Uganda!

Last winter, I knew I had a gap semester, and so I decided to just fit everything in and travel everywhere I could, and that is more or less how I ended up sitting on a couch by myself in Uganda.

I am currently writing this to stave off a complete meltdown because I am definitely looking around wondering how I ended up here.  I mean, I know how I ended up here, but you know what I mean.  Who flies to Uganda by themselves to spend two weeks more or less alone?

I guess I do?  A part of me is still truly wondering what on earth I was thinking.  The other part of me thinks this is kind of cool.  And the last part of me is still trying to breath deeply and keep calm because this truly is a unique experience that is cool/will hopefully help on some level.  Another small part of me knows that if I didn't do this, I would have always wondered a little about that one opportunity I had to go to Uganda and didn't take it.

And what is Uganda like?  Based on my exhausted view, it looks exactly like how you would imagine.  It is beautiful though...red dirt and green everywhere.  We went to church today where I feel asleep (I feel a little bad about that, but also I was barely functioning).  I am obsessive about bug spray and sunscreen at this point.  I forgot to bring towels and those long-sleeve shirts I wanted to sleep in (yepppp.  It's been a real treat figuring out what I was thinking when I was packing).

We came back from church and I took a two hour nap, and I'm feeling a lot better.  Already looking forward to sleeping later tonight, but it's fine.  My host also has a security friend who stops by, mostly to babysit me when she had to go grocery shopping.  I haven't had a babysitter in a long time, but I appreciate it.  As a white person in Utah, I haven't really understood what it's like to stand out because of my race, but here I am getting the slightest glimpse of that.

I was also very worried about meeting at the airport, but I felt better and better about that situation as my flight went on.  There were two other planes that got in at my same time, full of other Europeans and Americans who were checking in.  I had to wait an hour to get my electronic visa accepted (people who decided to wait and get their visa had to wait ten minutes?)  My bag was perfectly fine, thankfully, and I got everything I needed.

Has all of this been random enough for you?  Haha, but as I keep telling myself, I can handle two weeks.

xo. Elise

Me, right in the car after getting picked up!