... the Bad, the Ugly

The Bad— I forgot how tiring it is to be looked at all the time. Because white faces are the extreme minority, most Ugandans find it at least mildly entertaining to see what the white foreigners are up to—when we walk, when we trip on a stone, when we drink water, when we pick our noses, when we shop, when we sit, when we stand, when we travel, when we sweat. I simply forgot how annoying it is…I’m sure I’ll find healthy or at least amusing coping mechanisms, but it is strange to be looked at during the most ordinary of daily tasks. Who knew buying bread or boarding a taxi was so exciting?!

The Ugly— it never seems to take very long before my ugly attitude makes an unannounced appearance. The latest episode happened at the office of Immigration. Ugh! A little vomit came up just thinking about it. Desperate to be approved for an extended work permit—which allows me to remain in the country, I reluctantly went to Immigration to fill out the forms, stand in the lines, convince someone to help me and NOT charge me hidden, under the table fees for them to actually do their job. Corruption is rampant in most government offices here. You must pay under the table to get anything done. I had 1 ½ months left on my visa and still the woman “helping” me insisted that I not only fill out the form for the work permit but I also apply for a special pass for when my visa runs out. A special pass costs 90,000 shillings and is a great way for them to slow down on processing the work permit while getting more money from you. Sick! “You people just love taking money!” I shouldn’t have said it. As soon as I did I knew things would not be going my way. Sure enough, she found something wrong with my paperwork and refused to process my request until I bring back another cover letter or some such nonsense. I had done it. I had mouthed off and made her mad. Now, she has refused to help me. I must prepare more documents and return to this office to waste another 5 hours of my life! “You have not been very helpful at all!” Well, I didn’t need to add that either, but I did out of anger. I suppose I could have also done without the grunts of frustration as I left the parking lot. I realize you might not be following me, but let it just be known that I really hate the office of Immigration, and my mouth is sometimes not my best friend.

And on to the Prayer List:
1. Transition and adjustment as I continue to get settled here. Erin leaves on July 27th and real life will resume. I am already sad about her coming absence from my daily life. She is such a source of joy and safety and encouragement. I will miss her terribly. Pray that God will guide us both to good friendships and healthy Christian communities to join.
2. The School program. Pray that God would continue to put kids in my path who need hugs, love, encouragement, mentoring. Pray that God would connect me with those kids as I teach and minister here. And we continue to pray for the schools that have not yet joined the program. We still have slots to fill. Right now we are working with 7 schools in hopes to add 3 more.
3. Pray for me as I prepare for my first term of teaching pastors. I begin in September. I feel excited, intimidated and overwhelmed by the task. These ministers are being equipped for such important work in the church. Many of them have already spent years serving their local churches. Their wisdom will be such a gift to our class sessions. Pray that God will be glorified in our time together.
4. Continue to pray for good health for all of the CHM staff. Our schedule is busy, and our bodies get tired.

There’s more coming in my full update, but I wanted to connect with you separately. Know how truly thankful I am to be here doing this work. I am forever thankful for you. I could not be here without you!

Namubiru Alisha

Top 10 Favorite Things

The Good—I’m starting with the good so that you all will be reassured that I do continue to love this place, the people and the work God has called me to, but as the two month mark is made comes a set of frustrations and struggles that are real and difficult to navigate. So, you’re getting an earful of that too! Ok, I’m beginning with a list of my Top 10 Favorite Things about the rhythm of my life here so far. I suppose these are in no particular order.

10) The ice cream truck, which is really a motorcycle with a cooler strapped to the back seat, rides throughout the neighborhood playing “Silent Night.” Who doesn’t love Christmas in July?!

9) I’m so green! I walk to work!

8) My morning commute involves passing one adorable goat, greeting at least 3 or 4 roaming chickens, jumping over a stream, brushing past a corn field, hugging an old woman who usually sells me mangoes, trudging through a trash heap (which might require a Top 10 list of its own), and cringing at the squeals from pig slaughtering. All before 8 AM. In its own way it is beautiful.

7) The Muslim call to prayer that often interrupts my sleep. I love being reminded that there are faithful people praying even as I am drifting into sleep.

6) While “mzungu” is a common way for children and strangers to identify a white person in their midst, I am slowly being greeted as Namubiru (my African name) by my friends and neighbors…and sometimes even strangers!

5) I get at least 25 hugs a day from students who usually run up to me in delight, “Auntie Alisha!” It’s the best job ever!

4) I can now successfully light and maintain the charcoal stove whenever I want to cook with it, and when I don’t want to, I just turn on my gas stove. It’s divine.

3) I can hand wash all of my underwear in an hour! Miraculous, I tell you.

2) I haven’t gotten malaria yet!

1) The people who work at the grocery store where I shop know my name. It’s the ultimate!

Sunburned & Sweating

Three almost over the weight limit suitcases. One stamped passport. One shrimp po-boy. Three precious friends to hug before boarding. Three plane rides. Four disastrous meals on board. An entire row on the plane just for me from Belgium to Uganda. Four movies to watch on the way over. One unexpected hour delay in Rwanda. Three almost over the weight limit bags to find at baggage claim. Three friends with open arms to welcome me home. One crazy tired traveler. And just like that I’m back in Uganda.

These few days of transition have felt warmly familiar. There were plenty of hugs waiting for me when I arrived at Christopher House Friday morning. And soon after that we got right to work, preparing for our first classes which began Tuesday, June 2. At least four classes out of the ten schools are new to me. Preparing and planning for new students is always an exhausting and yet exciting task. My prayer is that these students, like our other school groups, will find Christopher House to be a safe place to explore their talents, to build their self esteem and to be spiritually formed.

Settling in has been somewhat of a challenge. While I feel so at home here, I’m also feeling anxious to unpack in my new apartment. I’m still living out of suitcases until my apartment is ready for me—we’re hoping it will be done in a week. I think it lacks a toilet and a bathroom sink. Still, the place is so much more than I imagined. I am so excited about having a space to call home and a place to offer hospitality to visitors and friends. As soon as I move in and get things put in their places I’ll be sure to take pictures for you.

While I don’t start teaching at the International School of Missions until September, I did have a chance to pop in and say hello to several of the pastors during their break time on Tuesday. Two of the pastors asked in advance that I be patient with their limited English. Because they are from the Congo, they primarily speak French. I made an attempt to spout out whatever French I could remember from the French Candlestick character in Beauty and the Beast. It was pathetic. Still, I couldn’t help but to get excited about the work ahead and the wisdom I will learn from the faithful work these pastors do in their parishes. Of course, they insist that it is I who holds the wisdom—little do they know I’m faking it until I make it. Shh! Let’s keep that to ourselves.

Ok, I’ve got to run. Cooking dinner tonight with friends and creating a few more lesson plans with my co-teacher Sylivia before the week gets too busy.
You’ll definitely hear more from me soon.
Love from UG,
Namubiru Alisha

No! Not 53 Lbs.

So, for the most part I have been packed and ready to go to Uganda for over a week. Still, as I piddle around the house I keep finding things that make their way to my suitcase, and now, with only one day to go, I have a suitcase that is 3 lbs. over the weight limit. I can't help myself. Now, I'm going through rounds and rounds of elimination. Scotch tape and extra staples--stay. Picture frame--goes. Walking shoes--go. Colorful permanent markers--stay. Favorite quilt--goes. Top 10 favorite novels--stay. Wait! Take 5 at least! Ok, take 3! Deal.

Packing has turned into a constant battle of negotiation. Which parts of my life will get squeezed into these bags in order to land in Uganda? Which things are the most important to help me turn an apartment into a home? I can't decide if I'm more disgusted by all the stuff I feel like I need or if I'm more sad that my paintings and complete collection of throw pillows must remain behind. Is 3 suitcases too many? I'm pathetic. I'm going to bed.

Tonight I will dream about my new neighborhood and where I'll position my bed in my new place. I should have it completely decorated by the time I wake up tomorrow (P.S. I don't even know what it looks like). HA! Goodnight!

I Can Almost Taste It

As I sit here on the sofa watching Extreme Makeover: Home Edition (don't judge me) and feeling slightly chilled from the air conditioning blowing gently in my general direction, I am reminded how different my life will look in just 10 days. This is the worst part...waiting! I have packed and unpacked just for fun, trying to master new techniques. I have everything ready to go. I keep saying goodbyes, and I'm ready to get gone already. I can't wait to laugh with Sylivia, cook with Shelly, sit with Abdul, love on all the kids I've been missing for months, and eat the best pineapple on the planet. But I know that just as I am craving all things Uganda, it won't take too many months of being in Uganda before I'll begin to crave things from here...fast Internet, my own transportation whenever I want it, Netflix, evening walks with Erin, hugs from my mom, and cheese. So, for now I'm drinking it all in...watching television, sleeping late, hugging my friends longer and tighter than usual, and eating entire blocks of cheese.

Long Overdue: Catching Up With My Dad

I realized this week that my dad blogs more than I do. Now, I'm feeling pathetic. So, in an attempt to redeem myself, I thought now was as good a time as any to sit down and start blogging again. So very much has been happening as my last year of graduate school has come to an end. I've written 10 papers in two weeks. I went to my last class ever! I got dressed up for the senior banquet, and danced around onstage at Duke Divinity School's 3rd Annual Broadway Revue. Now, classes are over. Exams are turned in. I'm just sitting around in this cloud of weirdness. There are no deadlines. Graduation isn't until next week. I'm almost confused. What do I do now? WHATEVER I WANT! I slept in late this morning. I got sunburned by the pool yesterday. I'm loving this free time! Of course that won't last long. There's plenty of shopping, cleaning, packing and organizing to do before I leave for Uganda on May 27, 2009 at 2:20PM! It's all seeming really unreal. I feel as if I've been waiting for so long to get back there, and now that it is only 26 days away I can hardly stand it!

While I feel like I'm on an emotional roller coaster--graduating, leaving life in America, adjusting to new surroundings and a new rhythm of life, goodbyes and hellos--it has been such an affirming journey. People have given so graciously in order to make this work possible. Some have donated toiletries, money, time, craftiness, and all of it has helped to raise the support needed to get to Uganda and get going! I'm forever thankful to all the folks who have given and joined me in this work!

And just so you know, I'm totally going to blog more. Promise.
For now, I'm watching Regis & Kelly in my living room, Signing off.

Am I Done Yet?

The finish line is in sight, but the frustration is building. The papers keep piling up. The reading assignments never seem to get completed on time. That's right. It's my last semester of grad school, and the only thing that preserves my sanity is the knowledge that one day I will yearn for hours of time dedicated to reading. I will miss the days of learning and debating and taking lecture notes. I can barely conceive of such mad ideas right now, in the middle of my last semester at Duke, but I am certain that in time I will miss the discipline of studying. You would think that this understanding would settle me down, but no! I still feel restless for Uganda. Restless to return. Restless to dive into the work that waits for me there. Restless to pack and unpack, to get settled and see the people I love, to hug kids that I have been longing to hold for these past 9 months.

My time is coming, but my patience is waning. Still God's steadfast love and goodness never seems to fade. I began fundraising my salary for Uganda during the horrific economic crisis that continues to plague our country. I worried about it. I prayed and bargained with God. I made demands. I pouted. And then someone said to me, "Alisha, God has called you to this work. God will provide for you to do it. And in this journey you must learn what it looks like to need the church." Being the one in need has never been something I have done well, but God reminds me daily that this calling is one that demands I surrender my "I can do it all" mentality. It is the anonymous donations and committed friends and faithful folks that make this ministry possible. Every donation is a reminder of my need for the body of Christ. So, thank you for flooding my life with words of affirmation, money to make this happen and prayers to sustain my spirit throughout this wild ride!

For those of you who are still interested in partnering with us to do the work of equipping and teaching children as well as pastors in Uganda, there is still time to join us. What do I need? Well, I am still looking for 7 folks to join my TOP 40! ($25 a month for 2 years=$600). This is my most pressing need to make sure that my salary is covered for the two years. Still, I am very aware that a commitment like that is not possible for everyone. All one time donations are welcome. I am grouping them together in $600 intervals to fill TOP 40! slots. Already, two TOP 40! slots have been added because of one time donations. There is no contribution too small. Just click the DONATE to AOL link to the right and submit a donation online or contact me if you're interested in joining my Top 40!

I'm sure I have a paper to write or a book to read, but I think I'm going to bed early instead. Try and stop me!

This is Alisha on location in Durham, NC... almost asleep on the couch. Goodnight.