I can not believe that I've already been in Kampala for 2 weeks!  It's weird to think that we leave here in a month.  I was looking at the schedule and next weekend I'm going to Kitgum, the next is free and the next is our last weekend/debrief weekend!  That's insane, I feel like I should have months left.



So, I am officially going to Kitgum on Thursday.

Mom this is for you - Because I am going to Kitgum, I will not be able to go bungee jumping over the Nile as I had planned (everyone is going to Jinja for whitewater rafting/bungee jumping).  Yes, I am sad about this too Mom.  But it's the only time I could go to Kitgum.  Maybe next time.  Actually guaranteed next time! :-)

Other than that, classes are good.  I realize I haven't written much about them and I think it's because they're not political like in Rwanda when each class made me question society.  I'm taking a class on African religion and African traditional religion.


Oh I'm also trying to memorize the map of Africa.  So far I know about the bottom half and the entire East side.  North West Africa is going to end me.

Wedding

I thought this posted on Saturday but apparently it didn't.  So here's it is.

I went to my first African wedding today!  And guess what?  It wasn't much different than an American wedding in most ways.  The bride and groom are both Christians so it was a traditional church wedding.

Differences:
- Nobody arrived on time.  TIA.  I love it.
- The videographer kept filming us (the only 6 white people) which got annoying because he kept holding the flood light in our eyes.
- There was no alcohol (they are both "born again" Christians which means no drinking...ever).
- The bride's family speaks one language, the grooms another, and the bride and groom speak English because they don't know the others local language.
- The bride's clan presented them with gifts like a broom, a pot, seeds, chickens and a goat.
     -Yes.  They brought a goat to the reception.  And yes, naturally it chose that moment to relieve itself.

Anyhow, it was good, the bride and groom are great together (I know the groom because he works with FH and was in Kitgum for some of the time I was there).  Today was good.

So I'm fairly certain that you've been able to tell that I was thoroughly moved by my time in Kitgum.  While I was there I noticed that a lot of the girls want to return to school but financially can't afford it.   Vocational school costs something like 120-150 dollars a year and they only need to go for one or two years to be able to work in that field and support their family.  However, $120 is completely unheard of for them.

I came under this huge conviction.  It is in my capacity to completely change their lives.  To turn a woman who has to labor in the field for a dollar a day into a woman who can tailor or who is educated in another area and who can support herself and her family adequately.

So I spoke with some of the directors in FH and they seemed excited that I was interested in sponsoring two girls (Lilly and Josephine) to go back to school.  In fact, they've been wanting to do something like this at the New Life Center but hadn't started anything yet.  So I'm in the midst of making a proposal that would allow people to sponsor a specific girl to go to vocational school for two years.  The sponsor will hopefully also be able to send money for their kids school uniforms and materials (about 5-10 dollars) or anything else that they want to help with as well as the school tuition.

I hate asking for money from people.  So this is me not asking for money.  But this is me saying that if you feel motivated (I know some people have already asked my mom about this) then by the end of my time here I will know exactly how/if this will work.  Please let me know now (meganclapp@gmail.com) if you are even the slightest bit interested.  I can give you pictures, names, stories, anything that might help you pick someone to invest in.  Both financially and through prayer and communication.

I'm assuming that a sponsor will give anywhere between $150 a year ($12.50 a month) to $200+ a year.  Or any amount that they would want.  Some girls just need someone to help buy some new clothing or other items that could be a one time donation.


But by not going out to dinner one time a month, you can put a young woman through schooling that will change her and her kid's lives forever.

Again, this is not a plea for money.  But if this encourages you, look out for more updates and as I gather more information I will let you know.

No news.

Yes, I am aware that I have failed at updating my blog since I got back to Kampala.  I think I keep waiting for something big to happen to write about.  But I haven't found anything yet.  Basically I'm doing well.  It's been a bit of a culture shock to go from living in a rural area with girls that are in pretty severe poverty to a house full of American students.  I've been feeling a bit down which I think is just Kitgum-sickness (like homesick, but for Kitgum).  I feel like I've left unfinished business there.

Anyhow, that's about all I feel like writing today, I've spent the last 8 hours working on my final project for practicum and that has basically wiped me out.  Next time I write I will hopefully have some information about what I'm planning to do for a couple girls in Kitgum that you may find interesting.

Civilization

Made it to Kampala yesterday.  It was pretty uneventful except the drive to the airstrip takes one and a half hours and my flight was leaving at 2:00; the car that was supposed to get me there decided that it needed tires and didn't come and get me until 1:10.  Anyhow long and short is that we made it on time :-)  The road is so bumpy that I think we four wheeled it the whole way.

Today we went around Kampala, this city is insane.  It's dirty and over crowded, the cars follow no rules, there are millions of shops and street vendors, and the directions just don't make sense.  Anyhow, I think I'll get used to it eventually?  I'm also adjusting to being around 16 American's again.  I forgot how much college students talk about clothes, weight and movies.  I miss my Kitgum girls.

Promised Pictures

Here are some photos of the daily activities at the New Life Center.  I took about 1000 pictures and would like to show you them all but with my internet speed and the fact that you wouldn't want to look at them all, I will just post a few...

Panoramic of where the girls from the center lived.

Our cook/house help/best friend teaching the girls how to make chapatti (which she also taught me (and which I am willing to cook for you))

Learning tailoring.

 

The three of us from my program who went to Kitgum

 

How not to use your mosquito net.

 

Beans and Posho.  Staple food.  Oh and I learned how to eat it with my fingers!

 

 Teaching them games.

 

Free time for the kids.

 

Me and our fabulous, amazing, spectacular house help.

Today is my last day in Kitgum.  I would love to stay here longer but classes in Kampala start on Monday.  It's been really hard for me to leave these girls.  Lilly, with tears in her eyes, told me that I am the only person she has been able to talk with about her past and her struggles and that I'm the only person that can help her.  I am going to help her get back to school.  But I know it is much more than schooling that she needs help with and I wish that I could do more.  Josephine just keeps saying "life is going to be very difficult."

I would love to come back here.  I know that I will be here again, I just don't know when God will provide a way.

I have promised Lilly and Josephine that if they would like to go back to school that I would support them.  I will post about that later and see if any of you would be interested in helping to support either them or another girl here.