Walking in My Bjorndals

6:45 am wake up to the sound of chickens clucking their heads off outside my bedroom window, lay in bed until I can’t take the pain of my bladder -almost ready to burst- any longer, grab my TP, unlock my bedroom door, reach the main entrance to the house, unlock that if it is still locked, walk outside (mind you- in my nightgown) trying to get to the toilet without being seen, impossible, there is a group of five men building a new chicken coop, try not to make eye contact as I  sneak into the latrine, do my business, walk out of the latrine, again trying to dodge looks from the builders, retreat back into the house, back into my bed, under my mosquito net, try to fall back asleep until 7:30 or so (depending on the day).

Climb back out of bed, grab my towel and head to the bath room, fill my basin up with water, approximately 3 inches, dunk my head into the basin, use a cup to try to get all of my hair wet, grab some shampoo and suds up the hair, dunk my head back into the basin and use a cup to try to get all of the shampoo out (not sure how well this works because I am using the soapy water to rinse my hair, oh well), grab my towel, try to dry my hair with a little bit of manual labor, comb my hair out, put in some mouse, try to get my hair somewhat under control, dump the basin of water down the small drain, squeegee the water that I somehow managed to get EVERYWHERE toward the drain, head back to the bedroom, get dressed, pour myself some tea in the dining room, head back to bedroom, make my bed, clean up whatever mess I have made, pack up my things for school, head back out to the dining room, drink my tea, eat a hardboiled egg or two (sometimes choking them down), head to the bathroom, brush my teeth, grab my things for school, head out the door.

8:30am (or so) Walk the 20 minutes to school, pass the kids, wave as they yell mzungu!, walk the curved path littered with goats, try to dodge goat droppings also littering the path, get a little adventurous and try out a new path that MIGHT be a short cut, SCORE- it is!, start up the hill, start sweating, try to stay as far to the left of the road as possible to try to stay IN the shade and OUT of the way of vehicles, reach the top of the hill, do a little victory dance inside my head, enter the UCU gate, greet the gatemen, start the walk down hill, reach the drinking water dispenser, fill up my nalgene, head toward the IMME quarters (two VERY small rooms where 21 of us try to get all of our school work done), do some check of the email, some reading and other such school work, go to class.

1:00pm lunch hour, madness begins, head toward the small dining hall with the HUGE mass of other students, get in line, wait, hand over my meal card, receive my check mark for the day, matoke- pass, posho- pass, rice- yes please, beans-yes, on a good day we are surprised with fish, a banana or pineapple! Now my plate is full, time to look for a seat, OH WAIT there are NONE, all 5,000 of us cant sit down to eat at once, keep my eyes peeled for anyone who looks like they are getting up to leave a table, Jill spots a quick opening, we hurry over, hoping we snatch the seat up before any others, greet a bunch of random people, maybe ask them their names-chances are I won’t ever come into contact with them again, eat my food, finish quickly, get up from the table and already people are trying to sit in your seat, pile my tray on top of hundreds of others in one large bin, throw my fork in another, no trash- we don’t use napkins here, head down the steps and away from the madness.

1:30pm-ish A little free time, go to IMME quarters, do some reading, checking of the email, prepare for class, head to class, sit through class, classes end (usually around 5 I am done), head to the quarters, do some more reading and school work, also some checking of email (by this time it is morning at home and I SHOULD have at least an email from mom), pack up my things and head home around 6 pm with my walking friend Abigail.

6:15pm-ish Stop at the toilets, stop at the water dispenser, head up toward the gate, say good evening to the gatemen, out the gate, down the hill, through the NEW path, say bye to Abigail, keep on walking, past the droppings, past the goats, wave hello to Evelyn (a young girl who stands at the gate to her house around this time almost everyday I think MAYBE just so we can have a small chat), keep walking, chickens swarm the path, crossing in front of me, I think to myself, “why DID the chicken cross the road?” (sometimes I just cant help but make myself laugh), pass the kids, yelling mzugu!, give a smile, give a wave, keep walking, home is in sight, turn into our compound, I have arrived!

6:45pm Home. Ida greets me first usually, “WELCOME BACK”, then past Dennis’ door, “welcome back,” Francis is taking care of the chickens, “welcome back,” into the house, maama and Sarah, “welcome back!” WOW do I feel welcomed! Talk with my host family about our days, color with Martin for a while (if he visits), head to the bathroom, do some evening bathing, fill the bucket, scrub down, scrub even more, try to get all the dirt off my feet, dump the water, down the tiny drain, squeegee the water toward the drain, change into a comfy skirt and tee shirt, have some tea, maybe some crackers or a piece of bread, collect some eggs, visit the cook, do some reading, gather for family devotions, prayer, reading of the Bible, in English, in Luganda, talk it out, what is God teaching you?, share, prayer, amen, Lords prayer, “May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the Love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, be with you all, now and forever more, amen.

9:30-10:30pm Time for dinner, fill my plate, matoke, rice, beans, cabbage, a little of this and a little of that, eat, finish first, always first, they eat sooo slow, watch them finish, thank the cook, in Luganda (be impressed I just cant spell it), clear the table, “Let us sleep” says maama, head to my room, grab the tp, better go to the bathroom before I am locked in, say good night to Ida and Dennis as I pass their rooms, in Luganda, “So la Balunge,” head back in the house, “so la balunge maama,” into my room, into the nightgown, under the mosquito net, on TOP of the sheets, its still hot, a little chit chat with Sarah, does she like Bobik or not? I am still not sure, goodnight Sarah, listen to the mosquitoes as I fall asleep usually by 11pm at the latest.

The average everyday activities of my life in Uganda- all in my Bjorndals (except when I am inside the house of course).

Weekend in Jinja

The past weekend our IMME group went to Jinja, Uganda. It was such a great weekend, full of fellowship, amazing food, relaxation, and tons of fun! We stayed at Kingfisher Safaris Resort. It was right off of Lake Victoria and absolutely beautiful! We stayed in little grass roofed huts (pictured below) that had real showers and flushing toilets! There was also a swimming pool there so a lot of us spent our free time fully emerged! It was wonderful to actually feel your whole body getting wet.

We had the chance to meet with four missionaries during our time in Jinja. We met with three who were doing prison ministry in Jinja. They had such an amazing story about God’s calling for them and His faithfulness through all their trials and preparation before coming to Uganda. The fourth missionary that we met with talked to us about the cultural differences between the West and Africa. He also took us on a devotional tour of Jinja and challenged us with questions like; Who/What are you living and searching for? What is your source of life? What will be your legacy? We also got to visit The Source Cafe (picture below) that he worked alongside. It is a neat little internet cafe that is connected to a craft shop.

 

On Saturday afternoon we had free time. A big group of us decided to go on a boat ride to the source of the Nile River (pictures below).

The group loading up onto the boats.

Abigail and I at the REAL source of the Nile. 

My friend Davis standing with the springs that supply the Nile water behind him. I don’t know if you can really see the springs but the water was bubbling in the area surrounding the small island we stopped at. 

B-E-A-UTIFUL view on the Nile. The clouds were amazing! The water was so smooth and tranquil where we were, it was like we were sliding across glass.

 

Our driver, Emmy, caught a huge fish with his bare hands out of the Nile. It was amazing!

 

On Sunday we went to a Church and our group was in charge of the service. One of the guys from our group shared and we all sang a song for the Church. While a friend and I were making our way to the bathroom between the first and second service we were stopped and asked to occupy the Sunday school class. We hung out with the kids for a little until the teacher came but then she asked us to stay and visit. We helped them memorize a Bible verse and then we all sang some songs together. They were full of so much energy and you could see the love of Jesus overflowing. They were amazing. The children also put on a performance for the entire congregation. I have it on video and will hopefully post it in the next day or so. I loved it and I think you will too.

This weekend also roughly marked Jill and I’s one year anniversary in friendship. :) We celebrated by splitting a Hawaiian pizza with ham and pineapple AND chocolate milkshakes! YUMMY! I am so blessed to have Jill here with me! It has been so much fun experiencing life in Uganda together!

a new Alma Mater: Uganda Christian University

main entrance to campus

I just finished my second week of classes here at UCU. The class schedule has FINALLY been made official after changing around five times in the last two weeks. The organization of the schedule is VERY different from back home at Bluffton. My classes aren’t scheduled in what I would think of as “rational” with certain classes on MWF and others on T/TH. Everyday I have a different combination of classes, at different times during the day,

I am taking a total of five classes here that amount to 16 credit hours. Four of my classes are USP students only which doesn’t result in much interaction with Ugandan students. Two of these four classes are taught by Ugandan profs which has been somewhat of a challenge for me because they can be hard to understand at times which makes it easy for me to get distracted. I do however find my prof for African Lit. who sounds like Yoda (which I think increases the difficulty in understanding him) very entertaining so class isn’t too terrible. :) My other two classes with the USP students are my “core” classes: Faith and Action in the Ugandan Context and IMME Practicum. Both of theses classes are set up in a seminar/discussion format. Basically we do a lot of reading and then come to class to discuss what we found insightful or challenging and how it applies to our life. I am learning a lot from both these classes but I am not impressed with the emphasis on participation. A lot of times I would rather just observe and absorb the deep intellectual thoughts that my classmates are bringing up rather than risking the chance of saying something that sounds dumb. The class that I DO have with Ugandan students is Understanding Worldviews. I was really nervous for this class because I didn’t know any other USP student that was going to be in the same lecture time as me. My professor ended up being American so I wasn’t the ONLY muzungu in the building. This class has given me a good opportunity to interact with Ugandan students and make some new friends. I am really enjoying the class and learning about worldviews from this different perspective (bc the class is designed for African students).

One of the perks of the Ugandan Education system is the grading scale. Are you ready for this?

85-100= A       75-79= B+     65-69= B-       55-59= C     0-49= F

80-84 = A-      70-74 = B      60-64= C+      50-54= C-

So… yeah luckily they will be sending my grade letters back home and not the percentages. I think this is pretty awesome. I guess they could be tougher when it comes to grading so that could changed things. Only time will tell.

main classroom building

 

the parade of students from Chapel to the dinning hall (much like Bluffton)

Jill using a tray at lunch!! How dare she??? Bluffton friends would NOT approve!

 

 

USP class room and some friends

 

 

I am leaving shortly for a weekend trip to Jinja! We are going to visit with some missionaries and we will get to see the source of the Nile! Keep us in your prayers as we travel! Hope you all have a great weekend! LOVE

Family

Maama Joyce Serukenya. This is my mom. She works as a secretary at the Anglican Church that we attend. The end. 

Joannah. This is my sister. She is 29 years old and currently unemployed. She loves to cook and sleep. During the day she helps out around the house with the chickens, the cooking, and the cleaning. She is pretty quiet and very observant.

Sarah. This is my sister/cousin. She is 21 years old and is involved with ministries at the Church. She used to take classes at UCU but she had to stop taking classes because she doesn’t have the money. She spends her days visiting friends and helping out around the house. She is fun.

 

Shakira. This is a new neighbor girl that I met over the weekend. She is nine years old and has two siblings that she promises to bring over next time she visits. She is very outgoing and loves talking with me in English. She is VERY smart and I think our new friendship makes little Martin jealous.

 

Martin. He is the son of the man who helps out with the chickens (I may have already mentioned this). As you can see Martin lost his front tooth, or part of it.

 

My Family (minus Dennis). Back (L-R): Joannah, Maama, Ida. Front: Sarah and Me. Sorry about the poor quality.

Picture Post #2

Okay so I decided there are rules for those of you who visit my blog. Well, there is just one rule that I will call the RED DIRT RULE (because the dirt is red in Uganda).

THE RED DIRT RULE: If you read my blog OR even just look at the pictures you MUST leave me a comment. This way I know who is looking and so I feel the love. Thanks.

 

The family room in our house (Martin in the background turning on the light for me).

This essentially is my bathroom. The yellow jerry can hold the water that I then pour into the blue basin for my bath. When I am finished I dump all the water down the small drain. This is also where I brush my teeth. 

This is my bedroom that I share with my sisters, Joannah and Sarah. My bed is the one on the bottom right guarded with the mosquito net. I have made my bed every morning so far! Be impressed!

This is my little area that I have all to myself. I am basically living out of my suitcase with the exception of my skirts which are hung up on a bar that is not pictured.

 

Me and Martin. He is my new best friend here in Uganda. He LOVES my camera and does a little dance every time the flash goes off.

Jill and I are still friends. :) Some people think we are sisters because we are both from Ohio and go to Bluffton together.

Sunset view from our dinning hall on campus. LOVE IT.

Picture Post #1

I know this is a little confusing. I had to do it quick so I will try to fix it later and add more photos. Enjoy for now. :)


Picture 1:
The kitchen inside the house, we are lucky enough to have an actual stove and oven!

Picture 2:

Our Dining room table where we eat and also watch soaps. My little friend there is Martin. I like him and he likes my white skin.

Picture 3:

Our two cows on the left (which mama Joyce recently sold) and the cement building on the right is the latrin (bathroom/squatty potty).

Picture 4:
Ida taking care of some of the chickens.

Picture 5:

Our compound/courtyard area. Straigh ahead is the door to our outdoor kitchen that is basically an open firepit. To the left is the door that leads to the main part of our house.

Rwanda

My trip to Rwanda was an experience I will never forget. Going to Rawanda is most DEFINITELY a learning experience that you can’t get from the classroom or text book (Alicia) and something that is hard to explain in words. I knew very little about Rwanda’s history besides the genocide in 1994. Going there and spending a week learning about the genocide and seeing the effects of it firsthand has been both an eye opening and challenging experience. We had speakers talk about the East African Revival, the genocide, life after the genocide and the gacaca courts’ work toward reconciliation. You can still see the pain and the hurt in the eyes of the people living there and hearing their stories and testimonies breaks your heart. It is SO hard to understand how something so terrible can happen in our world today.

In addition to our speakers we also visited two memorial sites. We went to The Kigali Memorial Center and to The Nyamata Church Memorial. Although the memorials were emotionally draining I think it helped us as students get a better understanding of the genocide and made it more real (I know that doesn’t sound right but I don’t know how to explain it). What is truly amazing is the hope that the people in Rwanda have for their future. Even through all of the hurt the people have been able to work toward forgiveness and reconciliation, with some victims of the genocide living right beside the perpetrators (can you even imagine?). It is so inspiring to see how the people are working together to rebuild their country and become united. God is so good.

While we were in Kigali we also heard from several missionaries living in Rwanda who work through different organizations including, Food for the Hungry, Mission Moving Mountains, and World Relief. One of the women that we talked with has been in Rwanda for 12 years with her family. She does a lot of work in holistic development and also talked to us about business as missions. I really enjoyed our conversations with her because she helped paint a picture of what it is to be a missionary. I realized that we can’t romanticize the life of missionaries; you don’t always see instant success, it takes a lot of commitment and sometimes a lot of time in order to see progress.

To finish off our trip we went Bunyonyi Lake in Kabale, Uganda and stayed on an island there Friday night-Sunday morning. It was so beautiful and was a good time to relax and reflect on the week’s events. We had to travel to the island by boat, mind you these boats are more like canoes carved from trees, it was a little sketchy. I stayed in a cottage there with two other girls that had a beautiful view that overlooked the lake and the surrounding mountains. I spent my free afternoon on Saturday swimming in the lake with friends and trying to get some sun. Sunday we had to get up early to travel back to Mukono and prepare for classes which started yesterday (I will write more on traveling and also classes later).

The trip was a great experience and really helped us to bond as a group. I am excited about the relationships that have been made and the rest of the time we have to grow as a group. I hope to post some pictures soon (it takes a while for them to download).

Thanks for all of your prayers and for taking the time to read. Love you all.

p.s. I also LOVE comments.