new address and some short notes

Sorry, I kept forgetting to include the new address in here, but here it is:
Molly Heineman
c/o School for International Training
P.O. Box 23431
Kati House, Ground Floor, Plot 2
Kyagwe Road
Kampala, UGANDA

It takes about 15 days for letters to get here (that's how long it took for the card my mum sent!)

Random things:

Kampala is a big city. I know some people think strictly of rural areas when they think of Africa, but Kampala is not rural. The main streets are paved (don't be fooled, that doesn't mean they are smooth necessarily). The buildings are not that large, but many of them are at least three stories high. This is a hilly area which is kinda fun for me since I've always lived in very flat areas. People dress very nicely here. While there is a lot of dust, we are expected to look "smart". Smart here means dressed neatly- ironed clothing, not t-shirts, skirts that cover the knee, shirts that cover your shoulder and aren't too low cut.

Each morning I take my taxi to the taxi park in Kampala and then walk uphill at least half a mile (although it actually may be a mile) to the SIT resource center for Luganda class. As I walk on the sidewalk and CAREFULLY cross the street, people are constantly trying to talk to me. "muzungu muzungu" (that's their word for white- although it's not derogatory in any way) is what I constantly hear. Also, everyone assumes that since I'm white, I'm rich. They all want me to buy from their stores. there are a good number of people sitting on the side of the sidewalk just hoping people will give them money. Most have obvious disabilities or they are clearly poor children. Children are more aggresive in their begging- they'll come up and call me sister and walk with me for up to two blocks. I learned early on that I can't make eyecontact and should definitely not give money in the city to these kids- advice from the director of my program. It seems that most kids work for someone else so they may not even get any benefits from the money they receive.

Ok, I just wanted to give you taht little insight into Kampala. Hope you all have a wonderful week! I'll try to write on Monday or Tuesday the 25/26.