Yep, it's that time of the year again. Time for snow days, egg nog, long nights by the fire... oh wait, none of those things exist in my Ugandan style Christmas. Oh well, we'll make do, like we did last year. This time I'm going to be spending my holiday at Kabulasoke Primary Teacher's College, where another volunteer in my group works. There's going to be lots of Holiday cheer involved, as well as a Christmas day soccer match, I believe. It should be a good time, and like the good southwesterner I am, I'm bringing the cheese (good midwesterner as well). If nothing else, at least we've got cheese.
I'm a little nervous about leaving my dog for the holidays, despite the fact that he's survived multiple times without me there, including when he was a little guy and much more vulnerable to whatever it is I fear is going to happen to him. But after I attended the Japan vs. America sports extravaganza in Ndegya, I returned to find him not eating and then he slept for two straight days. He's back to his old self now, so don't you worry your pretty little faces, but I don't know what caused the lapse. This morning he shied away from a furry caterpillar, so perhaps that was what happened to him. They might look and seem innocent enough, but the furry caterpillars here will break off their hairs in your skin if you touch them, and it doesn't feel good. They may even be poisonous, I don't know. Spencer really likes hunting crickets, probably because they are the only things he can actually catch, so I fear he may have tried hunting a caterpillar with adverse results. At least he now knows not to do it again.
Other than that, not a whole lot else going on around these parts. Just waiting for my younger brother to arrive here in the UG so I can cart him off to Kenya. That should be a fun vacation, several other volunteers are going to come with us so we will have a good time. Laying on the beach beside the ocean is a good time no matter who you're with, so we really can't go wrong. Let's just hope I remember my sunscreen:). I got burned the other day just sitting outside and playing soccer, on a very overcast day, so fortune is not on my side. I'll just go prepared.
Well, I guess that's enough for now, despite the lapse in entries, there just isn't much to talk about during the breaks from school. I'm off to make some chocolate chip cookies now, so eat your hearts out.
Peace
Thursday, December 17, 2009
Thursday, November 5, 2009
Used to be Commander in Chief of my Pimp Ship Flying High...
Ok so I really just like that lyric, I think Neyo is brilliant and should probably get an award for that one. So rap lyrics aside, I should update you on my life. Since the title has nothing to do with the content, which is terrible weather, here you go. It's getting to be the heavy part of the rainy season, and the roads by me are paying a high toll. I could hear from my house last night the bus that goes by me struggling through the mud and muck, and that was around 10pm. It usually goes by at about 8 or 8:30, but the rain was heavy yesterday and apparently it had to be pushed by the passengers for about 5 miles or so because it could not get through it on it's own.
I say pave the roads. I know it's not an incredibly well traveled traffic artery or anything, but there is bus service and plenty of taxis venture down that way, and it would just be safer. Sure, we'd lose some of the bucolic charm the dirt roads provide to the area, but the safety of paved roads in the rainy season and the lack of dust during the dry season would more than make up for the loss in atmosphere. I'm sure it will not happen for many years, however, because we are so far away from the capital and the workings of government, I sometimes think those in charge forget we're here. Oh well, at least they give us a tractor that looks like a giant snow plow (I'm from Wisconsin, after all) to try to rid the roads of the quagmire. When it is in use, it works, but the rains do not care about the travel needs of us villagers, and so whether or not the plow is in use the rains come again and re-muck up the roads.
The vehicles still attempt passage, however and it makes for a hair-raising ride. We fishtailed through it for the couple of miles of boggy road from yesterday's rains, and I did not enjoy my front row seat. I would have preferred to have been located in the 2nd or 3rd row of the taxi, exactly in the middle, pinned between multiple bodies with no view whatsoever of the outside world. It used to make me claustrophobic, now however it makes me feel safe, wedged in with plenty of cushion in case anything happens. Oh well. We made it through with no dire consequences. Let's hope my lucky streak continues.
Peace
I say pave the roads. I know it's not an incredibly well traveled traffic artery or anything, but there is bus service and plenty of taxis venture down that way, and it would just be safer. Sure, we'd lose some of the bucolic charm the dirt roads provide to the area, but the safety of paved roads in the rainy season and the lack of dust during the dry season would more than make up for the loss in atmosphere. I'm sure it will not happen for many years, however, because we are so far away from the capital and the workings of government, I sometimes think those in charge forget we're here. Oh well, at least they give us a tractor that looks like a giant snow plow (I'm from Wisconsin, after all) to try to rid the roads of the quagmire. When it is in use, it works, but the rains do not care about the travel needs of us villagers, and so whether or not the plow is in use the rains come again and re-muck up the roads.
The vehicles still attempt passage, however and it makes for a hair-raising ride. We fishtailed through it for the couple of miles of boggy road from yesterday's rains, and I did not enjoy my front row seat. I would have preferred to have been located in the 2nd or 3rd row of the taxi, exactly in the middle, pinned between multiple bodies with no view whatsoever of the outside world. It used to make me claustrophobic, now however it makes me feel safe, wedged in with plenty of cushion in case anything happens. Oh well. We made it through with no dire consequences. Let's hope my lucky streak continues.
Peace
Saturday, October 31, 2009
Happy Halloween, Mwahahahahahaha
Happy Halloween all, and I hope it's a great one. Dave, I hear your costume is quite interesting, I must see pictures. I'm sure you are the bell of the ball. No real Halloween plans here, last night we watched Hocus Pocus and Trick'r'Treat while eating chili and sugar cookies with orange and brown frosting, so it was quite an eventful evening. Oh and I can't forget about the caramel corn with g-nuts, which was very tasty, somewhat like cracker jacks. No costumes this year, could just be because I'm lazy and never looked for one, or there is no celebration to attend, either one. Take your pick.
We just finished midterms the other week and are fast approaching finals, only two weeks left before they begin, and then it's the holiday which will go until the first week in February. I'm excited for this break because Dan will come for a visit, and hopefully we'll do something incredibly fun and interesting, because that's just how we are. Fun and interesting I mean.
I don't have a whole lot else to talk about, I had running water for most of this week, which was very exciting. I got to take a shower and wash my hair, do lots of laundry which skinned my fingers raw, mop my floor, and do lots of dishes. It was all great fun. It's amazing what you look forward to when not much else is happening. I also read three books this week, and enjoyed them immensely. Of course two of them were Harry Potter (2 and 3, I'm starting again, for like the 15th time) but the third was the Blind Assassin by Margaret Atwood, which was very good and I highly suggest you read it. I'm only trying to improve your literacy, so take my advice and pick it up.
Well, that's all for now, but I'll try to write again soon, and everyone else should write to me as well. I demand it. And Jenni, thanks for the card, cause it was one of 2 that I received, the other one from my mother. But I'm not bitter, so don't worry:)
Peace
We just finished midterms the other week and are fast approaching finals, only two weeks left before they begin, and then it's the holiday which will go until the first week in February. I'm excited for this break because Dan will come for a visit, and hopefully we'll do something incredibly fun and interesting, because that's just how we are. Fun and interesting I mean.
I don't have a whole lot else to talk about, I had running water for most of this week, which was very exciting. I got to take a shower and wash my hair, do lots of laundry which skinned my fingers raw, mop my floor, and do lots of dishes. It was all great fun. It's amazing what you look forward to when not much else is happening. I also read three books this week, and enjoyed them immensely. Of course two of them were Harry Potter (2 and 3, I'm starting again, for like the 15th time) but the third was the Blind Assassin by Margaret Atwood, which was very good and I highly suggest you read it. I'm only trying to improve your literacy, so take my advice and pick it up.
Well, that's all for now, but I'll try to write again soon, and everyone else should write to me as well. I demand it. And Jenni, thanks for the card, cause it was one of 2 that I received, the other one from my mother. But I'm not bitter, so don't worry:)
Peace
Monday, October 19, 2009
A Close Call
Well, it's official, I'm now 26 years old. It's hard to believe, but true. I think that means I'm finally supposed to figure out what I'm doing with my life, but it may take a few more years yet. At least I have a beginning, I have started the applications for grad school, so eventually I may have something figured out. Oh well.
It was an exciting birthday. Kind of. I went to Kampala for the weekend, and everything went fine, I even got a lot of work done for the applications, but the return journey was a little different than what I'm used to. Everything was going fine until we hit the dirt road that goes to my house. I was pretty excited because the bus had made good time up to this point, and I thought I would be home at 7, or just before it gets dark. Well, something always happens when I get cocky and think that things are going to continue to go well for me, and so things obviously had to go wrong.
It's the rainy season, so the roads aren't in the best condition at the moment, and rains were heavy recently. I noticed something was wrong when we were on a slight incline but seemed to be slowing considerably. Eventually we stopped, and this was not a steep part of the road, let me tell you. But we could all feel the tires skidding and losing traction, and knew what the problem was. This particular stretch of road is incredibly prone to landslides and bad conditions, so every able bodied passenger (except for myself because I wasn't exactly sure what everyone was saying) got off the bus to try to help push the thing up the hill. The driver tried to accelerate, and everyone else was pushing, when suddenly the bus fishtailed and the rear end slid towards the edge of the road. This wouldn't be such a bad thing if there was a barrier of some sort, or no 30 foot drop on the other side, but only a small ledge of earth existed between the wheels of the bus and the drop. So the last passenger, an old man, and myself decided it was time to also vacate the bus. We got out, and the bus workers grabbed a hoe from the locals and began to dig out the areas in front of each of the tires and place dry dirt and sand in front of the tires. I stood beside the road watching helplessly, hoping something would go right. I was only 20 km from home, but it was getting dark and I didn't want to make that walk at night with all of my luggage. So I watched on as the bus continued to slide further and further to the edge, but luckily the ledge kept the bus on the road, it being lighter from having no passengers. The people pushing got the thing up the incline, and eventually we all jumped back on, although I was quite alert for the remainder of my ride. A little excitement in an otherwise calm and eventless 8 hour ride.
I got home safe and sound, and am here to tell the story, so no harm done. I probably would have survived if the thing had gone over the edge anyway, since the drop was only like 30 feet. But at least I didn't have to go through that! And sorry mom, for worrying you. Dan told me you were kind of freaking out, it wasn't that big of a deal, I was just worried because I didn't want to walk home in the dark:). I hope they can do something about that part of the road, because even in small cars you fishtail through the entire thing, and the rainy season has barely begun. I could be in for some more hair raising adventures.
It was an exciting birthday. Kind of. I went to Kampala for the weekend, and everything went fine, I even got a lot of work done for the applications, but the return journey was a little different than what I'm used to. Everything was going fine until we hit the dirt road that goes to my house. I was pretty excited because the bus had made good time up to this point, and I thought I would be home at 7, or just before it gets dark. Well, something always happens when I get cocky and think that things are going to continue to go well for me, and so things obviously had to go wrong.
It's the rainy season, so the roads aren't in the best condition at the moment, and rains were heavy recently. I noticed something was wrong when we were on a slight incline but seemed to be slowing considerably. Eventually we stopped, and this was not a steep part of the road, let me tell you. But we could all feel the tires skidding and losing traction, and knew what the problem was. This particular stretch of road is incredibly prone to landslides and bad conditions, so every able bodied passenger (except for myself because I wasn't exactly sure what everyone was saying) got off the bus to try to help push the thing up the hill. The driver tried to accelerate, and everyone else was pushing, when suddenly the bus fishtailed and the rear end slid towards the edge of the road. This wouldn't be such a bad thing if there was a barrier of some sort, or no 30 foot drop on the other side, but only a small ledge of earth existed between the wheels of the bus and the drop. So the last passenger, an old man, and myself decided it was time to also vacate the bus. We got out, and the bus workers grabbed a hoe from the locals and began to dig out the areas in front of each of the tires and place dry dirt and sand in front of the tires. I stood beside the road watching helplessly, hoping something would go right. I was only 20 km from home, but it was getting dark and I didn't want to make that walk at night with all of my luggage. So I watched on as the bus continued to slide further and further to the edge, but luckily the ledge kept the bus on the road, it being lighter from having no passengers. The people pushing got the thing up the incline, and eventually we all jumped back on, although I was quite alert for the remainder of my ride. A little excitement in an otherwise calm and eventless 8 hour ride.
I got home safe and sound, and am here to tell the story, so no harm done. I probably would have survived if the thing had gone over the edge anyway, since the drop was only like 30 feet. But at least I didn't have to go through that! And sorry mom, for worrying you. Dan told me you were kind of freaking out, it wasn't that big of a deal, I was just worried because I didn't want to walk home in the dark:). I hope they can do something about that part of the road, because even in small cars you fishtail through the entire thing, and the rainy season has barely begun. I could be in for some more hair raising adventures.
Friday, September 25, 2009
Back to School...
Back to school, back to school, to prove to Dad I'm not a fool... so the wise Billy Madison once said. Third term has begun and I'm teaching my senior ones math once again. They always enjoy the beginning of the term because I hand out the candy and prizes for doing well on the exams from the previous term. It's kind of a bribe for my kids to keep liking me and continue to listen when I speak to them. So far its working...
I missed a few days of teaching due to getting stuck in Kampala during the riots over the Kabaka's (King of the Baganda) visit to Kayunga, but otherwise things are going well. I'm getting used to being back in Uganda, and used to teaching again. Not a whole lot is new, I'm still trying to train Spencer to behave properly, and now the new puppy Elf too, and living on a farm is always interesting. We have two new calves and two more on the way, which is always exciting. I also recently removed two little lizards from inhabiting my bathroom and dirty dishes basin. While I do enjoy lizards due to their bug eating habit, I don't enjoy them crawling around my bathroom while I"m bathing (or other bathroom duties) and I don't enjoy running into them while I'm cleaning my dishes. But luckily lizards aren't poisonous and these ones didn't even try to bite me as I removed them with my bare hands (I'm incredibly brave if you didn't know that about me, considering they were less than an inch long).
Again it may be a while before I write another blog, simply because my weekends are now going to be spent trying to apply to graduate school, which could be interesting considering the amount of computer time and internet access I have. Oh well. You'll hear from me again soon.
Peace
I missed a few days of teaching due to getting stuck in Kampala during the riots over the Kabaka's (King of the Baganda) visit to Kayunga, but otherwise things are going well. I'm getting used to being back in Uganda, and used to teaching again. Not a whole lot is new, I'm still trying to train Spencer to behave properly, and now the new puppy Elf too, and living on a farm is always interesting. We have two new calves and two more on the way, which is always exciting. I also recently removed two little lizards from inhabiting my bathroom and dirty dishes basin. While I do enjoy lizards due to their bug eating habit, I don't enjoy them crawling around my bathroom while I"m bathing (or other bathroom duties) and I don't enjoy running into them while I'm cleaning my dishes. But luckily lizards aren't poisonous and these ones didn't even try to bite me as I removed them with my bare hands (I'm incredibly brave if you didn't know that about me, considering they were less than an inch long).
Again it may be a while before I write another blog, simply because my weekends are now going to be spent trying to apply to graduate school, which could be interesting considering the amount of computer time and internet access I have. Oh well. You'll hear from me again soon.
Peace
Tuesday, September 1, 2009
Back In the UG
Hey everyone,
I'm back in Uganda, safe and sound after 4 hours of car travel, 12 hours of bus travel, and 16 hours of plane travel, not including layovers and just plain waiting around. It was a lovely journey I can tell you, and my ankles won't go back to their normal size for weeks. I'm lucky I didn't get deep vein thrombosis. I'm not sure exactly what that is, but the airline cards in the seat pockets warn you about it, so don't you worry, I did plenty of ankle stretches to prevent it from happening.
That's all I got for now, cause I'm tired and want to sleep, but rest assured that I have returned safely and will get back to saving the world in short order.
cheers
I'm back in Uganda, safe and sound after 4 hours of car travel, 12 hours of bus travel, and 16 hours of plane travel, not including layovers and just plain waiting around. It was a lovely journey I can tell you, and my ankles won't go back to their normal size for weeks. I'm lucky I didn't get deep vein thrombosis. I'm not sure exactly what that is, but the airline cards in the seat pockets warn you about it, so don't you worry, I did plenty of ankle stretches to prevent it from happening.
That's all I got for now, cause I'm tired and want to sleep, but rest assured that I have returned safely and will get back to saving the world in short order.
cheers
Friday, July 24, 2009
Impulse Buys
We've all done it. Picked up that last minute candy bar, ice cold soda, trashy gossip magazine at the check-out counter in the supermarket. I love impulse buys. They're fun and always unneccessary. Here in Uganda, specifically Kabale for me, the impulse buys are a little different.
Last time I was at the supermarket, my impulse buy was the delicious looking new brand of peanut butter, which had caramel crunchies embedded throughout the peannutty goodness. It was a successful purchase, although I'll gain about 20 pounds if I buy it any more, because I ate a jar in about 2 days.
The time before that it was the pretzels I saw for the very first time here in this country, and was so excited I couldn't stop myself. I bought 3 bags. I shared them, and they got old because they were flavored which was wierd, and I haven't bought them since, but it was a fun time and I enjoyed the purchase.
The lastest impulse has been different even for my standards. A boy came to the back yard of my and my neighbors house last week with a chicken. I saw the chicken and couldn't help myself, I wanted to buy it. They're only about 10,000/= ($5.00) for a whole live chicken, and let's face it, everyone's got one. I see them in the buses, crowding the overhead luggage compartments. On the floor of the taxi's under the seats, pecking at my feet. Tied to the tops of sedans in packs of 30 or more. Laying out front of stores with their feet tied, they're everywhere (ubiquitous, GRE word, look it up) and I wanted one too. I inquired with my neighbor as to whether or not the chicken the boy was jabbering over was for sale, but alas, no. He had found it wandering around and was looking for it's owner, not trying to sell it.
It's probably a good thing, because I really don't need impulse buys that squawk, eat my dogs food, and shit all over my floor.
Last time I was at the supermarket, my impulse buy was the delicious looking new brand of peanut butter, which had caramel crunchies embedded throughout the peannutty goodness. It was a successful purchase, although I'll gain about 20 pounds if I buy it any more, because I ate a jar in about 2 days.
The time before that it was the pretzels I saw for the very first time here in this country, and was so excited I couldn't stop myself. I bought 3 bags. I shared them, and they got old because they were flavored which was wierd, and I haven't bought them since, but it was a fun time and I enjoyed the purchase.
The lastest impulse has been different even for my standards. A boy came to the back yard of my and my neighbors house last week with a chicken. I saw the chicken and couldn't help myself, I wanted to buy it. They're only about 10,000/= ($5.00) for a whole live chicken, and let's face it, everyone's got one. I see them in the buses, crowding the overhead luggage compartments. On the floor of the taxi's under the seats, pecking at my feet. Tied to the tops of sedans in packs of 30 or more. Laying out front of stores with their feet tied, they're everywhere (ubiquitous, GRE word, look it up) and I wanted one too. I inquired with my neighbor as to whether or not the chicken the boy was jabbering over was for sale, but alas, no. He had found it wandering around and was looking for it's owner, not trying to sell it.
It's probably a good thing, because I really don't need impulse buys that squawk, eat my dogs food, and shit all over my floor.
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