In just 20 days my parents will finally get to see, smell, feel, hear and taste Uganda. I get to share my world with them for one week, and the anticipation is almost overwhelming!
I probably won't do much blogging until after my parents' visit. Work is really busy right now, but I'm having a great time doing some event planning, which I am learning I'm quite good at. This is where all my perfectionism and anal attention to detail comes in really handy. Finally, a healthy outlet for it! I'll get back to the blog once my parents have left. Until then, hang tight--I promise I'll be back in a month with photos and surely some great stories.
Love,
Meg
Saturday, October 25, 2008
Thursday, October 16, 2008
In other words
"The skies rattle and for anything between a few minutes and whole weeks, the land turns dark as death, barely visible. When it is over, it is as if something that needs to have been said, has been said--but you're not sure if you believe it because the performance has been so over the top."
This is an excerpt from the book The Last King of Scotland, which takes place in Uganda. I love how perfectly the narrator personifies the dramatic Ugandan rain storms. I've tried to describe the rain myself but have continually failed to capture their intensity. I was caught off guard this morning when I read it and found myself silently nodding along in agreement. It is the best description I have come across, of a phenomenon I experience daily. Thank you, Dr. Garrigan.
This is an excerpt from the book The Last King of Scotland, which takes place in Uganda. I love how perfectly the narrator personifies the dramatic Ugandan rain storms. I've tried to describe the rain myself but have continually failed to capture their intensity. I was caught off guard this morning when I read it and found myself silently nodding along in agreement. It is the best description I have come across, of a phenomenon I experience daily. Thank you, Dr. Garrigan.
Sunday, October 5, 2008
Property Grabbing
Dear friends and family,
I was recently perusing the IJM website, and they've posted a new article on IJM Uganda.The article summarizes the findings of a survey our office did this year, on the prevalence of property grabbing in the area where we work.
Property grabbing victimizes the most vulnerable of Ugandan society--widows and orphans--whose land and property are stolen from them (usually by perpetrators related to them) after the death of their husband or father. This crime can include physical attacks, violent threats, and leave a widow or child destitute and hungry.
What I like about working for IJM is that IJM exists to bring hope to victims of violent oppression and injustice. IJM works with the local government to ensure that Ugandan laws are upheld and aid those for whom the laws were established--the poor and vulnerable.
I hope the article on our survey sheds a little more light on why IJM exists in Uganda and to what I have been contributing my administrative skills for the past nine months.
Nine months. I can't believe I've been here that long. I have just under four more to go, and know it will fly by. It will be so hard to leave this place which I now call home. It's too bad Uganda is so far away from California--I'd visit often if I could, but a flight to Africa is terribly expensive and too long to randomly join my colleagues for morning prayer or a lunch of matooke, beans and beef.
Life has been pretty low key as of late. I'm currently house-sitting for a week which makes for a nice little vacation while still in Kampala. The house comes with a pool, TV, access to four seasons of Grey's Anatomy, and a very comfortable bed. What more could I want? Besides work I've been hanging with some new friends and trying to make headway through my current bookclub assignment--Dostoevsky's The Brothers Karamazov--which is painfully long. It's also challenging to read it when I've picked up Jeffrey Eugedides' novel Middlesex instead. Book club is in 10 days. I'm about 40 pages into Brothers. Thank goodness for Sparknotes.com.
I want to thank those of you who have been praying for me. As most of you know, I suffer from anxiety attacks, and went on medication to combat my anxiety in early July. At my counseling appointment last Thursday, my counselor and I decided that because I haven't had any panic attacks since going on the medication, I am going to start going off it! Thank you so much for your prayers--I am so relieved not to suffer those paralyzing attacks any longer. I know that they could come back as I go off the medication or next year when I transition back to the States, but I don't fear the next step of going off the meds. And I would appreciate further prayers that the tools I've developed for handling my anxiety would continue to keep me "attack free." Thank you! I've been truly blessed by your prayers and am eternally grateful for you!
Hopefully some new adventures will pop up soon so I can fill you in on more exciting aspects of my life. Until then, lots of love to you all!
Love,
Meg
P.S. I watched a chicken cross the road in front of my boda-boda on my way to work this morning. I don't think that will ever cease to amuse me.
I was recently perusing the IJM website, and they've posted a new article on IJM Uganda.The article summarizes the findings of a survey our office did this year, on the prevalence of property grabbing in the area where we work.
Property grabbing victimizes the most vulnerable of Ugandan society--widows and orphans--whose land and property are stolen from them (usually by perpetrators related to them) after the death of their husband or father. This crime can include physical attacks, violent threats, and leave a widow or child destitute and hungry.
What I like about working for IJM is that IJM exists to bring hope to victims of violent oppression and injustice. IJM works with the local government to ensure that Ugandan laws are upheld and aid those for whom the laws were established--the poor and vulnerable.
I hope the article on our survey sheds a little more light on why IJM exists in Uganda and to what I have been contributing my administrative skills for the past nine months.
Nine months. I can't believe I've been here that long. I have just under four more to go, and know it will fly by. It will be so hard to leave this place which I now call home. It's too bad Uganda is so far away from California--I'd visit often if I could, but a flight to Africa is terribly expensive and too long to randomly join my colleagues for morning prayer or a lunch of matooke, beans and beef.
Life has been pretty low key as of late. I'm currently house-sitting for a week which makes for a nice little vacation while still in Kampala. The house comes with a pool, TV, access to four seasons of Grey's Anatomy, and a very comfortable bed. What more could I want? Besides work I've been hanging with some new friends and trying to make headway through my current bookclub assignment--Dostoevsky's The Brothers Karamazov--which is painfully long. It's also challenging to read it when I've picked up Jeffrey Eugedides' novel Middlesex instead. Book club is in 10 days. I'm about 40 pages into Brothers. Thank goodness for Sparknotes.com.
I want to thank those of you who have been praying for me. As most of you know, I suffer from anxiety attacks, and went on medication to combat my anxiety in early July. At my counseling appointment last Thursday, my counselor and I decided that because I haven't had any panic attacks since going on the medication, I am going to start going off it! Thank you so much for your prayers--I am so relieved not to suffer those paralyzing attacks any longer. I know that they could come back as I go off the medication or next year when I transition back to the States, but I don't fear the next step of going off the meds. And I would appreciate further prayers that the tools I've developed for handling my anxiety would continue to keep me "attack free." Thank you! I've been truly blessed by your prayers and am eternally grateful for you!
Hopefully some new adventures will pop up soon so I can fill you in on more exciting aspects of my life. Until then, lots of love to you all!
Love,
Meg
P.S. I watched a chicken cross the road in front of my boda-boda on my way to work this morning. I don't think that will ever cease to amuse me.
Friday, September 26, 2008
Rwanda pictures--finally!
Well, I finally have some downtime in which to upload some photos from this summer. Unfortunately, the downtime came at the expense of my lungs and nose, as I'm battling a cold. But the downtime also means catching up on unread books and watching favorite movies, which isn't such a bad thing.
I wish I had stories to tell you all, but I really don't. September has been a quiet month filled with work and making new friends. But no adventures. I don't have much to report. The photos are of my day at the Entebbe Zoo with my good friend Megan Gary, and Megan and my three-day trip to Rwanda. Both were fabulous experiences and I hope you enjoy the pictures!
I will post again as soon as something exciting happens, or I need to vent--whichever comes first. Love to you all!
I wish I had stories to tell you all, but I really don't. September has been a quiet month filled with work and making new friends. But no adventures. I don't have much to report. The photos are of my day at the Entebbe Zoo with my good friend Megan Gary, and Megan and my three-day trip to Rwanda. Both were fabulous experiences and I hope you enjoy the pictures!
I will post again as soon as something exciting happens, or I need to vent--whichever comes first. Love to you all!
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
Little Gifts
As I was eating my matooke, beans and chicken at lunch today, I was suddenly overcome with the desire for yogurt-covered raisins. As the craving rushed over me, I pictured myself as a little girl at the grocery store with my mom, standing in the candy aisle. There in front of me is the bin filled with little white pebbles--yogurt-covered raisins! I look from them to my mom, who so sweetly says yes, you can have some. Bliss! As I continued eating my lunch I strategized ways to get my hands on this delicacy and decided it would be at least 2 months until I could have my parents bring me a few "white pebbles." Resigned to my fate of a full ten months without yogurt-covered raisins, I finished lunch and embarked on my afternoon.
But wouldn't you know it? God has a sense of humor. This afternoon we hosted some guests at the office who happened to bring some gifts from the States. As I peered into the cellophane package, my eye landed on none other than what I'd been craving--yogurt-covered raisins! Like my Grammy always says, "Good things come in small packages."
But wouldn't you know it? God has a sense of humor. This afternoon we hosted some guests at the office who happened to bring some gifts from the States. As I peered into the cellophane package, my eye landed on none other than what I'd been craving--yogurt-covered raisins! Like my Grammy always says, "Good things come in small packages."
Why did the chicken cross the road?
Ever since I was a little girl, I have always wondered why the joke about a chicken crossing the road was supposed to be funny. It never made sense to me. Chickens? Crossing a road? What? I grew up in suburbia—-we didn’t have chickens within a ten mile radius of my house, and the time I’ve spent on a ranch can’t total more than a couple hours. So my chicken exposure is very limited, and I’ve never seen one crossing a road.
Until, that is, I moved to Uganda. On my walk to work this morning it dawned on me that chickens do cross roads all the time here, in their constant pecking for food. Chickens literally roam free, wherever they desire. Goats too, but that’s another matter (and traffic hazard). So in a chicken-friendly world like Kampala, they constantly have to cross roads in order to maintain nourishment.
Me: “Why’d the chicken cross the road?”
Kampalan: “Duh, to get to the other side!”
It's so simple. Now, whenever I see a chicken cross the road, I have to laugh. It’s actually pretty funny.
Until, that is, I moved to Uganda. On my walk to work this morning it dawned on me that chickens do cross roads all the time here, in their constant pecking for food. Chickens literally roam free, wherever they desire. Goats too, but that’s another matter (and traffic hazard). So in a chicken-friendly world like Kampala, they constantly have to cross roads in order to maintain nourishment.
Me: “Why’d the chicken cross the road?”
Kampalan: “Duh, to get to the other side!”
It's so simple. Now, whenever I see a chicken cross the road, I have to laugh. It’s actually pretty funny.
Wednesday, September 3, 2008
GOATS, not BOATS
I've gotten two requests for more posts (ok, they were from my parents, but they count, right?), so I'm attempting to write a new blog post. I guess I could tell you all about Rwanda, but for some reason, I'd prefer to just put up photos and let you figure it out from there. That's probably not very sympathetic towards my devoted fans (again, might just be my parents), but it's so hard to sum up an entire weekend in one post. Let me give you this much: I was so thankful to get back to Uganda. Ugandans speak ENGLISH. Rwandans DO NOT speak English. And neither Megan nor I speak French (and the local language? You've got to be kidding me). It was a beautiful weekend full of buses, some relaxation, decent food (the best Cokes I've ever tasted) and incredible beauty. But that's where I'll leave it. (And photos will be posted soon.)
Ok, so what have I been up to since my social group disappeared and my traveling buddy went back to law school? Well, the honest truth is not much. But last weekend I happened to venture out of the comfort of my apartment to none other than the Royal Ascot Goat Races. Unfortunately I don't have photos of this hilarious experience, but I'll try to describe it. If you've ever seen Pretty Woman or My Fair Lady, start there—picture the polo and/or horse race scenes. Except instead of white, high-class Brits or Southern Californians, put in 80% high-class Ugandans dressed to the nines, and sprinkle in the other 20%—well-dressed diplomats, British business men with their families, and Americans who actually left their safari gear at home and finally opted for the polo's and loafers. Lots and lots of people. Everywhere. To these add some loud music, a number of large circus tents filled with more people, food and free beer. And then take away the horses and add goats. Yes, goats. You could even bet on the goats! And this was legitimate betting—computerized and everything. But one problem: goats don't race. They graze. So to get the goats to actually run around the gymnasium-sized track they were prodded from behind with a mattress. As I am vertically challenged, I saw very little of the races, but the little I saw was very entertaining. I went with a number of friends and friends-of-friends, and I really loved the conversations I had over great Turkish food. So I have officially attended the Royal Ascot Goat Races. Not to be confused with boats...or horses.
Other than racing goats and lots of down time, life has been pretty simple. I have been thinking a lot about what's ahead and what's left of my time here, and I've found myself reflecting on other experiences that have started at this time of year. Besides school, many of my other big adventures have started in the fall. Seven years ago I was trying to adapt to my new host family, the German culture and desperately striving to improve my German. Three years ago today I woke up in Oxford for the first time, excited to explore what turned out to be one of my favorite places in the world. And a year ago, as I ran errands and babysat for my favorite kiddos, I was anticipating moving to Washington D.C. to start my first internship with IJM. I never would have guessed that it would lead to where I am now.
Now I’m in the working world. I have officially worked through my first summer—if this isn’t a rite of passage into adulthood, I don’t know what is. As I doubt I’ll ever be a teacher, I guess I’ll have to get used to the “no summer” concept. Although I missed the summer season, nothing could keep me from being aware of the start of September. September is one of my favorite times of year. It brings new beginnings, and has always brought new challenges (see the above paragraph if you’re unclear about what I mean). Even though I’ve been in the same place for 8 months, I hope the trend will continue this September. I hope for new challenges. Hopefully there will be new friends and new adventures. I don’t want to get caught in a mundane routine, I want to learn. September’s here, so let the learning continue!
Ok, so what have I been up to since my social group disappeared and my traveling buddy went back to law school? Well, the honest truth is not much. But last weekend I happened to venture out of the comfort of my apartment to none other than the Royal Ascot Goat Races. Unfortunately I don't have photos of this hilarious experience, but I'll try to describe it. If you've ever seen Pretty Woman or My Fair Lady, start there—picture the polo and/or horse race scenes. Except instead of white, high-class Brits or Southern Californians, put in 80% high-class Ugandans dressed to the nines, and sprinkle in the other 20%—well-dressed diplomats, British business men with their families, and Americans who actually left their safari gear at home and finally opted for the polo's and loafers. Lots and lots of people. Everywhere. To these add some loud music, a number of large circus tents filled with more people, food and free beer. And then take away the horses and add goats. Yes, goats. You could even bet on the goats! And this was legitimate betting—computerized and everything. But one problem: goats don't race. They graze. So to get the goats to actually run around the gymnasium-sized track they were prodded from behind with a mattress. As I am vertically challenged, I saw very little of the races, but the little I saw was very entertaining. I went with a number of friends and friends-of-friends, and I really loved the conversations I had over great Turkish food. So I have officially attended the Royal Ascot Goat Races. Not to be confused with boats...or horses.
Other than racing goats and lots of down time, life has been pretty simple. I have been thinking a lot about what's ahead and what's left of my time here, and I've found myself reflecting on other experiences that have started at this time of year. Besides school, many of my other big adventures have started in the fall. Seven years ago I was trying to adapt to my new host family, the German culture and desperately striving to improve my German. Three years ago today I woke up in Oxford for the first time, excited to explore what turned out to be one of my favorite places in the world. And a year ago, as I ran errands and babysat for my favorite kiddos, I was anticipating moving to Washington D.C. to start my first internship with IJM. I never would have guessed that it would lead to where I am now.
Now I’m in the working world. I have officially worked through my first summer—if this isn’t a rite of passage into adulthood, I don’t know what is. As I doubt I’ll ever be a teacher, I guess I’ll have to get used to the “no summer” concept. Although I missed the summer season, nothing could keep me from being aware of the start of September. September is one of my favorite times of year. It brings new beginnings, and has always brought new challenges (see the above paragraph if you’re unclear about what I mean). Even though I’ve been in the same place for 8 months, I hope the trend will continue this September. I hope for new challenges. Hopefully there will be new friends and new adventures. I don’t want to get caught in a mundane routine, I want to learn. September’s here, so let the learning continue!
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