It's Day 4, So I Can't Disappoint

From what I'm hearing (and seeing), I think I've developed quite a following! So I'll start out by sharing that prior to this little internet session, I shared my nightly frigid shower with 3 grasshoppers, a praying mantis and a little lizard! Haha.

Let's see. Where to start? I had my first class in Intro to Ugandan Politics. I'm also taking East African Politics since Independence, so I was a little afraid that they'd be really similar, but the syllabi are completely different. Plus, the teacher is really laid back and the class is small, so we'll actually be having our classes at her house on campus over tea! How cool is that?! Class got out earlier than usual, so the other students in the class and I went to the Dining Hall for milk tea at 10:30 am. It was really good! I don't even like tea, but it tasted just like chai, without the spices. Mmmm!

I also went to my first community worship service at noon. The whole time, my thought process was just that I wish EVERYONE could experience what I'm experiencing once in their life. The Reverend was speaking about demonstrating Christian maturity, and it was just completely powerful. I don't think I'll ever be able to worship the same after I come back. I'm going to be so spiritually spoiled!

We went to lunch at 1:00 pm, it was fairly uneventful, although our friend Peterson joined us again. He's probably the UCU student I'm closest to, and he's definitely a sweetheart. I had my first Creative Writing class at 2:00 pm. I'm absolutely scared to death to take it, because believe it or not- there's a lot of writing involved! Plus, we have to read all our stuff out loud, which is only slightly intimidating. My professor could be one of the chillest guys I've ever met. He's also rather intimidating, but so cool. The only way I could describe him is an old school hippie/poet turned Christian missionary/family man. That's seriously the way he comes across, it's kind of hilarious.

We took a third trip into Mukono. Only this time, it was a USP-wide scavenger hunt so we could get better acquainted with the town and figure out where everything is. It was definitely not the most fun trip. We came very close to dying multiple times. The traffic is horrendous. Ayone who thinks NYC is bad, needs to come here. It's terrifying! We also got a lot more sleazy comments. There's a lot of sketchy guys that would love the opportunity to get into the pants of a young American girl. Of course, American stereotypes don't help our situation. I'm incredibly intimidated whenever we go in just because a large portion of these people have never even seen a white person before, so we're a huge spectacle.

At dinner, I decided to go out of my comfort zone, and I actually went off by myself and sat with two Ugandan girls for dinner. My goal is to try and make some female Ugandan friends. It's very easy to get along with guys here since they're much more outgoing. The girls, however, are much more reserved and harder to talk to. I was very proud of myself.

There's no homesickness yet, but I'm growing more and more aware of how NOTHING here is familiar. I would kill for a vending machine right now! Or maybe just a few white people...haha.

In the mean time, stay tuned for some more of my incredibly insightful observations (haha):

1. I'm pretty sure the color of most of the birds here doesn't even fall on the color spectrum. They're incredible.
2. When in need, bobby pins are a fix for just about everything. Hanging calendars, pinning up the bottoms of my pants, fixing broken shoe straps...I have yet to use them for my hair.
3. Ugandans are the best dressers I've ever seen. I don't think I'll even get that much use out of my "hippie" skirts, because everyone dresses so professionally!
4. Anyone who knows me, knows I have serious issues walking at a leisurely pace. When I walk, I walk to get somewhere. This is not the case with Ugandans...
5. Prayer is so important here. However, it's not just the quality that counts, it's also the length and volume, if you catch my drift.

That's all for tonight, I'll try and continue to keep you all posted! Love and such!