A wonderful weekend with missionaries in Jinja--at the Source of the Nile!!

Our family's goat gave birth!

The little boy is Junior, my 8 year old cousin.

The three sitting in the living room are my brothers Tony and Peter and mother Resty.

My dad is milking our cow. I don't know his name.

My sisters are in our bedroom- Matilda(21 years old), Maria (19 years old) and Daisy (who knows how old she is)

My shower bucket and my bedroom.

Here are some pictures....but there may not be many because it took about an hour to load these four. We'll see. One is my house, one is my kitchen and sister Matilda, one is on campus during a storm, and the fourth is the famous "squatty potty." Hopefully there will be more throughout the semester....we'll see what happens.

Oh how I miss toilets!

Well, I'm going to give this blogging thing a shot, we'll see how it goes. This is our second day of classes in Uganda and so far I've had one. Yesterday both of my classes were canceled because the professors did not show up. Apparently that's pretty common for the first week of class. I had my first class this morning- intro to Christian missions. I think I'm really going to enjoy it. It's taught by two English missionaries who seem like amazing people. This afternoon I have Faith and Action in the Ugandan context, taught by our program leader. I think classes here will certainly be different. For one thing, an 80% is an A-, and a 50% is a C-. Don't feel like you're missing out though...according to our prof, that just means it's that much harder. I feel the homework may be a challenge, though, since I'm living with a family for the semester. They told us to plan on finishing all of our homework here before going home since our family wants us with them at all times, not in our own room doing work. So my usual trend, starting papers at 11:00 PM the night before they are due is really no longer an option. It will take some getting used to.

For those of you on my email list, things with my family have not gotten much better but I know I'm there for a reason. I try not to drink too much while I'm at home because urinating in front of my sisters in our bucket does not seem that appealing to me, but they have no problem with it. I assume I'll have to at some point. I have used the squatty potty outside, but we are only allowed to use it when it's light outside. Showering from the bucket really isn't that bad, though I obviously don't feel quite as clean. basically we just sit in awkward silence all night and occasionally watch tv.

I guess instead of writing paragraphs I'll just make a list of things I miss, and things I've noticed. I don't even know who reads this thing, but just in case anyone does, I'll try and update it once in a while.

Things I've learned while in Uganda so far:
1. Pants= underwear. The word for our type of pants here is trousers
2. Using a squatty potty takes some real talent!
3. Ugandans don't really sleep. Ever. They went to bed at 1:30 this morning and the tv was blaring again by 4:30. And besides that the roosters crow at every hour of the night, not just in the morning, and if it rains the cows moo like crazy!

Things I miss:
1. TOILETS
2. Ice- everything here is served hot, or at least at room temperature. It seems so ironic that bathing water can be so cold, yet drinking water is always warm.
3. Personal space- My suitcase is literally on the floor in the middle of our bedroom and will most likely be there for the next 4 months as there are four of us the room and no space whatsoever.

Well, I need to work on homework and then head to lunch. I love it here, in Africa, and especially at school. I'm sure home will get better eventually, but for now all I can do is take it a day at a time. More to come later, I'm sure!

2 days left in America...

I gave in and decided to make a blog. Who knows how often I'll update it. It depends on how often the power is on, and how often I have access to the internet. It may be similar to my emails. I just don't know yet! But in any case, this could be another way to keep in touch. We'll see which way works best.

Wow, it's hard to believe there's only two days left until I depart on this incredible journey. As most of you already know, I will be studying abroad in Uganda, Africa throughout the upcoming semester. I leave one week from today, on January 12, and return (hopefully, if all works out as planned) on May 3rd. While in Uganda, I will be living with a Ugandan family for the entire semester, attending classes at Uganda Christian University, and traveling around Uganda to various mission organizations. Thirty-seven other college-age students (only one of which I have met) from across the US will be traveling on this adventure with me. I've been told my home will most likely have no electricity and will definitely not have running water. This means I'll be showering from a bucket and going to the bathroom in a hole in the dirt, which I am actually looking forward to experiencing! It is hard not to form expectations for this trip, but I am doing my best to go with an open mind and to be ready to expect the unexpected. I am enjoying these last few days in the US and doing many things for the last time such as running, eating my favorite meal prepared by my mom, showering from a real shower, and flushing a toilet! I am sure this will be an amazing opportunity, and while I am incredibly nervous, I am also very excited as I know this is exactly where God wants me. If you would not mind, I would certainly appreciate yours prayers during the next four months, and especially next Saturday as I travel for 30 hours. Thanks for your time and prayers and I wish all of you the best!!