Half Way Finished!

I have been in Uganda for three weeks and that means that I will be back home in another three weeks.  For the most part I would say that it has gone by pretty quickly although I don't feel like I have done much.  It takes a while to accomplish things here, they seem to be on a totally different time schedule.  It was really cool to go the Buvuma Islands and meet some people there.  It is so sad to see children without shoes and little or no clothes.  Just sitting in the dirt with their naked butt can't be sanitary.  There are so many things that they need help with but we can't do it all, although I wish we could.  

Yesterday some of us took the day off and went to Kampala--the capital city.  It is much bigger than Lugazi and the traffic scares me.  I am very weary of traffic and cars in general and it is worse than anything I have ever seen before.  There are no traffic lights or anything and we just have to dodge the traffic as we run across the street trying not to get hit by a car.  And don't even get me stated on the taxis, they drive way to fast and don't stop or even slow down for anything.  I have been afraid for my life a few times.  I have had to ride boda bodas (basically a mix between a motorcycle and a scooter) a few times and that is always an experience, they weave in between the cars and sometimes get really really close to another car or person.  One Sunday when we were waling to church I got hit my some lady the was riding one side saddle.  I was told that more people in Uganda die of traffic accidents than die of AIDS.  I don't know how true that is considering that AIDS is a big problem, but it is interesting.

Taxis

Boda Bodas

The craziness of Kampala

I have been meeting with a guy names Bernard who runs a school and is trying to improve literacy.  I am trying to do some research and figure out how exactly I can help him.  It sounds like children are taught in English before they even know their native language and he wants to try to maybe teach some lessons in Lugandan and start English a bit later.  Only twenty five percent of people who start school actually finish.  That is a terrible drop out rate so he want to help improve that number by keeping things interesting so that kids enjoy it.  I am looking into other countries to see how they do id.  Maybe even what the United States does with Spanish immersion.  He is such a good guy and I would really like to help him out.

This Saturday we are going to the African craft market in Kampala to buy "African" things.  I am really looking forward to that and will probably spend way to much money.   But who knows when and if I will be in Africa again so I gotta do it...

Craft Market--I wanted to buy everything!

I'm not sure what my plans are for next week, maybe more meetings with Bernard and with Richardson, the guy we went with to Buvuma Island, help with teacher trainings and hopefully a safari next weekend.  I am in the process of researching prices at the moment.

The next weekend after that will be the eye/dental camp. I think we are going to be doing checkups and referring people to the hospital if they need surgery.  I think I will relate to this project the most and am excited that they were able to do it while I am here.

Then I will be coming home just in time for my sisters birthday.  I am looking forward to being home where it is familiar and comfortable. I've got a list of things I want to do when I get home in my journal.  I think I will share that on my next blog post.

I have really come to appreciate all the things that I have or have access to.  I am so lucky to have born in the United States!   I have the right to go to school and to learn to read.  There are so many opportunities that I have in a day that will take some of these people a lifetime to have.  No wonder so many people want to come to America.  It truly is better than what they have.  I am so thankful and lucky to have my birth certificate say that I am an American and no one will ever be able to take that away from me.  I was grateful of that fact previously but I think now even more so that I have actually experienced first hand how some people in this world live.  I'm sure that it will change me and the way I do some things but I'm not sure how yet.  I'm interested to see what happens when I get home.

Buvuma Island

I was wrong about the name of the island, it is Buvuma with a "B"  I just spent the last few days there.  We were able to visit a few villages and teach some classes.  I taught a little bit about nutrition and the importance of drinking water.  I got back to Lugazi today and am looking forward to helping on other projects.  I think I will work some more with Richardson (the man that we were with on the Island)  and maybe do some work on the eye camp.  It will be the last weekend before I leave.  I know what it is like to have surgery and get better vision so I'm really looking forward to that.

Kellie and I on the Ferry

Unloading the Ferry

Group Photo

The house we stayed in

I had to share this bed with another girl

Me with the kids in the village--they love having their picture taken

Lake View Primary School

The Whole Village

On Saturday we are going to Kampala to the craft market to buy "African" things and then the week after that I think we are going on a safari.  Looking forward to it!  Hope all is well in Utah.

African Time

Today I went to the bank to get smaller bills and I swear that it took like thirty minutes.  No one seems to be in a hurry to do anything here, they are all just on their own schedule, it can be frustrating when I have somewhere that I need to be.

When we go somewhere to get food, it can take 45 minutes until we actually get our food and then another twenty to get the bill and pay.  It is a long process.  You don't ever have to tip here though.

There is a lot of waiting around here, waiting for meetings, waiting for food, waiting, waiting, waiting.  Things move very slowly.  I'm adapting though.  I write in my journal a lot or read usually whenever we have to wait.  I almost have an entire journal filled up-good thing I brought two :)  I finished the one book that I brought with me so my new goal is to finish the Book of Mormon before I come home.  This works out to be about twenty pages a day.  There is a lot of down time and I will be able to get it finished.

This whole African time thing explains so much about a few of my friends... ha ha

Buvuma

Tomorrow (Thursday) I am going out to an island village on Lake Victoria called Buvuma.  I will be going with five other people from my team.  We will be visiting different communities and teaching some workshops on various things, among which are HIV/AIDS and sexual health.  We will stay on the island for five days.

I am very excited to start making a difference and help to educate some people because I think that it all starts with education.  Also it will be nice to get away from the house and experience something new.  It sounds like the accommodations will be pretty good, we are going to live in a house with a solar panel.  The rest of the village does not have electricity but we will.  Today we are going shopping for some food to take with us and pack our things.  I will just take my backpack.

It sounds like the people are very eager to have us come and from what I understand there has only been one other Mzungu who has been to the village, so that will be interesting.  I think just our presence there will make a difference.

The island sounds very beautiful, white sand beaches and all. The people are very poor though.  I've got a fully charged camera all ready to take with me..

Projects

I have been meeting with a guy who started a school and trying to help him with some literacy things (more details on that later when I have time)  He has a really cool story.

I have been going to a few meeting for an eye/dental outreach camp we are going to do.  We went to a rotart club meeting yesterday.

Later this week I think I'm going to try to go to an island on Lake Victoria for five days and teach some health classes.

I am starting to figure out the money and not feeling so confused about things.  I still miss home of course but I'm feeling more comfortable in the situation that I am in and hope that I can leave something good behind.  I am really liking the food although a lot of our conversations seem to revolve around the American food that we miss.  I don't know what I will eat first when I get home.  Maybe Cafe Rio?  

I am also looking forward to being home and having all the room that I could possibly want :)

Love you all!!!

Remember The Time We Rafted The Nile?

Wow!  I have been here for almost a week and a half. Crazy how the time goes by quickly and the days blend together.

Last week we went river rafting down THE Nile river!  It was amazing!  A bus picked us up from Lugazi and took us to where we would be rafting.  We had to go through some safety things and get helmets and life jackets and also get breakfast which was a chapati omelet and some fruit.  (chapati is some kind of bread/pita thing)  We finally got to where we would be getting into the river.  They all talked me into riding in the safety boat so I wouldn't get banged around too much and hurt my neck.  We took easier paths down the river and didn't tip over or anything.  We got to eat glucose biscuits (cookies) and pineapple on the way down the river.  The pineapple here is amazing!  So juicy.  

Ready to get started.

I switched with someone in a different boat and went down the last rapid.  The guides tried to talk me out of it and said that I wasn't allowed to cry.  I didn't.

We pulled the boat out of the water and got some dinner.  Baked potatoes and green beans and REAL butter!!  Such a good day.  I would do it again.

The scenery all reminded me of The Lion King but without all the animals.  So beautiful.

It was raining on the way home and the roads were all flooded and basically rivers.

"Bless the rains down in Africa"

Yesterday we got to go to church in Mukono. I think it was the most spiritual experience I have ever had.  Everyone came up and met us and were so nice!  All the kids are adorable, I am going to want to take one home with me by the time I leave.  Heck, I wanted one way before I ever came to Africa :)

The people in Uganda are so humble and generous.  I met a lady named Beatrice at the market and she gave us a couple free mangoes even though she is trying to put eight children through school by herself and has nothing, she is so willing and happy to share what little she does have.  I love everyone.

We had a team meeting last night to hear about all the projects that they are working on.  Everything sounds so interesting and I want to help everyone.  I think I will just try a few out and see what I am interested in the most.  I'm excited to get started!

The internet connection here is not so good so I'm not sure if I will be able to post any pictures or not..  I'll try but everyone might just have to be patient and wait until I get home.  I hope I have tons.  I bought alot of memory and my goal is to fill it all up.

I can't believe I have been here for less than a week.  It seems like I haven't been in the United States for like a month.   Everyone says that the first couple weeks will be long but then it will go by so fast and it will be super hard to come home.

I seriously can't believe that this is my life!  I'm still waiting for someone to pinch me and wake me up.

Traveling

I arrived in Uganda yesterday after what felt like a week on an airplane.  

We spent twelve hours in London and were able to see Buckingham Palace, Trafalgar square and a couple other places that I can't think of at the moment.  We ended up getting back to the airport way before our flight left because we were so exhausted.  By the time we got to London, it was the middle of the night in Utah and I felt like I hadn't slept in days.  Sleeping on an airplane is just not the same as sleeping in my own bed.

Big Ben

The streets of London

When in London, you HAVE to get a picture inside of a telephone booth :)

Buckingham Palace- we were there for the changing of the guards but I really couldn't see and was too tired and confused to really know what was going on... or to care

Lion statue in Trafalgar Square

Following London, we had another overnight flight to Kenya.  The Nairobi airport was pretty small and we were there for just an hour, giving us enough time to check in for our flight and wait.  I read a bit and wrote in my journal.  The flight from Nairobi to Entebbe, Uganda was short - about 50 minutes.  We went out onto the tarmac and got into a bus which took us to out airplane.  Never done that before but I love being able to go onto the tarmac and getting into the plane that way from a ramp.

When we arrived in Uganda, we had to fill out an immigration form/landing papers.  It was intimidating to stand in line and wait for a visa.  What if they say no you can't come?  I didn't have any problems though and successfully got a visa.  I got my luggage which had all arrived safely with locks intact and everything.  Ari and Jesse (the county directors) were just outside waiting for us, along with two Ugandans who they hired to drive the other van.  There were nine of us that had just flown in and we loaded all our bags into two vans and took off.  The traffic was crazy!  There don't seem to be any rules and everyone drives really close and fast.  we stopped at a hotel in Kampala to change some money and then at a restaurant to get some food.

My Visa

It still was about an hour drive to Lugazi and we all fell asleep.  We made it to Lugazi to our house.  It is a very small town and I'm pretty sure we are the only white people around.  We walked around and kinda took a tour yesterday and all the little kids yell hi mzungu (white person in Lugandan).  They are really happy and excited to see us.  We are quite the novelty :)  They would just come up and hug us or hold our hands and walk along with us.

Our house is very small; two bedrooms for twenty one people and all of our luggage.  Needless to say it is pretty crowded.  We do have a courtyard in the front so it seems that we will hang out there.  The beds are stacked three high and I ended up with the bottom one.  Everyone said that it would be way hot but I never got hot and even slept with a little blanket.

Our House- the right half...

My bunk (the bottom one) was in the main room where everyone hung out

Three people are leaving on Wednesday so on Tuesday we are going river rafting down the Nile.  I think it might be kind of expensive but who cares.  Once in a lifetime opportunity.  I haven't really figured out the money yet so I'm not sure how much it is -- something like 80 dollars.

Tomorrow we will have a meeting and learn about the projects and start working on things on Monday.  Hopefully that will alleviate some of my homesickness and I will be able to figure things out.  I really miss my home and my family and wish that I had a good friend here to talk to about it.  Oh well I will get over that and get into the swing of things soon enough!

Its Time For Africa

Tomorrow I will be getting on a plane and flying almost 9000 miles to Uganda where I will be living for the next six weeks.  I can't believe that I'm really going to Africa!!  I'm a little bit nervous and intimidated by it, I have never been so far away from home before.  I hope that it is amazing as what I am picturing.

I am planning on keeping my blog updated -  at least once a week.  I don't know if I will be able to upload pictures or not but I promise that pictures will come once I return home.