Gomesi

Ok, I found out the traditional dress is spelled "gomesi" (but it still sounds like gomez).  We took our fabric to the tailor's today (which literally was in the part of a stairwell that is beneath the stairs that are coming down from above, ie big enough for one person and a sewing machine) and had our measurements taken so that she can make all five of our dresses in a week!  Here's a better picture of some gomesi (not sure what the plural is).

Visitors

This weekend we got to hang out with three EMI interns who we got to know back during Colorado orientation.  A team from the Colorado Springs office was in Uganda on their project trip, and they stayed a couple extra days at the end to hang out with us.  It was really nice to see "old friends" and have visitors who sort of knew what we're doing and what things we're going through.  We're also always thankful for the treats that our visitors leave with us.  (It's amazing how excited we get over Tootsie Rolls and Skittles!)  After church, we all went to Steers, a "nice" fast food restaurant, where a small salad was super expensive at $2.50, but totally worth it since I'm missing fresh vegetables!  It also looked like they had awesome pizza, but that was an astronomical $6!  Here's a picture of all of us with a couple Ugandan friends from church:

And here's a picture of the fabric store from gomez shopping yesterday:

Gomez

Wow, sorry for the long silence.  I know I have a lot of catching up to do, but I'll probably just do short posts because otherwise I know I'll never post anything.  Basically, I spent 3 weeks in Kapchorwa, then immediately went to Kenya for 2 weeks for my main "project trip" of the semester.  I'm helping document and assess the wastewater system for Kijabe Hospital, which is located about an hour north of Nairobi, in the Rift Valley.  I got back from all my travels 3 weeks ago, and since then have just been settling back into Kampala and catching up on all the stuff I need to do (still need to do my taxes!)

One of my Ugandan co-workers is getting married soon, and the day before the wedding is an "Introduction."  This is a traditional event that proceeds a Ugandan wedding (anywhere from a day to a year beforehand), when the two families officially meet each other.  Generally, attendees wear the traditional Ugandan dress to the Introduction, but not the wedding.  So all of us interns have decided to go out and buy a traditional outift!  Today, Megan, Rachel, and I, along with our co-worker Janet all went to a fabric store to buy the fabric and many accessories needed for the outfit.  Tomorrow, we'll go to the tailor and have them make the dress for only $5!  We're excited about our new dresses, and I'll definitely post a photo of all of us at the wedding.  For now, here's a preview.   =D