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.
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.
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.
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