I find it odd how quickly even unusual situations become the “norm.” I have been in Uganda for three weeks and the things that used to surprise me, now hardly raise question. Today, however, I was thinking about my day and I realized that my life in Uganda may have become normal, but it is not even close to ordinary.
4:30 AM: Rooster begins crowing.
4:34 AM: Rooster continues crowing.
4:34 AM: Rooster continues crowing.
4:37 AM: Rooster crows again. I get it; it’s morning.
6:00 AM: I finally choose to rise. I untangle myself from my mosquito net and climb out of bed.
6:10 AM: I put on a sweatshirt (It’s surprisingly cool in the morning) and head outside for some quiet time with God.
6:45 AM: I go running and am greeted by many children wearing a variety of mismatched articles of clothing: some are wearing stripes and polka dots, boys are wearing skirts, girls are wearing only pants, and some children prefer no pants at all.
7:30 AM: I sit down for breakfast and know it is going to be a good day because my normal breakfast of a hard-boiled egg and a slice of bread has been switched up for a hard-boiled egg and a slice of toast.
7:50 AM: I wash my face, change out of my workout clothes, put on my outfit from the day before, look into my handheld mirror, and call it good.
8:15 AM: I turn on my ipod (in hopes of tuning out the rooster) and wait for team prayer time.
8:45 AM: I meet my team under the tree as usual. Summer hits her head on the Jack fruit as usual (Seriously, this fruit is huge and it has been hanging from this same branch since we arrived here three weeks ago). We all laugh as usual, then calm ourselves down and prayer for the day.
9:00 AM: We sit out by the front gate and wait for the van to pick us up.
9:15 AM: I apply sunscreen.
9:30 AM: My team pulls out the playing cards.
9:45 AM: I take advantage of the western toilet knowing the rest of the day will only offer squatties.
9:55 AM: I rejoin my team and their card game.
10:15 AM: The van arrives.
10:30 AM: I arrive at the youth conference and immediately go to my classroom and begin teaching AIDS education for 12-14 year olds.
11:15 AM: I am uncomfortable with the awkward silence in the classroom but continue discussing puberty, sex, and peer pressure with the students.
1:00 PM: We finally break for lunch. I am starving!
1:15 PM: I begin playing a game with the kids. They excitedly yell, “You-no!” when they have only one of the brightly colored cards left in their hands.
2:30 PM: I am called for lunch (finally). I remember to wash my hands knowing that no utensils will be provided for the meal.
3:00 PM: Time for worship! It is day three and I am just starting to understand the words to the songs; we speak the same language but at times I am completely convinced that they are not speaking English.
4:00 PM: The van arrives. All 13 of us pile into the 8 passenger van and head home.
4:15 PM: It’s too hot to just sit in the tin-roofed room so a few teammates and I decide to go for a walk.
4:30 PM: We see the cutest baby goat! We decide to catch it. After many failed attempts, we stop only to notice the entire village has gathered to watch our efforts.
5:15 PM: We arrive home and I realize I still have some time to kill before dinner. I decide to take a shower.
5:25 PM: I undress and turn on the faucet only to realize that the water is off again. I redress.
5:30 PM: I fetch a bucket and water.
6:00 PM: I take a bucket bath. My preferred method is standing in the bucket and throwing handfuls of water over my shoulders.
6:15 PM: I meet my team in the dining area for a game of cards. We find if we sit near the kitchen the food comes out faster…okay, not really. But atleast we are that much closer when it finally does come out.
7:25 PM: Dinner is served. I always pray that the meat we will be eating is my friend the rooster.
7:35 PM: I enjoy my fish, not rooster, and watch as Baraka Obama is sworn in as the 44th president of the United States.
7:45 PM: I receive many thanks and congratulations for voting for Obama.
7:47 PM: I have to admit that I did not vote.
8:00 PM: I return to my room. I brush my teeth and wash my face being careful not to spit or get face wash on the other four girls using the sink.
8:15 PM: I get into bed intending to read but spend most of the time laughing with my teammates and swatting at mosquitoes, spiders, and roaches.
9:15 PM: I use the restroom one more time before bed (The door squeaks so loudly that I am afraid to use it at night for fear of waking the whole village.)
9:20 PM: I begin to wrestle with my mosquito net. It’s a difficult thing to make a twin size net fit a double bed.
9:35 PM: I am finally settled. It’s hot but Emily and I snuggle in hopes of spending most of the night under the too small net.
9:40 PM: I’m not tired but I know rooster crows come early in the morning. So I close my eyes and hope for sleep.
