Merry Christmas and Happy New Year from Uganda

Well, Christmas 2012 has come and gone. Christmas in Uganda is slightly different from that of the U.S.  as holidays are not very commercialized here, so you have to keep reminding yourself that Christmas is on it's way. The major (I use that word loosely) shopping centers here had everything all decked out with trees and blow up Santas, but outside of that, you really do not see any decorations. I attribute this to the fact that a very small percentage of the population actually has expendable money for decor, or electricity  for lights and blow ups. Although we always have power, we spend many hours per day on generator. We are so fortunate to have the generator, as not too many people do. So, we put up a tree, hung some cute balls on it, wrapped a tree skirt, threw two Christmas themed pillows on the sofas, and called it Christmas!

We enjoyed spending a few evenings through the week with friends. We even decorated a gingerbread house with a some friends that have a tradition of hosting a gingerbread house decorating dinner party. Unfortunately, I did not know this in time to order a prefab kit, therefore I had to make dough, roll it out, print and cut a pattern, and hope for the best. Our roof was not well thought out, and ended up being a little improvised. All and all it was a good time.

 

 

Santa did make his way to Uganda, and put a few gifts under the tree. Honestly, the urge to self indulge here is easy to resist. There are not a lot of places to shop for what you would want. Mail service is good for us, but you have to plan well in advance, and since we do not get any real commercials, the ideas for spending your hard earned money just isn't there. It's quite nice actually.

 

 

Don and I ordered each other a small furniture item that will be hand made. Very inexpensive, very basic, very African. Something to remind us of our Ugandan Christmas. Unfortunately, the power in our area has been out, meaning the saws could not be run, and our furniture did not get ready in time. This is really not an issue. You learn to live on Uganda time, which is "you get it when you get it". I'll post pics when the furniture arrives, and I return from the states. I will be visiting soon, and I am very excited to see everyone. 

The gift that I have most enjoyed was my gift of volunteering. Savannah, me, and some friends volunteered on Christmas eve at a babies orphanage. The staff gets short during  the holidays, so the Momma's were so happy to have some help. We played with he babies, helped with laundry, bed making, and feeding. Lots of fun to see those smiling faces. I hope to do a lot more volunteering when I return. There is plenty of need here, so I'm sure I'll stay busy.

So, with Christmas compete, I'm looking forward to another great new year. I can't believe that we have already been here for 5 months. It's already time for me to go home for a quick work visit, and when I come back it won't be long before planning starts for the summer visit.

Time has really passed by quickly. There are days when I am ready to head home, and days when I feel like I can stay forever. We are already a quarter of the way finished with our current tour, and no matter how much I miss home, I know that our job here is not done. I know this is were we belong, for now. So, here's to the new year, 2013!

Since it's been forever since I posted, I  am posting some fun snapshots from our last couple of weeks. See you in 2013.

 

Lunch on Lake Victoria at an outside restaurant on the beach.

 

Some guy on in line skates catching a free lift from the van in front of us. Just funny!



Some cute kids selling bananas at the traffic circle

 

Beautiful Lake Victoria

Our wheels have arrived!

I know, getting a car should not be this excitng, but we have been without wheels for the three months that we have been here. There are only so many places that we can walk to. So, Friday night, Don surprised me with our car! He was planning to just show up with it, but there were a few gliches in his surprise. When the warehouse driver was bringing the car to Don, they hit a pothole, and punctured a tire. So, they had to repair that. Then, the traffic was crazy. And lastly, Don was actually stopped by traffic cops on his way home, and told "sir, you need to hire a driver!". How funny is that? Not that he is a bad driver, it's just a chaotic place to drive.

We are planning to have our driver start soon, so we can get around more, but it's so nice to know that if I just need something from the store, that we can go get it. I have only driven once, but it's not too bad around our area. So, I can get to the store, the restaurants, and Sam's school.

Did you vote today?

Well, it's time to vote! Go cast your ballot. I mailed my vote in last week, and I am looking forward to the outcome of the presidential election. I'm sure everyone is ready to be done with all of the ad campaigns. We are usually spared the political commercials here due to our limited channels, but I am excited to see who will run our country for the next four years. Regardless of who wins, I pray that they will run our country well.

Since my last post, we have been busy with the usual business of life. We celebrated Sam's 15th birthday. He requested lasagna, and cake baked by Savannah.  Happy Birthday Sam!

We have enjoyed spending time with friends, and attended an amazing volleyball tournament at Sam's school. It was a lot of fun to watch the teams play, and both our boy's and girl's teams won the championship.

I also learned to groom our pet Schnauzer. We have not found a dog groomer here, and he was desperate for a haircut. So, I watched a little video on the internet, and broke out the clippers. Surprisingly, it went really well. He got a little irritated by the end, and would not let me trim one of his back legs. Now it looks like he's carrying around a rabbit's foot. :) Either way, he looks pretty dapper.

 

 

 

Lastly, we are anxiously awaiting our car, which should be hear in the next few weeks. It will be so freeing to have our own ride. We are in the process of hiring a diver to help us get around. It's important to have someone that is familiar with the territory since there are no street signs, and who understands the language and customs of the road. Hopefully, next post will contain a picture of our freedom ride. Until then, have a great week, and don't forget to vote!

 



So what's going on in your world?

Good morning, or good night to most of you. It's weird being 7 to 8 hours ahead of most of my friends and family. I finish my day when you are beginning yours. So, if you ever want to know how your day is going to go, give me a shout.

I haven't posted in a while. I guess I don't feel like anything eventful has happened, so I didn't want to bore everyone. But, I felt like it was time to catch up. Life here has been going well. We are completely settled in, and enjoying helping others settle in by hosting a dinner, or going out to one of the local places to eat. We have friends that are still waiting for their shipment of personal goods, and we know how difficult it is when you do not have your house settled into a home yet.

It's amazing to me how "small town" it is for us here. We run into people we know more often than we ever did in the states. I guess it's because we all stand out in the crowd.

We have been able to check out some of the markets, which was very interesting. A large grouping of makeshift stalls with no floors. The merchandise is generally used items that were likely donated at some point, then purchased to be re-sold. It is the ultimate form of recycling. Nothing goes to waste. I kept expecting to see something that I had donated to the Salvation Army or somewhere like it. I really wanted to get some skirts. Although the weather is nice here, it can get a little warm and humid. Shorts for woman are not really acceptable, so pants, even capris, can get a little warm. So, I had planned to check out some knee length skirts. I did look at a few, but it was just a little overwhelming for my first time. So, maybe next time.

Another exciting thing that I have done; I got my hair cut and colored. Now most of you may think that is not earth shattering news, but if you were here, you would understand why this is such a big deal. I was not sure if there would be anyone that would know how to deal with Mazunga hair. So, I asked one of my new friends, an American that has lived here for several years, and she took me to an amazing salon. I wasn't sure if I could wait 3 months until I traveled back to the states. Anyway, it was just in time, because I got a job offer, and will start soon. So, it's nice to have a fresh look to start my new job.

Well, enough about me. I would love to hear about all of you. How are things going where you are? What's new for you? So please, leave a comment and update me on your world.

Bubble Gum Milk and Blue Skies

Just some fun Wednesday randomness. Have you ever wanted to drink Bubble Gum Milk? Really? Me neither, but we have it here. We have several flavors of milk boxes; coffee, vanilla, chocolate, strawberry, banana, and bubble gum. So, Sam decided to try the bubble gum. He said it was pretty good.

Other than exciting new milk flavors, life is pretty simple right now. We are anxiously awaiting the arrival of our car....next month. So, for now, we are still a little house bound, and anxious to get out and meet more people and do some things. I am also hoping to go to work soon. 

I am still enjoying the nice weather outside, but it gets a little stuffy indoors in the afternoon. So, I sat outside a little this evening, and enjoyed the early evening skies from the back porch. Thought I would share, and I hope you enjoy. Have a great week.

 

Do you recycle?

Do you recycle? I mean, really recycle? As I was riding through Kampala the other night, I was taking in all the surroundings. The city is always bustling with people walking, driving, riding bodas, and selling or shopping. This is not typical shopping. There is shopping in traffic, through your car window. Shopping at the many new and used stores on the side of the streets. This particular evening, what interested me, was the plant nurseries along the road. Rows and rows of plants, from very small, to very large. I'm not sure what type of plants, but I imagine there are vegetable plants, flowers, trees, and shrubs. As I was looking at the plants, I noticed what containers the plants were growing in; it was recycled bags. Yellow bags for the larger plants. I am not sure what they contained before, but they had writing on them, and I imagine they were re purposed for the plants. The smaller plants were grown in one liter milk bags, like the one I had mentioned in a previous post. My thoughts went immediately to the number of milk bags that I so casually throw away. Hmm, that won't happen again.

Although there is no formal recycling program here, yet.... I have been attempting to recycle. Mainly because I hate to be wasteful, but also because our trash here gets burned. Not dumped in a landfill, which is bad enough, but burned, often close by our home. It stinks, not to mention what it is probably doing to my lungs. So, I figure the less I throw out, the less I breath in later.

So in attempts to find something to do with my "recyclables", I asked around. I was told to offer it to our staff. The locals here love to get free cardboard boxes. I've heard of one person who donated her moving boxes, and they were used to floor a church. One of my guards requested plastic bottles, like soda bottles, and dish liquid bottles. His wife makes homemade liquid soap, and this gives them a way to package and sell the soap. It makes me happy that my trash can actually help someone earn an income.

When I came to Uganda, I wondered how I would make my mark. What would I do to make a positive impact. And, now I see how Uganda has impacted me. Uganda has made me more aware of the many wonderful things I have available to me, and how I can share them, even my trash.

I've learned not to take any item for granted, not even an empty bottle or bag. I even wash and reuse my Ziploc bags. They are not sold here, and I have to reorder them when I run out. So, why be wasteful?

So, I ask you again, do you recycle? Re purpose? Reuse? Just because you have it in abundance now, doesn't mean that you always will. Maybe you will look at that used bag or box and think "how can I reuse this?".

Reptile week

Sometimes I feel like I'm in a Mutual of Omaha's Wild Kingdom episode. You know the one's where they tell you about killer ants, deadly snakes, etc.?

Overall, we seem to be settling in. We have gotten almost all of the boxes unpacked. We are ready to hang pictures, just need the facilities guys to come do the hanging since they have the correct tools to do the job on cement block walls.

Don had a business trip to Gulu, which is about 5 hours away, so I was happy for him to get to do a little traveling, and maybe see some sights. He saw some baboons, and even took their picture. Unfortunately, the baboons decided it was a good opportunity to pose in a very unflattering way, and I cannot use the pic. Maybe next time.

Saturday our guard informed us that we had Safari Ants trying to get into our yard. Hmmm, Safari Ants? I've heard stories of these ants that travel in a swarm, are very territorial, and can be deadly to small animals and small people. Well, that wasn't going to happen to me, right? Wrong! There they were....traveling through the open storm drain to go into our neighbor's yard,  so that they could come around the back storm drain, and into our yard!

 

 It was Saturday, so no way maintenance is coming to spray. So, the guard instructed the gardener to get boiling water and gasoline to douse them and sprinkle along the property line. Apparently they do not like the smell of gas, and will go a new direction. An added bonus of the gas, is that the snakes do no like it either. Apparently we had a cobra heading our way this week, but was stopped by the gardener. He said there are not any more in the yard, and they do not like the gas smell, so should deter them from coming in. So my theory; weekly gas application, but please, no smoking.

Sunday was an enjoyable day at Sam's school. We had a fundraiser "Family Fun Day". We helped with the soda sales, and also got to do a little shopping at the booths. I got some nice hand sewn items, and some of the Uganda beads that are made from recycled paper and then painted. The money goes to a children's orphanage, and to help women get ahead. I'm trying to stock up to send back for everyone. Let me know you would like one, and if so, a color preference.

I also have a friend here that makes these wonderful kimonos, aprons,slippers, and makeup bags. You can see her creations at lucciejensen.com.

 

 

I almost forgot about the lizards. Yesterday I saw the gardener digging up white eggs, and dropping them into the open water drain. So, I mosey on out to see what kind of eggs we are dealing with here. Fortunately, they are only lizard eggs.

 

 

There were 12 of them, and he felt like they had been laid by three mommas. He said the rain will wash them out, and then when the cover by soil again, they will hatch....somewhere else. Which, is exactly what I prefer, somewhere else! We have so many lizard type characters already on the property, that I prefer to reduce the number.

 

 



HIstory Lesson and Dog Drama

Saturday kicked off my Kampala history lesson with a bus tour. We went to several historic places around the city. The Mengo Palace http://www.ugandatravelguide.com/mengo.html, which was rebuilt in the 90's after being destroyed in an attack. Interestingly enough, there is a small, occupied village on the property, and we enjoyed seeing the little children helping with chores by getting water. It seems like everyone pitches in here, regardless of age.

We traveled on to the Buganda PParliament house http://www.buganda.or.ug/index.php/lukiiko-parliament and enjoyed a song equivalent to our national anthem sang by three men. They have great pride in their heritage here.

We passed by the Tubaga Catholic Cathedral, http://www.kampala-city-guide.com/kampala/gallery/Rubaga_Cathedral.html which contains the remains of the first African priest.

Then on to the Old Kampala Mosque, which was built with funds provided by Gaddafi. This is where we were sized up for our attire, and then quickly covered in scarves from head to anklej I did not go inside, or climb to the top of the tower to see the city, but it was pretty from the outside.

We then went on to the Bahai Temple http://www.bahai.us/bahai-temple/bahai-temples-around-the-world/. It sits high up on the hill, and has a constant, cool breeze. It was so peaceful. I could have sat down in the grass and stayed there for hours. I loved "The Principles of this faith"; REMOVAL OF ALL FORMS OF PREJUDICE. What a wonderful world it would be!

As we traveled around, I finally had the opportunity to take some pictures of the crazy traffic.

Honestly, the pictures do not do it justice, but maybe you can get an idea from them. I really wanted one with the dude carrying the sofa on the motorcycle, but we were going to fast.

We wrapped up Saturday with another pizza by Grace, Yum!

 

 

We had a wonderful, low-ke,y Sunday until the evening, when Fletcher decided to sneak out the door, run around the yard in the dark, and came back in throwing up and with a swollen face! Now what am I supposed to do about that?! I mean, new country, new insect,s and slithery things. So, I called a vet listed in our handy Health Guide, and she tells me he was probably stung by something and is likely having an allergic reaction. O_0. She tells me to go to a pharmacy and get him a steroid. Ummmmm, pharmacy, do I have a pharmacy close by here? Why yes we do. So, we called a neighbor, who takes me to the pharmacy, and I paid about forty cents for a few pills, and an hour later the swelling goes down. I'm thankful for that. So, no more jaunts in the dark for him!

TGIF!

Happy Friday! Most of you are asleep, but I have been up and about, beginning my day. I woke up thinking about someone important to me who is busy cleaning up from the floods in New Orleans. So, I decided to have a breakfast inspired and provided by her. My dear niece brought me some Blue Runner Beans on her last visit to us before we left. They are Creole style beans, and I love them. She brought me a box of eight cans, and I saved them to bring with us to Africa. I knew that I would want these special beans, that were from her, while I was here. So, I made a burrito out of them for breakfast, and they were good.  Thanks Steph!

I also took some to the guard. That is another part of our day. We make sure the guard has drinking water, and food. They always get a huge smile when we offer them a plate. It's nice to share.

The next couple of hours I spent cooking. Yes, the earlier in the kitchen, the better. It gets warm in the kitchen as the day goes on, so I like to get things started early. Then I can clean up (dishes by hand you know), and have the heavy work done before it gets too warm. Today I had a lot of veggies that needed cooked up before we get a new batch tomorrow. So, I'm simmering green beans and onions, steamed some broccoli to make some creamy broccoli soup, and making a big pot of spaghetti sauce with  lots of veggies.

I'm so thankful to my mom that she taught me to cook from a very early age. Cooking from scratch here is a necessity, and without her teachings, I could not make it. Thanks Mom!

Tonight will be a special treat. Don and I get to go to a gathering with some special guests. I'm looking forward to getting out and meeting new people. It should be fun. I'm also looking forward to the bus tour tomorrow. Hopefully I will have some good pictures to share. Until then, have a great Friday. TGIF!

Week 4

It's been four weeks since we arrived. It's strange how time flies. We are settling in well. We have almost all of the boxes unpacked, and we have finally ordered a car. It will be great to have some wheels when I need to go out. I do not mind the walk to the grocery, but that's about it for where I can go without a car.

 I went into the city today for a meeting, courtesy of the motorpool. I see so many things that I could write about, and often wish I could just  snap pictures like a tourist, but that might seem rude. It might seem like I am making a spectacle out of their life here. After all, we are just guests in their country, on their turf.

I've been asked by a few friends to describe my everyday life here. It's really a lot like my life in the states. We get up, do things around the house, go to school, get groceries,etc. Really, living anywhere in the world just becomes your own normal. Eventually I will get a job, and that will become part of my routine. In the meantime, I'm just enjoying not having a strict schedule.

The things that are different are just hard to explain without pictures, or without you seeing it for yourself. I'll have to work on getting some pictures that would not be too personal. I want you to see the traffic. The chaos of the traffic! The Bodas (motorcycles) weaving in and out, the people darting across the road as many people do not drive, but walk everywhere, and the lack of formed lanes. It's amazing to see the reflexes these folks have. When you are watching, you are just sure someone is about to get creamed, and then, they emerge from the traffic unscaved. I'm watching all of this chaos when I really need to be taking notes and paying attention to directions so that I can drive myself when we get our car. Oh well, there is just too much to see. Too much to take in. I want to take it ALL in!

Today I had a special treat. When I arrived home from my meeting, we had a huge chicken pizza that our wonderful cook prepared for us. We had been told about her amazing pizzas, and I asked her if she would prepare that for our dinner. I couldn't believe something this wonderful could come from a my kitchen. She must be heaven sent, and I am so thankful for her and her help.

We also had received several boxes of items we had ordered. We are learning to do a lot of our non-perishable grocery shopping on-line. It's an amazing thing to be able to order almost anything you want, with the exception of liquid, because there are strict guidelines to ordering liquids through our mail service. We do not want to mess up our privileges, so we are careful about following those rules.

I can't believe how quickly this week has gone. The weekend is almost here, and I am taking a bus tour of Kampala on Saturday. I am ready to see some sights, learn some history, and eventually get my hands dirty.

I hope you have a great weekend, I plan to.

Lazy Weekend

Hello everyone. It has been a lazy weekend after a busy week of unpacking our personal goods. It is so nice to have our stuff, and make our house look like home. It also included some of our favorite foods that we could have shipped. It is nice being able to cook some of the things we like to eat, and some of it is easier and more convenient than we can get here.

We have stayed home most of the weekend since we are still in the process of getting a car, so we do not have our own transportation. It's weird not being able to just go get in your car and head out to wherever you want. We arrived here a little late to get any of the reasonably priced cars from other expats rotating out of Uganda. The options left were higher priced, and manual transmission. As if driving here will not be challenging enough, I'm certainly not going to throw in dealing with a stick shift. So, we have chosen a car to order, and will have to place the order this week. I guess it will be a few months before we see it, but that's fine. I have learned that I have to ask, and rely on the generosity of others to give us rides. We can also walk to the store, so it's really not a big deal. They offer shuttles to work locations so it's not really difficult to get around when we have to.

I have also had the opportunity to hire help for the house and cooking. She is AMAZING! My favorite thing she does is to go to the market for me to get fresh produce. Much fresher and cheaper than I can get at the grocery store up the hill. Not to mention the fact that I have to figure out the whole schillings thing. Since schillings are spent in hundreds and thousands, it's shocking to go to the register and hear "that will be 100,000!!!" It's only about 35-40 bucks, but sounds just freakishly high at the time. So, I give her some money, tell her what we like, and she shows up the next day with this....

She even cleans it, arranges it all cute, and puts it away if needed. I love her!

Side note; did anyone get to see the "blue moon" Friday night? Apparently, we only get two full moons in a month, every few years. Thus the phrase "once in a blue moon". So, this was one of those years, and we got to see it when we were walking home from an evening out at the grill up the hill. It's the one night a week we do that. I hope you got to see it too.

Have a great week. I plan to. :)

Sunday Lunch

It's been a really nice weekend so far. We went to a social gathering hosted by the PTA on Friday evening. It was wonderful to meet so many people from different countries. Many of them are teachers at the school, so it is fun knowing that Sam will draw from so much cultural diversity.

We had dinner at a neighbors yesterday, which was wonderful because our grill has not arrived, and she grilled meat and veggies. I am so grateful for the people who have already opened their homes (and cars since we don't have one) to us.

Today, we are having some special guests from the states come for dinner. It will be our first time to meet, but exciting to be able to host some visitors. Since cooking here is always from scratch, mainly due to lack of prefab food options, I spent a few hours preparing and cleaning up. We decided to eat lunch out at a new local restaurant. We all got different dishes than we actually ordered, but it was wonderful anyway. It's an open patio type dining, and this was our view! I almost felt guilty eating my beef samosas!

Expecting Different

I try to work on my posts offline since we are sharing Internet right now. So, today, I am posting twice.

We have been here almost two weeks. Prior to departing the U.S., I tried to prepare myself for things to be really different. Typically, I do not like different, therefore I had to really have a good heart to heart with myself about how I was going to deal with different. I decided that if I just expected things to be VERY different, and be VERY patient, and just do what needs to be done, then it would be easier for me to find joy and peace with different. So, that is what I have, and am doing. Expecting different, and waiting. Almost a sense of no expectations, therefore, no disappointments. So far, this is working out well. I try to take in all of the things that I see. Since our home is very pleasant to look at, and very comfortable, I find it to be a sanctuary. I feel very fortunate when I ride through the city, and I see s many people living in very limited conditions, yet they seem happy. They make the best of it.

I see women outside the door of their one room building, washing clothes by hand in a round tub. Other women and men sweeping the ground outside their door. Yes, sweeping dirt, from dirt. I can guess that maybe they are just clearing the ground for debris, so that it is just smooth dirt under their sandals or bare feet. They are chatting, and children are carry jugs to the water source. They are making the best of it.  I enjoy that, I enjoy seeing people making the best of it. It inspires me, to make the best of it, especially since my situation is one that bears no complaining, all things considered.

One thing I really enjoy here is the beautiful, cool air that we have late in the evening and early morning. When I walk outside to enjoy the night air I can see the city in the distance. This is good- different. This is where you see the beauty.

Got Milk?

I always find it interesting to see what type of products are sold in other countries. It's not always a completely different product, but maybe just the way the product is packaged. For instance, when I first arrived, our sponsor had shopped for a few groceries for us, and had them stocked in he house so we would have a few meals before we needed to grocery shop. The milk was in the carton that we would see in the U.S. as shelf stable milk. This is good, but I see cows walking our streets, so I knew we must have fresh milk. Well, we do, I was just looking for the typical jugs that we would see in the U.S. This is how you find it here, in a bag.

Then you cut it open, and pour it into this handy dandy pitcher that looks really cute in your fridge.

Week One

Well, we have been gone from the states a whole week, and a lot has happened. We got through the long flight, settled into our house, attended Sam's new school orientation,  sent him off to school for his first day today, and got Savannah signed up to start her last sememster on line.

We are anxiously awaiting the arrival of our dogs in the next few days, and we received word that our personal goods are ahead of schedule, and should arrive in the next week. I am excited for all of that. The current items lent to us until our shipment arrives is limited to one item per person in the house. Yes, one fork, one spoon, one towel, well you get the idea. So this creates a lot of extra work for us. If I'm cooking, which happens often because fast food does not exist, and I use a utensil to stir with, then said utensil has to be washed so that someone can use it to eat. With that said, I am so happy that my things are coming.

I am also looking forward to some upcoming events set up for back to school, which allows new families to meet and make connections. I don't mind spending time by myself around the house. Fact, it's like a little mini vacation where I can finally have some down time. After all, there is not a plethora of shopping malls or extra things to do. But, I am looking forward to meeting people, and doing things to make my stay here enjoyable and productive.

I can't wait to see what the next few weeks have in store for us!

Side not: I have had a lot of requests for more pictures. I am working on this, but just haven't had a good chance to take a lot of photos without looking like  a tourist. I also do not have a car, so I am usually walking, or being driven. Either case, not really photo op time.

If anyone has anything specific they would like to know about our life here, as I learn it too, feel free to ask.

We are in Uganda

We arrived safely in Uganda three days ago. So far, it has been a good experience. We arrived late in the evening, and were greeted and transported by our sponsor, and a few othergentlemen who drove us and our 12 bags of belongings to our house. Our house is nice, a good bit smaller than our home in the states, but still very nice, with a wonderful yard. The weather is beautiful. It is like spring or fall weather, with a little rain each afternoon, as it is the rainy season.
We spent the first few days going into the city to look around, and to set up cell phones and Internet. Everything here is done on a cash only basis, which is kind of nice to not have to share you credit card info with everyone, but difficult because it is UGX (Ugandan Cash), which we do not have any of. Fortunately, our sponsor planned ahead for us, and prepared some UGX for us to get us by until we can go see the cashier this week.
Phones are pay as you go, and you can buy "air" cards for your phone minutes anywhere, including your car window while sitting in traffic. In fact, you can buy lot of things while sitting in traffic, such as toilet paper, and racket shaped bug zappers. Although we have phones, we will likely use Skype for our international calling since it is very cheap this way, if not free, when calling Skpye to Skype.
It was really interesting traveling through the city. Although it is not very far in terms of distance, it takes a while because traffic is crazy. The road is approximately 2 to 3 lanes wide, but there are no lines, and no real order. Everyone just gets in where they can, using the horn often as a warning signal, or to let someone know they can go in front of you. A large, four wheel drive type of vehicle is a must in my opinion. You want to be seen, and you need to jump curbs when necessary.
Another interesting thing is the Boda's. These are motorcycle taxis, and they are EVERYWHERE. They will carry anything from a person (maybe even three people), to a large sofa. Yes, I said sofa! I also noticed a 50 gallon barrel on one. I admire their ability to adapt and make due with what you have.
Overall, the people here are very friendly, and I feel welcome here. Today we walked up the hill to the local shopping center and pizza place as we do not yet have a care, nor do I feel like I will ever drive here. The pizza is really good, freshly made, and cooked in a fire oven in the center of the small building.
We will wait about two weeks until our things arrive, which I am looking forward to having our usual household items that are being sent. I am also looking forward to the dogs arriving. They will be here in a week, and I miss them a lot. I only hope our guards do not mind dogs, because I am sure our Schnauzer will get a little excited to have others in "his" yard.
Well, I am hoping to get my days and nights straight, and will plan to post more as we get settled. Best wishes for a great week to all of you.

Goodbye Atlanta (for now)

The day has finally arrived. We will be leaving Atlanta tomorrow. We made a quick trip to AL to drop off the car, and say goodbye to some friends and family. We had a great dinner at Hard Rock Cafe, and a quick MARTA trip to Lenox mall, and back to the hotel for some much needed rest.

Although we are excited to get to our new home and get settled in, we are also sad to say goodbye to everyone, but it is only for a little while. We will be back before you know it for visits. Until then, we will be thinking of everyone. I will post as soon as we get some Internet connection, but until then, take care everyone.

Packout Complete!

Finally, the packout/move out process is complete. What a job! The movers where at our house for four days, completing the job on Friday. We spent the next four days cleaning, patching, painting, and packing up the last of our personal items that we will take in our suitcases. It was quite a task to make sure we kept only what we needed, but enough of the essentials to last approximately a month until our things arrive.

I cannot thank my friends and neighbors enough for all of their help in the process. I had a great send off at work, complete with cake (I love cake).

Our wonderful supper club group had a cookout, and helped take a few things into storage for us, holding it hostage so we would be sure to come back when we return. Another friend took my large envelope of old family pictures to create a memory book for me that is long overdue.

I also had a fun surprise when I was preparing for our realtor to come over and do the final inspection; an unpacked cabinet!!!  My Christmas dishes! Now what am I supposed to do with that? A quick phone call to a wonderful friend, and she shows up with the perfect sized box, complete with bubble wrap and tape. I quickly packed all of it up, and she took it to store for me. Thanks so much friend!

All and all, a very tiring week, but it was made so much easier with the help of  such wonderful friends.

Progress

Okay, so Tuesday came and went, and so did Wednesday and here we are at Thursday. So far, three fun filled days of having perfect strangers in your house, packing your life into a bunch of boxes. Interesting thought. I mean, letting anyone touch your, well, you know, "stuff". Anyway, it's going well, and I'm grateful that they are packing, and that I am at work today, because I don't think I could do another eight hours of "Mam, can you come here a sec? Where does this go, air, sea, or storage?". "I don't know, surprise me!!!!". At this point, I think I'd rather sell everything, and not deal with possessions. It's crazy to think how much stuff we all "need". Anyway, I'll get off that soapbox, and leave you with a link to someone I enjoy following, Jamie the Very Worst Missionary at http://www.theveryworstmissionary.com/. I read her recent post, and she and her family just returned to the states from a long term mission tour in Costa Rica. It's interesting to hear her perspective of their move. Hope you'll enjoy it.

The YARD SALE Birthday

Two days until the packers/movers arrive. As with every move comes a YARD SALE. I love this part of moving. Taking all the old stuff, that you have loved for so long, but is now old and tired, and giving it to someone else to love. Of course, "one man's junk is another man's treasure". So we (Don) hauled out some old furniture, TVs, stereo equipment, and tons of clothes. I sold a lot of my clothes, and most of the furniture that we put out. We are donating the rest. Yard sales are always entertaining with some of the yard salers and their negotiating. At one point I wanted to say "man, just take the stuff and leave! I'm not trying to make a living off this stuff, just wanna get rid of it!

The interesting thing about this particular yard sale was that it was Don's birthday.A milestone birthday at that. Happy 50th to my wonderful husband! After the yard sale, we celebrated with takeout, and cupcakes from Park side Bakery. This bakery is amazing. It frosts the cupcakes with an ice cream scoop! Yes, literally takes a scoop filled with frosting and plops it on top.  Is that wrong? All and all, it was a good day though, just a part of moving, so you have to be flexible.

A Momentary Freak-Out!

Tuesday?! Like six days from now, Tuesday?! How can this be? We have been looking forward to this day for a long time, but Tuesday? Of next week Tuesday, the movers are coming?

 (Shelly looks around the room) 0_0'

She sees everything in it's place, just the way she likes it. On top of the TV Armoire, she sees the canvas picture of her and the kids at the beach when they are small. Her favorite pair of finials that she purchased while shopping with a special sister-in-law in Decatur sit nicely beside the photo, and her wedding album tucked neatly away in the cubby of the armoire. She especially notices the pictures that are all still nicely hung on the walls, and wonders how things will ever be ready for movers on Tuesday.

So, how could this be? How could the movers be coming Tuesday? With so much to be accomplished before they come... on Tuesday?!!

Bon Voyage!

Bon Voyage - "Good Journey"!

A few little words written on a cake by some beloved coworkers as they tell me "hurry back!  It's that phrase that you hear when you are saying goodbye, so that you can say hello to a new beginning. And, so it's begun, the well wishes and the send offs to a new chapter in my life (my whole family's life).

We have been blessed with an amazing opportunity to work abroad - in Uganda! Where? Uganda the country? Is this a joke? I mean, who does that? These are a just a few of the questions that I get when I tell someone that I (we) are moving....to Uganda. But, for me, it's exhilarating, scary, surreal, crazy...need I go on? But, overall, incredibly exciting.

OK, you can stop looking at me like that now, because I am not crazy, and yes, it's going to happen. We ARE going to board that plane in just a few short weeks, taking with us whatever we can that will fit into our allotted pack out, and heading off to an experience that no matter how wonderful, or how not so wonderful it may be, will have an incredible impact on not only us, but the amazing people we meet along our journey.  I hope that you will join me as I share my joys (and difficulties) along the way......in Uganda!