Special Delivery

After much internal debate over whether or not to share this story, I feel that I must because a) it includes a little cultural lesson, and b) it's kind of hilarious.

So two days ago I was downtown going to a couple meetings with Harriet. We had finished and were waiting on the side of the road for a taxi to get home. Suddenly, something hit me. For a split second I was irritated; It felt as though someone had decided to pick on the mzungu and dump a bucket of some warm liquid on her. The next moment, though, I looked down at my arm to inspect the damage and realized it was definitely not that innocent.

My head, shoulders and arms were dripping with something white, and it certainly wasn't a milkshake! One of these hideously unattractive storks (that I've actually been afraid of, they're so huge) decided it was time to go. On my head ... all over me, actually. It was very public. And I had no tissues.



It's hard to describe the sensation, but I would say it was reminiscent of the slimings on the Nickelodeon hit show You Can't Do That on Television. Except the Nickelodeon slime was supposedly edible and delicious, but my warm, white and sticky brand of slime was seriously anything but.

Imagine my further surprise when I found out the next day that what I considered to be a rather unfortunate event should actually be considered the exact opposite. After recounting what happened to another Ugandan friend, she told me that here - and apparently in many other places in the world - it is actually a sign of good luck!

So, I guess the morals of my story are:
- If you expect to be within 5 miles of a huge bird with poor bladder control, always - always - check the ground underneath your feet for enormous white stains and avoid these spots like the plague. Unless you have an umbrella or you're looking for good luck, of course.
- If you do find yourself in a highly populated area with white poop all over yourself, make sure you have a friend like Harriet with you. You may, like me, actually find yourself strangely grateful for the chance to share some wonderful laughs with a new friend!