Well, I gave it a try....

For the first three months, I’ve been eating in the dining hall with the children for lunch and dinner. Lunch is a traditional Ugandan meal and dinner is a more well-balanced meal. By that distinction, I mean that Ugandan food is typically heavy in carbohydrates. Heavy. Most schools serve rice and beans for lunch and dinner every day. Here, the lunch menu is more diverse but still includes the Ugandan carbohydrates. Some of the meals are:

Posho (white cornmeal cooked to be a tofu-like consistency) and beans

Matooke (before it is cooked, it looks exactly like a banana)

Matooke (once it is cooked, it looks more like mashed potatoes, but it does not taste anything like them) covered with groundnut sauce (like a hot peanut butter sauce).

Chapatis (similar to tortillas) – my personal favorite

All to say, after three months, I decided my body wasn’t used to this kind of food. I was so tired every day after lunch (right when I was supposed to teach) and was never hungry for dinner. I enjoyed eating in the dining hall but my body could no longer take it. I still enjoy the evening meals with the children and their families. I also really enjoy the play time after dinner. It gives me a good chance to get to know the children.