Where do I begin??

Hello dear family and friends!!!
There is so much to tell I'm not sure where to start. I'm sure this will be a long post, so I'll try to break it up into sections in case you don't have time to read it all. So much has happened and I feel settled in already; it's hard to believe I've only been in Mukono (where Uganda Christian University is located and where I live with my host family) for less than 5 days. Things are incredible here!!! I moved in with my host family on Sunday afternoon. They are such a blessing from God and so far the highlight of my experience and my biggest exposure to Ugandan life and culture - which I'm sure will remain true throughout the semester. My father is Musumba Henry - meaning Reverend. He pastors an Anglican church right outside the campus gate and very close to our home. He graduated from UCU a couple years ago, and presents himself as a very well educated man. My Momma, whose name is Irene, is a nurse. They are incredibly gracious people who love the Lord so deeply and, I can already tell, understand His grace and kingdom in such a deep way. I'm soooo grateful and excited that I have much to learn from them!! Their only biological child is Enoch, an ADORABLE one-year old who hangs on me constantly and finds no greater joy than when I play peek-a-boo with him (a game which, I might add, he NEVER tires of and so we could play for hours). Babies here don't wear diapers - except for, maybe, at night, but I haven't scoped that fact out yet. I quickly dicovered this when I arrived Sunday when I was handed over Enoch, who was already wet and then later peed on me. I observed the way Musumba and Mamma Irene reacted when peed on, which was to not react, so I did the same. (I did change my shirt after holding him, but then was peed on again, so decided I didn't have enough clothes and now I either try to determine when he's gonna pee again or just suck it up). I also have a sister Ritahh, who is 18, and a brother Stephen who is 16 and a brother Elisha who is 15. These are not Musumba and Mamma's biological children, but here in Uganda it makes no difference - they are treated just as if they were their children. They are living with us because they attend school close to our home and their families live too far away from the school for them to walk. They are lots of fun too, though I haven't yet met Stephen - he is away visiting his family for the week as school is out for holy days. Ritahh left on Monday to visit her family as well, but we got to spend Sunday with her. I'm sooo excited about having a sister here that is my age! I got to bond with her a lot, and I think we will get very close. All of their English is very good, and they're slowly but surely teaching me Luganda, but I feel like unless I write the words down I won't retain them very well. I have not had trouble adjusting at all, which has been great. Though I'm also beginning to wonder if I'm really that flexible, or if subconsciously things are building up within me. I don't feel that they are, I guess I'm just trying to be very cautious to watch out for my mental and emotional health. I don't yet have pictures of my host family - I'll post them when I do. I wanted to get to know them and begin to develop relationships with them before I snapped their pictures!

Oh, I haven't mentioned yet that I'm living with someone else from the program! Heidi goes to Messiah, and we get along great! It was fun getting adjusted to our new home together, though I definitely have to say adjusting was much harder for her than for me, and she's repeatedly told me she's really glad to have had me to lean on. We make a good pair. However, Heidi hasn't been with me the past two nights because she's been very sick. Two days before we left the States she totaled her car. She stayed overnight at the hospital and they told her everything was okay, but she's had a huge bruise across her lower stomach and upper chest from the seat belt. The first couple days at our home were very rough for her - she could not eat without getting very sick and so was not eating much (which was made worse by the fact that here in Uganda, eating lots of food is a sign of accepting a host's hospitality, and they are offended and think you did not like the food if you do not eat a lot. More on that later, but Dad-in reference to your comment that I'll lose weight, I'm certain that won't be the case!) Heidi's pain was made worse because she had to squat to go to the bathroom. She didn't get much sleep at night and I stayed up with her - she shook uncontrollably for much of the time. I kept encouraging her to get to a doctor, which she finally did on Tuesday. The doctor's initial diagonosis was very bad - they thought she had multiple blood clots and that her kidneys weren't functioning properly and were talking about sending her home. However, she went back yesterday and they told her she's severely dehydrated and has a yeast infection in her kidneys (which I didn't know could happen?!?). Praise the Lord that it's less severe! Please pray for her quick recovery.

Life here is certainly very different! I guess I should tell you about our house. I believe our family is fairly middle class, as we have our own compound and a from what I observe a nicer house than the shanties that are along most of the sides of the road. The house is all concrete, as well as the floors. There is a living room in the front with a couch, 4 chairs, and a table. In here we eat, hang out and talk, and iron clothes on the table. To the right is a one-car garage and a back room with two beds on the floor where Elisha and Stephen sleep. To the left is the preparation room, which has a table and a nice cupboard like we would have to display things in a dining room. To the left is Musumba and Irene's room and the bathroom where we bathe. Heidi and my room is to the back of the house, off the living room. We have the room to ourselves. It's not huge, but big enough for us. It has just our two twin beds. We stuff our suitcases under the bed and live out of them. I feel somewhat embarressed to have my things left out, since I have so much clothing and so many things compared to them. So I do my best to keep things away and under the bed. The kitchen is out the back door and under a covered bulding. It really is just a kettle which they use either coal or wood to cook with. Around the kitchen, a few hundred feet from the house, are the toilets, which consist of a concrete structure divided into two seperate "stalls," which each have a rectangular hole in the concrete. Anddd that's where I'll be doing my business for the next 4 months. I really don't mind that much. However, I have to remember to always go right after dinner, as it's not safe to go out late at night (after 10) becaue there are thiefs and other sketchy characters wandering at night. I bathe both when I get home from school and when I wake in the morning, which is part of the culture and is expected of me. Cleanliness and having a sharp appearance are very highly valued in the culture. I certainly don't mind bathing twice a day-with how dusty and sticky I get it's nice! Bathing out of a bucket didn't take much getting used to, though washing my hair out of a bucket was a bit of a challenge. I'm not sure I got all the conditioner out! I'm sure I'll get better at this as time goes by. The food is very good; I've really enjoyed everything I've eaten so far. We have meat more regularly than I had expected, a sign that encourages my belief that my family is middle class. We've had pork twice and fresh fish from Lake Victoria one night. Momma told Heidi and I that when we've really gotten to be part of the family we will have chicken, which is a delicacy here, and Heidi and I will eat the gizzards if we want (in Uganda this is the best part of the chicken and is reserved for the person of most honor). We've had a lot of rice, potatoes, and matoke - which is smashed bananas (not the sweet bananas, but a different, green banana), and is a staple Ugandan food. There is always tons of food, and I must tell Mamma that I am full and this is why I'm not eating more, not because I don't like her food. Most of the vegetables are grown in Mamma's garden in the backyard. We also have fresh-squeezed juice every night, which is incredible! We had fresh avacado last night for supper, which was great. They eat supper very late here - we usually eat around 9/9:30, which from what I hear from the other students living with families is one of the earliest times. The culture is so communal here - much different from our American focus on individuality!! Also, efficiency is not valued here as it is at home. Rather, the value is on relationships. So, sometimes I struggle about whether to take the time and engage in discussion someone who I walk past and who speaks with me and therefore be late for class, or take the risk of offending them and be on time. I'm learning to take every situation as it comes.

Power here is on for two days and then out for one. When it rains, which is infrequent and for a very short time (only 10 minutes or so), it POURS!!!! It's huge drops and soo loud-we can't hear in the classroom! I've seen a couple monkeys in the trees, which is cool to see when walking by! The monkeys I've seen have tremendously long, red tails - 1 and a half times their body. They're cute. The program staff is great. Mark, the program director, and his wife Abby, are wonderful people and really helpful. They're expecting a baby girl in November - they already have Daniel, who is 3. Abby's father is the vice-chancellor of UCU, which in the British system is equivalent to what we would call a President. He has been here 7 seven years-he previously taught and had a higher position which I don't remember now for 22 years at Trinity Episcopal Seminary in Pittsburgh (Flip, I told him you were applying there and they spoke very highly of it). They weren't kidding when they said packages are not good to send - yesterday a package came for a girl who did the program 2 years ago!!!!

I have a 20 minute walk from my home to campus. I'm used to being stared at by EVERYONE and hearing children scream "mzungu" (white person) and run after me. It's striking to drive down the road and see that everything is done outside here - buying and selling, even furniture is all set outside on the dirt. We've been busy all week with orientation and beginning our Faith and Action in the Ugandan Context course, which is the main course here which focuses on processing our experience and exposes us to many contemporary issues here in East Africa, among other things. Our other courses begin September 10th when we return from Rwanda (which here is said without the w). I'm taking East African Politics Since Independence; African Traditional Religions, Islam and Christianity; Law and Christian Political Thought; and the Missions course which is a part of my Intercultural Missions and Ministry Emphasis (only 10 out of the 39 students are in this emphasis. The 10 of us live with host families the entire 16 weeks, while the other students live in dorms on campus with UCU Honours college students and live with host families for only 4 weeks). We will not purchase our own textbooks here but will have a class copy, and we've learned that classes here are typically mostly lecture due to the fact that books are not easily available so professors can't assign much reading.

I got to talk to my family and Flip on the phone yesterday (ahem, Janelle, I hope to get to talk to you soon ;) ). The 2-3 second delay took some getting used to and was sometimes a bit frustrating, but it was worth it to hear their voices.

I'm adjusting well and having an incredible time here. I'm excited to go to Rwanda - we leave 5:30 AM Saturday morning (Sept. 1st), and return Sept. 10th in the morning. I'm anticipating learning much from my family, classes, and other Ugandans I'll encounter and growing tremendously this semester. This is a beautiful place with such a rich culture and a beautiful Christianity. Thank you to everyone who's sent me e-mails and posted comments - you bring a smile to my face, remind me I'm loved and prayed for, and help in my adjustment by making me miss home less. I hope all is well at home!!

HERE AND LOVING IT!!!

Looking out on Kampala from the top of the mountain where our guest house is. In the left of the pic is Lake Victoria.

The biggest birds I've ever seen! They were at least 4 feet tall!

That's a lot of bananas!

The kids playing outside that were so fascinated to see white people. Most of the younger ones didn't speak English; a few of the older ones spoke some.

The Kasubi tombs - the biggest thatched roof hut in the world!
The hut where we had our first class

Driving up the mountain - there are HUGE speed bumps every couple hundred feet

Our beds at the guest house-the mosquito net gets wrapped completely around to sleep at night

The guest house we're staying in this weekend (pic with the hut is the front yard)

I’M IN UGANDA AND LOVING IT!! We arrived at Entebbe airport at 8:15 on Friday night (7 hours ahead of Eastern time zone). The travel was incredibly long and frustrating, but already soo worth it!! To begin with, the woman who was supposed to meet us before our departure in DC from the program administration’s office was 45 minutes late. She arrived about an hour before our flight began boarding, and the line for security was out of this world. We were all pretty nervous, but she finally got there and we got through security fairly quickly. As always seems to be the case when you don’t have a ton of time to make it to the terminal, our departing plane was located in an incredibly far-away terminal. So, we basically ran to the terminal, sweating our brains off. Thank God we made it okay. The first plane ride into Amsterdam was 7 hour and the second 8 hours, which together sandwiched the 3 and a half hour layover at Amsterdam.
My first impression upon walking off the plane was the smell. Uganda has a distinctive smell, and the closest thing I know to describe it as is the smell of fire – the air smells like the land is burning. We’re staying at guest houses in Kampala (the capital city) for the first two nights. We arrived to our guest house around 11:30 PM. We all crashed.
This morning was breakfast and morning introductory sessions, in which we discussed what brought us to Uganda, our implicit and explicit expectations, and got to know fellow students and the faculty. We had morning tea, which is done everyday here. I certainly haven’t gone hungry with the food they’ve fed me!!! Food has been good – cereal, toast, egg, and bananas for breakfast, sandwiches, soup, and INCREDIBLE pineapple for lunch, and tender goat meat, vegetables, rice, and potatoes for dinner. They’ve certainly fed us well here.
The afternoon began with a trip to the Kasubi tombs, the royal burial grounds of four kings of the Buganda, the kingdom of the 52 clans which still exists in present-day Uganda. The tomb is a huge thatched-roof hut – the largest in the world! We heard the legacy of each of the kings (one of which made bad decisions for his kingdom; while the guide was telling this story he hinted at someone in the present-day that was similar – it was a not-so-subtle reference to George W., which gave us all a good laugh especially considering the way it was told (Jenn, you would have found it particularly amusing ;) ) The kingdom still exists and has a ruling king, who has no political power, as the once-sovereign Buganda is now a part of unified Uganda.
Outside the tombs were a group of children playing and eating strange-looking berries off a tree. As soon as they saw us the children were screaming “muzungu,” which is Lugandan for white person (Lugandan is the most-spoken language here; those who have been educated speak English). Everywhere we go people wave and children stare fascinated; they’re so excited to see white people.
Following that we went to center city Kampala, where we went on a walking tour of the area and learned where to get off a taxi if we come in from Mukono (where the university is). We also walked around Garden City, which is the hippest place to shop in Kampala. It’s very modern - a lot like our mall. I made my first purchase with Ugandan shillings – bought a bottle of water; I was so busy counting my change that I left the water on the counter J.
I’ll stop rambling and get to bed. I’m having an incredible time so far. The people in my group are awesome and Uganda is a beautiful place. Oh, did I mention that the weather is perfect?!?!?! It is pretty hot here (understandable since we’re on the Equator), but not uncomfortably hot. It’s not oppressive like Florida heat, but a totally different kind. It’s really nice, and they say this is the weather year round. I’m loving it here. Tomorrow we have worship together and get placed with our homestay. I’m so excited to meet my host family!!! Goodnight.
~Joelle~

18 hours and counting!!

Less than 18 hours until my flight leaves from DC!! (Though I can’t post this to the internet from where I am, so the posted time will read much later than that) I’m staying at school near Philly in the apartment I’ll live in with friends when I return from Uganda. We’ve stopped here to unload some furniture and say goodbye to friends. The past week has been full of goodbyes – get-togethers with family and close friends. Packing has been a challenge, and was incredibly stressful yesterday and today. I’ve been freaking out wondering if I have everything I need. I finally just told myself I’d be fine, checked my list over, packed the car, and we left. I feel a little overwhelmed mentally, probably due to all the goodbyes and frustration of packing, plus the feeling of venturing into the unknown. Though I’m not sure the latter is a stressor so much as a release for me – I’m so excited to experience a way of life so different from what I’ve ever known. Tonight while disussing with my friends the types of food I’ll be eating, I remarked that I wouldn’t mind being the one who has to kill the chicken for a meal while I’m in Uganda. They got a good laugh out of that. But in all seriousness, I really want all the experience I can get.

I received a tentative calendar for the semester on Monday. Our first week is orientation and we leave for our trip to Rwanda on September 1st. We’ll be there for a week. I’m excited for that; I’m sure it will be extremely intense and an incredibly memorable experience. On Monday night I watched the movie Hotel Rwanda with my family – somehow I’ve managed to have never seen it until that point, despite the many high school teachers at Ketcham that showed it in their social studies classes. Anyway, if you haven’t seen the movie I highly recommend it. It’s the gripping account of the Rwandan genocide that occurred in 1994 in which over a million Rwandans were slaughtered. The movie focuses on one man, the manager of a hotel in Rwanda, that housed just under 1000 people, saving their lives. I’m sure I’ll meet many people on our trip that will relate their experience and survival of the genocide. We were told to be prepared to share a 5 minute testimony and a 20 minute sermon to share with the churches we’ll be visiting both in Rwanda and in Uganda throughout the semester. Apparently it’s proper to share when one visits a congregation.

I’ve been told not to expect to have any internet or telephone access from the time we fly out until after our trip to Rwanda. So if you don’t see any updates for 2 weeks or a little longer that’s why (We start classes September 10th, so I’m sure I’ll have access by then). That just means I’ll have that much more to update you on when I do have internet access!

Oh by the way, if you’d like to leave comments on my blog, you can click on “comments” below each blog entry, which will take you to an entry page where you can type and submit a comment. I’ll be checking my e-mail and facebook as often as I can, and I’ll do my best to stay in touch. If you’d like to send me mail while I’m gone, my address is:

Joelle Morabito, Uganda Studies Programme
Uganda Christian University
P.O. Box 4
Mukono, UGANDA

I’m told that it’s not a good idea to send packages, but smaller, padded envelopes are okay.

I’m so excited to leave tomorrow; it feels like I’ve been waiting all summer for this. Thanks for all your prayers and the love I’ve felt from family and friends. I’ll miss you all, and I hope you enjoy sharing in my experience as you read my blog.

~Joelle~

Moms make the world go round :)

Sooo an update on the clothing situation: I think I'm good now!!!!
Mom and I spent the entire day shopping, which always produces much better results than when I go by myself :) I found lots of cotton shirts, and a dress which will work well with my light but dressy skirts and light dress pants. We also got dressy, comfortable sandals. I got a nice digital camera and tons of other random things that I'll need - from toiletries to a flash drive to a robe. I think I'm set.
I'm excited to meet the other 39 students I'll be traveling with - we've all "met" on facebook and I've chatted with many of them. I'm really excited to meet them.
I took my first malaria pill yesterday and didn't get dizzy, nauseous, or anything else. Phew!
I'm not looking forward to tackling the daunting task of packing. I can have 2 suitcases, 50 pounds each in addition to my carry-on. That's not very much room or very much weight....
That's all for now!

Countdown: One Week!!!

Welcome to my blog!!!
Here's where I'll share with you my thoughts, experiences, and pictures from my time in Uganda. I'll be spending the next four months living and studying there - I'll be taking classes on the campus of Uganda Christian University in Mukono and living with a host family in a nearby village.

I'm really excited for this semester. I have high expectations for my time there and I'm sooo excited...and also a little nervous. While there, I hope to experience Ugandan Christianity in a way that challenges my American Christianity and challenges and stretches me spiritually. I hope to develop relationships with the people there and get a taste of what life is like for them. I'm really excited about my classes that deal with politics and international development and relief - I hope to expand my knowledge and passion for these subjects and see how they may be a part of my calling and future career. I was talking with my dad tonight about how I'm not really sure what to expect in terms of living conditions - will I be sleeping on a mattress on the floor? They haven't prepared us with that kind of information. Washing my clothes by hand and bathing out of a bucket are definitely the things I'm a little nervous about, though I'm really excited about living life more simply and without our modern luxuries - I think it'll help me to develop a deeper appreciation for the things that really matter and for the blessings we have here in America.

I had my last day of work today (for those of you who don't know, I spend the summer working for Clarendon Insurance Group in Manhattan). While walking up Park Avenue on the way into the office, I passed a number of people walking by speaking languages other than English. Despite the fact that NY is such an international city, it led me to wonder how I will feel being a stranger in the Ugandan culture. I'm sure my host family and others I'll interact with will be very welcoming and help me to adjust, but I'm sure it'll be a challenge. I'm really glad it's a whole group of students going through the adjustments and struggles of the program together - I handle situations much better and benefit so much more from them when I'm able to experience and process them with others like me.

We were advised to bring gifts for our host family - especially something from our hometown/state. So after work today I went into a shop and bought two NYC t-shirts, a frame, an I LOVE NY bag, frame, and pen. My dad chuckled at the bag, wondering what someone in Uganda would carry in the kind of tote I bought. They do seem like funny gifts to bring to a family in Uganda, but I didn't really know what to buy - lol I guess we'll see how appropriate they are, if at all. I don't yet know anything about who I'll be living with, so I didn't know how many gifts to buy.

I really can't believe summer's over and it's only a week until I fly out for Uganda (I fly out of DC Thur. evening the 23rd). The summer was incredible - best I've had, and I'm sad it went by so fast. I also can't believe this will be my senior year of college - how does the time go by so fast? I take my first malaria pill tomorrow. I'm really going to Uganda!! :) I've been preparing myself mentally for going all summer, but I think the fact that I won't see any of my family or friends and will have limited contact with them for four months is really hitting me now. Janelle and Flip left for school within the last two days, so it's been two teary-eyed days filled with the stark realization that I'm really leaving in just a week.

I still feel like I have sooo much to do before I leave - including finding clothes that are appropriate. That certainly has been the most stressful part of my preparations. We have to dress up everyday for class - skirts and dress slacks with nice shirts. But they have to be light clothes that can be washed by hand. I've decided to bring the long, flowy skirts I have, but I don't feel like I have the right shirts or shoes to bring. I HAVE to finish my shopping tomorrow; I'm freaking out a little. I also have to buy a digital camera.

Well, that's all for my first post. I'll keep you updated, though I suspect the next time I write won't be until I've arrived in Uganda or shortly before I leave.