my new do.

This past week has been an intense one, but also not quite very eventful. Sorry for the lacking blog posts, but I do now have news worth noting!

Exams and coursework are coming to an end. In the terms my Ugandan peers use, we are “revising” for a “paper” (which somehow translates to mean studying for exams???). Exams here are a really REALLY big deal. They are worth 50% of your mark and require sitting for a three hour “paper.” I had one on Wednesday, World Views, and I could equate it to the SAT’s in a way. Everyone has to have two ids to enter, and only a pen, key and those cards were allowed. People are scattered throughout the room and the exam booklets and tests are distributed. The proctor (not the teacher), even says the
fun”-yet-stressful “you are remaining with 38 minutes!” It was a tiresome three hours, but I am glad its over! Since then I have finished a term project and am preparing to do one more exam on Tuesday and two more courseworks.

It absolutely blows my mind to think that in less than two weeks I will be back in my house, in my bed, with my family, hot showers, and apples… I have missed these things in time, (my family more than that!) but feel also as if this is all I have ever known. Leaving a nearly four month journey behind will be difficult, yet there is joy in seeing friends and FAMILY!

Okay, so now for the title of the blog to manifest into details. Today I sat for nearly ten hours getting my hair plaited with long twists. My dear friend Emmah, who I met on the swings at the beginning of the term (kindred spirits from the start!) was gracious enough to spend her entire day twisting and twisting my hair. I left my room around eight fifteen in the morning and after getting the extensions, with eating lunch, scarcely-short breaks, and visiting afterward, I returned at nearly eight to campus. I-yi-yie! A very long day. But it was “sweet” to hang out with her and her cousin, in their hostel (apartment/room). So now I have long, about at my heart-length, chestnut brown hair that is in small twists. Good news: I don’t have to wash it for awhile, and I can return home with a new do. Bad news: I fear taking it out because of how much hair is supposedly normally lost. (I kinda freaked at some points thinking about it today- I had lots of time to think- but whatev!) It was amazing to me how long it took and how short it will really stay in… like two weeks maybe. A whole day for two weeks of cool hair!? I think this is a once-a-lifetime event. But I like it and had lots of fun.

About Emmah: she is a Kenyan studying in a pre-year term, which is kinda like senior year high school mixed with a freshman in junior college. She went to beauty school, so is a professional, and wants to study social work. She loves reading and watching movies. And popcorn! She is “sweet!” She even gave me a gift tonight which is so selfless and gracious: this really cute dress that she had, which I guess I commented on a few times that she looked “smart” in it. It’s really convicting and amazing to see people give of what they have in such generous ways. I wish that I could somehow be the same!

Now I am sitting in the dark with a few tea lights glowing next to me. I think I will miss the calmness that comes with a blackout (when I don’t have a paper due the next day that is!). I am leaving this semester soon behind, and am not sure quite how to understand it all. Yesterday in Kampala this guy asked me where I would be in ten years, and honestly I had (and still have not) a clue. If I came with questions, I am leaving with at least the same number. Although in different things. I have learned a lot about Jesus and my faith, but what I am going to do about it all remains the big question. I am looking forward to debrief, where hopefully I can sort out some of this, at least a slice of it!

Last week. Farewells. Hi to mom and alli. Finish exams and courseworks. Friend time. Hmm.

the collision of joy and sorrow.

Tonight as I was walking back from the main road, I had a moment. With a head of roasted corn in my hand, a new magazine bead necklace on, and the tunes of fergie playing in my ear I was (literally) jammin’ and loving my life. An “is this really my life” moment! Life in Africa is really wonderful, the lessons I have read about have played out before my eyes and taught me so much. The people are so open with all they have, and inspire me. But two things I miss: my family and efficiency. Efficiency is unheard of here. When the internet failed us (again) tonight, my friend matt said, “I wonder how much time we have wasted here… days maybe.” Personally I can’t buy into the belief that it was lost time, I have to assume that it taught me something good. But days are packed full, and yet hardly any work is accomplished. This week I have craved my home more than I have in that last three months. Which I guess is a good thing, since I will have to transition to life there in only three short weeks. Ah! The collision of joy and sorrow.

This week and next is the culmination of all our classes: full of coursework and exams. A little overwhelming on top of the miniscule time we have left here in Africa! So not only am I ending classes, but ending reality as I have known it for four months. It’s bittersweet. I have just felt like I have created friendships and connections in the community finally, but now I am leaving. On the flip side, the idea of chocolate chip waffles with cottage cheese and fruit is sounding more and more wonderful to my tummy. J I can’t wait for Christmas time with my family. No agenda. No anxiety over wasted time. Just relaxing by the fire with a blanket and cuddly socks. Bliss.

Please keep me in your prayers in the few weeks to come if you remember. As everyone copes with the emotions of the bitter-sweet exodus from Africa, I pray that we can encourage and support each other here and not get hostile. The transition from a life I love, back to my old reality which I miss will be hard and overwhelming at times. Pray please that I can cope well, and that I live these last three weeks fully present here with no regrets. As I finish classes, and want to do so much more here, pray that I would not let anxiety creep into me. Also, relationships that I rejoin when I return may be awkward and I ask for prayer that it would be smooth transitioning back into them.

I love you all. And miss you more and more every passing day.

[ My lovely mommy and sister are leaving for the Philippines tomorrow, so any prayers for them would be magnificent and appreciated also. I love them SO much! ]

Thanksgiving Day

My Thanksgiving day in Africa began with a short jog around the school with a friend, and a cup of sweet black tea. Followed by a morning of classes and a power nap on my favorite bench in front of the children’s library. The focus of the day was on the evening and I found myself (and others voiced similar sentiments) throughout the day purposefully moderating what I ate so that I could surely be hungry for the American feast tonight. In the afternoon, after a good lunch conversation, some friends and I ventured to a professor’s house to use their stove to make our apple crisp dessert for the dinner (and enjoy the couches, family-style house, and even watched friends). I ate so many apple peelings, delightful. I am okay with being an apple peel glutton, it could be much worse. Hehehe. It reminded me of my younger days when mommy would use the apple-peeler-corer-slicer and I would eat a paper towel heaped with a long apple peel snake: that I would chomp and slurp. Good memories relived. Thanksgiving dinner was in the Vice Chancellor, Stephen Noll’s backyard. Essentially a gorgeous garden spacious enough to hold the plus eighty students, student guests, staff, and other ex-pats from the community. Their was music and a big tent, an abundance of chairs and even floor mats. There were other mzungu students (or Hungarians as Kimberly thought) from a program called Food for the Hungry (not Hungary).  I met a wonderful girl named katelyn, and it was good to talk through our different experiences, process aloud with a new face, and think through reengaging the US culture upon return. The feast was barbequed poultry (maybe turkey?) and roasted matooke bananas (an African meal would not be complete without matooke!). a table buffet of coleslaw salad, mashed potatoes, steamed pumpkin, green beans and corn, a dinner roll, and a traditional African fruit salad (watermelon, pineapple, banana, and some popo seeds). It was delightful to enjoy the party with so many people and activity and talk and relaxation all at once. Then was dessert… oh my goodness. Apple crisp, chocolate banana bread, chocolate chip cookies, cakes of sorts, frosting from cakes that had been devoured before me, and kettle corn. I kinda feel shaky now from the sugar overload. But it was worth it ALL!  And to top off the night there was a projector brought out for the showing of Charlie Brown’s Thanksgiving and Christmas films. It was humorous to watch everyone enjoy watching the cartoon so much… its tradition! I am so thankful for my family, the opportunities that I have had in my lifetime (especially Africa), for the friends I have made in my time here, and the place I am at in my life now. Thank you Jesus for life and hope in this crazy fallen world.

Free to laugh. Free to dance. We are family.

This Monday afternoon, I heard a quiet knock from my atop my plaid-covered bed. And the timid opening of our painfully creaky door where I reside. Followed by the squeal of a young girl in a smart, hot pink pinafore, who proceeded to hurl herself onto me. Trailing quickly behind was a young lad, smart too in his pink button-up and daily polished black school shoes. With a quiet grin he too gave me a big hug, the biggest a skinny boy of age seven could muster I believe. Retracing their steps away from the mat they removed their shoes, then climbed atop my bed beside me. Puppy dog eyes the size of goose eggs that time back had looked around my room with bewilderment were more at home this day. Sharing gnuts together, to fill the tummies of beloved children who had likely not eaten since posho and beans for lunch, the young boy was especially glad, and careful to eat all, even the crumbles. Puffing up his cheeks and popping the air out with his small fingers, likely laden with dirt form the schoolyard, I knew he loved me. Words were not necessary. After sharing laughs, reading about Yertle the “Kabaka” Turtle, and dancing the calypso, I reminded myself that “a visitor is not an intruder” (Taylor). And thus purposed myself to treasure my time spent with these lovely children, knowing too that my time here with them is on the brink of being over. Pasting stickers on each other and translating animal names of the stickers to Luganda, I remember the deserved giggles for my fumbling tongue.

Free to laugh. Free to dance. Unhindered and unashamed. Living outside my fearful self and enjoying life and love.

Holding hands we closed out dance party to “We are Family.” Hands and bodies forming a circle of three, spinning and moving our feet to the tempo, the girl exclaimed, “we ARE family” with purity on her smiling lips. Flooding emotions filled my heart with the inclusive intimacy that my sister had invited me into. I am remembering now what Dr. Brooks shed light on just the other day: Jesus allowed the agendas of people to interrupt Him and was fully present in loving and teaching them. “To live is Christ,” to love is Christ… He who says he abides in Him ought Himself also to walk just as He walked” (Philippians; 1 John 2:5-6).

What if I had not let their interruption conflict with my coursework? What if I had rushed them out after handing them a lollipop like last time? We never would have danced as a family. I never would have seen the lesson of life played out for me. Life is relationships. Presence. Selfless love. And lived not through the tick marks beside a long list of to-dos, but through the allowance of sporadic interruptions to exceed all plans ever imagined. “This is your life/ are you who you want to be” (Switchfoot).

aids in uganda.

i wrote this for an assignment, but thought you might enjoy reading it!

Sub-Saharan Africa has the highest estimate of children and adults living with HIV in the world, according to a UNAIDS report at the end of 2005. The number is a breath-taking 25.8 million human beings, of the 40.3 people infected worldwide. As early as 1982, Uganda had only two infected persons with the “slim disease,” which exploded to 25-30% of the population being infected by the late 1980’s. A combination of government and non-government forces have successfully worked together to tackle this sweeping epidemic, and have since lowered HIV/AIDS prevalence in Uganda to 6.4%. (Fountain, UCU) Jane is a ten year old girl who was orphaned by AIDS. Tests will show whether she too has been infected, but how will she deal with this death sentence?

Being in Sub-Saharan Africa myself I have had no intimate relationships with anyone directly affected by HIV/AIDS, or at least willing to disclose this painful information to me. My only interactions have been vicariously through other’s stories and through the field trip to a community center in Luwero, to play with children infected with the disease. I was surprised, and humbled, by the excitement these children had for life; and their consistent praise for having life that day and even specifically for their health. Consistently this semester we have stressed the importance of relationships and presence and bottom-up evangelism and aid. Interacting with the children on a personal level, playing games and being graciously handed pieces of chapatti from a boy only five years old, lends me to put into question my previous view of the epidemic.

Before coming to Uganda I knew little about HIV/AIDS. My formative argument for this subject thus came from my politics book review on William Easterly’s book, White Man’s Burden, where he addressed the problem of AIDS and aid. He argues that prevention is a better way to save lives than treatment because there is no cure for AIDS but there are definitive ways to prevent the disease from spreading. With his statistics and the information we learned this weekend, I feel like this is the best way to use our money for foreign aid pragmatically. But I can not see how to feasibly turn my eyes and heart away from the children who are already suffering and have been abandoned, or let the numerous who have been handed their death sentence fall into hopelessness.

The exposure I had to AIDS was very limited while being here, therefore I will not fabricate an empty statement about feeling called to help with HIV/AIDS. However, hearing other stories about friends living with families who had lost so many family members to the disease, and hearing stories like orphaned Jane, reminds me of the mere breath our lifespan on earth is. And that pushes me to live my life purposefully on purpose. To love as Christ loved us: sacrificially and without passing judgment. To live a life of ministry through relationships, and commitment to treating people as people created by the Creator. Inviting interruptions to invade my self-absorbed consciousness and live for others. And being fully present in whatever community God leads me to be a part of, whether diseased, lame, or rich.

classroom visit snaps.

classrom visitation.

camping trip to the islands snaps.

ssese islands.

rural homestay snaps.

rural homestays.

a what? a classroom in uganda.

Education in Uganda is seen as one of the most important things in life.
Education means a job (hopefully).
A job means money.
Money means food and a home.

My home stay Mum said that her number one priority is giving her children a good education. She chose education over electricity.

A little about the education system in Uganda:

Primary School is essentially elementary school in the US. The levels are P1-P7. Secondary School is a mix of junior high and high school. The levels are P1-P6. It gets complicated here because P1-P4 is “O” level and P5-P6 is “A” level. The distinction, from what I have gathered, is that “A” level gets to specify in their best subjects, as opposed to general classes. And this does not mean a choice of what to study, but a placement into subjects based on exam scores. University is typically three years, for most “courses” (except law and medicine). Again, they do not get to choose their course; the school looks at their exams and offers them to come for that course alone. Exams, therefore, are extremely important. Imagine the amount of stress put on these KIDS, for they are essentially pining for their future everyday starting in primary school!!!

Oh yah, students get to go to school when they have money, not the age. The P2 class I observed ranged from seven to fourteen year olds (avg. was 9 years).

School fees and uniforms are common. Public schooling is not preferred, so most schools are “religious” private school. School fees are one of the biggest headaches of families. I was at my home stay on the first day of school and along with fees, they also had to supply notebooks, pencils, a broom, and toilet paper: these alone were a struggle for my family. Today I was blown away with what school fees actually are: 10,000 Ush per term (three terms per level). That’s about $5.72! On top of school fees, are uniform charges (which are about 10,000Ush) and if you want lunch that’s another 10,000Ush and if you want break porridge that’s another 5,000Ush, and if you want tutoring after school that’s an additional 10,000Ush. If you got all of these if would equal 45,000Ush… a grand total of $25.72 per term. That number multiplied by three every year AND by each child in the family can be very difficult to come by. That blows my mind because I think of what trivial purchases I make with that amount and yet it could easily help a child be educated and thus his future.

Another thing that blows my mind is that students leave at an average of 7 am and get home on average between 4-6 pm (except P1-P2 who may leave at 1pm). Plus walking. Then chores and cooking and revisions at home. The life of a student! Anyone who says Africa is lazy should be punched.

I visited my sister Phionah’s P2 classroom today at Bishop Central Primary School. They are identified by their bright pink uniforms (the “pink school” as opposed to the aqua or purple school).  There were 2 teachers, Cathy and Ronah for a classroom of 80 students!! The classroom was still about the size of a classroom in the US, but instead of desks were rows of benches and tables. And kids crowded in! (I have heard of much worse ratios, especially in rural school where as many as 1-200 students in one class!!)

When I walked in they all rose and welcomed me to P2 in unison. Learning is basically memorization and repetition and lists: very low on Bloom’s Taxonomy. There is no “Why?” question asked or critical thinking, just straightforward copying and memorization of the answers. But that is not necessarily the teacher or students fault:: there are NO resources. There was only one book, for the teacher, in the whole classroom. A chalkboard. And a small notebook (and pencil) for each subject, for each students. It makes sense why they are forced to memorize and repeat everything, yah?!

I should have known better to go into a class and not be asked to teach… so I wasn’t surprised too much when they asked what I wanted to teach! I did a warm-up song (from VBS) and gave a short English lesson of six words. I was nervous and laughing before I started, but I felt really comfortable and at home teaching. It was FUN! 

Similar to schools in the US, to keep them alert they did an activity of jumping and clapping and yelling and dancing (adorable) in between subjects.

Cathy, a new teacher, told me that she guesses that 20+ students will not be promoted to P3, or even demoted to P1. How heartbreaking: so much money wasted. BUT I wonder if it is because the education system is not appropriate for all students. Special education, other than physical handicaps, doesn’t exist. (You can get one-on-one lessons after school, but when money for uniforms is already a problem, so are tutors!) One boy was claimed to be essentially bad or lazy and not a hard worker because he never completes his assignments on time. He was hit with the stick… broke my heart! Teachers are not lovey-dovey. Students seem to fear them, or at least them with the stick in their hand. (I think the stick is a culture/classroom management thing, not a hatred beating tool… I hope.)

The social studies exercise was listing “needs of people in school,” of which the first five responses were: food, toilets, water, uniforms, shoes… then came classes, teachers, books. I will let this speak on its own.

I hope to go back to visit soon. The teachers (and students!) were kind and happy to have me visit. 

island camping.

this weekend i went camping with sarah and kimberly on an island in the middle of Lake Victoria, one of the largest fresh water lakes in the world. We set up our extremely-ridiculously-heavy tent on the white sand, at the end of the beach. it was relaxing and we spent time roasting marshmallows in our campfire, talking, and reading in hammocks and in the hot sun. it was fabulous! it was so great to have alone time, that was unstructured relaxing... much needed break from our consistently busy weekends and weekdays! :)

hello friends and family at home!

I am posting three blogs that are fairly long. I apologize but so much has happened and I want to give you a full perspective of what I have been going through these past two weeks.  just a beware warning before you start!

Also, I apologize for the lack of communication recently. It has been equally (if not more) frustrating for me not to have a good internet connection. And when I say good I mean being able to send more than one message every day because it keeps cutting in or being crazy slow.  please pray that I would not be bitter or anxious about reading emails, researching, or registering for classes. It is a daily challenge to be okay with (or without!) it.

So I will write to you all when I have a chance, I have not forgotten about you!! This is a blanket message that I love you all and am coming home next month, and will want to have a good convo over a cup of tea with all of you! 

Love aimee

Hmmmm.

note: just an update, i am safe. :)

My arrival back to ucu was startling. Kimberly went to our room and found that it had been broken into while we were gone. Walking into the room was extremely creepy, seeing their entrance through the window and everything pulled out and searched through… So much could have been missing, and we are so grateful that only some money was taken. (our laptops were next to the money, and they were still there… amazing!).

because of the size of our window space, we are fairly sure a kid was involved, which breaks my heart because it likely will be used for school fees or food… what a desperate and broken world.

One thing I took from this, and have been reminded of a lot lately, is the shortness of life and the meaningless of material things. It put life into perspective and realigned my priorities. Life is becoming less and less about things, grades, perfection and fear, and more about people, relationships, love. “To live is Christ.”

Miracle?!! Before the trip I was wondering aloud with my friends why I still had my passport in my room. When I got back it was missing. Our intern said he was confident my passport was with the others at immigration, but I was (and still am) 99% sure that i still had it. I was set to get a new one (and part with all my stamps ) and was okay with that, BUT today the intern told me he had it. I literally jumped up and down!!!!  

Both kimber and I are recovering and our nerves are claming, but are very emotionally drained. A praise is that it brought us closer together, but a prayer request would be continued healing from this traumatic experience (especially for the next night the power goes out) and a renewed trust in people.

sound of music: the african way.

What a beautiful day of hiking!! With packed pb and jelly sandwhiches, four fun friends, and my camera, we set out hiking in Mt Elgon National Park and down Sipi Falls (both in Southeast Uganda, bordering Kenya). 

It was one of the more-prefect days of my time in Uganda. We hiked all day through every terrain imaginable: in the rainforest, through mud, across sketchy bridges and ladders, through fields of matooke (bananas) and maize (corn), and through villages. Our hike culminated at the top of a mountain near an acacia tree (think lion king), overlooking the valley, and at the end of a maize field. There we ate roasted corn (which is a wonderful favorite of mine) with Ugandan boys while overlooking miles of green rolling hills. And listening to three majestic waterfalls gushing. It was a moment I will never forget. Fabulous.

my life in a hut.

Spending a week living in the African bush was an experience much different than what I expected. On Friday we left for Eastern Africa, the district of Soroti, with the region of Iteso people (who were affected by the flooding of this semester). We stayed the night together at a staff member’s house and then Saturday morning we were dispersed throughout the community into Ugandan families.

The anticipation of who my family would be and what my hut would look like excited me. My dream was living miles from all the white people with me, in a mud hut, with a poor family full of kids. These hopes and expectations were shattered when I pulled up to a few cement buildings slightly off the road. I almost cried because I was so shocked at the “extravagance” of the place, and was only slightly relieved when I saw a cement- grass thatched-hut for me to sleep in. Because this was not the experience I expected or thought I wanted, I had to fight to have a good attitude.

Therefore through the five days I chose to love my family and be present and fight for contentment. A verse at church on Sunday, was Proverbs….. this really spoke to me and challenged me to change my negative thoughts. Processing the trip after I heard other experiences in huts was difficult for me, but I learned a lot. My challenge was not to survive a hut experience, because that would be easy, BUT to be content with the situation I was in and I really had to battle for that! But I also realized that I had a stigma about the people in rural areas ALL being destitute and poor, creating an “us” and “them” divide between us. And it was good to be again reminded that all of Africa is not poor, does not need my help, and is made up of real people who have stories and lives… therefore, they should not be boxed into the “pity-poor-box”.

Once I got over myself, it turned out to be lovely.  My family was wonderful:

Mama Catherine shared a hut with me and her son, Ivan, who was almost two years old. She was such a hard worker, and was responsible for cooking all the meals for the compound, doing laundry, teaching me everything about rural life in Africa, AND caring for her son. If anyone says Africans are lazy… it’s a big fat LIE!!

I woke to Ivan screaming every morning before seven (whooo!), but I was useless because he feared me.  He was adorable 24/7, but equally clingy to his mom and bratty.


My Tata (Grandma) and Papa (Grandpa) were the sweetest folks. Tata was 71 years old and still tilled, swinging a large hoe, in the “garden” (or LARGE farm!). She was a lead farmer for the community in honey and oranges, which she was very proud of! She even had Washington Naval oranges and tangerines… yay, a piece of home!  Papa was a retired educator, who was secretary to the commission of education of Uganda under Obote and Amin (two previous corrupt presidents). So he met and advised the presidents!!  He studied at Leeds University in the UK and was so wise and sharp with current news. Their sitting room and porch was where I spent a majority of my time, in awe of their wisdom.

Esther was a twenty-one year old cousin who had a daughter, Martha, and was pregnant when I left (but could have had her baby now!). I was always astonished when she would be lifting huge jerry cans of water on her head or giant pots of potatoes and bending over constantly, but in Africa about to have a baby I guess doesn’t stop women from working hard!   Her daughter Martha was a quiet doll, who was always watching everything, but shy in interacting.

Others in our compound (a mix of generations with different places to sleep and cook) were three children who were only present the first two days. But Ernest, my six year old cousin, always followed me and loved my watch and camera. I was sad I didn’t get to say goodbye. His sisters were also adorable, Eseza (2) and Esther (4).  A fifteen year old cousin was quiet but also a hard worker.

So, I stayed with them five days: farming, cooking, making gnut butter, enjoying tea time, and I even killed the chicken for supper!! Yep, uncle brian if you are reading this… I DID IT!!  On my first morning I was dressed for morning church and my mom asked, “Do you want to kill the chicken now?” I agreed with a chuckle (at the irony and out of fear) and grabbed my gloves. Picture this: I am dressed up for church with a dull knife sawing (literally) off the head of a pretty white hen!!!!! Crazy. So with my arm extended as far as possible, keeping a safe distance, I finished cutting the head off the chicken, while my cousin held her down. This is a cultural way in Iteso to honor the visitor- so my mama was SO happy that I did it. At supper, I wasn’t sure if I felt proud I ate what I killed or upset and grossed out that I saw what my food looked like first…. Hmmmmm…..

I helped Tata heap potatoes, weed potatoes, transplant potatoes, and harvest potatoes.  I made peanut butter (with what they call gnuts). First the shelled gnuts were roasted in a saucepan with sand, then I mashed them with a long stick, then I grinded it smooth on a grinding rock. It was SO cool to make organic peanut butter (like tjs)!!  it was hard work, and I have an even deeper appreciation for pb now when I eat it!

Other highlights were picking spinach leaves, making millet flour (even taking it to a granary), eating with my hands (culturally they use their hands to shovel their food, but it is NOT because they are too poor to afford silverware… they WANT to), smearing cow dung over a winnower (yep yep ), sitting and chatting on mats, and pumping water from a boar hole. One thing that was not so fun, but both a learning experience and another confirmation that life is short, was paying respects to a relative that died. We crammed into a truck and drove an hour, and immediately when the women got out they WAILED at the highest pitch and volume imaginable into a dark hut. I was shuffled in too, and just stared at the women yelling and crying next to the body of the dead man that lay in front of us. All the men stayed outside in chairs, and we, the women, joined them on mats nearby. (There are huge gender role stipulations and differences.)

Every day we did something different and I loved living like a hippie, completely organic in a hut, in the bush of Africa. I am inspired to have a garden now and live simply.  it was a HUGE learning experience and I was challenged in ways I never expected to be. Thank you God for such blessings and opportunities!

Lastly, our group traveled to a disintegrated IDP camp in Amuria district, where refugees have fled for safety from the LRA, the Karamajoung, and the recent floods. The conditions were awful, with families living in close-quarters and with maybe ten families to one latrine. Water and food are difficult to come by, and aid is either ill-proportioned or scarce. LAND: after living off the land for five days, I realized why hopelessness is rampant in the camps- because families can no longer work for their food with dignity nor have a place to raise a family. I hate to repeat myself, BUT: Africa is not what I expected it to be! It did not change my life (like I expected), but I did learn that sometimes when I want a great, personal story to tell or a wonderful experience to have, it is at the expense of the comfort of the people I am engaging (and I don’t want to be a part of “slum tourism”).

photos from the pearl of africa.

uganda photos.

real life splash mountain.

This weekend was a blast! I RAFTED THE NILE RIVER!! In africa!!

We rafted 30km up the Nile River, in class 3-5 rapids. J It was a crazy day. I almost cried in fear at some points, but I was brave- I swam with fishes, rafted class 5 rapids, saw more white foam then ever before. Thought my life might end. Body-surfed a class 5 rapid, after I was thrown from my raft, then floated down the Nile (and felt like baby moses!).

The feeling of knowing you are entering extreme waves and then you see the foaming crests! The anticipation of tipping or getting launched from the boat is awful!

Our raft was full of nine awesome people, and our team was called “So Wicked” (which our guide, Roberto, gave us). So before and after each rapid, we would put our paddles together and shout!! :) Before we really got going far, Roberto gave us a mini-lesson. We had to practice paddling, getting down and holding on (TIGHT!), falling out, swimming with our feet up in a small rapid, flipping the boat, and breathing under the boat. It was thoroughly frightening, but beneficial I am sure. Then we started…

…. And we come to a rapid called, Big Brother, which is our first CLASS 5 RAPID of the journey. As we were preparing to go, and Roberto was telling us everything we needed to know, we looked on the shore and there were swarms of red-tailed monkeys… everywhere!! :) But I was still almost crying before we started paddling to the rapid. Our raft was silent as we were rafting to our doom, it seemed. Then we started singing, “as we go on, we remember, all the times we had together…”- which is so morbid and depressing we realized! :) (my prayer: God make me brave!!) As soon as we went over the edge, we saw HUGE crests and flows of white water waves. AHHHHH!!!! The story according to the guide: we almost were out of the rapid, when we went too low down to clear the next crest. So our raft went perpendicular to the water and flipped upside down! The story according to me: I was a huge wave, then all of a sudden I was launched into the water. I think I blacked for a second, and then tried to remind myself to hold onto my vest, (don’t panic), count to seven, keep our feet up. It was a fast struggle, but not as bad as I imagined it to be! Then I body-surfed the next two or so pounding waves. I didn’t panic because I was trying so hard to keep my legs first and to merely survive. Then I followed the current (trying not to imagine what animals were below me in the deep deep water) for over ten minutes until I was taxied by a kayaker to my raft. Where I found that we flipped! :) For the anticipation that I was feeling before, it was SO not as bad as I imagined… actually it was REALLY fun and I just had to laugh out loud as I floated at how insane the whole situation was: flipping in a class 5 rapid on the Nile in Africa…. Wow!! :)

Throughout the rest of the trip, we never flipped again and I stayed in the boat, although we continued to go through class four and five rapids (there were some fives, but we took a “mild” ride, not “wild). We got an awesome lunch of SANDWICHES and even a lollipop break! (on the lunch island I saw a monitor lizard- sickeningly large and gross- alli you would have flipped!) :) Two more crazy stories include almost flipping over a rock into a class five waterfall that we were trying to avoid, and almost entering a dangerous class 6 rapid (called The Bad Spot) due to our pathetic paddling maybe! :) AHHH!! But then at the end our guide told us to jump out and we finished the rapid in the water. “SO WICKED!!!”

We rode in the back of the open air truck carrying the rafts. It was surreal to be on the dirt roads in the truck, like in the movies! :) This morning I woke to the sound of monkeys dancing on our tin roof and got another (#2) warm shower. And journaled overlooking the nile and a bunch of monkeys playing in the trees and running in the field. Amazing!!

Then I took a ton of pictures of my friends bungee jumping, in the safety boat for almost three hours. I made friends with the two nice boat guys: moses and Isaac.

What a fun trip! And exhausting! I love Africa and thought of many of you back home who would have loved to be here doing this (and who I would have loved your company of and would have felt brave with). Thank you God for great weather and no extreme sun burn and my roommate and especially for a safe trip rafting the nile. And for the beauty of your creation, especially sunsets over the nile! :) :)

.life in africa.

Remember back when I went on that charity flood walk?! Well the story behind that was that I felt like the answer to my prayer for a volunteer agency in uganda may come from me attending it. And I think it may have!! When I was at the walk I was drawn to this mzungu woman (when we see white people, we feel at home… J) and we ended up talking for the majority of the walk and talking about why she was here. Tamara and her husband are working for a micro-finance program here and with a program called Life in Africa. I mentioned that I was looking for an organization to work with while I am here. She said, OH yah totally- my co-worker is looking for people to survey refugee families in an IDP camp outside Kampala. WHAT!! I immediately was stoked.

So I called her and set up a time to meet…

And today we traveled there (got lost, but it was okay), saw the center and met up with tamara and Christina and peter (who has five day old twin girls that we got to hold- precious!). it was so cool. Our job will be to ask the families questions and meet with them for like an hour or two.

Real questions. Real answers. Real life.

Then I was worried that I have no free time to do this work, although I really want to. And I talked to our intern who said I may be able to MAKE it my service project, instead of adding it on and also free up some time to go. I feel really excited about this AWESOME learning experience. J please pray for continued HUMILITY and guidance in this opportunity!!

ps. i am SO excited because i feel like everything has lined up for me to do this! :) (kinda like a swipe to save feeling!)

finally time and power to blog! :)

hello to all back home who are reading this... greetings from Africa!

It has been awhile since I have blogged, I know. I have been busy nearly every night this week OR the power has been out when I have had time. We have reached the halfway mark of the semester yesterday, and feelings amongst the group are mixed. I still have so much more I want to do before I leave, and I love my roommate and friends here- so it will be painful to leave. BUT happily there is STILL HALF a semester yet, so there is no need to feel sad!

The picture posted is me in a town called Jinja, which is the Source of the Nile. It was beautiful! We had an Honors College Retreat there last weekend, which really helped to break the ice in our halls between UCU and USP students. I made an awesome friend named Rose, who lives on my hall. I really enjoy her, she is so wise and funny. We even have a special handshake / inside joke! :) At the retreat we were divided into groups and did Bible Studies and shared Testimonies within them. It was really cool to hear/ share our stories and also get different perspectives on the Bible. I am hoping to still join a Bible Study with some of them because I have really missed that dynamic of closeness and accountability.

..

POCAHONTAS comes to life! :)

Kimber and sarah and I shared a hut on the outskirts of the resort, it was cozy and beautiful! One afternoon I took our straw mat to do pilates in the open air. (Note: There is no fence or boundary surrounding the resort.) As I was doing pilates, the children were going to gather water from the Nile and passing on a trail that had an unfortunately good view of me on my mat. This one girl stopped and stared at me, I waved so she would leave, but she kept like hiding in the bushes, it had to be like three solid minutes, still watching me and starting at me… I felt like John Smith did in the movie, when all the natives hid and gawked at the white guy. I just had to laugh out loud because it was such an out of body experience!! But it was sufficiently awkward and got old really fast!! I must confess, sometimes I would hear them coming and pretend like I was sleeping so they would keep walking and not stare long! :)

..

On a more serious note, it is so humbling for me to hear close friends, and even my home stay family, express their need for school fees (which I think averages $200 a year). A friend came to visit me last night and said she was sent home because she needed to get her fees. She has not idea where she will get them or when. But despite how unfortunate it is, she still believes and trusts whole-heartedly that God will provide fees for her. WOW such faith! She is also inspiring because she has a heart full of love for Jesus and for suffering children. She has a dream to start an NGO for children all over the world, and I have seen her start putting feet to her dreams. She can’t even afford to go to school, yet she is so willing to give all to others… :) Please pray for her that she would continue to seek God’s specific guidance for the ministry, and for resources and planning to continue. She really has a vision for Trinity Global Child.

Life has been busy, and there seems to be no end in sight. We go rafting tomorrow (eek!) and rural home stays start next Friday. And when we return it will already be November. WOW! I miss all of you and thank you very much for all your prayers.

wonderful. lovely. blessed day.

:)

Beyond exhaustion and classes, my day went from okay to the BEST!

I reminded myself that I was here for Africa and experience, NOT good marks.

I felt comfortable at lunch, ate with some Kenyan friends and saw other friends in line… I actually felt like I was PART of the community!!

Thankfully our literature class started late and ended early… so kimber and I went to “study” at a canteen. I say “study” because we actually had a super wonderful conversation for like an hour about life, instead of our mounds of reading…. J

THEN we were asked to babysit for our professor, Rev. Button at eight.

So after dinner (posho beans and rice of course) our night became even more LOVELY!

The children were adorable (blondies with English accents) and we only had to read a bedtime story and put them to bed, then we were free to hang out.

Note: Sarah went to kampala and brought back cinnamon raisin bagels… so we toasted them. And Kimberlee bought a pineapple. PLUS we had delicious tea and coffee. J

Payment for babysitting is simple here: access to steaming hot showers and free reign of the kitchen and capability to relax on a couch while watching a movie not on a laptop!!

It was my first steaming hot shower in two months. such a blessing!! :) i was SO grateful!!
Kimber and i just looked at the shower and exclaimed: "there are TWO knobs!"

It was all just too good to be true!

Praise the Lord for a day chalk full of blessings.

I feel like I am rambling petty details, but my happiness is found in and because of these petty details. J

independence day. in uganda.

A joyous occasion.

A start to a wonderful morning were the "yogurt-banana-wheatabix” parfaits sar, kimber, and i created.

Bliss.

Then we went to an African FAIR!!

I felt like I was back in cali at the end of august, at the state fair.

There were exhibits, carnival rides, over-priced food, crowds, loud music and shopping.

I even had vanilla soft-serve ice cream and a hotdog (I know crazy… but I am in a fair in Africa and I only live this moment once!!... it was fabulous by the way! J)!!!

love. love . love

I LOVE AFRICA.

Independence Day, Tuesday, was the first day I could say that whole-heartedly.

Everyone has a countdown calendar, but not me.

Am I living in a fairytale?

I am even content to up with 4” grasshoppers in my shower and geckos by the toilets!!

Already devastated about leaving,

But joyful for a passionate place in my heart!

what i am learning. wrap up of primal vision.

Here is a summary of what I have been learning in my classes. There are some high points in bold, but if you want you can read all my thoughts (i am warning you that it's long!) ...

......

The book is by John V. Taylor (have you heard of him), Primal Vision. It talks about African Christianity, so lots of my faith has been challenged because it differs so much from Western Christianity. Questions like: Is there a Christian faith without culture?

If cultures are created by God, do we need to redefine them to fit the Western view of Christianity? Basically, does God shape culture or is Christianity shaped by culture? And the repercussions of these questions, and a lot of the book, bring up issues of salvation (is it necessary to know the name of Jesus; personal/ tribe or family decision), sin (is the OT and Ten Commandments relevant to all cultures or does it manifest differently according to culture; what about polygamy?), prayer (Africans speak/pray to ancestors because it continues community of tribe and because they are closer to God). Overall it was a really eye-opening book that I really enjoyed grappling with.

But to bring in Abide in Christ… Jesus transcended, meaning that He became like man/ suffered/ PARTICIPATED with people. In Africa the Descartes theory, “I think therefore I am” translates to “I participate therefore I am” (Taylor, 27) or “I am because we are.” Therefore belief is an action not just a thought. Faith is acted out, not simply a confession. I have wanted to intellectually wrap my mind around Jesus and Faith, but by this I felt assurance that my actions speak louder than my words (or thoughts). This links with abiding in Christ, because the life of faith is not a one-time decision, but PARTICIPATION with Christ, acted out in relationships with others, for all of life. Dietrich Bonhoeffer says, “Jesus exists only for other people… Our relationship to God is not a ‘religious’ one to the highest- that is not transcendence- but our relationship to God is a new life in ‘existence for others’, in participation in the being of Jesus” (Taylor, 58). I have been thinking a lot about relationship versus religion this semester, and realized one day that when I get to heaven I will not be in a “religion” with God, but a RELATIONSHIP with Him through the blood of Christ. His redemption has made it possible for me to be in a relationship.

“I am in Christ: This simple thought, carefully, prayerfully, believingly uttered, removes the fear that there is yet some great attainment to be reached” (Murray, 38).

“I am the Vine… He really will be to you ALL that a vine can be- holding you fast, nourishing you, and making Himself responsible every moment for your growth and your fruit” (Murray, 37).

“Our part is simply to yield, to trust, and to wait for what He has promised to perform” (Murray, 25).

Taylor devotes an entire chapter to PRESENCE. He says, “A Christian, whoever he may be, who stands in that world in the name of Christ, has nothing to offer unless he offers to be present, really and totally present, really and totally IN the present” (Taylor, 136). I have seen the outflow of this belief in the African culture. For example, a visitor is never an interruption to anyone. “Whether he is a child or adult makes no difference; one can enjoy the other’s presence without fuss or pressure, in conversation or in silence as the mood dictates” (Taylor, 3). Relationship over efficiency, again!! God is always present for all of His creation, and He showed this through Jesus’ Incarnation. Therefore we should follow His example of presence, in “MISSIONS” and our daily life.

Christ comes INTERNALLY into culture, not EXTERNALLY. He meets people and cultures where they are at. “Either He is the Lord of all possible worlds and of all human cultures, or He is Lord of one world and one culture only… From within their own culture He challenged their strength and judged their wisdom. He turned their world upside down, just as He had turned Judaism [diet and Council of Jerusalem] upside down” (Taylor, 74). So, Jesus transcends and participates with each culture individually. He uses Acts 2:7-11 about the Pentecost, “How is it that each of us can hear them in his own native language?” He also quotes Paul in his letter to the Corinthians about how he became a Jew to win the Jews (1 Corinthians 10:19-22). Not universalism- the name of Jesus is important and belief in His death and resurrection is still significant. God meets culture. (Yes, but how far, what about sin and lifestyle… hmmm for me still!!)

.......

I love you all and let me know what you think of all this. I would LOVE a good discussion. Feel free to point out truths and untruths that you see… :)

ps. i know its really long, but i didn't know how else to post it as a link, i apologize.

laundry day.

laundry. laundry. laundry.
what a process.
soak. scrub. rinse. rinse. ring dry. hang on the line. [watch for rain clouds.] iron.

i used to hate it, but i am learning to enjoy it now.
just this week i was hanging out my clothes and saw a monkey not twenty feet from me.
i savor moments like these.
what a joy to be in africa at times like these.

:)

CURRENT NEWS in uganda: FLOODING.

CURRENT NEWS in uganda is major, major flooding in Northern and Eastern Uganda for the past two weeks. Thousands of people have been displaced from their homes, some cannot even retreat without airplanes or a boat. of some kind. Their farming has been wiped-out and destroyed, especially their cassava (an edible root) and ground nuts (which really are a family's diet). and their toilets have been flooded and are now overflowing. which means that disease is rampant and starvation is equally devastating. president museveni issued a state of emergency for those districts last week.

yesterday there was a "charity walk for the flood affected areas".
i went with some other students from ucu and it was awesome to be a part of something happening in uganda, IN uganda. we marched through the town and raised money to be sent to the districts that have an urgent need for assistance- all sectors need help: food, medical, counseling, etc. after we marched we sat and listened to MPs (members of parliment) and other "majesty's" address the problem and offer compassion and mercy. the president also spoke, which i didn't stay for. but i guess he quoted a tribal proverb that was like "if life gives you lemons, make lemonade," but in english it translated to "if your mother drowns, make soup from the water." strange. and he also said the problem was the bridges, and that not a lot of people died. he said if the bridges were better than it wouldn't have been such a problem. i don't know about him... anyways it was an eventful day in kampala.

.....................................................................

for me the day was eventful as well. :)
african time was of course present in our after eight departure instead of seven... i actually left to get my own matatu (taxi) with a couple girls. then when we got there we had to go through this metal detector. and they wouldn't let anyone bring a camera... which we ALL had pretty much brought. sweet. NOT! the police shooed us away and told us to bring them home... which is like an hour away. craziest thing is that our friend will tried to go through after with his camera and then realized that he still had it in his pocket. they asked him to show what he had and he realized he had lied and panicked. so he backed up and said he wasn't going through anymore... it was so suspicious!! they totally thought he had a gun or something which they were NOT okay with... i was like "will just show him the camera..." thankfully they left him go then. don't mess with the ugandan police, they all have ak47s!! :(

irony: after giving up our cameras to someone, we walked the streets which meant TONS of people never even saw a metal detector and the area where the dignitaries spoke could have easily had a USEFUL metal detector check... that's uganda for ya! :)

during the walk i met a really awesome mzungu (which literally means "white person") named tamara. she is working with micro-finance here in kampala with her husband (and she's a believer too). we exchanged numbers and she said i could possibly volunteer to survey families staying in a local IDP camp near kampala. i am SOOO excited. i wouldn't just be a consumer-tourist, but i could actually converse with the acholi people!! :) :) just this past week i have been asking what my purpose is here, and where i can get involved for uganda. thank you God for showing me a potential direction!

also i was thinking about swipe to save and hoping that maybe we can find a good organization to send aid to these flooded regions. it was overall a very purposed time and i felt excited to start thinking creatively how i can offer my time and energy to help uganda!! :)

...........................................

prayers:
.. the forecast has more rain coming, which means more flooding. pray for the people who may be displaced and for adequate aid to arrive to help their food and medical needs.
.. personal direction for where God wants to use me while i a here. And even plans for after I leave this semester.

friends. sar.me.kimber. long-car-ride-fun.

what... internet... WOO-HOO!!

oh my goodness!!
i can't believe it... i am writing this blog on my OWN computer!
the internet works... major praise.
AND it was on a day when i needed my spirits lifted and this helped so much! :)
thanks for all your prayers for me.
i will post more pics and details later... because i CAN now!! :)

mac and cheese: congealed style!

on wednesday night i cooked macaroni and cheese for my family over a campfire-esque stove and mostly in the dark! it was an experience, but my family said they enjoyed it...

the menu: mac and cheese, with warmed bread and blue band butter, with banana boats for desert, and coke/ pineapple juice!!

after i boiled the macaroni everything got really hectic. the cheese sauce cooked really fast and the meal was done, but my whole family wasn't there. and the cheese congealed REALLY FAST. so i tried to like "mingle" (stir) it with these spoons and keep it warm at the same time, but it was pretty cold by the time everyone ate. oh well, they liked it (they said)!

i also made banana boats which were everyone's favorite, including mine!! oh and a cockroach flew into my face as i was making them, that was fun... grr! :)
it was an experience, and luckily they had never had mac and cheese before because it really didn't taste like the kraft stuff at home... oh well, a little taste of america is always nice once in a while, even if it is a little off! :)

i am wrapping up my homestay tonight and am really going to miss the family aspect of living here. but i am also looking forward to having LIGHT and my nights free for hw and hanging out with friends! hopefully i will get to visit often... i will miss them SO much! :)

YAY! I'm at an internet cafe

well i am finally getting internet long enough to post a blog... YAY!

this past week and a half i have been enjoying my homestay family a lot. i am learning to cook some new kinds of food (that i will let you try hopefully at home), and learning their language some, and i think i am finally adapting to their way of life. i find myself switching into "ugandan" mode a lot with the words i use and the tone of my voice, i am sure you would all laugh at me! :)

it has been an eye-opening experience to live in a family that is so poor and lives day-to-day. as i said last time, my mom works very hard as a cleaner at ucu. she sweeps classrooms and supports her family off of that income. i had a great talk with her on saturday about her testimony. she has such a strong faith in God and says she would not be where she is today without her prayers. to me it seems like she should doubt God because of everything she has been through and the struggles she has had to simply EAT. but she is grateful that everything has not been taken from her and that she has the job at the university. it is SO humbling.

it is also amazing to live so simply. i feel so grateful for the food i am given now because i know that it was not easy to put it on the table... and it is great to hear my mom say something like "praise God" everytime she finshes supper. :)

"african time"
on saturday i had a true experience with this concept. we were meeting my mom's sisters to go to their village, and were supposed to meet them at 10 am. all day we anticiapted their arrival... and i thought for sure they would never come. but right before 5 PM they finally came and we left. WOW!!!

my week hasn't been too exciting or different, but i am just still enjoying my friendships, learning ugandan, cooking with my host family, and am even adjusting to the bugs...
okay, after sunday that is...
sunday was a rough day and i think i would label it "homestay culture shock phase two".
i was feeling weak after church and on the way home bought an apple (even though it was expensive i felt irritated and uncomfortable maybe--- so i sought comfort in my apple).
after washing it with hand sanitizer and water :), i ate it in my room, so i didn't gloat my apple to my family.
during my enjoyment and de-stress period, what did i have to see but a rat, a RAT.
of all the things that i didn't need that day, it was the rat that came in my room and went under my feet.
then after rushing through my apple (bummed i couldn't enjoy it longer) i fled the room.
and realized there were cockrocahes there too...
so i slept in my sleeping bag for more protection now. :)
after my irritated day was over, i realized that i need humility in so many ways.
it is such a power struggle, when i know i am capable of things and my family doubts me.
(example: i was asked on sunday if i had ever walked barefoot before? or how i knew how to wash the dishes? or that i shouldn't walk 50 feet in the dark because i might fall)
but i am trying to remind myself that they just care about me and i should let them help me!
so if you think of it this week, please pray that i would be a "humble learner".

today on my way to class, from reading, a MONKEY crossed my path.
it was huge and had a long red tail. i was so excited!
it was the first time i saw one on campus!
it was a "i am STILL in africa moment"

tonight i am making mac and cheese (and banana boats!) for my family, over a campfire stove...
so i am praying everything works out and it tastes good!
i will keep you posted! :)

that was quite a random blog entry...
some prayer requests:
. that i would know my purpose in being here and what i am called to DO with all that i have seen and learned.
. for humility this week with my family
. for the thousands of people who are being evacuated and displaced in N. and E. Uganda due to horirble flooding.
. for maintating a RELATIONSHIP and not a religion with Jesus, and strengthening my faith!
thanks!

ps: an akward-"still-in-africa-moment"-with-the-bucket, story: it was time for bed and my mom was still in our room, so i was waiting to get in bed until i used the bucket (when she was gone or asleep). she asked me what i was waiting for and i asked if i coudl use the bucket... hoping she would leave for a minute. Oh, NO NO. she not only stayed in the room, she continued talking with me... eek!! i chuckled aloud to myself, what else could i do?! :)

i am definitely in africa

homestays:
i am now living in an awesome home for two weeks in mukono.
my home is very close to campus, only about a fifteen minute walk back to my room. And I get to walk with by brothers and sisters to school… unbeatable!
i love my family (but don’t worry parents, i love you more!).

i got dropped off, literally, in front of this house that had a small door and no windows. i walked into the darkness and there were children! (yay for brothers and sisters!) then my mom came home from the school and she had a bag of mushrooms. so we sat on the floor and picked off the bottoms that were mud-filled. we were to eat them in a sauce later… okay, lets do it!

it wasn’t until the evening that i saw the rest of the house, because i was a guest i think- they waited on me and treated me like royalty (even today i have to insist on helping and taking care of myself!). the rest of the house isn’t too much. they have two more rooms. behind the sitting room/ dining room there is a room with a tri-bunk bed and a table with cooking utensils on it. there is a side door that allows for light and leads to the outside where there is a shanty for cooking under. continuing through the rooms, after the children’s bedroom/kitchen/ storage, there is another room with more stuff and two beds. i sleep in the back and share a room with my mother.

i preferenced beforehand to be alone, with children, and rustic- of which i got all three!! there is no running water or electricity, and they cook their meals outside over a fire! awesome!!
its crazy, but i love it!
i just laugh so much
and smile constantly!

my ugandan family:

my mom is a worker at ucu and cleans the classrooms sometimes at night and sometimes in the early morning. she is very kind and has told me a lot about her family and how she has managed to provide for them throughout the years. praise god because without his strength and provisions, they may not have enough everyday.

my eldest sister is irene, she is 17 years old. i met her yesterday and she is very talkative. she is very sweet and we talked by lantern last night for a long time.

gerad is fifteen and left for boarding school (until december) on sunday- i felt so emotional that he was leaving for so long (but it seemed understood in the family so no one else showed sadness). he was quiet but had a great smile and i am sad that i won’t get to know him more.

jeremiah is “head cook” and is only thirteen. this guy rocks! he has been the cook for the family since he was ten and is so mature and responsible. he is going to teach me how to make everything… on top of cooking he also goes to school (from 6:30-6:30 everyday… crazy!).

now for sweet princess phionah (patience)… she is my sweetheart little sister, who is eight. she has a shaved head and missing front teeth, and a gorgeous smile. she tells me she loves me and lets me run errands with her. we made necklaces the first evening and she put “aim” beads on hers… love!

my teddy bear andy is my little brother, who is almost seven. adorable little guy who doesn’t speak very much english. but i tickle him and he loves it. we also love to make monkey faces and laugh together (phionah too). i can’t get enough of how cute this kids is, especially in his school uniform (with a little tie too)… 

there is also a girl named winnie who stays nearby and is kinda family. she is nineteen and will only be home for school on the weekends. she has an awesome heart for the hungry, poor, and injustice. she even has dreams for opening an NGO to help orphans… please pray for her as she continues to plan and trust god!

that’s the family…

now for a funny story. or two.

the first evening before we were going to bed, i asked if i could go to the toilet (which is kinda far outside). my mom looked at me and sincerely asked “do you mind the bucket?” taken aback, i was like, “sure that’s fine…” okay, whatever, just use the bucket!?!!?! laughing at how ridiculous it seemed she let me have space and i used the bucket… laughing the whole time… crazy!!  it was a i am def in africa moment!

a bug story.
the first night we were in the sitting room and little andy fell asleep and i saw cockroaches on the wall, then one walked across his face! are you serious…
then last night i was up talking to irene in my room and i saw something fly by. i was like oh, that’s a bat. my sister said, no that’s a cockroach. i was like okay then, whatever it won’t hurt me… continued talking… then this “cockroach” flew onto my bug tent… only it wasn’t a cockroach it was a baby bat! sick. sick. sick. i was freaked out and hid my face. my brave sister laughed and shooed it away. let’s just say that i was not as calm the rest of our conversation! but i was brave… yet soo grateful for my bug net!!

so despite the bugs, which i must say i am okay with for the most part – it’s so dark i can’t see them anyways!- i love my house.

i can’t believe i am so blessed to live like the majority of ugandans and “rough” it with sponge baths, pit toilets, cooking over a fire, and seeing by lanterns.

i laugh a lot and am grateful always.
especially when my little brother and sister curl up next to me on the couch and we cuddle… precious. unforgettable.

a brief recognition of culture shock phase TWO

a journal entry... (feel free to laugh out loud, that's why i included it!)

so i am in a guest house in kigali.
with not towels. and geckos.
wearing the same sweatshirt everyday
and clothes for the second or third time!
i didn't even bring bug spray to africa!
really aimee? WOW!
plus i have no pants or shorts, even at night my nightgown makes me vulnerable... to bugs!
bugs. geckos. centipedes. NO bed net. :(

Lord, keep me strong tonight.
and oh ya, i think i smell... welcome to africa!
You are going to stretch me.
i am already uncomfortable.

laughs. cries. smiles. tears.
this semester will contain them all!

(that night sar and i laughed ourself to sleep, because if we didn't we might scream! and don't worry, i am dealing a lot better with all the culture shock now!! :) )

AFRICAN RAIN SHOWER. literally.

we arrived at lake bunyoni, aka. the most gorgeous lake ever! it was a windy dit road through lucious forest that then came upon a lake surrounded by tall vibrant green mountains with small houses/ tents around it. the lake itself was mirror-blue with canoes and an island.

the moment we arrived it started raining, then pouring. me, kimber, sar, and dana all got into our swimsuits and washed our hair in rainwater from an african thunderstorm at a resort lake in the mountains! :) amazing!!

so freezing. so cleansing. so a once-in-a-lifetime expereince!

now we are sitting on our porch listening to the rain clank and drip on our tin roof and watch it glide oer the edge in between us adn a view of the lake. the thunder is tumultous and outrageously loud following flashing bolts of lightning across the whole sky. i love it! i feel so blessed!

recollections from rwanda

I am back from my 10-day trip to Rwanda. It was awesome, difficult, a blessing, and fun! I am glad to be back in Uganda, where we have a semi-routine, although we are leaving for home stays this Friday! J I will try to sum up what I saw and learned in Rwanda, but there was SO much that I can only try to give you a small piece of what occurred there….

When we left early last Saturday morning I had butterflies in my tummy.
The night before when we were supposed to cram everything into a tiny backpack, there was a power outage for most of the night!!
Thankfully by the grace of God we had a small amount of electricity and were able to SEE what we were packing…
Our drive was about eight hours, across the equator and into Rwanda.

What a difference between Rwanda and Uganda (see my blog for my comparison list!)

The trip was AWESOME in so many ways.
It was a great chance for all of the American usp students to bond!
I feel like I can integrate into the ucu community much more confidently now that I have formed good friendships and am comfortable that I am supported here!

I can’t believe all the cool people that I was able to meet and the places I was able to go!
What a BLESSING!!
I went across the equator; was welcomed into a rural church in kibungo; met the Bishop of Gahini (where the East Africa Revival began); visited the national genocide museum in kigali and a memorial site of a school massacre outside Butarre; went to a lecture at the national university of Rwanda; listened to the stories of two genocide survivors who had amazing testimonies and even ate dinner with one; went to awesome ministries like an orphanage, a women’s center, and a missionary business called “cards for Africa;” heard from lawyers from the gacaca process (of reconciliation post-genocide); and lastly the mufti of Rwanda about inter-faith dialogue. WOW!
I never would have learned so much nor had such amazing contacts if I had not come as a student… I felt so blessed to have such opportunities.

The trip was DIFFICUILT in that I stopped feeling ecstatic about being in Africa, and realized that it was to be my daily life for four whole months. The laundry, clothes, food, and bugs weren’t going away anytime soon! J I felt homesick a lot, especially when I felt most out of my comfort zone. I miss my family… I love each of you… more than I thought I did!! J honestly, one of the hardest personal (and yet most insignificant and lame) struggles that I had was with how much I wish I had packed to Uganda and especially Rwanda. I had only three skirts and three shirts for ten days… and did no laundry. My clothes were awful and dirty (actually my roomie and I did laundry tonight and we saw the BROWN water!), it was very easy to start complaining and fantasizing about food or clothes that I wanted from home. But I realized that I consciously had to hold my tongue… because how selfish is it to think so much about myself in light of what I was learning and seeing.

The trip was FUN because I got to hang out with forty awesome people. And I formed some really great friendships. I got especially close to Sarah and Kimberly (my roomie), and we shared lots of good laughs and conversations. “11 touches”- it is psychologically proven that it is necessary to have 11 physical touches from people in one day to be right in the head J … before I was lacking this, but many girls filled that gap for me this week!! From sharing a bed with someone to simply getting a hug, or a sweet back rub, it was very great!! Plus shower times… always a way to bond… washing each others hair and taking swimsuit showers in an african thunderstorm. BONDING!! J


i love you all. and would love to hear from you, although it is sometimes hard to reply!! :)
God Bless!

traveling to rwanda

i am leaving for rwanda tomorrow, for over a week.
it is supposed to be very emotional, if you know anything about the genocide, we will see lots of post peace and memorials.
i love all of you.
please continue to pray for relationships to form that are godly, and for adjustment into this culture and place.

thanks all.
i will post pics as soon as i can!
love aimee

expectations vs. dreams

everyone knows the devastation of broken expectations.
and everyone tries to avoid setting themselves up for disappointments by not allowing themselves to expect anything.
but i would like to meet someone who has been successful at that.
it is impossible (at least for me) to go into a situation tabula rosa.
tv clips. conversations. pictures. classes. all these leave an imprint on your mind, even if you don't know it or want it there.

implicit and explicit expectations.
i tried my hardest not to have expectations, which wasn't entirely difficult on a specific basis (since i knew hardly anything about the trip), but i found that i had many.
you don't realize what expectations you had, until it is not met.
and in creeps the disappointment. failure feeling. and frustration.

we had a talk about these and i just wrote a paper about mine.
it was very helpful to identify them so that i can recognize that they may happen and God may have different plans. :)
also tonight my friend sarah talked about a "dream"
and that frame of mind is what i believe should be taken instead of creating an expectation of any situation (because who can honestly know what to expect!).
to have a dream is different than having an expectation.
because a dream is a hope or desire, that you wish to be fulfilled but are not counting on it or thinking it will complete your life.
an expectation on the other hand is something that you think will happen and assume that it will happen. so much so that when it doesn't you don't know how to feel or react.

it was a very enlightening though process for me.
as many of you know i can become very disappointed when an expected thing fails ot happen.
praise God!

explicit expectations for uganda:
to make friends with USP students
to grow in my relationship with God and concrete my faith
to know God's will for my life after this trip

i think now that those are dreams and hopes for my stay here.
but they cannot realistically be expectations because i have NO idea what God has me here for or what HE wants to do in me or through me.

implicit expectations (the ones you never knew existed until they are uncomfortable or different)
uganda (southern uganda to be specific) is not a destitute or hopeless country
kampala and mukono are not like the villages you see in Invisible Children
the people are not native, they are just like us in so many ways!

expectations can make or break anything, even my semester, so i am thankful that i have at least recognized the change in thought that needs to occur, and pray that i can APPLY this everyday so that i can have an open mind for what God has in store for me!