Thunder and Condoms

Well hello from a much more relaxed Ally; after having absorbed and meditated on last weekends current events.

Oh but please may I interrupt to mention that I just had an Oreo cookie sent from Oregon (yum, oh my yum) and that I've been accepted for the next level of interviews for the Page Program, meaning possibility of first year paid for (but an unfortunate few more hours trying to look up all canadian current events for the past month...).

But back to Africa!

This week has been so so entertaining. Although it was shortened, I enjoyed it imensly.

Firstly, on Wednesday night I was preping my lesson for my Sex Ed class in NDESE. At the end of classes I have students write down some questions they have. Mostly it's things like "what is sex?" Which is such a BS question to ask because now I have given a definition and explained in such detail that the only next step would be to get a demonstration; and that ain't going to happen! Anyway, I'm sitting on my bed reading out the current questions to my roomate Yvonne. "What is sex?" "What is Menstration?" "What is ejaculation?" "When I pee on a fire does my pubic hair grow?". OKay wait! What? Backtrack... "When I pee on a fire does my pubic hair grow?" Oh, My, God! Where on earth did this come from? Of course in my excitement and on the floor laughing I feel it nessecary to text message everyone I know. The response from Leslie, who runs the Real Uganda, was that "witchcraft is alive and well in Naggalama!". She is probably right. But man alive was it the funniest thing I've ever red. Naturally i'm framing that question upon arrival to Canada.

But this isn't even the funniest thing to happen to me this week. Yeah, it was a good week.

So along comes Thursday. Ahh, Thursday. This is the day I go and teach Sex Ed. at NDESE. I love it to death, really trully. Naturally, I felt it was important to do a condom demonstration for the kids. There are many misconceptions here, like wearing 3 condoms (not 2 or 4) is most effective... Barriers and myths to break down.

A now gone volunteer named Brian made a "condom hat" to encourage safe sex and HIV/AIDS awareness. Naturally I bring it. It is basically a paper mached condom on a straw hat. It's beautiful. I put it on. Walk into the class and begin my lesson. First we do some notes, talk about the diffent kinds of contraceptives, some myths, good decisions and bad decisions. Eventually, the moment arrives. After breaking the ice by using my wooden condom as a pointing stick to explain my notes I prepare the class for the oh so darn excting condom demontration. First, I hand out a pack per table so that they can see the box, inspect the outside of the packaging. I have my hat on, of course, my wooden penis in my left hand, my condom in the right, my rather lenghthly explanation about checking the due date and pressure, not keeping a condom in your pocket, so such...
A knock at the door, a stranger enters holding a box, followed by another teacher.
"Good morning class, how are you" says the well groomed stranger.
"Good morning sir, we are fine" says the class of 60 P7ers, standing in unison.
"Today, I am here to hand out bibles to you all"
BIBLES?!?!?!??!
What the heck?!?

I think I can honestly say I have never had something so funny happen to me in my entire life. I have never wanted to cry my self to suffocation through laughter so badly in my entire life. Just imagine the muzungu all ready with her condom, and in enters the man who hands out free bibles. It was too much.

He looks at my hat, then me. He turns to the class and begins to preech.

Of course by this point it is too late for me to leave. It would be a sincere impoliteness. I settle by taking a bible; it's the least I could do. A good souvenir for the most helarious moment of my life. Once he left I just laughed and tried to contain myself before continuing. The students, were thouroughly confused.

Lastly, the past night. There was a Thunderstorm, and I mean THUNDERSTORM. I have never heard anything like this before. At one point I only counted to two between Lightning and Thunder. Now I don't know what that means exactly, but I know it isn't good! Terrified by the lightning crashing through the window right in front of my bed I call out to my roomate; also awake, also scared. We stay like this with my flashlight providing minimal light for a few minutes. Finally I convince her to let me go to her bed. Clutching eachother we wait out the storm. I was so scared she'd be hit my lightning, I dind't know what to do!! Well, of course I played out the situation in my head, but still! Needless to say, she was less scared then I was by far, but let's be honest; you can't see the window from her bed so she could only hear.

Eventually I made it back to my bed as the thunderstorm wraped itself up, only to begin again in full force about 15 minutes later. It was really scary, I didn't sleep much and man am I glad to have had a roomate there to clutch in fear. Of course, it is now about 35C and sunny as all hell.

Ahh living in Uganda. It's living the good life; I will not lie!!!