Weekend 1

This weekend was pretty low key. I am sad to admit that Saturday was a little rough. I'm not gonna lie, i got super sick. I thought i might die all day, however i was blessed to only get sick once, and felt immediately better. Because of that though, i wasn't really up for doing too much. I definitely was entertained while Aleanbh taught Hannah how to Irish dance. I played the music off my ipod and she danced. I have quite a lot of Irish music on my computer so it worked out. Aleanbh really enjoyed the South Side Irish song! HA. :)

Aleanbh is from Dublin. We quickly became friends because of that. I love her she cracks me up. She is leaving tomorrow though which makes me so sad!!!!!! I am pretty sure i will be visiting her in Ireland soon because i miss it!!
Sunday was much better. I felt WAY better. We went to church at Watoto Church Central (www.watotochurch.com) It was quite possibly the craziest kind of church that this little Catholic had ever been to. I'm telling you what these Ugandans know how to rock out some praise and worship music. Full band with Choir behind. It was amazing.The picture is dark, but it was a full out auditorium like a Broadway show.

When i got home, Kristen, Loran and I went to to the internet cafe and Quality. We had a lot of fun. I ended up hanging out at the cafe with pretty much everyone to watch the England v. Germany world cup game. It was SO much fun. It was so sad at the same time because the girls i was hanging out with the majority of the time, are leaving. They are hilarious. Emily is from Wisconsin so we are already planning a visit this summer when i get home.














Caron made us all cheer for England, since she is from there. It was very sad that they lost but we had fun anyway. This is me and Caron.
She's so funny. We pretty much just make fun of each other all day, everyday. It is definitely out of love though. She's coming to America next summer she says. That could be crazy. Amy is another new friend. She goes to IUP. SO i told her about my cousin who goes there. Erin i think you guys could be friends. She's pretty funny... you're pretty funny... i'm just sayin' You should meet up. ;)

We pretty much all hung out the whole night. It was really a sad night because 4 awesome girls were leaving today. We were up late singing and being crazy. Since Monday is a low key day, it was not a big deal to be up late.

Zirowbe Village Mission

Zirowbe is a village near by where Empower a Child is building a training center. It is about an hour in the vans. The trip is beautiful. We will be spending a week there building goat houses, and finishing up a squatty that we started today. For the village mission i was assigned to the building team. We were in charge of digging out a base and building a concrete foundation. The whole way there i was able to talk with Cami and get to know her more. She is really awesome. She's from Australia. I am amazed by her courage. She is traveling through Africa after having just spent a few weeks in Thailand. Next she is headed to Bangkok to work with an organization rescuing young girls who are sold for sex trafficking.

When we got to the village, everyone came out to see us. We we got there we started to dig out an area around the squatty hole. The hole itself is about two feet wide and 50 feet deep. We had to use hoes to break up the land, then shovels to haul out the dirt. The villagers all watched. They were talking about me working. I was super self conscious because i thought they were laughing at me. It turned out that they were impressed by my working and strength, and they were glad i was on the building team. I had a great time breaking stuff! After we dug out the hole the next job was to start to break up the rocks so that we could make the concrete. There was no concrete mixer, we were the mixer. I had to go to the well with Ivan and get the water. We had to walk about a half mile to the well. Once we filled up the Jerry can at the well, we had to carry them back. The weight is over 25 pounds when it is full. Carrying it is awkward. I got it up on my shoulder and was good to go. They carry them on their heads.. but not this Muzungu!

Once we had the water we then used it to pour on the concrete mix and rocks. I seriously have never been so dirty. We had concrete and rocks and mud and dirt EVERYWHERE! I had red/brown toes and that was through my shoes and socks. Niki, Audrey, and i were all about mixing and shoveling the concrete. The Ugandans were very excited about our work ethic. I figure that if my job is to work, thats what i'm going to do.Kristen and i took turns between the shovel and the hammer. When you were shoveling, the job was to load rocks into the wheel barrel. When you had the hammer, you had to break the rocks. It was really hard work. We took a break to go visit the other groups and eat some sugar cane. It was pretty good, but we had to rip the outside of it off with our teeth, which meant African dirt in our mouths.. it was kinda nasty. Once you got to the inside though it tasted really good. You just chew it up, then spit it out once the flavor is gone. When i was by the van a little boy asked for some sugar cane. Francis said he must be hungry, which made me sad because you don't even really eat sugar cane, so it 10 minutes, he would be hungry again.
We had a lot of fun at the village and i think it is going to be amazing to spend 5 days there next week. I was so proud of the fact that i helped lay a foundation. It was SO hard, and i have some rockin' blisters to show for it, but at the end of the day we had a very solid foundation for a 3 stall toilet. TA DA!That night we celebrated Kristen's birthday with a trip to Garden City for the food court. It was SO much fun to be in town. We all sat at long tables and most of us had Pizza, except Benon who had the largest burger i have ever seen. We just laughed and hung out together. We were so dirty and nasty because when we got home there was no running water. Woohooo for concrete everywere and a bucket shower. I spent a lot of time with Emily, Amy, and Caron. They are hilarious and i love them. Emily and Amy are leaving which stinks but i have lots more time with Caron, which could be trouble. Just sayin' We took a group picture which is awesome because you can see just how dirty and tired we all were. We were very excited to start the weekend!!!

Nsambya Babies Home

This was possibly my favorite day ever. We went to the Nsambya Babies home. I was chosen as the Muzungu to stay back with the kids. Basically that meant that everyone else had to go clean the sidewalks and chicken coop, and i stayed in a room with about 15 orphans and some toys. We sang songs and played. I was in a little piece of heaven. It was however, one of the saddest things i have ever experienced. They do not have diapers, so basically i spend the day getting pee'd on but i could have stayed there and hugged those babies forever.
They were so much fun. My favorites were Champs and Joseph. Champs had the best personality. He was crackin' me up. He was definitely a mimic. He sang all the songs with me AND did the hand motions like twinkle twinkle and where is thumbkin. At first, they left me in there with no toys, and about 15 crying babies. I didn't know what to do ... so i started singing. That seemed to work. When i ran out of nursery rhymes, which happened quickly, i started singing 1st grade sing a long songs. THANKS guys!!!! They loved the donut song as much as i do. HAHA

In the corner, on a crib mattress, was my heart. I don't know her name, because no one could tell me what it was. I spent a lot of time with her. She was probably 3 or 4 based on her teeth. I am guessing that she might have Cerebral Palsy, but i am not sure. She was very rigid and did not have good head control. I am guessing that she does not get a lot of attention. I tried to stretch her, and lets be honest, i couldn't keep my hands off her. I will absolutely be making sure that every time i am there, i spend some time stretching and talking to her. The kids love it so much when people come, that they want to be held and played with. They literally climb all over you. as you can see below with Rose sitting on my head. She was kind of a bully, but so funny. I would tell her "You be nice" and she would repeat. It was hilarious. She cracked me up.





I got to help feed them and quickly fell in love with Betty. She called me mama, which i'm not gonna lie, was a little bit of a killer. She was so stinkin' cute i could have eaten her up. She made me smile.

Katalemwa Hospital/Basketball Game

Today was the most amazing time. We started the day at Katalemwa Rehabilitation Hospital for children. I wasn't allowed to take pictures, but it is amazing to see what they are able to do with so few resources. I was in the workshop. I helped to sand wheelchair bases. They were wooden chairs that would eventually be put on wheels. I also sanded trays for the chairs as well. It was unbelievable. I kinda almost cried. It was an amazing moment. After working in the workshop i got to go spend some time with the kids. Not enough time, i could have stayed there all day. I got to help hand out stickers. They were so smiley. It was awesome.
In the afternoon we went to Kalanabiri school to play in a basketball game. It was the craziest game i have ever played. It was full contact ... no pads. NO fouls! Totally nuts! I had a few steals and actually scored. WHICH was crazy because i thought i would die. They were so intense. When you had the ball, you had like 3 girls trying to rip the ball out of your hand, through whatever body part was in the way. It was nuts. BUT so fun! This is Cece, she was who i had to guard. She was great! Tough game.

T I A (This is Africa)

Sorry it is a while since my last post. we lost our connection at the house. I am fine. things are going great. i have done amazing things and met incredible people. I love it!!! I have helped build a wheel chair at a rehabilitation children's hospital and layed a concrete foundation for a squatty (toilet hole) in a village. It has been so humbling. You will never truly appreciate water until you have to carry it 1/2 mile on your head only to arrive and realize you have to go get more. OR taking showers with buckets because there is no running water. I am learning a lot about myself as well as what is important while i am here. It is unbelievable here. A lot of people have asked about where i live and what i eat, so here you go. This is the back side of our house.


I share a bedroom with 7 other girls. 6 of them were there already and two of us came the same day. They are great. I sleep on the top bunk. My mosquito net hangs from the ceiling. I think that sleeping up top is better then the bottom when it comes to bug bites. Knock on wood, it hasn't been bad. My mattress isn't the most comfortable thing in the world, and the dogs bark all night but thank goodness i learned in China how to sleep no matter what!

This is our backyard. It is where we hang our laundry, and also where our chickens live. Yes we have chickens. Brooke brought a hammock so it is a great place to hang out and enjoy some quite time. The African's use tree's and bushes to hang their clothes to dry so that is what we do too.






The food has not been too bad either. We typically have some sort of rice/pasta, potatoes, and bananas or matooke (which is fried bananas). We have pineapple every night which is awesome. We also get Chapati.. which for those of you who have been to Flat Top, it is pretty much like the roti bread they have there. I like it. The best is when we have that with fried egg in the middle. The best day however, might have been the day that we got the egg chapati AND avocado. I mean really ... does it get any better then that. We have also stopped up at the Quality market to pick up other items like Frosties (Frosted Flakes), Fruity Rings (fruit loops), and COFFEE!!












Things i have learned:

- Muzungu means white person and that is what we are called, but not in a negative way.
- Do not eat meat, the cows and chickens graze on trash
- Boys/girls wear non gender specific clothes, so you might think its a girl, and he's the cutest little boy ever! ha
- Babies wear tight beaded bands around their middle to create a waistline
- Boda Boda's are motorcycles that are like Taxi's... you do NOT get on one, if you value your life.

BUSY DAY

Today was a crazy busy day. We got up, ate a very fast breakfast, and were out the door. First we went to Victory Primary school. We did a feeding program there. I helped build a fire, and then cooked porridge over an open fire. It was crazy. Porridge consists of wheat flour, water, sugar, and sometimes milk. Yep.. thats it. AND this is where most of their "nutrition" comes from. They were SO excited that we were there. They came flying out of their classrooms, but were quickly sent back. We fed them, then stayed to sing songs, and play games. These kids sing and dance their hearts out. It was awesome to see them.
This one little boy who i loved. I thought he was a she... because they mostly have shaved heads and he had on pink pants. OOPS. Well, Iasiah was SO cute! I loved him, he was probably 2 but looked much younger.
We sang and played games with them. It was a lot of fun. Next we came back ate lunch and went to the secondary school. It wasn't as much fun for me as being at the primary school, which is no surprise.
When we were finished at the secondary school, we went to a place called Kids in Need. It is a home for children who are on the streets. They are brought there. It was SO much fun. It was sad to see them and know that they were there because they're family couldn't or didn't take care of them. They were awesome. We sang more and played games. They were SO excited that we were there. It was mostly boys and all ages ranging from 2 or 3 to 14-15. They loved to play the games with us and they loved to sing. They were a lot of fun. The water game ended up with water all over everywhere which they made into a make-shift slip and slide. It was awesome. We had a lot of fun playing with them. They loved the camera. A lot of them had not seen what they look like because there are no mirrors.



This is a group of kids who turned up when my camera came out. They were SO funny. I had a lot of fun hanging out with them. They were just so smiley and happy. It is amazing because their living conditions in my opinion are awful but they are still so happy. The people here are truly amazing.

Arrival in Africa

After a crazy whirlwind day of getting everything finalized for my trip, mom and dad took me to the airport. We went to Mario's for dinner, which is one of my favorites. My flight to London was a little bumpy but not too bad. When i landed, i took the tube out to Kensington for the day. I walked around and saw some shops. It was nice to not be sitting in the airport! My flight to Uganda i sat next to a girl from Scotland who TOTALLY reminded me of Sarah Wells so that was kinda nice. We talked a little bit. I slept a lot because i was tired from walking around London and the change in time zones.
When i got to Uganda, Ivan and Sarah met me at the airport and my luggage came. It was nice to see my name on the sign, i was afraid no one would be there. We put our stuff in the house and met everyone. There were a LOT of people to meet. We walked into town to go to the bank and exchange money. I had to buy a towel because i brought everything under the sun.. except that. When we got back to the house we had lunch. It was two kinds of rice, some kind of potato, beans, and other stuff i did not eat. It wasnt too bad but it wasn't a lot of food.


Mondays are kind of an easy day because it is planning day. We had some singing practice. It was hard because we were learning songs in Lluganda. WHICH clearly i don't speak. I learned a ton of songs, that i don't remember now.. much less later. After that we hung out at the house. I played Uno with some of the girls. It will be interesting here because i am in a house full of girls and i am one of the oldest ones. The people are very nice though so that is good.

We went to the slum close by to spend sometime. I helped move clay pots. The families sell them to raise money. It is sad because it is between a very wealthy area where there are huge homes, and the university. They are so poverty stricken and yet they are surrounded by so much. I also played with the kids. It was SO fun. They are so friendly. They smile and laugh. I taught them how to give high 5's. It was pretty funny to see their reactions.

I will post pictures. later... Power went out. Welcome to Africa! :)

Doesn't Get better then this...

Yesterday was a crazy day... finishing up shopping, making sure i have everything in order, starting to say see you later to friends for a while.. BLACKHAWKS WINNING THE STANLEY CUP. I mean lets talk about an emotional day. Everyone knows that sports makes me cry. Lets just say i cried a little all day, and i'm totally not a crier. Which everyone also knows. BUT Christy stopped by to grab dinner, do some last minute shopping, and tell me to have a great trip. She started it.

After we ate, i headed over to watch the game with Erin. NO WAY could i watch that game with anyone else. We were going crazy when they won. It was awesome. SO ... i cried again. I drove home playing the Blackhawks song as loud as i could. I came home because my mom told me that my dad had a present for me that he wanted to give me.

It was the most beautiful bracelet i have ever seen, and so... I cried again. My dad had seen a bracelet that was a fundraiser for the diamond industry in Africa, and wanted to get it for me. It meant so much to me that he would have seen it and picked it out. He is not exactly thrilled about the idea of me going to Africa, so i t means so much to me coming from him. He's the best! It is a beautiful green stone called Malachite. It has a charm on it, that has an uncut diamond inside it. The even cooler part about it, is that it has a symbol on the bracelet that represents the Yoga Anahata chakra, or heart chakra that governs generosity and compassion. Two things i love in one... helping the people of Africa, and Yoga. Totally crazy! :) It was clearly meant to be mine! I Love my dad!!!




This bracelet will definitely not be making the trip over with me to Africa, because i wouldn't want something to happen to it, or me because i am wearing it... BUT it is beautiful and i love it. It came with a DVD that talks about the organization and the importance of the diamond industry to Africa. This organization helps to fund programs for education and empowerment of the African people. It is really awesome. I can't wait to wear it when i get home!

Ready, Set.... LETS GO!

SCHOOL'S OUT FOR SUMMER... And as i left school yesterday i got a lot of VERY helpful advice from all of my friends. The advice was varied and almost extreme opposites, but i do know that all of it came out of love and i realized again how awesome my friends are at work. I am sure that some of you can find your own quotes. HA
Some of the advice was:
Have the trip of a lifetime
Don't get AIDS, Malaria, or any other crazy diseases
Bring home a baby
Don't be a hero, you're not invincible
DON'T bring home a baby
Bring home 2 babies, I'll keep one!
Can you bring me a hippo
For God Sake's DON'T swim in the Nile
Don't let any parasites swim up anywhere they shouldn't ...
Don't swim in open water
8/10 babies have AIDS so count 10, pick 2, and if they don't have it, just play with
them the whole time!
Bring me home a giraffe
Take LOTS of pictures

I made my final payment, picked up my anti-malaria pills and Epi-pens, and am on my way with the packing. I'm ready to go!!!