Greetings from the dust bowl

07/01/12

There are stink bugs in Uganda and they love my house. I think they smell like cilantro when I squish them. For a quick second, I thought about grinding them up in an attempt to make salsa. A quick second- I’m not that crazy, yet.  I found and bought a pineapple, Irish potatoes AND a newspaper in my town today- big day. Gonna make pineapple/veggie rice for dinner tonight and rosemary potatoes tomorrow. Yum. Small victories.

08/01/12

Went to early mass today for the announcement of my Acholi name to the congregation. I sat in the back row (otherwise, if the kiddos notice me, they turn around in their pews and stare blankly at me for the entire service… which makes an already awkward situation more awkward). Anyway, about halfway through, my friend walked by and grabbed me out of my seat. I was made to assist in the dance down the aisle to present gifts to the priests. My gift of choice was a basket of cabbages. After that, I sat in the front with the choir. Towards the end of mass, Father Charles brought me before the congregation and announced my Acholi name, Aber (literal translation = I am good).  Now the fine people of Pajule won’t have such a tough time pronouncing my name (Rs are sometimes pronounced as Ls and they seem to want to add an E to my name, often making me Ellen, Helen, Helenee, Irene or- shout out to J. Francis’s mama- Erinee).  I was given the name while having lunch with my supervisor and his family in the village the other day. His father is a well-respected elder in the community and a retired catechist. Two names were chosen, written on paper, and crumbled up for me to choose (so that God would have the final say).  The other possibility was Lamwaka, meaning ‘the year.’ Acholi custom denotes naming people based on the circumstance of their birth, so it being early in the year, Lamwaka makes sense. Betcha I’m the only Aber Erin Morrison in the world. If I had internet, I’d google it.

09/01/12

Today Denis and I pretty much finished the grant application. Just need to go to another town to scan some supporting docs. We also finished the home evaluation document. Glad we got some work done today. It was hot, as usual, and I started to have a food meltdown. It started yesterday… when I realized I didn’t have chocolate, really wanted some, and couldn’t buy any in town. I went to the American’s house for dinner, which temporarily cured my food crisis because the wife is an awesome cook, but it was reignited today.  I realize that I can’t permanently live in a culture that eats only to survive… I think I live to eat. I know that this shouldn’t be an epiphany, and that this is a pretty privileged complaint, but it’s scary how much of an emotional toll it can take not having food you want. Some times are worse than others, but I realized that I have a very limited number of ingredients to work with for the next two years. And, not having refrigeration and cooking only for one is a challenge. I tried to eat the leftover pineapple I’d placed in a Tupperware 2 days ago and it was spoiled. Which is super sad since it’s the only fruit I’ve had here in a while. I went to drink the ‘iced’ tea I’d brewed yesterday (and added lemon juice to) and it was also spoiled. Ugh. I’m going to Gulu later this week armed with a long list for the newly-opened grocery store there.

I think Pajule will drive me to find my inner Julia Child, survivor-style. I also think I’m gonna blow up like a balloon when I come back to the states… and can’t wait.

10/01/12

Stupid things I love…

1.       Watching the kids play

2.       The ridiculous number of stars in the sky

3.       Tea everyday

4.       The tee-shirt slogans I see (shout-out to Daddio- I saw one the other day that said, ‘less talk, more action;’ I really wanted to take a picture but didn’t think it was appropriate)

5.       Greeting everyone you pass

6.       Getting gifts of food

7.       Baby goats

8.       Lenny the lizard that lives in my pit latrine and helps to keep the bugs away

9.       Being able to go somewhere on my own, knowing I’ll run into someone I know

10.   Lunchtime naps

11.   The hospitality and polite nature of the Acholi people

12.   Africa time

13.   Feeling more ‘American’ than I ever have before and appreciating it

14.   Feeling like I might actually be teaching someone something

Stupid things I don’t love…

1.       Dust and ash covering everything, including me

2.       Bugs, especially the watermelon-sized flies in the pit latrine

3.       No cheese; I mean, no refrigeration

4.       Not being fluent in Lwo

5.       Being covered in abnormally large unidentified bug bites

6.       Having to take mefloquine

7.       Dodging animal poo with every step

8.       The incessant chats of ‘munu’ that follow me through the village

9.       Africa time

10.   My water situation- sick of water that tastes like bleach or has an absurd amount of red floatees in it when boiled. Really need to rig my filter system asap.

11.   Being asked for ‘assistance’(i.e., $) from people I genuinely would love to help, but can’t

12.   Being asked for ‘assistance’ from random people I don’t know, just because I’m a foreigner

13.   Washing dishes- super inconvenient here

14.   Being in an alternate universe from my family and friends