“Ray, you’re good with directions”. This is what my colleague told me as we were driving into the village. I told her I didn’t have a choice because there are some days where I don’t have a translator or a driver so I just wing it. I’ve gotten used to driving on the British side of the road, driving aggressively because I have to and four wheel driving in the dirt roads after a rainstorm. Half the time I don’t know where I’m going since there are no street signs so you just look for markers like ‘big banana tree’ or ‘turn left where you see the herd of cows’.
So I drove to the village today and then took a matatu back to Kampala. It never ceases to amaze me how many people they can shove into these tin cans. At the peak of the drive, I counted 16 in my matatu. Luckily it was cool today so I didn’t have to sweat profusely.
Upon getting back to the office I got package #2. Oh Happy Day!
Among the many goodies I received:
- lop cheung
- sirracha hot sauce (a must for every Asian household)
- dried chap chae noodles (time to enlist my Korean friend to cook)
- SPAM!!! an essential when you’re cooking fried rice
- chocolate and lots of it
- little debbie’s snack cakes and oreos!!!
- hand sanitizers and razor blades
- lay-see (man I miss Chinese New Year)
Thanks Bay Area friends!!! I would hyperlink everyone so you can read their blogs but only Stan updates on a regular basis.
I’m gonna start collecting and sending another package… by the time Easter rolls around with the next chocolate batch and you get it, it might melt in the summer sun.
We’ve had that Spam for close to a decade, so that extra month in transport may have just pushed it past its expiration date
And make use of that hand sanitizer, you know, in case you ain’t got health insurance…
Don’t forget to share with those around you.