How my life has changed

Christmas in Uganda

Christmas eve; and I am nowhere near any of my family.  I am sure each of my children are preparing for their own family traditions.  I think back to when each of my children were home, and all the effort I put into our family Christmas Eve traditions; in hopes to have the perfect Christmas.  I know some of my children have carried on some of those traditions I once thought were quite silly.  Opening new pajamas on Christmas eve, lighting a candle at the cemetery, and finding it still lit on Christmas day.  Those are just some of the things we did when my children were small; I hope some of which had a small impact on my children's lives.   This year I am spending my Christmas on the continent of Africa, in the city of Kampala, Uganda. This is a very different year for me.  In Uganda Christmas is not a huge commercialized event; gifts are often not even exchanged.  The focus is rather on time spent with the family, and a nice family meal.  They also spend time talking about the birth of our Savior, more so than what I have seen in a long time. 

Tonight in Uganda it is  VERY dark night. We have had no electricity for about 6 days.  In Uganda the Electricity is not something you can even rely on; It is very hit and miss, mostly miss.  As I sat down last night writing this under the light of only a small flashlight, I thought about what it must have been like on the night Jesus was born.

The children here are getting very excited for Christmas, they have been helping prepare the Christmas meal most of the day.  In Uganda a traditional Christmas meal consists of Motakee, rice, beans, greens, steamed beef with peanut sauce, and a fruit salad consisting of pineapple, bananas, and passion fruit.  For desert we had a coconut cake.  Most of the meal was the normal for everyday, with a few extra veggies added in, but the cake and the fruit, were extra special additions.  Now if you knew what they went through in order to cook a meal, you would have a better understanding of how much the meals here are appreciated.  By me anyway :)  There is no indoor stove, so they must cook on an outdoor cooking pot; which is nothing more than a small ceramic stove about the size of a large pan.  They put coals in it, and it cooks quite similar to a dutch oven.  So just think cooking all your meals like this every single day.  Once you finish with one meal, it's time to begin preparing the next one.

Okay now back to Christmas, I got a little off track there.    On Christmas morning I decided my Christmas gift to this family would be for me to prepare a traditional American breakfast.  Pancakes, hash browns, and bacon.  none of them had ever eaten an American pancake before.  They all really enjoyed their breakfast, and I was able to do a little teaching; hopefully they might be able to make pancakes themselves someday. 

Thinking about leaving Uganda next week leaves me a little saddened, but I know my time here is finished for now.  I hope I can continue to help project princess even from home; wherever that may be.  I have been taught so much since coming to Uganda; I thought I learned some life changing lessons when I went to Alaska, but that was nothing compared to what I have learned in Uganda.  My Alaska experience was only the tip of the iceberg.  In our lives we take all we have for granted; we just count on having everything we THINK we need everyday.  What would happen if one day you woke up to find yourself without anything.  I really mean NOTHING. The people here literally have nothing, so many live in either mud houses or very small homemade brick houses with tin roofs.  The homes usually have dirt floors, but some might be lucky to have a cement floor.  There is no indoor plumbing, no electricity, and no hot water usually.  Those are all luxuries for the rich; except of course electricity, which the rich don't even have most of the time.  In Alaska I learned about needs VS wants.  Living out in the wilderness made you think about what you really needed.  Usually after contemplating a 3 hour trip to town, I would decide I didn't need anything that bad.  Now in Uganda I have learned a very different lesson; and that is looking inward at all I have and being willing to sacrifice so others may have some of what I have. 

I could not begin to explain the degree of poverty here in Uganda.  For some of my time here I lived right in the middle of it, and at times I was frightened to death.  The people are so very humble for the most part, and are just trying to survive.  Early in my trip; I went to the city for errands, and came upon a large group of street children.  That was difficult to watch such small children with no one to care for them.  It was even more shocking to see 3 and 4 year olds begging for food, or money to survive. 

So how does an experience like this change you?  I will tell you the ways it changed me.  I had to do things I never thought for a moment I would need to do.  Doing all my laundry by hand, using a hole in the ground for a toilet, going without electricity, cooking all our meals outside on a fire pit, taking cold showers.  Now, almost a month later I get to go home to my life; and the people here continue to live there life.  And I can make different choices, I can choose to continue to allow God to direct my life in such a way, that I can be led to help those in need.  I may not think I have much to give, but I do.  I can go without a morning cup of coffee, so a child may have a meal at all.  I will never forget all I have seen here, not all bad; and definitely not all good.  I will say this has been the best Christmas I have had in a very long time.  Merry Christmas!

   

Fabulous Week!

December 13^th 2011 Today I am beginning a 4 day vacation; I will say I am feeling a lot better about things. It was so good to be able to connect with my family. I was able to talk to Jamii, and Jared online tonight; it made a world of difference in how I am feeling. In talking with some other individuals about my current placement, I was able to find out there are many red flags which are a cause for concern. I thought maybe I was just crazy, I guess not. I will be talking to a woman about changing my placement when I return. Our day began early we were on the road by 8:00 am It's a very long  7 hr, drive to the rest camp at Murchison Falls.

Today was such an amazing day full of interesting sights to see along the way. We saw at least 50 baboons on the road once we got into the park of Murchison Falls. It gives you a strange feeling to see that kind of animal right on the road, out in the wild Once we arrived at the falls we had a somewhat short, but quite challenging hike to where the outlook was; it was so worth every difficult step. I do not believe I have ever seen falls so magnificent. I took lots of pictures, and some video so I don't ever forget this moment. When I see all of this I think back on my childhood dreams of coming to Africa, and somehow it doesn't seem real. Standing there overlooking the falls was a very emotional moment for me, one I didn't have any idea would effect me the way it did. I was so full of both emotion, and gratitude for this beautiful place; it was so very surreal. We will be spending the next two nights in a safari rest camp. When we arrived there were three warthogs on property. I almost wanted to break out in song “hakuna Matata” from the Lion King, but I refrained. It made me smile nonetheless.

I am told Hippopotamus come up to the rest camp in the evenings to feed on the grass; and I am staying in a tent. I figured though, since this was a legitimate tour camp they would not put their guests in danger.

 After a very nice supper, and visiting with my new friends we were told a Hippopotamus had entered the camp. Now I really was nervous, but was assured everything was fine. When it became time to go to my tent I became very nervous about the hippopotamus. As I made my way with the company of some friends to our tents we saw the shadow of a very large hippopotamus. Oh My Heck! It was right in from of my tent! We all became terrified, but the staff of the property said they could get him to go away. The staff member began throwing rocks at the hippopotamus, and all that did was make him mad. We were all crouched down behind this skinny scrawny man who supposedly knew what he was doing. He was finally able to redirect the hippopotamus, and I ran into my tent, feeling somewhat safe. My tent-mate and I spent quite a while just listening to the hippopotamus grazing on the grass outside our tent. I heard the next morning the staff member ended up making the hippopotamus mad, and getting the men into their tents ended up being quite a challenge.

What an amazing story I now have to tell.

December 14^th 2011

Today was a beautiful day! I saw so many things I didn't think for a moment I would ever see in my lifetime. We began our day very early again 6:30 am for our safari drive. Just before we arrived to the area we would be traveling we saw some giraffe; this gave me chills to see these large animals so close by, and in the wild. The feeling was indescribable; and can't even begin to tell you what it was like, as we watched 4 very large giraffe eating from the trees. AMAZING! Along the way the views were breathtaking, and the animals were beautiful. Watching them in their natural habitat gave you a better understanding of these animals. I saw Jackson Hauntabeast, several kinds of Antelope, wild Bull, Wildebeest, Hippopotamus, Elephants, Gila Monster, and several species of birds. The Elephants were huge; so much bigger, and so much healthier than what you see in a zoo. Seeing these animals was so very amazing; and like I said an experience I never thought in a million years I would have in my lifetime.

Later that evening we took a boat trip down the Nile to see the falls from a different place. Along the way we once again saw so many beautiful animals; the Elephants had to be my favorite. There was one very large Elephant drinking from the Nile, and also bathing himself in the river. We were even able to see some crocodile, the river is quite full of them; keeping your arms and legs inside the boat at all times is quite essential. Once we arrived to the place you could see Murchison Falls I was brought to tears once again. I am so thankful for being here and all I am able to see and experience. My life is so full of amazing experiences. I have only God to thank for this.

Tomorrow we will be going to an area where we will be able to track Rhinoceros, then back to the lodge in Kampala for the night.

When I returned to Kampala I was able to connect with Fiona from Project Princess. She was so very kind to come out and talk to me about the possibility of changing placements.

After speaking with her she confirmed my concerns about my placement at Kin Initiative. Fiona will be picking me up tomorrow, and taking me to her home for the rest of my time here. Saying goodbye to the children at Kin was very difficult. It was not the children that had done anything wrong, and I was trying to assure them I cared about each and everyone of them. I felt bad for the children; it was a very tearful goodbye.

A week of learning

December 8^th 2011

This morning I was awoke by howls of animals, and children already at work; I think 5am is a little early for children to be at work. But, this is Uganda so I am sure things are done different here. Today is a rest day for me so that is what I will be doing. Some very small children have passed by my door several times this morning; I am sure they are just very curious about who has come to visit them. I am so very grateful for what I have back home in the USA. This morning I bathed in a wash basin, with rainwater. So much in our life is taken for granted.

Later today the children began introducing themselves to me, there is Brenda, and Bridgette they are sisters. Sauda, and Aisha they are also sisters. William, Charles, and Christopher they are brothers. Then there is Sylvia, Swagilia, Akiam, Seth, and Rasis. Each of them have many questions about the united states. They don't really have much understanding of what is real, and what is pretend. Questions about X-men, president Obama (they thought I knew him), Cowboys, and snow were at the top of their list. I tried to satisfy there curiosity and answer all their questions.

The pace of life is very slow here, it takes a lot of patience for that. They don't live by a clock, but rather by the sun. When the sun rises they wake up and get to work, and when their belly growls they eat; not on any schedule at all.  

I went on a walk through the village this evening, it is very overwhelming to see how others live. There are so many children everywhere; the average African family has 7.5 children and they live in very poor conditions. Muzunga is the word they use for white person. It's not a negative thing, just what they holler; and then everyone comes running to take a look at the white lady. The road through the village is so very erosion ridden, yet they still manage to drive a car through the village at speeds that don't seem safe at all. Everyone in the village is selling something, each person has their little store of some kind with breads, and produce being the most common.

I am very humbled by this experience; I had a bit of a meltdown tonight. I want so much for the children here, yet there really is so little I can do. Things as basic as food, and clean water are a luxury here. There is very minimal electricity, no phone service or internet, and no indoor plumbing. I hope I can help the children here even in my small ways.

December, 9^th 2011

Today we went to Kampala for errands and to get to see the big city. I needed to go exchange some money for Shillings, and look into getting a cell phone. Going to Kampala turned into an adventure of a lifetime. First you take a small van filled with about twice as many people as it should be, on a very bumpy road, diving way to fast. I think I felt every single bump on the way there, my kidneys really took a beating on this trip. When we arrived there were boda, bodas (motorcycles) taxis and small buses everywhere. You could not imagine an entire city with so many vehicles could exist with no stop signs, or traffic signals. There was so much traffic congestion at the taxi park so we decided to get off the bus on a different street.

We walked probably 4 miles to get to the bank so I could exchange my money. Then Ben, the founder told me he had people to go see and he would pick me up at the post office in about 3 hours. I was confused, and quite frightened at the prospect of being on my own in such a big, and scary place. The other volunteer thought she knew her way around a little bit, so we began walking towards what she thought was the craft park. We met a very nice man who has been in Uganda off and on for 9 years. Working with a village in northern Uganda. He had a very inspiring story, which was helpful as my time here so far has been a bit difficult. We did find the craft market; it was fun just looking at some of the things they had there. They really like to barter with you and you can get things quite cheap. I bought a beautiful walking stick for only 4.00; it seemed crazy. Walking back to the place we were to meet Ben, we got a little lost, not a good thing. But we eventually got directions and were able to find our way to the post office building.

The walk back to the taxi park was very eye opening; we were in a area that isn't very safe so I didn't take any pictures, but what I saw will stay with me forever. Small children one who was even blind sitting on the sidewalk begging. They were street children who live on the street in groups, they have no one to care for them. Its difficult to think of children 3 and 4 years old having no home, and no family to care for them. Some of the other images of this area, were huge 5 and 6 story buildings in disrepair, and dirty. With people everywhere, trying to sell something. I guarded my possessions very carefully as we made our way through this area. We finally made our way to the taxi park, and found the bus staging area for our village, on our way back to the village. This turned into a 9 hour trip just to get money. Quite the adventure.  

December 10^th 2011

Today we held school for the first time since my arrival. We spent time on Math mainly multiplication; and some reading comprehension. For free time the children spent time signing, and dancing. A very good school day ☺ Then were served our lunch which consisted of cooked shredded cabbage, and carrots, and potatoes. The children took us on an evening walk to a pond, where they collected clay for a art project they wanted to do. The view was really quite nice, and the children were all having a very good time. Jumping over the banks trying not to fall into the water.

Brenda, Sauda, Aisha, Bridgette, and Sylvia

Supper was served very late tonight, around 9 pm. This seems to be normal though. I am beginning to understand the people here really have no sense of time schedules around here.

I continue to be so very grateful for all God has blessed me with in my life. I live in a land where basic needs are not luxuries, and I don't have to struggle for even the basic of needs. I was given a good education, and had all the tools needed for learning. The people of Uganda struggle so much, and the poverty here is so very extreme. 

December 11^th, 2011

Today I did my laundry which can be quite time consuming as everything needs to be done by hand in a wash basin. With the weather so nice here 95 it doesn’t take long to dry my laundry. Today the children made crafts for decorating for Christmas.

Today, like practically everyday since my arrival I have questioned how much I can really help these people. It is often very difficult to live right in the middle of the poverty. You would never imagine in your life places like this really exist, and the only way to understand it is to come here and see it for yourselves. This situation here is so very sad and sometimes hard to deal with.

Arrived in Uganda

I arrived very late in Uganda after traveling 36 hours.  Getting ,my visa was very simple, and other than it being hot, and me being tired the airport was no big deal.  Ben, the founder of Kin was there to pick me up.  Driving from the airport to the project was quite an experience.  1.  Speed limits don't really exist. 2. lines on the road are obly a suggestion. 3. There are no stop signs. 4. When passin following ect. they get as close to the other vehichle as possible without hitting them; and at insane speeds.  On my way there I thik we had  a dozen or more near misses.  The driver kept assuring me he was very much under control.  It's difficult to begin to describe the sights on my way to the project.  People everywhere even at almost midnight.  And the conditions of the treets, and the buildings seemed uncomprehendable.  There was very little lighting, Kampala has very little electricity, and it is never very reliable.  Most of the roads were dirt with the last few miles being very trecherous road conditions.  Huge potholes, and bumps everywhere; it was like 4-wheeling in a mini van.  When I arrived the children all greeted me with huge smiles and big hugs.  I am sure this will be a very humbling experience.  for now I am going to bed.