Culture Shock

I guess I pictured culture shock like a cartoon.  You know, like a guy who sticks his finger in the light socket ends up getting electrocuted…hair on ends, muscles tense, eyes bugged out, and visible skeleton outline.   ZAP!  You know when a character has been shocked.  So, instead of sticking a finger in a socket…I pictured sticking my finger in “Ugandan culture”.  I figured it would have the same electric shock effect. Immediate.  Visible.  Abrupt.  Noticeable.   But, there was no ZAP!  It was more like a slow boil.  It crept up gradually – I hardly even knew what was happening.

Stage I.  Before even leaving America. I was anxious to start my Ugandan experience.  I couldn’t leave home fast enough.  It was an adventure.   Bring it on!

Stage II.  Somewhere over the Atlantic.  It is my birthday and I’m sitting next to a complete stranger who is snoring!  I’m realizing that it is going to be 12 months before I return home. Deep Breath – Am I sure I don’t want to just make a U-Turn in London?

Stage III.  Further along over the Atlantic.  The Captain of the airplane just came back to wish me a Happy Birthday!  I am so cool!  What an adventure!  Uganda here I come!

Variations of Stages II & III repeat numerous times until I reach Mbale, Uganda.

Stage IV.  First night in new home.  Real tears.  Real regret?  It really feels like I am on my own – Will I sink or swim?  Why does it have to be so dirty over here?  Is that just a mosquito I feel on my leg or worse?  And, how did I ever convince myself that I could be a teacher?  I am going to be a complete failure – the kids won’t learn anything from me.  Can I still get my job back in Atlanta?

Stage V.   A new day.  It isn’t so scary in the daylight.  I can totally do this.  Besides, now it takes just minutes to walk to work and I get to wear flip-flops everyday!  No cares if I don’t take a shower, shave my legs or wear make-up.  Life here is decidedly less complicated and I can handle that – just one day at a time.

Stage VI.  December – After Parents Visit.  First Christmas away from home. Missing home and feelings of guilt for being absent. Haven’t had an email from friends in weeks.  Why does it have to be so hot here?  Why does everything take so long to do?  Why can’t I buy Dr. Pepper here?  When will our local market store get more ice cream bars????  I just feel really, really, really sad. 

Stage VII.  Admitting you have a problem.  Believe it or not – it works.  I asked my teammates for help – I asked friends back home to pray for me.  And God blessed me with encouragement immediately and he hasn’t stopped. From what I hear – Culture Shock isn’t something you are instantly cured of.  And, according to a teammate who has been here 25+ years, you never get over being homesick either.  

So, yeah, living in a third world country presents its challenges and dealing with the emotional stress of culture shock and homesickness is one that is often overlooked and underestimated.  Just one more reason I have learned to greatly respect and admire longterm missionaries. 

In 2019...

2009 marks changes.  The most obvious – living in a third world county.  But 2009 also marks 10 years since I graduated from high school.  Which got me to thinking (always a dangerous and expensive thing…) back to my senior year. 

“Welcome back my dear students.  Hope you all had a joyous and restful holiday.  For your first assignment of the New Year, I would like you to open your minds and dream about where you will be in ten years.  Then, I would like you to transfer these thoughts into an essay describing the 10 Year Reunion for the Class of 1999.”  I tend to take liberties in filling in what I don’t remember – but I think that about how my English teacher Mrs. Edwards would have announced such an assignment. 

Never would I have opened my mind wide enough to imagine that I would actually be missing my 10 reunion.  Out of the 18 in our class, I figured I would be the only one who actually attended! 

Where I was 10 years ago:

17 yrs old

In High School

Living with Mom & Dad in Newnan

Driving the ’88 Taurus w/ No A/C

Listening to music on the radio - 99X

Deciding between Georgia and Auburn

Watching FRIENDS every Thursday on NBC

 

Where I THOUGHT I would be in 10 years:

27 yrs old

Married, with no kids

Living in the city with a place in the county

Driving BMW to work and ’56 T-bird on the weekends

Working some corporate job and running the show

Living my own southern version of FRIENDS

And, obviously, rolling in cash

 

Where I actually am:

27 yrs old

Single, with no kids

Living in third world country (ok, at 17 I thought this might be a possibility but only if I was a secret government agent or US Ambassador to Fiji)

No car

Working as a missionary (and recovering political junkie)

Supporting myself by donations from family and friends

Watching FRIENDS reruns on DVD  and living what feels more like an updated version of Gilligan's Island, but without the island....

Listening to music on my Ipod

In 10 more years I might be….who knows?

Good Morning!

It is 7am and I am bundled up on the front porch with my laptop.  I love being up early inUganda; It is the only time when it feels cold outside.  Hmm….cold….it is all relative.  In Georgia, we might call this just a little chilly, but I wrap the blanket tighter around my legs, hug the warm cup of tea and envision all the brown dusty grass suddenly as pure white snow.  Snow??? I am from GEORGIA for crying out loud, why am I homesick for snow???   Note to self:  No more watching White Christmas.  

The over eager birds who proudly call out to the world bring me back to reality.  Not to be outdone, the neighbor’s rooster, who as-a-matter-of-fact has been crowing since 5am, decides to dominate the morning symphony.  No playlist on my ipod can compete.

A picture from my breakfast spot at Bushara Island.

Ugandan sunrise while on safari with my parents at Murchison Falls.

But It Itches!!

For my ninth birthday one of my friends gave me a small pink diary – complete with its own lock and key. I wrote in that diary everyday for almost a whole week. Sorry that I haven’t posted an update in while – apparently a lot hasn't changed since I was nine.

A lot has happened - or at least I thought a lot had happened until I sat down and tried to remember it all.

We celebrated THANKSGIVING with a big team lunch. I even got to spend the holiday with my parents who had come to Uganda for a short visit. My parents stayed for about two and a half weeks – just long enough to get over the jet-lag. Since there isn’t much do, we had plenty of time to sit around and talk..(nap, read books, quiz each other on random facts about Ted Williams, make up facts about The African Queen and call home to make sure Andrew was installing the hardwood floor correctly). We had an especially enjoyable time on our jaunt to Murchison Falls in northern Uganda. (For pictures, see my photo link to the right.)

The weekend before my parents’ arrival, our entire team went on retreat to a “resort” called The Hairy Lemon. This “resort” is its own island in the middle of the Nile River. We had to ride in questionable wooden canoes to even get there. Unfortunately, this resort didn’t have electricity or running water…(do you understand? There was NO toilet…) But, it did come with an unlimited buffet of insects, curious monkeys, and a weekend of bathing in the Nile River. While over half the team came home with a complimentary case of malaria, I contracted a serious infection from a bug bite on my ankle. Because of my bad habit of scratching anything that itches – this infection quickly spread to other spots on my arms and legs. By the time Mom and Dad arrived the next weekend, I was in a full blown feverish infected state. So, on their second day in Mbale we visited a local health clinic where I received excellent treatment from a Ugandan doctor costing less than $25 (complete with blood work and an injection of something that worked wonders). Of course, now I am all better – but the secret is out and EVERYONE tells me to “Stop Scratching!” To which I inevitably reply “But, it itches!!” I feel like I’m nine years old again.

Well, that’s about as much as I can write at one sitting – which is also probably more that most are willing to read. Happy Holidays Ya’ll!

Restored!

Two empty boxes of candles and four empty box of matches. (Matches are difficult for Crystal.) Depleted cell phone battery warning beeps. Laptop computers lying around gathering dust. Scattered decks of cards. One big novel finished. Dried wax on the floor. (My bad.) Roommates congregating in the living room sitting in silence out of boredom. We’ve organized every drawer and closet. We’ve played every card game. I just got finished sharing my most embarrassing moment…from middle school.

We’ve been without electricity for over 48 hours! Usually power outages only last around 12 hours and don’t occur when the most important news from back home is being reported!

Alas! Our joy has been restored! The power is back! I knew you would want to share in this happy celebration – so go take a really cold shower, cook dinner by candle light then you too might know the elation we felt when we could finally blow out the last candle! It is the small things that become the big things.

JUBILATION!!

Am I A City Girl After All?? (Part II)

The focus of our trip was eating and shopping and we were highly successful in both endeavors. We enjoyed authentic New York style pizza, juicy fresh hamburgers from a local butcher, almost-as-good-as-my-momma’s lasagna, and the darkest, richest chocolate ice cream! Not once did we eat rice and beans – And not once did we miss it!

Thanks to a little research ahead of time, we had discovered a hidden away boutique hotel with a reasonably priced spa. Once there we were speechless. This place was incredible! It turns out rooms went for $300/night…but they had real American mattresses and big comfy chairs and deep soaking bathtubs and air-conditioning!! We considered splurging for a night – but settled for lunch instead. They actually served salad! (Lettuce is hard to come by in Uganda.) We relaxed and leisurely ate our lunch as we looked out over the beautiful lush gardens and for a brief moment forgot that we were thousands of miles from home.

The next day was devoted to shopping. There are basically two places to shop in Kampala: Garden City (the mall…and I use that term loosely) and the ShopRite/Game Center. ShopRite is the closest thing they have to a grocery store while Game is more like Wal-mart. You can’t imagine our level of excitement with being able to go to these places. Here we can buy things that we can’t find in Mbale. Things like: pillows, pickles, marshmallows, bacon, deli-meat, colgate toothpaste, cherrios, shower curtains, postcards, rugs, cake mix, food coloring, books, broccoli, cream cheese, scented candles and I could go on and on. I went down each aisle giddy as a kindergartener on the first day of school – “Oh – they have marshmallows…Come look, I found cherrios!” It was the simple joy of shopping for the simple things. Crystal was close to hysterics when she discovered wooden clothespins! And there were tears when Jennifer found pickles.

We left Kampala with full stomachs and full shopping bags. I was not looking forward to going back to our simple small town of Mbale. This shocked me – was this southern country bumpkin a city girl after all?

Am I A City Girl After All?? (Part I)

Life in Mbale isn’t difficult, especially when compared to other towns in Uganda. There are (small) hotels, restaurants (if you don’t mind waiting 2hrs), and supermarkets (picture a country general store…not Publix). But when school let out for a whole week, the teachers knew exactly what we wanted….a trip to the city!

Not having our own vehicle, Jennifer, Crystal and I got up at 6:30 am to catch the 7:00 am bus to Kampala. It turns out the 7:00 am actually left at 8:30 am – so we sat on the parked bus and watched as the town around us began to wake up. We were finally on our way and I was sitting next to a window which I opened for fresh air when I felt something crawling on my hand. I look down to find a baby roach making its way up my arm. Calmly I flick it to the ground and smash it with my sandal. I look over at my friend who shrugs her shoulders and offers some hand sanitizing gel.

Somewhere along the way our driver pulls over for a bathroom break. Only – there are no facilities….folks just get off the bus and do their business on the side of the road and then we load up. (I just held it.) Further down, it is almost time for lunch. The driver pulls over and our bus is immediately surrounded with men and women selling roasted beef and chicken on sticks. These are shoved in our windows as the sellers shout their prices. (I got out a granola bar from my backpack.)

Four hours after leaving Mbale, our bus reaches Kampala, our destination. Or at least I think this is it. Everyone else has disembarked, but technically, the bus hasn’t reached the bus park due to heavy traffic. After sitting on the empty bus for several minutes I go to the front and confirm with the driver that this is actually where we should get off. It is intimidating to leave our quiet bus because outside there is only mass confusion. Cars are everywhere going in every direction – there are no traffic lanes. Bicycles are weaving in and out of the parked traffic and car horns are constantly filling the air. Being three white girls – we attract attention right away and before I even step foot off the bus, a taxi driver has grabbed my bag and is leading me to his car. We haggle over the price, but soon we are on our way out of the confusing city center and toward our get-a-way guesthouse.

Whew! That’s just the first few hours of our trip – I need a break and will post more later.

You Might Be A Redneck If...

Growing up in the country, I have seen a lot of different things in the back of pick-up trucks. It could be a load of hay, produce, fill dirt, or firewood. Maybe an old washer machine or an ugly old couch. I have even seen all my earthly belongings packed in the back of my dad’s truck a time or two. But this past Sunday on the way to church, I saw something propped in the back of a pick-up truck that I had never seen before….And no, it wasn’t 45 Ugandans squeezed together in the back – that is actually a normal sight around here. But what I saw was a wooden coffin being held steady by two men sitting next to it. What made it more bizarre was the comment from the missionary I was riding with. “They must be rich; you usually see coffins transported on bicycles.”

T.I.A. (This Is Africa)

Here are some things that have become part of normal life:

1. Anything that took just a few minutes in the States (ex: sending an email, mailing a letter, paying a bill) takes at least half an hour here!

2. Living life by candle light or with a flashlight always in your pocket because you never know where you’ll be when the power goes out – and it does at least once every day for a few hours.

3. Getting ready for bed involves fumigating your room and tucking your mosquito net under your mattress.

4. Being greeted on the streets as “Mzungu” or just “White Girl”. Especially by kids, who will excitedly yell “Hey, Mzungu, Mzungu,” until you eventually wave back. (All white people are referred to as Mzungu’s)

5. Watching out for falling geckos when opening doors.

6. Milk - it is delivered to us three times a week (usually). We have to boil it, strain it, and then hold our noses when we drink it.

7. Phrases like “Sorry Please” (instead of just I’m sorry) and “It is finished” (instead of we are out of gas…the gas is finished).

8. When the temperature gets below 75 degrees – it is considered COLD and hats, gloves, and thick coats start coming out.

9. Drinking Coco-Cola out of (reused) glass bottles…Ok, I actually don’t really mind this as long as there is a glass or straw.

10. Paying 1,000 for a coke…..100,000 shillings = $65 or $70. A nice meal will usually cost 8,000 shillings or around $6. I just bought a new cell phone for 40,000 shillings ($30). Converting money takes some getting used to!

New Pics!

I have posted new pictures to my site! Click to the right where it says "View my photos". Let me know what you think!

Wax On, Wax Off

I have 2 PE periods with 3 kids each and I am at a loss with how to fill the time. There are only so many games that 3 kids can play. To buy some time, I thought it would be fun to watch one of my favorite movies from the 80’s…The Karate Kid with the intention of teaching some sort of primitive karate skills.

I don’t think that I really thought this through….I have never done karate and don’t know anything about it. But, the kids are really excited and are expecting some real lessons. I am hoping the movie will stretch out for several days!

Seriously – I am open to suggestions for PE. They have already done a lot of soccer, basketball, football and so on. Last year the class was combined and they had a real PE teacher with a real PE degree – so there are high expectations.

Teachers have homework too!

Many have asked about my first week of school - well - it was my first time teaching and I had all of one day to prepare - so, it went about as well as you would expect.

It is challenging, but I enjoy teaching. I guess the most challenging part is being prepared for class. So far, my favorite class is Eastern Hemisphere History. All my students in class are boys ages 10 - 13 and we get along really well...I don't really know what that says about me.

For one of my classes, I teach just one boy math while I watch three others in study hall. Jonathan (one of the study hall kids) is 11 and was supposed to be working on his algebra homework but was talking instead. So, I asked him if there were math problems I could help him with. He looked up at me and in all seriousness replied. "No, I don't think so. These problems will be above your head." I just smiled and tried not to laugh.

This week, I've had a chance to meet the rest of the team. There are three families, 4 singles, and 5 teachers. We are probably one of the bigger mission teams in East Africa.

Here are some pictures! The first ones that I have taken so far!

A few of my students "volunteered" to help me paint my room...this is Jonathan. And, don't worry, just one wall is green - the others will be a soft cream...I can't believe after all those years of being forced to wear green as my school colors...I am actually voluntarily living in a green room.

We don't have a dryer, so we hang our clothes on lines in the hallway - it rains just about every afternoon, so it is difficult to dry clothes outside.

I live with three other teachers - and we share two bathrooms. Below is one of our showers. The shower head is so short that I have to stand to the side and bend over sideways to stick my head under the water. Yes - we do have hot water! I am SO thankful!

And finally, here are pictures of our house. The dog in front is Thatcher, our guard dog. He loves to play and IS NOT allowed inside.

Caught In The Dark With My Pants Down

I have arrived! In Mbale that is...

School starts tomorrow and I am to teach Bible, Economics, World History, 5th grade Math, and PE. I just teach each subject once and will mostly be teaching 5th - 8th graders. Although Economics is just for the highschoolers.

It is pretty overwhelming trying to settle in. I am living in a 4 bedroom house with three other girls and the room I am in for formally a storage room. So, it is pretty dusty and grimy. I am wishing that my mom was here to help clean! I have a twin bed and a coffee table and a closet in my room - doesn't give me much to work with, but I am excited about making my own peaceful get-a-way. I am thinking about painting, but the only colors I have access to are bright green and a light yellow. If someone out there has any connections with HGTV - I think my room would make an excellent makeover story!

Last night as I was in the bathroom getting ready for bed when the power went off. Most of you know that I am scared of the dark - so it was pretty traumatic for me, but I managed to remain calm long enough to feel my way back to my room and find my flashlight, which luckily I had just unpacked. Apparently, the power is unreliable here, so maybe I'll conquer my fear of the dark before I come home.

On My Way!

Just to keep the 12 people reading this blog updated - I've raised around $14,000 - just $6,000 from my goal! Thank you to all those who are supporting me!

Also - after a few set backs with flights - I am finally on my way. Right now, I am sitting in the London Heathrow airport just killing time until my flight leaves in 8 hours. But, I am not complaining! I could use a few hours to rest after maneuvering 3 heavy suitcases from the Gatwick airport to Heathrow. Whew! Blessedly I encountered several kind people willing to help and surprisingly they were all women. The men here could take a few tips from our Southern Gentlemen.

Today is also my birthday! On the flight from Atlanta, one of the pilots came back to talk to me and wished me a happy birthday! Apparently my brother (who was landing just as we were taking off) sent the message to the the cockpit that they had his little sister on board. Too bad Andrew didn't ask them to give me a free upgrade...

Hope everyone has a great August 31st - it is my favorite day of the year!

-Julie

Impossible Things Are Happening Everyday

If you would like to financially support my work in Uganda, send donations to:

Downtown Church of Christ

PO Box 417

Newnan, GA 30264

Checks should be payable to Downtown Church of Christ. (Be sure to include my name on the memo line.)

My goal is to raise at least $20,000 by Sept 1st. Impossible? Yes, impossible for me - But not for my God. I am so excited to see how he works through others to fulfill this need.