Coffee Lady

Time is such a funny thing. I've heard that some cultures/people don't even have words for the things we call "minutes" or "seconds". I am now counting down my final days here in Uganda. A week from tomorrow I will be boarding a jet plane to begin my 2+ days journey back home :) I do have words for these things of time. Last week I spent the 3 days at an eye-opening workshop on HIV/AIDS. It was put on by the Uganda Womens Concern Ministry to sensitize church leaders from surrounding areas on the current reality of HIV/AIDS. I learned so much. I think the bigest thing I took away is the role stigma plays in our lives, and the POWER of them. Stigma means the perceptions we have of a group of people that ... read more

"Mzungo" is what Africans call white people. It comes from a Kiswahili word which means "to move around in circles". I believe they coined it when there were a lot of Christian missionaries moving around in Kenyan, traveling from here to there. It is generally a positive term, and most places you go, the children will holler some sort of cheerful greeting, like "Jambo mzungo!" or " Mzungo bye-ie!" The last few weeks here have been full of different activities and learning opportunities. I want to recall a particular Sunday evening, which will remain burned in my memory forever. After arriving home from being gone during the day, Martha, who is not related to, but lives with Edith and David, informed us that there had been a bad accident just nearby where they live. Apparently a ... read more

I feel like there is so much to write about, but not so much time. Things here at the UWCM and with Edith and David Wakumire are going great. I am getting exposed to many different things and people. They are both very involved in their community, work, and have huge extended families. Just wanted to write about a couple of things of recent. First, currently Uganda is having their primary elections. It is madness. Everyday the news is full of stories of violence and corruption (poll rigging, ballot stuffing, vote buying). And what is sad is the violence is happening within one party, not among parties. The "dad" I am living with is very intelligent and outspoken, and has shared a lot of his views on all of this. He says the violence is due, ... read more

Thank you to everyone for your feedback and encouraging words. I am definitely not a writer, so I hope my blogs begin to help you live this experience with me. I know I would not be here if it weren't for all of you. I am so grateful to have a community and family that accepts and supports me. It is what we all need. I am now at the Uganda Women COncern Ministry, and will basically spend my last month here. I am very happy to be here. It feels like my home. My host mom, Edith, is so nurturing and welcoming, and I feel like I get to live with my mentor in her home and place of work/passion/ministry. How amazing is that? She is constantly teaching me and sharing her life experiences with ... read more

Hello my family and friends back home! Sorry I haven't written in awhile. Things have been pretty low key for awhile. Spent my first week at the Uganda Women Concern Ministry. If you want to learn more about what they do, google UWCM or Edith Wakumire. She is truly an inspiration to me, and having the opportunity to live in her home with her and see an inside glimps at her life has been beyond my wildest dreams. You truly get to know a person by living with them. I knew her work in the ministry was far-reaching, but to get to see the work she does from her home helps draw a bigger picture. One neat thing I got to witness was how she "employs" some of the children in her village area. They collect ... read more

Just a quick blog to let you all know I am moving on to Mbale tomorrow to the Uganda Women's Concern Ministry. Excited and nervous. Excited for the next learning curve to begin. Nervous for the things I might be exposed to. This organization provides services to people in very difficult life situations. Expect that it will be hard for my heart, but eager to continue to grow and learn. Know that is the ultimate point of this journey. Read a quote- If God brings you to it, He will bring you through. Just a quick comment about a conversation I had recently here. I think one of the biggest things I've learned here is to appreciate my country and freedoms. I asked a man here to help me understand why it is "every" Africans dream ... read more

Hello from Uganda. Just needed to write a little about what I am learning about the next place I am going to (in about a week and a half) and the founder, Edith Wakumire. I knew a little about her story from my first trip here in 2007, but this week I have finished reading a book written about her, and if you can get a copy and want to learn more about where I am going and what life is like for a Ugandan woman, please check out "Small feet, High mountain" by Margeret Spivey, UK. To be honest, it made my heart very heavy, and somedays I wonder if these things we learn will break us or make us stronger. I know I am in a unique position here to have so much free ... read more

Hello from Uganda! After three + weeks here by myself, I am finally feeling like I'm getting the hang of life in Uganda. I am continued to be amazed at the ways we are the same, and the ways that we are different. I guess the point is, we are all human. We have families, friends, hopes and dreams, disappointments and failures, life lessons to learn, and things to be grateful for. At this point I think the biggest difference is the opportunities that we have. Here, the chance of getting a job is slim (of an annual 360,000 college graduates, there are only 80,000 jobs available). So even if you are educated, good luck putting your skills to use. And the people that get jobs don't want to ever give them up, especially in politics. ... read more

Middle of my third week here in Uganda. Life moves quite slow here, but that pretty much eliminates all stress( that is as long as you are not in a hurry to get anywhere on time!). This has been an eventful week due to the bombing that occuered in Kampala (capital city). If you haven't heard, two bombs went off in places where people were gathered watching the final game of the World Cup. 74+ innocent people were killed, many more injured. Maddening to try to understand why someone would do this to people who are completely innocent. Had many conversations with the people I am staying with, and they help me to understand that the magnitude of this atrocity is uncommon, but the act itself is not. When I read the local papers, everyday it ... read more

Finishing up seond week at Tororo Parents' Girls Secondary School. Getting many opportunities to learn-from the students, instructors, my host family, the newspapers, and simply by watching the locals. Get to learn the subject material that is being taught at the school, so learning a lot about east Africa. I find it interesting that much of what is taught is similar to what we learn in USA, and the issues that these young girls face are similar, but what is so different is the challenges and consequences that are a part of living in Uganda. Death, HIV/AIDS, corruption, extreme poverty, disease, etc. I have "taught" a few classes at the school now, and during one "counseling" class, a girl asked the question, "What if you want to be successful, or have goals you want to achieve, ... read more