Eh! Are you sure?

Eh! Are your sure?

Sometimes in the training we reach a point where lunch just makes sense...such as downtime while we wait for results from an instrument. So when I suggested lunch yesterday I thought it would be no big deal, after all, it was noon. But Patrick seemed to have reservations that I couldn't quite discern at first...true, we'd been taking our lunches later than this before, and so I wondered if timing was the issue. I was hungry and he admitted he was too, but suggested that we (meaning Ugandans) usually do not eat until 1pm.

I convinced him to go regardless, suggesting we go across the street where they do a sort of made to order lunch that included "chips" (aka french fries). He finally gave in and we were preparing to leave when one of the students walked in.

"Where are you going?" He wondered.

Patrick gestured to me...which I thought odd and so I said, "lunch."

"Eh!" (Now...Eh! is something often said by Ugandans in moments of surprise and is not at all like the Canadian "Eh"...but as I cannot mimic it yet I cannot quite find the best spelling...anyway) he said, "Are you sure?"

I smiled, "Yes....today it is American lunch."

We continued on our way and we stepped into the tiny breakroom for reasons unknown to me - Patrick was in the lead. Our friend Emma was in there and when he saw us he asked, "Tea?"

"No," Patrick said, "lunch."

"Eh! Are you sure?" Emma said with great surprise, "It is only midday."

Patrick again gestured to me and after I'd finished laughing I said, "It is American lunch."

Finally we arrived at the virtually empty canteen and Patrick was speaking in Lugandan to the women at the order desk when I heard her blurt out, "Eh! Are you sure?" And when Patrick gestured to me I could have died laughing, and when the woman at the desk said "No, the chips will not be ready until one" I did die.