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Monday, June 29, 2009

5 years, 10 kilometers, and 1 new toothbrush

Troy and I celebrated our five year anniversary on Friday by scrubbing up and putting on clean clothes (trust me this is a special occasion as we and everything we own is typically covered in a thick layer of red dust), jumping on a boda boda (goodbye clean clothes) and enjoying dinner at an African restaurant (which served Indian food and showed Mexican soap operas translated into English). We felt very cultured.

Saturday we participated in a 10km fundraising run through Mbarara. It was in support of the construction of an IT lab in one of the more affluent all girls schools here and cost us a whole $2.50 to enter. Having met the organizer at the internet cafĂ© when he leaned over and asked me “Can you run?”, I recruited Troy and Lindsay as the token Mzungu contingent. The run was more of a celebration of sorts complete with DJ truck, sponsor visors, water sponge stations and color coordinated high school students. Troy left Lindsay and I in his dust (literally) early on and motivated many locals to achieve their personal bests under the threat of being passed by a Mzungu and being heckled by onlookers.










We were grateful for our very own fan support who brought us water and cheered us along the largely gravel road route. Lindsay and I also managed to make it through the ’Finishing Point’ in a respectable time and while we were pleased with our performance under the hot African sun, trailing behind more than a few participants wearing flip flops and even several who chose to forego footwear altogether, speaks volumes…




Glancing at a calendar amidst all the celebrating this weekend, it did not go unnoticed that we have also officially reached the halfway point of this yearlong adventure. Can’t believe it! As I ceremoniously changed the head on my travel toothbrush, I smiled to think of all that has come to pass and all that still lies ahead :).

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