Week Nine

It's been a little over a week since I've written in this, (partly because internet has been touchy...this time we are told a sheep chewed through one of the cables near campus) and I'm struggling to remember the things I wanted to write about! Oops, but I guess I'll start with what I've got.

Last weekend a big group of us went to the craft market in Kampala, and it was so cool, but really overwhelming trying to get all my souvenir shopping in! In another trip to Kampala this week, we stopped at a grocery store called Shoprite, and I couldn't believe it! It's definitely the Hy-Vee or Kroger of America, and I couldn't get over all the options. So although I didn't think it would be too difficult to adjust back to normal life back home, it could be more of a struggle than I thought.

As I was doing laundry today, a monkey sat in the tree next to me and threw things at me. Can't say that happens every day! I also faced the facts that my room is infested with mice this week too. As I was about to go to sleep the other night, I heard some noise near the window, and saw a mouse climbing up the curtain near my pillow! After a minor freak out, I realized there wasn't much I could do...so I slept with my mosquito net tucked around me for the first time in a couple months. Gross. It's funny how things that would be completely disgusting to me in the U.S. are just not that big of a deal here--whether that's food that has dropped in the dirt, rats in my room, rocks in my rice, birds flying around my head, cow intestines sitting out in the sun waiting to be bought (yes they eat them...and the stomachs too), babies peeing on me, or licking my fingers when I can't remember the last time I've had access to soap (gross, I know...but don't judge). I think I was a fairly calm person before...but I'm thinking it will be pretty hard to phase me after I get back. =)

There's lots of hub-bub about Joseph Kony on Facebook lately, and to be honest, I haven't watched the whole video yet, and don't really know all the details about it...but it's so interesting to me how things are just being done now. As far as I can tell, Uganda has moved on, not because they don't care about what happened to their country, but because they choose not to live in the past. I've talked to people who have had siblings taken by Kony, and others who had to leave their homes in Northern Uganda to escape the LRA...but other than that, they don't really dwell on what has happened. So I'm not real sure what to think about the whole thing, and I definitely don't understand what has happened here/what is happening. So I'm no expert on the topic...I just hope we don't do more damage.

The past couple weeks I've been either really looking forward towards going home or dreading the idea of leaving here to go home. It's either one extreme or the other, making it somewhat difficult to be present in every moment. But, my friend Innocent reminded me of the passage in Ezekiel where it says there is a time for everything. When it is time to leave and this chapter closes, I know I will be ready...but until then I need to take in every opportunity I have. And even if I don't get everything done that I want to, I can't help but think that I will be back someday.

So those are all my thoughts I can think of! Ashton and I spent the night at Off Tu last night, and had so much fun! We had a camp fire with stories, songs, and smores...they were their first marshmallows and LOVED them! So cute. I'm loving the kids there more than ever. One of the boys, Charles fell asleep on my shoulder during stories last night, and I almost melted it was so beautiful--one of those moments when I felt unbelievably blessed!

I am continuing to be blessed by all of you at home! Letters, packages, emails, prayers...they are all so encouraging to me, and I thank you so much for all of your interest in my time here! Thanks for being a blessing to me!