Saturday 10 November 2007

A feast for the senses....

emm…well, not always a feast

See
  • green hills dotted with cows and goats
  • bright purple or pink school uniforms worn by barefoot children
  • blue sky à a few white clouds à black clouds à downpour à blue sky
  • brown mud houses
  • acres and acres of tall, dark green matoke plants
  • tshirts displaying UK sports teams, US cities, or foreign companies reddish-orange soil
  • bicycles being pushed up hilly roads laden with tonnes of green matoke
  • local markets on the sides of the roads featuring every colour—red tomatoes, green matoke, yellow bananas, green/gold pineapples, purple onions, green peppers, green avocados, orange carrots, brown aubergines, red chilli peppers, pale green cabbage, etc……
  • bright, multi-coloured dresses, shawls, skirts, shirts
  • big, brown eyes of smiling kids
  • vivid dreams due to the anti-malaria medication
  • buildings painted bright yellow with the MTN logo (mobile phones)































Hear
  • drumming all night in a local village signalling an upcoming wedding
  • chatter in the local language – Runyankole
  • lovely singing of the college students – although we can’t understand a word of it (yet)
  • thick Ugandan accents when speaking English
  • rain beating down, boom of thunder
  • the comforting, familiar accents on BBC World Service radio
  • the buzz of a mozzie when we are safely in bed with the mozzie net tucked around us
  • crickets as soon as it becomes dark
Smell
  • pleasant smell of smoke from kitchens
  • frequent BO (not mine!)
  • goatmeat being roasted on kebab skewers
  • common choking odour of burning oil from ill-maintained vehicles
  • popcorn machines on the sidewalks outside the shops in Mbarara
  • lovely aroma of the bakeries in Mbarara
Taste
  • small, sweet bananas
  • tea flavoured with tea masala—a powder made with cinnamon, ginger, cloves, cardamom, black pepper, nutmeg
  • tender, juicy African steak
  • sweet, juicy Ugandan pineapples
  • sweet, thick mango juice
  • smooth, creamy, fresh avocado
Feel 
  • warm/hot sun
  • coolness after rain
  • frequent dust in the eyes
  • cold shower—how good it feels to be done!
  • itch of mozzie bites
  • someone constantly wanting to shake your hand
  • our ultra-soft fleece blanket on chilly nights
  • lumpy pillows



3 comments:

leigh said...

Wow!

I think someone might be falling in love . . . with Africa.

That was a really, really beautiful post to read!

It sounds incredible.

Anonymous said...

Good to hear you are settling down so well. You have to have been brought up on weetabix, I still have it now and again. Reading your blogs Annie has made my wait bearable. Next comment from Cape Coast. Say hello to Danny.
Best wishes.
Eddie

Unknown said...

you make it sound like paradise!