SAFARI TIME!
We just got back from our safari to Murchison Falls yesterday. It was awesome! Murchison Falls is a national park up in North Western Uganda. It is an amazing waterfall in the Nile River and a huge game park full of giraffes, elephants, antelope, water buffalo, hippos, crocs, and more.
We had quite the drive to get up there, but it was worth every minute of it. On our way to the camp on Saturday, we took a short hike up to the top of the falls. The road to the falls was a narrow, bumpy, dirt road lined with trees and jungle life. We had to stop the vehicle multiple times to let the baboons cross the road. Haha, can you imagine a baboon crossing sign back home instead of deer crossing?! There are these devilish little flies called Teetsee Flies that swarm into the car through open windows and bite. They bite really hard! We had a pretty entertaining ride constantly rolling the windows up and down and up and down. Every time the van slowed down to go over a bump flies would come in so we had to hurry and shut the windows, but if they were closed for more than a minute we all suffocated from heat and lack of air, so in was a constant open, close, open, close, shoo the flies out... adventure.
"Teetse Attack! Close the windows! Can't breathe, open them! Attack! Close them, close them, close them!" Haha, we got some good laughs out of it!
The water falls were beautiful! It amazed me to see so much water cascading down such a small space. It had so much power, force, and beauty. I seriously love nature!
Back at the camp:
Our camp was in the middle of no where, but we ate some great food and actually had real toilets and running water. We slept in safari tents with two beds per tent. They were really nice, but not very noise proof when it poured during the night. At least they didn't leak! Our campsite was the home to about 30 warthogs. "They pretend to be domestic, but they're not!" -our guide. They warned us not to keep any food in our tents or else the warthogs and even hippos might try to steal it. Yikes! I don't want a hippo coming after me in the dark, or the light for that matter.
Day 2 of the Safari:
Wake up bright and early for the game drive. We set out before the sun was up to get out and see the animals. The sunrise this morning was probably the most beautiful sunrise I have ever seen. We watched it rise, reflecting off the Nile, as we took a ferry across the river and over to the park. Majestic!
The game drive was so cool! We rode in a fun little 10 passenger van with a pop-up roof. We stood up pretty much the whole 4 hours, peeking our heads out of the top to see all the way around us. We saw antelope, Ugandan cob, bush buck, water buffalo, elephants, giraffes, warthogs, birds... My favorite was probably coming withing 15 feet of two elephants. They were huge! The giraffes were really fun to see too! I didn't expect to see so many of them. Unfortunately we missed the lions, the first van saw two of them, but we were just a little bit too late. There weren't any zebras or gazelles in Murchison Falls either, but other than those, we saw just about everything.
That afternoon, we went on a boat ride out to the base of the Falls. We saw hundreds of hippos and a few crocadiles along the way. They're both kind of creepy because they lurk right below the surface of the water and then pop up and scare you. One hippo popped up right next to our boat and sprayed us. Another, thankfully a little ways away, snapped his teeth at us. Other than that, they were pretty lazy animals and just sat around in the water all day.
Day 3 of the Safari:
Today was the last day of the safari. Most of the day was spent driving back home, but we made a little stop at the Rhino reserve park to track the rhinos. This part was a little different because we actually got out of the van and went looking after the animals on foot. Sweet! There are 9 rhinos in the reserve park. There used to be tons of rhinos in Uganda, but they have been poached to extinction for their horns. We found two of the rhinos in the park, one of which is named Obama. Yes, Ugandans are obsessed with Obama.
After the rhinos, we continued our nice, lengthy drive back home. Pretty stellar weekend!
I read Tuesdays with Morrie on the drive. Highly recommend it! It was such an inspirational book! What is the purpose of life and how can we live it to the fullest? Find out for yourself!
Now we're back to another great week of work! Trying to make the most of every minute!
Tuesday, June 29, 2010
Thursday, June 24, 2010
Playing at the Orphanage
Yesterday we went to an orphanage out past Jinja. We had such an incredible day there. We sang songs with the children, listened to them present their little lessons on HIV/AIDs, sanitation, gardening, and bead making, played games, and then I taught a little dental hygeine lesson. The kids were so thrilled to get their own new tooth brushes and tubes of tooth paste. Thanks family for putting those together! I'm glad we were able to use them for a good cause since they didn't make it out to Haiti. It was so touching to see how happy and smart these kids were despite the challenges they face in life.
Nicole and I caked in dirt after our boda ride
We got so dirty on the boda ride back! If you can't tell, my face is caked in dirty! I love motorcycles though! They are so fun!
We're going on our safari this weekend and I can't wait! It's going to be quite the adventure!
Nicole and I caked in dirt after our boda ride
We're going on our safari this weekend and I can't wait! It's going to be quite the adventure!
Tuesday, June 22, 2010
Full House!
Last week was just another week in Paradise as usual. We got eight new volunteers for second wave last Sunday, including my friends Katie Liddiard and Jon Richards. It was so fun to see them again! There are now 24 of us living in our small three bedroom house. It's quite cozy and crowded, but the more the merrier, right?!
Work last week was pretty much the same as usual. I spent a couple mornings doing physical therapy with Grace at the hospital and am still really enjoying that. We visited the orphanage one afternoon and played with the children there--Duck Duck Goose, dancing and drums, tag... It's been fun to actually get to know these kids individually as we've gone to this same children's home a few times. I am in love with these two little boys Dan and Mark. They are seriously so cute I want to eat them up. I wish I could take them home with me.
Alex and I taught our back therapy lesson to the Musana Women's group again and to the hospital staff and both lessons went very well. Sometimes it's hard to read people's emotions here since their facial expressions and common phrases are so different from ours, but they were very active in participating and seemed genuinely interested in what we were teaching. One of the Musana women said that she wanted to help us teach our lesson to the women in more rural villages because what we were teaching was so important and they needed that education too. Wow! Things are getting pretty busy with projects and time running out here, so I don't know how much we'll be able to spread our lessons, but at least there's someone who cares and appreciates the knowledge we've shared and will be willing to pass on the things we've taught after we leave.
We stayed in town this weekend and hung out with our local friends from The Youth Outreach Mission, Wilson and Godfrey. They were our tour guides for the day and showed us all around town. We went to Sezziwa falls, some small waterfalls nearby that many Ugandans consider sacred. They worship the spirits of the trees and nature there with small offerings and reverence.
Then we went to the crazy city of Kampala, saw the national theater, the parliament building, and Garden City Mall. Getting lunch at the food court in the mall was one of the most stressful experiences ever, haha. We sat down at a table and within 10 seconds, waiters were swarming us and shoving menues in our faces. I would try to read one, but as soon as I got my eyes on it another one was shoved on top of it and then another, and another, and another, until I had 10 menues and 20 hands in my face and no clue what to order. I decided on Shwarma, a beef wrap sandwhich that we got all the time in Israel. Random for Africa, but it sounded like a nice change and I was too stressed to look at the menues any longer. Not a bad choice! I must say that I like food courts in America much more than Uganda. So much less pressure.
After lunch, we drove to Entebbe to see the zoo and Lake Victoria. That was the first time I've driven out to Entebbe since we first arrived at the airport, and it will probably be the last until we go home. I don't want to think about that last drive just yet. Time is flying by too fast. The zoo was so much fun! How can you go to the zoo and not have fun?! We got to feed monkeys (there were at least 20 running around the parking lot and stealing food out of our pockets and hands), ride camels, see zebras, giraffes, chimps, crocadiles, and rhinos, and even watch the lions play. That was Godfrey's first time going to the zoo and he's 23 years old. I never realized how spoiled I was to have gone to the zoo every summer as a child.
We stopped back in Kampala on our way home for some ice-cream and burgers (I do love ice-cream!) and then made it safely back home.
We went to church in Jinja again this Sunday. The branch here is so awesome. I'm going to miss the simpleness of church here and the love and unity that the small branch has. There has been a baptism almost every Sunday since we've gotten here. The church is growing so quickly! I wonder how long it will be until the church expands to Lugazi? I can't wait to see that day.
Well, I can't believe I'm on the downward slope. We've passed our half-way point and have less than a month left. It kind of makes me nervous. I'm scared to come home. Will I be able to be the person that I want to be and to apply all the things to my life that I've learned the past two months? Will I be able to finish up my projects in time and see a sustainable change in people's lives and accomplish all my goals? Time feels like it's slipping through my fingers faster than I can catch it. I hope I can make the most of every minute here. Life in Lugazi is great! Love you all tons!
Work last week was pretty much the same as usual. I spent a couple mornings doing physical therapy with Grace at the hospital and am still really enjoying that. We visited the orphanage one afternoon and played with the children there--Duck Duck Goose, dancing and drums, tag... It's been fun to actually get to know these kids individually as we've gone to this same children's home a few times. I am in love with these two little boys Dan and Mark. They are seriously so cute I want to eat them up. I wish I could take them home with me.
Alex and I taught our back therapy lesson to the Musana Women's group again and to the hospital staff and both lessons went very well. Sometimes it's hard to read people's emotions here since their facial expressions and common phrases are so different from ours, but they were very active in participating and seemed genuinely interested in what we were teaching. One of the Musana women said that she wanted to help us teach our lesson to the women in more rural villages because what we were teaching was so important and they needed that education too. Wow! Things are getting pretty busy with projects and time running out here, so I don't know how much we'll be able to spread our lessons, but at least there's someone who cares and appreciates the knowledge we've shared and will be willing to pass on the things we've taught after we leave.
We stayed in town this weekend and hung out with our local friends from The Youth Outreach Mission, Wilson and Godfrey. They were our tour guides for the day and showed us all around town. We went to Sezziwa falls, some small waterfalls nearby that many Ugandans consider sacred. They worship the spirits of the trees and nature there with small offerings and reverence.
Then we went to the crazy city of Kampala, saw the national theater, the parliament building, and Garden City Mall. Getting lunch at the food court in the mall was one of the most stressful experiences ever, haha. We sat down at a table and within 10 seconds, waiters were swarming us and shoving menues in our faces. I would try to read one, but as soon as I got my eyes on it another one was shoved on top of it and then another, and another, and another, until I had 10 menues and 20 hands in my face and no clue what to order. I decided on Shwarma, a beef wrap sandwhich that we got all the time in Israel. Random for Africa, but it sounded like a nice change and I was too stressed to look at the menues any longer. Not a bad choice! I must say that I like food courts in America much more than Uganda. So much less pressure.
After lunch, we drove to Entebbe to see the zoo and Lake Victoria. That was the first time I've driven out to Entebbe since we first arrived at the airport, and it will probably be the last until we go home. I don't want to think about that last drive just yet. Time is flying by too fast. The zoo was so much fun! How can you go to the zoo and not have fun?! We got to feed monkeys (there were at least 20 running around the parking lot and stealing food out of our pockets and hands), ride camels, see zebras, giraffes, chimps, crocadiles, and rhinos, and even watch the lions play. That was Godfrey's first time going to the zoo and he's 23 years old. I never realized how spoiled I was to have gone to the zoo every summer as a child.
We stopped back in Kampala on our way home for some ice-cream and burgers (I do love ice-cream!) and then made it safely back home.
We went to church in Jinja again this Sunday. The branch here is so awesome. I'm going to miss the simpleness of church here and the love and unity that the small branch has. There has been a baptism almost every Sunday since we've gotten here. The church is growing so quickly! I wonder how long it will be until the church expands to Lugazi? I can't wait to see that day.
Well, I can't believe I'm on the downward slope. We've passed our half-way point and have less than a month left. It kind of makes me nervous. I'm scared to come home. Will I be able to be the person that I want to be and to apply all the things to my life that I've learned the past two months? Will I be able to finish up my projects in time and see a sustainable change in people's lives and accomplish all my goals? Time feels like it's slipping through my fingers faster than I can catch it. I hope I can make the most of every minute here. Life in Lugazi is great! Love you all tons!
Friday, June 18, 2010
THE BAD PLACE...
Last weekend we went rafting down the Nile! I can't even begin to express how fun/terrifying it was. If you know anything about rafting, they rate each rapid on a number scale according to it's intensity. Class 5 is pretty much the highest class possible to raft and make it out alive--that's what we were rafting. Our team was split up onto two rafts. One of our guides was from New Zealand (what ever jungle fever we were starting to get was definitely washed clean in the river when we met him ;) and the other guide, the one on my raft, was a Canadian who was in the process of adopting a Ugandan orphan and had to stay in the country for three years in order to get custody of the child in Canada. He was a really cool guy and had been a guide for 10 years in Canada which was comforting. The first 4 hours of the trip I was having the time of my life! We were joking and playing and getting a thrill out of each of the rapids and waterfalls we crashed through. Swam in the Nile, accidentally drank some of the Nile, peed in the Nile, ate Pineapple in the Nile... But then we hit "The Bad Place."
The last rapid was literally named "The Bad Place." How terrifying is that! My raft renamed it "The Fluffy Bunny" to alleviate some of our fears, but it didn't help much, and in hind site, "The Bad Place" is the only name that fits. "Hold on guys, we're approaching the bad place, and just so you know, I've never made it through this rapid without flipping the raft." Well that's just peachy. Our guide pretty much told us flat out that we were going to get wet and rocked by the rapid. No lie, we did. No more than three seconds into the rapid we had flipped over and gotten sucked into the waves. Paddles and limbs were flailing everywhere. I felt like a rag doll spinning in a washing machine. Thank goodness I didn't get sucked into a whirlpool like some of the others. They were under for so long that one of them contemplated breathing water. I think I would have gone into shock and died. Fortunately, I got tumbled around for a while, popped up and took a huge gasp of 1/2 air 1/2 Nile water right as another wave crushed me back under again. This happened for a few minutes until finally I had floated out of the rapids and back to the raft. Whew! I survived the bad place with nothing other than a small scar of fear.
We ended on a slightly scarring note, but it really was sooo fun! Despite the layers and layers of sunscreen we caked on, we all got varying degrees of sunburns on our lips and thighs. Luckily mine wasn't too bad, but it's still crumby. Some people got fever blisters though, and they look terrible. Man, this equator sun is intense!
After rafting, we stayed overnight in Jinja, watched two of our team members bungee jump into the Nile, ate delicious American burgers and chocolate cake, cheered on the USA in the world cup, and hit the sack. It was a stellar weekend. Wish you all could have been there!
PS: Just want to let you all know that as I was near to death in "The Bad Place" I was thinking about all of you and how much I love you all!
The last rapid was literally named "The Bad Place." How terrifying is that! My raft renamed it "The Fluffy Bunny" to alleviate some of our fears, but it didn't help much, and in hind site, "The Bad Place" is the only name that fits. "Hold on guys, we're approaching the bad place, and just so you know, I've never made it through this rapid without flipping the raft." Well that's just peachy. Our guide pretty much told us flat out that we were going to get wet and rocked by the rapid. No lie, we did. No more than three seconds into the rapid we had flipped over and gotten sucked into the waves. Paddles and limbs were flailing everywhere. I felt like a rag doll spinning in a washing machine. Thank goodness I didn't get sucked into a whirlpool like some of the others. They were under for so long that one of them contemplated breathing water. I think I would have gone into shock and died. Fortunately, I got tumbled around for a while, popped up and took a huge gasp of 1/2 air 1/2 Nile water right as another wave crushed me back under again. This happened for a few minutes until finally I had floated out of the rapids and back to the raft. Whew! I survived the bad place with nothing other than a small scar of fear.
We ended on a slightly scarring note, but it really was sooo fun! Despite the layers and layers of sunscreen we caked on, we all got varying degrees of sunburns on our lips and thighs. Luckily mine wasn't too bad, but it's still crumby. Some people got fever blisters though, and they look terrible. Man, this equator sun is intense!
After rafting, we stayed overnight in Jinja, watched two of our team members bungee jump into the Nile, ate delicious American burgers and chocolate cake, cheered on the USA in the world cup, and hit the sack. It was a stellar weekend. Wish you all could have been there!
PS: Just want to let you all know that as I was near to death in "The Bad Place" I was thinking about all of you and how much I love you all!
Monday, June 14, 2010
SILVER FISH... Danger! Avoid eating at all costs...
Last week was a pretty typical work week... other than shadowing the surgery I guess. Alex and I worked with Grace a couple times at the Physical Therapy clinic. Grace has really let us take the reigns and have full control in treating some of her patients. It's so fun! I am really enjoying it, and the more I get to know Grace, the more I love her. She is such a fun woman.
Monday was a really heart wrenching day. We spent the morning working with Grace, and we saw the saddest case. Robina, a little 5 year old girl, came in with terrible burns on her hands. She was a victim of child abuse. She was staying with her aunt and ate some food that wasn't given to her, so her aunt put her hands in a pot of boiling water. It made me sick just thinking about it. I never would have put burns and physical therapy together, but now it totally makes sense. When a burn is severe enough, it damages the nerves and the new skin also tends to be so tight. So physical therapy is needed to re-stimulate the nerves and stretch out that new skin. Despite all the trauma she'd just been through, she was the cutest, happiest little girl ever. After working on Robina, Alex and I observed the C-section of a still born baby. I cannot imagine being in the position of that woman, 19 years old and all alone at the hospital going through traumatic surgery and having a still born baby. She was so strong though, and was holding up surprisingly well through all of it. These people never cease to amaze me. After finishing at the hospital, I went around with Francis, the town council leader for PWD-persons with disabilities, to visit the homes of some disabled individuals. We met the cutest little boy named Bryan who can't walk or talk, but he is very sharp mentally. He stays with his grandma and his grandpa who is blind. Amazing people! I can't wait to get the Ability Soap project up and running to help these people who are so deserving and in need to generate a little extra income. We are also working on starting a choir for the disabled children and the children of disabled parents.
On Wednesday and Thursday Alex and I taught our first lesson to the nurses and women of Uganda. We taught them how to properly care for your back and did exercises with them to strengthen their core muscles. I was a little nervous because I didn't know what to expect... how many people would show up? Would they be interested in what we were teaching them? Luckily, it was a huge success! We had a huge turn out, at least 25 nurses on Thursday, and they were very accepting of the things we were teaching them. They asked lots of questions, took notes, and participated in the exercises. I can't wait to teach them again this week!
Friday:
A few of us went out to Kayunga again this week for our Physical Therapy outreach with Emmanuel. We saw so many patients, and many of them were returning patients from the last time we were out there. They actually did their exercises and had improved a lot! It was so exciting to see the healing effects of Physical Therapy in action and to see how it was benefiting the lives of these people. Work was awesome! Lunch was... DISGUSTING!
They were so kind to feed us lunch, but I would have rather starved to death... or eaten a huge bowl of matoke. They fed us rice with geenut sauce with SILVER FISH. Never eat silver fish! They were little fishes about an inch or two long and they stuck the whole fish in the rice. The stuff smelled like cat food. I had to plug my nose so I didn't vomit. Thank goodness for Novida Pineapple, the best soda ever, it's the only thing that got me through that meal. I'll admit, I didn't actually eat a fish, I scooted the sauce and fish to the side as best as possible and tried only to eat the rice, but the flavor spread onto the rice and it was still almost deadly. We were all gagging it down. I'm so glad we weren't eating with the cooks and it wasn't one of those situations where you are forced to eat all your food. I wouldn't have made it. I've eaten some pretty weird stuff in my life... chicken hearts, snails, fish eyes, grasshoppers... silver fish definitely wins for being the worst!
We went rafting on the Nile on Saturday! Just wanted to let you all know that I am alive and survived the experience. There were a few minutes that I wasn't sure if I was going to make it. I love you all and will write more about rafting when I get a chance!
Welaba Mzungus!
Monday was a really heart wrenching day. We spent the morning working with Grace, and we saw the saddest case. Robina, a little 5 year old girl, came in with terrible burns on her hands. She was a victim of child abuse. She was staying with her aunt and ate some food that wasn't given to her, so her aunt put her hands in a pot of boiling water. It made me sick just thinking about it. I never would have put burns and physical therapy together, but now it totally makes sense. When a burn is severe enough, it damages the nerves and the new skin also tends to be so tight. So physical therapy is needed to re-stimulate the nerves and stretch out that new skin. Despite all the trauma she'd just been through, she was the cutest, happiest little girl ever. After working on Robina, Alex and I observed the C-section of a still born baby. I cannot imagine being in the position of that woman, 19 years old and all alone at the hospital going through traumatic surgery and having a still born baby. She was so strong though, and was holding up surprisingly well through all of it. These people never cease to amaze me. After finishing at the hospital, I went around with Francis, the town council leader for PWD-persons with disabilities, to visit the homes of some disabled individuals. We met the cutest little boy named Bryan who can't walk or talk, but he is very sharp mentally. He stays with his grandma and his grandpa who is blind. Amazing people! I can't wait to get the Ability Soap project up and running to help these people who are so deserving and in need to generate a little extra income. We are also working on starting a choir for the disabled children and the children of disabled parents.
On Wednesday and Thursday Alex and I taught our first lesson to the nurses and women of Uganda. We taught them how to properly care for your back and did exercises with them to strengthen their core muscles. I was a little nervous because I didn't know what to expect... how many people would show up? Would they be interested in what we were teaching them? Luckily, it was a huge success! We had a huge turn out, at least 25 nurses on Thursday, and they were very accepting of the things we were teaching them. They asked lots of questions, took notes, and participated in the exercises. I can't wait to teach them again this week!
Friday:
A few of us went out to Kayunga again this week for our Physical Therapy outreach with Emmanuel. We saw so many patients, and many of them were returning patients from the last time we were out there. They actually did their exercises and had improved a lot! It was so exciting to see the healing effects of Physical Therapy in action and to see how it was benefiting the lives of these people. Work was awesome! Lunch was... DISGUSTING!
They were so kind to feed us lunch, but I would have rather starved to death... or eaten a huge bowl of matoke. They fed us rice with geenut sauce with SILVER FISH. Never eat silver fish! They were little fishes about an inch or two long and they stuck the whole fish in the rice. The stuff smelled like cat food. I had to plug my nose so I didn't vomit. Thank goodness for Novida Pineapple, the best soda ever, it's the only thing that got me through that meal. I'll admit, I didn't actually eat a fish, I scooted the sauce and fish to the side as best as possible and tried only to eat the rice, but the flavor spread onto the rice and it was still almost deadly. We were all gagging it down. I'm so glad we weren't eating with the cooks and it wasn't one of those situations where you are forced to eat all your food. I wouldn't have made it. I've eaten some pretty weird stuff in my life... chicken hearts, snails, fish eyes, grasshoppers... silver fish definitely wins for being the worst!
We went rafting on the Nile on Saturday! Just wanted to let you all know that I am alive and survived the experience. There were a few minutes that I wasn't sure if I was going to make it. I love you all and will write more about rafting when I get a chance!
Welaba Mzungus!
Tuesday, June 8, 2010
You'll Never Believe What I Did!!!
Monday, June 7, 2010
Alex and I scrubbed up at the hospital and watched a C-section! They let us stand right there and watch it all. I was a little nervous at times that I might pass out, but I held in there just fine. Unfortunately, it was a still born baby and that is why they did a C-section. It was emotionally draining to be a part of such a tragic event, but fascinating to see how incredible our bodies are inside and out. I have a sincere love and appreciation for our bodies after taking anatomy and this experience testified to me even stronger that our Heavenly Father created our bodies with a divine plan in mind.
Where's Waldo???
Sipi Falls
You probably can't see me, but I'm the little ant somewhere a few feet to the left of the waterfall in the middle of the picture. Yep! I repelled down a 300 foot waterfall! It was AWESOME!
Sipi Falls was one of the most beautiful places I have ever been! It is a beautiful mountain village area about 4 hours East of Lugazi. Eight of us girls had a wonderful weekend hiking and repelling there and sleeping in a little banda (mud hut with a straw roof).
I could talk about it for days, but I'm out of internet time, so it will have to wait for later.
Martyr's Day at Namagongo
Thursday, June 3, 2010
June 3 is a national holiday in Uganda, Martyr's Day. It is a huge Christian holiday to honor the lives of the first Christian martyr's in Uganda. The first Christian missionaries came to Uganda in the early/mid 1800's. Before then, the country was primarily Islamic. In the 1880's when King Mwenda became the Kabaka (king), he feared that all of his subjects who were converting to Christianity would start respecting Christ more than the him as the king. In 1886, he marched 25 of his pages 37 miles in chains to Namagongo where they were martyred. He burned them from their feet up so that they could deny Christ before the fire consumed them and their lives would be spared, but they stood strong in the faith. None of them denied Christ. It reminded me of Abinadi and Joseph Smith. Are we willing to stand up for what we believe in no matter what the circumstances are. Even though I'm not a Catholic or Anglican, it was a very spiritual experience to be a part of this holiday. Hundreds of thousands of people walked for miles to get to this site to honor the martyrs who died for Christ. It is a tradition that you "foot" (walk) there no matter how far away you live, so some people walked all the way from Kenya and Tanzania. They consider it a pilgrimage like the Muslim Hajj to Mecca. I was hoping that we would walk at least part of the way there, but our driver decided it would be safer to just drop us off there. I guess that was smart. I have never seen so many people in one place at one time. It was truly inspiring to see so many people together worshiping Christ and their anscestors.
Home Sweet Home
Me, Cecilly on the bed, and MollyCheck out our bedroom! Are we princesses or what!
Haha, I've come to really love my mosquito net.
It feels like you have your own private room when you crawl inside.
This is the garage where 7 of us, soon to be 8, sleep.
It gets a little stuffy and hot, but it's grown on me. I like it :)
Haha, I've come to really love my mosquito net.
It feels like you have your own private room when you crawl inside.
This is the garage where 7 of us, soon to be 8, sleep.
It gets a little stuffy and hot, but it's grown on me. I like it :)
Cutest Kids on the Block!
These are some kids that live in our village. Aren't they adorable!
Gotta love their toys...
Yes, those are grasshoppers... remember how I ate one of those!
I wish I could take them all home with me! They are so cute!
Reunion in Kajjansi
Sunday, May 30, 2010
I finally made it out to Kajjansi to visit our family friends, Edward, Florence, and their children. It was about a two hour taxi ride from Lugazi to Kajjansi, so we set out early so we could make it in time for church. Kajjansi was much like Lugazi. A small village full of wonderful people and lots of poverty. We had an excellent time at church. It was district conference, and Edward, being the branch president, spoke in the meeting. The whole meeting was themed on service, "Have I Done Any Good." It was so humbling to listen to these talks and realize that service is important even to people who have little to give. I have learned so much from the humble example of the people here and hope that I will find a way to take what I have learned to heart and let it change my life.
"Have I done any good in the world today?" I hope that we can all find a way to brighten someone's day everyday.
After church we went over to Edward and Florence's humble home. They have a small home with a little sitting room and from what I gathered three bedrooms. The floors are cement, but there was a carpet rug in the main room, some chairs, couches, and a table. Their kitchen consists of a small table outside to prepare food on and a few charcoal stoves. Their bathroom is a small cement stall on the side of the house that acts as a joint shower/toilet. They don't have any running water, they shower out of a bucket, and I haven't quite figured out yet how you go to the bathroom if you have #2... luckily I didn't have that problem, haha, but never the less, it was an adventure to use it. All I can say is that they are one of the happiest, humblest families I have ever met. And despite their living conditions that we might consider shocking and unbearable, they are quite well off compared to many.
We had so much fun visiting, playing games, sharing stories, looking at pictures, and eating, eating, eating! We played Boggle with Edward's daughters Liz, Linda, and Grace. That is one of their favorite games. I brought a deck of cards and a bunch of plastic spoons and taught them how to play spoons. It was a riot! We had so much fun! We talked about memories from when Florence and Edward visited us in Salt Lake to be sealed in the temple. We laughed about how Edward tried to stand on the toilet seat and squat like it was a latrine because he didn't know how to use a flushing toilet... and how he was appaled that he could be arrested for throwing his trash out the window... He is truly an amazing man--amazing father, headmaster of his school, branch president, village chief--so humble, yet so respected. I could go on for days.
Florence is an amazing cook and takes pride in her cooking. She made an amazing Ugandan feast for us Sunday night. She was even so kind to dish up our plates for us, haha. She must think that all Mzungus have the appetite that Rob had when he was on his mission though because she served us so much food! Matoke, beef, potatoes, rice, noodles, cabbage... my plate was overflowing. Nicole's missionary in her licked her plate clean, I asked for a smaller plate and did the best I could, Suzanne is the smallest girl ever and did the best she could, but she hardly made a dent. It's offensive here if you don't eat all your food. We did the best we could, and it really was delicious, but the matoke was going to spill out my ears if I ate any more. I hope Florence understands!
Monday, June 31, 2010
This morning we visited Edward's school. It was the first Ugandan school I've been inside and I was shocked by the conditions. From what I've heard, Edward's school is fairly nice compared to most, but still it was shocking compared to the schools I grew up in. It is a secondary school so it's comparable to middle school and high school back home. Each class had nearly 100 students in it cramped into one small room on wooden benches with one teacher to teach all of them. They were literally sitting on top of one another. I don't know how they learn in conditions like that. The crazy thing is that they are all so smart. They are so dedicated to their studies and give so much respect to their teachers. They take their education seriously and are grateful for whatever they can get.
He showed us his library, full of books that Suz, Rob, family, and friends donated books to. It broke my heart. The library is literally a closet and half of the books were still packed in cardboard boxes because there is no room to unload them. They can't even use the resources that they do have because there is no space. I wish so badly that there was something I could do to help. Still, it is amazing to see how they can get by with so little and still accomplish so much.
Florence made another feast for us for lunch today. It was all the same food but encoco (chicken) instead of beef, which I was very grateful for. The chicken was delicious! (beef here kind of freaks me out--it is so chewy and fatty and when you see it hanging up on the streets covered in flies suddenly it is no longer appetizing). She picked up on our porportion sizes from last night... Nicole must eat a lot because she cleaned her huge plate last night. Suzanne must be starving because she didn't eat anything so I'll give her even more. Megan get's a medium sized plate. Thank goodness! haha. Proud to say I nearly cleaned my plate this time!
We had such a good day together. They are such an awesome family and I am blessed to have met them. Thank you Suz and Rob for bringing them into my life. They told me as I was leaving that they are planning to go to South Africa in July to be sealed as a whole family in the temple!!! Pray for them to make it there! They deserve it more than anyone!
We stopped in Kampala on the way home to go to a meeting. We went to ShopRite, the westernized grocery store, and it was a bit of a let down. I was really hoping for some granola bars or American treasures, but for the most part everything was the same as the little super markets, just cleaner, more organized, and bigger. The funny thing was though that when I was walking through the store I didn't feel like I really needed anything. I'm totally content with what I have. Sure I miss brownies and could probably down a whole tray if I had them, but I don't need them. There's so much that I used to think I needed that I've realized is totally unnecessary. Sure it's not entirely bad to have those luxuries, but it's kind of nice to live a simple life.
We had to take bodas (motorcycles) across the city to get to our meeting. Maybe I shouldn't talk to much about it... it was slightly terrifying! Traffic in Kampala is CRAZY! I will never complain about being stuck at a red light again. I would much rather have to wait at a red light than to have no lights at all and to play chicken with all the cars on the street. We weaved in and out of traffic (so illegal in america), I grazed my elbows and knees on a few cars, but we made it there safely. Whew! Not going to lie, it was pretty fun!
I finally made it out to Kajjansi to visit our family friends, Edward, Florence, and their children. It was about a two hour taxi ride from Lugazi to Kajjansi, so we set out early so we could make it in time for church. Kajjansi was much like Lugazi. A small village full of wonderful people and lots of poverty. We had an excellent time at church. It was district conference, and Edward, being the branch president, spoke in the meeting. The whole meeting was themed on service, "Have I Done Any Good." It was so humbling to listen to these talks and realize that service is important even to people who have little to give. I have learned so much from the humble example of the people here and hope that I will find a way to take what I have learned to heart and let it change my life.
"Have I done any good in the world today?" I hope that we can all find a way to brighten someone's day everyday.
After church we went over to Edward and Florence's humble home. They have a small home with a little sitting room and from what I gathered three bedrooms. The floors are cement, but there was a carpet rug in the main room, some chairs, couches, and a table. Their kitchen consists of a small table outside to prepare food on and a few charcoal stoves. Their bathroom is a small cement stall on the side of the house that acts as a joint shower/toilet. They don't have any running water, they shower out of a bucket, and I haven't quite figured out yet how you go to the bathroom if you have #2... luckily I didn't have that problem, haha, but never the less, it was an adventure to use it. All I can say is that they are one of the happiest, humblest families I have ever met. And despite their living conditions that we might consider shocking and unbearable, they are quite well off compared to many.
We had so much fun visiting, playing games, sharing stories, looking at pictures, and eating, eating, eating! We played Boggle with Edward's daughters Liz, Linda, and Grace. That is one of their favorite games. I brought a deck of cards and a bunch of plastic spoons and taught them how to play spoons. It was a riot! We had so much fun! We talked about memories from when Florence and Edward visited us in Salt Lake to be sealed in the temple. We laughed about how Edward tried to stand on the toilet seat and squat like it was a latrine because he didn't know how to use a flushing toilet... and how he was appaled that he could be arrested for throwing his trash out the window... He is truly an amazing man--amazing father, headmaster of his school, branch president, village chief--so humble, yet so respected. I could go on for days.
Florence is an amazing cook and takes pride in her cooking. She made an amazing Ugandan feast for us Sunday night. She was even so kind to dish up our plates for us, haha. She must think that all Mzungus have the appetite that Rob had when he was on his mission though because she served us so much food! Matoke, beef, potatoes, rice, noodles, cabbage... my plate was overflowing. Nicole's missionary in her licked her plate clean, I asked for a smaller plate and did the best I could, Suzanne is the smallest girl ever and did the best she could, but she hardly made a dent. It's offensive here if you don't eat all your food. We did the best we could, and it really was delicious, but the matoke was going to spill out my ears if I ate any more. I hope Florence understands!
Monday, June 31, 2010
This morning we visited Edward's school. It was the first Ugandan school I've been inside and I was shocked by the conditions. From what I've heard, Edward's school is fairly nice compared to most, but still it was shocking compared to the schools I grew up in. It is a secondary school so it's comparable to middle school and high school back home. Each class had nearly 100 students in it cramped into one small room on wooden benches with one teacher to teach all of them. They were literally sitting on top of one another. I don't know how they learn in conditions like that. The crazy thing is that they are all so smart. They are so dedicated to their studies and give so much respect to their teachers. They take their education seriously and are grateful for whatever they can get.
He showed us his library, full of books that Suz, Rob, family, and friends donated books to. It broke my heart. The library is literally a closet and half of the books were still packed in cardboard boxes because there is no room to unload them. They can't even use the resources that they do have because there is no space. I wish so badly that there was something I could do to help. Still, it is amazing to see how they can get by with so little and still accomplish so much.
Florence made another feast for us for lunch today. It was all the same food but encoco (chicken) instead of beef, which I was very grateful for. The chicken was delicious! (beef here kind of freaks me out--it is so chewy and fatty and when you see it hanging up on the streets covered in flies suddenly it is no longer appetizing). She picked up on our porportion sizes from last night... Nicole must eat a lot because she cleaned her huge plate last night. Suzanne must be starving because she didn't eat anything so I'll give her even more. Megan get's a medium sized plate. Thank goodness! haha. Proud to say I nearly cleaned my plate this time!
We had such a good day together. They are such an awesome family and I am blessed to have met them. Thank you Suz and Rob for bringing them into my life. They told me as I was leaving that they are planning to go to South Africa in July to be sealed as a whole family in the temple!!! Pray for them to make it there! They deserve it more than anyone!
We stopped in Kampala on the way home to go to a meeting. We went to ShopRite, the westernized grocery store, and it was a bit of a let down. I was really hoping for some granola bars or American treasures, but for the most part everything was the same as the little super markets, just cleaner, more organized, and bigger. The funny thing was though that when I was walking through the store I didn't feel like I really needed anything. I'm totally content with what I have. Sure I miss brownies and could probably down a whole tray if I had them, but I don't need them. There's so much that I used to think I needed that I've realized is totally unnecessary. Sure it's not entirely bad to have those luxuries, but it's kind of nice to live a simple life.
We had to take bodas (motorcycles) across the city to get to our meeting. Maybe I shouldn't talk to much about it... it was slightly terrifying! Traffic in Kampala is CRAZY! I will never complain about being stuck at a red light again. I would much rather have to wait at a red light than to have no lights at all and to play chicken with all the cars on the street. We weaved in and out of traffic (so illegal in america), I grazed my elbows and knees on a few cars, but we made it there safely. Whew! Not going to lie, it was pretty fun!
Touched the Source of the Nile
I know last time I said I had so much to say, but it just keeps getting better. I seriously have SO MUCH TO SAY!
Saturday, May 29, 2010
Last Saturday (I know I've gotten a ways behind on writing) we went to the "Source of the Nile" in Jinja. It is literally the spot where the Nile River starts. We took a little boat ride out on the Nile and saw the spot where Lake Victoria becomes the Nile River. If you would have told me two years ago that by the time I was 20 I would have touched both ends of the Nile River I never would have believed you. Is this really my life? or am I dreaming? Seriously amazing! This river is so rich with culture, life, and religion. From the Pharoahs to Joseph to Moses to Christ to the people of Uganda to me... It is flowing with life and history.
That afternoon we got Indian food for lunch in Jinja. There is quite a large popluation of Indians here because they own most of the sugar cane factories. Cool fact: Did you know Lugazi is the sugar capitol of the world? Lunch was so delicious! Chicken Tiki Masala with nan. Try it if you ever get the chance. It was a nice break from our regular Ugandan menu.
Saturday, May 29, 2010
Last Saturday (I know I've gotten a ways behind on writing) we went to the "Source of the Nile" in Jinja. It is literally the spot where the Nile River starts. We took a little boat ride out on the Nile and saw the spot where Lake Victoria becomes the Nile River. If you would have told me two years ago that by the time I was 20 I would have touched both ends of the Nile River I never would have believed you. Is this really my life? or am I dreaming? Seriously amazing! This river is so rich with culture, life, and religion. From the Pharoahs to Joseph to Moses to Christ to the people of Uganda to me... It is flowing with life and history.
That afternoon we got Indian food for lunch in Jinja. There is quite a large popluation of Indians here because they own most of the sugar cane factories. Cool fact: Did you know Lugazi is the sugar capitol of the world? Lunch was so delicious! Chicken Tiki Masala with nan. Try it if you ever get the chance. It was a nice break from our regular Ugandan menu.
Tuesday, June 1, 2010
So Much To Say...
Where to start... So much has happened this past week.
Wednesday:
Last Wednesday we went on an outreach with the Chairman to Buikwe, a district of small, rural villages near by. I think he dragged us around with him mostly to boost his popularity and help his campaign, but we still had a good time. We went on a long, bumpy taxi ride, but the scenery was incredible! We visited a few rural villages where we listened to the chairman give some speeches in Luganda, but after the speeches we got to assist the nurses in screening the people. I got to be a pharmacist in the back of a taxi for a couple hours. I filled perscriptions for the nurse as she assessed a long line of villages and helped them with their medical needs.
Thursday:
We volunteered at the hospital with Grace again and talked to the nurses about starting a back pain rehab group. They seemed really excited about it, so I hope we can get it organized and up and running. We want to hold weekly meetings with them to do core strengthening exercises and stretches and teach them about how to propperly protect and take care of your back.
That afternoon was awesome. Katelynn, Alex, and I finally visited an orphanage! It is called Hope Children's Home and was started by a couple in the United States. There are about 50 children there from infants to 15 years old. They were so cute! We were there just as they got back from school and they all seemed to be the best of friends. We sang songs with them, played the drums, danced, and played soccer. I hope to go back there regularly in the afternoons to tutor them in their homework and plan activities with them. I was thrilled to see that the orphanage seemed like a happy place. The children were well taken care of and despite their hardships seemed truely happy.
Friday:
We spent another morning volunteering with the Physical Therapist Grace. We watched her literally saw a cast off a kids arm. Thank goodness she has a steady hand! She helped us to develop a curriculum to teach to the nurses about talking care of your back and taught us a bunch of exercises.
We were so excited to go dancing this evening. All of our local friends had planned a party and were going to take us. But then the bug came and infected our group. The first bout of sickness hit. Poor Ashley and Alex got so sick. So we spent the night playing mom and nurse and trying to take care of them as best as we could. Wow, can I just say that mom's are amazing! Thank you mom for always taking such good care of me!
Wednesday:
Last Wednesday we went on an outreach with the Chairman to Buikwe, a district of small, rural villages near by. I think he dragged us around with him mostly to boost his popularity and help his campaign, but we still had a good time. We went on a long, bumpy taxi ride, but the scenery was incredible! We visited a few rural villages where we listened to the chairman give some speeches in Luganda, but after the speeches we got to assist the nurses in screening the people. I got to be a pharmacist in the back of a taxi for a couple hours. I filled perscriptions for the nurse as she assessed a long line of villages and helped them with their medical needs.
Thursday:
We volunteered at the hospital with Grace again and talked to the nurses about starting a back pain rehab group. They seemed really excited about it, so I hope we can get it organized and up and running. We want to hold weekly meetings with them to do core strengthening exercises and stretches and teach them about how to propperly protect and take care of your back.
That afternoon was awesome. Katelynn, Alex, and I finally visited an orphanage! It is called Hope Children's Home and was started by a couple in the United States. There are about 50 children there from infants to 15 years old. They were so cute! We were there just as they got back from school and they all seemed to be the best of friends. We sang songs with them, played the drums, danced, and played soccer. I hope to go back there regularly in the afternoons to tutor them in their homework and plan activities with them. I was thrilled to see that the orphanage seemed like a happy place. The children were well taken care of and despite their hardships seemed truely happy.
Friday:
We spent another morning volunteering with the Physical Therapist Grace. We watched her literally saw a cast off a kids arm. Thank goodness she has a steady hand! She helped us to develop a curriculum to teach to the nurses about talking care of your back and taught us a bunch of exercises.
We were so excited to go dancing this evening. All of our local friends had planned a party and were going to take us. But then the bug came and infected our group. The first bout of sickness hit. Poor Ashley and Alex got so sick. So we spent the night playing mom and nurse and trying to take care of them as best as we could. Wow, can I just say that mom's are amazing! Thank you mom for always taking such good care of me!
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