Anna with her new sunglasses

Living in a country next to the equator means that sunglasses are something more than a fashion item. They are really needed!

Weekly planning - What do we eat today?

All parents know the feeling. You finish your work, run to pick up the children from school/creche, get home, and the QUESTION pops up... what do we eat today?

When having no children, it is all a matter of improvisation, checking what is in the fridge, and eventually, running to the supermarket to buy some missing ingredient. With children, the scenario changes to have a couple of hungry human beings who are crying for food. It translates into an equally desperate parent crying as well for a fast solution.

When we were living in Leiden, we put in practice the weekly planner. On Friday, we did a plan on what we would eat the following week. Then we made sure over the weekend to have all the required ingredients. And each evening we cooked for the following day (or made the necessary preparations, like preparing the sauce for the pasta or unfreezing the meat). And, very important, we kept the plan in a visible place: the fridge.

And here is what our weekly planner looked like, for your inspiration!

Baha'i temple in Kampala

What are the baha'is?

I heard about them for the first time during my visit last year to Israel. It is a religion founded more than a century and a half ago in Iran by Baha'u'llah, seen as the last messenger from God after Abraham, Krishna, Zoroaster, Moses, Buddha, Jesus, and Muhammad. We went to Kampala (Uganda) for a long weekend, and I read in the Brandt guide that we could find there the only baha'i temple in whole Africa. So, out of curiosity, there we went!



The temple is really a island of peace in busy Kampala, and worth a visit if only to enjoy the pretty gardens. The baha'is who were at the temple were really welcoming and happy to answer all our questions about their religion. And they had to smile when Paul immediately started to help by cleaning around with a mop...


Few facts we learned:
What do the baha'is believe in?
- All humanity is one family
- Women and men are equal
- All prejudice - racial, religious, national or economic - is destructive and must be overcome
- We must investigate truth for ourselves, without preconceptions
- Science and religion are in harmony
- Our economic problems are linked to spiritual problems
- The family and its unity are very important
- There is one God
- All major religions come from God
- World peace is the crying need of our time

So far, I would say I could agree with all the statements above.

ANNA, by Paul

Drinking milk?

Different interpretations of the same sentence. I say to Anna, "take your glass, you can drink your milk". Then I turn my back to go to look for some cookies. A couple of minutes later, I go back to the living room.

This is what I find:



Yes, apparently Anna understands: "I am going to have great fun, and make myself and everything around as dirty as possible."

So, again, in this kind of situations, put it into perspective, and take a picture. You will smile about it after a couple of days!

Banana cake (2nd trial)

This time it worked! Banana cake ready and delicious! There was no fire accident with the oven today; since I divided the content into two recipients, so that it would not overflow.

For more details on the banana cake receipt, you can read my first post on the topic.



So, even somebody like me can have success in the kitchen!

Kwita Izina - Gorilla naming ceremony

Last Saturday we went to Kwita Izina; the gorilla naming ceremony taking place in Kinigi. This is a yearly event when all the baby gorillas born that year receive a name. Obviously, the baby gorillas are not really at the event, but they are represented by people dressed as gorillas. That did not matter; Paul was fascinated by the "gorillas", althought he noted that the gorillas were wearing shoes.

We were expecting a sort of intimate event, but it proved to be a huge event with maybe 20.000 people. Some impressions below!



The left side of the scenario was reserved for VIPs; we could stay there. Children and people in general could come pretty close to the scenario, so that was quite nice. I do not recommend going with small children unless you can stay on that side! Below the right side of the scenario; really packed!