Random thoughts

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Africa time..
We have begun to realize the differences in the cultures. First noticeable difference is what they call Africa Time. Basically time hardly exists here,people walk almost everywhere and take their time. If your to meet someone at 4 they will begin to show up at 5 maybe 6 and at is completely normal. For us it's so different because we are used to drive throughs and I being late is one of mine and Sams biggest pet peeves. We find ourself hundreds of meters ahead of the group who are walking at African pace. It is going to take some time to adjust hah. Weather.The weather is quite random. One minute its super hot, the next it's thunder storming and then back to sunny. We like the weather because unlike other areas in Uganda it cools off here and makes no air conditioning way better.mornings are hot and Ron comes every day around 2-3pm so it's important not to get caught in it.Things you see Certain things such as chickens, cows and goats freely roaming the streets, soccer pitches and basically everywhere make for hilarious walks with Sam loving the baby chicks, baby goats but, as we all know, deathly fearing any large bird or rooster/chicken within a meter of her.Huge slabs of pork caracas hanging in very real butcher shops called "pork joints" on the side of the street, and boda drivers wearing full toque, scarf, and winter jacket when it's plus 15 outside and we are in shorts!Hahbirds varying from exotic colored small birds to huge pelican like ones with 5 foot wingspans.The other day we were leaving on a boda for lunch. The driver decided to drive very close to us and came right over a small path about the size of a motorcycle tire between two puddles. Sam and I got on and as most things tend to happen to us, his front tire made it across, but back tire slid out and resulted in a very slow dramatic fall into the puddle. Sam managed to escape full of mud and an elbow to the face as a result of the driver. The bike fell into the mud and the throttle was making the tire spin. I escaped witha small scrape and a pair of shorts covered in mud. After we cleaned up we tried our luck again on his boda cause we felt bad for him breaking his review mirror. After we got to our destination the guy tried ripping us off! Sam gave the poor guy a piece of her mind and said to him that he hurt her. He was super scared and quickly gave back the remaining change. It was funny. Seeing how scared the poor guy got.A different morning we woke up to a large amount of what one volunteer thought was fire works. Turns out the police rained in on the local people's car washing spot they were using by a stream in town with rubber bullets and tear gas! The locals wouldn't leave and didn't think setting up shop on private property and not paying rent mattered! I saved a rubber bullet for the memory! HahaAnother day we exited out of a restaurant where I enjoyed local cuisine at 1.15 with drink to see a deceased chicken being held by a lady! We had to take a large detour and I had to glare at the locals laughing at my Sam who was a bit scared!FoodMatoke- banana boiled which tastes a lot like potatoesSweet potatoPotatoBeansPea sauceSpaghettiRiceFresh avocado or guacamole fresh from our avocado tree in the back,BreadG-nut sauce- made from nuts, grey in color very good.Fresh pineapple,banana and vegetables which are so fresh and tasty Chapatti- tortilla like thingAnd my favorite a street eat stand that serves chapatti and egg rolled together called a Rolex! Definitely no shortage of starch!! LaundryWith no washing machines or dryers we are buying hand washing powder and doing it the ol fashioned way. Cleaning underwear, I'll admit, has made me very much appreciate washing machines and the easiness of laundry.Our caretaker Florance is a ugandan woman who lives with us full time and cooks cleans and will also do laundry for a small price. After one day of laundry I needed help, I only had like 10 items done in a few hours hah so she helped with a lot but of course won't do underwear. Sam and I will need to figure something out in that area.. LolAfter 4 weeks now we are laundry experts haha Transportation Matatu- small Volkswagen like vans that are super crowded and in terrible shape very cheap like 40 cents a ride but back home would be condemned cars, the lumina would be luxury here hahaBoda boda- motor cycles whose price is bargained. Usually about a dollar to get from one end of the city to the other. I estimated about 50-70 dollars Canadian for my five months to get around! Very cheap yet you need to be careful at night as most will have a few drinks! We pick the guys with helmets And make them go real slow!Walk- everyone walks but you need to be super careful as the matatu and bodas fly down the narrow streets and comeso close to rocking you ! Sam needs full hockey equipment to walk! Our local lady is always laughing at the near misses we have w the crazy drivers. RestaurantsSam and I's favorite thing is clearly eating out together. The huge plus about living here is for Sam and I to eat out with appetizers and beer and meal comes to about 17.00 Canadian. We take our time away together regularly to get away and especially eat things we love. The food at our house has begun to get a bit repetitive and we are finding leftovers from lunch as dishes at supper kinda like a Chinese food Buffett. Our local restaurants include a pizza place called Glue Pot which is very good, Garden's which is a very cool place with a huge patio (great for afternoons or nice evenings) Mountains of the Moon Hotel which is a nice hotel that has wifi, comfy chairs and great food. It's our usual weekend hang out. The last few days I've left with a few other guys and explored the local cuisine. So far I've tried molokonya ( cow hoof soup) byenda (cow intestines) goat tail, and have yet to try the gizzard and goat ribs. Sam sticks with pasta and pizza with no cheese, boy is she missing out!

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