So I really apologize to all my readers for failing to update this as often as promised. I have no good reasons, just lame excuses. But to be honest, Ive been so depressed since this horrible virus wiped out my computer and I lost all my files- most importantly my pictures form this year. Yup. I was Einstein enough to NOT back anything up. I get what I deserve what I suppose. But all those memories gone. I just couldn bring myself to post my blog without pictures. And my computer sits dormant, dead, or rather, just sleeping until the day [View Full Entry]

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Back in April, I made my first trip to Jinja (east of Kampala) to see the source of the Nile River. I went with my students on a geography field trip and had so much fun! Of course, the source of the Nile is Lake Victoria- which is unusual since a lake is normally not considered the source of a river. The source is normally the major river that feeds into the lake. But for Lake Victoria, there is no major river that feeds into it. So the lake itself is considered the source. We took a 2 hour bus [View Full Entry]

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Wow, I apologize for taking so long to update this thing. It’s hard to believe I’ve been here for four months. Time has really flown by! I’ll have to do several blogs to catch up on everything that has happened. I have successfully finished my first term at the high school. As far as I can tell, the students enjoy my teaching and seem to understand me pretty well. This first term was really kind of a trial run. I hadn’t a clue what I was doing or what to expect. So hopefully next term I will be a bit more [View Full Entry]

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It would be really hard to express just how much fun I am having over here. Despite the heat, where I am constantly sweaty and stinky, the more- than- awkward school bathrooms, and my quasi-unwanted nonhuman roommates, I have never been happier. It seems that this week was a mile stone- a kind of breakthrough. I feel more settled, normal, and starting to open up into my normal weird self. My relationship with Molly and Paul’s family is rapidly deepening as I’ve officially become Uncle Paul’s daughter, and his sons have officially started teasing me like they do the rest o [View Full Entry]

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So I wake up just about every morning around 6am when the Muslim call for prayer starts. Its really kind of a pleasant way to wake up, listening to a quasi-singsongy voice floating up from down the hill. However, just a few moments later, normally I have some thought along the lines of Holy Freaking Cow! or Holy Rusted Metal! Or what the!- I'm in Freaking Africa! Then the next thought is - there it is again- this high pitch screeching type sound that I have yet to identify. I think it comes from some sort of bug outside my window. [View Full Entry]

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Just a quick update! I'm finally here in beautiful Uganda, which is full of beautiful people and landscape. Pictures to come soon when I'm able to log onto a computer with faster internet. But I'm staying at Molly and Paul's very large house with 20 other people. They all speak English, but speak to eachother in Luganda, so my days are spent listening to their beautiful language. I have two roomates- a Cockroach named Jack Jack and a rat named Taylor. For some reason they really love living in my room. Its not as bad as it sounds... or is it? [View Full Entry]

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Wow! I cannot believe that the time is here! In just a few hours at 6:40pm, I'll be on a 747 headed to London, and then on to Uganda! I land Friday 8am (Which is Thurs. 9pm US pacific time) Needless to say, things have felt a bit crazy the past few days. But I'm ready, willing, and able- and TOTALLY EXCITED! Oh how much I will miss everyone- and comforts of home. Particularly the whole not having to worry about Malaria part. So I just keep telling myself- I love diseases and microbes- so I'll get to experience them first [View Full Entry]

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Well, I've safely moved back to Washington with my parents for the month before I leave. There is so much to do! Yet right now I'm just enjoying the time I have with my family. I'm happy to be able to spend Christmas with them. I've been frequently emailing a lady named Christine who is a teacher at the Molly and Paul High School, where I will be teaching, and she has been very helpful with preparing me for my time in Uganda. Also, the first week of school or so, there will be a "Culture Week" where the students [View Full Entry]

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Well, it seems that this life-long dream of mine is finally coming true! Exactly 90 days from now I will be taking the longest plane ride of my life to travel the farthest I've ever travelled. I will be living in Uganda for one year, teaching science in a Christian High school in the capitol city of Kampala. I will be staying at Kibuye High School which is run by the Molly and Paul Childcare Foundation. This organization cares for more than 2600 children in southern Uganda. Many of these children are orphans, and Molly and Paul are the only [View Full Entry]

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