I once was in line at a Kenyan supermarket chain in Kampala called Nakumatt. Because we only came to the capitol every few months for supplies, this was a “big shopping”. My kids were little and to keep Mallory occupied, I let her fill out our name and phone number on the sweepstakes forms. To my surprise, we won. Yes, we were one of the 143 lucky winners. We got the call while on the way to visit friends and I was shouting so loud in the car. We never win anything. Did I have any shame about collecting that prize and not handing it over to someone way more deserving? No, it was my third year of living there, so I just used the voucher the next time we were in Kampala. Wow. 500, 000 UGX is about 135 USD, it went a long way!

I do miss how random things can seem when you live cross culturally. You never know what to expect! I do heartily recommend letting your children fill out sweepstakes forms to pass the time as it can really pay off.

Click here if you want to see a picture of the check out lanes. Actually, I just found out they are closing! Terrible.