my new house at the teacher's college can best be described as a studio apartment with a detached bathroom. much to my shock and pleasure, the place features nearly constant electricity and running water - a tap in the kitchen and a (cold) SHOWER for bathing. the only downside is that running water in uganda is no guarantee. there are water crises (shortages) nearly every week, so it is smart to be prepared with jerrycans full of backup h2o. also, running water by its very nature must travel great distances through many pipes, which are not necessarily clean. after a week of boiling and drinking my tap water, i concluded that i would be better off to find a borehole to supply fresh, clean water for drinking and cooking. so, once or twice a week, i set out with my jerrycans to fetch water. it's definitely worth the effort.
my "apartment" itself is tiny but really quite nice. as far as i know, it's not in line with peace corps policy for volunteer housing (i.e. we're supposed to have at least two rooms) but i am oddly comfortable in my small space here. the college doesn't really have anything else to offer, so i don't see a point in complaining. aside from the ever-present noise (radios, crying babies, loitering students, religious events at ALL HOURS, whistle-blowing cross country practices at 4am, footsteps right outside my windows,...), i feel quite happy with my home here. equipped with my guitar and/or my portable speakers, i'm not shy about returning the racket. nature will achieve a balance :)
here is the building where i live. the two right-most windows are mine.
a closer inspection reveals that...yes, i really do live in the sick bay. and yes, i think it is more than amusing that i got reinstated after medical separation only to get placed in a freaking sick bay upon my return.
wtf, peace corps, wtf.let's have a look inside...
here is my bed, ethereally draped in mosquito netting. note that there is only about six inches of clearance at the foot of the bed - installation was a close call!
this window looks out onto tororo rock and, occasionally, a gang of turkeys. the giant cabinet was an amazing addition and greatly facilitates much-needed vertical storage.
the noise was strange; unlike any of the noises i have become accustomed to hearing. it sounded like fowl, but was neither clucking nor gobbling. i looked out the window and saw what can only be described as a gang of turkeys (kulukulu) mid-melee. they had traded their gobbles for more urgent, higher-pitched shrieking and were actually attacking each other. every turkey for itself. 
of course, i went in for a closer look, with the intention of breaking up the fight to restore momentary peace and quiet to my sick bay veranda. but these brazen turkeys were oblivious to my presence. i walked into their midst and even lightly kicked a few but got no response. they just continued head-butting each other and howling indiscriminately. the brawl soon spilled onto my veranda, after which several of the turkeys angrily shat in front of my door. 
