Kiddos

Easter weekend in Prague...

Out of Africa

And what a contrast it is! Prague is beautiful and I've had a great time visiting with family and enjoying all the luxuries Prague has to offer. A few highlights include:

• Seeing the family!!!
• Eating and drinking lots of everything
• The best massage ever 
• Going to church in a castle
• Boat ride through town
• A culinary adventure at Sansho (www.sansho.cz) which included eating 7 different creatures in one delicious meal, crazy! (salmon, soft shell crab, pork belly, octopus, lamb, duck and beef in 6 courses!

And I still have a week of paradise left! More updates to come...

Travels and Training

So, I've been traveling for the last week or so... First to Gulu (for 'wicker man'), then to Kampala, then to Masaka for PC training. It's been really nice to see the other PCVs and compare stories. Also nice to take a few hot showers and get to watch tv. Good stuff.



Our version of 'burning man' to celebrate volunteers closing their service



Riding in style in a private matatu with my friend Joey

What's up equator?

Weekend Update

On Saturday, I saw a man digging in his garden wearing a santa hat. Gotta love it!
On Sunday, I went to church and had tea with the Priest afterward. Hung around the house and read some Harry Potter (I know I'm a few years behind the HP craze). Then Denis and I went to visit a family out in the village. We were bokalok (sharing stories) under some trees and the head of the household was asking me about the weather in the US. I was telling him that winter would be coming to an end, but that it's still much colder there than it is here. He started asking me about how the wild animals live in the cold conditions. Then, he asked me if we had dinosaurs in the US. I politely responded that we did not, and he asked if we had bears. Yup, sure do.
Today, Denis and I rode our bikes out to visit the pigs. Then we went to the market and bought a huge new saucepan for the caretaker (the old one got a hole in it over the weekend). We also collected some cabbage leaves and potato peels for the opegos (pigs). Denis' brother is going out to the piggery to repair a fallen gutter and we'll also spray the pigs for bugs this week.
I think we also found someone that will help us update our website, which is really out of date. Denis and I are working on writing a business plan together later this afternoon as well.
I'm counting down the days to our 'In Service Training' conference in Masaka, and then to VACATION in Czech Republic!!! Wooohooo!!! Can't wait to see the fam!!!

Oink!

Hommies

These little ladies used to just stare at me through the window at work and  whisper 'munu' every 10 seconds.  Every time I'd invite them in, they'd giggle and run away. The other day, they were finally brave enough to come in. The one on the right will sit quietly for hours while I do work on the computer and just stare. They don't call me munu anymore... now it's 'Aber!' every 10 seconds. Score!!! They are both called Ayaa (a name given to a girl who has many brothers).

Caesar Okema, Sharon Ajok and Mike Akena; three of our secondary students at their school.
Aren't they smart in their uniforms? Caesar is number 2 in his class!

Naci Naci

Took a walk to visit the small-scale pineapple farm in Pajule. I'd heard about it, but thought it may be a myth since we rarely have pineapples in the market, unless someone travels to Gulu or Lira and brings them back for sale. But alas, it does exist. Only 3 pineapples were ready and all very small. Mama Pineapple (below) harvests them when they're still young (pink), and waits for them to ripen, apparently producing an extra sweet fruit. I was gifted a pineapple and am patiently waiting for it to ripen. Yum!

'Naci naci' = pineapple in Acholi

 

Champagne Wishes and Mefloquine Dreams

Oh, what I would give for Sunday brunch at Firestones, or anywhere that serves mimosas and eggs benedict (perhaps over a crab cake!?!?!).  I daydream of food often (maybe a little too often).  I keep thinking about delicious meals I’ve had, and even pause tv shows or movies to see what the characters are eating… or what kind of beer they’re drinking. It’s getting outta control, I know.  I thought my food cravings would subside with time, but after over 7 months in, they’re still going strong.

I keep hoping that one night I’ll dream vividly about a wild smorgasbord of glorious treats… but no… what do I dream of in excruciatingly realistic detail? Bugs. Snakes. And lizards. Yep.

Last night I dreamt of scorpions in my bed. Again. I woke up and even thought I saw one on my mosquito net. The imaginary scorpion stayed there long enough for me to reach under my mosquito net to grab my head lamp… but alas, it was gone when I flicked it on. This mefloquine stuff is no joke. Luckily I only have crazy vivid dreams on the night I’ve taken my malaria medicine, which is just once a week. Maybe tonight I’ll dream of frozen yogurt, fresh fruit, cheesecake, milkshakes, cold salads, cheese plates, filet mignon, five guys and ice cold draft beer…

Gosh America is awesome. Uganda is awesome too… just not in the food department.