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