DAY 20: June 6- Kacoma Village, Part 1

** Disclaimer: This is a very long entry. I wanted to be as detailed as possible (however for the sake of space, I did leave out some details). But it is still a very long entry. Also, I will be shortly leaving Jinja, and heading to Rwanda. I might or might not have internet for the rest of my trip.. we will just assume that I won’t, to be safe. I know that I am at least 3 days behind on my blog and I apologize. I hope to have the second day of my bonding experience up before I have to leave Uganda, but I make no promises. Thank you for staying true to the blog… Hopefully I will be back soon to finish the rest of the trip, but maybe I will have to wait until I’m back in the States in order to post the last 2 weeks. Thanks again! Sorry for any inconvenience! You all are great!

 

I woke up, and I was at peace. It was the day of our “village bonding,” and I was at peace. We weren’t going to leave until 10 am, and it was about 8 am when I got up. Almost too much time to think. As I sat in my room trying to think of all possible situations like using the bathroom, eating the food, talking to my family, etc.. I started to get nervous and anxious.. (I guess that sense of peace was a little more fleeting then I thought). When 10 am hit, we all gathered in our common room. As we sat and waited for all the missionaries to get there, I got more and more nervous.. because that is when I found out that in my travel group I was going to be the first one they dropped off and the last one they were going to pick up the next day.. Tom told me that he would probably be there by like 5 to 5:30 pm.. SAY WHAT?! It was like 10:15 am now.. and my village was only like 30 minutes away.. do the math.. that’s way more than 24 hours.. that’s about 30 hours.. oh boy.. this was going to be a long long long day.

So we got ready to go, I got in to the Matatu with 5 of the other students whose villages were in the same direction as ours. We waved to our friends and we were off.. for the adventure of a lifetime. Before I knew it.. our Matatu was already stopping. I guess I was being dropped off at the main road, and meeting Paul there. So after a little confusing about whether I was getting out or staying in the Matatu I finally got out and met Paul and John. It was slightly awkward just because I wasn’t ready for any of it. So that’s when I realized that although Paul might speak English very well, he was pretty soft spoken. (A slight difference from my personality… dot dot dot.. yah.. slight..)

So Paul and I started walking, and 5 steps onto the dirt road and I was greeted by a man. I said “hello,” and he countered by saying.. “you need to learn Lusoga.” So there it was.. the first 1 minute of me being left alone.. I was already being called out. So what did I do, I busted out my Lusoga. I said “how are you?” and he laughed and smiled. And that was the beginning a long day of Lusoga greeting and laughing responses. We walked about 20 minutes talking and passing people on the way as I smiled and waved, while people stared.. and for the most part smiled and waved back.

Finally, when I got to his home I realized he had one of the nicest places in the village. Plus hundreds of tall eucalyptus trees shaded his house.  He introduced me to his family. His wife Christine (that spoke no English), his daughter Martha, his son Michael, and little son Spencer (who was terrified of me.. It was like I was the devil to him.. not the normal reaction I get from kids, but maybe the first Mzungu he’s seen maybe?!). (also I think he had an older son, but he wasn’t there). After I put down my stuff in his home, he showed me the kitchen, which was in a separate little room that was detached from his home with some special ventilation thing for the smoke. He then showed me his poultry house.

Next, he got two chairs and we sat under the trees. And this was the first of many times that we would just sit. Sit. Sit. Sit. Sometimes not even talk. Just sit. But this time we talked. We talked about his church that was right next to his house. Its basically just a roof covered space (no walls), the education system in the village, and his vision for the church. (Just FYI: Paul is the church leader (aka Pastor) as well as one of the government leaders so basically he knows everyone in the village .. a rather large village might I add.. which made my trip all the more better…which you will find out later). After we talked he showed me the really nice water well that the missionaries’ Water Source Program brought to the village. It was all cemented and just sitting in front of the church. When it rains then the water is caught and goes into this system that filters the water so its clean water! Which is awesome. Then he showed me another water pump next to it that another organization came into build.. that just brings water from a stream (its not clean water, but its constant water, unlike the other pump that only works if there is rain). Then it was time for more sitting and then time for tea.

So we went inside (just the two of us) and his daughter brought us Chai Tea and warm g. nuts.. (yup… ground nuts. aka peanuts nuts). He brought out a bowl, a cup of water, and soap for me to wash my hands, prayed over the meal, and we ate/drank. Mostly in silence. It was really good tea, just awkward.. because in my head I kept on thinking that Tom had once said that in Africa people don’t really talk when they eat, so I wanted to be polite. But it was awkward because it was just the two of us..

So after we were finished, then it was time for some more good old sitting (slash me trying to play with his kids, you know slap bracelets and stickers). Then Paul came out and said we would go on a walk. He wanted to show me his mother’s home (his old home). We walked for about 15 minutes (always stopping to greet people.. so maybe it was longer then 15 mins.. yah Pauls really POP in the village so basically every home we were stopping so they could do their musically sounding 2 minute greeting process.. ask me what it sounds like when you see me). On the way he told me about sugar cane and other crops, about how he found God after training for 3 years to be a witch doctor, his calling to become a pastor, and other random things.

We got to his mom’s house but she wasn’t there so he decided to show me their land. I saw their fields and fields and acres and acres of land filled with Maize. It was absolutely beautiful… Now this was the image of the Lion King’s version of Africa I had imagined. I took some pictures (even Paul took some pictures.. yes he is probably the only Ugandan I met with a camera.. yah I know Baller Status). He even took a picture of me. Then we heard a storm approaching so we quickly started to walk back. On our way home it stated to rain so hard that we needed to take shelter. We stopped at a home that used to be one of the places that their church worshiped at before they got a building. So I tried speaking in Lusoga.. and that’s always fun and they always are surprised and laugh a lot. After sitting (while they are talking) for awhile, then it was time to leave. Did I mention that they always give visitors the best chair and treat them like royalty?.. cause they do.

When we got back we sat for a little, then it was time for lunch…?! Just the two of us again. It was probably around 2 maybe 2:30 pm.. (I could be totally wrong.. I didn’t know the time, we weren’t allowed to bring ipods or watches.. missionaries’ rules to make the experience more “real” although ever African has a cell phone and a radio).. I thought we already had lunch.. but I guess I was wrong. After eating the really good tasting cabbage, rice, and posho (millet mush) (that I had accidentally requested …cause I realize now that he asked me what my favorite dish was and I said rice and cabbage.. and guess what lunch was.. rice and cabbage!!!) But anyways it was really good. We even had forks this time, and did the whole washing of hands, and grace. Then it was time for sitting..again..

So I sat while Paul did his thing. Then he came out with these little God cartoon booklets and said that some people were expecting us and we were going to hand them out.. I wasn’t sure what that meant.. but I was up for anything. John (who is the other pastor of the church, under Paul) joined us. We stopped and talked to so many people. Paul knows everyone and their mother.. literally.

We stopped in a home with about 10 children. The older kids brought three chairs out as soon as they saw us. As we sat down (outside) the women and kids kneeled when they greeted (I guess this is their way of showing respect to the men/visitors.. yah.. it’s as awkward as you think it would be). But when the father came home, he saw us sitting and moved us inside. I started to hand out stickers to the kids cause I figured the adults were just going to talk Lusoga to each other.. but I guess they were actually waiting for me.. AWKWARD  MOMENT.. oops. There were 3 women and 2 men and Paul and John waiting for me… yah about that.. The women greeted me and I did my Lusoga thing. They laughed, then just talked in Lusoga to each other. At the end of all of it.. John prayed for the home. Then we were off to our next family.

More homes (I call them homes because they aren’t really houses more like multiple huts that make up a home… just like before.. chairs, greetings.. and sitting. Then we went to a home where the father was Christian but the wife and daughter were not. Paul had talk to them for awhile (especially the daughter). Before I knew it, Paul was telling me that the daughter had finally decided to accept Christ! I was like.. wait what?! That’s so awesome. He explained that for awhile she had been thinking about it, but finally today she decided to! He said that John was going to lead her in a confession prayer and then “you will pray for her.” Dot dot dot.. wait what?! “you” as in “we” will pray for her.. ?! I was so confused.. but no, he meant me. He wanted me to pray over this girl that I didn’t even know her name who had just accepted Christ… yah.. what?! I’m not qualified, you are the pastor! That’s what I was thinking.. but God and life doesn’t work like that.. so there it was. My first prayer of many.. So I prayed. Paul translated. And the father was eternally grateful to me. So I guess it’s a really big deal when visitors like pray over your house.. so that was pretty cool. Plus Praise God! She accepted Christ!

Then it was to the next place with Rachel and her family. Rachel was a student as well, who had been thinking of accepting Christ but not sure yet. But yet another miracle, her and two other boys decided today, finally, they would accept Christ as their Savior. So again John gave them the confession prayer.. and once again Paul turned to me to ask me to pray (well more like tell me to pray for them). Surprise Surprise.. not. So there it was praying again for people. I guess praying it isn’t the praying that is weird because I’ve prayed out loud many times, but more like .. I’m in Africa, I don’t speak the language, they just accepted Christ, they didn’t know me, there is a more qualified person sitting next to me, and it was just a surprise that he would ask me or trust me.. it’s just really random.

Then it was another goodbye, and a few more homes to say hello. But then it was time to walk back to Paul’s house. (I was kinda excited just to sit for once). So I sat for a little.. took a little break, tried to play with the kids again. But before I knew it.. Paul was coming out again with another stack of the handouts… a bigger one. He said “sorry, you must be very tired, but we have one more place to go. Or are you too tired?”.. well duh I was, but obviously I was going to go. So … we headed off again (for the 3^rd time in case you were counting).

We started walking and greeting. I was smiling and waving. People were staring at me.. same old same old. And before I knew it, I started recognizing where we were.. we were heading back towards the main road. I started to see more people, and then it was like town life again, but it wasn’t like a town.. just like a more populated area.. with electricity. I think its called a town center.. but its not like a town town like Jinja. As soon as people saw me they stared.. and I don’t mean like for a minute and I don’t mean like 10 people I mean 50 people and for the entire time I was there.. again.. this must be what it feels like to be an animal at the zoo, no privacy and just blank and confused stares. Loved it! Not. So Paul bought me a soda (which I didn’t want, but he said that I had to and I didn’t want to be rude.. it was mountain dew it’s only been here for 6 months.. he said it was the new soda.. yah I know.. it’s not. Also, it was terrible.. I mean just the fact that I don’t like soda and had not had any sodas but fanta and ginger ale for the last 6 years of my life.. it kinda made me sick.. but I had to). After I met some more people, chugged my Dew, we went off to see a pumping well he really wanted to show me. He said that people came from as far as 4 km to get water from there.. and it was down a steep hill.

When we got there, it was filled with at least 100 people. People were freaking out cause I was there.. laughing and staring.. and asking questions about me.. but its all good. So we walked down the slippery half destroyed stairs that had just been built a few years ago (can’t imagine what it was like before that).. to get a better view. I was blown away that children and women.. did this.. carried the jerry cans back up.. so dangerous.. and so far… and so impressive. After taking a few pictures, it was time to cross the road and get back to where we were.

Paul wanted to show me the neighboring town, but since it was getting dark, we couldn’t walk.. So he called one of his friends to borrow his motor bike. Ha ha ha. Sick! So we drove for awhile, by the time we got to the town (which he just drove thru) it was late and so many people were out. I wasn’t used to seeing Africa at night (we aren’t suppose to leave the Gately at night).. so it was cool to see a city that was kinda like Jinja but a lot smaller and more crowded. On our drive back it was getting really dark, but the moon looked absolutely beautiful. When we got back to the little town we were in before, Paul got his friend to drive us back to his house so we didn’t have to walk back in the dark.

The first thing we did was eat g. nuts and drink black tea (that was super sweet.. so I don’t know what was going on there, but it was good). He had also just bought some bread before we left the little town. So we ate some thin sliced white bread. After I we were finished, I decided to go to the latrine (bathroom).. it was outside.. it was a small hole.. in this brick building.. but it was all good.. I was getting better. When I came back I thought it was time for bed.. NOPE it was time for dinner!? I thought the g. nuts were dinner.. but I guess not. We had this soup with beef and then rice to put in it. It was good, salty, but good. But I couldn’t finish it.. which I know is rude.. so that kinda sucked.

Then I busted out some of my little paper cardboard animal cutouts to piece together for the kids. They got a kick out of it. Next, Paul was telling me it was time to take my bath. Yup… this was going to be interesting. So they showed me to this bricked off space that had 3 and a half walls. There was boiled warm water in a tub, they gave me soap.. and a towel.. and that’s it. So I left my shorts and sports bra on (just in case.. it really wasn’t that private), and I just kinda washed myself.. if you could call it that. I put my dirty clothes back on and went inside the house.

Paul said it was time for me to rest and showed me to the room over that had a bunkbed that I was to sleep on. (the top and there was a princess net! Yes!). So I hopped in bed (with all my clothes I was wearing) and started to look over my journal notes.. because at dinner Paul asked me if I felt comfortable sharing verses with a large group (aka. Speak at church tomorrow)… So I wanted to make sure I felt comfortable with what I was going to say.

Also, did I mention that he had a light in there.. the only solar powered light in the village. So that was sweet. Too bad he didn’t turn it off the entire night.. and um.. it was bright.. and I was on the top bunk.. so I’m not sure about that logic. Also the kids under me were kicking, and baby Spencer was crying..all night.. But at some point I did fall asleep so that was cool… it had been a long day.. and I was slightly nervous about tomorrow.. I mean.. speaking in his church and all.. NO PRESSURE OR ANYTHING MZUNGU. But yes.. that was day one.. overall a good day (maybe a little bit different than my typical Saturday, but still a good one and a very big eye opener day).

 

DAY 19: June 5- Beam of Hope

Today, I woke up to a surprise at breakfast.. instead of toast it was CHAPATTI! I know right?! So that was fun. Then it was time to read my textbook.. while our sink flooded our bathroom (there was a leak that just got worse.. but don’t worry its fixed now). Then it was off to lunch (we crammed 13 people into Ben’s 7 person car.. which included 2 car seats… TIA this is Africa ..there is always room for one more.. as they like to say).

A few of us decided to have lunch at the Source.. basically my favorite place. I have my guac chicken wrap and a SAMOSA.. yum so good. And seriously they are 500 shillings. That is 25 cents.. can you believe that.. you can’t even get a gumball from the gumball machine for that little anymore. I LOVE THIS PLACE. After hanging around the Source, talking to Mark, and playing with his kids… (Oh Tessa you are so cute).. A group of us decided to go back to The Beam of Hope, hoping that the guys would be there this time (no pun intended).

They were. SCORE. So we talked with a large group of them.. There was a new guy named John.. and the guy I thought was called Jeff was actually Sylvester. We talked about our lives, hung out, and then helped him with his computer homework once the electricity came back on. Can I also add that their Microsoft homework is dang hard.. like for real.. anyways… After getting his email and giving him mine, it was time to say goodbye until Monday. We took Pikis back home.. and well they practically raced all the way home.. quite scary to be honest.. they go really fast.

Then we decided to go the the orphanage that is across the street. WOW. Kids.. they are so so so cute! Just like the one in Kampala, they just want lovin. If I could pick favorites then I would pick this little boy in this red shirt named Nathan. Oh he was adorable.. but I don’t pick favorites so I loved them all… I pulled them in wagons, picked them up, carried them, and even just sat with them on my lap. It was way cool, fun, and so cute. Also, there were a lot of American students helping out as well. They just came over to Africa and decided to live there and help with the children.. Bayli and I even met an LMU Pi Phi. HA what are the chances.. after about an hour and a half it was time for dinner.. saying goodbye is always the worst. The entire orphanage just broke out in burst of crying fits… Practically our entire group came.. so that was about 15 babies that were no longer being held or played with… so sad.. but its okay ill be back on Monday. 

Then it was dinner and class… and time to get ready for my village bonding experience…wrote down a few words to say in case they ask me to say something at church.. dot dot dot.. pray for me?! It’s going to be EXCITING and challenging and I’m ready.. well I’m ready as I’ll ever be.. so talk to you all in a few days!!!!!

 

DAY 18: June 4- Back to Jinja

Back in Jinja, I woke up to the routine breakfast of pineapple, bananas, and toast. After breakfast, I just relaxed until lunch. We took the Matatu to a restaurant called “2 Friends.” It had this beautiful outside seating area and all kinds of different foods. We all got the “2 Friends Burger” except Tom got some good old ribs! YUM it was so good. Like delicious! It was a little taste of America…

After our long lunch (it takes about 45 minutes to get our food), we made our way to The Source by means of Matatu. I sat down at the tables with the rest of the group who was talking to Mark about the families they will be staying with on Saturday. That’s right. Saturday is our “village bonding day,” where each student is dropped off to in a village for the entire day including the night. We might be 30 minutes to 2 hours away from town. This is the chance for us to really delve into the culture. I’m excited. Plus a little nervous.. which makes me anxious.

The Mark said they (the missionaries) put a lot of thought into their decision about where each student should go. They thought about the village person’s personality and each student’s personality, and thought about who would work best where.. They thought about the level of bed comfort, level of toilet hut, and level of cleanliness of the villages and compared it with the students. They thought about the craziest villages and the ones that would ask the students to “break the Bible” aka give a sermon like thing… they thought about the pairing of the village and student in depth.

Mark told me I would be in a village with a man named Paul. Paul was actually the man who does research for Mark, and supposedly speaks pretty good English..so that’s a plus! I think he used to be the governmental head of the village so he knows everyone. So I might be greeting the entire village for about 3 hours. (I better bring my walking shoes). Mark said that’s the reason why they put me there.. they thought to themselves.. who is going to be willing to greet people for 3 hours.. I guess I came to mind?! I think that’s a good thing?! Anyways. I’ll be off to my great adventure soon.. and I’m excited. Keep me in your prayers! THANKS.

Next it was time for service learning. I decided to go back to The Beam of Hope, so I could show the guys I did my homework.. and practiced Lusoga. So I got on my first Piki (motorcycle transportation) with my friend Morgan (oops we broke one of the rules that you aren’t suppose to double up on Pikis… but hey that’s not a Uganda rule.. just like a rule of thumb by the missionaries.. so yah… its not like I would get in trouble, plus it feels safer with two people on back. ANYWAYS). It was fast, a little scary, and also a little fun!

When we got to the place only Joseph was there. He said the rest of the group went to this assembly thing about Disabilities. So unfortunately I couldn’t talk to my guys from last time. But hopefully ill go back tomorrow and see them. Then the founder/head guy of the place came and sat down to talk to us. He told us all about the Beam of Hope, how it was started, its goals, and challenges. He asked us to get involved, to tell people about it.. and basically do something to help.. He kept asking for advice we can give the people, or what they could do better.. but on the spot it was hard to think of something or some skill that we could help them with… that’s the thing about the culture here, they expect us (westerners with education) to know everything or just know how to solve their problems… it’s an interesting thought process.

After talking for awhile, we headed back home. Back on the Piki. Did a little reading from Lucado, and then dinner. After, we had class, and for part of the class the lady missionaries came to talk to us about culture shock and their experiences. They started talking about life in Africa, what they loved and what they hated. They told us about their struggle to come back to America and all the wealth… and I know it will be something that we all wrestle with when we go home. They said they now look at God differently and see a different nature of Him, because of living here. The Bible means something different to them when they are in the Word, in a culture of suffering and poverty. It was pretty intense.. but a good start for me to prepare for my journey back home.. back to the U.S… back to wealth.

 

ps.. So I guess I have a twitter now. dot dot dot. thanks to SOMEONE. and NOT by choice!

DAY 17: June 3- Island, Part 2

Let’s just call the second day of the island my spiritual awakening. It started with the night before when we had decided that we would all wake up early to watch the sunrise. So the boys came in at 6 am to wake us girls up. We all crawled out of bed and walked to this hill to watch the sunrise over the line of trees. Before I knew it, tears were starting to fall down my check and I was walking away from the group without a sound. Something inside of me was aching, something inside of me was telling me I needed to get away from the group and be by myself.. (maybe I should say Someone). I went back to the cabin grabbed a towel, my Bible, my journal and my ipod. I put on some worship music and sat down by the water.

I stared out at the beautifulness of the water, the trees, and all living creatures. I let God take me. I was broken. For so long I had been in a slump waiting for this.. waiting for this moment. And the tears didn’t stop. I started prayer journaling.. about everything in my life.. and about everyone from my friends to family to the rest of the students on this trip to even the people in my life that were no longer part of my life. I praised God for this opportunity and for His almighty power. I asked for forgiveness and thanked Him for saving me. Six pages later… I signed it “love, Brittany,” and opened my Bible.

I had been thinking for awhile that I want to start reading the Bible, I mean from cover to cover. I have never done that but I realized it was something that NEEDS to be done multiple times in a Christian’s life. The Word of God, the book that tells us all about our loving and protecting Father.. How can we not read it? I had planned on reading it starting when I got back so I could read it at the same time as someone else (not physically read it with someone else just the same passages each day), so we could keep each other accountable cause I know it gets tough… but that morning, something in me lead me to Genesis. And there it was: the creation story… just the two chapters I read reminded me and taught me more than I ever thought possible. Especially since I’ve read and heard the story so many times since I was a little girl. But I have learned that in different times and for different people, God reveals what He knows is needed. I could go on for hours about that morning.. about the tears, about where God led me, about what he taught me, but I also realize that a few paragraphs in a blog would never do it justice. But I will leave you with one thing that really stuck out to me was that we are all God’s creatures. Although he made man superior by giving us the ability to name the plants and animals and he gave us the job of taking care of the earth, we are all God’s creatures. What makes the ant crawling on my foot so much less important than the sun rising in sky. God made everything, every person. We all have a place in His heart.. He loves every creature just as He loves me.

I have been struggling to realize that I am no better than anyone else. I have been struggling to accept people as they are. I have been struggling with judging others. And how many times has God reminded me that, that is not my place, that he loves the annoying boy and superficial girl just as much as He loves me. Really, the passages reminded me that we are all His creatures, all guilty of the same sin (just in different forms). And we are all in different points in our spiritual journey. That morning God opened my eyes, and He placed a renewed fire in my heart, one that I hope to keep burning. And it was a morning I will not soon forget. 

(Ps. For my friends and family who are reading this.. you know who you are.. we most def will have dates later to discuss further.. and to the people who just read a whole lot about something they don’t understand or don’t really care about.. well I’m sorry, but at the same time I’m not, because this is who I am.. and I would also love to talk more about this if you wanted).

The truth is, is that I needed this time. It’s hard to explain except maybe saying I just had a conviction to give all my attention, open my ears, and receive what God has been trying to tell me. I know that should be a 24/7 thing, but let's get real, I am human. But I am blessed and so thankful for His ever-present love and guidance, and His ability to just place peace in my heart.. After my cry fest slash emo time, it was time to get ready for the day. Then I grabbed my book (thanks to Meredith to letting me borrow on my trip) “Traveling Light” by Max Lucado to read. Another blessing from God. So many great points about resting in the Lord, not worrying about tomorrow, and reminding me that God has His perfect timing. It was just what I needed.

Then.. God continued to work in my heart and gave Bayli and I the opportunity to take our friendship to a whole other level focused on God. We had about a 30 min or hour heart to heart about what God has been teaching us within the last day or two. I feel blessed that God put Bayli on this trip and I feel blessed that she opened up to me. We talked about our struggles and our “light bulb moments,” and everything else in between. Again.. it was a God moment for sure.

Then it was lunch, hangout time (with the group as well as with the kids and the missionary families.. had some good conversations with Lori about parenting and God.. she even brought up the creation story.. um duh.. God moment considering I read it that morning), boat, and then Matutu back home. Although it was raining the ride home was a lot shorter, plus I fell asleep a few times. Back at the Gately meant SHOWER and DINNER. Then it was girls night out at Candace’s and Bobby’s place. We ate a cookie cake, Italian breadstick popcorn (yup I just said that and it was GOOD. She used the same spices and herbs that you put on a breadstick on the popcorn). We talked and then watched “The Holiday,” such a good movie. I even forgot that I was in Africa for a second. But it was a really great time just to relax and hang out. Perfect closing to the night… until I found a worm on my mosquito net as I was falling asleep..  yah.. dealt with that and then it was time for sleep. 

DAY 16: June 2- Island, Part 1

Today, we woke up with no electricity. Actually, at 10:15 pm yesterday our electricity went out. People were screaming, candles were being lit, and flashlights were busted out. I, on the other hand, was peacefully blogging in complete darkness when the electricity went out (that’s why I haven’t posted Monday’s blog up yet.. no internet without electricity, I apologize for the delay). However I knew it was out.. one, because of the screaming.. two, because Bay and I sleep with the fan on.. but its all good. So I woke up, and the electricity was still out. But it didn’t really matter we were off to an island for a little team excursion.

I was excited to have a break from school, plus Mark said this was one of his favorite spots in the world (I know I know bold statement). Also, Mark, Lori, and their 4 kids came as well as Ben, Kim, and their 2 boys, and Spencer, Emily, and little Adam. Even Priscilla (Roy’s daughter who also goes to University in the U.S. with Tom) came with us! It was like a little retreat. So we got in our 2 Matatus, and we headed out. We didn’t know it was going to take so long, and we didn’t know it was going to be another Indian Jones ride.. but it was. Uganda had poor road systems. Well actually the roads are just poor. They are dirt and have lots and lots of ditches (huge ones) especially because of the rain. So after about an hour and a half, we were finally at the spot of the Island. We got out and all took little boats, kinda like the canoe we took in Panama (but smaller).

Once we got to the actually site of where we were staying, we went to check out our girl’s “dorm” as it was labeled on the tomato can that was connected to the key. Your basic cabin with bunk beds, however we did have individual “PRINCESS NETS.” Yup, that’s right, you know what I mean if you’ve been following my blog… mosquito nets! Then it was time to take a look around. It was hot, but beautiful. The sounds of the water, plus the running water and small waterfalls as well as the beautiful greenery made this place a little bit of bliss. Of course there were a lot of flies, but it’s all good.. come on, beggars can’t be choosers.

So after I had a little tour, it was time for lunch. YES. CHAPATTI and curry! Eat it up! After lunch, I did my textbook reading and then sat by the water to soak in all of God’s beauty. Before I knew it, Pricilla came to sit by me, then Brian, and Tyler, then Paul, and Bayli, then Michael, then Krista, Morgan, and then Thierstan.. basically I can’t remember who else was there and not there, but it was practically our whole group just relaxing and talking. Then Lori came over and we asked her to finish her, “you were born then what happen..” story.

It was awesome, just like a lot it was going to be. Plus, it was really encouraging. I asked if she ever imagined that she would be in a place like Africa or a missionary, and she said no. She said she would have NEVER guessing that. She said that when she Spencer and Emily and were talking to them about Africa, God just spoke to her. She felt a spiritual calling that Africa was where her family needed to be. (She said it was one of two she has ever had in her life.. well I think at this strong of a level). She said she just knew. And she said that Africa has shaped her, her marriage, and her family into more than she would have ever thought possible. Africa has been this complete saving grace and blessing in her life.

I wonder if that was God trying to tell me something. I know he planted this seed in my life for a reason. Maybe I’ll find out tomorrow, when I get back, or maybe 20 years from now, or maybe never. But in His time He will reveal His will and plan.. I’m not worried. I’m just encouraged to hear that it’s not always a missionary gene you are born with..

After talking with Lori it was time for dinner. Yum. Then after dinner we all hung out and talked and then decided to look  at the stars (even tho there weren’t many of them). We all laid down in a long row.. played a few games of ‘telephone’ and just laughed it up. It was a good time just to relax and hang out with each other. Then it was off to bed with the sounds of the flowing water right outside our door. It was peaceful… just like God first created. 

DAY 15: June 1- Mvule Project

Whoa! It’s JUNE! That is crazy! Time flies when you are having fun! So today was my group’s turn for our Service Learning project while the other half of the group went to Kampala. We were going to go an hour and half away to a village in order to learn about the Mvule Project. In case you never read my blog from a week ago, the Mvule is a type of really strong tree. The Mvule Project deals with giving villages Mvule seedlings to plant. Also the money they raise they use to come together as a village (Muslim and Christians) to think of a project to install for the benefit of the entire village. Plus the trees will be very beneficial in the future when they are full grown. Also, I mentioned last time that each person gets a bar of soap every time they plant a tree (which is worth like double a daily wage). Then if in 3 months the tree is doing well they get sugar, which is another really special item of food that people in the village don’t normally have. The money to support this project comes from sponsors in America.

So when we finally got to the village (2 hours later than we planned.. typical Africa time, I’m starting to get used to it), we got out of the Matatu and there was a girl bringing out chairs and benches for us to sit on. We met a few people, but the village basically looked bare. So Bobby started showing us different plants. We got to see coffee trees, mango trees, banana trees, corn, beans, yams, jackfruit trees etc. We also looked at the church they built in the village.. which was just a little room that was built. But either way, it’s still pretty awesome that they have a little church there.. where they actually used corn husk and water to write Bible verses on the inside walls.

Also there was this little boy that was just staring at us and following us. Before we new it he was at the top of a mango tree picking a mango to eat. It was really impressive that he was up there. It was high, I thought he was a bird at first. So after looking at some of the plants, we decided to take some jerry cans (yellow cans they use to carry water) and walk down to the water well and bring back some water. DOT DOT DOT. I don’t think we knew what we were getting into when we made that decision.

So we started to walk down the dirt road with about 5 to 10 kids following us and laughing at the girls cause we were trying to carry the jerry cans on our heads. (It is only proper that the girls/women carry the water.. not the men.. yah, I don’t think I would like village life too much). So on our way to the water well (which doesn’t even have clean water), we stopped to see how some of the Mvule trees were doing that they planted a few months ago. Bobby was so excited to see how they were doing, and they were so excited to show him how well the trees were growing. It was really cool to see.

After we saw the trees, we took a break to eat JACKFRUIT, which I see people eating all the time in the town, but I never knew what it was until today. If you don’t know what jackfruit is, its like the size of a watermelon (although it can be a lot larger), its green and prickly on the outside, but yellow on the inside. You have to rip pieces off and bite off the white fiber like part and then you can eat it! It tastes like a mixture of juicy fruit gum and bananas! It was SO GOOD, but SO STICKY. We had to us petroleum jelly to get the stickiness off and then use water and soap to clean our hands.

After the jackfruit, it was time to get back to the road to get some water. After at least another mile of walking, we finally made it. The jerry cans were extremely heavy (and they didn’t even fill them all the way up because they knew we weren’t as strong as the women in the village). They were awkward to carry and they didn’t have caps on them. The boys definitely had to help. We did a teamwork carry (where 2 people held on to the handle in order to carry the cans the like 2 miles back to the village where we were). When we finally arrived in the village, I was exhausted because it was hot and they were heavy. I just can’t imagine that women and kids make that journey at least 3 times a day. It’s honestly UNREAL. But I am so thankful I got to experience it (well sorta, I didn’t even carry it far by myself.. but I got the point.. it is really tiring and difficult to do).

When we got back we learned that Tom’s niece passed away today (Tom was with us). She was three years old, and she had be crushed by a dish rack and he had just seen her the day before… We were all blown away and stunned by the news. And you could see the sadness on Tom’s face. It was really sad, but we prayer for both Tom and his family. And we know she is now in a better place.

After the heartbreaking news, we ate dinner in the village. Rice and cabbage (with our hands again). It was tasty.. and this time the portion was more reasonable so I actually “cleared the mountain.” We learned to say “thank you for cooking” in Lusoga, and each of us went up to the woman that prepared our food and thanked her. She.. like all the women was one her knees to greet us. (Cultural difference: Women get on their knees when greeting men or maybe its visitors or “superiors,” either way it is a really weird thing to experience, and kinda just didn’t rub me the right way.. but what can you do.. that’s their culture?). Then the chairman of the Mvule Project in the village spoke to us. He told us about how the project was going and thanked us for coming.

After everyone was done talking and we greeted everyone goodbye, it was back to the Gately.. (an hour and half later). The village had been a long and tiring day, but an awesome day to learn and grow. It’s just a completely different lifestyle out there.

DAY 14: May 31- Church

I can’t believe its Sunday already. It feels like yesterday that I was going to the Anglican Church. Although the days are long, the weeks go by fast. Today for church we were going to the Jinja Church of Christ (CoC.. is so Pepperdine) that is held in our very own Source Café. But instead of going into the Source Café it is actually behind it, in a semi open space that has a roof built on top. At first we thought we were late, but its African time, so 10 am really means at least 10:30 am. When we arrived it seemed like our group was 95% of the congregation. Of course people trickled in late, so by the half way mark there was a lot more people.

The church started with greetings and a whole lot of worship songs like at least 6 or 7. I love worship time. Especially because I knew a few of the songs slash they are easy to pick up on unless they were in Lusoga. Then Minister Richard came up after the prayer. He spoke about a drunken woman who had many sins, who even accidentally killed her baby because she was drunk. When she finally declared her sins at this “crusade” as he was calling it, she was sobbing and feeling the Lord’s presence. (Sorry, this isn’t that descriptive, I know there was a lot more to this story, but its been over a day and I was slightly tired in the morning).

After he spoke it was time for communion. The bread we ate were little pieces of CHAPATTI! And they even used those same plastic clear cups that we use in the States. After communion there was an offering purse. Yes it looked like a purse and praying. Next, it was time for FOOD AUCTION. That’s right. Basically, people that have extra crops or just want to give to the church, will donate a crop and they will auction it at church to raise more money for the church. So the first item was a box of beans! It went for 6000 shillings. Next was one (a single) avocado that went for 10,000 shillings. If you are trying to remember the math that is 5 US dollars. (Normally an avocado goes for 300 to 500 shillings.. so I hope it was a good one. And actually both of the items were bought by different missionary families (Mark and Lori got the beans and Spencer and Emily got the avocado).

If that wasn’t interesting enough during church, we got to see a Baptism! So let me try to explain how this goes down. There is a slight stage (made of just the concrete the floor is made of.. there is just a few steps to make it a stage. But isn’t of the concrete going all the way to the back of the church, there is a space between the stage area and the wall. You can see that they store chairs, metal rods, wood planks, or anything they else they need to store in the space. But also in the space is like a bathtub like thing for the baptism.  After Richard asked the two teenagers 2 questions regarding their belief in Jesus Christ. They went to the tub and were dunked in the water backwards (like usually). But still.. it was just cool to see a baptism.. although its miles and miles away from home, its comforting to know that people still make that life change and symbolize it using the same methods. God is good!

Next, we had to introduce ourselves. Then we sang them a song.. These are the Days of Elijah! HA it was fun. After church was over, they prepared a special meal for us. It was rice, cabbage, and pieces of beef. But when I say they prepared for us.. they prepared a lot…like a sickening amount.. I wish I could describe the MOUND of food that was piled on each plate, but you would have had to be there to even believe me and not think I was exaggerating.. anyways. We had to eat with our hands.. so that’s fun. Then my competitive side came out.. and I challenged Tom. I thought I could finish it.. but I was really really wrong. He tried to encourage me “Have the faith, clear the mountain” was his exact words. Yup. It’s going up on my wall when I get home.. like my inspirational quote… anyways at the end I felt ILL. Then it was time to walk home and walk off the 10 pounds I gained from lunch.

Then I took a 4 hour nap. SIESTA. Dinner… yah I didn’t eat that much.. kinda still ill from lunch. Then it was to the Manry’s house for some CHAI TEA yum! So good. Another game of psychiatrist with Bobby in the center.. and the usual playing with the kids. After a few hours it was back home, a cold shower, and my paper for class. Another day finished.

 

 

DAY 13: May 30- Kampala

***First off, I am sorry I am a few days behind on my blog. For this reason I will only give the key moments of my day.

So today half the group when on a service learning trip to a village to learn about Water Source, and the other half went with the Manry family to Kampala (to visit the city and to see the Manry’s soon to be son.. John Paul a little Ugandan baby they are adopting). I was on the Kampala trip (I would be doing my service learning about the Mvule Project on Monday).

After heading to the Manry’s before we left from Kampala and chilling out there for an hour, it was time to start our journey. It was about a 2 hour one by Matatu. During the long ride we played the game.. “So (Insert Name Here), you were born, then what happened?!” Basically we all gave our life stories. It’s a really good way to bond. BTW.

When we FINALLY got to Kampala, we arrived to the Nursery Home (orphanage) to see John Paul and the other kids. We could barely get both feet in the building without a little boy or girl running up to us and wanting to be picked up. The first boy I picked up squeezed me with all of his might. He just didn’t want to be let go of.. basically it broke my heart, because these kids just wanted to be loved. They were so desperate for someone just to play with them or hold them. After staying there for about 15 to 20 minutes it was time for us to leave. But every time I put the boy down that I was holding he just put his arms out and gave me this sad face.. so of course I picked him up again... this happened about 4 times before I finally got the courage to leave him.. those kids.. so full of life.. and so ready to just be held. I would take them all home if I could. Adoption is looking more and more like a possibility for my future.

Next we went to a mall. It was basically Kampala’s attempt to imitate an American Mall, and they did a pretty good job of it. We went to NYK (New York Kitchen) for lunch. I got a huge slice of pizza and split a Caesar salad. Fish and Paul didn’t realize that the pizzas were 18 inches and they order one pizza to split between the two of them.. when they saw the pizza their faces looked dumbfounded. HA it was so funny! Anyways I got to sit next to Luke and Connor during lunch.. and oh wow those boys like to talk. They had more stories to tell me then anyone I know.

Next we went to a really cool store in the mall.. that even sold coffee that was made at THE SOURCE. How cool was that… that the coffee that the Source produces was sold in this store. Bomb diggity! Next it was off to the craft market. It was an outside area that had all these little stores. After we were done, we walked over to this coffee place called 100 Cups. It was a little unique coffeeshop.. but by this time, I was exhausted. Practically falling asleep.

On the ride home, it started raining like no other. I mean it was the hardest rain I’ve ever been in. Plus our Matatu seemed a little or a lot shady, which made the ride even more sketch. We had to squeeze in the front few rows of the Matatu because it was leaking water all over the back of the Matatu. (Our driver even had a bag contraption set up.. that would just leak water when it was full).

Finally, 2 hours later, we were home. We got back late.. it was like a 10 hour day.. and we had a late dinner around 8 pm. After dinner, Bayli and I hung out with people in our room (party like always) and then talked to Tom for a while… Man I heart Tom. He is such a good guy and cracks me up all the time with his awesome stories and accent. He thinks I’m crazy… and all he does is laugh at me (in a good way). And I like it. 

DAY 12: May 29- Shopping

*** HAPPY 21st BIRTHDAY LAUREN! I'm sorry I missed your special day! But I was with you in spirit the entire day and the entire day after (since we are in different time zones!). Also I already bought your gifts so don't worry! I LOVE YOU! 

Breakfast. Reading. Lunch at the Source. Guacamole Chicken Wrap using Chapatti! YES. So freaking good.. and “chips” of course, you know French fries! So good. Since it was our free day, we had the whole afternoon free until dinner and class. That is a lot of free time that we didn’t know what to do with. SO. What did I do? GO SHOPPING. Ha.. Typical girl. So Rachel and I went to the craft store in The Source. I bought like $50 worth of stuff… like 50 US dollars. I know. I was surprised too.. I guess my friends and family are just lucky I love them so much!!! I would list what I bought, but that would kill the surprise, so I won’t.

Next we met up with some more people at The Source and decided to shop some more but on Main Street. After walking for a few minutes, we realized that these two little street boys were following us. They always hang around The Source, hold out their hand, and say “give me money.” (I learned from the missionaries that there is no word for “please” in Lusoga.) So I turned to them and… whipped out the slap bracelets. And soon as they saw what they could do, their faces lit up like always. They were precious and they no longer asked for money. They just smiled at us and kept on looking back at us when we walked away… so cute like always.

Okay. So more shopping. What did I learn? I am very bad at bargaining. My friends had to do it for me. (I guess I’m just too nice?! Or I don’t like conflict?! Or it’s just cause I have the money to pay full price?!)  Basically at the end of the day.. I spent a lot more money then I thought.. I’m the reason that the Jinja economy was sustained for the day.. I know it.

Since it was raining, we took the Matatu home. Then I had a little nap and dinner. Then it was time for class. Mark Moore who is really good friends with G. Sebs and helped him start the program came and talked to us. He reminded us that we need to focus on having a testimony and not just chase after wealth or a job.. but chase after the Lord. He said that in Africa we have to opportunity to stretch ourselves.. to make it part of our testimony. He then told us about this product called “Mana” he is starting, which is going to compete with the product called “plumpynuts” which basically uses peanut butter to save people’s lives.. however he is making his company a non profit.. It’s a really awesome idea/product that has the potential to save so many lives, so check it out..

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/10/19/60minutes/main3386661.shtml

DAY 11: May 28- Beam of Hope

Now I have the routine down. Wake up. Change clothes. Eat Breakfast. Finish getting ready. Read my textbook. Eat lunch.

After being destroyed by the Nile River yesterday, we all were pretty tired. We decided to just eat lunch at the Gately. I had the “Nile Burger”…figures. After lunch, we head off to The Source to meet for our Service Learning. So today I had the opportunity to go back to the Beam of Hope, but instead of just playing with the random kids that were outside, I would be taking to the disabled people that stayed there.

So when we got there, I felt awkward. I didn’t know who to talk to and for one of my friends it was her 3^rd time going back. Finally, these three guys came and sat next to me. I’m not sure of all their names, but the main guy I was talking to was named Jeff. They were all very nice and very curious about my life and my thoughts.

He started with asking me about my favorite movies and my hobbies. You know surface level questions. I asked them about their families. I told them about mine. Then we started to talk about the differences between the U.S. and Uganda. We talked about President Obama and President Roosevelt (because he was a disabled President) and Jeff said he would like to be President of Uganda (I’m still not sure if he was joking or not). They asked if we had street children in the U.S. like they have here, and what the government does about it. We started to talk about the Terminator (you know Gov of California). They were just so curious about life in the U.S. unfortunately I didn’t have many answer for them, considering I’m not the biggest politics fan. They asked me how the U.S. treats disabled people.. I told them about the EEOC (Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.. thanks Professor Martinez and my I/O Psychology Class for that one).

They talked to Paul about Soccer.. I learned that Africans are very big soccer fans. I asked them how they knew English and told them I wanted to learn Lusoga (the language around Jinja). They said it was hard, but that they would try. So I got a piece of paper and learned some greetings. Because in African culture greetings are very very very important. I learned how to say “Good morning” slash “How was your night” (same thing) and how to respond. (This greeting you say before noon). Then I learned the greeting for “How are you” when it is pass noon and how to respond. Jeff told me that if someone asked me those questions, I should respond and ask them the same question. Then they would respond and ask me the same question over. And I would respond and ask them the same question and it would go on like that for a while, which again shows the importance of greetings in this culture. I learn how to say “thank you” and “you’re welcome.” And even learned numbers up to 10, but they were hard for me. The language is very hard to learn. The words are long.. and you have to hold certain letters (slash sounds) out for longer or shorter than others.. because if you don’t you might be saying a completely different word. I had a really good time talking with those guys, and they taught me a lot.

Then it was back to the Gately on a Boda. Dinner. Yum (like always) and class. Today for class we were studying verbal communication, so Selby invited the missionaries over to tell us stories about their verbal interaction with the African culture. Some of their stories even reinforced what I had learned today (especially about the importance of the greetings). Another interesting point they made was that Africans belief that items have a spirituality.. they are not just things. So if a person hits a car.. they will say “the car hit me.” For example, we were talking to one of the ladies that works at the Gately about drums. We asked her if she knew how to play. And she said “no, it doesn’t play.” In the U.S. we would probably say, “no I don’t know how,” but she said based her answer around the object not working or playing.. its very interesting.

After class, we all went to Spencer and Emily’s house for desserts and to watch our crazy rafting video. It was hilarious to see the video, especially when we flipped and had the plants in our helmets. I think I might just have to buy the video, so I can have my 2^nd “the Brittany Chin-Lee Show” movie to go along with my Skydiving video. Plus at the end there is an hour of bonus film… Like the worst flips ever.. yah.. they looked brutal. Overall, today was a good day. I felt like a learned a lot about the African culture.. now my eyes are open to this incredibility different culture. 

DAY 10: May 27- Rafting the Nile!

**Disclaimer: This is a very long entry. I thought it was only appropriate to be as detailed as possible so you could full understand as best as possible what Rafting the Nile was like. PLEASE don't hate me, instead feel free to skip around or skip this entire entry… however, this might be the best one I’ve got.

7:20 am alarm clock. Breakfast. 8:30 am pick up time. It was time for rafting. White Water Rafting on the Nile. Level 5. It was going to be an “epic” day. However, I made a bad decision.. I took my Malaria pill without enough food.. (Not a good idea before we are about to raft the Nile) so bad stomach ache hits on the way to the “Explore the Nile” rafting place.

With my stomach in a knot and my fear for the water approaching, I decided I would raft on the mild and not the wild boat. (We had 2 options) Only one other girl, and maybe G. Sebs (since he’s already rafted Wild twice) wanted to raft on a mild boat. So I was set.. even though everyone else was rafting WILD. However, as we waiting and my stomach untwisted, Hannah told me that she decided not to go at all (a childhood drowning experience was a little too much for her.. she even was tearing up). So I swallowed my fear (and my childhood drowning nightmare at the Bankie’s house) and told everyone I would raft the Nile.. WILD like everyone else.. (you know, I didn’t want to be left out, plus I’ve been 12,000 ft in the air to skydive, at least this was on land.. kinda). So it was Wild for me.

Then Mark and Spencer came to say hi slash bye to all of us and to give their farewells to Tom who had just recently learned to swim but was coming with us! They told us stories from their rafting adventures and gave us tips. They told me the best place to sit was in the middle of the raft and not to get one of the crazy Australians as our guide. All the while we were waiting and having this conversation, there was a video playing of the rafting in the background. We just saw person after person being launched out of the raft and floating rapidly downstream dot dot dot. Yah, you could say I was a bit nervous at this point especially since my friends said that I couldn’t switch back to Mild because “I committed to Wild now.” (What are friends for? If not to encourage you to put your life in more danger?!)

Finally, after waiting for a long time, seeing a hatching chick get cooked (David opened a hard boil egg to see a head with a neck like figure come out of the cooked egg… sick. He even bit the head off to be dramatic), and hearing terror stories, it was time for the orientation..(well it was more like basic instructions like wear sunscreen). After that we got fitted for our helmets and life jackets and we were back on our big van like truck to the Nile!!!!!

The drive over was quite bumpy like all the roads in Africa, but with my nerves racing, it seemed more intense. I told everyone the ride was like Indian Jones (that’s what our vehicle l reminded me of but larger), and the Nile would be like Splash Mountain times 5.. we were practically at Disneyland!
After passing many little villages and small children running, screaming, and waving hello, it was finally time to start our adventure. We all got out of the truck, carried some oars, and made groups. It was Tyler (G.Seb’s son), Bayli (of course, us Pi Phis have to stick together HA), Paul (we need someone strong), Rachel (I just love her), and Ashley (she wanted the same moderate version of WILD). Our guide was Prince.. Prince Charles as he liked to be called. (He was African don’t worry, but I’m guessing that wasn’t his real name).

So rafting is more of a hands on learning type of thing.. you know learn as you go. But don’t worry I had ABSOULUTELY NO experience rafting whatsoever. I probably was the only one in our group that had never even done a level 1, 2 or 3. But it is okay.. cause I had Prince to teach me the ropes. So we got in the raft (obviously I tap tapped the middle seat), and we started to learn. Paddle Forward. Paddle Backwards. Left Backwards. Right Forward. Etc. Then we learned: Hold On (where one had was on the rope on the side of the raft and the other hand was on the end of the paddle between our legs). Get Down (where we were sitting with our feet on the raft, our knees were up, and our both our hands are holding on to the rope and our paddles.

Next we had to sit on one side and so we could practice flipping the boat. He told us to try to swim away from the boat. He said that when we flip you will be pulled under for about 5 to 7 seconds. Prince told us to hold on to our paddles (which he said cost $100 .. but I’m not sure if that’s true) and don’t fight it. Just relax and let the safety vest pull you up… but all I could think about is..dang.. its going to pull me under for that long.. crap.. this is going to be a long day.

So we fell out and grabbed the side of the raft. Then he stood on top and flipped it back over while we all held on to the boat still and swam under. (I’m not sure if you can get the visual but he was on top pulling the raft the opposite way that we were swimming under the raft… get it? Yes? No? Maybe?). After we got back in (basically the boys had to pull themselves in and then help all of us back in the raft by grabbing our life jackets and pulling up because we weren’t strong enough to get up on our own.. I don’t have much upper arm strength now that I quit Lacrosse) he asked me my name, and then proceeded to ask me to get in the water…um… yah just me. So obviously I did whatever Prince wanted me to. Then he used me ask the example of how to properly get rescued by one of the many Kayakers that were with us.. legs up on front and everything.

Finally, after a brief “swim” as Prince liked to call anytime we were out of the boat down a level 1 rapid, it was time to start. We did a couple Level 3 rapids and it was fine. Maybe even fun. We passed beautiful forestry and animals including water chickens (aka Bald Eagles .. which I haven’t even seen in California.. which makes perfect sense that they are in Africa.. not), bats, cows, and many other birds. Nature on the Nile was beautiful. God is good.

Our first real rapid was a 4 I think. And we survived. It was a great moment. We listened to Prince, held on when told and went through the rapid a little or a lot wet, but the point is that we did not flip or fall out. After we did a Prince Charles Cheer and it was downstream for a little rest before the next rapid. I think our next rapid was a 5. Oh crap… that’s what was going through my head. Some how by the power of God.. and Prince’s direction (because I’m pretty sure he can place the raft certain ways to flip or not flip) we survived a level 5 with out falling out! It was such a rush.. and of course I was soaking wet and definitely drank some Nile water.. but I was alive and we didn’t fall out! SUCCESS! YES. Then Prince told us to put our paddles in the center and we did a high school sports cheer… (you know like when everyone puts their hands in the middle, shout something and then raise their hands.. we did that with paddles and screamed “Prince Charles!!!!!”)

 Then it was time for a break. We floated down the Nile.. did a little “forward paddle” and “relax” (that meant stop). Finally after plenty of time to catch our breaths and calm down from the class 5 rapid we just passed, it was time for a level 4. So we thought we had this in the bag.. You know we just did a class 5 and we survived.. He said it was called 50/50. There is a 50% chance we won’t die. Actually, that was a joke, it was a 50% chance we would or would not flip…. But I think our team “wood” (wood for wood paddles) thought we were golden.

WE WERE WRONG. We were oh so very wrong. Just cause you pass a level 5 rapid without falling means nothing for any other rapid. So there it was. I’m not even sure I remember what happened. My eyes were closed the entire time. All I know is that we were all in our “get down” position and before I know it I’m in the water. I was on the left side of the raft and I’m pretty sure the raft flipped towards my side. Then I was under the water. I held onto my paddle like he told me and I tried to stay as relaxed as I could and just let the water toss me around. But after 5 seconds of not breathing and not hitting the air yet, I started to panic just a little. You think maybe this is it.. God’s about to take me.. I’m going to drown.. But then you feel AIR! YES. Victory. I was ALIVE! I opened my eyes and coughed up water that went in my mouth and up my nose. Basically I was gagging. I saw the raft in front of me and I grabbed it. I saw Bayli next to me… and she was asking me if I was okay.. (she said I sounded like I was dying, my team looked out for me the entire trip.. I owe them one or two or maybe even three). We flipped the boat back over like we practiced. The boys got in and helped us girls back into the raft and wow. Our FIRST flip. We didn’t know then there were more to come later. Although I was scared and it wasn’t the best feeling to be caught under water or be choking on the water.. I was kinda pumped that I had just survived being tossed around the Nile. We were now officially.. BALLERS.

Whoa..  After a long resting time, it was back to the rapids. Next was our biggest one. Class 5.5 yes that’s right five and a half.. that’s  like barely legal.. like little old me (inexperienced rafter) probably should not have been doing a level 5.5, but TIA (THIS IS AFRICA).. you do what they tell you. So this 5.5 was like a drop.. then a rapid and then another one after it. From where we were, you couldn’t actually see the rapid. dot dot dot. Yah. Wasn’t too excited for this one after we flipped the last one.. but what can you do.. nothing. “I’m on a boat.”

The funny thing about the rapids (which I mentioned previously, is that you just never know each rapid is a new rapid. What happened during your last rapid means nothing). So guess what.. we actually survived the 5.5. Yup that’s right.. we might have been soaked and it might have been crazy but we stayed on the boat! Again..Ballers, plus a little “Prince Charles” on three. PLUS, we even had our first battle wound. Bayli was spitting out blood. That’s right. That’s how we do. (The paddle hit her lip against her tooth and cut her.) She looked BA (bad @$$).

Next it was down time. A lot of “forward paddle” and time for lunch on the Nile. As we floated along the river we got fresh cut pineapple and biscuits.. yum. So good. SO GOOD. (Thank you Tri Delt/ATO/Kappa Songfest for that). After lunch was over and re covered from the morning it was time for our first rapid after lunch.. it was a class five. Obviously. It was a drop one.. you know like a waterfall one. Yah.. this was what Prince called “American death trap,” gotta love Prince and that name. Our group was the first to go. He told us that we would have to paddle then get down, then paddle while we were down… so we could go down the correct waterfall drop. Yah..our team.. we weren’t so good at listening. When you are in the middle of a rapid, all you want to do is hang on, its very difficult to want to paddle. Unfortunately that was the worst decision we could have made.. and lead to our near death experience.

As we started to come down side ways, Prince told us to paddle then get down. When we got towards the rocks we were supposed to paddle forward (which technically was sideways so we could go down the right drop) But since none of us did, instead we were sideways heading forward right into some rocks. We hit the rocks and our boat stopped. We were basically hanging off a cliff like waterfall drop. The drop was rocky and looked terrified. We looked to Prince.. and you know things aren’t good when the guide has to stop and process and think of what to do next. So he hops off the raft, trying to pull the raft forward (in the direction the raft was pointing) so we wouldn’t tumble over the edge. We tried to use our paddles against the rock, but we didn’t move forward. Then the man on the safety boat had to climb up and help us. I was legitimately scared. I was on the left side of the raft, the side that was hanging off the edge. In my head, I kept thinking, if the raft goes over, should I jump or stay on? Either way I would probably end up not in the raft, but what do I do?!

Well, we finally got moving, Prince and the safety boat guy jumped into the raft and we went down the correct drop without flipping.. We made it safely, but there was no “Prince Charles” cheer on three.. we almost died. It wasn’t really appropriate. My heart was probably racing for like 20 minutes after it.

After this rapid we had about 30 minutes of down time. Prince tied our boat to the safety boat, and he just rowed that boat so we didn’t have to paddle at all. (Paul and Tyler tried paddling the safety boat, while us girls just laid down and relaxed. We needed the down time after that event. Although the SUN was giving us a beating. (I think I might actually be sunburned for the first time in my life). As the 30 minutes of relaxation was coming to an end, Prince pulls us to the side of the Nile, picks a huge green plant and puts it in our boat. We were very confused. Then he said, “I put in your helmet.” That’s right, it was CAMO style.. with plants in our helmets. It was hilarious. The other boats were jealous. Prince even put the plant with the root on the front of his helmet and then some longer plants in the back. Basically he looked like a peacock. It was great. At this point we saw another raft who were talking about the black mumba (snake) they saw.. Prince proceeded by making some joke about his black mumba.. if you know what I mean.. dot dot dot.

But that was the end of our rest period. Then next rapid, of course, we flipped.. that time I didn’t have as much air, so it was a little scary. Bay and I had to be rescued by the kayakers because we floated away from the raft in the process of being tossed out. Legs up and everything.. Finally after a few more little rapids, it was time for our last one. However on the way to our last one called “the bad place” we had to pass a level 6. Obviously we walked. We got out and walked around it. WOW. It was probably the scariest thing I’ve ever seen. I can’t even imagine someone surviving it. 

We got back in our raft, and the rapid looked scary. After that last flip (which might I add, was bad, but not bad enough to knock our plants out of our helmet.. yup ballers.) we were not wanting to flip during our last one. So Prince said we were going to take the side passage next to the bank. It didn’t look so bad. So I was happy. We survived the first rapid, but before I knew it, I was being tossed right back in the water. But this time I was caught under the boat with Paul. I saw Paul swim outside of the boat.. And I just looked at him (probably with a terrified face) with my arm out, and he pulled me out from under the boat. I was coughing like normal, but it was all good. I had survived the entire Nile rafting trip, and I was pumped! And we probably had the wildest boat of all of them, and just to think in the morning I was just going to go Mild.

We drove to the base for a BBQ. I tried the “Nile Special” the local beer.. which I didn’t favor too much (gave 4/5s of it to a boy to finish), and then it was back to the main base. We passed dozens and dozens of village children screaming and waving hello to us and I wanted to take all of them home! ALL OF THEM. I’m officially excited for my village bonding time! The people all seem so nice! Anyways back home. It was time for my nightly cold shower, our second dinner at the Gately, and some sleep. It was a long day of traveling and rafting the Nile (6 hours). I was wiped out and sun kissed.. or burnt. GOODNIGHT friends, thanks for staying with me during this whole long entry. Loyal to the end.. right?! 

 

 

DAY 9: May 26- Children in Jinja

Fast forward pass breakfast (cause it’s the same old same old.. however, we did have honey today! That was exciting). I did my reading for class tonight. Walked to Lunch. We wanted to eat at Indulge. However, when we finally reached it we saw that it was closed and realized it is closed on Tuesdays. Oops. Welcome to Africa. So we decided to just go into the first random place we saw.

It was called Explorers Inn. No one was there, but the staff members. People wanted to order the fish, but as we had learned earlier from the missionaries, most of the time they don’t actually have the things on the menu.. “The fish is finished.” That’s what they say. The spaghetti was finished as well and the chicken curry. So we all ended up having chicken and chips (fries) and watching “Ugly Betty” cause she turned the TV on for us (we def didn’t ask, but I guess that’s what they think Americans like). We weren’t sure what to expect, we were taking a risk by going into a random place instead of one of the restaurants people had recommended, but it was actually really good.

Next, it was back to The Source to wait for our service learning to start. As usual, we were on African time so our meeting time of 1:30 really didn’t start until 2:30.. surprise surprise. But the extra hour gave me Zack. Zack is the son of one of the women that worked at the Source. A Mzungu (or a white person/foreigner) who was holding little Zack just put him on my lap. Seriously such a cute kid.  He was about 3 or 4 years old and just the coolest kid ever. He had a lollypop in his mouth and didn’t cry or whine or try to get off of me. So obvi, I busted out my DG slap bracelets and some soccer stickers and the kid had a blast! After his face lit up from learning how to use the slap bracelet, he was going around the table slapping everyone.. and he was really good at it. I was impressed. Then he started putting the stickers all over his body and ours. He was so cute. He had the most precious laugh/giggle ever. AH! I wanted to take him home. When he finished his lollypop he hopped off of my we no words, walked to the kitchen to throw out his stick, and just came right back to me and tried to get back on my lap. My heart just sunk.. he was so cute… I love the kids here.....

Next, Amanda, Andrew, Michael and I went to the Christian Children’s Fund (CCF). It is pretty well known all over the world. We got to talk to the regional manager, Martin, about the organization as well as the issue of children poverty. He told us many interesting facts. CCF is not really a Christian organization; it is called that because the original group that started it were Christian. But they do not associate themselves with a particular religion, they are just trying to help children. They have different centers all over the regional for kids to come who are about 3 to 7 years old. They play games and learn skills. We asked if we could help volunteer and he said yes, so hopefully next week we will be able to go to one of the centers. He also told us that once a child qualifies to participate in the program, they will get funding/help until the age of 25. He said that his biggest joy in his job was seeing the children grow up and gain skills and actually be able to go out into the work force. We could tell that he was really passionate about helping the children. He was very well spoken. I learned a lot just listening to him.

After CCF, Tom picked us up in the Matatu. And we went to Beam of Hope to pick up another group of kids. The Beam of Hope is this organization where people with mental or physical conditions come together to get life skills training. However when we got there, we saw only 2 of the 4 students from our school there.. and they were playing with kids. We realized that the other two were in the room actually talking to the people. But children! They were so cute!

I busted the stickers back out and they all wanted them! There were about 15 of them total. I would take a picture of them and then they would fight to see the picture. The camera probably could have entertained them for hours. They even wanted individual pictures. They were just so freakin adorable. When I showed them the video I took of them, they just loved it. My friends even got them to say “Hello from Jinja” on a video. SO PRECIOUS. These kids (one of the girls grandfather attended the Beam of Hope and I am thinking that is why the kids were there) were all friends (basically family) taking care of each other. The oldest boy was carrying the little baby. The big sister was taking care of her little brother. One of the girls made sure everyone got their individual picture. Although they might have fought about who got to see the picture first, they watched out for each other.

I seriously had such a good time hanging out with the kids.. I even got them to throw up the pi phi sign and take a picture with me. HA. (hope I didn’t start a gang). But really. They were so great, so happy just to see something like a picture on a camera or to have silly stickers. It’s crazy to see how different these children are from U.S. children.. They just have so much life, even though life might not have given them many material things or opportunities. I really won’t forget their smiles, frowns, and playful banter.. man, its going to be hard to leave Africa..

After saying bye to all the kids, it was home, dinner, and class. Then time to sleep and get ready for one of the big days… WHITE WATER RAFTING in the NILE. Don’t worry.. that’s only like.. um.. level 5’s. 

DAY 8: May 25- TASO

First off, HAPPY 24 BIRTHDAY BLAKE! Miss and love you brother! Wish I could be home celebrating with you! OR I actually wish you could be here, because I love being in Africa. Hope you had a wonderful day!

Woke up at 7 am to finish my paper before breakfast and class (which got moved to the morning for just today.) Breakfast. Finished my paper. Class. We decided to have class outside. Class with Selby in the morning is hilarious. He’s shaking from the 4 cups of STRONG African coffee.. and it’s wonderful. Half way through class, DP (Dr. Perrin) was leaving. Kinda sad. I think we will all miss DP’s .. um.. energy?.. we said a prayer for him and we all said our goodbyes. It was sad for about 235 seconds, until Selby clapped his hands and said “back to class.”

So class in almost ¾ over and guess what happens?! The clouds start to darken.. the sky looks ominous.. and well it starts to sprinkle.. I decide to move over to a different seat, consider the wind direction wasn’t in my favor (I could feel the drops on my back). Before we know it, Selby is shouting because it’s pouring and I mean POURING down. It was great. I especially loved seeing our clothes drying in the “sun.” After class we hid our laptops in jackets and ran to the house.

I finished my blog for yesterday, while waiting for the Matatu to come to bring us into town so we don’t have to walk in the rain. A group of us decide to have lunch at The Source. I had a breakfast burrito with eggs, cheese, and sausage (like stuff, not exactly what you would think sausage is, but it was still good).. Man, I missed eggs so much!

Next it was off to our Serving Learning component of the day. TASO (The AIDS Support Organization). When we got there, the four of us were greeted outside the building by Sebastian. We walked in to see a packed room filled with at least 80 people. We followed him upstairs into his office where he talked about the organization and the problems/causes of HIV. He told us that at TASO they try to give the people packets with information about how to live their life with HIV and counseling (hence the Support part in its name).

He also explained how the spread of HIV really occurs in the African culture. In Africa polygamy is acceptable. Men can have many wives. But along with wives they can have what he called “side dishes” or girlfriends on top of having a few wives. The wives and children probably even know about these girlfriends. When they get bored with their wives or they are irritating them they will go see their girlfriends. Also, women might do that too. They might pretend to be going back to their parents’ house, and really arrange to meet with their first boyfriend/lover. Yes, this is all true. And yes, I do think it is crazy. But that is only because it is completely opposite of the way I have been raised.

So this is how HIV spreads. Also, even if people have HIV, they still could lie to someone else, just because the “urge” to have sexual relations is so strong here. Also, some people live in denial. If someone tells them they have HIV, they will just say “no, you don’t” and continue on with the sexual relations.

He said that HIV isn’t as big of a deal anymore, especially because people know about TASO and its 100% free services. So they know that if they contract HIV, they won’t be completely in the dark. To me that sounds so backwards.. it’s like TASO is trying to help, but is it making people less careful?! AIDS and HIV is just SO completely different here.

He also told us that they do 2 different types of services. One was at the facility we were at, the second was home (field) visits, where doctors and counselors go to people’s homes or villages. They also test for other diseases. If one person in the family has Malaria, then they will test the whole family. Because previously if one person had malaria, and someone else in the family got sick with Malaria they would just share their own medication with the family member instead of getting individual medicine for the other person.

After we talked for about an hour, we got to have a tour of the place. What a sobering experience. For such an established program, I just couldn’t believe how their standards were so much lower than the US standards. It’s hard to explain what I mean, but I just mean, honestly, it was just kinda trashy, less organized or orderly, and lacking space. When we walked downstairs, we found out that the majority of the people packed in the room were probably HIV positive… Wow. You always hear about AIDS in Africa, but here I was staring directly at it. It’s hard to believe it.

We even walked to the Pharmacy (which was what everyone was waiting for, everyone was waiting for drugs). And it was maybe the ¾ the size of my bedroom. It was tiny. With just boxes of drugs, and 4 people trying to get them ready while 100 people wait to hear their name called. Yet, the workers and “clients” (they do not call them patients cause that has a negative connotation like something is wrong with them) were still laughing with each other… unbelievable from my perspective. It was also unbelievable that Sebastian told us that if we wanted to come back we could help pack drugs in envelops for them.. in the U.S. I think you have to have a degree for that… dot dot dot.

Also, their filing system is crazy.. there’s like 3 storage places for the files. Which are like handwritten with numbers to identify the people. After each person comes in, their information is recorded in their file, and then workers input it into the computer system, and the files are re filed. But they don’t have enough space for all their files.

Gosh. I wish I could really express in words what it felt like to be there, but honestly I don’t think I can. But even though there are so many things that I would want to change about TASO, I am also blown away that it functions so well for what resources it has and how it can positively help so many people. People really rely on TASO, and these people (including the US donors that support the organization) are doing something really special there.

When our tour concluded, we left with just a whole new cultural experience. It’s probably going to be an image that will be hard for me to ever forget, but then again, it’s one I never want to forget.

Compared to this experience. I feel like the rest of my day wasn’t too important. But on the way home my roommate and I were discussing what we saw and how we felt. We realized how ignorant we were. When we went there initially we were nervous. We had never been around HIV patients. You could tell that part of us was fearful that these people hated that we were there, and fearful that we could some how catch HIV. Although, there probably is a slightly better chance of us contracting the virus in TASO, then say back at home, the reality is: talking to something with HIV or just being in a room with HIV positive people does not mean you will catch HIV.. however, it is a lot harder thing to really understand. Although, it makes sense in words, the gut feeling you have is a lot different. But we realized how terrible that is… and it is something we need to break away from.. our fear. It is people like us that make those infected with HIV feel outcasted and inhuman.. I think it’s time to break the bubble I’ve been living in, open my eyes to the realities of life here, and dive right in.. life here isn’t changing anytime soon, but I can.. we can.

DAY 7: May 24- Church

Sunday Morning: You know what that means… Church! Today I had to wake up a little earlier than normal since church started at 8:30 am. Our group split up attending 3 different churches. Spencer named it “Diversity Day,” thank you Michael Scott for the idea. The early group when to a Catholic Church, my group was going to an Anglican Church (Church of England), and the late group went to a Pentecostal Church. We had early breakfast and then Spencer and his wife Emily and their son Adam came to pick us up.

We walked to the St. Andrews Church (only a 5 minute walk from the Gately). When we arrived I noticed there were 3 services on Sundays posted on the welcoming sign for the church. When we got there we saw many people standing out side while the service was on. They all stared at us, because well we stand out and staring is a normal activity in the African culture. The building was white and a decent size. There were multiple open doors on both sides that acted as an air conditioning system. Our group snuck around the other side and found seats in the back just as a song was ending. We were late! They actually started on time? Was this still Africa? I was confused. But we sat down. 5 seconds later the service was over. WOW, did we feel like idiots or what?! So that explained the crowds of people standing outside and explained why we thought we were late. Even the man sitting next to me gave a little chuckle when we realized what we had done. But this is all about a learning experience.

So we stayed and waiting for the next service to start. Like any other church (well not ANY other church, but a lot of churches) we started with prayer and singing. I love worship. Especially when you don’t know the song (but it is in English), but you can pick it up by the time the second verse comes around. You better believe I was standing and clapping. (Don’t get me wrong, this wasn’t a Pentecostal church so the dancing was kept to a minimum, but I loved the energy of the people in the room. They were just in their own little worlds praising God and I loved it.)

This was the run down: We greeted our neighbors, call and response, prayers, announcements, welcomes, prayers, skit, prayers, sermon, prayers, skit, and worship. Common theme: prayers! Wow. I don’t think I’ve ever prayed so much in a church. Someone would pray, then right after another person would pray, and then we would all pray out loud. They even asked the students who were on holiday to stand up so they could pray for them, then they prayed for all the adults. And I don’t mean it was a long prayer of multiple things.. I mean we said Amen at least 8 times during service. Also, I learned that when people to go church they say “Are you going to prayer?” Also the word “prayer” is the word for “request.” Interesting isn’t it?

Anyways back to church. The students did a skit where one pair had school fee problems and another had marriage problems. I’m thinking the point was that God can take care of everything HOWEVER I might be mistaken because I remember there was some type of joke within the whole skit thing.

Also, we were introduced to the whole church! Just like at CCC or a lot of other churches, visitors have to stand up and introduce themselves and say where they are from. It was slightly awkward, but also exciting. The sermon(?!) if that’s what its called came from Nehemiah talking about Ezra. I’m going to be honest and say that I’m not sure how much of it I retained between his accent, my tiredness, Adam’s crying, and the little boy dressed in a bowtie in front of us hissing. But I do remember him telling everyone the importance of reading the Bible and having one wherever you go. He also spoke directly to the parents and said that each child needs their own individual Bible. He really stressed this point.

There was offering like always. Some more praying. Teenage boys singing a song. More praying. And one final song. Also we thought it was over and started shaking a few people’s hand, when we looked over at everyone else and they were still sitting down…. Awkward (with a capital A). Overall, I thought it was a really cool experience to see people so different from me worshiping the same God miles and miles away from home. But even the structure was not that different from ours. It was really interesting, and I can’t wait to attend the other churches around Jinja (including Church of Christ and a village church!).

After church we headed back to the Gately. Even though it was around 10:30 am, it was Sunday after Church, so you know what that means: Food and a Siesta (nap). So we decided to eat up at the main Gately building. I hate the steak sandwich. It was good. And it was SO BEAUTIFUL up there (as always), with the cool breeze and the view of the water, it just takes your breath away. Then it was back home and a nap.. I love Sunday afternoon naps.

After my nap, I decided to play ROOK with DP (dr. Perrin, Tyler, and Fish). ROOK is kinda like Crazy Pitch but with actual cards. It’s all about taking tricks, making bids, and winning counters. Fun stuff. Then dinnertime. Fish and Paul are always a joke together. Then a little more ROOK then off to the Manry’s (Missionary family).

Their house is crazy! Well 1. It is beautiful with beautiful custom made furniture. 2. They have a gate (where a house watchman sits and unlocks it when needed) 3. They have 4 kids and they like to fight.. physically. First is Luke, then Connor, then Lydia Jane (adopted from Guatemala) and then little Tessa. They also are adopting a boy from Uganda that is on the way soon. When I walked into the house the boys were wrestling and throwing things. I’ve seen kids fight, but wow. But I started to play with them and their sister Lydia Jane, and I had so much fun. They are great kids. Even when we were playing “psychiatrist” (ha ha ha DP was in the middle.. if you know that game, and you know DP it makes it SO much funnier, he was getting so frustrated), Luke asked to play with me on my team. BOMB. I loved it.

After LJ (Lydia Jane) showed me a few or maybe a little or a lot more than a few pictures of her, we headed back to the Gately. Time to cool down, shower, and say hello to a few people. It was a good night/day, minus the fact that I went to bed at 1:30 am and had a paper due at 9 am that wasn’t finished when I went to bed. HA. Same old Brittany. I guess I haven’t changed that much, well at least not in that way.

 

DAY 6- May 23: Free Day!

It’s Saturday morning in Africa. Wow. That just sounds cool. So like normal, I woke up around 7 am. Got ready for the day and went those 5 steps to the breakfast room. Same breakfast except today, Selby brought the Myers Brigg Personality Inventory for us to look at. Basically, we were all screaming out our personality codes and reading about ourselves. “ENTJ!” “ISFP!” “Yah, you’re heartless because you’re a ENTJ!” Jokes like that were being thrown around ALL DAY. So that was a kind of fun.

After breakfast I really had nothing to do, since today was a completely free day! So I did a little blogging, skyping, and working on my reflection paper on first impressions due on Monday morning.

After the morning class got out, we all decided we would go to lunch. We took the Matatu (taxi van). We decided to split up between people who wanted Indian food and true Ugandan food. So OBVIOUSLY I chose Ugandan since.. I’m in Uganda! So Tom took the first group and then came back for us. The ride over to town was fun, just because Tom makes me laugh because he is constantly laughing at how silly/stupid I am. It’s great. Plus he does this thing where he drags out the word, like “oooooookkkkay.” He’s just great. He knows a lot, plus he just spent the year at college in Michigan, so he knows the American culture very well.. and accepts us for who we are. We decided he must be the most popular guy in his school! When I asked him, he just smiled and looked down! HA. He said… “yyyaaahhh, they call me Tom from Africa.” Love it.

So he took us to this local place where he just ordered a little of everything for us. The fish and chicken came in a soup like broth. Then there were like 10 different sides including: Matoke, yams, sweet potato, this root thing, Irish potatos, rice, and some other stuff I can’t remember right now… It was um.. interesting. Some of it was very starchy. But overall I’m glad I tried it all! The fish was great! And the rice and Irish potatoes were SO GOOD… but I guess that sums up who I am.. as in my favorite foods were the ones I have like everyday. But it’s all good. Its all about the experiences. He also taught us a card game they play in Uganda (it was basically crazy 8s except the 7 of the first suit laid out at the beginning of the game ends the game).

After lunch, he took us back to the Gately. We were going to go bungee jumping! Well I wasn’t going to go (I draw the line at sky diving.. and we all know I’ve done that.. “the Brittany Chin-Lee Show”), but I wanted to watch. HOWEVER. Some how Bayli and I got left! But it’s okay. We got over it. We decided to go into town.

On our way out, one of the ladies that works at the Gately, Grace, was going into town too, so we walked with her. So that was nice. She is so sweet. We decided to first stop by The Source and say hi to Kuwaiti! We saw a ton of American students (probably on a mission trip). Then we started walking around and ended up at Indulge this really cute café like place. I got a plate of hummus and pita with veggies. The hummus was brown and kinda tasted like peanut butter, but it was pretty good. It got better as I ate it. Also the women there all spoke pretty good English.. Bay was wearing our “if the halo fits” shirt and the women taking our order just stopped and read that out loud. Then we showed them the back of the shirt “wear it” and they totally got a kick out of it! They were laughing and smiling and telling the other women to look at it! I love it.

After we finished, we walked around some more… we gave some guys in a car directions to good places to eat?! What? Yah. Us. We’ve been here for 2 days. But it’s all good. We did our best to help! We walked around and looked in a few stores. I was looking at the leather bracelets with little beads on them to buy for my friends. They either have a pretty pattern or say “UGANDA” or “AFRICA.” BUT that’s when I stumbled upon ONLY ONE bracelet that said “OBAMA” with 2 American flags (one of the flags is the opposite direction of a normal flag).. so obvi I had to buy the bracelet. (We all know who I want to give it to, but we all know he won’t wear it.) But yah.. Obama is like a God here.

We headed home. And guess who we saw!? One of the boys from yesterday.. STILL wearing the lime green slap bracelet that was more like a shade of brown. We stopped him to say hi and check to make sure it still worked! And it did! It was so cool to see that he was still wearing it a day later! Thanks again Mer!

Finally, we got home, gave the group a hard time for leaving us, and learn to play the game “Crazy Pitch” with Dr. Perrin. That killed the time before dinner. Fish masala, rice, noodles and no teachers! Ha. Funny conversation when the adults leave. But I’ll just leave it at that. Then we had a little par-tay in our room. Well actually we didn’t mean to, but all of a sudden there were 10 people in our room, listening to music, talking about Brian’s love life, and just bonding. It was great. Then we finally migrated over to common room to play a little taboo! (It wasn’t my night tonight.. I didn’t do that well but it was fun. Then WARM shower! And blogging! Yes! Completing this means I’m caught up! YES. Peace out friends... Church tomorrow! This should be fun!