I am not very good at saying good-byes. It has been super hard especially here, because there is that thought in the back of your mind that you won't ever see the person again. That is not a very pleasant thought. We have been trying to wrap of everything that we want done. It has become very stressful trying to get the house ready, and packing (which we really haven't started!). To tell you the truth, I feel like I am going on a vacation and will be returning after. Too bad that's not the case.
Today in church, we all bore our testimonies (you could call it a farewell for us). Brian had translated my testimony in Luganda, and I was able to share that. I am so glad that I did too! You could see the smile on the ward members faces once I started. One lady came up to me and said, "That was beautiful Cariel!! Most people leave without learning a single word, and yet you bore you testimony!" I guess I really love the people to be able to learn some of their language. As a family, we also sang God Be With You Till We Meet Again. We sang with Prosy and Sam and they helped translate the 2nd verse to Luganda so we sang that in Luganda. The 3rd verse, the congregation joined us in singing. That is when I started to cry. I look over to my mom, and she is bawling. I guess we both of wimps when it comes to saying good-bye.
I will dearly miss this wonderful home. For it truly has become home. I will miss the wonderful people and their sweet spirit. I will miss the beautiful scenery and weather. It has really been like paradise. I will miss having monkeys playing in our front yard. The list goes on and on. Of course, there are things that I am looking forward to, but I won't mention those. :)
I am eternally grateful for this experience that we have been able to have. This has been such a growing experience for our entire family. I will never forget my many experiences here. I really hope that Bishop Hall was right when he said I would be coming back to Africa.
Sunday, July 24, 2011
Thursday, July 21, 2011
Rwanda: Land of a Thousand Hills
So, these past three days, I had the opportunity to go to Rwanda with the Nielson's and the Allred's. What an experience that was....
We left on Monday morning (I left the house at 5 to get to their house in Kampala at 6) and started the 10 hour drive. It was a very long day, being in a bus for that long is hard. My butt was about to fall of. Luckily, we did stop a couple of times. We crossed the Uganda-Rwanda border at about 4, and we drove for about 2 hours after that to reach Kigali. The scenery was amazing!! There is a reason it is called the land of 1000 hills. That last little stretch of the drive was probably my favorite, just because of the gorgeous view. The rest of the night was pretty chill, getting adjusted in our hotel and eating dinner.
Tuesday was definitely an emotional day. We started the day off by visiting a genocide memorial just outside of Kigali. It was a church that the people had gone to to be protected, but in the end, about 5,000 Tutsies were killed. We had a tour guide who did some explaining to us before going into the buildings. He was Tutsi and it was so interesting to have him talk about it. Through out the memorial, there was purple and white ribbons. So we asked him if there was a meaning for those two colours. He told us that purple stood for compassion and the white stood for hope. Those two words are the perfect words for Rwanda. They can have such a future if they can forgive and move on. Frankly, from what I saw, they are doing really well with that. Anyway, walking through the church was hard. You walk in and there are the some of the bones on some shelves. That in it's self was hard to look at. There was also cloths on the walls and some of the things the people had, like cups, plates etc. The one thing that about made me fall apart was when the tour guide picked up a machete and some of the other weapons some of the killers used. I about lost it. It is just so hard to think about how someone could become so inhuman enough to do such a horrible thing. I couldn't even go into the last two buildings there, I knew if I would have, I would have broken down right there. It is one thing to read about it in a text book, but to see it in person makes it all the more real.
After visiting that memorial, we went to another one. This memorial was a mass grave of just some of the people they had found. It was under construction at the time, so all of the bodies were up in the office building. I decided not to go in, I saw enough bones at the first memorial. So, some other people and I decided to go say hi to the kids from the primary school across the street. They were SO cute!! They would all crowd around you and want to shake your hand. We couldn't really understand them, but their smiles spoke words. We would take pictures with them, and you would literally be tackled by the little kids. So cute. I am so glad that we had that opportunity to be with them, they totally lifted the atmosphere for me. Mrs. Nielson made the comment about one of the students, “Peter looks more to the future than in the past.” That totally what these children are, the future of Rwanda.
After lunch, we went to the Parliament building, which they didn't fix the building after it was hit during the genocide. On our way there, we saw the President drive by. Pretty cool. Then, after taking some pictures, we went to the Kigali Memorial Centre. It was more like a museum, but it still had a mass grave of about 250,000 bodies. The museum was really cool, I learned a lot. It felt a lot like the Holocaust museum in D.C. It is just so wrong what happened. It is so hard to describe the true feelings felt there, or at any of the memorials. I don't think I will ever be able to forget them.
I did some thing really interesting about going to Rwanda. For one, the difference between Rwanda and Uganda. Even though they border each other, it is a night and day difference. They don't drive as crazy in Rwanda and the infrastructure is so much better even though they are poorer than Uganda. Another thing, all of the boda's wore helmets. They even had helmets for their passengers. I thought that was pretty sweet.
One thing that was hard, was to be driving along and see people you know were alive during the genocide and had to deal with all of the consequences of it. How hard it must be for them to deal with the thing that took place 16 years ago.
That night for dinner we ate at the des Mille Collines, the same hotel that the movie Hotel Rwanda is based off of. That was pretty sweet. The hotel was super nice and food was really good. Even though it took about 2 hours to get our food, I guess they weren't prepared for 27 people (even though we made a reservation). I got chicken cordon bleu. Yummy. :)
Once we got back to the hotel, which was probably close to 10pm. I got ready for bed. As I was reading my scriptures, I came across a scripture that was so relevant to the entire day. It was in 3 Nephi 2:3. It says, “and Satan did go about leading away the hearts of the people tempting them and causing them that they should do great wickedness in the land.” This totally applies to the people of Rwanda. It was Satan that implanted the hatred in the hearts of the people that lead to the genocide.
I am so glad that I was able to go to Rwanda, it definitely was an experience of a life time. Even though it was hard to see and hear some of the things, it definitely was something I will never forget.
We left on Monday morning (I left the house at 5 to get to their house in Kampala at 6) and started the 10 hour drive. It was a very long day, being in a bus for that long is hard. My butt was about to fall of. Luckily, we did stop a couple of times. We crossed the Uganda-Rwanda border at about 4, and we drove for about 2 hours after that to reach Kigali. The scenery was amazing!! There is a reason it is called the land of 1000 hills. That last little stretch of the drive was probably my favorite, just because of the gorgeous view. The rest of the night was pretty chill, getting adjusted in our hotel and eating dinner.
Tuesday was definitely an emotional day. We started the day off by visiting a genocide memorial just outside of Kigali. It was a church that the people had gone to to be protected, but in the end, about 5,000 Tutsies were killed. We had a tour guide who did some explaining to us before going into the buildings. He was Tutsi and it was so interesting to have him talk about it. Through out the memorial, there was purple and white ribbons. So we asked him if there was a meaning for those two colours. He told us that purple stood for compassion and the white stood for hope. Those two words are the perfect words for Rwanda. They can have such a future if they can forgive and move on. Frankly, from what I saw, they are doing really well with that. Anyway, walking through the church was hard. You walk in and there are the some of the bones on some shelves. That in it's self was hard to look at. There was also cloths on the walls and some of the things the people had, like cups, plates etc. The one thing that about made me fall apart was when the tour guide picked up a machete and some of the other weapons some of the killers used. I about lost it. It is just so hard to think about how someone could become so inhuman enough to do such a horrible thing. I couldn't even go into the last two buildings there, I knew if I would have, I would have broken down right there. It is one thing to read about it in a text book, but to see it in person makes it all the more real.
After visiting that memorial, we went to another one. This memorial was a mass grave of just some of the people they had found. It was under construction at the time, so all of the bodies were up in the office building. I decided not to go in, I saw enough bones at the first memorial. So, some other people and I decided to go say hi to the kids from the primary school across the street. They were SO cute!! They would all crowd around you and want to shake your hand. We couldn't really understand them, but their smiles spoke words. We would take pictures with them, and you would literally be tackled by the little kids. So cute. I am so glad that we had that opportunity to be with them, they totally lifted the atmosphere for me. Mrs. Nielson made the comment about one of the students, “Peter looks more to the future than in the past.” That totally what these children are, the future of Rwanda.
After lunch, we went to the Parliament building, which they didn't fix the building after it was hit during the genocide. On our way there, we saw the President drive by. Pretty cool. Then, after taking some pictures, we went to the Kigali Memorial Centre. It was more like a museum, but it still had a mass grave of about 250,000 bodies. The museum was really cool, I learned a lot. It felt a lot like the Holocaust museum in D.C. It is just so wrong what happened. It is so hard to describe the true feelings felt there, or at any of the memorials. I don't think I will ever be able to forget them.
I did some thing really interesting about going to Rwanda. For one, the difference between Rwanda and Uganda. Even though they border each other, it is a night and day difference. They don't drive as crazy in Rwanda and the infrastructure is so much better even though they are poorer than Uganda. Another thing, all of the boda's wore helmets. They even had helmets for their passengers. I thought that was pretty sweet.
One thing that was hard, was to be driving along and see people you know were alive during the genocide and had to deal with all of the consequences of it. How hard it must be for them to deal with the thing that took place 16 years ago.
That night for dinner we ate at the des Mille Collines, the same hotel that the movie Hotel Rwanda is based off of. That was pretty sweet. The hotel was super nice and food was really good. Even though it took about 2 hours to get our food, I guess they weren't prepared for 27 people (even though we made a reservation). I got chicken cordon bleu. Yummy. :)
Once we got back to the hotel, which was probably close to 10pm. I got ready for bed. As I was reading my scriptures, I came across a scripture that was so relevant to the entire day. It was in 3 Nephi 2:3. It says, “and Satan did go about leading away the hearts of the people tempting them and causing them that they should do great wickedness in the land.” This totally applies to the people of Rwanda. It was Satan that implanted the hatred in the hearts of the people that lead to the genocide.
I am so glad that I was able to go to Rwanda, it definitely was an experience of a life time. Even though it was hard to see and hear some of the things, it definitely was something I will never forget.
Sunday, July 17, 2011
Look there's a lion!! Oh, nevermind, it's just a warthog.
So, this past week, we went to Queen Elizabeth National Park. What an experience that was!! I had so much fun!
On Monday, we did a LOT of driving to get to Fort Portal. We stopped at Kyaninga lodge on the way for lunch and a break. Holy Cow. What a lodge; it over looked a volcanic lake and the entire scenery was green. We ate a fantastic lunch, squash soup, yummy bread, and pork chops and potatoes. Yum... I have decided, that that was my ideal honeymoon location. It was beautiful!! We got to swim in the lake (no bilharzia!) which was awesome! The water was crystal clear and the perfect temperature.
On Tuesday, we stopped at a botanical garden also in Fort Portal. That was pretty cool, it mostly involved us walking through jungle....
We spent the rest of the day driving more down to Queen Elizabeth. When we finally arrived at our lodge, we went swimming and ate dinner.
Wednesday was the fun day. We got up super early so we could drive into the park as soon as it opened (that's when the animals are out). So, we did a game drive in the morning. We didn't see a lot of animals on the drive, mostly just Ugandan Kob. We did see 2 Ugandan cranes and 1 hyena. That was sweet. My dad was nice enough to let me drive for a while... which is totally different from driving back home. First, your steering wheel is on the opposite side, plus, there are no rules (and it's dirt). Haha
Then, after the game drive, we went to the boat ride. Now, that was sweet. We saw so many animals!! It was awesome!! Elephants, hippos, water buffalo, crocodiles, and lots of birds! We even got to see a new born hippo! So cute. But, I think I would prefer to see them behind a fence, or at least at some distance. There is just something about having a wild animal less than 10 feet away from you. After the boat ride, we went to the lodge in the park to go to the bathroom. While we were there, I remembered that it was Dad's birthday (we ALMOST forgot!)! So, we ran around in the lodge trying to find a piece of cake. Finally, we found one, so we got some people who we had met on Monday and we sang happy birthday to him. I think he really enjoyed it. I mean, how cool would it be to spend your birthday in Uganda, on a game park, seeing lost of cool animals. :)
Then, we went to get a tour of the salt lakes. On the way, we stop and see a lake covered with flamingos! It was sweet! Our tour guide took us closer to take pictures. That was sweet; it's not every day that you get to see wild flamingos in a lake. Then we went to the salt lake. Wow, I'm not sure if I want to eat salt here any more. I guess that because we are in Africa, the sanitation level is lower than back home. It was really interesting though.
Thursday, we spent the entire day driving home. Boring. Once we got into Kampala, we stopped to see the Nielson's. It was really fun to see them! We stayed there longer than we wanted to, so we got stuck in traffic coming home. After such a fun trip, it was good to be home. It's weird to think that we will be leaving this in about a week. This has become home.
Friday, we did splits with the missionaries. Because it was Sister Masaku's last Friday, we decided to get a ton of contacts. It started with 30 contacts for each companion. Then, we changed it to 50! Sister Devanish and I got 50, but Liza and Sister Masaku got 130!! I'm pretty sure we set a mission record. 180 contacts in total. It was so funny to watch them, they would literally stop every person they would see and invite them to church. It was awesome.
I'm not sure if I want this to end! It has been so much fun! I can't believe that we are going back to Utah. It feels like we are suppose to just stay here. It has been such a great opportunity, I know I have said that a lot, but it is so true. There is no way, if I had to go back in time I would want to miss this! :)
On Monday, we did a LOT of driving to get to Fort Portal. We stopped at Kyaninga lodge on the way for lunch and a break. Holy Cow. What a lodge; it over looked a volcanic lake and the entire scenery was green. We ate a fantastic lunch, squash soup, yummy bread, and pork chops and potatoes. Yum... I have decided, that that was my ideal honeymoon location. It was beautiful!! We got to swim in the lake (no bilharzia!) which was awesome! The water was crystal clear and the perfect temperature.
On Tuesday, we stopped at a botanical garden also in Fort Portal. That was pretty cool, it mostly involved us walking through jungle....
We spent the rest of the day driving more down to Queen Elizabeth. When we finally arrived at our lodge, we went swimming and ate dinner.
Wednesday was the fun day. We got up super early so we could drive into the park as soon as it opened (that's when the animals are out). So, we did a game drive in the morning. We didn't see a lot of animals on the drive, mostly just Ugandan Kob. We did see 2 Ugandan cranes and 1 hyena. That was sweet. My dad was nice enough to let me drive for a while... which is totally different from driving back home. First, your steering wheel is on the opposite side, plus, there are no rules (and it's dirt). Haha
Then, after the game drive, we went to the boat ride. Now, that was sweet. We saw so many animals!! It was awesome!! Elephants, hippos, water buffalo, crocodiles, and lots of birds! We even got to see a new born hippo! So cute. But, I think I would prefer to see them behind a fence, or at least at some distance. There is just something about having a wild animal less than 10 feet away from you. After the boat ride, we went to the lodge in the park to go to the bathroom. While we were there, I remembered that it was Dad's birthday (we ALMOST forgot!)! So, we ran around in the lodge trying to find a piece of cake. Finally, we found one, so we got some people who we had met on Monday and we sang happy birthday to him. I think he really enjoyed it. I mean, how cool would it be to spend your birthday in Uganda, on a game park, seeing lost of cool animals. :)
Then, we went to get a tour of the salt lakes. On the way, we stop and see a lake covered with flamingos! It was sweet! Our tour guide took us closer to take pictures. That was sweet; it's not every day that you get to see wild flamingos in a lake. Then we went to the salt lake. Wow, I'm not sure if I want to eat salt here any more. I guess that because we are in Africa, the sanitation level is lower than back home. It was really interesting though.
Thursday, we spent the entire day driving home. Boring. Once we got into Kampala, we stopped to see the Nielson's. It was really fun to see them! We stayed there longer than we wanted to, so we got stuck in traffic coming home. After such a fun trip, it was good to be home. It's weird to think that we will be leaving this in about a week. This has become home.
Friday, we did splits with the missionaries. Because it was Sister Masaku's last Friday, we decided to get a ton of contacts. It started with 30 contacts for each companion. Then, we changed it to 50! Sister Devanish and I got 50, but Liza and Sister Masaku got 130!! I'm pretty sure we set a mission record. 180 contacts in total. It was so funny to watch them, they would literally stop every person they would see and invite them to church. It was awesome.
I'm not sure if I want this to end! It has been so much fun! I can't believe that we are going back to Utah. It feels like we are suppose to just stay here. It has been such a great opportunity, I know I have said that a lot, but it is so true. There is no way, if I had to go back in time I would want to miss this! :)
Thursday, July 7, 2011
I'm Proud to be an American
It has been really interesting being over seas during the 4th of July. That has always been one of my favorite holidays, going down to the neighborhood party and watching the fireworks....
At first, I was really skeptical about being here for the 4th of July. I was thinking it would be nothing like home (duh), which kind of made me sad. Fortunately, we are surrounded with such great people here on campus, that are also American who wanted to celebrate with us! We got a whole party planned... even down to the fireworks (which were really suppose to be candles that you put on cakes, but they acted like fireworks).
We had such fun time!! The food everyone brought was fantastic!!! We made sloppy joes and chocolate cake. Karen made baked macaroni and cheese and jello jigglers. It was so fun to get together with everyone. After eating we sang some songs. It was hilarious because we sang the national anthem, but we forgot to stand up. Dale made a comment on how we are in Africa, so we don't need to stand up. :) But Karen made us stand up and sing it again.
I have become very grateful for being a part of such a wonderful country. I mean, having been here in a totally different country, it has made me realize just how blessed we are. Also, I have been reading 1776 for AP US History and that also has made me more aware just how blessed and lucky we are to actually be a country, the sacrifices and miracles that happened during the Revolution. It still is amazing to me.
Now, I can truly sing the words of the song "I'm Proud to be an American" and be honest in singing them. There is something about being away from your hometown and country that makes you realize just how blessed you are, especially, if the country you move to is in Africa. :)
At first, I was really skeptical about being here for the 4th of July. I was thinking it would be nothing like home (duh), which kind of made me sad. Fortunately, we are surrounded with such great people here on campus, that are also American who wanted to celebrate with us! We got a whole party planned... even down to the fireworks (which were really suppose to be candles that you put on cakes, but they acted like fireworks).
We had such fun time!! The food everyone brought was fantastic!!! We made sloppy joes and chocolate cake. Karen made baked macaroni and cheese and jello jigglers. It was so fun to get together with everyone. After eating we sang some songs. It was hilarious because we sang the national anthem, but we forgot to stand up. Dale made a comment on how we are in Africa, so we don't need to stand up. :) But Karen made us stand up and sing it again.
I have become very grateful for being a part of such a wonderful country. I mean, having been here in a totally different country, it has made me realize just how blessed we are. Also, I have been reading 1776 for AP US History and that also has made me more aware just how blessed and lucky we are to actually be a country, the sacrifices and miracles that happened during the Revolution. It still is amazing to me.
Now, I can truly sing the words of the song "I'm Proud to be an American" and be honest in singing them. There is something about being away from your hometown and country that makes you realize just how blessed you are, especially, if the country you move to is in Africa. :)
Wednesday, June 29, 2011
"Is this [place] sanitary, it looks questionable to me!"
Today, I had the amazing opportunity to go to the Mulago National Hospital with the nursing students here at UCU. Holy Cow....
Let's just say that it wouldn't pass ANY heath inspection in the states. We got to the hospital at about 9:30am and I then shadowed a nurse and his patient. All of the nurses were to find a patient, in a specific ward they were assigned and be with them the entire day. Our patient was involved in a boda-boda accident and had 4 fractures in her hip and dislocated her ankle. She wasn't able to move at all, so we had to everything for her. Luckily, she wasn't in high demand of anything.
One thing with the hospital, is that there is no separte rooms for any of the patients, there is just rows of beds. And, all of the patients have to supply their own sheets, pillows, food, and wash them selves. So, if anyone in your family is admitted into the hospital here, the entire family comes to camp at the hospital, no joke.
Some funny things that happened during the day:
We had come to give Rehema (our patient) an injection of pain killers. After we had given it to her, the lady on the bed next to us told us that she hadn't gotten here pain killers for the day. Edson looked at her file and found no record of any injections given to her. He went to go find out what to do... once he came back, he got the injection ready. The lady asked if it was ok, he said, "No, but we need to keep our patient happy." haha woops, hopefully the lady survives.
We were right by the bathrooms, which smelled purely of urine and there was a tracks from people walking into and out of them (presumably urine tracks). Pretty gross.
There was one lady there that looked like she got burned pretty bad. When the doctors came to clean the burns, it was obvious she was in loads of pain. She was yelling, "Jesus! Oh, Jesus Christ come to my side." over and over again. It just about broke my heart, I wanted to at least pull a curtain around her, but for the lack of curtains...
I have to say: what an experience!! I am grateful that the hospitals in America are more sanitary. I'm not sure if I would be able to handle being a nurse in a place like Mulago Hospital. I guess that these experiences are only those you can have in Africa!!
Let's just say that it wouldn't pass ANY heath inspection in the states. We got to the hospital at about 9:30am and I then shadowed a nurse and his patient. All of the nurses were to find a patient, in a specific ward they were assigned and be with them the entire day. Our patient was involved in a boda-boda accident and had 4 fractures in her hip and dislocated her ankle. She wasn't able to move at all, so we had to everything for her. Luckily, she wasn't in high demand of anything.
One thing with the hospital, is that there is no separte rooms for any of the patients, there is just rows of beds. And, all of the patients have to supply their own sheets, pillows, food, and wash them selves. So, if anyone in your family is admitted into the hospital here, the entire family comes to camp at the hospital, no joke.
Some funny things that happened during the day:
We had come to give Rehema (our patient) an injection of pain killers. After we had given it to her, the lady on the bed next to us told us that she hadn't gotten here pain killers for the day. Edson looked at her file and found no record of any injections given to her. He went to go find out what to do... once he came back, he got the injection ready. The lady asked if it was ok, he said, "No, but we need to keep our patient happy." haha woops, hopefully the lady survives.
We were right by the bathrooms, which smelled purely of urine and there was a tracks from people walking into and out of them (presumably urine tracks). Pretty gross.
There was one lady there that looked like she got burned pretty bad. When the doctors came to clean the burns, it was obvious she was in loads of pain. She was yelling, "Jesus! Oh, Jesus Christ come to my side." over and over again. It just about broke my heart, I wanted to at least pull a curtain around her, but for the lack of curtains...
I have to say: what an experience!! I am grateful that the hospitals in America are more sanitary. I'm not sure if I would be able to handle being a nurse in a place like Mulago Hospital. I guess that these experiences are only those you can have in Africa!!
Saturday, June 25, 2011
"Does that monkey have a blue butt?"
This first week of summer has been great!!! It totally feels like summer where the days blend together and trying to remember what had happened the previous day is a challenge (or maybe that's just me).
On Tuesday, Liza and I went to Lugazi with Martin to help with the Help International Students. The bummer was, they weren't really doing anything, so we just chilled the whole day. We didn't end up leaving until 8:30 (it was a long day)! Liza got to experience the public transport for the first time.... :) She was extremely lucky, because on the way back, we had about 26 people in the taxi which is normally only able to hold 14. Even I was shocked. That's not something that happens to you everyday....
The rest of the week was really a blur. I have been doing a lot of things for back home (which is already stressing me out, and we haven't even gotten home yet!). The other night, as I was lying in my bed, I was thinking about how much I really am going to miss it here. I was so sure, before coming, that I would just jump on the plane, and not even give a second glance back.... how wrong I was. Like my mom has said multiple times, "I love it here!! Let's not go back!" I'm not sure about the not going back, but I will be leaving a part of my heart here. I hope one day I can come and get it back. It is just so hard to explain! How I wish I could write my feelings down, but there isn't words to describe the life here. Sure, it has had it's downs, but this has become home!
On Thursday, we spent the entire day in Kampala. We had some errands to run in the morning, but once we were finished with those, we headed out to the zoo in Entebbe to meet up with Beth and David. I have to say, I was really impressed with the zoo. We had such a fun time!!! I mean, it's not like in zoo's back home you have monkeys running wild, and zebra's, ostrage's, and antalop all in the same area. That, and the only thing separating you from the lions is a 10ft moat and a 4ft fence... :) not scary at all! Also, we got to ride a camel! Wow... I'm not sure if I would want to ride one frequently. Let me tell you, it's not as easy as it looks. It was still fun though.
As you probably can tell, it has been so much fun!! It is so sad to think of the 4 remaining weeks. I will always treasure these memories and be grateful for this opportunity we had to come to live in Uganda Africa.
On Tuesday, Liza and I went to Lugazi with Martin to help with the Help International Students. The bummer was, they weren't really doing anything, so we just chilled the whole day. We didn't end up leaving until 8:30 (it was a long day)! Liza got to experience the public transport for the first time.... :) She was extremely lucky, because on the way back, we had about 26 people in the taxi which is normally only able to hold 14. Even I was shocked. That's not something that happens to you everyday....
The rest of the week was really a blur. I have been doing a lot of things for back home (which is already stressing me out, and we haven't even gotten home yet!). The other night, as I was lying in my bed, I was thinking about how much I really am going to miss it here. I was so sure, before coming, that I would just jump on the plane, and not even give a second glance back.... how wrong I was. Like my mom has said multiple times, "I love it here!! Let's not go back!" I'm not sure about the not going back, but I will be leaving a part of my heart here. I hope one day I can come and get it back. It is just so hard to explain! How I wish I could write my feelings down, but there isn't words to describe the life here. Sure, it has had it's downs, but this has become home!
On Thursday, we spent the entire day in Kampala. We had some errands to run in the morning, but once we were finished with those, we headed out to the zoo in Entebbe to meet up with Beth and David. I have to say, I was really impressed with the zoo. We had such a fun time!!! I mean, it's not like in zoo's back home you have monkeys running wild, and zebra's, ostrage's, and antalop all in the same area. That, and the only thing separating you from the lions is a 10ft moat and a 4ft fence... :) not scary at all! Also, we got to ride a camel! Wow... I'm not sure if I would want to ride one frequently. Let me tell you, it's not as easy as it looks. It was still fun though.
As you probably can tell, it has been so much fun!! It is so sad to think of the 4 remaining weeks. I will always treasure these memories and be grateful for this opportunity we had to come to live in Uganda Africa.
Monday, June 20, 2011
So Long, Farewell
If you had asked me a month ago whether or not I would miss school, I would’ve said “No way!” I never thought that I would miss my school. Now that it’s over, I actually miss all of my friends and going into school each morning. Crazy me. ☺
The last week of school flew by! Wednesday and Thursday was Maths day (personally, I think it was a waste of time). We didn’t do anything but play cards and talk. It was so fun! I really have made so many wonderful friends! I am so sad to leave them all!
Friday… our last day of school… we had our awards assembly. I got Highest Honours (I was completely shocked!). That made me happy. I have been stressing about my grades and them transferring (ask my dad). Anyway, after school and all the saying good-byes; Aaron, Liza and I all decided to jump into the pool with our uniforms on. We decided to be rebellious… ☺ My mom took us picture, but she missed on the 1st try, so we had to jump again.
On Saturday morning, I went to Mor’s house. Holy Cow, and I though we had a nice house for Africa. It was like I was in the river bottom’s houses! I had the greatest time with her. We made smoothies, ate cake, ate crackers and cheese, and talked. She is the sweetest person! I absolutely love her!!
A part from school, I spent a lot of the week up at Alyssa's house. I am very sad to see her leave, but I know that she will have such a fun time back in the states. She really has been such a blessing here, I'm not sure if I would've survived. In leaving, she gave me a jewelery box in the shape of Africa. I will miss her so much and look forward to seeing her soon (we have planned a road trip from Seattle to Provo).
Saying good-bye is hard! I am realizing that more and more. Having to say good-bye to all of my school friends, Alyssa, and soon the Buttons has been difficult. It would be in my wildest dreams if I could see them again
. I am continually grateful for this opportunity that we have been able to have. I wish that every single person could have this experience.
The last week of school flew by! Wednesday and Thursday was Maths day (personally, I think it was a waste of time). We didn’t do anything but play cards and talk. It was so fun! I really have made so many wonderful friends! I am so sad to leave them all!
Friday… our last day of school… we had our awards assembly. I got Highest Honours (I was completely shocked!). That made me happy. I have been stressing about my grades and them transferring (ask my dad). Anyway, after school and all the saying good-byes; Aaron, Liza and I all decided to jump into the pool with our uniforms on. We decided to be rebellious… ☺ My mom took us picture, but she missed on the 1st try, so we had to jump again.
On Saturday morning, I went to Mor’s house. Holy Cow, and I though we had a nice house for Africa. It was like I was in the river bottom’s houses! I had the greatest time with her. We made smoothies, ate cake, ate crackers and cheese, and talked. She is the sweetest person! I absolutely love her!!
A part from school, I spent a lot of the week up at Alyssa's house. I am very sad to see her leave, but I know that she will have such a fun time back in the states. She really has been such a blessing here, I'm not sure if I would've survived. In leaving, she gave me a jewelery box in the shape of Africa. I will miss her so much and look forward to seeing her soon (we have planned a road trip from Seattle to Provo).
Saying good-bye is hard! I am realizing that more and more. Having to say good-bye to all of my school friends, Alyssa, and soon the Buttons has been difficult. It would be in my wildest dreams if I could see them again
. I am continually grateful for this opportunity that we have been able to have. I wish that every single person could have this experience.
Cheesecake!!! :)
The last 2 weeks of school were really pointless…. we did absolutely nothing. My mom let us stay home from school on Friday and Monday. On Friday I went with Camera to the clinic. The public transport was very interesting. The taxi’s weren’t as bad as I thought they would be. If you have problems with space and become claustrophobic easily... I’d advice not ever taking a taxi. We stopped at the taxi park in Lugazi to pick up the Help International students. While we were waiting for them, this random guy came up to me. This is what he said, “I want this, this is what I want.” (pointing to me) He kept going on and on about how he wanted to marry me. Wow, first marriage proposal, not exactly how I pictured it. We spent the entire afternoon at the clinic attending a meeting that was in Luganda so we couldn’t understand it. What a day!
On Saturday, there was a wedding at church. It was suppose to start 12, but it didn’t end up starting until 1… totally Ugandan culture…. and lasted until 6. What an experience. We had to leave early because we went to Alyssa’s house for dinner. That was wonderful! They made yummy hamburgers with cheetos! Ahh, I didn’t realize how much I missed the small things like cheetos. Also for dessert, they made cheesecake!! They have heard me rant about how much I miss cheesecake (since the first week here!). It was SO sweet of them! They have been so nice! I am so glad that they have been here!
Monday, we got to stay home! I love my mom! ☺ I didn’t really do anything…. Still it was wonderful! I got to babysit the Scully’s and Button’s with Alyssa. That was really fun. What sweet kids they are!
I can’t believe that we only have another month and ½!!! How time has flown.
On Saturday, there was a wedding at church. It was suppose to start 12, but it didn’t end up starting until 1… totally Ugandan culture…. and lasted until 6. What an experience. We had to leave early because we went to Alyssa’s house for dinner. That was wonderful! They made yummy hamburgers with cheetos! Ahh, I didn’t realize how much I missed the small things like cheetos. Also for dessert, they made cheesecake!! They have heard me rant about how much I miss cheesecake (since the first week here!). It was SO sweet of them! They have been so nice! I am so glad that they have been here!
Monday, we got to stay home! I love my mom! ☺ I didn’t really do anything…. Still it was wonderful! I got to babysit the Scully’s and Button’s with Alyssa. That was really fun. What sweet kids they are!
I can’t believe that we only have another month and ½!!! How time has flown.
Friday, June 3, 2011
"Give me more Jesus"
This week has definitely been an eventful one.
For starters, it was exam week (all of the stress and pressure); I learned so much about the British system (and I thought I had learned a lot from just going to school). I still don't like it.
On Monday, we get to school and we take attendance and then head straight down to the Hall (where are exams were to be held). We all walk into the Hall, and I see row after row of desks and chairs. I have to say that Monday was torture because I had an English exam first (in which I wrote 6 1/2 pages) then I had 2 History exams (in the first one I wrote 7 pages and in the second, I wrote 8). I about lost it at the end. My hand was hurting like crazy! When I got home, I went to the Scully's to babysit. I was there from 5-10:30. Their kids really are the cutest ever! Once I put them to bed, I was starting to fall asleep on the couch. It was the best though because they paid me in a huge bag of twixs! Ahh, they were so good! They literally helped me get through the week.
The rest of the week went ok. I had a math exam on Tuesday that was frustrating. Oh, well. On Wednesday I had another math exam and a physics exam. Thursday I finished it off with Chem and Bio exams. I really don't know what to think of the exams, I guess we'll just have to wait for the results. Only 2 more weeks of school! Yeah!
Yesterday, after we got home from school, we went to see Betty and Paul and their chicks. They were UGLY!! I'm sorry, but they were. They smelt disgusting and their fur was falling out in places! I now know that I don't want baby chicks.
Once we got home I went up to Alyssa's house to hang out (which we haven't been able to do in a while due to exams). I had a BLAST!! We laughed so hard! I think there were times when we both couldn't stop laughing at stupid things. :) What else are friends good for? haha She literally is the best! I am so grateful that she has been here for me! I don't know what I would've done without her! She has been there for me when I needed a friend (especially last night). I am definitely going to miss her when we leaves in 2 weeks. I might just go insane without her!
Today, was a national holiday (Martyr's Day), we didn't have school, thank goodness! We went to Jinja with the other expat family in UCU. It was so much fun! We went to Kingfisher (a super nice resort on lake Victoria) and spent the morning there. We went on a cool boat ride (at first we weren't sure if we would survive) on the Lake and up the Nile a bit. We saw some pretty cool birds and fisher...
Then we went back to the resort and swam. That was fun. I miss swimming for fun. I don't really get that opportunity at school (dang it). After that, we went with Beth and her son Jake to down town Jinja and ate at this really nice Indian restaurant. We then went to all the small shops and bought some things (I got these really cute giraffe and elephant earrings as well as a "My name is not Mzungu" t-shirt). I had so much fun!! I can hardly wait to be out of school for the SUMMER! :)
*If you're confused by the title.... lets just say that the Ugandan people say some pretty funny things
For starters, it was exam week (all of the stress and pressure); I learned so much about the British system (and I thought I had learned a lot from just going to school). I still don't like it.
On Monday, we get to school and we take attendance and then head straight down to the Hall (where are exams were to be held). We all walk into the Hall, and I see row after row of desks and chairs. I have to say that Monday was torture because I had an English exam first (in which I wrote 6 1/2 pages) then I had 2 History exams (in the first one I wrote 7 pages and in the second, I wrote 8). I about lost it at the end. My hand was hurting like crazy! When I got home, I went to the Scully's to babysit. I was there from 5-10:30. Their kids really are the cutest ever! Once I put them to bed, I was starting to fall asleep on the couch. It was the best though because they paid me in a huge bag of twixs! Ahh, they were so good! They literally helped me get through the week.
The rest of the week went ok. I had a math exam on Tuesday that was frustrating. Oh, well. On Wednesday I had another math exam and a physics exam. Thursday I finished it off with Chem and Bio exams. I really don't know what to think of the exams, I guess we'll just have to wait for the results. Only 2 more weeks of school! Yeah!
Yesterday, after we got home from school, we went to see Betty and Paul and their chicks. They were UGLY!! I'm sorry, but they were. They smelt disgusting and their fur was falling out in places! I now know that I don't want baby chicks.
Once we got home I went up to Alyssa's house to hang out (which we haven't been able to do in a while due to exams). I had a BLAST!! We laughed so hard! I think there were times when we both couldn't stop laughing at stupid things. :) What else are friends good for? haha She literally is the best! I am so grateful that she has been here for me! I don't know what I would've done without her! She has been there for me when I needed a friend (especially last night). I am definitely going to miss her when we leaves in 2 weeks. I might just go insane without her!
Today, was a national holiday (Martyr's Day), we didn't have school, thank goodness! We went to Jinja with the other expat family in UCU. It was so much fun! We went to Kingfisher (a super nice resort on lake Victoria) and spent the morning there. We went on a cool boat ride (at first we weren't sure if we would survive) on the Lake and up the Nile a bit. We saw some pretty cool birds and fisher...
Then we went back to the resort and swam. That was fun. I miss swimming for fun. I don't really get that opportunity at school (dang it). After that, we went with Beth and her son Jake to down town Jinja and ate at this really nice Indian restaurant. We then went to all the small shops and bought some things (I got these really cute giraffe and elephant earrings as well as a "My name is not Mzungu" t-shirt). I had so much fun!! I can hardly wait to be out of school for the SUMMER! :)
*If you're confused by the title.... lets just say that the Ugandan people say some pretty funny things
Tuesday, May 24, 2011
“Make the most of yourself, for that is all there is for you.”
AHHH!! Who knew that exams could be so ruff?
My life has been: go to school, come home, study, go to bed.
Talk about no life
I have decided that I hate the British system. These exams are killing me! I calculated that I have 19 hours and 15 minutes of exams. Most of those are in 4 days (exam week). I am frantically trying to catch up on everything I missed at the beginning of the year. Sometimes I feel like my brain is being crammed with too much information. Take maths for example: I have been trying to do stuff on my own (that is super hard!) from a book they gave me. They do thing so different!! I was reviewing and I came across a problem about completing the square, I was like, "super easy," I go to check my answer in the back of the book, and it is completely different! The book itself is no help because it is so hard to understand. Urg. At this point in the game, I just want to go home.
Other than the exams, life has been great!! (I will say that I haven't really had much of a life due to studying)
-I babysat for the Scully's (really cute/sweet kids) and got paid in oreos... yum!
-We had a young woman's part at our house
-We have had TONS of people over for dinner
-I got highest mark on a history test (33/40)
-So far I have gotten all A's on my English exams
-I might have worms....
-I found out my accent is cute
Really, everything has been a blur...:)
I only have to survive until next Thursday. Then I give myself permission to crash.
My life has been: go to school, come home, study, go to bed.
Talk about no life
I have decided that I hate the British system. These exams are killing me! I calculated that I have 19 hours and 15 minutes of exams. Most of those are in 4 days (exam week). I am frantically trying to catch up on everything I missed at the beginning of the year. Sometimes I feel like my brain is being crammed with too much information. Take maths for example: I have been trying to do stuff on my own (that is super hard!) from a book they gave me. They do thing so different!! I was reviewing and I came across a problem about completing the square, I was like, "super easy," I go to check my answer in the back of the book, and it is completely different! The book itself is no help because it is so hard to understand. Urg. At this point in the game, I just want to go home.
Other than the exams, life has been great!! (I will say that I haven't really had much of a life due to studying)
-I babysat for the Scully's (really cute/sweet kids) and got paid in oreos... yum!
-We had a young woman's part at our house
-We have had TONS of people over for dinner
-I got highest mark on a history test (33/40)
-So far I have gotten all A's on my English exams
-I might have worms....
-I found out my accent is cute
Really, everything has been a blur...:)
I only have to survive until next Thursday. Then I give myself permission to crash.
Sunday, May 8, 2011
Advice: Don't come to your wedding drunk!
On Saturday, we had a youth conference in Kololo the entire day. It was suppose to start at 10, but didn't really start until 10:30 (typical Uganda meetings, they start late, and end late). Anyway, we had a meeting that went on forever! I felt terrible because I was struggling to stay awake! :) We left at about 12 to go to lunch and drop Liza off with the Williams (our principal, who has a daughter her age). We went to lunch at this fabulous Korean restaurant that was amazing!!! It was probably the best food I've had in a long time. Once we had dropped Liza off, we headed back to the church to finish youth conference. We got there, and they were having lunch. I love you so much! Thanks for being my friend. They told us that it was over, because there was going to be a wedding at the church later. It was so fun to talk to some of the girls, especially Diane. She is the funniest person ever.
Once the bride got there, we all went into the chapel. It took a while for it to get started though, we found out later that the groom was late. The whole ceremony was short, and to tell you the truth, it wasn't the happiest marriage I've seen. The bride looked very sad, and the groom seemed really weird. After they said their vows, the guy started to kiss the bride (which is culturally unacceptable), the girl was turning her head away and telling him to stop. After that, the chapel got pretty loud, no one was listening after that. I felt really bad for the bride, she looked like she wanted to die. After, Diane turned to me and told me the groom was drunk. And supposedly, they both were suppose to get baptised on Sunday. I'm not sure if that is going to happen.
The whole experience was pretty funny. I guess things happen here in Africa that you don't normally see otherwise. What an experience it is, everyday, all the time. I really am in Africa (sometimes I have to remind myself that). :)
Once the bride got there, we all went into the chapel. It took a while for it to get started though, we found out later that the groom was late. The whole ceremony was short, and to tell you the truth, it wasn't the happiest marriage I've seen. The bride looked very sad, and the groom seemed really weird. After they said their vows, the guy started to kiss the bride (which is culturally unacceptable), the girl was turning her head away and telling him to stop. After that, the chapel got pretty loud, no one was listening after that. I felt really bad for the bride, she looked like she wanted to die. After, Diane turned to me and told me the groom was drunk. And supposedly, they both were suppose to get baptised on Sunday. I'm not sure if that is going to happen.
The whole experience was pretty funny. I guess things happen here in Africa that you don't normally see otherwise. What an experience it is, everyday, all the time. I really am in Africa (sometimes I have to remind myself that). :)
Thursday, May 5, 2011
"When you get to the End of Your Rope, Tie a Knot and Hold On"
So on Tuesday, we went running to train for our upcoming XC meet. The thought never occurred to me to actually run on the streets here (I have been using a track on campus), so when Ms. Wallas told us we would be running a 5k around Kampala, I really didn't know what to expect. I am sure it looked really strange, having a line of white people, and to have them running (NOBODY runs here). Especially when we stopped to stretch. :) It definitely was an experience I'm not going to forget. It felt really good to run; I just don't like the smell that we had to run through. I have come to realize how strong my nose is here! I can hardly stand all of the body odor, let alone the smell of fires and exhaust from the cars. Running through it all is even worse! You can hardly breath! Luckily, I made it!!
Today I played hooky from school (thanks to a wonderful mother who let me!), and went out to the clinic sponsored by Child2Youth, to help with some AIDS testing and watch how they do things. Wow, I can say one thing: I can hardly wait to become a nurse!! I would love to come back here and do some humanitarian work. Watching Camera (a nurse-practitioner from New Mexico) was so fun!! It was definitely different than doctor offices back home. Everyone tends to think that they have a priority that needs to be seen asap, when really, all it is is a back pain or cough. One lady, who was 93, came in and we found a lump in one of her breasts that was 10cm long! It was probably cancerous.
With the AIDS testing, it was really sad to watch and actually put the faces with those who were positive. Out of the 52 we tested, 5 were positive.
The whole day helped me see really how little these people have. They have to pay an office fee of 1000 shillings (which is about 41 cents) and depending on what medicine they received and etc. Some people could barley afford that! Like my mom has said multiple times, "God must really love Uganda, or else they couldn't survive!" It is so true!! They live with so little, but still are the happiest people.
There are so many things that I miss, like cheesecake, Cafe-Rio, my bed, friends (the list goes on); but at the same time, I know that I miss the relax feeling one has here, there is absolutely NO rush to get things done. I almost wish that everyone could have the amazing opportunity we are having!!
Today I played hooky from school (thanks to a wonderful mother who let me!), and went out to the clinic sponsored by Child2Youth, to help with some AIDS testing and watch how they do things. Wow, I can say one thing: I can hardly wait to become a nurse!! I would love to come back here and do some humanitarian work. Watching Camera (a nurse-practitioner from New Mexico) was so fun!! It was definitely different than doctor offices back home. Everyone tends to think that they have a priority that needs to be seen asap, when really, all it is is a back pain or cough. One lady, who was 93, came in and we found a lump in one of her breasts that was 10cm long! It was probably cancerous.
With the AIDS testing, it was really sad to watch and actually put the faces with those who were positive. Out of the 52 we tested, 5 were positive.
The whole day helped me see really how little these people have. They have to pay an office fee of 1000 shillings (which is about 41 cents) and depending on what medicine they received and etc. Some people could barley afford that! Like my mom has said multiple times, "God must really love Uganda, or else they couldn't survive!" It is so true!! They live with so little, but still are the happiest people.
There are so many things that I miss, like cheesecake, Cafe-Rio, my bed, friends (the list goes on); but at the same time, I know that I miss the relax feeling one has here, there is absolutely NO rush to get things done. I almost wish that everyone could have the amazing opportunity we are having!!
Sunday, May 1, 2011
Pictures
Saturday, April 30, 2011
Will there ever be peace?
We have come to expect there to be riots on Mondays and Thursdays (random days, I know), I really don't understand all of the reasons why, I just understand that people are fed up with the rising gas and food prices so they started the "Walk to Work" campaign. The people here are not allowed to protest in any way, so the police have been getting involved with tear gas, rubber bullets, and taken to beating the rioters. It has been really scary not knowing whether anything would spark into something big.
On Friday we were going to go to an crocodile farm and hold baby crocodiles. On our way, we had to stop at the US Embassy to get Visas for us to stay here for another 3 months. As soon as we walked into the Embassy, there was an announcement over the intercom telling us that it would be wise not to leave the Embassy until further notice because of riots getting close. This came as a shock, because the riots were only planned for Monday and Thursday. We also became very worried because we had brought with us someone from our ward, and since he is Ugandan, he couldn't come into the Embassy; we had left him in the car on the road. We had no way of communicating with him because they had taken our phones.
Eventually they came on the intercom again and told us that we were in a lock-down and were not allowed to leave. We could hear gunshots really close as well. I guess it was a good thing that we were in the Embassy during the whole event, I'm not sure what would've happened if we were elsewhere. We weren't sure how long we would have to stay, so we went up to the cafeteria to wait. It just so happens that the Royal Wedding was on TV, so we got to watch most of it, because we were there for about 3 1/2 hours. It was such a funny thought thinking that we were watching Kate and Will get married when there were riots outside. :)
Eventually, it was safe to leave and Moses (the guy from our ward) and our car were safe. It was so unnerving driving home and seeing black marks on the road were there had been fires and power lines cut down.
I think I really almost lost it. It made me miss the comfort and secure feelings back home. We are just praying now that we will all be safe because we have no clue when or where things will spark up. So if you are reading this, pray for peace here in Uganda! We could use it. :)
Jumping to a totally different subject; Eric left on Tuesday and headed back to Provo to the MTC. He was set apart on Monday night at the Stake Presidents house. They fed us dinner (which was really good) and also gave Eric a cake that had RWH (Return With Honor) on it. It was such a sweet night.
We woke up at 4:30 to drive him to the Entebbe Airport. I know that he will be the best missionary ever! It is just so sad that I won't see him for another 2 years. He has been such a great influence on me. Especially while I have had some hard days, he has always found a way to comfort me. I love my brother!!!!! :)
On Friday we were going to go to an crocodile farm and hold baby crocodiles. On our way, we had to stop at the US Embassy to get Visas for us to stay here for another 3 months. As soon as we walked into the Embassy, there was an announcement over the intercom telling us that it would be wise not to leave the Embassy until further notice because of riots getting close. This came as a shock, because the riots were only planned for Monday and Thursday. We also became very worried because we had brought with us someone from our ward, and since he is Ugandan, he couldn't come into the Embassy; we had left him in the car on the road. We had no way of communicating with him because they had taken our phones.
Eventually they came on the intercom again and told us that we were in a lock-down and were not allowed to leave. We could hear gunshots really close as well. I guess it was a good thing that we were in the Embassy during the whole event, I'm not sure what would've happened if we were elsewhere. We weren't sure how long we would have to stay, so we went up to the cafeteria to wait. It just so happens that the Royal Wedding was on TV, so we got to watch most of it, because we were there for about 3 1/2 hours. It was such a funny thought thinking that we were watching Kate and Will get married when there were riots outside. :)
Eventually, it was safe to leave and Moses (the guy from our ward) and our car were safe. It was so unnerving driving home and seeing black marks on the road were there had been fires and power lines cut down.
I think I really almost lost it. It made me miss the comfort and secure feelings back home. We are just praying now that we will all be safe because we have no clue when or where things will spark up. So if you are reading this, pray for peace here in Uganda! We could use it. :)
Jumping to a totally different subject; Eric left on Tuesday and headed back to Provo to the MTC. He was set apart on Monday night at the Stake Presidents house. They fed us dinner (which was really good) and also gave Eric a cake that had RWH (Return With Honor) on it. It was such a sweet night.
We woke up at 4:30 to drive him to the Entebbe Airport. I know that he will be the best missionary ever! It is just so sad that I won't see him for another 2 years. He has been such a great influence on me. Especially while I have had some hard days, he has always found a way to comfort me. I love my brother!!!!! :)
Monday, April 25, 2011
April 25th
I have had such a fun time so far this Easter Holiday (that sounds so British!!).
On Thursday: We didn't go to school because it was child pick up day ( all of the boarding schools near all ended on the same day), so there would be lots of traffic and there was suppose to be riots. There was some things out in Masaka, but luckily not in Mukono. I ended up going up to Alyssas house and chilling with her for the afternoon. We watched Harry Potter and decided that we would have a marathon and watch all of them while were out of school.
On Friday: We went to the children's rehabilitation centre for children with physical disabilities. I had such a fun time. We coloured with them and played games. They are such sweet children!! We are so blessed with the medical help that we can receive. They didn't let their disabilities stop them from having good attitudes.
Saturday: I was in charge of babysitting the kids while my parents and Eric went to Stake Conference in Kampala. I absolutely love babysitting!!! We went to the Scully's to colour Easter eggs, and then we had an Easter egg hunt. It almost felt like we were back home!
Sunday: We had Stake Conference. It was amazing!!! Elder and Sister Watson of the seventy were there. I also happen to see a gorgeous missionary!! No joke, he was so cute (it might be because I rarely see any white boys, so when I do find one, they happen to be pretty cute). :) Luckily, I got a picture of him so I can look at him whenever I want too. (don't worry, I'm not boy crazy)
I have been trying to treasure ever possible moment with Eric because he leaves on Tuesday to go back to Provo to the MTC. Mom has made it a reality as she has been crying non-stop for about 3 days. I know that he will be a fantastic missionary!! Not seeing him for 2 years will be hard though. I guess it's just weird to think that when he gets back, I will be a senior! Crazy.
I can't believe that we only have 3 months!! How time flies.
On Thursday: We didn't go to school because it was child pick up day ( all of the boarding schools near all ended on the same day), so there would be lots of traffic and there was suppose to be riots. There was some things out in Masaka, but luckily not in Mukono. I ended up going up to Alyssas house and chilling with her for the afternoon. We watched Harry Potter and decided that we would have a marathon and watch all of them while were out of school.
On Friday: We went to the children's rehabilitation centre for children with physical disabilities. I had such a fun time. We coloured with them and played games. They are such sweet children!! We are so blessed with the medical help that we can receive. They didn't let their disabilities stop them from having good attitudes.
Saturday: I was in charge of babysitting the kids while my parents and Eric went to Stake Conference in Kampala. I absolutely love babysitting!!! We went to the Scully's to colour Easter eggs, and then we had an Easter egg hunt. It almost felt like we were back home!
Sunday: We had Stake Conference. It was amazing!!! Elder and Sister Watson of the seventy were there. I also happen to see a gorgeous missionary!! No joke, he was so cute (it might be because I rarely see any white boys, so when I do find one, they happen to be pretty cute). :) Luckily, I got a picture of him so I can look at him whenever I want too. (don't worry, I'm not boy crazy)
I have been trying to treasure ever possible moment with Eric because he leaves on Tuesday to go back to Provo to the MTC. Mom has made it a reality as she has been crying non-stop for about 3 days. I know that he will be a fantastic missionary!! Not seeing him for 2 years will be hard though. I guess it's just weird to think that when he gets back, I will be a senior! Crazy.
I can't believe that we only have 3 months!! How time flies.
Sunday, April 17, 2011
When life gives you lemons, make Lemonade!
There has been some pretty strange things that have happened lately.
For the first time, we had a riot scare at school. During Art on Thursday (the last class of the day), a teacher came in and told us that there had been riots happening all day and they were pretty close to our school.
Back ground about the riots: Because the gas prices have been so high, people have rallied and organized a thing where they "walk to work." Since the people aren't allowed to peaceful protest, the police have gotten involved with tear gas and rubber bullets. So on Thursday, Besigye (the main opponent of Museveni), organized one of these walks and he got shot in the hand with a rubber bullet. Things went into ciaos from there.
Anyway,the teacher said that it was best if we all left asap. School was pretty much over because everyone started to trickle out. Luckily we made it home safely because there had also been riots in Mukono. It all gave us quite a scare. After hearing stories of people being thrown from their car and watching their car burn. :)
On top of there being riots, we come home and my mom tells us that 3 baby Cobra snakes have been killed (meaning that there is probably a nest around somewhere). If I wasn't scared because of the riots, the snakes through me over board. My mom has been paranoid ever since, screaming at us when we leave the door open, or constantly telling us that we need to spray or watch were we step. Hopefully we survive all of the riots and the snakes!!!
On Friday, we had to go to school (we were hoping that we wouldn't have to go because of the riots). In all, it was an ok day. Swimming was terrible. If you are reading this, you are probably thinking what a wimp I am thinking swimming is torture. But you have no idea. It isn't exactly what you think it is, it is swimming laps! Coming from a state where we really don't swim properly, we just splash around; and moving to a school were everyone has been swimming since they were little. Luckily, we have been doing life-safety so it hasn't been too bad.
After school, we went to this rehabilitation centre for kids with physical issues. It was so fascinating!!! There were so many kids! One girl had metal things connected to her knees because her bones were messed up. It was so hard to watch these kids play. I had so much fun. I would love to go back and spend the day there.
We finally got to watch conference! It was so good! I loved it! I feel like it was directed to me personally. I have been having issues with drawing the line in serving people here. I have my answer now. I am so grateful for the general authorities of the church. I know that they are called of God. I am grateful for such a wonderful religion!!
For the first time, we had a riot scare at school. During Art on Thursday (the last class of the day), a teacher came in and told us that there had been riots happening all day and they were pretty close to our school.
Back ground about the riots: Because the gas prices have been so high, people have rallied and organized a thing where they "walk to work." Since the people aren't allowed to peaceful protest, the police have gotten involved with tear gas and rubber bullets. So on Thursday, Besigye (the main opponent of Museveni), organized one of these walks and he got shot in the hand with a rubber bullet. Things went into ciaos from there.
Anyway,the teacher said that it was best if we all left asap. School was pretty much over because everyone started to trickle out. Luckily we made it home safely because there had also been riots in Mukono. It all gave us quite a scare. After hearing stories of people being thrown from their car and watching their car burn. :)
On top of there being riots, we come home and my mom tells us that 3 baby Cobra snakes have been killed (meaning that there is probably a nest around somewhere). If I wasn't scared because of the riots, the snakes through me over board. My mom has been paranoid ever since, screaming at us when we leave the door open, or constantly telling us that we need to spray or watch were we step. Hopefully we survive all of the riots and the snakes!!!
On Friday, we had to go to school (we were hoping that we wouldn't have to go because of the riots). In all, it was an ok day. Swimming was terrible. If you are reading this, you are probably thinking what a wimp I am thinking swimming is torture. But you have no idea. It isn't exactly what you think it is, it is swimming laps! Coming from a state where we really don't swim properly, we just splash around; and moving to a school were everyone has been swimming since they were little. Luckily, we have been doing life-safety so it hasn't been too bad.
After school, we went to this rehabilitation centre for kids with physical issues. It was so fascinating!!! There were so many kids! One girl had metal things connected to her knees because her bones were messed up. It was so hard to watch these kids play. I had so much fun. I would love to go back and spend the day there.
We finally got to watch conference! It was so good! I loved it! I feel like it was directed to me personally. I have been having issues with drawing the line in serving people here. I have my answer now. I am so grateful for the general authorities of the church. I know that they are called of God. I am grateful for such a wonderful religion!!
Tuesday, April 12, 2011
"Keep smiling- it makes people wonder what you're up too"
So instead of writing really boring posts about the past couple of weeks (besides school and 2 track meats,nothing has happened), I am going to share some of the little things that have made life enjoyable here (not in any particular order).
*One night, we had invited over someone for dinner. My mom was gone so my dad was in charge of making dinner. He decided to make pizza. Now, my dad is normally a really good cook; but for some reason, that night wasn't his night. I think it was all of the stress of trying to impress our guests. :) Anyway, he asks me to go in and kneed it when it has risen. I go in and look at the dough, it is literally liquid. I tell him it needs more flour. He looks at it and says, "No, it needs yeast." So he added yeast into the bowl. I was laughing my head off and told him it didn't need yeast. Luckily the pizza turned out ok.
My mom was sitting in our front room with some people from our ward one day, and she said to Peter, "Look! I have gotten skinnier!" Peter reply's, "Oh, no!! You are not skinnier!" I guess we forget that here the people actually like bigger people. Like the sign that we pass ever day going to school, "Gain Hips and Bums" :)
One thing that has been really enjoyable is being able to share the gospel with all of my friends at school. One day during Maths, I was talking about my religion with a guy sitting next to me. He asked me if we still practice polygamy. I told him that we didn't. His response was, "Dang it(maybe other words), I would've joined your religion if you still did polygamy." You gotta love what people think about Mormons.
As I mentioned before, we have had 2 track meats. The second one was at ISU (another international school here). I guess after watching me run, some of the boys in my class, noticed that I run with my thumbs up. They then have taken the opportunity to make fun of me. Now when ever they see me, they give me a thumbs-up. I guess I'll have to change the way I run. :)
How do I explain the boys in my class? I have learned to have quick reflexes from being here only a month. They think it is super funny to poor water on your chair while you are sitting there. It makes it look like you have peed your pants. I guess I have become the target because I am new. I literally have to be on the edge of my chair for Chemistry and PE Theory. Luckily, they haven't gotten me yet!
So taking of peeing, my neighbor Alyssa recently got two bunnies. They are the cutest little things on the planet! I went over one day to hold them (it makes me miss my cat even more!)with her. As I was holding Anya (the gray one), I happen to feel something warm on my arm... she had peed on me! Then to my horror, only about 2 minutes later, she peed on my again! That was about all I could handle for one day. I am trying to forgive her for it....
On Sunday, the women in our ward received feminine hygiene kits. Their reaction to the bags were totally different than what I had expected. I was thinking they would be happy, but quiet at the same time. Boy, was I wrong. They were so happy about it. We took their picture and Sister Tina was telling everyone to "be proud of your bags!" It looked like they were modeling them. I absolutely love the people here!
"Need a Lover? Call *********"- is a sign that we pass everyday to and from school. I have the urge to call the number on it and find out what they would do.
Now, I am just counting down the days until Easter Holiday. :)
*One night, we had invited over someone for dinner. My mom was gone so my dad was in charge of making dinner. He decided to make pizza. Now, my dad is normally a really good cook; but for some reason, that night wasn't his night. I think it was all of the stress of trying to impress our guests. :) Anyway, he asks me to go in and kneed it when it has risen. I go in and look at the dough, it is literally liquid. I tell him it needs more flour. He looks at it and says, "No, it needs yeast." So he added yeast into the bowl. I was laughing my head off and told him it didn't need yeast. Luckily the pizza turned out ok.
My mom was sitting in our front room with some people from our ward one day, and she said to Peter, "Look! I have gotten skinnier!" Peter reply's, "Oh, no!! You are not skinnier!" I guess we forget that here the people actually like bigger people. Like the sign that we pass ever day going to school, "Gain Hips and Bums" :)
One thing that has been really enjoyable is being able to share the gospel with all of my friends at school. One day during Maths, I was talking about my religion with a guy sitting next to me. He asked me if we still practice polygamy. I told him that we didn't. His response was, "Dang it(maybe other words), I would've joined your religion if you still did polygamy." You gotta love what people think about Mormons.
As I mentioned before, we have had 2 track meats. The second one was at ISU (another international school here). I guess after watching me run, some of the boys in my class, noticed that I run with my thumbs up. They then have taken the opportunity to make fun of me. Now when ever they see me, they give me a thumbs-up. I guess I'll have to change the way I run. :)
How do I explain the boys in my class? I have learned to have quick reflexes from being here only a month. They think it is super funny to poor water on your chair while you are sitting there. It makes it look like you have peed your pants. I guess I have become the target because I am new. I literally have to be on the edge of my chair for Chemistry and PE Theory. Luckily, they haven't gotten me yet!
So taking of peeing, my neighbor Alyssa recently got two bunnies. They are the cutest little things on the planet! I went over one day to hold them (it makes me miss my cat even more!)with her. As I was holding Anya (the gray one), I happen to feel something warm on my arm... she had peed on me! Then to my horror, only about 2 minutes later, she peed on my again! That was about all I could handle for one day. I am trying to forgive her for it....
On Sunday, the women in our ward received feminine hygiene kits. Their reaction to the bags were totally different than what I had expected. I was thinking they would be happy, but quiet at the same time. Boy, was I wrong. They were so happy about it. We took their picture and Sister Tina was telling everyone to "be proud of your bags!" It looked like they were modeling them. I absolutely love the people here!
"Need a Lover? Call *********"- is a sign that we pass everyday to and from school. I have the urge to call the number on it and find out what they would do.
Now, I am just counting down the days until Easter Holiday. :)
Friday, April 1, 2011
Our house
I can't figure out how to post this video. Check out a video tour of our house (or the kids side of it) at ericinuganda.blogspot.com
Saturday, March 26, 2011
Murchison Falls
So, this weekend we went up to Murchison Falls National Park. We left right after school on Thursday, which meant we didn't have to go to school on Friday! Yeah! Anyway, we drove for about 3 hours to get to Misindi where we spent the night. We got up early the next morning and went "chimp tracking." What an adventure that was. We literally were walking through the jungle looking for chimpanzee's. It definitely was an adventure I won't be forgetting anytime soon. It was so cool to hear them screaming and thinking, "I'm not in a zoo, these are the real deal!" I think we saw two the entire time. We got to sit and watch one of them for about 10 minutes. When we were ready to go, we started into the jungle to get back to the car, but we had taken a path that was full of safari ants (they are ants that get up your legs and bite you and there are always a ton of them). We were trying to run through them and get them off at the same time. Mckay and Hannah were in tears, we ended up lost and having to walk through mud. Looking back, it was so funny! The things that only happen in Africa. :)
After we got out of the jungle, continued to drive to Murchison Falls. It took about another 2 hours to actually get to the park. Once we got there and checked into our hotel we went to the falls. It was SO cool!!! It is basically the white Nile being forced into a chasm 7 meters wide. Crazy. It was so beautiful. After, we went back to our hotel and had dinner and went to bed.
Saturday morning we got up at 5 and had breakfast at 5:30. We left at 6 so we could make the 7 o'clock ferry ride across the river. Luckily, we made it across (the boat looked really sketchy, I'm still not sure how 8 cars fit on it). On the other side of the river was the game drive. We saw lots of amazing animals! It felt like we were in a zoo. Giraffes, dik diks, water buffalo, water bucks, cob, hartabeast, and elephants. One funny story: we were driving along, and we came across a lone, bull elephant. He was right in the middle of the road so we couldn't pass him. We sat there for 20 minutes watching him eat. He didn't show any signs of moving either. Slowly, dad started to get close, to try and pass him. Once we got about 10 feet away from him, he turned around and you could tell that he was pretty mad at us. We got out of there fast! It was scary, but funny at the same time. :) Then driving back, we saw a whole herd of elephants. That was pretty amazing, I'm not going to lie. After we left the park, we drove the 5/6 hours back home. I am definitely glad to be home. What a fun trip it was!! :)
After we got out of the jungle, continued to drive to Murchison Falls. It took about another 2 hours to actually get to the park. Once we got there and checked into our hotel we went to the falls. It was SO cool!!! It is basically the white Nile being forced into a chasm 7 meters wide. Crazy. It was so beautiful. After, we went back to our hotel and had dinner and went to bed.
Saturday morning we got up at 5 and had breakfast at 5:30. We left at 6 so we could make the 7 o'clock ferry ride across the river. Luckily, we made it across (the boat looked really sketchy, I'm still not sure how 8 cars fit on it). On the other side of the river was the game drive. We saw lots of amazing animals! It felt like we were in a zoo. Giraffes, dik diks, water buffalo, water bucks, cob, hartabeast, and elephants. One funny story: we were driving along, and we came across a lone, bull elephant. He was right in the middle of the road so we couldn't pass him. We sat there for 20 minutes watching him eat. He didn't show any signs of moving either. Slowly, dad started to get close, to try and pass him. Once we got about 10 feet away from him, he turned around and you could tell that he was pretty mad at us. We got out of there fast! It was scary, but funny at the same time. :) Then driving back, we saw a whole herd of elephants. That was pretty amazing, I'm not going to lie. After we left the park, we drove the 5/6 hours back home. I am definitely glad to be home. What a fun trip it was!! :)
Wednesday, March 23, 2011
March 23rd
Today was one of the best day's I've had in a long time. :)
It started with Biology. Instead of taking notes or learning about the brain, our teacher told jokes the entire time. I love those lessons where your teacher wastes time. I've never had one tell jokes before though. It was pretty cool.
To make the day even better, it was an early out. So we got out of school at 1 (that is when lunch starts). It was nice to take away 2 classes. It was so nice to have somewhat of an afternoon.
When we got home, Dad had a surprise for us. He had bought Tangled from who-knows-where (probably a side store), and it was only 6,000 schillings (that's around $3)! When I first saw the case, my first reaction was: this isn't going to work. To our surprise, it ended up working. It wasn't a shocker that it wasn't the best quality. I guess you can't expect much from Uganda. Still, it was pretty cool that we got it, because it isn't even on DVD in the States.
I am surprised at how much there actually is here. I was expecting to come to a place with no chocolate, pizza, movie theaters, even ice cream. I guess if you look hard enough or are willing to pay for it, things open up to you. :)
It started with Biology. Instead of taking notes or learning about the brain, our teacher told jokes the entire time. I love those lessons where your teacher wastes time. I've never had one tell jokes before though. It was pretty cool.
To make the day even better, it was an early out. So we got out of school at 1 (that is when lunch starts). It was nice to take away 2 classes. It was so nice to have somewhat of an afternoon.
When we got home, Dad had a surprise for us. He had bought Tangled from who-knows-where (probably a side store), and it was only 6,000 schillings (that's around $3)! When I first saw the case, my first reaction was: this isn't going to work. To our surprise, it ended up working. It wasn't a shocker that it wasn't the best quality. I guess you can't expect much from Uganda. Still, it was pretty cool that we got it, because it isn't even on DVD in the States.
I am surprised at how much there actually is here. I was expecting to come to a place with no chocolate, pizza, movie theaters, even ice cream. I guess if you look hard enough or are willing to pay for it, things open up to you. :)
Sunday, March 20, 2011
March 20th
Friday was international day at my school. This meant that we could wear our flag colors and didn't have to wear our uniforms (that is a blessing because they are pretty ugly). It was actually pretty cool. It was really interesting see all of the different nationalities that go to my school. I love the diversity!! :) There is only 2 Americans in my grade. Then during lunch, we got to taste all of the different foods we brought. I have never had such good food!! I was stuffed after! The downside of the day was that I had swimming after lunch (it's hard to swim on a really full stomach). Plus, swimming is torture. I don't see the point of learning how to swim the "proper" way. I think that I can swim just fine.
So, story of the week (this is what I have to deal with with the boys in my class): in Bio, we were talking about the brain. We somehow got on the subject of babies and how they can see and hear when they are born, they just don't understand what they are seeing or hearing. So this guy then said, "So, I could swear at a baby and it wouldn't know!" That sums up the boys. :) I thought it was pretty funny though.
So, story of the week (this is what I have to deal with with the boys in my class): in Bio, we were talking about the brain. We somehow got on the subject of babies and how they can see and hear when they are born, they just don't understand what they are seeing or hearing. So this guy then said, "So, I could swear at a baby and it wouldn't know!" That sums up the boys. :) I thought it was pretty funny though.
Wednesday, March 16, 2011
March 16th
Starting school has been more hectic than I thought it would be. It is very tiring leaving at 7 and not getting home till 4:30/5ish. Also, trying to get used to everything they do differently here. It is a very nice school (which is hard driving off campus and seeing wood huts and the poverty that is everywhere). Everyone has been so nice and inclusive. I have already made some great friends.
Now, getting off the subject of school...
Last week on Tuesday (March 8th) we didn't have school because it was National Woman's Day. I really like that holiday. We took this opportunity to go with the organization Child 2 Youth out to a village to talk to sponsors and their parents. It was so cool. We left at about 8 to arrive at the village at 10 (it took awhile to get to it because of the roads). I was thinking that the meeting would be only an hour or so and we would be out of there at 12. Well, it ended up being an 4 hour meeting and we didn't leave till 2:30. Torture!! We had to sit through one person after another talk. I guess to say thank you for coming and staying that long, they gave us lunch... first, the meat was so tough you couldn't eat it; second, it was very weird eating in front of all these people who looked like they were starving too. We knew we couldn't refuse the food because that would be mean, so we really didn't have a choice. We didn't end up getting home until 5, so it was a long day.
Yesterday, we had a going away party for Douglas (he is leaving for his mission this week). Douglas is an amazing person. He is from Rwanda and lost all of his family in the genocide. He escaped with his dad to Uganda. His dad just recently died, so he is all alone. Sill, none of this has stopped him from serving a mission. What a guy.
Anyway, this party definitely showed me something about their culture. First of all, they spend the whole day preparing the food. We tried to copy some of the native food. I'm not sure if it totally worked. It tasted good though. Second, they treated the party like a church meeting. Paul set up a "program," complete with talks and everything. I was thinking we would eat first and then do the sitting part, but I was wrong. Paul asked Eric and me to set up some games. I don't know why, but Eric came up some pretty hard games to play. I don't think I've ever laughed so hard in my life watching them try and play. Who would've thought that acting as Hannah sucking her finger would look like breastfeeding? :)
All in all, it was a very good night.
I have leaned so much in the short time we have been here. I'm sure I will be forever grateful for this experience. It is crazy to think that we have been here more than a month!! How time flies! :)
Now, getting off the subject of school...
Last week on Tuesday (March 8th) we didn't have school because it was National Woman's Day. I really like that holiday. We took this opportunity to go with the organization Child 2 Youth out to a village to talk to sponsors and their parents. It was so cool. We left at about 8 to arrive at the village at 10 (it took awhile to get to it because of the roads). I was thinking that the meeting would be only an hour or so and we would be out of there at 12. Well, it ended up being an 4 hour meeting and we didn't leave till 2:30. Torture!! We had to sit through one person after another talk. I guess to say thank you for coming and staying that long, they gave us lunch... first, the meat was so tough you couldn't eat it; second, it was very weird eating in front of all these people who looked like they were starving too. We knew we couldn't refuse the food because that would be mean, so we really didn't have a choice. We didn't end up getting home until 5, so it was a long day.
Yesterday, we had a going away party for Douglas (he is leaving for his mission this week). Douglas is an amazing person. He is from Rwanda and lost all of his family in the genocide. He escaped with his dad to Uganda. His dad just recently died, so he is all alone. Sill, none of this has stopped him from serving a mission. What a guy.
Anyway, this party definitely showed me something about their culture. First of all, they spend the whole day preparing the food. We tried to copy some of the native food. I'm not sure if it totally worked. It tasted good though. Second, they treated the party like a church meeting. Paul set up a "program," complete with talks and everything. I was thinking we would eat first and then do the sitting part, but I was wrong. Paul asked Eric and me to set up some games. I don't know why, but Eric came up some pretty hard games to play. I don't think I've ever laughed so hard in my life watching them try and play. Who would've thought that acting as Hannah sucking her finger would look like breastfeeding? :)
All in all, it was a very good night.
I have leaned so much in the short time we have been here. I'm sure I will be forever grateful for this experience. It is crazy to think that we have been here more than a month!! How time flies! :)
Sunday, March 6, 2011
Sunday March 6
Church today was very interesting, in a good way.... :)
For Sunday school we went outside, that was nice (I love the weather here!!). We had a great lesson too. Young woman's is where it got funny. It all started when Brian (a young man) came in and joined our lesson. We then started to call him "Sister Brian." We told him he needed to come in a skirt next time. I can't believe that he actually stayed through the entire lesson. Brave boy.
For our lesson, we were talking about hobbies. We each went around and shared each of our favorite hobby. There was another muzungu girl with me and she said, "horseback riding." Our teacher had to ask her to explain it because they didn't know what it was. Which is pretty funny because it is self explanatory. Once she was done, our teacher told her, "that won't work here because we don't have horses." Later she was talking about how we can teach each other these hobbies. When she got to horseback riding, she said, "well, we don't have horses, but we could use goats; or pigs, they run fast too." It totally made my day!! I absolutely love the people here. They are the best!! There is never a dull moment with them.
For Sunday school we went outside, that was nice (I love the weather here!!). We had a great lesson too. Young woman's is where it got funny. It all started when Brian (a young man) came in and joined our lesson. We then started to call him "Sister Brian." We told him he needed to come in a skirt next time. I can't believe that he actually stayed through the entire lesson. Brave boy.
For our lesson, we were talking about hobbies. We each went around and shared each of our favorite hobby. There was another muzungu girl with me and she said, "horseback riding." Our teacher had to ask her to explain it because they didn't know what it was. Which is pretty funny because it is self explanatory. Once she was done, our teacher told her, "that won't work here because we don't have horses." Later she was talking about how we can teach each other these hobbies. When she got to horseback riding, she said, "well, we don't have horses, but we could use goats; or pigs, they run fast too." It totally made my day!! I absolutely love the people here. They are the best!! There is never a dull moment with them.
Tuesday, March 1, 2011
School
So today we had a “trial day” at KISU (Kampala International School Uganda). It was interesting. First of all, the uniforms are pretty ugly. I’m not looking forward to those. Also, they don’t have any bells, so you just have to know when class ends and when it begins. They have 45-minute classes, but you can also have doubles (2 class periods of 1 class). I met some really nice people. Lea and Beth both showed me around the school.
My schedule was: Double History, Maths (that’s what they call Math), our Break, an Assembly, Double English, lunch, and Double Biology.
It was pretty funny, in Math, they were learning about Mean, Median and Mode and about scatter plots. I guess my college algebra won’t help me much. ☺
One guy asked where I was from, I told him Utah. He said, “Isn’t that were the Mormons are from…. Are you Mormon?” I told him yes. He said, “Don’t you have the multiple wife thing.” People have funny ideas about us I guess.
All in all, I had a very enjoyable experience. I think I might like it there… eventually.
My schedule was: Double History, Maths (that’s what they call Math), our Break, an Assembly, Double English, lunch, and Double Biology.
It was pretty funny, in Math, they were learning about Mean, Median and Mode and about scatter plots. I guess my college algebra won’t help me much. ☺
One guy asked where I was from, I told him Utah. He said, “Isn’t that were the Mormons are from…. Are you Mormon?” I told him yes. He said, “Don’t you have the multiple wife thing.” People have funny ideas about us I guess.
All in all, I had a very enjoyable experience. I think I might like it there… eventually.
Sunday, February 27, 2011
Feb 21-27th
Sorry I haven’t been able to post in a while. Luckily, this week wasn’t the most hopping week. It’s nice to have those weeks of relaxation. Hopefully I’ll catch you all up. Here is this past week in brief:
• Taught about Malaria with Eric at 3 primary schools
• Liza broke 2 windows (not on the same day either!)
• Played Settlers of Catan with Alyssa
• Went into the local market for the first time (what an experience; trust me, it’s not like Macy’s)
• Babysat the cutest baby on the planet!
• Had the Fountains over for dinner
• Went to church for about 6 hours (There was a baptism after. I did not realize how some people can be so scared of water. One of the girls screamed as she went underwater. Interesting ☺)
I can’t believe that we have been here about 3 weeks!! How time flies! I have loved every minute of it. What an experience. I’m not sure if there are words capable of describing it. I guess the best would be: TIA: This Is Africa
• Taught about Malaria with Eric at 3 primary schools
• Liza broke 2 windows (not on the same day either!)
• Played Settlers of Catan with Alyssa
• Went into the local market for the first time (what an experience; trust me, it’s not like Macy’s)
• Babysat the cutest baby on the planet!
• Had the Fountains over for dinner
• Went to church for about 6 hours (There was a baptism after. I did not realize how some people can be so scared of water. One of the girls screamed as she went underwater. Interesting ☺)
I can’t believe that we have been here about 3 weeks!! How time flies! I have loved every minute of it. What an experience. I’m not sure if there are words capable of describing it. I guess the best would be: TIA: This Is Africa
Sunday, February 20, 2011
Swimming
Feb 17th
So today the campus closed because of the elections tomorrow, so it was really quite. I’m guessing tonight won’t be though. At about 2, Liza and I decided to go outside and read (aka: getting a sun tan). Reading didn’t really work so we just lay there. I started thinking how ridiculous we must look when Alyssa came and started laughing at us. I don’t think people are used to people lying on the grass here. She asked if we wanted to go swimming instead. Of course, I wanted too, but Liza didn’t (her loss). We drove to Seeta to a hotel with a swimming pool. Because it was a weekday, the pool was empty. It was so nice!! We literally just floated for about 2 hours in the pool. Having no care in the world. I had so much fun!!! What nice people there are here!! And I can say that I did find a better way to get some sun. ☺
So today the campus closed because of the elections tomorrow, so it was really quite. I’m guessing tonight won’t be though. At about 2, Liza and I decided to go outside and read (aka: getting a sun tan). Reading didn’t really work so we just lay there. I started thinking how ridiculous we must look when Alyssa came and started laughing at us. I don’t think people are used to people lying on the grass here. She asked if we wanted to go swimming instead. Of course, I wanted too, but Liza didn’t (her loss). We drove to Seeta to a hotel with a swimming pool. Because it was a weekday, the pool was empty. It was so nice!! We literally just floated for about 2 hours in the pool. Having no care in the world. I had so much fun!!! What nice people there are here!! And I can say that I did find a better way to get some sun. ☺
Wednesday, February 16, 2011
Tuesday Feb 15
So the story of the day today took place in the market.
I was walking into town with Mom and Eric to go visit our bishop’s wife who just had a baby. While we where walking, a small band came onto the street. Following them was a lady running for some position in government on a car. It was like a little parade. Mom started to clap and acted very enthused. When suddenly, down the street there were two huge fires on either side of the street. That is when we started to worry. We knew we needed to get out of there.
Someone had to explain to us after what it all meant. The lady’s supporters didn’t like her opponent. So this tall tower thing with posters of her had to go. Supposedly, they really like fire….
Luckily we made is safely home.
I was walking into town with Mom and Eric to go visit our bishop’s wife who just had a baby. While we where walking, a small band came onto the street. Following them was a lady running for some position in government on a car. It was like a little parade. Mom started to clap and acted very enthused. When suddenly, down the street there were two huge fires on either side of the street. That is when we started to worry. We knew we needed to get out of there.
Someone had to explain to us after what it all meant. The lady’s supporters didn’t like her opponent. So this tall tower thing with posters of her had to go. Supposedly, they really like fire….
Luckily we made is safely home.
Valentines FHE
Family home evening was so funny!! We had 4 people over with us. Sister Julie, Moses, Ronnie, and Lawrence. It being Valentine’s Day and all, my dad printed off little hearts that had some activity on each one. Some being: tell how you love a family member, sing love at home, read a scripture, etc. They thought it was kind of weird. But they were good sports about it. For the activity, we made valentines. That is when things got interesting. My mom had to bring up the dowry thing (they actually give “cows” to their in-laws to be able to marry their daughter) and ask them what they thought about it. The three boys instantly said, “ No way!! We hate it!” Sister Julie then put up a stink saying, “All of the girls love it.” That was the start of the debate. They went on forever. 3 against 1. The people here are so great!!
Sunday, February 13, 2011
Prom
Who would’ve ever thought that I would a) go to a prom my sophomore year and b) go to a dance in Uganda. I guess some things come unexpectedly (that’s where I’m a pro). So when my next door neighbor Alissa asked if I wanted to be her “prom date” (her boyfriend couldn’t come last minute due to his father) for her school’s prom, I thought I’d give it a try.
She lent me a dress to wear (which was super cute) and her mom drove us to Kampala to the hotel it was at. Can I just say that for Africa, it was a HUGE hotel!! No joke.
From the whole experience I learned a ton! I know that living in Provo is like living in a bubble, but I didn’t really understand that until last night. It wasn't the typical "Prom" that comes to mind, but it turned out to be a really fun experience. It did make me realize how grateful I am for my wonderful high school back at home. I did meet some pretty sweet people though. Alyssa is such a sweetie for inviting me on such short notice! I know that we will become super great friends!!! :)
I guess you where wrong Madelyn and Bailey, I will have gone to a dance before you!
She lent me a dress to wear (which was super cute) and her mom drove us to Kampala to the hotel it was at. Can I just say that for Africa, it was a HUGE hotel!! No joke.
From the whole experience I learned a ton! I know that living in Provo is like living in a bubble, but I didn’t really understand that until last night. It wasn't the typical "Prom" that comes to mind, but it turned out to be a really fun experience. It did make me realize how grateful I am for my wonderful high school back at home. I did meet some pretty sweet people though. Alyssa is such a sweetie for inviting me on such short notice! I know that we will become super great friends!!! :)
I guess you where wrong Madelyn and Bailey, I will have gone to a dance before you!
Saturday, February 12, 2011
Our Arrival in Uganda
The plane ride wasn’t terrible. 8 hours of watching movies can get to you though. We arrived at the airport in Entebbe at about 10:30 pm. Walking off the plane, it was like walking into a sauna. Definitely a temperature change. When I was waiting for my family to get off, I saw a guy standing behind me holding a machine gun. It freaked me out. I was so scared he was going to shot me. My brother started laughing at me because I think I was having a panic attack. Right then and there I started having regrets (it wasn’t until we got to our house that it went away). While I was calming down, we had to wait in line for about an hour and ½ getting our visas and going through security (since it was election week). When we finally got out of the airport, we meet up with our driver who would drive us to UCU campus. He was really nice. We finally arrived at our home at about 2. We pretty much went straight to bed. It has taken time to get used to sleeping under a net though (to help prevent malaria).
The first couple of days here have been pretty chill. It is almost starting to feel like home. Our house isn’t as big as the one back home, but for houses in Africa, its big. Living on campus is a blessing because it is so safe and nice here. Other than the night, it is quite calm here. It seems like all the students come alive when we are trying to sleep.
The people here have been extremely nice. The lady who helps clean our house is so cute. It is kind of awkward having someone else clean up our mess, but we are helping her go to school. The other mzungu’s (meaning “privileged” aka; whites) here have brought us dinner and been so nice in our arriving. Lucky for my little siblings, they have tons of young kids here, all under the age of 10. There is one girl my age who is really nice. So I won’t be completely friendless.
On Friday (Feb 11) we walked to the church, which is 3 miles away, to help clean it. I was expecting to be vacuuming and washing windows and things. Boy, was I wrong. We get there and they have literally flooded the chapel. Since it is tile, which is the easiest way to get rid of the dust. We washed the floor for the entire building. Taking us 3 hours. I will never complain about cleaning the church back at home again! After we finished, our Bishop talked to us in his office. Where he gave us all got callings (even Hannah and Mckay). I am going to the assistant organist (it’s not really an organ, only a piano).
My favorite thing so far has been the little kids. They are so cute! As we walk by, they all come running. It is so cool for them to see an American. The cutest is when the yell, “mzungu, mzungu.” When we talk to them, their faces light up. We all are trying to convince my parents to let us adopt one.
Since the Internet here isn’t very good, I probably won’t be able to post as often as I wanted to. I’ll try to keep you updated on some of the more interesting things. I’ll try not to bore you … ☺
The first couple of days here have been pretty chill. It is almost starting to feel like home. Our house isn’t as big as the one back home, but for houses in Africa, its big. Living on campus is a blessing because it is so safe and nice here. Other than the night, it is quite calm here. It seems like all the students come alive when we are trying to sleep.
The people here have been extremely nice. The lady who helps clean our house is so cute. It is kind of awkward having someone else clean up our mess, but we are helping her go to school. The other mzungu’s (meaning “privileged” aka; whites) here have brought us dinner and been so nice in our arriving. Lucky for my little siblings, they have tons of young kids here, all under the age of 10. There is one girl my age who is really nice. So I won’t be completely friendless.
On Friday (Feb 11) we walked to the church, which is 3 miles away, to help clean it. I was expecting to be vacuuming and washing windows and things. Boy, was I wrong. We get there and they have literally flooded the chapel. Since it is tile, which is the easiest way to get rid of the dust. We washed the floor for the entire building. Taking us 3 hours. I will never complain about cleaning the church back at home again! After we finished, our Bishop talked to us in his office. Where he gave us all got callings (even Hannah and Mckay). I am going to the assistant organist (it’s not really an organ, only a piano).
My favorite thing so far has been the little kids. They are so cute! As we walk by, they all come running. It is so cool for them to see an American. The cutest is when the yell, “mzungu, mzungu.” When we talk to them, their faces light up. We all are trying to convince my parents to let us adopt one.
Since the Internet here isn’t very good, I probably won’t be able to post as often as I wanted to. I’ll try to keep you updated on some of the more interesting things. I’ll try not to bore you … ☺
Italy: Part 2
On Wednesday (Feb 2), we had a very relaxing day. It was nice to have a day where we didn’t have to run from city to city. We did end up driving through the country and viewing the beautiful countryside. Even though the grapes weren’t in season, it was still gorgeous. We stopped at some famous guys castle (he was the person who first mapped out New York Harbor). We had decided we didn’t want a tour of it, when a tour guide came outside and said, “let’s go.” I guess we didn’t have a choice. The funny thing was, was that for the tour, we only walked by the castle part. The majority of the tour was showing us how they made their wine. So much for seeing the castle.
Florence was a sweet city. We got to taste some amazing pastry… pizza in the states doesn’t even compare. We went to the Duomo (pretty much a church/cathedral). That was cool, not quite as impressive as the cathedral in Milan though. The best part of the day was just walking around town down their narrow streets. Italy is definitely on my list of places to return too.
Roma (Rome): we were there from Saturday to Sunday. The apartment we stayed at was literally 100 yards from the Vatican. Pretty sweet. We paid for a bus tour so we didn’t have to walk everywhere. On Saturday, we just drove past most of the sites, planning to actually stop and see them on Sunday after church. The ward we went to was an Italian ward, so in Young Women’s, I had no clue what she was saying. Luckily in Sunday school and sacrament meeting, we had translators. So we didn’t completely die. After church, we went to the coliseum and the pantheon. I didn’t know that there are tons of ruins in Rome. That was way cool to see. Rome was a really cool city.
Monday we woke up at 4 and started driving back to Milan to catch our flight later that afternoon. On the way, we stopped at Pisa and saw the leaning tower of Pisa. What I want to know is how it is still standing. We then finished the drive to Milan. Since Internet has been very rare, we didn’t know exactly when our flight was. We were panicked to get to the airport asap. It ended up that our flight wasn’t until 4:20, but it got delayed until 5:20. So we sat at the airport for a while. After getting to London, we went straight to our hotel and conked out. Since we had to get up early to make our flight to Entebbe the next morning.
Italy has been worth every minute of our time there. As I said before, I hope to return there someday. What a week!
Wednesday, February 2, 2011
Italy: Part 1
So, our first 2 and 1/2 days here have been fantastic. We arrived at around 3:30 Monday afternoon in Milan. We went to an amazing cathedral. No joke. It was at least 100 ft high, or higher. It is amazing how people can build something so architecturally beautiful so long ago. Can I say it is very different than Utah. People here always look at us funny. I don't think they are used to so many kids. If only they knew...
After spending the night at a lovely bed and breakfast in Verona, we drove to Venice. What a beautiful city!! We had so much fun walking down their beautiful streets (I guess I should say rivers, because they hardly have any streets). We where able to ride a gondola (those fantasy looking long boats). Our driver was sweet! My mom told him to start singing for us... surprisingly he did! We got so see some parts of the city we wouldn't have been able to other wise. It is amazing that some of their buildings can have their "front porch" on the river. I wonder how they are still standing after all these years. Once the ride was over, we walked to San Marcos square. It was kinda a bummer because there was scaffolding on parts of it, so we didn't get the full effect. We sure had fun with the pigeons though. We would have crumbs of break on our hand so they would fly up onto our arms. We kept feeding them until a police man told us to stop. It didn't matter, because the pigeons would fly on our arms anyway. Hopefully, none of us get rabies. In all, it was such a fun day!! The weather was perfect. Not too hot, but not too cold. We all had taken off our jackets because it was so nice. That caused a lot of people to look at us funny. One cute old lady came up to us and told us that "he (Eric) is going to get sick because of the cold." Eric was wearing shorts. Not a surprise for him. I hope I can someday come back here!
After Venice, we drove to a little town outside of Florence where we are staying in a little villa. It is so cute! Definitely Italian. I do admit, that the beds are like boards!! So I didn't get the best night's sleep. Still, none of us woke up this morning until 10. We pretty much just lounged around the rest of the morning. It was nice to not be driving or running anywhere. After lunch, we drove to some small towns around where we are staying. We went to Giovanni Da Verrazano's castle. We had decided we didn't want a tour, but one of the workers had other plans. He walked out and said, "here we go." The tour included a walk by the castle (no joke), and an entire run threw of how they make wine there. Pretty funny. They also had a wine tasting part at the end, but we told them we don't drink wine. They thought we where crazy! He said that we weren't experiencing their culture. I think we got a pretty good feel of their culture though. It made sense to him though when we told him we where from Utah. He said, "oh, Mormons." Yep, it's nice to know that in other countries, people know about us!
Italy has been wonderful, if you can't tell. And I'm sure it will get better. :)
After spending the night at a lovely bed and breakfast in Verona, we drove to Venice. What a beautiful city!! We had so much fun walking down their beautiful streets (I guess I should say rivers, because they hardly have any streets). We where able to ride a gondola (those fantasy looking long boats). Our driver was sweet! My mom told him to start singing for us... surprisingly he did! We got so see some parts of the city we wouldn't have been able to other wise. It is amazing that some of their buildings can have their "front porch" on the river. I wonder how they are still standing after all these years. Once the ride was over, we walked to San Marcos square. It was kinda a bummer because there was scaffolding on parts of it, so we didn't get the full effect. We sure had fun with the pigeons though. We would have crumbs of break on our hand so they would fly up onto our arms. We kept feeding them until a police man told us to stop. It didn't matter, because the pigeons would fly on our arms anyway. Hopefully, none of us get rabies. In all, it was such a fun day!! The weather was perfect. Not too hot, but not too cold. We all had taken off our jackets because it was so nice. That caused a lot of people to look at us funny. One cute old lady came up to us and told us that "he (Eric) is going to get sick because of the cold." Eric was wearing shorts. Not a surprise for him. I hope I can someday come back here!
After Venice, we drove to a little town outside of Florence where we are staying in a little villa. It is so cute! Definitely Italian. I do admit, that the beds are like boards!! So I didn't get the best night's sleep. Still, none of us woke up this morning until 10. We pretty much just lounged around the rest of the morning. It was nice to not be driving or running anywhere. After lunch, we drove to some small towns around where we are staying. We went to Giovanni Da Verrazano's castle. We had decided we didn't want a tour, but one of the workers had other plans. He walked out and said, "here we go." The tour included a walk by the castle (no joke), and an entire run threw of how they make wine there. Pretty funny. They also had a wine tasting part at the end, but we told them we don't drink wine. They thought we where crazy! He said that we weren't experiencing their culture. I think we got a pretty good feel of their culture though. It made sense to him though when we told him we where from Utah. He said, "oh, Mormons." Yep, it's nice to know that in other countries, people know about us!
Italy has been wonderful, if you can't tell. And I'm sure it will get better. :)
Monday, January 31, 2011
Jan 31
It's official. I am coming to live in England sometime during my life. I have absolutly loved it here. Even though the weather has been quite chilly, it is still beautiful. It has been great to be with my family, I never realized just how funny we can be. Possibly my favorite things of the week have been St. Pauls Cathidrial (we where there during a coral program of all boys= amazing!!!) and downtown London. We didn't plan very well so we only had 1 day in London, so we didn't get to see everything we wanted too, but that's ok. It was still great. We also went to both temples here, the Preston and the London. On our first day here, we went to Stone Hedge. That was interesting and now I can say that I have seen it in person. I don't think any of us have adjusted to the time difference very well because we are very tired during the day, but very crazy at night. The poor people in the rooms next to us. Even after being her a week, I can never sleep at night. I do all my sleeping in the car riding to sites. Yesterday (Sunday), we meet up with an old friend we new when we lived in South Africa, it was so good to meet her and her husband (having been so little when we lived there, I didn't remember them). We went to their little ward for church. It was mostly an American ward (kinda a disapointment), so we didn't feel so out of place. I really enjoyed it. The people where so sweet. The young women leader gave us all CD's and chocolates! We then spent the rest of the day visiting with Tracy and Donoven. I loved every minute of it. Now, we'll see what Italy has in store for us!!
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
We're Off
So, I can't believe that after months of preparation, we are finally not in Utah anymore. It has finally hit me that I won't be going home for another 8 months. It's nice to think that we have a 2 week vacation before we settle in to living in Africa. On our flight from Salt Lake to Dallas, one of our flight ladies was so socked that we would be living in Africa. Once we told her the details and why we were going over there, she was so supportive. It is so nice to know that we have so much support and love from our neighbors. If I didn't have support, I probably wouldn't be as excited to go on this adventure. Until next time!
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