the kampala diaries: day 7, little america.

Today I spent the entire day in the compound. After a slower morning, Tori and I worked on our research for a while and did homework. Most of the people in the compound left for meetings throughout Kampala, so the extra space to think was good for the soul today.

Every day since coming here, I've had to venture out to the market. . . That's like 4 times, which is ridiculous, so by avoiding Tusky's completely today, I really feel like I accomplished something. I needed this break from the hustle and bustle.

So, on this slow paced day, I took a moment to appreciate my little America. Not like the fancy hotel, but like the little pocket of expats living together in the city- trying to appreciate this new culture and to acclimate ourselves to all of the change around us,while experiencing it all through our American lenses. It's been a little haven to come home to at night. More and more, I'm feeling safe here, I feel more like there are people here that I can trust, people to give me a hug when I need one, or someone to understand why I just don't want to take one more cold shower or experience one more power outage (wimpy I know), but it's just nice to know that there's a place that I can leave a piece of my heart when I go home.

My "fort" :)

To shower:
1. Turn on electricity switch outside the bathroom.
2. Turn the water pressure meter on the white box.
3. Adjust the desired temperature with the knobs like you would in an American bathroom.
4. Push the silver "on" button to the shower.

p.s. This bathroom flooded today... tryin' not to think about it.

Our kitchen... and what's that red bag? More kits.

The laundry line

My first load of laundry... thank you Joflit!

Little America :)

p.s. I ate three square meals today! This is another thing that I've been struggling a lot with. Peanut butter and banana sandwich for breakfast, chipati and a Cadbury bar for lunch, and chicken and jack fruit for dinner. Okay, so not all of those count as full meals, but it's easy to forget to eat, or to just not be interested in eating at all here (at least for me), so this was a step in the right direction.