Saturday, July 30, 2011

...billboard mystery...

So, we have been spending the week in Kampala, Uganda's capital city.

For those of you that have never been to Uganda, you need to understand that sometimes signs and advertisements are....well...interesting.  Spelling is left up to interpretation.  Languages are inconsistent.  Meanings are not always clear.

I mean, today I had to ask our friend Roland why a sign said "Avoid Fake Weddings."  It's not what you probably think.

Throughout the city there are various round-a-bouts, something foreign to most Americans.  All around these traffic-jam-inducers are giant billboards.  I have seen these same signs all week, but for some reason one really got my attention today.  I was looking at the image of a little boy, maybe about 2 years old, with giant headphones on his ears, and looking up.  Next to it, in ginormous Comic Sans letters, it says, How is talking to your listening child?

What????

I brought it to the attention of the three others in the car.  We spent several minutes trying to come up with an explanation.  I ultimately decided it must just be a typo.  (Or do you call it a paint-o when it's on a billboard?)  Not long after we agreed with this as the only logical conclusion, we saw another billboard that was identical to the confusing one....or was it identical?  This one said Who is talking to your listening child?



Aaaaaaahh!  That makes so much more sense!  You know, beware of the influences you allow on your children.  So, Hayley was convinced that I must have just read the first one wrong.  Of course that is very possible considering I had been dozing a bit before this encounter.

On the way home I took special note of the word in question on the first billboard....

It definitely says "How is talking to your listening child?"

Friday, July 22, 2011

...ugandan construction...

So the other day I was traveling from Mbarara to Kampala.  Along the way I was sharing with my travel-mates that I wanted to share a funny story from Uganda on my blog.  I asked them to help me think of something funny that has happened over the past few weeks to share.  This shouldn't be too challenging since I feel like I am laughing 80% of the time.  However, anything that causes such laughter seems like something my average reader just wouldn't appreciate without having experienced it first-hand.

I thought about telling you about what happened when we went to the national park and saw lions.  We decided to do a little off-roading to get a closer look....nope I already decided that it isn't worth me typing out the funny part...(Maybe the fact that it is still early and I haven't eaten breakfast yet is playing into that decision.)

As we kept driving and thinking, I saw it.

A construction worker was wearing a Santa Claus hat as he was directing traffic.  That's right, a Santa Claus hat.  I know, directing traffic in Uganda is practically unheard of...I guess it was a special occasion:  Christmas in July.

Friday, July 8, 2011

...warm or cold...

So tonight I ordered dinner around 9:30pm.  While enjoying my rice and pineapple, I realized I didn't have the water I had ordered.  I went over to the desk to ask for one.

Warm or cold?


Really???  Who orders warm water?

Only in Uganda....Well, at least that is the only place I have ever been asked that question.

P.S. I saw lions today.  In real life.  In the wild.