Second-to-last Weekend at Home

Saturday

Today was kind of low-key. First I woke up and finished my Pluralism paper for ATR class, knocking out all duties for two of my five classes. Next, I washed clothes outside. Then I played adungu for a little.

When 1 PM or so came around, I told Toto I was going to pick Suzan. When I reached Suzan's friends' hostel, they were all watching Ghanian films, which are just as bad as Nigerian films. In each Ghanian movie, the same actor gets involved with too many women and things gets complicated within the family. Africans watch these movies as if there is nothing more intense. When the power goes out and shuts off their laptops they get fairly upset. Anyway, we left there with some supplies Suzan bought for making French Toast. She came over to our home and cooked with me. She also made some really good chapati. Dinner was really good as a result. The day was slow and Sabbath-like.

Sunday

Today I woke up before 6:30 and prepared for the day. USP kids put together an Ultimate Frisbee team and I was a part of it. I met Suzan outside her hostel and we all grabbed a matatu to the rugby pitch in Lugogo, Kampala. There were about six teams and we were all given different color T-shirts based on what team you were on. USP was green. Before the tournament (a charity event for the red team which was from an orphanage) started, Silver met us there as well. We played the orphanage team first and came from behind to win by one point. Then we played another team immediately thereafter and lost. After that loss the red team approached us saying the game ended in a draw. This is impossible in frisbee, but since our captain Redman could not convince them otherwise, we flipped a frisbee to decide the game. Luckily, we won the flip. But this (and events to be noted later) will explain how corruption is just a part of the Ugandan culture and people.

We played the peace core next, who were very tall and last years champions. We slaughtered them 10-5 or something like that. Then we were tired and barely lost our next game.

The other games ended in a win and a loss, putting us at a 3-3 record. Megan Clapp showed up to hango ut halfway through the tourney. After our six games, I told Redman I was leaving to take Suzan for some American food. Apparently after I left there was a three or four way tie for third place and we played a ten minute game and lost with a close score. Oh well, we all had fun and I am a much better ultimate player as a result.

We went to New York Kitchen and Suzan and I shared a teriyaki burger with all fixins, coleslaw, fries with Heinz Ketchup (Megan said it's not made in Pittsburgh so it's not quite as legit), and a brownie sunday. Silver ate fries. Meg got free bagel crisps with salsa which we all consumed together. It was a good meal according to all of us (Suzan mentioned the next morning she could still taste the burger). Megan and I came up with an idea to start a chapati stand on our campus - a "send meg and phil back to africa" business.

On the way home, our matatu pulled into an illegal space to pick up customers. A police officer came over to ticket the conductor but the conductor just slipped him a few coins. Like I said, corruption here is natural. Additionally, we ran out of gas while on the way home. Horrible service in Uganda sometimes!

That night I was very sore. Suzan, Dean, and I were all exhausted.

Monday

So I woke up very sore to a text from Suzan saying her leg was paining her like it did twice in the past.

I met Suzan as she was coming to campus and I escorted her to the Dining Hall because she needed her ID card to go to the hospital in Kampala to get an operation. She had previously forgotten her meal card and had to leave her ID with the head cook as collateral. The head cook wasn't in so she tried to get a referral from the clinic. The clinic denied it. Meanwhile, a UCU prof I have grabbed me and made me take a quiz on the spot because he could not locate the questions to my last quiz (only the answers I had given were in his hands). He was impressed with my essay, but it was kind of frustrating at such an inconvenient time to take a quiz on the spot. Then Suzan and I went to ask our director Mark if it was okay if I skipped class to escort her to the city. He said it was ok if I was marked absent and we took a matatu after a long while of trying to wait for a coaster which would give room for Suzan to stretch her leg. We were picked up from Suzan's father's work at the Bank of Uganda. He took us to a resort where their doctor friend was. He instructed us what to do about Suzan's bad left knee, which was now swollen over twice the size of her good knee. We went to their temporary residence and they fed me (even after Suzan's dad spent several thousand on food for us). I helped figure out how to get working younger sister Rachel's laptop computer which was donated by a sponsor. Then Suzan's dad drove me to town to catch a matatu back while they would go to the clinic to get records of the previous operation so that the problem could be diagnosed without cost. Suzan is probably in Kampala getting fluid extracted from her knee or getting prescribed with tablets as we speak. She may come back to Mukono tomorrow.

So now (after 5 PM), I'm going to start my paper which I wanted to start at 7:30 AM haha. It's the last paper I need to do so I just want to knock it out.

I forgot to mention that Suzan's dad gave me three maize to roast, two mangos, and a handful of "transport money." What a nice dude. Maybe I'll reciprocate with getting him yogurt if I meet him Friday.