Mood Lighting

I spend a lot of time trying to explain to friends and family in the states that my life isn’t so different from theirs. I wake up in the morning, take a shower, make some coffee, go to work, try to make myself engage in some sort of physical activity (often unsuccessfully), go home, go to bed. On the weekends I go out with my friends—have dinner, drinks, see live music, dance, etc. None of this is all that different from my life in the states. But then there are times when I’m reminded just how different my life can be—like tonight when I was forced to get ready for a dinner out with friends in the dark due to load shedding, or scheduled power outages because the country simply doesn’t create enough power to keep everyone lit all the time. The candlelit shower was sort of relaxing, but the make-up by headlamp left a little to be desired, and it’s entirely possible I went out looking like Tammy Faye Bakker.

36 Hours in Kenya

So back in December en route to Malawi, I made a quick stop in Nairobi to attend grad school friend Jackie's wedding! See some pics below (some from me, others from the fantastic Arlene as I stupidly forgot my camera for parts of the ceremony)...

Jackie's parents walk her down the aisle

Great to catch up with grad school friends, including

Jason who came with Arlene all the way from NYC!

Jackie and Fred arrive at the reception

Jackie and Fred break it down at the post party!

Updates!

Once again, I have been totally and completely unreliable as a blogger. And the truth is, I don’t really have an excuse. But here’s my attempt to start again, and to catch you up on life since my last post. My trip to Malawi was fairly uneventful and to be completely honest, I left the country knowing only a bit more than I came with. I spent my whole time in Blantyre working, sleeping, or transporting between work and my hotel. However, I did manage to develop a taste for Nali, the BEST hot sauce I’ve ever had (and I’m a Texan who has lived in Africa for years, so this is HIGH PRAISE), and get my hands on an “Adopt Me” t-shirt in my size, which may be my new favorite possession.

The view from my hotel in Blantyre Malawi

After returning to Kampala from Malawi, I had a lovely holiday season—I traveled with some friends to Lake Bunyonyi, easily one of my favorite spots in East Africa and something out of a Tolkien novel. While it is always hard to be away from family, its nice to know that no matter where you end up, a little festiveness can be found.

Christmas comes to the Equator

Dave, falling or flying (?) at Lake Bunyonyi

Lake Bunyonyi

Other than that, life has been pretty uneventful, and I mean that in the best possible way. I’m enjoying my job and life and everything really, so I guess I’m one of those boring content people. However, I really am committed to spending some time on this blog in the future, so please bother me endlessly if you don’t see new posts coming from me. That is if you haven’t completely given up on me and are still reading…