Wake up to rooster crow...realize it's 4am and the rooster is a terrible alarm clock.
Attempt to go back to sleep...listen to drone of mozzies and try to convince ourselves we are safe in net. (I struggle, Paul sleeps)
Re-wake at 6:45am... it's impossible to sleep once goat is up.
Listen to sounds of Paul showering in freezing water (amusing) while I attempt to log on to facebook/email/nhl...success rate is unpredictable.
If big roundhouse is free from a conference then we take our tea there. It is accompanied by a surprise of either a bread roll or banana or crepe or hard boiled egg. Usually bread. Discuss what we think is happening in the world when the TV refuses to work or watch blissfully when we can, BBC news/CNN/Sky News. (Paul sneaks in a sports channel and I lose him for half an hour)
Back to the room to collect our backpacks and purified water and hit the road. Off to the diocese to start mechanics class. The 20 minute dusty walk has us meeting and greeting the locals the whole way. We attempt to convince ourselves that it can't possibly get hotter...but it doesn't work because it's only 8am. We are sweaty already.
Class starts at 9am and we repair donated bikes and strip down the unrepairable ones for parts. The shop is coming along nicely and the training is going well. Hoping to get bikes into the community soon. Go to the main building and poach wifi...with patience and luck, post some pictures on FB. Safety check every completed bike and then safety check it again.
Around 1:30 is quitting time...the sun is high and the workyard shuts down for a 2hr lunch. We head to town and grab some flat bread (Sh500/ea) and tomatoes (Sh1000/bag) and maybe a cabbage (Sh1000/head) to make our "sandwiches" later. We drop by to visit "the big man" and his wife for a cold bottle of water and maybe a Fanta. Sit and cool down for a few minutes.
Hit the dusty road again to go home to make sandwiches (Paul is charge as he gets to use his multi-tool). Bread, sliced tomato and shredded cabbage with curry power, salt and chilli sauce. Yup...it's as good as it sounds. Today is special...our supplies have arrived from Kampala and we are able to add some tinned sardines today. (Our stash of 3 minute noodles, fish, Heinz beans and chocolate is full again...yay!)
After lunch we read...read some more...read the book you just read again...check internet and if it works read anything you can on there. Send some emails. Paul naps like old man for at least hour (I'm secretly jealous of this skill) and I opt to take shower now as the water has been warmed by the sun a bit. The whole time keeping one eye on the 7-legged spider on the ceiling who's sole purpose in life, I'm convinced, is to avenge the attempted murder that went horribly wrong a week ago.
Paul wakes, showers (at which point I'll sneak in a few games of Angry Birds) then we slap on our bug spray and head out to hunt down some dinner. Dinner can be a tricky affair with ordering and a confirmation not necessarily producing food but we've found that cow on stick is predictable and you can get it when you want it as it's prepared nightly by a street vendor. We'll hang out outside the big man's shop and maybe treat ourselves to a beer if the fridge is working. While I wait for my chips from the corner Paul heads to the street vendor for his sticks and sometimes there's a selection from which to pick (Sh500/cow, Sh1000/intestines, Sh500/liver) and grabs a couple flat bread for good measure. We enjoy our tasty treats watching the street life from the shadows. Night time brings a sense of anonymity which is welcome by the end of the day.
Nothing left to do but head home with our flashlights lighting the way back to our sanctuary (Le Chateau Straw Roof) and play some Uno (Paul is losing) and read/internet/kill mosquitos/tidy/play music on our phones.
We chat about how lucky (and crazy) we are to be here experiencing Uganda. How the bikes are making a difference one person at a time and how life altering it truly is to suddenly have mobility. How different our lives are from the people around us. How we have an amazing life back home. How priviledged we truly are back in Canada.
We fall asleep eventually to the sound of bats squeaking, bracing ourselves for that bloody rooster.
- P and A