Day 3 in Uganda

So this first week feels like it's creeping by, I feel like I've been here for weeks now. Maybe because I'm homesick I don't know, or that there is so much going on that it couldn't have possibly been crammed into only 3 days. This first week in the hotel with the whole group has been nice, it's nice to adjust to everything and not be the only one. And I think I have everyone names down, there's 31 other students so it was challenging to memorize all the names but I've finally got it!

Sunday we move into our homestays and I'm more excited right now than nervous. I want to see where I'll be living and with who. They are putting us in very different homestays in places all over the city so I don't know if anyone will be near me. They told us some of us will be with richer families who will have housekeepers and indoor bathrooms and then others will be with families with outdoor bathrooms and worse conditions. Although I know that being in the poorer homes would be a better growing experience, I'm hoping for a nicer home at least at this point. They told us we could switch after our 6 weeks with our families if we wanted to experience something else so there will always be the opportunity for that. But with all the adjustments I've gone through in only 3 days, it would be nice to be in a nicer home in a safer neighborhood.

Okay I only have 8 mins left so I have to type quickly. A big thing this week has been the food. Its not bad, its repetitive. Ugandan food doesnt have a lot of variety and the staple is a dish called matoke (ma-toe-kay). Its steamed plantains, which are steamed for hours and then mashed. It has a weird tast, almost sour, and its been served at every meal except breakfast and luckily tonights dinner. Its much better with sauce on it because on its own its too bland. And they eat a lot of potatoes, beans, rice, and stewed meat and chicken. I guess it could be worse, at least it food I eat even though it doesnt taste all that flavorful. But ask me in 6 weeks and I might have a lot more complaints.

I think thats all I wanted to say for now. Classes start on monday and I'm looking forward to that. I will update more later in the week hopefully. And I might be making phone calls soon if I get a cell phone! Theres so much more to share, but I gotta cut it short. I'll share more about taxis, boda-bodas, and the roads in general at another time!!

Miss you all!!

My first post!

9 days and counting until I depart for Uganda...

I'm feeling both excited and nervous to depart for an adventure of a lifetime! I am looking forward to be in a new environment with so many new experiences awaiting me as well as an opportunity to learn about a place and culture that I have been fascinated with for most of my life. But I will miss my family and friends back home and in Denver.

I hope to challenge myself to step outside of my comfort zone while also appreciating cultural differences. I hope to immerse myself in the Ugandan culture by studying the language, partaking in cultural activities, and spending time with my home-stay family. And I hope to grow as individual and return home with a newfound understanding of international development and poverty.

Thanks for following my blog and supporting me through this adventure!

Mia