Vacation-Ready

Grass slashed- check.
Trash burned- check.
Dishes washed- check.
Gas stove turned off- check.
Perishables eaten- check.
Dry goods stored from rats- check.
Laundry done- check.
Bags packed- check.
Windows locked- check.
Cat basket packed- check.
Work done- check.

Time to hit the road!

First stop, Kitgum. Next stop Kampala. Then to the airport in Entebbe. Short layover in London. And Friday night I'll be in PRAGUE!!! It feels like a universe away, but I can't wait to get there!!!

Sleepless in Uganda

Due to the combination of an awesome rain/lightening storm mixed with mefloquine (crazy malaria med), I can't sleep. The sound of the rain on the tin roof is deafening... and mixed with the bright flashes across the sky, it's hard to ignore. It sounds like a TV set on a staticy station full blast, combined with an amplified stomach rumbling during its first days in Uganda. My plastic chairs even blew off the porch. My garden will be happy.

One thing I will certainly miss about this place is the great lightning shows. It flashes frequently, illuminating everything as far as the eye can see and takes up the entire sky... which happens to be huge. I've never seen anything like it. Pretty good show, Uganda.

One thing I won't miss is the nightly ritual of slapping mosquitoes before I go to bed. On my first attempt at sleep, I killed 3. Upon awaking a few minutes ago, I've clapped 6 more. Wish I were exaggerating. And I'm under my net, which has been tucked into my mattress the entire time. Not a good look- especially during malaria prevention month. I guess it's time to sew up the small holes that the rats ate in my net.

If I never have to repeat that last sentence again, I'll be a happy girl. Funny how 20 months away can give you a whole new outlook. :)

Mutyaba

My homestay mom ('mother-sister' as she said) passed away. I'm heading to Kampala next week and will drop by to see her kids and Ja-Ja. She was only 32 years old and will be greatly missed :(

Pinterest is Evil

For those of you not familiar with 'Pinterest,' it's a huge time-suck but is basically a series of pictures that people post that they think are interesting. You can click on the picture and it takes you to the original link... so, if you're in the 'food' category, you can find something that looks good and link back to the recipe, or in 'fashion,' find a dress and link to the website where it's sold. This isn't a new website, but my internet just got fast enough for me to see the pictures.

So, for the last hour, I've been looking at pictures of food... red velvet oreo truffle brownie bars, poached pears in wine, smores hot chocolate, enchilada lasagna, prosciutto wrapped figs, lamb gyros.... the list goes on. Meanwhile, I'm sitting in the dark in the village pondering what I can make for dinner. My first trip to the grocery store in America is going to be expensive.

If you have time to waste- www.pinterest.com

Garden (before pics)

Five hours, a farmer's tan and a lot of dirt later, my last garden is finally in. I planted collards, kale, watermelon, cucumber, 4 types of tomato, 4 types of lettuce (including Janet's 'salad bombs!'), turnips, 2 types of squash, radishes, carrots, beets, cilantro, basil and dill. Special thanks to Mary T. for the seeds- the gift that keeps on giving! The gardens may not look like much, but I only had a homemade hoe and a stick to work with....

I'm hoping that these 'before' pictures will be significantly different than the 'after' pictures. I've never had a green thumb, but I'm hoping that Uganda will make a gardener out of me yet.

Garden 1

Garden 2

Rainy Season???

Signs point to yes.

Today I fell into a mud puddle.

I mean that in the most literal sense. Luckily, there were lots of people around to witness it. Awesome.

It looked something like this:

Around 'Town'

I don't have anything exciting to report, but I did take a few pics while walking around 'town' today. Enjoy these snapshots of daily life.

Started my day by going to visit the pigs...

Saw some cow tails on the way

So pink!

Then went to visit some homes near the piggery to do some research for a grant proposal that I'm writing. I want to install an inexpensive, manually drilled borehole near the piggery (our rain tanks are empty less than 1 month into dry season and the nearest borehole is almost a kilometer away).  The borehole would serve the pigs and the 14 surrounding households, which consists of almost 100 people. I wondered where the villagers got their water now...

One of the 14 households

On the way to the 'stream'

This is it... not exactly hygienic  This is used year-round for bathing, washing clothes/dishes, and drinking. The animals use it too...

Open, unprotected ground water

Denis and Simon, the piggery assistant, collecting water from the only borehole  nearby (approx. 500 meters away from the piggery). This borehole is located at a school that will reopen next term, making it inaccessible for public use.

Walking back home

Pajule in the distance

Then I stopped off at the nursery school where my friend Janet is student-teaching to say hello. Her son, Herichen, just started going to school there and is super excited about his new uniform... He's 2 and a half.

Janet (expecting her second child in May) and Ogendarwot Herichen

"Hi America!!!"

Herichen used to 'fear' me. Now when I pass his house on the way to the office, he runs out to the road (often with no clothes on) to greet me. Super cute, love this kid.