Time to feast!

My first week in Uganda has certainly been interesting... I've been told that people's first three months here is like a roller coaster ride of loving this country and hating this country. Some times you swing from one extreme to the other multiple times in a single day! After a very long day in the car, I got to see the view above that I'll be enjoying for the next three months.



This very exhausted pig was brought to the mine camp site from the local village. I arrived at the camp with Jenn and Jonny after driving across the country from Entebbe the day before. It was Jenn's first time back to the mine in quite some time, and they were having a party to celebrate all the work that had been done so far, and in anticipation of the rapid progress on the horizon now that there is an investor in the project. The workers now number about 10, down from 15 a few months ago, but those still committed to the project are very loyal and great workers. The pig was part of their reward for working so hard under some rather challenging conditions, remaining committed even when things weren't ideal.



Unlike the goat feast I enjoyed on our last trip to Africa, I didn't watch the slaughter of the animal on this day. Not because I didn't want to, but rather the guys did it so fast I didn't even know it was happening! Before I knew it there were skewers of meat being put over the fire. In this picture there's pieces of pork along with beef sausages that we brought from town. The sausages were what we used to cool the beer from warm to lukewarm... I'm learning that warm beer is something I'll have to get used to here.



Only a few of the guys speak english, so we have to rely on other forms of communication but I get the sense that they are all very friendly and happy to have me there. I was especially popular when I brought out my portable iPod speakers to provide some music, though my Canadian indie rock and pop music didn't really translate. At least I have some Bob Marley and an African Groove mix cd, along with an album of traditional Zimbabwean mbira music that I bought for Barb before I left.



Since this weekend is Easter weekend, we only spent one day at the mine site before driving back to Entebbe. The workers also had the weekend off, so we travelled back with a vehicle full of people and three chickens in the back. The chickens were for Easter dinner... it seemed a bit cramped, but I was told not to worry, these are African chickens, they are very hardy. They crapped all over the trunk, including my bags! Ah well...



We stopped for some refreshment along the way at the equator, and of course had to snap a photo at the centre of the globe! I think I'll be crossing the equator many times in the coming months, but the first time was very exciting.