So i haven't updated in a while. Not to mention that my updates on my blog are pretty much the exact same as my email updates. I'm noticing less and less time available to blog. However, this week is HIV/AIDS week so i've been learning about the crisis and participating in various events. Yesterday we went to HIV/AIDS hospital which caused me to struggle. Surprisingly, i not only struggled with just seeing the patients themselves, but also with the fact that it seemed like 40 white people were making a spectacle out of them. We went on a tour of the facility but did not really interact with them. It was good to see the facilities and the patients themselves but I had a hard time reconciling that with the way the day was structured. At the same time, there is no great way to "interact with HIV/AIDS patients" and there are definitely limits to what our program can do to show us everything. So that was the major event of yesterday. Below are my safari experiences from last weekend.


So last week was pretty stressful but it turned out to be really good by the end of it. I don’t remember specifically what I did, but it was my regular class routine. The exciting part of my week was the safari I went on. Sorry if this makes any of you jealous (it’s definitely not my intention to brag, simply to inform). So we left the university at around noon. We were doing fine for the first 7-9 hours of the bus ride but then we starting noticing that our driver was becoming less and less sure of where we were going. He just started asking people where to go until we got to the national park. However, the gates closed at dark (7 pm) and we got there around 10 pm, needing to get to our campsite. We started asking to get through a gate which in itself is a task because the driver gets drilled with questions. So we finally got through the gate, only to 25 minutes later did an elephant roadblock interfere with our travels. Keep in mind how late it is and that no one else was around besides our bus. There were two large elephants and a baby elephant in the middle of the road. We assessed that if the large elephant thought that the baby elephant was at risk it would charge. Therefore, we had to turn the bus around and re-route. Then we almost got out at a fancy campsite of random UN officials (all male group) which was really alarming. Finally we found our campsite. However, it was intimidating because we were within distance of the UN group and we were an all female group. However, we made it through the night without too many disturbances.
The next morning we went on a game drive (safari). It was pretty sweet. We were in our same bus with our same bus driver but we had a guide with us. We saw lots of elephants, buffalo, kobs, water buck, and mongooses. I tried taking pictures but they aren’t that great. I’m probably going to use other people’s pictures too. By the way, the animals that could not be seen on the safari were zebras, rhinos, and giraffes. They don’t have them in the park. However, there was a random zebra that was on the side of the road but I missed seeing it both on the way and the way back (I was sleeping). In the afternoon, we went on a boat ride where we saw tons of hippos, buffalo and some elephants. The funniest thing (in my opinion) was that birds would poop on the backs of the hippos while they were in the water. Also, just in general, warthogs, waterbucks (large antelope like animals), and hippos could be seen around our campsite and just inside the compound where we stayed. In retrospect, it was pretty incredible but at the time it could be scary, especially at night.
Sunday morning, we went out on another safari, this time in search of lions. We were headed back when we finally saw one. Ironically, the only reason was because we went out earlier in the morning and because the lion was limping. It was incredible just to see one in the wild though. So, yesterday we had a 9 hour drive back and then I went home to my homestay family. This week should be another monotonous one. Hopefully, I might visit an Invisible Children Bracelet campaign office tomorrow so that should yield some cool stories. Other than that, I’m doing really well in the African life. Sorry this is so long. Luckily, I only recap what I do on the weekends because that’s the most exciting part.

Random Facts:
1) An Elephant’s gestation period is 22 months
2) Hippos are surprisingly dangerous. Two fishermen were killed by a hippo two months ago in the fishing village that we saw on our boat ride.

The semester's flying by. It's already Spring Break at Messiah and for me, I have a month left with my host family before our trip to Rwanda. It's going to be really hard to leave but for now, i'm trying to focus on enjoying every minute.

Today has been a hard day. I've been stressed lately with just not feeling good enough and being frustrated about not engaging with the culture. A lot of this comes from spending my day in a room with all Americans and using wireless internet to get homework done (or attempt to). That's another frustration. I'm not getting my work done and my grades are clearly slipping. I can sit all day and barely scrape out a decent article. I really don't understand. In my lit class, the professor wants us to read a novel a week! Yeah, right, like that's going to happen. This stresses me out because I have to keep my academic scholarship. Hopefully, i'm doing better than I think! Also, when i am at my homestay and finding myself comparing myself to the other American student staying there. I try to see why she is so much better at engaging the family or helping out or whatever. I think i'm feeling better about everything though.

Last Weekend

Hi Everyone-

I hope you enjoy this update because it will be my last one for awhile. I will not be writing again until March 4th because I am leaving for my rural homestay in Kapchura which is in Eastern Uganda. After that we travel as a large group and I think we are going to meet people working with Mennonite Central Committee and learn about conflict resolution. We are also visiting a waterfall. I’ll let you know all about that next time.
Unfortunately, the circumcision trip was canceled. I was bummed but then on very short notice a girl in our group arranged the white water rafting trip. We left on Saturday and went white water rafting on the Nile. Before we went rafting, my friend Betsy and I bungee jumped. We went tandem (together) and held onto each other as we plummeted off a tower 144 feet up in the air. It was incredibly uncomfortable but still pretty sweet. I can’t wait to see the video footage. When they counted down, 3, 2, 1 neither of us budged. I knew Betsy wouldn’t go so I did not want to lean off without her. The second time though, I did the leaning for the two of us, which might have added to the discomfort. I was expecting my back to hurt afterwards, but it was mainly just my stomach that hurt. The rafting was incredible! We rafted for the rest of the day on some pretty rough rapids. Once our boat flipped on a class five rapid and I was under water from up to 8 seconds (or at least it felt like it). The first time after a few seconds I came up for air but only got water. The second time, I was gasping like crazy. It seemed pretty close to drowning. I now know what that feels like. It was a cool experience though, with gorgeous views and floating along the Nile (outside the boat) for part of the time. I went rafting both in Pennsylvania and Montana but I no longer consider that rafting.
I got a cold on Thursday and went rafting with a cold. When I got back from rafting, I had a sunburn on top of being sick. I stayed in bed most of Sunday and I’m starting to feel better which is good. I’m hoping to improve before we travel on Friday. My classes are going well. I’m finally starting to be serious about my work so hopefully that keeps up. The classes are easier but I’m definitely not doing my best work. I think that is the general consensus because there is just so much to do and experience. Another one of my host brothers left for boarding school so the house is getting quieter than ever. It’s a great place though. I’m much more relaxed with the family. I get along great with the other Uganda study abroad student (Melody) too. So that’s all I have for now. I’ll put in another request for emails. Keep me updated on your lives.

Have a great two weeks,
Becca

Kampala, Graduation Party, and More!

I’m starting to find myself in a routine. This past week was harder than usual, just because I can feel myself getting stressed, which causes some homesickness. The only eventful things happened this past weekend. I went to Kampala, the capital city. We took a taxi over but certainly not like a taxi in the U.S. It cost less than 1 U.S. dollar to go on an hour long taxi ride here. The ride is pretty bumpy and the taxi (more like a 14 passenger van) constantly seems like it’s going to break down. Once we got there, everywhere was packed. Personal space was no where to be found. To get across the street, you trust that taxis, motorbikes, or cars will not run you over. We ended up taking a personal hire (more like a US taxi) to Garden City, a nicer shopping center. This is the only place you won’t get stared at because you are white. We went to an American restaurant called the New York Kitchen. I had Macaroni and Cheese and a Strawberry milkshake. It was the most expensive meal I’ve had since being here but totally worth it. During the meal, my digital camera broke, which was a major bummer. Unfortunately, I got sick the next day because of the meal. Later in the afternoon, we went to the YMCA which had a music school near by. My friend Sharon plays cello and was unable to bring it so she rented one for 30 minutes. She was so happy about it. It was also cool to listen to her. On the way back, we went on a taxi that actually ended up getting a flat tire in the middle of our trip. Luckily we were able to catch another one near by where it broke down.

On Sunday, I helped out with a school ministry, sort of like Sunday school at a boarding school. I went with two other girls and we preached on trusting God. I felt bad because I was not prepared as I was sick the day before. I think it went well though. In the afternoon, we went to a graduation party. There were like 150-200 people there. It almost reminded me of My Big Fat Greek Wedding. We all sat under a tent and ate insane amounts of food. There were speeches, too. Unfortunately, the ceremony was in Luganda (the language of this area) so I had no idea what they were saying for 4 hours. It was still fun though. I got community engagement hours (I need 30 hours for my class) from both of those, so that’s a relief. I had a great weekend overall.

This week is going to be a tough one. I have 3-4 papers due by the end of next week. My rural homestay starts next Friday and that means no class for 10 days but there is still going to be homework. This weekend, I am going to see a tribal circumcision in Mbali. It will most likely be a circumcision of a male between the ages of 15 and 25. I do not know much about it because I am not in the African Traditional Religions class but some of us are going optionally. It seems odd that 30 Americans would be able to go to a tribal circumcision but I guess we’ll figure out how that works later.

Friends! From the Jinja Trip

Betsy, Caroline, Sharon, and I inside a hut at the Nile River resort

Betsy and I at the Nile Resort in front of the Nile River!

Danielle, Betsy, and I on the balcony at the hostel we stayed at in Jinja.

My Homestay

Above: Me with my two host brothers Simon (in red), Mark (in brown) and two host cousins Isaac (left) and Emmanuel (right)




This is a picture (below) of my sister Judi and my cousin Stella. Stella thinks I'm the funniest person ever. Both of them speak great English. Melody and I share a room with Judi.
The front of the house

Uganda: Week 4

I cannot believe it's February already, particularly because it certainly doesn't feel like it here. I've noticed that I do not have as much to say in my updates anymore, probably because the newness of Uganda is wearing off. I'm going to try to upload photos here because I know not everyone has facebook. My host family is changing as school started yesterday. The three younger boys left and my 18 year old host brother left for boarding school. It's pretty sad, actually. Our group is trying to arrange trips to go rafting/bungee jumping on the Nile and go on a safari, which are pretty much the most expensive things to do in Uganda. I can't decide if i should go bungee jumping or not. If anyone has an opinion about it, please let me know :) One thing i've noticed about Uganda is how hospitable it is. The hardest part of my homestay is convincing my family to let me do things myself such as prepare tea, wash clothes, etc. They let us tray eggs to sell to the market, so that's good. We also learned how to make chipati, which are liked fried flour tortillas. They are one of the best snacks here. Classes are good, although the workload is overwhelming. There are lots of papers due in the next few days. My politics classes aren't as easy as I thought. I think it's because I have no background in African politics so I don't know as much as i thought I did. Anyway, I can't believe I'll be home in less than 3 months. The semester is already flying by. Looking at my schedule, I'm not even with my host family for more than 4 or 5 weekends in the next 3 months because of traveling.

Week 3: Dead Lizards, The Nile, and Much More!

A lot has happened since I last updated. I've started getting in a routine, which involves waking up at 6:30 in the morning and trying to go to sleep by 10:30 at night. I'm pretty much adjusted to everything except academics. Since I was away this weekend on a trip, I didn't get the reading done for my class yesterday and then we had a quiz. We'll see what happens. I am getting used to my professors and the lectures don't seem as long which is great. I am getting better at ironing although i must have been too excited because I burnt my arm on it this weekend. Luckily, the burn was minor. It looks cool though. A random fact: dead lizards smell. We found one in our room last night and it had been smelling for two days. I thought i needed to share it.

As far as this weekend, we went to Jinja, which was about a 1 hour van ride away. The 12 of us IMME (Intercultural Mission/Ministry Emphasis) students went and had a blast. We stayed at a pretty nice hostel (group hotel type thing) and we were fed way too much American food (many of us had stomaches because we weren't used to it). Having running water and hot showers were great. Friday night we had two missionaries come talk to us. They were from Calvary Chapel Jinja and had been doing Prison Ministry for 10 years. They had some really great things to say.

On Saturday we went into town to a cafe/gift shop called the Source. It is also connected to the Church of Christ Jinja. They talked to us about cultural differences and told us about their ministries (clean water, save the trees, village church ministry). We ate lunch there and it was incredible. I also did a little shopping which was nice because i wanted to start getting gifts for people. Later that day, we went on a tour of Jinja which was pretty eye opening. He took us to the source of the nile, which was great to look at as we only really read about it in textbooks. Then we went to this place he called Ting-Ting, which is a group of mainly men who work at welding scrap metal into teapots, trunks, etc. He told us that this is the best work they can get and they only make 1-2 dollars a day. It was inspiring in that he told us to remember that we have opportunities to have great jobs with the ability to help others. Then we went to the hospital there and he told us to stop in. I felt uncomfortable because it seemed like he was making it a tourist attraction. When I went in, i was stunned at how poor the facilities were are knowing that people were dying from preventable causes. I froze and did not know how to react. It was valuable because it was so eye opening. Later that night, we got to go on a boat ride on the Nile and hang out at this nice resort. From the boat, we saw a Komoto dragon and monkeys. Then we went out to a fancy restaurant and i got Indian food and ice cream.
Sunday we went to a Baptist church (not common here) and one of the guys in our group gave a sermon on glorifying God. The service was very energetic and pretty fun in general. We had a ton of food and then we came back to campus.

One of the hardest things to get used to here is the lack of snacks. This is my number 1 thing i complain about here. Right now i'm eating honey teddy grahams and dipping them in peanut butter. I have to buy a lot at the grocery store because I do not eat much during the day. There are nice snack shops here on campus which helps too. I'm going to get smoothies every Wednesday. Hmm.. i can't think of much else to say. Life is good here and i can't wait to hear from everyone. As far as current events go, the riots in Kenya seem to still be pretty bad with lots of casualties. It does not affect us too much here in Uganda except for graphic TV/Newspaper pictures.

Also, i'm starting to really worry about finding a summer internship/job. I want to stay local but i also need experience. It's really challenging to find opportunities or even apply for internships from here. if you hear of anything, please let me know. It's also hard to keep up with the Koinonia Conference. I'm really hoping that it doesn't collapse before I get back. Thank goodness we have about a year left when I return.

A funny thing that happened here is that two other IMME students (Scott and Betsy) are engaged and they came together (obviously). 4 Ugandans in Scott's host family invited themselves to his wedding and they want to pay for the tickets and everything. It sounds awesome! I almost wish I was engaged so that I could invite Ugandans.

Week 2

Hi Everyone-

I'm excited that i have time to send another update. I get internet almost every day and though it might take a day for me to respond, i can often a least check emails. So send me emails or let me know what you think about things. It's hard to know where to begin. I'll tell you a little about what's been happening in the last week. Basically, I live with a great host family. There are 18 year old twins (Mark and Judi) and an older brother Brian (early 20's) and a younger brother Simon (13), I was very disappointed to find out that the kids (3 nephews; Isaac, Emmanuel, and Jackson) are not staying much longer. I was even sadder to here that they are not taken care of by their own mom and have been getting healthier with our family. However, they cannot stay with our family because our host mom has to go back to work. I hope home does not get boring after they leave. This past weekend was a little dull. i did learn to wash dishes, cut up string beans, and sift through rice. I'm learning skills very slowly. I'm so slow. I am so bad at ironing that my host sister does not let me do it like at all. We have house help (a houseboy) who does most of the work. I feel sorry for him but apparently it's a cultural thing i have to get used to.
Our family likes to watch TV. I watched part of The Parent Trap and then I watch various music videos, including boy bands like the Backstreet Boys. It still fascinates me how the culture is so westernized. Church made me incredible uncomfortable. They seem American worship songs and basically recite Anglican prayers than are barely relevant to me as an American. It makes me wonder if the Ugandans actually connect with God through this type of a service or if it is merely tradition. I was so surprised that i knew the songs and everything. This coming up weekend, the IMME (homestay) students are going to Jinja, another town in Uganda from Friday afternoon to Sunday night. This will make homework difficult.
As far as classes, I have 5 hours of class on Monday, 3 hours on Wednesday, and 4 hours on Thursday and Friday for a total of 16 credit hours. I have no class on Tuesday which is pretty nice because I can send updates and get work done for the week or go to town. I'm taking Ugandan politics instead of traditional religions because politics is much more interesting to me and it is easier for me to focus. Going into town seems somewhat of a pain, though because it takes awhile to walk there. We went last week to find our way around which was fun. I bought toilet paper and emergency minutes for my cell phone (which I don't use). To send letters i would have to go to town, so that's probably not going to happen. Instead, i expect to email or facebook mainly. Other random details... i have the worst blisters ever from wearing my shoes without socks. I did not pack as well as I wished i would have, for sure. Sometimes, though, it's impossible to foresee every need. I'm going to stop talking now as this is getting insanely long. Believe me, i prefer writing these entries than doing homework. Unfortunately, i have a lot of reading due this week and since I am traveling this weekend, it's going to start to pile up.

Becca or Mzungu (white person as we are affectionately called).

Hi Everyone-
I'm doing okay here in Uganda. The start of classes has gotten me a little stressed with just the overwhelming amount of work and the fact that when living in a homestay (as i am) it is difficult to get something done. I'm pretty sure that I made the right decision about taking Intro to Ugandan Politics instead of African Traditional Religions as politics holds my attention. Since I am not taking my ADHD medicine, these two hour classes can be a drag. It's also hard because I am so not used to nuances of the culture. But my first weekend is coming up so hopefully i will be able to figure more out about how to help around the house and that kinda thing. Overall, i'm doing okay at home but time at school can cause some stress. The food isn't getting old too quickly although i worry as I eat primarily carbs (rice, mashed plantains, beans, potatoes, bread/jam). Anyway, feel free to send me mail as I would love to get letters. I miss you all and hopefully i can write back more later.

Hi Everyone-

So i finally got a chance to write in and let you all know how i'm doing. We arrived here on Sunday night at 9pm (our time). The plane ride was not too bad although sitting in one place for 14 hours total can get a little frustrating. The first flight to Amsterdam was hardest because it got really hot due to the recycled air. It was a double-deck plane which i thought was neat since i've never been on one of those before though i was on the bottom. The second flight went by faster as we had our own TV screens so i was able to watch Friends, The Office, and Heart Break Kid. The 8 hour time difference has not affected me too badly which is a relief since we jumped right into activities. The first night we stayed at an African convent/retreat center for the night. It had decent accommodations and plumbing. It was my first night under a mosquito net and it didn't work all that well as it didn't stay over me the whole night. I slept a solid 6 hours though which was nice. Yesterday, we came to campus and went through orientation and registered for classes. I thought that I knew exactly what I wanted to take but now I am stuck between taking an additional politics class (Intro to Ugandan Politics) or African Traditional Religions. It will probably all depend on whether or not Messiah will accept the second class as a politics elective.
Last night we met our host family. Yes, i said we. It turns out that two of us from Uganda Studies Program are staying with my particular host family. The other girl's name is Melody and she is from Arizona and studies at Biola University in California. Our family includes a set of twins (18 years old) which is considered an honor so the father requested two students as well. I think I was pretty relieved to be staying with another student that way it is more comfortable and we can help each other understand the family. The main language spoken in the home is Lugandan but the father and 18 year old girl Judith speak fluent English. I do not know too much about the family because there are people coming in and out, some family members and some friends (it's easy to get them mixed up). We share a room with Judith and we're in a bunk bed with a mosquito net that covers both of us. So far, i have not felt too sick or had any health problems. The interesting thing I'm learning about Uganda is that everything is so incongruent. For example, my host family has a TV/DVD player but yet we still bathe from a basin and do not have toilets (this might be one of the harder things to get used to). Overall, it has been a great first night with my family.
I have two classes today, and i've had one already I've had East African Politics and the syllabus/readings look manageable. Different from the U.S., we have to share books/check books out from the library in order to do readings. This makes it quite challenging I'm afraid although i do not yet have my library card. It seems that all my classes are with Ugandan Studies Program students rather than Ugandans. I do have some Ugandan professors so trying to understand their english can be challenging. The advantage to having classes of all Americans is that our grading scales are different and weighting is more like we are accustomed to back in the U.S.
So feel free to email me, I think i'll get internet more than I initially expected. There is a lounge where the IMME (homestay) students can access wireless internet and talk/relax with each other which is great. I hope you are all doing well. Oh, i forgot to mention the food. Most of the time, starch is common. A food called mukone is common which is basically mashed plantains and i've also had sweet potatoes. Most of the starches have some type of sauce (peanut/meat) on top. We also have tea time twice a day which is in addition to our other meals. There is both black tea and milk tea and we usually have bread and butter during this time as well. It's relaxing and its a nice reminder Dinner at our homestays is around 10:30 at night which can be challenging since we are used to eating early.
The currency here is interesting. One US dollar equals about 1600 Ugandan shillings. So when i tried getting $100 out of the bank it ended up being like 160,000 shillings. It's very intimidating in my opinion. Anyway, i hope you're all having a nice sleep while i write this.

Becca

Send Me Mail

Please send me mail. I would prefer letters and padded envelopes as they often arrive faster. Larger boxes have to be picked up (and require a fee to do so) from the main post office but if you send me a box, i'm sure i'd love it. Use U.S. Postal Service as it's cheapest.

Rebecca MacVaugh, Uganda Studies Programme
Uganda Christian University
P.O. Box 4
Mukono, Uganda

Packing

So...at the request of a few friends and seeing that everyone's doing it, I decided to create this blog. I hope to be dedicated in keeping it updated so everyone can stay up to date on my happenings in Uganda. So, this first post will mainly tell you what I know so far and the basics about my trip.

1) I'm going to Uganda. I leave Saturday January 12th and return May 3rd. I'm not planning on doing traveling outside of the programs offerings.

2) It is through BestSemester with the Uganda Studies Program. However, I am doing the Intercultural Ministry/Mission Emphasis track which involves living with a family and taking the course Intro to Christian Mission. This track is different and allows me to have (in my opinion) more in-depth cultural experiences and opportunities. I do not know who my host family is and I will not know until a few days after I arrive.

3) As far as I know, I am living in a house about 1-2 miles from campus. I will walk to and from campus for classes each day.

Classes I'll be taking- Subject to Change upon arrival
1) Faith in the Uganda Context (something to that effect)
2) East African Politics
3) African Literature
4) African Traditional Religions, Christianity, and Islam
5) Intro to Christian Mission


Right now, i am frustrated with packing. I'm taking 2 small suitcases and a backpack. I will be taking my laptop which will be my only source of contact. So email me or post here. If you are interested in getting email updates, I will send them out as well. My email updates will probably be similar to my posts on this blog. My email is: rm1261@messiah.edu