some girls and a grill

You might have seen on my Facebook page the other night that we had a good old-fashioned American grill party. Betsy, an amazing cook, sometimes decides to cook an entire, multi-course meal...and we usually benefit from these spontaneous inclinations! 

Betsy put Kimberly in charge of the grill...and of course, I couldn't stay away from a fire. So we started as Betsy was finishing her preparations and everything was ready to cook. 

Attempt 1: notice the kerosene.

However, we hadn't planned for the fact that neither of us really knows anything about lighting charcoal fires. Kimberly had borrowed kerosene from a friend...but we quickly discovered the veracity of the saying that 'a kerosene fire is a fake fire.' 

Soon Betsy came out to check on the commotion...and we pulled her into the grill-lighting attempt.

Attempt 2. Notice Betsy's candle...we had run out of matches, so we were lighting pieces of paper on fire to tempt the charcoal with a flame. 

Betsy soon returned the grill responsibilities to Kimberly and I. She was ready to fire up the oven, but Kimberly wasn't quite convinced that the grill was completely donzo. So we tried again.

Attempt 3. Notice the determination in our posture...

Attempt 3 was actually successful! But it did require an intervention to remain so. Kimberly pulled out all the stops and started pouring kerosene on the fire by the jarful.

Fire! 

The grill was finally lit, the charcoal burning, and the hamburgers cooking. It only took us about an hour, some kerosene, a call for advice to the single guys' house, and Kimberly's determination to have American-grilled hamburgers! 

Once the burgers were on, we kept a close eye on the grill for two reasons: to keep the fire going and to keep the cats away! 

The final result? 

Hannah & I stoking the fire

The most amazing hamburgers ever cooked in Uganda! 

a most excellent adventure, part 2

Sorry for the delay in update! The internet has been pretty sucky the past week. 

But today it's working, so here are the promised waterfall pictures from camp!

a camp road...we walked down the road a bit to reach the trail

hiking thru the Ugandan jungle...my housemate Hannah leads the back half of the crew

Some crazy trees in the forest! These trees have above-ground roots...and they were big enough to hide inside! 

Bambino, a camp dog, joined us on the hike.  

The waterfall. 

 Funny story of God's providence: Musana Camps actually purchased the land with the waterfall on accident. They had intended to purchase another piece of land, but the lawyer in charge of the transaction made a 'mistake.' Though frustrating and expensive, it actually has turned out to be a great addition to Musana Camps and evidence that God can redeem earthly mistakes!

And a final picture for you: sunrise over Lake Victoria, from the guesthouse at Musana. They're hoping to purchase the inlet you see in this picture so they can have the whole cove, preventing hotels and discos from being built next door and disrupting the peaceful atmosphere of camp. 

a most excellent adventure, part 1

Last week, I went to Musana Camps, NHU's Lake Victoria location. 

Musana panorama - wow.

A short-term team had come from the Dakotas to work there, so I joined the group from Kasana that went to visit them (not because I knew the Dakota people, mainly because I had the week off work and might as well go to camp as stay here!). 

While at camp, I did all sorts of baking and dish-washing to help out. But I also was able to take some time for rest and exploration. Below is a picture of the 'adventure walk' that Julia and I took one afternoon.

Off we go!

The team was working hard creating a new road, fixing cars, painting houses, building culverts and walls, and doing lots of handy-man work in general. 

dump truck! 

Creating a new water system

Later in the week, the whole group took an adventure to the waterfall that's on Musana's property...pictures of that coming soon!

my favorite washroom sign of all time

I saw this sign over two years ago when visiting Uganda for the first time, and every bathroom sign I've seen since has been compared to it. I finally nabbed a picture of this extremely memorable sign the last time I was there because I simply had to share with you.

I will grant you that this sign is somewhat vulgar...but it just CRACKS me up. Hopefully it will provide you with a mid-week laugh as well.

Baganda Cultural Night

So the internet finally worked to upload pictures. Video to come tomorrow!

During Envisioning, we had a cultural night hosted by the Baganda people (the main tribe in Uganda's central region). It was quite the experience and really fun! I definitely felt out of place as an American, though eating on the ground wasn't completely abnormal thanks to my camp experiences. ;) 

Fiona and Aunt Noelina serving up the meal.

We all sat on mats on the ground, except for the family father. I was with Samuel family, my family group. Fiona, an older high school student, acted as our family "mother," with a full gomez borrowed from Aunt Esther, the real family mother. In the Baganda tradition, the family mother is responsible for serving the food to the family. 

Kenneth - our family "father," hence the fancy table & chair

We had 15 people in our circle, but no one was allowed to eat until everyone had been served and the family father had taken the first bite. Kenneth, an Investment Year student (IY is basically a gap year mid-high school), served as our family "father." 

 The strangest part of the evening was definitely eating with my hands. No left hand allowed; instead, you use the first three fingers of your right hand (thumb, pointer, and middle finger). It astounds me how cleanly the Ugandans can eat with their hands...my hand was a nasty mess after dinner! 

Our dinner!

For dinner, we had wambo (peanut paste served in a banana leaf packet), matoke (yellow banana mash), sweet potato (which is actually white here), cassava (indescribable...), and meat sauce.

I managed to eat about half my plate! Thankfully, Uncle Godfrey explained that leaving food on your plate is a good thing in the Baganda culture, because it means you are satisfied. Still not entirely sure I believe that, but it made me feel better that night!

Back to Africa

The past week has been a whirlwind of moving back to Uganda, figuring out a new house, renewing friendships, and meeting an influx of new folks. It’s been surprisingly good to return, far better than I had expected, by God’s grace for a variety of reasons. Probably the main reason is the simple fact that I am more familiar with life here and can skip culture shock, allowing me to instead focus on deepening relationships I’ve already built.

Passion 2013!

Another reason might be the fantastic start to the new year that I received: free tickets to the first evening of Passion 2013, an event for 18-25 year olds hosted by Louie Giglio and Chris Tomlin (among others!). 

The Refuge at Passion - a God-incidence. 

Jennifer and I were so blessed by the Passion’s staff’s willingness to give us access to an amazingly refreshing evening of worship and encouragement. Louie Giglio’s teaching on the dry bones of Ezekiel 37 and a father’s small seed of faith in Mark 9 were words that boosted my hope for a less painful second half of my Ugandan experience...and God has thus far abundantly answered and increased that hope!

Anna--SO excited to worship with her the day before leaving!

Now that I'm back in Africa, we're currently in the midst of Envisioning, an annual five-day, all-staff event at New Hope Uganda. NHU’s leaders teach several sessions each day on a variety of spiritual topics, all focused on a particular theme for the year. This year’s theme is “In Christ Alone”; our guest speaker, Bishop Edward Muhima, opened Envisioning with two excellent chats about salvation, transformation, and life in Christ. I wish so badly that my church peeps and camp pals could be here to learn with me--if any of you ever have the chance to come to Envisioning at New Hope, take it without hesitation!

Jennifer: the girl who can take credit for me being in Uganda....and with whom I always have exciting adventures...

The only rough part so far is that sitting to listen for 7 hours daily while battling jet lag and a head cold has been difficult, to say the least. My roommate and I keep falling asleep during the mid-morning sessions. I would classify this week as one of those times where maybe I might need “Jesus plus”--”plus” taking the form of coffee! 

"Gourmet" coffee: a new norm

something you probably won't find in america...

In honor of my arrival in the States, a picture of something you probably won't find in America...

If I'm completely honest, this one stumped me for a few minutes...but it is definitely a brilliant mixture of African and Western...

'specialized' bike

I'm sorry for the recent silence! Sometimes I just don't have the energy to think about what to say...or the internet is being stupid (which has been the case for the past two weeks!). Thankfully, NHU was able to increase bandwidth or switch providers or something, so the internet has been better the past few days. So I'll share with you a big praise: I now own a bike!!

Some friends and I went into Kampala a few weeks ago, specifically on a mission to find bikes for myself and another guy. God totally blessed our search, and within an hour of starting the search, we were walking away from the market with our very own custom second-hand bikes. We're pretty sure we got the muzungu "special" (ie, the white person markup!), but hey, I'm willing to pay a little extra for the speed of my own wheels! 

I'm still figuring out how to ride a bike in a skirt modestly. So far, I've discovered that long, NOT flowy skirts work best. I'll confess, it's a little annoying that white skin flashes so much in the sun.

Also, to position oneself for bike riding while wearing a skirt, the best tip I received was to lay the bike on the ground, slide one leg gracefully over and pick the bike up underneath oneself. Works like a dream, no need to lift legs and skirts high!

Ai-yai-yai, the things I never thought about before moving here...

 


While at the market, we were offered a bike for one million (shillings--about $475...for a used bike!). We laughed at that ridiculous offer and moved to another store where the salesmen treated us much more fairly. When you buy a bike here, you're essentially buying the frame--everything else is replaceable, as evidenced by my bike. I receive new handlebars, new gear shifters, new pedals, new mud guards, and a new seat, plus a seemingly thorough tune-up service. The brand is 'Specialized'--I laugh that my bike truly is custom-designed.

Life in Uganda: Rural Driving

Today, I'm starting a little series I like to call "life as we know it in Uganda." I'll attempt to make it a weekly series, but "life as we know it in Uganda" isn't always predictable, so the sporadicity shall be part of your introduction to Ugandan life. 

We'll start with driving, as that is generally a visitor's first truly Ugandan experience upon exiting the airport (hmm, I forgot about visas and customs and baggage claim...oh well, driving is more common). 

Driving in Uganda is always an interesting experience. 

On the road between Jinja and Kampala

 In Entebbe and Kampala, the roads are generally tarmac. Driving in Kampala is a completely different experience that may be covered sometime in the future. For now, we're just talking about driving in the rest of Uganda. Once you leave Kampala, you'll find tarmac on major highways...but otherwise, dirt roads and potholes are the new normal. 

A "shortcut" from Jinja to avoid Kampala traffic

It's common to find all sorts of transportation occurring on Ugandan roads: cars, lorries (trucks), coasters (mini-buses), taxis (which look more like 15-passenger vans), boda-bodas (motorcycles carrying passengers or goods), bicycles, and pedestrians. 

The roads are very narrow for the amount of traffic they contain!

What would be simple two-lane roads in America are in fact 6+ lane roads in Uganda: a pedestrian lane, a bike/boda lane, an eastbound car/taxi/lorry lane, a passing lane (sometimes), a westbound car/taxi/lorry lane, another bike/boda lane, and a final pedestrian lane. 

Bicycle with...something??

The below scene is quite common, almost un-noteworthy, despite the rather hazardous driving situation:

Roads in Uganda are a lifeline, so finding people chatting with pedestrians, bicycles, bodas, or taxis on the side of the road is another thing to beware of. 

Finally, you can't forget the livestock. Many families keep their goats/pigs/cows tied up on the side of the road for grazing, though sometimes drivers (and passengers) have a freak-out moment when the livestock starts ambling toward the road, seemingly untied! 

And then there's the occasional cow herd walking down the road.

Chickens, unfortunately, are never tied up, but they seem smart enough to stay out of the road. 

Another complication in Ugandan driving is the sun; it can be quite bright, especially if you are driving toward the sunset, rushing to be home before dark!

Ah, equatorial sunshine

Plus, dirt roads and little rain means much dust...making the pedestrians, bicycles, bodas, livestock, and other vehicles rather difficult to see until the last minute!

see the dust on our windshield?

So, there's a small introduction to driving in Uganda. 

note bene: If daylight driving simply isn't exciting enough, then night driving will surely give you that adrenaline rush. I wouldn't recommend night driving in Uganda--or even night passengering--for the faint of heart. Imagine the darkest night, on the most potholey, narrowest, unlit dirt road you can fathom...and then add other vehicles and bodas also dodging the unlit pedestrians, bicycles, and livestock. Ai-yai-yai!

why men were created

I strolled into my room tonight to find the following scene:

I was extremely flustered by this situation. What does one do for a mouse in the house??? 

The irony of the situation struck me later. I've coped well with pretty much whatever Uganda has thrown at me thus far, only to be stupefied by a mouse...which could very easily have happened in America, as evidenced by my parent's stories of trapping rats in the backyard shed.

Back to my flusteration.

The mouse seemed injured, though still alive, so I took a moment to ponder my options. I could smoosh it...but mouse guts on my floor would creep me out for a week. I could pick it up by its' tail...but what if the tail fell off like on lizards? I could try to chase it out the door...but it wasn't really moving and what if it lunged into the closet or the bathroom or some cranny along the way??? I was stumped. So I told the cat to keep an eye on the mouse and ran to get my phone. There was only one solution: call my housemate and ask her what on earth I should do. She very wisely suggested  sweeping it up with a dustpan and throwing it as far into the yard as possible. 

I threw the thing so hard that I think I pulled a muscle in my arm.

nomading. plus also, i'm moving to africa in 12 weeks.

“So, where are you from?”

It’s a common enough question when making small talk with new acquaintances, but it strikes dismay into every nomad’s heart. Does the person want the long or the short story? How much information is too much information? Can’t we just go back to ‘stranger danger’ days??

My answer to this question depends on the day, the time, the location, the company, and the weather. The short version is “Virginia”…or “Alabama.” The complex version is“Well, I live in Virginia right now, but I’m moving to Uganda in the fall. I was a military brat, so I’m an East Coaster, raised from Maine to Florida. And my family lives in Alabama, so that’s what I claim as home.”

I pity the sucker who thinks of this “innocuous” question while making small talk!

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During the past month, I’ve been traipsing around the country, visiting family and friends. The life of an unemployed nomad has been enjoyable, refreshing after a season of hard work. Soon enough, I’ll be starting my summer job, working long days outdoors and having a blast while doing it. After the summer, only 12 weeks from today, I’ll be moving to Africa for a completely new adventure! 12 weeks. That’s not very long at all.

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On one final note, this past week I finished my fourteenth flight of 2012. I’ve been on fourteen different airplanes this year! The week, however, also commemorates my final flight of 2012 until I fly to Uganda. Good thing, since I’ll need a few months without airports or airplanes to work up the guts for a 24+ hour trip…

this guy bought his plane tickets from a third-party travel site...

a quarter

For those of you who don't know, I turned 25 this week.

I am excited about this for one main reason: 25 is the age when you can rent a car without additional fees.

It's a big milestone because people will give you any size and type of car, thinking you're a mature adult. Really, though, you feel like this: I just graduated from college...wait, was that really 3 years ago? But I don't really know anything, in fact, I know less than I did in college. Why didn't anyone ever tell me that I'll feel stupider as I get older?? Wait, this person thinks that I can pay multiple hundreds of dollars in rent every month? When did I reach the age when hundreds of dollars wasn't a big deal? It was just a few years ago when I thought $100 was like a million!! And why do these people think I can handle all these responsibilities because I definitely haven't reached adulthood!! Don't they say you're as old as you feel? I feel 14, not 25!


I'm also thrilled about age 25 because of the exciting things I'll be doing during this year of my life, such as becoming a hobo on April 30, working at an adventure camp all summer, seeing one of my best friends get married, moving to Uganda, spending a week at the beach with my adopted family, watching my brother graduate from college, learning a new culture simultaneously with a new job, and renting a car without paying underage fees.

Also, some tidbits for you on how the world has changed during the past quarter century:
-"Salad-in-a-bag" was invented in 1989 (age 2)
-Electronic tolls (think EZ Pass) began in 1989 (age 2)
-Dopplar radar started its TV run in 1990 and is still going strong (age 3)
-Powerpoint was unveiled in 1990! (age 3)
-Debit card transactions became popular in 1995 (age 8)
-Disposable contacts arrived in 1995 (age 8)
-DVDs were introduced in 1995 (age 8)
-Blackberries started accepting email in 1999 (when I was age 12)
-iPods were developed in 2001 (age 14)
-speaking of 2001...9/11 was a life changing event for my generation (age 14)

To avoid ending on a downer, here's a shout-out to my friend JenniMarie: on my birthday in 1888, Eastman Kodak was formed.

quakers

To be honest, I had been muddling about for a topic for today's post.

However, in the middle of a longish afternoon at work yesterday (mostly thanks to my stuffy, sinus-ridden head), I had a flash of brilliance. Well, more like a quake of brilliance. Wait, was I quaking with brilliance?

Wondering if indeed I had become a Quaker, I soon realized that I was simply experiencing my first earthquake.

Yes, that's right, I'm an East Coaster and yesterday I lived through the Great DC Earthquake of 2011.

It was rather anti-climatic, nothing like the movies where pictures tumble, bookshelves snap, and buildings crumble. In fact, my first thought upon feeling the quaking and hearing the metal stands in my bookshelf rattle was "Gee, our mailguy has a heavy cart of mail today."

When the shaking continued for another few seconds, I thought "Oh, perhaps it's construction."

And then the shaking got harder, and I decided that this might be what an earthquake felt like. Of course, I then realized that I don't really know what to do during an earthquake. So naturally, I thought "Well, earthquakes make buildings fall over. So I should probably leave the building."

Many of my fellow East Coast co-workers had the same thought, so we stepped outside to enjoy the sunshine for a few minutes. That is, until one of the big bosses arrived with a strange stare: "Why are you all out here?" So we adjourned our brief sunshine escapade.

I returned to my office to discover that my little office companions hadn't even moved.

So much for a shattering earthquake story. It was more like 12 seconds of one of those "Jiggle off your fat!" chairs.

Two Ways to Conquer a Rock

(note: not sure these videos actually work, still learning that feature of Blogger! if they don't work, let me know and I'll try fixing it tomorrow)

We learned two ways to conquer a rock on our hiking trip. Choose your solution wisely, the wrong choice will hurt....

(1) Jump Off It

(2) Slide Down It

White Oak Canyon = highly recommended!

Hiking and an excuse

A couple weekends ago, a group from my church went hiking in Shenandoah National Park.

We found an awesome rock for jumping into a very chilly pool of water.

And this is my favorite picture of the day:

Shenandoah and the Blue Ridge Mountains are ranked pretty high on my list of 'Most Beautiful Places in the World.'

Also, a note and an excuse: I have a backlog of emails and a very messy room...and this has been the static state for almost 2 weeks now. So please excuse the limited blogging this week. Curly Chronicles will be here on Friday...but there won't be much chatter this week, just a couple videos!

A Poem in a Modern Style

Whenever I write the word "tubing"

I think it should be pronounced "tub-bing."

And Tubbing makes me think of The Borrowers.

Yes, the Borrowers, those little folk

Who float down a river

Because it storms.

(Am I remembering this rightly?

B/c my memory doesn't hold things tightly...)

So when a close friend borrowed my weekend,

We thought tubing (not tubbing!) would

Be a Fun Activity. And we proceeded to invite

Folks from all stages of life:

College, Work, Siblings.

They came.

We tubed.

We were not the Borrowers.

Because it was not flooding.

In fact, it was almost the opposite

Of flooding.

But we were afloat.

And enjoyment was had by all.

Africa on my mind

It seems that God doesn't want me to forget my time in Uganda last November anytime soon. So many little "coincidences" in the past month have kept it front and center in my mind (and I quote coincidences because in a world where God ordains the minute the sun rises, I highly doubt these happenings are random!).

It started with the CHEC conference last month, where I picked up this sweet little brown bracelet...handmade and straight from Uganda! (I bought the black and white one while there in November and have nearly worn that thing to pieces, I love it so much)

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Then a couple weeks ago, I ran out of facewash. Being on a 'money-saving spree,' I decided to pick up something a little cheaper than what I usually order, and I walked out of Target with the same facewash I had taken to Uganda with me. Now, if anyone tries to tell you that smell and memory are not connected, they have a broken sniffer. Even now, weeks later, I still can picture vivid memories of Uganda and London when I open that facewash with its very distinctive (and to me, Ugandan) smell.

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The third instance came last weekend, while at a conference in California. A gentleman from another booth wandered by and while we chatted, I discovered his daughter had been in Africa. I was only slightly shocked to find she'd been in Kansana with New Hope Uganda...but I was speechless to discover that she had actually spent a year over there with Syd Sparks, the very missionary that Jennifer and I had specifically gone to visit (well, and his wife and kid too!).

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Finally, just two days ago, on one of the blogs I follow, Sseko Sandals were featured. Lo and behold, these sandals are made in Uganda! Sseko Designs hires women entering the 9-month hiatus between secondary school and university, thereby allowing these women to earn the money necessary to continue with university education.

So it seems that Africa (and specifically Uganda!) is part of my present as well as my past. The question is, will it be part of my future? Only God knows...but I'm a little suspicious that He's plotting something.

Stars

I'm returning from another trip to California.

This go-round, I saw several stars.

We couldn't find Robert Redford, but Paul Newman rocks too!

Personally, my favorite star of the weekend was this babe:

And of course, the weekend couldn't have been so star-studded if it weren't for the alignment of this trio (I'm still surprised there wasn't an earthquake when we finally got together):

So farewell once more California...

Hopefully I'll be back again someday!