You know your first moments in Africa have been memorable when you're only in the country for an hour and you're already thinking "this is going to make a good blog post!". However, let me first explain where I am and why I am here.
I am in Uganda! I will be here until mid December. I am doing a study abroad program with a social work emphasis. While I am here I will be living at and attending Uganda Christian University. I will be taking an African Literature class as well as a class called Faith in Action. I will also be experiencing my first social work internship. I'm still not sure where I will be placed for my internship, however I requested an orphanage/school that works with both visual and visually impaired children. During my stay here I will also experience a two week home stay in the village where the university is and a one week rural home stay. There are 15 American students this semester and 3 of us are here for the social work emphasis. We will all take a one week trip to Rwanda.
All of the flights here went very smooth. I'm so thankful I was able to travel with my friend Molly, another Cedarville student who is also here for social work. We were able to change our seats for every flight and sit next to each other. We were on one plane for so long that when we left it felt like we had gotten to know half the crew.
Molly and I arrived a day earlier than required because the flights were cheaper. So upon our arrival in Uganda we were picked up and taken to a Backpackers Hostel where we had reserved a room to stay the night. Our night was... memorable! Our room was very simple. We had 2 beds, both with mosquito nets, a small bathroom, and a shower (with no shower curtain). We were working on getting ready for bed last night when Molly noticed a giant bug on the floor! Molly threw our trashcan lid over the bug and, as far as I know, that is where the bug remains. I was a little worried that the lid was going to rise up and start walking in the night, but it didn't. That bug was really big! We are now sitting in the lobby of the hostel waiting to be picked up and taken to the University!
This is Molly and I's first time experiencing jet lag. So far, so good. The worst part is my stomach learning new meal times. When we first got on the plane we ate supper at about 9pm. Then breakfast was served at about 1am est. Then on our next plane we were served a large lunch at about 9am est. My stomach was so confused, but it is doing much better today!
Prayer requests:
Pray that our bodies adjust to the new time zone.
Pray for us as we meet the other American students today as well as our Ugandans roommates and many others.
In general, pray for the many new things our eyes will see today and for adjustments to go smooth into this new culture.
Much love,
Jessica
