Learning stuff in Kampala

So were pretty sure we’ve learned Abraham’s diagnosis (G6PD deficiency Pub Med article here if you want more info) but more about that on tomorrow’s blog. Today, I want to talk about the other things we learned while in Kampala. Abraham learned about watching movies. He saw his first one last week- I chose Lion King. He was so into it even though he doesn’t speak a word of English. He was dancing around to all of the songs. His father learned about television and maybe more fascinating, the remote. In the guest house there was a TV with 3 channels and we rotated between those three over and over and over and over again.  Rhoda learned about skinny jeans and wanted to know how they can be comfortable. I told her they are not comfortable but that isn’t the point. She also learned about Ramón noodles and wasn’t overly impressed (as someone who spends HOURS a day cooking I couldn’t believe she didn’t like a 3 minute meal!) but Emma loved “that thing that is somehow like rice”.  Abraham learned about mannequins and finds them quite fascinating though is unable to tell the difference between a white person and a mannequin. However, in his defense all of the mannequins are white and all white people look the same. Abraham also had to learn about indoor plumbing and how he couldn’t just go outside and pee whenever he needed. I had to apologize to the others at the guest house several times. At least he is super cute so they didn’t mind much. One concept that I’m sure we have not yet mastered is hot water from a tap. I spent quite a bit of time explaining how to use the hot water heaters in our rooms (you have to turn them on and wait for them to get hot before getting in the shower here) but I guess I missed some key bits of information. One evening, after we had been there several days, Abraham climbed up on to my lap and he was freezing. His dad had just given him a bath and judging by his fingers and toes it was a really cold one. I asked his dad if their hot water had stopped working and he told me no- it was working too well. The water was too hot to bathe Abraham in and he had to use the cold instead.
I’m glad to tell you that my village friends were not the only ones learning things in the big city. There is a huge market, (huge is not a big enough word for this market that stretched for literally miles!) here that Emma and Rhoda had heard about and really wanted to visit but I had never been to. It is called a second hand clothing market but has everything from suitcases and belts to baskets and CDs. I had to wait near the truck for them as I was pretty sure the young men loitering around were just waiting to hone their B&E skills but Abraham and I found a building near where we could look over the market still see the truck. He could practice his stair climbing skills (as he has never climbed stairs before- no buildings in Obule have them) which he did over and over while I tried to capture the vastness of this market with my camera. I didn’t do it justice but I tried.

Each one of those roofs and tarps is a different market stall. 

Another picture taken from our vantage point 

The direction we needed to head after they were done in the market. I needed Valium. 

Abraham chilling in the back of my loaded truck while we waited for his dad and Rhoda.