Settled In!

Hello! I have not posted since arriving because I have been having too much fun! Normally when I arrive, we start working right away because we are only here for a short time and usually have way more to do than we have time for. This time, things are a little different. I will be here for over 5 weeks so we have much more time to do the things we would like. In addition, Angella has a vehicle so there is much less stress in finding taxis and other ways to move around town. Patt and Angella, in true Ugandan fashion arrived at the airport 20 minutes late, which I considered right on time, if you consider them being on Ugandan time! I was waiting for a while outside the airport and a cab driver tried to convince me that they weren't coming so he could give me a ride for 65,000 shillings(about $30), but I assured him that my ride was going to show up but they were just on Ugandan time. Luckily, I was right and he was not! We arrived to Angella's new place after midnight and got settled in. I will take some pictures and post them later. It's a pretty big house, with 5 rooms and a little yard. There is even a dog called Pretty who runs around all the time. It makes it feel like a home and I know Angella likes having more people around. Angella and a woman named Hope manage the place and rent out the rooms for people traveling to Uganda. There is a guy named JB who takes care of the house, runs errands, cooks, and drives around town for us. He basically does everything that Hope and Angella need. There is also a girl named Mariam from California who is doing some really great work with conflict resolution. She is going to be around for at least 6 months and possibly an entire year. So this little family has been great to hang out with for the past weekend. Angella had to go to her family's village over the weekend to take care of some things so I spent a lot of time with Hope, Mariam, and JB, as well as some of their friends. I went for a run with Angella on Friday morning, by myself on Saturday, and with Mariam on Sunday. This morning I decided to take a break, but maybe I can convince Angella to go this afternoon. I am in a very safe neighborhood and I actually know my way around pretty well because Angella lived near here last year. In fact, I almost ran to her old apartment yesterday, but then decided it was too many extra hills. It's pretty much impossible to run without going up at least a few. I started saying hello to people as I ran because they generally will stare at me as I get close. As soon as I say hi, they break out into a smile and ask how I am doing. One guy rolled down his window and said "great work" as I slowly make my way up a dusty hill. I asked another guy if I was going the right way and he laughed and reassured me. People are so nice here and I feel a lot more at home. Every time I get back from running, people are working out in the little garage that has a workout mat and an eliptical. It's fun to come home and do some extra exercise! We have eaten breakfast and some lunches together every day. On Friday, I stayed around the house most of the day and settled in my stuff. I also took a short nap. I have surprisingly felt very little jetlag, even with not a lot of sleep. I blame my surgery rotation becuase I got used to not sleeping a lot! At lunch, Hope had come home and JB cooked lunch for three of Hope's coworkers and us. It was delicious potatoes, rice and vegetables. I was greatful for good food without having to leave the house. On Friday night, we went out to a poetry reading with Hope and Mariam. There was a guest poet from the UK. I have a feeling she didn't know or care about audience sensitivity. She did an activity where she asked how people would prefer to die. The first two choices were getting eaten by a lion and getting eaten by a crocodile. She asked if anybody knew a person who was eaten by a crocodile and there were at least 3 hands that went up. It didn't look like they found it funny.... We decided to leave the peotry reading early and get dinner instead. We went to a nice Chinese restaurant and shared a feast. Then we decided to go to Alleygators for bowling. We had to bowl barefoot, so I hope I didn't pick up anything weird on my feet. I washed them thoroughly when I got home so I think I will be okay! On Saturday after my run, I eventually went to meet up with Isaac and Dennis, who are from the states and were here with me last year. They are staying near the hospital again. We had a great relaxing afternoon talking with another volunteer named Peggy who lived in Uganda for 7 years during the 90's when there was a lot of unrest and it wasn't as safe to travel around. It was amazing to hear her stories. She had six children here and has seen many things, both good and bad happen to her friends while she was around. At 5, we got to go to a birthday party for Jasmine, who turned 1! Last year, I arrived the day after she was born and visited her mom, Susan in the hospital. They year before we had stayed at Susan's house and she has become a special friend. We had a great time hanging out with her entire family, including a surprise visit from Susan's sister Gloria, who I thought was studying in Australia. It was such a great time to just hang out and enjoy each other's company. There were also quite a few kids around so there was plenty of entertainment. Af

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Afterwards, Dennis and I joined a friend of mine from the school of public health back home to go to a pub with his brother. Barret and his wife moved to the US to give their daughter a better opportunity for school. They will officially be citizens in November and this trip was the firt time he has been back in over 4 years! It was great to meet his brother and have some time to talk about his family and all of the stories of growing up in Uganda. It was a busy day and a late night but totally worth it. I ended up having more plans than there was time to do them! It's really great to be in Uganda, but really feel like it is everyday normal life and not just a visit. Yesterday (Sunday) was another really fun day. We went to church at the place where Hope, Angella, and JB normally attend. It is smaller thant Watoto church, but has just as much energy. We were late (of course), but we didn't miss much. My favorite worship song, "He knows my name" was the first full song we heard. There is something about it that just puts me at ease, especially when I hear it here. The lyrics are about how God knows our name, what we need, and he listens to us, no matter who we are or where we are. It was pretty awesome confirmation that He is everywhere! The message was great too. It was about how none of our identity matters except in Christ. We are so often labeled by our race, age, family, occupation, and so many other things, but really none of them should matter if we can't identify ourselves by our God. After church, we gathered a bunch of people together and wento a pool at a hotel not far from Angella's house. We had to pick up Angella downtown which took almost an hour because of huge jam. We were pretty much parked in traffic for at least 20 minutes. I don't think anybody minded because we were happy to get Angella back from her trip. We went to get takaway chicken and chips (fried chicken and fries) and met up with the boys for a fun afternoon in the pool. It was really great to just hang out and be around with eat other in a relaxed setting. As much fun as the past weekend has been, I am ready to start working! Dennis and Isaac are excited about starting projects at the orphanages. Today we have plans to go and visit as many as we can in town to catch up and to see what kinds of projects or needs they might have. We are hoping to also get a pass to Watoto to see the original Woolies. We will need to pray that they remember us in the office and are willing to let us visit as many times as possible! We will be picking up the pace a bit and hopefully having a lot of fun doing it! I will be much more disciplined about updating every day so you all can share in the adventure!!

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