Miss and Mr. Uganda

Yesterday I was looking at my belly button and thought to myself, “what the heck Jaime, how did you bruise your belly button…..oh wait that’s just dirt.” Now don’t get me wrong, I shower very regularly…I just swear this African dirt finds a way to follow you, from my feet to the creases of my elbows, Uganda has very much become apart of me.


So what’s a better occasion to get all polished and cleaned up for, than Miss and Mr. Uganda 2009? Rachel and I became absolutely giddy from the moment we bought our “VIP” tickets to the show. Now we wouldn't normally go for the gold, but VIP for $50 isn't usually an option. Walking into the event we had to stop and pose for the flashing cameras as we made our way to our table. We shared our table with a guy who tagged along from our hostel and two local guys our age who are friends with some of the contestants. So, as we were sitting there minding our own business one of the local guys asked, “Hey, wanna go backstage and get pictures with the Mr. Uganda contestants?” ummmm….. “yes, please.” Not only did we get some snaps with the contestants in their swimwear, but we went back later to get them in their suits. It was great, and right when I was thinking we picked the right table to sit at, the same local guy says, “hey this is my friend from the news, come meet him and he’ll put you on TV.” So, I got my interview and my 15 minutes. Over the past week, most of my Ugandan friends have told me that they saw the interview at some time during the week, although I never saw it. Then on Sunday, I was in the mall in Kampala and I had a group of Asians take turns taking pictures with me because they thought I was a celebrity (which it is still unclear if they saw me on TV or if they just assumed the young American was an actress).


However, the icing on my cake for the evening would definitely be the moment I got asked to be a Miss. India-Uganda contestant.

Me: “But I’m not Indian or Ugandan…”
Miss. India coordinator: “oh, its ok…will you be around?”

Well unfortunately for me and Uganda’s huge Indian population, Miss. India-Uganda isn’t until January and I go home in December. Well, I still got invited to do an Indian dance performance and run way show in Kampala this week…however, it was conveniently rescheduled for November after I had already arrived in Kampala. Looks like I’m just not meant to be an Indian …..damn, who would have thought?

Well, my visit to Kampala wasn’t a complete waste. I got to roll with the “Good Lyfe” crew to their concert in Masaka, a village about two hours outside of Kampala. However, this time I wasn’t in the crowd, I got to be onstage. Which was about as awkward as it was fun.


Life here has been pretty crazy for the past month, and I don't see it slowing down any time soon. (well I hope not at least) So, if I continue to slack on my posts please forgive me and check out my roomie's stuff. (they are much better writers anyways) Not to mention it's interesting to see how this experience is from different perspectives.

Joel's blog: thewhitenile.blogspot.com
Caitlyn's: realworlduganda.blogspot.com
Luke's: picturemewalkin.blogspot.com
Brad's: Bradhoffa.blogspot.com