Oh the places you'll go...

On Sunday all of us decided we wanted to go on a boat ride on the Nile and Lake Victoria, so while Rachel, Adam and I were in town food shopping, Rachel, Becca, Alex and Kate left to go to the King Fisher Safari Resort about 9km outside of town in the van...so we had to Boda. It was basically amazing. And moritifying. Here I am, in Africa, on the back of a small motor bike, driven by a Ugandan man, driving on a huge bridge that crosses the Nile River, with all kinds of traffic, next to huge trucks and buses and cars, with my flipflops and sunglasses, getting ready to take a boat ride...kind of reminds me of Slumdog Millionaire when I'm riding through the city on a boda.

We arrived and found Kate, Becca, Rachel and Alex by the pool just chilling waiting for us to arrive...so we went and sat down and got some Fantas while we waited for them to change for the boat ride. At the resorts there are always bars, and it's funny, I can legally drink here. And also in London. I haven't though. haha

It was a little wooden boat with a straw over-hang and little wooden benches. The bottom was all paint-chipped and wet...it was fantastic. We saw some huge lizards that looked more like alligators, can't remember what they were called, some monkeys and a whole bunch of birds. Especially King Fishers...they were amazing. On the way home we saw some storks...they're practically the same size as me! I need to take pictures. They freak me out.

On Tuesday I went to visit Sali in the village of Danida. I walked the whole way, so I was a little late. Which really is never a big deal in Uganda, no one is ever punctual and they just don't worry about what time it is. I left at 1:30 and got there at 2:30 instead of 2, and one of the first things Sali said to me was, "I was beginning to worry that you were not coming!". Her English is really good. Wow, a punctual Ugandan. haha So I sat in her little one room home, with no electricity and no running water. And one window. And holes in the roof. Just like all the little houses in Danida and Walukuba. And basically everywhere. Sali has two little girls, one is two months and her name is Charity, and one is 2 years and her name is Janelle. Florence was there when I arrived, Sali was plating her hair. She wants to work at a salon, but she has to stay home and take care of the babies. That is why she is in Suubi, to sell us her necklaces. I rolled paper beads forever, and they were super amazed that I was actually capable of rolling good beads. I laughed. After awhile, Sali got up and started mixing in this pot, and from a distance it looked like rice and so I asked her what it was, "Is that rice?". "Mm, no, Posho."...which I had been told was completely disgusting. It's the inside of a corn kernel, mashed up with water and steamed. It has a funny, bland taste and is in between the consistency of mashed potatoes and jello. Yummy. So when she told me it was posho she asked, "Do you like posho?"..."I have never had."..."Oh! Kate says it does not sit well in the stomach for her, your stomachs are not use to it."...so at this I automatically assumed that she would not be serving it to me. But to my delight, she gave me a carving about the size of my freaking head. With a huge plate of beans, which I actually do enjoy eating. She gave me a fork, since I'm not use to eating with my hands...and off I went. I ate about three quarters of it until I couldn't eat anymore...I was really worried about offending Sali and Florence, who sat there and ate with me the entire time, so I couldn't even pawn some off on the dog or the kids. haha So I told them, in my sweetest voice possible, "I am sorry. I have had a big lunch and I am full, I cannot eat more."...and to my delight (for real this time!) they both said, "Oh no Auntie! Thank you for eating."...which makes me think that volunteers in the past have just turned it down completely. I apologized for wasting the food, but I think they just gave it to the dog, or mixed it back in with the leftovers.

Yesterday, Adam, Alex and I went to town, but the power has been out quite a bit, and so has the Internet, which is the whole reason we went to town. After walking back and forth all over some of Main Street, Adam ended up walking home and Alex and I went to The Source and just got on computers there, because the Internet was actually working. We finished up and walked a little bit and hopped on a couple bodas...then Alex goes, "To Magwa Primary School, for 500.", not a question, a statement..."Mm, no. 1000." Mine wanted 1500. Alex goes, "Oh no, 500 or we will foot.". We walked.

Yesterday night, Alex and I walked to the boys home and watched a movie with them...Wall-E. They had seen it before and all kept going, "Eva!". It was pretty darn cute. Adam had been there earlier by himself playing football with them and I guess they had asked where I was. I felt loved. haha Somehow I feel ridiculously comfortable there, with the concrete floors and wooden benches and bars on the windows, in a room full of little boys who are grubby from playing in the rain...just chillin', watchin' a movie...(Oh, by the way, Emma and Melanie, I wore the skirt and the dogs jumped on me...so hopefully Betty can get the stain out!) After Wall-E was over, Alex and I attempted to leave, since it was late and we assumed we were good to go since they had already served us tea, but Sara was adament about us staying and eating dinner with them, they usually eat dinner at eight or nine, but we were kind of unaware, and so we had eaten before we came. We told Sara that but she insisted, and then asked the boys and they really wanted us to stay and eat, and so out came two HUGE plates of rice and beans. Which I definitely love, but not at this moment when my stomach was full of the makeshift spaghetti Rachel and I had made. They put Narnia on and off we went, eating in the dark...after about half an hour of shovelling away, Alex somehow finished his, but I guess he is a guy, and I finished almost everything until I couldn't eat anymore or I was going to expload...and so I apologized and thanked Sara, but I could tell she was a little upset...I need to get better at finishing my food. I guess I just won't eat before I go places. haha We said goodbye to the boys, and they gave us all a million hugs and then walked us home in the dark again, dogs and all, and left at the gate. I'm going back early Saturday morning to wash their clothes with Mama Grace.


Today it's cold...for here. I'm actually wearing jeans and a long sleeved shirt, crazy, huh? It's probably 60 degrees. I'm going to die when I go back to Alaska. Yikes. Later on, Rachel, Adam and I are walking to Walukuba West to go visit darling Agnes and roll beads...we'll probably pick up some Cokes on the way, so she doesn't have to buy something for three extra people. Though I have this sinking feeling there will be posho involved.