Three major events

The past weeks have been a whirlwind of necklace discussions, frightening taxi rides and dirt. Lots of dirt.

But also great things, like pineapples and friends. Major updates include:

1. Rafting the Nile

Like many a muzungu in Uganda, we (Musana interns and friends) splurged on a day-long white water rafting trip on the Nile River. It wasn't as scary as people made it sound, except for when the raft flipped and we all fell in and thought we'd drowned.

I got caught in a whirlpool after I fell out of the raft. In my confusion and distress, I apparently became distressingly motherly, reassuring Julie between gulps of Nile "Sweetie, you'll be okay!" as she careened past me, mouth open in a (thankfully) silent scream. I am still not entirely convinced this is how it happened; Julie can be prone to exaggeration.

Our boat. I look proud because I just killed a croc with my paddle!

We were all rescued by a designated team of (rather buff) kayakers. Andrew's face was completely deadpan as he was rescued. Seems he suffered some wounds, but they were mediated by the promise of beer awaiting us on shore after the last rapid, which we successfully conquered.

(Credit to Angela for the artsy PTSD recovery photo)

The beer was lovely. The ride back was appropriately ridiculous. I think it's the rafting company's way of making up for any trauma we might have experienced. Smart move.

2. Fourth of July in the rain forest

Instead of attending some stupid party in at the American Embassy in Kampala (ok, the invites got lost in the mail), we went to the rain forest to celebrate the Day of American Independence. 

I could say we spent the evening dancing around a bonfire roasting wild boar after a triumphant hunt. With big, American guns. But that's not quite what happened. 

We actually went to the Rain Forest Lodge in the middle of nowhere (Mabira Forest) with our dear European friends. I'm unclear if associating with people from the UK on the Fourth is unpatriotic, as they were the enemy back in 1776. But Phoebe and Sig sported American colors, so we let them celebrate with us. Andrew drove, so we permitted his participation, too. Still, I kept a wary eye on all of them.

The place had a nice ambiance and made for a relaxing time. And we were the only folks there. The highlight was the four-course meal - a nice change from the usual rice and beans and mystery meat.

I consumed at least six cups of coffee over the course of the evening, so the entire experience was way more exciting than any loud fireworks display.

Julie, before her cake disappeared when she went to the bathroom. 

3. I realize that kids are really weird

Kayla is our two-year-old neighbor. Unlike Joshua and Jonah, the other terrors in the compound, she is generally well-behaved when you get her on her own. She's charismatic, articulate, and has great hair.

However, recently we suddenly realized that Kayla is really kooky. Not sure why it took so long to figure it out. Maybe it was her adorable teeth or polite little "Wangi?" ("What?") when her mother calls her.

The other evening, Kayla spent a half hour spinning in circles saying/singing "hallelujah." A full 30 minutes. Alone, just her. After that incident, I started observing her behavior more closely. Like many small children, she has a tendency to remove articles of clothing and wee everywhere. But most children don't repeat "hallelujah" while doing so. Most days, she can be found running around muttering incomprehensibly, sometimes pausing to dance like gremlin. She also consistently wears her flip flops on the wrong feet.

It's all part of the background hubbub when you don't pay attention. But when you do, you realize that kids are freaking strange.

Kayla, losing her hairdo.

I guess this is normal for a child? Was I this weird back in the day? Has society conditioned me over the years to suppress my inner weirdness? My observations of Kayla have brought up so many questions I would have never thought about if I weren't thrown into this living situation.