Mzungu caught in the rain!

Another weekend is coming to a close. The work week finished with the first two days of a three day workshop to complete our NORAD proposal. It was great to meet the country managers from Mozambique and Tanzania, and to learn more about the differences in the RTP programs across countries.

Saturday the weather was amazing - yet I spent most of the day at the office. We reviewed three-year operational plans and were briefed on the recent strategic planning session that the Burundi Ministry of Sport had. After a big team dinner at the Kabira Club I was ready for a night out. All nights seem to end at the Iguana Club, and last night was as entertaining as ever. You really do need to have a sense of humour about things here.

I woke up this morning looking forward to a sunny day and time by the pool only to find a cloud covered sky. By 1130 the sun was peeking through so I grabbed my book and a towel and headed to the pool. It was a good mix of sun and cloud until about 345 when it got quite gloomy out. I decided to try and get home before the rain came. Well, I was not quite quick enough and found myself walking in pouring rain...in a white t-shirt! Luckily I had a solid tank on underneath:) I was the only one walking as everyone else had ducked under shelters - and most of them had a good laugh watching the mzungu caught in the rain, trying not to slip and fall.

so I am a crackberry addict....

Before coming to Uganda I did some research on the major telecoms to ensure that I would be able to get a local service provider for my blackberry. I then spoke to our IT guy to ensure that my BB was unlocked, got permission to take it with me and agreed to pay for my own data plan. Upon arrival I went to get service - and realized that it is not as easy to do as it is at home. There is no such thing as credit card billing and the companies require passport photos, a letter from your employer and a significant deposit if you want post-paid service. (Most people use a pre-paid service and buy scratch cards to add credit to their phone.) I then discovered that my BB was locked! I had a few weeks of panic...that I would have to spend a fortune on a new one...or have to survive without it.

I have since learned that it is quite easy to get it unlocked - you can purchase a code online! Today I went to get my service set up..... it took a visit to the store (a long wait for the driver to return) and then to the head office to get someone that could help me. As it was so late in the day at this point - they were unable to give me my new sim card, but with any luck by tomorrow at this time I will have a Uganda mobile number and data on my BB!!! I am looking forward to being able to text my new friends (everyone lives on sms here) on a full keyboard as opposed to a phone pad!

Some may laugh at my addiction - but as half of my immediate family and many of my friends are also crackberry addicts, it has been a great cheap way to stay in touch! It also provides me email access when the power goes out (which happens more frequently than one might think.)

4 weeks in!

It has been 4-weeks since I left Toronto and I am starting to settle into a routine - gym, work, movies on tv and the occasional night out with new friends. I still need to sort out how to get around when I am not walking or with an RTP driver. I find transport here a little trickier than in Nairobi but I am sure I will figure it out with time.

The first few weeks I was here the weather was perfect but it seems that we have now moved into rainy season which means that today has been spent in my apartment as opposed to being at the pool:( Luckily the rain seems to only last a couple of hours at a time and then the rest of the time the weather is back to being pretty perfect - not too hot but still warm enough to go out in the evening in a tank top and not worry about a sweater!

Work is good. I spent most of last week researching South Africa for background to put in a 3-year operational plan. It is a great learning to try to put it together! Things are about to get very busy with planning meetings and various training sessions over the next few weeks.

I am looking forward to switching apartments next week and getting fully unpacked, finally!

So far no more cockroach sightings....just ants but not too many.

Storm

I am sitting at the office, completely distracted, by the awesome storm outside. I have only seen storms like this a few times in my life and I think my office mates have been amused by my reaction! The trees look like they are blowing perpendicular! I will have to get my flashlight out when I get home so I am prepared for the inevitable power outage.

Good news from Em today - she received her MCAT scores and is very happy with them! All her hard work is paying off.

Birthday Celebrations

In an effort to avoid moping on my birthday I put together a series of events to keep busy.

Friday night I met some new friends for dinner and discovered the horror of Kampala traffic. I had experienced rush hour traffic my first week there, but at that time the bodas (motorbike taxis) were still getting through. Friday night I got stuck in gridlock, cars were turned off and no one was getting anywhere. I was incredibly frustrated and the thought of going home occurred more than one - I did however realize that might take even longer. Luckily I stuck it out and arrived only shortly after the group I meeting. I had an unbelievable steak, cooked just the way I like it, with a variety of sides. Not only was the meal great - but dinner, a bottle of water and 2 beers only cost $12!!!

Saturday kicked off with various birthday greetings - Thank you. Mid-morning I headed to the Kabira Club for a great work out. They have a lot of equipment circa 1995 from Italy, including a row machine that lets you race the computer....I anything involving competition keeps me excited about my workout. After a quick lunch I headed to the new spa that opened near me and had a pedicure. The spa meets all the standards of ones at home at a fraction of the cost. I will definitely be visiting it often. My fellow ex-pat co-workers Rudaba (from Bangladesh), Juliana (from Ghana) and Thomas (from Norway) took me out for a great dinner at a Turkish restaurant - that looks to be a great pub to visit too!

Overall it was a good celebration - while maybe not as memorable as my 30th on Kilimanjaro - it was another East African Celebration which in itself makes it special.

Malaria Free!!

After feeling a little un-well this week my very insistent boss had me go for a malaria test. I went to a lab in a little hospital, they ran some quick tests and for around $7 I was able to return to the office with evidence that I am Malaria free!!

The lesson of this is that when feeling un-well people assume the worst until proven otherwise and the proof is simple to get.

Nothing else too exciting to report. Most of the week has been spent reading 3-year operational plans for the countries in the region - an incredible amount of thought and work goes into the plans and so far they are proving to be a great way for me to learn.

good weekend, unpleasant Monday morning surprise

This morning I had my first Kampala cockroach encounter.... not a pleasant one. The roach came scurrying out of a cupboard in my room. (It was close to the size of my thumb.) I think we both froze when we saw each other. I screamed a little and then sat on my bed staring it down, trying to figure out what to do. I had naively thought that since my apartment is cleaned everyday that I would be spared these moments. When I eventually approached it, with a shoe in hand, it scurried towards my suitcases (that are not completely unpacked yet) so I had to cut it off by spraying it with cleaning spray. It then started up my fan (yes they can climb) and I was finally able to whack it with my shoe. When it hit the ground I sprayed it a little more for good measure and then left it there. I am hoping they will see it and then spray my apartment today! I have my fingers crossed that when I move to the fourth floor at the end of the month, I will have no more critters.

Other than that it was a good weekend. I went out with a friend of a friend on Friday night and then spent yesterday lounging by the pool at the country club.

Thanks to Jules and TJ for being so prompt in posting pictures from the weekend - Congratulations Tara and Ryan!