Birthday Splash

Thank you to all of you who wished me a happy birthday on Sunday. I was honestly a bit anxious about celebrating my birthday away from my family for the first time, but it turned out to be a day of abundant blessings in spite of my location.

Knowing that two of my good friends here in Kampala would actually be in the States on my birthday, I asked my boss, Ally, (who is not only my boss but also a good friend) if she would be up for celebrating with me on Sunday. I had initially imagined a simple afternoon--lunch and a movie perhaps. But Ally very selflessly told me that we could do anything I wanted to do, and even suggested some more creative options. After thinking about it, I decided to go to the Speke Resort in Munyonyo, which is a little area outside of Kampala, right on Lake Victoria. I hadn't been down to the lake yet, so I thought this would be a great opportunity.

Sunday rolled around and being a lazy girl, I slept in, skipped church, and went for a run instead. I also got to chat online with a good friend, which really started the day off well. Around noon Ally rolled into my pot-hole punctured driveway to pick me up for our afternoon adventure and I was met with a huge hug and enthusiastic "Happy 23rd Birthday!" After our 30 minute drive, the rest of the afternoon was spent by the biggest swimming pool I've ever seen, at a resort that looked like it could have been in Hawaii.


We had lunch by the pool, read 4-month old magazines, chatted, and swam. I definitely got tanner (in spite of the SPF 50) and have sprouted a few hundred more freckles (I know, I didn't think it was possible either). Ally even presented me with a birthday gift and paid for lunch. I just felt so cared for and loved by her--it was so special to have a friend make such a big deal out of my birthday. I had psyched myself up for a low-key, unimportant birthday, but she wouldn't even consider such a thought! The afternoon was splendidly relaxing and being half an hour away from my house and the craziness of Kampala, it felt like a mini-vacation.

After the pool outing I treated myself to strawberry frozen yogurt and left-over pizza from Friday's girl's night. Then Sunday evening I got to talk to my parents and read more Facebook messages and e-mails from friends and family.

I never once felt lonely or sad on my birthday, which is kind of what I expected being so far away from home. But I was so blessed by special conversations, Ally's super celebratory outing, and fun e-mails, that I never felt lonely. Thank you again to all of you who took a moment in the past few days to wish me a happy birthday--it was such a gift to receive each of your kind wishes.

Everyday Life

A few photos of everyday life in Kampala: http://picasaweb.google.com/megangarn/EverydayLife

What a year!

As I was walking around my neighborhood in Kampala this morning, I realized that exactly one year ago today I graduated from college. It caught me off guard because college graduation was a huge milestone for me; a lot of my life had led up to that moment, and that moment has been over for a year.

As boda-bodas zipped past me and little Ugandan children waved at me while yelling, “Mzungu!”, I couldn’t help but think about all that I have experienced in the year since I graduated. If someone had told me at my grad party last year that I would be living in Kampala, Uganda in May of 2008, I probably would have laughed. At that point I still had distant hopes and dreams of interning for IJM but the thought of going into the field with them had only wisped across my mind once or twice, only to dissolve into oblivion moments later.

But this past year has been incredible. I have literally been on some of the greatest adventures of my soon-to-be 23 years of life. In my short years I have lived in Germany, spent a summer in Russia, and studied at Oxford University. But in the past year I have spent 8 weeks in England (two of which I spent walking across it); interned at a highly professional human rights organization in Washington, DC; and moved to Uganda, where I have lived and worked for four months. Amazing. And it’s not amazing because I got myself to these places. Not in the least bit. No, it’s amazing because these are all places that God has led me to. As I closed the college years of my life and looked into a vast unknown, all I wanted was adventure. And adventure is what I’ve been blessed with.

What a year!

Figuring Stuff Out

It has been a month since my last post. So what have I been doing in the past month? Well, I haven’t done anything to give gorilla tracking a run for its’s money, and I don’t have any thrilling stories about a boda-boda accident or freak run in with my neighbor’s pet monkey (my neighbor doesn’t really have a monkey). Life has just been life.

Although low-key, this past month has been a period of some serious reflection. At the beginning of the month I became quite frustrated with my life in Uganda, leading me to believe that I wanted nothing more than to give up and go home. But with the encouragement of a couple of great friends, prayer, and a change of heart, my contentment has multiplied and I am happy to be here for now.

If you’re interested, a few things I have learned in the past month are:

- Loneliness isn’t that bad. There’s more time for chatting with friends online, reading, exercising, and taking naps. And who am I kidding? I’m an introvert—I no longer need an excuse to be a recluse—the excuse is built right into my life!

- Making friends outside of college is very different than making friends in college. Friends here come in all ages and professions. I have friends who are my parents’ age, some who are in high school, some who are Ugandan, and many who are American. Some guard a gate and others are attorneys. Each brings something unique to my life and to our friendship, for which I am grateful. Diversity is truly a blessing—we have so much to learn from others!

- Some of the greatest gifts are the “little” things in life. When I was younger and quite worried about my vertically challenged stature, my Grammy always used to tell me that the best gifts in life came in small packages. While I’d brush it off and think, “yeah, she has to say that—I’m her only granddaughter,” now I know that there are amazing blessings in the seemingly small things. I have been so encouraged by a fun filing-cabinet-organizing session with my boss, an ultimate Frisbee game with a bunch of Ugandans, and outings I initiate with new friends. Even things like coming home to clean laundry, electricity, and slow-but-working internet have become major uppers.

- I have to be myself. I can’t be someone I’m not. Seems straight-forward enough but I have found myself trying to be someone I’m not. This is not only exhausting, it’s impossible to fit in! I think I was worried about pleasing people (“I think”? Come on Megan, you’re a major people pleaser…), but trying to be someone I believe others will like better than the real me has been fruitless and frustrating. I am still figuring out what it looks like to “just be myself” in Uganda, but at least I know that it’s ok to be me, and probably the best way to go.

That’s it for now. I don’t want to get preachy or sentimental. I don’t pretend that these are insightful nuggets of wisdom, nor do I pretend that I haven’t ever heard them before. But if you wanted to know what I’ve been re-learning this month, those are some of the lessons that have helped me become more content here and get through a phase where I really started to despise life away from the comforts of best friends, family, and fast internet.

I realized that I have used the word “I” way too many times in this passage. I do not think that my time in Uganda is all about me. I hope that in applying the above lessons a better version of me will develop and be used for loving and serving more people. I can only pray that this would be the case.

You know you've been living in Uganda for a while when...

...You have the opportunity to eat anything you want for lunch and you don't hesitate to choose Matoke (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matoke), rice, beans, and sweet potatoes.

...The thought of riding a motorcycle side-saddle doesn't even phase you.

...Your roommate spots a cockroach in your apartment and you don't even flinch.

...You tell someone you'll be somewhere in 5 minutes and you and the other person both know it'll be at least an hour.

...You loathe the nights spent anywhere outside the protection of your mosquito net.

...Red clay invades your wardrobe and is designated the official color scheme for the clothes and shoes which used to be all different colors.

...You eliminate prepositions from your sentences like they're going out of style: "I'll pick you from the airport and drop you at your apartment."

...You put on a jacket when it's 80 degrees outside.

Judith*

Many of you may be wondering what IJM Uganda's work really looks like. IJM recently published an article on their website about a case on which our office is currently working. The case is of an elderly widow named Judith and the article in the link below celebrates a very significant conviction of one of her persecutors. If you'd like to read the story and get one example of what IJM Uganda does, please follow this link:

http://www.ijm.org/newsfromthefield/milestonesentenceinugandanpropertyseizurecase

I have met Judith, and I am very impressed by her hope, joy, and faith. I have been so encouraged by her, and hope you enjoy reading her story.

*Name has been changed to protect the client's identity.

Gorillas!

To see more photos of my gorilla tracking adventue, click on the following link:

http://picasaweb.google.com/megangarn/GorillaTracking

Enjoy!