Quiet one this weekend.  Did boring but necessary chores like washing and ironing. Can't believe how stubborn some of the dirt is....it's red and gets everywhere.

Forgot to mention last week that I have been given an African name - Akot - it means comes with the rains.  This is quite appropriate as my arrival co-incided with the start of the rainy season, also I come from somewhere where it rains quite lot.  A name that fits me well I think. Most of the names I have come across have been names that are not unusual and many are biblical names.  One that threw me was Emma.  I was looking for a female doctor instead of a male doctor.  Here Emma is a common name for men as it is short for Emmauel and not used at all as a name for females.  I won't be making that mistake again.

One of things that has surprised me since I've been here is how strong the sense of tribe is.  It is something that seems to define everyday life for Ugandans.  You can often tell from people's names which tribe they come from. My African name above is from the local tribe. People often define themselves by their tribe.  The languges are also different - which is why people from different areas sometimes can't communicate if they don't speak English.  Apparently there are also physical characteristics that typify some tribes.  I've been told that there is a hierarchy of tribes, those belonging to the tribe that is in power thinking that they are better than other tribes.  Also the cabinet tends to be made up of those from the same tribe as their leader; and apparently more spending/ contracts etc go to those of the tribe of the ruling party.   So it seems that even if there is a change in goverment unless there is some sort of equality of tribes there can never really be democracy. And of course, tribes also span across national borders.

As it's been a quiet weekend this is a much shorter update....until the next time