Viva Obama!

When I'm meeting new people (which is often) and I struggle at thinking of topics to talk about, I have discovered an easy way to talk forever: mention Obama. People here love him like a son and he has become an almost myth-like figure. People confidently tell me that he's "an African" and "one of us" despite his white mother and the fact he grew up in Indonesia and Hawaii (both of which are certainly not Uganda).

Anyways, there are numerous funny stories concerning Obama, but I thought this one was good. Last weekend I was attending a function for my organization and there were a handful of local politicians bumming about, smooching with the locals. One approached me (he is a candidate for mayor) and we starting talking. Of course Obama came up in our conversation and the man asked me why I supported him. I started explaining about Obama's work for the poor as a community organizer, that I tend to lean democratic in my politics, and that he an inspirational figure. The man stopped me halfway through, pulled our his phone, turned on its video setting, and then asked me to begin again. He went on to record my longer-than-necessary answer to his question.

Why he wanted a videotape of some Mzungu he had never met and will never meet again I don't know. But I imagine it was fun for him to have a videotape of a "real American" saying why he supported Obama.

Another thing that has surprised me (although it probably shouldn't have) is how Ugandan English is different from U.S. English. For example, here, my home state is not pronounced "O-HI-O" but rather "O-HE-O". Luganda pronounces the letters "h-i" as "he". So if I say I'm from O-hi-o people look confused. But if I say O-he-o, they understand.

Also, the way Ugandans eat reminds me of Hobbits. Every day I have breakfast, morning tea, lunch, afternoon tea, and then supper. The food tastes good (for the most part. I'm not a fan of eggplant with fish that still are staring at you) but in quantities that just are not possible to eat. Over the past few weeks I have learned that it is just not possible for me to clean my plate (meanwhile, i get to watch Ugandans around me devour everything in sight...) The Ugandans always laugh, but they seem to accept that I'm a Mzungu and can't eat as much

My organization is very kind to me and I don't think they see the irony of this but there is this nice plastic porch-table type chair that they always bring out for me to sit in. Nice of them to do, but it happens to be the only white object among their many stools, benches, and chairs. Giving the white guy a white chair to sit in? Sometimes I wonder if it is as funny to them as it is to me...

Today Ivy waved to me when I left the house. She has come a long way from screaming bloody murder when I arrived.

A 6 foot long tree branch fell today during lunch, crushing my neighbors food. Because it was a bowl of not too tasty green eggplant sauce with fishes with beady eyes I was a bit disappointed it didn't land in mine...

I think I will go try to catch some pool with Caesar. Sula Bulunge!