I'm headed back to the US for the holidays. A little scared of the snow that awaits me at Kody's house in Solon, Maine, but looking forward to spending Christmas with the Starr clan. Back in 2008!

The day after our staff gift exchange, we had a holiday party at the American Recreation Association with everyone's families, and some of our key partners.

The kids treated us to songs and dances...


































Before Santa came to deliver presents







































































A few of my new friends

I hosted a holiday gift exchange at my house for my IAVI co-workers. We did secret Santa's this year, leaving little gifts for each other around the office. After everyone guessing who had been their Santa, we revealed ourselves the final present. I hadn't managed to have a house warming party, so this ended up being my first big gathering at the house. Hopefully I'll get around to having a few more next year. It was a nice way to start the holidays, and an excuse to put up decorations that feel out of season in our 80 degree sunshine!













Examining the evidence - secret Santa or secret admirer?



























Our Primary Investigator, Dr Kaleebu surprising his Santa












A group photo on the rare occasion that everyone is around

Step #2 (placing a newspapers announcement) in the endless quest to replace my driving permit has taken place. I'm not sure what step #3 is, but no doubt it will involve at least three trips to some official office. I was robbed nearly six weeks ago now, and haven't managed to replace much yet.

I have to add that 6 weeks, five phone calls, and a few unhappy messages to online customer service later, I have yet to get my Commerce Bank ATM card replaced. Their "America's Most Convenient Bank" claim might be true when you're in the US, but they're pretty useless at dealing with people abroad. But who knows, maybe January's going to be my month.

Well, people in Kampala are sort of worried about Ebola, but trying to keep a sense of humor about things, too. Below, Ebola shots served at a party this weekend....

The Cooking Club met at Leslie for a holiday dinner and gift exchange tonight.














A very confused bat crashed the party,














and almost became Jackie's dinner

And It Don't Stop

Four serious outbreaks are now going on in the country:

• Ebola in the west
• Meningitis in West Nile region
  
• Bubonic plague in Nebbi
  
• Cholera in Hoima and Buliisa
• Yellow fever in the north (Kitgum), and maybe hepatitis, too
  

In my Kampala meetings today, the usually friendly Ugandan handshake was being replaced with either (1) knocking forearms if you're both wearing long sleeves or (2) just waving hello. I'm not a hypochondriac, but I passed on the matooke at lunch today (which usually involves some amount of hand contact in the dishing), and might just start carrying the hand sanitizer. I hope this flu-ish bug I've got doesn't turn into something that actually requires medical attention. I think hospitals are the last place that anyone wants to be right now.

"The people mainly affected are women because in that district (Nebbi), women only come up on the bed (for sex)," Dr Otaala said, at the Media Centre in Kampala.

"The flea (that causes plague) can only jump up to six inches (high) and (that means) if everybody was sleeping on a bed, there would be no plague in this country," Dr Zaramba said in a separate interview.

Still more office critters. These guys keep the grass around the office short. Despite what the photo might lead you to believe, sheep really aren't very cute once they grow up.

Ebola confirmed in Uganda

An outbreak of the Ebola virus has been confirmed in Bundibugyo, in the foothills of the Rwenzori mountains (western Uganda). We considered making the winding drive to Bundibugyo on my recent Fort Portal trip, just days before the news hit the papers. Luckily, we decided that we'd leave that journey for another time. The picture here is of the view towards Bundibugyo.

http://allafrica.com/stories/200712030011.html

This year's World AIDS Day event was held at Gaba, a landing site and fishing community near Kampala.

More critters from around the office...

The Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree lighting was last night. And for some reason, I started crying when I saw photos on the front of the NY Times webpage. I like Christmas trees and all, but was surprised to be sitting in my office actually crying over a tree. Maybe I've been watching too much 30 Rock (how did I miss that show when I was in the US?). Maybe it's because Kody's been working on the website. Maybe I was thinking about what a crazy year it's been. Or maybe I'm feeling really homesick these days.

Can't wait for Christmas...

CHOGM finally arrived. Up until the last day, the preparations were still underway. On Wednesday sidewalks were being laid, flags put up, and we got guardrails in strategic roadside locations. Thursday and Friday were declared public holidays (maybe so the motorcades wouldn't have to deal with regular Kampala traffic). So I headed out to Fort Portal with Sharon and Jonas.

I got a Thanksgiving holiday, but not the delicious dinner to go with it....over-boiled chicken, chapati and guacamole. I didn't bother opening the can of cranberry sauce I'd brought along, just in case.

Colobus monkeys sleeping off a big lunch near our bandas at Lake Nkuruba

View of Lake Nyamirima and Lake Nyinabulita (both crater lakes) from Top of the World. It was a little too cloudy to really see the Rwenzori mountains that day.

Collecting rainwater at a hillside compound

Girl bringing water back from the well



Rockin the old school boombox

Caught in a rain storm and sheltering in someone's house

And then caught in the mud

Pulled out with a little help from the village

View from our lakeside bandas at Lake Nyinabulita, home to the areas only hippo (be careful if you decide to go for a swim)

Scarecrow in the fields near the Bigodi Wetland Sanctuary

Walking through the Bigodi wetlands

Stag horn ferns growing on orange-flowered trees

Cacoa tree

Olive baboons

My first documented sighting of Uganda's national bird, the crested crane

View towards Bundibugyo, in the Rwenzori Mountain foothills

Butcher shop in town on the way home

On his way to the butcher shop?

Just learned that my camera has a widescreen view. Dang!