getting settled

Although I can't take a shower because the water isn't running right
now, I still get free wireless in my room, so here's another update. I
started at Bead for Life yesterday and it's been great so far. I first
met with several women in charge of certain programs and learned about
the organization. Then, I bundled [bundling = sitting around a huge
table of beads, putting pieces of jewelery into groups of ten while
making sure that each piece is of a different color scheme, and
chatting with the other bundlers] for hours. Next week, one of the
women has to take off work, so I'm filling in for her at the bundling
table, yay! Talking with the women was great despite the many strange
questions..."what colors do mzungus (white people) like?" When I said
that I personally like the pink and green beads, the women laughed at
me because "mzungus don't like pink!" Hmm... The women also informed
me that they were going to make a t-shirt saying "Ugandans love
Obama," and needed mzungu color suggestions for that as well. I tried
to convince them that we like the same kind of colors that they do,
but I don't think it worked.
Today I went to a life-skills workshop that Bead for Life hosts for
the women every Friday. I learned how to start a small business and to
make school-chalk. I also took lots of photos.

I take a boda (motorcycle taxi) to and from Bead for Life everyday and
my ride is usually 15-20 minutes. I still haven't gotten used to the
bodas and every time I reach my destination I wobble off debating
whether kissing the ground would be inappropriate. There's a "road
closed" construction sight that my bodas have plowed through each time
I go to and from Bead for Life. The first time it happened, I got off
my boda and insisted on walking, but since then I've learned to just
go with it. Thank god I don't get motion sickness.

I'm slowly adjusting to being here and I think I'm doing okay - I have
a cell phone, groceries in fridge, and of course, free wireless.

flying in

Hi everyone! I'm in my room in Kampala AND CAN ACCESS WIRELESS (...for now anyway). Just wanted to let you all know that I'm here and well. My flight went smoothly except for being proselytized and seated next to a pastor of a 50 person mission trip. At least I was put on a church prayer list.. I can use all the help I can get, right? Almost everyone on my flight was from North Carolina, Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, etc - we Southerners have a big heart for Africa. It was pretty weird.

I made my first Ugandan friends in the Amsterdam airport. I saw a group reading Hebrew and of course approached them after presuming that they were part of the Abayudaya (Jewish Ugandans).We shmoozed for the whole five hour layover. They were musicians coming back from a Jewish music festival in Chicago and we exchanged contact info and discussed everything from Zionism to Jewish vegetarianism. I also have unlimited Shabbat invitations to their houses while I'm here. Anyways, when Kate picked me up from the airport I told her the story and it turns out that the leader of the group I was talking with, J.J., is her "Ugandan father" and she stayed with the whole family during her first time in Uganda. She then preceeded to tell me that the group had been nominated for a grammy and is slightly famous (family - I'm pretty sure we have one of the CDs from the Abayudaya). And I'm friends with them now, how cool! Maybe I'm a little too excited about this, but what a small world!