A Year in Retrospect

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As I sit in the office on my last day of work, I ponder the question, "How many times can one person re-write their resume?" Seriously though, I can't even count the hours that I have spent moving things around, adding a word here or there, bolding, un-bolding and then re-bolding successively. What a nightmare.

As some of you may know, today is my birthday! Wooo. One year older and most likely none the wiser. Birthdays are always a good time to stare out the window glassy-eyed and reflect on one's life and the experiences that have comprised it to this point. And so, as I stare out into the mid-day torrential down pour that is 100% going to have to stop before my outdoor party tonight, I bring you my reflections on Uganda (and by reflections I really just mean some random things I have been thinking about as of late):

1. You know what's crazy? Yogurt in a bag. That's right, Ugandans have taken the whole "milk in a bag" thing one step further and make yogurt in bags (please see attached photo). You know what is even zanier than yogurt in a bag? Drinking that shizznit with a straw! And that, my friends, is exactly what I have been doing for the past 3 months. Drinking yogurt and eating chapatti. Breakfast of champions.

2. Guess what I saw in the supermarket the other day? A peanut butter and mayo combo pack. WHAT? Why would anyone go to the grocery store and think, "Man, I really got to gets me some of that tasty mayo and peanut butter to make into a delicious sandwich." No sir. Very strange indeed. Don't believe me? I have attached a photo.

3. Yesterday I was in a prison talking to the Officer-in-Charge (i.e. the head honcho of the joint, a.k.a. the OC) who with a straight face told us that he thinks the judicial system is a colonialist ploy and that in cases where everyone knows someone is guilty they should just be convicted rather than having to prove it. Awesome. FYI OC, Uganda's laws are written by Ugandans. Also, while there are undoubtedly issues with the current judicial system (inefficiency, back-log, slow processing) something tells me trying by public opinion is not the greatest idea. He also told us that instead of looking through every prisoner's remand warrants we really just needed to look at two in order to target the over-reaching problems that have led to over crowing. Yeah.

4. I went over to my coworkers house after work yesterday to visit. It was a lovely time and we had fresh passion fruit juice which is really just the bomb. We began talking about religion (obvi) and she said something about how while religion can be used for good and can provide people with hope, in particular when faith is based on knowledge, when faith is mixed with ignorance disastrous outcomes can occur. I thought she really hit the nail on the head with that one and is an idea that I often think about.

That's all I've got for now. Not so much a year in retrospect, more like 5 minutes in my twisted brain retrospect.

In the end though, Uganda has been a wonderful experience and I am very sad to be leaving. The people here have such an incredible warmth and the weather was pretty much perfect everyday before the rainy season set in. I got to attend some awesome conferences and training (the ICC Review Conference above and beyond all) and hang out prisoners! Most of all though, I am going to miss recklessly risking my life as I sit on the back of a bodaboda (motorcycle taxi) that is haphazardly negotiating between cars and trucks in bumper to bumper traffic around pots holes the size of small lakes. Ah the days when I was young and free, I can already feel the shackles of old age descending upon me.

Next up: An 18 hour bus ride through Uganda and Kenya to Tanzania and the base of Mount Kilimanjaro, the mountain I will soon dominate (or collapse attempting). FUN!

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Photos

Fresh Cuts!
My fav ad in all of the city. So hilarious.

The Tummy Trimmer
Found this gem at the sporting store in the mall. Originally produced in 1986 perhaps?

Comments

[Hoff]

Oh mylanta... I wish I could have been there for the meeting with the prison warden...