Birthday Showers

So, it has been about forever since I've posted, but nothing too blog worthy seems to have come up recently. I decided to write about my African birthday experience, because it's definitely one to remember!

To start off my birthday, when I went to bed on Saturday night, my roomie had put a sign on my door for me that said "Happy Birthday Taui." Also, on my bed she left me a note and a pair of earrings as a gift! It was the cutest thing ever!! :)


One tradition started here by Honors College is the showering of the birthday people. Basically, they lock the birthday person/persons in their rooms until the group can fill buckets with water and soap enough to "shower" someone in. This year, it so happened that not only did I have a birthday on the 21st, but 2 other guys from Honors College. So, Ambrose who was target #1 got locked in his room while the water was collected. I came down to partake in the showering of Ambrose thinking they would just not shower me. However, while Ambrose was getting showered, a few guys ran behind me and got me too. I was not expecting it at all, but it was funny when all was said and done. There was a 3rd person named Charles who didn't mention it was his birthday so a huge group of us took him down to the fountain in the middle of campus and threw him in! After this, about 15 of us just had a massive water fight for about an hour. It was a great way to spend the morning of my birthday :)

When I came in from my birthday shower, I found in my room waiting for me 2 huge vases of flowers and a note with my name on it. It turns out my wonderful boyfriend (Reuben Gay) worked out to send me flowers all the way in Africa!! Talk about commitment! It seriously made my whole day and I am soo grateful to have such a great guy in my life.

After that fun little surprise, a group of friends and I went to a nearby hotel to go swimming. It was a great afternoon spent swimming, eating, and chatting with friends. Since I love sun and water this was a fantastic way to spend my afternoon.

One of my Ugandan friends named Brendah decided to take me out for dinner as a gift to me. I was super pumped because of course I love food! We went to a fancy little hotel place and had a gorgeous meal. The power went out in the middle of our meal though and we got to eat by candlelight. How romantic-haha. It was a great evening with her!

Overall, it was a pretty chill day, but I got to spend it with friends and participate in some crazy traditions. I was greeted that day with all sorts of gifts from friends and it just felt so nice to be cared for like that here :)

Roomie Love

Taxi ride to a fun day in Kampala
Fatties @ heart. Eating ice cream like it's our job.
Twinks @ a basketball game. :)

This is my blog dedicated to my lovely roommate: Jen Moffit.

I am still trying to figure out how they paired roommates here in Africa, because it seems so random. A lot of us were paired with people who seem quite different from us, but we all manage to get along so well. Jen and I are different in so many ways, but we are super close. She is very quiet and introverted. If you know me, I am the exact opposite of this. She loves meeting new people, but has a hard time doing that. She is a music major, specifically voice and piano. She also plays the guitar a little. This is a major bond for us since I love music, specifically singing. We play and sing together a lot, which creates great quality time together! Since we are so different, we balance each other out and get to experience some amazing things together. I am so thankful for such a great friend in my life. It is fun to meet new people and living with someone creates a whole new dynamic to a friendship. We get to lead worship together for various events on campus and for different USP programs. We will be leading worship together on November 30th for our community worship! I am super pumped about this experience and even more excited that I get to share it with my roomie. We have a blast everyday and both loveeeeeee to eat, so you know that makes for a great connection! haha. It is nice to have someone to go to and talk with about any of lives problems or joys. We have gotten extremely close and I enjoy being able to have a good friend away from home.

Well, that is a little bit about me and my roomie, I hope you have enjoyed it! :)

A week in the life...

I realized I have talked a lot about the fun experiences I am having here in Uganda, but I've never really talked about what a normal week looks like for me. I think most people think I am off running wild with lions and zebras and doing all sorts of crazy African things, but it's just not true. In fact, I haven't even seen any lions!! But, I did manage to see a few zebras one day when we were driving somewhere. College life here looks surprisingly similar to college life in America. So, while this may not be that exciting to read about, read it anyways!! :)


Monday: I have a class called Faith and Action, which looks a lot at the differences between African Christianity and American Christianity. We also explore different aspects of life and have read some really awesome books about Christianity. This class is required of all the students in my program. It doesn't start until 10:45 though so I get to sleep in, even in Africa. After class, we go for lunch which is chaos because there are soooo many people here. Also, we are the only white students so of course everyone stares-per usual. Then, I have a break until my African Literature class at 4. I usually nap or do homework or just hang with people around campus. In my African Literature class, we read poems or short stories and discuss themes and characters. It's very similar to the Literature class I took at Greenville already, but it is fun to see how different African authors write in comparison to American ones. Classes are pretty simple here and if you just show up and speak a lot, you will get an A. Not to mention life is graded on a 20 point scale here so 80-100 is an A!! Monday nights I don't do much of anything, like my normal life in America. I do homework or get online or hang with friends. We have a curfew of 8pm, so I can't go off campus after that point. It really puts a damper on life, haha.

Tuesday: I don't have class until 11 am, so yet again I get to sleep in! However, life here starts at about 6 am, so sleeping in can be quite a challenge sometimes. I have a class called African Traditional Religion(ATR) and this is probably my least favorite class. We just learn about African religions and what they consist of-sound impressive?! After this class, we have community worship which is chapel. It goes for about an hour and is actually pretty fun. However the messages are not my favorite and usually seem to attack America/Americans a lot or homosexuals(I won't even get into that). The music is really fun and interactive though. Then, I got to lunch at 1 and at 1:30 I head to my internship. It takes almost an hour to get to Salama and by the time we get there, the kids are super pumped to see us. I stay at Salama till about 5:30 or 5:45pm. My day there is basically filled with playing with the kids, reading books to them, and doing laundry. When I get back, I usually am ready for a shower because I most likely got peed on or worse-ha. I go to supper after that and then at 7:30 I have choir practice until 9:30ish. Then, I attempt to do homework or get online.

Wednesday: This is my day off-kind of. I don't have any classes on Wednesdays, but I do go to my internship. I leave for that around 12:15 and leave at like 5:15ish. My day there is similar to Tuesdays and sometimes I go out to the garden as well. When I get back, I usually don't do much either and just hang around. Nights here are pretty similar to my nights in America. I will watch a movie or hang around with friends.

Thursday: I have class on Thursday at 8:30am and it's my ATR class again. This class goes for 2 hours and is probably the longest 2 hours of my life! When it's over, I like to nap because waking up that early is too much for me-haha. I don't have class again until 2, so I try and get homework done in between there. I usually have lunch and then go to Literature class. After this class, I go to tea time which occurs 2 different times in the day. There is break tea which is 10-11 every morning and then 4-5 is the afternoon tea. Thursday nights I usually go get rolexes from a canteen off campus. Rolexes are chapati with eggs in them. It's like a tortilla filled with an omelet. :) So greasy, but so delicious! I have choir from 7:30-9:30ish again also. Choir here is so interesting because it involves us writing down the words and then they sing it for us and we just have to get it. It is quite a different experience than America. Also, when they teach us songs in Luganda, that is an exciting time.

Friday: I only have 1 class on Friday which is my Faith and Action class again. It is from 8:30-10:30, which I love because then I have the rest of the day free. We usually head to Kampala after class and shop around and go to different markets there. It takes about an hour to get there and only cost 1,000 shillings which equals about 50 cents. :) Lately, we have been going to our school basketball games which happen in Kampala too. This is hectic and probably some of the most awkward moments in my life here. Me and my few friends who go are the only white people in a huge stadium of black men. Basically, we are watched like pieces of meat-so fun....NOT! However, it is fun to see how involved people are here with sporting events.

Saturday: I usually just hang around and don't do much. If I stay with my host family, we go to church in Kampala on Saturdays. This usually turns into an all day event and I don't get back until like 8 pm. We go to church which is about 4 hours and then we have lunch at church. Then, we usually shop around or get whatever we might need for the next week. Downtown Kampala is probably one of the scariest places I've ever been in my life. Between traffic, boda bodas, people, and creepy men, it's enough to make anyone cry, haha. However, it is fun to see all the stores and shops and people.

Sunday: This is my sleep day/homework day/skype day. I sleep in as late as possible, which is usually only till about 9 or 9:30am. Then, I basically do homework most of the day and at night skype with people. The internet is the best, because most people are off campus. I spend a lot of time hanging with friends here and am really developing some close bonds. This makes it all the harder to leave when the time arrives, but I am soooo thankful for all of my amazing friends.

Well, that is a week of my life in a nutshell. Of course all of these days are subject to change and the weekends have been filled with some pretty crazy/random adventures. I am having the time of my life here and will be sad to go. I am blessed to even be able to come here and have such great experiences. :)

Bush Life

Top: Papa, Me, Alayna
Right: Gilbert-uncle/brother
Alayna-my sister :)























Bridget-my great niece



So, this post is way late, but life always busy here. As some of you know and others don't, I went for a week to live in the bush of Africa. Now, when I say bush I don't just mean some random area in Africa, I mean a literal home surrounded by bush and grass taller than me. I felt like I was in The Lion King on most occasions-(yes I did sing songs from the movie too). Half of our group went to a place in the mountains called Kapchorwa and the rest of us went to Soroti. I got place in Soroti with one of the coordinators of the program. His name is Stephen and was great to have for a papa. I was super nervous about going and honestly trying to find a way out of it, but in the end I am glad I had such an experience. Now, before I get into all the fun/crazy details, I'd like to say although I did not particularly like this rural home stay, I am thankful for my family and the different life I was able to experience.

Overview of Rural Life:

Life in the bush is quite quite different than life in other parts of Africa and definitely America. I was honestly scared out of my mind to go, because I thought people were gonna be running around naked or something and cutting chicken's heads off! Well, it was not that extreme once I actually got there, but there was a whole list of new struggles that I encountered. Ironically I did end up killing a rooster! And let me tell you, this was the biggest rooster I have ever seen. It was the saddest/most disgusting/most exciting thing of my life!! For dinner that night I didn't eat it though because I felt too bad and I did apologize to the rooster and Jesus.haha.

So, they didn't tell us until the morning of our home stays that we would need to learn another language, because theses people don't speak Luganda; they speak Ateso. GREAT! Just what I want to hear as I already don't want to go on this little excursion. Well, I got my cheat sheet and actually picked up Ateso quite fast. My papa taught me some phrases the first night that I would need to know to greet my elders, people at church, children, etc. He also told me that after tonight, (Saturday Oct. 23rd), that I was no longer a guest but a member of the family. Little did I know what that actually meant, but not to worry I found out real quick the next day! Sunday morning I had to iron some man's clothes for him as he was a guest at our house and apparently has no hands of his own(sarcasm). That was an interesting experience because I used what they call a box iron, which is a metal box shaped like an iron with hot coals in it that iron out your clothes. At church I had to kneel to every person who is significantly older than me, which turned out to be almost the entire congregation. The proper greeting is to say kneel while shaking their hand and saying "Yoga papa" or "Yoga toto." It means "Hi, father or Hi, mother." I felt so awkward doing this and wished I could just go home. I know it's not the worst thing in the world and that I need to respect their culture, but this was seriously a challenge for me. The best news I received all week was that I was going to get a "sister" from the program. One of the girls in our group was placed with a family, but there was a death at her host family the first night so she got to come live with us for the whole week. I have to say, thank Jesus for Alayna-my little 'sister' or I would not have survived my week! haha.

For the rest of the week, Alayna and I knelt our way through life while serving everyone we came into contact with. At some points I felt a little like a slave, except obviously not on a huge scale. I already have a hard time responding well to male authority figures and this just made it worse. Surprisingly Alayna has similar feelings, so we both felt annoyed by this experience. Our compound consisted of 4 huts which were inhabited by my 3 uncles and my papa. The house we had was for me, Alayna, my aunt/mama, niece, and great niece. Also, tata or grandma lived in a hut nearby. We had one last hut that was the kitchen hut and always filled with smoke so I tried never to enter it-we called it our charcoal hell. haha!

The rest of my week was a routine of waking up at the butt crack of dawn-literally. We would go to bed sweaty so most nights we had to sleep naked under 2 different mosquito nets, which was a task in itself, lol. Also, we got to go braless for the whole week!! Showing off your knees is more risque than showing your boobs-fun times. We also tried to go shoeless, but they didn't like that very much. Apparently American feet can't handle the earth-ha. If we weren't out of bed by 7 or 7:30am, they didn't like it. We would spend 3+ hours in the garden most days in the blazing heat before breakfast and showers. This was horrible, sweaty, and simply not fun. Breakfast was never at the same time, if it even happened at all. We always had milk tea, but food was random. We were required to take 2 baths a day and for those of you who know me know that even 1 a day is a bit too much for me, haha! So, sometimes we would lie and just go in the "shower" and take our shirts off or something and splash water around. Can't say it's one of my proudest moments, but it happened :) Afternoons we could rest for a bit, but it was too hot in the house to sleep, so we would just lay and sweat. If we layed outside, they would just stare at us or make us do something. Plus, we had cows, goats, turkeys, dogs, and every other animal running rampid on a daily basis. I did however get to milk some cows, which is a lot freaking harder than it looks(still fun). Evenings we had tea, supper, another bath, and helped with whatever chores there were. One of the fun parts of my stay was meeting my uncle/brother named Gilbert. He is only 19 and is technically my uncle but it's weird since he's younger than me so I call him my brother. He kept Alayna and I pretty occupied and turned out to be a lot of fun! When the end of the week came, I was sad to leave him and my niece Carro and her daughter Bridget, but I was a little happy to leave. It was an intense week of culture shock, but I am glad I got the opportunity. I realize this is not as detailed as it could be, but to recap the week would take way too long. This was my overall experience and it was a whole mix of emotions! I was definitely happy to be back to campus after all that.

For Saturday and Sunday (10-30 and 10-31), our program took us to Sipi Falls. We stayed at a resort there and got to hike into the mountains and see waterfalls. These waterfalls were amazing and I got to take a natural shower in one because we went to the base of it. I have to say this was one of the best experiences in Africa so far! There is nothing like standing under a waterfall and seeing a rainbow in the distance to really feel God. It was the perfect end to a not so perfect week.

New

When I have been a victim of familiarity
When my heart has fallen into sleep
Healing is the voice that awakens me And it is you

You take an ordinary day And turn it into flowers like the month of May
Yes you do
You see all my pain
You cry over it for hours till I'm new again

Sometimes I think it takes a whole new world to truly understand who you are. It wasn't until I came to Africa that I was hit with some realities I was choosing to ignore back home. I am finding myself sooooo on fire for God, yet I can't seem to grasp what is out there for me. I read my Bible, I pray more than I have for the majority of my life, I worship him through song by myself and with others, and I have daily conversations with friends about our faith walks. For some reason, I can't feel it though. It seems like perhaps my heart has fallen into sleep. Maybe I am missing something that everyone else has figured out?! I found that I was getting upset with myself when I first got to Africa because I thought, God is gonna work in such amazing ways that I can't help but see him. Well, that was not always the case and I think I was hurt because part of me felt let down. I don't look for big miracles, but secretly I think that's what I expect.

However, as time goes on, I am learning to appreciate all of the little things God is showing me. I am learning to truly be thankful for my family and friends-here and in America. I wouldn't say I am a person to take advantage of others, but I just think I am learning to appreciate all the amazing people I have in my life as time goes on. Not to mention, being thankful for such a great experience as this. For most people, including myself, this is a once in a lifetime trip! As time goes on, God is revealing himself to me in ways I never thought possible. He is honestly blowing my mind! His healing voice is the one that is slowly waking my heart up to see what He has for my life. I still find it hard sometimes to really get something out of what I read, but I am finding other ways to connect with God instead. One of those ways is through other people. I am someone who loves to be around others, so this proves to be one of the best ways for me to grow closer to God as well as others. I want to live this life that is most importantly pleasing to God but also to others and I am now finding out that I am able to do that. I am learning that God meets us right where we are at. He isn't trying to move me somewhere I am not prepared to go.

I am falling more and more in love with Him as the days go on. I no longer want to be stuck in what is familiar to me. I want to dive in head first to brand new experiences and not be afraid of the outcome! I am ready to explore my life and follow God wherever he takes me. I would not say Africa has changed me, but has simply opened up my eyes a bit more to what life is really like and what it can be. I am learning striving towards God is never an easy process, but definitely worth it. That I am someone who is very dependent on others when it comes to my faith and I need to be more dependent on God than anyone else. That being alone and silent is not always a bad thing. I am amazed and impressed everyday that I get to wake up to a new day and have new experiences with God who loves me for who and what I am, even if that's not perfect.


"You make me new"

Circumcision

The "doctor" who is in the white shirt with black jacket and his crew.
Mud attack!
Sunset on the walk down the mountain.
Not even half of the people that attended walking down the mountain.


Well, I am pretty sure that I am getting my money's worth coming to Africa! If going to Rwanda didn't do it, seeing a circumcision definitely took the cake. Last weekend, (10/9-10/10), most of our group headed to Mbale for a class field trip. All we knew was that we were going to see a circumcision, but I don't think we truly knew what we were heading to.

We left early in the morning for a 3 hour drive to Mbale and stayed at a college campus there. We had tea, breakfast, listened to a speaker for about an hour talk about how a circumcision ritual is done, lunch right after, then off to the adventure of a lifetime! We drove in a huge bus and 1 van as far as we could go before the mud hindered out travel. It had been raining heavily for the past 3 days and the village that we went to was filled with muddy trails. By the time we actually reached the top, we had hiked about 5 miles UP a mountain in ankle deep mud. Most of the people in our group wiped out and were covered in mud. Even those of us who didn't fall were magically covered in mud. We got to the top sweaty, muddy, and out of breath and gathered around a group of men. This group consisted of the "doctor" who would be performing the ceremony and then other random helpers and family members. The boy who was going to be circumcised was only 14 years old. That seems old when it's in terms of what he is about to experience, but young in terms of calling someone a man. He was rushed up the mountain by about 10ish men and shoved in the middle of this circle of a bunch of Mzungus(us), hundreds of small children, and a bunch of other village people. The 1st cut was the cutting of the foreskin. The "doctor" did that and it was over before I even realized what was happening. After that was cut off, the boy was sent to run 6 miles!!! After he ran, he came back to the circle and they cut 2 more times. He then had to run another 6 miles!! The boy was not allowed to make any noises or cry and I am honestly surprised how well he did. After it was all over, he looked at all us Mzungus and laughed and danced. It was so funny to me that he was the one in pain, but he was laughing at us because we were so shocked/disgusted/amazed. It was a bloody, graphic sight to see, but interesting also.

When everything was said and done, the people rejoiced and drums were played, everyone danced, and we had a big dance party on top of the muddy mountain! I would say that it was a neat experience to have, but that I would not want to see it again-haha. I don't necessarily agree with this tradition, but I respect them for it. Now, after our amazing dance party, we had to get back down the mountain. This was proving to be more of a challenge than walking up the mountain. 1. The mud was worse from sooo many people walking up the mountain. 2. It was starting to rain. 3. It was getting dark 4. There were more people walking down than we had originally seen walking up 5. African men get mighty grabby when night comes! haha. A lot of people fell again on the way down, but I was a champion and never fell! We got back a little after dark and I'm not gonna lie, it was a bit scary. But, we survived to tell about it and the mud definitely made for a better story.

Mukono Homestay

Me and mama making chapati. Our fun chore together :)
My mama and papa supporting Greenville and Freeport!


For 2 weeks in September, we were all given the opportunity to stay with families in Mukono town. Me and my fellow students in the USP program were divided among families that live as close as 3 minutes outside of campus and up to an hour away(walking distance). Most of us were placed by ourselves, but a few students got another student with them because of limited families. I was fortunate enough to be placed alone and I am so happy that it worked out that way. I think I was able to interact better with my family and it forced me to be outside of my comfort zone and find a way to deal with it without the help of others.

So, here is a little background on my family before I get started with my actual experience. My mama and papa are called Robert and Jememiah. Random side note: People call my mama Aunt Jememiah, which makes me laugh because of the syrup. She never heard of it before so I told her about it and bought her a bottle :) Anyways, my papa is 31 and my mama is 32, which is rare because most men in Africa may wayyyy younger than them. They are different areas of Uganda, which created a little difficulty between the families when they got married. They celebrated their 5 year wedding anniversary the day I arrived there with them on September 11. That day it rained, which apparently is a sign of good luck when you have a guest and it rains. Also, the next day, my mama's family came over to celebrate their anniversary with them, but it was a total surprise. I guess it's also good luck when unexpected visitors come when you have a new guest, so they call me their good luck charm now! :) I have a unique family compared to most because they are still very young and they have no children. Most of my friends had siblings and older parents closer to our real parent's ages. Also, my mama is in a wheelchair and has been for most of her life. She got polio as a young girl and it damaged her legs. This is a huge deal because crippled people are not looked at very highly in society here. My papa's family didn't even attend the wedding because they were upset that he was marrying her. My mama is a wonderful lady who does so much despite her disability. They got pregnant a couple of years ago and last November ended up losing their 1st baby during child birth. I didn't know much about that situation because I was too scared to bring it up, but eventually my mama talked with me about it and she has a surprisingly great attitude towards the whole thing. Of course it was a horrible situation, but they are trusting in God to bring another child to their life. My parents work mostly from home, my mama sews any and everything, but her specialty is bags/purses. My papa is a weaver and has a workshop with looms that he makes place mats and matching table runners. They are both very talented and hard-working people. Like most families, they also sell things right from their home, like vegetables and fruits, or whatever they happen to be making that day. I had a very unique home situation in this way, but I think it made for an experience that I'll never forget.

A brief overview of my 2 weeks at my new home in Africa: I was super nervous about staying with a family for 2 weeks, but was also pumped to experience a different part of Africa. We went there on Saturday morning of September 11. My papa picked me up and we had about a 25 minute walk back to my home. We chatted quite a bit and he asked a lot of questions to make me feel more comfortable. It was a pretty easy connection with him because he is young, so I felt like I was talking with my big bro back in America. He gave me a little history on their life and the loss of their baby. I mostly left all the information he told me about them at that because I wasn't sure if it would be appropriate to bring up in front of my mama. When we got home I was welcomed very warmly by my mama and 2 "aunties," but it was a bit awkward. That weekend was filled with awkward tension and a lot of silence on my part. I went to church with my papa right when I got to my home stay because they are 7th day Adventists and they go on Saturdays. My family mostly speaks Luganda, so I sat in the kitchen with them but didn't talk since I don't know the language. My mama didn't really speak to me for the 1st like 4ish days, but she was never mean. She just watched me a lot and I think was mostly trying to figure me out before she opened herself up. However, after she opened up to me, we had a blast! She feels like my best friend here and we talk about any and everything! She always calls me "my sweet" which is my little nickname from her. My family has hosted 4 or 5 other girls before me, so they often talked about them. It was neat to hear the different stories of the girls and see how different we all are.

I learned a lot from my family, but most importantly how to be a great African wife, haha. I learned how to cook some traditional meals(mainly chapati) and how to make different fruit juices. I learned to make my bed, which of course I know how to do-haha but it's super important to do here before you leave the house. Also, I learned how to wash my hands and feet properly. My family also taught me some random words in Luganda in order to help me out in everyday life. My papa taught me words to help ward off men, haha. Our favorite family word is"Wolokoso" which is meaning for like rumors or gossip. It's a slang word and kind of a running joke in my household. We also love to sit around and compare how Americans speak English as compared to Ugandans. We make fun of the way words are said and we entertain ourselves for hours this way. I honestly laugh at my home stay for hours on end and it is nice because I feel more at home that way. I know I am loved and my family treats me as one of their own, as well as all the neighbors. I feel silly for being nervous about the experience and not trusting that God would blow my expectations, as he always does. I am truly blessed to have such a great family here and a place to call my own on those days when I need to get away. I was able to go to a farmers market with my family at the butt crack of dawn one of the days. It was a crazy experience full of fruits, vegetables, and people! It was miles of people crowded! I was very overwhelmed but glad I got experience that. On the way there, we had to take a taxi and our driver hit a boda boda man and I thought we were gonna get shot! It was a scary time in life, but makes for great stories :) Also, on Fridays my family sells their crafts at a market in Kampala. I was able to go with one Friday and experience what that was like. It was a blast! I am getting a great view of the many aspects of Africa.

Now that my home stay has been over, I have visited my family multiple times and I stayed the night a week ago. This week, I am going to be staying 2 nights with them as well. I am going to try and stay at least once a week, simply to keep up my relationship and because I miss them a lot when I don't go there often. It is always such a warm welcome when I return and I love that feeling. There are 3 little girls who live next to us and they always get so excited to see me! I am greeted with hugs almost every time. They love to have someone to play with them and be crazy! I have however been bit like 6 times by them, haha, but it's still fun. This home stay has been a great adventure for me and I am so thankful for a wonderful family :)