general update

Again, it’s been long since I’ve posted.  Life here has been good, and here are some scattered anecdotes & updates.

I’ve completely recovered from my cold from last week.  Unfortunately, it’s now my laptop that has a virus.  All the swapping of USB flash drives puts the system at high risk, even though I’ve been careful with performing regular system scans.  I’m now moving toward giving people files by burning a CD (since email attachments take ridiculously long, and USB drives pose a virus threat).  The virus cripples my laptop when I’m trying to access internet, which is frustrating as I’m trying to catch up with online communication.  I’m seeing API’s computer specialist soon, and hope to get it resolved.

The opportunity to cook last weekend was amazing.  9 of us went to my friend’s aunt’s house on the outskirts of town, and we cooked up a feast.  The centerpiece was the esteemed Ugandan “rolex,” which is a chapatti + an omelet all rolled up.  This is the typical anytime meal-on-the-run of university students in Uganda, especially after a night of dancing.  But we spruced it up and produced these from scratch (the dough is only flour, water, and salt).  Now don’t you want to come to Uganda?

Only in Uganda:  the ever-satisfying rolex.

In other cooking news, I had the chance to make couscous that I brought from the U.S. for my friends around the hostel.  Although it’s the staple in Morocco and other North African countries, couscous is unheard of in Uganda … except I did find a 500 g box for $7 in the most posh supermarket – and this price is shocking considering that I get a full plate of food for $0.50.  Anyway, it was another fun occasion to gather around for good times.

Couscous dinner at the hostel.

I’ve been able to receive new interns from China and Nigeria in the last week, which has been especially rewarding.  They’re both fantastic people, and it’s fun to be able to play host in Uganda … makes me feel as though I’ve come a long way since last year.

I’ve also started some classes on nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy at the API office. 

The days as a T.A. for freshman orgo are really being put to good use.

On Friday morning, I got a phone call from the Uganda National Minister for Micro-Finance, which was a nice shock.  She was RSVP’ing for the closing event of the AIESEC project I’ve been helping to organize.  It’s nice to be working in a market where students’ efforts can be recognized by top authorities.