Dust, Dust, and Indians

hi all....

so i've been here for a couple of days. here are a couple of observations:

-lots and lots of crazzzzy traffic! there are these mini-buses running around that are taxis that fit 14. there are two taxi parks where you can pick them up...i haven't ventured there yet, but will have to once we enter our homestay. there are also boda-bodas, which are motorcycles that you hop onto. they have passed laws about wearing helments...but i think i've seen two...including one old, pink softball helment without a cafe. hehe. we're not allowed to ride those because they are SUPER unsafe (good news to my mom!) they were a british colony, so they drive on the wrong side of the road. i can't quite figure out if they walk on the wrong side of the sidewalk too...hopefully i can clarify that soon! :)

- it's super dusty. lots and lots of dust. gets everywhere. you notice it when you wash your feet or your face. also, i'm blowing my nose a whole lot here!!!! ahh!

-but...people keep their clothes very clean. when you're driving along, you'll notice men on boda-bodas with very clean, nicely pressed collared shirts. during our cultural immersion lectures, they've told us that people will really expect you to keep things meticulously clean-- so no spills!

-the internet is very slow. one of the guys told us that when we're frustrated over slow internet, just take a moment, pat yourself on the back and say, 'Welcome to Africa"!!! i've said that a lot lately! :)

We've had different people come in and speak to us. Yesterday there was a security officer from one of the universities who discussed security with us. he was very informative and really funny. he was really interested in alaska and sarah palin. pretty funny! There are a lot of stores around named after Obama: ie Obama's Chicken! hehe!

We also a cultural immersion class. It was super interesting. For example, you are not supposed to ask anyone how many children they have. That one threw us all off, as back home that's perhaps the 4th question you would ask a stranger. It is very rude to eat while walking or standing. ouch. How I survive at school is by running to class eating a sandwich. Just now, on the way to the internet cafe, I walked out with a banana. (by the way, their bananas are DELICIOUS!! so sweeet and tasty!) I started to peel the banana and then realized I couldn't eat it. harsh reality. :(

Last night, after dinner, a bunch of us ended up wandering around the hotel. WE had noticed before that next to the hotel, a couple houses down was this complex with lots of lights and music. So I suggested we do a walk-by and see what it was. When we got there, the entrance was up a large alley, so we hestitated. I asked a man leaving on his boda-boda what it was. he was indian and said that it was an Indian festival to pray for a god (i couldn't understand who) and that we should go up and eat. now, everyone in uganda will apparently invite you anywhere and offer you food. and it's true. we walked up just to get a closer look and four different people told us to go in and eat. so we did, to not offend them. but it was sooo awkward (for me at least) walking into this compound as the only mzungu (white person). people just stared. but i ended up talking with this nice old man who said that they prayed form 730 to 830 pm and then everyone ate and that we should eat too! (people like to eat here. my kind of culture). so we went up and got a plate to split among us, as we had just eaten dinner. the food was DELICIOUS! yummy indian food!! :) one of the older ladies ran up to our little circle, said 'eat more' and then ran away. it was funny and i looked over and we shared a laugh. so a little later, i walked over and asked her about the ceremony and the festival. her friend couldn't speak english and she had a thick accent, so there was some lost in accent-translation. but she said that it was ceremony honoring a god, they eat, and that also on friday there would be dancing and we had to come. so she invited us back to come and watch (she kept on pointing to her eyes to signify watch). again- so many kind invitations!! it was pretty cool to see a different side of kampala in the indian community. they were all very nice and of course, dressed so very beautifully! hopefully we'll get to go and watch the dances on friday! maybe some more stories! :)

So I'm running out of internet time...so i guess that's all for now! i hope all is well in the States!

<3cm