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.