Katogo: "Mixture"

Irony:
Choosing to turn off the lights on the night we actually have the generator on because although seeing what you are cooking is great, the disturbance of the swarm of flying white ants outweighs the pleasure of having the light on.

Wearing flannel pj bottoms, long sleeved shirt, a sweatshirt, socks, and a fleece hat to bed because it is so cold you can’t sleep. Living in a tropical equatorial country isn’t as warm as it sounds. Never mind the fact that the equator runs through Uganda.

Immensely disliking the four movies you brought with you, because even though they were some of your favorites back home, now that they are your only option they seem somehow repulsive.

Things I never learned in Kindergarten:

How to sort rice effectively; how to sort rice by candle light, how to sort anything without making a mess (rice, peas, beans…)

How to settle the debate between using the last of the water for bathing, one last thermos of water for some cups of tea, or washing that dirty shirt/skirt.

How to hand wash clothes, blankets, etc.

How to walk while holding a candle and not burn myself, blow out the candle, or trip due to depth perception issues; how to hold a candle so you can see in front of you.

Random Thoughts:

I found it hard to understand the feast/famine mentality we find here. When it rains and the tanks are full of water, people carelessly leave the faucet on, water is wasted. When the harvest comes people eat like there is no tomorrow. When the paycheck comes, it is spent immediately (“the money is eaten” they say here). I didn’t really get it until mom sent me a bag of licorice. After scarfing down half the bag in mere moments it hit me…. I am eating like there is no tomorrow. If I ration the licorice I will get to enjoy it so much more! [on a side note, licorice is amazing, thanks momma!!!]

Fun Quotes:
Eating with my Benja boy, I finish and he asks “wahaaga?” (are you satisfied?) “nahaaga” I reply. He continues eating and in a singsong voice tells me “I don’t haaga” hehe… mixed Spanish and English is Spanglish, mixed Rukiga and English makes Rukigish?

Recounting a story of how a girl tried to steal my bag and phone during a soccer game, Julius says incredulously “Really, stealing from Aunt Le! that is wrong”

New Vocabulary:
“Somehow” – amazing how I rarely used this word while stateside, but now can’t seem to speak more than three sentences without it.

“Ever” – I catch this word filtering in my blog posts…. It is used in place of “always” or “often” or used to make a point. “you are ever hungry!” “I am ever wondering” etc

“Can you imagine”- used as an expression of amazement, kind of like “really?!”