a real update

I feel like I haven't done a real update in a while... I have to consult my calendar to remember what I have been up to since Safari.

Actually, the weekend before Safari Noa and I took a day trip to the equator! Now, this is primarily a tourist trap, but we were pretty excited about it nonetheless. The equator is about an hour or so south west of Kampala and we took a bus there. The bus pulled over on the side of the road and signaled to us that it was our stop... at first we were skeptical, but then we saw the giant circular equator markers and we knew that we had made it! We hopped of the bus and began the obligatory photo-shoot. After taking several dozen photos, eating moist muffins (they are actually called moist muffins and are pretty well known as the best muffins in Uganda, sold only at the equator), and doing a little craft shopping, we decided to head home. However, it was a Sunday evening, and all the buses and taxis were full! We were passed up by many taxis and were beginning to worry when a taxi finally pulled over... to tell us he was full! Very polite, but what a bummer! Soon after I stuck my thumb out to attempt a little hitchhiking, a taxi pulled over with exactly two spaces. Success!

That week Noa and I also hosted a movie night with some of our friends and her wonderful coworkers. We made some delicious Ugandan food (the most authentic meal that will ever be cooked in our kitchen!) and watched the movie where Judaism and Uganda collide: Operation Entebbe. Most of us greatly enjoyed it. Plus, it was tremendous fun to host our friends. Later in the week I went to the tailor with my fabric to begin the process of getting a dress made. It was really fun and my dress turned out pretty well, just requiring a few adjustments (popular fashion in Uganda dictates enormous hips... not cute!) That weekend we went to Murchison Falls on safari, which I have already updated about.

Since Murchison Falls I have begun Luganda lessons (Nsoma OLuganda buli lunaku/I study Luganda everyday), started a new project at work (operation organize the resource center so it does not resemble a storage facility is well underway!), and we hosted another gathering at our house for Noa's goodbye. It was a very successful party and it was fun to bring together all the various people who are part of our lives in Uganda. Also that weekend we went to the Gadaffi Mosque, which was very beautiful, and I had dinner with the new AJWS group. It was great fun to meet some new people and catch up with others who I hadn't seen in quite a while. All of the other volunteers in my cohort have left, and the new group has moved in. It's been a lot of fun getting to know them and being able to answer some of their questions and show them around Kampala makes me feel super competent!

Last week I was also in the field one day observing a training of health workers on the reproductive health rights of women with disabilities. This was an awesome training and really just solidified in my mind how amazing and talented my coworkers are. It also made me realize just how deep some of the misconceptions and prejudices against women with disabilities are in Uganda and how these prejudices can seriously impact health-seeking behavior, and ultimately health outcomes.

This past weekend I attended the Sean Kingston concert (along with Mr. Flavour) which was hilarious (No, I would never in a million years go to a Sean Kingston concert in the US, but in Uganda... it seemed necessary). Then on Saturday I spent the day at AfriArt gallery (an awesome art gallery in Kampala... will definitely be going back there!), eating Indian food, and attending an outdoor music festival in Kampala.

Well, it's been a good couple weeks in Kampala. I am enjoying my routine here, which consists of me eating avocado everyday, hanging out with my goat that I named Obama, making my coworkers laugh (at me), and attempting to use my toddler-Luganda in everyday conversation. I can't say that life here isn't without frustrations (pretty sure I called my mom last weekend to ask if I needed stitches for a taxi-related injury), and I am still figuring out how to live here comfortably AND responsibly, but I don't want to be anywhere else.

Until next time!