Rural Home Stay

I left my rural home stay one week ago today. It was … an experience. I am glad that we had the opportunity to get a little glimpse of what life is like in another part of Uganda but I am glad to be back in Mukono.

We stayed in Karchorwa for one week. Friday to Friday. Kapchorwa is located in along the far Eastern Uganda border close to Kenya and is in the same mountain region as Mt. Elgon. It was absolutely beautiful and pictures just can not do justice to the beauty of God’s creation in this region.

views from our front gate of Mt. Tebesad

My friend Abigail and I stayed together with a woman named Maama Dorothy (aka superwoman) and her four daughters who were between the ages of five and ten. Maama’s husband works as a policeman in western Uganda, a two days journey away from Kapchorwa, so she is left to manage the house, the animals, and all the land alone. (Please note that I have never had a Ugandan “Father”- seriously what is this??) Maama also has five older children, all boys, who were either away at school or working.

me and the family

Maama was always busy doing something. The woman worked hard from sunrise to long after sunset. She was amazing. Unfortunately because Maama was always so busy we didn’t have much interaction with her the first two days. She was always running everywhere taking the cows to the pasture, the goats to graze, milking the cows, cutting down a matooke tree, bringing it back on her head, cutting up the tree to feed the cows, washing dishes, making tea, making lunch, collecting water to water the cows, milking the cows again, collecting eggs from the hens, bringing the cows home, bringing the goats home, washing dishes, making tea, making dinner, the list goes on and on. The woman never sat down once to just rest. The ONLY time I saw her sitting was when she was making a meal and when we went to church.

  feeding the cows and taking out the goats

milking the cows and washing the dishes

carrying matooke trees on head and fetching water

So while Maama was busy doing who knows what Abigail and just took it all in the first two days. We weren’t really sure what we were supposed to be doing so we spent some time playing what we thought was monkey in the middle with our sisters. For some reason it seemed like the girls were throwing the ball right at us for us to catch it, too easy. Then they demonstrated it for us and we realized they weren’t throwing it at us so we could catch it, they were trying to hit us. The point of the game (I think) was to see how many times you could dodge the ball. We still aren’t really sure though. I think they just liked hitting the mzungu’s with the ball because they kept making us go in the middle while they would take turns throwing the ball back and forth. Also the ball wasn’t what you would think of as a ball. It was circular, yes. But it was made out of plastic who-knows-whats, tightly wound and tied together. Abigail also played some kind of freeze tag with the kids while I watched and laughed at her.

As the days went by we started to help Maama with some of her work. We started with doing the dishes. Easy enough right? Not so much when you have to stand doubled over with your butt up in the air. Not the most comfortable position.

Our next task was to help Maama water the cows. It also wasn’t the easiest task because of the steep incline from the stream where we fetched the water to the pasture. We filled up jerry cans and had to carry them all the way up the hill. Quite the workout, especially when your not used to that kind of work and your name is Hanna.

 

One day we helped Maama go cut down a matooke tree to feed the cows. She cut it into three sections so that way we could all carry a piece of it on our heads. Maama then cut down another one and carried two on her head. So impressive.

 

We also helped Maama take the goats out to graze. We had to journey down the side of the mountain and trample through a maize field to get to where she tied them up. It helped me get over my fear of goats. These were the main chores that we helped out with then the rest of the week unless it was raining.

I think this is hiking back from taking the goats, as you can tell, I am booking it trying to keep up with Maama

It rained everyday we were there. It usually started sometime after lunch and  Maama would tell us to stay inside and take a sleep. She always insisted that we were tired. We didn’t fight her though because when it rained the temperature would plummet. It was freezing, and I of course forgot to pack a sweatshirt. Luckily Abigail brought a sweatshirt and a rain jacket. So I wore the rain jacket all week, which wasn't very warm but definitely better than nothing. Abigail and I actually spent quite a bit of time in our room. It was good for bonding but we got bored pretty easily.

There is so much more that I could write but honestly I just don’t feel like writing anymore. Overall, it was a good week. I gained a lot of respect for the people, especially the women, who live in rural Uganda. It is part of my experience that has definitely made a lasting impression on me.

Being away from the comforts of Mukono for a week was a challenge for me. It was hard to go day to day without a routine and not knowing what to expect. I found myself missing my family, my bed, my basin, and even my latrine in Mukono. It was weird to realize how comfortable I had become with my life in Mukono. I left my comfort zone in the U.S. and had already been able to create a new one here. weird weird weird. That kind of made me think of home home and the comforts in the U.S. and I experienced my first real feelings of homesickness. I am good though. It is now less that six weeks until I return home. Our schedule looks pretty busy for the remainder of the semester and I just know that these last weeks are going to be over before I know it. I am trying to take each day as it comes and continue to make the most of my experience.

walking home from church with friends

Sorry it took so long to get a post up. Hope you all had a wonderful week.

Leaving for Kapchorwa

Tomorrow morning I am leaving for my rural home stay in Kapchorwa. I will be staying with a family for one week and then we will have debrief as a group for three days at Sipi Falls. I will be out of contact for ten full days. (ah!) It is supposed to be a absolutely beautiful in Kapchorwa and it should be a really great experience. Right now I feeling both excited and nervous. It is going to be challenging trying to start to fall into a new schedule and living with a new family. It will be a good break from classes for a while but I am already a little stressed about the amount of work that will be waiting for me when I return to UCU. Please keep me in your prayers over the next week.

 

Above: This is what I refer to as “goat road” – I take it everyday on my walk to and from school. As you can see it can be quite the obstacle course. I am not a big fan of the black goat with the horns. It took me probably about five minutes to work up the courage to walk past him instead of turning around and taking the long way to school, which would have added another 10-15 minutes. If you cant tell there is a rope tied to him that is staked into the group on the left side of the road. To the right is some large shrubbery. I am not really sure what kind of damage can be done by a goat like Mr. Big Horned Blacky but there was really no good way to get around him so I just ran to his left, over the rope, praying that he wouldn’t freak out and horn me. I am sure if anyone would have been there to witness the mzungu running scared past the goats they would have dies laughing. I had to laugh to myself just thinking how ridiculous I must have looked.

ALSO. Just a little FYI. This week marked our half way point! It is crazy that we are already half way through the semester. It has been a great experience so far and I can hardly imagine the things that are in store for the next eight weeks. I am looking forward to returning home just in time for the Christmas holiday!

Hope you are all having a great week. Keep the emails and comments coming.

Photo Phrenzy

Here are some random photos. Enjoy.

LGR. I think of you every time I see this. every day.

 

 

The sketchy post office that I mail my letters from. The inside is even more sketchy and the ally that I walk down to get to it is even sketchier than that. SKETCH SKETCH SKETCH. I am surprised letters have already made it all the way home.

 

Oldest building at UCU. Full of offices. The clock comes in handy.

 

 

Some sweet palms on campus.

 

Abigail. Roth. brushing teeth. filling nalgene.

 

The Coaster. Amazing piece of machinery. My ride everywhere.

 

Did I ever mention I was at the EQUATOR? How sweet is this picture? props to me.

 

 

Sunset sweetness

 

Lions Club of Njeru (somewhere on the side of the road in Uganda). Looks like a nice bus stop but I am just wondering if they put on as great of a festival as Uniontown Lions Club does.

 

Don’t be hatin. Admit it. You are jealous of those sleeves. This is the traditional dress in Uganda. It is called a GOMEZ? Yes, I wore this out. Everyone told me I looked smart- aka beautiful. :)

 

 

when it rains it pours. gum boots are a must.

 

Martin and Me. :) Can I PLEASE bring him home with me?

 

missing you all.i. love. you.

A List of 10

1. Laffy taffy jokes still make me laffy (Thanks Carol).

2. A wild monkey crossed like 5 feet in front of me the other day on my way to school. How awesome is that?

3. I found out that my host sister Sarah is actually 20 years old and NOT 21 like she previously told me. I found her out a little something like this…

Sarah: “The pastor put down that I was born in ‘99 instead of ‘89 on my form tonight.”

Dennis: “10 years old! HAHAH!” (Dennis doesn’t talk much so this was worth inserting)

Hanna: “But aren’t you 21?”

S: “Yes, that is why he was wrong! I was born in ‘89.”

H: “Hold up! What is your birth date?”

S: “April 23rd.”

H: “And you are 21? or 20?”

S: “I will be 22 in April.”

H: “OKAY then you were born in ‘88.”

S: “No, I was born in ‘89 and my sister was born in ‘88 but I don’t understand how you can have a baby two years right in a row.”

H: “Okay, well it only takes 9 months for a baby to be born so it is possible BUT if you were born in ‘89 you are only 20 AND you are a liar.”

S: “Okay, yes I am 20 but I want to be older! It is good to be older.”

H: “HA! I am older than you! My birth date is April 7th 1989!”

S: “AHHH! NO! I want to be older!”

H: “I want to stay young forever!”

Then we laughed. Laughing is good but I still cant believe she has lied to me for the past six weeks! Sometimes she thinks she is too cool.

4. I miss the sound of a toilet flushing. Ridiculous, I know. I never thought that it was a comforting sound  but I noticed it is a little weird leaving the toilet without hearing a flush. I think that the flushing noise just assures you that everything is gone and clean again. haha. I have grown used to not flushing a toilet now but I hope I remember to start flushing again when I get back home.

5. The path that Abigail and I take to school has turned into a dump for all hair/weave salons in Mukono, or so it seems. Nasty hair weaves litter the road and make me want to puke.

6. Coca Cola is bomb here. It is everywhere you look. I don't think I ever mentioned it but upon arriving to my house here with my host family the first thing they did was serve me a glass of coca cola. Funny thing is I don’t really drink pop all the often in the states. I think I had more pop here my first two weeks than I had all summer, MAYBE all year, in Ohio.

7. We get excited when we get Heinz Ketchup to eat with our chips (aka fries) here in Uganda. YUMMY.

8. Our television is broken. I am not sure what happened but it disappeared last week and Maama said it just stopped working. Then today I saw it chilling out in her room. I think she is probably just hoarding it to herself because I was getting too addicted to my soaps and reality tv. For reals though I didn’t even notice it was gone at first until we couldn't watch Project Fame (American Idol African style). Tonight is the finale. I am missing it. I am sad.

9. I had my first hitch-hiking experience here in Uganda. I have never done it in the U.S. because it is dangerous. WHY ON EARTH I thought that it would be safe to do it here I have NO IDEA. In my defense, I wasn't really planning on hitch-hiking it just happened. Was I breaking a rule? I am almost positive. Desperate times call for desperate measures. He was a nice man.

10. I just had my first night alone in over 6 weeks! I didn’t have to share my room with anyone because both my sisters were gone for the night! It was amazing! I had my own little slumber party!! It is weird because I am actually used to sharing a room at Bluffton but I just feel like I get VERY little alone time to myself here. I was able to keep the light on in my room as late as I wanted and I didn't have to worry about bothering anyone. Ah. Twas so sweet.

That is all for now. The end.

Rafting, Cookies, and Chickens.

RAFTING THE NILE.

So, as I mentioned in my previous post, I went rafting in the NILE RIVER! Seriously, how cool is that when you really think about it? Are you jealous? You should be. It was soooo much fun. It was terrifying. It was exhilarating. It was intense. It was insane. It was amazing. Overall, a great time was had by most.

My guide was a Ugandan man named Olo. He was interesting. We told him that we wanted to start out with a “medium” ride. We didn’t want to go too crazy for our first few rapids because we didn’t really know what to expect. It was funny though because since some of us wanted it to be a “medium” level adventure some people decided to switch rafts for the more “extreme” rafting experience. They later regretted their decision because somehow our raft turned out to have one of the more extreme experiences. We rafted something like 36 Kilometers from like 10:30am – 5pm. I fell/flew out of the raft I think a total of three times, our raft completely flipped twice, I lost my oar like every time and it was a blast. I must admit there were times when I was totally terrified. Just about every time we would approach a rapid I would get a nervous feeling in the pit of my stomach. For some reason my friend Nicole and I (who were sitting in the back of the raft by Olo) would tell our guide to make it a little more intense at each rapid without the rest of the people knowing. Some of the people on the raft were not happy with the level of intensity that was happening and so we were leaving them out of the loop a little. Even though I was telling Olo to make it more intense there was a little part of me screaming on the inside.

Anyways, I feel like I can’t really do the whole experience justice. It was amazing and sooo much fun. Some of my friends that were in the same raft as me have already posted blogs about the experience through their own eyes. You should check them out. After reading their stories I don't feel like my writing can compare. Here are some links to their blogs:

Dean Alari:

http://deansmanyadventures.blogspot.com/2009/10/rafting-nile.html

I especially love the detail that Dean uses, he is a great writer. He gets jealous sometimes because I seem to have so many more people reading my blog than he does. I decided I should share the love. (FYI: He mentions a girl named Holly in his blog a lot, she is his girlfriend.)

Jill Schlabach:

http://jill-uganda.blogspot.com/2009/10/rafting-nile.html

Jill is my friend from Bluffton that I have mentioned multiple times in previous posts. I saved her (kind of) two times while rafting. Really I just would find her and reassure her that she was okay after we flipped our raft. She is cool. She was also a creeper and took this picture of me looking out over the Nile Sat. eve. I think this is when I was trying to call Sara- she was too busy making a sandwich or something to answer. BOOOO. This was the second time I got to wear jeans in Africa and I was loving it!!!! Too bad you can’t see the view I was looking at. AMAZINGLY BEAUTIFUL!

 

CHOCOLATE CHUNK COOKIES.

Tuesday evening I made cookies with my host family. I was really nervous because I can’t ever remember making cookies or baking anything for that matter, on my own. Sad but true. I usually just assist my mom (I don't know how much she would agree with that though) or I use my dear old friend Betty Crocker, and her cake mixes. Mom was kind enough to send me a recipe for chocolate chip cookies. My friend Abigail and I went to the store Tuesday morning and I bought all my ingredients (besides eggs of course but more on that later). I got home from school and my sister Sarah and I dove right in to our baking fun. We didn't have any measuring cups and so I had to do a lot of guesstimation. To be honest, I didn't really know what I was doing and I felt very self-conscious with Sarah, Maama, and Ida all watching me find my way around the kitchen. LUCKILY, we have an oven. Some of my friends have tried making cookies over the stove and they haven't turned out so well. Once I had the cookie batter all mixed up I of course had to do a little taste test. Sarah couldn’t believe that I was eating the dough! I had to convince her that it was delicious and that all kids in the US LOVE LOVE LOVE licking the spoons and bowls clean after their moms make cookies. The taste test gave me some confidence and we began to glob the batter onto the cookie sheet. We stuck them into the oven, and kept close watch. The first batch turned out okay. A little burnt on the bottom but still good. The second batch turned out perfect-o. I could have probably used a little more sugar but for the sake of the Ugandan’s I had cut it down a bit. Everyone loved them, they were a huge hit, and everyone wanted their picture taken with me and the cookies. Oh they are funny. To end the day my family had me lead the evening devotions. I even read the scripture in Luganda! What a great day!

 

mixing up the batter

round one burnt on bottom

baking round two – put them a little too close together but still turned out good

Me, Sarah and the cookies. haha (she would be really mad if she knew that I posted this picture- don't tell her).

Maama and Me (cookies are in our bellies)

LATE NIGHT CHICKEN DANCE.

So, last week my Maama told me that the chickens were sick. They were producing about 50% of the eggs that they normally do and so Francis somehow found out they have some disease. I am thinking, what the heck and I going to get some crazy chicken disease? I have been eating these eggs just about everyday, I have been gathering eggs, I have touched the chickens, the only good thing I could think of was the fact that I have already had chicken pox, and that probably has nothing to do with why the chickens aren’t laying eggs. So that evening Maama got out the lanterns while Francis went for some special vaccine for the chickens. He comes back with who knows what and a syringe. Then we all gather around the chicken coop and an assembly line is formed. I watch. Maama holds the lantern. Sarah holds the divider (vaccinated chickens on left, questionable chickens on right). Ida grabs the chickens by the neck, one by one, and hands them off to Francis. Francis fills the syringe with the chicken medication out of the bowl that Dennis is holding. Francis then squirts the medication into the eye of the chicken. The chicken goes INSANE. He then chucks it onto the left side of the divider. One chicken down, hundreds more to go. I was just standing there watching this all go down. It was intense. There was a moment when I was watching and I had to reflect on what exactly WAS going down. I am in Africa. Watching a man squirt something into a chickens eye. This is weird. This seems sketchy. Maama turned and looked at me and started laughing. I must have been making a funny face. I smiled at her as I scratched a mosquito bite. Then she told me I had to go inside. Too many mosquitoes for the Muzungu. I didn't fight her. The eggs are a big source of income for my family and so the chicken incident  has been kind of a big deal. They seem to be on the up and up now but I haven’t had an egg for over a week (which is okay) besides the ones I used for our cookies. I wish I had pictures so you could all get a little taste of last weeks chicken dance of sorts but I didn’t think to whip out the camera at the time.

pre-rafting jitters

Tomorrow morning I will be heading to Jinja again with the USP students, this time WITHOUT our “supervisors”. Thanks to a friend here in the program, all 40-something USP students will be heading to Jinja for a weekend of adventure! Some people will be bungee jumping into the Nile (not me- NO way). Sounds like fun but I don't think I could talk myself into it, nor do I want to. I plan to watch the bungee jumping shenanigans from a safe distance however, I WILL be doing some white water rafting!

We will be loading onto I think 5 rafts (?) and making our way down the Nile not the smooth Nile that we visited last time we were in Jinja but the fast moving, alive, and VERY active Nile. I have heard that this is a pretty intense rafting experience and that most people are unable to stay inside the raft at all times. (eek) I have been trying to not pay attention when the other students are telling the scary rafting stories they have heard from past students but I am still nervous. There are two reasons why I am nervous.

1. Kelsey is not here. Now, those of you who know me well probably know that I am not the best swimmer. I can manage pretty good but once I get tired I just have to float on my back. Usually when I go swimming I have Kelsey with me, she is a good swimmer and always willing to save me if needed.

my personal lifeguard (couldn’t find a picture of her saving my life)

2. The Nile is A LOT different then the Riley Creek. Some may not be familiar with the Riley Creek. It is the Creek that runs through our campus at Bluffton- very small, very dirty, and calm for the most part (unless of course it is flooded). Last year some friends and I did our own rafting adventures and traveled down the Riley. It was fun, it was calm, it was relaxing, and no life jackets  or helmets were needed. I guess I should also mention that I think I would feel a little bit more comfortable if I was rafting the Nile with the same friends I floated down the Riley with. My friends Bracton and Gregg take charge, they know what they are doing… or maybe they just act like it. Either way, I think that I would feel a lot safer with them in my raft tomorrow.

Bracton, Aaron and I floating down the Riley

(note: that is Aaron NOT Gregg (who I did mention above)- Aaron really didn’t really help that much with the paddling so that is why he wasn’t mentioned  and Gregg was in the another raft on this trip)

Plus side: Jill and Abigail are in my raft with me- HURRAY! Us three are all a little nervous but also very excited! All the people in my raft seem like a lot of fun so we should have a good time. I am excited to spend some time getting to know some of the USE students a little better, soaking up the sun (as much as I can with sunscreen applied of course), and spending time relaxing. I am assuming that I will have a good story for you all next week. If you happen to think of it this weekend send a little prayer up to the big guy for our safety. Thanks. :) You are all such a blessing. LOVE HANNA

I will put on my tough girl face this weekend and conquer the Nile! (Hopefully I will have a better life jacket then the one I used this summer canoeing with my roomies- and Ben!)

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).