We were in Mbale over the weekend, which was great. I like Mbale better than Kampala. It's quite a bit smaller, and less scary, but still has a bunch of shops and an awesome market. Less awkward than Karamoja, b/c fewer people ask me for money, etc. Eden and I went to the outdoor market with Dave (the pastor) Saturday morning. Dave was immediately recognized and followed by a group of young Karamojong men before we even parked the car. Dave helps them out by hiring them to carry our groceries and guard the car (which is helpful, as the cars are and have been broken into more than once). Four of them helped us carry our groceries and tell me whether or not I was getting ripped off (which also happens a lot - we're quoted ridiculous "mizungu" prices b/c we're white, and therefore rich, which is true to some degree). The market was awesome - fresh fruits and vegetables, whole cow legs or halves hanging, rotted or charred fish (I couldn't tell which). Our kitchen is stocked, which is a first. Everything is organic here, so we have fresh tomatoes, peanuts, potatoes, carrots, pineapple, g-nuts (like peanuts)... I'm delighted. There's a Dutch guy in Mbale who makes gouda cheese and yogurt, so we picked up some of that too. The yogurt isn't like at home - it tastes strongly of cheese, but you get more or less used to it after the first few bites.

Started learning Karamajong today. Language has never been my gift, and Karamajong is a lot harder than Spanish. I can't hear some of the sounds that I'm supposed to be making, and others I can hear but not replicate. Hoping I'll catch on at some point soon. One success, though - I made French bread from scratch, and it came out pretty well. So am making some progress, at least. Miss you all!