Sarah: Big Year

Merry Christmas! Happy New Year!

I took an unintentional leave of absence from the blog for the holidays I guess. It certainly wasn't planned, but I'm glad it happened. It was nice to just take a break and focus on on the holidays, my husband, & our families. 

For both Christmas & New Years Eve, we just chilled out at home. Everything was low-key, lovely, & perfect.

2011 was a big year:

I made a commitment to take care of my body & followed through on it//I finished up my degree & graduated college//I helped Kels pack up her stuff & move to Uganda//I ran my first 5k//I watched as my sister gave birth to my first niece, Luisa//My husband lost his job & we made a really big decision//Frank & I traveled to Uganda & I met my in-laws for the first time! And I love them//I saw the source of the Nile//My womb was blessed by one of my husband's aunties//We packed up our cars & moved across the country//We almost moved into our cars while living in San Diego//I became an official Californian//I had a big personal revelation//I got new glasses//Kelsey & Denis came to the US//Kels & Deno got engaged//

I think 2012 is going to be an even bigger year. Bring it on.

Sarah: Oldies but Goodies

Look what I came across today! These pictures of Kels & I were taken by my good friend Margaret. She took them for her photography class my junior year (so about 3 years ago--wow! three years?! time flies...).

Look at Gordon! That picture captures him so well as a kitten who was incredibly playful, curious, & loved water. These photos were taken during the 9 month period Kels & I lived together & shared a room. Really, where our friendship was cemented. This is where we first got Gordon, battled a crazy roommate, & discovered our kindred spirits. As you can see, things have changed since then. Kels went to Uganda that January (and met Denis & is now engaged!), I got engaged that March & married in August, we both graduated college, Kels moved short/long term to UG, I moved to San Diego...I'm thankful to have these photos to look back & remember these times. Thanks, Marge.

Oh! By the way, Happy December! I love this time of year. I've been listening to Christmas music nonstop : )

Kelsey: Say it with me now

Engwa eri wa?

Where is the pidgin?

If I have to learn Luganda then we are all going to learn it. Its best to learn a foreign language one useful phrase at a time. This way if any of us is ever lost is Uganda we can at least get some pidgin to eat.

And this pidgin is in Colorado with us because we are on a road trip!

Sarah: Fear & Loathing

image from here

This is the scariest animal alive. A couple years ago, I ran across a photo of this disgusting thing, also called a pangolin, in National Geographic and I googled it. And I immediately regretted it. I have never had such a powerful physical reaction to an animal before. When I saw it, I became nauseous. I mean, aren't you nauseated by the sight of it's creepiness?

image from here

image from here

When I started researching it, I discovered that it's the cousin to armadillos. Which, I also find gross (not as gross as these bad boys, though). Their scales are rock hard--creating a super strong defense against predators. While I was reading up on pangolins, I thought to myself, "As long as they don't live near me, it doesn't matter." Guess what. They're native to Uganda. What. the. heck.

Ancient people groups made armor out of them.
image from here

image from here

Even now when I see them, I get shaky and kind of start to panic. Denis agrees with me. He told me once that I should get a BIG stick and hit it. Kelsey thinks they're cute. I suspect she only said it because of her love of arguing. One of Kelsey's FAVORITE stories to tell me is how her friend Becky told her how rocks last a super long time. Kelsey decided it would be fun to rile Becky up by arguing that plants last longer. Apparently, it was a heated argument--that should not have happened! Only because Kelsey loves to argue.

Back to the point: pangolins. They are the only animal I fear. Some people fear snakes or spiders--animals that can actually harm you. Not me. I pick the seemingly harmless ant eater.

image from here

They are gross. They are vile. They make me want to cry.  And if you don't feel the same, you will after this video:

Read more about these nasty little creatures, here.

Kelsey: Restaurant Reviews Kampala

The tourist information about Uganda available on the web is sort of lacking. Uganda is a huge place for European tourists. Tons of people come here for safaris, sight seeing, and adventure tourism (bungee jumping, white water rafting and such). There is one guide book written about Uganda, its fine. I think it is bland. I like reading people's blog posts about places they have visited. They are much more exciting and usually more helpful.

So this is my incredibly selfless gesture for all the many Uganda tourists reading this blog. Some restaurant reviews.


I <3 New York Pizza Kitchen

That is literally the name of this wonderful hidden gem. This is the perfect restaurant for the long time traveller in Uganda. The person who has been on an adventure in the village and who has eaten more matoke than any one person should. This traveler wants a taste of home! And in my opinion this is the closest you can get.

This place is inside the parking garage of the Garden City shopping mall.

It is like semi classy New York City diner. And the fact that it is in the parking garage kind of adds to the New Yorkness of it. Obviously the most amazing thing about this place is that they have cupcakes. Cupcakes.

They are kind of mediocre. But they are 100 times better than a stale crumbly Ugandan cake. Which is basically your only other option. They are mostly just very pretty to look at. That is good enough for me!

These are the bagel chips and dip that they bring for free while you wait for your food. This automatically makes this my perfect place in Kampala. They make bagels! I know how not exciting a bagel sounds to everyone in America. But it is a big deal here.

I ordered a bagel BLT which came with delicious coleslaw.

Sandwich stealer.

Sar and Frank like it too.

The funniest thing about eating in any restaurant in Uganda is the 100% lack of customer service. The waiter will act like you are a huge burden to them and they are very annoyed that you chose to come to their restaurant today. Shop owners do that too. They will move extremely slow and sort of roll their eyes like, why are you here? It cracks me up.

This place had a really creepy waiter who would linger at the table. He asked a few questions and then started pointing to his ring finger and he was like, eh? eh?

But other than him it is a great place. I recommend the pizza, the red velvet pancakes, and the bagels! If this place weren't 3 hours away I am sure we would eat there often.

Kelsey: The Lord's Resistance Army

I hate to post negative things about Uganda. I mean I love to complain about the mosquitos and the oily food. But I don't like to share sad things. I feel like a lot of what we in America see about Africa is sad news. In the media it is portrayed as though Africa is a desperate. sad, war torn, cruel, poverty stricken continent. And it does have all of these things. But more than those things there is life and joy, hard work and community, strong bonds and pride in their nation. There is perfect weather and gorgeous land and very happy welcoming people. I hope that comes through when I write about Africa.

But today I feel like I have to share about some of the sad things.

I was on CNN's website today and I saw a story about a woman from Northern Uganda who had a message for Rush Limbaugh. Recently Obama decided to send 100 troops to Central African Republic to help put an end to the terrorist group the Lord's Resistance Army. The LRA has been terrorizing the Acholi tribe in Northern Uganda for 26 years. Denis' family is Acholi and they moved to the South to Jinja basically to flee the LRA. Families who had more money were bigger targets. Denis has crazy stories about visiting the village and having to run from the LRA when he was a kid.

Apparently Rush Limbaugh is under the impression that the LRA is a Christian group who is fighting against oppressive Muslims. I have no idea where he got that. The LRA are not Christian and Uganda actually is Christian, not Muslim. Anyway Limbaugh criticized Obama for sending troops and said we should be on the side of the LRA. We should be on the side of the terrorist group who captures children and forces them to kill their families and friends, who rapes young girls and kidnaps them into sex slavery, who cut off people ears and nose and mouth. Yes. We should definitely be on their side. They forced an entire tribe of people, hundreds of thousands, to flee their homes and live in IDP camps. The Acholi were refugees in their own country. But we should support the army because they have the word "Lord" in their title.

Disgusting.

I dont know if this is really getting press in America. I found this article about the story. Definitely worth reading. People in the media should be held accountable for the crap that spews out of their mouths in the 24/7 news cycle. America ignored the war in Northern Uganda for over 20 years. Now we support the terrorists?

Pray for the people of the Acholi tribe today.

Kelsey: Little Racists

When Denis was a kid his favorite movie was Rambo. Apparently he was obsessed and he would watch it over and over. The other day he told me that until he was like 6 years old he thought that every white man he saw was Sylvester Stallone.

This kind of makes me wonder what kind of white guys were hanging out in Jinja in the late 80's? I mean I know all white people look the same but come on, this guy?

But funny story, until I was 5 I lived in New Jersey and there was a really sweet black man who lived across the street from us. I am sure I must have interacted with other black people but for some reason I really thought this man was Gordon from Sesame Street. I mean I referred to him as Gordon. I assumed he went to Sesame Street everyday and then came home and slept in his home on my street. The man looked nothing like Gordon, nor were they even close to the same age. But they were both black...

So in conclusion Denis and Kelsey both super racist as little kids. 

Elmo should have taught us better.

Kelsey: A week in phone pics

Its been stormy in Uganda. Storms means no one leaves the house. Patients don't go to the hospital (hence I don't go to the hospital). Kids don't go to school. People wait until the rain stops to go into work. Markets close and basically Uganda closes. Its a little bit extreme. I also find that most people fall asleep. Its a nice excuse to stay home and play 'cards' the one Ugandan game played with cards.

This woman is leaning on her gun and texting. I think we could be good friends.

Denis and I tested ourselves for malaria.

Malaria free since 93. If only. (anyone get that HIMYM reference? eh?)

But seriously jabbing yourself with a needle turns out to be way more painful than stabbing someone else with a needle. I had gotten so used to sticking people that I sort of forgot it hurt...

The market is moving. The entire Jinja market has packed up and moved. Jinja being the second largest cit in Uganda. Its whole market moved. Its so strange.

Denis is annoyed. Either because the market has moved or because I stabbed him with a needle.

Gladys and I frequently chill in town when everyone else leaves us home alone. Gladys eats her fries with a fork, she is fancy.

I really like this painting but I think its maybe too bright. But also I want it. Is it too bright? Do I have too many bright things?

One of the sinks at the hospital. Out of water like 50% of the time. The other day we put off work for two hours because there was no water for cleaning the infant's legs before we immunize them.

This little girl was freaking out while her mother was getting an IUD implanted. I was trying to calm her down and simultaneously learn how to do an IUD. I thought taking her picture and showing it to her would help but she just screamed more. I guess white lady with small electronic device that steals her image is not calming. Strange.

Curry powders. I love market pictures. I also love curry.

Small fish. These are evil. They are dried minnows, I think. People eat them with ground up peanuts. Basically the perfect way to ruin peanut butter. They smell like death and depression.

As opposed to cow stomach which smells delightful. The flies are included.

Looks like coral but is actually cow intestine. I think. I might have that switched maybe the one above is of cow intestine and this one is cow stomach. The guy tried to explain it to me but then he touched it. He touched the insides of a cow. And then I screamed and ran away.

Chapatti balls just waiting to be rolled and fried and turned into Rolex. The most delicious street food delicacy of Uganda is the rolex. Fried eggs with fried veggies wrapped in fried bread.

Chapatti man, provider of delicious foods. I love him.

Kelsey: America

I have been in Africa for 4 and a half months. This is the amount of time I require of myself before I can miss anything from home or complain about anything in Africa.

What you think I have been complaining during this whole blog? No. I have not. You will see.

I spent a few summers during college in different parts of the world working with short term mission teams. While this was one of the most educational experiences I could possibly have, short term teams can be difficult (annoying). Last summer I was in Haiti for the summer and I had been in Uganda since January with only one week in America between them. My second month into Haiti a short term kid told me that he missed American food so much that when he got home he would drive straight to McDonalds and then immediately to Chipotle. Then that night he would eat at Big Boy and Dairy Queen. Because 6 days without American fast food is basically starvation and torture. The kicker was this team ate American food their entire trip anyways. Plus the family who was hosting them makes some killer amazing everything food. It is literally impossible to miss American food if you are staying with Corrigan. I actually miss Corrigan food when I am back in America. For real.

Denis and I are planning a visit to America for Thanksgiving and Christmas. I am very excited. Christmas in Africa (no snow) is just not the same. I mean they don't have Santa Clause here. My neighbor is named Santa and everyone thinks that is normal... It is not.

These are the top six things I can't wait to experience in America!

1. Infrastructure. I can't wait to drive on roads as smooth as butter. Roads without potholes. Roads that have pavement. Roads that have laws or just some semblance of rules. Soon I will be riding in a car and I will not be wondering the entire time if this will be the car ride that kills me. Even more important than roads, running water. Water that comes out of the tap that you can drink! Drinking water delivered right to your home! Electricity that never goes away. That means living without the constant anxiety that the power will go off at any moment and stay off for 36 hours. Oh and fast internet! My itunes account has really been missing me.

2. Autumn and the beginning of winter. The end of winter is the worst. I want snow until mid January and then I want Spring. We could completely get rid of February and March if it were up to me. It feels strange to be here and not have the weather change even the slightest bit. We are literally on the equator and the weather is exactly the same all year round. Its always June in Uganda. Winter in America means snow, hot drinks, sweaters, socks and all things cozy. I can't remember the last time I wore a sock. Uganda is wide open spaces under a giant sky but not cozy.

3.  Food. Cheese and salad and fish tacos and frozen yogurt. I really love Ugandan rice and beans but more than that I really love love food that is not fried! Everything we eat is fried. The beans, the rice, the vegetables, the bread, the eggs, the potatoes, all fried. Today I ordered a salad in town and it came with french fries. Not as a side dish but mixed into the salad. I have suspected this but it confirms that in Uganda french fries are a vegetable. What kind of a sick place is this? I can't wait to eat grilled chicken, sweet potatoes, ethnic food, breakfast cereals, skim milk, goat cheese, and tons of fresh pico de gallo. Yum.

4. Blending in. I want no one to notice me. That is the dream. Walk down the street and not have anyone look at me. No kids to touch my skin to see if the white rubs off. No creepy men yelling things at me. No one trying to charge me triple because of the color of my skin. No one to yell Mzungu (whitey) and stare. I want to be invisible.

5. No bugs. Mainly no mosquitos. No itching or chances of catching deadly disease from tiny flying insects all around you.

6. Family and friends. Or at least the ones who have not abandoned me for other states! You know who you are California, Colorado, and Michigan. Send my people back. Also D.C. please send Juli Smith, who never lived in IL but I feel like she did and I miss her like crazy. Thanks. But seriously can't wait to see my fam. My parents are sort of horrible at having children who live far away. And by horrible I mean they are awful at picking up the phone and calling their children. My sister and I complain about it all the time. You know those parents who even when you grow up they still want to know what you are doing and who you are with and what time you will be home, even though you dont live with them? Those are the opposite of my parents. My dad is very pragmatic and my mom is very chill. I once asked them if there was anywhere I could go that would make them worry about me (and therefore call me to check in on me). My dad answered, Afghanistan. So if I go to war they will worry and maybe call. But until that happens they will assume everything is peachy.

Speaking of America someone posted this picture on facebook of how America sees the rest of the world (yay ethnocentrism) and it cracked me up. Especially Canada.

See you soon America!

Kelsey: The road to Jinja

I am finally recovered from Sarah's trip to Uganda. As in life has just now gotten back to normal and I am once again a hermit who never leaves my village and therefore never has to spend endless hours on horrible busses with peeing children and pooping chickens and smelly fish. Ugh the bus.

I was on the phone with an American friend the other day and she asked why I never leave Jinja and I told her that I hate traveling. Long pause. She was all um you know you moved to Africa right?

But I think the 48 hours that it takes to get to Africa and the combinations of buses, planes, cars, and motorcycles scares you away from ever traveling again! Its either that or I just don't want to wander too far away from my flush toilet at Denis' house. I really love flush toilets. Really.

So needless to say since Sarah left I have not been back to the big city. Kampala is nice because it has fancy things that we rural people (hill people) can't get, things that are essential for a happy life, like vuvuzelas. Do you remember that horrible sound from the World Cup? Don't you wish you could live with that?

We have very strict vuvuzela zones in this house.

I can't lie though, my favorite part is leaving Kampala. The further you drive away from city the prettier the world becomes. I wish I could make a graph of how my mood grows happier the further we get from the city. But I have not made a graph since sophomore year (of high school). And like everything else I learned in high school I have totally forgotten how to do that.

This hill covered with tea fields is my heaven. I swear I will live on this hill one day. In that clump of trees. In like a really crappy run down house but one with a beautiful bathroom with 3 flush toilets. Also I will have like 5 monkeys and local children will run away from me in fear. Run away from crazy monkey lady!

The best part of the drive is the awesome 'rest stops'. There are designated places along the road where people are allowed to sell food. Like 3 times. Its as if there used to be people all along the entire length of the road and then they rounded them all up and put them in 3 specific spots. That is the only thing that can explain the sheer number of people selling food at these rest stops.

They all wear lab coats that are either blue, maroon or white. (Speaking of white lab coats, last time I was on the bus a guy in a white lab coat came on and tried to sell us some herbal medicine, load of crap, from china. I asked him if he was a doctor and he ignored me and continued his speech. I heckled him, of course, until he admitted he was not a doctor and then he eventually left the bus. A woman patted me on the back. It was a proud day. But I mean aren't there rules about wearing a doctory coat if you are not a doctor? Like not if you are cold and need to get warm so you put on some random coat but if you are selling medicine and basically impersonating a doctor, that is so not allowed.)

It always starts with one and then if they start to lean into the car a million more will rush over and try to beat out that first one.

And then they climb into the car with you. Does anyone have any fanta?

Seriously can I please get an orange flavored beverage?

Oh please come on in. Join us.

For the love of God someone give me a fanta!!!

Denis is unfazed by the ten ugandans who climbed into the car with us. But he is not prepared to share his chicken with them. That is the line.

Word to the wise for any Uganda travelers reading this blog, this roadside chicken is the best chicken in Uganda. The best.