hey guys!
just a quick update on my last couple of days...
i met up with a few people from the lodge on saturday and we went to the craft market and then went to open house, which is a restaurant/bar owned by a friend of paul and tariq for a drink. they wanted to go somewhere nice for food so i took them to mediteranneo, where i had prawns and squid, but could hardly eat any of it, which was deastating! they felt a little bit underdressed for the occaision, and it was all a bit awrkward because they had come straight from the market (where it was raining hard) to open house and then mediteraneo without getting changed or having a shower or anything, which wasn't great. the girls looked ok, most of us were wearing dresses and pretty flip flops, which is fine for that sort of pleace, but one of the boys in particular has long hair, was wearing a vest and walking boots and carrying a big rucksack, looking just like a backpacking hippy. the staff at the restaurant didnt seem to care very much though, and we spent a fair bit of money there so i think they were happy
after mediteraneo we made our way to backpackers, where they are staying along with all of pauls volunteers, so we had arranged to meet paul and tariq there. backpackers is actually really nice for a hostel and i ended up staying the night because paul was taking his volunteers out to iguanas and i was knackred from the night before's antics so it was easier to stay at backpackers with the people i know from the lodge.
it was nice to meet some of pauls volunteers though they didnt speak to us much in the evening, but started to branch out from their group by morning. breakfast the next morning at backpackers was really good, i had pancakes!! the food and drink there is cheap but generally very nice, and the atmosphere is good.
once we finished breakfast we went back to the craft market as people had started to close up their stalls when it began to rain and so there were still a few things that people wanted to get. i have bought so many things in that market, i literally have no idea how i will get them home, so tomorrow is going to be a bit of a mission when i'm packing up!!
last night was pauls volunteers final night in uganda so he had organised for them to do a kuroga at open house, wich means that they cook their own curries outside. because there were so many of them they split into teams and made it into a competition to see who could make the best curry. it was nice being there and the volunteers where much friendlier to me yesterday!! i was talking to one girl and it turns out that she is really good frinds with Molly, who i was sharing a room with at the lodge! so bizzare..
we left open house pretty late and the boys then decided that they wanted to go to a casino (again!), so off we headed to simba. i've never been to a casino before so it was interesting to say the least, and the poeple who we were with go to them all the time and dont seem to think too much about the money they are spending. ron bought a load of chips and then just handed them over to me and Krisha, saying 'go and play'. we didnt need telling twice but i ahd very little idea how most of it works, but i could manage roulette so that's what we played for most of the time we were there. we had a load of 1000 shillling chips, which are only worth about 25p, but the little circles of plastic are so far removed from actual money tat its easy to throw them away. there were some crazy characters at the casino, and there was one guy at the roulettle table we were at who was playing with black chips, worth 100,000 shillings each, which is about £25. he had a massive stack of them and was just chucking them on the table like it was nothing.
i won a couple of times which was nice, but really i found the whole thing a bit pointless, especially as wehn we decided we wanted to go, instead of cashing in his chips, ron played untill he lost them all, cursing every time he won because now he 'had' to stay longer.
we got back early thismorning and haven't really gt any plans for the day, but i think we might be going to the cinema tonight. tomorrow is my last day and i am going to go for dinner at the sushi restaurant again with Krisha and Hannah.
see you all soon! love, Lucy xxx
Showing posts with label shopping. Show all posts
Showing posts with label shopping. Show all posts
Monday, 29 August 2011
Friday, 26 August 2011
People and power cuts...
hey all, its been a while!
i left the lodge on wednesday with sofia, and paul drove us and two of his own volunteers to his flat. unfortunately we arrived in kampala a bit late, so sophia coudnt join us for dinner as planned, and had to go straight to the airport pretty much when we arrived at pauls flat.pauls two volunteers, florie and lydia were really nice, and we all went out for dinner at mediteraneo. i had been looking forward to lasagne there for so long! it was really good, and as always seems to happen when you go anywhere with paul and tariq, we ended up as a huge party of people at the restaurant. they had begun laying a table for 6, (us and one fried of paul and tariq) while we sat in the bar, but it quickly had to be changed to a table for 12, and as we walked to it we saw tieese (brazilian girl i shared a hotel room with at georges wedding) and a friend of hers, so they joined us, and then a few minutes later some more people arrived, so we ended up being a table of about 15! i think the girls were a bit intimidated and wwhen paul suggested that we go out after the meal, they looked pretty horrified, so the 3 of us went back to the flat and basically went to bed. i kept waking up in the night and wondering if they were back yet, but they didnt get home til 7am! it was than tht i was quite reived that i hadn't gone out. yesterday the girls wanted to go to the craft market so paul drove us there (his volunteers aren't allowed to use boda bodas, too unsafe) and we shopped for nearly 3 hours, which was great but exhausting. after that we met paul at his friend ron (who i have met before)'s restaurant, which was really nice, i think we all ended up eating chicken tikka roti/wraps. they had to get to the airport so we said goodbye to lydia and florie at the restaurant and they went off to entebbe in a taxi. we went back to the flat and just basically chilled out until the evening, (well, i was chillin', but paul was sleeping as he had only had about 2 hours sleep that morning.)
at about 8 oclock we were debating what to do, as we had been invited to a pub quiz at the irish pub, and i would have liked to have gone, but paul and tariq were knackred from the previous night, so they decided to stay in, and get food from the hot food counter at the supermarket (they dont cook). then the power went out, and they got annoyed because they had wanted to watch a film, and now they couldnt. the debated for ages whether we shoud go out now, to a restaurant, as otherwise we would ahve to sit and eat in the dark. eventually it was decided that we should go and buy food and bring it back and eat in the dark, but thwere was some debate about whether to take the bike or the car. eventually the car was decied on and it was a bloody good job because as we were waiting for our pizzas (at the first place we went) it started pissing down. the ridiculous thing about this story is that once we decided we were staying in i put my onepiece on as it was cold in the flat. then while we were in the car on the way to the supermarket paul decided we should go to cayenne to get pizzas and then go tot he supermarket. cayenne is a club that i ahve been to before and lots of pauls friends and acquaintences hang out there, and they are poeple i have met and will be seeing again. we had to wait for the pizzas at a table with me in my pink onepiece looking like an absolute twat thinking oh god i hope nobody recognises me. you get frisked going into most places here and the woman who was searching me openly laughed at me as i went in. oh god. then we went off to the supermarket in the pissing rain and it took AGES because there was traffic and the most torrential rain i have ever seen and we eventually got back to the flat 2 hours after we left.
the pizza was cold and they dont have an oven so we had to reheat it in a frying pan, which was interesting but actually worked quite well. after that there was nothing to do and it was actually quite late so we went to bed.
this morning paul got up and went to work and me and tariq slept in (though tariq sleeps in every day). when i got up i started cooking breakfast (i had bacon for the first time in 8 weeks!!)and tariq got up and as soon as he saw the kitchen and the aftermath of last night he rang his maid like 'hi, i knw its friday (she is muslim) but could you please come in and clean the kitchen?' i looked at it and it wasnt really messy at all, there was just some washing up to be done and the worktops needed wiping. she said she could come at 2.30 but that would mean the we couldnt go out as planned, so i offered to do it. it literally took 5 minutes and now its sorted, so later we will go to mediteraneo (its basically their fave place and it had free wifi) for coffee and stuff and to use the internet and we dont have to wait for hajat or disturb her holy day.
later today some of the people from the lodge should be getting to kampala so i hope to meet up with them for dinner, and then as its friday we will definitely be going out and it will be busy in town and stuff so that should be fun, and paul and tariq know good places to go and people who can get you in for free so we will probably hang out with them.
at the weekend lauren and kathy from the lodge and me are going to go horse riding just outside kampala. i'm not entirely sure what is involved because lauren is organising it but the general gist that i got is that you go all day and its in the hills and stuff and its not expensive, so that should be fun. it'll be interesting to see how much of my riding skill i have retained!
i cant wait to come back to blighty next week, even though i'm having a great time here. i'm missing home and my family and my bed and food (although food isnt a problem in kampala)a lot and it will just be lovely to be home.
see you soon!!
Love, Lucy xx
i left the lodge on wednesday with sofia, and paul drove us and two of his own volunteers to his flat. unfortunately we arrived in kampala a bit late, so sophia coudnt join us for dinner as planned, and had to go straight to the airport pretty much when we arrived at pauls flat.pauls two volunteers, florie and lydia were really nice, and we all went out for dinner at mediteraneo. i had been looking forward to lasagne there for so long! it was really good, and as always seems to happen when you go anywhere with paul and tariq, we ended up as a huge party of people at the restaurant. they had begun laying a table for 6, (us and one fried of paul and tariq) while we sat in the bar, but it quickly had to be changed to a table for 12, and as we walked to it we saw tieese (brazilian girl i shared a hotel room with at georges wedding) and a friend of hers, so they joined us, and then a few minutes later some more people arrived, so we ended up being a table of about 15! i think the girls were a bit intimidated and wwhen paul suggested that we go out after the meal, they looked pretty horrified, so the 3 of us went back to the flat and basically went to bed. i kept waking up in the night and wondering if they were back yet, but they didnt get home til 7am! it was than tht i was quite reived that i hadn't gone out. yesterday the girls wanted to go to the craft market so paul drove us there (his volunteers aren't allowed to use boda bodas, too unsafe) and we shopped for nearly 3 hours, which was great but exhausting. after that we met paul at his friend ron (who i have met before)'s restaurant, which was really nice, i think we all ended up eating chicken tikka roti/wraps. they had to get to the airport so we said goodbye to lydia and florie at the restaurant and they went off to entebbe in a taxi. we went back to the flat and just basically chilled out until the evening, (well, i was chillin', but paul was sleeping as he had only had about 2 hours sleep that morning.)
at about 8 oclock we were debating what to do, as we had been invited to a pub quiz at the irish pub, and i would have liked to have gone, but paul and tariq were knackred from the previous night, so they decided to stay in, and get food from the hot food counter at the supermarket (they dont cook). then the power went out, and they got annoyed because they had wanted to watch a film, and now they couldnt. the debated for ages whether we shoud go out now, to a restaurant, as otherwise we would ahve to sit and eat in the dark. eventually it was decided that we should go and buy food and bring it back and eat in the dark, but thwere was some debate about whether to take the bike or the car. eventually the car was decied on and it was a bloody good job because as we were waiting for our pizzas (at the first place we went) it started pissing down. the ridiculous thing about this story is that once we decided we were staying in i put my onepiece on as it was cold in the flat. then while we were in the car on the way to the supermarket paul decided we should go to cayenne to get pizzas and then go tot he supermarket. cayenne is a club that i ahve been to before and lots of pauls friends and acquaintences hang out there, and they are poeple i have met and will be seeing again. we had to wait for the pizzas at a table with me in my pink onepiece looking like an absolute twat thinking oh god i hope nobody recognises me. you get frisked going into most places here and the woman who was searching me openly laughed at me as i went in. oh god. then we went off to the supermarket in the pissing rain and it took AGES because there was traffic and the most torrential rain i have ever seen and we eventually got back to the flat 2 hours after we left.
the pizza was cold and they dont have an oven so we had to reheat it in a frying pan, which was interesting but actually worked quite well. after that there was nothing to do and it was actually quite late so we went to bed.
this morning paul got up and went to work and me and tariq slept in (though tariq sleeps in every day). when i got up i started cooking breakfast (i had bacon for the first time in 8 weeks!!)and tariq got up and as soon as he saw the kitchen and the aftermath of last night he rang his maid like 'hi, i knw its friday (she is muslim) but could you please come in and clean the kitchen?' i looked at it and it wasnt really messy at all, there was just some washing up to be done and the worktops needed wiping. she said she could come at 2.30 but that would mean the we couldnt go out as planned, so i offered to do it. it literally took 5 minutes and now its sorted, so later we will go to mediteraneo (its basically their fave place and it had free wifi) for coffee and stuff and to use the internet and we dont have to wait for hajat or disturb her holy day.
later today some of the people from the lodge should be getting to kampala so i hope to meet up with them for dinner, and then as its friday we will definitely be going out and it will be busy in town and stuff so that should be fun, and paul and tariq know good places to go and people who can get you in for free so we will probably hang out with them.
at the weekend lauren and kathy from the lodge and me are going to go horse riding just outside kampala. i'm not entirely sure what is involved because lauren is organising it but the general gist that i got is that you go all day and its in the hills and stuff and its not expensive, so that should be fun. it'll be interesting to see how much of my riding skill i have retained!
i cant wait to come back to blighty next week, even though i'm having a great time here. i'm missing home and my family and my bed and food (although food isnt a problem in kampala)a lot and it will just be lovely to be home.
see you soon!!
Love, Lucy xx
Thursday, 18 August 2011
shopping and summer camp...
hey guys!
today is market day, so we will be spending a few hours browsing and buying i'm sure. one of the girls at the lodge managed to buy a shawl/scarf thing like a pashmina but much heavier and warmer, and i want to try and find one of those because it gets pretty chilly here in the evenings especially when you have to get open air transport, like boda bodas or in the back of a truck.
it was the first official day of the summer programme yesterday, which was supposed to begin at 1pm. i arrived at 5past, i9 was the first volunteer there, and there were only 4 kids and no teachers (who we were promised would be there, 1 per 30 kids)by the end of the afternoon about 20 had turned up in dribs and drabs, but it wasnt a great turnout. i think they had fun though, despite being called through to see lauren, the dental student, for a check up.
there was one kid who i havent net before from the school down the road who had a swollen eye. i asked him what happened, wondering if it was an infection. he answered simply 'my mother. she hit.' i was pretty horrified, but as time went on (not that i condone violence to children in any way) i could understand why she was driven to it. he was a sure candidate for ritalin.
last night it was chris and rachel's last night so we went out to the pub, and then marass came to the lodge to make rolexes. he has promised to come on sunday and teach me how to make chapattis!
not much else to tell you really, i still have my cold, which i think is giving me a sinus infection (THAT wont be fun on the plane)and the lodge is in turmoil a bit because today is a level results day, so lots of people are in the internet cafe with me, trying desperately to access a jammed ucas site.
quite a few poeple left on trips today as well, so there arent many of us left. i am now the 3rd most experienced volunteer at the lodge, after hari and steve.
so excited to be coming home in less than 2 weeks!! its not that i'm not enjoying myself, because i am, but i really miss home and i'm really quite excited to come home and see everybody.
love, Lucy xx
today is market day, so we will be spending a few hours browsing and buying i'm sure. one of the girls at the lodge managed to buy a shawl/scarf thing like a pashmina but much heavier and warmer, and i want to try and find one of those because it gets pretty chilly here in the evenings especially when you have to get open air transport, like boda bodas or in the back of a truck.
it was the first official day of the summer programme yesterday, which was supposed to begin at 1pm. i arrived at 5past, i9 was the first volunteer there, and there were only 4 kids and no teachers (who we were promised would be there, 1 per 30 kids)by the end of the afternoon about 20 had turned up in dribs and drabs, but it wasnt a great turnout. i think they had fun though, despite being called through to see lauren, the dental student, for a check up.
there was one kid who i havent net before from the school down the road who had a swollen eye. i asked him what happened, wondering if it was an infection. he answered simply 'my mother. she hit.' i was pretty horrified, but as time went on (not that i condone violence to children in any way) i could understand why she was driven to it. he was a sure candidate for ritalin.
last night it was chris and rachel's last night so we went out to the pub, and then marass came to the lodge to make rolexes. he has promised to come on sunday and teach me how to make chapattis!
not much else to tell you really, i still have my cold, which i think is giving me a sinus infection (THAT wont be fun on the plane)and the lodge is in turmoil a bit because today is a level results day, so lots of people are in the internet cafe with me, trying desperately to access a jammed ucas site.
quite a few poeple left on trips today as well, so there arent many of us left. i am now the 3rd most experienced volunteer at the lodge, after hari and steve.
so excited to be coming home in less than 2 weeks!! its not that i'm not enjoying myself, because i am, but i really miss home and i'm really quite excited to come home and see everybody.
love, Lucy xx
Tuesday, 16 August 2011
Running on africa time...
hey all! not much has happened since my last post, but i'll fill you in anyway.
the kids were meant to arrie yesterday at 1pm for the summer programme, which is basically free babysitting where we do games and fun activities with them. two kids turned up with their parents, who informed us that the kids wanted a break from school, so nobody will be coming until wednesday. that was a bit dissapointing, as i was starting to miss school since i havent done a full day for quite a while (many trips to hospital, and then gorillas) but at least i'll see them tomorrow.
yesterday afternoon i came into town for the internet and stuff, and then we went again in the evening for dinner at sky blue. we came early bacause they are evry slow there, but i was still full of chapattis from afternoon tea! (the decision to go to sky blue was spur of the moment) i had a small meal and it was so nice to have a change from the lodge food! when we had finished it was pitch black but also absolutely pissing down, so we got soaked trying to hail a cab. there was a driver at sky blue who offered to take us but he wanted 5000 per person! (it should be 1000, and thats the mzungu price!)
that morning when we had gone into town, 3 of us crammed onto a boda boda but on the way back i didnt want to do that because i always think it feels waaaay more unsafe, especially if you're at the back, i said i would get my own and follow the other 2 girls back. we both got bikes, and set off. my driver looked a bit funny, but i didnt think anything of it. about 30 seconds in, he named some town that i've never heard of, and i said no, its in ruhanga. (he had previously said he knew where he was going) on hearing this, he doubled the agreed price. i argued, but he wouldnt back down, so i told him to stop and i would find someone else. he refused to stop. i was bricking it. i shouted at him to stop NOW, as firmly as i could, but he laughed at me and kept going. we were still int he middle of town, and i was well prepared to make a fuss, but only as a last resort. i had an idea; i was holding onto his waist. i started pinching him. he stopped pretty quick. i jumped off and tried to hail another boda, while he shouted obscenities and gibberish at me. it was then that i came to the conclusion that he was a complete nutter. i got on the back of the other girls boda boda. it was definitely safer than my guy!
when we got back to the lodge after dinner last night, we were plunged into darkness by a power cut, which was very annoying. most of us went to bed really early just because there was nothing else to do.
not much else to say, except that some people are going on a 'hospital tour' this afternoon, which i think is a bit wrong, a bit like going on a slum tour in india, a bit too much like 'poorism' for me, and i've had enough experience of that place anyway. so many kids at school are ill, particularly with a fungal infection on their scalps, which turns out to be ringworm. i've caught it, i have it on my face and arm, it looks so gross. i feel like people are judging me in the street (more than they were already, that is!) but i got some stuff for it so hopefully it should go soon.
also, my shoes are missing. it's very annoying. i brought 2 pairs on new leather sandals with me that i like a lot, one brown, one black. the black pair have been missing for about a week. the brown pair, i wore yesterday, didnt even know they had gone, but today i saw restay, (the woman who cooks for us at the lodge) wearing them. i asked her where she got them, and she gestured vaugely in the direction of the bandas, and when i told her they were mine, and she noticed i wasnt wearing any shoes, she reluctantly handed them over. i'm a bit hurt that she did that, especially as she and the other staff regularly get donated clothes and stuff when people leave, and people often bring donations too. i'd happily give her my brown sandals when i leave, but while i'm here i need them! i thought i must have just been careless with my brown ones but now i'm starting to wonder if they have found their way home with a member of staff too. i now have the uncomfortable job of trying to track them down. they are my favourite shoes!
see you all in 2 weeks!!
Love, Lucy xxx
the kids were meant to arrie yesterday at 1pm for the summer programme, which is basically free babysitting where we do games and fun activities with them. two kids turned up with their parents, who informed us that the kids wanted a break from school, so nobody will be coming until wednesday. that was a bit dissapointing, as i was starting to miss school since i havent done a full day for quite a while (many trips to hospital, and then gorillas) but at least i'll see them tomorrow.
yesterday afternoon i came into town for the internet and stuff, and then we went again in the evening for dinner at sky blue. we came early bacause they are evry slow there, but i was still full of chapattis from afternoon tea! (the decision to go to sky blue was spur of the moment) i had a small meal and it was so nice to have a change from the lodge food! when we had finished it was pitch black but also absolutely pissing down, so we got soaked trying to hail a cab. there was a driver at sky blue who offered to take us but he wanted 5000 per person! (it should be 1000, and thats the mzungu price!)
that morning when we had gone into town, 3 of us crammed onto a boda boda but on the way back i didnt want to do that because i always think it feels waaaay more unsafe, especially if you're at the back, i said i would get my own and follow the other 2 girls back. we both got bikes, and set off. my driver looked a bit funny, but i didnt think anything of it. about 30 seconds in, he named some town that i've never heard of, and i said no, its in ruhanga. (he had previously said he knew where he was going) on hearing this, he doubled the agreed price. i argued, but he wouldnt back down, so i told him to stop and i would find someone else. he refused to stop. i was bricking it. i shouted at him to stop NOW, as firmly as i could, but he laughed at me and kept going. we were still int he middle of town, and i was well prepared to make a fuss, but only as a last resort. i had an idea; i was holding onto his waist. i started pinching him. he stopped pretty quick. i jumped off and tried to hail another boda, while he shouted obscenities and gibberish at me. it was then that i came to the conclusion that he was a complete nutter. i got on the back of the other girls boda boda. it was definitely safer than my guy!
when we got back to the lodge after dinner last night, we were plunged into darkness by a power cut, which was very annoying. most of us went to bed really early just because there was nothing else to do.
not much else to say, except that some people are going on a 'hospital tour' this afternoon, which i think is a bit wrong, a bit like going on a slum tour in india, a bit too much like 'poorism' for me, and i've had enough experience of that place anyway. so many kids at school are ill, particularly with a fungal infection on their scalps, which turns out to be ringworm. i've caught it, i have it on my face and arm, it looks so gross. i feel like people are judging me in the street (more than they were already, that is!) but i got some stuff for it so hopefully it should go soon.
also, my shoes are missing. it's very annoying. i brought 2 pairs on new leather sandals with me that i like a lot, one brown, one black. the black pair have been missing for about a week. the brown pair, i wore yesterday, didnt even know they had gone, but today i saw restay, (the woman who cooks for us at the lodge) wearing them. i asked her where she got them, and she gestured vaugely in the direction of the bandas, and when i told her they were mine, and she noticed i wasnt wearing any shoes, she reluctantly handed them over. i'm a bit hurt that she did that, especially as she and the other staff regularly get donated clothes and stuff when people leave, and people often bring donations too. i'd happily give her my brown sandals when i leave, but while i'm here i need them! i thought i must have just been careless with my brown ones but now i'm starting to wonder if they have found their way home with a member of staff too. i now have the uncomfortable job of trying to track them down. they are my favourite shoes!
see you all in 2 weeks!!
Love, Lucy xxx
Monday, 1 August 2011
today i had to take one of the children to hospital (again!!) he had a skin infection in his eyelid, nose and all over his body, and septic wounds on his legs. when we got to hospital they told us he also had worms, so we departed with a large coctail of drugs.
yesterday there was a huge intake of new volunteers, 8 people arrived at once, and another 8 are due to arrive on tuesday. the lodge doesnt seem too packed though, as 7are on safari and i am due to join them in jinja on wednesday for white water rafting! some of the girls are also doing a bungee jump but i will just be taking pictures, definitely not jumping!
this afternoon i've been invited to go to steven's (the last child i took to hospital before today) house, his family are so so grateful for what i did, its almost embarassing. when they picked him up they gave me some bread to say thankyou, and now they are inviting me into their home. i'm excited to see though.
we have a new roommate to replace suzi, who left last week. her name is lauren and she is a dental student she's 28 and really lovely. she came to the hospital with me today as she wanted to meet the dentist, but he wasnt there.
i have to go, the niterna=et cafe has a huge queue!!
love, lucy xx
yesterday there was a huge intake of new volunteers, 8 people arrived at once, and another 8 are due to arrive on tuesday. the lodge doesnt seem too packed though, as 7are on safari and i am due to join them in jinja on wednesday for white water rafting! some of the girls are also doing a bungee jump but i will just be taking pictures, definitely not jumping!
this afternoon i've been invited to go to steven's (the last child i took to hospital before today) house, his family are so so grateful for what i did, its almost embarassing. when they picked him up they gave me some bread to say thankyou, and now they are inviting me into their home. i'm excited to see though.
we have a new roommate to replace suzi, who left last week. her name is lauren and she is a dental student she's 28 and really lovely. she came to the hospital with me today as she wanted to meet the dentist, but he wasnt there.
i have to go, the niterna=et cafe has a huge queue!!
love, lucy xx
Saturday, 30 July 2011
bunyoni and boozing....
hey all!
its been a good few days since my last post, but this is actually my third day in a row of visits to the internet cafe! yesterday there was a powercut and the day before the connection was down. a few things have happened since wednesday, but in all honesty i cant remember what happened on what day, so i'll just tell you as i remember it. (ie, prepare for a rambly post!)
on thurday (i think) we moved rooms whish was brilliant, because our new room has so much more space, and the beds are higher so we can put our cases underneath them. suzi left on friday so the bed underneath me is now empty, and priya and rachel have gone to lake bunyoni for the weekend, so our room is suddenly very big and very empty! just me, molly and sarah are left, but molly and sarah are going on safari tomorrow, but hopefully i wont be alone because priya and rachel should be back and there are 8 new people arriving on sunday so at least one of them will be in our room. the projects is stuffed full of people, it has a max capacity of 20, but by the middle of next week it will be in the high 40's. original volunteers just keep sending people even though theres no space. in this week alone we have had 18 new people and only 5 have left.
we are all going on a big trip to lake bunyoni next weekend, which should be great fun. it's supposed to be very beautiful and is genuinely bilharzia free so we can swim without worrying!
last night we went out to sal geust house, and (because there were so many of us and i was at the back of the queue) there was no dinner left, so i went on an empty stomach, whihc is never a good plan, but at least it was a cheap night out! it cost me 9000 shillings in total for transport and 3 drinks (which was all i needed!) whihc is about 2.25.
i decided today that i want to go gorilla tracking. i will probably never have the chance again and the permit prices are set to triple in the next year. i'm really very excited about it!
hope you are all well and i will speak to you soon!
ps. if you're having trouble posting comments, make sure the 'keep me signed in' box is NOT ticked when you sign in, and then it should work. its very wierd, but thats how it works.
love, lucy xx
its been a good few days since my last post, but this is actually my third day in a row of visits to the internet cafe! yesterday there was a powercut and the day before the connection was down. a few things have happened since wednesday, but in all honesty i cant remember what happened on what day, so i'll just tell you as i remember it. (ie, prepare for a rambly post!)
on thurday (i think) we moved rooms whish was brilliant, because our new room has so much more space, and the beds are higher so we can put our cases underneath them. suzi left on friday so the bed underneath me is now empty, and priya and rachel have gone to lake bunyoni for the weekend, so our room is suddenly very big and very empty! just me, molly and sarah are left, but molly and sarah are going on safari tomorrow, but hopefully i wont be alone because priya and rachel should be back and there are 8 new people arriving on sunday so at least one of them will be in our room. the projects is stuffed full of people, it has a max capacity of 20, but by the middle of next week it will be in the high 40's. original volunteers just keep sending people even though theres no space. in this week alone we have had 18 new people and only 5 have left.
we are all going on a big trip to lake bunyoni next weekend, which should be great fun. it's supposed to be very beautiful and is genuinely bilharzia free so we can swim without worrying!
last night we went out to sal geust house, and (because there were so many of us and i was at the back of the queue) there was no dinner left, so i went on an empty stomach, whihc is never a good plan, but at least it was a cheap night out! it cost me 9000 shillings in total for transport and 3 drinks (which was all i needed!) whihc is about 2.25.
i decided today that i want to go gorilla tracking. i will probably never have the chance again and the permit prices are set to triple in the next year. i'm really very excited about it!
hope you are all well and i will speak to you soon!
ps. if you're having trouble posting comments, make sure the 'keep me signed in' box is NOT ticked when you sign in, and then it should work. its very wierd, but thats how it works.
love, lucy xx
Thursday, 21 July 2011
markets and munchies...
so today has been fun, i'm feeling a lot better, so that has raised my spirits a lot!
last night marass came to make rolexes (chapatti, scrambled egg, cabbage, rolled up like a swiss roll) which i ate a bit of but i still wasnt really feeling up to much so i didnt buy a whole one. yesterday evening was really good socially actually, there was a nice atmosphere around the campfire (hieghtened by the presence of marshmallows for toasting!) and everyone was chatting away.
this morning we went into top class (the classes go baby, middle, top, primary 1, primary 2) to make bunting with them, which was great. they all tie dyed triangles of fabric and while we waited for the dye to take they wrote letters to be given to an english school when we get back. we tried to do it again in the afternoon with middle class but we ran out of time, so we'll do it with them tomorrow morning.
before that, there was a special assembly where the kids danced and sang for us whihc was really good, and i got some great video of it.
after school today it was market day so we came to town to go to the market, where i bought some fabric, which the sewing ladies at the lodge will make into trousers for me.
we also chowed down on a massive stick of sugar cane today, which is becoming more enjoyable the more i try it.
thats really all i have to tell you today!! excise my awful speeling, but this internet cafe keyboard keeps sticking!!
love, lucy xx
last night marass came to make rolexes (chapatti, scrambled egg, cabbage, rolled up like a swiss roll) which i ate a bit of but i still wasnt really feeling up to much so i didnt buy a whole one. yesterday evening was really good socially actually, there was a nice atmosphere around the campfire (hieghtened by the presence of marshmallows for toasting!) and everyone was chatting away.
this morning we went into top class (the classes go baby, middle, top, primary 1, primary 2) to make bunting with them, which was great. they all tie dyed triangles of fabric and while we waited for the dye to take they wrote letters to be given to an english school when we get back. we tried to do it again in the afternoon with middle class but we ran out of time, so we'll do it with them tomorrow morning.
before that, there was a special assembly where the kids danced and sang for us whihc was really good, and i got some great video of it.
after school today it was market day so we came to town to go to the market, where i bought some fabric, which the sewing ladies at the lodge will make into trousers for me.
we also chowed down on a massive stick of sugar cane today, which is becoming more enjoyable the more i try it.
thats really all i have to tell you today!! excise my awful speeling, but this internet cafe keyboard keeps sticking!!
love, lucy xx
Wednesday, 20 July 2011
all that glitters....
the last couple of days have been eventful, to say the least. i have been feeling absolutely awful, but thats not really relevant. yesterday and the day before there has been a large intake of new people, and all of the volunteers who went to rwanda
Yesterday four of the new people (two mothers and a daughter each) and I took 5 children from each of the baby classes, and made glitter pictures with them. They thought it was great fun, and just like Tanzania
Yesterday some very sad rumours were confirmed for us by the parents of affected children. On Thursday through the village gossip line, Anne heard that some of the children who had done badly in their exams had been beaten by their teachers, and some had been hospitalized. This was really horrible to hear about but we just hoped it wasn’t true. Jameel, the head, who works closely with the volunteers seemed appalled and promised to investigate. It turns out that it was actually jameel who did it, so it’s difficult to know who to trust. Beating children in school is illegal in Uganda
I haven’t been into school today because I was feeling ill, but I needed to come into town to top up on painkillers, so I thought I’d post while I was here. I’m sure I was charged the white price for the ibuprofen I bought, but it still only cost 75p for 30 tablets.
I should be able to post again tomorrow because we are coming to see the market. (I might see about buying a pig!)
Love, lucy xx
Monday, 18 July 2011
screaming and swimming...
hey everyone! just a short one today, as everyone is waiting to go to sky blue (a local hotel) for some 'french flies'
we went to the beach yesterday which was really fun, i swam a bit and then we all just lay out in the sun reading books and the boys played volleyball. on the way home we bought meat (goat) on a stick from a street seller wich was absolutely gross, but apparently i got a bad one, it was all fat and no meat whatsoever. i tried a bit of someone elses and it was nice.
today i got my own class, and i'm working with the special needs kids. we have one who is physically disabled from polio, one who is deaf, and two with speech problems. we split the group and i was working on the kids with speech problems.
one of them is really very bright but just nervous with a crippling stammer. the other one has a serious learning problem as well and can't speak at all, though she understand well when people talk to her in runyankole. today in the midddle of a session she started screaming and crying at the top of her lungs, whihc was pretty exhausting ot deal with. up until then she had been very physical and cuddly, but after her screaming episodes she just went on strike and seemed very depressed. she wouldnt speak, she wouldnt play, she wouldnt do anything, so eventually we took her back to class where she seemed happier.
if anyone has any ideas about speech therapy that could help them, it'd be greatly appreciated! i want to do some relaxation techniques with geoffrey, the child with the stammer, as he gets very nervous around people.
i have to go and get my french flies, but i'll try and post in a couple of days!! xxx
we went to the beach yesterday which was really fun, i swam a bit and then we all just lay out in the sun reading books and the boys played volleyball. on the way home we bought meat (goat) on a stick from a street seller wich was absolutely gross, but apparently i got a bad one, it was all fat and no meat whatsoever. i tried a bit of someone elses and it was nice.
today i got my own class, and i'm working with the special needs kids. we have one who is physically disabled from polio, one who is deaf, and two with speech problems. we split the group and i was working on the kids with speech problems.
one of them is really very bright but just nervous with a crippling stammer. the other one has a serious learning problem as well and can't speak at all, though she understand well when people talk to her in runyankole. today in the midddle of a session she started screaming and crying at the top of her lungs, whihc was pretty exhausting ot deal with. up until then she had been very physical and cuddly, but after her screaming episodes she just went on strike and seemed very depressed. she wouldnt speak, she wouldnt play, she wouldnt do anything, so eventually we took her back to class where she seemed happier.
if anyone has any ideas about speech therapy that could help them, it'd be greatly appreciated! i want to do some relaxation techniques with geoffrey, the child with the stammer, as he gets very nervous around people.
i have to go and get my french flies, but i'll try and post in a couple of days!! xxx
Saturday, 16 July 2011
Classes and Clubbing...
hey all, sorry about the extremely short post yesterday that i just re read and was a bit of a nonsense post really.
yesterday after i took little brian to hospital we came ino town and i bought a few things and used the internet at the internet cafe. i also bought some gin, whihc seems to be the drink of choice around here, and is ludicrously cheap. it comes in sachets, rather than bottles, and each one is 100ml. you can buy a pack of 12 sachets for 5500 shillings, which is less than 1.50 in england! we came back from town on a boda boda, which is basically a motorbike that you can hire as a taxi. i was bricking it but it was actually ok, i'd had to ride one earlier in the day anway to take brian home from hospital. we had races and we came second, and the people who were in the lead broke down and had to be collected by anther one of the drivers!
when we got back the goat was being barbequed african style on sticks which were shoved into a log on the fire.it was really yummy and nice to have some meat! after the goat we had a few drinks and the headed out to the sal geusthouse, which is a local club. it was a good laugh though some of the african mens dance moves were questionable! the africn women were very keen to dance with us because they arent alowed to refuse a man if he wantes to dance with her or even if he wants to tae her off for a quickie, so they like to dance with us because we can get rid of the men, or turn it into a group dancing experience rather than a sexual couples dancing thing. one girl i was talking to was only 14 and she was absolutely terrified that a man would drag her off at any moment. i spent the night pointing at my ring (which i wear on my wedding finger but on the wrong hand) and telling people i was married!! it worked well...
a big group of volunteers went off to rwanda fr a couple of days thismorning, so the lodge is a lot quieter, but we did have 2 new people arrive, who have moved into my room, so i wont be alone as molly and sarah have gone on the rwanda trip.
as tomorrow is sunday and there is no school, i think some of us are going to church with the kids in the morning to see the singing, and then we are all going to 'the beach' which is actually the shore of nikaboko lake, so that should be interesting!!
yesterday after i took little brian to hospital we came ino town and i bought a few things and used the internet at the internet cafe. i also bought some gin, whihc seems to be the drink of choice around here, and is ludicrously cheap. it comes in sachets, rather than bottles, and each one is 100ml. you can buy a pack of 12 sachets for 5500 shillings, which is less than 1.50 in england! we came back from town on a boda boda, which is basically a motorbike that you can hire as a taxi. i was bricking it but it was actually ok, i'd had to ride one earlier in the day anway to take brian home from hospital. we had races and we came second, and the people who were in the lead broke down and had to be collected by anther one of the drivers!
when we got back the goat was being barbequed african style on sticks which were shoved into a log on the fire.it was really yummy and nice to have some meat! after the goat we had a few drinks and the headed out to the sal geusthouse, which is a local club. it was a good laugh though some of the african mens dance moves were questionable! the africn women were very keen to dance with us because they arent alowed to refuse a man if he wantes to dance with her or even if he wants to tae her off for a quickie, so they like to dance with us because we can get rid of the men, or turn it into a group dancing experience rather than a sexual couples dancing thing. one girl i was talking to was only 14 and she was absolutely terrified that a man would drag her off at any moment. i spent the night pointing at my ring (which i wear on my wedding finger but on the wrong hand) and telling people i was married!! it worked well...
a big group of volunteers went off to rwanda fr a couple of days thismorning, so the lodge is a lot quieter, but we did have 2 new people arrive, who have moved into my room, so i wont be alone as molly and sarah have gone on the rwanda trip.
as tomorrow is sunday and there is no school, i think some of us are going to church with the kids in the morning to see the singing, and then we are all going to 'the beach' which is actually the shore of nikaboko lake, so that should be interesting!!
Wednesday, 6 July 2011
Bazaar and barbers...
Last night we went to the bazaar for shopping and the men in the group went for a shave at a Turkish barber. My dad was very nervous and I think he was worried that we might laugh at him, so he wouldn't let any of us watch! We had to sneak up on him and take a picture in the mirror. Seb had a shave too and he liked it I think, but he wasn't sure what he thought when they started burning his ear hairs off!
Afterwards dad was actually really pleased that we got a picture and we had dinner and we shopped. I got a big box of Turkish delight, some 'genuine fake' sunglasses, (mine broke yesterday!) and this beautiful lamp for my room. My dad spend a ridiculous amount of money on an inlaid backgammon set, which is very beautiful, and I think I might be investing in a handbag. They are fake label but they are very good quality and I don't really care very much if it's fake as long as it's made of real leather and it looks nice.
Today we are going on the carpet trip and then to the hammam (tukish bath) for a body scrub and massage. Hopefully will post about that later, though probably the hammam will go on my beauty blog. I'm posting so much here because we have free wifi at this Marina, but tomorrow we won't so I'll be posting less!
Love, Lucy xx
Afterwards dad was actually really pleased that we got a picture and we had dinner and we shopped. I got a big box of Turkish delight, some 'genuine fake' sunglasses, (mine broke yesterday!) and this beautiful lamp for my room. My dad spend a ridiculous amount of money on an inlaid backgammon set, which is very beautiful, and I think I might be investing in a handbag. They are fake label but they are very good quality and I don't really care very much if it's fake as long as it's made of real leather and it looks nice.
Today we are going on the carpet trip and then to the hammam (tukish bath) for a body scrub and massage. Hopefully will post about that later, though probably the hammam will go on my beauty blog. I'm posting so much here because we have free wifi at this Marina, but tomorrow we won't so I'll be posting less!
Love, Lucy xx
Exam results
Hey lovelies!!
Yesterday I got my results of my IB diploma over the phone to the boat. I got 30 points and 13 at higher which is very irritating because for my uni place I needed only 24 points but 15 at higher. OI have rung em and emailed them and hopefully they will accept me anyway.
There were some tears when I found out as obviously I was gutted as east London is my top choice and there is no other uni offering that course, but I did still get into my insurance choice, so even if east London decide they don't want me at least I know I'm going to uni somewhere.
The boat is lovely and we have been doing some really cool things. We went on a trip and saw big turtles and some ruins, and we sailed along the dalyan river. Tomorrow we go on a cultured trip to see a gorge and a carpet factory and a mosque. Very interesting!
Tonight we are in fethieye which is quite big so there is a really nice Marina though I have to limp around as Paul, our captain told them that there was a disabled person inboard so that we didnt have to park miles out and walk for ages!
We are going shopping in the bazaar to get Turkish delight and other stuff, and I think my dad and Seb are going to a Turkish barber for a shave! I might see if there are any treatments I can have done and if I find some I will post about them on my beauty blog!
Mucho love, Lucy xx
Yesterday I got my results of my IB diploma over the phone to the boat. I got 30 points and 13 at higher which is very irritating because for my uni place I needed only 24 points but 15 at higher. OI have rung em and emailed them and hopefully they will accept me anyway.
There were some tears when I found out as obviously I was gutted as east London is my top choice and there is no other uni offering that course, but I did still get into my insurance choice, so even if east London decide they don't want me at least I know I'm going to uni somewhere.
The boat is lovely and we have been doing some really cool things. We went on a trip and saw big turtles and some ruins, and we sailed along the dalyan river. Tomorrow we go on a cultured trip to see a gorge and a carpet factory and a mosque. Very interesting!
Tonight we are in fethieye which is quite big so there is a really nice Marina though I have to limp around as Paul, our captain told them that there was a disabled person inboard so that we didnt have to park miles out and walk for ages!
We are going shopping in the bazaar to get Turkish delight and other stuff, and I think my dad and Seb are going to a Turkish barber for a shave! I might see if there are any treatments I can have done and if I find some I will post about them on my beauty blog!
Mucho love, Lucy xx
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