Monthly Archives: September 2010

unscheduled dinner party

Posted on September 27, 2010 by Linnea Ashley

Iganga Town, Uganda September 27, 2010 The power flickered. The surge protector, a metal box about three or four times the size of a box of Kleenex clicked off then on then off then on then off. I groaned. The … Continue reading →

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rocks at my window

Posted on September 25, 2010 by Linnea Ashley

Iganga Town, Uganda September 25, 2010 They smiled at me through my open window, me splayed out in the bed watching a movie on my laptop. I’d just pulled my earplugs out because I…I guess I heard them coming. Our … Continue reading →

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other beauty

Posted on September 25, 2010 by Linnea Ashley

Iganga Town, Uganda September 24, 2010 I love Zimbabwean noses, think John Amos from good times; Liberian bodies, ebony skin pulled taut and shiny over highlighted muscle. In Uganda it is the lips. Full, soft, dark. They defy comparison, only … Continue reading →

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tongues and wandering uteruses

Posted on September 22, 2010 by Linnea Ashley

by 11am i had been taken advantage of…twice…and was starving and tired. the ride into kampala, which in waiting terms began before 8am, was relatively quick. of course it would have helped if i had printed the conference information. instead … Continue reading →

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bubbles o’leary

Posted on September 20, 2010 by Linnea Ashley

September 19, 2010 Iganga Town, Uganda The music meandered from marvin gaye’s sexual healing with a techno beat dropped in, it to shakira’s world cup African anthem. Bubbles O’Leary, one of Kampala’s busiest night spots, was equally diverse. I spent … Continue reading →

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kill it to save it

Posted on September 20, 2010 by Linnea Ashley

The smoke plumes black and acrid, catching in the branches of the banana tree peering leisurely over my glass tipped fence. The plastic and coated paper smolder below, blue and orange flames peak and then disappear into the charred ooze … Continue reading →

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saunas and scandals

Posted on September 15, 2010 by Linnea Ashley

September 15, 2010 Iganga Town, Uganda (Mum’s resort) The water steamed immediately. On the wood paneled walls, against the rocks and the metal pipe pushing out the wood burned heat. We set our vinyl covered cushions on the slatted bench … Continue reading →

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mutatu madness

Posted on September 7, 2010 by Linnea Ashley

September 4, 2010 Iganga Town (en route to Jinja), Ugnada Mutatus are exercises in patience, tolerance, and humor. Every president, general, and potential saint should have to ride in one for at least a three-hour journey. The mutatu, a minivan … Continue reading →

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mad mzungo

Posted on September 5, 2010 by Linnea Ashley

September 4, 2010 Iganga Town, Uganda I was fuming. My mind working out possible solutions to a work problem. The sun glaring down on me, perspiration filming salty and shiny on my top lip. The ground, uneven and muddy, passed … Continue reading →

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blood is the least of it

Posted on September 1, 2010 by Linnea Ashley

Iganga Town, Uganda September 1, 2010 “I’m thinking about Columbia.” My mother’s perfect composure cracked and she whispered fiercely, “why do you always have to go so far away?” I’d just gotten back from South Africa and my mother mistook … Continue reading →

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