Africa

I'm back! Back to the cold! Back to standing over the heaters to keep myself warm, as opposed to trying to find shade! I now have access to technology, to the internet, to hot water, to food that isn't rice and beans, rice and beans, beans and rice.......!

Its good to be back! Everyone is taller and excited to see me. Meanwhile I'm tanner, thinner, and somewhat in shock over everything! Not just the weather, but our culture too.  Its like I completely flipped my life over in the span of two and a half months.

So first, let me apologise for not blogging over the last two months! As I mentioned, my access to technology was very very limited. I'm back now though, and I'll be posting stories of my adventures in Uganda over the next few weeks, months, or however long it takes! It definitely was an adventure!


Day 1: January 22nd 2018:

Stepping foot on the soil in Africa probably tops the scariest thing I have ever done in my life! I was freaking out on the inside. I stepped out of the plane, breathed in the hot air, and thought, 
"Wow! I'm actually here!"

My first day was nowhere near great! It was probably the worst day of my trip. I was exhausted! A fourteen hour flight was tiring, and everything was different. I was the only white person in the waiting area in the airport. My ride was late to pick me up, and I wasn't even certain who he was! He only said my name when we met. He didn't hold any sign with my name on it, like I had been told he would. Still, he was wearing the red shirt I had been told he would wear, and he seemed friendly. I handed him my bag, and followed him out the door to his black, dusty pick up truck.

Things went down hill....

- Car accident
- Almost getting run over by a motorcycle
- Trying to find a bathroom
- Having trouble figuring out their extremely confusing currency
- thinking about the white sex slave trade that my grandfather had drilled into my mind. 

I survived the car accident, the first one in my life! It was the only time during the whole trip I actually bothered to wear a seat belt. Lucky, because I probably would have had a serious concussion otherwise! The bathroom was at a gas station and it looked like this.....

Not very appealing!

Eventually, (after a seven hour drive) we arrived in a city called Mbale in Eastern Uganda. It was very close to the Kenya border, although I didn't know that at the time. I met the director of the mission I was going to work with there, and they put up me in a hotel for the night all alone. I was freaking out mind you! Everything was very different! The people, the rooms, and the environment. Yet I was so tired, I fell asleep quickly.....after double checking the lock on my door around ten times!

My bed in the hotel

Mbale during the day

The next day we met up with two other volunteers from Canada. As soon as I met them, I relaxed, and knew that the mission I was with was legit!

Ian, Sheri, and I. They were two other volunteers from Toronto Canada!

 My first day was a whirl of motion! We drove over to the village, which was about 45 minutes away. I settled into my new home, started teaching almost right away, and met many new people. At the end of my first day I was exhausted, but happy! The other volunteers went back to Mbale in the evening. They had chosen to stay in a hotel during their time at the school. However, I decided to stay in the guest house. It was large, made of concrete, and was hot during the day, but cooled off at night

Teaching in our class

Pumping water in the community well

There was no running water, no electricity, and no gas or electric cooking stove in the house. The girl who lived with me, cooked meals for us in a charcoal stove. I used my flashlight as light......till I dropped it one day and it smashed into little pieces. Fred, the nephew of the director, brought water up to the house everyday for us. The water came from the community well, and we used it for drinking, bathing, and flushing the toilet. Drinking water was put through a filter, so it would be safe to drink. 

A view of the school, with the cow who came for a visit!

Overall I was happy and settled. It was weird though, to think that I still had about eight more weeks to go!