anywhere between 1-3 hours after the arranged meeting time. If you show up anywhere in that time period, then you are "on time". How this is acceptable to people, I have no clue. But, that's the way things roll here. Yasin and I were supposed to hold and outreach starting at 2p.m. There were signs posted in the trading center, and we had a mobilizer go to the T/C in order to make sure people were informed of the session. However, our session ended up starting at 4:30ish. Right on time.


July 3, 2008

A perfect day, all in all, I'd have to say. Went out into the field, helped built a fuel-efficient stove and got fed chicken at the end of the day. J Nothing better in my book. Started off the day nice and early. Made the bike road out early in the morning , so the ride was pleasant. I wish I could describe the scenery out here, paint it with words the way it deserves to be, just I just don't have them. The path is a bitch to ride, but the scenery makes it worth it. And the serenity that comes with being out in the middle of nowhere. The best word I have in my diction to use in regards to the way I feel when I make that trip out to K---- is content. And at peace. On the morning ride out, I was thinking about my blog and how I would describe what I saw and what I felt at the time. And I came to the conclusion that I felt content, kind of like the way I see the people around me at my organization. Not the ones who run it, but rather the workers. They seem to me as if they're not lacking anything in their lives. There's no want. Despite the fact that other people might see that there's a lack of "things", I feel as if we have all we need. (Except maybe some more protein.) The people here, they laugh, they joke, they smile, it's as if there's not a care in the world. It amazes me, and it also makes me feel right at home. I picture Agondezi, dancing with that signature smile of his, Mary and Kaguta making fun of each other, Abwoli weaving her mat, and all in all a happy family. This is exactly where I'm supposed to be. And exactly where I want to be. People other than the ones in my organization are also starting to greet me by name, which feels really good. A helluva lot better than being called muchina or simply being shouted at with the phrase "Sista', I want to marry you!"

The field session itself was a lot of fun. It was actually my first time making one of those stoves. I've seen the finished product before, but never knew what went into making those things. It really is an all-day event and not easy to do. I got to grind up leaves with the huge mortar n' pestle devices they have here (lots of fun, but REALLY tiring and causes blisters, as was evidenced by the first time I tried to grind g-nuts), squish the leaves in water and make a gooey paste, and play in the mud. All the things my mom would have balked at when I was younger, especially considering how dirty I became in the end. (Some of the goo was accidentally spilled on me and I got splattered with mud several times. I'm not looking forward to doing laundry this weekend…) I think the Ugandans were also pretty amazed that I was willing to get so dirty, but hell, it's a lot of fun. Like being 5 years old again and there's an actual end product to it all. How can you beat that!? Vincent was a total rock star when it came to building the stove. I don't know how he managed to do it, but the man didn't stop moving for about 5 hrs! In the end, he complained of back pain, so I offered him the rest of my valium. ;) The only thing I have to complain about is that the ride back was more brutal than I remember (I've made the trip out to K---- three times before) and my legs were screaming when I got back. I think I'd have simply fallen off my bike if there weren't other people around me and didn't want more attention than I normally get.

In other awesome news, but non-work related, I'm going to Rwanda! Christina n' I are going to tour the place for a week at the end of this month, which I'm super-psyched labout! (Of course, I should probably double check with PC and see if my leave was actually approved…) But, there's a definite plan of eating lots of cheese and French baked goods! Croissants, here I come!!! And of lying on the beach. Ahhhh, water. That you won't get schisto from. Love it. I absolutely can't wait. As long as PC let's me go.


July 4, 2008

Finally, a day off from the field! But, then again, there's always need to type of lovely reports. So that's just what I did. And right in time for our evening meeting, which started at 9pm and went on until just before 11pm. I won't bore you with all the details, but there was one point up brought up, which was about having a "balanced diet". Lately, there's been a lot of ebihimba and matookye (beans and mushed bananas), the Ugandan staples. I can live with the beans. I like beans. Just not every day. And when the Ugandans start complaining, you know you've gone overkill! It reminds me of that one fateful day my mom made me go into the pantry to get more rice to cook. When I got down there, I thought maybe she had made a mistake and the rice was actually upstairs. Then, I found out that we're not really Chinese, because we'd run out. Certain things just should never happen. One, Chinese people should never run out of rice, and two, Ugandans should never feel as if they've had too much ebihimba and matookye. Once that happens, something's gone horribly wrong.