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!

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!!

cold front...

As the temperature drops in Toronto, I am sure there will be no sympathy for me with this post....

I have been telling anyone and everyone how perfect the weather is Kampala. For the past three months it really has been, but then there was a change at the end of last week. It was brutally humid for a few days, followed my the most incredible thunderstorm I have ever heard (at one point at around 5am the thunder lasted for a full 60 seconds!!), and now it is cold. Now not so cold that I need a coat, but cold enough for me to wear shoes to the office instead of my birks!! I expect that within a few days, hopefully in time for Halloween, the weather will return to perfection.

milestones

This week brings along two milestones:

• I have had my new left ACL for 6 months now (the right one is +8 months old)!! If I was home that would potentially mean return to sport (not rugby....don't worry) but here in Kampala the routine will stay the same - no organized sport, just working out at the Kabira Club
• I have now been in Kampala for 3 months!! It is really incredible how time flies.

This past week was a busy one - Finance Training, many of the RTP country Finance Officers and a team from Toronto came to Kampala. It was great to meet people from all of our different regions. In the training I was able to realize how much I have actually learned since arriving here. We also had a pair of Queen's Exec MBAs that are doing a project on corporate fundraising. I was lucky to get to participate in two field visits with the groups. Every time I go and play with the children and am struck by the power of the games that we use.

I made my first trip to the Friday Market last week - I may have gone a bit overboard on my purchases of necklaces....they will be sent home, along with some other odds and ends for Christmas:) Again - it is amazing how time flies - only 7 weeks until my Southern Africa Adventure!! So much work to be done between now and then.

Fort Portal & Lulu Addiction Discovered

Friday October 9 was Uganda Independence Day – I took advantage of the long weekend and headed to Fort Portal, in Western Uganda, with Alison, Angela and Els for a girls weekend. The 3 – 4 hour drive for Fort Portal was along good roads passing through a number of small towns. We arrived in town in time for a late lunch of possibly the most unique pizza I have ever had. We thing they must have used Chiapati for the base. After another 45 minutes of dirt road driving we arrive at Kitojo Guest House – our home for the weekend. We were the only guests (this seems to be a theme for me). The hotel is a series of self-contained bandas with stunning views of the countryside and Rwenzori Mountains.

Saturday we set out for our hike to find the Crater Lakes. We set out from the hotel with only a vague idea of where to go. We walked through farmland and back roads in search of the lakes. Along the way we would often hear "Mzungu...how are youuuu" from people we could not see working in the fields. We decided to head towards Ndali Lodge (the fancy expensive accomodation) as we could see it on the map and people along the way could give us some direction. When we came across to crater lakes we were able to determine where we were. It was also time for a swim!! We headed down the steep path and into the lake. We ended up with a number of spectators - children gathering water, men hiding in bushes and 2 cows that came running down the path, giving us a bit of a fright! Once refreshed we continued on our way. At Ndali we booked dinner (only 35,000UGX, less than $20 for a 3 course meal) and then started the trek back to our hotel. We had told them we would be ready for lunch at 2pm. We had walked further than we thought and realized that we would not make it back in time. Just before 2 we started to look for bodas and eventually someone sent 2 our way. Angela and Els - boda experts hopped on together and off they went. Alison hopped on behind me and we followed on a bit of an awkward ride - I was sitting on a metal bar and Alison, being a little nervous on her only her second boda was reaching around me to hold onto the driver for security! We made it in one piece back to the hotel for a delicious lunch. The afternoon was spent on another game and then we headed to Ndali. The dinner was quite nice.

Sunday morning we were very lucky to see the snow-covered peaks of the Rwenzori Mountains, usually covered in clouds. After breakfast we took our packed lunches and started the journey back to Kampala. While there was not much traffic on the way as soon as we hit Kampala the gridlock set in. After dropping Els and Angela off, Alison drove me to pick up some groceries and we found Tofu!! I actually found this exciting and ended up making a great veggie stir fry. Slowly but surely my cooking (if stir fry and fried rice are considered cooking) is improving.

It was a great weekend. The girls, who did not know much about lulu lemon, discovered my addiction when I spent most of the weekend decked out entirely in lulu. Funny - it was not planned - I really just own a lot of it....perhaps too much...is that possible?

Click on the post title to see pictures from our Fort Portal adventure.

Sipi Falls

Click the title for pictures of my quick visit to Sipi Falls.

Sironka Photos

Here are some pictures from the training I did (click on the title).

Unfortunately none of me on the back of the boda!!!