A Crazy Market Experience and an Afternoon of Dancing, Pictures and Pineapple

Highlights of my week:

1. Saturday – where do I begin?  Pretty much I had my first experience of shopping in the crazy side of Kampala.  To explain what this was like is very hard to do, but I’ll try.  Now let me begin by saying that despite hearing that it was insanely hectic and full of people trying to grab at your hand and get your attention, I still pictured it as, well, pretty American.  I guess intellectual preparation can never really prepare you for something like this.  What I thought would be nicely spaced out outside stands with clothes hanging on wracks turned out to be a maze of little stands piled high with clothes that were being thrown by singing men into piles for countless hands to go through and grab before anyone else did.  To get to these stands, my sister, aunt and I wove through a maze of tiny alleyways, where my constant battle was to first of all avoid the bags of rice and pots of food going by me in all directions, and secondly to not only keep up with my aunt but also stay in between her and my sister, who acted as my body guards.  Slapping away hands and avoiding the calls of eager shopkeepers wanting the “muzungu” (white person) to come to their stand was also a pretty fun thing to do…a white face definitely calls attention to itself in the midst of such a place.  By the end of the afternoon of bargaining and learning how to boldly push my way through crowds (which my aunt taught me how to do), I had successfully found a dress and a pair of African shoes, and I was ready to go home.  And so the three of us walked to a public bus, and took the hour journey home, where we crashed and ate, and some of us surprisingly had energy to dance.  It was a day to remember – even my sisters said it was quite the experience.  To my surprise, this was also only their 2^nd or third time going, as malls were also quite common, and yet the market was definitely the place to go for great, cheap stuff, as long as you had the guts to do itJ And did I say its also the place to go if you want to receive a few marriage proposals?

2. Sunday – one of my favorite days so far.  After having a refreshing time alone with God, dancing became the afternoon’s event.  My cousins had come over and it was the last day with the dance game, and so we went at it.  About seven of us were in the living room, dancing to Get Low, which became “my dance,” as well as the shuffle, YMCA, and other dances with crazy moves I was trying to learn.  But I have to say it was a blast…the competition had died down and now we were just having fun, with my little cousins in front leading the way, and the rest of us behind them, including one of my classmates who was living with my cousins.  With all the passion and energy surrounding me, how could I not but dance?  Let me say that before coming here, I was the person that never really danced…so I think its pretty humorous that I got placed in a family that, lets just say, can dance.  And by the second hour of dancing, I think I began getting the hang of it too, to the point that I think I even beat my brother at a songJ  So the moral of the story is, anyone can dance.  If I could, you can tooJ

 Following this, I decided to pull my camera out for the first time, as I saw the most beautifully brilliant yellow moon rising in the sky.  My cousin joined me, and enraptured by it, began taking pictures of everything – from flowers, to every object within the house, to my brother cutting pineapple.  Somehow we went from that, to my brother pulling out all of his blazers and having all of us girls put them on and have a photoshoot in them.  It was pretty hilarious…and I have to say my family is a pretty good-looking bunch.  Maybe if they let me I’ll put up the pics soonJ The night ended with my favorite dinner of chapateis, beans and irish potatoes, followed by the ritual of the pineapple club.  Pretty much my aunt, brother and I decided to try eating pineapple…with everything else.  Ketchup and chips were the food of the first night, but tonight it was Snickers, Milky Ways, and papaya…and I have to say it was pretty good, except when we put it all together.  I don’t think I’d recommend that.