July 13 + Odds and ends from the week

July 13 + Odds and ends from the week

Slumming it

I worked at PREDICT Tuesday and Lis, from the weekend, asked if she could come out and “see my place”. She is feeling like her view from the Sheraton isn’t quite the real Uganda, which I have more of a window on. So after work (which is about 6:30 or 7 here) we set off up the road together to get on the taxi. She actually taught english in two of the “stans” in Eastern Europe for a year, and spent some time travelling in Kenya so she’s been out of 5star hotels before. And she’s going to Congo to do community interviews so we’re not talking about a wimp. Anyway we caught the taxi, walked back in the dusk from Wandegeya along the back alleys (I’m getting good at the short-cuts) and she got the grand tour of the flat. We then marched up to the front gates and had Indian food at the lost and now-found place Lu showed me, and in fact ran into him there and had dinner with him. And then I called Taxi-Peter on my phone (the guy who drove me on the bombing night - now in my personal phone list) and shipped her off home to the Sheraton. A satisfactory tour all round!



I don’t have a sandal tan after all

I found something I have been looking for tonight - a foot scrubbing stone. Considering I’ve been here less than 2 weeks I have no idea how the backs of my heels have turned into scary sandpaper, but has happened. So a foot stone was in order. After a number of abortive attempts in pharmacies and groceries (where I really don’t everyone knew what I was asking for) I hit the jackpot. So once home I heated some water, soaked my feet, and scrubbed away. And discovered that the sandal tan I thought I had developed was just ground in red Ugandan earth. Amazing what a good wash will do!

Being a washerwoman - I’m not changing my day-job

I don’t have the skills to properly hand wash real clothing. Rinse out a few delicate sweaters, I can handle that. But when it comes to getting a bucket of dirty clothing clean I just don’t have the knack. I knead and swish and make bubbles and soak the bathroom, but the results are just substandard. Ring around the collar fades slightly, but the results are rather like one of those laundry ads where they show the product which doesn’t work very well. And my clothes wringing is definitely not up to par. When Betty does laundry you can bet there isn’t a pool of water under the laundry line (which is in the stairwell by the grand entrance). The sad part is I think my chances of improving are fairly minor. There is going to be a serious washing machine party when I get back.