Day 90 - Worship

Hey everybody!  Sorry I haven’t blogged in awhile; everything has been really busy here these last couple of weeks.  I’m trying to finish up all of my papers for school, apply to North Dakota for the summer, and really just enjoy the rest of my time here with my family while I can.

One thing I haven’t written about yet is the music and church services we have here on campus.  Well on Sundays I usually attend our “home” church (that is literally 30 feet from our front door), but on Tuesdays and Thursdays we have the equivalent of Chapel here on campus.  Both were quite an adjustment, but the anthropologist in me loves the cultural differences between our American style of worship and the contemporary Ugandan style of worship.  Things aren’t all different though; much of the American way of doing things has transferred over, at least to Ugandan Christian University, which is relatively westernized. 

Our Chapel services, or Community Worship as we call them here, are scheduled to be an hour long.  If you’ve ever been to Uganda you know what I mean.  They’re about an hour long every Tuesday and Thursday and they usually follow the same schedule every week.  The service starts with worship, some in Luganda and the rest in English, which is directly followed by introductions and prayers.  Someone is called forward to read the scripture passage the correlates with the sermon and then the Reverend will give his piece.  Usually the end of the service involves some form of group prayer (The Lord’s Prayer, The Grace, etc.).

As a USP student we are required to attend a certain number of Community Worship services while we’re here in Ugandan.  It’s been a good way for us to get involved with other Ugandan students and also to interact in a different way with the culture.  Our place of worship is in a covered, but open auditorium with a stage and hundreds of those fancy chair/desk seats that most of us had in grade school.  Before everyone sits down they wipe off their wooden seat.  I used to laugh to myself when I saw them doing it, but now I find that I’m doing it myself.  Just add that to the list of weird things Jess started doing when she came back from Africa…

Overall, I like community worship.  It wasn’t always my favorite thing to go to, but I never minded it while I was there.  The music is always good; we have drums, keyboard, and guitar usually. Anyone and everyone sings no matter of how talented they are, which some people find annoying but I think it’s a good indicator that our friends here weren’t raised with the same “I’m not good enough” mindset that usually holds us back from things we want to try.  The messages the Reverend gives don’t usually resonate with me, but that’s okay.  Church functions are a huge part of campus involvement here and it’s cool to be a part of something like Community Worship for a semester.

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Also, thanks for all of your mail guys. I'm leaving Uganda (for Rwanda) in a week though, so no more mail please, otherwise I'll never get it! :) Love you all.

Day 88 – NEW BLOG POST! FINALLY!

So today I stayed home to write one of my big papers that’s due soon.  To everyone’s surprise, including mine, I finished the whole thing before 5pm! What an achievement.  Eight pages down, now only 12 or so more to go! This semester has flown by.  Our classes end this week! Next week I have one exam (LUGANDA, ehhhhh) and then that’s about it.  I’ve just got to get these papers out of the way.

I also went with Maama to school today after I wrote my paper.  I’ve gone with her once before on a Sunday morning.  She’s the Chaplin at a Day/Boarding School, so she teaches the Bible & I get to teach songs.  It sounds fun I guess, to teach songs to kids, but it’s actually really stressful and it makes me nervous.  First of all, I have to sing the song over and over again until the kids understand the words and the tune.  Good thing I’m not overly self-conscious about my voice.  But then you have to remember that English is the second language here… so that presents some challenges.  And lastly, I asked a woman today how many kids attend the school & she said that there were about 1,200.  I’d say that about half of them have been present while I’ve been there.  Overall I’d say that it’s gone pretty well.  They absolutely loved the first song that I taught them…

 “I want to sing, sing, sing. I want to shout, shout, shout. I want to sing, I want to shout, PRAISE THE LORD! When those gates are opened wide I’m going to sit by Jesus’ side.  I’m going to sing, I’m going to shout, PRAISE THE LORD!”

All of you camp people are smiling/singing along :)

The second one I taught them just today was…

“I love you Lord & I lift my voice to worship you, oh my soul rejoice.  Take joy my King in what you hear.  May it be a sweet, sweet sound in your ear.”

That one was okay.  I think that the older students enjoyed it more than the younger ones though.  It’s getting late & I want to sleep, but first I need to share my baby moments of the day.  Everyone loves baby moments.

Nankinga Ruth Mary

1)   I walked out of my bedroom.  Came back not 3 minutes later to find the baby jumping/dancing on top of my laptop case with my toothbrush in her mouth.  Unforgettable moment.

2)   Maama brought Mary with us to the school for some reason.  A few minutes after we got in the car she tossed her into the backseat with me… On the way back home from school I got to carry her the whole way.  She fell asleep against me for a good 40 minutes.  Oh guys, she’s just wonderful.  I don’t even care that she used my toothbrush.

P.S. I have 37 more days in Africa, but only 15 more days with my host family in Uganda. What in the world am I going to do without the childrennn…??! AH man.

Day 87 - Ahem.

1) Women iron the bed sheets here.

2)   There are half a dozen vicious looking mosquitoes trying to gnaw their way through the net around my bed at the moment.

3)   I bought an elephant print dress recently.

4)   I’m getting really creative in the way that I kill cockroaches these days.

5)   Today was my friend Natasha’s birthday.  She’s my running buddy and my daily encouragement.  Too bad she lives on the West Coast! :(

Day 86 - Thanks

I’m definitely the most loved person here.  No joke, I’ve received no less than 20 pieces of mail in the past 3 months from over a dozen different people.  The last time I got a package my friend Kate shook her head & said, “Jess, if being in Africa doesn’t teach you anything else I hope that you realize how loved you are back home.”  And then I opened that letter & read the words “YOU ARE LOVED” & I just smiled.

Thanks guys.

I love you too.

(But really, the postmen are starting to get jealous.)

Day 66 - Birthday!

I am fully aware that in a few months I’m going to look back on this moment and regret not being out in the kitchen with my family instead of here, lying in bed.

It’s 8pm, so right now my world is black aside from this computer screen. My mosquito net looks oddly eerie in this dim lighting… the power has been off for hours, as usual.  I finished writing a paper for one of my classes & now I just want to sleep until the end of time.  I’m always running around doing things here, it really wears me out! But we haven’t had dinner yet, sooo…

So today was interesting.  Like I said, I’m tired.  I’m behind on a lot of schoolwork & it just keeps coming.  Our schoolwork here is a bit unusual too… we have papers like normal, but we also have a billion of these things called “guided engagements” which are basically discussions with certain people throughout the semester.  It’s a good idea, but there are still so many that I need to complete- AH.  Weekends don’t really exist here, or the late night “I’m going to write this 6 page paper until 4 in the morning if I have to!” concept that I’m so used to back home.  Nope… weekends are booked with either trips or cultural activities & to think I could find espresso here is laughable (Except not funny at all. I almost want to go as far as saying that espresso is a human right… but that just sounds silly. However there is a commercial here that informs me that the U.N. has “declared that access to Internet is a human right!”).

ANYWAYS.

My little host sister Mary turned 1 year old yesterday.  It was absolutely wonderful.  Mama bought a cake and had my brother & his friends slaughter one of the goats.  Who knew that goat would taste so good?? It was SO GOOD.  I don’t know if they fried it or what, but it really looked like popcorn chicken but with goat meat.  I even asked for seconds (which is rare).  My sisters were super excited about the cake too.  Cake is pretty expensive here, & it’s really only had for celebrations like graduations and weddings.  People don’t usually celebrate birthdays here, so that’s not considered a big occasion.  Last night we were talking about everyone’s birthday & I realized that no one in my family even knows their birthday.  My Mama had to look hers up… & she told me that she honestly couldn’t remember if Patience was born in 2004 or 2005… So I understand now why Patience keeps telling me that she is different ages.

I hear my Mama out in the kitchen now, so I should probably go & greet her.  Besides, long blogs get really boring to read.  Before I leave I’ll throw out a few other tidbits of my day…

-       -I was kicked out of religions class today (along with a dozen others)

-       -My ministry class this afternoon was about Invisible Children & Kony 2012

-       -There’s nowhere I can be alone here... I can’t even sing because people are everywhere. I want a soundproof box in my next care package please! 

Day 62 - Dear Grandma Verna...

Thank you for the package you sent me, I loved all of the candy and drink mixes.  My little sisters are currently enjoying the heart-shaped stickers.  They like to put them on the back of their hands, on their faces, and all over everyone else in the family.  I wish you were able to be here for all of my exciting adventures, or at least see all of the pictures I’ve been taking.  Since you can’t really see what’s going on here I thought I would write this post especially to you & explain everything in vivid detail so that you can picture it in your mind when Grandma Linda reads it to you…

This is Africa.

It’s hot- sometimes humid, sometimes dry, usually dusty, and almost always bright and sunny.  It’s so bright here that I often have to cover my eyes when I talk to people outside.  The dust doesn’t look like the dirt on the ground in MI; Ugandan soil is a deep shade of red. When the wind blows the streets are filled with swirling dust and scattered leaves.  It really is quite beautiful.

This is Uganda.

Right now I’m standing at an elevation of over 3000ft.  Hiking, running, and even walking up small hills or steps make me lose my breath… so naturally I blame my poor physical condition on the lack of oxygen in these parts.  I’ve seen so many amazing sites here so far: mountains & valleys, so green and alive; lakes & waterfalls, powerful and breathtaking; and the wildlife & natural plants that grow in this country are so bountiful & bright.  I really think that every flower is small miracle… they are so unique and exquisite, I wish I could bring them home for you.  Sometimes when we drive by the nursery where they sell flowers & other plants I think about how I might sneak one back home to the U.S. in my suitcase.  I really don’t think that they’ll let me, but I like to dream.

This is Mukono.

I live in a small city.  We reside about an hour’s drive outside of the capital city.  Because I live in a more populated/educated area of Uganda, most people speak at least some English and many people are fluent.  I have several modes of transportation while here in Mukono: walking, Taxi, and sometimes my host father drives me to school.  Did I mention that everyone drives on the left side of the road?  So when Taata drives me to school I end up sitting in what I’m familiar with as “the driver’s side.”  But the steering wheel is on the other side of the vehicle!  It is strange… I’m still not used to the road signs that say “KEEP LEFT.”  I’ve noticed that a lot of people even walk on the left side of the sidewalk.

This is Nassuti.

            My host father is the Reverend of our small church in the little district of Nassuti.  We have a few hundred people at our three church services every Sunday morning.  The first service is in Luganda, the local language, the second service is in English, and again the third service is Luganda.  The people here love to sing & dance.  In church we’ll sing the same chorus over and over (up to 25 times?) and the congregation will just keep clapping their hands & singing along.  It’s hard for me to enjoy the worship here because it’s so unfamiliar… I like when songs are well written & have deep meaning to them, but here everything seems so simple.  It’s not bad, just different.  “We will praise you Jesus with clapping today, clapping today…”

This is Home.

            Our house is made with cement and drywall, it has been painted the color of steel grey, and it is relatively well kept.  I have my own bedroom with a window.  The window opens outward instead of up & down like my windows in America.  I sleep in a bed with a foam mattress under a white, netted mosquito net.  I’ve heard that some people here make wedding veils out of mosquito nets, if that helps you to picture them better.  I have a small table in my room that I use to keep my chest of supplies (clothes hangers, extra blankets, ect.) and also my small things like purse and water bottle.  Around the second week of the semester Mama gave me a nice plastic green chair so that I also have a place to sit and do my homework in my room.  I have an outlet next to the door that works most evenings, so I can charge my cell phone and computer if I need to.  I keep my suitcase at the foot of my bed along with an under-the-bed storage container that I use to keep all of my clothes.  I do my laundry by hand Grandma :) It’s really interesting… we set up about 4 basins & fill them halfway with water.  Starting in the first basin we wash everything individually with a bar of soap & some serious elbow grease.  Mama says that I don’t have enough energy to clean things properly so she always helps me… honestly, I just don’t want to ruin my clothes.  All of my things are starting to get little fuzzies on them because we rub them together so roughly.  Once we wash them once in the first basin we move them down the line & wash them again, and again… My host family is super nice.  They spoil me with all sorts of treats and snacks.  Last night for dinner I had: watermelon, bananas, papaya, jackfruit, pasta, and cabbage salad.  I really enjoyed it because there was so little starch! (Usually we ONLY eat starch…) I feel really blessed to be with such a caring group of people.

This is Me.

            My name is Jessica Rachael Strom.  Some people here call me Kitibwa (Chee-T-bwa), or “glory” in Luganda.  I am also “Sister,” “Auntie,” “Teacher,” “Muzungu,”(white) & “Mukwano” (friend).  This semester I am learning.  I’m learning about myself a little bit; learning that I really like America, learning that I treasure my family and friends above most anything and I’m learning that those things are okay.  But mostly I’m learning about the world and Christ’s work within it.  I am being challenged to see Christ everywhere and to understand that Christ does not NEED me for his will to be done among the nations.  Christ has been at work in these places from the beginning of time… the Middle East, the Buddhist temples, and the most destitute areas of the world have not been forgotten by our loving God.  I’m learning that God reveals Himself in different ways to different cultures.  It’s hard to condense all of this information into a single post, but I would love to talk about it more some other time… Grandma, I’m doing well here.  In the beginning it was really hard to be so far away, to be so isolated and lost in a community that I really knew nothing about.  I still don’t know all that much about Ugandan culture, but I’m becoming more confident everyday.  & to be completely honest, the instant coffee that you and Grandma sent me has helped a lot.  The little things that are familiar help me steady my feet and remind me where I come from.  I might talk a little bit differently when I come home, I might act a little weird, and I might dress a little more modestly, but overall I think I will be the same women I was when I left… if a little more observant and open-minded.

I love you very much & I hope that this email finds you well.  Grandma says that you’ve been enjoying her leftovers recently, I’m so jealous!  :) Have a good day & tell the rest of the family that I say hello.

Always,

Jessica

Day 45 - Things you wouldn't know unless I told you.

-       - I carry toilet paper with me everywhere because there is no toilet paper in public restrooms.

-       - A good day becomes a great day when they decide to serve us a piece of pineapple along with everyday’s serving of rice & beans at lunch.

-       - Gas is priced by the liter, not by the gallon.

-       - I have a 40-minute walk to and from school everyday.

-       - Sugar is considered one of life’s basic necessities here, a Ugandan will put two HEAPING tablespoons of sugar in his/ her mug of tea.  When the Reverend talks about helping those in poverty he says, “…we try & provide them with the basics, like soap & sugar.”

-       - Ugandans raise their eyebrows to confirm or agree with a statement (I just might have started doing this…)

-       - We say “Mmmm” all of the time here.  It means: “Yes,” “Wow,” “Really?” “What?” and many other things.

-       - Wash is done outside & put on the line to dry, but it’s inappropriate to show undergarments in public, so we have a fancy underwear mobile that we clip all of those things to… then we cover the whole thing with a skirt slip so they’re out of sight.

-       - Supper is served “when it’s ready.” This has proved to be between 8:30 and 11:00pm.  (Grandma & Grandpa, I told my family that you guys eat at 5:30pm & they exclaimed, “What!? That is too early!”)

-       - I run barefoot around the African track about twice a week :)

-       - My family watches TV more than I do.  Mostly Spanish soap operas and the news.

-       - Girls in primary & secondary school (everything before University) have to shave their heads as part of their uniform.  They all have short haircuts.

-       - Manners don’t really exist here… it’s good to be polite, but nobody uses the words please or excuse me.  People say, “Get out,” “Give me the plate,” “You bathe now,” and it’s alright… that’s just how they speak.

-       - Children up to age 10-12 will walk around naked in the house and yard.  No shame at bath time, haha.

-       - Most families have “house help” to clean and cook.  Our family has three women.

Day 40 - FOOD

I can name everything I eat here in Uganda on this one page.

Amootake – green bananas

Sweet Potatoes – my favorite (especially with g-nut sauce)

Pumpkin – my second favorite… the pumpkins are green on the outside here.

Beef – better than America’s

Fish – kind of sketch

Chicken – they don’t waste any of it

Beans – all day, er day

Rice – … everyday for lunch at school we get rice & beans. Everyday.

G-Nuts – in America we call these peanuts! Except these have a purple coating.

G-Nut Sauce – so naturally the sauce we make from them is also purple!

Irish Potatoes – peel em, mash em, stick them in a stew.

Posho – made with maize flour & water… tasteless & dry without sauce.

Cassava – REALLY DRY.  One of the main food crops… sometimes mixed with beans.

Porridge – “It tastes like a thick, hot milkshake?”

Samosas – Yum.  Fried triangles with veggies or meat (?) inside. Breakfast food!

Chapoti – the go-to junkfood.  Nothing like eating fried, doughy tortillas.

Chips – French fries

Eggs – boiled or rarely fried.  They’re completely white, even the yokes.

Donuts – sweet-ish bread that’s been fried

Packaged Goods – muffins, tea biscuits, everything is super dry

Beef Flavor Packets – 100 shillings apiece (aka, about 4 cents) used in everything from pasta to potatoes to sauce

Bananas – small sweet ones, large ones… I think they have about 10 words to say “banana.”

Apples – don’t really exist. Except for the occasional Granny Smith at the grocery store.

Oranges – ARE GREEN! & pretty tasty.

Mango – are available, but not ripe yet

Pineapple – all the time :) & they’re so sweet! Way better than America’s…

Passion Fruit – can fit in the palm of your hand. Cut it open with a knife & the inside is full of little yellow & black seeds of sweet goodness. We use them to make juice.

Jack Fruit – my NEW FAVORITE. I can’t even describe it to you, it’s the weirdest looking thing… picture a watermelon, except not perfectly shaped, and not smooth... the outside is covered in little green bumps that make it look sort of diseased. I don’t know what I’m going to do without it.

Watermelon – smaller than in America. We eat the seeds, Taata says that they’re full of Zinc.

Tomatoes – I eat them because they’re not carbs or sugar. I never liked tomatoes.

Onions – common in cooking

Soda – costs about 50 cents a bottle. It’s refreshing & familiar.

Coffee – is sweeter than in America… I can’t really explain it, but I don’t like it.  Emily Dice, do you understand?  I don’t know, even the black coffee tastes sweeter than it should.  Thank you Eastern and Grandma & Grandpa for sending me instant coffee :)

Tea – I had tea four times today.  That’s about average.

Juice – Passion fruit juice is about as natural as it gets.  After that we have juiceboxes… mango, pineapple, orange, guava.

Milk – I haven’t had a glass of milk in 2 months.  If you know me… yeah, I know.

The size of the font is to emphasize how much of that particular food I eat.

Day 39 - Valentine's Day

“Jessica, have you ever been tested for HIV?”

I probably had the most awkward conversation of my life today.  Aleda & I were working with Compassion at our practicum site when this pastor asked if they could screen us for HIV.  “HIV does not discriminate between black & white ladies!”  Um, basically he assumed that we were at risk because why wouldn’t we be sleeping around?  It was so awkward.  I’m really glad that Aleda was there with me.  Culturally, there is a huge difference in this area… Ugandans get the idea that all American women are easy from the media & they really don’t seem to view cheating or other sexual immorality as wrong.  At least they’re not condemned like they would be in the states.  I think it’s safe to say that most men & women cheat here, especially men. Ehhhhhhhhh.

When we returned to campus we found the interns coming to deliver us cupcakes & sodas!  Seriously guys!  It was so great, like SO great.  We have soda often enough, but we hardly ever get sweets… I just couldn’t help but thinking that the simple things have become so beautiful.  The little things that people do & say mean that much more when they’re so sparse.  Oh the staff is so good to us.  Aleda & I took this opportunity to share our HIV positive/negative brochures with everybody.  The least we could do for the man is spread the word.

So I’m kind of sick today.  Yesterday my throat was so sore… & last night I woke up with a stuffy nose & such.  Blah.  Kelsea says that she has some awesome Vitamin C pills though, so hopefully that’ll help.

Love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love YOU.

<3

Day 36 - Home Sweet Home

Tonight Maama looked over at me & said,

“Sister Jess, escort me to the road.”

So we walked in the dark down to the road & across the street to the little home-owned grocery store.  My Maama told me that she had meant to go to the store earlier but she just didn’t have the time.  So there we were, standing in this little candle-lit store [the power was out].  Mamma asks for two cokes & then tells me to pick out my favorite snack!  I said, “What should I pick?”  & she told me to get whatever I wanted.  Then she bought the girls& I lollipops.  It was so wonderful.  It was definitely something my wonderful momma back home would do.

Over our yummy snacks Maama & I bonded a little bit more while she told me all of the horrible things that I’ll have to eat in the village this coming week. 

Maama:

“They cut the heads off of their chickens & then eat the rest! They even leave the feet on! When I learned that I told them that I don’t take chicken, but you know what they did??  They punished me by making me eat a whole fish the size of your plate!  The eyeball & gills & everything!”

I go into the village this FRIDAY, the 17^th.  Ay, ay.  I heard from other people that it’s the best part of the whole experience actually.  Apparently we might be in for a good deal of physical labor (PLEASE!).  This girl is seriously into fitness these days, so I’m all about the labor.  But really, when I come home I’m working on my 6-pack :)

Day 35 - The Tooth Fairy

Maama:

“In Uganda we have a trick for getting the children to pull out their loose teeth.  When they lose their first tooth we tell them to put the tooth where the rats run around on the ground.  Rats are dirty & they are said to have a lot of money.  After the child puts the tooth on the ground we watch to see where they have put it, or we ask, “Did you put the tooth in the right place?”  When they are not around we take the tooth & leave some money in its place.  The next time the child checks for the tooth they will find the money instead.  Instead of complaining about the pain of loose teeth in the future they’ll simply pull them right out on their own because they want the rats’ money!”

Me:

“Oh wow.  Yeah, we have something like that too… we call it the tooth fairy.  It’s um, a little person that flies around with wings in the middle of the night collecting teeth & leaving money under the pillow.”

Maama:

“Ah! Really?!”

[You don’t realize how ludicrous the tooth fairy sounds until you to try to explain it to someone who’s never heard of the fat little man who flies into our children’s bedrooms at night…]

Day 34 - Thursday

“It was a day just like any other.”

I don’t know what to blog about these days! School is getting pretty hectic, but nobody wants to read an African blog to hear about schoolwork.  So Africa… the group here is planning a weekend Safari sometime soon.  I don’t think I’m going to go though.  It’s a few hundred dollars & I don’t know if it would be really worth it.  I also wouldn’t want to be away from my family and job for that long.  Time is flying by… it seems like almost every weekend we have some trip or event, & that makes the weeks pass like nothing.  This weekend I’ll be working at the Child Development Center. 

On the 17^th our whole group will be going on our rural homestay trip… I think the whole thing is about 10 days long.  It’s like our spring break, except we’ll be living in REALLY rural areas & working really hard.  Our families probably won’t speak any English, there probably won’t be any clean water, and there definitely won’t be electricity.  I’ve heard that the food will be bad too, but I hope not!  Mama has been teaching me even more Luganda now that our rural trip is coming up… she doesn’t want me to be uncomfortable & not know how to ask things like, “Can I have water?” “Where is the latrine?” & “May I sleep?”

I’m glad to be speaking more Luganda at home because I recently found out that I have a 30-minute ORAL exam on Wednesday.  Goodness gracious, they think I’m that fluent!

Today I did a pretty good job though, if I do say so myself.  This older woman came around our house & sat down on the ledge outside the backdoor, so I greeted her in Luganda.  By that I mean I got down on my knees, offered her my hand & said, “Olyotya nnyabo?” Other things were said, but I think I really surprised her & I didn’t mess it up at all.  I was so proud of myself that I told Mama when she came home.

Tonight my sister Patience was chewing on the inner part of a pen (the ink part) before dinner.  Kids put the craziest things in their mouths here & its totally okay… lead pencils, knives, rocks... Anyway, I told Patience that the ink pen had turned her teeth all blue.  She said she didn’t believe me, but I think I had her going for a while.  Right after I was teasing her the thing exploded in her hand (and mine) & we had to take a good 5 minutes scrubing the ink off.  I learned from Mama that it’s not good to wash your hands in the same water as someone else here…  she said that if a person has “problems” and they wash their hands all of the problems go into the water.  If someone else washes their hands in the same water it’s as though they’re taking up the “problems” of the other person.  Interesting.

It’s impossible to pull a late night of homework here.  First of all, I don’t have my usual dirty chai to keep me awake.  Second, I’m so tired all the time! I don’t know if it’s the heat or what, but all of the Mzungus are always tired.  So I’m going to go to bed & I'll post this in the morning.  Goodnight everybody.  I hope home is peaceful.  Sula Bulungi.

Day 31 - Rafting & Bungee Weekend

This weekend was awesome.

Around 30 of our USP students took a bus down to the source of the Nile in Jinja, Uganda for an incredible white water rafting and bungee jumping experience.  I didn’t go bungee jumping, but I was allowed to take pictures from the top of the jumping platform, which was just as good (for me anyways!).  Rafting was incredible.  Some parts were awful- the moments when we were thrown from the raft & trapped under high-grade rapids, and some parts were exhilarating- conquering the final grade 4 rapid after the boat was completely vertical.  Somehow, each time I fell out I ended up close to my friend Aleda floating along the river.  Somehow floating doesn’t describe it… it was more like:

“Paddle. Paddle hard. GET DOWN! This water is…! Underwater. Dark. Need air. AIR. Air... Break the surface. Air. Where’s the boat? We’re still in the rapids. Underwater. Break the surface. ALEDA. Reach out with my paddle.  There’s SO MUCH WATER.”

And then the rescue Kayak came over to recover us.  I think every boat flipped on that turn.  It was the outer rim of a grade 6 rapid… It was pretty awful in the moment, but we didn’t flip the boat again after that.  And I was able to order pizza at the bar back at the resort! So goood.

Our team of USP is wonderful.  We’re forming great relationships, & for the most part everyone is getting along.  This weekend was a good bonding experience for those of us that went.  A couple of people are planning a Safari trip sometime in the next couple of weeks, but I’m not sure that I’m going to go.  It would be good to go for the community aspect, but I don’t know if looking at animals is worth 3 to 4 hundred dollars.  I’ll keep you posted.

I’ll try & blog more often as well, it’s just been a busy week.

Thank you to everyone who is sending me letters! They’re super encouraging & really fun to receive.  I’ve had 4 so far (more than anyone else? J )! I love you all.

Day 23 - Mailing List?

My hands are so sticky with Jackfruit (Ffene) that my computer is getting gross.  I’ll have to clean it this week.

Amanda & I are up at our getaway place again- the playground.  It’s nice, but it’s getting late & I’ll have to start walking home soon.  It’s summer here… I’m still adjusting to the heat.  A lot of people have been sick lately. I guess the change in diet and temperature can really mess with the way our bodies work.  I haven’t been sick yet though!

The weekend was pretty good.  Mama took me to this baptism for a little girl… it lasted all day Saturday, about 7 hours.  The service was 3-4 hours long & the party afterwards (Luganda speeches, ect.) lasted another 3 or so hours.  But they served us soda! Coke, yum!  And it was good to spend some quality time with my Mama.

So everyone & their Taata has been receiving mail today!  Mom sent me a letter last week & it was simply wonderful.  It seems that the postal system is pretty reliable after all! Every time someone gets mail a sort of party bursts out of all the USP students.  There are choruses of, “Oh! Who is it from?” from basically everyone. My address is the first post in this blog.  If you DO really want to send me something in a pretty Manila envelope here are some flat things that would be really nice to have:

-       Flavored juice packets

-       Dental floss (feel free to pull it right out of the container it make it fit)

-       Stickers!

-       Thin, cheap coloring books?

-       Mints! Peppermint ANYTHINGG.

-       Tasty instant coffee? That tastes good? (Poured out into a plastic bag?)
-   Cheap empty photo book
-   CANDY. Anything sweet.
-   Headphones!!!
    Ear Plugs

  
     But more than anything I could just use some love :)

TODAY:

1)   “That man goes to church every Sunday, but he also is a witch doctor.  He has two gods. And he has three dogs.” – Dorris

2)   “He has offered to give us a cow for your hand in marriage!” - Dorris

3)   “What the heck! Life is just so random here.” – Amanda Morris

Day 20 - Liberation Day

It’s a National Holiday today!

It’s been quite relaxing really… this morning the interns made us breakfast & we chilled at our leaders house farther up on campus.  It’s really beautiful up there.  They served us a ton of great food like Chapoti & scrambled eggs, black beans & guacamole, apples & pineapple, and coffee cake.  There was also coffee & tea & juice.  And they didn’t kick us out until after 11a.m… it was really great to fellowship & just learn about each other.  One of our interns, Julie, played the guitar for us :) So quite a good morning I’d say.

I thought of this video today & I thought it might bring a smile to those keeping up with me on this journey… enjoy!

Day 18 - Practicum

Aleda, Rob, & I went to our practicum site today... The Child Development Centre.  Basically, I love Compassion.  To everyone out there who sponsors a child through Compassion International, you have seriously supported a great program.  I’ll let you know more when I actually meet the kids, but what I gathered from the woman in charge is that the program is well put together & seriously focused on all areas of development. Each of us involved will be working with a certain age group in the area of development that we choose.  :)

Last night while I slept a huge cockroach crawled over my legs.  Me & my mosquito net we’re a tangled mess, but never fear!  I grabbed that sucker in a rag & threw it out the window.  It was about the size of a cell phone, no joke.

“Where are you going princess? said the man with a smile.  She couldn’t remember someone asking for a long while…” –Leaving Lonely by Paul Alan

Day 16- The Long Walk

It’s Sunday!  Church is about 20 yards from my house… needless to say I’m getting my exercise.  In church this morning my dad asked me to read the daily scripture in front of the congregation.  I was definitely nervous, but I think I did all right.  Cool thing though- the specific scripture that I was reading was 1 Peter 2:1-8.  If you pull out the Word you’ll find that it’s all about the Living Stone.  It was a beautiful moment for me because it related perfectly to the song that I carried with me here to Africa, White Owl by Josh Garrels.  I definitely plan to meditate on 1 Peter this semester.  I’m still learning… this is just the beginning of my long spiritual walk, but I’m so excited for the journey.

Tonight all of the woman of our area (about 20) came to our house to meet & pray, or in the case of tonight, to learn how to make Chapoti!  It was so much fun!  Chapoti is a sort of fried bread that is usually taken for breakfast.  The women insisted that I help make it with them, so I did!  They’re pretty good, but so many carbs! Ah.

The power was out again tonight.  It goes out about 4 nights of the week.

Day 15 - To Be Ugandan

Mama said to me, “Today you are Ugandan.”

Oh my, you might say.  Wow, how quickly you’ve settled into the culture.  You & Africa are two peas in a pod!  But hmm… no, none of those things are very true.  Today Mama said that I am “Ugandan” because:

1) I washed all of my clothes by hand (a task that took about 2 hours)

 &

2) I carried baby Mary in a blanket tied to my back.

Do I feel African?  I don’t really know, but carrying that precious baby around in a blanket was wonderful.  We can cross that off the bucket list now… or maybe I shouldn’t just yet, & find another baby to hold. Hmm.

This is my first weekend at home.  Everyone stayed at the house all day.  It seemed pretty normal, pretty chill.  I’m still being waited on constantly, still served first, still treated like an American guest.  Hopefully things will get better…

Today Mama also said, “You ate all of your lunch! Now we know how to make you eat… you must work very hard so that you are always hungry!”  Referring to my laundry.  Speaking of which, I still need to iron it all. Blahhh, it’s fine!  But it’s not... wrinkles are an absolute no-go here.

Have I mentioned that Ugandans bathe twice a day?  Casey Rees I will not lose my sense of hygiene after all, no worries there.

I have an immense amount of reading to do for Monday… I just read 65 pages of one book & I still have similar amounts of reading in two other books.  At Eastern I might have just not done the reading for class, but I’m learning a lot about Spiritual Disciplines & also about cross-cultural ministry.  It’s very interesting & I am really looking forward to putting it to practice. 

Nicole, are you reading “Celebration of Discipline” for your Theo class?

This post is LONG, but I have two more things to say before I peace out… Today I painted my family’s nails!  Good things I brought all of my nail polish from home, because I have a LOT of sisters! & I even painted Mama’s nails a lovely blue… picture this… trying to paint your host mom’s nail’s for the first time with four little faces pressed in close to see you at work while you’re sitting on the concrete slab outside of the back door.  A chicken is prancing around at my feet (I think I’m afraid of chicken) and the baby is pulling/eating my hair.  Under the circumstances, I think I did a pretty good job!

Second thing, my practicum site! CHECK THIS OUT- I’m going to be working at a Child Development Center that compassion sponsors as part of their after school program.  I’ll be working with compassion kids! Oh my guys :)

Thanks for reading my blog.

I think that if you really follow it you might understand a little bit of how I’m changing & growing while I’m here. I love youuu.

Day 14 - KAMPALA

We went to Kampala today! The city was fun… My younger sister Sarah went with us, along with Amanda’s sisters Sarah & Kevin.  Kevin is a girl’s name in Uganda, interesting, huh?  I didn’t buy much… just a postcard & some yummy frap coffee drink.  I was really, really missing my little sister today though.  I kept thinking to myself, “Ah, Alex would love this!” or “Man, I miss shopping with MY sister…”

I love you Alexandra Nicole :)

Today’s Struggles:

1)   I can’t ask Sarah if she likes these earrings or those sandals because then she lights up & asks if I mean for her… & the time she was looking at the cheap watch.  The man said, “10,000 shillings” (aka- 5 dollars) and Sarah said okay & gave him the 1,000 that Mama had given her.  He looked at me & said, “She wants this watch but it seems that she does not have the money.  I didn’t buy that watch.  USP was very clear that giving money creates a boundary between those that we should be building relationships with… instead I paid for transportation, coffee, & pizza for both of us.

Today’s Best:

1)   … that coffee frap.  Seriously, I was starting to get desperate.

2)   Mama bought me another Mango Juice box to go with my dinner!  Never had a Mango juice box? Don’t worry, I’m stocking up.

3)   LIMBO!  Ah… it was great.  My sister’s & I like to dance & play lots of games that don’t require material things, aka: clapping, spinning, & singing games.  But last night I realized that you don’t need anything material to play limbo!  Best day ever!  It was such a hit, not to mention that I’m a limbo champ.  The girls & I played for awhile but then Mama said, “And me?” BAHHH, so good!  Mama totally limbo-ed! After all of the cheering she said, “Ah, I am getting so old!” Which reminded me of my momma back home… Neither of you are actually old of course, silly moms.

I love you momma :)

TODAY:

1) ME- “Sarah, what do they say?”

     SARAH- “Haha, they say if you give us that Muzungu we will surely marry her.”

Day 12 - BAHH

So my Mama is very insistent on getting me to school on time.  By on time I mean, usually by 8 o’clock.  Now today my classes started at 11 o’clock… so maybe you begin to see my problem.  Ah but you don’t.  Let me tell you about this morning…  So Mama says that the Reverend cannot drive me to school today & it is already 7:30a.m, so I will be late.  She ushers me out the door, calls my sister, & we walk down to the road to catch a Taxi (aka- church van style transportation).  I insist that I have plenty of time to walk to school, but Mama is not convinced.  When we cannot catch a Taxi she finally agrees to let Sarah & I walk.  Not even half a mile down the road this Taxi starts yelling to Sarah & I… this is kind of normal, being white at all.  But soon this guy is standing in the open doorway of a moving vehicle belting, “WE HAVE A PLACE FOR YOU!”  Sarah starts laughing because of all the attention I’m causing.  Eventually the Taxi pulls over & says that someone has already paid for us. Basically my Maama paid the Taxi, pointed us out to the driver, & they had been chasing us down ever since. 

When I finally got to school it was about 8 o’clock… I had 3 hours until class. Hmm.

Day 11 - Birthday

AFRICAN BIRTHDAY!

Everyone here is really good about birthdays.  All of the USP students sang to me when I came in around 8a.m, the interns took me out to lunch, and a couple girls here bought me coffee candies & chocolate.  Amanda waited in line for goodness knows how long for the shops to open so that she could surprise me with my favorite coffee candy :)

A few girls also made my cards & stuck them in my locker. 

So it was a pretty good day.  Lot’s of facebook messages wishing me a happy Ugandan birthday, that’s for sure!  ALSO.  A whole bunch of people wrote me letters for the book that Hayl, Cole, Meggie, & Gill put together…. Oh my.  That was the best present ever.  There were so many letters that I was reading it all day long!  It was so encouraging & to be honest I don’t think I would have really enjoyed my birthday without it.  Thanks everyone :)

My host family didn’t really celebrate the day… I’m not sure if they knew that it was my birthday.  In any case, I don’t think birthdays are as big of a deal here as they are in America. They certainly don’t celebrate birth-weeks anyways! Haha.

So that was my day.  It was all right & I definitely felt the love, even from across the ocean.  I miss you guys! Blog you later!

Day 10 - Procrastinating

So we got back from our trip to Jinja yesterday & when I walk up to our house my little sisters run out to greet me as usual.  Except it was Sunday (my dad here is the Reverend) so there were a lot of people around the house.  Patience & Aidah ran to hug me along with another little girl that I didn’t know.  I figured that she was just some cousin or other relative.

While Mama was walking me to school today I decided to ask who the girl, Doris, was in relation to our family (She had spent the night, so I knew she was family).  To my legitimate surprise my Mama laughed & said, “She is my daughter!”  Immediately my mind starting running to things like a previous marriage, an illegitimate child, ect… but nope. Doris was in boarding school & no one had bothered to mention her.  Naturally I asked my Mama if she had any more children hidden away, but she just laughed & said no. 

“Inhale,

Breathe steady,

Exhale.

Like you’re ready

If you’re ready or not.”

*By the way Cole, I read that last night & yeah… no comprende.  But I REALLY like all of my letters… they’ve been incredibly helpful.

I can hear the “This is Africa” song playing from somewhere far off on campus…

I should definitely be doing homework right now, I have a TON of reading, but there is one really important story that I forgot to blog about.  Last week, maybe Thursday, my sister Sarah asked me if she could borrow my blue pen before I went to school.  When I came home she returned it to me & told me that she had written me a letter… Guys, it was one of those things that people always tell me but I never see coming.  In my mind I’ve only made mistake after mistake here.  I’m constantly offending & stepping on toes.  I’ll show you the letter when I get home, but basically it said something to the effects of,

 “Dear Sister Jess,

Thank you for coming to live with our family.  You are very good to us & we are happy that you decided to come.  You are very selfless and a beautiful person, I am very happy that you are my sister.  Not everyone is so selfless, only caring about themselves.  I will miss you when I go to boarding school this month, please come visit me on my visitation days.  I have nothing to give to you, but I pray to God that He will bless you very richly all of your days.  That is all I can give, but I think it is enough for you.  Please keep this letter to remember me always, your sister Sarah.”

You guys say that I’m always showing Jesus, but really it is hard for me to see it in myself.  Know that I am being encouraged here, even as I would be at home with you.  Please continue to pray for my family & my adjustment to Ugandan culture.

Love you guys.

Day 8 - Tourist

We’re spending the weekend at Jinja, the source of the Nile.  Not only are we at the NILE RIVER, we are at a beautiful touristy resort with an amazing swimming pool, great, familiar food, COFFEE (ptl!), toilet seats, and enough free time to take advantage of the incredible equator sun.

So I’m getting a good tan & I’m pretty high on caffeine. Mhmmmmm.

Also, there is an unnecessarily high population of cats here.

Day 6 - Learning

I woke up this morning & my father had me read him a verse of scripture.  After I read it he thanked me for my choice & taught me about the importance of having God as our foundation and our stronghold.  He said that we can get lawyers and we can consult doctors, but can any man protect us from losing a child? Or provide for our families?  We need God to go before us & to protect us… It was Psalm 19.

Later on during the day Amanda Morris & I went to tea & we met a Ugandan student named Immanuel.  He was telling someone about a story from the Bible.  Eventually the person he was talking to had to leave & Amanda & I were left there to listen to him speak.  He was so excited, jumping from one story to another!  Amanda & I couldn’t get a word in the whole time.  After about an hour he finally paused long enough for us to ask his name… & then he continued.  One thing I really noticed about the way he told Bible stories was how he narrated what he assumed was happening behind the scenes all along…

“And there was the lame man! He heard that Jesus was in town & he knew that this was his chance to be made whole! So he had some of his friends carry him there on a stretcher, but when they got to where Jesus was- it was full!  They couldn’t get into the door there were so many people! 

So the friends said, “We must just go home.”

But the lame man said, “No!! Try the window!”

But it was locked, so he said, “Try the roof!” 

And the friends said, “We can’t go through the roof! That is some mans roof! Who will be the one to pay for it?!” 

And the lame man said, “I will pay for it!” 

Because the lame man knew that if he was made whole he would be able to work and then pay for the roof, but if he did not see Jesus he would never work…”

So I learned a lot today… about the Bible.  About people.  I think I can see now that it is indeed easier for the poor man to belong to the Kingdom of God.  Never did I see so much hope in the story of Jesus & the lame man before….

& I certainly never thought to ask who would be paying for the broken roof.

Day 5 - Bonding

My siblings here are all very nice.  They send me on my way to school in the morning and they greet & welcome me when I come home.  I like them very much.

The younger girls, Patience & Aida (? I’m not quite sure how she spells it) dance around the kitchen with me.  Just a simple thing I taught them… spinning in circles and things.  They enjoy it.  I also brought out my notebook & crayons for them to color in which was a lot of fun & also VERY good for my ethnography research paper that I am going to have to write.  The girls took turns writing out words in Luganda for me in a way that I can understand (like: way-ba-lay. Aka: thank you).  It was very good of them and interesting to see what they choose to teach me.  We took a few pictures on my camera as well… they’re all up on facebook now.  I’ll have to be careful with my camera; no one, not even Mama seems to understand that it is easily broken and scratched.

I also had my first class in Luganda today.  It was pretty good. I learned how to say, “How was your night ma’am/sir?” and “Thank you” and “Good.”  That class is crazy though- 6 hours of class time every week! Hopefully I’ll pick it up quickly, my family is ALWAYS speaking in Luganda around me.  They really don’t know much English.

Except my 9-year-old sister Patience did read me a children’s book in English today! SO CUTE.  I hope I can get her to do it again on camera… She love’s having video’s of herself speaking.  She says to me, “You take the camera & ask me the questions!” But you don’t hear the accent in those words, so let me spell it out for you…

“You take ze cam-air-a and isk me ze quest-on!”

The accent is one of the best things ever.  Well, it’s tea-time! Got to get me some sweet tea before class :)  Thanks for reading my blog, comments welcome!

Day 3 - Sunburn

Breakfast, again, was excessively large.  But the tea is still really good & sweet.  I’ll need to go to the dentist as soon as I get home.

Reverend drove me to school today, which is awfully nice of him because otherwise it’s a 40-minute walk.  Hopefully I am able to learn the route eventually though… I want the experience of walking though the crazy, hectic streets of Mukono.

Today I sat by my favorite fountain on campus & did some of my reading & journaling.  It was lovely.  There was a bright blue lizard there to keep my company.  I was also just told that I have some killer sunburn on the back of my neck. My response? No one at home has sunburn!!!!! If there’s anything I am perfectly comfortable with here, it’s the weather.

TODAY

1)

USP STUDENT – “T.I.A…. This is Africa!”

2)

MARK (Advisor) – “Americans are like fire trucks here.  They are uncommon, people stop & stare, and they get the children excited.”

3)

Ida – “Sista, dance with me!”

Day 2 - Sister Jess

I moved in with my family today.

The names of my family:

Reverend

Mama Jennifer

Sister Irene

Sister Sarah (14)

Sister Patience (7)

Sister Ida (5)

Sister Mary (9 Months)

We also have a cow & 4 goats.  I asked Sarah if the cow had a name, but she just laughed a little.

I have my own room, but the girls all share a room so we’ll see how long that lasts.  I am treated very well in my household, almost to the point of royalty.  So we’ll see how long that lasts. Hopefully not long at all.

Two major bum factors of the evening: food & toilet

FOOD:

There was simply SO MUCH. And I’m the only one who had to eat so much.  We had Teatime around 6:30… that includes some very yummy (very sweet) tea & a bread sandwich.  Now get rid of your American picture of bread. A piece of this bread was about the size of my face.  And Sister Jess was given the thickest pieces.  After Teatime I had my bath (with my bucket & water, which went unexpectedly well) & then we had dinner.  Was I hungry? Didn’t matter, because the family had spent all day preparing dinner.  Essentially I was served two huge plates of food & a bowl of tomato like soup. 

My meal consisted of… ½ plate of pasta, 2 potatoes, ½ plate of Mattock (smushed, cooked bananas), a chicken leg, a few pieces of beef (REALLY GOOD), and my soup.

So I failed miserably in the respect department because I could not finish even half of my dinner, though I ate about 10 bites fully aware that each might put me over the edge.  It is the afternoon the next day & I am still full & feeling slightly sick. I’m not eating lunch in the hope that I might be able to clean my plate tonight.

TOILET:

I successfully peed in the latrine.  Problem? Soon after I went to bed I had to go again. So I went outside to the latrine & the Reverend said that they would give me a bucket for my room at nighttime because it isn’t safe to go outside.

Casey Rees, I would appreciate your understanding in this situation.  Girls got to pee when a girls got to pee, & I don’t care how often I have to go throughout the day- I’m not using my night pail.

TODAY

1)

“You are most welcome Sista!”

2)

SISTER SARAH - Laughing

ME- “Sarah, what do they say?”

SARAH – “They say, Muzuko (white girl) come play ball with us!”

3)

In the dining hall (an open area w/ tin roof)…

USP STUDENT – “African rain!!!” Runs to catch some water in her hands.

GIRLS AT TABLE – “All the Ugandan students are staring like “Crazy white girl, never seen rain.’”

Day 1 - First Impressions

           Today was full of adventures.  I suppose it started when we got off the plane around midnight.  We drove through the capital city, Kampala, and arrived at our campus in Mukono around 2am.  To our dismay breakfast was at 8am.

            Breakfast was very good. It consisted of some fancy fried bread, triangle things that tasted like vegetable egg rolls, sausage, and plenty of fresh fruit.  There was also instant coffee, which I’m pretty sure is expensive, so they must’ve been giving us a treat to keep us on our best behavior.  Caffeine only lasts so long, however, and it was only a few hours before we were just as tired as sleep-deprived, jet-lagged, college students ought to be. 

           

            After breakfast was our review of Ugandan etiquette, followed by class registration, IMME overview (aka- homestay do’s and don’ts), and a tour of campus.  CAMPUS IS HUGE- at least compared to Eastern.  I doubt that I’ll ever see all of it because over half of it seems to be hidden away in random tropical forests.  It’s gated the whole way around though, so they say we can’t get too lost.

            For lunch we had rice, potatoes, and beans.

            For dinner we had rice, potatoes, and peas.

            We get dropped off at our host families’ houses tomorrow, and they say that our families will provide more variety in our meals.  As it stands tonight, I’m about to go to sleep under my sexy mosquito net that hangs above me like a canopy of clouds. Everything seems to be going well so far… I can’t wait to get some real sleep.

TODAY

1)

USP Student - “Ladies first.”

INTERN - “Not in Uganda.  Men go first as a sign of respect.”

2)

IMME Advisor - “Squatty Potty” – quite literal description of my future toilet

3)

MISSIONARY  Brian – “Once you’ve been here for awhile you’ll start to pick up a Ugandan accent.  Well not a true Ugandan accent, but what I like to call the “American trying to speak to Ugandans” accent.”

ADDRESS

SEND ME A LETTER?

Jessica Strom, Uganda Studies Programme
Uganda Christian University
P.O. Box 4
Mukono, UGANDA


**Send all mail in a small manila envelope!