i am sitting at my new desk in my new office in the city, about 20 minutes from my new apartment, :).
i am safe, healthy, rested, and with lindsey. i feel great, but she is still here, so we'll see how long that lasts.
it is so overwhelming to try to learn so much about the lifestyle in the next 9 months...i have no idea what to expect, what is normal/not normal, or what to avoid.
i arrived early yesterday morning and lindsey picked me up with another woman we work with, boba (she is sooo nice). we went to a little coffee shop and got some breakfast...i already found out how great the tea is here. we sat and chatted for a while, it was good to just sit and relax after traveling for so long.
then we went to lindsey's apartment, which will be mine starting monday. it is beautiful. it overlooks the whole city and it feels like i am living in a hotel suite. i have a really big bedroom with a queen size bed and my own bathroom connected to it. there is a dining room and a living room along with another bedroom/bathroom and kitchen. this is such a blessing and not the experience i was imagining (which, i promise you, was not pretty). me and lindsey talked for a long time again, just catching up with one another - it is so good to be with her again, i can't believe i won't see her for another 9 months!
she took me around the neighborhood and we bought fresh produce and rice for dinner that night - we bought an eggplant, three small onions, three carrots, and a couple cups of rice for about $1.00...not.too.shabby. we went back, showered up, and cooked dinner, i more or less watched lindsey cook dinner, and talked some more, :). then we watched a movie on my laptop before we went to bed - i already know that i will be doing this most nights. i fell asleep fairly easily...but i woke up a couple hours later - it was 7:30 p.m. at home - watched a couple episodes of friends, then went right back to sleep. i kind of like sleeping under a mosquito net, it's somewhat comforting, i don't know why.
i woke up around 11:00 a.m., uganda time, ate some eggs that lindsey graciously cooked for me and got ready to come into the city. we took two taxis, which are actually buses and instead of telling them where we want to go like in the states, you just go to wherever the taxi is headed, like a subway above ground. the first taxi driver tried to keep the change he owed us from what lindsey paid, but she was great and assertive and scolded him when we got out, holding out her hand for the money. i was impressed. also, scared because she is leaving and this will have to be me in a couple days.
we then went and got money out of the atm and then to a grocery store and then to get her favorite snack, which is now also mine, fried/dried bananas - they are deadly. then finally to the office. i am now waiting for my boss to get in so i can meet him for the first time.
so...after that novel. all is well with me and uganda, as far as i can tell, :). i will leave you with the following story for your amusement:
on our first taxi ride today a ugandan man got on and sat next to me (it was the only available seat on the bus). lindsey was on my right, the man on my left. he stared at me six inches away from my face for a good five minutes and i felt him inching closer and closer to me. not wanting to make an issue out of it, i did not move closer to lindsey for fear of offending him since i knew that personal space is much more valuable to americans. by the last couple minutes of the ride, his leg was smack up against mine and his (fisted) hand was resting on my thigh. again, not wanting to offend anyone on my first day, i said/did nothing. he got off at the next stop and i turned to lindsey and explained what happened. i said, "that's just part of the culture, right?" lindsey said no while laughing in my face.
welcome to uganda, riiiiiiight? :)
Thursday, May 28, 2009
Friday, May 22, 2009
Thursday, May 21, 2009
africa...t-4 days.
getting close here peeps.
each day i get a little more nervous - my stomach has actually been a little queasy since last nite...i don't see that going away for about 9 months, :). not much to update on, just writing for the sake of a post and for those of you who are too kind and read whatever i write on this thing.
i am in DC and my sister just left so i am going to head home shortly. so hard to say goodbye to her but so good to spend the day with her. had to say goodbye to katie and jon last nite and i know there are so many more hard ones to come. i feel so blessed to know so many amazing people and i am hoping that it will just give me something to look forward to at home instead of something to miss while i am gone.
i still have not actually packed anything into a suitcase yet, but me and pat have dedicated a corner of my room to stuff that is going with me. it's cleverly called "the africa corner." i am anxious to see what all i can fit...i guess i should work on finding suitcases to go with me. oops! part of me just wants to leave tomorrow to get this trip going and part of me really wants more time at home. 9 months though, right? nbd (no big deal for you oldheads).
so...if you feel like it, please pray for me and for some organization over the next couple days. and just a sense of peace and calm as i get ready to take off - literally. my flight is scheduled to leave at 9:00 p.m. on monday so pleeeease shoot a word up to the big guy for me at that time. you all are amazing and i.love.you.
each day i get a little more nervous - my stomach has actually been a little queasy since last nite...i don't see that going away for about 9 months, :). not much to update on, just writing for the sake of a post and for those of you who are too kind and read whatever i write on this thing.
i am in DC and my sister just left so i am going to head home shortly. so hard to say goodbye to her but so good to spend the day with her. had to say goodbye to katie and jon last nite and i know there are so many more hard ones to come. i feel so blessed to know so many amazing people and i am hoping that it will just give me something to look forward to at home instead of something to miss while i am gone.
i still have not actually packed anything into a suitcase yet, but me and pat have dedicated a corner of my room to stuff that is going with me. it's cleverly called "the africa corner." i am anxious to see what all i can fit...i guess i should work on finding suitcases to go with me. oops! part of me just wants to leave tomorrow to get this trip going and part of me really wants more time at home. 9 months though, right? nbd (no big deal for you oldheads).
so...if you feel like it, please pray for me and for some organization over the next couple days. and just a sense of peace and calm as i get ready to take off - literally. my flight is scheduled to leave at 9:00 p.m. on monday so pleeeease shoot a word up to the big guy for me at that time. you all are amazing and i.love.you.
Monday, May 11, 2009
2 weeks.
me and africa had a productive day today. we got much more acquainted and, in my opinion, much more comfortable with the idea of one another, :).
so, i met my bosses today for the first time and was filled in about what my actual job description is. it started at 8:30 this morning and information was just fed to me for 4 straight hours. i was so excited to be hearing details about the trip that i wasn't really thinking about the emotional side of everything. it was just all logistics. i walked into the CURE offices with only car keys and came out struggling to carry my new shtuff - oh, and that is a purposeful "h".
the communications department showed me examples of patient stories similar to what i will be photographing and writing. they handed me folders and papers with examples and we discussed potential projects that i might work on. interestingly enough, the head of the communications department is my second cousin. so nice - she is making this whole process a lot easier to compute.
the a/v guy showed me how to use the video equipment and we had fabulous nerdy conversation about camera equipment and software. he was so kind and understanding. he handed me the camera bag with all the equipment i will need and said, "good luck!" i looked at him with an eyebrow (ok, it was two...) raised and said, "why are you giving this to me?" he chuckled and replied, "well, you are leaving in two weeks...this should probably go with you." and that's when it slapped me across the face - TWO WEEKS. i thought about it for only 3.5 seconds, then i pushed it out of my brain as he handed me a wasabi covered peanut which i obviously ate. my nose started burning and he showed me to me next meeting.
so with watery eyes from the wasabi and my collection of materials quickly growing, i met with one of the nicest men in the world. he had led staff devotions that morning and was obviously in some type of leadership position at CURE. he was one of those people that when you meet them, their face and voice can instantly put you at ease. my anxiety was really getting a move on at this point of the day and as i sunk into the chair in his office, i felt myself relax. he started by telling me that i was an answer to prayer and that he can already tell that i am a humble person. while mentally patting myself on the back and being characteristically impressed with myself for doing nothing, i realized the irony, :). my ego was quickly knocked back into place and then he started telling me how much i will hate it at some points and how i will want to come home. i agreed with him. he apologized for the shotgun approach at orientation that i was receiving. so just as my emotions began to creep in again, PTL, we started going over some facts. what to pack. what i will eat. what to wear. who to call in case of emergency. can i run in shorts? should i always say no when men offer me cows in exchange for marriage? you know, the basics. he proceeded to tell me that he was here as strictly a support system for me and was not going to be the "bossman". he was a friend, he offered to e-mail with me when things in africa get...iffy. he doesn't know what he just got himself into, :).
again, i began to pat myself on the back for making it through 4 hours of scattered orientation without any tears (minus the wasabi). then the nice man prayed. it was one of those prayers where he told GOD where he said things in the bible and used super eloquent phrases - he even mentioned things i was thinking that i haven't voiced to anyone about the trip. then he used the phrase "as rachel says goodbye in the next 2 weeks" and the tears came. thank goodness this man prays for a long time because i was frantically wiping my eyes and doing some sort of lamaze type breathing to keep from hyperventilating. i kept it together for so long during the day - i couldn't break the seal now. i knew it would be a disaster to start crying right before i left...it would have been two hours of counseling and trying to explain to them that i am in fact ready to do this (wait, am i??).
so i thanked everyone and walked out the door, 15 pounds of shtuff in tow. i was a little disoriented and overwhelmed by the sudden influx of information and contacts. the phrase "2 week" was running through my head so quickly that it felt like it was just cracking against the inside of my skull. i believe this is what real people call a "pounding headache." it was one of those headaches that you get from crying too much which confused me because i hadn't officially cried yet.
so i did what ever self-respecting american does when he/she is stressed out, confused, and anxious. i went to mcdonald's. feeling as though i was in somewhat of a dreamland, i walked underneath the golden arches and stared for a full five minutes at the menu - which i have (naturally) had memorized since 6th grade. my breathing began to shorten and my hands started shaking. i went into the gross bathroom and splashed water on my face. "why am i freaking out in mcdonald's? this is a good place. a very good place." these were the best thoughts i could come up with in this fragile state. sad, huh? so i got a handle on the weird breathing patterns and marched back out to order. without thinking at all, i ordered a double cheeseburger mighty kids meal and a small m&m mcflurry (relax vern, NOT a habit). i have never ordered either of these things in my life. i just did it. don't ask why.
so i get into my car and with the wheel in one hand and and a half eaten double pattied grease-wich in the other, i pulled onto the highway to go home. and then i cried. for 10 seconds. i wanted it to be longer, longer would have been much more therapeutic. but then i realized that i just drove past the exit for the turnpike and i got too annoyed to be sad. GOD thing? maybe. maybe i am not supposed to think about this - maybe i'm supposed to just jump...and hope. every time i try to focus on it, something comes up. missed exits, finals, american idol...the list is highly important, :).
so what does this post mean? it means i had a crazy day and i am trying to process it. if you have any tips/advice...feel free here people. if you have neither, just keep praying - still important. THANKS...love you all.
so, i met my bosses today for the first time and was filled in about what my actual job description is. it started at 8:30 this morning and information was just fed to me for 4 straight hours. i was so excited to be hearing details about the trip that i wasn't really thinking about the emotional side of everything. it was just all logistics. i walked into the CURE offices with only car keys and came out struggling to carry my new shtuff - oh, and that is a purposeful "h".
the communications department showed me examples of patient stories similar to what i will be photographing and writing. they handed me folders and papers with examples and we discussed potential projects that i might work on. interestingly enough, the head of the communications department is my second cousin. so nice - she is making this whole process a lot easier to compute.
the a/v guy showed me how to use the video equipment and we had fabulous nerdy conversation about camera equipment and software. he was so kind and understanding. he handed me the camera bag with all the equipment i will need and said, "good luck!" i looked at him with an eyebrow (ok, it was two...) raised and said, "why are you giving this to me?" he chuckled and replied, "well, you are leaving in two weeks...this should probably go with you." and that's when it slapped me across the face - TWO WEEKS. i thought about it for only 3.5 seconds, then i pushed it out of my brain as he handed me a wasabi covered peanut which i obviously ate. my nose started burning and he showed me to me next meeting.
so with watery eyes from the wasabi and my collection of materials quickly growing, i met with one of the nicest men in the world. he had led staff devotions that morning and was obviously in some type of leadership position at CURE. he was one of those people that when you meet them, their face and voice can instantly put you at ease. my anxiety was really getting a move on at this point of the day and as i sunk into the chair in his office, i felt myself relax. he started by telling me that i was an answer to prayer and that he can already tell that i am a humble person. while mentally patting myself on the back and being characteristically impressed with myself for doing nothing, i realized the irony, :). my ego was quickly knocked back into place and then he started telling me how much i will hate it at some points and how i will want to come home. i agreed with him. he apologized for the shotgun approach at orientation that i was receiving. so just as my emotions began to creep in again, PTL, we started going over some facts. what to pack. what i will eat. what to wear. who to call in case of emergency. can i run in shorts? should i always say no when men offer me cows in exchange for marriage? you know, the basics. he proceeded to tell me that he was here as strictly a support system for me and was not going to be the "bossman". he was a friend, he offered to e-mail with me when things in africa get...iffy. he doesn't know what he just got himself into, :).
again, i began to pat myself on the back for making it through 4 hours of scattered orientation without any tears (minus the wasabi). then the nice man prayed. it was one of those prayers where he told GOD where he said things in the bible and used super eloquent phrases - he even mentioned things i was thinking that i haven't voiced to anyone about the trip. then he used the phrase "as rachel says goodbye in the next 2 weeks" and the tears came. thank goodness this man prays for a long time because i was frantically wiping my eyes and doing some sort of lamaze type breathing to keep from hyperventilating. i kept it together for so long during the day - i couldn't break the seal now. i knew it would be a disaster to start crying right before i left...it would have been two hours of counseling and trying to explain to them that i am in fact ready to do this (wait, am i??).
so i thanked everyone and walked out the door, 15 pounds of shtuff in tow. i was a little disoriented and overwhelmed by the sudden influx of information and contacts. the phrase "2 week" was running through my head so quickly that it felt like it was just cracking against the inside of my skull. i believe this is what real people call a "pounding headache." it was one of those headaches that you get from crying too much which confused me because i hadn't officially cried yet.
so i did what ever self-respecting american does when he/she is stressed out, confused, and anxious. i went to mcdonald's. feeling as though i was in somewhat of a dreamland, i walked underneath the golden arches and stared for a full five minutes at the menu - which i have (naturally) had memorized since 6th grade. my breathing began to shorten and my hands started shaking. i went into the gross bathroom and splashed water on my face. "why am i freaking out in mcdonald's? this is a good place. a very good place." these were the best thoughts i could come up with in this fragile state. sad, huh? so i got a handle on the weird breathing patterns and marched back out to order. without thinking at all, i ordered a double cheeseburger mighty kids meal and a small m&m mcflurry (relax vern, NOT a habit). i have never ordered either of these things in my life. i just did it. don't ask why.
so i get into my car and with the wheel in one hand and and a half eaten double pattied grease-wich in the other, i pulled onto the highway to go home. and then i cried. for 10 seconds. i wanted it to be longer, longer would have been much more therapeutic. but then i realized that i just drove past the exit for the turnpike and i got too annoyed to be sad. GOD thing? maybe. maybe i am not supposed to think about this - maybe i'm supposed to just jump...and hope. every time i try to focus on it, something comes up. missed exits, finals, american idol...the list is highly important, :).
so what does this post mean? it means i had a crazy day and i am trying to process it. if you have any tips/advice...feel free here people. if you have neither, just keep praying - still important. THANKS...love you all.
Tuesday, May 5, 2009
ohhhh geez.
Welp, 20 days til take off. That sounds so soon! I was at home this weekend, mapping out the next 3 weeks of my life - trying to navigate when I will say goodbye to the people most important to me. See, there's Pat and Vern. They will be there up until the day I leave, so check them off the list. Then there is Katie and Jon. They are celebrating their 2nd anniversary (congrats!) in Florida and will be leaving the 21st, so looks like I will have to say bonjour to them before I leave on the 20th to go to D.C. to say goodbye to Mattie (who I won't see from now until then). Then Ben and Samantha, who I saw briefly this weekend - but they will be home...ptl. And then there's Face. But she won't be leaving for Peru until the 27th, so hopefully I will get some good QT with her that weekend.
Oh, and then there are the other 100 people that I love...for them (most likely Y.O.U. if you are reading this), there is May 17th. Party. Horning home. By Patsy. Potluck. Married...bring hot dish. Unmarried (good for you)...side dish/beverage/dessert. From 2 p.m. - Whenever. Dinner at 5:00 p.m. Bring bathing suit and athletic clothes. Vern will be ready for bball. Call me with questions. If you don't have my number, you must not know me that well. Just kidding. Still come. Everyone (and I mean everyone) is invited.
Ok, joking aside. Things are slowly coming together for this excursion. I got my Macbook yesterday! I am already obsessed with it...and I am trying not to see dollar signs/debt every time I look at it, :). Surprisingly, finances have not been stressing me out as much as I thought they would. Probably because I am not thinking about post-Africa when I need to have money again. But the LORD is definitely providing, a special someone (OK fine, I'll tell you, it was Mimi), gave me money to get a much-needed-heavy-duty-backpack to carry my camera equipment and clothing for my trips to the 4 other countries that CURE has hospitals in. That was probably the most important purchase to make, besides my vaccinations so I don't die (which reminds me, I think I am going to pay the $90.00 for the polio vaccine...I decided avoiding paralysis is worth the money...haha). Anyway, I am currently researching different backpacks. I am oddly attracted to the Swiss Gear ones, specifically the IBEX that the Vern has. I need one that has a pocket for at least a 15.4 inch laptop and one that can carry a bunch of stuff. Please let me know if you have any suggestions for specific bags or where I can get cheap deals.
Enough about stuff. Emotions...hm. I don't have many, shockingly, today. Perhaps because I found out at 3 a.m. that I had a paper due at noon. Alas, it is 12:30 and I handed the paper in exactly 33 minutes ago. Close call, I am aware. But that is college. I have had a rough week. Everything in my life was due May 1st and it all got finished (PTL!) but I am realizing how much more needs to be done this week. It is time to start doing Africa busy work again. Doctors, passports, visas, support letters, packing, etc. I need to move out of my apartment in one week, and then pack up my life in the two following that one. So from the last 10 sentences, I have deducted that I do have an emotion - stress. Just a lil bit. So...prayer request: efficiency. I am good at getting things done. Just not always in a timely way. So recruiting all organizers (aka Patsy and Sara Poole)...send me tips. Ha.
That is all for now. I have no more information about the trip. And I probably should. Which reminds me, I must get to e-mailing. Much love!
Oh, and then there are the other 100 people that I love...for them (most likely Y.O.U. if you are reading this), there is May 17th. Party. Horning home. By Patsy. Potluck. Married...bring hot dish. Unmarried (good for you)...side dish/beverage/dessert. From 2 p.m. - Whenever. Dinner at 5:00 p.m. Bring bathing suit and athletic clothes. Vern will be ready for bball. Call me with questions. If you don't have my number, you must not know me that well. Just kidding. Still come. Everyone (and I mean everyone) is invited.
Ok, joking aside. Things are slowly coming together for this excursion. I got my Macbook yesterday! I am already obsessed with it...and I am trying not to see dollar signs/debt every time I look at it, :). Surprisingly, finances have not been stressing me out as much as I thought they would. Probably because I am not thinking about post-Africa when I need to have money again. But the LORD is definitely providing, a special someone (OK fine, I'll tell you, it was Mimi), gave me money to get a much-needed-heavy-duty-backpack to carry my camera equipment and clothing for my trips to the 4 other countries that CURE has hospitals in. That was probably the most important purchase to make, besides my vaccinations so I don't die (which reminds me, I think I am going to pay the $90.00 for the polio vaccine...I decided avoiding paralysis is worth the money...haha). Anyway, I am currently researching different backpacks. I am oddly attracted to the Swiss Gear ones, specifically the IBEX that the Vern has. I need one that has a pocket for at least a 15.4 inch laptop and one that can carry a bunch of stuff. Please let me know if you have any suggestions for specific bags or where I can get cheap deals.
Enough about stuff. Emotions...hm. I don't have many, shockingly, today. Perhaps because I found out at 3 a.m. that I had a paper due at noon. Alas, it is 12:30 and I handed the paper in exactly 33 minutes ago. Close call, I am aware. But that is college. I have had a rough week. Everything in my life was due May 1st and it all got finished (PTL!) but I am realizing how much more needs to be done this week. It is time to start doing Africa busy work again. Doctors, passports, visas, support letters, packing, etc. I need to move out of my apartment in one week, and then pack up my life in the two following that one. So from the last 10 sentences, I have deducted that I do have an emotion - stress. Just a lil bit. So...prayer request: efficiency. I am good at getting things done. Just not always in a timely way. So recruiting all organizers (aka Patsy and Sara Poole)...send me tips. Ha.
That is all for now. I have no more information about the trip. And I probably should. Which reminds me, I must get to e-mailing. Much love!
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