Weekend, "The Rat", and Obama

Hey All,
Just another Manic Monday here in Uganda!! This weekend was really busy and then really quiet! Saturday, we had classes at Makerere again. Then we went to lunch at this very American-ized restaurant and I got a HAMBURGER and ICED COFFEE!!! YUM. Saturday, I got to Skype a bit with Mom and Dad. No video…but it was really nice to hear voices!! On Saturday night, I had a very nice conversation with my Host Mom about her life and the family. They have kids in South Africa, Boston, and the UK, as well as around Uganda. My Host Dad, who I haven’t met yet, spends a couple weeks on the farm and then he’ll come into Kampala for a week. My Host Mom owns a hardware store with her sister. Two of my sisters work in banks and my brother is an accountant, but is now out of work and DJ’ing on the side- so we’ve had some fun musical conversations!!
Cute story: Last week Paula, the five year old, lost one of her teeth. In Uganda, instead of putting the tooth under your pillow, you put it in the stove and then “The Rat” comes and gives you money. So she got 2,000 shillings (about $1) for her tooth! She’s super cute and told JaJaa (her grandmother- my Host Mom) that she was going to buy her a car! Super cute!! 
Sunday is a pretty chill day in Uganda. JaJaa is Protestant and was going to go to Church with the kids, but then it rained and she decided not to. (Side note: the Church is literally next-door to us-hehe). It was funny because there was a slight chill and everyone in the house instantly decided to stay in bed because it was really cold. It made me giggle as I was in love with the chill and they were all worried about getting colds. Ah…to always live in a temperate climate!!
I spent some time reading and then decided to go on a walk. I walked all around our neighborhood. Kampala is a pretty amazing city as there is not one side of town that is good and the other is bad. Instead, you can have a super nice house next to a rather small-ish house. So on my walk, I saw some super nice houses (including the house of the Minister of Tourism- who is now in Poland on a business trip- I chatted with his guard, Nelson) right next to some small-ish houses. Next I walked down the main road and watched a BEAUTIFUL sunset!!
On a side note: a bit about Obama in Uganda. When people hear you’re from the States, the first thing they ask is about Obama. They like to point out that he’s African and that his father is from Kenya. People love Obama here. The toher day, we saw a guy with these awesome checkered pants that had yellow stitching on the pockets: one said ‘USA’ and the other ‘Obama’. I’ve also seen SO many belt buckles that say “Obama” or have a picture of him. But perhaps the best are the names of the stores. There’s ‘Obama’s Chicken,’ ‘Obama’s Grocery’, etc. And the other day, when I went to the taxi stage to go home, the conductor looked at me and said “Obama, this taxi to Ntinda.” So I went into his taxi and then the conductor told this other woman to “Sit by Obama.” Pretty funny! 
Okay, hope you all are having a wonderful day!! <3cm