As I sit in my living room this day after Christmas in shorts and a t-shirt, I'm reminded how different this Christmas was from all of the others. For twenty-one years I've gathered together with family, enjoyed the lights and decorations, enjoyed Christmas Eve services and Christmas productions, exchanged gifts, and simply enjoyed being in the presence of family and friends. This year, though, the lights and decorations were slim, and I was halfway across the world from the family I normally spent Christmas with. While I did spend a few minutes shivering on Christmas day when it was unusually cool (about 69 degrees) and raining, it wasn't the same as the cold and snow that usually accompanies Christmas day. Yes, this Christmas was different, but it certainly wasn't a disappointment.
Two nights before Christmas I enjoyed an amazing Christmas production with over 200 participants at the Watoto Church in Kampala. It was one of those "This doesn't feel like Africa" moments with all of the technology and the wonderful talent, and as I sat there dripping in sweat (the place was PACKED with people, and the balcony was exceptionally hot that evening), I couldn't help but expect to walk outside afterward and see the snow falling, and the temperatures dropping. Of course, that wasn't the case. It was hot and humid when I left. But the program was amazing, and I was thankful to have a program so similar to home.
Christmas Eve the WGM missionaries got together for a dinner and gift exchange. There were about 18 people in all, including the kids. Christmas morning the same group had a Christmas brunch. I must say, if I have to be halfway across the world from my family on Christmas, I'm certainly thankful that I can be here with such a loving, encouraging, Christ-like group of people! I was SO thankful not to be sitting at home alone on Christmas, and so thankful these wonderful people invited us to be a part of their Christmas! The friendships God has provided me since I came in August have been wonderful blessings in so many ways. I am thankful for every one of them!
Christmas was different this year. My Christmas tree is 8 inches tall. Churches here didn't really sing Christmas carols or talk about advent. My presents consisted of Betty Crocker chocolate frosting, a box of Kraft Mac n Cheese (two things not available here, so to receive them as gifts was pretty exciting!), and two beaded necklaces. Instead of spending Christmas with my family, I talked with them on the phone, thanks to the amazing technology of Skype! I was able to talk with both sets of grandparents, one sister, and my parents. Instead of helping Mom make the Christmas cookies (which usually mostly involved me eating the dough when she wasn't looking), I attempted to make my own cookies, and only somewhat succeeded (baking sure is different here). Yes, Christmas was different, but in its own way, it was wonderful.
What I discovered this Christmas is that when you remove the traditions, the family get-togethers, the lights and decorations, the presents, and the materialism of the Christmas season, you are left only with the most important part of Christmas: JESUS! Without all of the normal Christmas traditions, it would be simple to let Christmas pass by as just another day, but Christmas is certainly NOT just another day! Christmas is the day Christ came to earth to save us, and without that day, we would all be lost. I'm thankful for the friends who welcomed me in to their Christmas celebrations this year. I'm thankful for the friendships I've developed since being here. I'm thankful for the technology that allows me to talk with my family on Christmas. I'm thankful for amazing Christmas performances. Most of all, though, I'm thankful that our Savior came, and I'm thankful that Christmas was not just another day.
I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas with friends and family, and enjoyed celebrating together. Take time to relax during this time off, because soon enough (far too soon, if you ask me) we'll all be back to work and begin the crazy schedules of a new year. Merry Christmas, friends!
Saturday, December 26, 2009
Wednesday, December 9, 2009
Let It Snow, Let It Snow, Let It Snow....oh wait, I live in Africa.
Well, for many of you, I hear the weather outside is frightful, and schools are closed because of the snow (ok, maybe just those of you in Iowa). Here the weather is 75 or 80 every day, and sadly, as much as I pray for one, we will never have a snow day. Now, I know what you're thinking: "I would love to be enjoying 80 degree weather day in and day out, instead of this awful snow and miserable cold!" But let me tell you, I think it's one of those things you don't really know how much you miss it until it's gone. My roommate and I watched a Christmas movie last night, and snow covered the ground, and we turned to each other and sighed. Oh what we wouldn't give to have some snow right now. Sure, maybe I don't want it for 3-4 months, as is usually the case in the Indiana/Illinois winters, and maybe I don't want the -20 degree weather that blessed us last year in Illinois, but I miss seasons. Here, it's either hot and dry, or rainy and "crisp" (meaning, oh, 65 degrees at the lowest). I miss snow.
Enough on the weather, though. That was not the intent of my update. Moving on, earlier this week I attended a spiritual gifts seminar with some of the other WGM missionaries. During the seminar, I realized how little I know about spiritual gifts. Did you know there are somewhere between 23-30 separate spiritual gifts listed in the Bible? I had no idea. We completed the 125 question test, and after calculating the results, my highest score was missionary. I didn't even know missionary was a spiritual gift, but this test indicated that it is. My next three were mercy, giving, and encouragement. Well, missionary makes sense. I'm living in Uganda, as a temporary missionary afterall. However, not all that surprising to me was that one of my lowest scores was teaching. Now, I realize there are different gifts involving teaching, and that teaching spiritually is much different than teaching a math classroom, but I couldn't help but laugh. Anyway, after another discussion with the principal about staying for another year, I really began to think about this missionary "gift" and what it means. Maybe it's really true. I LOVE living in another culture. I LOVE Uganda. I believe it was only three days after I returned home to the States last year that I started to feel a strong desire in my heart to return someday. There is something about living in another culture that absolutely fascinates me. There is something about becoming part of another culture that I can't get enough of, and that I long to do more often. Last year's experience here with my host family was certainly not easy, but for those four months, I was living as a Ugandan. I showered from a bucked. I used a hole in the ground, or a bucket, for my toilet. I usually had no electricity. I ate whatever my family placed in front of me, and I LOVED all of it (minus the cow intestine). Sure, it was tough at times, and I certainly had to stretch myself, but it was so worth it, and in the end, I LOVED it. I didn't mind showering from a bucket. I didn't mind squatting to use the bathroom. I learned to love the simple life. The conversations I had with people on the way to and from school were incredible. Maybe this missionary thing is really for me.
I've written about this before, several times actually, but one thing I'm really struggling with this time around is making myself a part of the culture. Yes, simply by living in Uganda I've placed myself in another culture, but it's somewhat as if I'm in this sub-culture or missionaries, and the "real" Ugandan culture is still far outside of my world. Last year one of the most rewarding conversations took place walking home from school when one of our neighbors stopped me and said, "Many foreign missionaries come here and get to know us and minister to us, but they never really become one of us. They're not willing to live like us. They're not willing to step down a notch. It's encouraging to see you living as one of us....willing to be content with what little we have. Thank you for becoming one of us." Ok, I promise, I'm NOT saying that to brag about my willingness to live under those conditions for four months. I don't think it's a matter worth bragging of. I say that only because right now I almost feel trapped. I'm living an American life in Africa, when I really desire to be living an African life in Africa. Yea, it's nice to have running water and a real toilet. I'm not complaining that I have nice accomodations, and that I'm safe. I miss community, though. If I learned anything about Ugandans last year, it's that they are all about community. Visitors show up at all hours and are immediately greeted with love and cheer. Everyone knows everyone. I don't even know who lives next door to me because my house, and every house around me, is surrounded by a giant wall. I miss the simple life.
Ok, all that being said, I promise I'm not trying to portray a negative view of the wonderful missionaries who love living here in these wonderful accomodations. I don't necessarily think there's anything wrong with it--for them. I'm just not sure it's right for me. I miss simplicity. And I know that there ARE opportunities for me to seek out and be involved in cultural activities, I Just need to be willing to find them.
This is already far longer than expected, so I'll end with a few prayer requests.
1. Pray for guidance on whether or not I should stay here for another year. I won't say too much, but it's a possibility, and it's often mentioned, and I'd certainly appreciate any extra prayer in that huge decision!
2. Pray for opportunities to get involved in the culture. Pray for courage to seek out opportunities that may be available.
3. Pray for school in these last few days of the semester. It seems each day is getting tougher and tougher to be joyful and love these kids. They're great kids, but they sure don't care about math....
4. Pray for health. The past two days have been pretty miserable: high fever on and off, terrible chills/shaking uncontrollably, headache, muscle aches, tired all the time. These are crucial days for review at school, and it wouldn't be the best to miss them.
Thanks to those of you who actually read this, for your encouragement and support, and most of all, for your continued prayers. I couldn't get by without them.
Enough on the weather, though. That was not the intent of my update. Moving on, earlier this week I attended a spiritual gifts seminar with some of the other WGM missionaries. During the seminar, I realized how little I know about spiritual gifts. Did you know there are somewhere between 23-30 separate spiritual gifts listed in the Bible? I had no idea. We completed the 125 question test, and after calculating the results, my highest score was missionary. I didn't even know missionary was a spiritual gift, but this test indicated that it is. My next three were mercy, giving, and encouragement. Well, missionary makes sense. I'm living in Uganda, as a temporary missionary afterall. However, not all that surprising to me was that one of my lowest scores was teaching. Now, I realize there are different gifts involving teaching, and that teaching spiritually is much different than teaching a math classroom, but I couldn't help but laugh. Anyway, after another discussion with the principal about staying for another year, I really began to think about this missionary "gift" and what it means. Maybe it's really true. I LOVE living in another culture. I LOVE Uganda. I believe it was only three days after I returned home to the States last year that I started to feel a strong desire in my heart to return someday. There is something about living in another culture that absolutely fascinates me. There is something about becoming part of another culture that I can't get enough of, and that I long to do more often. Last year's experience here with my host family was certainly not easy, but for those four months, I was living as a Ugandan. I showered from a bucked. I used a hole in the ground, or a bucket, for my toilet. I usually had no electricity. I ate whatever my family placed in front of me, and I LOVED all of it (minus the cow intestine). Sure, it was tough at times, and I certainly had to stretch myself, but it was so worth it, and in the end, I LOVED it. I didn't mind showering from a bucket. I didn't mind squatting to use the bathroom. I learned to love the simple life. The conversations I had with people on the way to and from school were incredible. Maybe this missionary thing is really for me.
I've written about this before, several times actually, but one thing I'm really struggling with this time around is making myself a part of the culture. Yes, simply by living in Uganda I've placed myself in another culture, but it's somewhat as if I'm in this sub-culture or missionaries, and the "real" Ugandan culture is still far outside of my world. Last year one of the most rewarding conversations took place walking home from school when one of our neighbors stopped me and said, "Many foreign missionaries come here and get to know us and minister to us, but they never really become one of us. They're not willing to live like us. They're not willing to step down a notch. It's encouraging to see you living as one of us....willing to be content with what little we have. Thank you for becoming one of us." Ok, I promise, I'm NOT saying that to brag about my willingness to live under those conditions for four months. I don't think it's a matter worth bragging of. I say that only because right now I almost feel trapped. I'm living an American life in Africa, when I really desire to be living an African life in Africa. Yea, it's nice to have running water and a real toilet. I'm not complaining that I have nice accomodations, and that I'm safe. I miss community, though. If I learned anything about Ugandans last year, it's that they are all about community. Visitors show up at all hours and are immediately greeted with love and cheer. Everyone knows everyone. I don't even know who lives next door to me because my house, and every house around me, is surrounded by a giant wall. I miss the simple life.
Ok, all that being said, I promise I'm not trying to portray a negative view of the wonderful missionaries who love living here in these wonderful accomodations. I don't necessarily think there's anything wrong with it--for them. I'm just not sure it's right for me. I miss simplicity. And I know that there ARE opportunities for me to seek out and be involved in cultural activities, I Just need to be willing to find them.
This is already far longer than expected, so I'll end with a few prayer requests.
1. Pray for guidance on whether or not I should stay here for another year. I won't say too much, but it's a possibility, and it's often mentioned, and I'd certainly appreciate any extra prayer in that huge decision!
2. Pray for opportunities to get involved in the culture. Pray for courage to seek out opportunities that may be available.
3. Pray for school in these last few days of the semester. It seems each day is getting tougher and tougher to be joyful and love these kids. They're great kids, but they sure don't care about math....
4. Pray for health. The past two days have been pretty miserable: high fever on and off, terrible chills/shaking uncontrollably, headache, muscle aches, tired all the time. These are crucial days for review at school, and it wouldn't be the best to miss them.
Thanks to those of you who actually read this, for your encouragement and support, and most of all, for your continued prayers. I couldn't get by without them.
Monday, November 30, 2009
Looking back: learning lessons
Last Thursday, Thanksgiving day, I left school early (yes, I said school--we still had to teach since there is no reason to celebrate Thanksgiving in Uganda) took a boda to City Square where I met Sharon, found a matatu, and we were on our way to Mukono. We were going to attend USP's (Uganda Studies Program, the study abroad program we both attended last year) Thanksgiving celebration. When we arrived, there were probably over 100 people there, and we commented on how strange it was to return to campus not knowing anyone. The last time we were at that place, we were surrounded by 35 other American students who we spent a semester learning to love Uganda with. By the time we arrived, most of the feast was already gone. We were able to eat some turkey (not as you would imagine it, though) and gravy. The dessert table made up for not having any food left, though. Since we were last in line for food and didn't get much dinner, we were first in line for the desserts, of which there were probably 30+ different kinds! This is, I'm convinced, one reason why it pays to be last. "The first shall be last, and the last shall be first." Missing out on the mashed potatoes, rolls, stuffing, and vegetables was worth it in order to be first in line for the wonderful desserts! :) Anyway, I'm not typically one to start conversations with complete strangers. In fact, I would normally be the one over on the side watching everyone else talk. That night was different, though, because when you live with a family in Uganda for four months, you immediately have a common bond, no matter how different you are. I sat with several IMME (missions emphasis, homestay students) and we shared stories from our semesters. It's one thing to try to share all of my stories with friends back home who can only try to imagine what it was like to experience them, but it's quite another to share them with those who have themselves been through the experiences. They know exactly what I'm talking about. They can relate. They can laugh about the crazy adventures that no one else could ever imagine enduring, and they can be joyful about the lessons you learn as a result of going through them. Needless to say, it was an incredible night filled with laughter and lots of story-telling.
I also had the opportunity to meet the student who is staying with my host family this semester. The conversations I had with her turned out to be more of a blessing than expected. After hearing some of her comments and stories, I realized that her experience is not far from mine. She began wondering if it would ever get better, and slowly by slowly, things did eventually change. Of course, the family makeup is different for her, as our sisters have moved out, and our dad has a job now. She has her own room. I shared it with three sisters. Let me just say, it would have been MUCH easier for me to get used to using "the bucket" at night if I hadn't had three other girls watching me :) Anyway, I think the best result of the conversation was realizing that it wasn't just me. All semester last year I remember wondering if my family-life would have been better had I been more outgoing or more of a conversationalist. I wondered if I was doing something wrong. I constantly thought I was the problem. Talking with Jill, the student this semester, made me realize it's not just me. She is experiencing many of the same circumstances. It's just our family. They're fabulous, loving, wonderful people, but they're not the greatest at sitting around and talking. They sure do care about their host students, though, and they enjoy having us. Jill says they talk about "Nabachwa" (my Ugandan name) all the time. I assume they'll do the same with her once she leaves. They loved us, they just had a different way of showing it. That was an important realization.
I'm amazed at how much I continue to learn as a result of my experiences here a year and a half ago. Just being back in that town, with those people, reminded me so much of what it was like to live there for four months. I was once again reminded of the simple life, and of the joy we experienced just by being present. For a semester in our lives, we didn't need "things" to please us. We didn't need electricity, or a toilet, or running water. We didn't need variety in our food (though matoke did get old sometimes). We watched our families live with so little, and yet live with such joy, and we learned to be content. I've written this before, but being back in Uganda, and living in such different circumstances, I can't deny that sometimes I really miss that simplicity. I constantly learned lessons as a result of my daily experiences. I constantly interacted with the Ugandan culture. I rarely walked home from school without having a conversation with some woman or child (or unwanted man, in some cases). I stopped on the side of the road and played soccer with a group of kids I'd never met before. I provided shelter under my umbrella for a child who was soaked and just trying to make it to school. I learned to experience joy as a result of the small things, like when the cafeteria didn't run out of spoons and we didn't have to use our hands to eat rice and beans. The simple life became my life, and at times I hated it and wished I could just sit down on a nice toilet, or stand under a running shower, but overall, I loved it. I loved not looking in a mirror in the morning. I loved watching my family cook dinner on our outdoor stove. I loved watching my brothers chase all of the animals into our kitchen when the sun went down. I was content.
Don't get me wrong. I'm not trying to say that I'm not content with life now. I'm just constantly reminded of that semester a year and a half ago when I experienced a different life, a life not many have the chance to experience, but everyone would certainly benefit from. I miss simplicity. I miss interacting with the people around me. I miss people being ok with silence, and simply enjoying being present. I'm thankful for that semester. I'm thankful for my host family, and the way they showed me how to be content and joyful, even with nothing. I miss the kids on the side of the road who accepted me and let me play soccer with them. I miss simplicity.
Thursday night I was able to spend the night at Brooke's house, so I wouldn't have to travel back to Kampala in the dark. Brooke was the IMME leader during my semester, and we grew to be great friends. It was fabulous to spend time with her and catch up. You'd think when you only live an hour away, we'd spend more time with each other, but this was only our second visit since I arrived in early August. She's a wonderful woman full of wisdom and love. It was a much needed break from the life of school-home-school-home day after day after day.
Friday morning I came back to Kampala just in time for the WGM Thanksgiving celebration. I think the menu was very similar to a Thanksgiving meal I'd have at home with family. We had it all--turkey, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, stuffing, green beans, rolls, and most importantly, lots of dessert! :) It was a little disappointing to know that I was missing family time at home, but I'm thankful for the wonderful community I have here with WGM missionaries, and if I couldn't be home for Thanksgiving, I was more than ok with spending it here with them.
Hope your Thanksgiving was wonderful and that you are looking forward to the Christmas season! Three weeks left of school. Four exams to write. Seven tests to give and then grade. Ten days of teaching. Three days of exams. And then, two glorious weeks of Christmas vacation. I can't believe how quickly this semester has gone, but I can't deny that I'll be quite thankful for a break. For now, I continue to go day by day, hoping each day is a little better than the day before.
I also had the opportunity to meet the student who is staying with my host family this semester. The conversations I had with her turned out to be more of a blessing than expected. After hearing some of her comments and stories, I realized that her experience is not far from mine. She began wondering if it would ever get better, and slowly by slowly, things did eventually change. Of course, the family makeup is different for her, as our sisters have moved out, and our dad has a job now. She has her own room. I shared it with three sisters. Let me just say, it would have been MUCH easier for me to get used to using "the bucket" at night if I hadn't had three other girls watching me :) Anyway, I think the best result of the conversation was realizing that it wasn't just me. All semester last year I remember wondering if my family-life would have been better had I been more outgoing or more of a conversationalist. I wondered if I was doing something wrong. I constantly thought I was the problem. Talking with Jill, the student this semester, made me realize it's not just me. She is experiencing many of the same circumstances. It's just our family. They're fabulous, loving, wonderful people, but they're not the greatest at sitting around and talking. They sure do care about their host students, though, and they enjoy having us. Jill says they talk about "Nabachwa" (my Ugandan name) all the time. I assume they'll do the same with her once she leaves. They loved us, they just had a different way of showing it. That was an important realization.
I'm amazed at how much I continue to learn as a result of my experiences here a year and a half ago. Just being back in that town, with those people, reminded me so much of what it was like to live there for four months. I was once again reminded of the simple life, and of the joy we experienced just by being present. For a semester in our lives, we didn't need "things" to please us. We didn't need electricity, or a toilet, or running water. We didn't need variety in our food (though matoke did get old sometimes). We watched our families live with so little, and yet live with such joy, and we learned to be content. I've written this before, but being back in Uganda, and living in such different circumstances, I can't deny that sometimes I really miss that simplicity. I constantly learned lessons as a result of my daily experiences. I constantly interacted with the Ugandan culture. I rarely walked home from school without having a conversation with some woman or child (or unwanted man, in some cases). I stopped on the side of the road and played soccer with a group of kids I'd never met before. I provided shelter under my umbrella for a child who was soaked and just trying to make it to school. I learned to experience joy as a result of the small things, like when the cafeteria didn't run out of spoons and we didn't have to use our hands to eat rice and beans. The simple life became my life, and at times I hated it and wished I could just sit down on a nice toilet, or stand under a running shower, but overall, I loved it. I loved not looking in a mirror in the morning. I loved watching my family cook dinner on our outdoor stove. I loved watching my brothers chase all of the animals into our kitchen when the sun went down. I was content.
Don't get me wrong. I'm not trying to say that I'm not content with life now. I'm just constantly reminded of that semester a year and a half ago when I experienced a different life, a life not many have the chance to experience, but everyone would certainly benefit from. I miss simplicity. I miss interacting with the people around me. I miss people being ok with silence, and simply enjoying being present. I'm thankful for that semester. I'm thankful for my host family, and the way they showed me how to be content and joyful, even with nothing. I miss the kids on the side of the road who accepted me and let me play soccer with them. I miss simplicity.
Thursday night I was able to spend the night at Brooke's house, so I wouldn't have to travel back to Kampala in the dark. Brooke was the IMME leader during my semester, and we grew to be great friends. It was fabulous to spend time with her and catch up. You'd think when you only live an hour away, we'd spend more time with each other, but this was only our second visit since I arrived in early August. She's a wonderful woman full of wisdom and love. It was a much needed break from the life of school-home-school-home day after day after day.
Friday morning I came back to Kampala just in time for the WGM Thanksgiving celebration. I think the menu was very similar to a Thanksgiving meal I'd have at home with family. We had it all--turkey, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, stuffing, green beans, rolls, and most importantly, lots of dessert! :) It was a little disappointing to know that I was missing family time at home, but I'm thankful for the wonderful community I have here with WGM missionaries, and if I couldn't be home for Thanksgiving, I was more than ok with spending it here with them.
Hope your Thanksgiving was wonderful and that you are looking forward to the Christmas season! Three weeks left of school. Four exams to write. Seven tests to give and then grade. Ten days of teaching. Three days of exams. And then, two glorious weeks of Christmas vacation. I can't believe how quickly this semester has gone, but I can't deny that I'll be quite thankful for a break. For now, I continue to go day by day, hoping each day is a little better than the day before.
Monday, November 23, 2009
The "Queen of Mishap" Strikes Again
Being that it's the week of Thanksgiving (in America, of course, because Thanksgiving is not celebrated here), I figure it is a perfect time to share the story of my latest life experience and life lesson. As is typically the case with me, so it seems, what was supposed to be a fun experience turned in to another "Why does this always happen to you?" experience instead, and soon after, became another lesson from the Lord.
The past weekend was scheduled to be busy, but packed with fun events that I was excited about. Friday night I enjoyed time at a youth event with the kids from school. As usual, it's always enjoyable to spend time outside of class with students. Saturday morning we attended a local Christmas bazarre sale where we found some great bargains on souvenirs. Saturday afternoon I was able to call my grandparents, sister, and parents all at once, as they were all in Iowa celebrating my grandparents 60th anniversary. Saturday evening I set off spend the night with Sharon, the friend of mine from my semester here last year, who now lives with her Ugandan husband in a town about 40 minutes from here. She had asked me if I would run the Kampala 10k race with her, and I agreed. Early Sunday morning we arrived at the race ready to run. It was a fun experience overall, and quite hilarious to see some of the other 20,000 African runners participating in the race. You'd be amazed how many "runners" I saw in ballet slippers, or skirts, or jean shorts and flip flops. It was quite the sight.
We finished the race, waited around to watch some of the entertainment, and headed back to our car ready to head home and take a much needed nap. Unfortunately, when we reached the car we were in for an unexpected surprise. The locks had been broken and my bag had been stolen. Luckily, this exact scenario had gone through my mind the day before as I packed, so I had removed my camera, debit card, license, and extra money. I lost my backpack, my jeans, my Ohio State shirt (possibly the most disappointing thing of all :-) ), a book, my waterbottle, my classroom keys, my marathon kit which included a bag, a visor, and a water bottle (yea, all I have left from that race is the awful bright yellow mesh vest they made us run in) and somewhere between $40-50. Just like that, my things were gone. Disappointed, definitely. Just like that, the "queen of mishap" reputation had struck again.
The most disturbing part of the whole situation was the security guard who likely was in on the whole thing, or at least saw it happen. When we asked him if he saw anything, he smiled and said, "I was told to watch the first car, not the other cars behind it." Just another case of Ugandan police being, well, Ugandan police. Civilians will burn someone alive if they are caught stealing anything, no matter what it is, yet the police will stand and watch someone steal items from cars on the side of the road, and do nothing about it.
Last night at school we had a worship service. Several people sang and led worship for about 2 hours. It was an amazing experience, and very much needed, as we often don't get to participate in "normal" praise and worship during church services here. Music has always played a HUGE role in my life, and I know God often speaks to me most clearly through lyrics. I was thankful to be in the Lord's presence and being able to praise Him. We were singing "Blessed Be Your Name", and I thought back to an email I received about the line of the song "You give and take away, you give and take away, my heart will CHOOSE to say, Lord BLESSED BE YOUR NAME." Being joyful, and believing in God is a choice. It shouldn't depend on our circumstances. It shouldn't depend on what's going on in life. The choices is ours. We can choose to be thankful in all circumstances, or we can choose to let life's struggles get us down. Those words spoke to me last night.
Ok, so having those things stolen wasn't the greatest loss in the world. The scenario could have been much worse. I could have lost my camera, credit cards, or license, or we could have walked to the car during the robbery. It's disappointing, sure, and I wish I had my backpack back, and my Ohio State shirt, but I still have far more than the majority of people living in this country. I'm still blessed with health, an amazing home to live in, a wonderful (well, sometimes wonderful) job, and a support system back home praying for me and supporting me. I'm blessed beyond measure, even if I'm not backpack-less.
Needless to say, it really does seem to be the trend that "these things always happen to me." I guess these are the stories that make life "exciting," and without them, what would I have to write home about? I'm just thankful the positive experiences always seem to outweigh the negative ones, because honestly, I think I've had my fair share of negative experiences in this place!
So there you have it, another adventure in the life of Betsy. Two things learned: don't leave your bag in the car if at all possible, and always be joyful and thankful.
"Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in ALL circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus." -1 Thessalonians 5:16-18
The past weekend was scheduled to be busy, but packed with fun events that I was excited about. Friday night I enjoyed time at a youth event with the kids from school. As usual, it's always enjoyable to spend time outside of class with students. Saturday morning we attended a local Christmas bazarre sale where we found some great bargains on souvenirs. Saturday afternoon I was able to call my grandparents, sister, and parents all at once, as they were all in Iowa celebrating my grandparents 60th anniversary. Saturday evening I set off spend the night with Sharon, the friend of mine from my semester here last year, who now lives with her Ugandan husband in a town about 40 minutes from here. She had asked me if I would run the Kampala 10k race with her, and I agreed. Early Sunday morning we arrived at the race ready to run. It was a fun experience overall, and quite hilarious to see some of the other 20,000 African runners participating in the race. You'd be amazed how many "runners" I saw in ballet slippers, or skirts, or jean shorts and flip flops. It was quite the sight.
We finished the race, waited around to watch some of the entertainment, and headed back to our car ready to head home and take a much needed nap. Unfortunately, when we reached the car we were in for an unexpected surprise. The locks had been broken and my bag had been stolen. Luckily, this exact scenario had gone through my mind the day before as I packed, so I had removed my camera, debit card, license, and extra money. I lost my backpack, my jeans, my Ohio State shirt (possibly the most disappointing thing of all :-) ), a book, my waterbottle, my classroom keys, my marathon kit which included a bag, a visor, and a water bottle (yea, all I have left from that race is the awful bright yellow mesh vest they made us run in) and somewhere between $40-50. Just like that, my things were gone. Disappointed, definitely. Just like that, the "queen of mishap" reputation had struck again.
The most disturbing part of the whole situation was the security guard who likely was in on the whole thing, or at least saw it happen. When we asked him if he saw anything, he smiled and said, "I was told to watch the first car, not the other cars behind it." Just another case of Ugandan police being, well, Ugandan police. Civilians will burn someone alive if they are caught stealing anything, no matter what it is, yet the police will stand and watch someone steal items from cars on the side of the road, and do nothing about it.
Last night at school we had a worship service. Several people sang and led worship for about 2 hours. It was an amazing experience, and very much needed, as we often don't get to participate in "normal" praise and worship during church services here. Music has always played a HUGE role in my life, and I know God often speaks to me most clearly through lyrics. I was thankful to be in the Lord's presence and being able to praise Him. We were singing "Blessed Be Your Name", and I thought back to an email I received about the line of the song "You give and take away, you give and take away, my heart will CHOOSE to say, Lord BLESSED BE YOUR NAME." Being joyful, and believing in God is a choice. It shouldn't depend on our circumstances. It shouldn't depend on what's going on in life. The choices is ours. We can choose to be thankful in all circumstances, or we can choose to let life's struggles get us down. Those words spoke to me last night.
Ok, so having those things stolen wasn't the greatest loss in the world. The scenario could have been much worse. I could have lost my camera, credit cards, or license, or we could have walked to the car during the robbery. It's disappointing, sure, and I wish I had my backpack back, and my Ohio State shirt, but I still have far more than the majority of people living in this country. I'm still blessed with health, an amazing home to live in, a wonderful (well, sometimes wonderful) job, and a support system back home praying for me and supporting me. I'm blessed beyond measure, even if I'm not backpack-less.
Needless to say, it really does seem to be the trend that "these things always happen to me." I guess these are the stories that make life "exciting," and without them, what would I have to write home about? I'm just thankful the positive experiences always seem to outweigh the negative ones, because honestly, I think I've had my fair share of negative experiences in this place!
So there you have it, another adventure in the life of Betsy. Two things learned: don't leave your bag in the car if at all possible, and always be joyful and thankful.
"Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in ALL circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus." -1 Thessalonians 5:16-18
Friday, November 13, 2009
"I used to hate math so much, my knees hurt!"
Teacher Appreciation Week took place this week, and what a week it was! To the left is a picture of me trying to hold all of the gifts I received from students. Some of the items included a scarf, real and fake flowers, necklaces, tons of candy, a fancy wallet, three jars of peanut butter, and even a solar powered mosquito zapper :-) One day several students asked to go get water during class. Instead of coming back with water, they came back with random flowers picked from around the school, held them out, and happily said, "Happy Teacher Appreciation Week!" Today was a party-filled day in the math classroom. One student had a birthday, so her mom brought in a delicious cake and candy and chips during math class. Then, the secondary students planned a party for all of the teachers. They brought in homemade cakes, cookies, popcorn, and all sorts of goodies! Every day there's been some sort of chocolate goodness, in the form of a cake, or cookies, or candy, and I think I've had more cake than I can handle for awhile. It was a week full of surprises and fun. For me, the week provided much more than these tangible gifts...
After what has been somewhat of a discouraging start to the school year, this week provided much needed encouragement. On Monday, one student handed me possibly the sweetest note I have ever received. It said the following: "In the short time I've known you, you've taught me two things. The first is that it's ok to be quiet, even when everyone else is loud. The second is that it's important to laugh, even when you're having a terrible day. You always laugh, and always act happy. I love your smile, and I wish I could laugh like you." She continued with some other comments, and finished by saying, "You know, I used to HATE math! I hated it so much, my knees would hurt! Now I love it. Thanks for teaching me."
Sure, they're loud and they don't always do what I tell them to do. They don't always turn in their homework. They don't always ask questions when they don't understand. They throw bottle caps across the room and draw on the desks. They eat my candy and are sometimes just completely out of control. But when they say things like that, and genuinely mean them, every annoyance and frustration just disappears. It's all worth it. My favorite teachers growing up were the ones who invested their time in my life, the ones who taught me more about life than about any subject matter, and the ones who genuinely cared for students, not just for teaching. If I can impact even one student in the way those teachers impacted me, it will be worth it.
To the left are the 7th and 8th grade girls, minus Ruby. I have been so blessed to be able to begin building relationships with all of the secondary students. We laugh together and share stories, and just enjoy building relationships.
One note from a student, one hug from another. One class of 10 students ALL earning an A on their most recent test. One "thank you for teaching," and one "I don't understand it. I can't even stand myself, but you, you are patient and kind and you put up with me!" makes it all worth it! Sure, that same student announced in front of the whole high school that I'm the most gullible teacher (in a good way) he's ever had, but still :-) I'm working at a great school, with great kids, and an amazing and supportive faculty, and I am being blessed with some AMAZING relationships. Yes, there are still challenges. Yes, some days I still dread teaching and wish I had chosen another profession. Yes, some days I wonder what on earth I'm doing here. But on those days, I can remind myself of weeks like this, and I can say with confidence that I'm exactly where I'm supposed to be.
Saturday, October 31, 2009
Popcorn, anyone?
Friday night Heritage had its annual Rain Festival, or in other words the "Christian Halloween festival." The theme this year was "At the Movies" and we were all supposed to dress up as anything having to do with the movies. The first thought that probably comes to your mind is probably to dress up as a movie character or movie star. I thought of that, too, but then I realized I really don't know anything about the movies. So what came to my mind? Concessions! Who doesn't want to buy a giant box of popcorn when they go to the movies? So what did I do in class on Friday? I had students help me color red stripes on a white poster board and created a giant popcorn box. Clearly, as you can see from the above picture, I really was a giant box of popcorn.
From left to right: Teresa as Timon from Lion King, me as the popcorn, Shanna as an m&m, Brent as Napolean, and Lisa Mayo as someone from "Singing in the Rain." These people are all wonderful, and I'm thankful to be friends with them!
This picture is of the high school girls who all dressed up as movie stars, or just fancy "Hollywood" ladies. They were all absolutely beautiful, and then there was me, the popcorn :-)
Following the rain festival, the 7-12th grade girls headed to the Girls Night Out (overnight lock-in basically). We went to one of the students' houses. This family owns the Rwenzori water company here in Kampala (one of the main bottled water companies), so the house was AMAZING! I have to say I was already exhausted from a long week at school, and wasn't all that excited about having to stay up all night with the girls, but it turned out to be so much fun! We just hung out, watched movies, and talked, and I really enjoyed it! I always really enjoy hanging out with the students when they are not in class. They're great kids, and they're tons of fun. If only they liked math....
We stayed up until about 4am, at which point we attempted to sleep for a few hours, but because of several interruptions, only managed to sleep peacefully for roughly 2 hours. Now that I'm back at home, you'd think I'd be sleeping, but I discovered that sleep would be nearly impossible since there is a man on our roof pounding away, trying to fix a leak. So I'll do laundry, update photos, and write this blog in hopes that he'll soon be done and I'll be able to enjoy some peace and quiet.
If you'd like to see more pictures from last night, they should be available in the link at the top right side of this page. Enjoy :)
Friday, October 23, 2009
New Every Morning
"Because of the LORD's great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are NEW EVERY MORNING; great is your faithfulness." Lamentations 3:22-23
Ok, so that isn't the sunrise I woke up to this morning, but let me tell you, the sky was full or oranges and pinks and yellows and it was one of the most beautiful sights I have ever seen. As I looked at the sky in amazement and wonder, the Lord reminded me that it was a new day, full of new experiences, and that His mercies are new every morning. Each morning my alarm goes off at 6:03am. I never want to wake up that early, and it's earlier than I really need to wake up, but it is the perfect time to open my window and look out in awe.
Yesterday was a rough day. In fact, in all honesty, it's been a really rough week. With grades being due and parent teacher conferences being today, it's been a bit of a stressful week. Yesterday my frustrations must have shown in class, because students started to ask, "What's wrong?" or "Miss Betsy, can I make you laugh? You look a bit sad." I absolutely love these students....when they're not in class. They're great kids, and I love working with them. It's the teaching I'm not so sure about. Anyway, after a rough day yesterday, and lots of worship music and prayer last night, waking up to a gorgeous sunrise was just the reminder I needed that God brought me here for a reason, and He will be faithful. Even when teaching isn't so wonderful, He is with me. When I wanted to run out of the class yesterday and never teach again, He was there. He's faithful and He's with me, no matter what.
Waking up at 6:03 (yes, 6:03, not 6:00, not 6:05, but 6:03. Why, because 3 is a prime number. For some reason, for as long as I can remember, I've set my alarm so that the last digit is always prime) may not always be my favorite thing to do, but looking at out God's beautiful creating was all it took to remind me this morning that it was a new day, yesterday was over, and today could be completely different. And it was. God is faithful, and His creation is amazing!
All that to say: I'm glad the week is over, and I'm perfectly ok with the fact that conferences only happen once a year!
Monday, October 19, 2009
Laughter: The best medicine of all!
It's late and I don't have time to update much, but I thought I'd share some pictures from my weekend vacation to Jinja. After a rough week of being sick and being busy with school, a weekend full of ridiculous laughter and fun-filled moments was exactly what I needed. It was relaxing, and it was the perfect end to a rough week. I'm so thankful for the friendships God has provided in just the two and a half months I've been here. These ladies (and others) are such a blessing to me! Here are a few pictures. For more, see the link at the bottom of the post.
This week is busy as grades are due and parent teacher conferences take place. We'll see how they go...
More to come later, but for now, time for some sleep!
If you'd like to view more photos, here's the link:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2057955&id=69601420&l=123aed2f10
This week is busy as grades are due and parent teacher conferences take place. We'll see how they go...
More to come later, but for now, time for some sleep!
If you'd like to view more photos, here's the link:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2057955&id=69601420&l=123aed2f10
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
Reflections on the Simple Life
I stayed home sick today and planned to get ahead on lesson plans for next week, but I spent most of the day sleeping instead. It's not 9:45pm, and I'm writing instead of planning lessons. Such is the story of my life.
Lately I have spent much of my time thinking about my experiences here a year and a half ago. The conclusion I always come to is that I am so thankful for those four months, because I feel I am still learning as a result of my time here. Lately I've been thinking about simplicity. Our power has been out for about eight hours per day, every day for the past week. We have an inverter, though, so when I say our power is out, I mean we still have lights, we just don't have a working fridge/freezer, washer/dryer, or water heater. The first night I don't think I complained at all, because the power being out gave us an excuse to finish the ice cream in the freezer. As the days went on, though, and the power stayed off, I found myself complaining briefly about the freezer being off, or not being able to do the dishes without hot water, or not being able to do laundry. After a few moments of grumbling, though, I thought back to last year, when I sat on the back porch one evening with my host brother, as the electricity was off, and listened to him talk about how he dreamed one day he would be able to afford a fridge so that his food wouldn't spoil so quickly. He talked about washers and dryers, and commented that he doesn't mind washing his clothing by hand--he thinks it gets cleaner that way anyway. If I wanted hot water for my bucket bath, I would ask my host sisters to boil some extra water on the stove, and then pour it into the freezing rain water we used to bathe. After remembering those conversations and experiences, I realized I had no right to complain. I have electricity on a regular basis. I have a working fridge, a running washer and dryer, a gas stove, a real toilet and a shower, and running water. I have been blessed with so many more possessions than any of the Ugandans I interacted with while I was here last year.
I miss simplicity. During our debrief of the semester last year, we talked about how things would be different when we arrived back in the States. We discussed ways we thought we would change. Many of us, half jokingly, and half seriously commented that we'd never complain about a cold shower again, or about cafeteria food being terrible (because here the food was rice and beans EVERY day, with no variety, ever...which I LOVED, but many did not). We said we'd always be thankful to have working toilets, and we'd always remember to be thankful for the rain, and to see it as a blessing rather than a hindrance. And upon arriving back in the States, those thoughts remained for several weeks, but slowly by slowly, they faded, and we found ourselves growing accustomed to the stereotypical materialistic American lifestyle. Now, here I am, living in Uganda once again, and trying to remember that life is not about our possessions. Life is not about whether or not we have electricity. These things do not produce the pure joy I see in the lives and hearts of the Ugandans I meet. Those I interacted with last year had nothing. Many of them could not even afford to feed their families each night, yet they were full of praise. Their hearts were full of joy. They were more content than I have ever been, and they had nothing.
I could probably go on and on, but what I'm really trying to say right now is that I am so thankful for the semester I had here last year. . . for the good times, and the awful times. . . for the challenging moments, and the moments full of joy. . . for the simplicity of life, and for the lessons learned. I pray I won't reach the point where I forget those lessons. I pray I won't ever be so focused on material possessions or money that I forget where true joy comes from. I pray I won't ever forget the people I interacted with and the way of the simple life. So much of what I have now is not really necessary. I bathed from a bucket. I went to the bathroom in hole in the ground (when it was light...if it was dark, we used a bucket in the bedroom). I ate mashed bananas and rice. We often didn't have any electricity, and functioned using candles to see. Neighbors willingly shared all they had, and didn't complain or worry about whether they would be repaid. My family didn't complain when the power went out, and they didn't complain when they did laundry by hand each week. They enjoyed it. They splashed some soapy water on each other and laughed together. When we walked home from church in the rain, they didn't complain, they thanked God for blessing the land and giving us water to survive.
May I never forget the simple life--the life I learned to love so much, and promised would always play some part in the way I lived the rest of my life. The life where "necessity" had new meaning. Internet and tv and Wal-marts were no longer necessities, but rather water, family, and love. May I never grow numb to the culture around me, and may I never forget how truly blessed I am.
Lately I have spent much of my time thinking about my experiences here a year and a half ago. The conclusion I always come to is that I am so thankful for those four months, because I feel I am still learning as a result of my time here. Lately I've been thinking about simplicity. Our power has been out for about eight hours per day, every day for the past week. We have an inverter, though, so when I say our power is out, I mean we still have lights, we just don't have a working fridge/freezer, washer/dryer, or water heater. The first night I don't think I complained at all, because the power being out gave us an excuse to finish the ice cream in the freezer. As the days went on, though, and the power stayed off, I found myself complaining briefly about the freezer being off, or not being able to do the dishes without hot water, or not being able to do laundry. After a few moments of grumbling, though, I thought back to last year, when I sat on the back porch one evening with my host brother, as the electricity was off, and listened to him talk about how he dreamed one day he would be able to afford a fridge so that his food wouldn't spoil so quickly. He talked about washers and dryers, and commented that he doesn't mind washing his clothing by hand--he thinks it gets cleaner that way anyway. If I wanted hot water for my bucket bath, I would ask my host sisters to boil some extra water on the stove, and then pour it into the freezing rain water we used to bathe. After remembering those conversations and experiences, I realized I had no right to complain. I have electricity on a regular basis. I have a working fridge, a running washer and dryer, a gas stove, a real toilet and a shower, and running water. I have been blessed with so many more possessions than any of the Ugandans I interacted with while I was here last year.
I miss simplicity. During our debrief of the semester last year, we talked about how things would be different when we arrived back in the States. We discussed ways we thought we would change. Many of us, half jokingly, and half seriously commented that we'd never complain about a cold shower again, or about cafeteria food being terrible (because here the food was rice and beans EVERY day, with no variety, ever...which I LOVED, but many did not). We said we'd always be thankful to have working toilets, and we'd always remember to be thankful for the rain, and to see it as a blessing rather than a hindrance. And upon arriving back in the States, those thoughts remained for several weeks, but slowly by slowly, they faded, and we found ourselves growing accustomed to the stereotypical materialistic American lifestyle. Now, here I am, living in Uganda once again, and trying to remember that life is not about our possessions. Life is not about whether or not we have electricity. These things do not produce the pure joy I see in the lives and hearts of the Ugandans I meet. Those I interacted with last year had nothing. Many of them could not even afford to feed their families each night, yet they were full of praise. Their hearts were full of joy. They were more content than I have ever been, and they had nothing.
I could probably go on and on, but what I'm really trying to say right now is that I am so thankful for the semester I had here last year. . . for the good times, and the awful times. . . for the challenging moments, and the moments full of joy. . . for the simplicity of life, and for the lessons learned. I pray I won't reach the point where I forget those lessons. I pray I won't ever be so focused on material possessions or money that I forget where true joy comes from. I pray I won't ever forget the people I interacted with and the way of the simple life. So much of what I have now is not really necessary. I bathed from a bucket. I went to the bathroom in hole in the ground (when it was light...if it was dark, we used a bucket in the bedroom). I ate mashed bananas and rice. We often didn't have any electricity, and functioned using candles to see. Neighbors willingly shared all they had, and didn't complain or worry about whether they would be repaid. My family didn't complain when the power went out, and they didn't complain when they did laundry by hand each week. They enjoyed it. They splashed some soapy water on each other and laughed together. When we walked home from church in the rain, they didn't complain, they thanked God for blessing the land and giving us water to survive.
May I never forget the simple life--the life I learned to love so much, and promised would always play some part in the way I lived the rest of my life. The life where "necessity" had new meaning. Internet and tv and Wal-marts were no longer necessities, but rather water, family, and love. May I never grow numb to the culture around me, and may I never forget how truly blessed I am.
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
Week in review
I don't have much time, or desire, to write at the moment, but it's been awhile, so I thought I'd post a few recent happenings:
- I've been sick on and off for seven days now. Headaches, sore throat, nausea--fun stuff :) I went to the doctor yesterday and after 2.5 hours of waiting and getting lab tests done and waiting some more, they told me they think I have a bacterial infection and gave me medicine (that's free in America, but quite costly here). We'll see if it makes a difference. So far I haven't missed school yet, but today I left class several times unexpectedly....
- Kristi and I went with our old neighbors to their church on Sunday. It was AMAZING! The worship was incredible and I loved every moment of it. The church was a large church, with probably a thousand people, and four services on Sundays. As my dad pointed out, it's interesting that I can say I've had amazing experiences at the tiniest of churches as well as the biggest. Good thing God is everywhere, in the church of 20 people, and the church of 2000.
- I've been running more often than before, and I really enjoy it. I found out the marathon/half marathon/10k races are on November 22, and I'd love to participate. I don't know if I'll be able to train enough for the half marathon in just 5.5 weeks, but I could definitely do the 10k (6.2 miles), if that really is an option.
-School has been uneventful lately, but still remains a bit of a struggle. I would say teaching each day is slightly better than when I started, and I know it will take time to fall in love with it. Keep praying. I'm still sure this is where I'm supposed to be, which is enough to keep me going on most days.
- We have two four day weeks in a row at school, which is a blessing. Last Friday was Uganda's Independence day. We just stayed around home, watched movies, graded papers, wrote lesson plans, and relaxed. This Friday is our "midsemester break" and a group of us are hoping to leave on Thursday afternoon to spend the weekend in Sipi Falls, a BEAUTIFUL place about 4-5 hours from here. We went there last year after our rural homestays....you choose a half day or whole day hike and hike way down in to the valley, under the waterfalls, and then back up again. It's pretty intense, but its breathtakingly beautiful! This is also the location where all 40 of the USP students had our church service at the highest point of the mountain overlooking all of the falls. It will be hard to top the experience I had there last year, but I'm excited to return!
- All in all, I continue to LOVE it here. I can honestly say I am completely content living in Uganda. I enjoy this culture, and learning more about it. I enjoy the people here, and I'm thankful to be surrounded by the supportive WGM community of missionaries. I'm thankful to be at a Christian school where the staff is extremely understanding and helpful when it comes to teaching frustrations and needing advice on how to make a better classroom. I've been blessed with some great friends already, and overall my time here continues to be a wonderful experience (minus teaching, but I'm confident that, in time, will also grow into a wonderful experience). Thanks for all your prayers and support! I miss you!
- I've been sick on and off for seven days now. Headaches, sore throat, nausea--fun stuff :) I went to the doctor yesterday and after 2.5 hours of waiting and getting lab tests done and waiting some more, they told me they think I have a bacterial infection and gave me medicine (that's free in America, but quite costly here). We'll see if it makes a difference. So far I haven't missed school yet, but today I left class several times unexpectedly....
- Kristi and I went with our old neighbors to their church on Sunday. It was AMAZING! The worship was incredible and I loved every moment of it. The church was a large church, with probably a thousand people, and four services on Sundays. As my dad pointed out, it's interesting that I can say I've had amazing experiences at the tiniest of churches as well as the biggest. Good thing God is everywhere, in the church of 20 people, and the church of 2000.
- I've been running more often than before, and I really enjoy it. I found out the marathon/half marathon/10k races are on November 22, and I'd love to participate. I don't know if I'll be able to train enough for the half marathon in just 5.5 weeks, but I could definitely do the 10k (6.2 miles), if that really is an option.
-School has been uneventful lately, but still remains a bit of a struggle. I would say teaching each day is slightly better than when I started, and I know it will take time to fall in love with it. Keep praying. I'm still sure this is where I'm supposed to be, which is enough to keep me going on most days.
- We have two four day weeks in a row at school, which is a blessing. Last Friday was Uganda's Independence day. We just stayed around home, watched movies, graded papers, wrote lesson plans, and relaxed. This Friday is our "midsemester break" and a group of us are hoping to leave on Thursday afternoon to spend the weekend in Sipi Falls, a BEAUTIFUL place about 4-5 hours from here. We went there last year after our rural homestays....you choose a half day or whole day hike and hike way down in to the valley, under the waterfalls, and then back up again. It's pretty intense, but its breathtakingly beautiful! This is also the location where all 40 of the USP students had our church service at the highest point of the mountain overlooking all of the falls. It will be hard to top the experience I had there last year, but I'm excited to return!
- All in all, I continue to LOVE it here. I can honestly say I am completely content living in Uganda. I enjoy this culture, and learning more about it. I enjoy the people here, and I'm thankful to be surrounded by the supportive WGM community of missionaries. I'm thankful to be at a Christian school where the staff is extremely understanding and helpful when it comes to teaching frustrations and needing advice on how to make a better classroom. I've been blessed with some great friends already, and overall my time here continues to be a wonderful experience (minus teaching, but I'm confident that, in time, will also grow into a wonderful experience). Thanks for all your prayers and support! I miss you!
Monday, October 5, 2009
"If-then" statements come to life!
"IF you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer." -Matthew 21:22
In the middle of a frustrating math lesson today, one of my students blurted out, "Why do we even have to learn? Math? Science? History? Who cares? I wish I could just graduate so I could stop having to learn!" I'm sure my response disappointed him, because I told him that we never stop learning. Learning goes far beyond high school, and quite honestly, I'm sure glad it does! Without "learning," there would be no growth. Without growth, we'd all be boring and predictable.
When I arrived home this afternoon, I believe I learned a "life lesson." I received an email from a professor at Olivet who shared some very encouraging words. His last line, though, impacted me the most. It said, "Ask Him to help you teach and BELIEVE that He will--your faith will overcome any obstacle you face." What an awesome statement, and one that I've heard many times. The part that reached me today, though, was the part that talks about believing. . .
In geometry class I just finished teaching the students about "if-then statements," called conditionals. We discussed that for the consequent (the "then" statement) to be true, the antecedent ("if statement") must be true. In other words, one part of the statement cannot be true without the other also being true. When I looked up the verse in Scripture that talks about believing what we ask for in prayer, I discovered it fits perfectly with the geometry lesson. "IF you believe, THEN you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer." -Matthew 21:22" Perhaps the opposite is also true..."If you do not believe, you will not receive whatever you ask for in prayer." Perhaps I have prayed time and time again over the past weeks that God would help me in teaching, without having the faith required, and without truly believing that one day I could actually turn out to be a decent teacher. Perhaps I haven't been believing like I should be. Perhaps my faith has been too small.
I'm not claiming to be an expert. I don't know whether what I just said is accurate or makes any sense whatsoever. What I can say is that those words spoke to me today, and taught me something new. I'm praying now that my faith will grow, and that I will be able to pray with confidence from now on.
I, for one, can say I am quite thankful the learning process never stops.
In the middle of a frustrating math lesson today, one of my students blurted out, "Why do we even have to learn? Math? Science? History? Who cares? I wish I could just graduate so I could stop having to learn!" I'm sure my response disappointed him, because I told him that we never stop learning. Learning goes far beyond high school, and quite honestly, I'm sure glad it does! Without "learning," there would be no growth. Without growth, we'd all be boring and predictable.
When I arrived home this afternoon, I believe I learned a "life lesson." I received an email from a professor at Olivet who shared some very encouraging words. His last line, though, impacted me the most. It said, "Ask Him to help you teach and BELIEVE that He will--your faith will overcome any obstacle you face." What an awesome statement, and one that I've heard many times. The part that reached me today, though, was the part that talks about believing. . .
In geometry class I just finished teaching the students about "if-then statements," called conditionals. We discussed that for the consequent (the "then" statement) to be true, the antecedent ("if statement") must be true. In other words, one part of the statement cannot be true without the other also being true. When I looked up the verse in Scripture that talks about believing what we ask for in prayer, I discovered it fits perfectly with the geometry lesson. "IF you believe, THEN you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer." -Matthew 21:22" Perhaps the opposite is also true..."If you do not believe, you will not receive whatever you ask for in prayer." Perhaps I have prayed time and time again over the past weeks that God would help me in teaching, without having the faith required, and without truly believing that one day I could actually turn out to be a decent teacher. Perhaps I haven't been believing like I should be. Perhaps my faith has been too small.
I'm not claiming to be an expert. I don't know whether what I just said is accurate or makes any sense whatsoever. What I can say is that those words spoke to me today, and taught me something new. I'm praying now that my faith will grow, and that I will be able to pray with confidence from now on.
I, for one, can say I am quite thankful the learning process never stops.
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
My times are in HIS hands
"I trust you, O Lord; I say 'You are my God.' My times are in your hand" ~Psalm 31:14-15
This verse is currently on a picture as the background of my computer. I read it every day as I open my laptop. It's on my desk at school, and it's on the wall of my room. Two years ago I saw it displayed in the kitchen of a family I babysat for, and am now friends with, and ever since then, it has become one of my favorite verses. I see it and read it multiple times daily, yet sometimes I still find myself questioning the truth in it and doubting it. Such was the case in recent days. I let discouragement get the best of me. Retreat with the students was AMAZING, and after having the two worst days of teaching ever last week, I grew very discouraged when thinking about teaching again. On Monday, teaching didn't go well, the kids didn't listen, and a few other events occurred that made it a discouraging day. God always shows up, though, and when I arrived at home, I checked the blog of the same friends in whose home I discovered the verse. Sure enough, their latest entry included this verse, and talked about God's faithfulness and His redemption. They pointed out that God ALWAYS redeems our situations and brings light to our darkness. God gently reminded me to be confident that He will eventually bring light to the "darkness" I'm experiencing right now. Ok, so struggling to teach is not exactly a huge conflict, but so far I'm honestly waking up each day struggling to find any desire whatsoever to go to school and teach. Psalm 31:14-15 reminds me, though, that my times are in HIS hands, and I am confident He brought me here. I LOVE living in Uganda, and I'm 100% confident I'm where I'm supposed to be at this point in life. And because I can be confident of that, I can also look forward to the day that He redeems this situation. I can try to remain confident in knowing and believing that He has a plan, that He's taking care of me, and my times--even discouraging and frustrating times--are in HIS hands!
That all took place on Monday. Tuesday morning I dreaded going to school again, and had a rough start, but ended up having one of my classes go wonderfully. The kids behaved, participated, and cooperated and it was awesome. One good class changed everything. I didn't care what happened throughout the rest of the day--and the rest of the day didn't end up going so well--but one great class was enough to convince me to keep persevering. And today, I woke up with a new sense of joy, not because teaching has been wonderful lately, because clearly it hasn't, but because I have been reminded that joy does not depend on our circumstances. Joy comes from within, and joy comes from knowing that God is in this battle with me. He's called me here, and He has a reason for doing so. He will provide, and my times are in HIS hands. I pray I'll remember that when times are tough.
This verse is currently on a picture as the background of my computer. I read it every day as I open my laptop. It's on my desk at school, and it's on the wall of my room. Two years ago I saw it displayed in the kitchen of a family I babysat for, and am now friends with, and ever since then, it has become one of my favorite verses. I see it and read it multiple times daily, yet sometimes I still find myself questioning the truth in it and doubting it. Such was the case in recent days. I let discouragement get the best of me. Retreat with the students was AMAZING, and after having the two worst days of teaching ever last week, I grew very discouraged when thinking about teaching again. On Monday, teaching didn't go well, the kids didn't listen, and a few other events occurred that made it a discouraging day. God always shows up, though, and when I arrived at home, I checked the blog of the same friends in whose home I discovered the verse. Sure enough, their latest entry included this verse, and talked about God's faithfulness and His redemption. They pointed out that God ALWAYS redeems our situations and brings light to our darkness. God gently reminded me to be confident that He will eventually bring light to the "darkness" I'm experiencing right now. Ok, so struggling to teach is not exactly a huge conflict, but so far I'm honestly waking up each day struggling to find any desire whatsoever to go to school and teach. Psalm 31:14-15 reminds me, though, that my times are in HIS hands, and I am confident He brought me here. I LOVE living in Uganda, and I'm 100% confident I'm where I'm supposed to be at this point in life. And because I can be confident of that, I can also look forward to the day that He redeems this situation. I can try to remain confident in knowing and believing that He has a plan, that He's taking care of me, and my times--even discouraging and frustrating times--are in HIS hands!
That all took place on Monday. Tuesday morning I dreaded going to school again, and had a rough start, but ended up having one of my classes go wonderfully. The kids behaved, participated, and cooperated and it was awesome. One good class changed everything. I didn't care what happened throughout the rest of the day--and the rest of the day didn't end up going so well--but one great class was enough to convince me to keep persevering. And today, I woke up with a new sense of joy, not because teaching has been wonderful lately, because clearly it hasn't, but because I have been reminded that joy does not depend on our circumstances. Joy comes from within, and joy comes from knowing that God is in this battle with me. He's called me here, and He has a reason for doing so. He will provide, and my times are in HIS hands. I pray I'll remember that when times are tough.
Saturday, September 19, 2009
Week highlights
It's 11:45pm on Saturday night, and after a three day retreat, I'm exhausted. As is typical during any retreat, the number of hours designated for sleeping decreased significantly. Unfortunately, instead of being in bed, sound asleep right now as I should be, I'm sitting in the living room downstairs, listening to the guard's music outside, as a result of not being able to sleep at all! Such is life.
Since I can't seem to sleep, I figured I'd update the blog by sharing a list of highlights from the past week. It's been an eventful and incredible week.
- An unexpected hug coming at just the right moment
- An unexpected lunch invitation from an amazing woman on one of the worst days of school so far
- Retreat: it came at exactly the right time!
- Hearing students cheer/clap loudly when my name was called
- Growing relationships among friends (other counselors on retreat)
- Using the slip-n-slide, which consisted of rubbing soap all over myself and flying down a huge piece of plastic, as my excuse not to shower
- Listening to the 9th grade girls talk about the high schooler's "love circle" and knowing that they were ok with me listening
- Watching Lisa Fish and students use a water balloon launcher to launch live frogs hundreds of feet through the air
- Hanging out with awesome students, and getting to know them on a level outside of the classroom
- Hearing students sing worship songs--in school, they NEVER sing during chapel, but on retreat, they were loud, and amazing!
- Listening to the girls in my banda make prank calls, laughing with them, and remembering the days in college, not so long ago, that my friends were doing the same thing
- Finding Old El Paso salsa and applesauce in the grocery store--two very unusual finds here in Uganda!
- Eating roasted corn on the side of the road next to the broken down van (so the broken down van part was not such a highlight, but since it resulted in being able to eat roasted corn, it can make the list)
-Being reminded that God is not the God of America, or of Africa, but the God of the whole universe. He is everywhere, taking care of everything, here, back home, and all over the world.
What started off as a terrible couple of days turned in to an amazing week that produced some amazing memories. I can't say I'm looking forward to going back to school and teaching on Monday, but I can say retreat came at exactly the right time, and provided exactly what I needed at that moment in time!
Since I can't seem to sleep, I figured I'd update the blog by sharing a list of highlights from the past week. It's been an eventful and incredible week.
- An unexpected hug coming at just the right moment
- An unexpected lunch invitation from an amazing woman on one of the worst days of school so far
- Retreat: it came at exactly the right time!
- Hearing students cheer/clap loudly when my name was called
- Growing relationships among friends (other counselors on retreat)
- Using the slip-n-slide, which consisted of rubbing soap all over myself and flying down a huge piece of plastic, as my excuse not to shower
- Listening to the 9th grade girls talk about the high schooler's "love circle" and knowing that they were ok with me listening
- Watching Lisa Fish and students use a water balloon launcher to launch live frogs hundreds of feet through the air
- Hanging out with awesome students, and getting to know them on a level outside of the classroom
- Hearing students sing worship songs--in school, they NEVER sing during chapel, but on retreat, they were loud, and amazing!
- Listening to the girls in my banda make prank calls, laughing with them, and remembering the days in college, not so long ago, that my friends were doing the same thing
- Finding Old El Paso salsa and applesauce in the grocery store--two very unusual finds here in Uganda!
- Eating roasted corn on the side of the road next to the broken down van (so the broken down van part was not such a highlight, but since it resulted in being able to eat roasted corn, it can make the list)
-Being reminded that God is not the God of America, or of Africa, but the God of the whole universe. He is everywhere, taking care of everything, here, back home, and all over the world.
What started off as a terrible couple of days turned in to an amazing week that produced some amazing memories. I can't say I'm looking forward to going back to school and teaching on Monday, but I can say retreat came at exactly the right time, and provided exactly what I needed at that moment in time!
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
"Better Days Ahead"
Well, it's only Tuesday, but I think it would be safe to say it's been one of the most overwhelming weeks since I've been here. Teaching this week has felt somewhat like a disaster, and life has just been overwhelming. The good news is that God always sends the right amount of blessings at just the right time, and just the right amount of encouragement to remind me He knows what He's doing, and I just need to keep persevering. "Better days ahead" as my grandpa always says...
Some of those better days, I hope, will begin tomorrow when we head to Jinja for youth retreat! Besides the awesome fact that I don't have to teach anymore this week, I have been looking forward to retreat since I found out I'd be helping out with youth group. Wednesday through Friday the 7-12 grade students and all of the youth group volunteers will be staying in Jinja, having small devotional sessions, playing tons of fun and crazy games (in which I fully intend to participate, not just watch), and hanging out together. We've been praying about this for weeks, and I am so excited for what God could do! For me personally, I am really praying these days would be opportunity for me to get to know the students outside of the math classroom. I'm hoping to interact with them in a way that helps me get to know them and start forming relationships with them. In general, I'm praying for the hearts of the students, that they would be open to whatever God might want to do in them, and for the staff members going, that we'd be willing to let God work in and through us. With some students practicing other religions, some claiming no religion at all, and some being Christians, it will be exciting to watch God at work! Please join us in prayer this exciting retreat!
Some of those better days, I hope, will begin tomorrow when we head to Jinja for youth retreat! Besides the awesome fact that I don't have to teach anymore this week, I have been looking forward to retreat since I found out I'd be helping out with youth group. Wednesday through Friday the 7-12 grade students and all of the youth group volunteers will be staying in Jinja, having small devotional sessions, playing tons of fun and crazy games (in which I fully intend to participate, not just watch), and hanging out together. We've been praying about this for weeks, and I am so excited for what God could do! For me personally, I am really praying these days would be opportunity for me to get to know the students outside of the math classroom. I'm hoping to interact with them in a way that helps me get to know them and start forming relationships with them. In general, I'm praying for the hearts of the students, that they would be open to whatever God might want to do in them, and for the staff members going, that we'd be willing to let God work in and through us. With some students practicing other religions, some claiming no religion at all, and some being Christians, it will be exciting to watch God at work! Please join us in prayer this exciting retreat!
Sunday, September 6, 2009
Mukono, how I love and miss thee!
Saturday I traveled to Mukono to visit my host family, the Jembas. Walking down the steep hill to their house brought back so many memories, and they greeted me with such love and genuine care. It was wonderful to be back in their home again, even if it meant sitting in silence for a couple of hours in their sitting room....just like old times :) They were incredibly excited to see me, as I was to see them. I'm still amazed when I think back to the experiences I had here last year, an the incredible turn-around and answer to prayer midway through the semester. Godfrey, my host dad, was not around because he recently got a job in Kampala (wonderful news for the family). Matilda, the middle sister, was also not around due to work. The others in the picture are all family members I remember, and talked with yesterday, except for the boy in the upper right corner. I have no idea where he came from. I didn't see him in the house at all yesterday (or last year), and I didn't notice him until I looked back at the picture today. Who knows who he is, but he showed up for the family photo!
Aside from the ridiculously crazy journey back home, it was a wonderful experience, and I'm so thankful I was able to reunite with my family! Being back at the house reminded me of the simplicity I enjoyed while living there, and somewhat made me desire to live that lifestyle again, rather than being so modern and American as I am now. I still miss the simplicity of the semester I spent with them, and the complete daily dependence upon the Lord. I was reminded yesterday of those who don't have all that I do, who don't always have food to put on the table, and who don't have medicines available around the corner when they need them. Those needs are what cause them to pray daily, not routine prayers like I sometimes fall into the habit of doing, but prayers of genuine urgency and prayers of faith that God WILL provide. I pray I will live a life of faith and prayer as my host family modeled for me last year.
Sidenote: Yesterday was the opening game for Ohio State football, and while I LOVE living here in Uganda, it's going to be tough to miss the entire season. Staying updated on ESPN.com by watching little football helmets move across the screen every five minutes just wasn't quite the same :) GO BUCKEYES!!!
Wednesday, September 2, 2009
Who I walked home with today:
This afternoon my walk home from school took longer than usual. By the time I thought to get my camera out, most of the cows had already turned the corner, but for a good five minutes of my walk home, I followed closely behind this crowd, silently laughing and thinking "Only in Africa...." I enjoy moments like those, as they remind me where I am.
This herd of cattle wasn't the only excitement of the afternoon walk, though. Soon after I passed the cows, I heard the familiar music of the ice cream man! Yes, even in Uganda, there is such a thing as the ice cream man. This one was a man on a boda with a giant cooler tied to the back of it. As is typical for ice cream men in America, this one drove around the streets playing loud music. Today's song was "happy Birthday," and as is typical, one note each time was ridiculously off key. It's never the same note, though, so you never know when it's coming. I didn't buy any ice cream, because I've heard it might be a little sketchy, but I did have a typical African conversation with the guy that consisted of the seemingly never-ending cycle of "How are you? Fine. How are you? Fine. How are you? Fine. How are you? Fine....."
I love living here :-)
Monday, August 31, 2009
Pictures
Friends at the PTF BBQ
Friday market purchases- all this for less than $22
Fun with the 6ht graders
Friday market purchases- all this for less than $22
Fun with the 6ht graders
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
Snails and Hippos save the day!
My first "teacher gift" ever. It's amazing what a stuffed hippo in a coffee mug can do to boost one's morale for the day. When the 7-8th grade kids, who typically are my favorite students to work with, were unusually crazy and disruptive, I just looked at the hippo sitting on my desk, thought of the student who gave it to me, and suddenly things were ok. :)
This morning we had a friendly visitor in the classroom. This picture doesn't do it justice, as it was roughly the size of my hand. Needless to say, however, I think the kids found it much more entertaining than our discussion on equal fractions and square roots :)
This morning we had a friendly visitor in the classroom. This picture doesn't do it justice, as it was roughly the size of my hand. Needless to say, however, I think the kids found it much more entertaining than our discussion on equal fractions and square roots :)
Monday, August 24, 2009
Maid of Honor- Ugandan style
It's 1:30 PM here on Monday afternoon, and I would normally be in school right now, but I had to take a sick day as a result of several trips to the bathroom to throw up. So, now that those fun details are out of the way, I'll get on with the story :-)
Sharon, a close friend I met while studying here last year, met a Ugandan man during our rural homestays a year ago, and a few months later, he proposed. I attended their "American wedding" in May of this year. Yesterday was their "African ceremony." Since they were already married, it wasn't a real wedding, it was just a celebration. But it was exciting and cultural, nonetheless. The ceremony started at 2pm, but Sharon picked me up around 1:30, then went to get her hair done, and we didn't arrive at the ceremony until 5:00pm. . . "African time" at its best, I suppose. We arrived in a 15 passenger van that drove us to the head table. When we stepped out, a large portion of the crowd greeted us with "ulations" (long, wavering, high-pitched sounds resembling the howl of a dog or wolf with a trilling quality, according to Wikipedia, but if you ask me they sound more like high pitched squawking birds). What I did not know when I arrived at the wedding was that I would be considered her "maid of honor" and sit next to her at the head table. This also meant that the best man and I followed the couple around all evening, stood behind them while cutting the cake, stood with them as they gave speeches, and walked around with them while they greeted the guests. The best man constantly asked me throughout the evening when he could attend one of these ceremonies for me. I told him I'm nowhere close to marriage, and haven't found the right guy yet, and he then took it upon himself to introduce me to nearly EVERY single man at the ceremony! He told them all, "She's available, and looking for a husband! Won't you help her?" Ha. I don't think that's quite an accurate description, but it did create some interesting (and very awkward) moments. The ceremony ended with dancing to Ugandan music, as is typical for these types of events. I was peacefully enjoying watching everyone else dance when suddenly the MC of the night, a 50-60 year old man, who was completely drunk, grabbed me and got me to dance with him. He kept asking people to take his picture as he danced with the "muzungu." He was so proud of himself for teaching a muzungu how to dance. It was a fun evening, and it was great to finally see Sharon again. Some of the adult leaders from the university were there, as well, and it was nice to see them again. It was certainly an interesting and cultural experience, but it was enjoyable. And, possibly one of the best parts of the evening was the amazing local food! I haven't been able to find local food since I've been here, and I've been wanting to try it all again. The wedding had matooke (smashed bananas), noodles, rice, beans, pumpkin, cabbage, g-nut sauce (a favorite of mine), beef, chicken, and pineapple. It was a fabulous meal, though apparently it didn't sit too well with my stomach, since I'm not at school today.
In other news, I drove the VIA car on Saturday for the first time. Granted I only drove it for about 10 minutes each way (on a trip that should have taken five, but I was too afraid to go fast because it was raining and terribly muddy--much like driving in snow) and I stayed on mostly back roads without traffic. You have to start somewhere though. We drive on the left side here, and traffic is unlike anything I've ever seen in America. You have to be ridiculously aggressive if you plan on going anywhere. Many nights, traffic is at a standstill for hours. It's crazy! I've only driven once, but I eventually hope to gain enough courage to drive in the city. We'll see.
Sharon, a close friend I met while studying here last year, met a Ugandan man during our rural homestays a year ago, and a few months later, he proposed. I attended their "American wedding" in May of this year. Yesterday was their "African ceremony." Since they were already married, it wasn't a real wedding, it was just a celebration. But it was exciting and cultural, nonetheless. The ceremony started at 2pm, but Sharon picked me up around 1:30, then went to get her hair done, and we didn't arrive at the ceremony until 5:00pm. . . "African time" at its best, I suppose. We arrived in a 15 passenger van that drove us to the head table. When we stepped out, a large portion of the crowd greeted us with "ulations" (long, wavering, high-pitched sounds resembling the howl of a dog or wolf with a trilling quality, according to Wikipedia, but if you ask me they sound more like high pitched squawking birds). What I did not know when I arrived at the wedding was that I would be considered her "maid of honor" and sit next to her at the head table. This also meant that the best man and I followed the couple around all evening, stood behind them while cutting the cake, stood with them as they gave speeches, and walked around with them while they greeted the guests. The best man constantly asked me throughout the evening when he could attend one of these ceremonies for me. I told him I'm nowhere close to marriage, and haven't found the right guy yet, and he then took it upon himself to introduce me to nearly EVERY single man at the ceremony! He told them all, "She's available, and looking for a husband! Won't you help her?" Ha. I don't think that's quite an accurate description, but it did create some interesting (and very awkward) moments. The ceremony ended with dancing to Ugandan music, as is typical for these types of events. I was peacefully enjoying watching everyone else dance when suddenly the MC of the night, a 50-60 year old man, who was completely drunk, grabbed me and got me to dance with him. He kept asking people to take his picture as he danced with the "muzungu." He was so proud of himself for teaching a muzungu how to dance. It was a fun evening, and it was great to finally see Sharon again. Some of the adult leaders from the university were there, as well, and it was nice to see them again. It was certainly an interesting and cultural experience, but it was enjoyable. And, possibly one of the best parts of the evening was the amazing local food! I haven't been able to find local food since I've been here, and I've been wanting to try it all again. The wedding had matooke (smashed bananas), noodles, rice, beans, pumpkin, cabbage, g-nut sauce (a favorite of mine), beef, chicken, and pineapple. It was a fabulous meal, though apparently it didn't sit too well with my stomach, since I'm not at school today.
In other news, I drove the VIA car on Saturday for the first time. Granted I only drove it for about 10 minutes each way (on a trip that should have taken five, but I was too afraid to go fast because it was raining and terribly muddy--much like driving in snow) and I stayed on mostly back roads without traffic. You have to start somewhere though. We drive on the left side here, and traffic is unlike anything I've ever seen in America. You have to be ridiculously aggressive if you plan on going anywhere. Many nights, traffic is at a standstill for hours. It's crazy! I've only driven once, but I eventually hope to gain enough courage to drive in the city. We'll see.
Saturday, August 22, 2009
World's Worst Bargainer, World's Best Bargain?
Yesterday a group of us took bodas in to town to visit the Friday market. The city has several permanent craft markets set up for tourists to buy gifts, but this market is set up once a week and is made up of tents and tarps full of various gifts and useful items. It's basically a small area of land completely packed with people. Our first boda driver took us to the wrong market, and we ended up at a permanent market in the middle of the city. After looking around there, we decided to attempt to get to the Friday market. We took another boda, which may have been the scariest ride of my life, weaving in and out of traffic, being literally inches away from cars (and at one point, my leg brushed against the side of a car), and even riding on the sidewalk to get around the traffic. Bodas are certainly more convenient and a MUCH quicker form of transportation than a car or taxi, and they're tons of fun, but they can be pretty scary. Anyway, we finally arrived at Friday market and were amazed at the thousands of items for sale. On previous mission trips to the Bahamas, Guatemala, and even last year in Uganda, I realized I may be the world's worst bargainer, but yesterday confirmed it once again. Typically, when a mzungu (white person) asks how much something costs, they'll tell us a very high price, and we are supposed to bargain down to a lower more reasonable price. Yesterday, however, I asked them how much, they told me, and I handed it over to them! I'm sure I'll get better at it over time, but it seemed to me I was already getting awesome deals, and this is how these people make their living, so I felt ok giving them more than the locals would pay them. Even without bargaining, for roughly $15 I paid for the 25 minute boda into the city, the 10 minute boda ride back to the market, 5 necklaces, one bracelet, a wallet, and a pair of shoes. Not too bad if you ask me! We're looking forward to many more trips to the Friday market, and probably many other markets as well! Hopefully as the year progresses, I'll become more confident in my bartering skills.
Last night all WGM missionaries and VIA (volunteers in action)went to a mongolian bbq for dinner. It was probably one of the most delicious meals I have ever had. We piled our plates high with vegetables of all sorts, spices, sauces, and various meats (pork, beef, chicken, and lamb) and then watched as they fried it for us and put it on top of rice. It was fabulous, and I didn't know places like that even existed here! I continue to be amazed at how much is available here in the city, compared to where I spent my semester last year. It's certainly not like living in America or anything, but it's much more modern than I had imagined.
Tonight several of the younger teachers are having a pitch in at one of the girl's houses. It will be interesting to see what dishes everyone brings. Starting in September, instead of purchasing the catered food at lunch, I think I'm going to purchase from the local menu. It's half the price, and I'm really looking forward to eating matooke (smashed bananas) again! Tomorrow afternoon (Sunday), I'm attending the wedding ceremony of one of the girls who studied here the same semester I did last year. She met a Ugandan man while here last year, he proposed, and she said yes! I attended their "American wedding" in the States this past May, and tomorrow will be their African ceremony. The leaders from the university will also be there, so I am incredibly excited to see some familiar faces and reunite with great friends.
Still trying to find ways to connect with the culture. Still trying to find ways to be more assertive and discipline more in the classroom. Still trying to figure out how to cook, since everything must be started from scratch and takes much longer than cooking at home did. Still praying for friendships to develop, still praying for connections with the kids. Still praying for creativity in lesson planning. Thank you to those of you who support me in prayer...I couldn't do it without you!
Last night all WGM missionaries and VIA (volunteers in action)went to a mongolian bbq for dinner. It was probably one of the most delicious meals I have ever had. We piled our plates high with vegetables of all sorts, spices, sauces, and various meats (pork, beef, chicken, and lamb) and then watched as they fried it for us and put it on top of rice. It was fabulous, and I didn't know places like that even existed here! I continue to be amazed at how much is available here in the city, compared to where I spent my semester last year. It's certainly not like living in America or anything, but it's much more modern than I had imagined.
Tonight several of the younger teachers are having a pitch in at one of the girl's houses. It will be interesting to see what dishes everyone brings. Starting in September, instead of purchasing the catered food at lunch, I think I'm going to purchase from the local menu. It's half the price, and I'm really looking forward to eating matooke (smashed bananas) again! Tomorrow afternoon (Sunday), I'm attending the wedding ceremony of one of the girls who studied here the same semester I did last year. She met a Ugandan man while here last year, he proposed, and she said yes! I attended their "American wedding" in the States this past May, and tomorrow will be their African ceremony. The leaders from the university will also be there, so I am incredibly excited to see some familiar faces and reunite with great friends.
Still trying to find ways to connect with the culture. Still trying to find ways to be more assertive and discipline more in the classroom. Still trying to figure out how to cook, since everything must be started from scratch and takes much longer than cooking at home did. Still praying for friendships to develop, still praying for connections with the kids. Still praying for creativity in lesson planning. Thank you to those of you who support me in prayer...I couldn't do it without you!
Sunday, August 16, 2009
Mukama Yebazibwe
Today I was reminded once again that "church" has absolutely nothing to do with the building, but rather with the people who make up the church. For the first several weeks, WGM missionaries are taking us around to various African Gospel Churches (AGC) so we can see which churches WGM is affiliated with. This morning we went to a small church built with sticks and mud. We sat on small wooden benches for several hours. Chickens ran in and out of the building during the service, and goats and cows wandered around just outside. There were no lights, there was no sound system, there was no electricity, but the presence of the Lord was there. There was no coffee shop, there was no bookstore, there was no fancy piano. There were holes in the walls and the rain leaked in as we sat through the service, but the Holy Spirit was there, and the people were genuinely worshiping the Lord. We sang songs for over an hour, then heard a wonderful message, then sang more songs. Various church attenders shared testimonies from their week. They thanked the Lord for rain, because Uganda has been in drought. They thanked the Lord that their families are alive and that each one of us made it to church that day. They thanked the Lord for the simplest of things...things I too often take for granted. They worshiped, and it was awesome. They had nothing but a mud and stick building, and yet they truly worshiped the Lord. Many of them shared that many nights they do not have enough money to put food on the dinner table, and night after night, they skip meals, and yet they praised the Lord. They were full of joy and they were content. And that is why I love the Christian African culture.
Now, please don't think I'm putting down the western churches. I'm not trying to say there is anything wrong with large churches who have fancy music equipment or coffee shops and bookstores. Those things are wonderful, and an awesome asset for fellowship at church. All I'm saying is maybe sometimes we spend too much time focusing on what our church has or doesn't have, and too little time genuinely worshiping and praising the Lord. We have more than we need, and we don't depend on rain. We won't run out of water, and our children aren't dying of starvation. The church shouldn't be about a place or a building, but about a group of people following the Lord, praising Him no matter what. That is what I saw this morning, and that is how I want to live.
My roommate and I continue to struggle with living in our "missionary bubble" and are trying to search for opportunities to involve ourselves with the Ugandan culture. Right now, we walk to school each day, teach classes, and walk home. We live in a huge house with electricity, internet, and running water. We're incredibly thankful for our living conditions, and very thankful that we're protected by a guard and a tall wall around our home. But we're not being immersed in the African culture. We're not getting to know the Ugandan families who live just down the street from us in mud huts. I am realizing more and more how thankful I am for the experience I had last year in Uganda, and the awesome opportunity I had when living with my Ugandan host family. Yes, there were plenty of challenges, and yes, I'm thankful to live in a home with a toilet this year, but when I lived with my family, I became one of them. The neighbors treated me as an "African" and I learned how to live with little. I learned how to be sensitive to the culture, and I learned how dependent this culture has to be on the Lord. When it didn't rain, I didn't shower. When my host mom didn't get hours at her job, we didn't have meat that week for lunch. They couldn't walk down the road to the corner drugstore and purchase medicine if they were sick. Instead, they stayed home and prayed. Yes, the semester with my host family presented many challenging situations, some I would rather not have experienced, but it was through those experiences that I saw my family radically depend on God for survival. It was through those situations I saw my family depend on prayer. It was through those situations I learned to be sensitive to the African culture, and to love it and embrace it. Yet now, here I am, living in Uganda, but hardly feeling like it. My room here is twice as big as my bedroom at home. Our power was off all day yesterday, and our fridge and water heater stopped working, but even when the power is out, we have back-up lights and power for 24 hours. All this just goes to say, I suppose, that I really want to find some way to get involved with the Ugandan culture. I don't want to spend my year here walking to school, teaching, and walking home. I want to find some way to immerse myself in this culture and remain sensitive to what's going on around me. I don't want to grow so accustomed to the western culture that I forget there are people living right down the street from me who literally have nothing.
On a lighter note, I've been keeping a list of things that are more difficult to accomplish here. So far my list includes the following:
-cooking: no directions on anything and boiling foods takes twice as long, not to mention the need to bleach every fruit or vegetable bought in any store and boil any water you want to drink or use for cooking
-walking: As a result of the roads and the enormous amount of dust, walking becomes more difficult because you must constantly glance down and make sure it's an ok area to walk on, and you must walk slower in order to avoid sliding down hills and falling
-starting new rolls of toilet paper: Now, this one's pretty silly, but TP isn't perforated here, so you basically have to tear apart the roll until you finally get it started
-using the microwave: Well, our microwave anyway. It's obviously very close to dying, as only one button on it works, and it only works once each time. The outlets here have on/off switches, and we keep the microwave switched off unless we use it. So, when we turn it on, we can push the "one minute plus" button once, wait for the minute to be up, switch the power off and back on again, and repeat the process until our food is warm.
-Making ice cubes: It's a wonderful blessing to have a fridge/freezer in our house, and I'm thankful to be able to have cold drinks instead of room temperature ones like last year. However, making ice requires boiling water, letting it cool,and then finally putting it in the freezer to freeze.
-Teaching: Not having any technology whatsoever does present some challlenges, and makes it difficult to figure out how to design creative lesson plans. Aside from no technology, we have very few resources like markers or art supplies for doing projects
Such is life in Africa :) I constantly think back to my semester here last year, and the fact that I said I'd never come back, and yet here I am. It's amazing how God works. I'm glad He knows what's best for us, and that He promises to take care of us. This is quite a different experience from last year, but I have no doubt I will learn just as much, be challenged just as much (the first week at school proved that), and hopefully grow just as much!
Mukama Yebazibwe! (Praise the Lord) Amiina (Amen)- A common phrase spoken in many churches around this area
Now, please don't think I'm putting down the western churches. I'm not trying to say there is anything wrong with large churches who have fancy music equipment or coffee shops and bookstores. Those things are wonderful, and an awesome asset for fellowship at church. All I'm saying is maybe sometimes we spend too much time focusing on what our church has or doesn't have, and too little time genuinely worshiping and praising the Lord. We have more than we need, and we don't depend on rain. We won't run out of water, and our children aren't dying of starvation. The church shouldn't be about a place or a building, but about a group of people following the Lord, praising Him no matter what. That is what I saw this morning, and that is how I want to live.
My roommate and I continue to struggle with living in our "missionary bubble" and are trying to search for opportunities to involve ourselves with the Ugandan culture. Right now, we walk to school each day, teach classes, and walk home. We live in a huge house with electricity, internet, and running water. We're incredibly thankful for our living conditions, and very thankful that we're protected by a guard and a tall wall around our home. But we're not being immersed in the African culture. We're not getting to know the Ugandan families who live just down the street from us in mud huts. I am realizing more and more how thankful I am for the experience I had last year in Uganda, and the awesome opportunity I had when living with my Ugandan host family. Yes, there were plenty of challenges, and yes, I'm thankful to live in a home with a toilet this year, but when I lived with my family, I became one of them. The neighbors treated me as an "African" and I learned how to live with little. I learned how to be sensitive to the culture, and I learned how dependent this culture has to be on the Lord. When it didn't rain, I didn't shower. When my host mom didn't get hours at her job, we didn't have meat that week for lunch. They couldn't walk down the road to the corner drugstore and purchase medicine if they were sick. Instead, they stayed home and prayed. Yes, the semester with my host family presented many challenging situations, some I would rather not have experienced, but it was through those experiences that I saw my family radically depend on God for survival. It was through those situations I saw my family depend on prayer. It was through those situations I learned to be sensitive to the African culture, and to love it and embrace it. Yet now, here I am, living in Uganda, but hardly feeling like it. My room here is twice as big as my bedroom at home. Our power was off all day yesterday, and our fridge and water heater stopped working, but even when the power is out, we have back-up lights and power for 24 hours. All this just goes to say, I suppose, that I really want to find some way to get involved with the Ugandan culture. I don't want to spend my year here walking to school, teaching, and walking home. I want to find some way to immerse myself in this culture and remain sensitive to what's going on around me. I don't want to grow so accustomed to the western culture that I forget there are people living right down the street from me who literally have nothing.
On a lighter note, I've been keeping a list of things that are more difficult to accomplish here. So far my list includes the following:
-cooking: no directions on anything and boiling foods takes twice as long, not to mention the need to bleach every fruit or vegetable bought in any store and boil any water you want to drink or use for cooking
-walking: As a result of the roads and the enormous amount of dust, walking becomes more difficult because you must constantly glance down and make sure it's an ok area to walk on, and you must walk slower in order to avoid sliding down hills and falling
-starting new rolls of toilet paper: Now, this one's pretty silly, but TP isn't perforated here, so you basically have to tear apart the roll until you finally get it started
-using the microwave: Well, our microwave anyway. It's obviously very close to dying, as only one button on it works, and it only works once each time. The outlets here have on/off switches, and we keep the microwave switched off unless we use it. So, when we turn it on, we can push the "one minute plus" button once, wait for the minute to be up, switch the power off and back on again, and repeat the process until our food is warm.
-Making ice cubes: It's a wonderful blessing to have a fridge/freezer in our house, and I'm thankful to be able to have cold drinks instead of room temperature ones like last year. However, making ice requires boiling water, letting it cool,and then finally putting it in the freezer to freeze.
-Teaching: Not having any technology whatsoever does present some challlenges, and makes it difficult to figure out how to design creative lesson plans. Aside from no technology, we have very few resources like markers or art supplies for doing projects
Such is life in Africa :) I constantly think back to my semester here last year, and the fact that I said I'd never come back, and yet here I am. It's amazing how God works. I'm glad He knows what's best for us, and that He promises to take care of us. This is quite a different experience from last year, but I have no doubt I will learn just as much, be challenged just as much (the first week at school proved that), and hopefully grow just as much!
Mukama Yebazibwe! (Praise the Lord) Amiina (Amen)- A common phrase spoken in many churches around this area
Wednesday, August 12, 2009
Random notes after three days in the classroom:
-I now teach 6-12 grade. Because they combined the 7th and 8th graders this week (so the we'd have one class of four instead of two classes with one and three students), they added 6th graders to the secondary curriculum. I have four classes each day, plus 20 minutes of devotions.
- The curriculum we use for math would be awesome, if only I were teaching in America! Already, on day one in the book, students seemed quite confused by the wording and phrases in the American book. Every example has something to do with the US, and many international students have never heard of many of the places/examples used in the book. I'll likely have to rewrite all tests/quizzes so the students understand, though that's a tough task, since I don't really know the culture well enough to know what to replace the American phrases with. It will be an interesting year.
- I am learning more each day about the math program last year, and how it was basically non-existent. The principal told me to "put the hammer down" and be as strict as I can with these kids because most of them failed math last year and are used to sitting in class and goofing around doing nothing. Today when I asked the students what they did last year in math, they responded similarly. "Nothing. We sat here, did some worksheets, and played games. The teacher sat at his desk and said nothing." The faculty/administration is obviously wanting this year to be different, drastically different, which sometimes feels like a lot of pressure, but at the same time, it seems like anything should be improvement from last year.
- I have four classes, sizes 8, 4, 5, and 11. The entire 7-12 grade only has 20 kids. They say many kids left the school last year after it had so many problems. The awesome thing is that these kids are from ALL over. I have one student from Australia, one from Ethiopia, a couple from the UK, one from the Philippines, from Kenya, from America, and from Uganda. And every one of them has a different accent. It's amazing :)
- Kristi and I walked to town this afternoon to get groceries. We wanted to be outside and exercise rather than take a boda, so we set out, a little unsure of where we were going, and started on our way to the store. It was a 30 minute walk and quite relaxing on the way there, with empty backpacks. The way home was a bit more exhausting, with our backpacks STUFFED full with groceries. At least we have some food...now we just have to learn how to cook here!
- Some days are better than others. Day one of teaching was pretty decent. Day two made me want to quit teaching forever. Day three was in between. Again I say, it's going to be a challenging year...a good, but challenging year.
- There's not enough hours in the day to complete everything on my daily to-do list. But that's not because I'm in Uganda...that's just life, I suppose.
And with that, while there are still many more stories/thoughts I could share, I must plan another lesson and get some sleep. Here's for hoping day four goes better than the rest.
- The curriculum we use for math would be awesome, if only I were teaching in America! Already, on day one in the book, students seemed quite confused by the wording and phrases in the American book. Every example has something to do with the US, and many international students have never heard of many of the places/examples used in the book. I'll likely have to rewrite all tests/quizzes so the students understand, though that's a tough task, since I don't really know the culture well enough to know what to replace the American phrases with. It will be an interesting year.
- I am learning more each day about the math program last year, and how it was basically non-existent. The principal told me to "put the hammer down" and be as strict as I can with these kids because most of them failed math last year and are used to sitting in class and goofing around doing nothing. Today when I asked the students what they did last year in math, they responded similarly. "Nothing. We sat here, did some worksheets, and played games. The teacher sat at his desk and said nothing." The faculty/administration is obviously wanting this year to be different, drastically different, which sometimes feels like a lot of pressure, but at the same time, it seems like anything should be improvement from last year.
- I have four classes, sizes 8, 4, 5, and 11. The entire 7-12 grade only has 20 kids. They say many kids left the school last year after it had so many problems. The awesome thing is that these kids are from ALL over. I have one student from Australia, one from Ethiopia, a couple from the UK, one from the Philippines, from Kenya, from America, and from Uganda. And every one of them has a different accent. It's amazing :)
- Kristi and I walked to town this afternoon to get groceries. We wanted to be outside and exercise rather than take a boda, so we set out, a little unsure of where we were going, and started on our way to the store. It was a 30 minute walk and quite relaxing on the way there, with empty backpacks. The way home was a bit more exhausting, with our backpacks STUFFED full with groceries. At least we have some food...now we just have to learn how to cook here!
- Some days are better than others. Day one of teaching was pretty decent. Day two made me want to quit teaching forever. Day three was in between. Again I say, it's going to be a challenging year...a good, but challenging year.
- There's not enough hours in the day to complete everything on my daily to-do list. But that's not because I'm in Uganda...that's just life, I suppose.
And with that, while there are still many more stories/thoughts I could share, I must plan another lesson and get some sleep. Here's for hoping day four goes better than the rest.
Monday, August 10, 2009
The Proof You've been asking for
Some of you asked for a picture (in Uganda, pictures are called "snaps") of me on the boda boda. Thanks for my roommate, Kristi, now you have the proof you've been waiting for. She was ahead of me on another boda, going slow enough to be able to snap a picture. Of course, you can barely see me, but I assure you, it is in fact me :) More to come later, I'm sure...after all, I'm here for a year...there's plenty of time for photos.
Sidenote: In this picture, the road is paved. Keep in mind, however, that many roads around here are not, and those roads are EXTREMELY bumpy and filled with holes. Here, workers add speed bumps to the road whenever they feel like it. I believe I've heard that within a one kilometer stretch between my house and another WGM leader, there are 17. Just one more reason to hang on for your life :)
A good, but challenging year ahead.
Several stories to share after the first day of school....
- School: I survived. It wasn't awful, but it wasn't amazing, and it pretty much went as expected. My class sizes were 1, 3, 3, and 9. The 9 will be a challenging class, as according to the other teachers, they're known as the "troublemakers who could care less about school." One student, Bhavik, practices the Jain religion, and seems to be a math genius. He was the one student all day who admitted to liking math. He was the only one in grades 10-12 who was actually willing to talk to me, though, and asked immediately if I am a Christian. When I said yes, he replied, "Figures, all the teachers are." The curriculum is still changing, and I still don't know for sure which classes I'm teaching and which books I'm using. This may sound stressful to some, but for my procrastination habits in lesson planning, it works well, as I haven't planned lessons for any of the classes yet! :) All in all, there's a lot to get used to, and my conclusion after day one is that this will be a challenging year....a GOOD, but challenging year.
I also found out today that I give devotions to the 8th graders three times a week,and that they're supposed to be 20 minutes long. That's both really exciting, and really scary. Reading from a book each day would be an easy task, but 20 minutes? Seems like a mini-sermon. I imagine I'll try and involve the kids as much as possible and ask them to participate as well. Any ideas from those of you who are creative would be much appreciated, though!! Heritage International is the only Christian international school in Uganda.
-Youth Group: At Heritage, each teacher is required to participate in at least one after school activity. My chosen (err, assigned rather, since I just happened to be in the meeting at the right time) activity is youth group. The youth group is basically any of the secondary students who want to attend, and we meet basically every other Friday after school. We also go on a three day retreat in September and have a couple of overnight activities. We'll do short Bible studies, and play lots of fun games. I'm really excited to be a part of this ministry, and look forward to building even closer relationships with the students through the youth group events. Our first meeting is this Friday after school. Please pray it goes well and kids show up!
-Bodas: For those of you who have asked, no, the passenger on the boda (me) does not wear a helmet. I have only seen a few boda drivers wearing helmets, and passengers never do. That is likely the reason accidents are awful when they occur. I pray for the Lord's protection every time I get on one, which has been a total of three times so far. Today after school three of us went to town to buy ice cream, and since our car is still in the shop (and we don't yet know how to drive), we took bodas. I was told it is VERY inappropriate for a woman wearing a skirt to "straddle" the boda seat. That's why we typically sit sideways. However, on the way home from the market, when I sat down sideways, the driver looked and said, "NO, you sit like a man!" So there I was, wearing a skirt, straddling a boda. A sight to see, for sure! :)
-Health: As a quick prayer request, I'll share that I've been sick at some point throughout the day every day for four days now. The majority of the days I feel fine, and then for about an hour each day, I feel awful. I don't know what's causing it, as we're trying to be super careful with all of our food and water. Prayers would be much appreciated!
And now it's 7:30pm and I have yet to start planning tomorrow's lessons. In my defense, I only arrived home twenty minutes ago, but I must get to work so eventually I can get to sleep! Continue praying for a positive experience this week at school, for the students, and for their brand new math teacher :)
- School: I survived. It wasn't awful, but it wasn't amazing, and it pretty much went as expected. My class sizes were 1, 3, 3, and 9. The 9 will be a challenging class, as according to the other teachers, they're known as the "troublemakers who could care less about school." One student, Bhavik, practices the Jain religion, and seems to be a math genius. He was the one student all day who admitted to liking math. He was the only one in grades 10-12 who was actually willing to talk to me, though, and asked immediately if I am a Christian. When I said yes, he replied, "Figures, all the teachers are." The curriculum is still changing, and I still don't know for sure which classes I'm teaching and which books I'm using. This may sound stressful to some, but for my procrastination habits in lesson planning, it works well, as I haven't planned lessons for any of the classes yet! :) All in all, there's a lot to get used to, and my conclusion after day one is that this will be a challenging year....a GOOD, but challenging year.
I also found out today that I give devotions to the 8th graders three times a week,and that they're supposed to be 20 minutes long. That's both really exciting, and really scary. Reading from a book each day would be an easy task, but 20 minutes? Seems like a mini-sermon. I imagine I'll try and involve the kids as much as possible and ask them to participate as well. Any ideas from those of you who are creative would be much appreciated, though!! Heritage International is the only Christian international school in Uganda.
-Youth Group: At Heritage, each teacher is required to participate in at least one after school activity. My chosen (err, assigned rather, since I just happened to be in the meeting at the right time) activity is youth group. The youth group is basically any of the secondary students who want to attend, and we meet basically every other Friday after school. We also go on a three day retreat in September and have a couple of overnight activities. We'll do short Bible studies, and play lots of fun games. I'm really excited to be a part of this ministry, and look forward to building even closer relationships with the students through the youth group events. Our first meeting is this Friday after school. Please pray it goes well and kids show up!
-Bodas: For those of you who have asked, no, the passenger on the boda (me) does not wear a helmet. I have only seen a few boda drivers wearing helmets, and passengers never do. That is likely the reason accidents are awful when they occur. I pray for the Lord's protection every time I get on one, which has been a total of three times so far. Today after school three of us went to town to buy ice cream, and since our car is still in the shop (and we don't yet know how to drive), we took bodas. I was told it is VERY inappropriate for a woman wearing a skirt to "straddle" the boda seat. That's why we typically sit sideways. However, on the way home from the market, when I sat down sideways, the driver looked and said, "NO, you sit like a man!" So there I was, wearing a skirt, straddling a boda. A sight to see, for sure! :)
-Health: As a quick prayer request, I'll share that I've been sick at some point throughout the day every day for four days now. The majority of the days I feel fine, and then for about an hour each day, I feel awful. I don't know what's causing it, as we're trying to be super careful with all of our food and water. Prayers would be much appreciated!
And now it's 7:30pm and I have yet to start planning tomorrow's lessons. In my defense, I only arrived home twenty minutes ago, but I must get to work so eventually I can get to sleep! Continue praying for a positive experience this week at school, for the students, and for their brand new math teacher :)
Saturday, August 8, 2009
Hanging on for dear life!
Last year when I was in Uganda, it was a USP (Uganda Studies Program) rule that we were NOT allowed to ride boda bodas (tiny motorcycles that Ugandans use as a main form of transportation). Traffic here is AWFUL, and many of the roads are in pretty poor shape, but these bodas are convenient because they zip in and out of traffic get around the traffic jams quickly. They're also a leading cause of death in the country, because they're not always that careful, and when they have an accident, its usually a terrible one. Many students rode them anyway, but I was not one of them. I was completely terrified of them and was never even tempted to get on one. Walking was just fine by me. Today, however, on my fourth day in Uganda, the leaders of the USP program were visiting friends several miles from where I live, and they asked me to take a boda to come meet them. Now, I'm going to have to learn to drive here at some point, and I'm not really looking forward to it, but the thought of taking a boda terrified me. I considered not going, but it they live an hour away, and may not be around again soon, and I figured it would really be nice to see some familiar faces. So I got up the courage, walked down my street to the boda station where at least ten bodas waved at me and wanted my business. I found one and asked, "Can you take me to the Shell station at Bunga Hill?" He responded, "yes, of course! Please, sit!" Here women sit sideways on the bike, because it is not culturally acceptable to straddle the seat, so I nervously hopped on, trusted that this man knew where we were going (because I had no idea where Bunga Hill was), and held on for dear life to the little bar crossing the back of the seat. As bumpy as the roads are here, I can see why boda accidents are common. I lifted off the seat a couple of times, and could definitely picture myself falling off as we went along the rough roads, but eventually he stopped and said, "We are here." I asked him how much, and he told me 4000 shillings (a little less than $2). What I didn't realize until after he got off was that we were not at the Shell station. He did not know where the Shell station was, so he had taken me to another petrol station in the area. So, being the very experienced boda rider that I now was, I got another boda and had him take me to the Shell station. I met my friends and had a wonderful time. I asked the people I met with how much it should cost to take a boda from Kynsanga (my town) to Bunga, and they told me 1200 at the most. I laughed and told them I'd paid 5000 between the two bodas. They told me I need to learn how to bargain with them, because they try to charge muzungus (white people) more. I'm a terrible bargainer. That's something I'll have to get better at, and soon! And thus concluded my first ever boda boda experience. We will have a car, yes, but I expect there will be many more boda rides in my future. After all, having now ridden two bodas, my reaction is "THAT WAS AWESOME!" Just make sure you hang on for your life....
Friday, August 7, 2009
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