Uganda Day 7: One Week Down

Well, as of noon-ish today I have officially been here for one week. It seems both longer than that in some ways, and shorter in others. Longer because so many things have happened, and it's hard to imagine that I've seen the plumber as much as I have in the span of seven days only; and shorter because I haven't really had time to think about the passing days—just keeping my head afloat has occupied most of my attention at this point!

Today was not quite as interesting and adventure-y as I had anticipated. We decided to postpone the boda tour, as I'd woken up with a bit of a stomach ache and didn't want to spend three to six hours on a boda, and Aliana was occupied elsewhere for the day anyway. I was still up for some exploring, but it never happened.

I started my day in—guess where—the cafë. I think this is going to be a regular Saturday/Sunday morning routine for me. It's close, it's good, and most importantly, it's coffee. I decided to bring my laptop today instead of my book, hoping to be a little more productive than usual. I am very, very behind on my photos. So I spent the morning going through the second half of my European trip from last summer, picking out which ones were keepers and due for editing. I think I was there for a couple of hours, but I didn't even get through all of them.

Speaking of Europe, it's an odd thing to be missing both Europe and Canada at the same time—I've always been in one or the other. Being in Africa is amazing, and this experience will be amazing, and I am so grateful for the adventure, but it's vastly new and unfamiliar and I'm still not sure what to make of it. For some people, Africa is their favourite place in the world, but I don't think I'll be one of them. Then again, who knows—I still have a lot of weeks left! Anything could happen. But right now, looking through photos and seeing more than one Facebook friend posting from Europe, I can't help but miss it.

Anyway, my next stop was the convenience/grocery/miscellaneous store (the one I'd gone to on Sunday), just to pick up another case of water. At the time, it felt like a good idea. By about a third of the way up the hill, I was questioning my decision-making abilities. It was a mission. But I made it home without passing out, so that's good. I also had some company for part of the walk in the form of a very friendly young boy named Alex, who introduced himself as we were walking along the same road.

I spent the next few hours at home, not really sure what I felt like doing. My stomach was still questionable, but not bad enough that I couldn't go out somewhere. I ended up basically just snacking for lunch and spent the afternoon doing basically nothing. By about 4 I'd decided that I would go back to Acacia Mall, just to walk around some more, and then possibly to walk over to where Aliana was—the people she knows own a crêpe place. Unfortunately, I didn't get past the end of my road. Because I've had no luck finding a helmet, I've resigned myself to using SafeBoda exclusively until I do. When you "order" a SafeBoda, it says something like "The driver should call you soon to confirm your location" and all you can do is wait. I waited for almost half an hour before giving up. Sure, I could take a regular boda, like thousands of people do every day...but is it worth the risk? If I absolutely had to be somewhere, I wouldn't have much choice, but a short visit to the mall across town isn't exactly what you might call "important." So I walked back home, now once again very sweaty from being outside.

I really need to find a helmet so I don't have to rely on this ridiculous app to get around. You'd be amazed how difficult it is to find one, though. I have a couple of leads...one is even further out of the way, and the other is an alleged Honda dealership close to downtown. I say "alleged" because the internet can't seem to agree on whether it still exists or, if it does, where it is located. I'll probably try and find the Honda one first, when I get a chance. I'll feel better spending a lot of money on a helmet if it's coming from a legit dealership than from some guy's shop in an unfamiliar location.

The day was definitely a bit disappointing, but you can't win 'em all. I just made pasta for dinner, and now I am drinking peppermint tea because my stomach is once again on the edge. Hopefully I don't feel like this tomorrow, or it's going to be an extra long day at work.

Thanks for all the comments and support! Good night.