Readjusting to Life in Kitgum

Meeting with Josephine again was great, we got to talk about things that she needs in order to go to school on Monday.  For example, she was able to rent a room near the school for $10 a month so we went out and bought a mattress, lantern, soap etc.  As we walked back to where she is staying I was carrying the rolled up mattress and everyone was shouting to me to carry it on my head.  I tried and it fell off.  I still haven’t mastered the whole using your head instead of your hands thing.

The new group of girls that are coming to the centre don’t come until Monday so the compound is extremely quiet this weekend with me being the only one living here.  So instead of sitting here all day I’ve decided to go to Josephine’s daughter’s primary school.  She was able to start school last term thanks to a very early donation and is apparently excelling and loving every minute of it.  I can’t wait to see her.

Onto even more exciting news, the white rice, white flour, oil and beans diet has begun.  Yummm.

I have arrived at my final destination (Kitgum)!  Took a long, bumpy bus ride from Kampala up here and am now settled in.  The women that come for the program here have not moved in yet so it's very quiet without all of them and their children but they should be here in the next week or so.

Anyhow, one of the girls that I met here last time is coming from her village to visit.  I can't wait to see her and her son.  She's one of the people that I kept in contact with since I left.

It feels surreal to be back here, living in the same place I did before, but without the two other students who were here last time.

Since I don't have anything too exciting to talk about I'll leave it at that.

Peace

Arrived to Uganda safely but 8 hours later than expected with a long delay in Ethiopia and a surprise trip to Rwanda.  All is well.

Things I have learned in Egypt

1. Weekends are Friday and Saturday - not  Saturday and Sunday.
2. Many men have a bruise/callous looking spot on their forehead from their head hitting the ground during prayer.
3. Tipping the woman who hands you toilet paper in the bathroom with US coins because that's all you have will make her smile.
4. Only the white cabs have meters, if you take a black cab you will likely be ripped off.
5. Your international student ID (like isic) will get you into everywhere half price.
6. There are bad drivers here.
7. There are even worse pedestrians.
8. Many taxi drivers do not speak any English, good luck.
9. Papa Johns, Pizza Hut and Dominoes can be delivered to your door.
10. You will buy more than .5 kg of souvenirs.  Plan accordingly.

Leaving Tonight-ish

Leave for the airport at midnight.  Flights to Uganda begin at 3:20am.

Video Clips of Rug Making

This is in Cairo's garbage city, a organization where they teach very young girls how to make rugs and pay them a reasonable wage.




The little girl teaching me how to make a rug out of recycled material.

Christians in the Dump

Quite literally, Some Christians that live in Cairo live in a garbage city.  All of the trash from Cairo is picked up by these men and brought the city.  The women (who never wear the gloves supplied to them) then sort through it and organize it, green bottles here, cardboard there etc.  Then it goes on to the next level where it is shredded and in many cases melted down to make other things.  They are able to reuse much more than we do.

So why the Christians?  Brief history: these Egyptians converted to Christianity in the 1st century [insert tons of history here] and have been here since.  They are known as the Coptic Christians and a group of them  found that they can make their livelihoods sorting garbage.

They live on the side of Cairo, somewhat on the side of a cliff.  Most people in Cairo don't even know where this place is.  A couple NGOs have set up schools and places for young women to work for fair wages making rugs out of recycled rugs etc.  Anyhow even at the schools they teach them numbers but they also teach them about what can and can't be recycled.  It's fascinating, many of them aren't living as poorly as you would imagine, the roads are a mess but apparently the actual apartments are clean.  Unfortunately diseases are common.

Anyhow, further up the hill is the monastery.  It's clean and gorgeous, there are carvings all over the side of the cliff and the actual chapels themselves are in caves.  The largest on is in the side of the hill and seats 10,000 people for church!  It's incredible, most of it is within the rock itself.  Absolutely fascinating.