Hello from Uganda!

Hey everyone!!
So I knew internet would be scarce, but I assumed that it might be a little less scarce then it actually is. :) I am in Kampala at an internet cafe, but tomorrow I head to my homestay wher eI will be place for 2 months.

There are 32 Peace Corps Volunteers (PCVs) in my group. Ranging from my age to their mid 60's. It has been great to get to know everyone so far. It seems that we all enjoy many of the same things, reading, running, playing cards, so I don't feel too far from home. The weather here is beautiful... all day... everyday. 75 degrees with a mild amount of humidity today. The Peace Corps coordinators are great and they seem to be very excited to have us here. The Ugandans themselves are incredibly hospitable, I can't even wait to get into my homestay to be able to see what it is really like to live here.

I dress in long skirts everyday, much longer than at home. Today I put on a dress that is right at the knee and felt immodest, I really dont think I will wear it teaching. I specifically remember my mom buying this dress for me and complaining that I looked homely because of its length. Funny how perceptions change. The food here is wonderful and it is not difficult at all to be vegetarian. There are tons of fresh fruit and vegetables and they are served at every meal. Fish is offered about once a day. Tilapia from Lake Victoria! Yummy.

Well, my time is almost up here at this internet cafe. Please stay in touch, it means the world to me. I will try to update this as often as I can, but I forsee many challenges.

I love you and miss you all.

Beginning the Journey

I left this morning, early. I knew it would be difficult to leave everyone, but puking before I got on the plane was the red flag for my true emotions. Bleary-eyed I stepped into this new life. Hope it goes well.

Last week was a blast. Everyone that I am close to came into town for one last good-bye. Its funny how people make time for you when you are leaving, comforting at least. I said goodbye to Alicia and she asked to borrow a few things while I was gone, Winter things of course. I didn’t think it would be a problem considering a majority of my friends have called dibs on my leg warmers and Gap blazers. Sayonara cold weather. She came down the stairs with my 4 favorite scarves wrapped around her arm, and my stomach dropped. I stood their contemplating whether I could see her walk out of the house with the things I “loved”, and decided that it was a little too much to bear. She took two and will come back for the others later, when I am not there to blubber-on about how they are my favorites and I loved wearing them. Hope I get over that while I am here. The whole loving things act doesn’t do too much for me, but it is still something that I am working on.

I love doing my hair. I love going out for Pad Thai. I love putting on make-up and heels, and getting a drink with friends. I love going out for coffee. I love getting new jeans. But how much love can you put into things? And how important is it to give those things all away to see what you are capable of becoming? I guess by the end of this I will know the answers to both of those questions.

I am sitting in Philadelphia right now, getting ready to meet the people who I will be friends with for the next two years. It’s a strange mix of excitement and hesitation, wonderment and fear. It’s sort of a beautiful thing that I love to feel.

Thank you to everyone who has helped me along the way, supported me in this decision and aided me in getting ready (both physically and emotionally)! I wish you all the best of luck in these next two years, please stay in touch. I love you all.

Facts

Not many people know much about The Republic of Uganda, so I plan on using this blog to enlighten you all. ha.

The links on the upper right hand side of this blog will take you to some wonderful web pages overflowing with facts.   For those of you who are super eager here are some interesting things about Uganda:

* Uganda is about the size of Oregon, but is home to about 9 times the number of people with a total population of around 31,000,000.

* According to the World Fact Book, the life expectancy of a Ugandan is around 50 years.

* The average Ugandan woman is mother to 7 children.

* The GDP per capita is $1,100. (compared to $48,000 in the US)