Safari Photos and Video

Here they are...finally! Some of the photos from the African safari I recently went on with my best friend here in Uganda (Rebecca). Hope you all enjoy!

Murchison Falls

Murchison Falls again

A Fraction Of The Beautiful Scenery

Giraffes--They Were Everywhere!

Hungry Hungry Hippos

Crocodile

Rebecca and I near Murchison Falls

Rebecca, Me, Christian, and Sam (in front)

Rebecca and I at Karuma Falls

2 of the 3 Lionesses We Saw

Me SO Excited to See Elephants So Close

ELEPHANTS!!! :)

 

Last Week In Gulu

8-20-12
Two weeks from right now I’ll be in the air, flying home. That seems SO weird! I have exactly one week left in Gulu and the rest of my time with be spent in Jinja doing last minute souvenir shopping and in Kampala getting to see my babies there quickly before I go and packing. I got back to Gulu this afternoon—the rest of my roommates are still in Kampala because of health reasons or prior commitments. They’ll either be back tomorrow or Wednesday. I’ve had the house to myself all day/night. I got some shopping done, did some laundry, finally got to cook a meal (in Kampala I didn’t want to buy groceries because it’s so expensive in the city, and I didn’t want to travel with them). And I’m on season 4 of One Tree Hill…and I’m almost done with my fifth book of the summer (A Thousand Tomorrows).

8-23-12
So, I haven’t blogged in a few days. I think it’s just hitting me how quickly my time in Uganda is going to be over. As of today I have 11 days left in this country…11 days. On Monday Rebecca and I are heading to Jinja until Tuesday night or Wednesday morning. We were going to wait until after the volunteers meeting  (which is on Wednesday) to go, but the Watoto staff preferred we leave beforehand. So, I have today, tomorrow, Saturday, Sunday, and a couple hours on Monday left in Gulu. After Monday I won’t be back here in God knows how long…I may not ever be back. Yesterday at work I wanted to get as much time with the babies as possible because I knew the amount of time I could see them was running low. I got some good pictures and videos, but it’s not enough. I’m really going to miss them, and the nannies. I’m going to miss so much about this place. It didn’t help that I had to leave work early (around noon instead of 3:30) because I wasn’t feeling well. I had a really sharp pain in my stomach and it was getting worse as the day went on. It’s getting better now, and I’m hoping whatever it is will go away on its own (I’m my father’s daughter).
I’ve been in a funk for the past few days because I’ll be leaving so soon. I think a lot of it has to do with going back to a life that should be familiar, but I’m not sure what it will look like. So many things have changed since I came to Uganda, in myself and in the people in my life. So many things have changed in my routine—no more college or friends around me all the time. I’ll need to get a full time job and figure out graduate school stuff. And I don’t want to fall back into old habits and just get comfortable/lazy in routine—I want to pursue God and be in relationship with Him just as much back home as I have here, if not more so.
The story below is one the pastor at church shared w/ all of us last weekend. I really liked it so I figured I might as well share it.
A hermit was meditating by a river when a young man interrupted him. "Master, I wish to become your disciple," said the man.
"Why?" replied the hermit. The young man thought for a moment.
"Because I want to find God." The master jumped up, grabbed him by the scruff of his neck, dragged him into the river, and plunged his head under water. After holding him there for a minute, with him kicking and struggling to free himself, the master finally pulled him up out of the river. The young man coughed up water and gasped to get his breath. When he eventually quieted down, the master spoke.
 "Tell me, what did you want most of all when you were under water."
"Air!" answered the man.
"Yes" said the master. "Go home and come back to me when you want God as much as you just wanted air."

8-24-12
Today for my blog I’m going to be sharing another journal excerpt from the quiet time I had today. I just finished it a couple minutes ago and it was really good—especially considering what a funk I was in just 24 hours ago. In my journals I usually am writing to God, so when I use the word “You” (or Your) I’m referring to Him, just FYI.

Maybe it was being with the babies today—maybe that’s how You helped me, but I feel a lot better today than I did yesterday. I only have 2 (half) days left at Babies Home here in Gulu. That fact hasn’t really sunk in yet. Then I only have 3 days left at Babies Home in Kampala (Thursday-Saturday). I decided to take Sunday to be with You and then Monday at noon I head to the airport. Wow, a week and three days left—10 days left in Uganda. In June it seemed like I was going to be in Uganda forever, now it feels like the time is slipping through my fingers. I’m so glad You brought me here though—I’ve learned so much and met so many amazing people. Even though I’m nervous/anxious and a bit scared about what lies ahead, I’m so excited for it too. Seeing what You want me to do and where You want me to go to graduate school (if You do) is going to be awesome to see—especially how You make it all come together. I pray You would keep me relying on You for answers and direction. I pray You would give me the strength, energy and motivation to finish things on time, and well. God, I pray I would trust in You and Your plan and wait on You. I pray You would help me to ask others for help when I need it, even if it’s just for advice or to vent. I can’t wait to see what You have in store for me in the year to come.

“The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you; the Lord lift his countenance (face) upon you and give you peace.” (Numbers 6:24-26)
                Lord God, I pray You would do these things to me and for me. I pray You would help me recognize Your graciousness, blessings, and peace. I pray that I would thank You and give You praise in those moments when I recognize them and in moments when I don’t. You are always good, God, even when I don’t see it or feel it.
“…that which we have seen and heard we proclaim also to you, so that you too may have fellowship with us…God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin. If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” (1 John 1:3,5-9)
                Jesus, help me to proclaim the Gospel. Help me feel, listen to, and follow Your promptings and direction. In those moments, give me words to speak Lord—because You are love and You know the heart of every person, You know what they need to hear. Help me not be afraid to talk to others, whether it’s just to start a conversation or to talk about You. Remind me that I don’t know what anyone has prayed for or asked You for—maybe all they want is for someone to talk to them. Lord, help me not deceive myself anymore. Help me walk in the light God, and not by my flesh/desires. Lord Jesus, help me not be a hypocrite—help people on the outside looking in at my life be unable to say/believe that I’m a hypocrite by the way I live, speak and treat others. God, remind me how much of a blessing it is to confess my sins—help me take greater advantage of that, and praying out loud to You. Help me balance giving truth and grace to others, and give me words to do that. Help me give truth and grace to my brothers and sisters the help them grow in You.
“O you who hear prayer, to you shall all flesh come. When iniquities prevail against me, you atone for our transgressions….By awesome deeds you answer us with righteousness…the one who by his strength established the mountains, who stills the roaring seas….You visit the earth and you greatly enrich it.” (Psalm 65:2-3,5-7,9)
                This Psalm just shows me how You provide so abundantly and perfectly for all of our needs. Verses 9-13 tell of how You pour out blessings on us and provide all that we need—really the whole Psalm does that, but especially those verses. Remind me of this verse when I’m trying to finish graduate school stuff and when I’m waiting for answers to see where I get it. If I don’t get in, remind me that You give us exactly what we need, exactly when we need it. Lord God, help me do my very best in applying to graduate school (not putting things off to the last minute or not giving it my best effort) so that if I do get rejected I cannot question it’s because of Your will.
“Remind them to be submissive to authorities, to be obedient, to be ready for every good work, to speak evil of no one, to avoid quarreling, to be gentle, and to show perfect courtesy toward all people. For we ourselves were once foolish, disobedient, led astray, slaves to various passions and pleasures, passing our days in malice and envy, hated by others and hating one another. But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of works done in righteousness, but according to his own mercy by renewal of the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior….These things are excellent and profitable for people. But avoid foolish controversies, genealogies, dissensions, and quarrels about the law, for they are unprofitable and worthless.” (Titus 3:1-6,8-9)
                Remind me of where I was when You saved me, what You saved me from. Help me to not pass judgment on or make assumptions about others God. Remind me that I am no better than anyone—in fact I may be worse off because You call me to love—I know the Truth and disobey it when I judge or assume things about people. Help me be submissive to You, O God. Help me be the things in verse 2 (not speaking evil of anyone, avoiding quarreling, being gentle and courteous). God, help me avoid the things in verse 9 (foolish controversies, etc.) Help me to recognize what things are good and what things are foolish—give me wisdom and discernment God. Help me take advantage of them once You give them to me.
          God doesn’t just give us (fill in the blank). He gives us opportunities to be ______.
Thank You for all You have given me, shown me, taught me, and blessed me with. I am so undeserving of it all, but You love me passed and beyond my weaknesses, short-comings, unbelief and unworthiness. You make me better. You make me want to be better.   

Me and Joshua

Isaac and me

8-25-12
We’re in the single digits—9 days until I come home! Today was my last “real” day with the babies in Gulu. Tomorrow I only work from 7-9:30 because church is from 10-12 (and on weekends for morning shift we're done at 12:30. Two and a half hours at the Babies Home tomorrow and I’ll be done working in Gulu, and the babies I take care of nap from 8:30-10:30, so really I only get an hour and a half with them. I got some great pictures with the kids today though, not only with the babies I usually take care of (0-4 months) but also with the Toddlers I’ve come to love. I told the nannies that I work with that tomorrow is my last day and they were so sad and were asking why I didn’t tell them sooner so they could have pampered me my last couple of days J. The nannies here are so amazing and so friendly, I’m really going to miss them too! Last night I reserved a room for Rebecca and I in Jinja from Monday and Tuesday night—we’ll be staying in a double room overlooking the Nile, I am so blessed!!
Monday we’ll leave Gulu for Kampala at 7am and arrive in Kampala around noon. From there we’ll take a matatu into Jinja. Then we’ll probably just get settled in, have dinner and then go to bed and then Tuesday we’ll do a bunch of shopping, sightseeing, and checking out the coffee shops in the area (we’ve been hearing that they’re the best in Uganda). Then we’ll hang out Tuesday night and relax before getting up early Wednesday morning to take a matatu back to Kampala. Then Wenesday is our volunteer meeting (at 2pm)---it’ll be my last one. Between Thursday and Sunday I’ll have my appreciation dinner, where myself and any other volunteers going home soon will be treated to dinner at a really nice restaurant with some of the Watoto Staff. It’s weird to think that when Rebecca and I arrive in Kampala on Monday it’ll be exactly a week (to the hour) that I’ll be heading to the airport.
Saying goodbye to the babies today was kind-of hard—just like on safari where I tried to impress in my memory the scenery and the noises and the look of the animals, today I tried to permanently hold each babies image, each smell and noise and silly face, into my memory. I’m going to miss those babies so much, I’m already missing them and I still have a couple hours with them.
Yesterday I also downloaded the safari pictures to my computer—they’re so great! They only capture of fraction of the beauty of the place and the experience, but they’re amazing nonetheless. I’ve gotten to do so many things in the past three months; I can’t believe this dream is almost over. But all good things must come to an end right? Otherwise how could you happen upon the next great dream, the next amazing chapter in your life?  

Me, Dennis, Angel, little Steven, Benjamin, Daniella, big Steven (bottom) 

 

Two Bounties In A Bar

*To explain the title of this blog...Rebecca and I just went on safari. We wore basically the same outfits two of the three days, and we kept finishing each others sentences and were just on the same wave length with each other when a group of us would be talking. We kept thinking it was really funny and we came up with the following--what do you get when you put a Canadian and an American together in Uganda, Africa? You get two bounties in a bar. A Bounty Bar is the Ugandan equivalent of an Almond Joy (apparently they're in Canada too) and Rebecca and I both love them. So, that's what the title means :) Pictures and video of safari are coming soon!

6-15-12
Yesterday Rebecca and I got into Kampala around 2:30 in the afternoon; we made pretty good timing seeing as we left Kampala around 9:15. Once we got settled in the Watoto apartments that we stayed at last night we headed to the church to pick up photocopies of our passports (we need them for safari), went to the grocery store to pick up a couple things for the next few days, got dinner, and then walked back to the apartment and talked a bit, watched a movie, and then got ready for bed. It doesn’t feel like we’re going on safari today—it’s 6am and our ride is going to be here in a half hour to take us to the safari office. I’m really excited, but I feel like tiredness is making me a lot calmer.

               …
It’s 9:35pm of my first day/night on safari. It has been such a cool day. We left Kampala around 7:30am and arrive at Murchison Falls (where we started safari) around 2pm. Rebecca and I met a couple cool guys who ended up being in our van driving there; Christian (from Ohio) and Sam (from the UK). The drive was quite long, but being able to talk to Rebecca and making conversation with the guys seemed to make it go by quicker. Once we got into the National Park where the animals are we still had a long drive to get to our camp and to Murchison Falls (our first stop), and we got to see a lot of wild animals on the way. There were a lot of baboons, and we also saw Cape Buffalo, Antelope/Gazelle type things, and wart hogs…and we haven’t even gone on our game drive yet. Once we were at Murchison Falls we stopped to have lunch (but Rebecca and I didn’t realize that we needed to pick up/buy a pack lunch before we left….but Christian and Sam shared some of their food with us). Then after lunch we hiked some trails to get a good look at the falls. It was SO beautiful!! One part of the falls was really intense, water had to squeeze through a very small gorge and the water was so powerful. When we saw it from a distance it looked like we were watching the waves and water crashing on the rocks in slow motion, it was like with helicopter blades that go so fast it looks like they’re actually go slowly. Once we got closer to that portion of the falls we were able to see the true speed and wildness of the water. I just stood against the barrier which blocked off where we could stand and I looked at that section of the falls for quite a long time, I was mesmerized by the majesty of it all.
Once we finished at the falls (about an hour and a half later) we drove to our rest camp and got assigned tents. Then I took a shower and Rebecca and I went to order our dinner. I had a vegetable goulash with mashed potatoes, it was quite nice. Rebecca, Sam, Christian and I ate together at 6:30, and then went to sit by the fire pit (there was to be a fire at 7:30pm). While we sat by the pit waiting for the fire to begin (which never did happen) we started talking with two of the local men who were also sitting close to where we were. They told us a lot about the current conflict in Congo, past battles between Rwanda and Uganda and so many other things. It was really cool to hear what they had to say on the subject and they taught be a lot I didn’t know before.
Tomorrow we have to be ready to go by 6:30am and then we go on a 4 hour game drive, have lunch, and then to a water safari, and then have dinner. I’m really excited about seeing the animals tomorrow and getting pictures and videos of the trip!

6-16-12
Today was our first full day of safari. It started pouring rain at around 4am, and didn’t stop until we got into our safari a ways. We got up at 6am, had breakfast, and then got into our van and left by 6:30. We then took a ferry across the Nile toward the safari trails. Our guide (Janet) then joined our van and we began our journey. We started off by seeing a lot of Ugandan Coves, Water Bucks, and other animals that looked a lot like antelope or gazelle. They were really beautiful, and some of them got quite close to the vehicle. We were able to pop the roof of our car up so that we could stand on the seats or sit on the back of the car. Eventually we started seeing more popular safari animals—giraffes and even three lionesses. Giraffes were everywhere in the park. It was so cool to see them in their natural environment in person, it seemed surreal. The lionesses were quite a rare thing to see, even our guide got really excited about seeing them—they were trying to hunt some Ugandan Coves, but we ruined those plans. When we didn’t see animals we just looked at the scenery which was absolutely breathtaking. We could see for miles and miles, and all we could see was nature/creation. It was SO incredible. Even though it looked pretty identical from all viewpoints I was captivated by the majesty and utter beauty of the place. It was completely untouched by any sort of development.
We also saw Cape Buffalo and Hippos. Apparently on safaris Hippos usually just sit in the water and don’t move or do anything, but today was a different story. We got to see hippos playing, which looked like they were trying to bite each other’s faces off, and they were popping up and down in the water and just having a ball, and making a bunch of noise. They sound like a combination between a pig and a cow, it’s quite interesting and not at all what I expected them to sound like. The only thing I was hoping to see was elephants on safari. Obviously I wanted to see other things and was completely stoked to see lionesses, giraffes and hippos, but I felt like if I didn’t see elephants I would be disappointed to some degree. I knew going in that seeing elephants would be a rarity, it’s really hit or miss when it comes to what you’ll see, but I was praying for a miracle. We got all the way through our safari and had turned around on the trail to head back to camp. We were over half way back to camp and I had succumbed to the fact that I wouldn’t be seeing an elephant today. A few minutes later I hear Rebecca saying to me, “Michelle, elephants!” I looked to my left and there they were…a herd of elephants in the distance. Mommy, daddy and baby elephants just hanging out and eating. I was thrilled. It was hard to see them really well, but I was so happy. We drove off after getting a few pictures and then about 200 yards ahead there were about five more elephants on our right side, really close to the road. I could see every wrinkle in their skin and every muscle that contracted as they sucked water into their trunks and stuck them into their mouths to drink. There were three bigger elephants, one medium sized one, and a little baby elephant. It was more than I could have asked for!! I was on cloud nine.
The entire day was literally perfect…in the morning we went on our game drive and needed it to be cloudy out so that it wasn’t too hot for the animals…and it was cloudy the entire time. During our lunch break it began to warm up and the sun came out. We then went on our river boat tour for the water animals (basically more hippos, crocodiles, and exotic birds) and we needed it to be hotter out so that the animals would go into the water to cool down, and it was. It was literally better than we could ask for, we saw so many animals and got so many pictures! I kept trying to hold the images in my mind because even though I was getting pictures I knew it wouldn’t be the same. I kept trying to memorize the shade of green of the grass and trees, the look in the eyes of the lionesses and the elephants, the sound of the hippos, everything. This whole experience (being in Uganda) is something I’ll never forget, and getting the chance to do rafting, and going on safari is so beyond my wildest dreams. Getting to cross off items from my bucket list while living out a dream I’ve had for years is so amazing! I am blessed in crazy ways!

8-18-12
So I’m back from safari, and it was amazing! There were so many fun/cool/interesting things that happened; it was such a good time! My last night on safari a bunch of us (me, Rebecca, Christian, Sam, Sara and Dan—from the UK) went to see the sunset by the Nile, which was only about a 5-10 minute walk from our camp site. The sunset was pretty much over by the time we got down there, but we decided to hang out anyway. Dan and Sara went up to a shack type thing and the rest of us went down by the dock and ended up looking at the stars. At one point Sam (a guy from the UK who at time is like a stereotypical frat guy, but really funny and a good guy) tried to convince one of the locals to take us out on the river in his boat, but the man just laughed and said it was too dangerous. After a while Sam said that one of the local guys had said that the hippos would be coming out of the water onto the land soon and it would be dangerous for us to head back to camp—that’s when Rebecca and I frantically decided we were going back to camp.
We all headed up the road back to our camp and had no trouble along the way…until about 20 yards from our destination. I was near the front of the group and was the first one to see it—lit up by car headlights far in the distance was a huge shadowy figure I assumed to be a hippo. We stopped dead in our tracks and didn’t know what to do. Hippos are usually peaceful animals, but when they feel threatened they can easily kill—they (we were told several times by our guides) were the most dangerous animals we would see on safari, including the lions—they kill more people in Africa than any other animal. Sam took charge and told us to stand our ground and not move, not to run, so we all tried our best not to panic. We found out later that we’re supposed to hold our ground when we run into lions and run like hell for hippos, but we stood there and eventually the car that had illuminated the hippo came close enough to force the hippo away from the camp/road and into the darkness on the other side of the road. We thanked the man (who, I’m sure, thought we were crazy white people) and got safely back to camp.
Later that night we made a bonfire and then we went to bed. In the early hours of the morning I was awoken by hippos outside of our tent. There were at least two, and I could hear them walking around and eating the grass. The hippos come out of the water and eat at night, but I never was able to hear them before. It was kind or cool and scary knowing they were out there, I was just thankful I had gone to the bathroom earlier in the night. I rarely, if ever, get up in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom here, but both nights on safari (when I had to get out of my tent and walk 30-50 yards to the bathroom) I had to go at least twice…funny how that happens.
The last day of safari was really great; on our second game drive (which was shorter than the first one) we saw everything we’d seen the first time except for the lions. So we got to see elephants again, I was so excited! This time one of the elephants actually blew their trunk too, it was awesome. The scenery was amazing—something you can’t describe with words, and something I hope I never forget. We then drove to Kuruma Falls and got to hike down really close to them and got some photos, it was really nice. Then we ate lunch and headed back to Kampala. On the drive from Kuruma to Kampala there were some interesting things that happened. In one of the villages we passed through a goat was crossing the road (not too unusual in Uganda), we came across it so unexpectedly though that Sula (our driver) didn’t have time to stop and we hit it head on. Everyone but me looked back to see how bad the damage was and according to them we took off a leg. It was still alive, but I’m guessing we significantly decreased his life expectancy…he’s probably going to be someone’s dinner very soon.
The other thing that we came across on the drive back was a crazy bus/bus driver. There was a big yellow coach bus heading to Kampala that was going FAST! The first time it passed us I noticed it was in a fish tail, and it wasn’t straightening out, the bus was stuck in a 1 o’clock position going down the road, with the front part of the bus partly in the other lane and the back part of the bus barely staying in the correct lane (Sula would later tell us that the bus most likely had broken it’s center belt). We saw the bus a couple times during our drive because at certain points (well after it had zoomed past our field of vision) we could come across the bus on the side of the road—I assume the bus had skidded to the side and the driver had to stop to make sure he didn’t completely lose control of the bus. But after we would pass it on the side of the road and gain quite a bit of ground on it we’d see it in our rearview again, still fish-tailed, and coming up on us fast and eventually passing us again. At one point we saw it on the side of the road pulled over by traffic police…but it caught up to us later. I think the third time we saw it on the side of the road…skidded off again…was the last time we saw it—thank God.
It was a fun time. The group we were with (mainly Christian and Sam) made the trip, and safari, that much more fun. It was such a great experience!
Originally Rebecca and I were going to head back to Kampala this morning or afternoon, but Rebecca wasn’t feeling well yesterday so we decided to push going back to Gulu until tomorrow morning. We’re staying at Watoto apartments in Kampala (the same ones we stayed at the night before we left for safari) and this morning I got the first hot shower I’ve had in almost a month. It was really nice…but it was kind-of weird; I didn’t really care that it was hot after a while, apparently my shower temperature is no longer very important to me, as long as I can have running water for a shower (and not a bucket shower) I’m happy J.
Here’s the rundown of my plans for the rest of my time in Uganda, which is running quite low. I’ll head back to Gulu tomorrow and work at the babies home Monday, Tuesday (have Wednesday and Thursday off), Friday, Saturday, Sunday and the following Monday. Head back down to Kampala Tuesday for the volunteer meeting on Wednesday, go to the meeting and then Thursday head to Jinja with Rebecca. In Jinja we’ll do last minute souvenir shopping and head back Friday afternoon and get back to Kampala Friday night. Then I’ll have Saturday and Sunday in Kampala and then I’ll leave for the airport at around noon on Monday and then fly out that afternoon/evening headed for home!!! I cannot believe how fast this last part of the trip is going. Before I know it I’ll be back in Stetsonville, Wisconsin redoing my room and seeing my friends and family and being surrounded by tons of white people all speaking English, and having hot showers and power all the time and being able to drink out of the tap and so many other things. I’ll be driving a car again…that’ll be nice, and a little weird. It doesn’t seem real yet. I’m glad I’ll have 12 hours on my flight from Ethiopia to D.C. to process through some of my emotions…if I don’t sleep the whole way that is J.

Safari Ants, Slumber Parties, and Serious Talks

Sorry for the shorter post this week, and for the lack of pictures/videos. It's been a bit of a crazy week (after reading you'll understand why) so I didn't get much of a chance to take pictures or write that much. But next week I'll be putting up some photos from safari!! :)

8-8-12
Yesterday was one of the most interesting days I’ve had in Uganda so far. Our house got taken over by Safari Ants—they’re like fire ants, but much worse. They have been outside for a while, and our biggest fear was that they would eventually make it into our house, and yesterday was that day. We came home to our dining room and most of our kitchen filled with the little guys moving along in nice uniform lines everywhere. We decided that it would be best to sleep somewhere else last night because we figured they’d make it to our bedrooms pretty quickly. I, Rebecca, Ashley and Alicia packed a bag and went to Babies Home. At first I think we were all upset and frustrated with the whole situation, but by the end of the night our moods totally changed.
Basically once we got to Babies Home things weren’t as bad as we thought they would be. We were all so excited about having a “slumber party” that we didn’t care about the ants and having to leave the house. We got a bunch of chocolate, chips, fruit (not my first choice, but I let the roommates have itJ), hot chocolate, and watched One Tree Hill. We pulled out a couple mattresses that were in the storage room for Ashley and Alicia to sleep on and Rebecca and I decided to take the couches. We stayed up until around 11 eating and watching One Tree Hill—it was such a good night, definitely one of the best nights in Uganda.
Today our house is getting fumigated so we’re spending the night in the Watoto Guest House while the fumes die down. We all had to pack all our stuff up and move it out of the house while they do their thing, and hopefully we’ll be able to move our stuff back by tomorrow or Friday night. Today and tomorrow are my days off, and it’s been a very different day off. I’ve been in the Administration Building on the Watoto grounds (where we slept last night) writing my blog, checking my e-mail and watching One Tree Hill…and I will randomly go over to the Babies Home (a 20 second walk) and cuddle babies.
Daniella is finally out of isolation!! She’s back with her buddies in the 0-8week old room…she is SO cute! I totally fell in love with her.
At around 5:30 we all decided to go out to eat with Annie Duguid (The Babies Home team leader) and her kids (she fosters 5 Ugandan kids), Sarah (a nurse from Australia) and her foster daughter. We went to a local restaurant called Sankofa which is really good! We ordered at around 6pm because we were waiting for Rebecca and Alicia to come to the restaurant after finishing up some things at the Babies Home. While waiting for our food we played Phase 10—which I’ve really gotten in to over the past couple of days here. We waiting for at least two hours for our food, and by the time everyone got their food and finished with it, it was 8:30.
Rebecca, Alicia, Ashley, Sarah, Gift (Sarah’s foster daughter) and I then drove to the Watoto Gulu Guest House to spend the night (we figured it would be more comfortable than sleeping on the Babies Home couches again). The guest house is really nice and the bed I’m is SUPER comfortable when compared to the couch I slept on last night. And I got an actual shower! The last “shower” I took was a bucket shower, I can’t even remember the last time I had a legit shower, and even though the water was pretty darn cold at the end it was amazing!

8-9-12
Today we are moving back into the house in Gulu—the fumigation happened yesterday late morning and the house has had plenty of time to air out. Hopefully all the insects are taken care of. It’ll be so nice to get back home. It’s weird though…even though we’re still in Gulu staying at the Guest House it feels like we went on vacation in a different town. I’ve never been on this side of town before so it feels like I’m far away from Gulu, but it’s kinda nice…it makes my days off really feel like vacation J. Rebecca and I go on safari in 5 days!! I’m getting so amped to go!! It came here so quickly, and I know once safari is over the rest of my time in Gulu/Uganda is going to FLY by…which part of me is excited about, but another part of me is really sad about. Oh conflicting emotions, how fun.

8-11-12
So, we never ended up moving back to the house. Apparently there were still live ants inside and outside. Yesterday they fumigated again so hopefully tonight we’ll be able to move back. The guest house has been a good experience, but we’re all ready to move back in to “our house”. Daniella is out of isolation and so for the past couple of days I’ve been taking care of a newborn baby named Denis. Denis is three weeks old and stays in the Pharmacy at Baby Watoto so that we can make sure he stays healthy for a little while longer before we move him into a room with other babies. He is such a cutie pie and I’ll hopefully be getting photos of him soon.
Yesterday Fred (one of the Watoto Volunteer staff in Kampala) called me yesterday to let me know about how Trauma Rehabilitation is going. I’ve been a little disappointed that I haven’t gotten to work with those guys yet, but it sounds like everything should be worked out soon. I’ll be taking 3 days a week to work with the Trauma Team, 2 days a week to work at Baby Watoto, and have 2 days off (which I may or may not use to work at either Trauma or Baby Watoto). I came to the conclusion today that I can either be disappointed with the time I didn’t get with the Trauma Team or I can be grateful and take full advantage of the time I will get—and if I end up not getting to work with the Trauma Team then I need to realize that wasn’t in God’s plan for this trip and be okay with it. Plus, I can always come back to Uganda J.
I can’t believe Rebecca and I leave for safari in 2 ½ days!! And when we leave it’ll be exactly three weeks until I get home. That is insane! I seriously can’t wrap my head around that fact. Last night all the roommates and I were talking about what it’s like going home (because a couple of them have been here before). They said to prepare to be sad/depressed for up to 6 months after I get back. They said that they would just cry sometimes without even really knowing why. I expected to be sad leaving here, but I never thought it would be for that long of a time, and who knows if it will be. But just knowing it’s a possibility is both scary and comforting; scary because I haven’t been sad for that long in…well, ever I think, and comforting because if I do end up being sad for that long I’ll know that I’m not crazy or anything J.

8-12-12
Today I took the day off because I wasn’t feeling very well, and I needed another “mental health day”. Yesterday I skyped with my parents and with Sarina again, and I also spent a lot of time thinking about how I was going to redo my bedroom once I get home…all of which made me more homesick then I’ve been in a while. I don’t even know if I would consider it homesickness necessarily, but it made me excited to go home. I think it’s been quite a long time since I’ve been more excited to go home than to stay in Uganda.  I’ve also just been thinking about how quickly my time here will be over, and I think that sadness my roommates were telling me about the other day is already starting.
My life when I get back home is going to be so different than it is here, both culturally and on a day to day basis. I’ll have so much to do/take care of once I get back, there’ll be a lot more responsibilities for me to deal with…not really exciting in some ways J. It’s cool to start another new chapter in my life, but I just hate not really knowing that I’m getting into. I don’t know what my job will be once I get back or whether or not I’ll like it. I don’t know what it’s going to be like living at home again after 4 years on my own. I don’t know how difficult it’ll be keeping in touch with all the people I’m used to seeing on a daily or weekly basis. I don’t know what graduate school I’m going to apply to—I haven’t even narrowed down the programs I like to just one. I don’t know if graduate school is going to happen next fall like I planned, because there’s so much to figure out before I can even apply, it seems like too much to handle. But hopefully if I take it one thing, one day, at a time it won’t seem so daunting. Plus, I need to get better at asking people for help instead of trying to do everything on my own.
I’m getting really excited for safari; I just have to work tomorrow (Monday) and then we leave Tuesday morning. Rebecca and I will head out at 6:15am to arrive at the Post Office in Gulu at 6:30 to take the Post Bus (it’s the cheapest way to get from Gulu to Kampala and then back from Kampala to Gulu). We’ll leave Gulu at 7am sharp and will probably get to Kampala at noon or 1pm. Then we’ll get photocopies of our passports (which we need for the safari) from the Watoto office in Kampala, and then we’ll have the afternoon/evening to spend in Kampala. Then Wednesday morning we’ll need to be at the safari office before 7am because we’ll head to safari at seven o’clock Wednesday morning, go on safari Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday. There is a land and water safari; on land we’ll (possibly) see the following: giraffes, elephants, lions, gazelle, antelope, wart hogs, water buffalo, and other things, and on the water safari we’ll see crocodiles, hippos and other fun things. We’ll then head to Kampala on Friday night and spend the night there, and then Saturday morning we’ll take the Post Bus back to Gulu. I’m sure those 5 days will go by extremely fast, and then I only have one week left in Gulu because on August 28^th we leave for Kampala for the volunteers meeting, and then I’ll stay in Kampala until I leave on the 3^rd. CRAZY!!
I still need to get a souvenir for my dad…I thought shopping for him in the States was hard, but doing it in Africa is almost impossible J. I also want to pick a few things up for myself because all I bought for myself so far is a Ugandan Soccer team jersey—which I love. The roomies and I are thinking of going to a town called Jinga (in the southern part of Uganda, Jinga is where I went rafting earlier in my trip) to go souvenir shopping—apparently there are a lot of good souvenir shops down there, maybe I could find my dad (and myself) some cool things down there. But I need to be really smart with how I spend my money these next few weeks—I don’t really have that much left. There’s about $130US left in my checking account and I still need to take some money out to pay for Post Bus this week, and I think I’ll take extra money out for souvenirs and grocery shopping too so I don’t have to take money out (and get charged) again.
As of tomorrow I only have 21 days left in Uganda and 15 left in Gulu. Ugh, I can’t think about that anymore or I may not enjoy safari as much as I’d like. Maybe I’ll just try to occupy my time/thoughts with ideas for redoing my room in a few weeks…nothing like a little avoiding a problem to really help a person out right?....yeah…I didn’t think so.

Deep Thoughts, Schedules, and Changes

7-29-12
At first the day went by rather quickly; we worked from 7am-9:40, went to church from 10-12, then came back and had lunch. After that I took a nap; initially I was only going to lay down for forty minutes or so, but that quickly changed into a two hour “nap”. I got up, had a snack and then decided to read some more of the Hunger Games. I’m on the third and final book now, these books have been with me throughout my time in Uganda…it’ll be weird once I’ve finished them, which should be within the next week if not the next couple days. I don’t want to finish the book today, which, with all the free time I have, could be a very real possibility. Having no power allows for very little distraction, and also makes me hesitant to use my computer/internet because I want to save as much power/internet time as I can. There are times when days like this (with so much down time) are great, I can just relax and not worry about anything. There are other times, however, like today, when I don’t like days like today because it just gives me a lot of time to think and reflect…which I don’t particularly enjoy.
It’s been pointed out to me in the past that I can be rather hard on myself, and maybe that’s true to some degree. But as I reflect on my life and how I act/think/feel at times, I feel I’m pretty accurate, if not too light, in my assessment of myself. I guess that’s how a lot of us are wired though isn’t it? We always see the ways in which we could improve or where we could have done better instead of thinking of things we’ve done well…I guess that’s why God gave us friends and family, to remind us of the good things J. I keep wondering whether or not I’ve changed in the nearly two months I’ve spent in Uganda. Part of me thinks that surely I must have changed being in such a different culture for an extended period of time, being exposed to so many different (at times shocking) things. But another part of me still feels very much the same as when I left home. I’m sure it’s hard to see any changes firsthand because it’s gradual, it sneaks up on you at times. I wonder if it would be more evident to people back home, if it will be a shocker when I step off the plane and am a whole new person.
I wonder what hidden things have changed in me that I’m not even aware of, things that may not be triggered until I’m back home. I wonder what things have stayed (and will stay) the same, and why. I wonder how my life, my “road less traveled” is going to look now that I took this step in coming to Uganda. What things have I unknowingly put into action, and what things have I quenched forever. What old parts of me are going to be left here, left in this country I’ve wanted to come to since I was 12. What bits and pieces of me are being molded and formed into a new creation. Maybe it’ll take me days, weeks, months, years to see it…maybe I’ll never see it. Whatever the result is of my living in Uganda this summer, I’m glad I came, and I hope/pray that God changes me through this experience. I pray that I’m not only changed, but changed for the better; changed to resemble more and more the woman God designed me to be.



Baby Michelle

7-31-12
Yesterday was my first full day at the Babies Home in Gulu, and it went by really fast. I worked with a baby named Oscar from 7-11 (from 9-10:30 he took a nap though, so I played with the toddlers). Oscar came in as a severely malnourished baby and people weren’t even sure if he’d survive. Now, however, he is 10 times better; he’s fatter and eating more. After taking care of Oscar until 11 Ashley (another volunteer) and I painted the clinic building on the Watoto property until 12:30 (lunch time). From 12:30-2 we had a lunch break and decided to go home for lunch. From 2-3:30 Ashley and I continued painting the clinic and then I went home. I watched a couple episodes of Gilmore Girls with Rebecca (another volunteer that was in Buziga with me during my first month), then we had dinner, and then we all watched a few episodes of One Tree Hill in the living room because we wanted to take advantage of the power being on. Today was a lot like yesterday except that from 7-8:20ish I took care of Oscar, then 8:30-9:15 went to devotions at church with the other volunteers and some Watoto staff, then after that until lunch Ashley and I were painting again, we came home for lunch (and took a quick nap), then we went back to work and Rebecca and I folded some clothes and I started feeding Oscar before we left at 3:30. The days seem to go by so much quicker here than in Kampala, and I’m not sure why.
Today I experienced another first in Uganda, and not an exciting one. Today was the first time that a baby I took care of died. Little baby Michelle from the Babies Home in Kampala (yeah, we have/had the same name) died yesterday. One of the volunteers that’s still in Buziga texted me today to tell me. I still haven’t really wrapped my head around it, or thought about it much to be honest. It’s probably because there’s been someone around since I found out, and I don’t like crying in front of people. Tomorrow is my day off though, so there will probably be a free for all cry fest in my room. Baby Michelle had a heart defect (I can’t really remember what it was), but she needed surgery and the hospitals in Uganda couldn’t perform it. Watoto was looking into ways of getting Michelle to India or the States for the operation, but they needed to raise around $15,000 to cover all of the expenses, apparently they weren’t able to…at least not in time. I just keep seeing her cute little face with her hair in little pom-poms all over her head. She would laugh whenever I kissed her hands; it was one of those toothless smiles that just melts your heart. I wish I would’ve gotten a picture with her before I left. I have one of her, but it’s just of her sleeping, it’s better than nothing, but it doesn’t quite capture her how I remember her.

8-1-12
I have a feeling I’m going to like my schedule in Gulu. I work Mondays and Tuesdays, have Wednesdays and Thursdays off, work Fridays Saturdays and Sundays, but weekends are only half days. I feel like I’m going to have a lot of free time. So since today is Wednesday I had the day off. It started with reading some Scripture in the morning after eating breakfast. Then I walked to the grocery store (Uchumi is the name of the biggest store branch here) and got some essentials because my food shelf is getting pretty bare. Then I walked back home and finished my quiet time. My quiet time today was really nice, it was a couple hours long, and I just seemed to really connect with a lot of what I was reading. After that I took a nap for a couple hours (the power was off pretty much all day)and then I got up and decided to read a book. Since I finished the last Hunger Games book last night (loved it by the way) I needed to find other books in the Gulu house to pass the time with. I looked through the bookshelf in the living room. I picked out around a dozen after judging them by their covers/titles (I hear you’re not supposed to do that,but oh well) and then I read the backs of them to get an idea of what he book was about. I got it narrowed down to three: Revolutionary Road (which I started reading today), A Thousand Tomorrows, and The Reader. I have 5 weeks (exactly) until I’m home…five weeks to read three books, challenge accepted. I started Revolutionary Road this afternoon and am already nearly 100 pages into it. It’s a lot better than I expected it to be, I like how the author (Richard Yates) writes. He’s able to describe a scene so vividly with few words…I like that, simple but sufficient. The story isn’t bad either, the characters in this book are really real, flaws and inappropriate thoughts or actions to situations. I like the honesty in the book.
Tomorrow my roommates and I have the day off, except for Alicia. That poor girl never (and I mean never) gets a day off because she’s a doctor. But Ashley, Rebecca and I are planning on having a bonding day and getting dinner/dessert prepared so Alicia won’t have to do anything after work. I’m also going to get to skype with my mom and Sarina—one of my best friends in the world! I’m really excited about it! Hopefully I’ll be able to use the free internet at The Coffee Hut to not only skype, but also to look up graduate schools and their programs. I’ve been slacking A LOT in looking into graduate schools I want to apply to once I get back home…probably not the smartest move.

Baby Daniella smiling up at me...SO cute!

Isn't she cute?!?

8-4-12
Today is our second or third day without water, and yesterday was the first time we had power in two days. I’m going to need a serious shower tomorrow if the power/water doesn’t come on tonight. The past couple of days at the Babies Home I’ve been in “isolation” with a baby named Daniella. She’s in isolation because she was really sick for a while and she couldn’t be exposed to any of the healthy babies. She is SO adorable and fantastic, and pretty easy to take care of. All she does it eat, sleep, and poop…and she fusses a bit when she gets hungry and tired, but it usually isn’t too horrible. My days were her are as follows:
7-7:30ish—wake up, change, weigh, take vitals (heart rate, respiratory rate, oxygen levels, temperature), make bottle, feed.
7:30-8:30ish—play
8:30—get ready for nap (swaddle, calm her down)
9-10:30—nap time
10:30-11—wake up, change, take vitals, make bottle, feed
11-11:30--play
12-1—nap time
1-1:30—wake up, change, take vitals, make bottle, feed
1:30-2—play
2-3—nap time
3-3:30—wake up, change, take vitals, make bottle, feed
And then I’m done. Morning shift is from 7-3:30 on weekdays and 7-1 on weekends. Taking care of Daniella has been so great, when I walk in to wake her up at various times during the day she always greets me with a toothless smile/laugh. She’s such a happy and beautiful baby; I took some pictures and videos of her today and I’ll (hopefully) be loading them later today. I actually get to skype my mom and Sarina today—Thursday when we tried Sarina’s alarm was set wrong and the connection during my conversation with my mom was really poor. But I did get graduate school stuff started—I e-mailed one of my old professors from UWSP on some questions so once I hear back from her I’ll be able to get an even better idea of what schools I’ll be applying to once I’m back home.
After today I only have29 days left in Uganda…and even less time in Gulu. I feel like I’m just starting to get to know the babies and nannies here and I’m sure I’ll feel like I have to leave too soon once the time comes.

8-5-12
I’ve been in Uganda exactly two months today. African time is funny—on one hand it feels like I’ve been here a whole lot longer than a couple months, but on the other hand, there are times when I feel like the time is going by so fast, like I only arrived a few weeks ago. When I think about all I’ve gotten the chance to do and experience, and the people I’ve gotten to meet during my time here so far it seems amazing that it has all fit into two months.
I will definitely be excited, and maybe even ready, to go home in four weeks, but I know it’s also going to be hard leaving this place, the people, and the babies. It’ll be hard living back at home for a year trying to figure out where God’s next path is going to take me. It’ll be hard working in a factory away from my high school and college friends. It’ll be hard to feel connected to them and hard to reach out to them, but I know that staying in touch with them is going to be crucial.
It’s going to be hard going into another fall/winter basically the same person—at least I feel like the same person. There are so many things about myself I want to tweak or even change altogether, but time after time I remain virtually the same—partly because I’m pretty lazy at times, but also because I’m scared. I don’t know who I’ll be if I change some things about me. My aim is to change for the better, but what if it ends up being for the worse? And then my over-analyzing brain takes it from there.
Do you ever wonder if your life is making any kind of difference? Like if there’s anything in the long-run that you impacted, anything you did or said or even thought that wasn’t about helping yourself? Like if you could take George Bailey’s spot in “It’s a Wonderful Life”, you’d jump at the chance to see the big picture of your life. I don’t know, maybe I’m just in a funk right now, thinking about transitioning back into American culture or something, but I feel like, and to a certain degree I know that, I could be such a better version of myself than I am right now. I’m not saying this version is the crapiest thing ever, and I’m not looking for compliments, but I do know I could be better.
Isn’t that the curse of the Fall though? We see  bits and pieces of us, maybe whole sections, that we’d like to change—and maybe those changes are realistic, maybe they’re not. But whether or not we go through with those changes there are always going to be other changes we find. There are always going to be things we could improve about ourselves—and there are definitely times to make those improvements/changes. But we/I need to remember that I’m never going to be perfect, and to spend time worrying, stressing, losing sleep over trying to be perfect isn’t helping anyone—least of all me.
I need to learn (again) what it’s like to surrender everything to God. Each moment of each day looking at the good and the bad, future decisions and past mistakes and choosing to give them up to God instead of dwelling on them. I need to learn, and continue learning, how it looks for me to be in relationship with God, what it looks like for Him to be the biggest part, the biggest priority in my life.