Saturday, November 28, 2009

Giving Thanks


The past week was a busy one.  A friend from Rotman, Jen White, arrived last Thursday but left for a village in Eastern Uganda the next day.  I had a quiet Kampala weekend and then headed to Soroti in Eastern Uganda last Sunday.  Funny enough, Jen was just around the corner and came by the hotel for a little visit.


Th purpose of the visit was for me to support Anthony with an Internal Audit and to see some more of the RTP projects.  The Audit went well and was a new experience for me.  I was also able to learn a lot about the issues that are faced by our staff in the field.  My project visit was a bit disappointing but only because there were not many children.  As exams have been completed many children are kept at home to work.  Soroti was hot and had giant beetles - never had a seen a bug like this.  I am not quite sure how they survive as they were constantly ending up on their backs unable to flip back over.



Giant Beetle between Anthony's & my feet


We left Soroti on Wednesday morning and stopped to visit Jen at the Orphanage where she was volunteering.  While there were definitely some issues at there, overall the standard and quality was better than I had anticipated.  We had an incredible lunch at the Gately Inn on the Nile.  If my dad come to visit I think it would be a good place for him to visit for a few days.



Amazing Cobb Salad


Upon my return to Kampala I set out to prepare for Thanksgiving.  I had committed to making pumpkin pie and stuffing....neither of which I have ever made before.  In fact i don't really cook much of anything so I was a bit stressed out about the whole thing.  Thanks to my dad for sending over some of the ingredients and responding to the many, many emails I was sending.  


On Wednesday night I successfully made the pie with only a few hurdles to overcome....not being able to turn on the oven being the biggest obstacle.  Apparently the lights need to be on for it to work.  I also made hummous!!  Thursday I made the stuffing which was much easier than I had thought it would be.



Pumpkin Pie



Stuffing



Around 530 Anthony, Jen, Thomas and I headed to John's for dinner.  He had a butterball turkey flown in from Germany!!  It was a great dinner and evening that was likely extended into the wee hours of the evening thanks to Friday being a National Holiday for Eid Muburak.  (For the full Facebook Album click on the title)

John, Anthony & Thomas


As Thanksgiving is in theory a time for giving thanks I thought I should mention some of the things that I am grateful for at this time.  First the past four months have been an incredible experience.  While the work is frustrating at times, as I am not always as busy as I am used to, I find that I am still learning new things every day.  I am very excited for my upcoming travels over the next 6 weeks, to the gorillas and then overland through Southern Africa.  I am also thankful that I am lucky.




Boda Beware

I have debated over the past 3 weeks about whether this incident should be shared on my blog but have decided that it is important for people to know that there are some dangers in Kampala.  While for the most part it is a safe city people need to be aware of the Bodas (the motor bikes).  After the Marine Ball I went to the Iguana Bar, where I end up almost every weekend.  At 4am I decided it was definitely time to go home.  I left the bar on my own as I didn't want the guys to worry about me getting home.  I then made the decision to take a boda as opposed to a taxi as I felt he was charging too much.  To put this into perspective I was haggling over about $2.  Before getting on the bike one of the guys that is always at the bar also came out and asked for my number...as opposed to giving him mine I took his...thus taking my blackberry out of my purse and showing that I had something of value.


I then hopped on the back of the bike in the zebra dress and chatted with the driver as we drove towards my apartment.  As we reached the fence of my building the driver stopped and said he had a puncture.  I hopped off the bike and as I asked what to do her reached for and grabbed my bag and camera.  Lucky for me they were both strapped on my wrist.  I yanked back and he came off the bag.  A struggle and a bit of a fist fight ensued.  I screamed as loud as I could.  After about a minute or two he gave up...I am not sure whether it was because I was kicking his ass and refusing to give up or because people were coming to help me.  Ultimately I was shaken, a bit bruised but ok.  Alison and John came over and the incident was reported to the US Embassy Security Team.


I am sharing this because I was very, very lucky.  Just one week later another girl left the same bar, hopped on a boda and the outcome for her was as bad as you can imagine.  At some point in my year here I was bound to be stupid and take a boda late at night - I was lucky and learned the lesson without any damage.  Anyone who is reading this - when you know something is deemed unsafe just DO NOT DO IT.  I was lucky but the next girl was not.


I assure you that I am ok.  I will not be traveling by boda anymore and when going home from the bar in a taxi will always be dropped off first.

Saturday, November 21, 2009

Grasshopper Season and Christmas Farewells



Cold, rainy November is almost through, US Thanksgiving is just around the corner and everyone is starting to get excited for the Christmas plans (especially me!!)  


I think I may have mentioned that last weekend I attended the USPA Shaggy Dog Show - some of you may know that I am not a dog person so I must admit on a hungover, stormy Sunday the whole experience was a little overwhelming.  There were some very nice dogs but then there were also ones that had signs saying "do not pet".  I stayed as far away from those as I possibly could.

Brenda, Alison & Zia (unfortunately Zia did not win any prizes!)


This week was a bit of a busy one - after having an empty office for 2 weeks we had a full house for a day or two. Wednesday I left the office early to head to yoga...it may have taken me two-weeks to plan to go back, but I was excited and ready to go!  Now one of the issues in Kampala is traffic - for me to get to a 6pm class on the other side of town I need to leave work by 4:45.  I have a RTP driver take me to Alison's house and then her driver, Elly, takes me the rest of the way.  This week Elly and I ended up in parking lot traffic.  We eventually heard that The President was in the area so traffic was at a standstill.  Unfortunately this meant that yoga was missed....by Alison and me.  I made it to her boss' house by 6:30 and there was a nice glass of wine waiting:)


Although we missed Yoga - Angela managed to get there and we met her for dinner after the class.  It was our Farewell Christmas Dinner before she and Phil head to Brazil!!


Phil & Angela

Angela, Me & Alison

AMAZING BEEF TERIYAKI


As you can see from my food picture - my dinner was amazing.  We went to a Japanese restaurant that satisfied my craving.  While I did not have sushi - the Vegetable Tempura and Beef were perfect and a great mid-week treat.


On Thursday my friend Jen arrived.  It was great to see someone from home and of course get a few treats - new Roots Canada RTP shirt, licorice, m&ms:)  We quickly realized that there were tons of grasshoppers around - I am not sure if this is related to the rain or its just the time of year.  But grasshoppers are a delicacy here.....not sure that I will be trying them any time soon.  Last night on my way home from dinner, just around the corner from my apartment there was a large crown of people - they had put of corrugated iron and were shining bright lights on it to attract them and then catch them.  When I did get home I found a few dead ones in my apartment.





They are pretty big, but I assume harmless.  Please excuse the chipped nail polish...I am off for a pedicure later today:)


Tomorrow I head to Soroti in Eastern Uganda to visit the projects and support our internal audit.  It should be interesting.  I will be back in Kampala by Wednesday night to plan my Gorilla trip and hopefully get some Thanksgiving cooked done (thanks to my dad I have recipes and key ingredients....the trick will be not screwing it up!)

Tuesday, November 17, 2009

play: priceless


MasterCard and Roots Canada have partnered with Right To Play to help raise funds for our programs around the world.  While it took me quite some time to view the commercial (slow, slow internet) I am sure it will be speedy for you and encourage you to watch the commercial and stock up on some great Canada gear for the Olympics!!!  (Please note that Roots is not an Olympic apparel sponsor - but the clothes look super cool and i am looking forward to getting my T when Jen arrives later this week.) 


MasterCard Right To Play Commercial



Not much new and exciting in Kampala - the holiday countdown is on!!  I may go white water rafting on the Nile this weekend to prepare myself for the Zambezi in just 4 weeks!  Other than that I will head back to yoga tomorrow (I figure if I make it bi-weekly that is pretty good) and to dinner to wish my friends Angela and Phil and Happy Holidays - they are headed to Brazil and then the UK.  My friend Jen from Rotman arrives on Thursday for a month and has a jam-packed schedule.  I am not sure that we will really overlap until the first week of December when we go to visit the Gorillas!!  Yes - perhaps I have neglected to mention this - but on December 5 I will be venturing into Bwindi National Park to see some of the last remaining Gorillas!!!

Lots to look forward to in the coming weeks:)

Friday, November 13, 2009

a couple pictures

I have recently discovered how to get photos onto my blog (Thanks Angela!!).  Here are a few from the past couple of months.


Girl playing a RTP Game on Naguru Hill




LSPS Training - Sironka Township




RTP Game




Lympda Early Childhood Education Centre



Angela, me, Alison & Els and Ndali Lodge, Fort Portal

Monday, November 9, 2009

The Marine Ball

There was a lot of well-deserved hype about the Marine Ball. I must admit, I figured it was just a night to get dressed up and go to an open bar but there was much more to it.

All across the world on or around November 10 the Marine Birthday is celebrated. This year marked the 234th Birthday of the Marine Corp. The evening began in the late afternoon with a pre-cocktail at the Sheraton before we headed to the official cocktail reception. Once there the attire was quite impressive - lots of great gowns and the men were in their various dress uniforms (those that are military) and tuxes. We entered the ball room, found our tables and the ceremony began. The Marines (there are 7 in Kampala) marched in with the guest of honour - the US Ambassador. There was a video montage celebrating the Marines and remembering the fallen. A birthday cake was cut - and the oldest and youngest Marines shared a symbolic piece. The oldest Marine is 33 and the youngest the same age as my little sisters - 21.

After the ceremony a nice dinner was served followed by hours of dancing....I amazingly kept my heels on the entire evening....but am paying for it now!

The event was more than I expected. I never thought I would be the type to get shivers when anthems and videos are played - but I did. I encourage you to attend one of these events if you ever have the opportunity to do so.

Please click on the title for some photos of the evening.

Thursday, November 5, 2009

Yoga?

While I may own more Lulu Lemon Yoga attire than any one person needs I must admit I have never really gotten into doing yoga. (The clothes are good for much more than just yoga - I occasionally try to get away with wearing my lulu pants to the office!) I dabbled with classes when I lived in Australia, did some sweaty yoga in Toronto and followed a video in Kenya.

After traveling to Fort Portal last month with Els, Angela and Alison and listening to them talk about how great their yoga class was I began to contemplate trying it again. After the past three months of trying to maximize my overpriced gym membership, I was feeling somewhat in shape and figured Yoga would be a breeze. So earlier this week I suggested to the ladies that I would come to the Wednesday class and that after we could sort out dresses for the Marine Ball. Clearly I was thinking that it would be a walk in the park and we would not be at all sweaty.

The class started at 6pm and is on the opposite side of town. Lucky for me I was able to get a ride with Elly - Alison's driver. Shortly before it started I began to get a bit nervous....what if I couldn't do any of the poses? Would it be hot? Should I wear my lulu headband...or would that be taking it too far? Helle, the instructor, started the class by having us all blow our noses as we would be working on nasal breathing - my doubt about yoga really began to kick in...

BUT then the class started - the breathing actually felt good! After some time focussed on breathing we began a number of different movements. It was not at all easy and wow was it hot. I almost felt like it could be sweaty yoga. The class ended with meditation and then lying back on the ground. As we all lay there, Helle went around and covered us with blankets and put a beanbag-type thing across our eyes - pure relaxation. I am not sure how long I lay there but it was amazing.

So the lesson of the day - Yoga is not easy, it is a work out and you feel great after it!

After the class we headed to Alison's, had a great dinner and sorted out dresses for the Marine Ball!

Monday, November 2, 2009

sights and sounds

I find that there are many interesting sights and sounds everyday in Kampala - some lead to excitement and astonishment and others lead me to be a bit cranky.

We shall start with the cranky:
  • the open air church near my house that begins blaring music (does not all seem to be 'church music') at 7am every Sunday morning and does not stop until 7pm!!! It is so loud that watching a movie on my computer at full volume does not block it out.
  • the children that come beg next to the car when you are stopped in traffic. I find this especially disturbing when it is 11pm at night at the children are no more than 8.
  • dogs and roosters - there are a number of dogs and wild roosters near my building and the noise, especially from the dogs late at night, can grate on my nerves.
Excitement / Astonishment:
  • the Porshe Cayenne that just passed me on my very bumpy, very dusty road (this was more astonishment than excitement)
  • the children that get excited every morning when I walk passed them - I would have thought that after 3 months the thrill of seeing a Mzungu would wear off....but it keeps me smiling
  • finding broccoli at the grocery store that isn't too 'bendy' or too expensive!! (I have also found asparagus but at around $10 a bundle I decided I couldn't justify the purchase)
Overall the good outweighs the annoyances at least 10 - 1:)

Other exciting news was seeing the final deck on a strategy that I worked on in Toronto. A lot has been accomplished in the three months that I have been here and it is a final product that I think all involved can be proud of.

Halloween Kampala-style was a blast - I went to a US Embassy party dressed as Lara Croft and then to one of the more typical ex-pat bars that was having a celebration. This week will be quiet - 4 of the 7 people in my office are traveling - but there will be a lot of coordination work for me to get done. Coming up this weekend is the US Marine Ball!!