Food:
STARCH. lots of rice and potatoes (called “Irish”) and posho (corn starch pastey stuff that you make by “mingling” it with water in the pan) and chipatis (which I think are of Indian origin… bread/tortilla kind of thing) and matoke (mashed up bananas… but they’re cooking bananas and don’t have much flavor… don’t taste like bananas). Always with some sort of soup on it... often beans... or questionable meats. A lot of the time the meat will be beef or chicken. It’s not usually chewable though… you have to get all covered in it and rip it apart with your teeth to have any hope. I’m slowly becoming more carnivorous. Everything is eaten with the fingers (traditionally... sometimes we're lucky and they'll give us "muzungu"s utensils – though I try EVERY time to cut apart the meat and it is IMPOSSIBLE – then I get made fun of and forced to use my teeth!). Kidney tastes pretty horrible, but other than that I haven’t had too many problems except for the meat stuck in my teeth hours after eating (which many of you
will know how much I would love that). Liver is a funny texture but doesn’t have too much taste (at least relative to the kidney). Val has been teaching me anatomy at meal time. Last week I had some sacrum… we’ve had a good amount of lymph node… you have to first identify the body part before eating (Nielly, you would LOVE it! :-P). Oh and also, LOTS of tea. At least twice a day, but usually more. It’s good… lots of milk and sugar added. Sometimes for breakfast we have chipatis with cinnamon and sugar which is SO good! We had a fresh pineapple the other day that was amazing! Man, it’s good to have food that hasn’t been imported from other countries. Though it started to ferment (we don’t have a fridge) and we may have taken in some alcohol by the end of it! Also… did you know that cheese can last at least a month and a half without refrigeration?! (unopened
that is) And it’s not bad that way, either! Water: I have been trying to transition to bore-hole water. The
water is not bad from there… technically clean… but still not tap-water (and for those of you who won’t even drink tap water… you better stay there in the US!). So the transition is going well… I haven’t had too many stomach issues yet! But the cipro is on hand… it is pretty commonly used with the muzungus around here. Dr. Val drinks the water, but even she has to have cipro sometimes! I haven’t resorted to it yet cause I think that would make my transition have to start over. We’ll see what happens.
Living arrangements:
I have a “mattress” on the floor of my hut that I sleep on. The circular hut is made of cement around the outside and has a
grass-thatched roof. You always sleep under a mosquito net that hangs over the bed and you tuck it under the mattress at night. There’s no electricity so we have kerosene lanterns that we light and we use flashlights a lot! (thank you Alex! :-P)
The Essentials: (well… YOU think they’re essentials :-P)
Bathing… (not essential)… but we have a bathing shelter that has some sheets of metal set up in the shape of a square. No roof. You take a basin with some water (usually QUITE chilly water) and a plastic cup/mug to dump the water on your head with. This morning I had some heated water to add to my basin, though… and it felt like home!! It was amazing. :-P “Bathroom”… called a latrine here… it’s just a shelter with a hole in the ground. Also called a squatty-potty by the most dignified people (Nielly… think I heard that from you first :-P). You have to take toilet paper (or tissues) anywhere you go if you want to have it cause if it’s left somewhere it WILL be stolen within about 10 minutes. There is never any soap anywhere… oh how I love Purel!
Driving:
VERY few people around here drive or have a car. People walk SO much I am quite impressed. Usually they are carrying at least 20 pounds on their heads too… a Jerry can of water or who knows what else. I’ve seen gigantic barrels… piles of mattresses… heavy suitcases… anything can be carried on the head! (though only girls do it… guys go for the shoulder… no, actually, they just have the girls carry things! :-P) No wonder so many people were complaining of neck or back pain during our medical clinics… necks were made to carry a HEAD! We have a Land Rover truck that we drive. It has two fuel tanks and two batteries. His name is Brutus. And it fits him well! It’s AMAZING the roads he gets us through… SO many other cars get stuck and we can help them out or pass on by as necessary. We are also almost always carrying about 50 people in the back of the truck (slight exaggeration). Everyone wants a ride cause they walk SO far!
Wildlife:
I got my first parasite already!!! (mom and dad… remember the close-toed shoe thing? Well… they are over-rated.) Parasites aren’t so bad… the locals know how to get them out real well. It’s called a “jigger”… a little worm-y kinda thing that burrows into your feet to lay its eggs. Mine got pretty big… you don’t feel them the first time you get it until it’s big cause after that one you have an allergic reaction and you know it’s there cause it gets itchy. Val and I had them at the same time, too! So they were both removed… you use a safety pin and kinda dig around it and squeeze it out. The key is to make sure it stays intact and the whole egg sac comes out. Or you’ll have a LOT more to remove! I also saw my fist scorpion the other night! It was really cool looking… not so big. Unfortunately Val said we had to kill it :-/ I guess they don’t feel so good when they get you!
We also “removed” a snake from my hut this morning. I am 99% sure it wasn’t venomous… and just a little thing. But given the fact that we’re in Africa… policy is you have to kill them… who knows. I wanted Frank there to identify it for me!
As for ‘real’ wildlife… there hasn’t been too much yet. The big things we generally think of don’t hang out so much in Uganda… especially Karamoja. In large part because of all the target practice previously done by the warring tribe. But eventually we will make it over to Kenya and go through a safari Then we will see the cool stuff (and name a giraffe “Danielle”!!)! For now there are a LOT of birds. Real neat ones… I wish dad and Thomas were here to identify
them! There was a baby baboon in one of the peace villages last week. They had probably killed it’s mama for eating their crops, but they didn’t want to kill the baby cause it was cute… so it was tied to a tree. Probably didn’t make it too long though… it kinda needed milk still :-/ But it was fun to play with… friendly (until it gets bigger!)
So my time here has been amazing. You may not think that all that sounds like fun, but I would have to disagree - It’s like 8 months of camping!!! That wasn’t very descriptive with what we’ve actually been doing… I had to set the scene first. I’ll give you some brief stories in my next post (sorry for all this to come at once, but I’ve got some time to make up for!)
STARCH. lots of rice and potatoes (called “Irish”) and posho (corn starch pastey stuff that you make by “mingling” it with water in the pan) and chipatis (which I think are of Indian origin… bread/tortilla kind of thing) and matoke (mashed up bananas… but they’re cooking bananas and don’t have much flavor… don’t taste like bananas). Always with some sort of soup on it... often beans... or questionable meats. A lot of the time the meat will be beef or chicken. It’s not usually chewable though… you have to get all covered in it and rip it apart with your teeth to have any hope. I’m slowly becoming more carnivorous. Everything is eaten with the fingers (traditionally... sometimes we're lucky and they'll give us "muzungu"s utensils – though I try EVERY time to cut apart the meat and it is IMPOSSIBLE – then I get made fun of and forced to use my teeth!). Kidney tastes pretty horrible, but other than that I haven’t had too many problems except for the meat stuck in my teeth hours after eating (which many of you
will know how much I would love that). Liver is a funny texture but doesn’t have too much taste (at least relative to the kidney). Val has been teaching me anatomy at meal time. Last week I had some sacrum… we’ve had a good amount of lymph node… you have to first identify the body part before eating (Nielly, you would LOVE it! :-P). Oh and also, LOTS of tea. At least twice a day, but usually more. It’s good… lots of milk and sugar added. Sometimes for breakfast we have chipatis with cinnamon and sugar which is SO good! We had a fresh pineapple the other day that was amazing! Man, it’s good to have food that hasn’t been imported from other countries. Though it started to ferment (we don’t have a fridge) and we may have taken in some alcohol by the end of it! Also… did you know that cheese can last at least a month and a half without refrigeration?! (unopened
that is) And it’s not bad that way, either! Water: I have been trying to transition to bore-hole water. The
water is not bad from there… technically clean… but still not tap-water (and for those of you who won’t even drink tap water… you better stay there in the US!). So the transition is going well… I haven’t had too many stomach issues yet! But the cipro is on hand… it is pretty commonly used with the muzungus around here. Dr. Val drinks the water, but even she has to have cipro sometimes! I haven’t resorted to it yet cause I think that would make my transition have to start over. We’ll see what happens.
Living arrangements:
I have a “mattress” on the floor of my hut that I sleep on. The circular hut is made of cement around the outside and has a
grass-thatched roof. You always sleep under a mosquito net that hangs over the bed and you tuck it under the mattress at night. There’s no electricity so we have kerosene lanterns that we light and we use flashlights a lot! (thank you Alex! :-P)
The Essentials: (well… YOU think they’re essentials :-P)
Bathing… (not essential)… but we have a bathing shelter that has some sheets of metal set up in the shape of a square. No roof. You take a basin with some water (usually QUITE chilly water) and a plastic cup/mug to dump the water on your head with. This morning I had some heated water to add to my basin, though… and it felt like home!! It was amazing. :-P “Bathroom”… called a latrine here… it’s just a shelter with a hole in the ground. Also called a squatty-potty by the most dignified people (Nielly… think I heard that from you first :-P). You have to take toilet paper (or tissues) anywhere you go if you want to have it cause if it’s left somewhere it WILL be stolen within about 10 minutes. There is never any soap anywhere… oh how I love Purel!
Driving:
VERY few people around here drive or have a car. People walk SO much I am quite impressed. Usually they are carrying at least 20 pounds on their heads too… a Jerry can of water or who knows what else. I’ve seen gigantic barrels… piles of mattresses… heavy suitcases… anything can be carried on the head! (though only girls do it… guys go for the shoulder… no, actually, they just have the girls carry things! :-P) No wonder so many people were complaining of neck or back pain during our medical clinics… necks were made to carry a HEAD! We have a Land Rover truck that we drive. It has two fuel tanks and two batteries. His name is Brutus. And it fits him well! It’s AMAZING the roads he gets us through… SO many other cars get stuck and we can help them out or pass on by as necessary. We are also almost always carrying about 50 people in the back of the truck (slight exaggeration). Everyone wants a ride cause they walk SO far!
Wildlife:
I got my first parasite already!!! (mom and dad… remember the close-toed shoe thing? Well… they are over-rated.) Parasites aren’t so bad… the locals know how to get them out real well. It’s called a “jigger”… a little worm-y kinda thing that burrows into your feet to lay its eggs. Mine got pretty big… you don’t feel them the first time you get it until it’s big cause after that one you have an allergic reaction and you know it’s there cause it gets itchy. Val and I had them at the same time, too! So they were both removed… you use a safety pin and kinda dig around it and squeeze it out. The key is to make sure it stays intact and the whole egg sac comes out. Or you’ll have a LOT more to remove! I also saw my fist scorpion the other night! It was really cool looking… not so big. Unfortunately Val said we had to kill it :-/ I guess they don’t feel so good when they get you!
We also “removed” a snake from my hut this morning. I am 99% sure it wasn’t venomous… and just a little thing. But given the fact that we’re in Africa… policy is you have to kill them… who knows. I wanted Frank there to identify it for me!
As for ‘real’ wildlife… there hasn’t been too much yet. The big things we generally think of don’t hang out so much in Uganda… especially Karamoja. In large part because of all the target practice previously done by the warring tribe. But eventually we will make it over to Kenya and go through a safari Then we will see the cool stuff (and name a giraffe “Danielle”!!)! For now there are a LOT of birds. Real neat ones… I wish dad and Thomas were here to identify
them! There was a baby baboon in one of the peace villages last week. They had probably killed it’s mama for eating their crops, but they didn’t want to kill the baby cause it was cute… so it was tied to a tree. Probably didn’t make it too long though… it kinda needed milk still :-/ But it was fun to play with… friendly (until it gets bigger!)
So my time here has been amazing. You may not think that all that sounds like fun, but I would have to disagree - It’s like 8 months of camping!!! That wasn’t very descriptive with what we’ve actually been doing… I had to set the scene first. I’ll give you some brief stories in my next post (sorry for all this to come at once, but I’ve got some time to make up for!)
So you made the mexican with the "chipatis"? :-) bet it was good! :-)
ReplyDeleteYour experiences would make most people hop a flight back home, but luckily we know that it all makes the trip more exciting for you.
ReplyDeleteWe are so happy that you finally found some internet service. Did you type this on top of Val's head?
Miss ya, Love ya,
Mom & Dad
Dear Heidi: We all love to hear of your experiences. I'm trying to figure out how to incorporate your blog into a lesson plan at school. Be safe. Keep writing. I sure hope you're able to keep a diary. This could easily be a best selling book someday. All our love,
ReplyDeleteCarrie, Bill, Carly, and Samantha Brooks
yeah... but I told you our version of Italian too Cesar! lol
ReplyDeletehahaha not quite Val's head... might have gone faster then though :P Nah, instead I had Cesar post it cause gmail was working better than this place!
Aunt Carrie... don't worry, I am writing about lots! I don't know about a best-selling book, but I guess we'll see what happens! :P
ohhhhh myyyy gawwwwdddd this is so cool. heidelberg you are fascinating. i love you. i love reading what you write. i was laughing out loud. yellie is sitting across the room yelling at me because i am SHOUTING what you wrote and she is like STOP I HAVEN'T GOTTEN THERE YET.
ReplyDeletei can't believe you got a jigger! I am TA-ing the parasites class - we learn about that one! i will have to tell everyone that my BFF had that from walking barefoot in Uganda.
this is why we have TOMS shoes! ;)
are you sleeping alone in your hut? or is Val with you? I would be scared, I think. and snakes! YIKES. you are so brave.
love you
YOU GOT A PARASITE!? AAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!!!
ReplyDeletethat is one of the TWO things that actually bother me...skin diseases, and bugs living under people's skin. I might have actually freaked out. Jesus, please don't let me get one when I goooo! :-P
Do you know how exciting it is to get 2 shout-outs? haha
How often do you end up bathing? when you say closed-toe shoes are overrated do you mean because the parasite wasn't that bad, or because you were wearing closed-toed shoes and still got it?
Why did you eat sacrum? How is there any meat on it? it's sooo ligamentous! hahaha
I love love love picturing you doing all these things...it's like every day holds a new set of adventures and you just take them as they come. Most people have things go wrong and get annoyed but you're just excited to be doing/learning something interesting from it!
love reading about your adventures. don't accept any of those offers of marriage, even for 300 cows.
ReplyDeleteLove you and miss you
Gram and gramps
HAHAHA Danielle I'm so glad I can be an example for your parasites class! :P And I have my hut to myself when we're in Kangole... we travel around a lot though so sometimes I'm in the same place as her or with others... kinda depends! But "home" is my own hut next to Val's hut.
ReplyDeleteNielly... I have to admit I was QUITE freaked out by the idea of it living in me at first... basically until it was time to get it out. Then - the procedure was quite entertaining having two american dr.s and nurses watching to learn how to do it (though I HATED having them all watching me - lol) But by the end... I wanted to try it myself! So now I'm just waiting for my next one!!! Then out comes the knife/safety pin!! hehe. I say closed-toed shoes are overrated cause it wasn't that bad... though it wasn't in my toe so i'm not sure how much the shoes would have mattered (unless I had sneakers then I'd be pretty safe... but... skirt + sneakers? yeah... doesn't really work.) And even then... I guess the most common place to get them is in the corner of a hut in the dust or something - not necessarily outside when you have shoes on.
Ummm... sacrum.... there does NOT need to be any meat on things for it to be edible around here. Oh, I wrote this before the RUMEN. UGH. Val told me it was the best part (well... out of the plate of 'innards')... which may have been true, but that's not saying much. Took a lot for it to stay down - hadta stop chewing and just kind of swallow. All I know is if that was the best... the worst is large intestine, so avoid that at ALL COSTS. (they don't rinse it out very well :/) It's kind of all "edible" though... sacrum goes on the 'normal' plate. The kids even suck the marrow out of the bone... yummmm.
Bathing... well it depends on your definition... it kind of depends on what we're doing, too, but I normally at least wash my hair in the morning (since that doesn't take much :P). A full bath... every few days maybe? I dunno!