Uganda Love This

I had such a great birthday weekend and I can’t wait to share all the details with you, but first let me back up to where I left off.

On Thursday night I went over to Sarah and Iesha’s compound to have dinner. They live in a house off near some of the villages and they even have a functional stove, which I do not. During the week I usually just eat at my guesthouse but once you have the same 3 things about 10 times each they start to get old, so a home cooked meal tasted phenomenal. We aren’t exactly sure what we ate but we are calling it a mix between a quesadilla and a calzone.

Ieasha slaving over dinner ( using a wine bottle as a rolling pin)

Our candlelight dinner ( power went out)

On Friday mornings I help the nurses go through an online module, which teaches them about RHD and how to perform echocardiograms correctly. I like this part because a. I can tell that they are learning so much and b. because I am learning along with them. In the afternoon, I went to the Iron Donkey to enjoy some lunch with Sarah and Ieasha and then do some data entry. We didn’t end up doing anything on Friday night, which was completely okay with me. Last week was definitely a long week, with a few 12-hour days, so I was content with the R&R.

Sleeping in meant that I was well rested for yoga, which I actually made it to this week! A local Ugandan named George taught the class and I have to say that I really enjoyed myself. I did learn, however, that I’m not too great at yoga…there were about 5 other people in the class and you can tell that they practice every week, while I do it probably once a month (if that). Lets just say there was a 50-year-old woman behind me doing headstands while I was really pushing to touch my toes.

There is a deal at the hotel that puts on yoga that if you take the class/use the gym and want to use the pool you can get it bundled together for 5 dollars! Sarah used the gym and I did yoga and then we spent the afternoon lying by the pool. As you can see below ,the pool is very nice and it was about 85 degrees so it was perfect weather! While there I met a bunch of girls that are here long term working with a jewelry company called 31 bits ( check it out)   Sarah and Iesha will be gone by the time I return in May, so its comforting to make friends that I know will still be around when I get back. After staying at the pool until about 4 I headed home to have dinner and get ready for the evening!

The pool at Bomah

I didn’t tell anyone at work that it was my Birthday simply because I know money is a big issue and I didn’t want them to feel like they had to do something for me, but Sarah and Iesha really outdid themselves and made me feel so special on Saturday night. I honestly could not have asked to meet better friends here. They decorated their house and even got us party hats to wear (as if we don’t already draw enough attention to ourselves) and hosted a pregame for me.

Birthday Decorations…

After enjoying some drinks we headed to the local rooftop bar called Signature, which I think I’ve mentioned before. 3 of girls that we met at the pool even joined us to help me celebrate so we had a solid group all evening. After staying at Signature for about an hour we headed to an outside bar called BJ’s, where we stayed the rest of the night. They played a bunch of American music and we just danced all night. We all looked like we were leaving a high school dance by the time we left because it was so hot and we were all dripping in sweat (attractive thought I know). On the way home we had our drivers stop at a “rolex” stand so we could get some food. Yes, drunk food is present in all cultures. A rolex is egg and vegetables rolled up in one of the chipati tortilla’s. I’m not exactly sure how much I would have enjoyed it if I hadn’t been drinking, but at the time it was the best thing that ever happened to me.

Us at BJ’s sporting our party hats

I slept at Ieasha and Sarah’s place so I wouldn’t have to go home in the dark by myself (once again, you’re welcome mom) and woke up still wearing my party hat, so you know I had a good time. After we woke up we headed to Café Larem for a birthday brunch. After brunch we were all ready to be horizontal for the rest of the day so I headed back to my place to relax. I watched a few episodes of House of Cards and then spent the afternoon face-timing with my wonderful parents and  best friends. Its definitely hard being away on your birthday but everyone made me feel so loved, even from 7,000 miles away- thank you so much!

These two have always been there for me and through so many of my birthdays. So happy I got to chat with them yesterday (until the power went out). Love you both!