Talk to me!

Good news, friends! I am the proud owner of the most economically priced mobile phone in East Africa. Here's how this phone purchase went down: I handed a young woman some shillings. She proceeded to smile, laugh, and hand me an Etch-A-Sketch with an antenna. I said, "Thank you, nyabo," and scampered away.

If you feel like giving me a call, you can reach me anytime at (get ready for this): 2560712881383. I would really enjoy talking to you. Here's how many of my day to day conversations go in Kampala:

What?
What?
WHAT?
...
What?
(Smiles and gestures)

I can also receive text messages, but I haven't mastered the two white knobs yet. There's no telling whether or not you will understand my reply.

I talked to my parents today and they really appreciate all of the support you are giving both them and me. I appreciate it, too.

Oh, here's a good story: In Uganda, you can buy your own malaria testing kit. It's like a home pregnancy test in that you have to decode a series of colored lines to understand your results. It's not like a pregnancy test in that you have to draw your own blood with a giant needle. I tried to do it myself, but I just couldn't do it. I kept laughing. My roommate Kevin tried but we both kept laughing and I made him stop trying after he said, "I think I heard it work." That didn't make any sense. After fifteen minutes of screaming and laughing, Liz eventually got enough blood out of my finger to let us know that I don't have malaria. So, that's what I did today.

That's all the news I have for today. Please feel free to give me a call, and check back here often. I am going to add some pictures tomorrow.

Words of the day:
Nyabo: Mam
Sebo: Sir

Cheers,
Joey