I managed to sleep for about 2 hours and then ventured down to the Duty Free store for a grounded circuit adapter to charge my computer with because the one I bought in the states does not fit.
I really like the kids in the airport. One girl sat next to me on the edge of my seat in the quiet room. I guess she was about 4. She didn't speak any English but she really liked my computer, so she helped me type some messages to my friends on facebook. I had to re-write most of them, but she really liked banging the keys so how could I stop her? Then her mom came and took her away even though I promised she wasn't bothering me. Her name was Ajijah. I looked it up...I think it means "My brother/beloved is Yah (Allah)." Her name reminds me of a study I read today about the naming of children born to child-mothers in the LRA. Their names reflect the suffering of their situation and then are changed if they are rescued or freed. You can read the study at:
Forgotten Children - the outcome of children born of the Lord's Resistance Army, Northern Uganda by Eunice Apio, 2008
Another boy and his family came to sit across from my in the quiet room and he walked back and forth in front of my several times and waved and smiled. Then he got his dad's camera and took pictures of me. I'm sure they're real cute too seeing as I haven't showered in almost two days now. Nor have I gotten much sleep. But it was sweet, nonetheless.
britta....there's a confirmed appearance of the church. love you. miss you.
peace out.
e.rainey
p.s. I found good ole western toilets. Whoever thought one would be so excited about such things. =)
Thursday, January 31, 2008
a lack of lines and metal holes for toilets...
hello everyone!
I landed in Dubai at 7 p.m. tonight...which is 9 a.m. your time. I'm in the future. It's about the same as the past I guess. Or maybe it's the present?
Anyhoo- lots of good stories to report....
Plane ride:
- Let's pick up where I left off. I'm at my gate. Then I find out I have to switch my continental boarding pass for an emirates one. So I go to the counter to find out that I DON'T HAVE A SEAT! my seat was double booked. And then no one would help me because they didn't know how too, until a nice lady finally took my ticket from the man and did it herself. Further proof that women are smarter than men. =) They had already closed the flight and had to call security to reopen it. But i got a seat and it wound up being better than my first one. So all was well.
- 14 hours is really long when you are in a tiny seat and you can't move your legs and there's a baby crying...no, screaming the whole time. I didn't know a baby could possibly cry for that long, but I now know that it's quite possible. My seatmate was nice, but she spoke very broken English and the flight attendents were worried about her because she refused all three meals and drink stops. The only thing she would take from them was chocolate. I couldn't figure out if she was fasting or if she just eats nothing but chocolate. Interesting.
- Plane movies are AWESOME! There was a whole Disney Classic section. Meghan and Dad, I watched Jungle Book just for you! And I watched Ratatouille....love it!
- Emirates plane food pretty much rocks too...I think i'd fly everyday just to eat it!
Dubai:
- Dubai is huge. The aiport looks like Northpark mall...but nicer. I have a 12 hour layover here and I've found a "quiet" lounge that has reclining chairs to sleep in. I didn't sleep much on the plane, so I plan on taking advantage of that really soon.
- Toilets: oh this is good...first, I have noticed that the concept of a "line" does not exist here. I first encountered this as we were boarding the plane when a "line" was 20 people trying to squeeze through a 2 foot space at one time. Then there's the line in the washroom...oh wait, there's not one. It's a free-for-all. And the best part is that the toilet is a metal hole in the ground. Hmm...all very interesting.
I'm about to get some food from the fast food Indian resturaunt. YUM! And then maybe check the duty free stores. And then definitely sleep some. Hope all is well back in the states!
love,
e
I landed in Dubai at 7 p.m. tonight...which is 9 a.m. your time. I'm in the future. It's about the same as the past I guess. Or maybe it's the present?
Anyhoo- lots of good stories to report....
Plane ride:
- Let's pick up where I left off. I'm at my gate. Then I find out I have to switch my continental boarding pass for an emirates one. So I go to the counter to find out that I DON'T HAVE A SEAT! my seat was double booked. And then no one would help me because they didn't know how too, until a nice lady finally took my ticket from the man and did it herself. Further proof that women are smarter than men. =) They had already closed the flight and had to call security to reopen it. But i got a seat and it wound up being better than my first one. So all was well.
- 14 hours is really long when you are in a tiny seat and you can't move your legs and there's a baby crying...no, screaming the whole time. I didn't know a baby could possibly cry for that long, but I now know that it's quite possible. My seatmate was nice, but she spoke very broken English and the flight attendents were worried about her because she refused all three meals and drink stops. The only thing she would take from them was chocolate. I couldn't figure out if she was fasting or if she just eats nothing but chocolate. Interesting.
- Plane movies are AWESOME! There was a whole Disney Classic section. Meghan and Dad, I watched Jungle Book just for you! And I watched Ratatouille....love it!
- Emirates plane food pretty much rocks too...I think i'd fly everyday just to eat it!
Dubai:
- Dubai is huge. The aiport looks like Northpark mall...but nicer. I have a 12 hour layover here and I've found a "quiet" lounge that has reclining chairs to sleep in. I didn't sleep much on the plane, so I plan on taking advantage of that really soon.
- Toilets: oh this is good...first, I have noticed that the concept of a "line" does not exist here. I first encountered this as we were boarding the plane when a "line" was 20 people trying to squeeze through a 2 foot space at one time. Then there's the line in the washroom...oh wait, there's not one. It's a free-for-all. And the best part is that the toilet is a metal hole in the ground. Hmm...all very interesting.
I'm about to get some food from the fast food Indian resturaunt. YUM! And then maybe check the duty free stores. And then definitely sleep some. Hope all is well back in the states!
love,
e
Wednesday, January 30, 2008
the houston airport is really big...
This portion of my entry is directed to my pageant friends who know that I pack about 10 bags for Miss Mississippi and my sorority sisters, especially Jessi Lane, who know that I pack a LARGE suitcase and normally two smaller extra bags for a weekend trip to Oxford:
YOU WOULD ALL BE SOOOOO PROUD AND IN DISBELIEF AT MY PACKING SKILLS!!!!
-1 suitcase: 6 days worth clothes and the rest of the bag is filled with books and supplies
-1 carry-on: LOTS of kids books courtesy of a fishie =), a computer, video camera, and assorted cameras. and wesley....whom i snuck in my bag....just kidding. stupid boy, you were supposed to be here.
YOU WOULD ALL BE SOOOOO PROUD AND IN DISBELIEF AT MY PACKING SKILLS!!!!
-1 suitcase: 6 days worth clothes and the rest of the bag is filled with books and supplies
-1 carry-on: LOTS of kids books courtesy of a fishie =), a computer, video camera, and assorted cameras. and wesley....whom i snuck in my bag....just kidding. stupid boy, you were supposed to be here.
AND THAT'S IT!
--------------------------------------------------------------
so, let's talk about the "international" section of the houston airport...it resembles a hospital. lots of white walls. and no character....well that is except for the random NASA robonauts placed strategically in scary corners. I flew to Houston on Continental and come to find out, the gate for my flight to Dubai is on the other side of the city of Houston...or at least that's what the walk seemed like. I was talking to Kitty when I hit the international side of the airport and I'm so glad because I might have turned around. The first mile of it is nothing but a long corridor with what seems to be fake gates that only one or two people take flights out of. Seriously, there was NO ONE in the airport. I thought I had entered the twilight zone. But now, I'm to my gate and there are people. I like people.
Houston to Dubai is a 14 hour flight. Kitty informs me that I probably get three meals on the flight. This is good news. I like food too. I've got some meds to help my sleep on the flight and some serious playlists on my iPod.
examples:
- "I Have Dream" speech- yes, that would be the speech by Martin Luther King, Jr. (tee hee beck and whitney...tee hee)
- the "Once" soundtrack - pretty killer i must say
- a little Patty Griffin. yes ma'am.
- U2. always great. although I can't listen to it without thinking about Billy and I jamming in the car. holla to the 4 o'clock club!
- and last but not least....Eddie Willis. the old school CD. - lord of the dance.
boarding now. love you all. thanks for the facebook messages, posts and status shout-outs, thanks for the prayers. i feel you from here.
p.s. Still trying to find out if I have free text messaging in Uganda. I probably won't know until I'm there, but you can email me anytime=)
Tuesday, January 29, 2008
30 hours until departure...
just call me madame procrastinator...
In 30 hours, I need to:
- decide what I need to pack
- pack
- wait...find suitcases in which to pack items
- pawn a few things since i'm slightly, ok very much in debt.
- send out a TON of letters and packages
- somehow manage to talk to all of my friends and family
- maybe return some of the books i just bought on my latest bookstore binge. i think it's worse than food for me.
- and make sure I have important things like my passport and flight itenerary
Am I worried about any of this? Hmmm...no! Because I'm going to Uganda in 30 hours!!!
In 30 hours, I need to:
- decide what I need to pack
- pack
- wait...find suitcases in which to pack items
- pawn a few things since i'm slightly, ok very much in debt.
- send out a TON of letters and packages
- somehow manage to talk to all of my friends and family
- maybe return some of the books i just bought on my latest bookstore binge. i think it's worse than food for me.
- and make sure I have important things like my passport and flight itenerary
Am I worried about any of this? Hmmm...no! Because I'm going to Uganda in 30 hours!!!
Sunday, January 27, 2008
The list of necessary things to know before traveling to Uganda. (according to my host NGO)
Local currency is the Uganda Shilling (Ush). The exchange rate of USD:Ush is approximately 1:1,720. You can change money at the Barclays Bank in Mukono Town
Mass transit is a white mini-van and is called a “taxi”. A private car for hire is called a “special hire”
There is no day light savings. During the summer the time zone is GMT+2. During the winter it is GMT+3
The capital city is Kampala
Don’t drink the water
An hour of internet costs about $1 (Ush1,500-1,800) and is very slow
Anopheles (malaria carrying) mosquitoes are active from midnight to 5am and they don’t make a sound
The 2 major English language newspapers are “The New Vision” and “Monitor”
Try the fresh passionfruit juice. Try the roast pork
A permit to see the gorillas is $500. See Uganda Wildlife Authority for details
Never say “hi”, always say “how are you”
The most common ailment among volunteers is dehydration
Lunch time is 1pm or later. Supper might be served after 8pm
If you have to pee, it’s called “making a short call” (i like this one.)
Constantly collect small bills and coins for village purchases
Potatoes are called “irish”. Peanuts are called “g-nuts”
If someone says “you’ve grown fat”, it’s a compliment
Go with “Adrift” if you want to go white water rafting, they’ll pick you up in Mukono if you ask them
Don’t swim in the lake, you’ll get bilharzias
If you’re in the mood for a dance and some karaoke, try Kisumali in Mukono
To greet someone in Luganda, the local language in Mukono, say “Olyotya”
A “rolex” is an omelette wrapped in a chapatti, you’ll have many
There is no airport departure tax
Christians and Muslims live together in harmony in Uganda
Ugandans don’t like confrontation. Never shout at a Ugandan
When Ugandans speak English, they often replace “l” with “r”, play becomes pray
If you are open and relaxed Ugandans will love and welcome you
Baganda women and girls kneel when greeting
As a pedestrian, you do not have the right of way, get off the road!
The electricity goes out every second or third day for 4 to 24 hours
The population of Uganda is 28,000,000, it’s about the same size as the state of Oregon
Motorcyles and scooters are called “bodabodas”. They’re cheap transport
Jose Chameleone, Bebe Cool, and Bobby Wine are huge popstars
A taxi from Mukono to Kampala is Ushs1,300
Matooke is the main staple food, it’s made from un-ripened mashed bananas
MTN is THE major mobile phone company, and it’s everywhere
It is not an easy thing to volunteer in Uganda, but it’s fun if you have the right attitude
Mass transit is a white mini-van and is called a “taxi”. A private car for hire is called a “special hire”
There is no day light savings. During the summer the time zone is GMT+2. During the winter it is GMT+3
The capital city is Kampala
Don’t drink the water
An hour of internet costs about $1 (Ush1,500-1,800) and is very slow
Anopheles (malaria carrying) mosquitoes are active from midnight to 5am and they don’t make a sound
The 2 major English language newspapers are “The New Vision” and “Monitor”
Try the fresh passionfruit juice. Try the roast pork
A permit to see the gorillas is $500. See Uganda Wildlife Authority for details
Never say “hi”, always say “how are you”
The most common ailment among volunteers is dehydration
Lunch time is 1pm or later. Supper might be served after 8pm
If you have to pee, it’s called “making a short call” (i like this one.)
Constantly collect small bills and coins for village purchases
Potatoes are called “irish”. Peanuts are called “g-nuts”
If someone says “you’ve grown fat”, it’s a compliment
Go with “Adrift” if you want to go white water rafting, they’ll pick you up in Mukono if you ask them
Don’t swim in the lake, you’ll get bilharzias
If you’re in the mood for a dance and some karaoke, try Kisumali in Mukono
To greet someone in Luganda, the local language in Mukono, say “Olyotya”
A “rolex” is an omelette wrapped in a chapatti, you’ll have many
There is no airport departure tax
Christians and Muslims live together in harmony in Uganda
Ugandans don’t like confrontation. Never shout at a Ugandan
When Ugandans speak English, they often replace “l” with “r”, play becomes pray
If you are open and relaxed Ugandans will love and welcome you
Baganda women and girls kneel when greeting
As a pedestrian, you do not have the right of way, get off the road!
The electricity goes out every second or third day for 4 to 24 hours
The population of Uganda is 28,000,000, it’s about the same size as the state of Oregon
Motorcyles and scooters are called “bodabodas”. They’re cheap transport
Jose Chameleone, Bebe Cool, and Bobby Wine are huge popstars
A taxi from Mukono to Kampala is Ushs1,300
Matooke is the main staple food, it’s made from un-ripened mashed bananas
MTN is THE major mobile phone company, and it’s everywhere
It is not an easy thing to volunteer in Uganda, but it’s fun if you have the right attitude
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