The Internet Is Finally Working!

Today was a really laid back day. I woke up and went with a small group of people to Green Village Secondary school. They were having a party to celebrate the transitioning of new officers of their Scripture Union. The party was supposed to start at 9 which is when we arrived, but it didn’t actually start until about 11. We just sat around and sang songs and talked to kids until then. The rest of the party consisted of different groups of kids singing songs. We also sang a few songs for them. The singing went on for close to 2 hours, and I needed to get home to work on my paper, so me, Shawna, Colin, and Leah left right before they were about to serve lunch.

Shawna and I rode a boda boda back to the house. I am getting pretty used to those things.

Once we got back to the house we ate some lunch and I worked on my paper for a bit. I also got Tony (a Ugandan and a computer genius) to work on my computer. It’s been acting a little weird lately, so I really hope to stays intact until my project gets finished (yours prayers in this matter would be much appreciated).

After a while, a large group of people went to the craft market, but Kevin and I wanted to wait for Tommy to get back to the house from golfing because we didn’t want to go without him, so we hung out at the house until he got home and then the 3 of us and Ivan and Jovan headed to the craft market.

At the craft market I got a few more presents, a doll for my sponsor girl, and a beautiful photo book of pictures from around Uganda and Kampala. I met the woman who took a few of the pictures, she was super nice and I was really happy that I got it.

After the craft market we went to a sports shop so the boys could get more soccer jerseys. I also got a soccer ball for my sponsor boy. After that we got something to eat at a place called Antonio’s. It wasn’t very good.

Afterwards we came home and watched Beauty and the Beast (my favorite Disney movie). I also did a little work on my paper.

Because today’s entry is so short, I’m including a special surprise for you. A few days ago, my friend Laura sent me a few questions about life in Uganda. The following is her questions and my answers. Enjoy!

Do people have pets like dogs and cats in Africa?

Yes, I think people do. The super market has a small pet supply section, so someone somewhere does, but I have yet to meet anyone personally who does. I'm assuming most of the people we work with can't really afford pets. There are so a lot of stray dogs on the streets. I haven't seen too many stray cats though.

Is there a police department in place to prevent things like the child sacrifices?

There is a police department, but the police department isn't very good. There is also a lot of corruption. One of the Ugandans told me it is really easy to get out of a traffic ticket by just paying the cops 20,000 shillings ($10) or so. There are hardly any police in the villages which is where the child sacrifices occur, so even though they are illegal, there isn't really much the police can do about them.

Sad fact: when they built the new soccer stadium outside of Kampala, a lot of kids went missing around the time they were pouring the foundation. There are probably a lot of children in the foundation of the soccer stadium.

What religion are the child sacrifices from if any?

People involved in witch craft participate in child sacrifices, although the Chinese that moved to Ugandan started the tradition (according to the Ugandans). A lot of people here who are Christian or Muslim also participate in some witch craft. It is a tradition that has been around Africa for centuries and it is hard for some people to let go to their traditions I guess.

On average how many fast food places are there in town?

There are no fast food places that you've heard of here. There are plenty of "Take Aways" which is what they call them here. A lot of restaurants also offer a take away services. You can get almost anything on take away: chicken, french fries (called chips here), Indian food, Ugandan food, pizza. I don't eat from Take Aways that often because there is always food at the house but I have a feeling come the end of July when I am super sick of rice and beans I'll be taking advantage of them more often.

Do any of the children you have seen have HIV, I mean is it like rampant or not so much?

So far, I have only seen one baby at the baby's home who I knew for sure had HIV. There is also a girl on Sponsorship who one of the girls in room went and visited on Friday who has it. But, I'm pretty sure there are more than the ones I know of for sure. "Do you have HIV?" isn't a common question to come up in conversation. But, Uganda is one of the countries in Africa working very hard to reduce their rates of HIV, so that could be some of it.

Have you seen any turtles in Africa?

I have not seen any turtles yet. Turtles aren't very big here.

Let me know if you have any questions and I will do my best to answer them!

Enjoying the Laid Back Day,
Jenna