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
Sunday, February 27, 2011
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. :)
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