Lions, Tigers, and Bears... oh my!

Sometimes I have these moments, either walking down the street or running between departments at the health clinic where I think to myself, wow I am really doing this right now. I am really living in Uganda, no longer just surviving. I’m building relationships with such a large variety of people and have learned to be hungry for dinner at 9:45pm. I can walk my way through downtown Mukono, only slightly hesitating as I dodge between taxis and large trucks crossing the street. I have become used to bathing out of a basin and eating with my God-given fork: my fingers. I no longer find myself annoyed when it is rice and beans again at the dining hall... and even get excited for them. I have embraced the permanent dirt stains on my nails and wearing “clean” clothes that are really just a mixture of soap, dirt, and sweat. As I take a step back and look at where I was after my first week and looking at where I am at now, two months into this journey I am amazed at all of the things I have learned and adapted to. And how they became my new normal. So last weekend when I became a “tourist”, it felt a little odd. I visited Murchison Falls National Park with a group of my fellow students and went on a safari! Woot woot! We saw so many animals and it was beyond incredible to witness all of these creatures in their natural habitat. As a group, we first went on a boat tour and explored the Nile river for a few hours. We saw crocodiles, hippos (those things are so scary), and many many types of birds! We also got to see the most powerful waterfall I believe I have ever experienced. I wish there was an accurate way to describe the way the water sounded or how you could feel the force of the current in your chest and on your skin, but the only word coming to mind is breath-taking. I truly was enamored by the force of that water and being reminded that even this was created by a God infinitely more powerful than these waves. How cool.

We also got the chance to do 2 'game drives' aka drive in our school bus through 4-wheel drive roads in search for land animals. We were surprisingly much more successful than I anticipated, mostly because I think the animals have become used to the vehicles moving about. We saw elephants, lions, giraffes, many varieties of antelope, warthogs (and baby ones, which still are ugly), and water buffalo. Part of my favorite aspects of these drives is that one took place at dusk, and the other at dawn, so both days I was able to watch the Savannah sun rise and fall, creating beautiful shadows on the African trees and landscapes.

While I am thankful for these memories with my friends and the opportunity to see all of these wonderful creatures, I had a very hard time justifying the amount of money I spent on this trip. And it was not even that much. But seeing the funds that people live comfortably on day in and day out has made me so much more aware of the unnecessary purchases that I believed before coming were non-negotiables. Knowing that I was having a hard time with this concept while still in the African context makes me nervous for the return home with the mass amounts of money spent like it is insignificant in my American context. But, I have only just passed the halfway point so that will be a challenge for me to face more so when the time comes. (:

Also, small side note. I braided my hair to see a) how it is done and b) what it feels like. Yes Gramma, it will come out in two weeks no worries! Check out my photos page for evidence.