Double edged swords

Food
Will Miss = Chapatti. Chapatti is pretty much pita which is cooked on a skillet in oil and is incredibly delicious! It is sold on almost every street and in every market in Kampala in large part because organizations attempting to teach people career skills to pull them out of poverty often teach chapatti making. The vendors also make Rolexes, which are tomato, cabbage, and onion omelets wrapped in chapatti and are the best breakfast ever.
Won’t Miss = Matooke. Matooke (mah-toke-ay), the staple food of Uganda, is steamed and mashed, unripened plantain that incredibly dense and has very little flavor. It is usually served with a bean or goat sauce, though if you are lucky you may find sauces of peas, eggplant, or beef, all highly salted.

Taxis
Will Miss = Taxi rides that cost no more than 50 cents.
Won’t Miss = Being crammed into taxis that are about 100 degrees inside, often have a chicken or two flapping around in, and only go to somewhere in the vicinity of your destination.

Bargaining
Will Miss = Everything being really cheap and surprising everyone with Luganda when they try to overcharge you. There really is no way to describe someone’s reaction when they give you an outrageous price and you respond with “Oserra!” which means “you overcharge!”
Won’t Miss = Having to bargain for every purchase and always having the original price be twice as high as normal because you are white and, therefore, are rich and deserve to pay more.

People
Will Miss = Adorable children following you around trying to hold your hand.
Won’t Miss = Obnoxious men following you around everywhere who assume that by yelling “Muzungu I Love You” and grabbing you that they will convince you to marry them, bring them to America, and give them all your money.

Fruits and Vegetables
Will Miss = Cheap, fresh (as in picked that day) fruits and vegetables being sold every 10 feet on every main and not-so-main road in Uganda.
Won’t Miss = Not being able to tell if I’m buying limes (which they call lemons) or oranges (seriously. oranges in Uganda are small and green)

Bananas
Will Miss = Seeing banana plantations everywhere. They are super pretty and the bananas are sweeter than at home.
Won’t Miss = Eating bananas at almost every meal. You can make anything out of banana. Including beer, chocolate, and, of course, matooke.

Sleeping
Will Miss = Sleeping with all the windows open and the cool night breeze coming in.
Won’t Miss = Having to tuck myself into a mosquito net every night and finding out half the time that there is mosquito in there with me.

Animals
Will Miss = Seeing goats everywhere. They are surprisingly cute and grow on you. Oh yeah, the zebras, elephants, and baboons are pretty cool too.
Won’t Miss = Crazy big scary birds (literally 3-4 feet tall) that are apparently poisonous. They are everywhere, including the middle of the city.

Walking
Will Miss = People being really excited as you walk by and wanting to be your friend.
Won’t Miss = Dodging cows with giant horns, boda bodas, barbed wire, half burned piles of trash, uncovered man holes, and pot holes the size of elephants everywhere you walk.

Tanning
Will Miss = Being tan.
Won’t Miss = Finding out its really just layers of dust when that tan washes off in the shower every night.

Nighttime
Will Miss = The night being so dark that you can see millions of stars.
Won’t Miss = The night being so dark that you can’t see your own hand in front of your face when you’re walking around.

Dinners
Will Miss = Having house dinners and cooking for everyone.
Won’t Miss = Having the power go out about the nights and still having to cook for 10 people.

Cleanliness
Will miss = Those amazing 5 minutes after I finish bathing before I feel dirty again.
Won’t miss = The fact that I feel lucky if I have either hot water, a faucet with water pressure, or an actual shower head.

Healthcare
Will Miss = Really cheap medical care (think $35 without insurance for consult, lab work, and 3 antibiotics)
Won’t Miss = Misdiagnosis and seeing textbooks titled “Surgery for Undergradutes” while in the hospital.

Fashion
Will Miss = Having dresses made really cheaply in beautiful fabric that are made specifically to fit you.
Won’t Miss = Having it be scandalous when my knees show.

Time
Will Miss = Not having to stress about being late for things.
Won’t Miss = Waiting for 3 hours for a meeting to start, and therefore only being able to count on accomplishing one thing each day.

Emotions
Will Miss = The amazing moments you encounter here like watching the sun set over the palm trees and meeting amazing people.
Won’t Miss = The heartbreaking moments visiting slums, working with sick children, or just seeing the overall scope of poverty, inequality, and corruption in this country.