Weekend Adventures

Unexpected culture:
-When you ask a Ugandan a question and it seems like they are not responding, it’s not that they don’t understand or are just being rude. If you watch closely you notice that they often raise their eyebrows to say “yes” – the equivalent of our silent nod “yes.”

This weekend was jam packed with learning, new experiences, frustration, and relaxation. Part of the missions emphasis track (IMME) in this program is taking weekend trips, so the 12 of us who are in home stays all semester headed about an hour away to Jinja for a few days. We stayed at a guest house and were spoiled with incredible food all weekend (french toast!).

The actual purpose of these weekend trips is to talk to missionaries in various parts of Uganda to learn about their ministries and ministry in Uganda in general. We met a couple who has been doing prison ministry here for about 10 years and it was incredible to hear their stories and insights. I realized that while I have learned a lot about the culture already, I really know nothing! There is so much to learn and 4 months is actually extremely short!

We also talked to 3 guys who started a cafe in Jinja called "The Source" and it's actually a cafe, library, gift shop and internet cafe all in one. Jinja is home to the source of the Nile River, hence the name of the shop. We learned so much about Ugandan culture and the challenges of ministering in Uganda. Already I am learning new things that pertain to issues we've talked about in classes at IWU, and I never would have thought about them had I not come here. For example, in past classes there has always been an emphasis on discipleship and developing churches overseas to the point where you can turn over leadership to nationals. The goal is to establish ministries to the extent that their success does not depend on the missionaries anymore. One thing that the missionaries here said though was that Ugandans are hesitant to fully accept this idea. While they accept responsibility and take leadership in ministry, they do not see a reason for the missionaries to leave. To them it makes absolutely no sense why someone would come along side them, build this ministry and these relationships, and basically say, "I think you can handle this now, so see you later!" In this community/relationship focused society, this process sends the message that the relationships mean nothing. This is something I never thought about in my classes. I always assumed that nationals would want their ministries to function independently from the missionaries as soon as possible, but the Ugandan perspective puts a whole new spin on things. To make a long story short, my experiences here are already stretching my thinking beyond what I've learned in the classroom.

Something a little lighter that I'm noticing as a cultural difference is food. I expected the food to be different and it is, but I never realized that I had expectations about the purpose of eating food. Obviously, we all eat food for nourishment and to live, but as an American, I eat more for pleasure than I realized. Here, people eat food to fill the stomach. This becomes apparent as matoke is served at almost every meal - a heap of mashed bananas, steamed for several hours, resulting in a substance that has absolutely no nutritional value whatsoever. It fills you up really fast though!

Living on a diet of mushy steamed bananas, potatoes, rice covered in purple ground nut sauce, and the occasional chunk of fatty meat for a couple weeks has brought me to the realization that I rely on food for pleasure more than I should. Saturday night we went to a really nice restaurant in Jinja and had pizza and cheeseburgers - I thought I had died and gone to heaven! I actually woke up in the middle of the night last week craving cheese, just a plain slice of cheese! They don't use it for anything here! Anyways, I have been realizing that I place way to much value in food since I get ridiculously excited about something like cheese and feel deprived without it after 2 weeks.

In addition to great food, the weekend included a short tour of Jinja. We went to the bank of the source of the Nile, a slum, and a hospital. Needless to say, it was a lot to process in one day. The missionaries have nicknamed one part of the slum "ting-ting" because it is essentially a compound where people bang metal into usable items like trunks, doors, pots, etc., for a living. Apparently this crowded, chaotic place is the best opportunity for employment for most of the population of Jinja. It was quite an eye-opening experience to say the least. Going to the hospital confirmed something for me - I am not cut out for working with sick people! We went to a tuberculosis ward and were told to visit/pray with patients for about 5-10 minutes. I basically froze - how was I supposed to even approach these people? Part of me thinks that if I was going to talk with the patients for more than 5 minutes I would have been more open to the idea because 5 minutes seems so pointless, but what do I know?

After a crazy afternoon we actally took a boat ride on Lake Victoria and the Nile - a great way to unwind! It was so beautiful and exciting because not only were we on the famous River Nile, we were at the source of the Nile! We all took pictures at the place where they begin counting mile 1 of about 4,000!

There's so much more I could say, but I haven't even talked about Sunday yet so I'll move on! Sunday we went to a small baptist church in Jinja that has a huge vision for church planting - 3,000 churches all over Uganda by 2010! One of our fellow students, Kyle, preached the sermon through a translator and did a fantastic job. I don't think I could do it! The worship was quite an experience because all the songs were in Luganda and we just clapped and "danced" along! At one point while they were singing they invited everyone to close their eyes and lift their hands, and this was one of my favorite moments of this whole semester so far. To hear a small congregation praising God in their beautiful native language and silently join in that worship was incredible - words do not do justice in describing the experience!

After an intense weekend, it was actually really nice to come home to our family. I missed them so much after those few days! I don't even want to think about how I'm going to feel after a few months, knowing that I will have to leave them for a lot longer! However, I do miss home quite often already - family, friends, IWU, cheese (haha)...
At the same time I love being here and getting to know these people. I wouldn't trade it for the world.

Prayer requests:
-Doing homework! Who has time for that stuff when you're trying to experience Africa?!
-My stomach has not been happy with me the past couple nights. Thankfully there has been no throwing up yet but it's been close and it doesn't seem to be getting better.
-Emotional and mental strength for the times that I realize I'm not actually with my real family. I love these people and they are so good to me, but I miss my brother and parents back home a lot! It's hard being out of your own cultural context and having almost a constant feeling of uncertainty. I hope that with time, that feeling will fade.

A Day In the Life

My alarm goes off around 6:30. I sit up in bed under my mosquito net and talk to God, knowing that as soon as I leave my room I will have virtually no time alone that is not looked upon with suspicion. After preparing to face the day, I fight my way out from under the mosquito net, grab some TP and head out the back door, as indoor plumbing is a thing of the past for me. I say "Good morning" to Mama Irene and Rita, who have already been up cooking breakfast and washing clothes. I make my way up the stairs of the backyard, to the latrine, and am greeted by swarms of flies, and 4 lizards which we have named Lima, Eva, David, and Solomon. I'll spare you the details of the smell.

I return to my room, gather some things and head through my parent’s bedroom to the bathroom. After engaging in the task of bathing from a small basin of water, I finish getting ready for school and have breakfast - tea with "biscuits" (cookies). I then brush my teeth with bottled water, spitting into the dirt by the brush of the backyard. Every day I realize how much I took running water for granted.

Caroline and I sometimes walk to school, though lately our dad has been driving us since Caroline hurt her knee. On a typical walk, we tread down the rocky, dirt path to a more traveled dirt road, looking downward so as to not trip on the rocks and unpredictable crevices while wearing dress shoes. A few cars and boda-bodas (motorcycle taxis) whiz by, missing us by an inch or two. We pass the spot where some taxis wait for business and the drivers shout to us, "Mzungu! (the non-derogatory term used to identify a white person) Mzungu! You are so beautiful, let me accompany you!" We smile and shake our heads no, continuing our walk up the hill in the hot sun. We pass Ugandans heading to work, and women carrying 10 gallon jerricans of water atop their heads. Birds are singing, laughing, and some sound like monkeys, as we pass tall green grass and banana trees. We finally enter the back gate to the university and make our way across campus to the IMME lounge - the equivalent of a commuter lounge - where we can access the internet, study, and share our experiences with the other off campus USP students.

Classes vary from day to day. Some are 2 hours, some 1. Mine are all in the same classroom, but for my missions class we meet in a hut and have tea, discussing things more than enduring lectures. In African literature we are taught by Dr. Mukakanya, whom I could listen to all day. He’s sort of like Wilbur Williams, only Ugandan. For African Traditional Religions, Islam, and Christianity, we strain to understand Dr. Opol through his thick Ugandan accent, but we are all amused when he giggles at certain points of the lecture.

After a long day at school (usually 8:30 – 6:00) we return home and greet our family as they take a break from cooking and serve us tea. I think about how we would normally be eating dinner back home at this time, and I am thankful for the tea and biscuits that tide us over till dinner. Throughout the evening we talk to Mama Irene as she irons, learning Luganda and talking about everything from food to serious relationships. We wander outside and chat with the girls as they cook over the fire. The matoke has been steaming away for 3 hours in the pot, enveloped in banana leaves. Ema is washing dishes, Grace is stirring porridge for Enoch, and Rita is cutting fresh peppers and onions to spice up the Irish potatoes. If Enoch is not eating dirt or rocks, he is “singing” and banging something around – anything to make noise! Reverend talks in a high voice to Enoch, who replies in the same tone with baby talk, resulting in a sweet song of father and son “conversation.” As we wait for dinner to finish cooking and helping where we can, we sit on the back porch under the stars, watching the girls dance to the radio in the moonlight. The power goes out about every other night. When this happens, we light oil lanterns and life continues as usual since we do not rely on electricity for much here anyway.

It is somewhere between 9 and 10 PM, and we finally all gather in the sitting room for dinner. After we pray, we wait as some get food from the thermal pots on the coffee table in the center of the room. Mama Irene invites us to get food. I take a bowl and fork from the stack on the table and scoop matoke, potatoes, and sometimes fresh fish into my bowl, topping it all off with some kind of vegetable “soup” (sauce). We may talk of the things of the day, or eat in silence, content with each others company. Mama Irene asks, “Is it sweet?” meaning, “Is it delicious?” “Yes, very sweet,” we reply, thanking those who cooked the meal. Reverend wishes everyone a good night and we help the girls clear the table.

After talking a little while longer with the girls, sharing stories and pictures, we wish everyone a goodnight and return to our room. Caroline goes straight to bed, so I write in my journal by flashlight, processing the day. I go to bed around 11:00, thinking of how I would never get this much sleep at IWU, and thanking God for this incredible Ugandan family of which I get to be a part.

Fitting In

Unexpected Culture: -In Uganda they do not see the "man in the moon" they see a woman sitting and holding a baby.
-Often times people will say, "Oh, you have gained weight" or "You are looking fat" which is actually a compliment! What they consider to be fat, we would consider average or healthy, so I am almost fat and that is a good thing to them!

There were so many new experiences this weekend, it's going to be hard to choose what to write about.

First of all, we met our mother on Wednesday, Mama Irene. She is such a sweet person, and it's too bad she is only home Wednesday through Sunday. The things that are going on in Kenya have hiked fuel prices to about $5 a gallon here, so it is much to expensive for Mama Irene to travel back and forth to work 3 days in a row.

Our family attends St. Philip & Andrew's Cathedral of Mukono, an Anglican church. Our father preached the sermon and directed most of the service yesterday, but I think he was filling in for someone else because he said many of the bishops were gone that day. I loved the service because of the liturgy, reciting the Apostle's Creed, and the music, which was mostly famililiar. We sang some choruses but also some hymns like Blessed Assurrance, Standing on the Promises, and What a Friend we have in Jesus. The hymns were familiar but the music was so upbeat and lively - it was great! It reminded me of Lakeview Wesleyan in Marion, IN because everyone was swaying and dancing! One of the choruses was in Luganda and it was so great to praise God in another language.

"Tusiime Mukama, Aleluya
Tusiime Mukama, Amiina, Amiina"

It means, "Come let us praise the Lord / Alleluia / Amen"

After church we had a quick lunch and then began preparing dinner. Grace taught me how to peel Matoke (green bananas used to make the sweet yellow mush we eat at almost every meal), and Mama Irene taught me how to peel Irish potatoes and cut them into "chips" or fries basically. They do everything with huge knives so it's not quite as easy as using a peeler. I love helping them prepare food because there is so much opportunity for conversation and language learning. I am learning a decent amount of Luganda already, and it is beautiful but difficult because it is a tonal language. If you change the inflection or tone of voice the word means something different.

For several hours on Sunday our parents were away, so we got to see quite a different side of Grace and Ema. Grace draped some toilet paper around here neck and said "I am the pastor!" Then, she imitated a shampoo commercial and also did a short skit with Ema - they are so funny! I will try to post some pictures, but the internet here is very slow so no promises. Our baby brother Enoch is also warming up to me, and he makes us all so happy as he is always dancing and "talking".

I am beginning to find my place as a member of the family, but there are still a lot of times when I am uncertain of what to do. It is so different to live in a community oriented culture rather than the individualistic culture of America. Everyone is usually doing something together, or at least in the same room. If you go to your room by yourself to do something or take a nap they assume you are sick or something is wrong. This will be a positive adjustment for me, I think, but at times it can be overwhelming.

Thanks so much for all of your prayers - I am sleeping peacefully now (7-9 hrs a night!), and I am finding adequate time to do my homework during the day. I actually don't have any class on tuesdays so it makes a nice substitute for a Saturday. Since we aren't really supposed to do homework at our home stays, it takes the stress away at home because I can spend time with my family and not feel like I should be doing homework. I never expected it to work out this well!

Prayer requests:
-Continuing to find my place in the family
-Continued health
-Learning how to express love and appreciation in a culture that is so different

It's official!

There are so many cultural differences and unexpected things that I experience here everyday, so from now on I may begin each post with an "unexpected culture" section. So for today-

Unexpected Culture:
-Our host family loves country music and we listen to it on a radio station called "The Bob" every morning!
-When someone says "You are smart" they are complimenting you on being well-dressed.

As you can see from my previous post, my thoughts are very scattered because of culture shock. I hope that future posts will make more sense as I grow accustomed to the culture and learn to process things here, so thanks for bearing with me in the meantime!

Last night Caroline (the other American student rooming with me) and I were given names from the clan of our host father, the Reverend. So it's official - at my home here in Uganda, my name is Naiga, of the Kob clan, of the Muganda tribe. Reverend said that the name itself does not mean anything in particular but it sets me apart as a member of his clan.

So now, Nalubega (Caroline) and I are no longer visitors but are a part of the family! This means we get to learn how to do various chores like cooking over the fire, washing clothes by hand, and cleaning latrines I'm sure! It is so much less awkward now that we are not guests anymore because we can all be more open with each other. Last night was the first night that the 3 girls in the house, Rita, Grace, and Ema came into our room. We shared stories and photos, and it was just nice to finally connect with them on a more personal level.

I have finally had some classes now, and I can already see that this is going to be an incredibly tough semester, but definitely worth it. Unfortunately, I don't have any classes with Ugandan students, just USP students, but I do have some professors who Ugandan. It is a challenge to adjust to the teaching style and even the accent, but again it is an incredible opportunity to learn from the national perspective.

At this point, I really don't know how I am going to handle the challenge of time management this semester so I could really use prayer for this. I have just as much of a course load as a normal IWU semester, but now I am a commuter, have a family to spend time with in the evening and on weekends, and have very limited resources for books. We don't buy all our textbooks here, we just check them out of the library, but there are only a few copies of each book. I will have to be very disciplined during the day to do all my homework in the hours that I don't have classes, because when I go home I spend time with the family and do my share of the work.

I feel so blessed to be having this experience, but with classes it is simply overwhelming. As I get busier with assignments I definitely won't be posting every other day, but I will do my best to keep you posted.

Prayer requests:
-I am having trouble getting to sleep at night. I get so tired after dinner (which is usually around 10pm) but when I actually lie down I can't fall asleep for hours
-Learning how to show love and gratitude to my family here

Soon to be Ugandan

Hello everyone! We all arrived safely Sunday night and spent the night together at a convent. We had tea at about 10pm and basically went straight to bed as we were exhausted!

This first night - wow - so crazy! At least I was used to sleeping under mosquito netting already from last semester, but I wasn't prepared for the noises! Things crawling in the bushes, some kind of bird that sounds like it's laughing (I think it's a bird!), crickets, cows, roosters at 2am, bats, and who knows what else. There's a constant burnt smell everywhere because they burn most of their trash here. The trash bins say "burnable" and "non-burnable".

Anyways, Monday we drove to the capital city of Kampala and exchanged our American dollars for Ugandan Shillings. This is going to be confusing because you get about 1600 shillings for every US dollar. For example, it caught us all off guard when we were told that if we lose our meal card it would cost us about 5000. Of course we were all thinking dollars and started cracking up when we realized they meant 5000 shillings!

Driving through the cities and towns reminded me so much of the jungle towns in Peru, but everything is in English so that is nice. Traffic is crazy of course and we've been riding around on a big UCU bus. Outside of Kampala most of the roads are dirt and VERY bumpy! After changing our money we went to the university and it is so different! It's beautiful and the dining hall and main lecture hall are outside - there's a roof but no walls. There are chickens all over campus - it's so funny to sit in a classroom and hear chickens while the professor is talking! It's very hilly and there are roads and pathways but they are uneven, rocky, and muddy so just walking around campus is a challenge. Quite a far cry from the abundant sidewalks of IWU!

We ate in the dining hall for lunch and had Matoke which is cooked bananas (a staple of Uganda), rice and some kind of square thing that tasted like flour. Oh and don't forget the purple peanut sauce that they spoon over everything to make it not so dry! It was all good but they give you so much! Also, there are no choices at meals - one line, what you see is what you get.

After orientation and registration (we didn't actually have class on Monday) we went to stay with our host families. I dont' think I could ever adequately describe all the feelings and thoughts that came with this experience! Can you imagine arriving in an African country and the next day, loading up in a van with all your luggage and driving through small neighborhoods to meet your new family? I was so excited and nervous, and when we dropped off the first person some of us got emotional and started crying (happy tears of course), because the family looked so happy and welcoming! I have an American roommate, Caroline, so that makes it a little easier to adjust. We were dropped off last and we only have about a 15 minute walk to school.

Ugandans are known for their hospitality and I definitely see why! We are staying with a reverend, henry and his wife Irene. We actually haven't met Irene yet because she works as a nurse out of town so she's only home every few days. They have a 1 and a half year old son! He is so adorable and loves to peek into our room and smile and watch us! I will hopefully be able to post pictures soon. There are also 3 other girls that live in the house - Rita is a family friend, Grace is the young sister of Irene, and Ema is also a friend. Africans have a lot of extended family that live with them, and I think ours is small compared to everyone else's host family.

We do have electricity at the house so that is a blessing, but no running water of course! The bathroom is exactly what it's name says - a room to bathe yourself in. If you have to go, you say "where's the toilet?" but of course it's not a toilet. It's a shed with a whole in the ground, so now I have experienced the squatty potty! And you can't go after midnight because it's too dangerous so you have to plan ahead! Bathing consists of standing in a shallow basin of water and taking a sponge bath. Good times. Let's just say I won't be washing my hair as often as usual this semester!

Wow this is forever long but so many things have happened! I wish I could describe to you the excitement of getting up and brushing my teeth outside in the morning amongst the chickens, banana trees, and red mud. This is going to be a great 4 months!

Prayer requests:

Continued health
Adjusting to new routines and food
Bonding with my family

It's Time

It definitely snuck up on me. Less than 12 hours before my parents and I begin the treck to D.C. and nothing is packed - just laying out all over my room. There's still so much to do and so little time, but that's okay because at this point I just want to BE THERE. The sooner the better!

It's been so great and encouraging to catch up with friends this week. I am blown away by all your incredible prayer support and even the comments on the first post. I wish I could express to you how much your prayers mean the me - I don't take that support lightly.

So here's the plan:

My parents and I will drive to Virginia Friday, and then to D.C. Saturday. They will drop me off at Dulles airport around 3pm when I will get to meet the other USP students. At 6pm we fly from D.C. to Amsterdam, then Amsterdam to Entebbe in Uganda. We're scheduled to arrive in Uganda at 9pm on Sunday (1pm eastern time). We will probably all be exhausted and jet lagged, and then we get to start classes the next morning! That scares me.

There are already a few cultural differences that I find interesting and I'm not even there yet! I know that I am attending classes on monday, but I do not know for sure which ones! I know which ones I would like to take, but I don't know when or how it becomes official. At IWU we know a month or two in advance what classes we're taking, when and where they meet, etc. At UCU we may have to check on a daily or weekly basis to find out what time our classes meet. That will take some getting used to!

Also, when Ugandan students go to class they dress very professionally, so I'll be wearing skirts everyday. As I've been buying clothes for this semester I often look more like a teacher than a student, at least by IWU standards! I will definitely miss the jeans and hoody default that we students all know and love! Also, we've been told we should bring a full-length, modest nightgown to sleep in for homestays since the family will likely be conservative. I bought one today and I am officially declaring it my first humbling experience of the trip. :)
I know I haven't technically even left yet, but I say it counts.

Anyways, how can you pray for me? Well, besides the obvious "safe travel" request, please pray that I will adapt well as I enter a different culture, attempt to sleep, and then go off to classes that will be totally different than anything I've experienced.

Please pray that I will be able to step outside of my comfort zone and take the initiative to meet and interact with Ugandan students, as I'm sure my instincts will tell me to cling to the other American students instead.

Pray for my separation anxiety from my cello!!!!!!!!! Yeah, I know it's wierd, I don't care. In the past several years I haven't gone more than about 3 weeks without playing it, so 4 MONTHS is kind of a big deal. However, I've heard that there may be one at the YMCA in the capital city, Kampala (15 miles from campus) that I could play every once in awhile. That would be a blessing!

Please pray that God would grant me the grace to trust him in everything. He has been faithful in amazing ways already.