So....I wrote my blog TWICE in Gulu. It was at least two pages in Microsoft Word each time and each time something went wrong with the computer. TWICE! But now I'm in Kampala with "high-speed" internet and a box of fruit snacks and granola bars in front of me from my mommy....so I'll summarize. There's a ton to say.
Extravaganza: Went well...or horribly. Depends on who you talk to. Wilson thought it was great, we thought it was horrid. So...ya know. A cultural difference I guess. The highlights were dancing traditionally and the crowd going wild...ALso the Mayor of Lugazi, Ozuma, got up and danced and I had a special little duet dance with him. It was nice.
Ride to Gulu: Let's just summarize it with 188 speed bumps, sitting in the back of the bus and gettin air on every bump, bus breaking down, stopping in a town with a bunch of drunkards for about 2 hours who asked me if I would sleep with them.
Gulu: Was nice. We stayed in a hotel with rats and roaches and spiders one night, then at a pink indian hotel for the rest of the nights. lovely. Built stoves. Met with Invisible Children--WAY cool. Visited an IDP camp. Just normal stuff...ya know...There are loads of mzungus there or mwonos as they call them in Acholi (Gulu is acholi tribe)....not much for us to do in 2 days.
SAFARI: AWESOME. I saw hippopotami and elephants and giraffes and warthogs and crocs and lots of other animals! Sadly no zebras...but the others sufficed.
Post-Safari: Driver was supposed to take us to Masindi and lied to us and actually took us back to Gulu so we had to suffer through the 5hour speed bumpiest ride EVER on the way back...not to mention suffering through a man next to me the entire time asking me to marry him and him leaning on me the entire 5 hours. Sick butt. I was so happy to get back to Lugazi. I love Lugazi sooooo much. It is my second home.
I guess I don't have much else to say. OH YEAH! I remember what I wrote in my other forty page long blogs. So..I love Uganda. So much. Like I didn't realize it until recently for some of my circumstances...but...I love it. I love the people. I love the land. I love the weird foods. I love all the gross things about it even. I embrace the latrines and the cockroaches. Seriously though. Like...Honestly, I really couldn't live here long term. But there will always be a place in my heart for Uganda. The people are wonderful. They need so much and lack so many necessary things, but one thing they do have is happiness. Pure joy and happiness. I especially love to see the joy in the members of the church. People here don't join the church because their parents are members or because they feel obligated too. It's a hard thing and many are persecuted. These people have nothing. They have maybe two pairs of clothes and a pair of worn out shoes. They have a meal once a day and it consists of flour and water. Most can't even afford rice and beans. But you know what? They're happy. People inside the gospel especially. But as well as people everywhere in Uganda. It's a kind of happiness you hardly ever see in America. It's hard to explain. GAH! I wish everyone could just automatically have the knowledge I have gained being here. I wish I could just shoot it into your brain or something. I wish everyone could have this experience....with ALL my heart. If I had the money, I would send each of my loved ones to come and take a part of east AFrica with them. I wish you could see these people. I wish you could hug one of the children. I wish you could be their friends and practically their family and feel their love day in and day out! It is incredible.
I see so many NGO's who come for two weeks and leave and they think they know so much about how these people live and they think they have helped these people so much by building a house and holding a few kids hands. Sure, building a house is great, but these people really do nothing much for these people and can never really understand them in that short amount of time. I have already gained way more than I have given here. I know I say this every time and I'm sure I'll say it again the next week and the next...but it's amazing what I have learned here and the love I have felt. I love the Ugandan people so much.
Sunday, July 12, 2009
Friday, July 10, 2009
"Pride Rock...It's Where The Lions Live!"
If you can name who said that, you rock....Probably Bonnie will, but I don't think anyone else. Bonnie? Now I'm counting on you!
I spontaneously decided to go on a safari next week while I’m in Gulu! Wahoo! It was supposed to be super expensive, but we got the price WAY down, so I’m really excited to go!
I am doing a traditional dance in front of all of Lugazi tomorrow.
I'm leaving for Gulu tomorrow.
I'm supa busy.
Love you all! I'll write in a week :)
I spontaneously decided to go on a safari next week while I’m in Gulu! Wahoo! It was supposed to be super expensive, but we got the price WAY down, so I’m really excited to go!
I am doing a traditional dance in front of all of Lugazi tomorrow.
I'm leaving for Gulu tomorrow.
I'm supa busy.
Love you all! I'll write in a week :)
Wednesday, July 8, 2009
Hong Yun
There are these mini cake things...made by Hong Yun...and they're really good. We worship Hong Yun...who ever that is.
So...life is crazy. Literally insane.I am trying to do four tasks this week...
1. Record as much footage as possible for a documentary we are making. This is the last week we'll have a chance to make it with our camera man.
2. Create the biggest event ever to happen in Lugazi. It is called, "YOUTH MEGA FESTIVAL 2009" And will take place this saturday.
3. Help out with other projects in our extra time...which we don't really have..so we just fake it and help them as much as humanly possible.
4. Create the biggest fireside the Mormons in Uganda have ever seen...to take place one week from this saturday.
Life is hectic.
I have been at the Eye clinic for the past two days. And like none of the volunteers want to come because it is such a difficult project, so it has been little numbers trying to organize. The eye clinic is in Lugazi now and is doing dozens of surgery each day to help restore sight to these people. Majority of them have cataracts. What I do is organize the 150-200 people who need to be screened, then I screen them, then I organize them to see the doctor. It's a lot harder than it sounds. I am exhausted. But, it is so rewarding. People are constantly coming up and using the little english they know to try and tell me how grateful they are. Sometimes people even hug us. This was all Ryan's idea and he has done an incredible job of organizing it. It has impacted so many people...it's just amazing. The old people are so cute I can't even handle it.
Funny story: So there's a guy who works at the hospital named Amos. The first week we were here, we toured Kowolo hospital and I met him...he's like...a volunteer there...every day. So everyone has told me that every time they have been back, Amos asks for me. But I didn't even remember who he was...and I haven't been back to the hospital since. Let me give you an idea of this guy...he is so freakin awesome. So...he looks like a black version of Mr. Clean, and he sounds like the big guy on Princess Bride with the "duh" voice...or like he could be the Giant in Jack and the Beanstalk. Anyways...so he is a big guy too...like...all men are so short here...but not him. He's tall. So I saw him for the first time since the beginning of may on Monday. He talked to me for a while and I remembered who he was. Then he told me he had a shirt for me. ...Um..Okay! Haha. So he gave me this Ugandan Red Cross T-shirt and told me that it is to protect me. So wherever I go now, I will be safe. Thank you Amos.
Did I write about interviewing orphans? I don't think so. I'll write it quickly. So Monday we went and interviewed some orphans for the documentary. They were super cute, but there was one especially that broke my heart. We went up to where the plantation workers live. Lugazi is famous for it's sugar and there are sugar-cane plantations all through-out Lugazi and surrounding the entire village. So...we went up to some of the houses by Mehta stadium and there was this family that we interviewed. Apparently, the eldest daughter, about 3 years ago, heard some crying on the porch very very early and they found this few month old baby on the steps. It was a boy and they named him Innocent, Inno for short. They took him in since the parents had just left him there. They invited us into this house. Oh. My. Gosh. The house was literally not even six feet by six feet in area. They had a small couch with the cushins all ripped up and two foam matteresses that were...disgusting. There are THIRTEEN PEOPLE WHO LIVE IN THIS ROOM. THIRTEEN. THAT IS THEIR ENTIRE HOME...KITCHEN, BEDROOM, EVERYTHING. And when I asked the girl how they can afford food for all of the children...she started to cry. She said they just sleep. If they don't have food, they go to sleep, and hope for a better day the next day.
How can people not do something about this?
Love, Dani
So...life is crazy. Literally insane.I am trying to do four tasks this week...
1. Record as much footage as possible for a documentary we are making. This is the last week we'll have a chance to make it with our camera man.
2. Create the biggest event ever to happen in Lugazi. It is called, "YOUTH MEGA FESTIVAL 2009" And will take place this saturday.
3. Help out with other projects in our extra time...which we don't really have..so we just fake it and help them as much as humanly possible.
4. Create the biggest fireside the Mormons in Uganda have ever seen...to take place one week from this saturday.
Life is hectic.
I have been at the Eye clinic for the past two days. And like none of the volunteers want to come because it is such a difficult project, so it has been little numbers trying to organize. The eye clinic is in Lugazi now and is doing dozens of surgery each day to help restore sight to these people. Majority of them have cataracts. What I do is organize the 150-200 people who need to be screened, then I screen them, then I organize them to see the doctor. It's a lot harder than it sounds. I am exhausted. But, it is so rewarding. People are constantly coming up and using the little english they know to try and tell me how grateful they are. Sometimes people even hug us. This was all Ryan's idea and he has done an incredible job of organizing it. It has impacted so many people...it's just amazing. The old people are so cute I can't even handle it.
Funny story: So there's a guy who works at the hospital named Amos. The first week we were here, we toured Kowolo hospital and I met him...he's like...a volunteer there...every day. So everyone has told me that every time they have been back, Amos asks for me. But I didn't even remember who he was...and I haven't been back to the hospital since. Let me give you an idea of this guy...he is so freakin awesome. So...he looks like a black version of Mr. Clean, and he sounds like the big guy on Princess Bride with the "duh" voice...or like he could be the Giant in Jack and the Beanstalk. Anyways...so he is a big guy too...like...all men are so short here...but not him. He's tall. So I saw him for the first time since the beginning of may on Monday. He talked to me for a while and I remembered who he was. Then he told me he had a shirt for me. ...Um..Okay! Haha. So he gave me this Ugandan Red Cross T-shirt and told me that it is to protect me. So wherever I go now, I will be safe. Thank you Amos.
Did I write about interviewing orphans? I don't think so. I'll write it quickly. So Monday we went and interviewed some orphans for the documentary. They were super cute, but there was one especially that broke my heart. We went up to where the plantation workers live. Lugazi is famous for it's sugar and there are sugar-cane plantations all through-out Lugazi and surrounding the entire village. So...we went up to some of the houses by Mehta stadium and there was this family that we interviewed. Apparently, the eldest daughter, about 3 years ago, heard some crying on the porch very very early and they found this few month old baby on the steps. It was a boy and they named him Innocent, Inno for short. They took him in since the parents had just left him there. They invited us into this house. Oh. My. Gosh. The house was literally not even six feet by six feet in area. They had a small couch with the cushins all ripped up and two foam matteresses that were...disgusting. There are THIRTEEN PEOPLE WHO LIVE IN THIS ROOM. THIRTEEN. THAT IS THEIR ENTIRE HOME...KITCHEN, BEDROOM, EVERYTHING. And when I asked the girl how they can afford food for all of the children...she started to cry. She said they just sleep. If they don't have food, they go to sleep, and hope for a better day the next day.
How can people not do something about this?
Love, Dani
Monday, July 6, 2009
MuFASAH!
Wow. I seriously need to write more. Too much happens and then I forget what to write about. Good thing Becca dear is sittin' right hur next to me, so I can ask her what we did.
Last Wednesday we ....Becca doesn't remember either.
Uh..........Oh yeah! We did two home visits. They were pretty cool, nothing super exciting though. We got to hold the most adorable baby ever.
Thursday we ...I seriously cannot freakin remember!
Okay so FRIDAY I do remember that we ate at Wilson's house AGAIN. His family is so sweet! Oli malungi nyo! And ...I promise we've been working hard and doing stuff although it doesn't sound like it.
OKAY OKAY OKAY! I remember awesome stuff to talk about. So SATURDAY was one of my very favorite days in all of my days here in Uganda so far! In the morning we went to a market in Kampala called Owino Market. It is INSANE. Okay so this thing has got to be at the very least, two or three acres. It is amazing. And I have never seen anything like it before. It is all these shops, but they are tiny, like maybe 5 feet by five feet and they are packed with stuff. And they have stuff hanging all the way till like 15 feet up. I have no idea how in the heck they do it. But then they are so packed in there that you can't even see the sky. There is everything from watches and jewelry and shoes and clothes to g-nuts and flour and matoke to witch doctor medicines and jars and bottles and weird things. It's like an African Wal-mart. Except the aisles are like 2.5 feet wide and there are about 10 people with in arm's reach. It is crazy. I can't even explain it. And I SO wanted to take a picture but was terrified of getting my camera stolen...so decided against it.
After going to this market and getting about 15 marriage proposals, we went to the ARA, the American Recreational Association or something like that. HAPPY FOURTH OF JULY! This was my first 4th of July EVER without my whole fam damily and I was a little sad, BUT it turned out to be the best Independance Day EVER. No offense fam.
At this little celebration there were so many white people I thought I might wet my pants. And it was funny too cause everyone there was saying the same thing. Haha, people were whispering to their friends, "I don't remember ever seeing so many mzungus...this is so weird." And it was crazy to hear them speak english constantly in an American accent and everything. It was super weird. But we had a BARBECUE with HOT DOGS. I don't really love hot dogs all that much but it was so good. They had hot dogs, hamburgers, veggie burgers, grilled chicken (oh. my. gosh. so. freakin. good.), potato salad, coleslaw, ketchup and MUSTARD. Do you KNOW how long its been since I've seen mustard? Yeah. Awesome. Then sprite and fanta and coke and all of the goodness. Later they even had a HUGE AMERICAN FLAG CAKE! I've never been so patriotic! But seriously. I almost cried during the star-spangled banner. And the marines were there. And ....it was just awesome. I love America.
So we had some performances from some awesome dance groups ...traditional African dancing. It was funny though cause I felt like I was in happy valley at a ward thing in which we hired a group of African people who are randomly in Utah to come and perform for us. But then there was a lot of alcohol and I knew I wasn't in Happy Valley at a ward event anymore haha. So...like everyone there got totally wasted, except for us of course. And the funny thing is that ...okay so we started dancing cause they started to play real good music. Like Lady Gaga and stuff. It was so fun. And about Twenty-something of us were going crazy! And some guy from BYU who is working at the embassy was there...but he didnt' know we were from BYU yet. He saw us and thought we were totally wasted and some guy next to him was laughing so hard at how much alcohol he thought we had in us. Then he saw Jake's shirt that was a BYU shirt and came up to us and thought it was so funny. And what makes it even funnier is that it was like a normal BYU dance...like just a crazy one at the Riv or something and there's never any alcohol. I love BYU. I love Mormons.
Speaking of Mormons, WILSON CAME TO CHURCH YESTERDAY!!!!!! He loved it and is going again! We gave him a Book of Mormon today and he's really excited! What a sweetheart! I'm really excited!
Well, I think that's enough for today and remind me to write more! Is anyone even reading this anymore besides my family and Bonnie Claire? Are they the only ones who still love me? I feel like a missionary who has been out for six months and everyone starts forgetting about him/her. Yeeeeep. I still got a while to go and want to hear from ya'll! I love you all.
Love, Dani
Last Wednesday we ....Becca doesn't remember either.
Uh..........Oh yeah! We did two home visits. They were pretty cool, nothing super exciting though. We got to hold the most adorable baby ever.
Thursday we ...I seriously cannot freakin remember!
Okay so FRIDAY I do remember that we ate at Wilson's house AGAIN. His family is so sweet! Oli malungi nyo! And ...I promise we've been working hard and doing stuff although it doesn't sound like it.
OKAY OKAY OKAY! I remember awesome stuff to talk about. So SATURDAY was one of my very favorite days in all of my days here in Uganda so far! In the morning we went to a market in Kampala called Owino Market. It is INSANE. Okay so this thing has got to be at the very least, two or three acres. It is amazing. And I have never seen anything like it before. It is all these shops, but they are tiny, like maybe 5 feet by five feet and they are packed with stuff. And they have stuff hanging all the way till like 15 feet up. I have no idea how in the heck they do it. But then they are so packed in there that you can't even see the sky. There is everything from watches and jewelry and shoes and clothes to g-nuts and flour and matoke to witch doctor medicines and jars and bottles and weird things. It's like an African Wal-mart. Except the aisles are like 2.5 feet wide and there are about 10 people with in arm's reach. It is crazy. I can't even explain it. And I SO wanted to take a picture but was terrified of getting my camera stolen...so decided against it.
After going to this market and getting about 15 marriage proposals, we went to the ARA, the American Recreational Association or something like that. HAPPY FOURTH OF JULY! This was my first 4th of July EVER without my whole fam damily and I was a little sad, BUT it turned out to be the best Independance Day EVER. No offense fam.
At this little celebration there were so many white people I thought I might wet my pants. And it was funny too cause everyone there was saying the same thing. Haha, people were whispering to their friends, "I don't remember ever seeing so many mzungus...this is so weird." And it was crazy to hear them speak english constantly in an American accent and everything. It was super weird. But we had a BARBECUE with HOT DOGS. I don't really love hot dogs all that much but it was so good. They had hot dogs, hamburgers, veggie burgers, grilled chicken (oh. my. gosh. so. freakin. good.), potato salad, coleslaw, ketchup and MUSTARD. Do you KNOW how long its been since I've seen mustard? Yeah. Awesome. Then sprite and fanta and coke and all of the goodness. Later they even had a HUGE AMERICAN FLAG CAKE! I've never been so patriotic! But seriously. I almost cried during the star-spangled banner. And the marines were there. And ....it was just awesome. I love America.
So we had some performances from some awesome dance groups ...traditional African dancing. It was funny though cause I felt like I was in happy valley at a ward thing in which we hired a group of African people who are randomly in Utah to come and perform for us. But then there was a lot of alcohol and I knew I wasn't in Happy Valley at a ward event anymore haha. So...like everyone there got totally wasted, except for us of course. And the funny thing is that ...okay so we started dancing cause they started to play real good music. Like Lady Gaga and stuff. It was so fun. And about Twenty-something of us were going crazy! And some guy from BYU who is working at the embassy was there...but he didnt' know we were from BYU yet. He saw us and thought we were totally wasted and some guy next to him was laughing so hard at how much alcohol he thought we had in us. Then he saw Jake's shirt that was a BYU shirt and came up to us and thought it was so funny. And what makes it even funnier is that it was like a normal BYU dance...like just a crazy one at the Riv or something and there's never any alcohol. I love BYU. I love Mormons.
Speaking of Mormons, WILSON CAME TO CHURCH YESTERDAY!!!!!! He loved it and is going again! We gave him a Book of Mormon today and he's really excited! What a sweetheart! I'm really excited!
Well, I think that's enough for today and remind me to write more! Is anyone even reading this anymore besides my family and Bonnie Claire? Are they the only ones who still love me? I feel like a missionary who has been out for six months and everyone starts forgetting about him/her. Yeeeeep. I still got a while to go and want to hear from ya'll! I love you all.
Love, Dani
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