Seeing as how we usually try to be back at the volunteer house by nightfall, most of our evenings around here consist of making meals, using the computer, reading, and/or talking to each other. The other night, however, Ali, one of the other volunteers, stayed at our place. She normally lives in a nearby town with her boyfriend, Dye, who is in Uganda teaching physical education classes with a Peace Corps-type group from Japan. When Kristen heard that we’d be having a houseguest, she suggested having a good old-fashioned “girls night”. So we all dutifully donned our pyjamas and submitted ourselves to an evening of facials and movie-watching.
Those of us who were decidedly not experts in do-it-yourself facials deferred to Kristen’s expertise. First there was the “green tea steaming” which consisted of putting a towel around your head and sticking your face over a pot of tea boiling on the stove. Then it was on to the actual application of the (very local) facial mixture Kristen created from honey, papayas, and pineapple. She even provided us with cucumber for our eyes – not an easy feat considering cucumbers are not really available in Kasana, and had to be carted back in the matatu after our last trip to Kampala. The power was spotty all evening, but luckily did come on long enough for us to crowd around Vanessa’s laptop and watch Empire Records.
All in all, quite a pleasant way to spend an evening, and definitely more eventful than what we’re used to. We’ve got plans for a games night next, which we’ll hopefully get to before Vanessa and Ali leave in November.