Day of the African Child

Rainy season is finally upon us (granted, a few weeks late). The mornings are cool and foggy, and the Ugandan staff come to the office with winter coats on. They would not survive in Boston! Haha. But the cool weather is a nice change. And Uganda is even more beautiful in the rain. The landscape turns a darker shade of green, and light reflects off the water droplets hanging on every leaf.

Last week was slow. Not much to report, work-wise. On Friday, one of the ChildVoice staff brought over his projector and Iron Man 3 (in Kampala, they sell movies that are still in theaters). We ordered pizza and had a movie night! The rest of the weekend pretty much consisted of watching Big Bang Theory on my computer (I finished Season 1 and part of Season 2) and walking around town, buying gifts to bring home.

We are also pet/meal-sitting Michael's chicken... which turns out to be a rooster. It is kind enough to make sure I'm awake at 5am.. and every 15 seconds thereafter. I think its voice box is going bad too. I swear, sometimes I think there is a pterodactyl outside my door.

Yesterday was the Day of the African Child (well, technically it was Sunday, but it was celebrated yesterday). Gulu hosted a celebration with the theme: "Eliminateing Harmful Social and Bad Cultural Practices That Affects Children: Our Collective Responsibility." Each school presented a song, dance, speech, or skit.. or all four.. or several of each. It was meant to start at 8 but didn't actually start until 12 or so. Africa Time strikes again. I loved seeing the traditional dances and little ones trying to sing through a 10 minute song without running out of breath. There was even a comedian, who painted his face white and dressed like a hillbilly. The Ugandans were hysterical!

Some things that I learned this week:

1. Mono is another word for Mzungu (white person). The kids kept calling me Mono, so I finally asked and figured it out.
2. A restaurant across town, called Sankofa, makes Banana pancakes! Best find yet.
3. Jack fruit is delicious.
4. White people are treated like pregnant women. Okay, I already knew this, but it is especially prominent here. If I'm standing for more than 60 seconds, someone quickly brings a chair for me and forces me to sit. If I even try to lift something, one of the girls takes it from me. And no matter how hard I try, I can't get anyone else to sit in front in the van.
5. Gulu has yoga! I saw this place on my way to Sankofa, and apparently Hope comes sometimes. Definitely going to try this out. My makeshift mini workouts in my room are not cutting it.
6. Cassava is actually a root. I always thought it was a leafy green.
7. Among the many Acholi superstitions, there is a loosely-held belief that going outside in the rain makes one grow!
8. Being unable to pronounce Acholi words is a great way to make friends with the girls. They point to something for me to name and then laugh hysterically when I butcher the name. At least we're conversing!

Unexpected advantages of living in Africa:

1. Cold showers feel amazing after a long day in the sun.
2. My callouses are finally coming back! I haven't been dancing barefoot, so my feet are weak and get cut easily. But walking all day in unsupported shoes is making my feet strong again.
3. The malaria medicine gives me awesome vivid dreams. I usually don't dream (or don't remember my dreams, for the technically-inclined reader). However, the approximate doubling of my sleep time may play a role as well.
4. Everything is so cheap! Movies are 2500 shillings ($1) and a TV show season is 5000 shillings ($2). I can get a huge plate of rice, posho, sweet potatoes, and beef for 5000 shillings ($2). Mangoes fall from the trees for free, and roasted maize is sold on every street corner for 500 shillings (20 cents).

 More pictures from the center:

The girls in Saloon class

One of the girls with her sons

Making delicious sweet bread

Photoshoot with kitty

Kitty being an Asian emoticon

Kitty being silly