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!! :)
Saturday, October 6, 2007
Friday, September 28, 2007
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! :)
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! :)
Wednesday, September 26, 2007
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?! :)
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?! :)
Tuesday, September 18, 2007
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.
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.
Tuesday, September 11, 2007
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!! :) )
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!
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!
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!
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