I got to Google+ Chat with my family last weekend and that was a real treat even though it exhausted all the internet time that I was suppose to have for all month. It was fun to see everyone's faces, and of course play around with all the web-effects you can do with webcams. (We are all just big kids at heart)
It isn't very hot right now unless you are out between 12-3pm. Every couple of days it rains and makes things a bit humid, but unlike Kansas it doesn't stick around really, so that's nice.
Akiki had to come to Kampala for something this last week so I got to see and talk to her in person. For some reason its a bit harder for me to follow the accent when I am on the phone. I am much better at communicating in person. I guess I must be a lip reader or something. Anyway, it was good to see her. Julius is her manager for the clinic and he is going to try and help me with the visa so I can work there. I still have to get everything for my license squared away, and my interview is next Wed, so you could pray for that. Whichever way it works out I have confidence that God's will be glorified.
I am probably going to be part of the medical support team for an annual conference that the church in Bugolobi is putting on this next week. I'll leave from there to go to the interview, and then head back after that. The conference is like a miniature Faithwalkers from what I've heard in the past, so I'm interested in seeing what I think of it. :)
We have been eating a lot of fresh pineapple, which is simply amazing! Also, come to find out, they have really good carrots over here! (it must be something with the soil. who would have thought it?) We got lunch at a place in the mall one day that had a salad bar, and I really liked one of their salads so i've been making it a lot, and its a big hit with my housemates! Basically its just tomatoes, peppers and red onions with a little pepper and Italian seasoning. Super simple, almost like eating garden salsa, but its really good. Also, I got coffee yesterday from a place that roasts and brews their own local coffee. God really knew what He was doing, because African coffee has the exact taste that I really love in coffee. That couldn't just be coincidence, could it?
The other day they gave me some banana cake, and it tasted almost exactly like Mom's Famous Banana bread. It surprised me at first and then filled me with a teensy bit of homesickness.
Its been challenging and encouraging to share with my friends from the Bugos church. I don't know how many times now we've just been talking about something around the house and have to pull out our Bibles to argue our points from Scripture. It's pretty encouraging. They made me do a skit for church the other day about faithfulness in the workplace. I had to play the mean boss. Not my cup of tea, but I think we still pulled it off fairly well. The hard part is that when I am trying to portray emotion (and in front of people), I end up talking faster which makes me a lot harder to understand (having an American accent as I do...).
As far as what God's been teaching me, its been a bit all over the board... As you all well know, I am not good at dealing with disappointment, and so hitting constant setbacks on the road to trying to get things so I can work has been really hard. I know that the devil doesn't want me to have smooth sailing, but sometimes its easy to fall into the mindset that this is "just my luck", or something of that nature and forget that everything we do in following Christ is surrounded by a spiritual battle as well. I need to remember that more and trust God more that He causes all things to work together for good for those who love Him and are called according to His purpose. Other than that, since I've had a lot of down time, I've been going through the end part of Ephesians and just started on Philippians. Ephesians 6:10-20 has been really good at sharpening my perspective for the above mentioned struggles. Its funny how God often has me read something that is exactly what I need for the day. But I'm sure He does that with all His children.
Blessings to everyone back in Kansas! Love you all!
Wednesday, August 28, 2013
Thursday, August 22, 2013
T.I.A. (This Is Africa)
Sometimes waiting is the hardest thing to do.
Pretty much always it is my least favorite thing to do.
God called me to Africa.
Africa is all about waiting.
God has a sense of humor.
So come to find out, in the process to get all my visa things sorted out and my status as a nurse in Uganda I am going to have to get really good at waiting. To start out with, I can't apply for my work permit visa until I have my nursing license issued in Uganda. The good news is that they have put me on the list for a 3 year permanent nurses license instead of just a temporary one. Bad news is I missed the deadline for nursing candidate interviews for August, as I was flying in to Entebbe the day that I would have had to have been in interviews. So the next day that I can go sit for the interviews is Sept 4. This gives me a fair amount of time that I can't legally work in Uganda, nor do I have any gainful employment. Even after the interview, I am going to have to work in a government hospital for 6 weeks as an "orientation" period (presumably non-paid). In that case there are a couple of different options for me. I can go live with Akiki in Kibiito and commute to Fort Portal to the hospital there for my 6 weeks, or I can stay in Kampala and work in one of the hospitals here. Even though I love living with the girls here, I am anxious to be going upcountry and getting settled in, so I'll probably end up doing just that.
Needless to say I really wasn't planning on this drawn out of a process before getting to work. I mean, I am kinda prepared for anything that I go to try and do in Africa to not exactly work out the way I intended, and I am used to meeting a fair amount of red tape in getting anything done here, but still...
Anyway, the good news is that in the meantime I have some really great friends to stay with and I have been trying to be helpful around the house and with errands to make myself useful. Aki work with event planning, so I've been assisting her a little with making decorations for a kwanjula (engagement/introduction ceremony) that's coming up this weekend. I'll probably end up helping her out with that a bit.
Other than that I've been hanging out with friends at home and church, traipsing across Kampala, cooking over charcoal stoves, taking cold showers, listening and dancing to African rhythms, and generally enjoying being back in one of my favorite places on earth!
In more fun news, I love how nothing changes even though you are on the other side of the globe. For example, on girls night we still laughed, talked, showed off dance moves, and watched Pitch Perfect. Last night we had a pillow fight which I'm not sure I got the better end of (I never seem to). I still love cooking, even if its food from a crazy looking outdoor market, prepared over a charcoal stove, and I have to sort the stones out of the rice before I cook it. I still get asked to answer all the medical questions. Everyone still loves FroYo. I still hate laundry and dishes. People still say crazy tweetable things. And last, but definitely not least, God is still moving and working and good... all the time!
Pretty much always it is my least favorite thing to do.
God called me to Africa.
Africa is all about waiting.
God has a sense of humor.
So come to find out, in the process to get all my visa things sorted out and my status as a nurse in Uganda I am going to have to get really good at waiting. To start out with, I can't apply for my work permit visa until I have my nursing license issued in Uganda. The good news is that they have put me on the list for a 3 year permanent nurses license instead of just a temporary one. Bad news is I missed the deadline for nursing candidate interviews for August, as I was flying in to Entebbe the day that I would have had to have been in interviews. So the next day that I can go sit for the interviews is Sept 4. This gives me a fair amount of time that I can't legally work in Uganda, nor do I have any gainful employment. Even after the interview, I am going to have to work in a government hospital for 6 weeks as an "orientation" period (presumably non-paid). In that case there are a couple of different options for me. I can go live with Akiki in Kibiito and commute to Fort Portal to the hospital there for my 6 weeks, or I can stay in Kampala and work in one of the hospitals here. Even though I love living with the girls here, I am anxious to be going upcountry and getting settled in, so I'll probably end up doing just that.
Needless to say I really wasn't planning on this drawn out of a process before getting to work. I mean, I am kinda prepared for anything that I go to try and do in Africa to not exactly work out the way I intended, and I am used to meeting a fair amount of red tape in getting anything done here, but still...
Anyway, the good news is that in the meantime I have some really great friends to stay with and I have been trying to be helpful around the house and with errands to make myself useful. Aki work with event planning, so I've been assisting her a little with making decorations for a kwanjula (engagement/introduction ceremony) that's coming up this weekend. I'll probably end up helping her out with that a bit.
Other than that I've been hanging out with friends at home and church, traipsing across Kampala, cooking over charcoal stoves, taking cold showers, listening and dancing to African rhythms, and generally enjoying being back in one of my favorite places on earth!
In more fun news, I love how nothing changes even though you are on the other side of the globe. For example, on girls night we still laughed, talked, showed off dance moves, and watched Pitch Perfect. Last night we had a pillow fight which I'm not sure I got the better end of (I never seem to). I still love cooking, even if its food from a crazy looking outdoor market, prepared over a charcoal stove, and I have to sort the stones out of the rice before I cook it. I still get asked to answer all the medical questions. Everyone still loves FroYo. I still hate laundry and dishes. People still say crazy tweetable things. And last, but definitely not least, God is still moving and working and good... all the time!
Tuesday, August 13, 2013
Firsts
Got my first mosquito bite last night. The girls made fun of me because I told them that I rarely get bitten, which is true. Hopefully it wasn't an Anopheles mosquito!
Made supper for the first time. John would be proud; I made chicken salad sandwiches. I had to boil a whole chicken and then cut it up. This proved to be a little messy, especially cooking over the charcoal stove on the balcony. It turned out fine though, just a little less of a meal than most Ugandans are used to.
This morning I washed dishes for the first time. I should have done it last night, but what else is new.
Took a very cold shower since power was out (no way to heat the hot water. trust me, I am not firing up the charcoal stove just for a shower!) Nothing quite gets your blood pumping early in the morning than cold water coursing over your body.
I cried for the first time. I found a note stuffed in my suitcase from my 4 youngest siblings. It was so sweet and of course I just flashed back to their faces at the airport and missed them.
Rode sidesaddle on a boda for the first time. That did NOT go well. There were multiple instances where I thought I would bite the ground. I did manage to stay on, but I think next time I'll take the bus instead if I'm wearing a dress.
I've learnt a new word in Luganda: Ndeka. It essentially means: leave me alone. I asked how to say it so I could say that to people who like to pester mzungus... but actually I think I have used it more on my friends who like to tease me a lot! Needless to say we have fun!
Made supper for the first time. John would be proud; I made chicken salad sandwiches. I had to boil a whole chicken and then cut it up. This proved to be a little messy, especially cooking over the charcoal stove on the balcony. It turned out fine though, just a little less of a meal than most Ugandans are used to.
This morning I washed dishes for the first time. I should have done it last night, but what else is new.
Took a very cold shower since power was out (no way to heat the hot water. trust me, I am not firing up the charcoal stove just for a shower!) Nothing quite gets your blood pumping early in the morning than cold water coursing over your body.
I cried for the first time. I found a note stuffed in my suitcase from my 4 youngest siblings. It was so sweet and of course I just flashed back to their faces at the airport and missed them.
Rode sidesaddle on a boda for the first time. That did NOT go well. There were multiple instances where I thought I would bite the ground. I did manage to stay on, but I think next time I'll take the bus instead if I'm wearing a dress.
I've learnt a new word in Luganda: Ndeka. It essentially means: leave me alone. I asked how to say it so I could say that to people who like to pester mzungus... but actually I think I have used it more on my friends who like to tease me a lot! Needless to say we have fun!
Saturday, August 10, 2013
Snapshots of Kampala Life
Just a few snapshots of #lifeinthe256
(256 is the country code for Uganda)
View out the kitchen window from Aki's flat.
I'm told that Kampala was built on and around 7 hills and its kind of cool to see the hills rising in the distance be-speckled as they are with houses and buildings.
Laundry... very colorful laundry.
My view from the balcony at the front of Aki's flat.
Culture shock... Club Obama... SMH
Somehow this reminds me of the guys' apartment #ClubThunder
The soda truck making its deliveries.
Also in the background you can see the local men's club having their daily meeting.
Sorry, I can't figure out how to rotate this pic, but this was on my walk yesterday... just palm trees along the road.
Yellow jerry-cans. A staple of everyday life in Africa for porting water.
The sky looks a lot like Kansas sometimes.
I love the view from the top of the hill on my walk.
The colorful life of the city.
And last, but definitely not least, life in Kampala can not be complete without daily time with God.
Actually life anywhere cannot.
I am blessed to be here and I pray that God may use my life here for His good purpose.
In Uganda...
So obviously I made it to Uganda the earlier part of this week. I am staying with a friend of mine and recovering from 2 very sleepless days aboard planes and attempting to deal with my jetlag and rather upset stomach since arriving.
So far its been a little different than I had planned. First, I am not staying a Kia's place this time, but with another friend, Aki. (I know, I know... their names are very similar. In fact they have teased that they will have kids named Kai and Ika.) I am very thankful for her hospitality while I'm in K'la. She lives not far from Mutungu where I thought I was going to stay, (actually I walked all the way to Kia's house the other day, and besides the problem of hills, it was not too far). However, she lives in an apartment complex which is 4 stories above a night club. So nights here have been a little noisy to say the least! Its like living over Aggieville times five. Also, its not far from a main road, so we hear trucks and bodas 24/7. Needless to say I am extremely thankful for the headphones Mo gave me for Christmas as they are amazing at cancelling the noise and I can just fall asleep to ma' Jesus music instead. :)
Kampala hasn't changed much. They are putting in a mall in Bugolobi and there are subtle changes here and there, but for the most part its still the dusty bustling big city that it always has been.
I have been looking into more things for acquiring my long term working permit visa and was a little concerned with the way the process will work and the time frame. But I firmly believe that God will work all things together for good as I love Him and believe this calling is from Him. If you get a moment to say a prayer for the process though, it would be appreciated. I will begin with my applications on Monday hopefully. Currently I have a one month provisional visa for me to get everything sorted with the visa.
There is so much to get done before I can get truly settled, but I am looking forward to how God may orchestrate it all.
So far its been a little different than I had planned. First, I am not staying a Kia's place this time, but with another friend, Aki. (I know, I know... their names are very similar. In fact they have teased that they will have kids named Kai and Ika.) I am very thankful for her hospitality while I'm in K'la. She lives not far from Mutungu where I thought I was going to stay, (actually I walked all the way to Kia's house the other day, and besides the problem of hills, it was not too far). However, she lives in an apartment complex which is 4 stories above a night club. So nights here have been a little noisy to say the least! Its like living over Aggieville times five. Also, its not far from a main road, so we hear trucks and bodas 24/7. Needless to say I am extremely thankful for the headphones Mo gave me for Christmas as they are amazing at cancelling the noise and I can just fall asleep to ma' Jesus music instead. :)
Kampala hasn't changed much. They are putting in a mall in Bugolobi and there are subtle changes here and there, but for the most part its still the dusty bustling big city that it always has been.
I have been looking into more things for acquiring my long term working permit visa and was a little concerned with the way the process will work and the time frame. But I firmly believe that God will work all things together for good as I love Him and believe this calling is from Him. If you get a moment to say a prayer for the process though, it would be appreciated. I will begin with my applications on Monday hopefully. Currently I have a one month provisional visa for me to get everything sorted with the visa.
There is so much to get done before I can get truly settled, but I am looking forward to how God may orchestrate it all.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)