Do you recycle?

Do you recycle? I mean, really recycle? As I was riding through Kampala the other night, I was taking in all the surroundings. The city is always bustling with people walking, driving, riding bodas, and selling or shopping. This is not typical shopping. There is shopping in traffic, through your car window. Shopping at the many new and used stores on the side of the streets. This particular evening, what interested me, was the plant nurseries along the road. Rows and rows of plants, from very small, to very large. I'm not sure what type of plants, but I imagine there are vegetable plants, flowers, trees, and shrubs. As I was looking at the plants, I noticed what containers the plants were growing in; it was recycled bags. Yellow bags for the larger plants. I am not sure what they contained before, but they had writing on them, and I imagine they were re purposed for the plants. The smaller plants were grown in one liter milk bags, like the one I had mentioned in a previous post. My thoughts went immediately to the number of milk bags that I so casually throw away. Hmm, that won't happen again.

Although there is no formal recycling program here, yet.... I have been attempting to recycle. Mainly because I hate to be wasteful, but also because our trash here gets burned. Not dumped in a landfill, which is bad enough, but burned, often close by our home. It stinks, not to mention what it is probably doing to my lungs. So, I figure the less I throw out, the less I breath in later.

So in attempts to find something to do with my "recyclables", I asked around. I was told to offer it to our staff. The locals here love to get free cardboard boxes. I've heard of one person who donated her moving boxes, and they were used to floor a church. One of my guards requested plastic bottles, like soda bottles, and dish liquid bottles. His wife makes homemade liquid soap, and this gives them a way to package and sell the soap. It makes me happy that my trash can actually help someone earn an income.

When I came to Uganda, I wondered how I would make my mark. What would I do to make a positive impact. And, now I see how Uganda has impacted me. Uganda has made me more aware of the many wonderful things I have available to me, and how I can share them, even my trash.

I've learned not to take any item for granted, not even an empty bottle or bag. I even wash and reuse my Ziploc bags. They are not sold here, and I have to reorder them when I run out. So, why be wasteful?

So, I ask you again, do you recycle? Re purpose? Reuse? Just because you have it in abundance now, doesn't mean that you always will. Maybe you will look at that used bag or box and think "how can I reuse this?".

Reptile week

Sometimes I feel like I'm in a Mutual of Omaha's Wild Kingdom episode. You know the one's where they tell you about killer ants, deadly snakes, etc.?

Overall, we seem to be settling in. We have gotten almost all of the boxes unpacked. We are ready to hang pictures, just need the facilities guys to come do the hanging since they have the correct tools to do the job on cement block walls.

Don had a business trip to Gulu, which is about 5 hours away, so I was happy for him to get to do a little traveling, and maybe see some sights. He saw some baboons, and even took their picture. Unfortunately, the baboons decided it was a good opportunity to pose in a very unflattering way, and I cannot use the pic. Maybe next time.

Saturday our guard informed us that we had Safari Ants trying to get into our yard. Hmmm, Safari Ants? I've heard stories of these ants that travel in a swarm, are very territorial, and can be deadly to small animals and small people. Well, that wasn't going to happen to me, right? Wrong! There they were....traveling through the open storm drain to go into our neighbor's yard,  so that they could come around the back storm drain, and into our yard!

 

 It was Saturday, so no way maintenance is coming to spray. So, the guard instructed the gardener to get boiling water and gasoline to douse them and sprinkle along the property line. Apparently they do not like the smell of gas, and will go a new direction. An added bonus of the gas, is that the snakes do no like it either. Apparently we had a cobra heading our way this week, but was stopped by the gardener. He said there are not any more in the yard, and they do not like the gas smell, so should deter them from coming in. So my theory; weekly gas application, but please, no smoking.

Sunday was an enjoyable day at Sam's school. We had a fundraiser "Family Fun Day". We helped with the soda sales, and also got to do a little shopping at the booths. I got some nice hand sewn items, and some of the Uganda beads that are made from recycled paper and then painted. The money goes to a children's orphanage, and to help women get ahead. I'm trying to stock up to send back for everyone. Let me know you would like one, and if so, a color preference.

I also have a friend here that makes these wonderful kimonos, aprons,slippers, and makeup bags. You can see her creations at lucciejensen.com.

 

 

I almost forgot about the lizards. Yesterday I saw the gardener digging up white eggs, and dropping them into the open water drain. So, I mosey on out to see what kind of eggs we are dealing with here. Fortunately, they are only lizard eggs.

 

 

There were 12 of them, and he felt like they had been laid by three mommas. He said the rain will wash them out, and then when the cover by soil again, they will hatch....somewhere else. Which, is exactly what I prefer, somewhere else! We have so many lizard type characters already on the property, that I prefer to reduce the number.

 

 



HIstory Lesson and Dog Drama

Saturday kicked off my Kampala history lesson with a bus tour. We went to several historic places around the city. The Mengo Palace http://www.ugandatravelguide.com/mengo.html, which was rebuilt in the 90's after being destroyed in an attack. Interestingly enough, there is a small, occupied village on the property, and we enjoyed seeing the little children helping with chores by getting water. It seems like everyone pitches in here, regardless of age.

We traveled on to the Buganda PParliament house http://www.buganda.or.ug/index.php/lukiiko-parliament and enjoyed a song equivalent to our national anthem sang by three men. They have great pride in their heritage here.

We passed by the Tubaga Catholic Cathedral, http://www.kampala-city-guide.com/kampala/gallery/Rubaga_Cathedral.html which contains the remains of the first African priest.

Then on to the Old Kampala Mosque, which was built with funds provided by Gaddafi. This is where we were sized up for our attire, and then quickly covered in scarves from head to anklej I did not go inside, or climb to the top of the tower to see the city, but it was pretty from the outside.

We then went on to the Bahai Temple http://www.bahai.us/bahai-temple/bahai-temples-around-the-world/. It sits high up on the hill, and has a constant, cool breeze. It was so peaceful. I could have sat down in the grass and stayed there for hours. I loved "The Principles of this faith"; REMOVAL OF ALL FORMS OF PREJUDICE. What a wonderful world it would be!

As we traveled around, I finally had the opportunity to take some pictures of the crazy traffic.

Honestly, the pictures do not do it justice, but maybe you can get an idea from them. I really wanted one with the dude carrying the sofa on the motorcycle, but we were going to fast.

We wrapped up Saturday with another pizza by Grace, Yum!

 

 

We had a wonderful, low-ke,y Sunday until the evening, when Fletcher decided to sneak out the door, run around the yard in the dark, and came back in throwing up and with a swollen face! Now what am I supposed to do about that?! I mean, new country, new insect,s and slithery things. So, I called a vet listed in our handy Health Guide, and she tells me he was probably stung by something and is likely having an allergic reaction. O_0. She tells me to go to a pharmacy and get him a steroid. Ummmmm, pharmacy, do I have a pharmacy close by here? Why yes we do. So, we called a neighbor, who takes me to the pharmacy, and I paid about forty cents for a few pills, and an hour later the swelling goes down. I'm thankful for that. So, no more jaunts in the dark for him!

TGIF!

Happy Friday! Most of you are asleep, but I have been up and about, beginning my day. I woke up thinking about someone important to me who is busy cleaning up from the floods in New Orleans. So, I decided to have a breakfast inspired and provided by her. My dear niece brought me some Blue Runner Beans on her last visit to us before we left. They are Creole style beans, and I love them. She brought me a box of eight cans, and I saved them to bring with us to Africa. I knew that I would want these special beans, that were from her, while I was here. So, I made a burrito out of them for breakfast, and they were good.  Thanks Steph!

I also took some to the guard. That is another part of our day. We make sure the guard has drinking water, and food. They always get a huge smile when we offer them a plate. It's nice to share.

The next couple of hours I spent cooking. Yes, the earlier in the kitchen, the better. It gets warm in the kitchen as the day goes on, so I like to get things started early. Then I can clean up (dishes by hand you know), and have the heavy work done before it gets too warm. Today I had a lot of veggies that needed cooked up before we get a new batch tomorrow. So, I'm simmering green beans and onions, steamed some broccoli to make some creamy broccoli soup, and making a big pot of spaghetti sauce with  lots of veggies.

I'm so thankful to my mom that she taught me to cook from a very early age. Cooking from scratch here is a necessity, and without her teachings, I could not make it. Thanks Mom!

Tonight will be a special treat. Don and I get to go to a gathering with some special guests. I'm looking forward to getting out and meeting new people. It should be fun. I'm also looking forward to the bus tour tomorrow. Hopefully I will have some good pictures to share. Until then, have a great Friday. TGIF!

Week 4

It's been four weeks since we arrived. It's strange how time flies. We are settling in well. We have almost all of the boxes unpacked, and we have finally ordered a car. It will be great to have some wheels when I need to go out. I do not mind the walk to the grocery, but that's about it for where I can go without a car.

 I went into the city today for a meeting, courtesy of the motorpool. I see so many things that I could write about, and often wish I could just  snap pictures like a tourist, but that might seem rude. It might seem like I am making a spectacle out of their life here. After all, we are just guests in their country, on their turf.

I've been asked by a few friends to describe my everyday life here. It's really a lot like my life in the states. We get up, do things around the house, go to school, get groceries,etc. Really, living anywhere in the world just becomes your own normal. Eventually I will get a job, and that will become part of my routine. In the meantime, I'm just enjoying not having a strict schedule.

The things that are different are just hard to explain without pictures, or without you seeing it for yourself. I'll have to work on getting some pictures that would not be too personal. I want you to see the traffic. The chaos of the traffic! The Bodas (motorcycles) weaving in and out, the people darting across the road as many people do not drive, but walk everywhere, and the lack of formed lanes. It's amazing to see the reflexes these folks have. When you are watching, you are just sure someone is about to get creamed, and then, they emerge from the traffic unscaved. I'm watching all of this chaos when I really need to be taking notes and paying attention to directions so that I can drive myself when we get our car. Oh well, there is just too much to see. Too much to take in. I want to take it ALL in!

Today I had a special treat. When I arrived home from my meeting, we had a huge chicken pizza that our wonderful cook prepared for us. We had been told about her amazing pizzas, and I asked her if she would prepare that for our dinner. I couldn't believe something this wonderful could come from a my kitchen. She must be heaven sent, and I am so thankful for her and her help.

We also had received several boxes of items we had ordered. We are learning to do a lot of our non-perishable grocery shopping on-line. It's an amazing thing to be able to order almost anything you want, with the exception of liquid, because there are strict guidelines to ordering liquids through our mail service. We do not want to mess up our privileges, so we are careful about following those rules.

I can't believe how quickly this week has gone. The weekend is almost here, and I am taking a bus tour of Kampala on Saturday. I am ready to see some sights, learn some history, and eventually get my hands dirty.

I hope you have a great weekend, I plan to.

Lazy Weekend

Hello everyone. It has been a lazy weekend after a busy week of unpacking our personal goods. It is so nice to have our stuff, and make our house look like home. It also included some of our favorite foods that we could have shipped. It is nice being able to cook some of the things we like to eat, and some of it is easier and more convenient than we can get here.

We have stayed home most of the weekend since we are still in the process of getting a car, so we do not have our own transportation. It's weird not being able to just go get in your car and head out to wherever you want. We arrived here a little late to get any of the reasonably priced cars from other expats rotating out of Uganda. The options left were higher priced, and manual transmission. As if driving here will not be challenging enough, I'm certainly not going to throw in dealing with a stick shift. So, we have chosen a car to order, and will have to place the order this week. I guess it will be a few months before we see it, but that's fine. I have learned that I have to ask, and rely on the generosity of others to give us rides. We can also walk to the store, so it's really not a big deal. They offer shuttles to work locations so it's not really difficult to get around when we have to.

I have also had the opportunity to hire help for the house and cooking. She is AMAZING! My favorite thing she does is to go to the market for me to get fresh produce. Much fresher and cheaper than I can get at the grocery store up the hill. Not to mention the fact that I have to figure out the whole schillings thing. Since schillings are spent in hundreds and thousands, it's shocking to go to the register and hear "that will be 100,000!!!" It's only about 35-40 bucks, but sounds just freakishly high at the time. So, I give her some money, tell her what we like, and she shows up the next day with this....

She even cleans it, arranges it all cute, and puts it away if needed. I love her!

Side note; did anyone get to see the "blue moon" Friday night? Apparently, we only get two full moons in a month, every few years. Thus the phrase "once in a blue moon". So, this was one of those years, and we got to see it when we were walking home from an evening out at the grill up the hill. It's the one night a week we do that. I hope you got to see it too.

Have a great week. I plan to. :)