Sorry for just throwing photos at you all last week. Let me offer some explanation. First of all, they aren’t all in order. The photos where we look like we are cold and in Europe… is Belgium on our 3 day layover. The rest are in Uganda, from various locations. I don’t have the photos in front of me at the moment, but I will do my best, just try to follow the path my brain is on because this is just going to be a ramble about the photos, you will have to match the info to the image on your own….
Most of them are from training. We spent the first few days we were in between Entebe and Kampala. That’s where I was cutting the Asian looking girl (Shari’s) hair. The long building that looks like a big picnic shelter, and really isn’t a hell of a lot more than that (there is a big tree on the right), that is were we received a lot of our talks during training. I think that photo was from our first big rain when the wet began. It is also the same day that we say the rainbow around the sun. Typically you get a ring around the moon before you get snow because of ice crystals in the upper atmosphere. Well, we got a ring around the sun and a huge rain storm with hail the size of small marbles.
Photos were it looks like we are at a bar with plastic furniture and a pool table (not sure if you can see it in the photos), is Classic View, a bar in Luweero where we would often go after a day of training for a beer or two. There were two other bars we’d go to as well, but their names escape me at the moment.
Where I am dressed up like pure Texas, was on homestay thankyou day. We did the electric slide for a couple hundred Ugandans in Luweero. Each family was allowed to bring up to four people and most did, and there were 56 of us, 52 families (x4…at least), plus trainers, and other official PC people around, so it was a big crowd. Several Ugandans thought I looked very smart (well dressed) that day. I have no idea what gave them that idea. I was under the impression I was meant to be in a skirt. In the pic with the big guy with the shaved head and the tall black girl—that’s Brock, who used to play pro ball some time back, and LaVera….they are the Real Texas.
The pictures with the zebra and impala are from Lake Mboro National Park. We don’t have either of those animals here. Most of the other wild beasties are from here at Murchison. (The bat I am holding was from training and was dead. However, I have had to catch two smaller bats since I have been at site. But please don’t worry; I know how to hold them so I don’t get bitten.) Almost all the bugs are ones that flew into the screened-in back porch at my house. Typically I have plenty of time to harass these creatures.
If it looks like a river, it’s the Nile. It cuts the park in half and gives me thrills when I cross on our shotty ferry. Who knows, one day instead of going across I may end up in Lake Albert! It’s happened before that the engine has failed and the ferry has drifted down river, although, not as far as the lake. At least I can swim if I have to! Lots of people here don’t know how to swim. I just worry about the hippos, buffalo, and crocks! (And the microbes that will make you sick!)
There is a pic of some meat and potatoes… that is goat. It was the first meal that I got to cook meat for myself in about two month’s time. The meat here is pretty tough and am giving strong consideration to giving up red meat for a while and sticking to fish… at least until I can get a meat grinder. At this stage it’s not a priority.
