Internet is finally back!!

So I wrote this post on Monday, but since the internet was down since Saturday I wasn’t able to post it until now.


       I have now been in Uganda for almost four days, but it feels much longer than that. I don’t know if that is a good thing or bad. I am enjoying it so far, but it is a little harder than I expected. The culture is totally different than ours in many ways. I knew it would be very different, but I don’t think I realized how hard it would be to communicate with the Africans. It is really hard for me to understand their accents, and conversation is hard since we come from totally different backgrounds. Everyone I am around has an accent of some sort so it is taking a little while to get used to it. I am starting to pick up somewhat of an English accent just from hearing it so often. (There are a lot of people here that have an English background).

I have been able to visit the town of Jinja a couple of times and eat lunch there. The one restaurant we went to served American hamburgers and somewhat American French fries. The food here though really isn’t that bad, but we eat the same things for lunch and supper almost everyday. Basically it is either rice and meat or beans and poshu. For breakfast every morning we get two chapattis or two doughnut like things with a cup of very sweet tea. So our meals are all very high carbs and that is about all. Right now anytime we want to drink water we have to boil it. Thankfully, Lucy, my dorm mate from Wales, brought a kettle so we can boil our water. Thus far, I haven’t had any mosquito bites which I am really thankful for.

On Monday our DTS classes started and it was really interesting. It is really hard to understand what the Africans say, so it takes a lot of concentration. All we did for the first class was went over the guidelines and schedule. Then some of us (including me) had to answer a whole bunch of questions about our life. They assigned us our homework for the next five months (at least I think it will be for five months). Basically, we have to read ten chapters in the Bible each day starting in Genesis. I think we will end up reading the whole Bible. I am excited for it. It will be hard but I have never read the whole Bible for myself. I started the first ten chapters and I have already found some things that surprised. I think I will realize how little I know about the Bible.

Oh yeah, when I went to Jinja on Sunday for church I got to ride on a motorcycle. It was kind of scary. We normally ride on a crowded bus to get everywhere, but motorcycles are also an option. So for me to ride it I had to sit sideways because I was wearing a skirt and there is like hardly anywhere to hold on to and I was also holding my Bible and water, as well. To add on to that, we (the Ugandan driver and myself) were driving on Ugandan roads the Ugandan way. Pretty much once you start going you don’t stop until you get to the place where you want to go. So there is a lot of swerving potholes, people, and other vehicles. Overall, it was a pretty fun thrill ride, but I think I would prefer to walk from now on.

My feet are beginning to turn a nice shade of red, but not from the extra sun exposure. The dirt here is like red clay and it is really hard to clean it off. My washcloth is turning red as well. It rains almost every other day here and the weather is not unbearably hot. In fact, there is often a nice cool breeze and in the mornings I normally wear sweat pants under my skirt as well as a sweat shirt.

First Impressions

         Travels all went smoothly and I now find myself sitting in Uganda...it is so crazy.  Oh man, I feel like I have so much to write already.  So yesterday I was waiting in the Heathrow airport for like 9 hours but thank God that went by quickly.  I had internet and was able to skype my family and write e-mails.  But what was really cool was God sent me an angel.  Not a real one but close enough.  So I was sitting in the London airport and trying to get my computer to charge.  I asked the guy next to me for some help and he helped me and started asking me some questions about where I was going.  I told him Uganda and then through conversation found out he is from Uganda and is a pastor in Kampala.  So the hours passed quickly as we talked about various things.  He really encouraged me and gave me advice and then prayed for me before we departed. So I was very thankful for his company in the airport.
        I met up with two other students from England and we flew to Uganda together.  Once through the Entebbe airport, we quickly found our DTS leader, got our bags, and headed for the base.  The country here is beautiful and a looks a lot like how Haiti looks.  The roads are actually very nice, but driving is still pretty crazy.
      Now that we have arrived on the base we have had time to eat a huge (they dished me a whole plate full piled high) lunch consisting of beans, noodles with a few veggies, and something called posho (it tasted kind of like polenta but it was white).  It got a little sickening after eating so much.  I would have not eaten as much but our staff leader kept telling us that we had to eat it all.  Later, when we had almost finished it she told us she was just teasing and we didn't have to eat it all.  Yeah, my staff leader likes to joke around a lot!!  She will definitely have everyone out of their little shells in no time.  After lunch, we (Lucy and I) unpacked and got all situated and took nice cold showers, as well as, used the convientent squatty potties.
    So far I really like it here and am really excited for the DTS, even though it will be busy and challenging.  There will only be five girls and like 17 boys so it is a nice small size.  I like the idea of only a few girls, that way we can all get to know each other really well.  So yeah, so far everything has gone really well.  Praise God!!

On my Own

And so my journey to Uganda began yesterday.  I said goodbye to my youngest brother, Darin, and older sister, Kendra, while trying to hold in the tears.  I will miss them both a lot, and Darin's sad puppy face did not help in the goodbye process.  I traveled with my parents and younger brother, Austin, to the Washington Dulles airport.  Once there, I said my final goodbyes and tried to remember everything they had told me about traveling and what to do in certain situations.  I thought leaveing would be a lot harder and maybe it will get much harder.  All I know right now is that God has given me such a peace.  I do not feel scared or worried.  God is in control and I know He will look out for me; such peace that puts in my heart and mind.