nashville wouldn't be nashville.....

can it really be april? 3 months in uganda have flown by.....my birthday, valentine's day, president's day, my anniversary, st patrick's day and Easter....all history in 2013. all passed quietly, with little fanfare. well, except for Easter and our "annual" picnic at Lake Victoria in entebbe with 37 kids ranging in age from 10 to 14! yes, it is approaching insanity to many people, but to us it is so much FUN! games and food and most importantly, SWIMMING! truthfully, very few ugandans can swim. for the most part, they fear the water. (my son, josh, asked if there were crocodiles in the water! haha) these kids LOVE the water and stay where they can touch the bottom. ok, unless they are riding on you piggyback. somehow peter and zhanna and i couldn't stay out of the water and had the best time swimming in our clothes. (nothing like a pair of heavy, wet jeans!) the kids loved the fact that we joined them in splashing and dunking games. eventually we all dragged ourselves out of the lake and i buried 3 kids in the sand. onlookers thought that was hilarious and were taking movies, etc. maybe that isn't normally done in africa, but the boys loved it and all the attention that they received from strangers!

i'm finally learning to cook some african foods successfully! i've gotten hooked on the local fish....oh my gosh, a pun! i've asked people what kind of fish they are and no one seems to know, but i think maybe tilapia. i buy them from the fish vendor at buswega market for about 12k shillings ($5) or a little more if i want them cleaned and put in a bag..YES PLEASE! i've grilled them with cilantro and onions and peppers and tomatoes and even made a boiled fish soup with tomatoes and lots of habeñero type peppers. yes, i apparently am a vegetarian who has gone off the wagon, but i seem to crave the protein somedays, so i indulge. i am also cooking lots of steamed pumpkins, local greens and salads made from finely chopped cabbage, cucumbers, onions, tomatoes and lots of hot peppers. and rice, lots and lots of rice. i went to lunch with my neighbor last week and she told the waitress she wanted rice like i cook! the poor waitress said she couldn't promise it would taste the way i cook it, so my neighbor decided to get fries instead. seriously, they have THE BEST basmati rice here. it is very expensive, 25K ($8) for 5 pounds, but it is well worth it.

i continue to reside, for the most part, at immigration offices at internal affairs on jinja road....i think i was there 3 days this week. when i am not there, i am compiling reports, writing letters, copying photographs or trying to find some old document that has been lost since the time of stone tablets and chisels. seriously, you need my college transcripts and my wedding license to work in uganda for free? it's quite laughable when you consider the blatant corruption by political figures, government employees and even attorneys. actually, it's not laughable at all....it's pathetic....! this emerging nation will remain emerging for a very long time because no one seems to be willing to break the cycle of indecency.

peter and i are taking 2 of the RUHU kids to buswale music on monday to record their future 'hit single', though they tell me they have 20 songs to record. we call them the buyungo boys but that are umaru and mac and wait till you hear their song....it is cute and sooooo funny. i've heard it 2 dozen times and can't get enough of it. everyone who hears it starts singing it..especially the 'chorus'. just wait, i will post it on facebook next week! i bought 11 movies today (remember i don't have a TV) for the total cost of $7.....!! ester at the movie store knows to keep a stack of zombie movies for me and anything with keifer sutherland or denzel washington. i also bought season 1 of The Cult, which looked interesting in a weird sort of way.

i love the way my church family has been sending messages and emails and even a voicemail. sometimes i get lonely for any hometown news or American gossip, so please keep it coming. i love y'all at PFM...you are the greatest. you know, i recently discovered Tim McGraw's version of Nashville Without You....i love it. it reminds me of home.....rhinestoned boots, the man in black, stetsons under Broadway lights.....am looking forward to home soon!! hugs!