ALIVE IN AFRICA!

That’s right, I’m BLOGGING from Africa. Eat that, Ryan. ;) just kidding. I’m actually typing this on word and then copy and pasting it to the site as internet access is incredibly slow here! As in, the other day I typed two emails in an HOUR. So.

What to say so far…I don’t know how to post this all or somehow explain life here or what I am experiencing. I arrived into the airport in Entebbe, Uganda, after 3 days and two nights of constant flying…and sitting twiddling my thumbs in airports, trying to sleep in planes, you know. Needless to say it was long, but nothing went wrong!!!! I am SOOO thankful for that as lots of you know my seemingly bad luck with airports/airlines/flights/visas, etc.

Anyways. Ok. In brief. I spent the night at a guesthouse in Entebbe for the night to get over jet lag. A driver picked me up in the morning and drive me to the capital Kampala, to get myself oriented and meet the Ugandan coordinator for my organization, Dennis; and my contact person in Jinja, Emmanuel. We toured around Kampala, got money changed, got a cell phone, went to the museum, went to some tombs….. finally driving out to my home town here of Jinja, with stops at the edge of the NILE RIVER and the white water rafting site for the company my organization is teamed up with- ADRIFT. Finally we ended up at my guesthouse in Jinja where I met Lindsey and Leslie, who are also volunteering with GIVE. We clicked strait away and are pretty inseperable now; which is also a huge blessing.

So the past few days then…I have gotten aquainted with two orphanages, which I think I might do a few days a week at each. I’ve eaten fried cassava from street vendors, rode a ‘boda boda’ (scooter form of taxi transport), met amazing people, ate the biggest and best avocado from an old lady on the street(for like, 10 cents), and like..shoot I don’t know what else to say!! It’s been surreal, and unreal, but at the same time feels like normal and casual to be here.

Today the girls and I were walking downtown and heard loud African music coming from the local high school, so we wandered over to check it out. Introduced ourselves to some ladies going in and they took us along- turned out to be “JINJA FOR JESUS”, a big conference. It was amazing. It was ALIVE! Jesus is so alive and vibrant and….i don’t have many words for that either. We clapped, we jumped, we danced, we raised our hands in the air, we laughed, I nearly cried…we saw some old man shake his booty like I’ve never thought possible!!! If there is anything that is so apparent to my faith here it is that GOD IS REAL. I love it. The girls and I want to learn how to drum and how to dance. Honestly, these people put beonce to shame. And MUSIC is brilliant. Im trying to think of how I can fit like, 10 drums in my backpack to bring home.

Shoot I could go on forever. But I just wanted everyone to know that I am safe, I feel increbibly safe..my guesthouse is great…sleeping under mozzie nets makes me feel like im in a princess bed..hahaha. haven’t really even seen a mosquito but I know malaria is very real so YES im taking my drugs. Oh, and food? Lots of sweet potatos, cassava(like potato) maize, (like corn) g-nut sauce (which is a different color everywhere you go, so im still not quite sure what it is…) cooked cabbage..matoke (umm..a kind of mashed green banana). Meat is somewhat to be desired unless you are in a nice restaurant, the “hygienic butcher” shop on the side of the road is enough to make the matoke reappear in my mouth.

OH and I finally got to drink a decent coffee today. Roasted here at the shop im in right now, its like my beanery of jinja so I am happy to have found it. Otherwise we just have instant at the guesthouse (rob you were right..i should have brought some over) BUT there is no coffee pot either so yeah. Lots of things remind me of new Zealand, british saying and the way things are done so I feel at home.

The children are gorgeous and id like to bring them all home with me. I am reffered to at the orphanage as “auntie Vicki” and am constantly being climbed on and having my legs hugged. How can your heart not break when you learn which ones are HIV positive, which ones have been there for so long and not yet adopted.. but looking at all their hands folded and saying a prayer of thanks together before a meal certainly would have my mother a constant waterfall… ;)

So this actyualy is brief compared to all I would love to share with you. However I probably wont be doing this that often so I figure ill make up for by wrting long posts. OH so I have a cell phone, and its free for me to receive calls and texts from overseas soooo if you so desire to call or text, my number is..umm
256-077-31-09-991


much love to you all…until I post again, thanks for your thoughts and prayers. They are appreciated!
VickI…