ebola, cholera, malaria- eeee!

So I’m sure you have all heard about the ebola outbreak by now- but my lack of posting has nothing to do with that… one of my African friends here though was talking to me about it and in his typical Ugandan accent said “ebola and cholera and malaria- eeeee!” it reminded me of lions and tigers and bears oh my! haha. People here are so used to this type of thing, it is again NBD. Nobody is particularly concerned here... we joke about it a lot, but I really don't think it is going to be an issue...so no worries... I know everyone is worried.

Sam is my dance partner AND my new tennis partner

On Friday Sam and I had a tennis lesson with our new favorite African named Ayub. I have not played tennis since I was about 7 and took tennis lesson for a week… so I obviously sucked real bad. Sam on the other hand played on the tennis team in high school… Ayub kept saying things like “come on” “focus” “watch the ball” and then the occasional “good” even though his face showed it was most definitely not good. haha he was cracking us up! We actually beat him 1 game out of 6 and made sure to let everyone know! 

Afterwards we went to imbalu, which is the circumcision festival. It only happens on even years and is a BIG deal here. We were a little hesitant to go because it was in essence a bunch of men hopped up and testosterone blazing… but we got a special invitation to sit with the president of Kenya, and I wasn’t about to miss the cultural experience of a lifetime (ebola or not) and we made our way to the festival (it was at a huge field out of town). It was CRAZY right from the boda ride there. Rodg my favorite boda picked us up and we started- along the way we ran into a couple MASSIVE circumcision parades. Each boy that is going to be circumcised has a parade of people dancing and playing drums and holding spears and singing and just generally supporting him. As mzungus though, we cause quite the stir. It  was ridiculous. Rodg valiantly tried to drive THROUGH the parade and the people were amped and for some reason pinching us and hitting us and yelling (not angry but yelling all the same) and at one point someone hit rodg’s glasses off his face and since I was in the middle closest to him I grabbed them and then was protecting his head because obviously I want his hands on the handlebars! As I was defending the rodg though someone hit me in the head with some sort of stick! Super not cool. Ha.

Rodg! right after he let cami drive!

We finally made our way through the chaos and to the festival and at this point think this is the what? worst idea we ever had.  We started to make our way to the important people tent and randos kept running/stampeding towards us as they ran away from the policemen that they were throwing sticks at. It was out of control- so the police threw some tear gas into the mix. Luckily we were already on our way to the tent and weren’t affected. Just saw the people running on the other side of the fence. We had Ayub and David with us and it was sad how the Ugandans treat their own people. We were ushered into the tent no questions asked, just because we were white… Ayub got hit by the policemen and pushed out before we realized what was happening and told them he was with us. It was real sad.  Inside the tent there was no chaos- just the hottest place on earth. All the important people were there though so when the boys started their traditional dances we got to see everything and it was really cool. Def worth the chaos at the beginning. Total national geographic stuff. We didn’t actually see any circumcisions, and I felt insensitive taking pictures of the poor boys walking away with their African lavalavas trying not to cry… It was a really cool experience.

AYUB! 

Saturday we went and hiked Sipi Falls. It was beautiful. HUGE waterfalls in the middle of the jungle, can’t get better than that.  We also fulfilled me lifelong dream of holding a chameleon! I wanted one SO bad when I was little- but I was never allowed to have one… I was so excited to see the first one that the little trail guide boys found at least 8 for us to play with! It was the best! They make everyone so happy!  We got to jump into a frigid river with at least 3 men that were completely naked and bathing- our bad- and it was so cold! Ayub jumped in first and I followed- he basically had to pull me out of the current. It was FREEZING and the current was pretty strong but just more shocking. When Sam got out though she had a leech on her! I obviously did not handle this very well and did this whole ehhh ehhhhh ehhhhhh thing while shaking my hands at her haha. She was understandably freaking out not knowing why I was freaking out and then Cami flicked it off of her. Ha. gross.

and i will name him... pascal 

so excited. 

I leave in one week from today and I am so sad about it. I can’t believe it has come so fast! I am going to miss it here so much.

NBD.

I don't think I will ever get over the nonchalant attitude toward human life and innate rights here in Uganda. I can't even comprehend the difference of my life and the life of a Ugandan. All the time when tragic things happen, we are told, "it's ok, that is how life is- it is our way" I want to yell out that it is NOT ok! That those things should not have to be normal! In their experience though it is nothing to complain about, it happens to everyone, they should just accept it. 

They work harder in one day than I have ever worked. It's amazing.

For example, I have told you about Annette, my apaperero from beading, the other day she was really quiet during beading and I went to her "house" afterwards and asked if she was ok, she told me that her good friend and neighbor had died. You know i'm always awkward with news like that- but she said it so matter of factly that I had no idea how to respond. I told her I was so sorry and she just told us the same "it's ok, it is our way here in Namatala". I just can't comprehend that that is daily life- NBD.  Then today Rebecca and I were in Namatala and walked passed her house and she was selling some vegetables outside. Rebecca bought some for the house and Annette said "oh thank you! you have given me lunch today!" She didn't say it to make us feel bad, she was just stating the fact that she wasn't going to be able to eat lunch that day (and probably not feed her children lunch either), but since she made a sale she had some money to get food. NBD.

Annette, my apaperero!

her son Silver

One of my friends at the church works as a guard. He is part of the infamous 21 pack (all the young single adult boys who are all too excited to hang out with us mzungu girls). Yesterday I was at FHE at the church and he was in his guard getup. I went in the little station and saw he had a gun! I asked him if he even knew how to use it and he said "of course". Why wouldn't he be able to use a gun? He is from Northern Uganda after all... I asked what that meant, but all the boys seemed to think it was obvious that anyone from Northern Uganda would be able to use a gun. He then proceeds to tell me that where he is from every boy knows from the age of 12. NBD. He was KIDNAPPED from his home and taken to the bush and beaten and taught how to use a gun. He was able to escape with some of his older friends and had to go into hiding. He told me that it was better for him when Kony moved to Sudan because then he could stop hiding and go to school again. His dad had died and his mom couldn't really take care of him. I made him pinky promise that the story was true- he told it like he was telling me about the time he went to the store- like a total NBD moment. It's a big D. big D. He is one of sweetest and calmest people I have met here. I would never imagine that coming from him. When you think of that sort of thing happening-child soldiers and what not- it is super sad, but to know someone- makes it all the more real. Yet that was 10 years ago and he is not angry or bitter like you might expect. He was baptized a few months ago and is preparing to serve a mission. 

We have another friend (also part of the 21 pack) and he is one of the happiest people I have ever met. He is great. He also has gallstones and not enough money for surgery so is taking medication that makes him super sick and dizzy and nauseous. He can't pay for school fees, but wants to finish so bad, that he goes to the church everyday and studies by himself so by the time he has saved enough to go to school he won't be behind. He has so many bad things in his life but he is totally part of the NBD movement. So happy and I want to say...jolly. That's right I said it- cheese. He is just always smiling, even though he is in intense pain pretty much all the time. I mean my life can't even compare. I feel guilty when I complain about stuff and here he is never complaining.

This is not one of the 21 pack but another always happy man from Bunabuyoka

There are so many other things, this post is real long already though- but the attitude towards men being more important than women- just accepted- no one even questions the correctness of that statement, healthcare not being supreme - that's just how life is, everyone has malaria, NBD if I have a C-section then have to ride with my newborn home in a taxi stuffed with 28 people and then get on a boda (motorcycle) to get the rest of the way to the one room mud hut (that is if they didn't give birth in said mud hut and use a razor blade to cut the cord then go back to work), it's normal that the street kids smell like paint thinner because they have been huffing, NBD.

I just want to point out that all of this is a big deal. I still don't think I have adequately described the sad things you see here that are "NBD" to everyone because that is the way of life- but then in contrast to that the happiness and gratitude that is shown by every person. We are working with a documentarian right now that is going to help us make a movie about Namatala, but he is also working on a documentary called "Uganda 2012" It is in response to that Kony 2012 movie i'm sure everyone has seen. His main point is that when the outside world thinks of Uganda they think of Kony now- which is not a problem. He says they have been out of war for years now and that the real problems in Uganda (because Uganda DEFINITELY has them) are that there is no medication in the hospitals, and that people cannot afford to receive an education.

It still blows my mind that signs like this are at primary schools- it's not fair that they have to deal with stuff like this

I still can't wrap my head around it, but i'm thankful for the opportunity to even take a glance into what life is like for the people of Uganda.

wanji?!

I haven't been in the united states for the fourth of july in so long... I guess summers are for traveling? It didn't really feel like a holiday- we went about our usual business and best day ever- we got to tell the women that we are going to buy necklaces from them! They were so excited. We definitely got a few AYE AYE AYES! It feels good to finally talk openly with the women about the website and tell them why we need to have it a certain way. I really want to be here to see the start of their businesses! I am looking into possibly changing my flight so I can see the project through- but i'm debating prices.

Annette and her design! She is my apaperero (friend)!

Rebecca and Veronica with her design

After beading we went home to our 4th of July extravaganza! We had SO much food! We made pretty much everything you would have in the states. We also had all of the Americans we know (aka the elders) over and then our favorite African friends were also invited. We played volleyball and ate A LOT. We had so much extra food. Cami and I were talking to Freddy and he was joking with us telling us that we needed to eat more food because there are starving kids in Africa- we told him that people say that all the time in the states. I asked him how we could give it to the starving kids, and Freddy is so awesome he just picked up and said let's go! He said last year they used to have huge dinners and then give the extras to the street kids all the time. So off we went, trash cans full of coleslaw in hand (we got creative, we don't have very many dishes) to go feed the street kids. Freddy told me he was my body guard and that it would be safe. We went to town and Fred took us to the place where the street kids sleep. They all know him (he is actually pretty famous in Mbale, a radio DJ that everyone loves) they lined up for us and we handed out plates and served what we had. They were so cute, and surprisingly polite. There were some older guys there too though that were trying to push the little boys out of the way. They all smelled strongly of paint thinner and Freddy told us it is pretty common. Huffing the paint thinner makes you lose your appetite. There was a little boy named Henry that told us he was 13 (he was TINY) and that he went to school up to P7 but his father abused him so much that he ran away from home. It was so humbling. One of the most heart wrenching 4th of Julys that i've ever had.... considering last year I was in Verona, eating gelato and walking around lago di garda. I can't believe the stark difference in one year to the next. I'm grateful for all of the opportunities I have had.

 Pineapple upside down cake! Made on the charcoal stove pictured below- our cook Sam is amazing!

 Who doesn't boil eggs outside? Deviled eggs? yes please.

Last night we painted paper for the beads... like Rebecca says our beginnings section could be a million pages long. We literally were sitting in our house painting old magazines, trying to get the graphics not to show, while getting paint all over us and stuck to us- never to come off, we couldn't find
places to keep all of the wet painted papers- they are currently scattered all around our house with no real places to walk..500 sheets of painted paper = only half of the necklaces we need to make!

We printed our first business plan! We gave it to Child of Hope when we had our meeting about becoming partners! 

shamba'd.

This last week has been quite the week.... it seemed like everything went wrong.

Tuesday Rebecca and I were excited because we were going to take pictures of where Martha works- she works at the medical school as a cleaning women- when we got there though she had already finished her work so we just sat down and talked with her. She told us her story and it is incredible! She is an amazing woman. She wants to start a casava business and has everything worked out but just doesn't have the start up capital. She doesn't know about the 1000 Shillings website yet, but we hope that the money she earns from selling necklaces will help her reach her goal! When we were leaving we saw a big pile of rusty beds sitting outside, we are building the clinic in bunabuyoka and happen to need hospital beds so we decided to ask if we could have one. We got as the Ugandans like to say "tossed about" a lot. We were sent from one office to the next and then told we had to come back later. Meanwhile we are just walking around the hospital which is insane! There are no real waiting rooms and everyone is just outside chillin- open wounds, IV ports coming out of little kid's heads and then the maternity ward just out in the open...could have potentially been very traumatizing but luckily I saw nothing... the mental hospital is also just in the middle and there were a bunch of guys in all white handcuffed together that was super shutter island and creepster... basically we didn't get the beds...

After that fail we decided to go try the milkshakes at the internet cafe that everyone had been talking about... even bringing Ashley to tears...and it's true they were dang good... first real ice cream i've had since i've been here... the let down was I immediately noticed the coconut ripping my chest apart.. I of course wasn't carrying any medicine so I just went across the street to the shiv (a supermarket) and got some water. It wasn't my worst reaction but not great. We had meetings the rest of the day so I went to those without getting any medicine. I went to institute that night and my reaction was getting worse so I kind of wanted a blessing but no one was there to give me one. I said a little prayer that maybe the elders would show up so they could give me one but they never go to institute - I was so surprised when I walked out the door and they were standing there! An appointment had fallen through and they had just stopped by. It was really cool. Also after receiving the blessing my reaction ended and didn't continue into the next day as usual.

Wednesday we went back to Martha's work to try and video her awesome story. BIG FAIL. Rebecca and I realized that we are NOT videographers. It was the worst. I can't even tell you how bad it was. We tried with different cameras later that day at beading and still a fail. All you can hear is birds CA CAW CA CAW! Super annoying. Then the beads the women had were covered in dirt with bugs dried into them... so we decided we needed to paint the paper for them first because they don't have room in their 1 room huts to dry a bunch of paper... the paint we used took FOREVER to get off our hands not to mention dry- and Cam and I had to sleep in the living room because the paint fumes were so bad and I had delirious dreams about getting malaria because I wasn't sleeping under a net! Ha.

Thursday we went to Kamonkoli and Kakoli as always (the urine project) we were supposed to have a guest speaker but he didn't show up!! It was terrible. We had to wing it for 2 hrs and had nothing prepared! Beading made the day better though. Our women were so excited and a lot of the necklaces are really coming together! Rebecca and I got really sick though and I'm not sure why...

Friday I was sick all day.. I was throwing up and it was not nice. It's the weirdest feeling though because i'm super hungry but then when I eat anything it's the worst.

Today we went to play soccer at the church and were shamba'd turns out it was the church clean up instead haha.

Even though things get frustrating here, i'm still so excited to be here and I love (almost) every minute of it. Rebecca and I just keep laughing when we have days like that saying when we look back at our "beginnings" as 1000 Shillings we are going to have the best stories!

1000 Shillings!!!!

Great news on the bead front!! These women are amazing! They are so excited and motivated to make the necklaces. We started working with them to improve the designs of their necklaces and it is better than anticipated! They look great! Last year the women were taught how to make paper beads but then were left with no market to sell them in. Here in Mbale and surrounding areas, the market is pretty saturated. So the women of Namatala had this new skill but they had no place to sell and became super discouraged. Our goal was to help them differentiate themselves and gain new skills. Then we decided we wanted to give them access to a global marketplace and have decided to start a business! We have named it 1000 Shillings (the amount of money the families in Namatala live off a day - about $0.40) . This new international market will give these women the opportunity to supplement their incomes.  We also want to be able to tell the story of each of these women and their families and communities. It will be like a travel magazine mixed with an ecommerce site. 

Meet the ladies!!!  

This is Veronica, she is the happiest lady ever! I love her smile! She is so willing to learn and is easy to laugh. We had the opportunity on Saturday to go and see her house and meet her family. Her husband left her awhile back and we couldn't distinguish quite how many children she actually has but she takes care of at least 10 kids. The kids were out working in the field and we got to go visit them and see them at work.

This is Ida. She is our rock star! She is the only one of the ladies that had continued from last year. She has been making beads and trying to sell them in her spare time (which isn't a lot). She picked the most complicated of the designs we offered and is doing super well! Her necklace had 730 beads! She is very dedicated and wants to own her own business one day. I really think she can. She tries to sell charcoal now but most of the time doesn't make a profit. We want to start teaching them business skills so that one day Ida and the rest of the women will be able to stand on their own as confident business women.

This is Esther. She is so funny. She loves to laugh and was so proud of her first necklace. She has been living in Namatala since her husband "chased her out" as she told me. She speaks English but is super shy. She was my partner this last week and we put this necklace together as a team! When it's finished the top with have a leather strap or possibly braided african fabric. We are really excited about this one!

Martha came out of nowhere! The first time we met with the bead ladies there were only 5 of them. Then one day Martha showed up and we are happy to have her! She is so on top of the game that when we met last not only had she completed her homework of making enough beads for her assigned necklace- but she had already varnished them! She is also quick to smile and has really good English. We got to meet all of her kids on Saturday as well. It was really cool to talk to them and see their mom's influence. She is a great asset to 1000 Shillings!

 This is Elizabeth, I admit we were a little worried about her at first- but she has turned out to be a front runner! I love her necklace! Rebecca was paired up with her last week and they had a lot of fun making what we affectionately call The Elizabeth. She is very shy and timid at first and then opens up and loves laughing with the women. I think the women appreciate this time together beading- maybe it helps them to forget for just a minute.

This is Annette. I absolutely love her. She is so friendly and has one of the cutest babies in the world! She is always wearing that neon green do-rag (spelling?) and it makes me laugh. She is usually right on time for our meetings (which is a definite accomplishment in uganda! ugandans tend to be at least an hour late! admittedly!)

These women are so great and I am excited to start being able to sell their stuff. It will make such a huge difference in their lives! Hopefully rent, school fees, food, and running their businesses won't be so much of a problem anymore! Plus I think I might of found something that I would actually be happy doing with my life... as seen by past experiences i'm not really great at staying in one place- but right now I have a yr and a half plan and I don't even feel claustrophobic about it! I get to combine my love of traveling with my love of photography. We want to branch out to different countries and spotlight collections from different women's groups all over the world. Rebecca has connections in Nepal so we want to start there after Uganda, but are also interested in going to women in the United States, as well as Mexico for this year. I'm excited for the opportunity to tell these women's stories- the aim is to let you get to know her as I have. I think this is such a cool concept! So...stay tuned!

SIMON!

Let me tell you about Simon... He is my new best friend. I had noticed this kid around before... how could I not? Look at that as the Ugandans would call it "smart jacket". He is always wearing it! He looks like a little man and is so funny. He reminds me of Dante a little bit with his facial expressions and when he is pretending to flirt with the girls and what not. He is 9 years old and the coolest kid. I learned a little bit about his background and it is heartbreaking. 

Simon comes from a very abusive home, his father used to beat him and his siblings very badly. CFAI found them and came to their aid. He is one of the children that CFAI (they are our partner in building the clinic in Bunabuyoka) has kind of taken in as their own. He lives at the bottom of the mountain now with his siblings and mother and his father is not around. Everyday Simon walks 3 miles up what you all know I like to call the hell hill just to go to school. He is a very dedicated student. His teacher, Jared (aka attractive teacher), told me he is one of the best in the class. He came up to me one night and pulled on my arm after we had been working all day and shyly whispered that he was hungry. It was heartbreaking. I literally had no food because we eat what the village feeds us. A little while later the men were eating posho and I tried to get Simon to go get some but he told me they said no. So I walked him over hand in hand and used my mzungu skills to get him a plate. I wish everything was that easy! 

When I asked Simon what he wanted to be when he grew up he said a pilot! He wants to be able to fly to America someday. Children here often don't have very lofty goals for themselves. They don't dream of what they want to become because- in all reality it probably won't happen. School fees are out of control. It is more expensive to go to university here than BYU tuition is. These people just don't have the money. Even high school in about $200 a term! The government doesn't sponsor schools so the kids have to basically pay the teachers. I am so happy that Simon has a dream! I really hope he does it!

I wish I had one of those little kids airplane wings that I could pin on his little man jacket and I can just envision his Lifetime movie now... He keeps the future pilot pin his whole life as inspiration to become a real life pilot and then one day when his dreams come true he flies to America as promised and comes to visit me! Ha if only it were so easy!!

I have also decided that he is going to marry Hailey (my niece). I even showed him a picture of her and he obviously didn't understand what I was saying but just kind of laughed... I think they would be perfect! 

Oh yeh best part is... he remembers my name! Ugandans as a whole STRUGGLE with my name. They just can't say it! Well Simon calls me lex! and he came up with it all on his own! Ok it is more like "lak" but we are working on it :) . It is the cutest thing ever! When we are carrying sand up a mountain or passing bricks to build the clinic he is always eager to stand right next to me. These kids are SO strong! Where we struggle lifting the sand and carrying it to the next person in our line to the top of the mountain they practically run it! We literally couldn't build the clinic without their help! They are our best helpers! and are eager for the results!

Moral of the story- I love this kid. I'm grateful for the opportunity to meet such a strong little boy who still has a dream even after such a rough life at just age 9. If he can do it, I can do it. 

duncan n da nile...

Friday we left in a rush for a last minute rafting the nile trip! nbd. We should have known better - african time dictates that we had at least another hour before the bus left... we ended up waiting for quite awhile... after a 2 hr bus ride we made it to Jinja. The hostel was actually real nice- we had a rockin view of the nile and HOT SHOWERS. So good.

Saturday morning we got up early and were stoked to go rafting!! Well most of us were... I admit I was a little bit freaked at the idea of anacondas and crocodiles in the nile... but there was no way I was going to miss out. We watched a lady bungee jump before we went out and saw what we believed to be little crocodiles circling underneath her... freaked for the calm water for sure! When we met our raft guide he was a crack up. His name is Duncan and is a Brit from New Zealand. He was your typical dirty back packing slacking off for the summer, partying and rafting guide. Kept us laughing the whole time and even sang us the song from PS I Love You on request as we were going through the rapids- it was actually quite soothing! :) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fLb213lak5s I'm sure he learned WAY more about us than he bargained for... I guess we aren't really used to being around too many boys... let's just say he learned about maria crying (one of  the funniest things we have heard in country- what girls say when they have their period)... We had such an awesome time rafting though! They were grade 4 and 5 rapids and we had a great time! In all the pictures I am goofy smiling the whole time. I was having such a blast. Surprisingly I was never scared in the rapids- it was only when we saw what we believed to be baby crocodiles in the flat pool we were in that I kinda freaked and started yelling FORWARD PADDLE!!! Duncan just laughed at me and then said they were actually just monitor lizards- which I googled and are just as terrifying! By the last rapid our team still hadn't flipped over or been thrown out really (josh fell out once) and we were kind of feeling cheated out of that experience! They had told us that the average person is thrown out 7 times! So Duncan came up with a plan to let us do something awesome on the last go. He said if we let out some of the air from the raft, we would have three options: 1. flip over right away 2. just go straight over the rapid (boring) 3. get stuck in the rapid and "surf around a bit"   we obviously voted for option 3. We did get stuck a bit but not too long. I held on for as long as I could- at first I thought I wasn't even going to fall out- and then the second wave hit and we went flying. There were paddles and body parts EVERYWHERE! I got stuck under the raft for a little bit but ironically I wasn't even scared. It was just like body surfing at pounders. I finally came up and saw the next wave- instinctively duck dived, and then popped out on the other side where I saw Sam and her bloody head! I was getting swept down the river though so the most I could do was yell to Duncan that she was bleeding- I guess she banged heads with someone in the chaos. It actually wasn't that bad- just looked a little scary. Duncan was really good and calm though and got her cleaned up. The safety boat that had been following us the whole time had tried to do some tricks in the rapids and ended up breaking everything! It was a good time though. 

After the rapids we went back and hung out at the hostel. We started talking to Duncan and another raft guide Jacob. They were def have a lot of fun at the bar... it was pretty hilarious though as we got good ol duncan donuts to sing to us more and ended up hanging upside down in a kayak that was strapped to the ceiling! I thought there was no way I was going to be able to get up there but lo and behold with a little assistance from Jacob it was pretty easy! We were all laughing so hard. Favorite quotes from that night "she's like a ninja!" "i'm not doing anything inappropriate just tucking your shirt in!" "i'm sorry i look like that! it's just my face!"

Today we were to region conference. As always it was pretty hard to understand- I don't know why but I only get 1 out of every 5 words over the pulpit.. It's terrible! The ward brought 5 taxis to Jinja so we just met them there and got a ride home with them. On the way home we stopped for.. that's right 3 weddings. Super random. I guess something to do with the government - people can only get married in certain buildings so there was 3 couples who had been waiting to get to Jinja so they could get married. Each ceremony lasted like 5 minutes. It was so different than any wedding I would imagine. We were also told that in Ugandan culture they don't kiss - not until about 30 yrs ago when they saw it on tv and even now it is still considered pretty scandalous- so that explained when the branch president told them to kiss the bride they got so awkward and the crowd went wild! 

Before the weddings though our friend Tyrel (the one who asked about how would you breast feed triplets) got his mission call! I think we were freaking out more than he was! It is just so awesome. He got baptized last year and is such a good guy! He is going to Ghana! He actually guessed it. It was the weirdest thing. Before he read the call we were all placing bets and he won! 

On the ride home Tyrel and Rebecca told us all about Ugandan dating it was hilarious to hear about. They have such different customs than us. Tyrel described to us what they call a "hell date" apparently it's when you take someone out on a date but they don't know it's a date haha..yeh I don't get it either.  It is good to be home though!

Moral of the story. I LOVE RAFTING.

 beautiful sunset on the nile

 I believe our team name was Search and Destroy! haha a Ugandan man named us...

Jennilyn, Jan, me, Cami, KJ, Kara, Sam, Ashley, Josh, Duncan

more pictures of the rafting:https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10151732313735417.852733.699820416&type=1

Oh update on the urine garden! We finally had enough pee to try it out... it was not the most pleasant experience.. that's for sure...We are trying it out but it looks much better in PDF form than in real life... so rank... yup that's a jug of Ryan's pee and i'm about to pour water in it...

 It smelled SO bad! Rebecca had to take over the pouring and Ryan could barely contain himself... 

Hopefully this makes out sprouts grow bigger!! Who would have thought i'd be into this project... so nast... 

urine, jewelry, and a health clinic!

If you had asked me a month ago what I would be doing when I went to Africa I probably would have given a generic- possibly sarcastic answer... never in a million years would I think that I was going to be excited about urine and beads! I am so stoked on these income generating projects for women. Rebecca and I have been researching and researching and are excited to start! I was researching vertical gardens last year and came across a report that was talking about sack gardens in Kenya and how they have long drought seasons so people have started to use sewage lines to water their gardens. At first a had the same reaction you probably just did...euuughhh nasty... so I read it out loud to everyone immediately of course... but as I kept reading I actually got super interested. Turns out pee is a fantastic fertilizer! It makes the veggies bigger and better, they grow faster, and it is a natural pesticide so more plants survive to be fully grown. It also makes for more seeds, which turn out to be the truly profitable part of farming here. The women will be able to grow veggies to feed their families and they will be bigger so there will be more to go around, they will then turn around and sell the seeds making a profit and starting all over! It is going to be so awesome! We are so stoked about the project and there has been quite a few potty jokes going around our house. (we may or may not have a very good septic system at our house and have a few unusual bathroom rules- including the favorite "if it's yellow let it mellow"). We are now going to put that "mellow" to good use! haha. Rebecca, Sam, and I started our own garden today to give it a try before we go and teach village women how to do it next week. We found ourselves scaling the hill/cliff down to the jungle that is our backyard and collecting buckets of dirt...they were much heavier than anticipated! We also went out and collected rocks from the road where we were almost trampled by a herd of cows. I got SO dirty. We had a ton of fun though. We even got the boys to agree to pee in our old water jugs so that we can try it out. We are going to have a man competition and see who can produce better cabbage :) . I am so excited for this project. I know it is kinda gross... but this is really happening all over the world, and SUCCESSFULLY! Who knew we could change the world with pee....

The other project Rebecca and I are really amped on is a bead project. Last year the Help volunteers taught the women how to make paper beads to sell and create incomes. A few of the women got really good at making them, but there is just no market for it here. We decided that we are going to start a website to launch their products. It is such a great opportunity for these women and we can really make a difference in their lives. Plus the jewelry is going to really awesome and stuff people would want to wear anyways. These women are mostly widows and have no other way to care for their family. They are living in the slum and this project will help them to provide for their families and put their children through school.

The last project we are really excited about is a health clinic in Buyanbuyoka. These people are amazing! They are so ready to put it together and build it in 2 weeks. They have all pulled together and are pooling their resources. This clinic would be such a blessing in this little village! We are so excited to help them and get them the health care they need. When we were at the village on Monday they showed us their "clinic" and it was a teeny room with a cabinet in it with basically nothing inside...a couple cotton balls... but then after they crammed us all in this dark dungeon-like mud hut room- they told us that many women had given birth in there, right on that floor.... now if you know me you know that that creeped me out beyond belief! euugghhh! I immediately wanted out but was trapped! Only to realize there was a dirty razor blade on the floor..haha so you see they really need this clinic! We are going to start fundraising soon and I know some people have been asking me how you can help and this is how! I will let you know the details when I know!

So basically... Africa is awesome. I am living a ridiculous life full of things I never thought I would be interested in... 

 Sam and Rebecca are so stoked to put the rocks in... that weigh a million pounds...

 realizing we need MORE dirt and about to go back down the hill to dig more dirt around the trash piles...

 I don't know how I got so muddy... way dirtier than the other two... 

Josh's pee can.... before his first contribution...