Catch up

Sorry this last entry has taken so long to get entered. Life has been absolutely insane since I've been home and I haven't hardly had time to even breath. I wrote down all the important details of the last week so I'll try to fill you in on the details at the end of my Uganda experience.
On Thursday I went to a women's group in Nmango. We had a business meeting with them and then those of us leaving said our goodbyes. On my way home I picked up some dresses that Sara had tailored for me. When I got home the two new volunteers (James Brown and Mallory) had arrived. The house was sooo full of people and it was ridiculously chaotic. After dinner a few of us went outside to play Phase 10. My parents were supposed to be calling me that night. It had been a rough day with all the goodbyes and I really needed to talk to them. Everytime I'd grab that phone someone else would steal it away. I knew my parents were trying to call and I was going crazy. Finally at 11 I threw I got too frustrated. I went into my room, turned my iPod on full blast (Coldplay of course) and layed there in silence. It's so frustrating when you need some alone time and you live with 8 million people.
On Friday morning I was making some breakfast. I was feeling a little bit better, but I was still bummed that I didn't get to talk to my family. Then I got the best surprise ever. The phone rang and it was for me. My sweet family never gave up. They said they were so worried and had been trying to get ahold of me all night. They were very happy that everything was okay and that we finally got to talk. It was awesome because they had about 1 hour left on the card and so we got to chat for a long time since it would be our last call. After breakfast Leslie, Lauren and I went to Iganga. As always I loved the bus ride with my iPod (as close to alone time as you can get). We made some pinwheels with the kids and they loved it. We played with them and it was so sad to know this would be the last time. I couldn't put Pricilla down the entire day. I wanted to grab her and just run away. I love that girl to pieces. She totally knows my name and we are best friends. Richard and Ruth made us lunch which was surprisingly pretty tasty. After lunch it was time for us to go home. Ruth gave a really nice speech thanking us for all we'd done. Richard got super emotional and couldn't hardly say goodbye. We hugged all the kids and I held Pricilla forever. Finally it was time to put her down. I will never forget walking away as she stood in the doorway waving goodbye (and she for sure had no concept that we'd never see each other again). I miss her so much. The ride home was pretty long. When we got home we had to get the house ready for Honorable Fred (like a Ugandan congressman, basically he's a big deal in Uganda) and Hamas (his assistant). They came to have dinner with us. Irene went all out on dinner for the special occassion and we all got absolutely stuffed! We got a bit hyper after they left and Lindsi and Tori B were making some hilarious music videos for us. Lauren and I went outside and talked to David (our gaurd) and Ivan (our local friend). They are hilarious and it was so fun. Everyone went clubbing at African Paradise that night but Lauren and I were so pooped so we hit the hay early (and enjoyed the emptiness of the house....which NEVER happens). It was so quiet and I read all night in my bed.
On Saturday morning we got to sleep in. I had a nice bowl of oatmeal and read my book. It started pouring rain and I love that sound so much! After the rain died down a bit Ashley Rogers and I decided to go to The Jinja Nile Resort. We took a taxi to Jinja. When we got there the storm was still pouring down. We sat under a roof for a while because we needed to take a boda-boda to the resort. The rain was really dying so we decided we may as well just head to the resort and wait out the storm there. We doubled up on a boda-boda and the ride was for sure one of the most hilarious yet. You could not see at all because the rain was coming down so hard and the rain hurt our legs so bad when it hit, we were laughing so hard. We went to the back (by the pool) and looked out on the Nile, it was gorgeous. We sat at a table under a little hut and watched some African hula dancers. They were amazing and it was way fun to watch. We got lunch while we watched, I had some yummy pizza. After we finished eating the sun finally decided to come out, perfect timing! We got to enjoy the rest of the day layed out in our suits by the pool. We overheard rumors of cheap massages so we inquired. It was true, full body massages for 5 dollars per half an hour. Of course we didn't have choice with an offer like that. We both got half an hour massages and they were to die for. The girl that did mine was named Tina and wow she was wonderful. I was laughing because she poured some nice Olive Oil all over me haha. I was in heaven! It was dark when we left so Tina walked us to a boda-boda and then we grabbed a taxi. We weren't too hungry when we got home, but Irene had made dinner and of course I couldn't pass it up. I spent the rest of the night reading my book.
On Sunday morning we had to get up early. A group of us went to Patrick's wedding at Victory Church at Seeta. They forgot to mention that although the wedding started at 11, there was a 4 hour praise session before. It was ridiculous and totally annoying (plus it was in Luganda so we couldn't understand a single word). We were right in the front by the speakers and it was so loud that I thought I was going to blow out my ear drums. Finally four LONG hours later the wedding started. Both the bride and groom were so serious and no one would even crack a smile. The pastor kept talking about how the wife needs to become submissive and do whatever her husband tells her (ah I'd be the worst African bride ever). We left as soon as it was over so we could hurry up and grab a taxi before all the crowd came (you have seriously never seen so many people, I have no clue how they even know that many people). When I got home I ate, took some Ibuprofen (for my massive headache caused by a mixture of speakers blasting in my ears and being totally annoyed) and went to bed. I felt much better when I finally woke up. Of course I woke right up for dinner. I read the rest of the night away. In the middle of the night we heard a loud gunshot and we weren't sure what was going on.
Monday morning we found out that the gunshot was from David's gun. Apparently three masked men tried to break into our house. One of them got over the fence and the other two were on the fence when David saw them and fired. Nothing happened but it was still kinda scary. Leslie, Lauren, Emily, Trent, Krissy and I decided to go to Seya and say our goodbye. We figured we'd end the way we started. Since that was the first place we went to work at it kinda felt like our home and we all felt extra close to the kids. We brought a sheet and made a mural with them to hang in the house. They were so excited to see us and loved painting. Joseph couldn't stop hugging us and didn't want to be put down. Tom ran up to me and remembered my name. I feel like all those sweet kids are my own kids and I love them all to pieces. We sang songs while we painted (my favorite, We Are One Family). They were only there for lunch break from school and so after an hour they had to go back to school. It was really hard to say goodbye! Me and Lauren shared a boda-boda on the way home and it was kinda scary. The driver totally smelled like weed and was for sure high as a kite. After a while we realized that we were going the opposite direction of town and I got scurred. Then as we went through some sugar cane fields some people shook the the sugar cane and yelled weird stuff at us. I was super nervous and realized how easy it would be for the driver to take us and rob us or do whatever he wanted. I tapped him and asked him if he was still taking us to town. He shook his head yes. Finally after going all around the sugar cane fields we ended up back in Lugazi. I was so ridiculously grateful to be home safe and sound. I took my last shower at the house and lucky for me it was even semi-warm! Ivan was hanging out at the house. He's been such a good friend and so helpful. I gave him a little thank you note (with my e-mail so we could stay in touch) and gave him a tie I had gotten at Martyr's Day. He put it right on to model it for me. You could tell he loved it so much and I was so happy! Edith came by and gave me a note to give my parents. it was the sweetest note thanking them for sending me to Uganda and all sorts of sweet compliments. While Irene was cooking I gave her a little basket full of cooking tools. She loved them all and was so excited. We had one last meeting together. We ended telling each other our favorite memories and things we had learned. Everyone kept talking about experiences with PWDs and I got pretty teary eyed. We all got so close over the summer and I love all of them to death.
We spent most all of Tuesday morning packing up and cleaning. It felt so weird to pack everything away. I couldn't believe the end had finally arrived. I got a phone call from home and my mom told me that Whit was at the hospital going into labor. I was so bummed because I really wanted to be there for the baby being born. I was praying that somehow I'd make it in time. Sweet Irene came to make us one last meal, but since we were leaving earlier it was lunch. I came to say hello and she gave me a big hug and slipped a gorgeous paper bead necklace onto me. Of course we have awesome luck and huge storm came and we lost all power. Somehow Irene performed another one of her miracles and made the most amazing meal. She made every single thing we've ever had. It was like Thanksgiving times ten. I knew it would be my last Irene meal and made myself totally sick trying to fit it all in! Next thing we knew our bus was there and it was time to load up. When we came out all the neighborhood kids were lining the fence wanting to say goodbye, it was the cutest thing I've ever seen. All our friends were there to say goodbye. Edith, Irene and Grandma Selma were all super emotional. The volunteers that were staying were also pretty teary eyed. It felt so weird driving away and knowing that I'd never walked down that street again. I was quite most of the drive and tried to soak in everything so I'd never forget it. The bus ride took about 2 1/2 hours. We got to the airport and got all checked in. We had to wait about 2 hours to board and so we just read books and chatted. Our first flight was 8 hours, which sucked, but at least it was a really nice plance with unlimited movies. Of course the airplane food was disgusting. We had a bit of a layover in Amsterdam. We took naps and then Leslie and I headed to McDonalds. We were SOOO excited for American food. We were so stoked to get some delicious egg mcmuffin breakfasts....that is until we realized that they costed 8 bucks for freakin' one mcmuffin. It was outrageous, but we couldn't cancel the order so we just had to go along with it. Pathetically enough it was totally worth it. Our next flight was 10 hours and the airplane sucked, it was pretty miserable and the food definitely didn't help anything. When we finally got to Texas I couldn't get off the plane fast enough. I almost started crying when I saw the American flag. I love America so much and I will never ever take it for granted again. David's phone finally worked since we were in America again and so I called my fam to see how Whit was doing. I was pretty bummed when I found she had already had sweet little Sadie Jane and I was super nervous because they said that the baby wasn't doing super good and in the NICU. I was freaking out and just wanted to get home. Our flight was the death of me. 30 hours of traveling...I for sure don't recommend it. We got off the plane and all rushed to find our families. I was so bummed because mine was no where in sight. I used Leslie's phone and called the fam. They were runing late (of course they were haha). I told them I'd grab my bags and meet them out front. Words cannot express how amazing it felt to finally see them and hug them all. My parents were there and Nick and Kesh brought Boston. He had grown a lot and it was so fun to play with him. We got in the car and headed to Parrothead to grab a quick lunch. After lunch we went to the hospital to see Whit and the baby. Sadie Jane Wooley is just about the cutest thing you could possibly imagine. Whit looked so good. You could tell she and Eddie were in total heaven. Sadie was doing much better and got to spend the night with Whit and Eddie. She even got to go home right on time. We spent most of the night there enjoying our cute new little bundle of joy. I gave Whit a dress I had made for Sadie and a little mobile I had gotten her in Africa. She loved them! When I finally got home I tried to unpack some stuff and man it reeked! I showed the parentals all my souveneirs and gave them their presents. They loved it all! Finally not sleeping for so long hit me like a brick wall and I crashed in bed.
It has been crazy jumping back into the real world. I've been spending as much time as possible with the fam. Tending Boston and visiting Whit and Sadie. I've also been trying to catch up with all my friends. This summer was the most amazing adventure of my life. Thanks for all that read the blog. It has been so fun writing about all the crazy things I've been up to. I learned so much this summer and I will never be the same.

Saying Goodbyes

On Tuesday afternoon I spent the day preparing my secondary school lesson with Katie. Our lesson was about health and not using drugs. We were in the house all day and we were totally going stir crazy. We had to make a banner on a sheet and it took forever. I got so sick of coloring and needed to get out of the house. Around 5 Kelsi, DJ, and I went to town. We went to visit Sarah and she did some more measuring for some dresses that she is tailoring for me. We walked around for a bit enjoying the fresh air. When we got home dinner was ready and it was ridiculously amazing. Irene didn’t know that like half the group was gone, so she made the same amount of food as normal…..even chipattis. I ate 3 chipatti and 2 bowls of food. I was ready to vomit, I ate WAY too much, but it was totally worth it! The power went out after dinner, but there wasn’t much going on so it didn’t totally matter. I pulled out my head lamp and read my book forever. I decided to take a shower and that was rather interesting to do by the light of a tiny headlamp haha. I got all warm in my bed after and read by headlamp until the wee hours of the morning.
On Wednesday morning I did my panty washing party. I am SO excited to use a washing machine when I get home, hooray my cloths will finally be clean again and my knuckles won’t be raw. After laundry I got ready and then Tori G. and I headed for our home visit. We met Susan at Intercession Church and then headed to Sam’s house. Before we left I gave Susan a thank you card with my e-mail address and a gift (a flamingo beanie baby for her daughter Jemima Cynthia and a bracelet for her). She loved it. Sam was very excited to see us. I was so sad that it was my last home visit, I will miss him so much! I gave Sam a thank you card (for speaking at the PWD caretaker presentation) that I made special for him. Since he is blind I spelled out thank you Sam with pipe cleaners (he could feel the letters with his fingers). He loved it so much. We talked with Sam’s mom about hygiene and all of our goals. I love Sam’s mom so much. At the end I gave Sam a little goodbye present. Since he can’t see or move around I got him a radio to listen to. I had Tori video me giving it to him. It was adorable! I told him that I had gotten him something special because he is my special friend. I thanked him for always being such a good friend to me. I told him he was so special and that I would never forget him for the rest of my life. He was all smiles and kept saying my name. Then I gave him the radio. He could not believe what was happening. To say he was ecstatic was an understatement. He couldn’t even talk to me, he just held his radio and smiled ear to ear. I showed him how to change the station and to turn the volume up and down. We got to a song he knew and he was singing for us. Words can’t even sum up how excited Sam was and how much it just melted my heart! Sam’s mom kept holding my hands and thanking me again and again. I love that family so much and I will never forget them. They will always have a special place in my heart. The next house we went to was Sheilla’s. When we got to their street we saw Sheilla running up the street to come meet us, it was SO cute. She grabbed my hand and led my to her house, she was so excited. We did our visit and Sheilla sang all sorts of songs for us. Sheilla’s mom told us all about how good she has been about all of our exercises. At the end we gave Sheilla a slinky to get her to move her bad hand. That is another family that I will always hold dear to my heart. I got so lucky to have such fun families to home visit. The last home we went to was Fiona’s. We brought some cloths that people had donated from America and they fit her perfectly. She was crazy as always but it was great fun. On the way home Tori and I stopped by Crane’s school to catch the end of Katie’s music lesson. At the end the children sang to us and it was so cute. They are amazing singers. We went home, I ate lunch, and then Katie and I finished getting our lesson together. At 2:30 we all caught boda-bodas and rode to Lugazi Hill View. I was so sad because it was my last secondary school meeting. Kelsi and DJ did the first half of the lesson on health and dental hygiene. The kids were asking really good questions and the part was great. Katie and I did the next part about drugs. We talked all about the problems that drugs cause, what to do if someone you know is into drugs, and everything else you’d need to know. At the end I made them pledge to not do drugs and told them how they have to make the decision now. We wrote “I Pledge To Stay Drug Free” on a sheet and then each student signed it and stamped their handprint with paint. They loved it and it turned out so cute! I had notes and treats prepared for the kids I mentor to say goodbye and give them my e-mail address. I was really bummed because Joe, Joshua and Betty are in Senior 4 and they were preparing for final exams so they couldn’t come to our lesson. I had to give my treats to their teacher John (one of my very good friends) to give to them. I was way sad I couldn’t say goodbye the way I wanted to, but at least I tried. We headed to St. Edwards next. It is such a great project but sometimes I really dread going because there are so many kids and it gets so hectic. We played some little games like duck duck goose and some other African games we’ve learned. At the end we gave them all stickers. The kids were way cute and we had fun with them, but after an hour we were all ready to go. We stopped by market on the way home. When I finally got home dinner was ready and it was delish! Everyone got home from Gulu and the house was total chaos. Its fun to have everyone back, but it is also way too many people for one little house. It will be really nice to have alone time when I get back to America.
This morning I got up extra early to eat breakfast and get last minute things ready for my PWD lesson. Tori and I were teaching a lesson on encouragement. When we got there there was very few people there and I was nervous that I wasn't going to get to say goodbye to all my friends. Like always everyone came, just on African time (aka always late). When Sam came he brought his radio and he was all smiles. All the mothers kept coming up to me and thanking me for making him so happy. All during my lesson I could hear Sam singing along to his radio and then he yell out my name, o my gosh I'm seriously in love with that boy! Our lesson went really well and the mothers loved it. At the end we helped them make pinwheels for their children. On one side they wrote things they love about their children (one compliment on each section of the pinwheel). They colored the other side to make it look beautiful. After they finished they gave them to their children and showed them how to use them (blow wind with your mouth). I'm not sure if the mothers or kids liked them more haha, it was adorable! At the end I said goodbye to all of them and thanked them for everything. I told them they had taught me so much in the time I spent with them and that I would never forget them. They were sad but said some very sweet goodbyes. After it was over Faith (the program director) took me aside and gave me her table cloth from home. She said she was so sorry she didn't have more, but she wanted to give me something to show her gratitude for what I had done this summer. She told me each time she looked at her table and it was bare she'd remember her friend Rylee and the things I'd done for her. It was one of the sweetest things anyone has ever done for me. I love her so much and I'm so grateful I met her and we were able to develop our program into the beautiful thing that it was!

Sweet Safariness

Just a heads up: I can no longer put pictures on my blog due to virusness city. After I get home I’ll try really really hard to go back and throw some pictures onto these last few entries. The pictures for this entry are way too amazing to not share.

On Thursday afternoon Lindsi, DJ and I went and had lunch at the Milan House. Lunch was alright, but the company was for sure much better. After we got home we learned that there had been quite a scare in town. Some guys tried to steal some motorcycles and the town went nuts. The towns people tried to get thieves before the police do because thieves can pay off the cops and go back to commit more crimes. The only way for the police to calm the crowd and get the thieves before they were killed was by shooting a machine gun in the air. There were some volunteers near by and they heard the shots and said it was pretty intense. All of them kept saying how glad they were that I wasn’t there because I am by far the biggest wuss of anyone here. We were informed later that night that one of the thieves was not so lucky and he was burned alive in town, the other three were beaten severely and taken to hospital by police escort. It was funny because talking to people about it, they were sad that three got away. Around about 3 a little group of us headed to Jinja to go do some more bungee (I had already paid for two and so I had to cash in my free one). On the way we passed over a bridge on the Nile and we for sure saw a crocodile, so rad! When we got there I got so excited. I think half the fun of going there is that all the men that work there are super attractive and they have ridiculously attractive accents (they’re from South Africa, Australia, and Ireland). I got nervous up at the top again, but the hot men definitely helped calm me down haha. I decided to go solo again for my last jump. I was very proud of myself because I was being so brave. I went right to the platform and dove straight off. I was able to concentrate on the fall that time since I knew what to expect, it was amazing. I love that jump so much, the feeling is freakin’ phenomenal!!! After my jump I chilled in the bar area (the place where you can sit and watch people jump) while the other people in our group jumped. I ordered a BBQ chicken pizza and it was delicious. We stayed pretty late and then a taxi came to pick us up. When we got home the house was super chaotic. We were all trying to pack things up for our vacations in the morning plus we had 3 new volunteers, seriously who knows how on Earth we’ll fit more people in here!

Friday morning we got up nice and early. Our lovely country directors had prepared an amazing breakfast for all of us (like seriously the works). We stuffed our faces and then we were out the door by 7:15. There was 12 of us that went on the safari (Kelsi, DJ, Katie, Tori, Natalie, Chrissy, Brent, James, Dan, Kira, Ashley and I). We headed to the taxi park and our safari cars met us. One car was a little van and the other was a humongous truck lifted like crazy (the drivers sat in a cab that was like a semi truck and then the seats were in the back, way high and the rows faced each other, totally set up for the safari). Our crew was amazing. The head guide was Becky (a classy man whose pot belly looked so hot in his wife beater tanks), the co-guide was Ivan (he was hilarious and asked us every second how we were doing percentage wise everyday and then he’d do anything in his power to change it to 100%), and the last one was our chef named Kirunda (K is pronounced with a ch sound in case you were wondering. His food was the best food I’ve had in Africa and actually it rivals most food from USA. He for sure caused me to gain at least 5 pounds this weekend. He also brought out my jungle fever like crazy, he was the hottest man alive. It was definitely love at first sight!) We had some people not part of HELP that joined us in our safari adventure. There were two English girls my age named Sara and Holly, a middle aged lady named Seletta and a guy my age named Ben. We had quite the drive ahead of us…..5 hours of death! Unfortunately I got car sick, but thank heavens its only the second time I’ve actually gotten car sick. Lucky for us we were able to stop part way through and have some lunch. They just pulled off to the side of the road and whipped out some fresh, amazing pasta salad. Lunch made me feel way better but I was still dreading the rest of the drive. The rain started to pour down and made the dirt roads awful slick. We finally got to a rhino park. We got to go on a rhino walk and it was super fun. After walking for a few minutes we found 6 rhinos and we got so close. It was crazy to be so close, they’re such cool looking animals. We climbed back in the car and headed on the road again. We finally reached our camp ground at dark. We set up camp. When I opened my bag I saw quite the unpleasant surprise. My entire bottle of mosquito repellent opened up and everything was drenched. It was rather annoying, but hey look at the bright side, at least I had extra protection against the bugs. Katie was my tent partner and I felt like we did a pretty good job setting up our tent. We’re for sure hard core mountain women. After camp was set up we got to eat dinner at the hotel. I had some delicious stir fry and chapatti. We got ready for bed and then chatted for a while. Other than being a little cold, I slept pretty well.

Saturday morning Becky woke us up nice and early by banging on our tent and yelling funny stuff at us. We packed up camp nice and quick and then we got to enjoy a gourmet breakfast Kirunda style. The group of us that had been in the van got switched to the truck because it was pretty awful. We quickly learned that the car had absolutely NO shocks. I was for sure launched out of my chair…like onto the floor…more than once….awesome. After a ride that was quite like the Indiana Jones Ride at Disney Land. We finally arrived at Bedunga to go Chimp trekking. Our guide was John T. They laughed at us for wearing Chacos and they gave us some real hot rain boots to wear instead. We quickly figured out why we needed rain boots. We were almost never on trails (our guide was literally cutting back branches with a Swiss Army Knife so we could actually keep walking) and the ground was always covered in safari ants that bite hard. After hiking for about 4 hours we found some chimp poo and heard them calling each other, unfortunately we were unsuccessful in finding chimps. Even though we didn’t find any chimps, we still had a lot of fun! We got back in the car and drove to Red Chili campsite. They had a lovely little restaurant that served us lunch. It was beef and rice and was not very good, but of course I still stuffed my face. After lunch we headed to a dock on the Nile and waited to board a ferry. While we waited we saw an elephant drinking at the bank on the other side of the river, it was awesome. We road on the ferry with our cars and then got ready to go on our first game drive. Our ranger guide for the game drive was Henry. He was so crazy and you had to respect the man….he had a huge gun and he said it was to protect the animals from us, not the other way around. Dan, DJ and I opted for the crazy ride. We stood on the cab of huge truck and held onto the bars around the back of the truck. I have no idea why on Earth they let us do it. We were about 15 feet of the ground and there was almost nothing to hold onto. Becky didn’t really care that anyone was up there, he drove SO fast and there was some huge speed bumps. There was one point where I was almost certain we were gonna fly off and another point where a huge tree branch flew at us and were had no way to dodge it, we got some wicked scratches. At first we kept seeing animals from a distance and we thought it was so cool. Then we saw my favorite animals up super close, giraffes. They are my favorite because me and my madre have long necks and so we kinda relate. They are so gorgeous and we were sooo close, it was amazing! There was three and one was really dark. I could have watched them all night. We saw all sorts of antelope, water buffalo, birds, and other awesome things. I felt like I was in Lion King, I want to watch that movie so bad when I get home. After almost flying off a few more times the DJ, Dan and I decided we wanted to live through the weekend and so we got back into the car. I had quite the massive bruise on back from the bar on the truck hitting my back repeatedly. Right after we got in of course we got super super close to elephants. They were walking on the road right in front of us. They were HUGE and there was five of them. We all leaned outside of the truck snapping pictures and taking videos. I definitely could have stuck out my hand and freaking touched the elephant. It was AMAZING to be so close, ah these animals are so incredible. I don’t know what on Earth I have done that is allowing me to be so lucky, I seriously don’t even feel worthy to be seeing all this goodness!!! It’s great when things are that gorgeous because even if you suck at photography, your pictures turn out spectacular. I took animal and sunset pictures that are for sure National Geographic worthy. The other car radioed us and told us that they were looking at lions and told us where to come. They said there was a mom and some cubs. What I saw was most certainly not cubs and it nearly stopped my heart. There was a huge female and the cubs were only 9 months old, but apparently lions are full grown by that point. We sat and watched them for a while. They weren’t very active but they were gorgeous. We drove for a good 15 yards and then pulled over. I couldn’t see anything and was so confused. That is when they started whipping out the tents. I started to freak out. Camp was right near the water and we were on some flattened grasslands (which we were informed was trimmed by hippos….the animal that kills more humans than any other animal). I couldn’t believe we were actually sleeping there. They built a huge bonfire and we built our tents in a circle around it because most animals hate fire. All the guides got such a kick out of how terrified I was. They started cooking a big steak dinner which made me feel way better…..big slabs of raw meat….awesome what better way to attract lions! Dinner was amazing (no joke the steak was even better than steaks from Ruby River!) I ate myself silly! After dinner I sat and chatted with Henry. He told me all sorts of crazy stories from his days guiding. He told me he has never used his gun on an animal before, but he has had to use it on poachers. He also told us that the reason they carry guns is because in the days of the war. Much of the battle happened there. Rebels would frequently come and shoot animals and kill all the tourists to try and kill Ugandans main economy (tourisms from safaris). We chatted forever and he had some amazing stories. Finally I decided to hit the hay. I have been scared in my life (bungee jumping, rafting the Nile, etc.), but NOTHING compares to the fear I felt that night. Knowing there was lions 15 yards away, hippos right across from us, elephants, buffalo and other dangerous animals all around made it basically impossible to sleep. It was also quite like a sauna inside our lovely little tent. Of course I had to pee about ½ after getting in bed but I refused. I sat in my tent staring at the ceiling for a good 3 hours. You could hear heavy footsteps and flapping noises all night right outside our tents, I tried to ignore and did not want to know what it was. My mind always plays tricks on me (I have a crazy imagination), but the scariest part is that I knew the noises really were dangerous animals. I finally decided it would be best to put iPod and pretend I was warm in my bed in America. Of course I couldn’t fall asleep, but at least I was a little distracted. Finally around about 5 I was about to pee out my ears and I was ready to die. I woke up Katie and made her help me out. I shined my flashlight out the front flapped for a good 2 minutes to make sure I couldn’t see a single animal. I squatted literally right in front of the tent and made Katie watch me the entire time I peed so that an animal wouldn’t come and grab me, she agreed and found it quite hysterical. I got back in the tent and laid awake until Becky came by at 6.

I have never been so grateful to have someone “wake me up” in the morning. Seeing all the animal poop outside our tent that morning confirmed all my fears about being surrounded having been surrounded by animals all night long. We didn’t get ready, they just loaded us right into the cars and we headed on another game drive. The African sunrise on the grasslands was breathtaking. The first animal we found was a giraffe. We were way close and Ivan let us get out of the car and try to get closer to the giraffe. We got WAY close and I got some rad pictures standing in front of it with the sun still rising. We saw a hippo off in the distance and wanted to get closer. Sweet Ivan took us on a nice off-roading adventure and we got some great up close pictures. After seeing some more awesome animals we headed back to camp for a delicious gourmet Kirunda breakfast. We took down camp and then piled into the cars. We had another long drive and saw some great animals, but I fell asleep for a lot of it due to lack of sleep the night before. After another ferry ride we got back to Red Chili for some lunch. After being spoiled by Kirunda’s cooking we were all very disappointed with the spaghetti the restaurant served us. After lunch we got to chill for about an hour, which felt amazing, then it was off to the dock to load on a boat for a water safari. The boats were pretty small which made me kinda nervous. Right as we got in we went to the other side of the river because there was 5 elephants getting a drink. They were so cute. One looked like it was just barely born and he held his mama’s tail and followed her everywhere she went. Mmmm baby animals are just way to cute, I wanted to take him home with me! We cruised along the water and saw about 8 million hippos. The whole way you’d see herds of these little heads just barely above water with their little ears wiggling all around. I seriously couldn’t believe how many hippos were in the water, it was madness. Whenever they swim towards us at all I’d get way scared, but thankfully they never got to close. Further down the river we saw three huge alligators on the riverbank. One was chillin with his mouth wide open and you could see all his nice sharp choppers. Finally after riding for about 1 ½ hours we reached the Murichison Falls. I can’t even begin to describe the majesty of these amazing falls. There is SO much water squeezing through this little narrow opening. They are so loud and powerful. There is water spraying everywhere and we got some amazing pictures. After getting our pictures they dropped us on the banks and we went for a nice little hike. We walked up to the top of the falls. From the top you could see another, equally breathtaking waterfall. We got to walk right up close to the falls and get a nice shower from the spray. It felt nice because it was for sure the closest any of us got to a shower that weekend (you can only begin to imagine how lovely I smelled!) We hiked a little way up from the falls and set up camp. They said hippos sometimes come into the camp at night, but that if you left them alone they’d be totally harmless. I really felt so much more safe sleeping at that campsite and falling asleep was cake that night. Kirunda got started on dinner right when he got there. We sat and chatted with the crew and smelled our amazing dinner getting ready. They told us all sorts of crazy African traditions and cultures. When dinner was finally ready it was to die for. He made a beef stew that was served over rice. His meat literally melted in your mouth, he had all sorts of fresh vegetable and the sauce on it was mmmmmmm phenomenal. We sat on a bench looking out on the water enjoying our amazing din-din. After dinner I was totally pooped from not sleeping the night before and I went right to bed. You could hear the falls really loud from our tent and it was so soothing to fall asleep to.

Like every other morning Becky came bright and early, even before the sun (6 am). While we packed up camp Kirunda cooked up our last gourmet breakfast. We couldn’t believe how fast the trip flew by and that it was already time to go home. Lucky me I got to ride in the sucky safari truck. I held onto my seat for dear life and prayed that the ride would go by quickly (of course those of us stuck in the truck made the people in the van promise to switch halfway through). On the way Brent let me use his iPod. I just about freaked…he had a song, Viva La Vida, from the new Coldplay CD. It was super amazing and I can’t wait to hear the rest of that CD!!!!! After driving about 5 hours we got to stop alongside the side of the road to whip up a quick lunch and take a bathroom break. We had tuna and sweet corn sandwiches and fresh fruit. After lunch getting into the van was amazing and I actually got to sleep the rest of the way. After about 4 more hours we were in Kampala and we got to stop and take a potty break/shopping break. I grabbed some snacks at the market (I’m going to bring home some of the favorite Ugandan snacks for you guys to try. I love them, but at times I wonder if it is only because there isn’t much else good to eat.) We finally got back to good old Lugazi around 5 or 6. I was glad that I survived the weekend. Somehow I definitely managed to get WAY more bug bites than anyone else (and in the most akward places, who gets 14 on their butt…what the heck I swear I didn’t ever run around naked!) It was so fun because everyone was welcoming us home and seemed SO excited to see us. We got back to the house and I ran straight to the shower. The water coming off my body was disgusting, like seriously you have never seen such dirty water in your life. It felt amazing to be so clean! I had a nice little dinner and then we all watched the movie Batman Begins. I forgot how much that movie makes you want to see the second one. I think it comes out pretty soon, so I really want to see it once I get home. I got into bed and chatted with some people and then finally fell asleep.

This morning I naturally woke up at the crack of dawn. I made a little breakfast, unpacked some stuff in my bags, and then did some laundry. At 9:45 Kelsi, Tori G. and I headed to Intercession Church to meet Susan for our PWD home visit. When we got there we found that Grace (one of our favorite women, she is the pastor's wife and also one of our caretakers) had her baby the day before. We got to come into her house and hold the new little guy, his name was Enoch. We sat and chatted with Grace and her husband for a while and played with their other two kids. They are awesome and it was so fun visiting with them. I will miss that family so much, they are the best! Susan didn't end up showing up so we're gonna go back to the house and call her to see if everything is okay. We would go on our own, but the mothers don't speak English, so it would be extremely difficult. Hopefully we can go later today!

Tulabirira, One Of The Days I'll Never Forget

Let me start this by saying I am very sorry. I know most people’s favorite part of blogs is looking at the pictures. We have a really bad virus on our computers and they no longer read cameras, so for the rest of my pictures you’ll just have to wait til I get home. On Tuesday afternoon I spent the much of the day preparing stuff for the PWD meeting on Thursday. After spending a while on that I needed a break so I helped Lauren and Lindsi with some of their teacher training projects. We made a hanging alphabet with for a class (the letter on one side and a picture with a word starting with that letter on the other side). Everyone laughed really really hard at mine because apparently I’m not the greatest artist. At 4 Ashley, Heidi, Kelsi, Stephanie, Natalie and I went to the Nakasedde women’s group. It was so much fun. We taught them English words about cooking. As we taught English we also taught them how to make banana pancakes. I wish you could have seen it, it was so cute. There was just us and a big group of Ugandan women gathered in an alleyway making banana pancakes in a saucepan over a little charcoal stove. They loved the pancakes and we had so much fun with them. We had lots of batter so we got to share some with the little group of kids that gathered around to watch us. The women now have all sorts of cooking words to practice and at the very end we gave each one a spatula so they can make their own pancakes. I worked on more alphabet letter (because I’m so gifted at making them) until dinner time. After dinner, which was delicious, Ashley and I had a meeting about PWD on Thursday. I was excited, but also kinda nervous. She gave me the program to type up and told me to print about 50 or so copies. She also told me about some of the people that will be there (district leaders from other villages are coming, the mayor and all sorts of prominent people). I found out I was speaking near the beginning about our program and then Sam (the boy I home visit and am TOTALLY in love with) was talking after. I got so excited to hear him, he’d do such a great job. A few others like Mike (HELP exec. Director), the mayor, etc. were speaking and then we’d present each caretaker will a certificate. The program turned into way more than I’d ever hoped for and I was way happy. I went to bed pretty early but I didn’t sleep very well because some of the girls in my room were SOOO noisy…while they were sleeping. Yeah so many people here talk and moan in their sleep, it is ridiculous. Usually hilarious, but when it gets too noisy and you’re way tired, you feel the need to smoother them in a pillow.

On Tuesday morning I found that an idea I thought was so brilliant ended up blowing up in my face. Sunday night I though it would be great to let my underwear soak in a bucket with soap overnight. I didn’t get to washing them til Tuesday morning and let me tell you what. When I moved the water the stench of mildew was so strong that Lauren started dry heaving in the toilet. I had to wash my underwear about 8,000 times and then I sprayed it with body spray as it was drying. Thankfully most of the smell was washed away, but wow that was miserable. After my washing I met up with Tori B. and we headed off for our home visits. Susan was a bit late but then we were on our way. Sam was our first house. I get the biggest smile on my face whenever I see that boy. We brought a poloroid photo that we took at our last PWD meeting. We framed it nicely for them to hang up in their house. We reviewed the lesson about socialization with Mama Sam. We also asked Sam if he’d speak at our Thursday PWD meeting where we’d present the caretaker certificates. He seemed very excited about it. At the end we gave him a beanie baby bird. We showed him all the body parts on it (eye, mouth, wings, feet, etc.) He also loved to shake it so the beans would make noises. He loved the bird so much. I asked him what he wanted to name his bird. He sat there for a long time as this was a very importance decision. Finally he decided to name it after one of his favorite people that has a radio talk show, the bird is officially named Trevor. We left and headed to our next visit, to Sheilla. Sheilla was so excited to see us. She now calls me Auntie Rylee and I love that. We gave a framed Poloroid to Mama Sheilla and she was very happy to have it. We talked to her about socialization, although she is already very good about taking Sheilla around to do everyday things. Mama Sheilla showed us that she has been doing the play-doh hand exercises and we encouraged her to continue. Sheilla kept waving her hand around and saying something to her mom and her mom would laugh. I asked Susan what they were saying and she started laughing and told me that Sheilla wants to be like me and talk with her hands (apparently I do it super bad). I think she was also kinda making fun of my hand gestures haha. Sheilla performed some songs for us and then we gave her a bracelet with bells on it. We put it on her bad wrist to encourage her to use it, she was way excited and shook her wrist like crazy. When we left for our last visit, to Fiona, Sheilla wanted to come. What a better way to show socialization? She was SOOO well behaved at the visit, I was in total awe. She sat quietly the whole time, she was like a whole new kid. Our visit was fine with Fiona, but she is the most difficult to handle. Mama Fiona wasn’t at our last PWD meeting and so we gave her a brief overview of the lesson. We gave Fiona her bracelet but she wasn’t really interested. As we left Mama Fiona gave us a jackfruit (hooray) and some bananas. It sucked to carry home, but I was still very grateful to her. I gave the jackfruit to the family we live with. They wanted to cut it up and share with us. I told them they weren’t allowed to share with any of us. They had to eat as much as they could and then save whatever they couldn’t finish. I made myself some yummy American chicken noodle soup and then worked on PWD stuff (homevisit updates and prep for the meeting on Thursday). I wrote up the program for the PWD ceremony and then I wrote a letter inviting/asking the mayor to speak. I went to town right before it was going to get dark and picked up a dress and then took it to a tailors to have in taken in (I looked like a circus tent haha). I came back to the house and goofed off with some friends at the house and then enjoyed a yummy dinner (and we actually had meat which I don’t even remember the time I did). We had our weekly team meeting. We discuss the week and different issues affecting the team. We have team bag that is in the house and throughout the week you can leave anonymous comments that are read every Tuesday night. It is often full of many hilarious inside jokes. We also had some sentimental moments talking about experiences that week with locals. We were looking back at the summer, realizing it was our last night with everyone together as a team (3 people were leaving for Kenya/South Africa the next day and then that weekend ½ the team was heading to Gulu and the other half to Murchison Falls; when we come back from the weekend 2^nd wave people start going home). It is so weird to think how fast the summer has flown. I’ve made so many amazing friends that I will never ever ever forget! A few of us stayed up late talking and enjoying the night.

On Wednesday morning I woke up early, but stayed in my bed listening to my iPod for a bit. After breakfast I read the book my mom sent and then worked on more PWD stuff. At 11:00 I went with Stephanie and Katie to the Crane’s School for choir. Steph taught the lesson about rhythm and we started teaching them Take Me Out To The Ballgame. They don’t totally how the song goes just yet, but we’ll get it and it will be SO cute! After the meeting I came straight home. I hadn’t eaten enough breakfast and so I was super light headed. I cooked up some of my mama’s rice and it made me feel much much better. Our guard David came by to visit while I was eating. His contract with us ran out a few days ago and so we’ve had random guards each night. We love him soooo much and have missed him like crazy. He told us he’d hopefully be back within the next few nights. He’s been coming with us to make stoves the past few times. He’s such a hard worker and amazing. It was so fun visiting with him while I ate. I told him that the next day I’d take him to the internet and set up an e-mail account so we can stay in touch with him and send him pictures to remember us. We gave him a few snacks and then he was off to work at another job. At three we went to Hill View Secondary School. I always try to walk there but man that walk is straight up a huge hill (hence the name hill view) and it gets my leg a burnin'. Corbin and Heidi gave a lesson on HIV/AIDS. The lesson was awesome and the kids were asking some really great questions. I got to see my beloved Joe (the one that wrote me the intense love note haha). He's a great kid and always makes me smile. After that I went back to the house. On my way I stopped by Sara's shop and got myself another purse (ah they're SO cute!) I went back to the house and finished writing my speech for the PWD meeting the next day. After dinner the family called and it was wonderous as always. Gosh dang it I love talking to them so much, it just sucks because the time always flies by WAYWAYWAY too quickly! As we were on the phone the power went out. I spent the rest of the night cozied up on a chair reading my book by the light of my classy headlamp.

Thursday morning I got up nice and early so I'd have time to get myself all ready for the meeting. My speech was ready but I was SOOOOOO nervous. Right before we left it started raining. I was bummed and nervous that people wouldn't show. When I arrived at the church (the place where we have our meetings) I was overwhelmed. Everyone came plus tons of visitors, the place was packed. While the mothers sat together, the HELP volunteers occupied the children. I really can hardly even type about the meeting with out getting emotional. I'll have many more details for you when I get home, but it was a beautiful day that I will never forget for the rest of my life. We started with a prayer and then sang the Ugandan national anthem. A few people of those with disabilities in Lugazi spoke. The spoke so highly of us and I was so honored. Faith spoke about how I was sent from God because of my love for those with disabilities and I didn't know quite how to react. My speech went really well. I was very prepared and I said everything I was wanting to say. I tried to express my love to all the children and their families, and I thanked the caregivers for all their hand work. I spoke of many of the wonderful relationships I have personally built with the people I visit. I explained how at the end of the summer the program will continue and the families will never be forgotten. After I spoke it was Sam's turn (the boy I homevisit). There was not a dry eye in the house. He was so happy and adorable. He said that he looks so forward to Thursdays because it is the only day he moves from his house. He sang a song for us and told us how happy he is with his life. he is such a special boy and will ALWAYS have a very special place in my heart. These people are amazing and their joy for life is so contagious. After I spoke the mayor and Mike went around and met with all the children, followed by the mayor addressing everyone. He spoke about how much he loves our program and how much the government needs to step in and help. He made a lot of big promises that I hope he lives up to, it would make a world of difference in the lives of these people. At the end he gave the group 200,000 shilling and a few kilos of sugar. The mothers went mad, yelling out all sorts of praises and hilarious cat callish noises. After he spoke we presented each caregiver with a certificate signed by the mayor, Mike, me and a few others. The certificates were thanking them for their outstanding leadership as caretakers. A few other (Mike, Ashley and some members of town council) spoke after. Everyone did such a phenominal job! The last person to speak was the pastor of the church we meet in. It was beautiful and touched me so deeply. I am finally starting to see the impact we have had here in Uganda. This program has become WAY more than I could have ever hoped for thanks to the hard work of all the volunteers and amazing country directors. I feel so blessed that I was able to be a part of this. After this meeting I know that none of us (HELP volunteers and people of Uganda) will never ever be the same. Something very amazing has happened this summer and I am forever changed. Today was such a major payoff for all the hard work we have put into this program. Ah I just wished I could put into words all the things that I am feeling right now. I tried to take some video so maybe when I get home you can get a small look into the wonderful day I had today.

Yeah I'm Free, Free Fallin'

On Thursday afternoon I came home from the internet I stopped by Simple Market. The man that works there is named Bosco and we have become great friends. Whenever they run out of something and I want more I just give him a shout out and by the next day bam it’s on the shelf. For the past week he’s been out of these green plastic sacks that I love (instead if you get a lot of stuff he puts it in a bunch of small black bags), each time I ask for them he doesn’t have them and he feels bad, so I stopped asking. When I bought some bananas he got a big smile on his face and said, “Hey Rylee you’re getting a lot of stuff, I think you deserve one of these.” And then he pulled out a nice green bag. It sounds like something so small, but it totally made my day. I love all my random friendship I have made with people here. When I finally got home my spirits were crushed. The power was out, which means no enjoying the delicious rice my momma sent (and you have no idea how much I had been looking forward to it). We all huddled in the living room chatting in the dark. In about 5 seconds the rain started to absolutely pour. I really love the rain, it makes me feel and warm and cozy. Africa basically shuts down in the rain, so most all projects get put on hold until it stops. We all just got to hang-out and listen to the rain (and each other haha). Around 9 Jackie and Ashley came home with a fun surprise for us…..Mike. Mike is the executive director for HELP and he came to spend two weeks with us. We all got way too excited about the idea of a new friend and we swarmed him like crazy. Mike is a smart man and new the best way to make new friend…buy their love. He whipped out a huge bag of chocolate candy and everyone went crazy. Even though I don’t eat sugar I still got oober excited to see American goodies! We all stayed up way later than normal chatting with Mike and enjoying the evening.

On Friday morning I woke up very early due to a lovely crying baby. I can normally tune out all the morning noises but I was struggling big time that day. I finally gave up and went to make breakfast. I read for a bit until everyone else woke up. After I got ready I headed to the mayor’s house to meet up with Leslie and Lauren. Leslie invited me to come on her PWD home visit. Volunteers like Leslie make me so happy I could cry. She has taken the idea of home visits and magnified it times ten hundred. She not only goes to do her visits once a week, she also visits randomly throughout the week to help out. Shafi is a young boy about 14 years old. He is the size of a two of three year old child (he folds up and can be kept in a Bunsen bucket). He is totally unresponsive to any stimulation. Leslie goes and brings bananas to feed him. He is left in bed all day and usually fed only once a day. He often sits in urine or feces all day and so he has massive bed sores. On our visit we mashed up a banana and fed him. He seemed to really enjoy it and he drank water like there was no tomorrow. Although he was unresponsive I felt that he could feel our love for him and I am so glad to know that Leslie is going so far out of the way to make our program actually make a difference here. I am amazed by the response I have gotten from the volunteers towards the Tulabirira program. Everyone is going above and beyond what I had ever imagined and I really feel like we are making a difference. I love working with these amazing people (both my Mzungu and African friends). After our visit we stopped by to see Shem. He makes these amazing oil paintings and I ended up buying one. It may be slightly hard to get home, but it is TOTALLY worth it! We went home and I finally got to enjoy the lovely soup my Momma sent and it was delish (along with a pack of my favorite glucose biscuits for dessert)! After that a few of us girls spent some time taping books (to help them be more durable) for a library we’re constructing at a secondary school. While we were taping Seren busted out a watermelon cause it’s the 4^th of July baby. Each bite was tasted just like an American summer. After some taping I worked on last minute details with Lindsi for teacher training. Our teacher training was at Rimage Primary School. On the way there Jackie and Ashley gave me a wonderous love note from my sweet friend Joe (he’s in my group for secondary schools). It was so sweet (in an obsessive crush kinda way) and for sure made my day! He wrote it on some real romantic paper with roses on it and gave me a heart bracelet. He told me that he is sick with love, he cannot sleep at night, he wants me to “produce his children” haha, and he want to show me three songs he has written for me. He is such a doll and I’m so totally flattered. Love notes could be one of the greatest highlights Africa has to offer. Teaching training went really well. I was super nervous to teach my part, but thanks to some MAJOR help from Lindsi it went pretty well. I had to sneak out a bit early because I had to pee like you couldn’t believe. I ran home soooo fast and barely made it in time. Dinner was just great but the house was super chaotic with so many people. I decided to take a shower to get some alone time. After I got out of the shower some of the people had left for the other house and things had quieted back down. I relaxed the rest of the night away.

On Saturday morning we slept in until about 8:30. After eating breakfast Emily and I headed to Simple Market to meet up with Edith and her Brother Myango. We all boarded a taxi and headed to Mukono. Edith and Myango are brother and sister, she’s 18 and he’s 13. They live in Lugazi with us and help us out SO much everyday. They help us get around and Edith often helps us with laundry. They’re amazing and we’re so lucky to have such great friends. Emily and I decided we’d treat them to a day of fun. We went to Mukono to see their mother (their parents are separated right now). They had been there since January. Their mom was so excited to see us and she made some goodies for us, even though she had almost nothing she couldn’t let us leave empty handed (chapatti, pineapple and pineapple soda). In Uganda when you know a kid you always call their mother mama then the child’s name, so we called her Mama Edith. I think from now on I’m calling my madre Mama Rylee. She told us some stories about Edith and Myango when they were younger and showed us some pictures. Then we went around with town to meet some other relatives (which the kids hadn’t seen since 2000). Her uncle was seriously in the middle of no where and we got laughing so hard because he was wearing a Utah Jazz shirt, ya gotta love it! The sun was unusually hot and I was sweating like a mad woman. We chatted for a bit and then it was time to leave. Hiking back up the hill in such intense heat didn’t help the sweat situation. When we finally got to the taxi park (which was really really far) I got smashed in the middle as far from a window as possible. By this point I literally looked like I’d been swimming (my cloths were absolutely drenched!!!) The Ugandans could tell how miserable I was and had a nice laugh, funny now, but at the time I wanted to scream! After a freakin’ long ride we finally got to Entebbe. I have never been so grateful to get out of a taxi. We sat on the sidewalk for a bit to get back to normal and then we started walking towards Lake Victoria. It is SO beautiful, I wanna go to a lake the minute I get home! On the way we saw some missionaries and stopped to talk to them for a bit. One had gone to BYU and knew some of my friend, what a small world! We were walking down the street and I really needed to go to the bathroom and so we stopped at the LDS church. There was a ton of people there and so we chatted for a bit. There was a missionary couple there from Rexburg and they know uncle Dan and aunt Sandy. Ask them if they know the Stegelmeiers (I don’t know exactly how to spell it). It was so fun to chat with everyone there. I finally got some relief in the bathroom, but it didn’t have a lock, so I for sure got walked in on twice…mmmm that was awesome! After leaving there we headed to the zoo. It was the most ridiculously amazing zoo ever! The animals were all so close to us (like the lion was way close and the only thing between us was a freakin’ chain link fence!) There was so much to see and it was huge. While we were looking at some sort of cat we saw some monkeys. I think they pretty much cage they things they have to and then let the rest run wild. We got surrounded by a ton of monkeys it was awesome. We pulled out a granola bar and started feeding them. They’d come and take the food right out of your hand. I for sure got to hold hands with some monkeys, it was so cool. I have always wanted to touch a monkey, so check there’s another lifelong goal met. We stayed with them for a while because it was so fun. The zoo is right on the beach and they have their own little private section you can go walk around. It smelled like the ocean and it was gorgeous. I can’t get over the scenary at the zoo it was to die for. As always, time flies when you’re having fun. Next thing we knew it was 6:30 and we were starving. We walked around for a bit and found a posh hotel and decided to go grab some grub. I ordered a lovely pizza and the kids went and got so much food. It was so fun treating them to a day of fun. Our food was amazing and I was in heaven! When we finished it was really dark and I was oober nervous. We walked to the town trying to find a taxi. After walking for a bit we finally found one. They took us to Kampala and then dropped us off at the taxi park, which was even more scary. It was HUGE and totally chaotic. After walking around for a bit (holding the kids hand soo tightly) we were able to locate the part heading to Lugazi. We boarded a taxi and I was so glad to be safe in a car. We had another long ride back and Edith ended up getting really car sick and threw up (thankfully after we pulled over). The rest of the way she laid on my lap and I tickled her back. When we got back to Lugazi we walked the kids to their house and apologized for getting them home so late (it was 11:00). He didn’t mind at all. I made Emily hold my hand the entire way to the house (cause I’m a major wuss). I love going one on one with volunteers, it’s so fun to bond. I just love Em so much. When we got home it felt so good to finally be there. I crashed the minute I got back, I was totally beat.

On Sunday morning we all woke up headed to the taxi park to go to church in Jinja. Church was great as always. It was fast and testimony meeting. Our friend Richard (an investigator, he is the headmaster at the orphanage in Iganga). He was so excited and wanted to bear his testimony. He said how much he likes coming to church and how much they need to start a branch in Iganga so he can go. It was so sweet and he was so excited. After church we went to our favorite restaurant, Ginger on Jinja. Of course I got the classic Fandango smoothie and breakfast bagel, which was delicious as always. After eating we headed grabbed some boda-bodas and went on our way to the Bungee tower on the Nile. Tori G. and I were on a boda and nearly died by hitting a goat that ran in front of us. I do quite enjoy a good boda ride. Originally the game plan was to watch every else jump…..oops momma, please don’t hate me :) . After watching a couple people go I knew I couldn’t pass up this amazing opportunity. The tower went right into the Nile and it was so gorgeous! It was 150 feet…ahhhh so HUGE! I paid my money and headed to the tower. I started to get little butterflies as I went up. When I finally got up there I freaked. They put on my ankle harness and walked me to the edge. I stood there shaking and freaking out (like tears started coming) and refused to let go. I bounced back (since my legs were harnessed together) and sat back down. I sat and talked to the jump guy, his name was Greg and he was beautiful. I started flirting to try and get my mind off it. He told me if I’d jump he’d give me a nice butt slap….which was oober tempting! Sweet Trent and Corbin ran all the way up the tower to comfort me and cheer me on. Finally I stood back up and went to the edge. I made sure to NOT look down. I took my hand off and Greg held me. I leaned forward then on the count of three he let go, after a nice butt grab of course (which was for sure caught on film baby haha). I let out the most blood curdling scream and had a total sensory overload. I was flailing around like a dying fish which everyone found quite comical. After the first drop I bounced back up and grabbed the rope…which is pretty much the only rule not to do. After a minute I realized my mistake and let go, thankfully before I got rope burn on my hand. I couldn’t stop screaming. My basketball shorts were way high up and you could see my lovely panties and my shirt was up as well….what a classy gal! The adrenaline was like nothing you could ever imagine and lasted forever, I couldn’t stop shaking. They finally lowered me down after I stopped bouncing. As you lower down there is a raft below you. They hand you an oar, pull you into the raft and then unhook you. I was laughing and shaking in the raft. The Ugandans in the raft couldn’t stop laughing, they said they’d never heard such a loud scream. I had to hike up quite a hill after the jump but with all the adrenaline pumping through me it was like no big deal. I got inside and was met with quite the applause, everyone was SO proud of me!!! No one could believe I did it, not even me! The second jump was half price and the third is free. I couldn’t pass it up…seriously what the heck, who am I….heights are my worst fears ever! Lindsi Sullivan and I decided to go tandem style. Walking up the tower was so scary because I knew what was coming that time. We got up there and got buckled right in, no messing around this time. We walked to the edge, they made us hug (I was hugging so tight that my knuckles were white). We faced each other and then fell off sideways. We hugged so tight, I buried my face right in her chest and we screamed like mad women. Don’t ask me why, but I found it necessary to let go of Lindsi and flail my arms, which scared her even more. It was way more scary and hilarious to go tandem, I freaking love Lindsi more than life itself. Near death experiences have a way a bonding you like none other. When they put us in the raft we couldn’t stop laughing. Some people that wanted to go but didn’t have time and so we’re gonna go another day. Hopefully I’ll get to use my third jump sometime before I leave. The jump totally took it out of me and I was absolutely. When I got home I stuffed my face, you would have thought I hadn’t eaten in days. After a nice shower I went to bed. I slept like crap that night. I kept hearing scary voices outside and I was so terrified, then our power went out. Like always my mind played tricks on me and I was certain someone cut our power and they were going to break in and kill me. I kept saying little prayers and I listened to church hymns for the next 4 or 5 hours, which helped me SO much. Around about 4 a huge storm hit, like one of the biggest yet. Lightening kept lighting up the room every 15 or so seconds, it was amazing. The thunder and rain on the roof was so loud. Usually I’m so scared of storms, but this one actually calmed me down.

I woke up this morning really worn out from the crazy day before followed by a crappy nights sleep. I did some planning for PWDs because we have a huge presentation this Thursday. We are awarding all the caretakers certificates signed by me, Mike (HELP's executive director), the mayor of Lugazi and a few other big people. They will all be staying after to watch my lesson. I am way nervous and so I have a lot of planning to do before then. On my way to the internet I stopped by Shem's to pick up my last art piece from him. It is an oil painting on animal hyde. There is a hut with the sun set behind it, the roof of the hut has actual twigs on it, it is seriously amazing, you'll die when you see it. Well now I'm off to finish my planning, wish me luck!

Mr. Postman Look and See...Is There A Letter, A Letter For Me?

Tuesday afternoon could have quite possibly been one of the most exciting days EVER ahhhhhh!!!!! We got a phone call from the post office….you better believe it baby, madre hooked me up BIG TIME! I ran as fast as a Kentucky Derby Horse straight to the post office. I have never been so excited to get something in the mail in my entire life. I’m finally starting to understand why missionaries love packages so much. My sweet mom gave me the most amazing package in the world and I will be forever grateful. We had a little opening ceremony because Lauren, Heidi, Ashley and I all got packages. I got some rice packet (all you have to do is add hot water), some dry soup mixes, a book from my favorite author (Stephanie Meyer), a fatty stack of my favorite granola bars and then a million crystal lights (like we’re talking I can have 3 everyday til I leave….and I hate the water here so I’ll actually be able to drink now HOORAY!!!!) Ah I’m the luckiest girl, I still get all jittery thinking about it! When I came home I was in quite the giving mood so I took a granola bar out to Irene and she loved it. Our dinner was amazing that night, spaghetti Africa style. It wasn’t like normal spaghetti but I actually really enjoyed it. We had lots of new things and they were all just wonderful! We had a bunch of team meetings to get things set for the week and figure out the game plan for Mike (HELP International’s new executive director that is coming to visit us). After the team meeting I typed up a few things for PWDs and then we each had personal meeting with the country directors to set our weekly SMART goals. We were all a bit high strung after all the meeting and so we were going slightly crazy. My girl Emily knows me all to well and so she turned on some Coldplay for me to jam to, what a pal. Of course I couldn’t help but stand up and dance for everyone. I was going crazy and everyone was laughing so hard and then yep my flip flop twisted and I fell right on my face, kinda hard. A mixture between being loopy and watching me fall caused everyone to laugh so hard that most all were in tears. It was awesome!

On Wednesday morning we had to get up super early (like 5:45 early…ugh!) 11 of us headed to the taxi park and we were off to Kampala. We had been asked to go to a school to assist in some medical things with 200 children (most of which were orphaned). We got to Kampala and then switched taxis. We thought we were almost there but no, oh no we were horribly wrong. The next hour and a half was spent on the bumpiest dirt road and it was rather miserable. When we finally got there I couldn’t get out of the car fast enough. There were so many kids and they were SO cute! They organized all of us volunteers into stations. One group was giving vaccinations, one was distributing vitamins and de-worming pills, one was administering HIV tests and the last was recording the children’s stories and taking photos (to try and get some sponsers for the children). I was assigned to the recording group. Some of the volunteers played games to occupy the kids that weren’t at a station. They had a brilliant idea to play duck duck goose. After a while the headmaster told them they should stop because most all the kids have a head fungus that is very contagious, haha all the funny things you don’t think of. I sat in the same spot for 5 hours straight writing like a madwoman. I asked questions through a translator to the child’s guardian and heard some of the saddest stories you could imagine. I was totally overwhelmed with emotions. We were right next to the vaccination room and it was so hard hearing all the kids screaming (especially because I am the biggest wuss ever when it comes to shots). We had a bit of a scare during the day. Corbin is a CNA and so he was assisting in drawing blood for the HIV tests. After drawing blood he got bumped and the needle pricked his finger. He tried to squeeze out the blood and sanitize it. They grabbed the vile of blood from the woman and immediately and tested it three times for AIDS. After a few nail-biting minutes all the tests came up negative. They rushed Corbin away to the hospital near Entebbe to test for other blood borne diseases and to give him some anti-viral pills just to be safe. We took all the right precautions and everything turned out okay thank goodness. The rest of the day was chaotic but very productive. It was quite an emotional day and very exhausting. We were too busy to even stop to eat so finally at 4:30 we got to eat lunch. Unfortuantely it was cassava…and I don’t do cassava. Instead I enjoyed a nice granola bar care of Kathy Scott :) We had to wait about 45 minutes for our taxi to come back for us and then it was back in the taxi for another wonderous ride. We stopped at a grocery store on the way to get snacks. I grabbed a water and a delicious apple. We finally got home around 8:15 and we were all absolutely pooped. Irene had a yummy dinner waiting for us and I couldn’t wait to dish up. Then something equally as awesome happened. The fam called…hooray. I got to eat and chat with the family, for sure the best of two worlds. I had so much to tell them and the time went by way too fast. I can’t believe we only have two more phone calls left, nuts! I can’t wait to see the fam. After my lovely call we cleaned up the house for a bit since Mike was coming the next day. Then a few of us stayed outside chatting outside the rest of the night away.

This morning we had our weekly PWD meeting. Tori B. and Emily taught a lesson on socialization. They did great. At the end each mother took a Poloroid with their child. We’re going to frame them this week and then give them to them at our next meeting. The mothers were so excited, many of them have no photos at all. The children were a bit crazy but it went well. I love those kids so much. It is also so fun for me to watch the volunteers having fun with the kids, especially the boys. It seriously melts my heart. I love that group to death. One the mentally handicapped girls named Sheilla had quite the encounter with me. She is SOO strong, like way strong. I was in front of the mothers getting something out of my bag and she came up behind me and latched onto my chach….yeah sorry for those of you that aren’t family, I don’t really know a better way to phrase it. She kept squeezing and wouldn’t let go. All the mothers were laughing and I felt so akward and didn’t know quite what to do. Finally she let go and ran off, o man I had quite a good laugh about it with our volunteers afterwards haha! After I finish here I get to go home and have a delicious bowl of Lipton Rice care of guess who...only my dear sweet mother!

I Wanna Be A Cowboy Baby

On Saturday we had a yummy lunch at Nando’s. It was basically like a food court you’d find at a mall. I had a great chicken pita with rice. As I was walking along the street I found a little bakery and I decided to get myself a croissant (as many of you know I’m a carb addict and good bread is almost impossible to come by in Africa). It was quite was I was expecting, but it was still delicious. It was basically a normal roll folded up like a croissant haha. It definitely put a smile right on my face. After a long taxi ride home we found all our Tanzania friends. They had all gotten home safely. While it was nice having a little more space at home, we really missed our friends and it feels great having them back. They told us all sorts of fun stories. I’m sad I wasn’t able to go!
On Sunday morning we all got ready to go to church and headed to Mukono. We normally go to the church in Jinja, but we were spending the day in Kampala and Mukono is on the way. We went to church and it was great as ever. After church we got back in the taxi, stopped to grab some snacks (some yummy glucose biscuits and an apple) and then headed to Kampala. We were heading to the U.S. embassy 4th of July party (on the 29th of June….we’re still not sure about the decision for the date). It was supposed to be at some resort called the ARA. Too bad we absolutely couldn’t find it and we drove around for about an hour trying to locate it. Our taxi drivers had no clue where we were going, and neither did we, or any of the locals we asked for directions. Finally we found it and we were SO excited. It was seriously like heaven…not even joking! I basically spent a night back in the USA. When we first got there we sat by the pool with our feet in the pool sipping some Diet Cokes. They had some tennis courts and I wished the fam had been there so we could play tennis and then go jump in the pool, shoot we gotta go on a vacation when I get back! After chillin’ by the pool we found a legite sand volleyball court and had SO much fun. After playing for a while we got wind that food was ready and then before you could even blink your eyes the court was cleared out. It was a real true blue BBQ and SOOOO amazing. I had a hamburger, potato salad, coleslaw and oooh my gosh it was beyond my wildest dreams. After dinner we got some classy tats, I got a lovely butterfly and a picture of good old Washington. We all laid out some blankets on the grass and then played the dancing game. After a bit an acrobatic team came and did some entertainment for us. They were ridiculously awesome. After the acrobats we cut a birthday cake for America. I was all about the dessert table because they had all you can eat watermelon (the classic summer American fruit) and pineapple. After desserts we all went back to our blankets and watched a wonderful fireworks show (it wasn’t quite up to par with Silver King’s fireworks show, but it still made me feel at home). We stayed and danced out on the grass for a bit after the fireworks. Our group is freaking amazing and we were totally the life of the party, I love us SO much!!
On Monday morning a big group of us that didn’t go to Tanzania decided we should use one of our vacation days. I love that HELP International makes this such a well balanced summer. When we work, we work hard and when we play we play like crazy. I love that they allow us a few vacation days to bond as a team and rejuvenate ourselves. We all got to sleep in and then our taxi came to pick us up to go to Jinja for a nice horseback riding sesh on The Nile. We were getting kinda nervous on the way there. The road was so long, bumpy and overgrown with plants. We were nervous about what kind of horses we’d be riding (if they were anything like the rest of the livestock in Uganda they’d be skinny, mangy, and smelly). Finally out of nowhere we arrive at this little jungle oasis with about 25 stables and the most gorgeous, huge horses you’ve ever seen. I was in total awe. The couple that got us ready was the cutest couple from New Zealand (TJ and Natalie). They have the coolest lives and it was so fun talking to them while we got things ready. We got all done up with the dorkiest riding helmets and then they assigned us to our horses. They asked who knew how to ride and of course I’m all talk and so I was like, “oh hey I ride all the time”. They had two advanced horses and so they gave one of those to me. He was one of the biggest horses that loves to be in the front, so I knew we’d get along just great. His name was Ghost and I loved him so much, we totally bonded. They had some locals hop on horses and they were our guides. Our guide in the front that I talked with most of the time was named David. The entire ride I couldn’t get over the fact that I was actually doing this. It was out of this world. We rode through the jungle, went through a village (and the locals were going absolutely nuts when they saw us), we went up a huge hill and at the top there was the most amazing view of the Nile, and then when we got to the bottom of the hill we were right close by Bujagali Falls. The weather was absolutely perfect. We did get a little hot at times which made for some real nice butt crack sweat….mmm so hot! Every few minutes they kept moving the horses to a trot to keep it exciting (although my butt bones are hating me now. However, I must admit I’ve got quite the form when it comes to trotting and after Cabo I think the fam would most certainly agree with me!) Who would have ever thought I’d be horseback riding in Africa, what the heck…I love my life. After our stop they asked if there was anyone that felt comfortable enough to go fast on the horses. I was all for that and so me, Kelsi, David, DJ, and Seren went. Here are the directions they gave us: Wrap your ankles around the belly, keep your weight down, hold the mane if necessary, and most importantly keep you’re a** in the saddle. I’ll be honest this made me quite nervous, but also extremely stoked. Then next thing I knew we took off. The horses were running like crazy and it was the biggest rush. I was holding Ghost’s mane and hugging him so tight, I could totally feel all his muscles while he ran. I can’t even explain how amazing it was. We slowed down on the way back to the stables to get the horses heart rates down. When we got back we talked to the couple again and they told us about an amazing safari that we may try to go on in the next couple of weekends. They were awesome and hopefully they’re gonna hook us up for a rad safari! We loaded back in our taxi and we were all dead and sitting on our butts was rather painful. Since we were in Jinja, of course we went straight to our favorite restaurant (Ginger on Jinja). I’m now to the point where I don’t even need a menu, I always get a breakfast bagel and a large Fandango (basically a pina colada but all fruit). I love that place but when you’re starving it can be quite frustrating, as it took well over an hour to get our food. As always however, it was worth the wait. After lunch we went shopping again and I got some fun stuff that I cannot wait to show you guys! We left Jinja around 6:30 and all of us were absolutely and completely DEAD…ah who knew horseback riding took so much out of you! We came home and ate a little and then crashed for the rest of the night (after I took a much needed shower, gosh I’m such a dirtball!).

This morning after doing a nice load of laundry, Tori and I headed off for our home visits. Our first visit was to Sam and it was amazing and so fun. We made a bracelet for him with bells on it (he loves things that make noise since he can't see). We also gave him some play-doh and he kept telling us how he's going to have his friends come over so he can show them and they'd all be jealous haha. We played patty-cake which sounded awesome with his new bracelet. Our meeting with his mother went well and I just love her so much! She offered us jackfruit (mmmm you know I love that) but I told her to keep it and give it to Sam. She felt bad giving us nothing, but I would have felt worse taking anything from the little she has. It was such a fun and uplifting way to start that day...ahh I love that boy way too much! Next we went to visit Sheilla. Her mother is by far my favorite of all the mothers we've met. When I came in I went to shake her hand and she started laughing and pushed it away and gave me a big old hug. She gets so excited to see us, ah I just love it. Sheilla was doing really well. We gave her mom some play-doh to use in working with Sheilla. Sheilla has one hand that she doesn't use and the muscles are atrophying. We gave her the play-doh and she has to use it with Sheilla twice a day, but Sheilla can only use her right hand (the bad one). We're hoping this will motivate her to strengthen her hand. The last house we went to was Fiona. We kept saying how much we wished it would rain (it hasn't in over 2 weeks and it get SOOOO dusty, when a car drives by you literally cannot breathe). Just as we get close to the house a downpour starts and so we ran in as fast as we could. Man it was coming down like you wouldn't believe and we had leaky tin roof over our head. You seriously couldn't even hear the person sitting next to you in was SOOOO loud!! We ended up sitting in silence til the rain let up. She offered us some tea and we felt really bad, but we had to refuse (yeah member that whole word of wisdom thing, it can make some situations very akward. thank goodness the mother was pretty cool about it) Finally about 1/2 hour later we were able to start the home visit. It went really well until the end. Fiona had a massive scab on her arm and she ripped it off. Blood is something I don't do in America, let alone here in Africa. O gosh I freaked. She tried to start climbing on me and it was making me super nervous. I held her away with her good arm and then Tori and I grabbed our stuff, said goodbye to the mother and then got out of there as fast as we could. I felt awful leaving so abruptly, but blood is something I refuse to mess around with here. Minus a few glitches in the day, I felt very successful and productive. Now I'm back to the house for a little lunch.