Things I have noticed about Uganda...

There are some funny things you realise about a country when you live here, but you usually forget to tell people when you get home. These are some of the things we have noticed about Uganda...

- Nothing is useless. In fact everything has about 10 uses and therefore very little is thrown away. Rotten food is fed to the banana trees. Old plastic bottles are very useful for washing your hair. And even old carrier bags make good containers for storing food...
- A bowl of water is amazingly precious. We have discovered that the same water can be used to first wash your hair, then yourself, then your underwear, then your shoes, and finally to flush the porcelain toilets they had installed especially for white visitors!
- I am a mzungu. And there is simply no one who is going to let me forget it! the children still aren't used to me walking past every morning and still shout "bye mzungu!" a million times on the way to and from school. Sweet, but can get a little tiring!
- Doing business in public is like an auction. The Ugandans hail a taxi with the slightest nod of the head, and refuse a boda boda (motorcycle taxi) by simply just blinking at them I think. Its so hard to remember to do the right thing!
- flip flops are the only practical shoes.
- Matoke is actually nice! Florence grows hers in the garden and it is steamed over a charcoal fire for about 2 hours and then mashed so it becomes a bit like mashed parsnip but a bit more bland.
- There are no such things as road signs, road markings, or a highway code. Each man for himself and go!
- People think we are funny because we walk along the road fairly quickly, compared to the average Ugandan who even if he is really late for something, will stroll along as if he is trying to fill the time! Apparently someone saw us and said 'look at that woman, who is chasing her?!'
- It's rude to walk and eat at the same time. You must take time about your food and if you should finish before your host, you have no choice but to help yourself to another plateful of food! We are learning to eat slowly.
- 9am generally can be translated as 12 or even 3pm. Especially with Emmanuel!

I will think of some more another time...!