Today was our first vacation day and we went to the Mubiru (or something like that) forest. It was an adventure even if it started off way lame. We paid a few thousand shillings to get into this forest that is inbetween Lugazi and Jinja. It is a pretty big forest and it has a road called Jinja Road running right through the middle of it. Jinja Road is a busy road that goes all the way from Lugazi up to Jinja...about a 30 minute drive. Anyways, we start into this forest and all we see is a few really fat and long (probably 6 inches or more) centipedes. Oh! And we go around this corner and there was this MAN just standing in the middle of the trees. It scared the crap out of me! I almost screamed. He was just standing there...this 60 year old man...with a toothless smile! It was so scary. Wow there's another white guy in here...that's a first...
So...we go through this forest for a while...super boring...and the rest of the group is like "oh here's jinja road....anyone who wants to just go to jinja, just go." So 9 of us were definitely ready to be out of the boring forest. I just felt like I was in Bedford, New Hampshire walking through my backyard. We are on this road and a million cars are passing by. Finally a bus stops for us and they tell us they are going to make us pay 3000 shillings to get to Jinja....that's a lot. That's $1.50 which is a lot here. So...no way. Then NO ONE will stop for us. We walk for like 30 minutes and finally I say a prayer asking for some help. By this point the rest of the group was WAY far away from us. So finally a bus stops and says they'll take us to the nearby market where we can catch another bus to Jinja, suuuuuure!! So we get in and go to this market. At this market there are hundreds of people in these blue vests running at you and sticking their arms in your windows or right in your face trying to sell you fried bananas and meat on a stick. Disgusting meat. The smell alone made me want to barf.
We cannot find a bus that will take us to Jinja. So we see this man with a truck...and jokingly we're thinking maybe we could just ride in the back. This was probably a stupid thing to do, but we ask him for a ride. He says he'll let us hop in the back for 10,000 shillings total. AWESOME. So we're riding in the back of this random man's truck, just HOPING he's actually taking us to Jinja and that we don't fly out of the back of the truck. The drivers here are insane.
Finally we got there and were starving. It was like 2pm and we hadn't eaten since 8am. And we'd been hiking all day. We went to OZZIES!!!!!!!! It's this American/Australian restaurant in Jinja with burgers, milkshakes, brownies, anything you could ever want. It's so sad that after only one week here we are all dying for American food. We were so excited. The owner lady there was a sweetheart too. A really awesome woman who had taken in many orphans and fed many people who couldn't afford food. She's from Australia and lived in NewZealand for a long time, so she got really excited when I told her I was going there next January! Also, we met some other mzungu's, from canada, who were doing humanitarian work and had just been rafting and bungee jumping on the nile. It made me really excited to go! We're going next weekend! Yay! There were a lot of Mzungu's there it was soooo awesome. For about 30 seconds I felt like I was home. That was nice. I also bought some sweet souveniers to bring home to people and I'm so excited! You guys will love em.
So...tomorrow I am going to church in Jinja again and I'm teaching Young Women's. I'm really excited! Oh Lauren! I forgot to tell you that the girls were all so excited when I told them that I know you and everything! They were so happy! The YW president too! I don't remember her name, but they just LOVE you!
Well, I have to go. Mallory, Jay, Kyle, Garyn, Sam, Drew, Matt, Merrill, Shanda, Jade, Christy, Rachel....and all of the rest of you, I WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU! Okay? Okay. Bye. Love.
P.s. JESSICA MARIAH AND GABRIELLE JOIE ISRAELSEN. I WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU NOW. YOU'D BOTH BETTER SEND ME AN E-MAIL ASAP OR I WILL NOT BRING YOU HOME AN AWESOME SOUVENIER. I almost think you don't love me anymore :(
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Dani! Jinja sounds familiar...I am pretty sure my friend served there! Have you eaten Jackfruit yet? Let me know what you think of it when you do. All your experiences so far sound so awesome, do we get to see any pictures?
ReplyDelete-Jayman
Dani. We love you! Dad, Mom, Jessica and Gabi!
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ReplyDeletewow! took me long enough to figure out how to do this stinkin blog thing! well howdy doo! i haven't talked to you in quite a while! gare-bear says to give you heart taps! k i know you'll be proud of this.... so on friday night kenzie and i were bored so we put some of our dress-ups on and went to wendy's. kenzie had aladdin pants, a gold belt, a gold tunic thing, a vampire cape and a grandma wig on. i had the cheetah suit, a vampire cape, a little hula dress thing, and a grandma wig on. we sat down with our food like nothing was strange at all and a group of teenagers walks in. one of the girls asks,"so why are you guys all dressed up?" i just turn and answer,"we just got done auditioning for a big production." they totally believed us!!!! hahah it was awesome!!! love you dani-poo!!
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Hi Dani this is your Madre. Bonnie just came up and brought us a wonderful plate of homemade tarts...delicious! It was so fun to visit with her and her little brother. We love Bonnie. She is faithfully eating your M&M's one day at a time. You have wonderful friends. Grandma Nina called today..her African friends from Rwanda came up to visit her and they have invited her to an African get together with the drums, music, dance, etc. She plans to attend.
ReplyDeleteBy the way, just looking at your village on Google map. Does you house have the blue roof over it? Can you go out and stand on the roof and wave the next time the google map people do the aerial pictures?
ReplyDeleteHey Dani its GAbi sorry i havent written in a while i miss you so much. I really do. It sounds like you are defeneltey having a adventute. I have told all of my friends about the experiences you have been having. Any ways I have just goten over being sick i had an infection thingy called rad it invlovles my lungs its way weird. I am so happy there is only two more weeks of school. It has been way queit around here without you. Its not as fun. Oh and by the way you haven't gotten any letters haha sucker. jk any ways I really want to go to africa right now and see all the children and animals. I really hope you are having a blast. Yesturday i got dehydrated and threw up three times. I had a soccer game in like eighty degree weather with no wind it was torture. But i scored three goals. I miss you alot Danellaikins. All my friends miss you alot. Any ways you missed Gyms talk at grandpas funeral i thought it was way funny. Jessie and i sang todd mcabes song did they know. Yea i freaked out at the beginging and couldnt sing so i just gave the mike to jessie hahahah. then i joined back in. I really wish you were there to sing danny boy. I got to ride in a limo though so it was all good. I love you sooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo much so i promise i will be better about writing you. Sorry about my improper grammer and spelling but i mean who really cares any ways i miss you so much u rock !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
ReplyDeleteJayman!! Good to finally hear from you. :) Uh...no I haven't tasted Jackfruit yet, but my neighbors are giving me some in a few days once it is ripe! I will let you know for sure! And I can't put pictures on here cause I'm too nervous about getting a virus...but don't worry, I'll show them all to you when I get home!
ReplyDeleteJessi poo. That's what I like to hear. I'm soooooooooo proud of you. And I want to hear bout every excperience like that. Suggestion: get aquafresh foaming toothpaste (teh kind i use, ask mom) and foam up your mouth and go through a drive through ....twinge a little so it looks like you have rabies and just be like"i'm s o sorry, i can't really control it" then report back my little mischevious sister :)
Mom: I"m so glad bonnie boo came up to visit and Ian her little bro is adorable. She's the best friend I could ever ask for . And that's awesome about grandma and the africa thing! Im jelaous i wanna go!
And yes, I will contact google and stand on the roof for the next one. :) I will find out my roof cover for you.
gabie goo, the computer is about to kick me off, but i hope you feel better soon and I love you so much. I'll write more later :)
DANI.
ReplyDeleteI LOVE YOU AND MISS YOU.
I will shoot you an email soon because I have a lot to tell you.
Love, Britt
OH my heck! We totally went on that hike.....and we all got split up from our group it was insane! and I was so excited to see my name mentioned in this! PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE tell those girls how much I love them and miss them! And please tell Eunice thanks so much for the letter!!! Oh and is there a girl named macklyn or fatuma?
ReplyDeleteThere's one named fatuma!! I don't know about macklyn?? They're all writing you letters for me to take home to you!
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