Good eats at Lake Bunyonyi

I've just returned from a weekend away with the team, where we stayed on Bushara Island and visited with Brad, Stacy and Amanda. The island is located in Lake Bunyonyi, which is supposed to be one of the deepest freshwater lakes in Africa.

Let me just say that my Princess sensibilities were unleashed during the weekend! Kimberly and I shared the Whydah Tree House (which is really like living inside a beer keg - a round room made from wooden planks...it's rather cozy) where we had REAL beds! REAL pillows! And I'm not talking about a single bed, either...we each had a double bed and two pillows. Luxury!

The great thing about Bushara Island Camp is that you order your showers and meals ahead of time, to be served at specific times. And the best part...you can order breakfast to be served in your room. So this weekend, I had the first HOT shower in the past two months. And man, did my grumpy-pants disappear (they are ever-present companions when I wake up at 7-bloody-am every day). I actually sang in the shower. And breakfast in my jammies? Heaven! The food at Bushara Island is quite good, so I pretty much ate until I could eat no more. I had to pre-order my food because the kitchen staff do not mass-produce the meals: each one is made-to-order that same day. Yum! So here's a sampling of the food I ate:
- pasta primavera with crayfish
- beef stroganoff
- coq au vin (chicken in a red wine sauce)
- crayfish chowder
- peppers stuffed with crayfish
- eggs benedict
- banana pancake
- BACON!!!! Real, honest-to-goodness, crispy bacon!
- apple pie
- chocolate crepes

So if you ever head down to Lake Bunyonyi, be sure to eat at Bushara Island Camp. Another great place for fries (called chips here) is at Byoona Amagara (means "whole life") at Itambira Island, about a 45 minute canoe trip away. Seriously good chips, dude.

Before you think that all I did was eat this weekend, let me assure you that I did get in some canoeing, swimming and sunning myself. I do exercise more muscles than just my jaw and arm muscles during eating. All in all, it was a very pleasant weekend away, and it was even better to spend time with Brad, Stacy and Amanda. Now, it is time to heft my ekibuuno back to Rubingo and get to work for another two weeks before my holidays (and holiday eating) commence.

Ciao! See you next posting in mid-December!

Primary mobile number, off-break at Lake Bunyonyi...and pre-holiday wishes?

If you’ve been paying attention to my sidebar info, you’ll notice that I’ve acquired a new mobile number (on the Celtel network) which is also my primary mobile number. I’ve also picked up a new mobile phone, the Nokia 1100 (yeah, yeah…it’s not fancy – Dan, again! – but it does what it should) which enables me to receive calls and text messages while I’m in the village (yay!). So you can send some lovin’ over the Celtel network.

I’m off again, on my “off” break (I’m a poet, and I don’t even know it…off, on, off…geddit?) but this time the team is heading to Lake Bunyonyi on Thursday for a weekend of R&R. We’ll be staying at Bushara Island Camp where fellow interns Brad & Stacy Fuller and Amanda Brown work. I probably won’t have access to email and internet during and after my off-break, which leads me to…

Pre-holiday wishes! I have found myself wishing people via email, happy holidays but not saying Merry Christmas specifically (because it’s really not even the hols yet!). But it’s a form of covering my ekibuuno because I may forget to wish people Merry Christmas/Happy New Year when I finally get time off for my holidays*. I guess it’s something that happens when you’re overseas and email is the easiest form of communication. Kinda ironic, that’s all. So here it is: Pre-Happy Holidays! Pre-Merry Christmas! Pre-Happy New Year!

*December 15 to January 3

Stay warm and drive safe in the snow/slush. Here’s another proverb:

“The longer the time spent in malls all decked out for the season, the crazier you’ll get and for no good reason.”

Celebrate for the right reasons (Christ’s birth, family, friends, life…).

Later, dudes.

On a more serious note…(Reality bites)

My blog (fondly abbreviated as MOCP) has been a fun medium through which to release some of my thoughts, mindfarts and other inanities into cyberspace, to be enjoyed by friends and strangers alike. So far, MOCP has been a reflection of the hilarity and adventures that I’ve been lucky to experience.

Having been sick the past weekend, I’ve spent plenty of time alone and not running around – driving, going to meetings, learning new things – which has led to some mental processing of the past two months in Uganda. So, on a more serious note, here are some things I’ve been chewing on (mentally, that is…unfortunately for me antibiotics make me lose my appetite and run run run for the bathroom! Haha…got the pun?):

A is for Adjustment…and Ambiguity. Two months under my belt and I am still learning the nuances of the people and the rural community of Rubingo. My job entails having an understanding of local agricultural practices in order to be able to suggest new ideas or new methods of doing things. For example, some widows have gathered together in the form of Mutual Benefit Society groups in which they pool some money together and the neediest ones can withdraw loans from that pool. They also work together planting, hoeing, weeding and harvesting crops such as beans, maize and sweet potatoes, on land that has been rented from the Church of Uganda with some help from ACTS. However, each garden (there are about 8 or 9 in total) is located in various geographical locations each with its own environmental or agricultural difficulties. So little old me, with zero practical agricultural experience, is responsible for developing some type of solution to the issues the widows are experiencing. Yikes. And that is only one example of the type of problem-solving situations I am involved with (don’t worry, I won’t go into detail about all of them!). Needless to say, David Moore (my dear director) was right when he emphasized in our phone interview: you won’t necessarily understand what you’re doing in Rubingo or how to do it, until you’ve got about two months left. I’m still in the “don’t understand” stage of things.

Give me space! Anyone who has lived and worked communally will understand me when I say that privacy becomes a very precious commodity when you see the same people 24-7. Don’t get me wrong, my teammates are terrific people and we have fun times together. But I’ve realized that working and living in the same space is a concept unfamiliar to North Americans, especially this Canadian princess, and difficult to get used to. Consider this: when I wake up and head down to breakfast, it takes me about 30 steps from my tent to the dining tent. In between, I can swing by Kimberly and Stu’s tents (steps 4 and 7) or make a detour at the office tent (step 20). 10 more steps from the dining tent takes me to the trucks, which I drive to take me to various parts of the villages. So only 40 steps separates me from my cozy tent-home and my work (not so cozy; more sweaty and hot – see my Bloody hills picture in previous post). On top of that, the trucks are shared between interns and our respective projects so much “resource rationing” occurs, which can lead to frustration (if your work gets delayed because someone took their sweet time getting back - with your translator/local staff person) or frustration (if you are the lucky driver who chauffeurs others around all day). I’m being cheeky here and giving you a “woe-is-me” version of things. But you get the picture…any length of time that is yours, to do whatever you please, is the sweetest pleasure.

Time is the best remedy. During orientation, all the interns received intercultural communication/interaction training from the Centre for Intercultural Learning (CIL). One thing that was taught was a cultural adjustment curve describing phases an individual experiences when living and working in a foreign culture. The first phase experienced is the “honeymoon” phase – everything is new and exciting, and one is fascinated all the time. The second phase is what I call “reality bites” – differences i n the foreign culture begin to grate on the individual who in turn experiences emotions such as anger, anxiety, homesickness, frustration and discouragement. The third and fourth phase are “adjustment” and “acceptance” – the individual recognizes what s/he can and cannot change or control and begins to accept the new culture for what it is.

The thought I had recently (which I considered very deep) was this: In Canada, I am used to defining myself by my habits, hobbies, likes/dislikes, social groups, etc. But here in Uganda, those definitions are moot. I am viewed by locals as a muzungu and therefore, and to a certain extent, I become a blank slate. Without my familiar environment and support network (friends, family, mentors), I’ve found it difficult to understand (put words around) what my role in the Rubingo/ACTS community is supposed to be. On top of that, I’m still experiencing culture shock (although in smaller increments than before). If this were a test– in which phase of cultural adjustment would I be? (Answer: reality bites!). Therefore, I must “find my legs” in the community and learn by baby steps, what my role will be. And this takes tiiiiiiime. Which is why I’ll probably go “Eureka! That’s why I’m here…” when I have one month left to go.

So there are some chewier, meatier thoughts than usual. Phew, this was pretty heavy post. So, to close on a lighter note, here are some proverbs that I have picked up here in Uganda.

Enjoy and see you next post!
---------

Hurry up and wait. – unknown previous ACTS worker (inspired by Ugandan rubber time)

An empty stomach leads to a gloomy face. – Johnson (inspired while waiting for lunch)

A panga (machete) lying on the ground means a matooke tree still standing.
– Kimberly

A man who says many things, usually does not have much to say*. – Rusey
*(…does this apply to me and my blogging efforts?)

Dude, where's my formatting?

Just a note of apology to those whose graphic design sensibilities (Dan!) are offended by my previous posting's lack of formatting. When you're on dial-up in Africa, what you get is what you get the first time around. C'est la vie. Besides, you get the pics in their full glory! ;P

Pictures! The Moi Gallery...

While I upload these pics, I am listening to Shania Twain. In Mbarara. I kid you not (the idiosyncracies of manufactured Western pop music being played in the distant corners of East Africa...)!

Well, in an effort to keep your eyes glued to my blog (and not straying to Stu or Brad & Stacy's blogs...) here are some more pics of moi (but OF COURSE, thanks for the reminder, Stu: they are copyrighted and personal property of Stuart Finklestein).

Nored (a farmer) and Jovanice. No joke: Stu and I asked Jovanice to run with a paw-paw on her head and RUN she did! Ugandans have some special ability to carry LOADS on their heads. I, however, do not have any of their skills (gee...I wonder if it is a skill Napoleon D would have liked to have...).




The He-Goat. The largest, lewdest and nastiest-smelling goat I have ever encountered. Owned by Nored (see pic above), it's been cross-bred with local Ugandan goats to produce more hardy progeny. I think he should have been left behind in South Africa, from where he was bought. Oh, the eyes, the evil eyes...







Do you see how big that he-goat is? Jovanice had told us that it was a big goat (after we had been like, "Why are you taking us to see a freaking goat? What's so special about a male goat?").







Here's a lovely group shot of the Kamomo Environmental CBO (community-based organization) that I work with. L to R: Peace, Nelson, "little" William, moi, Jovanice, and Stu. My job is to support their community projects (bee-keeping, banana plantation management, soil erosion prevention, community education) and to inject new ideas to the group.



Driving on the left side...this is a picture for my parents :) As I had written in my previous posts, there is much "traffic" on the road, in the form of cattle, goats and chickens that run haphazardly in every which direction. Dinner!

This reminds me to upload some pictures of really hairy driving conditions! Next time...



Bloody hills...This is the eternal curse that runs through my mind whenever I climb the steep hills during my visits to various properties. Also running through my head: This is the reason why cable cars were invented and I'm not a freaking mountain goat!

If you haven't got why my blog is called the misadventures of a princess yet...



Oh ho! Oh yes! The princess does get down and dirty every now and then! Here I am, digging a compost pit with a hoe. A technical skill learned by every good Ugandan boy and girl in the villages, for sure. It's harder than it looks...and I didn't really get a lot of digging done. Rogers and Nelson (looking on and probably trying not to laugh) dug out two 4x4 pits in less than 45 minutes. Perfectly square. I hate being a squidgy Canadian sometimes. Pas de commentaire, Kimberly!





Last but not least, in the first installment of the Moi gallery...moi!

I have to say, people are warned that taking Lariam (an anti-malarial) can lead to severe depression, etc. Hmmm...based on this picture, I think that it has done the extreme opposite to me...insanity!



That's it, that's all, that's all there is...thanks for enjoying these pics (and wasting time at work!). Keep the comments coming - love 'em!


Ciao for now!
Rusey (= Ruth, the Ugandan way)

So long, farewell...until November 23

I'm leaving today to return to the villages in Rubingo Parish and back to my safari tent home. I hope you've enjoyed my recent postings...don't fear, many more misadventures will ensue in the next three weeks, I'm sure! So stay tuned, as I will be heading to Kabale-town and Lake Bunyonyi at the end of November, where I will seek out internet connections to keep you entertained with my November follies ;)

Ciao, beautiful people.