Did You Know?

1. Kampala is hosting CHOGM (The Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting) in November. It is a big deal here in Kampala. The first stop lights in the city have been installed, roads are being paved, new hotels have gone up and the city is being beautified. This also means that street vendors have been pushed out of the city and are loosing their livelihoods. It reminds me of the issues Vancouver is dealing with in regards to the Olympics.
2. That if you hang your clothes to dry on a line outside then they have to be ironed before you wear them. This is because mango flies will lay their eggs in your clothes and potentially hatch and burrow into your skin causing you to have to have them removed by a doctor. Yuck!
3. That one can easily get used to being sweaty all the time.
4. That everyone in Uganda carries a cell phone and practices flashing. This is when you phone someone and let it ring once so your number appears as a missed call. People will flash you to tell you they are at your gate, or ready to pick you up, or because they want you to call them so they don't waste air time.
5. That it is possible to ignore the daily stares and comments of "Muzungu! Muzungu!" You would think it would be hard, coming from a place where we say hi to everyone we meet, but it is possible to just walk right by people and pretend you didn't notice the stare.
6. That it rains in Kampala just like it rains in Vancouver. Not the amount, but the intensity. And Kampala gets wonderful thunder and lightning storms. Beautiful