pineapples don’t grow on trees (and other things i've learned this week)

don't laugh. i really didn't know. i mean, i guess i never thought about how pineapples grew in the first place. well anyway, now i know... and here are some other things i've learned during my first week in uganda:


it’s pronounced wah-tah, not water (learned after numerous perplexed expressions and one particular waiter who brought me a plate of mashed plantains…?)

outside is better than inside for every activity

you can slow it waaaay down and still get it done somehow (less the stress of rushing)

silences are not awkward, it is only you who is akward

peanuts (called g-nuts) make a purple stew when you grind them up, eating with your hands is an acceptable form of fun (for me anyway), and real fish actually come with many many bones

childhood may just be a figment of our social construction

the only thing more annoying than mosquitoes (or, rather, mo-sqweetos) is mo-sqweeto nets

if you keep your wants simple, you will rarely be disappointed

the reason everyone comes back from africa with pictures of smiling children is because the children are constantly following you, smiling

people are willing to sit through anything you want to teach them, long as you give them a certificate at the end

and, most importantly:

everyone is your seestah or your bruthah, and that’s how you keep the love flowing…