Blue sky+yellow sun+reflective pool= red, red Rachael

Hey all, I have made a startling discovery: there is an internet café in Busolwe!! I didn’t know of its existence until a Canadian volunteer who was here for some few weeks told me about it. That’s the good news. The bad news is that it’s kind of expensive and I’m not sure of the hours. However, this means I can check my email more often and give more regular updates.
I’m sure the majority of you are not surprised by the title of my post. Apparently, when you live on the equator, the rules for preventing sunburn change. A little lesson I will not be forgetting quickly. A few weeks ago, I went to the pool at a hotel in Tororo with another volunteer. It was a beautiful day, absolutely perfect for swimming. There were no clouds in the beautiful blue sky. *sigh* Then, after five hours of alternately swimming and lounging, my perfect pool day was destroyed. I realized that my thighs, shoulders and face were red. Red I tell you!! And not only red, but sore. I was walking as if I had just ridden a horse and when I got to Kendra’s house, where I spent the night, I layed on the floor and spent the rest of the night putting aloe on my burned, burned skin and wondering how other people were able to sunburn so many times. That stuff hurts! I now have a new found respect for those of the fair skinned. I really wasn’t sure what to do, so I just layed there and watched House on her laptop. So, I learned a valuable lesson: apparently, when you go to the pool in Uganda, you need to put on sunscreen. Well, I’m sorry but I’m still getting used to the climate here. Back in Colorado, I can go to the pool without putting on sunscreen and I’m just fine! Anyway, I’m still reaping that little episode as the skin is peeling from my legs. Just another reminder of what I should have done!
Last week, I went to Kampala for a couple of days. Yes, I’ll admit it, the sole purpose of going to Kampala was to storm PC HQ and get the mail I know they were holding for me! And guess what, 5 packages and 2 letters, BAM! So, one reason I wasn’t getting any letters is that Rachael N.H. looks like Rachelle R. (I don’t see the similarity), so they were being put in the wrong box. Also, I guess I’ve been spelling my name wrong all my life, because the label for the box reads Rachek NH... yeah, I’m not even sure where that spelling came from, but all I know is that it’s been causing me some major frustrations. I tried to correct it, but I think it looks more like Rachel, which isn’t very helpful. Anyway, I got 4 from my momma and one from Chibi! I was so excited to get the goodies and the pictures. Thank you, thank you, thank you my wife ( : Also, while I was in town, I treated myself to a movie: Transformers 2. It was awesome! We all know Optimus Prime is the shiznit, and Shia’s pretty cool too. Hey, lay off! This is the second time I’ve been to a theatre in 5 months, so I think it’s a pretty momentous occasion. Hmmm, theatre popcorn... The trip was pretty good except that the matatu got a flat tire on the way back to Tororo. We were stranded on the side of the road for over an hour until another tire was brought. Yep, just another experience with Ugandan public transport.
Last Saturday, there was a fundraising event at my school. Fundraising here is very different from fundraising in the States. Guests are invited to the school and they donate or pledge money to the school. Then, there is an auction, which is also a little different. Basically, items are bought and then sold at the auction. The price that is paid at the auction has to be greater than the original price of the item. It was a very long ceremony and it started 2 hours late because the guest of honor was 2½ hours late. It is very common for people to not keep time in Uganda. Therefore, my policy is to always have a book to read and some sort of snack. The book is to keep me from being bored in the time between when the event is supposed to start and when it actually does. The snack is to help keep my sanity because, if food is served, it’s not done until after the event is finished, no matter what time it starts.
Teacher at Mulagi Girls is going ok. Our last week of classes is next week, followed by two weeks of exams. Then, the second term is over and I get three weeks of holiday (2 of which will be spent in PC training; I’m not complaining, just saying...). I was a little thrown off by the class schedule because I though I had an extra week of teaching. I am already behind in both classes, so I’m just trying to be less behind. It is very hard to stay on top of things because classes are constantly getting cancelled for one reason or another. However, now that I’m familiar with how it works, I can plan my classes better next term.
Ok, that’s all I’ve got for now, but before I finish, I just want to give another little wishlist (fun fact: almost everything on it you can get for free by raiding the fast good places, which I don’t have here *tear*):
-packets of mustard, jelly (you can get them at Popeyes), taco bell mild sauce, McDonald’s sweet & sour and hot mustard
-mac-&-cheese cheese packets (just the cheese, I have lots of noodles)
-taco seasoning
-chex mix (so good Chibi!)
-chocolate, gummies, chocolate, gummies
-rainbow chip frosting
-drink mixes (those ones that you just pour into water bottles)
That’s all I can think of right now (you can tell where my priorities are ( : ) Also, I love getting letters, and I just sent out a bunch, so check your mailboxes. If you haven’t gotten one yet, you should definitely forward your complaint by letter and I will address it promptly. Miss you all!! TTFN-
~Rachael