Dear Adam,

Remember when you almost got arrested? By the scary Ugandans with a gun? Because you took a picture of a cool tree when there were signs saying to not take pictures.

Remember when we figured out that the building that they were protecting was a US building and that the guards being mean to us were being paid by American tax dollars? (I discovered that the building stores big/scary weapons!)

Remember when they made you delete the picture of the cool tree from your camera?

Well guess what. I took a picture of a similar tree that wasn't being guarded by guns...

(I know the picture is sideways, seriously just turn your laptop on its side)

Sincerely,

Julie

A Saturday with Biggs/Moreland in Kampala

I definitely should have blogged during the weekend as it seems nearly impossible to fit in all of the funny and ridiculous moments that occurred throughout the 48 hours they were in Kampala. I also doubt that my rendition will be any funnier than Adam's rendition, when I say doubt I mean that it is impossible.

We had a lazy Saturday morning, which allowed for Adam and Cory to enjoy the luxuries of constant wireless internet and a nice shower. After feeling clean and caught up on emails and blogs, we walked down to a local bar/restaurant called Country Gardens to eat breakfast/lunch  and catch the first Saturday game of the world cup, Greece vs. South Korea. (The Greeks unfortunately lost, 2-0.) We had some lovely meat and chips. Cory ordered fried chicken, which came out cold, but he manned up and ate it anyways.

After lunch and some football, we headed down to Lake Victoria per Cory's request. I had warned him that this particular side of the lake was not the nicest or prettiest, but he luckily insisted. We jumped on a matatu and headed towards the lake. At one point, pre-reaching the lake, everyone started exiting the oversized taxi, so we did as any confused foreigner would do, we moved with the crowd, went with our gut instinct and luckily exited the taxi. I say "luckily" because now the three of us are able to tell the "naked man" story.

Yup, a naked man. He was strolling down the street. No big deal. Looking confident. (It did distract the local kids from our whiteness for a few moments, which was definitely welcomed.) We will never now why naked man was naked. Did he lose his clothes? Practical joke? And we will also never know where he was going. To find clothes? To his nearby nudist colony? Who knows?

We reached the lake. And no one was that impressed, but hey now Cory has seen the largest lake in Africa.

(Don't worry, I strongly discouraged Cory's facial hair. Repeatedly.)

The main event for Saturday evening was the much talked about US vs. England football game. Cory and Adam decided that it was a must to go to the muztungu filled bar that is Bubbles O'Leary. (This was a must due to their beloved practicum partner Erin O'Leary...) This seemed to be a great decision. There were plenty of Americans to be obnoxious with and plenty of Brits to banter with it. There were even burgers on the menu. We even got there smoothly and inexpensively due to our keen abilities to navigate Uganda and bargain for a good price while at it.

This decision quickly turned in to a bad one when my purse was stolen. Yep, you heard it. My purse was stolen. I stupidly left it on the floor under my barstool. We were sitting next to a small staircase and some wicked, mean-spirited thief stole me purse. I saw her snatch it, but my reaction time and ability to navigate the crowd was way too slow. There are two things I would like to point out about this event.

1. If this is the worst thing that happens to me while in Africa, I will be a happy lady.

2. I came to Africa to help an organization that works to improve the conditions of prisons, where they send people who commit crimes. And then I became a victim of a crime.

Oh, public service.

So this one time...

Cory and Adam came to visit me. In Kampala. Uganda.

I cannot describe how nice it was to see familiar faces. I have not seen anyone I have known for more than five minutes in the last 3 weeks. Which I know is not a long time and that I am being a bit of a baby, but when you are the only white person or American in a sea of Ugandans who point and yell their equivalent of "white person" at you constantly, it is very nice to see a familiar face.

Besides the fact that Cory and Adam most likely came to visit to enjoy the luxuries that come along with living in a "mansion", their company was refreshing and it was so nice to be able to commiserate and laugh about the oddities that go along with being a white person in East Africa and the oddities (well what seem like oddities to us) of East Africa in general.

For instance, Adam demonstrated the joy of taking a shower out of a basin of cold water. Cory and I were able to complain about how instant coffee is just not really coffee. I was able to point out how icky the the pile of trash being eaten by goats on the side of the street truly is without worrying that the Ugandan I am with will judge me as an American prude. We could laugh about how even though Ugandans and Rwandese speak English sometimes we have no idea what they were saying! It was comfortable and completely hysterical.

They arrived late Friday night in a "park" in Kampala. I guess "park" doesn't translate well here. Because they were literally dropped off in one of the worst parts of Kampala I have seen, and there were no trees, swings or picnic tables in site.  The three of us then failed to go out to celebrate my birthday,and instead stayed up until 4 am listing the things we miss the most and what our first few days back in the states will be like. All of them included a tremendous amount of food, especially taco bell, pizza, and pancakes. And milk not from a bag.

Tales from the remainder of the weekend, to be continued...

Its my birthday...

and I am in Africa. Working. It's actually not so bad considering my dear dear classmates Cory and Adam are coming to visit!! I am so excited to see familiar and loved faces!

I am also loving receiving birthday wishes from all over the world! I mean I have to admit that receiving an email from China, a Facebook post from Israel, (hopefully) a video message from Australia, and Skype love from India is pretty freaking cool.

Because it is my birthday I think I will share some of my favorite things about my summer home.

First is Vivianne...

She is wearing a hat today. And I had a photo shoot with her.

I think she is the most precious thing ever.
















Second, are all the other babies running around and yelling "Muzungu" at me. I didn't have a camera with me this morning, but I am not exaggerating, as I walked up the hill from Luzira Remand Prison to the APP house there were about 5 small kids standing near the side of the hill just yelling "Muzungu" and waving violently. This lasted for minutes as it started when I was 10 yards away and continued until I was a good 10 yards past.

So this baby didn't exactly yell or wave to me, but this picture totally illustrates the non-chalant manner parents, I mean mothers, treat their babies. Babies just hang out. On the floor. Usually naked.

American babies are definitely spoiled.

This boy just stared at me. He didn't speak English and seemed quite shocked at my existence in his small village in Northern Uganda.

He is standing next to a wheel barrel full of canisters that are used to haul and hold water. These yellow jugs seem to be the universal water container. They are everywhere.

Who's your hero?

You guessed it. Tomorrow is another Ugandan public holiday. Last week, mid-week we celebrated the martyrs who fought for Christianity in Uganda. Tomorrow we celebrate Heroes' Day, to honor those who have fought to restore peace in Uganda.

What this means for me? Another reason for people to not return my emails or my phone calls or schedule meetings with me. At the same, I did forget all about the United State's version of Heroes' Day last week, so perhaps I will join in the celebrations as a way to celebrate a peaceful Uganda and United States, and honor those who fought and lost their lives in the name of peace in both countries and around the world.

(It also means I get a day to sleep, do pilates, eat fruit and chapatti, and sleep some more...)

Happy Heroes' Day!

Poem 2: Lao-Tzu

A good traveler has no fixed plans
and is not intent upon arriving.
A good artist lets his intuition
lead him wherever it wants.
A good scientist has freed himself of concepts
and keeps his mind open to what is.

Thus the Master is available to all people
and doesn't reject anyone.
He is ready to use all situations
and doesn't waste anything.
This is called embodying the light.

What is a good man but a bad man's teacher?
What is a bad man but a good man's job?
If you don't understand this, you will get lost,
however intelligent you are.
It is the great secret.

Dirrty

Not like Christian Aguilera circa 2002. I mean like dusty, muddy, trash everywhere, no hot water to shower with dirty.

I thought I would be used to it by now. I was wrong. I miss feeling clean. And not being covered in dirt.

It is more the dust than anything. It barely rains here and the roads are not paved, and therefore dust and dirt is everywhere. And due to the means to which we move around the city and to my pale complexion (which everyone in Uganda likes to point out by pointing at me and shouting Muzungu!), the red dirt gets all over and shows up quite nicely on my skin. I think I have permanently turned a slight shade of orange.

And not having hot water doesn't exactly make the situation any better. Now, I am not complaining about my showering situation. I realize the fact that I have running water is a luzury in comparison to many of my classmates around the world and to most living in Kampala and in prisons across Uganda who lack access to clean water, let alone running water. On the same note, cold showers are not fun. Showering with cold water is not only not hot and not enjoyable, it does not get you clean. Trust me. The towel I use to dry off has turned a shade of brown due to the cold water's inability to thoroughly wash off the layer of dirt.

I have reverted to using lots of deodorant, Stridex face cleansing pads, and scarves to cover my not so clean hair. I may not look nice or smell great, but I think I am managing to make the most of it.