Month three: The Little Things

I'm going to shake things up a bit! Instead of sharing a monthly life lesson I've been faced with I want to share some of the little things that have collectively become my new normal. I'm halfway done with my time here (*cries*) and I feel the need to reflect on the small things. You ready for some culture shock?!

My New Normal

Power 

In case you haven't seen my one million Snapchat stories about constantly losing power then here it goes: Power is SO unpredictable. At first, I embraced it! I thought, "It's all a part of the experience." But when you've gone through consecutive days without it, your patience, like your Iphone battery, becomes exhausted. I've had the power go off while showering, running on the treadmill, at work, right when I need to send photos to headquarters, etc. Thankfully, a former co-worker of mine gave me some solar lights that have been the biggest blessing during those dark nights (THANKS JOY). It gets a little tricky, though, when my phone is on 1% and I'm relying on it to wake me up the next morning, or when my laptop dies in the middle of working on photos. Silver-lining to this, I've been able to enjoy some quiet time.

Squatty potties

So I feel like there's no need to explain this new normal. TMI much? But also very real here, especially when I'm traveling. 

Mosquito nets

Thank you Lord, for creating a barrier between my unconscious self and buzzing-malaria-filled-nasty-mosquitos! Every night I'll tuck the ends of the net under my mattress, turn on my headlamp and make sure I don't have any unwanted insects sharing my space. This is in no way an exaggeration: I've killed about 100 mosquitos already and I have NO doubt that by the end of these six months I'll be killing them in my sleep! 

Boda-bodas

I really never get in cars anymore. The majority of the time I'm on a boda (motor bike). Gulu is a pretty
small town and hitching a ride on one costs me 1,000
Ugandan Shillings, or .30 US cents. I've met and bonded with some great drivers during these drives. We often talk about their families, work, Gulu and where I'm from. I've had drivers guess I'm from Australia, Spain, the UK, Ireland, Japan, France, Germany and of course the US. Now that I know how to drive one, I have SO much respect for these dudes--driving in town isn't easy when you're trying to dodge potholes, people and cars... at the same time.

Being a Mzungu

Mzungu means foreigner here in Uganda. From the moment I walk outside my gate, I'm either labeled as mzungu or mono. I'll have kids yelling from across the road, "Mzungu, hi!" "Mono, bye!!"Admittedly, I've gotten frustrated by the amount of times I've been pointed at, stared at and laughed at because I look different. The thing is, is that most of the time it's curiosity. I've had some conversations where I'm asked why I left the US for Uganda. It's a conundrum for some locals. Regardless of feeling different, I've felt extremely welcomed and loved here. Gulu, this mzungu loves you!!

Speaking Luo

Learning a new language has been SO MUCH FUN! It's been a great way to bond with many of our beneficiaries and staff! When looking at beads for hours, I often take a break by sitting in some of the huts and trying out my "mad Luo skills." Everyone gets a good laugh out of it but I feel so accomplished when I actually get it right! Sad part is, the only place Luo is spoken is in Gulu, so the many times I've said apwoyo matek in Kampala or anywhere else is met with confusion. Here in Gulu, though, I feel like a total boss when I'm able to hold a conversation in Luo! 

Fresh food

You know that overly priced organic stuff grocery stores sell? Well, in Uganda it's the TOTAL opposite. Fresh produce is cheaper than processed food--go figure! Want to know something else that's crazy?! For years I struggled with acne. Last year, I finally went to the dermatologist who then prescribed me with a list of products and medicines that promised to make the problem go away. Being here I've realized what a load of crap that is! The medication and creams I habitually used worked, but since being here I haven't touched them and realized this month that maybe the problem really does lie in what we eat. I don't know what's in our food in the US but my skin didn't appreciate it! Anyways, local food here is SO good and I've been learning how to cook a few things.

Etc. Etc. Etc.

I'm coated with red dust, more than likely have Bilharzia living in me and spend most of my money on food, drinks and/or kitenge clothes. Thinking about these and all the other normals that I go through on a daily basis has made me value them even more. It's not easy to live here but I know every day I'm living purposefully and that's all a gal could ask for! 

So, what were you up to during month three?! Give. Us. Deets.

Define deets for me, because there's so much to say and it's three in the morning my time soooo I'll give you a quick run down! Let's call month three "Random" because almost everything that happened was just that:

• I literally spilled the beans at the market... with a full audience there to see. As if slipping on a banana peel my first month wasn't enough! 
• My friend's and I got invited to a Ugandan wedding. Crazy. Fun. Emotional. So many people.
• After the wedding, I experienced my first (small) earthquake. 
• Went to Aruu Falls where we spent the day climbing waterfalls, getting pulled by currents and living our best lives!
• Got sick, went to Kampala to get looked at, everything fine. 
• After getting the okay from the doctor, my friends and I took at trip to Jinja where we went rafting on the Nile (EPIC), drank Nile Special on the Nile, swam with blonde Jesus and got nicknamed Miranda.
• Month three at Bits was even more incredible and challenging than month two. I know all the women by name, went to visit some of their spouses who have started their own businesses because of 31 Bit's Men to Men program and was able to attend Spouse's Day, where both our beneficiaries and their husbands came together to discuss/get trained on poverty reduction. It was during this month that I started to become increasingly interested in the development side of business!