A Promotion!

Hooray!

On Monday I was promoted to Care Coordinator at Fraser. On Monday I start full time in my new position. :)
Seven people were interviewed for three open positions, one of which was full time.. and I got the full time! It'll be a lot more responsibility but I am so ready!

~emma.

July!!!

Throughout the month of July I wrote down some notes about what I should write here. Here’s what I wrote:

Taking Back the Rainbow
What do you think? Here in Minneapolis we had the third largest Pride Festival in the country. Tyler and I choose to stay in that day, we could maybe see it getting a little out of hand and a little uncomfortable. We were treated to the Pride Fest fireworks from our front porch, though. This all led to Tyler and I talking about the rainbow! Its upsetting and ironic and, in a way, totally expected.. that a sign of God’s covenant is now used in such a way..
[I have set my rainbow in the clouds, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and the earth. Genesis 9:13]

Plastics
I’ve learned a lot about plastic in the past month. I’ve always known that plastic isn’t really our best option and can be harmful, but my knowledge didn’t extend past that. Provoked by conversation at work Tyler and I now avoid as much plastic as possible. We store food in ceramic and glass, if possible. We only drink out of glass (I had to retire Tyler’s long preferred plastic MN cup). We try to use more wooden cooking utensils than plastic, as much as we can manage without being too crazy about it. It’s tough to do without plastic in such a plastic world. Each plastic (different number) is extremely different but most have potential negative effects, such as increased risk of miscarriage and developmental delays and increased risks of certain cancers. Things we’d love to avoid if it’s in our control.

High Fructose Corn Syrup
Another negative things we see almost everyday is High Fructose Corn Syrup. Tyler and I watched a documentary about corn a few months ago. I think we were both surprised and disgusted. You should research it for yourself. Honestly I don’t think it’s a coincidence that the United States uses significantly more HFCS than most countries (most don’t use it at all) and we have the largest obesity problem. I was also upset to notice that products advertised as All Natural often contain HFCS. Around the house and in the store we’ve noticed that the #1 or #2 ingredient in things such as maple syrup, jelly, mayo, juic, and more is HFCS. Eww. I’ll stick with sugar.

A Skirt
I finally used the fabric that I brought home from Uganda the first time. I made a skirt! It’s not perfect, but for being my first creation since home economics in 7th grade, I think its pretty great. And I think all I made in 7th grade was an apron and a srcunchie. Now I’m working on a button down shirt which is going to be a bit more difficult.


4th of July
We stayed in Minneapolis for the 4th of July and went downtown to watch the fireworks over the Stone Arch Bridge. We found a spot in the prairie grass on a hill by the Guthrie Theatre overlooking some of the mill ruins, the bridge, and the river. It was a really pretty spot and the fireworks were so big and so close.
Tyler and I sat around on our blanket waiting for the crowds to clear when we noticed two men uphill from us lighting bottle rockets and throwing them up into the sky. It was getting a little scary when they started shooting down towards people. Tyler and I stood up and were getting ready to leave when a bottle rocket shot right into Tyler’s leg! We ran up the hill to confront the men, along with some others, but they were not really cooperating or being kind. After they left Tyler wanted to follow them to make sure they left the area. I guess they noticed us so they took off their t-shirts and tried to run away. I ended up calling the police since the men were acting so weird about the situation and eventually Tyler lost them.
Unfortunately his pants sustained a burn hole but other than that Tyler was just fine.

New Finches
For Christmas Tyler got me two zebra finches but we never actually got them. We spent some time looking for finches that we liked and waited for summer weather. We brought two home and soon after the ladybird got sick. We took her back to the pet store where she passed away. The next day we brought home a new ladybird and were happy to see that she got along with the other. About a week later our remaining original bird got sick and passed away as well! Now all we have is our second lady, named Sug. We’re going to give it some time before we bring in another one, just in case she gets sick, too. It’s been tough…

Two more "topics" coming soooooon....

Haven of Hope

We mailed a package to Matt and Crystal Kehn in Mbarara, Uganda earlier this month with various baby supplies and a few letters to hand out to some of our friends. Matt and Crystal had their first child, Asher, a year and a few months ago, in Uganda. Which I think is both wonderful and amazing. More recently, in April, the Kehn family grew again when they began the adoption process of Stephen Twinomujuni Kehn, a newborn baby who was abandoned at birth. Stephen, along with so many other abandoned babies in Uganda, was born with HIV/AIDS. This is a new step in Matt and Crystal’s ministry in Uganda and they can use some help and prayer. Please visit them at their Haven of Hope to find out how you can help.

Also new to the world is Pearl Ahurira, new daughter of our friends Herbert and Sarah also in Mbarara, Uganda.

Mukama Asiimwe!

June

Since its June, I suppose this’ll be a June update (I’m not sure what happened to March, April, and May… oops!).
~June 7th was our 8 month Day (I prefer to save Anniversary for the yearly count).
A few days later, on Tuesday, June 10th, my mom, Wally, and Gwen came up to Minneapolis to visit us for six days. Tyler and I both had to work so they got to do a bit of exploring the Metro area on their own. We showed them a lot, when we could. Mosaic walls for my mom, Mickey’s Diner, The Walker, The State Capital, The Cathedral, Minnehaha Falls, thrift stores, some of the lakes and the beautiful houses around them, a show at The Gurthrie, and a lot more. I think they had a good time. :)


~On Saturday, June 21st we took the MegaBus to Chicago, arriving in the evening and heading out to my dad’s house. We all woke up early and got headed up north for the family picnic. The weather consisted of a storm cloud that gave us wind, cool air, rain, and hail! Us crazy Minnesotans, expecting warmer weather to the south, didn’t bring coats or sweatshirts and had to borrow some. The mosquitoes were terrible! But at least they didn’t have malaria. :) We ate some of Pat’s wonderful breakfast, took a lot of photos, went for a walk, and had a great time. Later we headed to Oak Park where we stayed the night with Rachel and Doug but also got to chat with Ash, a friend of mine from college. On Monday we wandered around Chicago, feeling a little chilly at times, and I got to see a few more friends, Ashley, Heather, and David. Then we hoped back on the MegaBus at 10:30pm. I was getting sick over the weekend and failed to sleep on the bus, so now I’m here, home sick from work because there’s an elephant in my head. It’s always great to go back and see family and friends, I just wish we didn’t have to be so rushed! I also wish the MegaBus went to Iowa…
~Now that the weather is acting more like Spring/Summer (and nicer than Chicago), Tyler has been driving the moped motorcycle bike thing to work and I’ve been riding my bike. Tyler’s trip is less than five minutes away from home, so the gas goes a nice long long way. My ride is about 4.5 miles one-way and it has typically been nice enough to ride each day rather than drive the car. Although I get to work really hot and sticky… I’m realizing I don’t exactly ride for leisure, I’m always pushing myself to go as fast as possible, which results in more hot and more sticky. 17 minutes is my record so far, I think.
~Hopefully this coming weekend we’ll be going camping. It’s the Minneapolis Pride Festival and Tyler says it gets really crazy, especially around our neighborhood. It’s the third largest Pride Festival in the country… so we’re planning on getting out of town to avoid the whole crazy, and to enjoy some nice Minnesota summer camping. :)
~Also, gas prices in the Twin Cities Metro area are wonderful. $3.89 is today's average. Everyone should move here. Come on.

Adds

I have added more photos to our log, through the end of November. I hope to be finished with that by the end of this week. I have also changed the layout of the blog.. quite a few times..

Our log is complete!

I said below, where the log previously existed:

• I have finished the updates to the text of our journal so it is no longer located under January 11, its under March 22! Please forgive me, I know it took so long. Over the next few days I hope to insert a bunch of photos, read over the text a couple of times, and then I will send out emails and letters giving the official update! Thank you so much for being patient.

I am starting to edit the text tonight and will add photos over the next couple of days. In the future I plan to add a few more things, including, but not limited to:

• Videos
• Thoughts on life in Uganda, such as money, cell phones, and traffic.
• Updates regarding Juna Amagara Ministires
• Major Uganda news happenings
  
• Links to relevant sites
• Monthly updates about what Tyler and I are up to
  

I hope that this can become a place for you to check back to learn more about Uganda, Juna Amgara, and to see if we are planning a new trip as well as what we are currently doing.

A log of our travels to Uganda with Juna Amagara Ministires, Fall/Winter 2007

October 26:

We left on our trip to Uganda about three weeks after our wedding in October. Our first few stops, though, weren't too far from home. From Minneapolis, we drove down to Chicago to say goodbye to family for a very rushed couple of days. From there we headed to O'Hare International Airport and caught our flight to Newark, NJ.

Once in Newark we headed to the AirTrain which would take us to the New Jersey Railroad which would then take us into Penn Station, right underneath, and in the middle of, New York City. During the summer of 2006 I traveled the exact same path on my way to Uganda. This time was significantly more enjoyable; I already to knew my way to NYC, I wasn't alone, and it wasn't 1:00 am!

After an annoyingly expensive and short train ride into the city we found ourselves with many bags and nowhere to go. Instead of heading off directly to Uganda we planned to stay in New York City for a few days. I really enjoy it there and Tyler had never been. We thought we should take this opportunity to visit the city together. Via a great resource called CouchSurfing.com, we connected with a wonderful couple, Emma and CJ, who live in the East Village of Manhattan. Unfortunately though, we had the entire day to wander around the city with our luggage until we could meet up with them at their apartment. It was a tough few hours!! Emma and CJ offered us a comfortable air mattress, great conversation, Halloween candy, and some shrimp! For the next couple of days we ventured out from the apartment to visit Central Park, Coney Island, Broadway, Time Square, Chinatown, and many other places. We met up with Chris, Tyler's former band mate from Chicago while he was in town with his new band. That night, Halloween, we found ourselves at a pretty exclusive and highly talked about Halloween party where we enjoyed free drink and an interesting show of some designers creating outfits out of fashion magazine scraps right before our eyes. The next evening, on November 1st, we headed off to Uganda.

the Brooklyn Bridge:



Statue of Liberty:

shoot the freak, Coney Island:

Grand Central Station:

magazine fashion party, the winning pair:

November 1:

Our flight left from JFK International Airport on Thursday night. I was quite excited to fly Emirates again - my favorite airline! And was also very excited for Tyler to experience the comfort. Our flight was long but was filled with movies, television, and games in the entertainment counsels in front of each individual seat. We had a two hour layover in Hamburg, Germany where I got confused trying to go to the bathroom and nodded my head a lot while everyone spoke to me in German.

After a foggy Hamburg stop we boarded our plane to Dubai. I like Dubai. Last time there I had a long layover during the day so I ventured out to explore a bit. This time we had a long layover but it was unfortunately at a really inconvenient and unexciting time. We got in around 10:00 pm and were at the airport for about 12 hours. We took some time to rest, visited the Duty Free store, ate a very nice and free meal provided by Emirates, and walked up and down the airport quite a lot.

bored and tired in Dubai:


The next flight took us to an hour's stop in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia where we were not allowed to exit the plane if we were connecting on to Uganda. The flight staff were our favorite on this flight. Soon we were on the way to Entebbe, Uganda. Finally! Tyler and I were glued to the windows the entire time after leaving Dubai. Flying over the Middle East and much of Africa is pretty neat to see. Deserts, huge river valleys... Many neat sights.

November 3:

Upon arriving in Uganda we went through immigration, paid $50 each to enter (up $10 from last time!), and wondered what was going to happen next. I had been in contact with Ben, the Director of Juna Amagara in Uganda and the person who officiated our wedding. He was still in the US and said that his Operations Director, Herbert, would pick us at the airport. Herbert happened to be busy with a wedding that day and sent a driver, Dennis, to fetch us. We stepped outside into the wonderful Uganda air and light drizzle to find a sign that said something about Tyler and Emma and Juna Amagara. It was pretty exciting to be greeted with a sign at an airport - a first for both of us. Unfortunately the sign didn't find its way home with us.

Dennis drove us through Kampala and into Mbarara. The trip takes around six hours and crosses the equator. The later half of the trip was in the dark which I knew must have been scary for Tyler. Where we, in the US, would expect to see a highway connecting two lager towns, Uganda has a narrow two lane road with many potholes and other obstacles. Drivers are quick to pass other vehicles and enter the lane of oncoming traffic barely escaping a crash as they quickly swerve into the correct lane. In 2006 there had been times that the vehicle that I was in had to swerve off the road to avoid a high speed, head on, collision. Driving at night makes it much more treacherous and risky.

In Mbarara we ended up at a guest house where I had once eaten lunch during my last trip. We were put into a room with a wasp and two beds. Soon after, Herbert arrived to check on us and decided to find another room that didn't have a "roommate". The next room was a suite which came with only one bed, a living room, and was "roommate" free.

Tyler, in our grand suite:

i don't think this bell worked:

November 4:

The next morning we piled back into Dennis' taxi van (matatu) along with many other people, hens, and bananas. We were squashed into the front seat all the way to Kabale where the last passenger was let out. Dennis then drove us down to the spot we could catch a boat to our honeymoon island. We came in the middle of Uganda's rainy season which made many roads nearly impassable. The road down to Lake Bunyonyi was slippery, bumpy, twisty, and scary. After dropping us off we later heard that Dennis got stuck on his way back to up Kabale.

As it started to rain, we hopped into a boat and took a two minute trip to the island after which we paid the driver entirely too much. We climbed up the island, were shown to our cabin, and then relaxed. Our time on the island was very nice. Due to a severe lack of cash, we only stayed for two nights. But during the time we got a nice canoe tour of Lake Bunyonyi, got a lot of much needed rest, saw many neat birds, and ate some delicious food. We were the only people staying on the island at that time because it wasn't exactly tourist season. Rainy season brings rain, obviously, and cool air. The lake is usually great for swimming in and is safe for tourists because of its high altitude. But the air was so cool that we had to stay bundled up and admire the lake from the island and the canoe.

pretty island:

happy on the island:

we were supposed to stay in Avocado but we got Papaya instead:

part of Papaya:

looking across Lake Bunyonyi from the dinning room:

our canoe trip:

November 6:

After our two nights we made plans with Herbert to be picked up where Dennis had dropped us off. We packed up, got over charged for bottled water that we had on the island (I thought full-board included beverages..), and waited for Herbert as it started to drizzle. We drove back into Kabale where we picked up Moses and headed to the village, Kishanje.

The road to Kishanje is long and winding and soooo bumpy. It is quite possibly the worst road that I have ever experienced. Kishanje is very close to Lake Bunyonyi, but on the other side. The road goes from Kabale all the way around the lake and through the mountains resulting in a two and a half hour bumpy drive.

Roads between larger cities are often paved though they are full of potholes. If there is not any benefit to have a paved road the government will not pave it. Roads to many of the villages are of no benefit so they are not paved. If there were some good trade along the road or if the road easily led to another country it would be paved. Maybe someday Kishanje will be important enough for a paved road.

So on November 6th we arrived in Kishanje...


some tiny sweet bananas, called cabalagara, that Herbert got for us:
they are very special, we shared them with friends

our room:

Tyler in our room:

our hole in the wall for showering:
Araali would bring us a jug of just boiled water with a bagoya banana stuck in the top to keep it warm
we would then pour really hot water on ourselves trying to get clean as quickly as possible so as not to freeze in the chilly chilly air
complicated!

November 7:

On Wednesday we walked up to the construction site. Basically you have to walk up the road and then scale the side of a really steep hill to get there. One wrong move and you'd tumble down to the road.

You may wonder what they're constructing at this site.. and we wondered too. I had a bit of an idea before arriving in Uganda but it seems even to a lot of the JAM staff that the purposes of the building are always changing and will probably always be changing even after the building is complete. It is to be called the Kishanje Learning Advancement Center, which is set in stone, literally.



The building is very large and, like many buildings on the hills and mountains in Uganda, has many levels because the building itself is terraced. As we last heard, the building will include the following:

The center of the building, as it should be, is the chapel. Church services and community meetings can be held there. The chapel floor will step down to where the speaker stands, allowing the audience to easily see the speaker as well as see a breathtaking view of the countryside leading to Lake Bunyonyi through a few windows.

Behind the chapel will be two rooms which were originally set to be offices for the chapel. I believe now that there will be a clinic on the first level, chapel offices above that, and on the floor above that one of a few things.. an apartment for the volunteer doctors to live (with the best view ever!), an internet cafe (unheard of in Kishanje), or a salon (as per my suggestion). We'll see!!

To one side of the chapel are classrooms and a staffroom. Here will be the secondary school (similar to a US high school). The rooms look so nice and will be filled with chairs, books, and science lab equipment.

To the other side of chapel is the tailoring area and the staff housing area. There will be a large classroom for the tailoring students. Currently they use a small room in the home that Tyler and I were staying in in Kishanje. There will also be a room to house to the tailoring students. Just past those rooms are two separate staff apartments with two bedrooms each. Two staff will live in each apartment sharing a bathroom, living room, and kitchen.

In the future the clinic plans to have its own building and there is a plan to have both a girls and a boys dorm to house the students.

We learned all of these things over the course of our stay. But on Wednesday, November 7, we lifted some large red roofing panels up to the men putting the roof together.

the view from KLAC:

November 8:

On Thursday we spent some time up at the construction site again. As you can see from photos, this area of Uganda is quite hilly and mountainous. Despite the terrain there are still buildings and farm plots everywhere. This hillsides are terraced and buildings are commonly terraced as well. While the KLAC is being built terraced much of the land surrounding it still needs to be leveled or else windows will reveal a big wall of dirt! Over time that dirt will get rained on and cause huge erosion problems around the building.

We decided to try our hands at digging. It was much more rewarding than lifting those red metal sheets. Since the building is being built on a steep hill much of the ground must be leveled. We were leveling the ground where some other men had been working the previous day. We had two tools, a hoe and a shovel. Tyler and I switched off using the different tools. The sun was hot and we were having a great time until I turned to the right and hurt my back! I didn't hurt it while we were digging, I didn't hurt it bending down, but I hurt it turning to the right! I felt rather defeated. I rested and tried again but the pain persisted. I headed down the site to rest while Tyler dug more, to the amazement of a few onlookers.

November 9:

A group of JAM staff decided to drive to Kabale for some shopping and asked us to come along. We thought we'd take the chance, hoping we could find an internet cafe. Kabale is the town back on the other side of the lake. We we able to find a bit of internet but the generator quickly overheated and we had to be finished - a typical Ugandan internet experience. After finding our friends we went to the home of Medius. Medius is a teacher for JAM but was on leave because she was soon due to have her first baby. We met her and her husband in their home and enjoyed some passion fruit juice while the rain pounded down so loudly outside. Tyler and I were both a bit apprehensive about the drive home in the rain, in the dark, and with a truck full of people. Medius' offer for us all to stay the night was denied and we hopped into the foggy, overcrowded truck. The drive was long. We went through so much mud and so many puddles. We came to a spot where some very large trucks were stuck in the mud and the road was impassible. We joined the growing line of cars sitting in the pitch dark waiting to see what would happen next. Finally the truck was able to get out of the mud and the cars slowly passed through the mud as well.

As I said before, the roads in a lot of Uganda are terrible and the rain makes them almost impossible to travel. Huge trucks and tiny cars slip and slide through the mud, nearly slipping down the sides of steep mountains, to finally get to their destinations. Sometimes exciting, sometimes very scary.

November 10:

We experienced our first Saturday in Kishanje. During the week the JAM kids come to the center after school for extra tutoring and other activities. On Saturdays they spend nearly their whole day at the center starting with a meal of porridge and morning devotions. We helped a few of the classes write letters to their sponsors. The children had a general form to follow but we encouraged them to enter their own information. Sometimes this worked out just fine but other times there was a clear communication error when we noticed the children signing their names 'Emma'. We tried to clear up all errors before the children had a treat for us outside.

Tyler and I were given two chairs to sit outside in the front driveway area. Different school levels of children then appeared before us with many songs to sing. It was so entertaining! Soon we moved into the shade of the JAM truck and continued to watch the exciting show. We even got to dance a little bit.. much to the enjoyment of the children!

children washing hands before lunch:

tailoring students being served posho and beans:

November 11:

Our first Sunday in Kishanje was also exciting. We attended one of the local churches where most of the JAM staff and many of the children go. We were a bit distracting, couldn't understand a thing, and had to introduce ourselves to the congregation. Luckily we had our friend Aimeth there to translate a few things for us.


Later on Sunday, Moses and Araali drove us up the highest mountain in the area to see more taller mountains, volcanoes, and the Impenetrable Forest! When we were just reaching the top, the fog rolled in and we couldn't even see a foot in front of us. As the fog would clear we would approach the top only to have the fog overtake us again. Eventually it left long enough for us to drive a bit further and climb to the top where an old pigmy church site was. The Impenetrable Forest was very neat to see. It begins with a swamp and then a seemingly never ending jungle complete with wild pigs! Many children used to have to brave the forest in order to get paid a tiny amount when illegally trading with Rwanda.


Araali:

Tyler, Moses, and Araali:

November 12:

On Monday we helped to write more sponsor letters. However, we had to write these sponsor letters ourselves. Many of the students are not very good with English, writing, or spelling. On Monday and Tuesday we helped with the Primary 1 level letters. The P1's are very young and could not manage to write a letter in English themselves, so we did it for them!






We also had a great time outside taking photos of many of the children just before they were given large blue bars of laundry soap to keep their clothing looking clean.

November 13:

We went back up to the construction site and found that a lot of work had been completed in the past couple of days. This time we had more digging to do but in a different area. We were brainstorming on how to dig a trench where the water falls off the roof so that the entire leveled portion of land there would not be ruined by the constant rainfall.

Some buildings in Uganda are beginning to use gutters that collect the fresh rainwater for use with cooking, cleaning, and plumbing. In the future the Learning Advancement center will do the same, but until then we were trying to alleviate the erosion problem.

We dug a lot and we had quite a few onlookers. Once again people were amazed to see us Americans actually working. I managed to get a pretty nasty blister on my hand from all of the digging but I worked on and on and on until I really needed a bandage! I headed down to the site to repair my hand and then met Tyler for more digging. At this point it seemed that Tyler was getting away with far less digging related injuries than I was.

November 15:

For a while we were up at the construction site sitting near Herbert and waiting for some airtime so we could call back home. While sitting up there, on the side of the road, we met a new friend named Judith. At first we just communicated via waves and smiles from about a hundred feet away. She was grazing her goats. Eventually we got closer and were able to talk with her. She was in P2, but she was so smart and so friendly! We spelled our names in the dirt of the road using a stick. We climbed a hill with her and sat with her goats. Judith taught us Rukiiga words and we taught her English words. It was really wonderful.

After being with Judith for a while we headed back to the site. We ended up in a huge dump truck that Herbert hired to carry sand and other materials. The truck drove down the narrow, twisty, bumpy roads to a sand pit hidden in a small tropical forest. The man who owned and sold the sand gave Tyler and I our Rukiiga names! From then on Tyler was known as Muhumuza (comforter) and I was known as Kikazi (big, helpful woman, the name is seen as a compliment). The names brought so much emotion. People were so happy to see we had Rukiiga names but also kept laughing about my new name.

Later that day, on the way up to the site, the truck got stuck in some mud and nearly slid off the road. I was amazed to see that it hadn't fallen off the side! It was so close!

November 17:

On Saturday Tyler and I were asked to help teach the children. We got the P6 class and helped to teach them English. Its really a strange thing to do. Some of the children know English pretty well but others are not good at all. The English books that are used can also be rather terrible at times. So we had to be creative and really pay attention to the books and to the students to see if they understoond. I liked it a lot though.

November 18:

We went to church! After church we formed a parade of curious children all the way home.

November 19:

Rev. Ben came! Everyone got soooooo excited! :)

our amazing friends, Aimeth and Delith:


me and my baby, Delith:

November 20:

We took the whole day to drive to Mbarara with Ben and some others. Ben stopped for so many things! He picked up huge sacks of Irish potatoes, talked with people, and many other things! Sometimes we sat in the truck waiting but other times we took the opportunity to chase children! :) They're really asking for it, don't worry. The children come so close but act so afraid of us. We liked to ignore them until they would come really close and then suddenly turn on them! They would run away yelling "momma" or just screaming, but still looking back at us over their shoulders. We usually wouldn't chase them too far.. just turn and go back to where we started and the children would, after a couple of minutes, come back and we would do it all over again.

Once in Mbarara, Ben took a bus back to Kampala and Tyler and I visited Herbert's home, where we would be staying.

November 21:

This Wednesday was so exciting for me! We woke up at Herbert's house and had a wonderful breakfast. We took some time to use internet in downtown Mbarara and then boarded two boda bodas to the Children's Home. I was so excited because I love boda bodas and Tyler had not yet been on one. Boda bodas are just like little motorcycles and scooters that take passengers wherever they need to go for a very low cost. I was also very excited because I hadn't been to the Children's Home since my last visit to Uganda. I stayed with the children there in the old building that JAM was renting and saw some of the construction process on the new home that I would now get to see!

At the Children's Home I got to see many children that I remembered and was surprised to find that some remembered me! I was so happy to see Harriet, one of the women who cares for the children, to see her little children, and for her and Tyler to meet. Harriet was wonderful to me when I visited last time along with another girl named Monica. When I left last time Monica was just having her engagement party. This time when I saw her she was married and pregnant! We had a great time catching up and talking about our new experiences - marriage and a pregnancy!

While seeing those two lovely women was amazing I'd have to say the highlight of the day was this... Harriet gave us a tour of the new, beautiful home and we saw where a few of the bathrooms were. Later in the day when Tyler had to use a bathroom, we weren't sure which he should choose. Tyler walked up to Harriet, who was in the kitchen preparing us some chips, and asked her if there was a restroom for him to use. After a few minutes of Harriet being gone I began to wonder if "restroom" was the wrong term to use. After quite a while Harriet returned and told Tyler where to go. There he found a room with a bed made up and prepared for him to rest! :) After a few awkward pauses Tyler and Harriet shared quite a few laughs and cleared up the situation. Oh my goodness I thought it was so funny.

November 22, Thanksgiving:

Obviously, Thanksgiving is not celebrated in Uganda, although most people did seem to think it was a good idea for a holiday. After talking with Ben and a few others in the previous few days we thought we might find some missionary families from the US to join for a real Thanksgiving dinner, since it would be our first as a married couple and we missed out on traditional Thanksgiving in 2006. Unfortunately we didn't end up having a traditional American Thanksgiving but we did have some chicken.

We set out in the JAM truck on a little married couple's trip to Kisoro. Kisoro is in southwestern Uganda, just near the border of the DR Congo and Rwanda where a few volcanoes and some large mountains are located. Sarah and Herbert (married in March) had the front of the truck while Justice and Eunice (married in early December) and Tyler and I smashed into the back seat - luckily we're not fat. Araali was with us as well and ended up sitting the in bed of the truck with construction supplies under a makeshift tent protecting him from the rain.

First we stopped in a village along the roadside where Justice grew up. We went to his mother's home where she had a lunch prepared for us. We dodged the rain and enjoyed a delicious lunch (our Thanksgiving chicken) while listening to the deafening sound of rain pounding on the corrugated metal roof. Our next stop left Araali and the supplies where the road splits, one leading to Kisoro and the other leading to Kishanje.

After hours of driving on very terrible windy roads, up and down mountains, in the dark and in the rain, through a jungle and a bamboo forest, we made it to Kisoro. We could see it for a lot of the drive, a light down in the valley, off in the distance. Its always easy to see Kisoro - the electricity there is more reliable than anywhere else in Uganda because the electricity actually comes from Rwanda! In fact, some say Kisoro isn't even a part of Uganda...

The guys peeked into a few different guest houses, tried to bargain, and we settled for staying at Ian Point Motel. Tyler and I got the Pelican Room where we found one outlet that could be used either for the tiny refrigerator or for the television that did not work. The bathroom long and narrow, with a shower in between the sink at one end and the toilet all the way at the other. Unfortunately the water heater did not work. That night we all joined for dinner in the Ian Point Motel restaurant.

November 23:

Our full day in Kisoro. We went to see the volcanoes up close but got a very late start. We ate more matoke (a type banana prepared warm and mashed) for breakfast, which we were quickly becoming tired of. Herbert and Justice found someone to be our guide to the volcanoes (really unnecessary, you can see the volcanoes from miles away and there are signs, but I think its the Ugandan way to do it!), we stopped to pick up some samosas from a takeaway and drove on. The volcanoes are really not far from Kisoro town, the drive was short and flat but the road was still very bumpy. It was neat to be in a flat area and to see different agriculture. The soil near the volcanoes is very fertile and the local people really benefit from that.

Justice and Herbert with a lot of volcanic ash:


The Gorilla National Park is free to enter but only up to a lookout point and to the visitor's center. Past that the fees increase rapidly for both Africans and Mzungos, but not proportionately. The most expensive excursion in the park is gorilla tracking. Mzungos must book months in advance and pay at least $500 for a chance (keyword) to see one gorilla, maybe two. Africans could do the same for maybe $80. An unfortunately huge difference. The cost for hiking up any of the volcanoes is $40 and $100 to go into a large pygmy cave. Africans would pay around $20 or less for the activities.

We went up to the lookout area with the rangers. Unfortunately the volcanoes were mostly hidden in clouds as the rangers told us facts about the park and animals. Tyler and I were amused during most of it because we knew just about every fact already but our friends did not and they were completely amazed and surprised. Our friends really praised the rangers for being so smart and educated and for the work they did while I am used to thinking of it as common knowledge. It was really nice of them to tell us everything though.

Me, Tyler, two rangers, Herbert, Sarah, Eunice, and Justice's foot:


So in the end we couldn't really enter the forest. None of us were prepared to pay so much. But we were able to see a few buffalo. The forest is also home to many birds, elephants, leopards, giraffes and more.

When we got back to the truck Herbert noticed that he no longer had the keys! Oh no... and it was beginning to rain... again. We hunted all over for the keys but couldn't find them! We ended up being able to open one of the car doors using another key after trying to get in through the windows. I searched inside the car but couldn't find the keys so us ladies ended up eating our samosas and drinking our mango Splash while hiding from the rain in the truck. Eventually one of the rangers found the keys in the brush where Herbert threw some sugar cane. Herbert paid him 10,000ush and we were off.

jungle!


Back in Kisoro, Tyler and I went to rest because he was feeling a sick. I ordered us dinner to come right to our room and went to the little store to get some good tea that Tyler likes, honey, and ginger spices. The food was really wonderful and I think the tea helped. Oh, and I think I bought some Cadbury chocolates for myself.

That night Sarah enjoyed some fried grasshoppers. Kisoro is a wonderful place to find grasshoppers. Every morning we noticed people selling sacks, baggies, and water bottles full of dead grasshoppers. They can only be found in certain areas of Uganda and only for about a month. To most they are considered a delicacy and can become quite expensive.

November 24:

In the morning after getting the truck washed we crammed back in with lots of drinking water and some volcanic rock. We were headed toward a give-a-way (engagement) party near Kishanje.

Just up a hill from a little town the truck stopped working! Some guys pushed it down the hill to the town and the mechanics decided we had a wiring problem. They fixed it and we were off, up the next hill, out of the town.. until it stopped working again! The mechanic came up to us and then part of the battery exploded! I got hit in the face with a little metal thing and everyone's ears started ringing from the loud loud pop. Then the car got pushed back to the town to get a new battery.

At the give-a-way party Tyler and I were the only Mzungos. Everyone was so happy when we walked into the yard! The yard was packed and the whole town was peeking over the walls and bushes to look in. They invited us straight to the front and right into the line to get some food. Once we sat with our food a woman brought us fruit in two little dishes and some straws for our sodas. We had no idea who the two people were that were getting engaged, we hadn't even been to that town before, but we got such special treatment just because of our skin. I felt kind of strange. The event was really neat though. I wish I had video of it.

a really great view of the volcanoes, all the way into the DR Congo:

November 25:

On Sunday we were back in Kishanje. Most likely due to all of our traveling we forgot that it was Sunday and missed church! Later in the day I learned how to make chipatis (yay!!) and Tyler basically stayed in bed all day hoping to not get sick.

November 26:

We didn't do much on Monday. Aimeth taught the children "double words" (compound words) outside, I caught a hen with my bare hands, and Tyler learned how to make chipatis.

Aimeth teaching:


Araali and Delith being funny:


a child getting a haircut:

November 27:

We had been waiting to get word that we could paint some classrooms up at the construction site. The word was still no so we chased more chickens on Tuesday.

November 28:

On Wednesday we got the word to paint so we went up to the site after eating a huge breakfast that Araali made us. I barely ate dinner the night before so he wanted to feed me in the morning! :) Ugandans take pride in being able to feed their guests and to feed them well.

Once up at the site we found that the classroom had been painted already! This was very disappointing because we had been sitting down at home, not being productive, just waiting to be able to paint. The room was painted very badly so we decided that we'd have to fix it. At night Ben and Herbert came and everyone was, once again, very excited to see Rev. Ben. Later that night Ben made a program for the next few days and we talked about the sorts of things that Juna Amagara needs and what we can do to help.

November 30:

We went up to the site to paint. We were supposed to meet the man in charge of the store house so that he could give us the paint and open the room. No one showed up even though we waited for a long time so we went back home. I took a lot of photos of flowers while we waited.

December 1:

The warmest December 1st I have ever had, I believe.

Araali took Tyler and I upstairs to his bedroom where he gave us some snacks and showed us all of his photos. It was really neat to see and to hear what his life was like before JAM. He is a really determined guy.

Araali and some hot milk:


We then painted up at the site. A lot of workers came in to watch us so we ended up having to close the door. Its hard to tell if they're admiring us or making fun of us so we would just rather do without all of the attention. It stops them from doing work anyways. But shortly after closing the door a bunch of JAM children came up to the windows and started asking us all kinds of questions. I was able to get some of the questions on film. It was really fun.

December 2:

We went to church again. Once again they talked quite a bit about money. They seem to really challenge the congregation to give certain amounts of money (men pay a certain amount, women a certain amount, government workers a certain amount...). I couldn't tell if it was a suggestion or a requirement. The offering is taken at the front of the church, for all to see. Some people who cannot give money give some sort of goods and at the end of the service those good are auctioned off to the rest of the congregation. Tyler and I likened this to the church being made a marketplace and thought that God would be rather displeased about it. I understand giving goods but I feel like the auctioning could happen outside of, and apart from, church.

Tyler and I made French toast:

December 3:

On Monday we did more digging. I loaded dirt into a wheelbarrow and Tyler wheeled it somewhere to dump. Once again we were a bit of a distraction but by this point I really didn't care, so I worked hard and quickly.. much to the dislike of my poor back.

While up at the site and back at home we talked to quite a few workers and students about Muzungos, both in Uganda and in the US. It made for some very interesting conversation.

I finally managed to catch the rooster that we had been tormenting for the bulk of our time in Kishanje. The boy who owned the rooster tried to sell it to us for 20,000ugs. A good rooster in Uganda should go for only 5,000 or 6,000. And in the US you can buy a dead, plucked, and cooked rooster for less than 20,000ugs! We declined the offer, explained why, and had to walk away from the conversation before we got too upset. It can become quite frustrating to have so many people calling you rich and overcharging you for everything when you had to ask people to give you money (which is very hard to do) to even get to Uganda in the first place and when we are by no means rich back in the US. I know that we have more money than the average person in Uganda, but everything we have and do costs significantly more.

We had a little bit of time to talk with Moses about our thoughts of their church and our whole marketplace idea. He agreed, which was nice.

December 4:

Moses took us on a walk with him down to Lake Bunyonyi. It isn't too far of a walk but some of it is very steep and slippery and tiring! At one point we got caught in a downpour and had to hide under the overhangs of various houses.

In the afternoon Herbert and Ben came to Kishanje to pick us up to begin our journey home. We were excited but also sad. I could begin to feel that I was going to have a hard time leaving again.

That night, after dinner and around the fire, Tyler and I had a good conversation with Rev. Ben about the US, Uganda, and our time there. Ben has spent quite a lot of time in the US and can compare it to Uganda much better than most Ugandans can. Ben really encouraged us about our time in Uganda and how productivity there is much different than in the US. I think we began the night feeling unproductive and questioning whether or not our time in Uganda was worth it and helpful - Ben assured us that it was and being newlyweds gives us a good reason to not work too hard. :)

December 5:

Sadly, we left Kishanje on Wednesday after Herbert and Ben looked over a few things at the construction site. We ate our final lunch at our home in Kishanje and got on the road. We stayed at Herbert's house in Mbarara that night. Before bed we had a great talk with Sarah about divorce in the US vs. divorce in Uganda. Basically it isn't an option in Uganda unless it is completely necessary, mostly for reasons of safety. The values of marriage seem to be much stronger in Uganda.

Photos of our trip to Mbarara, including road construction, and some typical Ugandan traffic delays:

December 6:

At Herbert's house Tyler and I enjoyed a very nice, relaxed lunch in the warmer air of Mbarara. We were also able to take nice showers in the warmth. Tyler's beard had gotten quite long by this point so we used the tiny scissors in our first aide kit to trim it! It took a while but he looked quite nice afterward. Tyler and I went back to the internet cafe and checked up on some things and sent a few emails to let people know that we were well and about to leave for home. We also got a chance to stop by the Children's Home once more.

December 7:

After a lot of decision making it was decided that Herbert, Sarah, Tyler and I would drive their new car into Kampala where we would stay at Ben's home. Herbert and Sarah had somewhere to be that Saturday so it worked out well for us. After a nice car ride with fruit, french toast, and other snacks, we made it to Rev. Ben's home. It was nice to see his house, his two children, and his wife.

Photos from the drive:

December 8:

Herbert and Sarah headed to an event while Ben, Tyler, and myself went to Jinja for a couple of days. Jinja is to the west of Kampala and is where the River Nile begins. The River flows out of Lake Victoria and all the way up to the Mediterranean via Sudan and Egypt, as most of you know. I was really excited to see it.



The road to Jinja is amazing. It is wide and smooth and they are even making more improvements. The road carries a lot of goods through Uganda and in and out of Kenya, so it is a good investment for the government. Jinja is a beautiful area full of tea and sugar cane. Our destination was a sugar cane plantation that we were really excited to see.

On the way to Jinja we stopped for lunch. Ben's arrived very quickly and he had finished the whole thing even before Tyler's and mine arrived. We ended up taking ours to go, thus finding ourselves in the back of Ben's van with two paper bags full of greasy fries and two whole fish. That was a complicated, yet surprisingly tasty, meal. A while after we finished our fish Tyler offered to drive. Ben was eager for a rest so he agreed and Tyler drove us the rest of the way into Jinja.




The sugar cane plantation was beautiful. The roads were in perfect condition and the vegetation was amazing. The plantation provides housing for its employees so everyone lives right there. There are schools, stores, and hospitals all on the plantation. The set-up has its pros and cons, but from what I had seen in most of Uganda, it seemed liked a wonderful place to live.. to me.

When we first entered we actually had to drive all the way through and out the back gate. We immediately found ourselves in another little village. It was probably the most bleak and dirty looking place I had seen in all of Uganda. Here Ben was to speak during a revival set-up by a local church. In that area I think it was rare for the children to see Mzungos so our presence really drew a crowd. There was singing, dancing, worship, Ben's message, and our testimonies. Tyler and I got to stand up on the makeshift stage (wobbly pieces of wood tied together) and give our testimonies via translation to the crowd. I enjoyed that a lot. I really had a great time there with all of the children and seeing the whole event. Some of the children did get a little out of hand near the end of the event though.. constantly following us and trying to pinch us to get our attention.

















That night we went to see a friend of Ben's who lives inside the plantation. He has worked there for a while and has a nice home with some extra beds for all of us. We experienced the best showers in all of Uganda and some really great food in our few days there.

December 9:

On Sunday Rev. Ben was to speak in the village outside of the plantation at the church that organized the revival. Once again Tyler and I gave our testimonies and I enjoyed it, as before. We had lunch back at the house and were then on our way to Kampala.

December 10:

On Monday Tyler was able to see more of Kampala. We actually did something pretty amazing. Back when Tyler was young a woman from Uganda, Christine, came to visit his church in Iowa and she stayed at Tyler's home. She had somehow heard "through the grape vine" that we were in Uganda. She managed to get Rev. Ben's phone number and she tracked us down! We met up with her and we took a few taxis to get back to her home where we met her family, saw her school, her church, and enjoyed a great meal. She sent us home with some nice gifts for ourselves and many people that helped her out in Iowa.

Christine's church:


Christine and Tyler:


Christine's school:




A new school, still in the making:


Christine's children:


Tyler got to experience using taxis (matatus) and transportation without the help of a Ugandan with me, for the first time. We spent time in downtown Kampala looking at the craft market (Mzungo tourist land... ), sat at a favorite place of mine called Cafe Pap, and made our way back to Ben's house. By the time we got back it was getting late and it was dark. Ben was pretty happy to see us safe and back at his home.

December 11:

We departed from Entebbe at 4:20pm. We spent the morning packing and playing a bit with Rev. Ben's children. Ben drove us to the airport and we began our journey. Out of Entebbe, to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia and to Dubai, UAE.

Ben's kids:


Kampala:

December 12:

We landed in New York City, traveled by subway and train to Newark, NJ and flew to Chicago by 3pm. We spent the next few days visiting family in Chicago before heading back home up to Minneapolis.. to snow!

THE END!!!