Top '#' Lists

To acknowledge and reflect upon my first 6 months at site and 8 months in-country, I've decided to create "top lists" of everything: my experiences, my longings and desires, my "only in Uganda" moments, among other things. These lists are not ranked in any particular order, but just what first popped into my head. Hope you enjoy.

TOP 7 THINGS I WISH I PACKED
(1) Kindle - A great, mobile alternative to paperbacks.
(2) External harddrive - I regret my decision to not bring this.
(3) Netbook - If I had known my ex-computer was going to get stolen, I would have left the Mac at home in place of a Netbook.
(4) Athletic pants - See my post about Ugandan children staring and requesting that I give them my leg hair on the football field.
(5) Batteries - I thought that I brought enough AA's, AAA's, and D's to last a year. I ran out within 2 months. You can never have enough batteries in Uganda.
(6) Soccer cleats - Self-explanatory.
(7) Camping pack - Mobile and easy-to-carry; great for weekend trips.

TOP 5 THINGS I WISH I LEFT HOME
(1) Travel-size mattress pad - It's been used once in-country, took up a lot of space, and could have been replaced with more useful things.
(2) The Peace Corps invitation packet - It hasn't been used once since I left the States.
(3) My ex-Mac computer - See #3 from the list above.
(4) 1 duffel bag - Painstakingly difficult to transport, even with rolling wheels. I insisted on taking 2 duffels; my parents thought otherwise. I was clearly wrong.
(5) Solar shower - I haven't used it once. Bucket baths are simpler and more time-efficient.

TOP 5 THINGS I USE MOST FREQUENTLY
(1) Headlight - Essential!
(2) Travel-size clock/alarm clock - I use it every morning to wake up. Plus, it still works fine despite dropping it on the ground repeatedly. Thanks Brookstone.
(3) Belts - Belts are a "daily must" if I'm to keep my now-oversized pants on my waist.
(4) Travel-size pillow - The pillow that Peace Corps gave us was flat and unsleepable. My small, travel-size pillow is far superior.
(5) Doom spray - Effectively controls the cockroaches, ants, and other critters that like to run rampant and sneak under my door and into my room. It's a good thing you can buy this stuff in-country.

TOP 6 THINGS I MISS FROM HOME
(1) Friends and family - Their love, support, and companionship.
(2) Home-cooked meals - The pungent smells of tacos, potato pancakes, and hens permeating my nostrils.
(3) My car - The smooth easy driving of my Scion XB. Just ask my mother.
(4) Snow - Snow or weather below 40 degrees.
(5) Reliable power and running water - Not essential, but it would be nice to have.
(6) Boston sports - Predictable response, eh?

TOP 10 FEATURES OF AMERICAN CULTURE/SOCIETY THAT NOW SEEM FOREIGN TO ME
(1) Fast-food restaurants
(2) Movie theaters
(3) Paved, dirtless roads without potholes
(4) Flushing toilets
(5) Highways/roads in which drivers adhere to the speed limit and drive inside their lane
(6) Air conditioning
(7) Hot and cold seasons
(8) Democratic elections rid of vote rigging
(9) High-speed internet
(10) Jewish temples

TOP 4 STEREOTYPES/CULTURAL ASSUMPTIONS I'VE RECEIVED AS A MZUNGU (VERBATIM)
(1) "You are rich, and have money."
(2) "You can't play football."
(3) "You must be from Norway because you are tall, have white skin, and wear warm clothes."
(4) "Didn't you bring mzungu women for us to marry?"

TOP 5 UGANDAN FOODS
(1) Chapatti - Flat, pancake-like bread made of flour and water.
(2) Groundnuts - Uganda's version of peanuts
(3) Atap - Millet bread eaten in the eastern region of Uganda
(4) Jackfruit - Best fruit in Uganda
(5) Passion fruit juice - Tastes similar to orange juice

TOP 5 UGANDAN WORDS
(1) Epikipik (eh-pic-ee-pic) - "Boda boda" in Ateso
(2) Asepulia (ah-seh-poo-lee-ah) - "Sauce pan" in Ateso
(3) Mpola mpola (ehm-poh-la-poh-la) - "Slow, slow" in Luganda
(4) Toto (toh-toh) - "Mother" in Ateso
(5) Yoga (Yo-gah) - "Hello" in Ateso

TOP 4 DESIRED PLACES OF TRAVEL IN UGANDA
(1) Bwindi Impenetrable National Park to see the mountain gorillas.
(2) Queen Elizabeth National Park to see the elephants, hippos, buffaloes, waterbucks, crocodiles, and abundance of other animals.
(3) Murchison Falls to see, well, the Falls.
(4) Mt. Elgon National Park to climb Mt. Elgon and look out at the views of Kenya in the distance.

TOP 6 DESIRED PLACES OF TRAVEL OUTSIDE UGANDA
(1) Egypt, despite recent political events, to see the Great Pyramids, the Sphynx, and the Nile River.
(2) India to see the Taj Mahal and where Bollywood originated.
(3) South Africa to see one of Africa's most prosperous countries.
(4) Turkey to see the Hagia Sophia, the Grand Bazaar, and Asia/Europe simultaneously.
(5) New Zealand to see where Lord of the Rings was filmed.
(6) Fiji to experience paradise.

TOP 8 NEW EXPERIENCES
(1) Sleeping under a mosquito net every night.
(2) Rafting the Nile River and flipping over twice from Class II and Class III rapids.
(3) Living with no power or running water for 1 1/2 weeks (and counting).
(4) Being welcomed by children at an orphanage home with a remarkable dance and instrumental performance.
(5) Co-teaching English to 80+ secondary school students.
(6) Experiencing my first Ugandan wedding and baptism.
(7) Speaking 2 minutes of Ateso to a Catholic Church congregation of over 600 people. Eruptions of laughter and applause ensued.
(8) Slowly but surely becoming fluent in a Ugandan language.

TOP 5 "ONLY IN UGANDA" MOMENTS
(1) Crowding 20 people in a matatu meant to seat 15 people.
(2) Inadvertantly causing babies to cry because of my terrifying physical appearence.
(3) Jokingly asking the Ugandan driver of a matatu, who was wearing a 2007 Red Sox championship t-shirt, if he pawked the cah in Hawvid Yawd. His reply? "Only in Boston, sir."
(4) Being asked by a Ugandan man if I would take his 2 wives to America in exchange for 5 cows or 10 goats.
(5) Torrential rain pouring 1 minute, the sun revealing itself the next, only for it to start pouring again 2 minutes later.

TOP 4 THINGS I'VE LEARNED FIRSTHAND
(1) Don't sweat the small stuff.
(2) The true value of water.
(3) I have the ability to make a much more positive impact in other people's lives than I previously thought.
(4) I want a career/job that requires international travel, or that will enable me to live abroad.

TOP 2 POST-PEACE CORPS UGANDA OPTIONS
(1) Peace Corps Response - Working in another developing country for 6-12 months with a more specific job description and defined role.
(2) Making the inevitable decision of what I want to do with my life by either heading back to graduate school and pursuing a more career-tailored degree, or testing my luck in the job market and beginning to apply for jobs.

I look forward to what the next 1 1/2 years have in store. As always, thanks for reading!