Every Day Life

The past few days have been full of a whole lot of random things that I would probably be doing if I were at home, such as cooking dinner, running errands, playing games, knitting, running, and reading books. The only difference is everything takes just a little more effort. I have to keep reminding myself I have only been here a few days because it already feels like I am just doing normal tasks. I hope that once I start in the hospital next week things still feel relatively "normal". I guess I can comment a little on a few of the things I have been doing….

Cooking & Eating
There are three foods that I look forward to more than anything when I get here - Pineapple, mangoes, and avacodos. I have so far eaten two pineapples and 3 mangoes, and am just waiting for my avacados to ripen. I can't wait much longer! Also, I do appreciate passion juice and Angella suggested that I make my own, so last night I cut up a bunch of those little golf ball sized fruits, blended them together and added a little sugar and oranges (which are more like limes) to make my own juice! It was so satisfying to know we made it ourselves and it was delicious! Renske and I also made lasagna from scratch yesterday with a bunch of fresh vegetables from the market. I am not used to having people to cook for and since in the house it is Angella, Renske, and her 6 year old son, Zefanya, we can cook complete meals and eat together each night. It kinda feels like a family and I love it!

Errands:

Running to the store to get a few items is nothing like taking a Target run to University Ave. back home. You have to know what  you are looking for and even then you don't usually know where you can find the things you want. The downtown area of Kampala is the "real Kampala" with hundreds of little shops selling anything and everything you can think of, except for the one thing you are looking for when you need it. We had a list including ink cartridges, pillow cases, and a door bell. Easy at target, right? It is about a 2 hour endeavor in Kampala! The only advantage is that if you go to a store and ask about a doorbell, they might not have it, but usually a guy called a "broker" overhears you asking and tells you they know where to go. You can then weave through the streets and follow them to some obscure shop tucked in a corner. If it's not there, you can usually just take a seat and they will run around looking for what you need. The only downfall is that they usually add to the price as a "finder's fee". Plus, as a mzungu, we know we are already getting a horrible price for the things and we have to haggle hard to get things down. So our doorbell was found after visiting 3 different shops, following a broker, then waiting for 20 minutes for him to run back and forth to find one. In the end we got the price down from 95,000 shillings to 55,000 ($22). We also stopped by the fresh food market, which has just about anything you can grow or catch. From eggs to live chickens, to fresh fruits and herbs, and grilled whole fish (or just a head), it is all there. We settled on a few things for dinner and snacks including my three favorites. One guy wanted 2,500 for one mango but instead we walked 20 feet and got 4 for 5,000. Probably still over what we should pay, but still made me feel like a got a deal!

Running

I have been a lot more diligent lately about running, especially since I got a Nike+ watch with GPS to map where I go and how fast I get there. Uganda is full of hills and dead ends. I started out going at a decent pace and soon realized it wouldn't last with a hill every quarter mile no matter which way you go. I think I passed the same cow 4 times as I tried to find my way home on my first run a couple mornings ago. I was always able to see the apartment building no matter where I was but I could never find a road that actually connected me to it. It was more than a little frustrating. Tonight, I took Zefanya out on his bike as I jogged. (note to anybody that hangs out with six year olds - they will ride in front and not wait for you but as soon as they need to stop or slow down they will yell for you to "STOP, WAIT FOR ME"). Only in Uganda have I used the phrases, "stop for the car", "stay to the right for the boda", "keep your eyes on the potholes", "stop chasing the chickens" and "look out for the cow" on a run. Even though I waited until the latest possible time tonight so it was cooled off, I still came back drenched in sweat and extremely hot. This swing in temperature is almost 100 degrees and I think will still take some time to get used to. My favorite part of the run is a road with really fine dust that reminds me of footprints in the snow. My shoes from running and my chacos (and my feet) are never going to be the same color again!) I am sorry about the foot of snow you all got back in MN…..can't say I miss it! 

This is the view of our apartment building from down the hill. It's still under construction, but it is very nice inside. I will have to post some pictures later. Out of all the places we have stayed so far this is probably one of the best, and most home-like of them all.

Tomorrow I am going with Renske to a children's prison - yes that's the correct term. I have been hearing a lot about it from her all week and I think it may be a little intense, but important that I learn about what happens to a lot of children who end up on the streets for various reasons. I may have something more interesting to say than stories about eating, shopping, and running tomorrow!