These am I learning...

Lest the excerpts from my journal lead you to think that all my time is spent philosophisizing about my experiences here in Uganda, here are a few more random thoughts and observations...

-Njiga Olugana empola empola. Translated, that reads, I am learning Luganda slowly by slowly. My Maama teases me that I speak in "broken Luganda," and the sweet elderly priest tells me that learning languages is a feminine gift. Slowly by slowly, I am beginning to communicate in the local language. And, my Ugandan English has improved greatly in the last few weeks.

-My favorite mode of transportation is definitely the boda. There is a great sense of freedom in flying down the road... and it is always exhilarating to dodge other vehicles (in Kampala, this is causes more anxiety than exhilaration, at least sometimes), children, and bikes. I'm definitely planning to get my motocycle license when I return to the states.

-I have been learning to wash, cook and "dig" Ugandan style. "Digging" refers to any farming/gardening activities... this week, it has meant tilling the earth of our banana plantation with hoes.

-I can now carry 2 20 Liter jerry cans of water back from the well, one in each hand. Since we have started digging, we often fetch water in the evening. For me, I definitely prefer fetching water during the first hour of morning (around 6:45) rather than the first hour of night (around 6:45). I'd rather walk to the well as the sun is rising than trudge back as full dark is falling.

-School starts Monday. It was supposed to start this week, but the holiday got extended a bit to allow the builders extra time to finish working. I am excited and nervous... definitely something to keep in mind if you feel like praying, encouraging, or writing.

-Speaking of writing... if I post a letter to you, will some of you please keep me some stamps? Trust me, you won't all keep the same ones... it's always a guessing game as to what increments the postal clerk will have when I come :)

-The rainy season has finally begun in southern Uganda, though the rains are still much later and lighter than needed. It rained on Monday, hence the commencement of our digging activities this week. Since then, it has not rained again, though I have my rain coat today because the sky is cloudy and overcast. So, while northern Uganda needs the rains to stop, southern Uganda really needs them to begin.

-Yesterday afternoon, as we were cooking, Maama noticed a blister on one of my toes. I figured I'd bumped it against something and had counted it amongst the bruises, scrapes, and blisters I've been accumulating (remember how graceful I am?). She recognized it as a jigger, a small insect which burrows into the flesh of the feet/toes and lays eggs. Apparently mine had been there long enough to start reproducing, but she dug it out (with a safety pin) before it could spread. I think they're supposed to be pretty itchy after awhile, but mine didn't hurt at all. Thank goodness for a host mom who recognizes what I never would have!

Okay, signing off now and heading down to the taxi park in an attempt to beat the rain... :)