The first few days in Uganda

Where to begin? The past week has felt like an eternity, not in a bad way. So much has happened, so much is different; it’s sensory overload and my mind and body haven’t quite caught up yet. That being said, the only thing I’m not really fond of here are the cold showers and non-western toilets – they still have some getting used to. 

Amsterdam was uneventful. Beautiful, yet unique(?) city. Entebbe was gorgeous! We ended up staying there several days while the rest of the group arrived. During our time, we were able to go to the beach, walk around a small village on the water, and rest - Huge help in getting adjusted to the time. Once everyone had gotten into Uganda, we boarded a coach bus and headed about an hour and a half away, to Mukono, where we will be spending the majority of our time. There ended up being a bishop’s conference at the school, so the girls living on campus (my group), were put in temporary housing until tomorrow (hopefully), when we will settle into our permanent dorms.

The people here have been so wonderful, both the study abroad students and Ugandans alike. Yesterday, after church, we were able to go into Mukono town and hunt around for some things (fruit, laundry soap, toilet paper) and learn our way around a bit. The sights, smells and sounds are so different from everything we’re used to in the US and it’s beautiful and exciting, but exhausting at the same time. There’s so much to process, so much to learn, so much to experience – my trouble is taking time to get used to everything, so I’ve been tired a lot. We had our first Rolexes, not the watches, but the food. They were delicious. We bought some passion fruits and mangoes and “pancakes” and saw the local butchers and fish markets.

Everything grows here. There are mango, avocado, jackfruit, and banana trees all over campus. The green here is so vibrant and stands out in such contrast to the red dirt (which gets in and on everything). It’s a gorgeous landscape. Since the rainy season is ending, we’ve had pretty nice weather so far. It has rained, and it has poured. I love it, the sky just opens up and it sounds like you’re under a waterfall. I can see it growing old, though, so thankfully dry season is beginning.

The Ugandan people have been so friendly. The children seem to really enjoy running after us yelling “Mzungu” J Everyone on the street stares, it’s like we stand out or something, so I’ve pretty much taken the approach of ‘smile and wave at everyone’. The students we’ve met so far on campus have been really friendly, talkative and helpful. They have given us tips for the semester and how to cut up and eat jackfruit – which is interesting. The UCU students arrive on campus Wednesday, so it will be really nice to have more people around.

God has just been so gracious in everything, easing my fears and doubts. My fellow study abroad students are all fantastic, and the administrators and other people involved in the program have been so helpful and understanding, which is making this whole process of transition so much easier to handle. Hopefully everything will settle down a bit in the next week. Thanks so much everyone for the prayers. I am very thankful for you in this journey and always!