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