The rainy season is upon us! It's actually a nice reprieve from the humidity and heat we've been having lately. When it rains, it pours here. The sky gets dark pretty quickly, winds pick up, and the clouds just dump. It's pretty intense. I kind of love it.
Easter was pretty quiet for me. I've been fighting a cold since last Friday, so I've essentially been a giant blob for the most part. I have managed to finish the last 3 books of the Harry Potter series and all of the Hunger Games trilogy. Now I wish I was in the US so I could watch the movie!
I like to try to make friends with my taxis drivers and have a couple who I can call regularly to help me out. The guy who usually takes me to work is Silas. He has a daughter named Jennifer and lives on the outskirts of the city. He knows all the shortcuts throughout Abuja and is just all-together awesome because he never honks unless out of necessity and is always super helpful. He had another child who died of cholera not too long ago. It's so easy to forget that cholera is still a problem throughout the world. Even here in Abuja where I live a pretty Western-like, comfortable life, there are still people who are affected by this preventable disease.
At work, I've been working on standard operating procedures for the office and developing materials for new employee orientations. Pretty dry stuff, so nothing too spectacular to report there.
My counterpart is leaving me- Teresa's heading back to the US on Monday. So it'll just be me left here. Anyone want to visit Nigeria??
Showing posts with label books. Show all posts
Showing posts with label books. Show all posts
Thursday, April 12, 2012
Saturday, October 8, 2011
New Home
I write from my new home in Abuja. We moved in on Wednesday a pretty big but unfurnished apartment on the 3 floor (well 4th if you use American standards) of a building complex. It even comes with a small pool and a tiny gym. It's nice and spacious. However, right now it's very empty. I have a wardrobe for my clothes, aka a small, not built in closet, and I have a foam mattress on the floor to sleep on. That's about it. Unfortunately, Teresa and I have been finding that furniture in Abuja is even more expensive than furniture in the US. So I think it'll be a slow process of getting furniture or the place may stay fairly sparse. (If you know anyone in Abuja who is selling furniture or moving away and getting rid of furniture, let me know. Or if you're willing to send me an entire Ikea store's worth of stuff, I'd be grateful also.) Currently our kitchen has cockroaches, so I've been on a killing spree. They are actually not very big, so not scary nor do they crunch too much when you step on them with your shoe. I'm well on my way to being a professional bug killer again.
As for work, we went in on Tuesday and Friday. But my mentor is not in the country yet, so I haven't had much to do. Monday is Columbus Day in the US and we, as a government agency, don't have to work! While I'm here, I think we will be celebrating Nigerian AND US holidays, which is pretty nice.
I wish I had more to say, but things have been pretty uneventful. I have finished like 9 books already. Having a Kindle is awesome, but I'm not as frugal with my reading habits as last year. So I've just been devouring books. That may become a problem when I run out of books on my Kindle to read and cannot download any.
As for work, we went in on Tuesday and Friday. But my mentor is not in the country yet, so I haven't had much to do. Monday is Columbus Day in the US and we, as a government agency, don't have to work! While I'm here, I think we will be celebrating Nigerian AND US holidays, which is pretty nice.
I wish I had more to say, but things have been pretty uneventful. I have finished like 9 books already. Having a Kindle is awesome, but I'm not as frugal with my reading habits as last year. So I've just been devouring books. That may become a problem when I run out of books on my Kindle to read and cannot download any.
Tuesday, November 9, 2010
Everything tastes better when it's Fried
To add to my last post, after the band marched through town, we had an entourage of cars and trucks pull through Sembabule also. People were standing in the trucks, waving tree branches and yelling out things that I couldn’t understand. I was told this was the way people were expressing their support. I took a few pictures but internet’s been terrible so I’ll have to wait to upload those. The guy who is running for chairperson in Sembabule District was responsible for the vehicle parade and I managed to get a peek at him, standing up in a car, waving at people in town. Later on in the day, we saw a political rally in the middle of town for one of the men who are running against Museveni for president. He hung a huge banner in town and talked to a big crowd that had gathered. Since I can’t understand Luganda, I cannot tell you what he was saying. I have to wonder at how good someone’s chances are who is running for the presidency. I’d think not very good. Museveni is pretty much in control, and it doesn’t look like that’s going to change any time soon… Presidential elections are February 18th. Let's hope they go smoothly!
This past weekend, we didn’t have power during the day so I managed to read a lot AND we cooked. Again, I reiterate that frying anything makes that food taste better. Claire and I fried some matoke on Saturday. It was quite a process. We were taught a technique by our program manager’s husband, who is Columbian. I think it's called patacones? Don't quote me on the name. And we decided to try it out. Peeling matoke is way harder than all the Ugandans make it look. Well it’s either that or I am just inept in the kitchen. I’m pretty sure I wasted a significant amount of banana flesh. We fried medium sized pieces of matoke until they were soft enough to squash flat with a bowl, then refried them, and finally seasoned with Claire's seasoning salt. They were sooooooo good. If matoke was served this way to me all the time, I’d never get sick of it. I'd also have serious health issues from so much fried food... but it'd be worth it. A picture will be forthcoming, I promise.
I just finished reading The Shattered Continent and really enjoyed it. It’s another book on economic development and aid in Africa but it was pretty easy to read and straight forward. Another interesting book I've finished is The Caged Virgin, written by the same woman who wrote Infidel. I think she has a very interesting opinion on Islam and women's rights. She questions why the West is so afraid to criticize Islam, calls for Muslims to look critically at their own religious beliefs, and advocates for better women's rights for Muslim women. Definitely a must read if you're interested in the Middle East, Islam, fundamental Islam, and want to see it from the perspective of a woman who was raised Muslim.
I have about a month left here and I desperately need to find a way to bring a chapati/rolex stand back to the US with me…
PS Did you know that the FAO reported that Uganda was the top producer of plantains in 2005?
This past weekend, we didn’t have power during the day so I managed to read a lot AND we cooked. Again, I reiterate that frying anything makes that food taste better. Claire and I fried some matoke on Saturday. It was quite a process. We were taught a technique by our program manager’s husband, who is Columbian. I think it's called patacones? Don't quote me on the name. And we decided to try it out. Peeling matoke is way harder than all the Ugandans make it look. Well it’s either that or I am just inept in the kitchen. I’m pretty sure I wasted a significant amount of banana flesh. We fried medium sized pieces of matoke until they were soft enough to squash flat with a bowl, then refried them, and finally seasoned with Claire's seasoning salt. They were sooooooo good. If matoke was served this way to me all the time, I’d never get sick of it. I'd also have serious health issues from so much fried food... but it'd be worth it. A picture will be forthcoming, I promise.
I just finished reading The Shattered Continent and really enjoyed it. It’s another book on economic development and aid in Africa but it was pretty easy to read and straight forward. Another interesting book I've finished is The Caged Virgin, written by the same woman who wrote Infidel. I think she has a very interesting opinion on Islam and women's rights. She questions why the West is so afraid to criticize Islam, calls for Muslims to look critically at their own religious beliefs, and advocates for better women's rights for Muslim women. Definitely a must read if you're interested in the Middle East, Islam, fundamental Islam, and want to see it from the perspective of a woman who was raised Muslim.
I have about a month left here and I desperately need to find a way to bring a chapati/rolex stand back to the US with me…
PS Did you know that the FAO reported that Uganda was the top producer of plantains in 2005?
Wednesday, November 3, 2010
Hello Bob Junior
Yesterday, Claire met Bob Junior while she was bathing. He jumped out of an empty jerry can that was sitting in our shower area. After keeping her eye on him and finishing her shower, we used a plastic bag to remove him from our room. Then Bob Junior proceeded to have a photo shoot with me outside our room.
It has been exceedingly difficult to wake up since we got back. I don't know why but I'm definitely dragging my feet every morning to get ready for work. The office is really quiet with half the staff in Mubende for a training, which makes it difficult to concentrate in the afternoon when all I want to do is to take a siesta.
I bought some Twix bars this weekend and I have to say, I think they taste better in Uganda. Maybe it's because they're not as sweet or sugary (they're imported from the UK). Or maybe it's because I've been away from America too long. But I do think they are more delicious here than when I eat them in the US.
I'm currently finishing up Dark Star Safari by Paul Theroux. It's such an interesting book. He goes by land from Cairo to Cape Town. I've heard stories of people who've done this trip, but it's really interesting reading it from a perspective of someone who lived in Africa in the 60's. He talks about how things have changed, how things are rather similar, and how sometimes things are worse than they were before. This isn't a happy-go-lucky safari book about the Big 5 and his fun experiences on safari, but it is an interesting, thought-provoking read that I am really enjoying.
Yesterday was election day and I only get to read about the results online. I'm kind of sad I missed such an interesting point in American politics, especially now with the House being controlled by the Republicans. Since I'm leaving in December, I'm also going to miss the Ugandan elections that will be held in February. There's a lot of campaigning going on and a couple months ago, there was major drama in Sembabule involving the primary elections for candidates in the NRM party (someone was shot). I kind of wish I could be here to see what happens in February. The US embassy in Uganda is preparing for any possible problems that might arise during or after the elections. I just got an email from them. All the organizations are developing or have a contingency plan if things go poorly and all ex-pats need to leave the country.
I'm sitting here this morning, rather sleepy and thinking about politics, waiting to take chai. Every morning at the office, around 9:30-10, we have a tea break. Chai = tea. Everyone gets a short break to drink chai together. Ugandan tea is not what tea drinking is like for me in the US. Back home, I would use a tea bag or tea infuser and add hot water. Tada! I'd have my tea. Sometimes I'd add sugar or honey, but usually I drink it plain, without anything added. In Uganda, tea is made by adding some water to milk and some ginger, boiling it, adding tea leaves for people to drink. People usually add quite a great deal of sugar. I've rarely seen Ugandans drink coffee. It's always all about the tea. Sometimes they make things more exciting and add more ginger (when I say more ginger, I mean A LOT more) or cinnamon. It's quite nice, being able to take a tea break every morning. There's often also something to eat with the tea. Bread with Blue Band (the scary, non-refridgerated margarine), chapati, samosas, or fried cassava. I love our morning tea breaks. Speaking of which, I'm going to go enjoy right now!
It has been exceedingly difficult to wake up since we got back. I don't know why but I'm definitely dragging my feet every morning to get ready for work. The office is really quiet with half the staff in Mubende for a training, which makes it difficult to concentrate in the afternoon when all I want to do is to take a siesta.
I bought some Twix bars this weekend and I have to say, I think they taste better in Uganda. Maybe it's because they're not as sweet or sugary (they're imported from the UK). Or maybe it's because I've been away from America too long. But I do think they are more delicious here than when I eat them in the US.
I'm currently finishing up Dark Star Safari by Paul Theroux. It's such an interesting book. He goes by land from Cairo to Cape Town. I've heard stories of people who've done this trip, but it's really interesting reading it from a perspective of someone who lived in Africa in the 60's. He talks about how things have changed, how things are rather similar, and how sometimes things are worse than they were before. This isn't a happy-go-lucky safari book about the Big 5 and his fun experiences on safari, but it is an interesting, thought-provoking read that I am really enjoying.
Yesterday was election day and I only get to read about the results online. I'm kind of sad I missed such an interesting point in American politics, especially now with the House being controlled by the Republicans. Since I'm leaving in December, I'm also going to miss the Ugandan elections that will be held in February. There's a lot of campaigning going on and a couple months ago, there was major drama in Sembabule involving the primary elections for candidates in the NRM party (someone was shot). I kind of wish I could be here to see what happens in February. The US embassy in Uganda is preparing for any possible problems that might arise during or after the elections. I just got an email from them. All the organizations are developing or have a contingency plan if things go poorly and all ex-pats need to leave the country.
I'm sitting here this morning, rather sleepy and thinking about politics, waiting to take chai. Every morning at the office, around 9:30-10, we have a tea break. Chai = tea. Everyone gets a short break to drink chai together. Ugandan tea is not what tea drinking is like for me in the US. Back home, I would use a tea bag or tea infuser and add hot water. Tada! I'd have my tea. Sometimes I'd add sugar or honey, but usually I drink it plain, without anything added. In Uganda, tea is made by adding some water to milk and some ginger, boiling it, adding tea leaves for people to drink. People usually add quite a great deal of sugar. I've rarely seen Ugandans drink coffee. It's always all about the tea. Sometimes they make things more exciting and add more ginger (when I say more ginger, I mean A LOT more) or cinnamon. It's quite nice, being able to take a tea break every morning. There's often also something to eat with the tea. Bread with Blue Band (the scary, non-refridgerated margarine), chapati, samosas, or fried cassava. I love our morning tea breaks. Speaking of which, I'm going to go enjoy right now!
Saturday, October 9, 2010
C-pop in Sembabule
My favorite piece of electronic equipment here in Uganda would have to be my iPod. Nothing drowns out the cows mooing, roosters crowing, random radios blaring, and incessant whining of mosquitos better than a little C-pop in the early morning.
I can't really think of anything profound to say, but here's a little update on life here. You know how they say you can never "catch up" on sleep? They are right. I've been a bit of a walking zombie all week from the lack of sleep last weekend. As for work, we had visitors from the project that funds us this week. There were meetings and discussions for them for a few days. We're also coming down to the end of this fiscal year, which means lots of reports are due. I've been working on data collection for our projects all week. Every time I think I'm done with the data and I submit it to my supervisor, the next day or even that night, she tells me that we've filled out the wrong form or we didn't get all the data they needed or we've done something else wrong... It gets a little frustrating after a while. Especially when you're hand counting several hundred forms and tallying up totals. But I'm happy to report that the data is now completed... but that might just be wishful thinking.
The tap wasn't running for part of this week so Claire and I were running out of water to bathe, do laundry, etc with. This is slightly inconvenient but I think I've reached a point in Claire and my relationship where she doesn't mind when I wake up, looking horrible after not showering for 2 days... maybe... unless she's not telling me something.
I do all my laundry by hand in the basin I wash myself with. The water always turns a beautiful reddish brown color. And no matter how many times I rinse my clothes, I can never seem to get the water to run clear. I cannot wait to get home to Wisconsin and throw all my clothes into the washing machine.
I miss food. I miss hot meals that don't involve matoke or beans. I miss my mom's cooking. Nothing can relate how much I'd kill for some quality Chinese food right now. OR when I'm paging through the few magazines I've accumulated and I come across an ad for DiGiorno's pizza. Sigh. What's worse is flipping through these magazines and stumbling across images of food. Delicious sandwiches, meals, salads, cakes... I know you might find me slightly pathetic at this point, but I'm beyond caring. I miss food.
I stayed in Sembabule this weekend so it's some quality time to lay around and recover from last weekend and my zombie-state. I've finished The Wizard of the Nile (a fascinating book about Kony and northern Uganda) and am now tackling Atlas Shrugged.
The countdown begins: 2 months until my feet touch American soil again.
I can't really think of anything profound to say, but here's a little update on life here. You know how they say you can never "catch up" on sleep? They are right. I've been a bit of a walking zombie all week from the lack of sleep last weekend. As for work, we had visitors from the project that funds us this week. There were meetings and discussions for them for a few days. We're also coming down to the end of this fiscal year, which means lots of reports are due. I've been working on data collection for our projects all week. Every time I think I'm done with the data and I submit it to my supervisor, the next day or even that night, she tells me that we've filled out the wrong form or we didn't get all the data they needed or we've done something else wrong... It gets a little frustrating after a while. Especially when you're hand counting several hundred forms and tallying up totals. But I'm happy to report that the data is now completed... but that might just be wishful thinking.
The tap wasn't running for part of this week so Claire and I were running out of water to bathe, do laundry, etc with. This is slightly inconvenient but I think I've reached a point in Claire and my relationship where she doesn't mind when I wake up, looking horrible after not showering for 2 days... maybe... unless she's not telling me something.
I do all my laundry by hand in the basin I wash myself with. The water always turns a beautiful reddish brown color. And no matter how many times I rinse my clothes, I can never seem to get the water to run clear. I cannot wait to get home to Wisconsin and throw all my clothes into the washing machine.
I miss food. I miss hot meals that don't involve matoke or beans. I miss my mom's cooking. Nothing can relate how much I'd kill for some quality Chinese food right now. OR when I'm paging through the few magazines I've accumulated and I come across an ad for DiGiorno's pizza. Sigh. What's worse is flipping through these magazines and stumbling across images of food. Delicious sandwiches, meals, salads, cakes... I know you might find me slightly pathetic at this point, but I'm beyond caring. I miss food.
I stayed in Sembabule this weekend so it's some quality time to lay around and recover from last weekend and my zombie-state. I've finished The Wizard of the Nile (a fascinating book about Kony and northern Uganda) and am now tackling Atlas Shrugged.
The countdown begins: 2 months until my feet touch American soil again.
Monday, August 30, 2010
Day 50 in Uganda has come and gone
I got to enjoy the weekend in Kampala. For the first time, my ride from Sembabule to Masaka took less than two hours. WOOHOO!! No stopping and starting every 5 minutes. I was very happy with my driver. Once in Kampala, I found a small, clean hotel to stay in, right in the middle of the city. It was convenient but a little noisy. But the best part about it is the bathroom: real toilet and a stand up shower. YES!!! The water for the shower was cold, but it was amazing to be able to shower standing up for once. See? I enjoy the little luxuries in life these days. After I dropped my stuff off at the hotel, I went in search of food. During my search for food, I passed Aristoc, a pretty decent bookstore in Kampala, so I popped in and bought Kate Mosse’s Sepulchre. I never read her first book, Labyrinth, but I’ll let you know if I like it or not. I found dinner at a small pizza place in the city center called Domino’s, no affiliation to the US chain. The vegetarian pizza was pretty good! One of the plus sides to being in Kampala is that the internet is much more stable, which means I had the guilty pleasure of playing Youtube videos and reading celebrity gossip websites after I got back to the hotel. Let me tell you, it was very satisfying.
Then on Saturday, I enjoyed the movie Salt at Garden City. It was my first time seeing a movie by myself second time at the Garden City movie theater (first time was Sex and the City two years ago!!!), and I even got a free soda with my movie ticket purchase! After the movie, I pursued one of my favorite Kampala activities: wandering aimlessly. The city is pretty safe, so when done in daylight, I never have any problems. I don’t know the city that well but I know where certain big landmarks are (like the Sheraton Hotel and Makerere University) so I usually wander until I see something familiar. And when all else fails, there are always boda bodas to hop on who know how to get you to where you need to go. As I wandered away from Garden City, I happened upon the UNDP office and the Speke Hotel where they have a restaurant called Mama Mia’s. I couldn’t pass it up when I saw the sign mentioning half price pizzas every day before 6pm. So I ended up trying their pizza as a late lunch/early dinner, paired with a delicious Alvaro Passion fruit Soda. I ordered the mushroom, ham, spinach, artichoke pizza. I thought it would have all these toppings all over the pizza. It ended up being a quarter mushroom, a quarter ham, a quarter spinach, and a quarter artichoke. It was still yummy! I’d have to say Domino’s and Mama Mia’s are pretty similar. No complaints either way, only observation is that Mama Mia’s has a bigger pizza for a better value if you buy it before 6pm for the half price discount. Oh and PS half price pasta on Wednesdays and half price ice cream on Sundays at Mama Mia’s!! And yes I realize I just ate pizza for a meal 2 days in a row… but there is no pizza in Sembabule and my favorite Indian restaurant doesn’t open for dinner until 7pm, so you’ll have to forgive me.
After eating, I wandered a bit more and found my way to the African Craft Market. If you’re ever looking for sensory/shopping overload, that’s the place to go. Stalls and stalls of African crafts and souvenirs. Very fun but very exhausting. I picked up a few fun things but seeing as I’m going to be here for a little while longer, I restrained my gift buying urges. (But Joy and Jodi, if you’re reading this, get excited. I already found something for you guys!)
On Sunday, I picked up a few much needed snacks from Nakumatt, including some overpriced candy, and headed back to Sembabule. It was a nice, chill weekend in the capital city. Now the trip back was an entirely different story. I wasn't feeling great and had to go to the bathroom... for 3 hours in the back of a matatu. Let's just say it was not the most fun I've ever had on the insanely bumpy road from Kampala to Masaka. In Masaka, it was pouring out, so that made the drive back to Sembabule a lot more eventful.
Now as the rains pour down in Uganda, we are reaching the rainy season. And I've come to understand that rain equals no power. Another week begins in Sembabule!!!
Then on Saturday, I enjoyed the movie Salt at Garden City. It was my first time seeing a movie by myself second time at the Garden City movie theater (first time was Sex and the City two years ago!!!), and I even got a free soda with my movie ticket purchase! After the movie, I pursued one of my favorite Kampala activities: wandering aimlessly. The city is pretty safe, so when done in daylight, I never have any problems. I don’t know the city that well but I know where certain big landmarks are (like the Sheraton Hotel and Makerere University) so I usually wander until I see something familiar. And when all else fails, there are always boda bodas to hop on who know how to get you to where you need to go. As I wandered away from Garden City, I happened upon the UNDP office and the Speke Hotel where they have a restaurant called Mama Mia’s. I couldn’t pass it up when I saw the sign mentioning half price pizzas every day before 6pm. So I ended up trying their pizza as a late lunch/early dinner, paired with a delicious Alvaro Passion fruit Soda. I ordered the mushroom, ham, spinach, artichoke pizza. I thought it would have all these toppings all over the pizza. It ended up being a quarter mushroom, a quarter ham, a quarter spinach, and a quarter artichoke. It was still yummy! I’d have to say Domino’s and Mama Mia’s are pretty similar. No complaints either way, only observation is that Mama Mia’s has a bigger pizza for a better value if you buy it before 6pm for the half price discount. Oh and PS half price pasta on Wednesdays and half price ice cream on Sundays at Mama Mia’s!! And yes I realize I just ate pizza for a meal 2 days in a row… but there is no pizza in Sembabule and my favorite Indian restaurant doesn’t open for dinner until 7pm, so you’ll have to forgive me.
After eating, I wandered a bit more and found my way to the African Craft Market. If you’re ever looking for sensory/shopping overload, that’s the place to go. Stalls and stalls of African crafts and souvenirs. Very fun but very exhausting. I picked up a few fun things but seeing as I’m going to be here for a little while longer, I restrained my gift buying urges. (But Joy and Jodi, if you’re reading this, get excited. I already found something for you guys!)
On Sunday, I picked up a few much needed snacks from Nakumatt, including some overpriced candy, and headed back to Sembabule. It was a nice, chill weekend in the capital city. Now the trip back was an entirely different story. I wasn't feeling great and had to go to the bathroom... for 3 hours in the back of a matatu. Let's just say it was not the most fun I've ever had on the insanely bumpy road from Kampala to Masaka. In Masaka, it was pouring out, so that made the drive back to Sembabule a lot more eventful.
Now as the rains pour down in Uganda, we are reaching the rainy season. And I've come to understand that rain equals no power. Another week begins in Sembabule!!!
Sunday, August 1, 2010
A Weekend in Kampala
The weekend started with my first official TIA (This is Africa) moment. Imagine: The back seat of a small compact car filled from left to right: me, a grandma, two very generously sized women, a mom, an 8 year old, and a baby. Then in the front: two men squeezed together in the driver's seat. The trunk was filled with at least 100 pounds of stuff and one live chicken. This was how I traveled from Sembabule to Masaka. There is no direct route from Sembabule to Kampala, so you have to go to a largest trade town in the area, Masaka, and then travel from Masaka to Kampala. I spent several hours crushed against the left door, hoping we wouldn't get into an accident, wondering why we kept stopping, pitying the chicken who was squaking away in the trunk, and making sure I kept breathing, due to a combination of feeling crushed, closed windows, and no air circulation). It was definitely an adventure and made me really realize I am now in Africa.
After reaching Masaka (which involved stopping and starting the car every 5 minutes for an hour for reasons unknown to my Luganda-deficient ears), I hopped into a special hire van and off we rolled to Kampala. About half way there, we hit a giant speed hump that I didn't see coming (since I was sitting in the back, am short, and thus visually challenged in the back). I flew up, hit my head on the ceiling/window, bounced back down, hit my tail bone on the seat belt buckle, bounced back up, and finally stopped bouncing. Needless to say, I spent the rest of the ride rubbing my head, not being able to feel my behind, and hanging on for dear life. One exciting thing about the Masaka to Kampala drive, I finally got to see the marker from the Equator.
I arrived safely in Kampala and met up with a girl from the Netherlands, who had gotten my number from one of the people I went to Entebbe with. We got dinner at an Indian restaurant: Haandi. I highly recommend it- the food was amazing.
On Saturday, some girls and I went to a pool. It ended up being 3 Americans (none of which were Caucasian), a Dutch, and a Brit. We relaxed, got some sun, and chatted. Then we were invited to play volleyball with a few American military guys. They were really friendly and nice, and we spent the afternoon narrowly missing smashing people in the face with the ball. After the sunset and we left the pool, a few of the girls made dinner at their apartment. Our night ended with a trip to an "Irish" pub, Bubbles O'Leary, where we met up with the military guys again (plus one military girl). It was an exciting evening of dodging certain persistent men, music, and lots of dancing.
This morning involved a quick trip to Garden City to pick up a new book to read, since I found out the larger bookstore I wanted to go to wasn't open on Sundays. It's called Wuhu Diary and is about an American who adopted a little Chinese girl. Then she brought her five year old daughter back to Wuhu, China, where she was adopted from. The book is about their experience in China. My trip back to Sembabule was a little smoother, but did involve a cramped bus ride on the Masaka Coaster (a bus that goes straight from Kampala to Masaka) and stuffing 5 average sized people in the back of a car for only about half an hour. I had a great time this weekend, which is in many thanks to my coworker who helped navigate me to and from Kampala and the girls I had the privilege of hanging out with.
After reaching Masaka (which involved stopping and starting the car every 5 minutes for an hour for reasons unknown to my Luganda-deficient ears), I hopped into a special hire van and off we rolled to Kampala. About half way there, we hit a giant speed hump that I didn't see coming (since I was sitting in the back, am short, and thus visually challenged in the back). I flew up, hit my head on the ceiling/window, bounced back down, hit my tail bone on the seat belt buckle, bounced back up, and finally stopped bouncing. Needless to say, I spent the rest of the ride rubbing my head, not being able to feel my behind, and hanging on for dear life. One exciting thing about the Masaka to Kampala drive, I finally got to see the marker from the Equator.
I arrived safely in Kampala and met up with a girl from the Netherlands, who had gotten my number from one of the people I went to Entebbe with. We got dinner at an Indian restaurant: Haandi. I highly recommend it- the food was amazing.
On Saturday, some girls and I went to a pool. It ended up being 3 Americans (none of which were Caucasian), a Dutch, and a Brit. We relaxed, got some sun, and chatted. Then we were invited to play volleyball with a few American military guys. They were really friendly and nice, and we spent the afternoon narrowly missing smashing people in the face with the ball. After the sunset and we left the pool, a few of the girls made dinner at their apartment. Our night ended with a trip to an "Irish" pub, Bubbles O'Leary, where we met up with the military guys again (plus one military girl). It was an exciting evening of dodging certain persistent men, music, and lots of dancing.
This morning involved a quick trip to Garden City to pick up a new book to read, since I found out the larger bookstore I wanted to go to wasn't open on Sundays. It's called Wuhu Diary and is about an American who adopted a little Chinese girl. Then she brought her five year old daughter back to Wuhu, China, where she was adopted from. The book is about their experience in China. My trip back to Sembabule was a little smoother, but did involve a cramped bus ride on the Masaka Coaster (a bus that goes straight from Kampala to Masaka) and stuffing 5 average sized people in the back of a car for only about half an hour. I had a great time this weekend, which is in many thanks to my coworker who helped navigate me to and from Kampala and the girls I had the privilege of hanging out with.
Thursday, July 29, 2010
Gas Stove Adventures and More
I almost singed off my eyebrows last night. In order to light the gas stove, you turn on the gas, light a match, and then you have a fire. My problem is having the necessary coordination to turn on the gas and light a match at approximately the same time. It’s a lot harder than it seems.
Attempt #1: Could not light the match. I’ve never been good at it, and I usually opt for a lighter. I broke 2 matches.
Attempt #2: Match is lit. Turning the gas on required a little more effort than I realized (I learned to push in and twist to the right), but by the time I turned the gas on, the flame was burning my fingers.
Attempt #3: I tried turning on the gas and then lighting the match. I leaned in, lit the stoe and WHOOSH! Way too much gas. I made a fire ball rather than a flame and could feel the flames almost licking my face. I had to double check that I still had eyebrows. I did, but I learned my lesson on sticking my face too close to the stove. Then as I tried to turn the gas down, I accidentally turned it off completely.
Attempt #4: Light match. Turn on gas slowly. Light gas with match while keeping my face far from the stove. Success!!! I thoroughly enjoyed my noodles after all that work.
As for work, I’ve been working on database templates for the M&E tools the community health workers will be filling out for their clients. I have to code certain parts of the tools in order for them to be graphed, and make sure I make the databases straight forward so I can teach the community-based organizations (CBOs) to use them. The point is to help the CBOs build up their M&E capacity and help them create a sustainable system to use even after our program is over. As always, I am quickly learning that this is easier said than done.
I’ve been reading a great book, Half the Sky: Turning Oppression into Opportunity for Women Worldwide by Nicholas Kristoff and Sheryl WuDunn. The book focuses on three significant abuses women face throughout the world: sex trafficking and forced prostitution, gender-based violence, and maternal mortality. The authors emphasize how fighting global poverty needs to involve empowering women and helping them contribute to their economies. I highly recommend it.
Attempt #1: Could not light the match. I’ve never been good at it, and I usually opt for a lighter. I broke 2 matches.
Attempt #2: Match is lit. Turning the gas on required a little more effort than I realized (I learned to push in and twist to the right), but by the time I turned the gas on, the flame was burning my fingers.
Attempt #3: I tried turning on the gas and then lighting the match. I leaned in, lit the stoe and WHOOSH! Way too much gas. I made a fire ball rather than a flame and could feel the flames almost licking my face. I had to double check that I still had eyebrows. I did, but I learned my lesson on sticking my face too close to the stove. Then as I tried to turn the gas down, I accidentally turned it off completely.
Attempt #4: Light match. Turn on gas slowly. Light gas with match while keeping my face far from the stove. Success!!! I thoroughly enjoyed my noodles after all that work.
As for work, I’ve been working on database templates for the M&E tools the community health workers will be filling out for their clients. I have to code certain parts of the tools in order for them to be graphed, and make sure I make the databases straight forward so I can teach the community-based organizations (CBOs) to use them. The point is to help the CBOs build up their M&E capacity and help them create a sustainable system to use even after our program is over. As always, I am quickly learning that this is easier said than done.
I’ve been reading a great book, Half the Sky: Turning Oppression into Opportunity for Women Worldwide by Nicholas Kristoff and Sheryl WuDunn. The book focuses on three significant abuses women face throughout the world: sex trafficking and forced prostitution, gender-based violence, and maternal mortality. The authors emphasize how fighting global poverty needs to involve empowering women and helping them contribute to their economies. I highly recommend it.
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