A le kilo iri sukari

I wrote this a few weeks ago but still wanted to post it so here it is...
So this morning I went on a little adventure. I am in charge of snack at our Bible study tomorrow afternoon so I was looking for something to bake. As it turns out, we didn't have enough sugar to make anything so I went on an adventure.
If I was in Canada and said to you, “I went and bought sugar today”, you would probably not think twice about the process. I would have gotten my wallet and driven the 10 blocks to the nearest Safeway. Once inside I would locate the aisle named “baking needs” and proceed to section offering sugar. From there I would scan the shelves, eliminating the sugar cubes, brown sugar, coarse sugar, and every other type of sugar I did not need. Then I would check the neatly designed price tags for the cheapest bag and head to the very organized “self-check out”. I would ring myself in, pay with debit (who carries cash anymore??) and wait for my receipt. Then off I would go, walking the 50 steps to the car and driving the 10 blocks back to my house.
Well, since I am not in Canada here's what buying sugar looks like in Arua.
I checked my money supply to see if I had enough “small money” to buy some sugar. It turns out I didn't, so Mandy and I did some swapping before I headed out the door with 5,000 Shillings in hand (about $3.50 Canadian). I couldn't go with anything bigger than that because not many people have huge amounts of balance (change) and since I was going to one of the local dukas (shops) I knew balance might be an issue. So off I went, up the hill to the duka...but it was closed and unfortunately there was no neon sign indicating when its hours of operation were. I looked about 50 yards down the street to see if the next duka over was open, but it wasn't. My next option was to take a 10 minute walk to a bit of a “trading center” where I knew I would be successful. Along the way I met and chatted with two pastors, the Diocesan Youth Worker, and one of the youth, all at different times. After explaining where I was going and why Mandy was not with me (we are always together so people get confused when one of us is alone), I continued on to the trading center – around the corner, past the New Cathedral, and down the hill. I arrived just as the duka was being opened for the day...perfect timing. I greeted the girl inside and said, “A le kilo iri sukari” (“I want 2 kilo's of sugar”)...she laughed at my attempt at Lugbara but I know I said the right thing! Usually you can buy sugar in 1 kilo bags but she didn't have any ready so I waited patiently while she opened the newly purchased sack of sugar, weighed the 2 kilos on her scale and put the sugar in bags. I gave her my sende (money) and watched as she punched a few buttons on her cash register to pop open the cash dra...oh wait, I mean, I watched her reach into an old margarine container to find my balance. Next she looked around and moved a few different things to try and find a bag for me to put my newly purchased sugar in. There wasn't one in the duka so off she went, running back to a house nearby. A couple minutes later she returned with a bag...but not a new bag. My guess is that she didn't want me to leave without a bag for my sugar so she emptied one that she had and gave it to me. I am constantly amazed at the graciousness and selflessness of the people I meet here!