Jinja - week 1

I'm getting settled in to life here in Jinja. I'll start working at the Source Cafe tomorrow, helping with their accounting system and other things. In the meantime, Candice & Bobby have been great hosts and have been helping me get acclimated to life here in Jinja.

Emily Stutzman also stayed with us for a few days. SMALL, SMALL world....we had never met & found out that we are related by marriage. We have the same great uncle & aunt--how crazy! On Friday Candice took Emily & I to a cool place which does beautiful weavings. We also went to the Bujagali Falls, where Nile rafters end their journey. I will definitely go rafting while I'm here; I've heard its amazing. Then on Saturday Candice took us on the "Jinja Tour." We went to the Source of the River Nile, Hindu Temple, Fishing Village, Metal Working District, Jinja Hospital, amongst other places. We took the city transport--Boda bodas. You hop on the back of a motorbike & they take you to your destination like a taxi. Sunday we went to the Jinja Church and then had lunch with some Ugandan friends from church. Candice & I also visited a few women at the hospital. One lady we visited just had a baby & had an unexpected c-section. The hospital was quite an eye-opening experience. To all of you Americans complaining about healthcare: you have NOTHING to complain about once you visit a place like Uganda. At the hospital there are tons of family & friends hanging around with the patients. They were sitting around the beds in the wards, and then sitting outside of the wards in groups eating and just "being there together." I thought that was very impressive, how they are all there camped out with their loved ones. But while I saw many visitors there with their loved ones, I only saw one or two nurses and never saw a doctor. Anyway, very eye-opening. The Ugandans are lovely, friendly people and I look forward to learning more about their culture as my time here progresses. Posting pictures on here hasn't been that easy (I'm not a very skilled blogger), so please see my facebook page for lots of pictures.

Uganda!

I arrived in Entebbe, Uganda around 10PM last night. All I can say is I already LOVE Africa...everything I'd been told about Africa, ie: it gets under your skin-so true! I stayed the night in Entebbe. Definitely, an experience, as it was extremely hot in the room I stayed in. (perhaps hotter than those record breaking days I spent in Melbourne last January) And there were LARGE geckos on the walls. I don't have much of a fear or bugs or spiders...but little lizards have always scared me. Well, I overcame my fears last night! I think I'm ok with geckos now :) A driver took me from Entebbe to Jinja. It took about 3 or 4 hours, including a stop in Kampala (the capital). The drive was AMAZING...unlike anything I've ever seen. The landscape is gorgeous; very lush & green. There are people everywhere...walking around the streets, carrying huge loads on their bikes or heads. So much hustle & bustle around the streets. I sensed such a unique "energy." I also saw lots of extreme poverty along the drive.

I got to Jinja early afternoon & arrived at Bobby & Candice Garner's house. They've got a lovely house and are already such great hosts. Candice & I enjoyed a traditional Ugandan dish for lunch (can't remember what it was called) on their amazing porch. We hung out at the house and had a few visitors. Candice made tacos for dinner and we enjoyed some amazing cappuccino compliments of Bobby. Then I experienced my first power outage & learned how to use lanterns! I better get off to bed, since i've had about 6 hours of sleep total in the last 2 nights. Tomorrow we will head to the Source and explore Jinja. I'm very excited to meet the Source crew, whom I'll be working with during my time in Jinja.

More (including pictures) to come soon...

Off to Africa!

Well, today is the day. I'm sitting at the Little Rock airport. Thank goodness for free wi-fi! I'll fly to Chicago, then on to London and then on to Entebbe, Uganda. I'll arrive in Entebbe 10PM local time tomorrow night (Entebbe is 9 hours ahead of the central time zone). I'll stay the first night in Entebbe and then head on to Jinja on Wednesday. I'll be staying in Jinja for a month. Things went fairly smoothly checking in, with the exception of my bags being overweight. Anyone who knows me well, won't be surprised my bags were overweight! I checked two bags, one of them being a tub of food & supplies for Bobby & Candice Garner. They are missionaries in Jinja who I will be staying with. I now have a short flight to Chicago and then 2 LONG flights (8+ hours each)...More to come once I arrive in Jinja...