Last Blog Post In Africa

Wow.  I can't believe I'm actually at this point.  I knew I was going to study abroad in Uganda since about senior year of high school and it actually happened and now its basically over.  


I have had an amazing time here and I've learned so many things and had my eyes open to perspectives I never would have thought about.  I have formed amazing relationships with new American friends and with Ugandans, especially my family, that will never end or be broken. 


So after four months in this amazing country, I'm ready to go back home.  I'm excited to see my family, Logan, my friends and youth group people that I have been missing for this semester.  I'm excited to sleep in my own bed, use American toilets with toilet paper every time, and drive my car - but im scared I'll end up driving on the wrong side of the road! Its a little hard to picture driving right now actually... 


BUT, even though I'm excited, I think it will be way harder to adjust back to American life more than it was adjusting to Uganda.  For one, I wont encounter poverty on a daily basis.  I will have a million more choices to make every day, every hour even.  And everything will be easy, and I'm not sure how I feel about it yet.  


So, it would really help me if would please avoid saying: 


- How Was Africa?  Because, if you knew me at all you would know I'm in Uganda and its a completely different country than all other African countries.  If you ask me this I'll just say great, and nothing else...


- I'm glad your back safe.  Because, I can't really think of a time when I felt unsafe. 


- Please don't make any comments about you being glad I'm not in a third world country.  Because yes, I'm in a developing country that has a lot of things holding it back, like corruption of government, etc.  But this place is amazing and there is so much beauty amidst the things like poverty that Americans could really learn from.  See blog post about presence!  


Those are the three things I can think of off the top of my head, but I'm sure there is more.  All I am asking is to please be patient with me and realize that when I don't want to spend money doing certain things or I try and take a more simple approach to doing life that its just what I have been personally convicted about and I'm not trying to change all of you.  I know that no matter how hard I try you wont be able to fully understand my experience here, and thats totally fine.  


So if you like to hear more about my experience, there will be a lot more processing and understanding of my experience, plus hopefully some more summer adventures!  So thanks for sticking with me these past four months and sharing my journey with me.  Also, if you have any specific questions or things you have been wondering just let me know, I'll have a lot more time to answer questions and put up pictures, etc.  


Webale nyo bassebo ne bannyabo.  Weraba!  


P.S. Rwanda for the next 10 days, Mukono for a night (hopefully at home!), Entebbe for four days, and then I'm back on American soil May 4th - 2 weeks from today! 

Time Flies

How is it April already?  Time goes by so fast here I really lose track of the days...sorry its been forever since a blog post, to me I thought it had been about a week.  So, quick picture update: 


1) The weekend after rural homestays we went to visit Bridget at her boarding school because they had a visitation day.  It was a fun 4 hour drive there and back riding in the back with Alex and Megan.  I was really excited to see Jja Jja again.  I dont know if I have introduced her or not, but she is my grandmother who still lives in the village but was at our house because she was sick and needed to be close to Kampala. She is about 86 and a little ball of fire.  I wish we spoke the same language because I'm sure I would have pee-ed my pants laughing with her.  It was great to see Bridget too!  She is definitely growing up fast too. 

Me and Jja Jja

Sisters! 

2) So that was on a Saturday and then on Sunday, Rogers wanted to host all of the USP students for a "tea party".  Little did Megan and I know he meant like fried chicken and samosas, aka a big deal.  But it turned out great and everyone enjoyed it.  Kinda funny seeing that many people at my house though! 

22 Mzungus + 10 Ugandans = 1 Big Party

3) I just love Saturdays, because things like this happen: 

The Boys and Their Girls

:) 

4) Last Thursday the USP students lead community worship which was kind of hilarious because most of us really dislike community worship but it was actually great to have a comm. worship American style.  So we did all of these great songs and then Cody, who was leading asked Caitlyn Black and I to choreograph a dance to one of them... and I said yes, which right after, I wasnt sure why the heck I agreed.  But it turned out GREAT! Caitlyn and I were expecting it to take us hours to come up with something but we finished the whole dance in an hour.  And then, we never even had time to actually practice it and so we just did it up on stage and it was awesome.  I mean Ugandans dont really know/do anything close to ballet or contemporary but it was still awesome and I'm kind of proud of myself for doing it. Then I was interviewed by the school newspaper but I havent seen it come out yet... 

4) IMME had weekend travel to Luwero March 25-27.  Luwero is where the current President Museveni started his bush war to overthrow Obote II.  Basically it was just a place of death for years, and even though its been 26 years since it happened, it is very fresh in everyones minds.  The first place we went was a memorial site for all of the civilians who died in the midst of the guerrilla warfare.  It was just a big mass grave with almost 3000 people, and it was just one of 15 in Luwero.  

We also spent a day at a Compassion site (which I'll have a separate blog post about) and talked to and Anglican Bishop and Catholic Priest about the work they are doing in the area, especially in regards to HIV/AIDS because it is 7% higher than the national average (13%) in Luwero.  

Here is a picture of us with Father Gerrie: such an amazing man!  

Hes also a gentile giant.  The people who look the same height are standing on a step.  This is at his church that we went to on Sunday.  

5) We went on safari last weekend and it was awesome! Ill do a whole blog post about that one too hopefully, but here is a preview: 

He was just hanging out on the side of the road on the way into the park. Nbd. 

As for me, I have 2 hours of class left, an 8 page religion paper, a Luganda final and an discussion on simple living and then my time at UCU is donzo! 

Craziness.  At least I get a lot more down time before Rwanda....