Technical Difficulties in Luweero

Well Chris has always been technically challenged especially here in Luweero when internet connections are slow and "and you can't get there here.".   Dennis' instructions aren't working and I'm having difficulty getting data plan set up for my cell phone.  Hence the delay between blogs.  I'm actually emailing this to Dennis who will put it on the blog.  Hoping to get my data plan set up by end of day today.

To get you all caught on my news.   We attended a Ugandan wedding on Friday and a wedding introduction on Saturday. The wedding intro means the groom is formally introduced to the bride's family and they present their family with gifts to prove the groom is capable of supporting and taking care of their daughter.  The intro started at 2pm and ended at 9:30pm which meant over 7 hours of sitting listening to family mc's (one for each side of family) without getting up in a language I couldn't understand.  Gifts included fabric (would have worked for me!), food, fruit, rice, sugar, tea, coffee, drinks, local beer, live chickens, and a goat.  the bride was beautiful in 4 different outfits, very elaborate and formal.  We ate supper at the party at 9pm.

I wore my own "basuti" or formal Ugandan dress for ladies.  Susan’s auntie Sarah and Susan took to market in Kampala to choose the fabric and then to a tailor to have it made.  It cost about $40 us or 100,000 shillings.  I have pictures and will try to find a way to post them through Dennis if need be.

We stayed in Kampala Saturday because the party finished so late. Stopped auntie's house to take rice, sugar, soap and a live chicken back to the Maama Watali house.   We spent last night dividing it up into 5kg bags to distribute to family and friends.   The chicken had its legs tied and put in the trunk with everything.  it managed to move to back seat and poop on my purse!  Lucky me!  Everyone managed to have a great laugh over it.  Chicken has just been turned into tonight’s supper after it feasted on papaya seeds last night and today.

 We’ve been to see 2 schools so far.  one yesterday on the way back to Luweero and one this morning.  Which involved a 2 mile walk in the hot sun and I forgot my sunscreen!  I'm a little burned!  Oops.... and my feet were filthy with red dust from the road.  I was offered to wash
them at the Maama Watali house and one of the girls scrubbed my sandals clean.   They also did my laundry this morning.  I did my own underwear last night at the guest house.  I hate having someone do that for me.  It feels subservient to me.  but I'm told they are happy to do this for the "musoungo" lady from Canada.  I will thank them with a gift of one my handmade quilted bags.

I'm learning Ugandan.  Matocki for mashed banana.  Wal bali for thank you.   My African name is "Namutebi" Chris from the mamba clan.  It doesn't have a meaning to it.  But it is what they call me that or musougo or white person.

I got to have my room in the guest house to myself as Susan was in Kampala overnight last night.  So I had time to do some laundry. Couldn’t do most of it because there was nowhere to hang it to dry. So Susan told me to ask the girls to do it.  It felt odd to arrive back at the house to see it hung on the line.  Glad my scanties weren't there on public view!

The house is currently being painted to receive the library books when they arrive, hopefully sometime end of next week.  It is in Mombasa, Kenya and waiting to go on a truck for Kampala and then on to Luweero.  there is a radio guy in Luweero who makes public service
announcements for the district.  We will have him announce to the community when the container arrives and have the community out to help unload it and into the library.  The front two rooms of the house are being converted with shelves to accommodate the library.

Will take pictures of what it looks like now and what it looks like after and pics of the other rooms.  it is very basic.  There are 5 girls and 2 children with others who come in to sleep or to eat. Cooking is done in a small alcove on charcoal.  The girls cook in the dark as there is no hydro for the house.   Brad will install a solar electrical system and we will have solar lanterns.  some of them we will rent out to the community as a little business for Maama Watali.

Tomorrow, Brad and Susan will leave for Kampala while I stay in Luweero on my own at the guest house.  one of the girls walks us around so we are safe.  At night Jackson, Susan’s brother drives us back to the guest house.  We do have hot water at the guest house once we figured out there is a switch to turn on the water heater.  Brad didn't know for 2 days of cold showers for him.

The schools we toured yesterday are beyond rustic, as are the living conditions at the Maama Watali house.  While we have flush toilet at guesthouse, the girls have a pit at the back of the house which we also use when we are there during the day.  Everything is open to the air night.  we have our mosquito nets over our beds at the guesthouse but the locals don't use them.

I've made fast friends with the 2 children.  Kayanja and Ebra (6 and 2 years respectively).  Kayanja loves his cat in the hat book and has me read it to him at every opportunity.  Ebra has a sesame street board book he carries around with him.

The kids here love to have their picture taken and then show them on our digital camera.  The locals see mousongo as rich and having pots of money.  So we have one of the girls buy us what we need and they bargain.  I've learned to keep a poker face so the price doesn't go up
the girls cannot bargain their way out of.  I have 2 new sandals or thongs today as mine are still wet from washing. They cost me 3000 shillings or about $3.

So far, I have had roast goat, roast chicken, when they call meat and is beef, baked beans (yum!), steamed matocki or bananas, greens that look and taste like beet grains and are bitter, African spice tea which is chai steeped in milk and spices and this is delicious.  We have had fresh picked papaya, passion-fruit, pineapples, avocados, bananas, mangoes which aren't in season with fresh juice from them. They are delicious.

Anyway my internet minutes are running out.  gotta run.....xoxo to everyone....