im alive.

updates and highlights from the past few weeks:

- spent a weekend in Luweero. spent a day at a Compassion International children's development center. met one of the director's, Emmanuel. talked awhile and he invited me to join his new holistic child development program after i graduate. another opportunity.

- maria, the 9-month baby, eats dirt and charcoal. i've caught her several times.

- the cosmic pterodactyl spreads it wings directly over my home. it followed me here i suspect.

- tony sent me this luganda proverb, "even a small boy can play the drum and the elder dances. so never undermine the young."

- found a fan for our room. its wonderful to have a breeze. cant open the windows b/c of the malaria mosquitos. dirty rascals.

- im the water runner now cuz i can carry to jerricans full of water at the same time. my family can't believe it. "it's like you're carrying nothing!" they cry.

- visited the sight where 26 ugandan christians were martyred in 1885 by king mwanga II.

-had lunch with boniface, from gulu, who has experienced the worst of the war in the north with the LRA. sad, sad, story.

- i have now had porridge several times now. it is something like oatmeal minus the oatmealish part. really, i think i like it.

- visited the Kasuubi tombs, the burial sight of four of Buganda's kings. one king, Mutesa I had 30-40 wives and 124 children and a pet leopard. his palace is now the largest grass-thatched hut in the world.

- visited another child development program called hope for youth uganda. i helped build a pig sty and played drums while the kids sang and dance. many could not believe a muzungu like me could play drums. they danced like they love to. its great !

- i killed and butchered a chicken.

- started running with my friend john. he's from gordon college. this means i can now shower on monday, wednesday, fridays. i especially like these days cuz it means i can get all the shampoo out of my hair.

- my musician friend ben calls me, nathan the percussion discussion.

- i have crossed paths with large groups of men jogging, chanting, and all carrying large sticks. this was especially nerve-racking the first time, me being the only white person around when a street full of stick-wielding men run towards me chanting. something uncomfortable about that. i found out later they are training to become police officers.

- our room was sporting a wretched stench for several days, so after a thorough search, martin and i found a dead and rotting rat corpse in his desk. stench is gone now compliments of strong and potent perfume.

- i have now caught many lizards. and large ones too.

- also we got a pet kitten to control the rat/mice population in our home. i had to name it. it is now nala. though most my family is not good with the letter "r," so it sounds more like nara. thats ok.

- i got a slingshot so tony and dennis and i can go hunting, im so psyched.

FUN CULTURAL FACTS TIME!

- as long as one has on a tie, you look "smart." so men here do not concern themselves with the length of the tie. so you're tie is only half or one-third the length of your chest, no worries.

- women kneel as part of their traditional greeting to men or older woman.

- the university has 2 push mowers which the mow the flat areas, which is only the football fields. the rest of the 80-plus acres are slashed with machetes since the university is on the side of a mountain. hard workers.

- lines are not a concept that has any value here. people do not wait in line, or stand in lines. or form themselves in line. if i line up behind someone, i expect to be helped next. but rather i will be passed by someone who will squeeze next to the person being helped. so i dont know if i'll ever get accustomed to a non-line system. i've only known lines since i learned them in preschool. its blowing my mind!

- we take tea everyday when i get home from school. tea time came with the british obviously. so i drink lots of tea. hot tea. i've introduced the idea of iced tea, but my family thinks its ridiculous. i'll make them try it.

- there are not ice cubes here, but there are lots of straws.

- affection. interesting. more affection is shown publicly between the same sex. close friends, who are guys, will hold hands as they walk and talk. romantic affection is not for public display. so i have had to hold hands twice during conversations. im still adjusting.

to come...

-going far north to for a "rural home stay" for 10 days. i'll be out of reach for that time.

so good morning. and in case i dont see you, good afternoon, good evening, and goodnight.