we have arrived!!

Well, the past 24 hours have been great, and a little crazy.

After an amazing trip to London staying with Linds and her adorable family, I got to heathrow with two hours to spare. Sadly I just gravitated to terminal one when I needed to be in terminal 5 so after going all over the place with trains and two huge pieces of luggage and a duffel bag on and off them, carts for my luggage, airport information desks, etc, I finally checked in with just over an hour to spare. I did get on my flight and sat next to a sweet british woman who loved to chat. The flight to Nairobi was 7.5 hours and Kenya air has very little room between seats so I didn't really sleep much. I groggily arrived at 6am Nairobi time and entered the airport for a two hour layover. The plan was to meet Melissa there and we were going to finish our adventure together. I walked the terminal once through before I sat down. It was full of shops and people lined up sitting waiting for their other flights. I was aware that I stood out as I walked through with my duffel bag over one shoulder and a big side purse with all my valuables on the other. I decided to sit for a bit. I tried to read but kept dozing off. So, I put my purse in between my legs with my dress over it and bear hugged my duffel and fell asleep for about 45 minutes. I woke up again and decided to pace one more time before they would let me into the boarding area. So I walked down and back and went to check in. When I got to the xray machine, I went to pull out my laptop and my stomach dropped...yes. I am hoping for a gasp from all you readers. it was SOMEHOW stolen from my bag, I'm guessing when I was walking? I'm trying not to think too much about it or...I'll cry. Anyway, besides my journal, a lot of pictures, and all of my school notes from my program, a bummer is that the research paper I've been working on about US impact and foreign policy in Ugandan HIV reduction rates was saved on it. I told the airport policemen who took notes. I gave them my email and my boss's phone number but they didn't have time to give me a case number or anything. I'll call to try to follow up, but if it's anything like costa rica (my bag was stolen on a bus there), I'm probably not going to see it again. Melissa also didn't show up. I was sitting there dazed, talking to the policeman and wondering why Melissa and I didn't really have a back-up plan and decided that maybe she caught an earlier flight? (she actually had plane problems in amsterdam so caught a later flight).

Since that happened, three people have told me how sketchy the nairobi airport is and that it is notorious for theives. Auntie Peggy told me she didn't know I was flying through Nairobi or would have told me, a few people told Melissa, and the mayors daughters said their sister had her laptop stolen out of her luggage when she flew through kenya. I think our cell phones were stolen out of my checked bag but am hoping that I just haven't looked hard enough. Oh and Melissa's bag with all our supplies was lost in transit! we should get that back but it's just a series of events to get us really...humbled? for the summer.

Anyway, I'm trying to go chronologically but don't want this to start off on such a depressing note. I'M IN UGANDA!!

I walked out of the baggage claim area to see two smiling faces with a sign that said CHRISTIEN UTAH on it and now I have officially met Auntie Peggy, she is the speaker for the town council and well, a diva. She's great.

We drove right past lake victoria and I am amazed and how lush and beautiful it is here. It took 2 hours to get back. We drove from Entebbe to Kampala to Mukono and finally to Lugazi. When we got to Lugazi we stopped by a hotel the polygamist and very wealthy mayor owns. I finally was able to meet Deo. He is a very warm man and within minutes told me that I should find a husband in Uganda.

He is running for re-election so we are currently staying with a Lugazi celebrity. The town has between35 and 40 thousand people and Deo's posters and pictures are all over the place. Because he is so busy I'm a little nervous about him helping us find housing. They said they are looking but Auntie Peggy was speaking as if we were going to stay with the mayor for the next week. Ideally we would have housing found today or tomorrow so we can get all the beds, supplies, and everything from Mukono.

Anyway, I got to the mayors house and met three of his 13 kids (most are in college). Rita, Sarah, and Patricia. They are hilarious. I talked to them for a bit in my room and then took a two hour nap and then went into the house and sat watching an intense bollywood movie which was in hindi and had a man narrating in luganda recorded over. Luckily the plot was fairly easy to follow except after a conversation and a gasp from the girls who watching. I would have to ask for help then. We also watched an episode of roswell with luganda dubbed over as well. It was great. They gave me a big bowl of some fried rice and I was set. I tried to go to the internet cafe during the afternoon but the girls were positive that I would get lost and they aren't really allowed to leave the house, so I stayed.

A driver came at 6pm to pick Patricia, Rita and I up for the airport and we arrived home with Melissa at midnight. more traffic. Patricia, Rita, and I were listening and singing along to hiphop songs in the car on the way to the airport. Without an ipod adaptor in my brothers car, I'm pretty caught up on radio music so it worked really well yesterday. I really like those girls a lot. Rita and sarah are 17--different mom's and patricia is 15 with also a different mom than the other two.

We got back and realized we didn't have mosquitoe nets so I went for the cucoon route which during the night also included wrapping my head after incessant buzzing. I put on bug spray but I had to reapply in the middle of the night because I had funky dreams about crazy killer mosquitoes.

alright, I need to email my professor to tell her the bad news about the paper. I'm SO excited Melissa is here! we stick out soo much in this town but everyone is really friendly and this summer is definitely going to be an adventure. I'm really excited!

Tomorrow!

Tomorrow is my scheduled departure date. At 5pm I will be saying bye again to friends, some who I wont see for a really long time, and others who I'll be able to catch up with in a few months. I have stuff in Utah (I'm sure I still have some things in my brothers car that I was driving around for the last four months) and between three houses in DC. I keep getting texts that I forgot a pair of shoes here or a necklace there. Basically my life is a scattered mess. But I'm expecting it all to fall into place, well, tomorrow.

For now, I have two hours to finish a 30pg'r on US involvement in Pakistan. It's hard for me to stay motivated. I can't wait to start the adventure that lay ahead of me.

ps. sorry about the house post below, it was the easiest way to help people know what is going on with a potential that we are considering renting in the fall. From here on out it'll be about Uganda!

post 1. Pre departure

I daydream about this
and especially thisamid attempted speed reading and frantically writing papers.

We currently have around 37 volunteers getting ready for this adventure ahead in Lugazi, Uganda. I just hope I can get everything done that I need to before the take off. My life currently feels like an eternal To Do list.

• I do have my shots done
  
• I am now first aid trained
• The needed money is coming in (thank you donors!)
  
• and have been to hours and hours of other trainings

I feel mostly excited and a little overwhelmed at the coming weeks and months.

I can not wait to meet the people there!