List 3

Another short list of random facts about Uganda!

-If you want to wave to someone, you have to wave with an open palm. If you wave American style- flapping your fingers down to touch your palm- it means “Jangu!”- come here! Now whenever I watch an American movie or see tourists who don't know better, the way of waving strikes me as so odd!

-They have saloons here! But, a saloon is not a place to kick up your spurs and down some whiskey, it is a place to get your hair done. Saloon = salon, and it makes me laugh every time!

-If you go to a saloon to get a pedicure, it will be done by a man- for some reason, women don’t paint nails. But, you don’t really have to go to a saloon, there are men just sitting out on the sidewalk who carry around a basket of polish and will happily paint your toenails for only 500 shillings…less than 40 cents.

-Many people are more comfortable eating with their hands rather than using utensils. They refer to their fingers as “the natural fork.”

-People’s fingers can withstand amazingly hot temperatures. Not only can they eat burning hot food with their fingers, they can also pick up pots straight off the charcoal stove with no potholders. As if that weren’t impressive enough, the women often use only their fingers to rearrange charcoal. Lit charcoal!

-There aren’t really child-sized bikes here, but that certainly doesn’t stop children from riding bikes! They put their leg over the bar, but don’t sit up on the seat- they sort of stand on one side of the bike. I have no idea how they balance, but somehow they manage!

-And lastly…Uganda can do interesting things to your ways of thinking. When my electricity is out, I burn candles for light. But, my electricity has been on with no interruptions for multiple weeks now- the longest since I’ve been in Uganda. I have some good-smelling candles, and I really wanted to burn them the other night, so I thought, “Man, I actually wish the electricity would go out, so I can burn these candles.” Why did I want no electricity? Because I completely FORGOT that it’s possible to burn candles when the lights are on!