scoop of this, scoop of that

If you've been keeping up on my blog, I thank you. If you wish you saw more updates, I'm sorry. Here is my excuse: It is so hot in this internet cafe, that if i can muster enough motivation to write a blog it must be done with the endurance of a camel.

It is summer here. full blown. Full on. Heat. The weather network tells me that at this present moment the temperature is 34 degrees. However, they are kind enough to add that with relative humidity of 53% it "feels like 45."
Sometimes I go to McDonald's to read or write because their air conditioning is so good and there is enough seating for me to hide in a corner and nurse a coke for a while. Also it is one of those places where you can seem to escape chaos. There is a dull roar of customers, but it is drowned out by the overhead music. It is almost like real peace and quiet!

There are only about 2 places I know I can go and feel like I'm back in Canada again. They are also the places that clear my head like almost nothing else. One of them is a particular Starbucks not far from where I am situated. I've mentioned it before in my blog. However, I went there again recently and was so struck by the surreality that I have to mention it again. If there is something that can be said for that Seattle Franchise, it is consistency. Peace and quiet, a nice overhead background mix playing the kind of music we listen to on the West Coast. Very strange, but very nice.

The other place that is consistent is inside a movie theatre, which i visited for my first time, since being here, yesterday. The theatre also is good place to relax and chill out. Next time I would bring a hoodie though. The Air conditioning is fantastic!
I haven't worn a hoodie in almost three months and I'm starting to miss it.

This past week I was out of the city again on "the farm". It was great to open my eyes at 5:30am and look out the screen walls of the "burungai" to see the sun rising through the trees and bamboo.

This past week we also had two different people fly in from Australia. One of them would rather be called Ugandan, but is originally from Australia. Between shooting Kangaroos Down under and eating rotten monkey in Congo, she has some interesting life experience.
The other visitor from Australia is actually from Canada, and was only visiting Austrailia. This is Emma. She is volunteering until July, or 'till I leave to Uganda. As far as I've yet heard, she has not eaten rotten monkey or even much Kangaroo to speak of. However, I bet that by the end of her time here, we can get her to try something completely foriegn.

I am becoming excited about traveling to Uganda. I borrowed a travel brochure on the country from someone and have been pouring over it- even though i don't really need to know half the information that is in it. (dinner menu at the central hotel... probably not.)
Books are not as readily available here as they are in Canada, where you can just stroll to the library or a gauntlet of second hand book stores. Here, I network with other people who have books and work on the borrowing and lending system a lot. However, when I could not find an atlas last week, so i resigned to using an inflatable globe that i found in the Kid's classroom.

Necessity is the birthplace of invention. I think Filipinos could have inspired that phrase. Take for instance, the places they find to post political campaign posters. There are three weeks to go before the election is supposed to take place, and you would think that every wall, post, tree and car has been covered. However, it seems that every day there are more, covering the landscape. Vehicles cruise around the streets with giant megaphones on their roofs shouting out who to vote for and playing the jingle for that particular candidate. Parades drive through the streets yelling and honking and blocking traffic.

I don't quite know how to round off this blog, as it seems that at the moment I've run out of things to say. I'll blame the heat. Maybe I need a Mcdonald's Air Conditioning fix.

Warm Regards to all!