Elections have gone extremely smooth with regard to its safety. Isolated incidences occurred, but as of yet, not at all big things. I will refuse to comment on the rest of the election status (fairness, bribery, personal choice for the next president, etc.), even with the cute little disclaimer on this blog, because of a myriad of reasons.
Leaving that Hornet’s nest, I have been having a blast at site the past couple of weeks. Things have opened up (literally, figuratively) quite nicely to me, and it’s making me look very good in the community without too much actual work. Firstly, thank God for my white skin; when I get dirty, it is SO much more obvious than when a Ugandan does. Thus, when a Ugandan is working beside of me in either the latrine or the tree nursery, it looks as though I’m working 20x as hard. This is hardly ever the case, and despite my attempting to tell the onlookers this…well, yeah. And, ok, I guess I don’t try too hard to set the record straight.
Heard about a well the other day, which had been closed for some silly reason like, oh, a kid fell in it and died. I heard they at least took her out of the well before they closed it, and after I heard it had been closed 12 years, I thought maybe I’d take a look. 47 blows of a chisel later (I counted. The moment this news came to me, I got so excited about this “right in front of their eyes, but needed Opolot to see it for them” story that I wanted to document everything. Not sure why I’m admitting my vanity to the www) I was looking down into a giant-ass hole. There is no standing water…but after meeting with the wat/san minister on Tuesday, I’m gonna see what that bad boy has got lurking underneath its loose soil at the bottom. I’m selfishly excited; this would mean walking 200 feet instead of 2 kilometers to get my water.
Kicking myself, terribly. There is a Scout group going to Sweden and back, via bike, and planting trees throughout their path. The leader is a straight baller, and he’s awesome. I had heard about this trip, but in honesty I kind of thought it was a joke, and dismissed it. After I met this man (his company has donated all the seeds from which we are using to plant our tree nursery), he brought it up. He’s leaving next week. Getting my visas in order would be ok, but I simply can’t bike across the country without giving my Country Director time to approve or disapprove. A trip of a lifetime has thus slipped through my fingertips. I have promised myself to be more proactive on the next one that presents itself.
Which reminds me. Dubai. Tennis Championships. February 2012. Who wants in?
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