I am not quite sure if I have realized that I am home yet. I don’t think it has sunk in! Even after spending almost a week in Vågå hanging out with frinds and family, moving to Bergen and being back to work has not made me fully realize it.. Maybe after another few weeks I will. Everything is very organized, the coffe is good, the weather is not very hot (it is actually quite cold) and I love the hot showers!!

I will never go back to Makerere, but I do want to go back to Africa!

This is the last blog in this fairytale! BUT I do like blogging, so don’t be surprised if I suddenly start a new one.. We’ll see if I find my life interesting enough to write about!

Have a great summer/winter wherever you are!

-The shower is cold when it’s cold outside and you want a warm shower and warm when it’s warm outside and you want a cold shower.
-Crossing the road
-Matoke, posho, rice…
-Makerere Bulliversity and many of the lecturers there
-The creepy guy missing a tooth in Wandegeya (that eventually understood he can’t just randomy grab white girls’ asses and boobs, but still tries sometimes…)
-Shooting behind my back at campus and riots/violent strikes
-The ants and cockroatches in my room (and the other weird bugs i don’t know what is called)
-The music from Katanga
-The cat that keep peeing on my things
-«You are lost» and «You are scarce»
-The poor internet connection
-«You’re fat!»
-The pollution, the traffic jams and the traffic in general
-Storks
-My matress at Akamwesi
-The mosquito net over my bed
-Doing my laundry by hand
-The Constitition of the State of Uganda, CEDAW, DEVAW, ICCPR, ICESCR, UDHR etc etc
-Beeping

-etc etc etc

Things I will miss about Uganda:

-Crispy, greasy chapatti with banana and nutella on a Saturday morning
-Having about five guys telling me they love me, every day
-Beer at 6 NOK
-All the beautiful people
-Second hand dress shopping
-30 degrees – every day!
-All the kids in Katanga (can I bring them home??)
-The monkeys, giraffes, elefants hippoes, crocs – you get the picture.. and the goats and cows at campus.
-Things come to you, like bed sheets in a bar or food in the bus window or matatus wherever you want to go
-Sweet potato at Vet Canteen
-Laughing with Ingrid, for various reasons from joy to hopelessness
-Pizza at Mamba Point, expencive but worth it…
-Having the whole cinema for ourself when watching movies
-John, Freeman, Ricky and the other guards at Akamwesi – you always make me smile
- etc etc etc

Things I look forward to in Norway:

-Kroneis med sjokolade
-Having a fridge, with food in it!
-Good coffee
-Studying, with books…
-UiB and Bergen in general
-My family
-Mum’s whole cooked salmon/trout with sourcream, cucumber salad and potato
-Trulte She is really included in my family doh!
-Working at the gym and generally working out again…
-Walking up Fløien an early, crisp morning
-Cold, good water from the tap
-Seeing all my beautiful friends again
-Long summer nights
-Hansa in the park with Marte
-Spinning with Linn
-Travelling to Melbourne to see George (hmm, does this count for Norway?)

-etc etc etc

And the lists could go on and on and on…. You feel like I have forgotten something? Please feel free to add more…

Cruising home, not on a BodaBoda this time...

After living here for quite a while, you get used to the ants. So Ingrid and I were just inspecting my cake close up and trying to get the ants off when two of the waitresses came over and wondered what was so funny about my dessert. So I told them about the ants, three of them on my cake. They also laughed, told me they are healthy (they eat bugs for protein…) and all of us are poking at my dessert to get them off I think we got them all and one of the waitresses tell me to not think about them because then I will not finish my cake.. And I didn’t dissapoint her and finished it off! Protein and all!

Life is pretty ‘rancho realxo’ in Entebbe, we stay at Elephant Village Resort just in the fringe of the little town. Nelson, the owner, is really nice and so are his staff. We are being spoiled with extra fruit for breakfast and he even want’s to have a BBQ for us on Saturday night because we are leaving on Sunday. Nice time! There is also a lot of monkeys playing in the garden at the hotel They are (needless to say) very cute and funny!

Went to the Wildlife Education Centre yesterday, it was ok, but nothing major. I guess after seeing all the animals close up in the wild, it is not the same to see them locked up. BUT we did see some Chimpanzees having a good time, from a distance it did look like they were 69ing… «Look at the cute monkeys kids!! They are playing.. Oh, hold on, they are.. Hey, kids, why dont we look at the lonely lion instead?!?!».

Today we have just been chilling by the pool to ensure our tan is nice and dark before going home to Norway! The pool at Victoria Lake View Hotel is highly recommendable, we even jumped from the tower (three metres, maybe do the five metre tomorrow..)

Only two more sleeps in Africa!!

Juuuuust chilling on the beach... My view for an entire day in the sun Only thing missing was a piña colada..

One glass of Amarulla thanks!

Why bother to make two signs when one is more than enough?!

This man is possibly the worst guide in Africa... Or at least in Uganda! Or in Ssese...

No words necessary...

We stayed at Kalangala Island at Ssese Island Beach Resort – it looks like a resort on the outside. But even with very low expectations after half a year in Africa, the service was nonexisting to crappy! And the whole place had a very This Is Africa feeling about it.. Had some highlights though:

- No, there is no fish here, they all swim to Entebbe!
- The girls that came and had preyers for hours before baptising one of the girls in Bilharzia water and leaving early the next morning…
- The beach was beautiful and the sun was hot!!
- Ordering lunch at 11.30 am for 1 pm, and getting it at 2.30 pm…
- Lady standing outside our door at 7am saying Hello, hello, hello, hello. Ingrid saying Hello, lady saying, Hello, Ingrid: Hello? Me (to Ingrid): HALLO???!! (Still not quite awake). Ingrid getting out of bed, asking whats up, lady says Time is going! (oh really, you just realised??!). Ingrid: For what? Lady: The boat…. Ohhhhh, we ar enot leaving with the boat, not checking out today – thanks alot!
- On glass of Amarulla means a glass – a full wine glass!
- And so on…

Also have to mention the worst guide ever taking us on a Boda ride around on the island.. Took us to the forest, so we could build memories from Africa, showing us the sun coming through the trees and a thousand leg on the ground! And to the other side of the island to prove for us that it was indeed an island with water on all sides of it………. I got his phonenumber if you are desperatly looking for a guide on Kalangala!

Now as I said we are back in Entebbe, not going anywhere from here I think, before going to Norway on Sunday.. It is pretty weird to think about! Actually my head is not quite functioning at the moment, must be due to too much sleep at Kalangala.. Ill upload some pics before we leave

Having exams at Makerere is an interesting prosedure and it doesnt seem to happen in the same manner in the different subjects. It seems like the different lectures set there own rules. On the first exam we were early and eager to get started and according to the lecturer students were supposed to show up half an hours before the examinations starts.. No one told us?! Good thing we were all just sitting there reading, so we could just put our books on the floor and do the exam, ten minutes early, and we were allowed to leave when we finished half an hour before time. But on the second exam the doors were locked until it was time, we were almost searched from top to toe before entering and everything was very strict. I was not even allowed to bring a dictionary asI was on the first exam. And here when I finished half an hour before time, one lecture said I couldnt leave, the second asked me if I wanted to leave and took me to the door, where the third lecturer said: “When we set the time, we set the time. Take her back to her seat! Three hours is tree hours.” So, I was sliiiiiightly annoyed!

Third exam was about the same, except there was a change of rooms when we were supposed to have started, stripsearched before entering and sit down, shut up and don’t leave before I say so!

Yesterday we had a 2 credit unit exam (the other ones have been 4 cu). But, there is no difference, we still have three hours. And there is really not that much to write in a course where you have had 2 lectures and almost no curriculum, so I finished after 1 hour. I was then told it is not legal to leave before it is only half an hour left. So I sat there, and sat there and sat there. When one of the lecturers said there was 1 hour to go, I think my bodylanguage was clear enough. The lecturer that had told us it was illegal to leave came up to me and asked: -Do you really wanna go? So I handed in and left, 1 hour before time! TIA…

Today was a more relaxed setting again, and there was actually enough to do so don’t know wether I would be allowed to leave before time or not The last two exams are Thursday and Friday and then we are off holidaying for a week before flying home to Norway. Hopefully British Airways will be nice enough to let us leave when we want to!

I havent got any more internet at home, so wont be much more updating before I go home. Unless our hotel at SSese Island has an amazing broadband, witch I doubt!

Cappucino at Cafe Pap - life saver! Or at least a 'today I need good coffee' saver

Some mobile uploads to brighten the day. Random highlights from the last months as I am sitting here listening the Rabadaba from Katanga reading som Conflict Management in Natural Resource Use.. I think a cold beer is in it’s place later today (as well as yesterday and most likely tomorrow – they say the rate of alcoholics are high in Uganda, but I never answered a questinary, so i’m not counted as one – am I??!!)

The usual traffic jam going home from campus. Yes, we are in a big bus across the road, not getting anywhere, cars, bodas and people inn all directions...

The short, blond muzungu! -Aha, that one!

What? Seriosly? No guns?! That sucks... Let's go somewhere else!

Helitage....

Prease....

Have a good weekend!!

I have had three out of seven exams now and realised yesterday that the next three will be within 24 hours! That’s a first! Hopefully they will be ok. Gonna try to do some studying this weekend and then we’ll see!

It’s weird to think about the fact that it’s less than three weeks before I am home in Vågå! Time is really flying. So next week I need to pack all my stuff, because after the last exam (and the exam party of course) we will be off to Ssese Islands and to Kalongo one last time.

So, if anyone got any wishes for stuff I should bring them from Uganda, you better tell me now

What's more natural than dancing a bit of ballet at Cafe Ballet?!

Had a fun night on Thursday, having a few beers at dinner at Fang Fang Hotel, went to Lotus to see if there was salsa classes on, but they had finished. I decided to dance a bit salsa with the instructor anyways Was fun! We ended up at Ground Zero in Wandegeya and had some more beer, convinced some more guys that:  Yes, white people can dance! and walked happy and sweaty back home. Met the guy from the shop around the corner listening to Backstreet Boys on his phone, dancing in the street, inviting us to the shop next night to drink beer with him

And what's more normal than putting your new pillow case on your head in a restaurant?!

Friday we actullay started out at the British Airways main office to see if we can bring home one of them main thing’s we want to buy: Massive baskets!! Yes, we can, but we have to pay extra! Fair enough!

And the nomality of playing with your new warthog at a restaurant?! Not discussable...

We walked around at Nakasero Hill, found a ballet school with a cafe. Went looking for the Nommo Gallery witch wasn’t to easy to fint, but we did and it was actually not to bad! Lunch/dinner, or Linner as we like to say, at Kyoto Restaurant in Centenary Park after spending waaaay to much money at Banana Boat! I bought a new Omwesi game, so we played Omwesi, drank wine and talked bullshit with Tony, witch was alot of fun

Me as a muslim! Niiiiice carpet....

Saturday we walked to the biggest Mosque in Kampala, Gadaffi Mosque, had a walk inside it, watched some people in a wedding and random guys having their prayers (and reciving a sms from one of our friends later that he had been in the mosque, but he couldn’t walk up to us because he was busy praying). We also went up in the tower for a great view of the city! In the evening the went with two germans to Tuhende for a nice dinner, after a long while sitting in a Special Hire waiting for the driver to figure out where we were going, and we just decided to walk instead, and we did get there in the end and it was worht the walk – very nice food and the coldest beer I have had in Kampala (half frozen).

Up, up, up we go!!!

Sunday we finally found the big baskets we have been thinking of for the last months! And of course, we both liked the same one, as usual! But we got two we liked and are very happy with our shopping!!! And it was pretty funny walking home carrying them on our backs, as if we don’t get enough attention without massive baskets on our back….  I think we need to save some moey the next couple of weeks so we can afford a holiday the last week in Uganda, it’s weird to think we have only got three weeks to go!!

And of course we brought our new baskets for a cold beer... Bot we and they deserved it!

Now; time to read for more exams!