Who I walked home with today:

This afternoon my walk home from school took longer than usual. By the time I thought to get my camera out, most of the cows had already turned the corner, but for a good five minutes of my walk home, I followed closely behind this crowd, silently laughing and thinking "Only in Africa...." I enjoy moments like those, as they remind me where I am.

This herd of cattle wasn't the only excitement of the afternoon walk, though. Soon after I passed the cows, I heard the familiar music of the ice cream man! Yes, even in Uganda, there is such a thing as the ice cream man. This one was a man on a boda with a giant cooler tied to the back of it. As is typical for ice cream men in America, this one drove around the streets playing loud music. Today's song was "happy Birthday," and as is typical, one note each time was ridiculously off key. It's never the same note, though, so you never know when it's coming. I didn't buy any ice cream, because I've heard it might be a little sketchy, but I did have a typical African conversation with the guy that consisted of the seemingly never-ending cycle of "How are you? Fine. How are you? Fine. How are you? Fine. How are you? Fine....."

I love living here :-)

Pictures

Friends at the PTF BBQ



Friday market purchases- all this for less than $22


Fun with the 6ht graders

Snails and Hippos save the day!

My first "teacher gift" ever. It's amazing what a stuffed hippo in a coffee mug can do to boost one's morale for the day. When the 7-8th grade kids, who typically are my favorite students to work with, were unusually crazy and disruptive, I just looked at the hippo sitting on my desk, thought of the student who gave it to me, and suddenly things were ok. :)


This morning we had a friendly visitor in the classroom. This picture doesn't do it justice, as it was roughly the size of my hand. Needless to say, however, I think the kids found it much more entertaining than our discussion on equal fractions and square roots :)

Maid of Honor- Ugandan style

It's 1:30 PM here on Monday afternoon, and I would normally be in school right now, but I had to take a sick day as a result of several trips to the bathroom to throw up. So, now that those fun details are out of the way, I'll get on with the story :-)

Sharon, a close friend I met while studying here last year, met a Ugandan man during our rural homestays a year ago, and a few months later, he proposed. I attended their "American wedding" in May of this year. Yesterday was their "African ceremony." Since they were already married, it wasn't a real wedding, it was just a celebration. But it was exciting and cultural, nonetheless. The ceremony started at 2pm, but Sharon picked me up around 1:30, then went to get her hair done, and we didn't arrive at the ceremony until 5:00pm. . . "African time" at its best, I suppose. We arrived in a 15 passenger van that drove us to the head table. When we stepped out, a large portion of the crowd greeted us with "ulations" (long, wavering, high-pitched sounds resembling the howl of a dog or wolf with a trilling quality, according to Wikipedia, but if you ask me they sound more like high pitched squawking birds). What I did not know when I arrived at the wedding was that I would be considered her "maid of honor" and sit next to her at the head table. This also meant that the best man and I followed the couple around all evening, stood behind them while cutting the cake, stood with them as they gave speeches, and walked around with them while they greeted the guests. The best man constantly asked me throughout the evening when he could attend one of these ceremonies for me. I told him I'm nowhere close to marriage, and haven't found the right guy yet, and he then took it upon himself to introduce me to nearly EVERY single man at the ceremony! He told them all, "She's available, and looking for a husband! Won't you help her?" Ha. I don't think that's quite an accurate description, but it did create some interesting (and very awkward) moments. The ceremony ended with dancing to Ugandan music, as is typical for these types of events. I was peacefully enjoying watching everyone else dance when suddenly the MC of the night, a 50-60 year old man, who was completely drunk, grabbed me and got me to dance with him. He kept asking people to take his picture as he danced with the "muzungu." He was so proud of himself for teaching a muzungu how to dance. It was a fun evening, and it was great to finally see Sharon again. Some of the adult leaders from the university were there, as well, and it was nice to see them again. It was certainly an interesting and cultural experience, but it was enjoyable. And, possibly one of the best parts of the evening was the amazing local food! I haven't been able to find local food since I've been here, and I've been wanting to try it all again. The wedding had matooke (smashed bananas), noodles, rice, beans, pumpkin, cabbage, g-nut sauce (a favorite of mine), beef, chicken, and pineapple. It was a fabulous meal, though apparently it didn't sit too well with my stomach, since I'm not at school today.




In other news, I drove the VIA car on Saturday for the first time. Granted I only drove it for about 10 minutes each way (on a trip that should have taken five, but I was too afraid to go fast because it was raining and terribly muddy--much like driving in snow) and I stayed on mostly back roads without traffic. You have to start somewhere though. We drive on the left side here, and traffic is unlike anything I've ever seen in America. You have to be ridiculously aggressive if you plan on going anywhere. Many nights, traffic is at a standstill for hours. It's crazy! I've only driven once, but I eventually hope to gain enough courage to drive in the city. We'll see.

World's Worst Bargainer, World's Best Bargain?

Yesterday a group of us took bodas in to town to visit the Friday market. The city has several permanent craft markets set up for tourists to buy gifts, but this market is set up once a week and is made up of tents and tarps full of various gifts and useful items. It's basically a small area of land completely packed with people. Our first boda driver took us to the wrong market, and we ended up at a permanent market in the middle of the city. After looking around there, we decided to attempt to get to the Friday market. We took another boda, which may have been the scariest ride of my life, weaving in and out of traffic, being literally inches away from cars (and at one point, my leg brushed against the side of a car), and even riding on the sidewalk to get around the traffic. Bodas are certainly more convenient and a MUCH quicker form of transportation than a car or taxi, and they're tons of fun, but they can be pretty scary. Anyway, we finally arrived at Friday market and were amazed at the thousands of items for sale. On previous mission trips to the Bahamas, Guatemala, and even last year in Uganda, I realized I may be the world's worst bargainer, but yesterday confirmed it once again. Typically, when a mzungu (white person) asks how much something costs, they'll tell us a very high price, and we are supposed to bargain down to a lower more reasonable price. Yesterday, however, I asked them how much, they told me, and I handed it over to them! I'm sure I'll get better at it over time, but it seemed to me I was already getting awesome deals, and this is how these people make their living, so I felt ok giving them more than the locals would pay them. Even without bargaining, for roughly $15 I paid for the 25 minute boda into the city, the 10 minute boda ride back to the market, 5 necklaces, one bracelet, a wallet, and a pair of shoes. Not too bad if you ask me! We're looking forward to many more trips to the Friday market, and probably many other markets as well! Hopefully as the year progresses, I'll become more confident in my bartering skills.

Last night all WGM missionaries and VIA (volunteers in action)went to a mongolian bbq for dinner. It was probably one of the most delicious meals I have ever had. We piled our plates high with vegetables of all sorts, spices, sauces, and various meats (pork, beef, chicken, and lamb) and then watched as they fried it for us and put it on top of rice. It was fabulous, and I didn't know places like that even existed here! I continue to be amazed at how much is available here in the city, compared to where I spent my semester last year. It's certainly not like living in America or anything, but it's much more modern than I had imagined.

Tonight several of the younger teachers are having a pitch in at one of the girl's houses. It will be interesting to see what dishes everyone brings. Starting in September, instead of purchasing the catered food at lunch, I think I'm going to purchase from the local menu. It's half the price, and I'm really looking forward to eating matooke (smashed bananas) again! Tomorrow afternoon (Sunday), I'm attending the wedding ceremony of one of the girls who studied here the same semester I did last year. She met a Ugandan man while here last year, he proposed, and she said yes! I attended their "American wedding" in the States this past May, and tomorrow will be their African ceremony. The leaders from the university will also be there, so I am incredibly excited to see some familiar faces and reunite with great friends.

Still trying to find ways to connect with the culture. Still trying to find ways to be more assertive and discipline more in the classroom. Still trying to figure out how to cook, since everything must be started from scratch and takes much longer than cooking at home did. Still praying for friendships to develop, still praying for connections with the kids. Still praying for creativity in lesson planning. Thank you to those of you who support me in prayer...I couldn't do it without you!