Chillin in Mbarara

So i am still in Mbarara. The biggest town/city about two hours from Rubingo (home). I was supposed to go back after the off with everyone but seeings how i was really not feeling hot i stayed. I am feeling better now. Thank you all for your prayers... As soon as i notified you all I was on the up swing. I got my hair in braid yesterday. Took 6 girls about 4 hours and a ton of pain. I almost cried, and had to pinch myself as hard as i could to defer the pain. Its awesome, really stiff right now, but loosening up. I saw Kristy Fornwald the day before yesterday. We went out for some curry (well i watched her eat cause i had eaten). Walked around and talked about as much stuff as we could in what little time we had. It was so nice to see a familiar face. I also bought some fabric and took it to a seamstress to get an african dress made. Custom design and lined for about 25 dollars.... so cheap. Oh and my hair was around 12 dollars. Yesterday morning I had a meeting with a woman from TASO who is doing memory work in Mbarara. Went really well. Showed some examlples and i got a guide line now as to how to go about mine. I am very grateful for that because i was feel quite lost as to how to go about it. I did alot of research for it before i feft, and there was lots of info about memory work, how to initiate it, how to sustain it, but nothing really on the memory book itself and its exact contents. So I have a book that is in Runyankore (the local lanuguage i have been learning) and a translated version on my jump drive that i will write down.
So maybe i will give you a little play by play about how my days are in Rubingo. We are governerned around a bell that calls us to the dinning room. (an open one room shed type deal with a wooden table and plastic chairs) I will try to get more pictures to you of our living accomodations by the way. Breakfast is at 7 which usually consists of chai (hot milk with a mild tea masala spice flavor) a table spoon of sugar later and all is well. Sometimes we have pinapple, or chapati (delicious greasy flat bread that i roll up with sugar and cinnimon) or once we had this porridge stuff that is made off soggy Posho. Posho we have at dinner sometimes and its basically white sponge texture, no flavor or nutritional value. So then we have free time untill around 9 really, unless there is somewhere far to go. I usually do my back exercises before breakfast, and then i will read in the free time, or get dressed and brush my teeth if i havnt yet done that. Its hard to get up early i find, because it doesnt get light untill 7 on the dot pretty much and i only have two tiny candles. So maybe i will by a small oil lamp for my tent, they are only $5,000 Ugs or about $3.12. So lunch is not untill 1 pm, so granola bars and snackys REALLY come in handy. Lunch and dinner are basically the same, a few variables, one, dinner being at 7pm. So for that there is firstly there is posho (the above mentions white sponge) or matooke. Matooke is a green banana that they wrap in leaves and steam. I really dont mind it, its kind of a bitter taste, but it sits in your stomach like a brick. the Ugandans LOVE it. Again, no nutrtional value. Next on the menu there is rice, sometimes the huge pot has one tomatoe cut up in it, or one carrot. Then there is BEANS!!! Usually it is beans, kidney or lentil, we have twice had meat. Charbroiled goat when we first arrived, and then "goat stew" aka boiled goat with the stomach all nicely chopped up in there aswell. I do not eat the stomach. I am sorry but the sight of it alone makes me gag. So lastly on the menu there is boiled cabbage, which i love, greens (maybe a spinich type green leaf thing), or Gnut sauce (same as a bland pinky, purple peanut sauce)

I wrote the above yesterday, and thankfully saved a draft because the generator ran out of fuel. You just never know when the whole system will shut down.

I think this will be my last post for a while, as we are heading back to Rubingo this afternoon. Perez will come and drop off Laura and Graeme, and take Katie, Tanessa and I back to camp. Im think i maybe ready to head back to the "bush" Its so hectic in the city and im a low key girl. I like the the "city" mind you, dont get me wrong, flushing toilets are my friend.

So i bid you farewell my friends. I brought some more pictures to upload, but the connection is just pityful. I will try some other way, but i cant promise.

Talk to you soon.