Being Picky

The other day I needed to get to Mt. Elgon hotel – I was already running late for a meeting with visitors.  Counting the coins in my pocket, I simply stepped out of our gate and waved down a picky (motorcycle taxis).  “Mt. Elgon Hotel.  Be careful and I will pay extra.”  The “road” that we took to the hotel was probably paved at one time….maybe back in the 70’s – now it is rocky dirt road with occasional remnants of pavement.  

Today, I needed to get to the Municipal Council Building….but as if on schedule, it was raining.  So – I did it.  Rain Hat – Rain Coat – Flip Flops – Towel.  I trekked out in the weather.  Soon a picky came by.  This was unexpected since they usually find a place to hide from the rain.  So, I wiped off the seat and used the usual line: “Municipal Building.  Be careful and I will pay extra.”  Unfortunately, my umbrella didn’t want to close….so there I go down the road on a picky with an umbrella in the rain.  

Don’t worry Mom – I arrived safe both times.  It’s amazing how careful they’ll drive when you promise them extra shillings.  

School's Out!!

My students are extra excited…..over-stressed…..and won’t stop talking!!  It must be the LAST WEEK OF SCHOOL!

Not your usual last week, mind you.  We don’t have school on Monday – and the last day of school is a Thursday….so we only have a three-day week…..and, well – on Thursday, we are planning a school-wide pool party after lunch – so Thursday is a half day….make that a two and a half day week.  

My poor history students have a final on Wednesday….Yikes!!  Their poor teacher has to write the final….Double Yikes!!!  

In addition to last week hoop-la – our team is hosting around 13 visitors from the Dallas area….They are visiting to catch the LivingStone University Fever and spread it back in the States.  (Note to CDC: this is in no way related to The Swine Flu.) 

Plus – one of our teammates – the Shelburnes (all 9 of them) – are leaving in five days for a year long furlough.  Two day later, two more teammates head back (Mary Beth and Jennifer) until mid July.  Then, not to be left out, Laura Shero and kids will leave two days after that (Phillip to follow in a few weeks).    Did I mention that Heidi also leaves this Friday??  So in the next ten days, our team will shrink from 14 adults and 10 kids to 7 adults and zero kids.   Sheesh!!    And that’s just the folks leaving from our team…..lots of other expatriates are heading home as well.

After being such a close knit community it is difficult to see that community change.  

____OK – I actually wrote all of that earlier this week and totally forgot to post it….That's how busy this last week of school has been!  And, that history final...I'm not sure which is more difficult - writing exams or taking exams.  

Romance in East Africa

I first wrote this in an email to a close friend several months ago.  She loved it and encouraged me to share it on my blog.  I was reluctant - but since others have recently asked if I've met any cute African Princes....I'll update you on the sad affair known as my romantic life (coming soon to a theatre near you): 

-I went to Kenya a few weeks ago with my roommates and we traveled around on our own adventure....we had a little bit of a schedule since we had booked some tours at game parks - but we tried to keep it free (which I loved and drove my roommates mad.)  While on safari at this place called Masai Mara our driver pulled up along another vehicle to chat with their driver.  In the other vehicle was one really cute blue-eyed shirtless man.  The kind that you dream meeting while he is discovering ancient temple ruins...think Indiana Jones-ish.  Well, the roofs of the safari vehicles pop up so that you can stand up and see the animals (or cute men).  So, I try to strike up a conversation.  Only he can't understand what I am saying because it turns out he is Italian.  "Oh Italy!" I exclaimed....then slyly smile and say "Ciao!" (laugh, but seriously...I did this....)  Then he asks "You country?" and I can't answer quickly enough..."America!" I blurt out. He instantly grins and responds "Ah, Texas???" ........... I stop smiling and just stare...."No - Atlanta, Georgia."  A little disappointed he responds "Oh, At-lan-ta".  We then smile at each other for a few more seconds before our drivers take off in opposite directions.  

So, there you have it - my brief blue-eyed Italian romance somewhere in southern Kenya. (Sigh)- 

LIU Blogs

I've written several more blogs for LivingStone International Unvisersity....but instead of reposting everything here I'll just direct you to the LIU website if you are curious and want to read more.

Knock Yourself Out: http://livingstone.ac.ug/news/

LivingStone or CornerStone?

Wednesday, April 29

9:00 pm

Mt. Elgon Hotel

Phillip thoughtfully began the first session by reading I Peter 2:4-5.  In case you don't have your Bible handy, here is what it says:    

“As you come to him, the living Stone – rejected by men but chosen by God and precious to him – you also, like living-stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.”

I love it!  Jesus is the Living Stone and we are also like Living Stones.  As I sit here thinking about all the inferences that can be made with this verse and the idea of bringing students to a place to grow intellectually and spiritually – my mind can't even keep up.  

What makes it even more amazing to me is that the name originally came from Dr. David Livingstone, who was a Scottish missionary/explorer to Africa during the late 1800's.  Many admire Dr. Livingstone for his courageousness and innovative approach to reaching out to African natives. Some say he paved the way for future missionaries to serve in the African interior.  

Earlier this evening Dennis Okoth reminded us that further on in I Peter 2, Jesus is also referred to as the CornerStone.  I've always thought of “cornerstone” in terms of “essential for foundation” ....and it is!  But Dennis suggested that a cornerstone also brings together two sides.  I'm not sure if this is news to you, but LIU is an effort of folks from both Churches of Christ (CoC) and Christian Churches (CC).  What an amazing example of the unity and harmony found in Christ – and as Dennis pointed out, this is happening on African Soil.  Amazing!   

By the way, we have begun every session by reciting I Peter 2:4-5.  It still gives me chills.  Wish you were here!  

-Julie

SUMMIT POST 1

Wednesday, May 29

1:00 pm

Mt. Elgon Hotel

Today mainly consisted of over eager bzugu's (swahili for white folk) milling about Mt. Elgon Hotel in bright yellow shirts spontaneously shaking a stranger's hand while loudly and cheerfully declaring “You are most welcome!”

So many contributed in various ways to prepare for this day.  Putting the participant binders together took a team of 10 adults – and I literally mean just stacking the preprinted papers up and putting them in a binder.  It seems we are A.) Really excited that the big day has finally arrived  B.) Nervous that everyone will notice the misspelling on page 27 in the binders   C.) Slightly sleep deprived  or D.) On the verge of a nervous breakdown.  

Despite our best efforts, the conference seems to be off to a great start.  But then again, the first meetings are just about to begin.  

Blogger on the Field,

-Julie

(If you are confused as to what I am talking about - see the post below...)

Field Correspondent

My high-school English teacher will be flabbergasted.  I can see her now.  Correcting my grammar while telling her current students....”See, this is why paying attention in my class is important.”   Here I am – ten years later – the unofficial, under-qualified, but ever-dedicated “Field Correspondent” for Livingstone International University's 2009 Advisors Summit.  

I'll do my best to keep all the folks around the world updated on the  LIU Summit and I promise to make it more entertaining than actually attending three days of lectures.  I'll keep as close to the truth and on topic as possible – but the entertaining part has to come from somewhere, right?  

Today's lesson: Listen to your English Teacher.

-Julie Reagan

Overdue From Uganda

Below is from my email update.

Yes. You’re right.  It has been a long time.  Admit it – you haven’t even noticed.  Okay, maybe you have.  I’ve actually received several emails titled “How’s Life?”- “Are You There?” - “Have you been eaten by wild animals?”  So, I figured it was time for a mass email update. 

 

School.

We have wrapped up economics with a final research paper.  Both my students compared today’s economy and President Obama with the 1930’s economy and President Roosevelt.  Their papers are excellent!  I am so proud of the progress we’ve made.  We also plan to create documents to help a local non-profit agency whose aim is to educate local coffee farmers on the process of establishing a farming co-op and the general idea of international free trade. 

 

In history, I decided to let the students chose from a list of pre-approved topics.  So far we have covered the following units in depth: Islam and the Middle East; Communism and Soviet Union/Russia.  This class is made up of all boys and we have all enjoyed digging into the history and reading about current events in these not so far off places.  Two weeks ago we began a unit on Southeast Asia (including Korea).  Of course, the boys are especially enjoying the parts about the Vietnam and Korean Wars.  They want to know all about military tactics “back then.”  Since I don’t have the luxury of a textbook, you can’t imagine how thankful I am for the internet and encyclopedias (even if they are from 1998).   

 

Trivia: None of my students call me Miss Reagan.  I am most often referred to as Teachie-Weechie, Sensei, Stalin, and as of today….Drill Sergeant Ma’am.  My title changes with our unit of study. 

 

Team.

Since I last wrote, our team has traveled to Kenya twice.  Early March we traveled to Sunrise Acres for a three day team retreat.  The cooler weather of Kenya and the more western style homes proved to be the perfect atmosphere for rejuvenation.  Taking advantage of our location and time off from school, my roommates and I hopped on local buses and taxis and traveled around Kenya. We drove through two different game parks and came within spitting distance of all the Big Five game animals.  We also spent one night in Nairobi….where we were kind-of awe struck by all of its civilization…it reminded me of my first trip to New York City.  We wrapped up our trip with a visit to a children’s home in Kitale that our team supports.  Hopefully, I’ll post a video of that amazing visit soon.

 

More recently, the women from our team traveled to Kenya to meet with other missionary women from all over East Africa.  There were about 40 in all.  Most of these women spend their time teaching, encouraging and feeding the spiritual needs of others. The time we had together was spent nurturing our own spiritual needs and of course just being girls.  We also played a White Elephant game.  Some really nice person in the States had sent over a box full of American goodies, each wrapped in newspaper.  We could each select a gift or steal someone else’s gift.  Here were some of the gifts:  Macaroni & Cheese, Cornbread mix, Cheese-Whiz (shrieks filled the room), Cheese Nips, Brownie Mix (Gasp!), Cake Mix with…Icing (Gimmie!), Velveeta, Pecans….You get the idea.  You might not understand the idea unless you’ve lived in a third-world culture.  This is making me hungry….Moving on.

 

We have new teammates!  Vince and Joy Vigil (pronounced V-hill), who are both in their early twenties, have joined our team!  Vince is working with Good News Productions, which is more media focused while Joy will be working with deaf students attending our Bible School.

 

This week also begins our University Summit Meetings.  These meeting bring together folks from all over East Africa who are focused on developing the best possible Christian University here in Mbale.  From these meetings, an Advisory Board will be formed that can make steps towards administrative recruitment and fundraising.  The University already has a great website: http://livingstone.ac.ug/  

 

Life.

Personally, I am enjoying my time in Uganda and beginning to thrive in its culture!  I have recently become a confident Ugandan driver as well as a hard nosed negotiator.  The first of May, my cousin Martha Sue and friend Maria Barringer came to Uganda for a visit.  I love the opportunity to show off Uganda and had as much fun putting together the logistics of their visit as I did actually spending time with them.  Maybe a travel agent job in my future??

 

Speaking of the future….Several are asking what I have planned when I return in August.  The answer is that I am planning on doing whatever God leads me to do.  (That’s a spiritual way of saying I don’t have a clue.)

 

So, the one with no clue sends you warmest regards and congratulates you on reading this entire email.

 

Thanks for your prayers, emails, and support – keep them coming!

-Julie Reagan

Milestones

Last week I DROVE to Jinja to meet Sue and Maria.  Sue (my cousin) and Maria (my friend) were visiting from Georgia! I had so much fun arranging the logistics of their visit....brought back memories of my campaign scheduling days....only this was much more fun!!  

 

Back to the major milestone....I DROVE ALL THE WAY TO JINJA!  Dodging people, potholes, and bicycles....Overtaking slow moving trucks....Navigating unmarked detours....Defeating mountain-like speed bumps....Declaring to all of Uganda "I am not intimidated by your standard transmissions and erratic driving habits.....but, please don't hit me...."  

 

Also, while in town picking up our new dresses, my roommates and I got caught in a terrible storm.  This storm even "brought the ice."  This is the first time many Ugandans have ever witnessed a Hail Storm.  Pictures of both the ice and the new dress below!

Madam, some bananas to go with the dress?

Everyday life in Uganda is different than life in Georgia.  Both places are pretty hot, but at least in Georgia there is A/C and electricity to run the A/C 99% of the time.  Both places have mosquitoes, but the mosquitoes in GA generally don’t inhabit every nook ‘n’ cranny of your house, carry malaria, or give your roommate an excuse to spontaneously slap you across any part of your body.  Both have LOTS of traffic, however GA drivers and pedestrians typically follow the established traffic laws (also, these laws are actually enforced).  

 

Speaking of traffic laws – some of my teammates have shown great faith and have lent me vehicles on various occasions.  Not only am I getting used to everything being opposite, but I also had to used to driving a manual transmission.  Put the two together and, well, there you go – would you want to lend me your only car?  But – I have only stalled on the road once and only “almost” hit a bicycle once.  Last evening I even drove across town for dinner.  According to more than one eye witness my driving was “not bad” and even “surprisingly steady”.  Perhaps with this newly refined skill my dad and my brother will let me drive their own precious trucks when I return home. 

 

Crystal, Jennifer and I had bought some local material and today we went into town to have traditional Ugandan dresses made.  The mother of one of the youth members at church is a seamstress.  What I mean is – she has an old singer sewing machine (the kind with the foot pump) on the sidewalk.  So there we are, three mzungu sitting on stools crowded around her machine on the sidewalk looking a pictures of dresses cut out of magazines.  Of course everyone who walks by (which must have been a bazillion people) had to look over our shoulders and ask questions of Mary (our seamstress) in their native language (that we don’t speak).  Once we all picked out a dress we liked, Mary took our measurements….right there on the street.  It wasn’t too bad until a guy tried to sell us some bananas….as I was getting my hips measured.  Talk about bad timing for him. 

 

Check back later for a picture of the dress and a story about how I have introduced my team to “Georgia Tea” and created my own “Southern Fried Omelet”.  

YOU TUBE = ME TUBE

I’ve posted a video on you tube.  

SEE MINISTRIES – a series of pictures taken in the fall from a See Ministries event.

More to come!!

I'm Legal!

I finally received my work permit from the Ugandan government!  Just in time to be able to leave the country for a visit to Kenya.  Honestly, I had an easy time of it compared to some of my teammates immigration horror stories.  In case any of you ever need to get a work permit in Uganda, below are some helpful guidelines.  

1. Apply Early – and include every document that has your name and some sort of official seal.  I turned in my request in November.  My file included everything from copy of passport (expected) to copy of high-school transcript (embarrassing).  Sometimes it takes several attempts to get your request accepted.
2. Be patient.  Wait, Wait, Wait. 
3. After 3 full months, travel to the immigration office in Kampala (a 4 hour trip for me) to check on your status. HOW TO CHECK STATUS:
1. Go to office A (size of a shoebox) and look through “official” records journal to find your request number.
2. Go to office B (size of large closet) with your request number.  Watch as officer goes up to a wall (floor to ceiling) of papers and files.  Magically your file emerges.
3. Determine if your request has been (a) acknowledged, (b) ignored, (c) forgotten, (d) lost, (e) denied, or (f) granted!
4. At this point, if request is stalled, you’ll have to make another trip to Kampala in a few weeks.
5. Once request is granted – proceed to Office C with your file.  Here a person behind iron bars determines how much money you owe and issues you an official bill.  (My work permit cost 250,000 shillings or around $125.)
6. Take this slip of paper across busy and crowded Kampala city to the Ugandan Internal Revenue Bank.  (figure out where in the heck is the Ugandan Internal Revenue Bank).
7. At Bank go to Counter A – push your way through the crowd towards the front and eventually to a clerk who will take your money and type something in the computer.
8. Still at Bank – wait across the room in front of Counter B for another clerk to call out your name indicating that your official receipt is ready.  This receipt takes anywhere from 30 - 90 minutes.
9. Drive back across busy Kampala to the Immigration Offices with official receipt the verifies your payment.
10. Go back to Office B, present official receipt. Leave passport with officer for another week for the official work permit to be inserted into your passport.
11. Wait a week.
12. Drive back to Kampala to pick up passport.  Be thankful!!

Randomness….

Creating a list of 25, 50, or 100 Random facts about yourself is the latest craze on Facebook.  Honestly, I don’t care to read 100 random facts about anyone – you probably don’t either.  Maybe we can all handle 25.  It took me several days to come up with all 25…I almost gave up after 6. 

 

1. First Things First.  The first thing I do when I pick up a newspaper is read the comics.  The first comic strip that I read is Garfield.

 

2. Heinz Ketchup! I love Heinz Ketchup!!  It makes anything taste better.  (except eggs & ice cream – that’s just gross). 

 

3. Writing…I love the concept of writing, but putting pen to paper is actually painful for me.  Literally.  It hurts to hold a pen and write.  I blame it on all the invitations I’ve hand addressed on campaigns.  One day, my hand just had enough and it hasn’t forgiven me since.  

 

4. Spelling……Spelling correctly is really difficult; You know it’s bad when you ask your Jr. High students for help as you’re writing notes on the board. 

 

5. DVR! Because I can’t write, I keep a lot of notes on the computer and I also use a digital voice recorder (DVR) for journaling.  One of my new favorite ways to journal is to interview myself.  These are really hilarious! 

 

6. Maps!  I love to look at, read, and memorize maps!! 

 

7. 5!  This year I have flown over the Atlantic Ocean 5 times!!  I only had to sit in Coach once.  (and I still have to fly home in August…that will make it 6)

 

8. Speaking of 6! Today, I drove for the first time in 6 months…..Only it was in Uganda, and they drive on the opposite side of the road, and the truck was a stick shift, and I didn’t hit anyone or kill the engine – all the while dodging pot-holes, cows and bicycle taxis. 

 

9. Memories!  I have a “Book of Memories” that I started in 2001.  It is list of funny, sad, eventful, and random memories that I never want to forget.  

 

10. Ahem!  If I have to work, then I dream of being a writer (isn’t it ironic?) and a highly sought after public speaker. 

 

11.  Harold!  One of my favorite all time actors is Harold Lloyd.  Who is that, you may ask?  Harold Lloyd is only one of the best silent movie actors from the 1920’s.  Don’t hate.  He will make you laugh out loud. 

 

12.  Oh, Brother!  I am the luckiest sister to have the best brother in the whole world.  Seriously, all my girl friends wish Andrew was their brother….even some of my guy friends. 

 

13.  Frankly My Dear….Everything I needed to know about life, I’ve learned from Margaret Mitchell and Jane Austen. 

 

14. Shhh!  I sleep with ear plugs and sometimes even an eye-mask.

 

15.  Get Lost!  Going on long walks or drives with no destination is one of my favorite stress relievers.  (usually with a Rob Bell or Andy Stanley podcast on my ipod – or Weezer playing really loud if I’m angry….)

 

16.  Chapstick?  Right now in my purse, I counted 5 tubes of chapstick.  It is very rare that I can keep up with one long enough to use it all.

 

17.  Dirty!  I hate doing the dishes.

 

18.  Christy.  The novel Christy by Catherine Marshall was a major inspiration to my initial thoughts about doing mission work.

 

19.  My Words!  One of the most exciting moments of working in the Lt. Governor’s Office was when he used some of my suggestions in a speech.  I was standing off to the side and felt like jumping up and down and declaring “Those were my words!”  I’m not sure it was even a complete sentence and I don’t recall what the speech was about – but I’ll never forget the feeling!

 

20.  Quiet Game.  I covet quiet alone time.  Sometimes I just wonder off without telling anyone.  Like the time I went to Hawaii for my 23^rd birthday.

 

21. My-tunes.  The top 5 most played songs from my itunes are: #1 Underdog, Spoon; #2 Caravan, Van Morrison; #3 Under Pressure, David Bowie; #4 Grace Kelly, MIKA; #5 Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy, The Andrews Sisters.

 

22.  8-31. I share a birthday with Van Morrison and I think that makes me pretty cool. 

 

23.  Sweeper. Back in the day, I had soccer coaches from Italy, Ireland, Mexico, England, and the good ole USA.  I was a defender you didn’t want to mess with (what I lacked in skill, I made up for with violence). I even broke a teammate’s arm during a scrimmage (but not on purpose) – Sorry Katie.  

 

24.  Aces.  I might be the best Spades player….ever.  But be warned, I cheat.      

 

  25.   Home.  After 12 months in Uganda, I’ll be returning to Atlanta on August 13, 2009 at approximately 7:10pm.  Good Lord willing and the creek don’t rise. 

You're Not Talking To The Hand....

Just wanted to ya'll know that we are having a ridiculous time with the power and internet lately.  The electricity has been very lazy and has not wanted to stay on for more than 3 consecutive hours at a time.  This has made responding to emails and posting new blogs very difficult - especially since my laptop battery is officially dead and I can't even turn my computer on when the power is off.  Errrrrr - How was it that Paul learned to be content in EVERY situation?

I'm really thankful for your emails - keep them coming - I'm not ignoring you!

By the way the picture above was taken at Messiah Theological Institute (MTI) - the Bible School that our team oversees.  This water pump was installed by our team and provides clean drinking water to anyone who wishes to use it.  So many biblical stories happened around water wells....I can't help but think of a different one each time I pass this water pump.

5 Down...7 To Go

January finishes up my fifth month of living here in Mbale, Uganda.  Five complete months of living in a third world culture.  While it's beginning to feel normal – somethings here continue to baffle me. 

 

-Body Language – For women, be submissive in everyway; Don’t look men in the eye when you talk; Keep your head bowed and even bend at the waist a little; Talk soft.  If I don’t follow these cultural norms – then I am either very offensive or very provocative. Personally, this one has been really hard to get used to.  

-Family – If we’re related, you can’t say no to me – Broke? Need a place to stay? Hungry?  Simple.  Find your mother’s 2^nd cousin’s nephew and they can’t turn you down if you’re related.  Folks here will go broke and make themselves homeless before turning out lazy free-loading relatives. In the States, I think we'd only go to family as a last resort.  And while we are willing to help out our family when they are down and out, there is a line in the sand for how far we are willing to go.  

-Money – Live for today. The majority of folks are focused on survival and if they come into a sum of money – they don’t save it for next season’s seed or future medical bills or next year’s school fees but spend it now.  They might, however, build a portion of a house as they get money.  You see half built homes all over the place here; Completing a house sometimes takes 15-20 years – but, if you put your money in building materials at least your husband’s nephew won’t crash at your place and borrow all your cash. (Cause you couldn’t say no if he asked for it.) 

-Spirits – In the States, there is this movement to become more spiritual…as in zen and peace and meditation.  But here spiritual is very dark.  Witchdoctors are real.  Children are really kidnapped and their body parts sold for sacrifices.  Folks wear charms to ward off evil spirits.  Even in Christian churches, believers turn to witchdoctors for healings.  These witchdoctors in turn sacrifice chickens, goats or even worse… I have never felt so close to spiritual warfare than I do here in Uganda. 

-Mortality – Death visits often.  I meet so many who are either living with HIV or lost a parent to HIV.  This death comes slowly – for others, it comes very fast at a young age.  Many, many mothers will bear 8 – 12 children, but only 2 -3 will live to be adults.  In fact, most children aren’t even named until they are a year old.  It is such a ridiculous waste.  Our school cook lost her 2 month old son who was receiving treatment at the local hospital and will never know the real cause of his death.  And not even a week later, our day guard lost his 8 month old son to sickness.