Blind-Sided

So completely out of nowhere I decided to get horribly Uganda-sick today. I honestly wasn't expecting to miss it as much as I do, and I'm a little bit blind-sided. I thought the best thing for me to do would be just to compile a little list of my favorite memories and just general things that I miss. So, in no particular order:

1. TALA! (This was a girl who lived on my hall, and I don't think it's too far fetched to say that she totally became my adopted Ugandan little sister. Half the time she drove me crazy, but I totally miss her crazy screaming down the halls and her general tomboyish personality. She was probably one of my best friends on the trip, if not the best and I love her dearly.)
2. Ugandans loved the song "Live Your Life" with Rihanna and T.I. and it was playing on repeat all throughout the semester. One of the other USP girls made the mistake of showing one of the Honors College students, Eddie, the Numa Numa kid video and he played it consecutively EVERY night. It drove me nuts!
3. The night of my rural homestay when I had to bathe after dinner in complete darkness. I was basically just standing there naked in the middle of an African plain under the most brilliant and breathtaking starry sky I've ever seen. There are no words to express the feeling that night.
4. Another similar experience happened in Rwanda. As we were leaving the Christian Hope Village where the children of genocide victims are given housing (which was amazing enough as it was), but it started to rain and we just watched this gorgeous powerful rainstorm come over the mountain and through the valley we were in until I just stood and let it soak me. It was like the most amazing high I've ever felt.
5. Teaching Isaac and my other little Ugandan nieces and nephews how to play "Patty Cake". Every time I'd get to the end Issac would scream "FOR ISAAC AND ME!" He was my favorite child in the world, and it breaks my heart thinking about him now.
6. Sitting on the edge of the window of our matatu on our safari trip speeding through the plains at like 90 miles an hour with the wind whipping through my hair, elephants walking by in the distance and the gorgeous orange sun setting over the horizon.
7. The night I had dinner with Walter and he shared his story with me about his life, his involvement with IJM and his future career aspirations. We were one of the last groups of people to leave the Dining Hall, and then he walked me back to my dorm holding my hand and completely just blessing me with his presence.
8. The rush of running on the red dirt track to the setting sun every night and following it up with a delicious dinner of cow peas and rice.
9. *sigh* I MISS THE FOOD! I ate cow peas and rice nearly every night and never really got sick of it. Cabbage was also always a treat, as was pineapple. And if I ever needed a break, I just walked across the street from campus to get a chapati or a hamburger and chips (fries) from Sam's stand.
10. Creative writing! I may have lost my sanity without this class as an outlet for all the stress and stuff I was going through. My teacher was probably my favorite teacher of all time, and I truly hope he gets published soon, because he deserves it more than anyone I know.

So yeah, those are definitely the top 10. I have to say- this didn't help my nostalgia in the least. Man, do I miss this stuff. I can't wait to go back someday!

She's Baack!

I have no idea if anyone still reads this thing, but I continue to rediscover my love for writing (even if it does happen to be in the embarrassing form of blogging), so I'm going to try and keep it going the very best I can.

I'll admit, I'm a little disappointed in how I left my last blog post kind of hanging there. My last two weeks in Uganda and Rwanda left me a bit frazzled, and then there was the whole readjusting to life in America. So by the time I got myself together, I kind of felt like it was too late to re-cap that lost time. Which is disappointing because honestly, out of my whole four months there, our one-week stay in Rwanda was not only the most memorable part of the trip, but the most life-changing as well. I apologize for the tease, because I feel as though too much time has elapsed to do my stories any justice. But for anyone who's curious, I'd LOVE to talk about my time there because, like I said, it changed my life!

Anyhow, fast forward to present day: Here I am, sitting in my lovely room in my Chinatown apartment, seriously procrastinating writing a bogus paper for my required class through my internship program. That being said, I do love city living. Philadelphia is spectacular. I can most definitely see myself living here post-graduation. Although it rains a bit too much for my liking, I love every aspect of it. The funny thing is, I was totally expecting a bunch of city snobs to greet me when I moved here for the summer, but in reality, I was greeted by an almost small-town vibe displaced in the birthplace of the United States.

My internship is at Philadelphia FIGHT, a local HIV/AIDS organization. My job is working in the public AIDS Library where I spend some time working the front desk which mostly entails getting people signed onto our computers for 30-minute slots of free internet access. Mostly though, I spend a lot of time in the back conference room "collating," which seems to me, a much fancier word than the actual task at hand. Since June is AIDS Education Month, there are all kinds of community events and presentations being hosted by FIGHT, and I'm doing the grunt work to make these events happen. Babysitting the copiers as they produce mass quantities of event programs, making copies of information pamphlets and other resources, and mostly, stuffing lots of papers into folders that more than likely, people won't give a second glance.

My time there has definitely been a learning experience. I love the people I work with, but it's definitely made me aware that the field of HIV/AIDS is not something I'll be actively pursuing in the future. It's an important fight, it's just not mine.

Love and such,

My Very Last Ugandan Blog

Alright folks, this is a short one.

It's finally sunk in that I'm actually leaving this place, and it's not going to be easy. I've established so many amazing relationships with Ugandans and Americans alike, and I'm not at all prepared to abandon them. Tonight was our Farewell Dinner and our Mukono host families, service project leaders and Honors College students were all invited. It was pretty nice, but just another reminder of the fact that my time is nearing it's end.

Tomorrow is our last day on campus. I've already done the majority of my packing, but have one more 5-page paper to write and I'm finally done with work for the semester. I probably won't sleep tomorrow night because we leave 5:00 am Thursday morning for Rwanda. We'll be there until the 1st, we'll return to campus for a night, then leave the following morning for a Debrief/Retreat in Entebbe until we leave on the 5th for the States!

Therefore, just a little note, I won't have internet again until I'm back in the U.S. So I guess this is good-bye and thanks for following my adventures, everyone! It's been an experience, to say the least.

Peace and love.

UGANDA | On religious epiphanies, IJM and really good potato salad

I had no idea that anyone was actually still reading this until today, which gave me a little motivation to try and keep at it. After all, only 3 weeks til I'm home!

Last week was my final week of classes. Thursday, I had my last class in African Traditional Religions and we discussed religious pluralism. That class has been the biggest joke all semester, and I'm taking it Pass/Fail so I've basically had no motivation to put forth any effort, but our last class was amazing. We talked about different arguments surrounding religious plurality and it was basically an answered prayer. I've been struggling a lot with the idea that if my God is truly a loving and just God, why would he choose me to be born in to the wealthiest nation in the world while so many are suffering? More than that, why would he give me the opportunity to be saved and continue my Christian walk never having to worry about persecution while others don't have those luxuries? And would I still be a Christian had I been born into Hindu India or Buddhist China?

Anyway, one of the arguments was called the "inclusivist argument" which basically says that God, revealed through Christ, is universally accessible in all religions. Basically, salvation through Christ can be found in all religions, even if believers don't recognize Him as the driving force. I ADORE this theory. Not only does it give credibility to all religions (because who am I to say that my religion is the "right" religion?) but it allows all of God's children to have the opportunity to find salvation through Jesus Christ. I know a lot of Christians may have a problem with this idea, but it's something I've believed for a very long time and it was amazing to finally find out that not only do other people believe it as well, but there's an actual term for it!

Saturday, Katy S, Bea and I went into Kampala hoping to find some market that everyone had been talking about. We never ended up finding it, but we did have the most PHENOMENAL lunch at Cafe Pap. It was totally an American meal (as opposed to a Ugandan take on an American meal which we've grown much too accustomed to when attempting to eat out). I had a veggie sandwich, potato salad and ganache for dessert. My mouth is watering just remembering it!

Decades-themed Goodbye Party with the Honors College before we depart for Rwanda

Easter Sunday was incredibly uneventful. I didn't even make it to Church because I've had a cold since Saturday and felt like death. Yep, I'm sick again. Story of my life here. The highlight of my day was finishing my religion paper that was due Monday. I've really been struggling trying not to buy food with my limited budget these last few weeks, because I'm about to scream if I have to eat rice and beans for one more meal. I digress.

Monday night, I had dinner with Walter, a Ugandan acquaintance. We haven't really talked that much the entire semester, but we met when I found out he was the founder and President of UCU's campus chapter of IJM. I can't even put into words how amazing and inspiring our conversation was. I've been getting really pessimistic and negative being here, just because I've realized how helpless I am, and how close to hopeless the situation in Uganda is. But talking to him was just a reminder of why I came in the first place. He's a law student trying to get into corporate law, but his main passion is justice for his people (his words). He's founded his IJM campus chapter, recruited about 400 students to join (as opposed to Eastern's 20) and trained 32 in the field. He's also worked in Eastern Uganda campaigning for sexual purity and has reached about 1000 kids promoting his message. Oh, but it gets better. He's the oldest in his family, and is able to attend UCU through a Compassion sponsorship, so he knows all too well about what it means to go hungry and is one of the most Godly people I've ever met. I can't say enough about him. He's also written a book, and is hoping to have it published in the next year or two, God willing.

I'm pretty sure he's my new role model. I think I've boasted long enough about him and this is getting pretty lengthy. Anyway, pray for my final exam tomorrow and for the rest of the papers I have to write. Everything is due by the 22nd. Then 5:00 am on the 23rd we're shipping out to Rwanda!

Thanks guys, for giving me so much love and support and for continuing to read my word vomit. Love you lots!

UGANDA | Safari Weekend at Queen Elizabeth Wildlife Reserve

Hello All!

I know, I know. I'm the worst blogger ever, but life is crazy! I don't have too much time, but I thought I'd get everyone up to date on what I've been up to the past couple weeks.

I think I mentioned previously I was pretty sick. I had recurring strep throat for 3 weeks. It was awful. Thankfully, one of my fellow USP girls, Esther, brought antibiotics specifically for strep. She was kind enough to share with me and I am now happy to say I'm so much better!

Last weekend was our safari weekend. We drove 11 hours on Friday, spent 7 hours in the car looking for animals on Saturday then drove 10 hours back on Sunday. Clearly, there was a lot of time spent on the road, and I discovered I have pretty bad motion sickness, but I'd have to say it was worth it. The scenery was beyond amazing, and the animals weren't bad either. It was like I stepped right into the Lion King!

Bad news: Monday night something pretty scary happened. A man rumored to have been caught stealing was wrapped in car tires and burned alive right outside the campus gates. No one from UCU was involved, but it's still pretty unnerving that it happened in such close proximity. Uganda still heavily relies on a system of mob justince and it was absolutely unreal to hear about it actually being put into practice.

This week is my last week of classes! Even though tomorrow is Good Friday, we have to make up for missing classes last week for the safari. Then I have absolutely no plans for Easter weekend besides doing TONS of work. I've never had this much work to do- it's insane! Next week I think I only have two finals, but the amount of paper-writing I have definitely makes up for it. I'm going to be a busy little (Kaity)Bee! Aside from buckling down and getting lots of work done, I'm planning on making one last trip into Kampala to buy the rest of my souvenirs and possibly dye my hair. It's so cheap to do here, I'm definitely considering doing it before I go home. I'd also like to make another visit to my Mukono host family.

I think that gets everyone caught up for the most part. Sorry it's so vague.  I took lots of pictures on the safari, but the internet is very uncooperative in uploading them, so for now you'll all just to use your imaginations. I might not even worry about uploading them until I get home (*updated to say, I finally managed to upload them!)

Anyway, love and miss you all so much. Almost 3 weeks left!