I can't believe I'm already in my last month here!
A lot of things have happened since I've updated last.
I'll give a very brief update.
We went on a Safari - which was amazing.
Our safari car got stuck in the sand, so we got to stand around with a bunch of giraffes while our driver tried to free it. After that didn't work, I had to drive it while everyone pushed.
We're in Gulu right now, which is in Northern Uganda. It's beautiful here.
(Side note- I heard Keisha on the five hour bus ride up here, it was both bizarre and disturbing)
Yesterday we took an hour long boda ride into a remote village so our friends could do an interview for a documentary they are making. It was really incredible.
Tim still has not gotten malaria, maybe I was wrong, maybe it won't happen at all.
I'll update more soon!
Anyone have anything they think I should make sure to do during my last month here??
Wednesday, June 15, 2011
Wednesday, May 25, 2011
No I'm not afriad of dogs but what does that have to with the toilet.
There's this bar down the road from the house we are living at, its not the greatest of places, in fact it's kinda run down, but its close so we walk there with some friends on occasion.
About a week ago we decided to get some drinks, we walked down and were talking when it started to rain. It's all dirt roads going back to the house, and we didn't want to walk back in a downpour at night with muddy roads so we decided to wait it out. A few minutes later, the power we went out. We got some more drinks and were having a good time when I had to use the bathroom.
I had used their bathroom before, but never in the rain, when the power was out. Their only toilet was down a bizarre and creepy alley, which for some reason, didn't have a roof. So I ran down a flooding alley in a headlamp to get to a random toilet at the end of it. I made it back wet, but without incident and rejoined my friends. It kept raining and sure enough, about an hour later, I had to use to bathroom again. I noticed that the path to the creepy alley was closed so I asked a woman working there if I could use the toilet. To which she responded "Do you fear the dogs?" I was confused and asked "Can't I just use the toilet?" She informed me that the toilet was closed and asked again if I was afraid of dogs. I was confused but answered, "No, I'm not afraid of dogs."
She then led me down an even creepier alley carrying a flashlight. It was very wet and confusing. But a few minutes later she opened a door. I looked in to find a very strange very damp room, with two very large dogs in it. A giant poodle ran up to me and sniffed around when I noticed a huge German Shepherd in the corner starring at me. I turned to the woman and asked "Will they bite me". She shook her head and said "No. .. well... that one will." And pointed her flashlight at the German Shepherd. At first I thought she was joking so I asked again, hopeful that the answer would change. "He will bite me?" I asked pointing at the dog. "Yes, but its fine. Don't run."
I froze and suddenly didn't feel like I had to pee anymore. "Maybe I'll just wait till I go home." I said. She shook her head and assured me it would be fine. She put the flashlight on the giant dog and started yelling at him in Luganda, to stay where he was, then she casually told me. "Just go, don't run".
I slowly walked around the corner of this creepy unlit dog filled room to find a wooden swinging door. I opened it and saw a very poorly constructed hole in the ground. I don't mean a squatty potty, I mean a hole in the ground. I had already come so far. I had already faced those dogs, and regardless of whether or not my bladder was empty I was going to have walk past them again. So I did my best to drunkenly pee into a gross hole while wearing a headlamp and fearing that a giant dog would find me pantless in the corner.
I made it out fine. But needless to say it was the most bizarre bathroom experience of my life.
About a week ago we decided to get some drinks, we walked down and were talking when it started to rain. It's all dirt roads going back to the house, and we didn't want to walk back in a downpour at night with muddy roads so we decided to wait it out. A few minutes later, the power we went out. We got some more drinks and were having a good time when I had to use the bathroom.
I had used their bathroom before, but never in the rain, when the power was out. Their only toilet was down a bizarre and creepy alley, which for some reason, didn't have a roof. So I ran down a flooding alley in a headlamp to get to a random toilet at the end of it. I made it back wet, but without incident and rejoined my friends. It kept raining and sure enough, about an hour later, I had to use to bathroom again. I noticed that the path to the creepy alley was closed so I asked a woman working there if I could use the toilet. To which she responded "Do you fear the dogs?" I was confused and asked "Can't I just use the toilet?" She informed me that the toilet was closed and asked again if I was afraid of dogs. I was confused but answered, "No, I'm not afraid of dogs."
She then led me down an even creepier alley carrying a flashlight. It was very wet and confusing. But a few minutes later she opened a door. I looked in to find a very strange very damp room, with two very large dogs in it. A giant poodle ran up to me and sniffed around when I noticed a huge German Shepherd in the corner starring at me. I turned to the woman and asked "Will they bite me". She shook her head and said "No. .. well... that one will." And pointed her flashlight at the German Shepherd. At first I thought she was joking so I asked again, hopeful that the answer would change. "He will bite me?" I asked pointing at the dog. "Yes, but its fine. Don't run."
I froze and suddenly didn't feel like I had to pee anymore. "Maybe I'll just wait till I go home." I said. She shook her head and assured me it would be fine. She put the flashlight on the giant dog and started yelling at him in Luganda, to stay where he was, then she casually told me. "Just go, don't run".
I slowly walked around the corner of this creepy unlit dog filled room to find a wooden swinging door. I opened it and saw a very poorly constructed hole in the ground. I don't mean a squatty potty, I mean a hole in the ground. I had already come so far. I had already faced those dogs, and regardless of whether or not my bladder was empty I was going to have walk past them again. So I did my best to drunkenly pee into a gross hole while wearing a headlamp and fearing that a giant dog would find me pantless in the corner.
I made it out fine. But needless to say it was the most bizarre bathroom experience of my life.
Tuesday, May 24, 2011
Tim's Post About Food
It has come to my attention that some people are of the mind that there is no food in Africa. I'm proud to say that is not the case. Although, to the credit of the unknowing “some people” I mentioned just moments ago, most of the food is actually Indian, or influenced by Indian cuisine.
Which brings me to the first food I'll be rambling about – Chapati! What can I say about chapati that hasn't already been said. It's great. It is THE staple in any Ugandan diet. It is a sort of fried bread-like pocketless pita. To put it another way, it is like the shell of a chalupa at taco bell (everyone with me so far?) It can be a snack as well as a meal, and you can find it just about anywhere. It cost around 200shillings or so, which is less than ten cents (US).
You can also get Chapati with a fried egg on it. Usually there are diced onions, tomatoes, and cabbage mixed in. This creation is called Rolex. I enjoy having them for breakfast, except I add fresh sliced avocado to the mix as well as some chili sauce. I haven't named my incarnation yet, but I'm thinking of pitching it to the local chapati guy – could be a hit.
One of my personal favorite foods I've found so far is the Samosa. A samosa consists of cow-peas, and seasoning wrapped in a flaky dough and then fried (everything is fried if you haven't noticed). They are always shaped like oversized paper footballs... I've spent many a night wondering why. I'm sure you're as concerned as I am about this, and as soon as I find you why they have the shape they do you can bet that I'll fill you in, however, I'm inclined to believe it is just one of life's little mysteries, which she will take with her, to her grave (curse her back heart!!!). They sometimes come with beef or goats meat, but the woman I like to get them from only does the vegetarian type. (I have it on good authority that hers are the best in the city) If her samosas were not reason enough to buy from her than the chili sauce could be. It is amazing on the samosas. It is spicy, and salty, and flavorful. Joe and I are considering having her make us a huge cup of the stuff for a few extra bucks.
The woman I've been going on about sells her samosas from the barred window of what I assume is her home. If you walk by and her blue kitchen shutters are open then you know she is open, and there will be samosas and chili aplenty. Just walk up to the window and yell inside what you want and it comes out the bars wrapped in an old newspaper. They cost 200shs apiece (same as the chapati). The same woman also takes dried mango peels and soaks them in oil and spices over night. I don't know what that is called, but on first taste I was shocked because I was expecting them to be sweet but instead try to imagine a mango pickle – that's what they tasted like... yeah, well... I suppose they can't all be winners.
In addition to the chapati guys there are venders who sell sausage on a stick (it's good but nothing special) as well as seasoned beef/goat – also on a stick – and I can't remember for the life of me what it's called.
Sometimes, I'll see a guy selling fried grasshoppers. I've gotten them, and they are pretty good. The trick is to not look at them while you're eating them. Just eat them. Think of pumpkin seeds except you don't have to bother to spit out the shells – perfect, right?
(***Keren's note: Don't believe what anyone tells you - they're disgusting.)
Which brings me to the first food I'll be rambling about – Chapati! What can I say about chapati that hasn't already been said. It's great. It is THE staple in any Ugandan diet. It is a sort of fried bread-like pocketless pita. To put it another way, it is like the shell of a chalupa at taco bell (everyone with me so far?) It can be a snack as well as a meal, and you can find it just about anywhere. It cost around 200shillings or so, which is less than ten cents (US).
You can also get Chapati with a fried egg on it. Usually there are diced onions, tomatoes, and cabbage mixed in. This creation is called Rolex. I enjoy having them for breakfast, except I add fresh sliced avocado to the mix as well as some chili sauce. I haven't named my incarnation yet, but I'm thinking of pitching it to the local chapati guy – could be a hit.
One of my personal favorite foods I've found so far is the Samosa. A samosa consists of cow-peas, and seasoning wrapped in a flaky dough and then fried (everything is fried if you haven't noticed). They are always shaped like oversized paper footballs... I've spent many a night wondering why. I'm sure you're as concerned as I am about this, and as soon as I find you why they have the shape they do you can bet that I'll fill you in, however, I'm inclined to believe it is just one of life's little mysteries, which she will take with her, to her grave (curse her back heart!!!). They sometimes come with beef or goats meat, but the woman I like to get them from only does the vegetarian type. (I have it on good authority that hers are the best in the city) If her samosas were not reason enough to buy from her than the chili sauce could be. It is amazing on the samosas. It is spicy, and salty, and flavorful. Joe and I are considering having her make us a huge cup of the stuff for a few extra bucks.
The woman I've been going on about sells her samosas from the barred window of what I assume is her home. If you walk by and her blue kitchen shutters are open then you know she is open, and there will be samosas and chili aplenty. Just walk up to the window and yell inside what you want and it comes out the bars wrapped in an old newspaper. They cost 200shs apiece (same as the chapati). The same woman also takes dried mango peels and soaks them in oil and spices over night. I don't know what that is called, but on first taste I was shocked because I was expecting them to be sweet but instead try to imagine a mango pickle – that's what they tasted like... yeah, well... I suppose they can't all be winners.
In addition to the chapati guys there are venders who sell sausage on a stick (it's good but nothing special) as well as seasoned beef/goat – also on a stick – and I can't remember for the life of me what it's called.
Sometimes, I'll see a guy selling fried grasshoppers. I've gotten them, and they are pretty good. The trick is to not look at them while you're eating them. Just eat them. Think of pumpkin seeds except you don't have to bother to spit out the shells – perfect, right?
(***Keren's note: Don't believe what anyone tells you - they're disgusting.)
Because this is Africa
Boda's are the main means of transportation here. They're basically motorcycle taxi's, except with low powered engines. The process of getting a boda to take you where you need to go can be obnoxious. First you have to argue with the driver about price. When you are white, they assume you don't know what a fair charge is and they always try to over charge you. So you stand there arguing with them, then tell them you won't agree to their obscene charge and walk off, following which they usualy slowly ride up to you and tell you they'll take you for the price you wanted all along. The actual riding part can be a little scary. Most of the roads to where I need to go are dirt roads in very bad condition, there are frequently large ditches in the middle or on the sides of the roads. The boda driver will slowly maneuver around them, and while at first its terrifying, they usually know what they're doing and you get to where you need to be without any problems. My friends I'm staying with and everyone I talked to assured me that they had never had a boda related incident.
Unless you're me.
The first time we crashed it had just rained and the roads were really muddy. Our boda driver slid in the mud and we fell into a very wet ditch.
The second time the boda driver seemed... inexperienced. He made a comment about how bad the roads were and a few seconds later I was in a ditch.
The third time was just because bad things happen in threes. I'm not sure what happened but I ended up in a ditch.
I was never seriously injured, but I was tired of landing in ditches so I decided to walk everywhere.
The town we shop in is a little over 2 miles away, and the children's home is about 3 or 4 miles away. After landing in a ditch three times, a 4 mile walk doesn't seem so bad. We walked to the children's home in the morning, and while it took us an hour and a half to get there, it was a relaxing walk. It was safe and free.
Around four o'clock we decided to head home.
Two miles into our walk home, I tripped and fell into a ditch.
I guess there's no fighting fate.
Unless you're me.
The first time we crashed it had just rained and the roads were really muddy. Our boda driver slid in the mud and we fell into a very wet ditch.
The second time the boda driver seemed... inexperienced. He made a comment about how bad the roads were and a few seconds later I was in a ditch.
The third time was just because bad things happen in threes. I'm not sure what happened but I ended up in a ditch.
I was never seriously injured, but I was tired of landing in ditches so I decided to walk everywhere.
The town we shop in is a little over 2 miles away, and the children's home is about 3 or 4 miles away. After landing in a ditch three times, a 4 mile walk doesn't seem so bad. We walked to the children's home in the morning, and while it took us an hour and a half to get there, it was a relaxing walk. It was safe and free.
Around four o'clock we decided to head home.
Two miles into our walk home, I tripped and fell into a ditch.
I guess there's no fighting fate.
Wednesday, May 18, 2011
Children
Today we finally got to go to the children's home where we will be volunteering. We met the kids who live there and got a short tour. When we arrived, the children had just been down for a nap, but we were shown their rooms and introduced anyways. The children were in their underwear in bed as we were walked from room to room. When we got to the last room, we met Walter. He was about eight years old and was covered with terrible scars. Most of his fingers on his right hand were gone, as were his toes. His face and ear were disfigured with scar tissue that traveled down the entire side of his body. I quietly asked what had happened to him. They explained to me that his step mother had poured acid on him when he was a baby. I'm not one to make try and make things seem more dramatic than they are, and I have heard a lot of awful stories. But when I heard what happened to him, I almost started to cry. When I asked why they just shrugged. There was no real reason. They said that that step mothers can be awful here, and sometimes things like that happen. Walter was not developmentally disabled, he was at the children's home because of his scars and what had happened to him.
Things here are so different in a lot of good ways, and in a lot of awful ways. One of the women who works at the children's home explained that a lot of times, disabled children are seen as being demon possessed, and can be abandoned. I thought about my own sister who is developmentally disabled back home, and what would have happened to her if she lived here.
Being here reminds me how big the world really is, and how good we are in America at pretending it is much smaller.
Things here are so different in a lot of good ways, and in a lot of awful ways. One of the women who works at the children's home explained that a lot of times, disabled children are seen as being demon possessed, and can be abandoned. I thought about my own sister who is developmentally disabled back home, and what would have happened to her if she lived here.
Being here reminds me how big the world really is, and how good we are in America at pretending it is much smaller.
Sunday, May 15, 2011
Day four, Tim still has not gotten malaria
Today was Tim's birthday, we went to a restaurant in town and then a bar down the road from our house. He was sad he couldn't spend it with his friends back home, but happy to spend it with new ones.
All in all being in Uganda was a fantastic twenty fifth birthday.
Tomorrow is our first day at the children's home for children with disabilities. We are excited and nervous. We will hopefully volunteer there three days a week and at Tukula two days a week.
The pace of life here is so different. Being Americans we are used to rushing around and checking the time every five minutes, but here things are so much more relaxed. You get there when you get there, it gets done when it gets done. This kind of environment is definitely not going to help me and Tim's problem with punctuality back in the States. At least now when we get back we'll finally have an excuse to be late to everything...
We love and miss you all. But this is an adventure.
Google marabou stork- this is what nightmares are made of.
All in all being in Uganda was a fantastic twenty fifth birthday.
Tomorrow is our first day at the children's home for children with disabilities. We are excited and nervous. We will hopefully volunteer there three days a week and at Tukula two days a week.
The pace of life here is so different. Being Americans we are used to rushing around and checking the time every five minutes, but here things are so much more relaxed. You get there when you get there, it gets done when it gets done. This kind of environment is definitely not going to help me and Tim's problem with punctuality back in the States. At least now when we get back we'll finally have an excuse to be late to everything...
We love and miss you all. But this is an adventure.
Google marabou stork- this is what nightmares are made of.
Friday, May 13, 2011
We're here, alive and safe
So far things have been good. Everyday we cross the Nile to get into town, its pretty amazing. The people are nice... My friends Joe and Melissa are doing an amazing job of making sure I get acclimated and don't get hit by a car. So far the only terrible things that have happened were 1. seeing a giant crane digging through a dumpster, it was about four or five feet tall and could have eaten a child should one be offered to it, and 2. stepping on a giant thorn in our back yard that went straight through my shoe and into my foot. Other than that things are good, its hot, but we love it. Everything is still very strange and new. The food is cheap and Tim has been eating a lot of it. Tim and I will be going to the children's home I will be volunteering at on Monday. I hope everything is well at home!
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