Uganda
Language: Luganda (hello sir/ma’am-oreotia sabo/nabo, goodbye-waylaba, I’m Fine–Baloong, I’m OK-Jindee, Older Twin Name-Babidia, Younger Twin Name-Nakato, Thank You-Waybalay
Currency 1 USD=2,700 Ugandan Schilling
Time Zone: 8 hours ahead of EST
Days it rained =
Places we've been: Entebbe Airport, Jinja on the Nile (Adrift), Kamapala (capitol), Masaka Town, Kyabakuza Village (Where we lived)
Transportation:
Bus 1
Van 5
Bed of a Truck 1
Normal Food We Ate: Casava, Irish Potatoes, Rice, Black Beans, Eggplant, Sweet Potatoes, Pumpkin, Mango, Bananas, Sugar Cane, Jack Fruit, Matoke (bananas covered in banana leaves and steamed), Peas, Ground Nuts, Passion Fruit, Papaya, Chipati, Ugali, Fish, Chicken, Beef, French Fries, Pasta, Mushroom/Vegetable/Fish Soup, Bananas (22 different types in Uganda), Pineapple, Muchomo (pork grilled skewers)
Number of days the power was off completely: 5
Hours on a bus/van: 19
Price of Gas $5.60 a gallon
1. Attempting to watch the UK vs. U of L basketball game, but resorting to reading a live blog at the airport in Dubai at 2am.
2. Seeing the Burj Kalifa from our terminal window in Dubai. It’s the tallest building in the world at 2,777 ft.
3. Sleeping in a tent next to the Nile for 6 nights at Adrift.
4. Rafting down the Nile on New Year’s Eve for 6 hours.
5. While camping on New Year’s Eve listening to a church across the river worship from 5pm until after 5am the next morning. Wow!
6. Bungee jumping and being dipped into the Nile on the way down.
7. Riding my first Bota Bota (motorbike) in Africa with Kaitlyn to find an ATM in town.
8. Eating Lumberjack Chips on our last night in Jinja (French fries, cheese, and baked beans all mixed together.)
9. Having our first experience of “African Time.” Our bus was supposed to leave at 11:30, but didn’t leave until almost 12:30 and then five minutes into the drive stopped to get gas for 10 more minutes.
10. Worshipping in an African church service for several hours where the only instrument used are several drums.
11. Attending a high school graduation party for about 4 hours that was as big as any wedding I’ve ever been to. There were probably close to 200 people there. Getting a diploma here is a BIG deal and unfortunately can be very difficult to obtain. Only about 30% actually graduate high school.
12. Being given/using a bucket in our room to pee in at night because our host family doesn’t want us to risk getting bit by their dog that they let run loose at night. (The bathroom is outside the place we are staying.)
13. Running around our village with Kaitlyn and getting slightly lost, but finding the location of the old World Vision office.
14. Our contacts wife is actually a Compassion kid and was sponsored for 8 years when she was younger.
15. Spraying cows (Their names were "Blessing and Loving") and goats for ticks at the school’s farm they use to help pay for expenses.
16. Being greeted with “You are welcome” by everyone we met. It took us about a day to figure out they actually meant they were happy we were here.
17. Hearing “Mzungu” (white person or westerner) yelled a countless number of times EVERY day.
18. We didn’t have running water this month so that meant bucket showers. The biggest problem is that the temperature drops into the low 60’s during the night here even though we are on the equator. So outdoor bucket showers in the morning were understandably freezing. I sure save a lot of water though!
19. We use three buckets of water outside to wash our dishes with after meals. One bucket had soap and then two rinsing stations. Being outside also meant that washing dishes could require a rain jacket, sunscreen, or a headlamp when the electricity wasn’t working at night.
20. It’s so cool that life isn’t really altered at all when the electricity goes out. Very little here is dependent on electricity unlike my house in America.
21. Watching Lion King with our contacts 3 year old twin girls and 7-year-old daughter.
22. Learning that in Uganda when you hiccup it means that someone you love is talking about you.
23. Scoring 3 goals playing football with about 20 Ugandans on a field that cows/goats graze in, was significantly uphill going one direction, had goals made out of bamboo, and used 3 different soccer balls during the course of the game because thorn bushes that were around the field popped 2 of them.
24. Experiencing the passion that Ugandans pray with. Our contact also has us sing praises to Jesus after EVERY meal that we eat. It’s such a cool thing.
25. Having someone throw a rock on our roof while we were singing Amazing Grace loudly in the kitchen and watching us all jump out of our seats.
26. Helping Grace (our contact’s wife) fry chipattis, make mango/pineapple/passion fruit juice, and help with other various cooking tasks.
27. Seeing a watering hole/spring where lots of Ugandans get their drinking water. We see numerous kids a day walking with empty containers to get water. It was stagnant water that didn’t look clean at all and we were told some don’t even boil it before drinking.
28. Sitting around charcoal burners in the driveway cooking muchomo (pieces of pork on skewers) with the family telling riddles and stories followed by tea and homemade popcorn.
29. Doing ministry in a village where the pastor became a Christian in jail and then later returned to his village to share the good news of Jesus. Here Amanda and I got to share with a group out front from a shrine where they had come to see a witch doctor. Apparently people travel from all over Uganda to meet this man.
30. Meeting a 13-year-old boy named Michael whose 30 year old mother had HIV. She died the night after we met him and were able to help the family and attend the burial.
31. Having the honor and privilege to speak at Pastor John’s church for Bible Study and their Sunday service.
32. While playing soccer at the school we noticed smoke and then realized they were army tanks in the valley below us. Somehow we had missed this our first two weeks here, but it’s an army training base complete with an artillery range, barracks, a university, etc. And yes, no fences, signs or anything else to keep people out.
33. Attending a Friday Night Prayer Meeting that started at 8:30 pm and was still going strong when we finished speaking and left at 12:30am. There was joy in this churches worship like I’ve never experienced before. They finished at 6:00am.
34. Having only millet/maize porridge for breakfast because we wanted to eat what the less privileged students at school get for their lunch everyday.
35. Sitting and talking with Paul our pastor’s 19 year old son for 3 hours about everything under the sun. I learned A LOT about Uganda and hopefully taught him a few things about America.
36. Sitting a hearing Jaja (grandmother) Joyce’s testimony. Her love for Jesus matches that of anyone I’ve ever met despite the fact that she lost 13 family members in Rwanda a year after the genocide.
37. Traveling to Bwala Hill with the family to have a picnic with drinks and crackers. While there we played Cum Cha, Zing/Bong, Silent Football and had so much fun watching the sun go down.
38. Traveling North to the equator that only runs through 10 countries. We took our picture and made our way on to the KENTUCKY SPORTS RADIO website!!
39. Going with Pastor John to get test results for his school from the 7th graders national exam that determines if they go to secondary school or not. Getting to hear his heart and learning more about the school system was awesome.
40. Watching the sunrise over the school and continuing to be in awe of the beauty of God’s creation.
41. Being in Bible Study outside of the church with about 20 people and having a mother goat call to its baby that was opposite her. They called back and forth to each other loudly 5 or 6 times. No one could focus on Michael who was teaching and we were dying laughing. Finally one of the children directed the baby to its mother who went sprinting and upon reaching its mother dove straight in for some milk with its tail going 100mph.
42. Painting the girl’s dorm room and two teacher’s sleeping quarters at the school.
43. Getting a science lesson from Grace on the internal organs of chickens as she gutted them to prepare for Ga’Nene’s birthday dinner.
44. Rolling dough for Chipatis for two and a half hours while JoAnne cooked them for three hours.
45. Going to an “Introduction Party” where the groom is officially introduced to the bride’s friends and family. We were supposed to leave at 9:00am, but didn’t leave until 11:15. It was supposed to take 2.5 hours to get there, but it took us over 5. Upon arrival we ate an INCREDIBLE meal including luwambo (fresh beef cooked in soup inside banana leaves). This event deserves an entire blog to itself.
46. Going to a wedding for the same bride and groom from the introduction the night before. It was held under a makeshift tent with straw covering the floor. It was a beautiful wedding complete with a marching band that walked the wedding party in. At the meal they fed us our pastor prayed that the food we were given would be sanctified and wouldn’t make us sick. That’s something you want to hear prayed before you eat! The service was shortened due to darkness and a lack of lights.
47. Celebrating the twin’s birthday with corn bread cake, mango drink, tea, and biscuits. We were told on this night that our contacts were afraid to hire a babysitter for the twins because it is somewhat common for twins to be kidnapped by those watching them and taken to a witch doctor as a quick way to make money.
48. Attending a Muslim college graduation party where oddly enough they played 2 or 3 classic country music songs. Never expected to hear that.
49. Attending our pastor’s school on the opening day. Ga’Nene and I got to work with the Primary 2/3 classes.
50. Sitting outside on our last night in Kyabakuza with our contacts family sharing everything we’d learned from them and hearing what they learned from us. Extremely humbling! We also had muchomo (pork on skewers cooked over charcoal and marinated in onions and salt) again. This was one of my favorite foods on the Race.
51. Playing real life battleship in the bus station lounge while we waited to leave on our 18-hour ride from Kampala, Uganda to Nairobi, Kenya.
This was an UNFORGETTABLE month where I learned so so much!
