I Got Wheels!

Hello Everybody!

I hope all is well in the Land of the Free and the Home of the Brave. I just wanted to write a blog since it's been a couple of weeks and to let everyone know that I finally bought a bicycle. I've been debating about it for about a year now, but finally a volunteer near me just decided she wasn't riding her bicycle enough and that she would sell it to me, so I finally did it.

I've been riding around the village a bit, and am learning that while I assumed the roads were not hilly because walking small hills is not difficult, hauling your ass up those same hills on a bike isn't so easy. And then there's the going down the other side part of it. This is incredibly scary for me, because my roads are not what you would call smooth. They are made of packed dirt and have many potholes and rocks all over the place. So cruising down a hill at a speed faster than the cars go is incredibly frightening, although don't any of you worry, I always wear my helmet. It makes me look really good too.

I'm working up my strength on the bike so that hopefully I can ride all the way to Kisiizi Falls (16k) on it to use internet and possibly do some good vegetable shopping. That could take awhile though. I might be able to make it that far by the time Casey gets here in 2010. That would be good though too, because then I can ride my bike to visit her.

Well, that's pretty short, but it's all I got for now. Keep me in your hearts and minds, hopefully picturing me in my lovely bike helmet cruising crazy downhill slopes or puffing on the uphill side. It's a pretty picture, I know.

Nothin but love for ya.

18 Hours From Home...

Hey everyone,

Sorry it's been so long since my last blog, but internet is being stubborn in Kabale, and I haven't been able to access it long enough to complete one.  But not I'm in Soroti, which is in eastern Uganda, visiting the other volunteers who are on the completely opposite side of the country from where I live, approximately 18 hours by bus if you wanted to go straight from one to the other.  Uganda is such a small country, but apparently it takes forever to cross it.   

Here is quite different from Kabale, as it is hot and dry and very dusty.  Right now I am the color of the roads because I'm so gross and dirty, but hopefully that will change after I bathe a bit later today.  You never know though, because this dirt is pretty tricky, and can stick with you for days or even weeks.  

I just was in Kampala this week for our midservice conference, which marks one year of our Peace Corps service.  It's an exciting landmark, and now I feel like our group is on the downhill slide of this thing and very soon we'll be finished.  It's crazy, I never thought I would feel like my time here was short, but 2 years goes incredibly fast when ... well I'm not exactly sure why the 2 years is going fast, but I'm reading a lot of books and learning how to sit still and stare at the wall for hours at a time.  Silences being awkward?  Doesn't exist here.  

Anyway, I've been hogging another volunteer's computer for awhile now, and its time to pass it on and share with others.  See mom?  I did learn something from you.