A world so far with a culture so different

(Images on this blog are from the Safari)

So, I have been in Africa for a few days now. Not enough to get the hang of everything, nor know where the local hang outs are, but hopefully that will come soon. Yesterday was Rwanda orientation. After lunch a few people from the community came to the house to pick us up. They took us around Kigali, Rwanda to show us how to you public transportation and so that we can get a feel for the city so we can get around easier.

Here in Kigali they speak French and Kirwanda (that might be spelled incorrectly). With in the last year or so they have switched to English, but not many people have learned it yet. Yesterday when we went out with the people from the town the language barrier really overwhelmed me. There was 3 people from our group with 2 people from the community. We took the public transport in to town and then went to like 4 supermarkets. The whole time one of the guys stuck with me and told me stuff about the culture and the city, but he was very hard to understand! I didn't realize how great I had it when I went to Guatemala and how beneficial it was that I had studied Spanish for a while before I went there. Here, in Africa, I'm completely starting over and in a community that doesn't understand me at all.

The city is always moving... so many people and the traffic is crazy! It is going to take me a little while to get use to this town, public transportation, and the language. But I am learning a few words, which is great. Things can be overwhelming, but I'm trying not to let it overwhelm me and take it one at a time. Today we are going to church with the people who took us around town yesterday, so my group is going to a Catholic Mass.

I'm really excited about starting classes tomorrow. I'll keep you all updated

jet lag - sleep - 10 hour car rides - sleep - elephants and hippos - sleep - baboon on porch - sleep - beautiful people - sleep - beautiful world

We arrived in Uganda around 7:30ish on Monday morning. We spent most of the day Monday just relaxing and trying to get over the long flights and I began running again. Well actually that is the only

time since I have been here that I ran because we have been travel

ing, but oh well. The traffic in Uganda is CRAZY and they drive on the left side of the road.

Early Tuesday morning we all cram into our wonderful bus with leopard print seats and personally inserted seats so that all 15 students, 1 RC, 1 assistant director, 1 bus driver, and way to much luggage can fit. We drove about 10 hours (crossing over the equator) to the Queen Elizabeth Game Camp.

6:30 a.m. Wednesday mo

rning we wake up to go on our first Safari where we watch the sunrise over the African plain. All morning we saw tons of Elephants, Cope Buffalo, an animal that looks similar to Antelopes, tons of Warthogs, Water Buck, and 2 Lions. (I kept

thinking about how much my Dad would have loved the Safari since we saw so much wildlife) We also drove down to a fishing community where we got to play with kids for a little while. We returned home around 10ish and then around 3 we loaded a boat to take a boat ride on Lake George and Lake Edward. In between trips we were relaxing in the house at the hostel we were staying at and we all of a sudden her a backing noise. We looked outside and there

was a baboon walking on our back porch! The boat trip we took at 3 was even better than the morning safari! We were able to see TONS of hippos and even more buffalo. Then we saw elephants even closer! They were right on the shore line playing in the water, it was AMAZING! They took the boat pretty close to the shore and the elephants didn’t like it too much. We also we

nt past a sandy area that h

ad hundreds of birds!

Thursday morning we left at

6:30 again for another morning Safari drive. We saw a lot of the same things we saw the first day except this time we saw hyenas and six lions, but sadly the lions are pretty far aw

ay. After we packed up our stuff we drove to another camp in the Queen Elizabeth Game Camp called Simba Camp. We stayed here for one night.

Friday morning we got left at 7:00 a.m. to drive to Kigali, Rwanda (where we will be spending the next month or so).

Overview

This trip has been AMAZING so far! I have seen so many awesome animals in their natural habitat as well as some beautiful country side. I have also met some pretty great people! I met these people about a week ago and we have already becoming really close to each other and have had some pretty great conversations. Classes start on Monday and I look forward to getting into a routine and start becoming part of the local community. In about two weeks we have practicum fair where we hear all about the different practicums we could do and where we pick our top three favorites. After that they choose which one we will do. Our practicum is after our month stay in Rwanda in could be any where in Rwanda, Uganda, or Ethopia. It will last for almost 4 weeks. I’m getting really excited about that too! I can’t wait to see where I will be going! After practicum we travel back to Uganda to spend our last month or so studying there. This semester is going to go fast but I’m excited to see what the Lord has planned!

Day One Of Many

Today is the first day of the semester. I left for Phoenix at 9:40 this morning. When we arrived we had conferences all afternoon. We learned a lot about Food For the Hungry and what their mission is, as well as what their purpose for the go-Ed program. We discussed the foundation in God and how "the ultimate focus is the Most Vulnerable in the World". Tomorrow we will getup and have conferences all day again. Then we leave for the airport at 7:20. This is going to be extremely short but I just wanted to post some verses that we talked about today and that I really enjoyed.

Collosians 1:15-20

¹⁵He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. ¹⁶For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him. ¹⁷He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. ¹⁸And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy. ¹⁹For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, ²⁰and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross.

Psalm 146:6-10

the Maker of heaven and earth, the sea, and everything in them— the LORD, who remains faithful forever.

⁷ He upholds the cause of the oppressed and gives food to the hungry. The LORD sets prisoners free,

⁸ the LORD gives sight to the blind, the LORD lifts up those who are bowed down, the LORD loves the righteous.

⁹ The LORD watches over the alien and sustains the fatherless and the widow, but he frustrates the ways of the wicked.

¹⁰ The LORD reigns forever, your God, O Zion, for all generations. Praise the LORD.

Luke 4:17-20

¹⁷The scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to him. Unrolling it, he found the place where it is written: ¹⁸"The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, ¹⁹to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor."

²⁰Then he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant and sat down. The eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fastened on him,