Q & A

So we finally got Internet at our house in Tororo! While it is slow and disconnects often, we do have Internet. I’m constantly reminding myself…I’m in Africa.

In the two short weeks I have been here, I already have so many stories to tell! Because I have been away from the Internet, I will spend the next few days catching you up to speed. From now on I will be able to update more regularly.

I’m posting this for all of your questions of where and how I’m living here in Africa. I thought I would just knock it out in one posting. I understand wanting to know this information- especially for those “living vicariously” through me.

Yes, it’s summer here. Africans don’t actually have seasons like we do- Summer, Winter, Spring and Fall. Instead they have rainy season, dry season, rainy season, and dry season. So actually a rainy season is ending and warmer temperatures are setting in. The temperature is perfect here! It stays around 80 during the day and cools down to the 60 at night. It has rained and stormed a few times already, but the sun shines right back through when the rain is gone.

Yes, I live in a house and it’s gated. Here they call it a compound. It just means there is a house (maybe two or three buildings) on the land with a concrete fence surrounding it. We have a guard and a couple that lives about 15 steps behind us. Slivia and Emmanuel are very helpful, as they want to do everything for us! Slivia hand washes our clothes, cleans and cooks for us on occasion. We have running water; however, it is usually not warm or hot. One of the showers has the option of being hot when the electricity is on. My shower does not; however, the cold shower can be quite refreshing. We have normal toilets like in the States. I had heard I might have a “squatty potty” or, in other words, a hole in the ground, but I do in fact have a normal flushing toilet. As for electricity, we have it…most of the time. It goes out every day for a few hours. Most nights we go to sleep with it working- fans and refrigerator running-and then wake up to no power. It is not that inconvenient as we don’t need light much, but the refrigerator is a concern because of spoiled food. All six of us live here- two in a room. We have plenty of space, concrete walls and floors, so it stays pretty clean. The kitchen is a little difficult as we cook on a small gas stove, and washing dishes with dirty cold water isn’t fun.

While I’m talking about water, we buy a lot of bottled water, but it gets expensive so we are having to spend much time going through the following process: We boil water, let it cool, transfer it to empty plastic bottles, refrigerate it to cool it down, before putting it into our individual filter water bottles! We are drinking a lot of water, cleaning foods, and brushing teeth with it, so we need a lot. Just remember how easy it is for you to go over to your faucet and fill your cup with clean water. Not everybody in the world has that privilege. Be thankful.

Yes, I eat. We eat lots of rice and beans! Africa is the land of fruits and vegetables it seems, and we have eaten the best fresh produce. It’s mango season right now, and they are wonderful. The pineapple, apples and bananas are excellent as well! We eat lots of peanut butter and bread, and we also find different ways to eat eggs. These are our sources of protein because it is difficult to eat meat around here. With all the walking and eating less- I should be in the best shape over the holidays!

As for my routine/schedule: First let me tell you of some cultural differences. Africans don’t have schedules- or plans- or routines- or “to do” list. There is no such thing as time. They might not even keep up with what day it is, so time here isn’t important. Unlike in America where we make appointments, try not to be late, make “to do” list to get it all done, planning and scheduling is how we measure our days as productive or accomplished. In Africa, sitting, talking, and having relationships is most important. The rest doesn’t really matter. This is an adjustment for my team as we try to blend with their culture. It can be frustrating at times that things move slowly around here, but it’s also a nice change of pace.

We work at SMILE Africa (daycare/school) Monday- Saturday 8-4. However, we were told to take a day off and time to rest because we will get exhausted and burnt out. We travel to our work via boda bodas (motorcycle taxi). It’s cheap and fairly safe I guess- seeing as they don’t travel too fast due to the condition of roads. Traffic in general here is crazy, so just walking on the road can be dangerous. We also can walk, but it takes a little over an hour to make it into town.

As for language, just here in Tororo there are about 15 different languages spoken. Lugandan, Jap, Swahili, other local/tribal languages and most can speak a little English. Because a large amount of the children speak Swahili at SMILE, we are doing our best to learn this language. I am already picking up on greetings and common questions to communicate with the children. They love it when mazungus (white people) try to speak their language.

In Africa, children aren’t valued. They are the least priority, so many are mistreated. It is difficult to understand and difficult to see, but we are trying to help where we can and try to leave a mark. Even if one feels more loved or one gets fed or one gets clothed or one gets hugged- it is ONE. It can be overwhelming at times, but we have to continue to look forward at what we did do- rather what God is doing! We have to remember that one child we finally got to smile- and not be discouraged by the millions in need- or the continued mistreatment and lack of values in place here.

I just ask for your prayers as we continue to get acclimated and adjust to a different culture. I also ask that you pray for these children. The need is overwhelming. Pray for their health, their hunger, their thirst, their lack of attention, their families and parents, their community, their need for love. Just remember to cherish what you have- whether it is your clean running water or your beautiful little child. Love on people a little more because there is so many that need it.