Day 10: I know where I'm going!!!

27 June, 2010

Today started out seeming like it would be a boring day. The new volunteers arrived and I showed them to the supermarket and the well. I felt like I knew so much since I could get to these two places. Mind you, they are within walking distance and not hard to get to. After our wanderings, Teacher Susan came over and helped me wash clothes. She got the stain out of my white dress, dropped my soap in the sewer, and bought me new soap that is actually used for washing clothes. I tried to pay her back but she wouldn't let me. While my clothes were drying she took me, Brittany and Alissa (the new volunteers) to her house. I thought we were just going to see where she lives and then come back, but instead we ended up staying for a couple hours and meeting her extremely hyper son (Dalton), 2 brothers (Brian and Emmanuel), and some of her neighbors' children who dropped in to stare at us.

We ate so much matoke today. Teacher Susan gave us a lot of matoke and some eggs with salt and tomatoes. Those were really good. We couldn't finish all of it, but in the mean time we had great conversation with Dumba (a guy who knows Derrick) and Susan's brothers.

When we left, Teacher Susan's house we went to visit Dumba's mom's shop. He was so proud of his mom and told us about how he was working so hard and how much she has been through. It was so adorable! We took a lot of pictures. Most of them Dumba took himself. We got email addresses from him and Teacher Susan so that we can keep in touch after we leave.

Dumba taught me Luganda words today.
No=neda
sugar cane=chicanjo
knife=kambe

Teacher Susan, Emmanuel, Brian, and Dumba walked us back to the compound. We found out that Derrick had been worried about us because apparently they did not know who we were with. I figured since she worked for the school they knew Teacher Susan. When Derrick came back I had to apologize for worrying him. I am still not used to the communication difference here. When someone we don't know comes onto our property in the U.S. we immmediately ask who they are, why they are there, etc. Teacher Susan just came in and walked up to my door. How she knew which one is mine, I don't know. Maybe I was standing near the door. I can't remember. She was at the house for over an hour and no one said anything so I figured they knew her.

Dad, you will be happy to know that while we were walking to Susan's I was actually paying attention. I knew how to get home from where we were going.

After the adventure to and from Teacher Susan's, I took Brittany and Alissa to the well. The girls walking behind us were a little obnoxious as they were laughing very loudly and you can almost be positive they were laughing at us. I'm pretty sure I was grumpy at this point.

The other girls are coming back later tonight. Can't wait to hear about their Murchison Falls adventure! But my weekend was awesome too.