Day 4 and 5

Day 4

Today was an interesting day of all sorts.  First, I took my first trip to town… driving a stick shift on the left side of the road with motorcycles (“bodas”) rushing everywhere and people walking slowly everywhere you looked.  My co-workers and I had many errands to run, including going across the other side of town for a signature.  We were gone from 11am-5pm. That is a typical day in town, and you will always forget something.  You may know by now that I am a city girl from the States, born and raised in Chicago for 30 years.  In Chicago, the most complicated thing you get is snow and potholes, am I right or am I forgetting something? Although the snow is tricky (didn't Chi just get 8 inches?) it is flat land and everything is paved.  In Western Uganda it is not flat. I would say you are driving hills as much as you are driving flat surfaces. The roads are maybe 20% paved and therefore using the word “potholes” is a pleasant statement, especially after the rains.  The “maram” roads (clay/dirt) are paved once a year, if you are lucky, but there are two rainy seasons in Uganda, since we are on the equator. Little factoid: away from the equator you get one wet and one dry season, like in Zambia. I would really like to get into more detail, but will save it for another time.

Richard, Master Chef!

Second, The electricity went out for the first time since I arrived which is a miracle, just after the sun went down.  It is amazing how differently one moves about in the dark. First you must find your flashlight or candle, then where are the matches? If you are Ugandan you can see when it is pitch back, but not my blue, American, city dweller eyes. I must not have developed enough cones, or is it rods, for seeing anything in the dark.  Now the sun, ah ha! -- that blinds me and gives me headaches, so basically my eyes are worthless.  What I love about the dark it is makes you slow down, it allows you to see the beautiful stars. What I don’t particularly like is when you have a grant due and your computer is not charged. I also don’t like when bugs find the only light in my little universe- my computer screen- and dive-bomb me for hours.

Third, I caught a rat in the next door kitchen!  Let me back up a few hours… Last night I kept waking up to much action over my head, thumping and moving things around/  Then it sounded as if someone kept entering the apartment next door and moving things around there too – but there is no one living, human I mean.  I was so convinced I walked into the apt like a detective, opening doors and moving my flashlight scanning every room. I was convinced I would find someone (I even brought my knife with me! Just in case….)!  I went back to bed hoping it was just rats, but also not looking forward to the fact that they already found me after only 3 days! The sounds continued and were so human like maybe one of the night watchmen was checking it out, or maybe some random person was stealing the bedding in there…. Then I heard noises outside. Plenty of things walking or shuffling about, doors opening. Argh, I couldn’t sleep for at least an hour, and I swear I wasn’t dreaming, but I kept telling myself there was nothing I could do about it, so “just sleep”.   Well, I found two answers today. Yes to rats, and yes to the night watchman! I found a rat under a wicker shelving unit in the kitchen next door this morning, and at the end of the day I showed my coworker the rat (because he didn’t believe me). We decided to wake it up, and then I decided to catch it so that maybe I could get some sleep tonight.  I put a washing basin over it and a gas tank on top.  I’m surprised I didn’t find more than one rat in there. I also decided to put away ALL of my food in buckets, oops I forgot the opened can of popcorn seeds, I better do that now… But it really ruins the fresh veggies, so we’ve got to find another way than tupperware, especially since we will have more food than buckets when the 6 other volunteers arrive after one full day, yikes! Ok, popcorn is put away securely, but I can hear more than one rat on the other side of the wall in the kitchen (which has no food) of the next apt.  You know what? I’m not scared of rats, they are just really inconvenient and surprise you from time to time. And they are friggin smart, however predictable because they will always run to a wall or dark spot first, like under the couch or in a bag, not to mention that rat had not moved from when I saw it this morning, HA!

[A beetle that sounds like a helicopter and looks like a June bug just flew past my nose and landed on my shirt. Luckily it’s not a fast crawler, cause then I might get goosebumps.]

Anyway, about the night watchman, he was outside my window checking out the outdoor kitchen and the latrine, etc. at the time that I heard him out there.  But I still believe that the rats were also active and getting into my rubbish in a box placed right outside the back doors as they traveled from apt door to apt door.  This place was built really rat accessible, if I may say so.  My co-workers asked if I wanted a cat, I said I’m not too fond of house cats, but if it will deter the rats, then I will consider….. as long as it stays mostly outside in the perfect weather!

And finally, as I was going to the latrine with my headlamp, there was a rustling in the leaves near me.  My first thought was DOG, the street dogs have really been active here every night.  But it didn’t seem to be startled by me, and the dogs always run away or are never found that close to you. Then I thought possible snake, but it wasn’t smooth sounding. Then I thought rat or mouse. And guess what? It was a toad!  It was the toad and then looking up at the stars that motivated me to right a “fourth day at work”. And here I am, and here you are. 

…Until next time, thanks again.

tiny kitchen, trying to keep all the fresh stuff away from the rats!

P.S. Tomorrow is another crazy day in town to buy house supplies and food for 7 people. We are not talking all packaged stuff like in the States where there are large fridges with electricity and chemicals to keep the food “fresh”.  No, this is all fresh food without such nasties, that spoils in less than a week. Luckily we will all eat it before that time.  My cook offered to help me out in town, what a nice man, plus he’ll get a free ride to town to run his own errands, that’s a good deal. All the while, 2 carpenters, a specialist in door handles, an electrician and possibly a tank of water will be at the house all day, overseen by Mathew.  It is cram-time now before these volunteers come…which is kinda nice because that mean this house will really be in order from here on out, and things aren’t put off.  Uganda’s work ethic continues to amaze me!

It’s already 9:15pm, where did the time go?

at the farm in my flip flops

Day 5

I am so exhausted.  A good, long day today, started with a jog at 7:30 and it is now 9pm I am still working. Welcome to the life of a [field] manager, right?  My mind is a bit of a haze with everything I stuffed in it today, but one of the highlights was my visit to the Kasiisi Porridge Project Farm and seeing how tall and beautiful the maize/corn grew in 3 months - ready to harvest in a few weeks! Joseph, the Farm Manager sent me home with 5 ears of corn.   By the way, how do you spell an Ear of corn? Am I really that naive to farming? Um, Yes. Even though I want to be a farmer and a botanist some day, starting right now!

Joseph picking the best corn for his "boss" yumm can't wait to eat it!