New Profession

To make a little bit of money on the side (while being a dedicated volunteering on the whole of course) I am going to start contracting myself out to small celebrations as a piece of scenery that people can take pictures with.  I'm going to make millions!!! (of ugandan shillings)

Let me explain.

My roommate sponsors (or has found sponsors for) numerous chidren and young people who need help with their tuition.  One of these is a lovely young man named Enoch who goes to a farm school just down the road from my work.  Because the farm school is not lisenced to award diplomas the students have to go eleswhere to write exams.  Every year they have a big celebration as they go off to do these exams and they invite all of their friends and family for an afternoon of speeches and food.

Unfortunately, Enoch's only close relative is his mother.  Even more unfortunate is the fact that she is schizophrenic.  Carolyn has become a surrogate mother to him and I guess I have become a surrogate sister.  I realized this as i sat under the fancy white tent and listened to the speeches yesterday.  My heart almost burst with pride!  Enoch gave us both little presents and from a young man that has absolutely no-th-ing, it was very touching.

The funny part was that I felt like I was at a wedding.  White tents, lotsof ribbons, speeches, photographer, fancy dress, cake cutting.  All of this in the middle of field surrounded by banana trees and with local  shoeless kids running by.  Did you notice the 'cake cutting'?!?!?

So after the speeches everyone had their picture taken with their best friends, teachers, etc while they held the knife and pretended to cut the cake.  I motioned to Enoch that we should take one together and thus started my new postion as Canada's Next Top Model.  

About 40 pictures later I had cut the cake with at leat 80 men.  I hope that doesn't mean we are married. I am sure it does mean that many a young man will now wip out these pics down the road and say "this is my girlfriend in Canada."  I'm also sure I made tons of money for the photographer and I kick myself now for not having asked for a  commission on his photo sales.

Hence the new profession.  millions!

On a serious professional note (I'm getting ready to graduate to adult-dom) I am heading to Kigali, Rwanda to write exams for the Government of Canada that might get me into the foreign service.  Wish me luck!