Kids

Friday ends my week on the job here at the International School here in Kampala. I'm just a simple teaching assistant helping out in the library and in PE, my two favorite classes in elementary school so it's a good fit. Early mornings but fast internet, cheap food, endless basketball, and something to look forward to every day. The three other bedrooms at the house save home I'm haunting are now all cleared out and empty, so things aren't as exciting as they used to be. But with a library now in my life, I'm getting my read fixxx so that's sweet like treats.

The International School has close to 500 students in grades PK--12 and hosts 53 different nationalities, so it's truly International. They also incorporate the IB curiculum, which is similar to AP but they find some common thread to link all the classes together. For example, the fifth graders played flag football in PE yesterday, but since they are studying systems of government in class, it was Anarchy Flag Football. We just gave them flags, belts, and a football and told them Have at it, No rules. It was hilarious. Fifth graders are just raw human nature. Boys made touchdowns 100 points, but only the girls made them -10. Its wild and I love going home tired every night. The school is glad they finally have someone who can best relate to seven year olds.

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Bodas are the only way to travel here. It's the African peer of the Russian Gypsy taxi. Basically a strapping young vagrant on a motorcycle, who racially profiles customers and bought a driver's license instead of earning it. You get places fast, but you sometimes wonder if you'll ever see your final destination. I'm not just refering to the Boda's sincere concern for your welbeing. I responsibly slept in on Wednesday and my ride flat out left me. I was stuck to fend for myself and I asked a Boda for a lift. Fifteen minutes later, some geezer straight hit me in the head with a broom handle. It done knocked me off the boda onto a 8 AM traffic bumper and last night's rain puddle. I"m laying on the ground and this old man is standing over me going for the knockout shot with his Moses staff and I'm just like "Another day in the life...." I kicked his arm, grabbed my backpack, and hopped back on my astonished Boda driver, who now feared for his life since some Most Wanted fugative was riding behind. He just drove faster to get me off and out of his sight. I needed ice and had a headache all morning. Let's be frank. I love something completely different but I have no idea why Pops took a swat at me Wednesday morning.

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I just finished my first college application.

Mastodon has a new album coming out.

Coachella rumors are in full swing.

(Strokes Bowie Misfits Outkast Killers Zeppelin)
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The Stooges-Down On The Street

Sunshowers

So I can't ever write when I need to "should have brought a computer" but so it goes. I just got back from up north, helping figure out what needs the local primary schools are lacking. As you can imagine, it was hawt.  Africa is lovely, but it has a few problems, just like everywhere else in the world. Uganda has close to fifty different tribes scattered across the country, which is at least fifty different languages and a whole lot of divide. Politics becomes impossible because it's just a giant scramble to the top, by any means possible. Aid grants never reach their intended market and end up as defense spending to assure the low people in high places their ill begotten positions won't go anywhere. But times change and that was then. 

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Outside of staying busy around here, I'm having to apply to college for the second October in a row. More on that later. Even though it's Africa, Kampala seemingly has forty times more Americans than Moscow, which hopefully won't change anytime soon. 

The free spirited air around here makes everyone a bit more friendly than usual too. Southern ethics are all over the place, except when the taxis take you for a fool. There are plenty of happenings and meeting people is doomed to be interesting. You're pedestaled if you mention Obama to a local.

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As for me, I'm just here in Africa. Out and about, staying busy takes care of thinking too much. But that's not really a problem. A rooster woke me up this morning. The sun is hot and ten feet off the ground. There is plenty to do but no rush. I have two books to finish. 

Everything's in its right place.

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Antibalas Afrobeat Orchestra-Beaten Metal

No Age

What in the world do I know? Not much, but that's one thing tomorrow is good for. Know yourself. As the philosopher Matthew always stresses, the unexamined life isn't worth living. What about Afrika? I'm figuring that out as it comes. Uganda is hawt like Russia's not, and busy like none other. I'm slowly getting my feet on the ground and it's a surprise like none other. Today was my first day as a teaching assistant at the International School here in Kampala. It went pretty well too, which is such a big surprise. Hopefully it will stay like so. But you never know. I just can't do enough here, be it good or otherwise bwahha.
Afrika is so full of life, but since it's everywhere at once, it's almost taken for granted.
Hopefully I'll elaborate more in the future, but I just don't know much at all. Everything I learn every day just reminds me more of the obvious. It's obviously hot here.
I don't know much.
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Tom Vek- Nothing But Green Lights

Ugan

Like the Constant Gardener, I'm absolutely in Africa. The gettin' there is always the fun part and it was certainly no without dramatics. I was to fly from Moscow to Belgium on Brussels Airlines, spend the night in Brussels, and then weather a lazy fast 12 hour fight to Entempe, Uganda.
Drama first reared it's pointy teeth in the Moscow airport. I had to take a taxi to the airport because my train was missed thanks to a fascist protest right in front of my subway station. When I got to the airport, the unexpected just got more colourful.
The luggage requirements flying to Africa is two bags weighting a max of 48 kgs. That's cool, because my two baskets of tricks weighed in nicely at a safe 40 kgs. That's been true for flights everywhere so far. But Belgium Airlines messes everything up by saying flying transeuro requires not 46 kgs of luggage, but 20 kgs. So I flew to Belgium with a sweater, a sweatshirt, and a North Face on, with jeans in my jacket pocket and a pair of shoes in the sleeve.

I didn't have to pay 280 euros though.

Surprisingly, I'm not getting to a computer very much here, so my blogspots aren't a frequent as usual. Never fear, I'm trying to make it happen. I'm four days into Africa and have already been to a reggae throwdown, seen a woman struck and perhaps killed by a car, taken a traditional African dance class, shaken hands with the president of Uganda, and attended the Ugandian National Prayer breakfast. Staying busy, but that's not half of it. I get to safari tomorrow.

Here goes nothing.

Sun God

The lights go out here in Moscow tomorrow at 4:00. I fly to Belgium, spend the night in Brussels, and then weather a 12 hour flight to Uganda. It's 85 degrees there right now. I haven't a clue what's waiting on me besides black mambas, but that's just exciting. 

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I can't really wrap my mind around all that's happened over the past three months just yet. It's not like some huge change suddenly swooped down and showed me the light. I'm not sackcloth and ashing and I don't have a third arm. Sleep is still as difficult as Sitting Still. People still have to tell me "Shhhh." I simply love snakes. That's hilarious. But seriously....

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One of the great things about being malcashed is that the whole Financegedon mess in the United States doesn't touch matter much to you. When my life calls for more, I will grow it. Exponentially. But not now. Money makes you numb.

You never truly know what's important in life under everything is taken away. I am blessed to have the opportunity to stand back from real time and look at the mess I've made so far. Mess might not be the right word but who's to say? 

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What about Africa?

A typical Black Mamba is 8 to 9 ft long, can slither almost 14 miles an hour, and is Top Five most deadliest snakes in the world. I'll let you know how that hurts.

Ethiopia is the birthplace of Rastafari and apparently has the Ark of the Covenent. 

You can buy a beer in Uganda brewed from bananas.

32% of Africa is wilderness.

A giraffe gives birth standing up.

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It's time to leave the man village and make something happen.

so I can learn to be like someone like you.

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