I Have arrived.....take 3

Okay! So this is my thrid attempt at updating my blog from Uganda. The first time was on Monday and I ran out of minutes before the blog actually posted. The 2nd time was today...and I finished the post but experienced an error at posting. Now I am on my third time and have my fingers crossed that it will work!

Alright so I arrived on Monday spent the day at a wonderful day-resort place (forgot the name) where we basically relaxed and got to know one another and our staff. Everyone is soo nice and friendly and by the end of the day we were talking amongst ourselves like we had known each other for months.

This first week has been all about orientation. We have had numerous talks and excursions into the city of Kampala( the capital of Uganda). Even though most of the talks are on serious issues like (safety, health, sexual harrasment, etc.) they have also been very funny since the Ugandan speakers have a great way of turning even the most seriuos of issues into a joke. For example on our lecuture on health... the expert told us about the dangers of a tiny splash coming from the toilets when in use (lol) I don't know if you'll get the joke but take my word....it was funny.

We have also begun to learn basic or survival luganda. Oli otya ssebo How are you sir or Webale thank you sir and just examples. whenever we greet or thank Uganda people with these simple phrases they are delighted and even try to teach us more! Yesterday, my friends and I went to the market (Nakasero) and when we used these phrases all the people were very excited and willing to help us locate the stationery items we were looking for. One ssebo even escorted us to the proper portion of the market.

Yesterday, I also went to a local hotspot with friends, where we listened to music and watched the people dance. They mostly played american and caribbean music but every once in a while a Ugandan song would come on. The phone I bought came equipped with a radio (I know nice right?!!) and so Ive been listending to the music so that I can learn all the most popular songs.

lol, yesterday was a busy day. We also learned who our host families would be. Mine consists of 2 parents and 7 children. My dad is a farmer, my mom a banker, 2 of the kids are over 18, 2 are between 13 and 17, 1 is between 6 and 12 and the last is under 5. My house is going to be hectic!! but I love it! We get to meet them tongiht at a reception. Everyone is really excited about this but everyone (including me) is also feeling a little anxious...we just don't know what we can truly expect.

Oh yea. Uganda is a really pretty country and the grass here is soo green and lush (ive only seen central south Uganda). As with most developing countries the roads are very very hectic and crossing the road is a trial in patience and skill. We had our drop off in the city 2 days ago. Were we walked about the city of Kampala in small groups for 4 hours investinging different issues. My issue was the media (newspapers, televsion, etc.). It was interesting and I think I know much more about the city than I did before.

Anywho, I am almost out of time. But I hope to hear from ya'll. If anyone wants my local number or skype account just aks and ill email it to you. Also if you have any questions about what Uganda is like just ask and I'll answer in a future blog.

tata for now

Cyncha