POTATO

So we've had our first taste of "irish" potatoes, they cook it here with tomatoes and onions frying them instead of boiling but they tasted goooooooood, but then again anything from eating poshu 24/7 is good.

We went to a big Gospel church in the city on sunday, it was like a concert, with cameras, and lighting, huge choir, slightly different to the church we usually attend on a sunday. There was a queue to get in an there was probably over 1,000 there!

When I told one of the kids that I would be teaching him and 170 other kids MATHS (yes I know, me teaching maths...no jk) he laughed and laughed and LAUGHED, and I asked why was that so funny and he said it was because the kids all laughed at me coz they thought I was an old lady because of my hair! Confidence booster!

Two days ago there was a Lightning storm that went on for hours, and Amy laughed at me for taking out my headphones (because I was afraid to get electrified, serious my hair is frizzy enough out here) and then we heard 22 people were killed in the storm.....EEK! Everywhere was flooded because it rained so heavy, and we complain about the rain in Ireland!

Amy feels like she is back at primary school again, when shes correcting the books, shes learning herself!!

This weekend we are heading to Jinja (in East Uganda) to visit the Nile and the beautiful waterfalls there. We are staying at another orphanage FDLM. So next post we can give you all the goss from our trip....x

33 tips for 33 days- Guide for Muzoongus to understand Uganda……

1.    Don’t yawn unless you’re hungry (yes we don’t get it either)
2.   Expect to pay twice the local price……sure we are Muzoongus, we MUST be rich…HA!
3.   Women don’t whistle…. They just don’t (this is very hard to remember)
4.   If you have blonde hair, it will be called grey and they will think you are a granny!
5.   If you are on life-support, don’t count on reliable electricity
6.   Expect to have several near-death experiences every time you walk ANYWHER
7.   Don’t think you will sleep alone, you will probably be sharing your bed with a menagerie of life- mosquitoes, spiders, MICE!
8.   Get over your self-consciousness- at any one time probably one million people WILL be staring at you
9.   Beans twice a day and it’s not going anywhere……..
10.   Don’t worry if you can’t remember all your pupil’s names, because there’s roughly 170 of them- all  wearing the same thing!
11.   You will eat the same thing every meal, everyday, FACT!
12.   Your alarm clock is 13 kids screaming “sister, sister” at 6am
13.   There’s no such thing as personal space
14.   Expect to not understand anything people say……even when speaking your language
15.   If you’re white, you MUST be from America
16.   The best thing on TV is a Spanish soap opera that is translated into English and then Luganda
17.   The main evening News will include headlines on why women carry handbags
18.   When it rains the world will stop
19.   Americans have time, Africans keep time (PAH!)
20.   The dog’s sing night-time lullabies (i.e. howl) LITERALLY ALL NIGHT
21.   Drying your underwear outside is a big NO NO
22.   Personal hygiene is not a priority
23.   Squatty Potty A.K.A I’ll hold it
24.   African Tea consists of one teabag, boiling water, and 15 TEASPOONS OF SUGAR!
25.   Irish potatoes are NOT IRISH
26.   Never wear white, it won’t be that colour for long
27.   Think you’re tanned? go wash, it’s probably dirt……
28.   “You’re my size”- Uganga’s men’s cheesiest chat-up-line
29.   Doxy Dreams (Malaria tablets)- You may want to consult a psychiatrist when you go home
30.   Posho- Taste= 0, Nutrition= 0 and Calories= 1 million!
31.   Sunday mass is 4 hours long!
32.   Apparently, according to Oxford Publishers; Ireland is primarily Hindu!?
33.   In spite of the various differences and (ahem) inconveniences; you are still guaranteed a life-changing experience, that you’ll never forget :)

First day at school....

Monday was our first day of school, Mengo Primary school. In primary there was 2/3 people in my class, Amy was in a class of 8. Monday, one of my classes had 89 and the other 83, in one small classroom! EEK! Amy's class had 73. The children attend school from 7.30am until 5.30 pm, yet they only have about 2 classes a day. Because of the large class numbers work is slow pace, and what they would learn in a day we may have covered in an hour. However we must remember that school is taught in English, which isnt their first language.

After school we ventured once again into the City (and almost got squished by a lorry). We met some locals that are friends of the volunteers and then went to the craft fair, which hosted a vast amount of hand-made souvenirs. That night we went to an outside concert at the national theatre of all kinds of music, Tom Jones to Reggae. It felt weird because the ratio of Mazoongu to locals was about 30:70, when usually it is about 1:1000. That night we stayed at one of the volunteers friend's house and I had my first experience of a "squatty potty". I'll not go into details there. On the matatu home, locals tried selling us a plethora of items in the windows-from sweets to bulbs and everything in between. For a country that uses English as it's official language, sometimes they just understand NO! We arrived home with some new bug bites, tired but excited to see the kids again.

We are going to try and upload some pictures so you can see the kids and where we are. We cannot believe we are almost a week here.......x

Mazoongu.......MAZOONGU!!!!

Day three......


Today we escaped into the city of Kampala. We visited the ghetto, the real slums of Kampala- like a scene from Slumdog millionaire, and before our mothers have a heart-attack, we were with people who used to live there who were friends of the other volunteers! Everywhere we went people shouted Mazoongu (white people) at us, children followed us chanting it. Someone even asked amy to "TAKE MY KID" We were even in the President of the ghetto's "house", he was lovely, he even prayed with us before we left!!

Literally a 5 minute walk from the ghetto and you are in the city centre- tall buildings and street markets, a far cry from what we had just seen. The differentiation between rich and poor is shocking to say the least. Yet people still stare at us, and I wish that I could tan so i dont stand out as much. We then travelled to garden city (a shopping centre) which apparently is a Mazoongu hangout.

After walking for what seemed like hours we arrived home on a Matatu (the most dangerous ride you've ever had!) which is like a mini bus. Matatus and Boda Bodas (motorbike taxi) are the only mode of transport. Boda bodas are probably the most dangerous thing Ive ever seen on the road.....and were from donegal!! literally 100s of them weave in and out of traffic with like the whole family on the back. They will not stop so dont cross their paths, I should know seeing as one hit me yesterday!!

Back at the home and the kids were excited to have us back. One of the girls ask me what origin i was (she had actually said religion but i misheard her) and I said i was irish. She replied saying she tought i was Japanese. JEEZ i know i dont look great but seriously! Then she went on to say I didn't look Japanese but I sound it! Well I suppose the Donegal accent is pretty strong!!

Talk soon (internet very bad here)....x

Strive for the best

So we have arrived……

After about 30 hours of travelling and waiting, we have made it to BULA children’s home in Kampala! The Mutato (a taxi, kindalike a mini-bus only much more dangerous) ride from the airport was about an hour long. Myself and Amy spent most of it in silence taking in the surroundings. Each roadside was occupied by stalls selling everything you could imagine, We drove alongside the amazing lake Victoria, surprisingly its very green, a kinda home from home (except the fact the sun is shining)

Before we reached the home, we passed a small stall selling (I think) burgers (or something like that), painted messily on the bottom said “ Strive for the best” and I guess that’s what the people do, they utilize the resources available to create a stable life, same as we do in Ireland.

The taxi man had a curtain tie hanging from the front mirror, you know the fancy kind you would find in your good sitting room! Sure who are I to judge , they would probably laugh at us hanging smelly cards from ours!

Last night the kids (who are class!) put on a kind of concert for us, singing and dancing. It was like nothing we had experienced! Food is good (seriously) and the people have made us feel so welcome!

Anyhu must head the kids are due home from school…..x

The Last Preparations.....and supper!

Amy and I are getting our last preparations together now, list making, packing and checking!

For those of you who do not know, we are travelling to Kampala, Uganda, to work in an Orphanage on June 15th for 6 weeks! We are very excited and nervous. We are very thankful to all the help we have received in fund-raising this past couple of months, with special thanks to our Avril, Austin and Margaret (our parents). 

We have both decided to feast on chocolate the day before we leave, because it may be a while before we have anymore.........x