Welcome to live broadcast from Matuga village...
(Look at pic1) Let's start our tour from the basic unit; naturally my own bed. Before falling asleep I lay under the idyllic mosquito net (a.k.a malaria net) and hear the bustling sounds of forest insects.
(Pic 2) The bed is located in this house. I am hosted by the foundation director's family. Along with the friendly Kalema family here are four other volunteers, ideally exchanging best practices of African and European customs. I feel being a part of an Ugandan family will give me valuable insight to their culture, which varies greatly from mine.
(Pic 3) We reside in Matuga, approximately 15km and 45minutes from the capital Kampala. Matuga has its own shopping centre crowded with people and stores and stalls, but our near neighborhood is peaceful. The picture is taken at our home street.
(Pic 4) Now, take a look at my dinner. After being here for one whole week, I can tell that Ugandan home food consists of rice, matoke (cooked unsweet banana), potatoes, vegetables, sauce and a selection of beans, stewed meat, chicken or fish. As probably no big surprise, I am pleased to tell that fruits here are super juicy. Pineapple, mango, banana, jackfruit and sugarcane are being sold at every corner with cheap prices.
(Pic 5) Even though Uganda is a major coffee exporter locals prefer tea. I have even managed to overcome my morning coffee addiction, partly thanks to my favorite breakfast dish, chapatti.
(Pic 6) Food is being cooked outside at this backyard terrace. As the sun is setting, air feels comfortably warm and soft. We sit on a mat preparing dishes and chatting, and in the background a radio plays local music. That is one of my favorite moments of the daily life here.
(Pic 7) The view from the terrace looks like this. There are many hills here, filled with tense green vegetation. Now it is rainy season until June. It rains heavily for a few hours each day and the rest of the time it is sunny. The temperature is comfortably around 25C.
It whas come time to end this tour. I hope you enjoyed it, as more will follow...
As a bonus, there are a few pictures taken last weekend. We participated in the local Christian church's field trip in Entebbe.
Pic 8: Beach resort at Lake Victoria. Unfortunately swimming is prohibited due to dirty water.
Pic 9: My favorite animal at the zoo - sleeping crocodile with clouds of mosquitos.
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