A Few Mishaps

6/26

Breakfast was a bit lacking this morning, so we were all extra excited for lunch.  We decided to try a place we'd never been that Marjani told us has good pancakes.  Most of us got the pancakes, which tasted pretty good but were really dense and they were out of syrup so we all put sugar on it... and then we all felt sick.  It was NOT a good day for the fellows.

Then we tried going to the Elgon Flyers (bus company) office to buy tickets for Saturday to be sure they wouldn't be out, but they told us we need to call Friday to reserve.... basically the morning was a big fail.

I decided to walk with Stephanie and Jessica, hoping that it would help me digest the pancakes.  I think it worked some.  The walk, though hot, was also just really nice.  We chatted about religion which is always a topic that interests me (in case that wasn't obvious by my being a religion major).

Work itself has been getting quieter, with us having less to do, but Jessica and I had a good talk with Mary, who is finally opening up a bit more.  We ended up going to her house after work and meeting her husband.  (I think I mentioned before that I'm close with her daughter, Merab, and ended up at their house once by mistake, not knowing that Merab was her daughter).  This time, though, Mary invited us in.  We also learned that she and her family were going to a crusade (not what I think of as crusade) it's like a religious thing with singing and dancing.  Unfortunately we had to get back and couldn't join them, which would've been a great photo opportunity.  Hopefully we're meeting all her kids tomorrow, though.

Jessica and Mary

On our way out of Namatala she pointed out men making pots and took us over to show us how.  They take aluminum and mold it and put in on a fire and then we missed a step but then they scratch it or something? I didn't quite understand.  What I did get though, was that they're super expensive at around 30,000 each.

So it was great getting to know Mary a lot better and I think tomorrow we're meeting the rest of her family.  We met her sister today, but then she introduced another sister and she's only supposed to have 1 in Namatala, so I think the second one was actually a cousin, but now I'm not positive about the first...

This was only the second time I walked both to and from Namatala, but it felt pretty good.  We saw some guy smoking, which made me realize how uncommon it is here, we're assuming because it'd be too expensive.

Back home we got to watch how you make chapati.  We were a bit late so I'm not sure I get how to make it different from crepes.... I'll ask the girls who were there earlier.

Medina (I think that's her name) making chapati

We had planned to go take product shots, but then dinner was going to be served early so we stayed in, but then Marjani told them to have dinner later since it's annoying how inconsistent it is, but it ended up messing up our night.  Then at 7 dinner still wasn't out and we were all starving considering our awful luck with food today and it just got bad.  It finally turned around, though, when they brought out the food.  At first it was chapati and beans, aka a delicious meal we all love (and the first night in like 2 weeks without rice and potatoes).  After a bit, they also brought out cabbage, avocado, and pineapple.  Then, to top it all off, they brought out something new and exciting: tomatoes with onions and limes! Wow those tomatoes were awesome.  It was a great meal and we all felt stuffed probably for the first time out here (stuffed in a great way).  Also, Becca taught us that you can eat these limes, they're not as bitter as the ones we have at home.  Thank goodness that saved the day.

We've also started working out on the roof at night, and are hoping to do pilates and/or yoga which should be nice.  We're also watching group movies and shows which is more fun than watching alone.  Oh, and I'm trying not to be on my computer as often since I'm always on to edit photos or blog... so I'm trying to cut down on excess time.  Yay reading!

K I'm tired so off to bed!


6/27

For lunch today we decided to go back to milkshakes and french fries... yay America.  I think the internet cafe has caught on to the fact that we love them, since they seem to always be stocked now.  I decided to walk to Namatala again with Meredith, Stephanie and Pelin, which turned out to be a good plan since it was really hot on the way home.

At work it's a business class day, so we spoke about budgets and the difference between needs and wants.  It was so interesting talking with the ladies about the differences, and they seemed to have that down.  On the other hand, some weren't so good at figuring out that they needed to spend less than they made.  It's something we'll need to work on.  It's also hard, like how Mary has 8 kids, and only her husband works, it's not so easy saving when you need to feed everyone.

Another observation, Hadijjah is DEFINITELY pregnant, but won't admit it to any of us.  I'm wondering if it's because of the high rate of deaths during birth, so maybe they don't talk about it until the baby is born? The only reason that seems weird to me is because in contrast, they always mention children they had even if they died.  Like they'll say "I have 8 children but one died".  So if they're so open about that why wouldn't they talk about a baby before it's born?  Still working on figuring this one out.

Janet and Rachel, two of the girls who always come over to me at Child of Hope

On the way home today Meredith and I stopped at the market and I tried a soda called Krest.  It's described as "bitter lemon" and is basically lemonade soda, made by the Coca-Cola company.  I loved it.
It started raining which was nice since it cooled everything off and we walked home in just a drizzle.

Oh, on the way we saw a fight start on the other side of the street.  Basically I heard a noise and looked and this guy punched this other guy and a guy ran away.  Then everyone over there started talking and laughing and we had no clue what was going on.  Meredith learned from someone that "he was trying to steal a woman" so people started fighting him and scared him off.  We're not exactly sure if they actually meant the woman or the manikin though... we're hoping the latter, or maybe it was something else?

Anyway when we got back Avaran was sitting in the lobby.  It was nice to see him and good he came since I've been having trouble making calls, so I was able to just tell him the weekend I'd like to go back, and maybe one morning next week we'll go to the other Jewish community that's nearer by.  It was nice he stopped by for a bit, and Shirah apparently really appreciated the candles and will have for a while now, since he bought her three packs with the money I gave him.

The last excitement of the day, while we were all waiting for dinner, we suddenly heard popping noises and looked up and saw some sparks and then the power went... so they spent a bit of the evening trying to fix where the sparks were.  It was pretty scary, hoping we wouldn't get electrocuted or anything... but all is well now.  Oh, there's also a netball team coming in from the U.K. this weekend.  There are 15 people, so they're transforming the lobby into a room for the 5 days they're here, which is an interesting project.

Going to Mary's today didn't work out, but we're planning to go next week, instead.

How to work a phone (warning, I don't think I've mastered it)

So as much as I've enjoyed not having a phone, I realized it's slightly impractical.  Between trying to book trips (we want to go rafting this weekend and hoped we could get a group price) and now having the Jewish community with whom I'd like to be able to talk, it's a bit tough.  On the other hand, I've learned the complications of a phone.

First off, I don't really want to buy a phone since it's expensive and I only need it here (Expensive I think is 20 bucks but in shillings trust me, it's a lot).  So then I bought just a SIM card and put it in someone else's phone.  Then you have to buy airtime, which you don't buy by minutes, you just buy a certain amount, and you don't know how many calls it'll get you.  I had no clue how it worked and ended up using all I had to try to talk to the rafting company (which thankfully I finished the conversation before I ran out of all the money I had).

Anyway I finally asked Susan at work how the phone works.  Turns out, there are lots of different networks, and if you talk to someone within your own network, it's much cheaper, but you have no way to know which network they're in until you run out of money (actually that last bit may not be true, but I can't figure out how to know).  So basically it's only sort of working... but at least the important call worked.  Also incoming calls are thankfully free.  The bad part is I was supposed to call someone I met this past weekend and when I tried it totally failed, despite me having just refilled the money... so I don't get what's going on.

In other news, I think I'm getting the hang of taking so many picture essays in a week.... or at least trying.  I also finally got feedback so now I think I have a bit of a better idea what I need to be doing for captions and all.

Oh, and this morning I did laundry again, only this time the woman who does laundry at the casa was up on the roof and helped me and Avery, and she's much more efficient than us... I'll have to keep trying.

Sorry this isn't the most interesting post but that's what new with me!

Shabbat with the Abayudaya

Alright, now for the long awaited (at least by me) Shabbat post.  It's a long one...

Friday morning we decided it would be best if Becca (who apparently spells his name Baker, who knew?) took me to the community so that I wouldn’t be picked up by a stranger.  In order to make everyone more comfortable with the situation, he would go with me and check out the place before leaving me there.  We did not have exact directions, so we ended up stopping every so often to ask which direction to go in.  Oh, we figured out that the place where the Abayudaya live is called Putti village.

It was actually a really nice ride, chatting with Becca about life and people.  Apparently when I hurt my knee he wanted to take me out for a drink cuz he felt bad but knew he couldn't since we're not allowed to drink.  We made a lunch date (though without a real time...) which I'm excited for.  We'll have to decide when to go for that.

Anyway, we arrived and were warmly welcomed.  It turns out that Becca went to school with Enosh, the man I have been e-mailing, who is also apparently the rabbi of the community.  He and his wife, Shirah, greeted us and we sat for a while talking.  Enosh explained how they have different donors funding different projects.  One donor helped them build a well closer to the community, since the old well was a long walk (I think 2 km and that would just be to fill one jerican of water).  Due to the donor, they were able to build their own well and have I think three water tanks very close by.  They are even able to use it for drip irrigation, a concept invented by Israelis that helps water farms efficiently.  Now they even have too much water (which is not actually a problem) and can provide for the whole community.

In addition, they had a donor who wanted to build them a new synagogue.  As I understand it, this donor died when the foundation was built, and his brother took on the project.  When the basic building was completed, however, I believe that the brother died as well.  Now they have the structure, but are still working on putting in windows and doors and some of the internal structures.  Actually, on Sunday, I believe all of the new pews came in on this truck which was pretty cool.  (They have a good collection of siddurim, prayer books, and other Jewish books, and they have enough talit katan, but they only have 12 sets of tfillin for around 40 people who would wear, they also would like to have more mezuzahs to hang on door posts, two projects which I think I will try to work on.)

Not the best picture, but here's what the front of the synagogue looks like.  The Torah is in that black box.

The men's section

The big brick one is the new synagogue, and the small one is the one they still use.

The inside of the new synagogue.  That section to the right of the photo will be the women's section, and the big block will be the bima.

The new ark (and the rooms on the sides are to keep the siddurim.

They also have another donor working on building them a hospital (a small one, more like a clinic), where Shirah would like to work as a junior midwife when she finishes her schooling.  They hope to have dental care, care for pregnant women, and one other type but I forget what.  They also wish to build a toilet, so that it will be cleaner than the latrine they have right now (which I was correct, it was a hole in the ground... yay for squatty potties).

In addition, they have a single school room.  The Jewish school just opened and they already have 15 students, so Enosh would like to expand it, since they will probably get more.  He thinks that there are ten people he can get to come and teach.

The schoolhouse with the solar panels

With all of these projects, they already have a small guest house, a house with a bedroom for Enosh and Shirah, a nice sitting room, and a nice guest room with two mosquito netted beds (where I stayed).  There is also the old synagogue, an old building that is used for storage because it is too old and not safe for people to stay in, and a small cooking building (I think there may also be a room in there for the kids who stay with them).

Enosh and Shirah's house

The guest room I stayed in

The guest house

The kitchen building

Oh, someone also paid to put in solar panels so they can use solar power, which is pretty cool.  I think it may just be in the school room and their house.

Anyway, now that I've described the place and plans, I will describe my time there.  I'll start by saying there is obviously only one of me and many of more than just one person in the community, so I struggled a lot with names, but I will try my best.

Shirah and Enosh have four children, three of whom are away at school, so only their youngest, JJ (I think?) was around.  I'd say he's maybe 3 or 4?  He's adorable and I think decided he was my husband while I was there.  He spoke to me all weekend but all I ever understood was when he'd call me muzungu... other than that I just nodded and laughed and pointed and talked to him in English...

They also both have many siblings.  I spent a lot of time with Shirah's younger sister, Miram (pronounced Miriam, like my sister) who took the place of my sister for the weekend, though she is 19.  She is trying to finish the senior grades and would like to go to university to become a doctor, but she currently cannot afford to finish her schooling.  When all of the women heard about my work in Namatala, they all said that they wanted to be a part of it, though I sadly do not think I can make that happen.  They do, however, make kippot, and I am wondering if I can find a way to help them sell them in the U.S. to possibly make more money.

So Friday afternoon I walked around taking a few pictures.  Shirah showed me around a bit, but then had to prepare for Shabbat.  She makes her own challah, which is pretty similar to ours (not like the sweet kind), but it is made in the bottom of a pot, so it comes out round.  I asked if I could help with anything, so they brought me a knife to help peal potatoes, but I was too slow, so Avaran, one of the boys in the community (he's 20) took over.  He then showed me around a bit again, and opened the box that they keep the Torah in.  It is a nice Torah that someone donated, but until they build the ark in the new synagogue, it needs to stay in the box.

Shirah

Making Challah

Miram then took me out to visit her friend who lives nearby.  It was nice walking through all of the farms and seeing the nature.  Her friend was very welcoming, though they did not speak any English.  We visited a few times over the weekend.

Oh, yet again, as a visitor, they fed me CONSTANTLY.  It is very nice, but my stomach really just is not that big.  Before Shabbat began Shirah told me that she was worried I would get hungry, so she gave me this three layered box thing with potatoes in one, fish in another, and I'm not sure what was in the third.  Anyway, talk about being stuffed... and this was before dinner.

When it came time to light candles, it turns out that the person Shirah sent to buy candles had forgotten, so she split one she had in half.  Unlike us, they cannot afford to stock up on candles, so they just buy one each week.  Since I had not known what to bring as a thank you gift, I decided at the end of the weekend to buy them a stock of candles so they will hopefully have for a while (though Avaran ruined the surprise and told Shirah).

I am not sure if they have a light in the synagogue generally or not, but there wasn't this week, so we prayed Kabbalat Shabbat by candle light.  It was nice seeing everyone dress up a bit, and also seeing how many people showed up.  I'd say there were around 15 men and 10 women and of course lots of children.  It was cool how I knew most of the tunes, though some Enosh composed.  I really liked their L'cha Dodi tune, which apparently Enosh made and was pretty easy to catch on to (I wish I could remember it now....).  It was neat hearing them all recite the prayers, some better than others.  There were some words that I'm not sure they had exactly correct, but it was still amazing to see how similarly they practice Judaism to how I'm used to.  The shul we were in does not have a mechitzah to separate women and men, so they just sit on opposite sides of the room (though it's pretty small so everyone is still close).

After praying, Enosh gave a short d'var torah (sermon) about this week's portion of the Torah we read.  He just gave a brief introduction, finishing Saturday morning.  He spoke in English and one of the guys translated to their language (it's a whole different language yet again.  Apparently we were outside of Mbale district, in Palisa).  Then different people got up to speak, mostly to welcome me.  I was then asked to speak.  As anyone who knows me knows, I am not much of a public speaker... Thank goodness it was dark.  I stood up and basically just explained how I got to the be there and I was excited to be there and glad they were so welcoming.  I kept it as brief as possible without being rude.

We then went back to the house for kiddush, the blessing over wine.  They had a bit of wine that they poured in with some other drink... I'm glad Enosh warned me and said I didn't have to drink the whole cup they gave me, as whatever it was tasted very strong and I was not a fan.  I took a tiny sip then passed it on to people who actually liked it.

The challah was very good, and then I sat down in the sitting room with some of the men to eat.  I always love eating with locals instead of always with Americans, in order to see how they eat.  Here, it's all finger food.  They take a bit of whatever starch they have (in this case a lot of posho and millet dough) and scoop up whatever they have with it (beans, small fish, eggs, tilapia).  They seem to eat all with their right hand, washing it before and after eating.  It was cool trying to eat the same way as the locals all weekend.  While we did not have meat, it turns out that two of the men (Tofa? and Moshe) were in Israel last year, and learned to be shochets (to kill animals in a way that makes the food kosher), so once in a while they kill chickens and can have meat.  This weekend we did not, which I think was probably better for my stomach, because meat after not having any for a month may mess up my stomach.

During dinner Enosh told me what he had learned about the Israeli flag, that the star pointed up and down to the heaven and above and the earth and below and to the four corners of the earth.  He also told me that the blue is for the sky and the water and the white is for the in between.

After I finished eating, Enosh told me I should go sit outside with the women.  There was no light out there, but the moon was so bright it was easy to see.  I love when the moonlight is like that and you don't need flashlights and the lighting is just beautiful.  Yet again, they put food in front of me and it was rude not to eat... so I tried having more.  The women are very cute and sit and chat and laugh a lot.

I'm not sure what time I went to sleep, but I shared the room with Rachel and JJ, who slept in the other bed. I was funny because when I got into the net JJ came over and stuck his face up close, which he then did again the next morning when he saw my eyes open.  So much for trying to go back to sleep.  This was definitely not a place to sleep in.  Right when sunlight hit the rooster ran around waking everyone up, and once everyone started waking up the noises began.  Time wasn't really a thing though, so I have no clue what time it was when I got out of bed.

Enosh had gone into town to pick up Cara, a Kampala U.S. Embassy worker who had come to visit.  She mostly only stayed during shacharit (morning prayers).  I tried to give her a siddur with an English translation, but then the page numbers were different so she ended up using the all Hebrew Koren (one of my favorites), despite being unable to read it.  The service was pretty typical, though they read the haftorah in their language, which was interesting.  Avaran explained that the book they read it from was the one translated tanach they have.  It's cool they have any at all though.

After services we went outside for lunch.  I was sitting with the men again, but when I had my fill (of lunch) I went over to join the ladies (who again fed me more... I ate that maize so slowly so they wouldn't try to give me any MORE food).  We spent a long time talking about businesses and marriage and children.  They told me I should marry a Ugandan man and that some of them want to marry American men.  A lot of the weekend they asked me why I wasn't married, if I had a boyfriend, when I would get married, how many children I would have.  They found it strange that I have only one sister, and kept telling me I'm the most loved since I am the younger.  They said it like it's fact out here, that the youngest is most loved.  It was fun talking about family though.  Miram told me she does not want to be married until she has her own job.  They also talked a lot about my hair and how long it is, and how their hair breaks when they try to grow it but a bunch of them would like longer hair.  Honestly, I think long hair is pretty impractical out here, and I wish I'd had a shorter haircut before I came.  It was nice just sitting under the trees and chatting, while the men played checkers under the trees (they also had chess but don't know the rules so they just use the pieces to play checkers).

After a while, Avaran and his brother, Moses (who I think is 28 but I was a bit confused and I no longer understand if they're actually brothers, I'm starting to think not), invited me to take a walk with them to their home.  It wasn't so close but not too far.  It was in another village, I think called Nasinye (something like that).  There were boulders out by where they live, and they kept telling me I was too weak to climb, but I was a bit worried about trying to climb in a skirt so I didn't even try to prove them wrong.  They basically spent the afternoon making fun of me that I was weak and lazy and tired and that I might start crying (I have no clue where they came up with that idea) and that I should join the army to become tougher.  On the other hand, they said they were tired and asked me to carry them, but I told them if I'm so weak I couldn't.  They also said that Americans don't eat any fresh food, which confused me, and I proved them wrong by eating mango and tomato that their mother offered me.  Their house was actually one of the biggest family homes I've seen, with lots of rooms.

It started to rain so we went inside and they showed me some family photos.  Avaran explained how there are a few more Jewish communities around, but they are all conservative, with Putti being the only orthodox shul (except now Kampala is starting one).  He might take me to see others, though Becca also said he knows of one and might bring me there.

While talking about Conservative Judaism, the idea of homosexuality came up, since Avaran heard that it is allowed in the U.S.  In Uganda, same-sex relationships are illegal, so it is a pretty foreign concept.  They said they met a woman who was married to another woman, and it didn't make any sense to them.

They all call me Lillian, which I’ve started just responding to.  Avaran and Moses started calling me by my last name, which only like one other person in the world does.  They told me that the way it sounds it sounds like some tool that they use to harvest rice or something like that… aka I belong in the swamps according to them.  They also took to calling me government property and saying they have to protect me and I can’t get run over because I’m government property (aka the government knows I’m in Uganda and expects me to leave at a certain time and wants to protect me or something like that).

It started raining on the way back and I didn’t have a jacket and Avaran did and he told me I had to take it because I couldn’t deal with the rain, but I said I wouldn’t melt and was fine and managed to make him keep it.

We had a quiet evening back at  Shirah and Enosh's place.  Lots more food.  Then Miram asked if I play chess (I think they call it draft) and I said I can though not very well.  We started playing and I discovered the rules are slightly different.  For example, you can jump both forward and backwards always.  Kings doesn't mean you can go backwards, it means you can go multiple spaces at once, as long as you only jump one piece (unless of course you're doing a double jump, but you can only double jump if they are apart).  It was hard to catch on to, but I managed to win a few times, I just kept forgetting the rules.  Also, they call jumping eating, so they'd say you eat that one.  It was fun playing with them, Miram and Shirah, and then one of the boys who lives there, Aharon also played a bit, mostly against himself.

Aharon playing by candle light (oh yeah, the light went out)

I figured after eating so much during the day that I would just go to bed, but it turns out they start cooking after Shabbat ends (which is pretty late), and they had a problem with the fire, so we ended up eating around 10 (despite me not being hungry at all).  Shirah told me sometimes they eat as late as midnight.  While the kids were cooking they were also drumming on some of the empty jericans and singing.  I wasn't outside with them but it was fun to listen.  I also learned that I like the tilapia, but I prefer eating it when I can't see what I'm eating, the sight grosses me out a bit.

Sunday morning was very noisy so I was up by 7.  I played chess again with Avaran and another boy (not sure his name.... maybe Joshua?) and then Shirah joined us.  It was basically everyone against Avaran.  A bunch of visitors then came so I sat and ate with them, lots of fresh mango.  They also started playing local music and the young people (around my age) were dancing and tried to get me to dance, but I knew they'd just laugh since I can't dance like them (later, when Miram and I went to visit her friend again, I tried dancing and they laughed at me, but since there were fewer people I just dealt with it.  I also rode a bike there since they didn't believe I could, but it was really high and too easy to pedal so I felt like I was gonna fall off...) 

Anyway back to at Enosh's Avaran also made me try playing futball (aka soccer), so I played a bit to prove I wasn't as weak as they thought.  Thankfully they finally decided maybe I was a bit tougher than they thought... I think he was playing easy for me, but I still did pretty well considering I haven't played since I was probably 6.  Miram also tried teaching me how to sort through rice.  It turns out they buy it but it has lots of little stones in it, so they have to sort through, and then after they toss it a bit so that little pieces of grain can fly out in the wind, while the rice stays.  I was going to try to toss it, but realized I'd probably just dump all the rice, and I didn't want to ruin the meal, so I decided not to try (Aisha told me she might teach me with a small amount here at the casa).

Me sorting through rice and talking to my little husband while Miram peels casava (I let some of the kids try using my camera a bit.  Moses took this one)

It was a fun morning/afternoon.  I was supposed to leave around 3, since they had a women's meeting at 2 and wanted me to come, but the meeting was on African time, and didn't start till around 4...  I went (holding a baby who ended up peeing on me... they told me since he was a boy it means my first born will be a boy)  They decided not to translate until they were pretty much finished, and then I should give my input, but after sitting for a bit Avaran told me we should get going so I could get back not too late.  Good thing we left when we did, because when we came back Becca was about to leave and come get me.

Anyway sorry if that was too detailed, but it was a great weekend and Avaran wants to have his bar mitzvah, so I think I'll go back for that (other fellows might join me next time).

Once I got back we walked around town to do some product shots.  It was Rebecca's last night so she wanted to show us how she wanted a product photo essay before she left.  It was fun and we got a full photo essay done which was cool!  It's weird that she's gone now.

Alright not much new today.  While the food is good, I'll admit it's getting really repetitive.  We tried this weird millet malt drink tonight that smelled awkwardly sweet and tasted a way I can't describe but I don't think I'd drink again... Anyway, as Stephanie's grandma says, "Variety is the spice of life"... and we don't really have that here.

Oh, they decided to extend our curfew to 8 so we could go out for dinner if we feel like it! (Though I don't think I'll do that often cuz I'd rather not spend the money...)

Goals

Today instead of working on products, Stephanie ran a business class for the ladies.  To begin with, we started with setting goals, both big and small, from buying land to saving money or making a few contacts.  It was tough since none of us knew what we were doing, even though we were supposed to be helping the ladies.  On the other hand, it definitely made us a bit closer, all learning together and learning more about each other.  Oh, apparently I've been spelling Hadijjah's name very wrong (she is the one I used to call Khadijah... so just fyi it's the same person.  Also fun fact her birthday is New Years day).  It was cool learning so much, and we gave the ladies "homework" of things to accomplish to get started for next week.  I think they really appreciated it.

I also spoke with Hadijjah about religion, and she told me she goes to mosque every Friday around lunch time.  I want to see if I can go with her one week.

Speaking of religion, I am heading to stay with a Jewish family this weekend.  I'm excited to see the community, but if I'm being honest, I'm pretty nervous, too.  While this has been something I'm looking forward to, I realized how little I know.  All I know is a guy's name and phone number... I also have no clue how they practice Judaism, if I will find it familiar or not.  Do they keep kosher? Do they use electricity on Shabbat? Do they even live in a place that has electricity at all?  Will I recognize the tunes they use for prayers?  What kind of toilets will they have? Western or squatty potties? How do they dress? (I am bringing pretty modest clothes, no tank tops, since I am not sure)  How big is the community?  Are they driving me back Saturday night or Sunday?

I finally called the guy I'm staying with today, since I wasn't even sure what time or where I should meet him. I'm not great with accents, especially on the phone, so it was a bit tough.  Turns out he doesn't get on the internet so often, which is why he didn't respond to my e-mail (which is what I had figured).
All I got was that I should be at this bank at 1 p.m. and someone (I don't think him) will pick me up and bring me to the synagogue.  It's much earlier than I expected and I didn't understand who will be picking me up... I also still don't have a phone but will be bringing Jessica's, which doesn't even make phone calls, only receives them.  I tried to buy a phone on the street today but they were too expensive and I couldn't find any used ones.... This is going to be quite the experience.  I'm sure once I get there it will be great, and I'm making sure to charge my camera battery.

On another note, we watched a really creepy movie tonight (House at the End of the Street     I think is what it was called) and I'm scared to go to bed... Bad planning.

That's all for now, the next post should be an interesting one.  Shabbat shalom!  I'll let you know how it goes.

Basketball

This morning we went out to find good places for product shots.  It was pretty fun walking around and finding interesting but not distracting backgrounds.

Work was pretty normal.  Nice and quiet today and we spent a lot of the time just chatting while the women worked.

After work Jessica and I decided to go with Jack and Marjani to watch Jack play basketball. We've heard about it and I've been curious.  The court is pretty standard, except that it's not particularly flat, made out of rocks, which makes it difficult for them to dribble, so passing is much more usual than dribbling.  The court is also by a school so a bunch of kids were running around and kept running onto the court whenever I tried to take a photo, so I felt bad since I think I may have made the kids get in the way of the game a bit.  One of the kids told me I should play... but it's been a while so I'm not sure I'd be comfortable with that (especially on this court.  If I fell and ruined my knee on a road I can't imagine what I'd do on this court).

Apparently their first game this season was against the national team... I can't imagine how that went.  It's all Ugandan guys with Jack and one other westerner, who they asked to help them out.

While we were watching I walked around a bit and ended up with a group of students wanting pictures taken as usual.  This time I decided to let a few try using my camera.  It was a bit dangerous but I watched them carefully and made sure they were gentle.  At first I had perfect control until they learned how to get the camera to turn on and off... Oops.  It was fun though and they were sweet kids.

Awkward solo picture a kid took of me

One boy, who was 15, told me he wants to buy a camera, and asked how much mine cost.  I told him it was expensive but if he works hard to save up he can get it, same as I did.  Another kid asked how many billions I have back home and again I tried to emphasize how I work hard to earn money in order to do things like come here (or raise money).  It's kind of awkward having money conversations with these kids, but it was interesting and I'm glad I went.  They tried helping me with more Luguzu (another language out here) but I don't remember any of it.. I'll keep working.  I wonder if this weekend I'll learn more by staying with a family.  It was also funny because as the clouds came in the kids asked me if I was cold and when I said no they said it's because I'm cold blooded.  I told them it's just because where I come from it gets colder than here and they asked if it snows, which was cute.  Anyway, I think I'll try to go back sometime.

The sky kept getting darker and finally one of the kids told us it was about to rain.  A few seconds later there was thunder and then lightning so we quickly left.  It was good timing, too, since it started drizzling while we were on the boda.  You know how when you bike in rain it can hurt a bit? Picture going a lot faster and being just as open.  It felt like hail and that was just a drizzle! Thankfully we got back just before it really started pouring (Becca was standing outside and said he was just about to come get us to make sure we didn't get soaked).  We had a few more termites because of the rain, but not nearly as bad.  Everyone was up here, except Pelin, so Becca was kind enough to take a huge umbrella (like one for an outdoor table) and go bring her in for dinner.  Seriously, he's the best.
It was cute though, most of us watched a movie in our room tonight.  It was kinda nice having a movie night.

Oh, turns out Rebecca leaves this weekend!  That's a bit of a shock.  We all thought she was here until the end of July (aka one more week) but turns out not.  That'll be sad when she goes.

Oh and update, Saleh and Nina are doing fine, which is a relief.

That's about it.  I still have tons of photos I need for next Monday.... Trying hard though!

Bring Your Child to Work Day

Today was another good one.  Typical morning.  Work was same as usual, though we've never had quite so many people all together.  All the ladies were there since it's Tuesday, and then we finally had all of us there as well, talk about a crowded room.  In addition, a few of the ladies brought their kids so we could meet them which added to the count but also added some entertainment.

Today we started actually completing some of the products, which was awesome to see.  We finally have a completed purse, scarves, bangles, and wrap necklaces.  It's amazing and the women get so excited!
It's funny how we try to teach them to do something but then they do it their own way and it ends up much better.

The women from last year all actually continued making paper beads when they left and so they have been bringing us the products they make and selling us some which is pretty cool.  It's so great seeing how they kept it up and have continued making a profit.  They also have made different colors and patterns that they came up with on their own.  It's even giving us ideas.

After work Khadija invited us to her home.  She is one of the few ladies who is married still, and we got to meet her husband.  We had a bit of confusion regarding who are her kids, but we figured it out in the end.  I thought I got a family photo but it turns out half the kids are neighbors... I'll need to retry that.  It was great seeing her home and meeting her family.

When we left there Stephanie and Kelsey wanted to boda back and I felt like walking, so thankfully we saw Rebecca, Jessica, and Avery heading to Susan's house, so I went with them (the whole no going anywhere alone rule didn't let me just walk home alone, but I'm glad I didn't).  Turns out she lives pretty far, and we had to cross a river to get there.  Now generally that wouldn't matter, and the river was actually more like a stream, except that it was a pretty far drop into it, and there was a scary "bridge" to get over.  To give an idea of this bridge, Susan called it sticks.

Avery (who is scared of heights) crossing

Even as someone not scared of heights it was scary because it was definitely not sturdy.  We all made it across though (Jessica even carried Susan's baby across and the school girls who were following us also came along).  It was great again meeting more of Susan's family and seeing where she lives.  When we left, though, we realized that the kids were pretty far from home, so we put all 4 on a boda together and payed for them to get back to Namatala.

When we got home we heard that Nina was in a motorcycle accident, which is pretty scary.  She was here and ok, but her dad, Saleh, who owns this place, ended up in hospital from the shock of it.  I think everyone is fine now, but it was a bit of scary news to come home to, especially since we'd all expected to come home and celebrate Nina's birthday.

To end on a lighter note, Rebecca showed us photographers (me, Meredith, and Avery) the product shots that she wants us to work off of to figure out the style she wants.  That'll be fun to start shooting those.  Tomorrow morning we'll go scouting for cool backgrounds to shoot.

The Quiet Village Life and Climbing Mountains

Alright now for the weekend... Sorry it's a very long post and should've been broken up:

A bunch of people brought Bananagrams so now we've started playing some nights.  Yay!!

Saturday morning Palin, Kelsey, Chanel and I got up early and went to Child of Hope to meet Esther and Martha.

While we waited there were some kids playing in the school yard, and they taught me their game of marbles.  There are a bunch of grooves in the dirt, and it's downhill a bit, so they roll marbles down, and I think the goal is to get yours the furthest, but if you hit another one you take both and get another turn.  It was fun playing with them instead of just watching as I usually do.  I was just sad I couldn't have my camera since it was Saturday... (This actually was an issue I had all day.  There was so much I wanted to photograph, and with the amount of transportation I used and how much other people ended up having to pay for me, I felt like I should've just skipped this Shabbat and just paid for myself and taken pictures... It was a weird feeling and while I had an amazing day, I struggled some all day with such a strange Shabbat).

When Martha and Esther showed up we headed to Martha's house momentarily.  On the way we saw this kid rolling a toy car behind him (you know the ones that have a string attached and roll after you?) the cool part though, was the body of the car was made out of a big empty juice box with wheels put in.

Anyway we got to see Martha's house, which apparently 9 people sleep in.  We met her oldest daughter, Sarah, and some of her sons.  Sarah told us that she has school even on the weekends, though Sunday it starts later so that they can go to church first.

Have I mentioned religion is really big here? Mostly Christianity and Islam, though there are some Indians around which brought Hinduism and there is a Jewish community, though people don't seem to know about Judaism at all outside of that community.

Funny moment: we were sitting in Martha's house and Esther was very thirsty and told us she's like a mzungu in an African body because she drinks so much water like we do.

So then we began our journey.  We didn't quite realize what a journey this would be.  It was funny because since Martha and Esther were traveling with mzungus (white people... aka us) everyone tried overcharging them, saying we could afford it, but they kept arguing saying they knew the real prices and it wasn't fair.  The journey there ended up having 3 legs: first a boda into town, very close to where we live, then a car driving us closer to the village.  (A bit creepy, while we were waiting for the bodas this guy came up and was super touchy with all of us and I think was trying to kiss me... it was awkward trying to spin away from that one. I was very glad when we left.)

I finally understand what they say when they say they have bad roads.  There are many types of roads here, some newer ones that are totally fine (very rare to find).  Some rocks laid down for them to make roads (super bumpy to ride on).  Some roads with potholes that you can drive around and avoid, though you end up playing chicken with cars driving towards you as you both try to get the best part of the road, and half the time you drive on the side of the road to get around potholes.  We had quite a scare once as a truck was coming straight toward us and didn't appear to want to move to his side of the road.  On those types anything goes and you can zigzag back and forth across the road avoiding potholes.  Then, there are the real bad roads, where it is not possible to avoid potholes as the whole road is potholes.  THAT is a bad road.  Needless to say with 6 people crammed into 4 seats in addition to the crazy road and breaking down car (I looked at the dashboard and discovered that none of it works.  I'm not sure how he knows when he's running low on gas), it was a crazy ride.

From there we got onto another boda that took us into the village and dropped us at Esther's husband, Sam's house.  The two are separated, but Esther says they try to stay good for their kids.  She has a daughter and son who live there with their dad.

They welcomed us and brought us to sit under a mango tree and picked us mangoes to eat.  Story of the day, sitting under trees and eating fresh food.  They showed us their farms and Esther said how much she loves not having to pay for food out there and being able to just pick things and eat them.  They also have pigs which we haven't yet seen out here, in addition to all the other animals which are the norm.  It was fun learning about the types of food they grow and how long things take to grow.

We went on to her dad's house and met her sister-in-law and her kids and lots of neighbors.  They kept saying they wanted to set us up with Ugandan men (and some of the older boys said we could marry them ha)  It was sweet though when they told us that we fit in well in the village.  They had us try casava, a root vegetable.  I didn't like it uncooked, but when they roasted it it tasted pretty similar to potato.  Esther also made us matooke and casava with a g-nut sauce over them.  I've never liked matooke much here but this I actually liked.  The only problem was we were all pretty full already, but it was rude to refuse.  Esther also taught us that once you put out food for visitors the food is there's, and if you don't finish it they pack it for the visitors to take home.

Chanel had her camera with her and taught one of the boys to use it.  It was interesting how they acted differently toward us than the kids in Namatala.  In Namatala they all just run towards the camera, here they were taking turns and modeling and no one was grabbing at the camera, so it was easier to let a kid use it.

It was also interesting that to some people we were the first muzungus they've ever seen.  Even while we ate they just sat and watched us, barely saying a word.

We thankfully ran into Esther's dad on our way back to her husband's house.  It was cool being able to meet him.  He shook all our hands and held them up, which apparently is like saying "God bless you".

On our way out a woman gave us a chicken as a gift for coming.  Apparently they were all saying that they were blessed since muzungus visited them.  And they all asked us to come back.  Hopefully next month we will be able to go again, as that's when Esther is going again.  I think it is good that we helped pay for their transportation, as it sounds like she cannot always afford to get out there.  Esther also gave Sam some money for the kids, because they said it is unfair for the husband to have to pay for them completely.  It was interesting to hear.

I'm not really sure how else to describe it except that it was an amazing day.  The village is so peaceful and I just felt at home.  I loved the relaxed attitude and just sitting and talking and cooking.  Obviously they generally do more work, but I felt so at peace and so happy out there.  Hearing just the sounds of people and animals and seeing so much green.  I loved it.

The way back was entertaining.  We took a mattatoo (taxi) that was incredibly crowded (space for 12 and I think we had 21 in it).  Esther was also holding the chicken and every so often it would squawk just behind me  and I jumped every time.  Strange ride.

When we got back Chanel took the chicken, which we named Franklin, and showed off our gift at the Casa.   

On to Sunday:

We woke up bright and early and took bodas to the bottom of the trail to hike up Mount Elgon, the mountain that's close to where we live.  I woke up a bit light headed but decided to hike it anyway... I'm not trying to make excuses but I'll say that probably wasn't my best plan.

We started the hike on this pretty big road surrounded by farms, I was already panting at this point, clearly a bad sign.  (I always promise I'll be honest so I won't stop now and pretend like I'm in good shape.  Apparently stopping working out was a bad plan, as I did not struggle this much when hiking in the outback in Australia...)  Anyway, we kept going up then flat then up then flat... and finally we got to the ACTUAL trail head.  We'd been told it's a 5 hour hike, but all of us had thought we'd already started the hike.  Little did we know...

View of the waterfall from the bottom

We left the road and continued on a rocky hike upwards.  There were some small bits that were flat, but it was more rare.  Generally we just looked for parts that were slightly wider to take breaks so that we weren't in the way of the locals who wanted to pass.

Thankfully it was a cloudy and slightly drizzly day, as it meant that it stayed cool.  I think if the sun was out I would've quit and tried another time.  The downside, however, was that since parts of the hike are rocky, the rocks were all slippery.

The hike wound around up the mountain, but even with that it was quite steep.  Marjani and I took a lot of breaks, and finally the rest of the group decided to go ahead, though Jack stayed back with us and at some point Avery did as well.  We became the B Squad (self named, so no, it's not offensive, we were all proud except maybe Jack) stopping for plenty of food, water, and breathing breaks.

It was amazing how many houses and farms were set up along the mountain (it was also funny walking by people who were laughing at us since for them our "hike" is just how they go home).  We got lost a few times too, as there were different paths leading to fields instead of up the mountain.  The views on the way up made it totally worth it.  Every so often you'd look back and just see town and it was amazingly beautiful.
I also loved seeing the homemade barns for cows made of sticks.

The flowers and bugs were pretty awesome too.  There were a bunch of flowers I'd never seen, and huge millipedes, and so many varieties of butterflies (wikipedia tells me there are over 1,000).  There were also a couple smaller waterfalls on our way to the top (our goal was to get to the top of the huge one that you can see from where we live).

We rounded a bend and saw another incline but couldn't see anything past there, and we all said this better actually be the top, and then Rebecca popped her head out and we knew we'd made it.  Sadly none of us had the energy to run up the end, though it would've been fun.  We practically collapsed at the top, which turned out to be more farmland.  There were a bunch of kids hanging out and onions growing and cows and dogs and goats.  We also saw a paraglider fly by, and all the kids went running after it.

We finally continued on and got to the waterfall.  A local guy told me there were monkeys below us but I couldn't see them and I kept getting yelled at for being too close to the edge.  I personally did not feel nervous but everyone else is a bit more scared around heights... I listened though and stayed away.  Anyway it was cool being up there.  I felt pretty accomplished and would like to do it again sometime to prove I can do it better.

Me at the top

After a bit we checked out the pools at the top by the smaller waterfall that lead to the big one. I thought it was too cold but some people went in.  I chilled on a rock with Jessica and Avery and a bunch of local kids came up and were hanging out with us.  It was fun except we realized a bunch of them had knives they were playing with.  They must've been pretty blunt since they were holding the blades, but it was still a bit uncomfortable so we made moves to leave.

Somehow I ended up leading down the mountain.  Talk about shaky legs.  I think parts of the mountain my legs just kinda went without me asking them to... and there were plenty of parts where I needed to use my hands or I would've wiped out.  At one point I was choosing between walking in the ditch to the left or on the ledge to the right and as I was deciding my legs just gave out and I fell on my butt.  Didn't hurt but I guess my body just chose to take both ways at once.  I used my ski skills (which don't exist as skiing scares me) to zigzag down to make it less scary when the path was wide enough, but that didn't happen often.  The sun also came out finally, which was annoying because it made it hot very quickly, but was nice since the way down was less slippery.

Jessica, Stephanie, Avery, Pelin, and Meredith climbing down

When we finally hit flatter ground we sped up to make up for how slowly we'd climbed down.  Once we got back to the road I stopped paying attention, glad to be close to getting on a boda and going home to shower.  Jack slipped which was sort of funny since we were past the hard part.  About two minutes later I wiped out as well, realizing how easy it was to lose your footing when you stopped paying attention.  I got up to keep going since it didn't hurt that badly then realized there was blood on my pants and decided to check it out.  That's where I went wrong.  (Sorry if this is a bit more detail than people want... if you're squeamish maybe skip the next paragraph)

I lifted up my pant leg and saw blood dripping down.  It was sort of a lot and I immediately started blacking out and my hearing started to go.  My sister the med student told me it's called a "vagovasal response".
This has only happened to me with the sight of blood one other time, when I cut my thumb pretty badly.  Anyway, I couldn't see it, but Jessica told me it was a pretty bad gash and Avery and Stephanie bolted, both being squeamish (no, I don't blame them at all.  I think I'd rather they leave than pass out with me).  Anyway, Jack and Marjani came back and we covered it with a tissue and wrapped a hair tie around my leg to slow the bleeding.  We were also just about out of water so I used the last of my water to pour on it.  When I tried standing up again, though, I lost my vision again and couldn't stand, so I gave up and sat back down.  Rebecca found a boda and sent it back to us, and Jessica and I got on, me still unable to see and holding onto Jessica and leaning against her.  As the ride went I tried to slow my breathing and finally got some balance back.  I was pretty embarrassed, having made it all the way up and down the mountain and then passing out at the bottom... not my proudest moment.

Oh and I managed to get even more burnt than the day before... Saturday I totally just didn't think to wear sunscreen, horrible idea, then Sunday I tried but it didn't work so well...

Back at the Casa Becca was out front.  It was his birthday but I totally forgot and he came in to help me clean out my knee.  I sat on a chair in the bathroom and he told me to take off my socks so he could pour water on my leg.  When he went to wipe it off I told him I'd do it since I was scared he would hurt me, but turns out he was more gentle than I probably would've been.  Who knew Becca was a doctor in addition to repairman, electrician, photographer and everything else he does around here.  It's a weird wound, since part of it is skinned but another part is like a weird flap of skin... I must have fallen on a rock or something.  It still is dripping every so often and a bit gross.  I have a feeling that'll be a scar (as my sister says, I have an intense scar from Uganda now, although since everyone knows how I got it maybe it's a bit less cool than it could've been... I'll make up a cool story for anyone who hasn't read this).


Today was pretty normal, it was interesting having the two other photographers as well.  I am no longer the only one.  I finally know which of the ladies I'm focusing on so that'll be helpful.

Only weird thing is on our way home it started getting really dark and cloudy (turned out to be an advantage when the shoe sale guy tried to stop us and I could use the excuse that we wanted to get home before the rain).  It was funny how once the drizzles started people started running, but they stopped momentarily and then kids laughed as us muzungus for running.  Really kids? With all that wind and dust and drizzle you were running two second ago too...

Once we got home there was a storm, which is fine and kinda nice with the cool air, except that these huge flying bugs started coming into our rooms (we found out later these are Ugandan termites) and they get all over you, so we started attacking.  At first it was mostly Chanel killing them all as we showed her where they were.  She started a pile of them, though we later realized that the pile attracted ants so we got rid of them.  Once Chanel got back to her movie and more kept coming, Jessica and I took over killing a few.  We now can all proudly say we've killed termites (no, I don't make it a habbit of killing bugs.  In fact, I've realized our rug has tons of bugs, but figured here it just doesn't matter and there's no other way so I may as well pretend they're not here, but these things weren't working that way).

Jessica and Chanel dealing with the bugs

That's about it.  Oh, just fyi our dinner conversation generally is about the foods we all wish we had (or just food in general that we like and then after discussing it we realize we wish we had it) and tv shows.  It's kind of funny how those are the theme.

Ok sorry again that this was so long!

Cast of Characters

Friday night our last two fellows arrived.  I was told to give a cast of characters so here goes:

A list of fellows:

Photojournalists: Me, Meredith, Avery

Journalists: Chanel, Jessica, Kelsey

Film: Palin

Business: Stephanie

Staff: Rebecca (a founder, she'll be here only for June), Marjani (I started calling her Jani but she doesn't like it since people start pronouncing it Johnny.  She knows my sister through a friend and she is how I heard of 1000 Shillings), Jack (Marjani's husband who is good with the business side of things)

The ladies:

From last year: Elizabeth, Esther, Veronica, Annette (she just started coming again on Friday so I don't really know her yet), Martha, and Aidah

New ladies: Sarah, Khadija, Mary (whose daughter, Merab, I have become friendly with), Lofisa, Susan, and Peace

People who work at the school: Grace seems to be in charge of a lot, there's another Grace who is sometimes with us to translate (I know, confusing. Sorry), Susan (again, confusing, in fact there are 2 Susans who work with us in addition to Susan who is part of 1000 Shillings...), Betty (also kind of in charge of a bunch)

There are also some girls from Help International who come in to help with the sewing since we don't really know how to sew.  Sarah, Christina and I forget but others come different days.

Powerless

Internet was out for two days, but here are the posts I wrote on Microsoft Word:

Vocab

Yalama nui (new-ee quickly)- thank you

Mandasi- doughnuts

Kuminunyeh- 14

6/13

“It was a dark and stormy night”…. Or day

Another relaxing morning.  Turns out there are really good veggie burgers at Delicious Dishes, the Indian place, so that was a great lunch.  When we left I commented that it was the perfect weather to walk, since it was cloudy and pretty cool, though we didn’t have time at that point.  Good thing we had to go back to the casa to pick up the materials though, as right when we stepped inside it started down pouring like we had yet to see here.  We all threw on our raincoats, until Marjani told us there was no way we were going out in that rain.  It surprised me a bit, since near the beginning one of the Child of Hope staff had told the ladies that they needed to be there even if it was raining, so I felt bad that we weren’t going to be on time when they had to be.  Becca also told us that there was no predicting how long the rain would last, which made me anxious to go.

Turns out it luckily didn’t last too long, though it did flood Marjani and Jack’s floor, coming in through their closed balcony door.  It was kind of funny though, all of us just sitting around Chanel and my floor.  And then on the boda ride they had to be extra careful of the potholes so as not to splash us all.  And the clay ground is pretty slippery when wet, so I slipped (but never fell) a few times.  It also really messed with the power, though, and last night, when it rained again, the power went out again.  It’s been making it pretty hard for me to work.

Speaking of work, turns out I’m supposed to be turning in 65 photos a week (as opposed to the 20 I handed in this week… oops).  Now that I know that I’ll have to start being more focused.  I should ideally get at least 10 a day.  Clearly I’ve been taking more than 10 photos a day so far, it’s just that they’re not all part of a single photo essay, so I’ll need to work on that.  That being said though, as I just said it’s tough working with the power so random.  I am not a huge fan of Macs, but I will give them credit where credit is due, their batteries last much longer than PCs.  Last night (Thursday) while my computer lay useless and dead, Chanel managed to get a lot done.

During work Chanel was doing an interview and we learned all about names.  Apparently, their names do not work as ours do, with a chosen first name and a surname passed down.  Instead, they choose a first name, but they also choose a surname.  The surname would be named after someone, like a grandparent, no matter if they are still alive or have passed away.  This way, families do not always share a last name.  They also write their names surname first.  There are exceptions, like if someone important is in the family they will all agree to take and pass on that surname to remember the connection.  Also, similarly to in our culture, when a couple gets married the wife takes on the husband’s surname, even though their children will not get the surname.

At the end of the day, I tried stopping by Elizabeth’s stand again, since I need a few more photos, but she wasn’t there.  Instead, we stopped by her friend, Helen’s stand, and there was this boy who wanted g-nuts so I bought them for him.  Nothing I’ve really written has been so sad so far, and even the women, who have very sad stories, are upbeat and happy, but this next part really broke my heart.  The boy was very dirty, dirt all over his clothes and his face was a mess as well.  I’m not positive if he is well or not, either.  Anyway, we continued on our way, and after about 5 minutes I realized he was walking with us.  Unlike other kids, who walk and hold our hands and eventually turn around and go home, he was really just following us.  Finally, I asked a boda driver to try to tell him that we are going home and he should go to his home, and as the driver was talking to him we walked away, but the kid ran and caught up to us.  We didn’t know what to do, since we couldn’t understand each other and we couldn’t have this boy follow us home, so finally we hopped on bodas and drove off.  The boy just looked after us looking hopeless and defeated.  I still feel guilty but I don’t know what I else I should have done.  This was the first time I really felt heartbroken.  I wish I could have known how to help the boy.

6/14/13

This morning when we woke up, Martha and Esther were at our guesthouse washing the fabric for the scarves and ironing the purses.  They have a cleaning company, so we figured it was best to hire them.  They laughed when I woke up and said that everyone by them is up by 7.  It was nice having them at breakfast with us, and I think they appreciated it.  They also brought some necklaces they’d made outside of what they make for 1000 Shillings, so we looked through and bought some.  It was really fun having them see where we stay.

For breakfast we had madasi, which is like a doughnut sort of but better.  Apparently it’s wheat flower, water, baking powder, baking soda, and sugar cooked in cooking oil.  It’s delicious.  I’m not sure if I mentioned also the different kinds of cow peas we’ve been eating for dinner.  The cooked ones are good, but there are also dry cow peas that they cook that I really enjoy.  It reminds me of an Ethiopian dish that I get at a restaurant at home.  Hopefully they’ll teach us that one.  Last night they also made us this interesting bean dish that had some sort of bitter green vegetable in it.  I think maybe it’s the small green eggplant that I asked about yesterday morning, not realizing that it was at all related to an eggplant.  They call it entura.

Anyway, the power was out all morning so I couldn’t get any work done.  In Namatala we finally met Annette, the last lady from last year who we hadn’t met yet.  I’ve also starting telling the kids that I will only take their picture if they are playing, because having everyone swarm the camera makes it impossible to show how the kids play and take any candid photos.  It’s starting to work better I think.  Apparently there are around 200 kids in the school.  I think it might be nice in the future for them to have some sort of collection, like books or something (maybe shoes?) for the future fellows to bring to the school, since we use their space and interact so much with the kids.  I’m also trying to find a place to print photos so that I can give some of the pictures I’ve taken of the students for the school to hang up.

Palin started filming today, which was interesting to see.  I am trying to help her hold the microphone, but I don’t know much about film.  It’s cool watching though.

On our way home we found those guys again by mistake (the ones who followed us that one day).  They asked why we never called so I said we don’t have a phone (thank goodness we don’t) and he couldn’t believe it but I said we have no reason for one.  I also met one of their dads now and promised them a printed photo, so I’ll need to figure that out.

Anyway it’s just about Shabbat.  Should be an interesting one, as Esther is taking us to her village tomorrow and I don’t want to miss out so I’m figuring out how to go.

Shabbat Shalom!

"Our Love and Labour We Give"

Chanel keeps pointing out that despite health care and all, they must have some great genetics when it comes to teeth.  Almost everyone has perfectly white, straight teeth.  We should start trying to mix more and hopefully we'll get those genes and stop with all these braces and headgear and child teeth torture devices.

Anyway, other than the usual, today we learned how to do laundry (well sort of).  They have a washer here (at least we think they do), but they use it only for sheets and towels as far we know.  We can pay to have them do our laundry, but we figured we may as well try to do it on our own.  Becca showed me where the water is and how to scoop it out with a small bowl into bigger bins.  Aside from that, we were on our own.  We had bought soap already, so we scooped water into the big bin and washed in there and then used the smaller bowl to rinse in, refilling pretty often to have clean water.  I'd like to watch sometime to see how they do it if it's a bit more efficient.  (Maybe that'll be a photo essay).  At least I don't have to worry about hand wash and hang dry because that's all we've got.  I'm just hoping nothing flies away since there was already a lot of laundry hanging so all the clothespins were taken.

I actually had a really nice conversation with Becca when he showed me what to use for laundry.  Apparently, to get through Senior school (I'm not sure if that's high school?) he paid by doing photography.  He would go around to houses and knock and doors and ask if people needed portraits.  If they did, he charged 1,500 shillings (a bit more than 50 cents) per photograph.  It was cool learning he'd done photography.

He was also saying how he loves what we're doing, and how we're teaching the women to fish so that they can sell the fish and then get more :).  It was a nice way to think of it.

He also told me about the national anthem.  So there's the Ugandan national anthem, which the kids say at the end of every day of school, but that can be said in Swahili or in English.  In addition, there is the newer East Africa national anthem, which is so new not everyone knows it by heart yet.  Apparently when politicians are at events they generally say both.  I'm hoping to learn the Uganda one at least.

1.Oh Uganda! may God uphold thee,We lay our future in thy hand.United, free,For libertyTogether we'll always stand.2.Oh Uganda! the land of freedom.Our love and labour we give,And with neighbours allAt our country's callIn peace and friendship we'll live.3.Oh Uganda! the land that feeds usBy sun and fertile soil grown.For our own dear land,We'll always stand:The Pearl of Africa's Crown.

Welcome to Our Homes

I’ve got one of those “I can’t even think because I have a headache” headaches right now so sorry if this isn’t the best post, especially since this was a great day it deserves to be a great post.

Three new fellows, Palin, Stephanie, and Kelsey came last night at dinner time.  Chanel and I were supposed to go to the newspaper this morning, but Mafabi, our boss, asked us for the ladies’ last names and I didn’t have them (Sorry Professor Lippincott, major photojournalism fail).  Anyway so Mafabi seems to only work with one thing at a time so he told me to get those and then to come back later and he’d give us assignments.  So since it was another very short trip, we showed the new fellows around town.  I think our tour was a bit confusing but they’ll get the hang of it, that’s how we felt on our first tour too.

We’re starting to take ownership of the products we’re mostly working on, so this morning we got together all of the stuff we needed and then headed over.  I was nervous since it's our first time having all the women together (which will happen every Tuesday) and we also were a bigger group (though we're still missing 3 since Jessica is away for the week and two more fellows haven't arrived yet).

When we got there today the security guard made us sign in, which was pretty odd since he's seen us every day and even said he recognizes us... with so many people this time it was pretty annoying.  Anyway the ladies were all happy to see us and it was surprisingly calm despite how many of us were in one room.  Everyone was very concentrated on doing their work well.  Veronica, who is making the ornaments, is so sweet and very work oriented.  Right when she saw her stuff she just took it and sat down and began working quietly.  Half the time she worked on her own but every time I came over to sit she just smiled at me and kept going.

My little friend, Kodo (I don't know much about him except that he's in the baby class at Child of Hope) came in and sat on my lap for a bit which was cute.  I have no clue how old he is but we are definitely friends.

I'm also getting to know Grace, who works at Child of Hope, better, and I'm hoping to tell her story in addition to those of the ladies.

After school Elizabeth and Esther wanted to show us their homes.  It was so nice that they were so excited to bring us to where they live.  Esther also said she wants to bring us to the village in which she grew up, where her dad and two of her kids live.  It was so nice seeing their homes, which they are clearly proud of (and obviously have a right to be).  I wish Elizabeth had more space though, as she lives with 5 kids and was saying how her house isn't big enough for them and she'd like to move somewhere bigger when she has enough money.  These women are just so incredible and welcoming.  Esther actually has a picture of a very big Western looking house hung up in her house which she likes.

I know that it's part of my job is to photograph where they live, but I felt rude doing that the first time they invited me in.  I didn't want them to feel like I wasn't interested and I just came to take pictures, so I'll wait until I go another time to take pictures of their homes.  It was cool meeting a few more of their kids though.

A bunch of kids walked around with us, and as we continued on our way, Merab, a girl I've been walking with lately (the one who asked me for shoes and a purse), asked me again if I'd go to her home.  I had told her to ask her parents and she said she did so we stopped there, too.  It turned out she is actually Mary, one of the new ladies, 's daughter.  Who knew?

Despite her not inviting us herself, Mary looked thrilled to have us.  She didn't let us into the house, but it was nice just standing outside and chatting a bit and she asked for pictures with two of her daughters.  It was cool having her open up a bit more.  I feel like we really made progress today.

It's so sweet, the ladies always say "We love you" and you can tell how much they appreciate how we're trying to help them.  Of course we tell them how much we love them as well.

All the kids want to come back with us to our home, but we make sure to say goodbye when we get back onto the main road when we leave Namatala.  It's sad but we can't have them come here.

Mafabi wasn't there again this evening, but I got everyone's last names (turns out they usually say last name first).  Hopefully he'll be there again in the morning and we can introduce the new fellows.

This evening was pretty uneventful.  Nina organized my toiletries while we weren't even in the room.  Though I also caught her with my lens and told her that's off limits.  She also did my hair for a while and as usual we all just chatted for hours after dinner.  Ok, now even I'm getting bored hearing myself.

Anyway it was a great day and I'm excited for tomorrow! (Though dreading editing all my photos since I'm already a day behind)

Kelsey, Chanel, Palin, Stephanie, and Me on bodas (taken by Marjani)