Random Happenings

I have rounded up cows 3 days in a row.  Sunday, out of the banana plantation.  Monday, out of the main road outside the community.  Tuesday out of the round house yard.  I feel like a true farm girl.  Cows are funny creatures.  Here the local cows have huge horns.  But the ones I was herding are mostly your standard black and whites.

Today at mass, I almost burst out laughing hysterically.  They use electric keyboards for music.  When we go up for communion, they turn on a pre recorded song so that the person doesn’t have to play for a few moments.  Today they turned on the pre recorded music and it as “Can’t help falling in love with you” and “Beauty and the Beast”.  Of course NO ONE else in the church knows either of these songs, but I almost exploded I was laughing so hard inside. 

The other day the light which is right at the front of the church wasn’t working right.  It would flash off and on.  So the drums were going and we were singing some upbeat song, and the light was flashing away… it looked like a club/disco or something!  Sometimes there are things that no one else finds funny.  But I am dying of laugher inside!!

Tonight I did something super random.  I gave John Bahati, one of the students (one of my favorite students), colored pencils.  I noticed earlier that he was drawing in his note book, and it was actually quite good.  So later I spoke with him about art.  I want to encourage him to do more art.  So tonight I gave him my little colored pencils.  Before I gave them to him I told him that he was going to laugh at me… he tried not to, but in the end did laugh.  I am excited to see what he creates.

Everyone is sick.  The whole community has “cough and flu” … which means a bad cold.  I was out for 2 days with it, but am feeling a little better now.  I am not pushing myself but talking it slow.  A lot of people are down with malaria or strange unexplainable sickness.  It happens a lot here.  One of my “daughters”… the girls I am in charge of… has a bad fever.  We think it might be malaria, but aren’t sure. 

In other news, the compound got to meet my mother today!  I have internet that is a modem that plugs into my computer and registers with a cell phone net work.  So I am totally mobile.  I took my computer all over the compound.  The lighting wasn’t great, but my mom got to MEET a whole bunch of my friends and see my house.  :D  It was a very good time.  People around here had no idea what to make of this crazy technology.  Most of them would never have seen anything like it! 

So that's a little bit of life this side!

The back view of our "local" mountains

The West of Uganda is an incredibly beautiful place!

The 3 Italians... the couple is here doing a bee project.  None speak English.  It's an adventure

Luigi, an Italian carpenter here to make doors for Shalom Center

Our Future

Parish Youth

Tanzania is on the other side of the river. 

Fiona (youth coordinator for the region and good friend) and Father

Art

InterNET!

Yes, I know no photos were posted.

I got a lovely text saying that the internet which Orange Telecom owns had the cable cut in Kenya.  The joy of being landlocked!

So the internet has been down and slow.  Photos will come eventually.

So sorry!

Christmas in September!

I got my package from home today, along with a fairly nice guitar. Not at all what
I was expecting to find here in Africa! (this means the mail system works!!)

I feel like it is Christmas!!! Last night, the community leader knocked on my door with a beautiful table, which is high enough for me to comfortably work on my computer! It also means the little table I was using can go in the sitting room, so now there is more than a broom.

My package brought me tons of great joy, mostly in the form of music and jewelry. I haven’t managed to find the perfect necklace yet, but now I have my celtic cross back, and I am super happy with that. Music is sooooothing my soul. It has been so long!

I also got my whole computer in the form of my external hard drive. This is fantastic because now I have all my files! I also have more medication than a pharmacy! I am feeling incredibly blessed.

I have decided to put roots down here. I think it is time. I love it here, the people are incredible, the place is beautiful. Yes, there are major challenges. Food, water (both running out and it hurting me), my body failing me. But challenges don’t mean you aren’t suppose to be in that place.

I’m getting use to Mbarara town. It’s good, even if it is frustrating sometimes. People are slowly getting use to me, like my waitress at the café which makes me feel like I’m on main street Ann Arbor.

My body is still not doing great. I think I will figure things out but it will be slow. I finished my medication and am hoping the infection is gone. But I am still not 100% by any means.

I will probably start posting some photos and stories from other times in my trip. I realized I haven’t put up some really good photos and told a few good stories! So if I get a chance I’ll do that.
These photos are from an adventure to the boarder of Tanzania with Father E on Sunday.