Yuk.. Exercise!

Okay, maybe that is the wrong name for this post. It's just how I feel every time I think of exercise. This is not Grace the doctor speaking! It is Grace the woman.

I have put on some weight. No, there is no bun in the oven- in spite my parents desires :-) Its possibly weight of 'happiness' (assuming that there is such a thing). It is very annoying how easy it is to put on 'a couple' of kilos and how hard getting rid of one silly kilo is! I silently think that I may not have gained weight.. that maybe the weighing scale I had used at home in Kampala was different from these ones here which are not working. So maybe my weight hasn't really changed? Some of my clothes beg to differ on this point but what do they know? They are just clothes!

Before I left home, I used to tell my bff that once I came to Bulaaya, I would exercise because the streets are nice. Well, here I am now. I even have the time and the nice streets but still no exercise! Why is it sooo hard? I have failed to be consistent. I go for one day then take a break for over 3 weeks! I am so worried that if I keep this up, how will I keep in shape after the babies? I guess one of the hardest things about putting on weight is still being and feeling beautiful. I have realised that the notion I am not beautiful is a lie of the devil. I don't believe it. The times that I believed it in the past, I was very uncomfortable, self conscious, inconfident and unhappy as a result.

The benefits of exercise are very many! You know the phrase: Survival for the fittest? It freaks me out. If there is a fire and I am not fit and cannot run fast enough, I may die! Literally! There is also the medical perspective of all the illnesses one is susceptible to if they are above the required BMI(explained below).

Well, right now I have started skipping daily. I like skipping because I sweat and I can do it in the house while watching TV! I really pray I can keep disciplined and a positive image of myself throughout the process.

I know I am not the only one who struggles with this. Is it possible that you can find something that you can commit to? It doesn't help making goals which are not achievable. Evaluate your schedule- where can you start? I am going to try. I am committed to skipping at least 5 days a week and 2 spoons of sugar in dry tea. (Ayaaah! I have said it out loud!) Feel free to hold me accountable.

"Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex!
    Your workmanship is marvelous—how well I know it.." Ps 139:14

symphony!

Every year in my city(notice I said 'my'), there is a festival that lasts about 3 weeks. Lots of activities.

This weekend I went for a 'symphony under the stars'. A complete orchestra with some instruments I didn't know. Music was beautiful though it was free so there were loads of people- making noise for us the music lovers(as if!).

What I enjoyed most : The conductor-He kept doing this really cool thing with his hair. My neighbour said he had used mob conditioner :-) At some point, he conducted us(the audience) in clapping- it was cool; felt like we also had instruments.

What I didn't understand: couldn't really tell many of the instruments apart.

What I didn't like: The guy who did a solo dodged a high note. Who does that?!!

What I learnt : I like being the centre of attention(sometimes!). It was humbling watching so many people with immense talent, all playing together. No individual supper stars or people trying to be louder than their friends and fight for 'katala'. The music was beautiful because everyone played their part well.

Aaaaaaargh! You tap!!!

I got quite upset with this tap. I had finished doing my business in this nice public toilet. (I like that public toilets are not stressful here- there is Toilet paper(the white kind :-) ) and they get cleaned often so they don't smell and I don't have to pay shs100(is it more expensive now with inflation).

Anyway, I put soap on my hands then... I could not get water out of the tap! Tried 'swiping', touching, hitting.. all in vain. Just as I was about to give up, water came! I still don't know how! Washed my hands quickly. I will be avoiding this toilet in the future!

Everything works!

Thanks to y'all who have stopped by to read my random jazz. The jazzing continues..

When I got here, I felt overwhelmed. I looked around and the city had huge buildings and proper roads. The roads are so proper that the cars don't even get dirty kubanga, hakuna murram. Hakuna!!! 

There are like ten million road signs- a sign for everything!! The roads are very well marked - the different lanes are clear with arrows and some lines that we studied in driving school which I only saw on Entebbe road, northern by pass and highways. (You know the lines which show when it is ok to overtake or not or change lanes etc). I wonder if they keep re-painting frequently or we just use fake paint at home so the stuff keeps getting off?  As for the traffic lights and cross signs! They all work and they are very many- which all work (did I already say that?). I grinned (just a little) when I remembered the chaos at the Wandegeya lights when the lights have slept and there are no police during rush hour. Talk about survival for the fittest!!! 

Well, I find it very hard to wait for the pedestrian crossing lights. I feel like telling the light: I have been crossing streets all my life without you and have been very fine. And where I come from, we even have bodabodas going in the opposite direction on one way streets, cars driving fast past someone crossing at a zebra crossing, confusion on the roads with taxis parking right in the middle of the road- and I have crossed those streets fine without you! I can even cross Jinja road during rush hour and come out of the old taxi park alive! Who do you think you are to tell an adult female like me when to cross? HUH?!!!

Anyway, I got a little overwhelmed that everything works!!! The lifts, escalators.. name it! Everything works! There are even government systems in place to cater the needy, homeless etc and the money reaches them- no one 'eats' it! I was once in a bus and the automatic doors started jamming to open so the driver had to do it manually. He made a call and in a few minutes, a service van came. We parked, a guy came in, touched a few wires and the doors were working again. The problem recurred(but the doors could still open manually) then the bus driver apologised to us and told us not to worry, another bus was on its way to continue the journey with us. We could not proceed with this faulty bus. I was thinking- are you kidding me?????!!! The doors work! 

I know it may sound silly but the reason I felt overwhelmed is because it made me wonder what I could add to this place. I felt a little useless. I felt like people had already thought of all the needs and met them- what else could I do? What could I add? Now I realise  that I actually liked being and feeling useful back home. There was so much I could add that I would get confused about how to channel my energies. So many 'projects' going on where you can help, slums, rubbish you can pick, kids to help feed etc. Where ever you look, it was not hard to see problems which needed to be addressed. It seems like it was easier to make a difference. Sometimes even just complaining about the problems felt nice because  we were speaking out for the sake of future generations!

Don't get me wrong, this place is not perfect- its just different. And sometimes it takes some time to find ones place in this world. Clearly the Lord did not bring me here to fix any roads!


The Lord will work out his plans for my life—
    for your faithful love, O Lord, endures forever.. Ps 138:8

So.. Its here. The famous 'blog'. 

This is my 'Bulaaya'. Some people call it Brisbane. Its in Queensland, Australia. Australia is a country, an island and a continent! Looks pretty fancy, huh? I guess it is in some ways. I am discovering it 'mpola mpola'. Came here with the wonderful husband. 

Coming here was exciting and somewhat scary. The only person I knew here was... the husband :-) Its nice to know that God is also here. (Like duh?!)

I still have no idea what I am doing(blog-wise), will figure it out as I go. You are welcome to my world. Seeing things through my eyes will hopefully be enjoyable, enlightening and sometimes maybe even a little bit inspirational. Thanks for popping in!!! Enjoy!!

Ps 139:9&10
If I rise on the wings of the dawn,
    if I settle on the far side of the sea,
 even there your hand will guide me,
    your right hand will hold me fast.