Tips and Tricks for Fitting In...

               Secretly when I first started to blog I really didn’t like it. I used to blog when I was younger and I didn’t mind it then, but being forced to write 750 words once a week regarding the trip that I am going on; it is suffice to say that I thought it was challenging. I now look forward to writing my weekly blog, it has become one assignment that I don’t cringe at the thought of completing. So to keep on track of what this blog is about: getting ready for my three month placement in Uganda! I can tell you this much: it is hectic. Each day is filled with more things to do than the last. I have been moving along with what needs to be done before I leave: needles, forms, appointments, doctor’s visits, dentists, wisdom teeth extractions, volunteering and when I have a spare moment I try to research Uganda as much as possible. I am still frustrated at trying to find resources about Uganda in the specific areas that I want but I realized that the more I poke around the more I find. I can easily find more information on the United States or Canada but I guess that is to be expected since I live in this part of the world.

I have recently had the pleasure of sitting down with a woman who works at the University of Waterloo to discuss what it is like to live in Kampala. I invited along my travel buddy Krista and on the first day back from reading week we went to discuss what it is like to live in Kampala. So here is a brief view into what we should be expecting:

Clothing:

Evidently if you want to look like a tourist then you should wear shorts. We have to wear pants and long skirts. Did I mention that Uganda is on the equator? Oh and flip-flops are shower shoes and should not be worn out of the house. People will look at you funny.

Transportation:

Apparently this is the only time that I will feel most fearful for my life! The roads are so narrow and the boda boda’s zip in and out of areas with heavy traffic. Now I know what most of you are thinking, “A boda-what?” A boda boda is a way of transportation that people take in Uganda. Think of it like a taxi, only it is a motorcycle (or a bike). Here are two pictures:

(http://www.ripa.350.com/Pictures/boda_boda.jpg)

General notes:

Do not wear jewellery, do not take a purse into the central market. Ok I’m warned. Also the people there are very friendly.

The Creepy Crawleys:

There should not be a problem with spiders (phew!) although there are lots and lots and lots of mosquitoes. (Mental note: if I only pack one thing, let it be a good mosquito net). There are also snakes.

Map:
And the last thing we did which made me so incredibly excited to go to my placement, we Google mapped. So that everyone else can be really excited about where I am going I will include a map for everyone to take a gander:

(www.maps.google.ca)
On the map the location that I will be staying at will be A and the location that Krista is staying at is location 

B. And there are a few things I learned about Uganda this past week! There is more to come though, I promise.

                On another note, I am glad to report to you that I have a volunteer placement! Finally! I start this coming up Tuesday and hopefully I will be able to get all of my 20 hours in before the end of the term. I have been very lazy when it comes to getting my placement set up. There were a few places that I wanted to volunteer at but the training days had already passed. I will just have to keep these in mind for when I return from my placement. I am going to be volunteering at the St. John’s Kitchen! I will have more to post about next week when I am going to have my first day of volunteering under my belt! Wish me luck! (First days are always a dousey for me)