Shopping Kampala Style

Today I went out into Kampala with my new Ugandan friend, Remmy. We met at Fido Dido, and ice cream shop in downtown Kampala. She took me shopping for a top or two, seeing as I came to Uganda woefully unprepared for having any kind of social life and looking to look somewhat decent. As cute as plain white (well, not so white anymore) Haines v-necks are, I decided I needed something a little more Friday-night appropriate. She took me into a couple shops on the main road, where I almost got pickpocketed. Luckily I have lightning-fast reflexes and put my hand over my pocket. We then headed to Oweno Market, this huuuuuuge labryinth of stalls. It's like being indoors everything is so close. There's a roof-like structure and everything. It's ridiculous. If anybody remembers the part in the Disney version of Hercules where he has to get past all of the dead people in the land of the dead to rescue Meg? Well it was kind of like that.

Anyways, imagine a dark, mud path with the owner of every stall reaching out to grab your arm or bag. "Mzungu.. ladies...please come...sistah...lots of tops...mzungu, come look." You finally just have to keep moving and moving and ignore the whispers. But it almost felt like walking through the l and of the dead. We made a few stops, going through piles of second-hand clothing, most of it given to churches or donation centers from Westerners, who then sell it at the market. I see Abercrombie, Chuck Taylors, even an REI bag. Remmy does most of the bartering, even yelling at a man who tried to sell me a top for 2,000 more shillings than she paid. She told him that he was rising the price because I was white and that he was being ridiculous. Needless to say, I paid the lower price. After the shopping, it was time for some lunch: rice and beans, Africa-style. Pretty darn good. Although can you really go wrong with rice and beans? Answer: No. After the huge meal, we went back to the hostel and proceeded to fall asleep almost immediately. Love those naps. The rest of the afternoon passed without incident. I did meet two people involved with a Christian organization that are beginning a pretty interesting way of having Africans pay for their medical expenses. Ugandans pay for healthcare with crops. They can grow food and either donate the food to build up credit or just pay with food when they get ill. The food is then used to feed the children at the orphanage run by the same organization.

Dinner is leftover Ethiopian food, which was very tasty. The rest of the night was spent in a booth at the hostel talking about everything from the significance of drams to ghosts to the accountability of governments to their people. All of this was very intellectual and made me feel very smart. My list of books to read when I get home is getting longer and longer. And my brain is getting bigger and bigger, obviously. It's been awhile since I've been so enthralled with conversation that I stay up until 1:30. Ah, the joys of hostels.