Disaster
Strikes Back
I have a great blog entry in the making. I traveled to Hoima over the weekend with my friend, Tinka. When I was a Peace Corps Volunteer, I worked in Hoima for three years, and I never went out in the town; I lived in the village (Bulindi). This past Friday night was spent out on the town, and I saw a whole new world. After a surprisingly exciting night, Saturday was tranquilly spent in the village, and it was amazing. I left Bulindi about two years ago. I was surprised to have very young children come up to me and greet me by name. Some of my young friends were disappointed to learn that I'd not come back to stay. Village hospitality is very generous, and I ended up with more food than I could handle of Saturday: fresh peas, bananas, peanut paste and pineapples. I'm still a known figure within the tranportation circuit, and my clout got my friends and I seats on an overpacked vehicle. One guy even lost his spot to us. I felt bad for almost a second, but then I was just happy to be on my way back to town. I have a hard-earned reputation in that area. I worked my ass off with that community, and my efforts appear to be well appreciated. I also tried very hard to be respectful and appreciative of all. Hint: If you ever plan to live in rural Uganda, establish a respectful relationship with the taxi conductors and drivers. A friendly relationship has its benefits. You cannot trust them (they'll cheat you in a heartbeat), but establishing a mutual respect will definitely come in handy.

It's the dry season in Western Uganda, so dust was in the air. I came back to Kampala somewhat orange. My computer bag was quite dirty, so I decided to wash it immediatly after returning home. I removed all of the contents and left them on my coffee table, and I put the bag in the wash basin to soak. I settled down with my laptop and an episode of Will & Grace. I was feeling a little antsy and decide to make better use of my time by putting all the phots from my journey on my computer. I paused the show and went to get my camera and cables from the sitting room. I could not find my camera. F*CK! I forgot to remove it from the side pocket of my bag (sound familiar?), and it was soaking in the wash basin. Quickly, I fished it out and removed the battery, and it is laying out drying. My hope is that if I let it dry out completely, it will work when I switch it on again. My fear is that I've just ruined my digital camera and will not be able to afford another one for quite a while.

To make my post more interesting today, I answered a few questions to make a personality profile. I found it on Nicole's blog. I find it interesting how much can be learned about someone just by having him answer a few questions. Overall, I think the profile is accurate. So for those who are interested in getting to know me a little better (or think you already have a good idea of who I am) read on.

Your Five Factor Personality Profile

Extroversion: You have medium extroversion. You're not the life of the party, but you do show up for the party. Sometimes you are full of energy and open to new social experiences. But you also need to hibernate and enjoy your "down time." Conscientiousness: You have high conscientiousness. Intelligent and reliable, you tend to succeed in life. Most things in your life are organized and planned well. But you borderline on being a total perfectionist. Agreeableness: You have medium agreeableness. You're generally a friendly and trusting person. But you also have a healthy dose of cynicism. You get along well with others, as long as they play fair. Neuroticism: You have medium neuroticism. You're generally cool and collected, but sometimes you do panic. Little worries or problems can consume you, draining your energy. Your life is pretty smooth, but there's a few emotional bumps you'd like to get rid of. Openness to experience: Your openness to new experiences is high. In life, you tend to be an early adopter of all new things and ideas. You'll try almost anything interesting, and you're constantly pushing your own limits. A great connoisseir of art and beauty, you can find the positive side of almost anything.

The Five Factor Personality Test