I made it!

Oh my goodness… where to start?  I’m living in Africa!  It still feels a little bit like a dream- like someone might wake me up and send me home in a day or two.  I’m so excited to be here, and grateful for this opportunity.  I love soaking in this new culture and the beautiful surroundings. 

Traveling was a little less than great, due to getting sick after my first flight and not feeling myself until after being here a day.  As you can imagine, 24 hours of travel and flying is not enjoyable when sick.  Thankfully, I made it alive (I was pretty sure I wasn’t going to survive a few times, but maybe that’s a little dramatic…? J) and have easily adjusted to the time difference.  For the first few days we lived in guest apartments, as all the international students arrived.  While at the apartments, we had the pleasure of meeting a group of Australians who had been living here for a couple of months while helping with a building project.  They were really funny and made us feel right at home.  Not to mention awesome accents.  There are eight of us international students total- three from Canada, four from the U.S., and one from Australia.  We will all be living together, which is awesome.  Today is our first full day in our permanent home.  We are so excited to be here!  Our house is beautiful- complete with a balcony and a great big lawn.  I was especially excited that we can get outside whenever we want- it definitely makes me feel more at home.  We have a house “mom” whose name is Esther.  She is so sweet and beyond excited to have us here.

Let me back up a bit…

When I arrived in the Entebbe airport, I was lucky enough to land at the same time as two other girls in the program- one from Texas and one from Canada.  I was glad to have them so that we could get settled in together and share our first experiences.  Our first truly “Ugandan” meal was rolex.  Yes, like the watch.  They are a breakfast roll-up made with an omelet inside of chipote, a tortilla-like bread.  So, so good!  We also had baby bananas- yummy, and cute. J  We have had the chance to drive around town a couple of different times- the first when we went to exchange money and have lunch.  The traffic here is crazy… imagine crazy Spokane drivers all condensed into New York City, minus any signs, lanes, and speed limits, plus people and motorcycles constantly weaving in and out of traffic.  Yep, that’s about right.  The city is very busy, and there is always a lot to look at and soak in.  The difference in wealth here is so apparent.  You can be driving through town and see a man in a business suit, a mother and child begging, middle class girls out for a walk, and a man with no legs all in one block.  Even where we are living, although it is a rather affluent part of town, there are still little huts and people living in poverty just down the road.  Last night we took a walk to the nearest supermarket.  On the way there we passed a group of children.  Their bright smiles and cheerful waves greeted us as we walked by.  Muzungo is their name for us- it means “white” in Lugandan.  While at the store one of the students bought a bag of candy, and we shared it with them on the way home.  They were very excited for “sweets” and it was fun to be able to share with them.

Here in Uganda advertising is great.  Margarine is simply “Fat Spread”, and you can purchase “sand free” coffee.  At least they don’t beat around the bush, right?

Well that’s it for now.  Please feel free to pass my blog address along to anyone you feel would enjoy following along.  Thanks for taking time to be a part of my adventure!

Love Always