Sept 5

Hello all
Wow, so much has happened since I last wrote to you all! Saturday I went to the source of the Nile!! And for my many University of Chicago friends, well you know how excited that made me. If you don't fall in that group, just know that I was screeching for essentially the whole day! Saturday night many from my group went out to a local pub. Ah yes, for those of you following the story, I went out with Texas Tom and co Friday night, to an Irish bar (haha, called Bubbles O'Leary's). Sunday I had to get some stationary supplies, so me and two other girls went out and got some lunch on our adventure that is shopping in Kampala on a Sunday.
You know how we always ask if they had to kill something out back if food is taking a long time…ummm, well I think that ACTUALLY happened to me!! all of us ordered chicken…as the only things they had that day were chicken, beef or goat. It took over na hour to get a chicken breast and fries…I know they killed it for us 'cause we all had different parts of the bird..ok well I don't know they killed it for me, but I dunno I am assuming. Perhaps someone wants to correct me on that.
Later Sunday I "got" my host family…WOW, wow…everything is crazy here. I have a mom who works in a CD and DVD store, and my father works at a Toyota dealership. I have a youngr brother who attends boarding school and is in 7th grade, and my younger sister is 6 and sits at home. We also have a maid. However unlike America this is not a status symbol. Often times family members give other family members children to cement a bond, and I think this girl is one of those. She does all the washing, market runs, and takes my sister sarah to school. We do not have a table, we eat on mats on the floor. My mum taught me the correct way to sit, so I wouldn't sit improperly and show off my "naughty bits" as Niloofar would say. (Other students' families do have tables by the way). I use the toilet, a pit latrine…think Boundary waters, but with NO seat….squatting skills are necessary here. "Showering" is non-existant. I fill a bucket of water and dump cupfuls onto my head. Yea.
The food has been different, but not bad. Our maid made sure to ask what I like haha. Lots of fruit, no worry of scurvy!
Today I went to an AIDS clinic…wow again..wow. There are going to be lots of wows I am sure, but my time limit is about to run out. More cultural issues and adventures later!!
I MISS YOU ALL!
(culture shock is going to set in in roughly 2 days, b prepaerd!!)