Long Day
The rest of the week went quite well. The training was fine almost fun though I definitely noticed the lack of computer training in some of the other participants. It took me a second to realize that I had computer class or school work involving computers since the Oregon Trail days back at Monterey and that is definitely not normal here. I attended my first national monthly mine action coordination meeting - NGO politics and government relations are really interesting and kinda annoying. Luckily we tend to take a neutral stance so I don't have to be involved.
Yesterday was a long day. I was up for 24 hours straight actually. Got up at 515 am to be ready for the nature walk at Katereke Prison Ditch. This is where the Kabaka (the Bugandan king) imprisioned and killed almost all the princes and princesses in order to consolidate his hold on power in the 1880s. It was cool to see the history and get out in the countryside. However I should mention that it appears that the nature walking group is seriously focused on birdwatching. All morning people would come up to Jessica and I to ask how many birds we'd seen so far. I think a number of them think we're crazy as are mzungus who joined a local birdwatching club but have absolutely no interest in birds. We have both discussed how if we were to get into birdwatching now is the perfect time as we are in the world bird watching capital but I just can't seem to find any way to get it to interest me.
After that I went home for an hour or so then back out to Game this sort of Canadian Tire/WalMart type store to buy a toaster oven. Turns out they cost 220 000 shillings so I bought a plain toaster instead for 30 000 so that means that I can have toast every other day now (only works on days I have power of course). Since Game is right by Jess' I took a boda up the hill to hang out. Ended up staying there for dinner and then watching romancing the stone (don't ask - we watch what we can find) before going out to meet her friend's cousin who lives here. There was a huge group of Pamela's (the cousin of Jess' friend) friends and they party hard. Started out a place called FatBoyz which was just like any other pub/bar anywhere. Then went to Katch the Sun which was a sort of cool restaurant bar type place which is all outside with a big campfire etc. Finally ended up at Rouge which appears to be the local answer to RJ at home. There we ran into about 80% of the national mine action programme, well ok - me and Jess, three of the guys from MAT (though we only knew 2 of them), and the IMSMA IT guy from UNDP. It was really nice to be out somewhere with a big group and run into other people you knew - made me feel like I actually live here and know people. Not quite as alone here. Plus the boys from MAT were able to give me a ride home b/c their compound is up just past me and they have access to their vehicle 24/7 - Free Ride Amazing!!!!(ok sure we did get lost and had to drop off some midly bitchy girls who knew a friend of one of the guys but still better than a 10 000 shilling taxi ride by myself). Ended up getting home at 515 am. So if you scroll back up you will notice that that is exactly 24 hours after I got up......
Could be why I kinda feel like hell right now. But honestly how often does one get to go out here with 20 locals, dance the night away to everything from North American top 40, to local music, to Congolese dance music, to Indian bangra music, to salsa and a frightening array of enrique, ricky martin, shakira and other 'latin invasion' music from about 5 years ago?
Yesterday was a long day. I was up for 24 hours straight actually. Got up at 515 am to be ready for the nature walk at Katereke Prison Ditch. This is where the Kabaka (the Bugandan king) imprisioned and killed almost all the princes and princesses in order to consolidate his hold on power in the 1880s. It was cool to see the history and get out in the countryside. However I should mention that it appears that the nature walking group is seriously focused on birdwatching. All morning people would come up to Jessica and I to ask how many birds we'd seen so far. I think a number of them think we're crazy as are mzungus who joined a local birdwatching club but have absolutely no interest in birds. We have both discussed how if we were to get into birdwatching now is the perfect time as we are in the world bird watching capital but I just can't seem to find any way to get it to interest me.
After that I went home for an hour or so then back out to Game this sort of Canadian Tire/WalMart type store to buy a toaster oven. Turns out they cost 220 000 shillings so I bought a plain toaster instead for 30 000 so that means that I can have toast every other day now (only works on days I have power of course). Since Game is right by Jess' I took a boda up the hill to hang out. Ended up staying there for dinner and then watching romancing the stone (don't ask - we watch what we can find) before going out to meet her friend's cousin who lives here. There was a huge group of Pamela's (the cousin of Jess' friend) friends and they party hard. Started out a place called FatBoyz which was just like any other pub/bar anywhere. Then went to Katch the Sun which was a sort of cool restaurant bar type place which is all outside with a big campfire etc. Finally ended up at Rouge which appears to be the local answer to RJ at home. There we ran into about 80% of the national mine action programme, well ok - me and Jess, three of the guys from MAT (though we only knew 2 of them), and the IMSMA IT guy from UNDP. It was really nice to be out somewhere with a big group and run into other people you knew - made me feel like I actually live here and know people. Not quite as alone here. Plus the boys from MAT were able to give me a ride home b/c their compound is up just past me and they have access to their vehicle 24/7 - Free Ride Amazing!!!!(ok sure we did get lost and had to drop off some midly bitchy girls who knew a friend of one of the guys but still better than a 10 000 shilling taxi ride by myself). Ended up getting home at 515 am. So if you scroll back up you will notice that that is exactly 24 hours after I got up......
Could be why I kinda feel like hell right now. But honestly how often does one get to go out here with 20 locals, dance the night away to everything from North American top 40, to local music, to Congolese dance music, to Indian bangra music, to salsa and a frightening array of enrique, ricky martin, shakira and other 'latin invasion' music from about 5 years ago?
posted by Erin at 3:37 PM
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