I am Ssepuya

BIG IZ BIG

2010-03-23T06:34:00.000-07:00

Proverbs 30:8-9
"Give me neither poverty nor riches but give me only my daily bread. Otherwise, I may have too much and disown you and say, 'Who is the Lord?'"

-friday i went to namugongo. the site of the murder of 25 ugandan christians by king mwanga II on june 3rd, 1887. intense.

-that night mary, debbie, sammi, kelsey and i met tony and dennis in kampala to celebrate tony's 21st birthday. first we played some telephone pictionary in a coffee shop. then went to ranchers for dinner. i had some kind of a hamburger and we shared a piece of cake ugandan style. then we wandered around the mall (garden city) for a awhile. i found some balloons from a kid's birthday party on the roof and gave them to tony. he loved it all.

-saturday morning we left for jinja. we went rafting for 6 hours. 31 km of nile. it was stellar and super extreme. our guide was named sadu and he was super rad. we flipped the boat. it was great.

-sunday morning i went bungee jumping. 43 meters. 140 some odd feet. enough said.

-got a free water by crawling into a kayak hanging upside in the bar.

-i had a super cross cultural dinner i was invited to by a friend. there were sudanese, two rwandans, a family of tanzanians, and a swiss couple. not to mention my american self. super rad.

-the usp led worship for chapel this morning. i played drums for the first time in prolly at least 2 years. it went super well.

- i need a nap.

The Real Adventures of Cap'n Psalty

2010-03-15T00:50:00.001-07:00

- we visited a mosque and i spoke to a muslim man who was trying to persuade me to convert. i didnt.

- we went on a one day visit to The Aids Support Organization (TASO) in jinja. they had a drama group who sang and dance and shared their stories with us. it put faces to HIV/AIDS for us.

- made mac and cheese for my family. found kraft mac at garden city in kampala. but it was 10,000 shillings a box ($5). i couldn't do that cuz i would need 4 boxes. so i then found kraft white cheddar mac for 5,000 schillings a box. that sealed the deal. i also purchased peanut butter and strawberry jam in garden city. i prepared the sandwiches, and added some local sausage to the mac (mac and weens style) and my family was delighted. never had peanut butter, or jam, or mac and weens before.

- taught tony and dennis some american pick up lines. we laughed alot about those. dennis wrote them down.

-i had my shredded pants tailored for 1,000 shillings (50 cents). and it was a BIG tear.

-gained head of the house authority when mother left wednesday. then handed it over to martin when i left friday. now she's back. and in charge.

- i have killed several wasps, that is true. friday i punched one three times in the face then punted it. that happened.

- we left friday for an entire weekend trip to jinja and the source of the nile. friday night we met with three american missionaries. two had been missionaries to uganda for 12 years and worked in prison ministry. the other was a young single lady who worked in prison ministry and with different youth ministries.

- went swimming for the first time in uganda. the pool at the place we were staying was exquisite. there were also frogs in the kiddie pool. i caught two.

- went on a tour of jinja, which i renamed the "jinja safari." saw the source of the nile, visited a fishing village, what was once considered the "beverly hills" of uganda but is not much now due to idi amin, and visited an industrial alley in the city appropriately nicknamed "ting ting" due to the work of the blacksmiths and metal workers there.

- had a stellar chapati, chicken, and guacamole wrap for lunch.

- went on a boat tour of lake victoria and the source of the nile. caught a dead fish. saw a cobra and a monitor lizard.

- took part in a synchronized swim dance.

- ate indian food for dinner. mutton biryani.

- sat on the shore of lake victoria, the world's second largest lake (superior is first), and watched the lanterns of the fishing boats move across it at night.

- gave two sermons sunday morning at new life missionary baptist church in jinja. i spoke with a translator repeating me in lusoga. wonderful people and a great time!

The adventures of Cap'n Psalty (Pirated Blog)

2010-03-14T23:54:00.000-07:00

- The list of things I have captured goes on. This weekend I punched a wasp in the face. And then I punched Mary because she got in the way of me punching the wasp.
- My friends are collecting this creepy campaign poster of a guy named Arafat. I am plotting to capture the real Arafat and marry him off to an American.
- My host family does not know this yet, but I have 134 toads under my bed. They sing me to sleep at night.
- I coordinated a synchronized swimming dance in the pool in Jinja. I was the finale. As it should be.
- I am addicted to kool-aid. It’s a problem. I have begun snorting the packets. The USP students are getting to liberal with their drinking of my kool-aid so I skip the water bottle and just inhale it.
- The last drum I made is secretly full of bees. Live bees. I am waiting patiently for someone to hit the drum and get a fun buzzy surprise. I hope I don’t forget and hit the drum myself…
- I have begun carrying around a man purse. You may think this sounds strange but it just looks so good on me. It is my African murse.
- I have become completely accustomed to men holding hands. I plan on continuing this trend in America. My man friend, Boniface, and I held hands after we went out for a nice dinner this weekend.
- I thought I was getting pretty good at the squatty potty. But this weekend I missed. BAD. It was a very poopy problem.
- I can now communicate with the monkeys. We have developed our own language that I call Monknatese. They tell me secrets about Africa.

*this post has been pirated and not original natebell material. i will hunt down the culprits and force them to play my buzzy bee drum. thank you for bearing with us during this unfortunate circumstance.

happy women's day!

2010-03-09T04:09:00.000-08:00

-its been crazy around campus lately due to guild elections (student government elections). campaigning is done much differently here than in america - as apparent by african politics in general. its a crazy time.

-i helped do some campaigning for my friend tonny. he is running for member of parliament representing the law faculty. so i made some posters for him featuring him amidst a group of us americans bearing two thumbs up in his direction. then i wrote, "law abiding americans for law abiding tonny."

-i drove a van on the wrong side of the car and on the wrong side of the road.

-went with tonny to do some grass roots campaigning in the hostels. students here expect to be bribed and think that is normal and how politics are to be done. people said they would pledge their votes if tonny would return with booze and sweets. but they were serious.

-last week was also hiv/aids emphasis for the usp. we heard a seminar and traveled to jinja to an hiv/aids outreach program there. so sad, but wonderful opportunity for the hope of Christ to overcome.

-in the spirit of elections, some friends made posters for me as if i could run for USP president. they posted these up by way of post-it notes. i guess i won by no contest.

-i walked home with a fourteen-year-old boarding school student who guessed my age to be 40. how disappointing.

-we had a great worship time last week in which i helped by way of slapping and slamming my hands against a drum. it sounded much better than this description might suggest.

-last week i had dinner with american missionaries, shauen and krista trump. we had lasagna and green beans and garlic bread and ice cream and brownies = terrible for most of my insides, but excellent for my tongue!

-yesterday was women's day. the guys and i celebrated by going to kampala and eating hamburgers. also terrible for my insides. but it was delicious. then i had dinner with a former missionary to somalia in the 1950s-60s that was super rad and reminded me so much of my grandpa. i wanted to hug him, but this was just our first dinner. his name was karl wesselhoft. he was born in germany.

-he said, "you brought christianity like a potted plant. we must break the pot and plant it in our native soil." wise grandpa man!

vote natebell usp!

2010-03-04T23:30:00.000-08:00

10 days in kapchorwa!

-most beautiful place i have ever been or seen with my own eyeball lookers!

-caught tons of chameleons, maybe less

-climbed many trees

-hiked mountains almost everyday to waterfalls and caves

-tore an enormous hole in my pants while playing soccer with school kids. from the crotch to the ankle. embarrassing? no. losing to school kids in soccer. embarrassing? a little. there was more of them though.

-carried banana tree stems on my head.

-mistaken multiple times for being asian, or specifically chinese.

-shared a room with a hen that was incubating. named her jacqueline.

-had miserable diarrhea for 4 days.

-improved my slingshot skills to expert.

-visited compassion international with my host brother sam (12), and watched him write a letter to his sponsors.

-was nearly trampled by hundreds of kids who wanted to touch the "muzungu" in the two schools i visited.

-ate a handful of white ants live. and more. heads and wings and all.

-took a 6 hour hike in the mountains.

-went on a coffee tour. made coffee from step one. world's best cup of coffee - congratulations everyone! (ELF)

-found a banana slug. appropriately named by color and size.

-saw crocodiles as we drove over the nile. boom.

-many great discussions about dowery/bride price, circumcision, and other customs and traditions of the people of kapchorwa.

-I <3 AFRICA.

im alive.

2010-02-18T04:49:00.000-08:00

updates and highlights from the past few weeks:

- spent a weekend in Luweero. spent a day at a Compassion International children's development center. met one of the director's, Emmanuel. talked awhile and he invited me to join his new holistic child development program after i graduate. another opportunity.

- maria, the 9-month baby, eats dirt and charcoal. i've caught her several times.

- the cosmic pterodactyl spreads it wings directly over my home. it followed me here i suspect.

- tony sent me this luganda proverb, "even a small boy can play the drum and the elder dances. so never undermine the young."

- found a fan for our room. its wonderful to have a breeze. cant open the windows b/c of the malaria mosquitos. dirty rascals.

- im the water runner now cuz i can carry to jerricans full of water at the same time. my family can't believe it. "it's like you're carrying nothing!" they cry.

- visited the sight where 26 ugandan christians were martyred in 1885 by king mwanga II.

-had lunch with boniface, from gulu, who has experienced the worst of the war in the north with the LRA. sad, sad, story.

- i have now had porridge several times now. it is something like oatmeal minus the oatmealish part. really, i think i like it.

- visited the Kasuubi tombs, the burial sight of four of Buganda's kings. one king, Mutesa I had 30-40 wives and 124 children and a pet leopard. his palace is now the largest grass-thatched hut in the world.

- visited another child development program called hope for youth uganda. i helped build a pig sty and played drums while the kids sang and dance. many could not believe a muzungu like me could play drums. they danced like they love to. its great !

- i killed and butchered a chicken.

- started running with my friend john. he's from gordon college. this means i can now shower on monday, wednesday, fridays. i especially like these days cuz it means i can get all the shampoo out of my hair.

- my musician friend ben calls me, nathan the percussion discussion.

- i have crossed paths with large groups of men jogging, chanting, and all carrying large sticks. this was especially nerve-racking the first time, me being the only white person around when a street full of stick-wielding men run towards me chanting. something uncomfortable about that. i found out later they are training to become police officers.

- our room was sporting a wretched stench for several days, so after a thorough search, martin and i found a dead and rotting rat corpse in his desk. stench is gone now compliments of strong and potent perfume.

- i have now caught many lizards. and large ones too.

- also we got a pet kitten to control the rat/mice population in our home. i had to name it. it is now nala. though most my family is not good with the letter "r," so it sounds more like nara. thats ok.

- i got a slingshot so tony and dennis and i can go hunting, im so psyched.

FUN CULTURAL FACTS TIME!

- as long as one has on a tie, you look "smart." so men here do not concern themselves with the length of the tie. so you're tie is only half or one-third the length of your chest, no worries.

- women kneel as part of their traditional greeting to men or older woman.

- the university has 2 push mowers which the mow the flat areas, which is only the football fields. the rest of the 80-plus acres are slashed with machetes since the university is on the side of a mountain. hard workers.

- lines are not a concept that has any value here. people do not wait in line, or stand in lines. or form themselves in line. if i line up behind someone, i expect to be helped next. but rather i will be passed by someone who will squeeze next to the person being helped. so i dont know if i'll ever get accustomed to a non-line system. i've only known lines since i learned them in preschool. its blowing my mind!

- we take tea everyday when i get home from school. tea time came with the british obviously. so i drink lots of tea. hot tea. i've introduced the idea of iced tea, but my family thinks its ridiculous. i'll make them try it.

- there are not ice cubes here, but there are lots of straws.

- affection. interesting. more affection is shown publicly between the same sex. close friends, who are guys, will hold hands as they walk and talk. romantic affection is not for public display. so i have had to hold hands twice during conversations. im still adjusting.

to come...

-going far north to for a "rural home stay" for 10 days. i'll be out of reach for that time.

so good morning. and in case i dont see you, good afternoon, good evening, and goodnight.

last tuesday - NRM Day!

2010-02-02T06:13:00.000-08:00

- the players: dennis, tony, me, debbie, mary, jameisha

- objective: visit ssezibwa falls. catch a monkey.

- supplies: bananas we bought from the market, tropical trail mix (from america)

- taxi (15 passenger van) to tony's home (1,000 schillings = 50 cents).

- named tony's pigs wilbur and kunta kinte. we had cool drinks. we posed with spears then threw them. i missed the tree. but i killed a bush. tony gave me a traditional magic stick. it's a stick with a cow tail attached to the end. you dance with it for luck.

- Taxi to Ssezibwa Falls. Sorta. We had to walk most the way. And it was hot. i made alot of sweat

- The park costs 3000/= ($1.50). I climbed up the falls and found many offerings in the rocks on top of the falls. there were clay bowls and pots and gourds full of juice.

- i almost caught a frog.

- i stuck my face in the river above the falls. it was so hot and so my face was very relieved in the cool water.

- saw a green snake. i wanted to go down towards it but the guide would not let me.

- the story of the falls: so a woman gave birth to twins. not humans but two rivers. this river and the falls are a traditional Bugandan holy site. traditional worshippers come and offer sacrifices and offerings to the spirit of the river. it is believed to manifest itself in the form of a large snake that lives in a cave on top of the falls. this cave is full of clay pots and offerings and small spears. there are also many shells (sea shells were a form of currency in ancient times) and coffee beans (a symbol of unity) spread about the cave and outside.

- the guide told us about what i call "blood coffee." close close friends used to unify themselves by taking a coffee bean and cracking it open. they would take the two part seed and each take one piece. then they would cut themselves on the stomach and bleed on the coffee seed. they would then exchange the bloody coffee seeds and eat the others "blood coffee." like becoming blood brothers. this makes people even closer than family according to tradition. i asked dennis and tony if they wanted to do it and dennis said he would if tony would and tony said no way.

- we had "chips" for lunch. that is fries. i shared my tropical trail mix and tony and dennis, who had never had it, loved the stuff. great success!

- met a child named Saint Ivan on the walk back. actually he was following us so i introduced myself. he told me his name and that he was 10. moments later i looked down at him and he was smiling and looking up at me. then he reached and grabbed my hand.

- took a taxi back to mukono. ate a cooked banana.

- met up with dennis at 5 for tony's football match.

- good day.

best friends.

2010-01-28T23:13:00.000-08:00

dennis, nate, tony. we dont smile cuz we're too tough that.

big bang theory

2010-01-28T22:46:00.000-08:00

- i had some ugandan coffee. this involved dumping a spoonful of coffee grounds into my mug of hot water and stirring it up. eventually the grounds sink to the bottom. enough said.

- went to anglican church by myself today. but afterwards i stopped at dennis and tony's on my way home. they gave me a push to my house and i introduced them to my family

- i was taught how to make long dreams by Kenneth, the drum maker in front of my house. we made two long drums and the heads of the drums were made of lizard skin. i bought a smaller drum made out of cow hide. it's real furry. i think i'll name it betsy.

- dennis and tony surprised me by showing up at my house after i had finished washing my clothes. we went to buguju (a nearby village) to watch arsenal lose to stoke. we're arsenal fans and we werent happy.

- since i had my new drum out, the ladies tried to teach me a ugandan booty-shake dance. i wasn't really made to be able to do anything like that. they seemed to really enjoy my attempts though.

- i caught a toad! it peed on me. Captured: butterfly, grasshopper, lizard, toad...

- tony's text. "always rem that u r designed 4 accomplishment, engineered 4 success and endowed with the seeds of greatness. i knw u can mk it in uganda nathan."

- News. grandmother eats grandson as advised by witch doctor. witch doctor removes right eye and man parts of 37-year-old man.

cake, cockroaches, and koalas

2010-01-27T06:13:00.000-08:00

- so we've had 2 or 3 thunderstorms. they dont last very long. but i like them. i sleep better.

- had some pizza today. there is a lady on campus with a little food business and some students went in to order some pizza from her. it was cheese and it wasn't bad. but it wasn't donatos.

- i also had come "cake." it was a little pastry-type thing. actually like a normal cake, just shrunk down to the size of a cookie. and with no icing.

- i caught a lizard! it was on my window. captured animals: butterfly, grasshopper, lizard...

- i saw a rat in the family room. actually i watched it run through the hallway and into the family room, under a chair and into the couch. it has chewed a conveniently rat-sized hole there.

- also there are cockroaches in our cupboard. they scatter when i open the doors to grab a cup. i wish they were koalas instead.

- i went to a graduation celebration saturday. we were there for 8 hours but we left early. it was at the graduates home in kampala. there were over 200 ugandans, friends and family, and me - the one "muzungu", white person. it involved a small sermon, songs, speeches, and food. everyone was fed a full plate of food and drinks! and i had real cake with icing in the form of two bite-size pieces as it was shared and passed around for everyone. we only missed the dancing. and thats really what i'm all about.

edible rolex's

2010-01-25T07:06:00.000-08:00

- tony texted me a joke last night. why was the leper caught for speeding? he couldn't get his foot off the gas pedal.

- i slept in today on accident. but i got up at 9 regardless.

- walked with dennis to the bank. he told me about satelite beach (the third floor of the bank is a night/dance club). i went back with dennis to his hostel. he is being offered to play for a "super team" in mukono. he might do it cuz its better exposure.

- i'm currently reading "the shackled continent" by robert guest. it is fascinating and so good. its about why africa is so poor and underdeveloped.

- Dr. Opol showed up a 1/2 hour late to class.

- i may spend nrm day touring mukono with dennis and tony. also talked american hip-hop, pro-wrestling, and curse words with them.

- i had a rolex today. that is not a watch. its like an omelet with tomato and cabbage wrapped in a fried tortilla. less than 50 cents. DEAL!

- in WV, my friend peterson volunteered me to answer some review questions in front of all 400 of my class mates. i got my name and home state correct.

jackfruit = fruit snacks

2010-01-25T06:51:00.000-08:00

- maria (one of the babies) is now my friend. she smiles real cute when she sees me and i can see her two teeth. i've held her and she cries no more! unless she is given a bath. then she cries alot. mercy still doesn't like me, nor baths.

- my eyeball started being real stubborn. it was all itchy. so i rubbed it to settle it down. that made things worse. so i looked in the mirror and there was a big, bright, red, swollen, veiny, muscular thing that was way bigger than its counterpart in my other eyeball. it bothered me to open and close my eye. so i closed my eyes for a few hours. and when i woke up in the morning it was all better.

- my poor roommate and brother, martin, has malaria. i give him some of my medicines. he's real snotty and coughy (not coffee).

- my african traditional religions professor acted out the Anglican Eucharist complete with robes, wafers, and real wine at 10 am. he drank that wine too.

- dennis and tony are officially my good friends. we eat together and hang out daily and thats makes us friends. officially.

- i've now had jackfruit the last 2 evenings when i get home. it's like eating fruitsnacks i love it.

- then after jackfruit, the last 2 nights i've watched a lizard chase moths and hornets around the ceiling. its fun. i hope he gets them. he never does. then my neck hurts.

- i think God is teaching me a lesson in patience.

i watch soccer now.

2010-01-25T06:31:00.000-08:00

- i went to the anglican church today. the service was in english! otherwise, much like the catholic liturgy. fairly short too.

- i saw that monkey that is tied up in a tree again. he stared me down. i think he likes me.

- i climbed the mango tree when i needed a refreshing break today. i sat up there for a little while.

- i hauled water with Martin. it costs 200/= (200 schillings) per jerrican. its supposed to only be 100, but when you have the only water around, you charge what you want.

- i had jackfruit finally! and it was incredible. like candy! my new second favorite fruit. but it's super sticky. and thats ok. we also had some pumpkin for dinner. i think it was like boiled. it was mushy. it was ok. i'm not a super pumpkin enthusiast, but its alright. i like jackfruit much better.

- i bought cotton swabs (my ears were itching for a cleaning), shampoo and soap, a razor, pens, and a surge protector from the supermarket, city shoppers. my ears were very pleased with this shopping experience.

- i went with martin to get fish from the market. but when we got down there the fish were anything but appealing. in fact none of the meat was very appealing in my opinion. the fish were whole. just cooked. so it was just a black toasted fish carcass. mouth and bones and eyes and everything just sitting there smelling all fishy and dead. at least the beef and cow inside parts weren't as smelly. they hung inside shops or laying on tables outside infested with flies. martin doesn't like fish, so we beef. i wasn't particularly interested in that fish either.

- i went to a bar, best meals, to watch football with martin. we watched arsenal beat bolton. charge 1000 schillings (50 cents) per viewer.

- i shared my beef jerky with martin, his first exposure to the treat. he loved it. in turn, he bought fried banana chips for both of us. they tasted like thick potato chips.

- also i shaved.

- thank you.

Enjovu is elephant

2010-01-22T07:15:00.001-08:00

- i awoke and took a bucket bath this morning. it felt extraordinary!

- i hand washed my clothes for two hours. but as my clothes were hanging up on the line, my shirt was pooped on. by a bird - to clarify any confusion. i'll wash it tomorrow.

- i almost caught a grasshopper. it cheated. it could fly.

- i met dennis and tony at the university and we ate lunch and walked around and talked while i waited for the library to open. i gave them pocket "enjovu's" (elephants). dennis wondered if rambo was real. he said that is what people thought about americans. they could kill entire barracks of soldiers by themselves. i broke the news. rambo is not real.

- i met peterson again and we went back to his hostel to retrieve my water bottle. he had picked it up for me after i left it in a field. what a pal eh? i say yes. a pal. and so he walked home with me and met some of my family. also, walking with people is called a push. so peterson gave me a push to my home. i like that.

- i helped peel bananas for matoke.

- i went with the ladies for water. we took a bunch of jerricans to the water spout, but the water "was out." what? how is the water out? what does a person do when the water is "out?" these people don't have indoor plumbing. we went back and would wait until the water was "in (?)"

- i saw president museveni's convoy pass by. he is visiting different areas in the mukono district for the next few days. there were honking cars and motorcycles. then some police cars with sirens blaring passed. then a few convoys of soldiers. museveni was supposed to be in one of those.

- i actually did catch a grasshopper.

- i found some sleeping bats in some banana leaves.

i look smart.

2010-01-20T02:43:00.000-08:00

- i finally got told i "look smart" (= look sharp, well-dressed)

- this morning one of my sisters shouted out me to come out and see "the moon is fighting with the sun!" it was a solar eclipse.

- i met dennis at lunch. he plays football for the university. he wondered if i was a boxer. i'm not. dennis also invited me to watch some matches with him, i couldn't. he also wondered if rambo was real and if he could kill entire barracks of soldiers all by himself.

- my friend, mary, was asked by a ugandan to join him in marriage, essentially. He is 36, she is 20. she doesn't think she will accept. i think she might. he seems pretty persistent.

i'm sweaty.

2010-01-19T07:01:00.000-08:00

- ive been watching lots of football (soccer). thats the thing here. its the africa cup of nations. unfortunately the uganda cranes did not qualify. but ivory coast looks promising.

- this morning i had steamed milk rather than tea. new and exciting stuff daily!

- lots of birds here. over 150 species i heard. some sound like drums, some sound like wailing babies, some sound like alarm clocks, others like catch-phrase. seriously. it sounds like someone may have tossed a baby or a game of catch-phrase up and got it caught in many of the trees in this area.

- it rained for the first time today. apparently it usually rains at least once a week. this was a short half-hour shower (rhyme, unintentional) of big, fat, african rain drops.

- today i was asked if i was a soldier. after asking him to repeat the question to be sure i heard correctly, i laughed and told him no. i asked why and rogers explained that i was big and strong. "you are a strong creature" he said as he puffed out his chest and flexed. he said i deserve to be a soldier. the biggest ugandans are the soldiers here i've found.

- my american worldview instructor Rev. Button is a goofball. he was illustrating the effects of viewing and perceiving others through different worldviews. he used specs and then shades as he took off his coat and tie to attempt to be "cool." he's prolly 40. he admitted he was not really cool to all 400 of us who actually thought he was.

- spent several hours learning lugandan tonight with michael, but he leaves tomorrow for school - BUMMER! he's my friend.

class, monkeys, and babies.

2010-01-18T06:13:00.000-08:00

- I heard TI playing out of a shop on the way to school today. Thank you America!

- in my african traditional religions class, dr. opol asked everyone to introduce themselves and some facts about them including their status. apparently this is a common intro question in uganda. so i informed the class i was in a relationship. Dr. Opol asked the name of the "little angel." I said Lauren. :)

- I had chappati (fried tortilla) and beans for lunch for less than one dollar across the street from the university. then i saw a monkey in a tree. a woman who saw me eyeing the monkey and pointing at it told my brother michael she would sell it to me for 300,000 ugandan schillings ($150). it was a small capuchin monkey just like i always wanted. another man sitting near me said he would negotiate a price and catch for me in one day. he told me how he catches them too. well he told michael who told me. they were speaking in lugandan. apparently go for the small ones cuz they are harmless and the bigger ones can hurt you. and grab them by the back of their heads, the scruff of the neck. i will prolly catch one very soon.

- also it seems grizzly beards and long hair are insulting to ugandans. i was planning on doing both.

- hiked up a mountain, "monkey mountain" with michael. i saw many many monkeys. they were fast. and really high in the trees. i also saw a squirrel. prolly less exciting but homey.

- first negative experience at home. one of the girls had a fit, diana. I HATE NOT BEING ABLE TO SPEAK LUGANDAN! she was throwing things and hitting and shouting. i couldn't do anything. i didnt know why and i couldnt say anything to calm her down. i didnt know why she was even upset. i hated it. alot.

- neither maria or mercy (babies) cried when they saw me tonight.

UCU Timetable - 12 Jan

2010-01-14T23:03:00.000-08:00

-in uganda, we have timetables, not schedules. so this is not my schedule at uganda christian university. it is my timetable.

Monday
830-1030 East African Politics
12-1 Faith and Action in the Ugandan Context

Tuesday
830-1030 Understanding Worldviews Tutorial
11-12 East African Politics
12-1 Community Worship
4-5 Intercultural Ministry and MIssions Emphasis (IMME)

Wednesday
11-1 African Traditional Religions, Christianity, and Islam in Uganda
2-3 Intercultural Ministry and Missions Emphasis (IMME)
3-4 Faith and Action in the Ugandan Context

Thursday
11-12 African Traditional Religions, Christianity, and Islam in Uganda
12-1 Community Worship
5-7 Understanding Worldviews

Friday
11-1 Faith and Action in the Ugandan Context

11 Jan

2010-01-14T05:31:00.000-08:00

-Nathan Bell Ssepuya (my new name given to me by my mother)

-I found and touched a baby lizard on the wall of my room. I also watched a gecko climb into an electric socket. i'll prolly catch one and train him to retrieve pens and pencils for me.

-my first day of school. 2 classes. mostly syllabus. can't hardly understand half of what he says, but maybe soon enough i'll understand the other half. my other class is taught by an american. i can understand all of what he says.

-michael is gonna teach me Lugandan so I can talk to these kids and teach them games and play.

-we had sweet potatoes tonight. they were more like regular potatoes then american sweet potatoes. not orange, just whitish like a normal potato. i also had some buttered popcorn kernels for a snack that the girls were munching on when i got home. later i had roast corn which tasted like popcorn kernels on the cob.

-i decided just to give diana my notebook and markers so she can illustrate all she likes. she had illustrated most of it anyhow.

-i've now met many ugandans. also another daughter of my mother moved back in at home. and she has a 10 month old baby, mercy. mercy is also terrified of me and wails whenever she sees me.

-i caught a butterfly today! i'm working up to a monkey, but i must start small. so i've captured my first african animal and next i will go for a lizard.

-we explored mukono today and i played with 3 kids on a playground and when i left they followed me.

-we had community worship today which is our campus chapel. it was super charismatic and dancing was encouraged. i smiled the whole time!

Mukono (10 Jan)

2010-01-14T05:17:00.000-08:00

-yesterday i moved in with my host family! my host mom is named margaret. she is a grandmother and many people live in her home. there is michael, 20, her nephew. michael has been a great friend to me and he is leaving soon to go back to his university where he is studying agricultural engineering. martin is my roommate and he is 26. he has a typing/computing/printing business near the university. there are around 12 or so in the house. they come and go. i'll write more about others as we go.

-my home is about a 15 minutes walk from UCU. we have a goat (embuzi). also three beautiful and very playful "siblings" - all girls. Diana is going to be 7. she speaks a little english. subi is 4 and she is a rascal. and angela is nearing 2 and is soooooo cute. i'm not sure about the goat. also there is a a baby, maria. maria has never seen a white person and so cries whenever she sees me. they say she "fears me."

-my family grows mangoes, jackfruit, advocados, corns, sweet potatoes, and bananas.

-took my first bucket bath. i filled up a basin with water and used a cup to dump the water on me. i used soap too.

-norrine, one of my mom's older daughters, prolly upper 20's, helped me handwash my clothes today.

-went to catholic mass today. it was in lugandan so i didnt understand a word. also we were late and the cathedral was packed, so michael and i stood outside with 30 or so others for the duration of the service.

-we have an indoor toilet and bathtub. but there is no plumbing. so to flush, one must refill the tank of the toilet each time. but that toilet is only for the night and for what margaret terms "short calls." if it is a "long call" one is to go use the latrine outside (hole in the ground.)

Uganda Christian University (8 Jan)

2010-01-14T05:01:00.000-08:00

-I guess I do feel somewhat intimidated to be the minority here. I'm not used to that. Just used to fitting in and it's hard to judge if people are happy or angry I am here.

-Breakfast was 2 slices of bread and black tea w/ milk. No butter. It's alright.

-I met Fred today. We talked awhile about America. I like him. We're friends now.

-There is a "monkey mountain" here! that is a mountain with monkeys on it! i'm gonna capture one and train one as a helpful assistant.

Uganda - 8 Jan

2010-01-13T02:36:00.000-08:00

-P.S. forgot to mention I lost my boarding pass in London for Entebbe. only a minor setback though. they printed me a new one. i found it later in my folder.

- first full day in uganda. we left the convent for kampala (capital city). we transferred some currency there. one us dollar = about 2 thousand ugandan schillings. i saw lots of pterodactyls as well. huge. and more armed guards. ak47's, rifles, shotguns galore!

-made it to UCU all alive and saying on campus for one night before being taken to my home stay. had some orientation (blah) and a tour of the university. its gorgeous! and huge! and bird-y and tree-y!

-i have a ugandan friend, boniface. he's fun and nice.

-First dinner: rice and beans, mashed banana (mookote), cabbage and some type of starchy-potatoey type vegetable. prolly a potato.

-also discovered a note in my suitcase that my case was opened and inspected by the us dept. of homeland security. yikes.

Flight from London to Entebbe, Uganda

2010-01-12T03:26:00.000-08:00

-i met a beautiful black baby, Michelle (4 months), she is ugandan and she smiled at me several times.

-there was a "plane disturbance" by a man who was putting up a fight with those around him and cussing up a storm. some security came and demanded he "quit resisting" and the rest of the plan was instructed not to watch. he was surrounded by 3 bald-headed british white men. later, i saw him being interrogated with much shouting at the airport in entebbe. also we had a four-hour delay in london. i slept through the delay. i was alright.

-i watched the Last King of Scotland (about uganda and Idi Amin), Flight of the Conchords and half of District 9 on the plane. 8 hours later we arrived in Uganda at 230 am. i had chicken tikki marsala for dinner and a chicken salad sandwich for lunch.

-there is only red, black and yellow in the flag of uganda. no green. sorry meg.

-pulling out of the parking lot in the bus, i waved at a man with an AK47 - he waved back. friends? probably.

-spending the rest of the night at a convent not far from the airport. sleeping under a mosquito net.

reflections from London

2010-01-11T05:39:00.000-08:00

-sat next to Shawn Mattox, ARMY interrogator, on my flight to Atlanta. his pastor from Oregon , Carl Wilkins, was one the last Americans to leave Rwanda during the genocide.

-saw the largest christmas bows I have ever seen, and probably largest anyone in the world has ever seen. I saw five of them. in DC, they were taking down the christmas decorations. I also saw 20 christmas tree boxes.

-met up with most of the uganda study students, Sara, the USP intern, in DC. I had no problems or flaws in traveling. some flights were close - but still flawless. but my international student identification card was not processed correctly and i have no face.

-sat next to a London bank clerk to London. he had an amazon kindle and had never seen Sweeney Todd.

-there are signs that say "toilets." it appears there is a baby-tickling room also. and all the english accents are so much fun!

-oh! on the flight to london, i ate dinner and breakfast. it was a six hour flight. i had "beef and mash." it was really roast beef with gravy, mash potatoes and vegetables. there was a delicious "salad" of lentils, carrots, parsley, etc. Some sort of berry cake with fluffy icing and a roll. with coffee!

-breakfast was a cinnamon roll and orange juice and coffee. also they offered Flight of the Conchords on the airplane tv's!

this is a blog

2010-01-11T05:34:00.000-08:00

so i am starting this blog to reflect and share my experiences here in africa. since this is my blog, i can write whatever i want to and use whatever kind of grammar and punctuation i please. also, i dont really do long journals and short stories. so you will probably find my "posts" to be captions and short reflections on things i have experienced. i am not a writer. and this is my blog. so i will write like that or not. neener neener neener.