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.

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

"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.