It's grasshopper season!

The past week has been a big realization of how comfortable I have become with the uncomfortable. Yesterday, I was making the trek through Mukono town to visit the Kagolo’s for the night, and I was suddenly hit by the fact that everything around me that had once felt so intriguing, exciting, and surreal is now just ‘normal’—things I am surrounded by on a daily basis. Ironically, this realization came to me when I was watching a boda-boda driver (motorcyle taxi driver) strap a live goat around his waist and drive off down the road. Pretty much anything can be carried on a boda-boda: so far I have seen multiple people, doors, chickens, goats, tvs, refrigerators, spare tires, matoke, bags of flour, and more…. It’s amazing how innovative you can be when there are no rules of the road.

Because my eyes have been re-opened to the wonders of Uganda, I am once again noticing all of the little details around me. Here are some more observations I have had in the past few weeks:

-         -November is grasshopper season. Literally, November 1^st hit and these HUGE green grasshoppers came out of nowhere. They are on doors, in the shower with me and all over the walls. Because it is grasshopper season, this means that it is grasshopper-cooking season. I went into Kampala today and vendors were selling large buckets of them left and right. Thought I would try one for myself...not too bad, kind of fishy…..

-       - It is also mango season. Much better than grasshopper season. Last weekend I went to a place called Ssese, an island on Lake Victoria, and hiked around all day eating fresh mangos picked straight from the trees. Apparently Museveni, the president of Uganda, will be on Ssese this weekend… I was one week off!!!

-       - Obama is insanely popular in Africa. I would go as far to say that he is obsessed over. Here are some examples of his popularity: kids are named after him, restaurants are named after him, salons (which they call saloons) are named after him, there is paraphernalia of him everywhere (ie obama sandals, pants, bags, wallets, necklaces, you name it), and every African I meet asks me if I voted for Obama. I’m pretty sure they know nothing about him, except that he is African. He might as well be the Ugandan president. If anyone wants some Obama gifts, let me know :-D

-       - Getting into a mutatu (taxi) can be a painful event. Today I literally was moshed in a mad rush to get into one of the few available taxis (this was after waiting for an empty one for about 1.5 hrs).

-       - Running ten miles around a track can make you really dizzy. MTN Kampala marathon is this weekend!!!!! Please pray for me as I am running in my shoes from four years ago and I haven’t trained on any hills.

-       - Sometimes there are stones in my rice. And when I say stones, I mean stones. May have broken a few teeth from them…

-       - It can actually get cold in Uganda! Ok, maybe just cool. But for the past three days, I have not sweat at all! If I do not sweat before 11am, it is a miracle. I have even been able to comfortably drink warm beverages. Maybe Uganda does have seasons?

-       - Mukono life is much much different than Soroti (rural) life.

-       - I focus too much of my life around time, clocks, calendars, and schedules. I love how Ugandans are able to do things when they happen, eat when its ready, have relaxed conversations, and live in the present. Once again, living in the present is becoming the theme of my time here.

-       - I read and loved the book Compassion by Henri Nouwen.

-       -  Eating dried fish really isn’t all that bad. The fin is probably one of my favorite parts.

-       More to come later!

Happy almost thanksgiving to all!!!! I will be spending turkey day with all of the USP students, staff, and ex-pats on campus at the vice chancellors house. I signed up to make a pumpkin pie with my roommates! And then I heard we may be playing a game of American Football. It is nice to know that sweet potatoes, turkey, and irish potatoes are not difficult to come by in Uganda…

Missing you all dearly! Sorry if I still haven’t gotten any of your letters or packages. And thanks again for those I have received! They are definitely highlights to my weeks!