End of Week 6

So the Health day was on Wednesday and I didn't even finish Wednesday so here's the rest of that week, well at least the highlights you might find interesting.  After the health day we went to the Liz Hotel and played pool, Troy and I beat Eddie and Lane, and ate and listened to Celine Dion.  In other words, a good-bye party from Eddie to Olivia and a thank you to the rest of us.  Jace and Chelsea came Thursday and that night we had a party at The Rainforest Lodge.  Chelsea brought the mallows from America (prearrange) and we had s'mores.  Eddie came and tried one and he liked it! = )  We also roasted starbursts and Olivia, Karli, and Taylor gave their advice to the newbies because they were leaving the next day and we spotlighted the newbies.  The next day Olivia, Karli, and Taylor left.  It was so sad and we miss them so much, but they went for an international dance competition in Prague and they did awesome and I'm sure they love hot flowing showers, their own beds and families, and the land of the free and home of the brave.  About 1 am the night before the cougarettes left Lexi, Ashlyn, and Trevor rolled on in.  They were able to spend a few hours getting to show them around to their favorite spots before it was time to say good-bye.  We then had lots of time to get to know Lexi, Ashlyn, and Trevor.  The next few days were spent getting to know the 5 new people.

Week 7

This week was a week of transition.  I was just trying to figure out what to do now that Olivia was gone and the rush of trying to get the health day done wasn't there.  Chelsea and I found out that we have some similar interests and started looking into potential projects.  We spent a lot of time traveling to meetings and new places to look into projects.  I also spent a lot of time freaking out because I got into the paramedic program at BYUI and I wasn't sure how I was going to get all the paperwork and stuff done from Africa.  So a few calls to BYUI, my mom, and prayers later and I was a little less freaked out.

Week 8

This week was Seya, Seya, Seya!!!  So much done.  I hurt my foot though and couldn't return after Thursday.  I also spent a lot of time with the musana women.  They are awesome.  I love them.  Go to musanajewelry.org to learn more about these wonderful ladies and see some of their jewelry.  This weekend I went to Kampala with Troy and McCall to get the Fingerprinting for the paramedic program done.  When I was finally done runny all over from office to office, we went to the hostel we were going to be staying at and dropped off our stuff, and then we went clubbing.  The next day, we went to the Gaddafi Mosque and the Kasubi Tombs.  The Gaddafi Mosque was beautiful and we learned so much at the Kasubi Tombs.  Here are some of the things we learned.

• There's this tree that you can strip the bark off and it doesn't kill the tree.  You then beat the bark until it is 10 times its original size and let it dry.  They call it barkclothe.  They use it for several things around here-bags, houses, etc.  I have a really blurry picture of some that I'll post on facebook.  
• Each new king, kabaka, is chosen by the former king and the new king's name is read out of the old king's will by the prime minister.
• We also learned that each new king gets a new castle built for him.  He gets to choose his favorite sister to be his assistant.  If she dies he chooses another.
• After the king's death, the sister assistant, princess, runs the castle.
• When princes are 14, they are swapped with the clan elder's children so that they can experience normal life.  The clan elders' children are so amazed by everything that they behave and are grateful and princes are taught humility and gratitude.  Pretty cool system if you ask me.
• There are three types of drums and a keeper of the drums.  The keeper of the drums is supposed to lead a celibate life and is called the kawuula.  The Mujjaguzo drum is played at the enthronement of the king.  The Bantadde drum is played at the arrivals and departures of royal family members.  The Kanaba drum is played at the death of a royal family member.
• My name, Nakakande, is part of the Ngyeye, or lemer clan.  Not to be confused with Ngyeya, which means backbiting.
• Mugema means immunizer...just a fun fact to see if you're paying attention.
• 1200 was the year of the first Buganda king.
• The first son cannot be king.  He cares for the royal family.  That is looked at as the most important job so it is taken care of first.  Any other sons are candidates for king.
• The Kasubi tombs were bombed and burned March, 16 2010.  A historic day for the people-it was the day the tombs were first built and it was the day they were rededicated years later.  Whoever bombed them knew the history.  It was a very sad day for the Buganda Kingdom.
• Our tour guide was Prince Joseph.  He is one of the current princes of the Buganda Kingdom.
• Because the four old King's tombs are destroyed, the next four kings will be buried there and then they will continue burying them at their castles.
• There is a group of houses around the tombs for the deceased king's family to reside in.
• The king always comes from the monkey clan.  So named because 5 men went out to gather mangoes and found a bunch of monkeys in the trees.  The threw stones in the trees to get the monkeys to leave.  The monkeys retaliated by throwing mangoes at them.  The 5 men told the king the story.  The king told them to forever respect the monkey and that it was their new clan symbol and that those five men would now start a new clan, the monkey clan.  All clans here are proclaimed by the king.  They are given a name and a symbol.  The monkey clan is the oldest clan and is the only clan that doesn't have to kneel before the king.  They are also called the grandparent clan.  They are also the barkclothe makers.
• and so much more, but I can tell you're starting to dose off so I'll stop here. ;-)

That's it for now folks...now soon.  I'm catching up! = )