Kampala, (lack of) electricity, language

Trip to Kampala
Tomorrow morning we leave for Kampala, the capital, via long-distance coach. Danny has a week of motorbike training on rough Ugandan roads and if…emmm…I mean when, he passes the test will be given a Ugandan motorbike licence and his own motorbike. The motorbike will be delivered to our house via truck – we won’t be returning from Kampala on a bike with a large suitcase and two backpacks!! While Danny is training to be a Hell’s Angel I’ll be shopping or at an internet café.

The following week we will be at the VSO Conference Centre outside of the city for In-Country-Training Part 2. The programme consists of sharing experiences and problems from our first six+ weeks in Uganda. There will be lessons in history, government, culture, and generally how things work here. A BBQ and socializing as well!

The continuing saga of (cue spooky organ music)….the LAUNDRY
When we came here I packed lots of Persil Non-bio tablets. Biological detergents make Danny itch and I am allergic to anything perfumed. I learned pre-departure that Persil can be bought here, which it can. But it’s not non-bio and is scented. I also learned that the most popular detergent here is Omo, which cleans the clothes but wears them out quickly because it is rough.

My first experiences at hand-washing everything has taught me:
1.Persil is way too gentle for hand-washing.
2.Therefore, the laundry doesn’t get clean.
3.Omo is made for hand-washing.
4.Conclusion: The clothes will wear out sooner but at least they will be clean.

Electricity
Electrical lines are being repaired in ours and neighbouring districts. Therefore, the power has been out every weekday from about 7a.m. until sometime between 6-9p.m. since the 1st of November. It is predicted to be finished by the end of the month. I’ll believe it when it happens. Just when we were counting ourselves lucky that we hadn’t been without power very often. Argghhh….

Many are convinced that the actual reason we have been without electricity is that it’s being diverted to Kampala where CHOGM (Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting) will be for a week this month. CHOGM is a meeting of all the heads of state of every country in the British Commonwealth. The Queen, Prime Minister, Prince Chuckie will, of course, be attending. Kampala has been getting ready for this for many months and built a posh hotel just for the occasion.

Odds and ends…..
-Women are addressed as madame, which I find complimentary.
-How to pronounce Mbarara—Im-ba-rahr-ah with no pauses or emphasis on a single syllable.
-I can’t recall seeing anyone lose their temper since we’ve been here. Showing anger in public is taboo.

Recently been having a serious craving for Lime Doritos!!!!! And we’ve got great guacamole to have with them as well – made from locally grown avocados and lemons.

Weather
We very quickly began taking the gorgeous weather for granted. In Scotland we would usually drop everything and go outside to sit or for a bike ride or hike with weather like this. How do you appreciate it if it’s good all the time? It usually gets cooler at night which gives us a bit of a change and feels cooler after a heavy rainfall. One would assume that being on the equator would make the temperature roasting hot all the time. Due to the elevation – we are at about 1400 metres – it rarely gets too hot.

Local language
A few words/phrases of Runyankole, the language of the southwest, we’ve learned:
-Thank you - Webare (way-bar-ay)
-Good morning - Oriere ota (ori rota)
-Good afternoon – osiibirota (o-see-bur-ota)
-Goodbye –osiibagee (o-see-ba-jee)
-Have a good evening – oraire gye (ora rejee)
-Did you sleep well/have a good night? – oriere gye (ori rejee)
-What do you want? – noyenda ki
-I want milk – Ninyenda amate