Firsts!

Before I start... I just want to let you know that I changed the settings for the comments, you no longer have to have an account to leave a comments, so feel free to leave me a message.  Thanks!

Ok , so here are some of my “Firsts”, aka, things I have experienced in the last week for the frist time here in Africa! 

I have been very lucky in the past few weeks to not have to rely on public transport.  With the team we always had our own personal driver, and when they left we had one driver helping us out for a little while.  But, finally on Monday on our way back from Kampala (the “capital” of Uganda), I finally had my first taste of real public transport.  Let’s just say I was thankful that this Taxi (Which I would best describe as a mini-van with 4 rows of seats that fit 3 people in a row, plus the driver and two passengers up front) followed the rules of three in a row, instead of trying to cram 4 to make more money!  So we traveled 4.5 hours on bumpy, potholed, dirt roads all the way back to Tororo.  My seat, at the end, was a little rocky and one pothole put my right into my neighbors lap.  That was a special treat!  Anyway, we made it back, numb bottom and all!  The best part is it only cost us what would be equivalent to $8!  As I leave Sunday for my travel trip towards Zambia, I know there will be many more crazy public transport experiences. 
Another recent “first” was traveling back from town on a Motor Boda (motorcycle).  That is the other transport option.  It is either a taxi, motor Boda, Bicycle Boda, or private car, which is too expensive for one or two people.  Kristina and I were in town and I really wanted to taste the motor boda.  We thought that Kendra told us it was supposed to be 700 Shillings from town to True Vine, so when the drivers told us that it would cost us 1500 we argued with them for about 15 minutes.  We didn’t want to be cheated, and we kept saying, “you are cheating us, we know it is 700.  Do not give us the Mazungu price, we know how much it costs.” They would not budge and finally one agreed to take both of us on one boda for 2000.  We finally agreed.  I loved it.  It was a good and fast way to travel from town.  When we got back we told Kendra they tried to cheat us.  It turns out, we bargained for 15 minutes for nothing.  1500 is the correct price for one passenger to True Vine; she was giving us the price for a bicycle boda!  Oh, we felt awful!  Lesson learned.  But it usually is all about bargaining, and at least we got to practice our bargaining skills.  I felt like I did a really great job!

Today I experienced a “first” for eating.  Today was the only time I have been invited into someone’s house for a meal and didn’t know what I was going to do because I was afraid to eat it!  We went to a village called Mumbatuma for a Disease Prevention, Nutrition, and Family Planning outreach.  It was great and a really sweet village.  More laid back than some of the others I have been too, but very nice.  A church in Huntington Beach, CA sponsors this village and the church they built is simple but beautiful.  They had some of the children in the church make them a homemade wall hanging out of squares with messages written on them.  One child wrote, “I am sorry you are poor, but you are faithful”!  How sweet is that?  Sorry, I digress….. After our presentation, the Pastor of the church (Pastor Jessica), invited us to a meal.  That is customary, and has been done in most of the villages we have visited.  However, in most other villages there has been a large variety of food from beans to rice to tomatoes stew, to Matake (which is fried banana mush basically).  So, I have been able to get away without eating the chicken or beef available.  Well, at Jessica’s all that was offered was their customary Millet Bread, which is basically this big mound of dough millet that you pull apart and everyone pulls from (MORE than ONCE I may add, by hand, and that same hand is also used as a utensil!).  And the other dish was PORK (In case you don’t remember, I barely eat CHICKEN!)!  I looked at Kendra in horror, because I know you have to eat or it is rude.  I whispered, “can I just pick out a potato?”, as it looked to be mixed with potatoes and a few stewed tomatoes.  She whispered back, “those aren’t potatoes, its fat”!  Are you kidding me?  Thank goodness for the very few tomatoes, I went for the bowl as fast as I could to make sure I could grab the few and have something in my bowl.  Jessica wished for me to eat more, but oh, I expressed how good what I had was and how easily I get full.  It was a small white lie, as I NEVER get full, but it was my only option. 

Hope to download some of the pictures soon!  Oh, the other thing.  Although my banana bread on the Sigiri did not turn out so well, the chocolate cookie pie I made on the Sigiri last night turned out fantastic!  And I think my roommates love me for it.

xxoo

Peace & Love
Heather