best years of my life.: I'm Learning.

I find myself constantly learning new things about Africa, cultures, families, life, people, myself, seriously EVERYTHING since I’ve been here. Being away from everything I consider familiar has taught me so much and I am loving it.

I’m learning that the people in Uganda are so SMART. For real, there are so many people here that blow my mind with the things they know and say. Some volunteers are teaching business classes to people here and it is crazy how knowledgeable these people already are. We met this man that started with 50000 shillings, which is like $25 and now owns 3 businesses and employs over 120 people. He pretty much started with nothing and now has been to California with TED Talks and is honestly a genius. He is working on different projects here to turn trash into fuel, which would be AMAZING! I think people classify people in Africa as not being smart, or successful and I’m starting to see how untrue this is. It’s crazy because I see how people here get stuck in a cycle or with a small dent in their lives and can easily give up. I am starting to see how people here just need a little push and motivation to encourage them because they really are so ready to succeed.
I’m learning to shower with buckets. It’s actually kinda fun. We usually just put our suits on and go outside... the water is always freezing but it is so hot here that it doesn’t even matter. It feels good! I will admit though, I can’t wait for the day I get home and take the longest shower of my life with HOT WATER!
I’m learning to live in a house with 24 other people, and a room with 10 other people. I have only shared a room with someone else ONCE in my entire life, and that was a huge dorm. Soooo, this is new to me. It’s crowded but I am getting used to it.
I’m learning that here in Uganda, if you plan a meeting at 9am, it really means 9:45 or even later, or even not at all. The other day we had a meeting with 9 people and only 3 showed up. This is normal for them. I really struggle with being patient, so this is good for me. I usually get really frustrated if someone isn’t on time or doesn’t follow through with a plan, but I am being better at going with the flow.
I’m learning how grateful I am for my family. I always miss them when I am at school, but for some reason being across the world makes me miss them so much! I know I keep saying this, but we are sooooo lucky to live in the United States of America. There are so many cultural differences here between parents and children and I couldn’t be luckier to have the parents I have. Love you mom and dad! And Grantie too!
I’m learning to fall asleep smelling like bug spray, really hot, wearing close to no clothes, in a bunk bed and under a mosquito net. And also to prepare myself for the crazy dreams I will experience each night. For real, one of the side effects of the malaria pills we are all on is “vivid dreams”. Some people have had really graphic, violent dreams but I haven’t experienced that yet. Mine are just WEIRD.

I’m learning a whole lot, but that is all for now. I’m so happy I am here... Time really is flying and the locals here consider us Ugandan now. Well kind of. The people here still crack me up, the men here HAVE to make a comment to us and it is usually something like “take me to America” or a command like that. Today someone said “hello mzungo, buy me a soda”. It’s funny though and pretty much all you can do is laugh... I never feel unsafe because I am always with someone else.

This weekend we are going to Kampala which is the capital of Uganda, so we are pumped! We somehow seem to find the best restaurants wherever we are... typical. But I mean you would too if you were having the same thing for dinner every night! Me, Elise, Taylor, Olivia and Karli have bonded so much and I love those girls! I love everyone here! We talk about reunions in Provo all the time and I can’t wait for those! I got here 2 weeks ago, today and I just crack up thinking about how out of it I was that day. Traveling for 3 days and all of a sudden in the craziest place, running on like 5 hours of sleep... I was such a mess! Culture shock at its finest. I wish I was a fly on the wall that day observing all of us!

Oh this was pretty funny... I was on a boda the other day and my driver started talking about Obama and the election. He said “I think you will vote for Obama because of his foreign policy”... I was just cracking up. It’s funny listening to them talk about stuff like that and hearing what they have to say.